House update

Well the past few weeks have been interesting, to say the least. We have been in the house-buying process for a while now and are hoping to close shortly. In the meantime, this lady is starting to get a little worried with the amount of tasks to complete with only 8 or so weeks remaining before baby __________ makes his entrance into the world. (Not to mention the lack of energy that doesn't really motivate me to get much done!)

Jason and I have been busily doing whatever we can to speed the home closing process along. But due to the fact that it is a foreclosed HUD home and it had some plumbing problems needing to be fixed for an FHA-approved loan, it is just taking longer than we'd expected. Now it is up to the title company to get their act together so we can close. Jason got the insurance figured out, and I was quite proud of him for price shopping around to find the best deal. We bought a residential carpet cleaner on Amazon, kitchen appliances on craigslist, and found a water heater we plan to purchase at Lowe's. My family and several friends have been collecting boxes for us, so that has been helpful also.

Hopefully we will move in two weeks?! but I am not counting on it. I hope to continue working around the condo as much as I can, spackling picture frame holes, touching up paint, cleaning appliances, and spot treating the carpet. Once we are out of the condo we can deep clean the carpet in every room and do a final general cleaning. (Gotta leave a place cleaner than you found it! Plus Jason wants our deposit back =)

Once we get moved in, there is plenty to keep us busy: paint (in any room we have time for!), appliances to install, carpet cleaning/replacement, backdoor replacement, lights and fans to install, locks to change, curtains/blinds to hang, oh and general unpacking of course. :)

So needless to say, I hope we close quickly!! My belly is has an expiration date on it, and by then I would hope a good chunk of the work would be completed.

23 months: Our climber

Noah is now 23 months. I can't believe in less than a month he will be 2 years old. It's crazy how fast he has grown up. He is very talkative now and uses many toddler sentences, such as "Where he go?" and "Daddy bye bye." He says 90% of people's names now, which is really cute to hear (especially his little friends from Mops or the gym!). He is learning to say "thank you" and "please may I get out," and he will pray before dinner if Mommy helps him.

We are discovering that any semblance of babyproofing our house is completely gone. Noah has figured out ways around our safety measures. One of the ways he does this is by climbing up to things. Here are some pictures showing a few of the ways that Noah is a climber. Not pictured: standing on his riding toys (and falling usually), climbing on his coloring table, standing on the dining room table, climbing on the computer desk.

This is Noah during the Superbowl eating chips with his cousin Benjamin.

(His favorite activity of late is to watch the tractor plow out the driveway. With three recent snowfalls, Noah has had lots of chances to watch the plowing!)

30 weeks

Well, here is an update on the belly at 30 weeks. I had a checkup today and all is well. Perfect blood pressure, no swelling or major complaints (yet?). Heartburn is mildly annoying, but manageable. Baby is head down so far, and we are wonderfully glucose tolerant and not anemic!! I expected mild anemia since I had it with Noah, so it was a nice surprise not to have to take any extra iron supplements. I am pleased that I have gained 20 lbs in this pregnancy. I'd love to keep the weight gain right at 25 lbs, but I am okay with 30 for the total gain. With 10 weeks left, that looks very do-able. I gained 29 with Noah and was able to get rid of it fairly easily. We'll see how it goes with this one!

We switched doctors to a new practice in the same hospital. With a low-risk normal pregnancy, all signs are "go" for the VBAC. The new doctor is very flexible and willing to work with what we'd like to do. Jason and I would love for this baby to come on his own when he is ready. But knowing that Noah would have easily been overdue since there were 0 signs of labor and no cervical dilation at 40 weeks, we aren't comfortable with an c-section deadline of 41 weeks as the old doctor liked. The new doctor is happy to let us wait until 42 weeks and then is comfortable inducing with a low dose of pitocin at 42 weeks if the cervix is favorable. So we will see what happens. Hopefully this baby will be more or less "on time" so we won't have to worry about going overdue too much.

Ways to Earn Money from Home

Here are several possibilities to earn money at home. Most anyone with a computer and online access can do these things, as there is little to no start-up cost.

Sell on eBay and Craigslist. What should you sell? Look around the house and find unused items in good or new condition, take a photo in great lighting, and list! If you are really adventurous, stop by Goodwill and garage sales to look for things to re-sell for a profit. Most items will sell, especially niche market items and high-brands. Consider selling media such as DVDs and books, children's clothing, kitchen items and electronics. This can grow into a full time business if you find the right niche and a great source for items.

Babysit at a local fitness center. (No, it's not exactly at home, but kids are generally welcome to come along with mom!). Check with local area churches or mother's groups to see if they need babysitters for group Bible studies or Mops groups.

Participate in research studies. Many companies need research panelists or focus group participants to give their opinions about a product or service. Find several qualified research companies and register to find out about their studies. You may be asked to try a product and provide a review on paper or in person. Compensation for a small group discussion or interview typically ranges from $75-$150.

Collect Swagbucks. By doing free searches on the Swagbucks search engine, you can easily earn "bucks" to trade in for $5 gift cards to Amazon.com. You can save your accumulated Swagbucks for a big purchase or use them as you earn them.

Take online surveys. Many companies offer incentives for taking online surveys such as points toward rewards or a few dollars. A few online survey companies are Global Test Market, American Consumer Opinion, MySurvey, MyView, and Inbox Dollars. You can also look for specific companies with online survey options such as your local newspaper or pharmacy.

Write online articles. Write articles about what you know. When people click on your Google ads on your articles, you will be paid a percentage of the revenue. There are many websites who offer paid hosting for online articles such as About.com, Associated Content, Triond and Demand Studios. Produce high quality work, study search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, and you will be on your way toward a passive income source.

Open a bank account for the cash reward. Complete the requirements to get the reward (direct deposit, debits, length of time for an account open, etc) and earn money. It's up to you whether or not to keep the bank account open after you have completed the requirements. Many banks such as Chase bank offer rewards up to $125 for opening a new bank account.

Use a rewards credit card. If you must use a credit card (and pay it off in full every month), at least make sure that it gives you 1-2% back. Check in periodically to order your rewards and put them toward a debt or mortgage. Many cards are available to earn rewards.

Earn money through Upromise and other cash-back accounts. Upromise specifically is marketed as a college savings tool, but the money can be used in any way. When you shop online (think eBay, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, major retailers!) you earn 2-8% back from your purchases. Other cash-back accounts include Ebates, ShopatHome, MrRebates and more.

Enjoy starting on your new adventure of earning money from home.

Video: Noah Plays the Computer

Noah is quite the little electronics guy. He's always been a remote control, camera, and cell phone stealer. (He doesn't like the fake ones either.) At the gym where I babysit twice a week, he loves climbing up to the computer and gamecubes and getting into the cords (though he is not allowed to play them).

For Christmas, Jason and I bought Noah the toddler Reader Rabbit computer game on Amazon.com using my free gift cards I earn from doing searches through Swagbucks.

Noah LOVES this new game. He colors, sorts shapes, matches animals, counts, plays music, pops bubbles, and more. He has learned how to control the mouse on the computer fairly well, considering he's not even two yet! He can easily play the various parts of the game for 30 minutes or more while Mommy works on something else. I think this is only the beginning!!!

Jason took a little video clip of our little guy in the shape sorter part of the game. Notice how focused he is!!

Noah's First REAL Haircut

I trimmed Noah's hair for the first time about two months ago around the ears and in the back. However, he got his first REAL haircut this week. My sister Jill (mom and hairdresser to her own three boys) braved the task of giving my toddler a haircut while I distracted Noah with monster truck Youtube videos and took notes to learn for next time.

Before:

After:

It looks so much better now, though most of his baby blonde hair is gone until next summer. I'll put up some more pictures soon. The difference is amazing. He looks like such a big boy to me now!

Splash Universe

We went to Splash Universe for the weekend for my mom's 60th birthday party. All of the family was together. (All 19 of us!!!) It was fun to hang out and laugh with my siblings and in-laws. Noah certainly enjoyed himself in the water park. Pictures....

Ellen and Luke flew in from Nicaragua to surprise my mom for her birthday! My parents had lots of other guests including friends, my mom's siblings and parents.

Katy and Eric drove in from Colorado for the weekend also. They were glad to fly home instead of make the drive back.

Mom's 60th birthday cake, made by Jill

Melody and Andrew drove from Lafayette and brought Paul with them too.

Our sleeping arrangements were unique, to say the least. I don't remember the last time I had sleepovers with my sisters. Noah managed to sneak in the bed somehow.

"Let's feel the baby parts!!!!"

Breakfast at the hotel was really tasty.

My huge family...growing to 20 this April!

It was so fun to spend time with my sisters and sister-in-law. Only two of them are pictured here. (By the way, that belly is 28 weeks!)

Dinner at a local mom and pop pizza shop

Goodbye Ellen! See you in June!

Before Baby List

So Jason and I have started thinking about what things we'd like to accomplish before the baby makes his arrival in late April, which is only three months from now. The thought of having less than three months to prepare makes me feel a little crazy, so I'm posting it in hopes of motivating myself to get started on it!!

Here is our list so far. I am sure it will grow too!

Purchases (so glad this list is short since we are having another boy in the same season!):

• Stroller: Sit and Stand Plus or Double. Many friends have recommended this stroller and it fits perfectly with our infant carseat (also by Baby Trend). I am stalking Craigslist to watch for this!
• Diapers: newborn and size 1 disposable diapers... if we get these little by little they will not seem like such a financial drain once baby boy arrives and poops through them 8 times a day!
• Diapers: Cloth size smalls and more one-size diapers

Planning/Review:

• Reread Babywise just to brush up on eat/wake/sleep cycles
• Review and make a plan for labor strategies
• Review CPR for babies
• Make at least 5-10 meals (more?) for the freezer. I'm currently finding recipes that freeze well and testing them out.
• Have a well stocked pantry so we do not need much other than milk and produce once baby comes.

Other/House:

• Pack and MOVE into our new house!!!
• Repaint the downstairs living room and kitchen
• Recarpet the living room and clean all other carpets
• Nursery?? (Do we have time to do this??) At least find all of the baby gear, set up the pack and play and wash newborn clothes. (Hopefully we can paint the room a different color than bright pink!!)

That's it for now!! =) I think my list will grow before it shrinks!

Best Buddies: "Baya" and Noah

Noah and Benjamin are best buddies. They play together a few times a week, and clearly they enjoy playing together. (Though they do fight sometimes too...)

Noah has started calling Benjamin "Baya" and he often runs to the window and asks where Baya is. When Benjamin came over the other day, Noah ran to him, screaming. =)

They love to play cars, blocks and color together. Noah says "I cuwer" at least once a day when he wants to get out the coloring things.

Playing with tanagrams/blocks.

Yesterday I caught them playing in the empty cabinets. (This is typically Noah's secret storage space since we have so many cabinets. Jason found our alarm clock there one day last week!!)

They kept saying "BOO" and laughing. It was so cute.

This was all fun and games until a few minutes later, when Noah got out and held the door shut so Benjamin couldn't get out!!! =)

Noah @22 months

Noah is now 22 months old. In just two months he will be two years old. With the impending birth of our second son, it is certainly making me realize that he is no longer my little baby. I am enjoying every moment that I can while it is just him and I at home, cuddle time, story time, or just playing together. Noah has become a growing, active, independent and strongwilled toddler.

A cuddle moment with Daddy.


Noah got up one morning and wanted to cuddle with his blankey, so we stayed in our jammies a while.

Then he played with his favorite new toys...his cars on his car mat!

He is much more talkative than at 18 months. He tries to copy many words that I say. Some words that he has learned recently are trash, boots, pants, coat, hat, socks, snow, up, and out. Other new words: cars, water, trees, hair, potty, pee, poopy, and home. He says "home" whenever we get to our destination in the car, regardless of if we're really home or not. =) On the potty note, we are definitely noticing signs of potty training readiness, but we'll wait until this summer after we've moved and adjusted to a new house and a new baby. In the meantime Noah loves to talk about the potty and sometimes sit on his potty seat.

He loves to go outside, even when it is cold. (Unfortunately Mommy hates going out in the cold, but every now and then we do it anyway for some fresh air.) In this picture, Daddy was letting him help shovel the snow again, but it only lasted a few minutes because Noah kept taking his mittens off.

Noah is a little bit of a picky eater, but his favorite foods are: bananas, apples, raisins, peanut butter, bread, tomatoes, cheese, cookies (hmm...), pumpkin muffins, popcorn, pretzels, yogurt, eggs, chicken nuggets, pasta, and sliced turkey. He doesn't like most meat products or many vegetables. I still offer those foods anyway. On occasion, I can get him to eat peas, broccoli, carrots, and other veggies. Usually he spits out the foods he doesn't like and says "EEWW-Y!!!" He loves milk and water (and everything is better with a straw in it!), and on special occasions Mommy lets him have juice.

We are also getting to the place where we need to move him out of the high chair. He can get in and out of it by himself, and it can't secure him in. Jason and I are ready to get him a booster seat so he can sit at the table with us.

I have definitely learned new challenges as a parent in the past few months, since Noah has started to assert himself more. Hitting, pushing, throwing toys, and stealing toys are all examples of times Noah has had to sit in time out for one minute. He does not like time out and sometimes tries to slide out of his seat.

Though we have our moments, overall we have a great little kid, and I am so glad to be his mom!!