Portia's New Look ;o)

We have hardwood floors on the entire first floor of our house. We really didn't think about how Portia's nails would affect this floor when we first bought our home ... nor did we think about it when we were buying area rugs -- or they would've covered a larger area. We've lately noticed that Portia's nails are doing a huge disservice to the beautiful hardwood flooring in our living room. We keep her nails clipped pretty short, and she loves to chew her nails anyway (I know, weird:), but despite our efforts to protect the floor, her 130lbs of chubby love are continuing to chip and scratch our floors.

Here's our solution ...



Paw-tectors :)

~They're even rubberized so she doesn't slip and slide on the hardwood floors. C'mon, it was a good idea! :)

Organic Food Coupons

Just found this one ... its going to be one of my favorites! I like to buy a lot of organic products but I find these items a little pricey if I don't really hunt around for good deals. So here's a good coupon site for organic products ... if that interests you :)

• www.mambosprouts.com
  

Ask and you shall receive :)

Many of you are asking about my couponing sites so here's a list of the ones I like to go to. Keep in mind that to print a coupon from pretty much all of these sites you have to install the "coupon printer" ... so do that when you're prompted. I listed some sites here that you can just load the coupons onto your grocery card, too. I really like those! :) Also, read 'Coupon Mom's' pamphlet about saving money with coupons. She's a serious saver and her strategies are neat to read about. :)

• www.couponmom.com


• www.coupons.com


• www.couponsuzy.com


• www.cellfire.com --> neat one b/c you can upload the coupons onto your grocery card instead of printing them!


• www.smartsource.com


• www.shortcuts.com -->another one you can upload to your grocery card.


• www.bettycrocker.com --> this one sends good recipes to your email, coupons as well.


• www.hotcouponworld.com


• www.p&gesaver.com


• www.eatbetteramerica.com


• www.eatingwell.com

So, as far as baby coupons ... you can go to Similac.com and sign up to receive newsletters in the mail where they'll occassionally send you similac coupons. Pampers.com does the same thing ... although there are a lot of coupons out there for pampers. I've also found that you can go to ebay and search for coupons. A lot of times you'll find people getting rid of their similac coupons ... its usually something like, $25 or $30 worth of coupons for $5 bucks or so ... and free shipping of course, so there's a little savings there.

These are sites for non-grocery coupons & savings :

• www.slickdeals.net


• www.fatwallet.com


• www.couponcabin.com

Enjoy! :)

P.S. I've been slacking on my blogging lately, but I have some SUPER cute pics of Ava to post ... its been crazy around here for the past week, but I'll try to get those on here soon!

Happy St. Patty's Day! :o)

Feeling lost ... ;-)

Well ... it's Monday ... usually right about now I'm getting swirlies in my belly thinking about what's going to happen next on my favorite show that would normally start at 8pm tonight.

Sadly, The Bachelor is over... sniff, sniff. I'm not even excited for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette (Jillian was not my favorite). Although I am very disappointed in Bachelor Jason for his lack of commitment to Melissa (because I picked her as the girl who would win his heart from the FIRST episode!), I suppose I'm happy for his happiness... even though I liked Melissa better than Molly. I will admit ... I was slightly obsessed with the show ... and might've had a little crush on the bachelor. ;)

On the upside ... American Idol will surely feed my need for reality tv! :) PLUS, it's on 2, sometimes even 3, nights a week!! I'll keep you posted on my picks of the week!! Don't be fooled, my husband loves the show as much as I do ... maybe more? :)

Coupon Craze :)

Because of this crazy economy and the uncertainty of so many jobs out there (ours are safe so far!) I have decided to become frugal mama and save as much money as possible by couponing. I've never been a big couponer... mostly due to laziness and uninterest, but this stuff is addictive! I'm hooked! :) All it took was saving $60 at the grocery a few weeks ago and now I can't stop! I rarely buy something without a coupon ... there are so many out there and if you know where to dig you can find some juicy deals! :) If we go out to eat somewhere I'm always like, "wait, I might have a coupon for that place!" and I excitedly go digging through my accordian coupon file in search of a great deal! Hehe. I will try to pass along as many deals as I can ... especially for all you moms out there buying formula and diapers! If you like Huggies diapers there's a $5 off coupon at coupons.com that you can print up to two times. Take today for example, I sent Eric to the store for diapers & formula for Ava. I had $1.50, $1.00, and $0.50 off coupons for Pampers diapers ... $5 and $2 off Similac formula ... and a $5 off a $50 dollar purchase at Target... voila -- $15.00 worth of savings!! It takes some organization, but its worth it! :) Let's hope Eric remembered to use the coupons. :)

Ava's 4 month's ... Part Two :)

Ava had her four month pediatrician appointment on Monday. Here's a run down of her updates :)

*Weighs 16 lbs (90th percentile) and is 25 1/2 inches long (also 90th percentile).

*Wears size 3 pampers cruisers :)

*Had her 2nd round of shots ... this girl didn't even CRY! What in the world!? She's a trooper :)

*Wears size 6 months clothes ... some 6/9 months if they run small. I know, she's growing outta control!! :)

*Eats 5 oz of formula every 3 hours ... 6 oz before bed.

*Grabs EVERYTHING! And proceeds to explore it with her mouth.

*Laughs hysterically when we tickle her chubby lil thighs. My favorite.

*Still has that crazy clogged tear duct ...

*Takes 3 one hour naps during the day.

*Sleeps 8pm to 4am ... again, finally :) Oh by the way, no more diarrhea ... OR diaper rash :)

*Becoming increasingly more interested in Portia and the kitty ... she always want to grab them as they walk past her.

*Loves to smile ... you don't even have to work for her smiles ;)

*Can spend more time playing independently ... her favorite is playing in her activity gym ... what we like to call "the jungle" :)

*LOVES watching the TV ... especially Bachelor Jason :)

*Infatuated with sticking her tongue out.



She is our angel for sure!!!

This sums it up ... :-)

Happy 4 Months Ava!

Our munchkin is 4 months old already!! Each month I think, "Wow, she is really getting to be so much fun!" This month has been no exception ... she gets chubbier, cuter, sillier, and more curious everyday!

She has been through the ringer this month though, for sure. She started the month with a bout of the flu ... seemed to get over that rather quickly. Then about a week later she got some serious diarrhea. :( Her pediatrician said the flu bug was just running through her and it was nothing to worry about ... still eating like a champ so we thought, "okay, this should clear up in no time too." Wrong. She still has diarrhea ... and an awful diaper rash to go with it! :( We tried everything in the book ... desitin, a & d ointment, balmex ... nothing was even touching her poor bottom. Then our babysitter gave us the suggestion of using a mixture of Aquaphor & Maalox and slathering that on her bum. This stuff works like magic!! I was so pleased to see that after one night of using this concoction her bum was 75% better!! We're still battling the diarrhea ... although it has slowed down, but the aquaphor/maalox has made a big difference. Her pediatrician said the diarrhea will probably stick around for a couple weeks. :( On top of the flu & diarrhea ... Miss Ava has decided to stop sleeping through the night. Yep, our dream days, or shall I say nights, are over. We believe that she has been waking up more frequently because of the diarrhea & diaper rash ... she never used to poop at night and now we're changing her nonstop!! Isn't it funny how very weird it would be for me to be talking about anyone other than a baby's bowel habits ... hehe. So, we're adjusting to that ... and hoping every night when we go to bed that this will be the night that she starts sleeping 8-9 hours straight again. :) I also believe that she's been waking up more frequently because she is sleeping in her room in her crib now. We decided to make the transition at the beginning of this month when Eric got the flu and we didn't want to keep her up all night with his coughing.

So who knows, we'll keep trying her room a few more weeks ... if things don't get better for any of us then back to our room she goes!! We'll have to do what makes us all happy. :) Eric & I have no problem with keeping her in our room where she feels safe & cozy. :) I don't believe all that rubbish about babies developing dependency by sleeping in their parents' room ... shoot, she slept in my belly for 9 months ... why shouldn't it take her at least 9 months to be comfortable sleeping away from me. :) Just my theory. She has exceeded the weight limit for her bassinet so her crib was the next alternative...otherwise she would still be at the foot of our bed. :) The transition might be hardest on Eric, truthfully. He's so paranoid that we won't hear her wake up and cry that he gets no sleep at night ... keep in mind, her bedroom is right across from ours, we sleep with all the doors open, and we use a baby monitor -- which he turns the volume up so high on that we can hear her clock ticking on the monitor. I try to remind him of the set of lungs his daughter has ... if she really wants us to hear her she will certainly make it known! :)

We've also started rice cereal with Ava this month! So much fun! I decided to give it a try when I noticed her reaching for my food and mouthing my glass at the dinner table. Once I gave her a tiny bit of ice cream from my spoon and she got so excited for more that I thought she was going to wiggle off my lap! We decided it must be time for some cereal for this little girl! She loves it and does really well ... we haven't been very scheduled with it quite yet ... for now we're just giving her some here and there to get her used to eating from a spoon and adjusting to the texture of cereal. It's so much fun feeding her ... she gets her hands in her mouth and then touches her hair and my hair and by the time we're done she's covered with cereal from head to toe, including the inside of her ears! :)

She's a blast! We've had to buy some new toys for her lately too ... she's at the age where she's ready to explore! This past weekend was Daddy & Ava's weekend since I had to work ... he took her out shopping and came home with all kinds of goodies for her. :) He's so sweet with her... it totally melts my heart. I came home Sunday evening after work and felt so betrayed ... she hardly acknowledged that I was home the little turkey! She just carried on smiling and staring at her Daddy. C'mon girl ... you can't look exactly like your daddy and give him all your attention! :) She's funny. I feel so super blessed to have such a wonderful family. :)

I think that covers the 4 month news for Ava. We are all doing great ... we'll be even better when that pesky diarrhea clears up completely!!




Ava says, "Oh my goodness, I'm 4 months old already!?"


Chubb-o at 3 months :)


2 Months


1 Month ... lil bird legs :)


My sweet baby at 1 day old :)


Loves her bumbo ... the inventor of this one was a genius:)



Now this keeps her busy!! :)



Dinner time! You can't help but make this face when you're feeding a baby ;)


Yea! Good & Messy! :)

3 Months, 3 Weeks, 3 Days!

Today is Ava's infamous 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days!! It's a special day because my Grandma took a picture of every one of her children on this particular day when they were babies wearing either the pants outfit (for the boys) or the dress (for the girls). The tradition has carried on through her grandchildren (my generation) and now great grandchildren (Ava's generation). I found a picture of me in "the dress" when I was 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days old! It was so neat putting this dress on her this morning knowing that I wore the exact same dress when I was exactly her age. This dress has some miles on it! It looks and feels like an antique. :) It's such a precious tradition, I think.





My 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days picture (February 1985)

A Visit From the Flu Bug ... :-(

Our family had a very-not-so-friendly visit from the flu bug this week!!! Not Cool! Eric was down and out on Sunday & Monday with fevers running around 101-102 degrees. Despite all efforts to keep him quarantined in the bedroom ... the bug managed to infect Ava as well. She started running a fever of about 102 degrees on Monday night, so I stayed home from work on Tuesday and gave her some serious TLC!! She slept most of the day and I kept Tylenol in her if her fever crept up past 101-ish. Poor girl was feeling really bad. I took her to her pediatrician yesterday who advised to keep doing what I was doing and let the nasty bug run its course. Thankfully, this morning she feels much better and is all smiles and giggles! Having a sick baby is the pits!!

I'm crossing my fingers that my "mommy immunity" will hold strong for me and I don't get sick!! I've been doubling up on the Vitamin C and Juice Plus!!



** At the pediatrician's office ... she totally doesn't feel good :(



**Sleeping with mommy on the couch.



**This baby girl never left my arms all day!



** Feeling quite chipper this morning! :-)