Let the happy week begin

Praying that this is a happy week for many many out there in the job world! My husband, that he gets a contract extension on his job, that at&t does not strike, or it will put a huge financial strain on my extended family.

Lets make this happy.

Sunday I am thankful for the time we got to spend with a very excited 17 month old that wanted to play outside, even while cold and windy (snow was gone by time we got outside).

Thankful for my husband, daughter and families.

Thankful for a great nights sleep last night (tonight< not looking so good as it is 12:15 and I have to get up in 5.5 hours to get ready for work. LOL)

Thankful for two very very patitent puppies that don't snap at Julia when she climbs on them or sticks her hand in their dog food bowl when they are eating. God BLess then for that!

Thankful My DH cooked the pork tenderloin on the grill (well, at least part of the way since we ran out of propane. He finished it in the oven. YUM.


Prayers and Thanks is how I got through the day today.

we fall down the stairs and then she has her 18 mo check up......

ahhhh, my lovely knee on my left leg gave out on me while carrying Julia down the front concrete steps this afternoon on the way to the ped's office for her 18 mmonth check up. No blood, just scraped up palms, fingers and a little side of her head and Oh my knee. Not so much scraped up knee, but already turning nice yellow and green bruise colors.

The doc looked her over and said she is great, no need to worry about the fall since it was just a wisp of scrape marks on her head and fingers. She must have fallen on my purse for the most part. Nothing better to do this so un-graceful fall in front of the neighbor, who just happened to get out of his suv at the same time I yelled "OH NO" and we went down. He helped check on us both and helped pick up some of the diaper bag items that fell out. Lord knows julia needs her "mimi" (new word for binkie). LOL

I say my MOMMYEGO was just crushed. I had not done anything this bad to our child and hope to never do anything again. No, I won't list the bad things that COULD happen because I don't want to have nightmares about that that has not happened yet.

Julia came in at a slow weight gain, she is now 23lbs 3 oz, which is down to 45% average on scale from the 50 she was at last time. No concerns from the doc though. . let me look back as I think that might be even less than last weigh in, I'll post them later.
Her height on the other hand is 75% at 32 3/4 " tall. I do believe this is much taller. Again, I'll have to go back and check her stats from the last visit to the ped.

Happy 17 month Birthday sweetie

our freebies from today's trips to two toys r us stores

Percy lights and sounds (17.99 retail) and Thomas (12.99 retail). Plus the dvd from little people for their birthday and a coloring page Julia colored there (not in pic). FUN.

We love a freebie.. Thomas the Train.....

TOYS R US.... (no, they are not paying me for this advertisement. )
check out this link to the Thomas the Train FREE wooden train.

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/coupon/927219.pdf?EDID=PQDXT1-NS2PJ-HIEZCF-ZBA6NE-THM6N-v1

Today and tomorrow only. one coupon per guest , WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.

we are heading there now.

good luck.

consignment sales....... updates

Don't forget there are SEVERAL consignment sale events this weekend..... St. Louis surrounding areas including one in IL.

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http://www.storklady.net/ShoppersA.htm
Stork Lady's Semi-Annual Sale:
SPRING - SUMMER 2009 SALE
Saturday, March 21st: Open to Public - 8:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday, March 22nd: Open to Public - 12:00pm-4:00pm - 50% off most items
* LOCATION: ST. ELIZABETH'S GYM -1420 S. Sappington Rd - Crestwood 63126 *
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http://stlouis.craigslist.org/bab/1079689524.html
MOMMES is having a giant (a whole Gymnasium full) Kids Re-Sell-It sale on Saturday, March 21, 2009 at Metro East Lutheran High School (MELHS), 6305 Center Grove Rd., Edwardsville, IL 62025 from 8am – 12pm. This is a sale you will not want to miss. It is open to the public. Admission is $1.00 per person for all over age 12.

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ANOTHER ONE I FOUND ONLINE
Children's Consignment Sale!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Our mom’s group has over 60 moms from the Metro East as members.
Great bargains will be found for:
Children's clothing and shoes from infant on up.
(pajamas, dresses, shirts, shorts, skirts, pants, coats, costumes, etc.)
Toys of all sizes for all ages
(too many to mention!)
Lots of Baby Equipment
(High chairs, baby swings, baby bath tubs, baby monitors, etc.)
Toddler Playground Equipment
Sports equipment for kids
Maternity Clothes
The sale will be located at:
Whiteside Elemetary School
(Just east of Old Collinsville Road on Lebanon Avenue)
2028 Lebanon Avenue
Belleville, Illinois

Saturday, March 21, 2009
Time: 8 am to Noon
www.metroeastmoms.homestead.com

Mothers and More Chapter #126 serves the Metro East area located in St. Clair County across the river from St. Louis Missouri. Many of our moms are from O'Fallon, Shiloh, Fairview Heights, Belleville, Mascoutah, Lebanon, Swansea, and Caseyville, Illionis areas. Please see our website for more information: www.metroeastmoms.homestead.com
******************************************
The Original St. Charles County Consignment Sale

Spring and Summer Sale - March 19th-22nd

915 Jungermann Rd. St. Peters, MO
http://www.recycledkidssale.com/index.html

THIS ONE STARTS TOMORROW (THURSDAY 3/19/09) check their web site for open close times.
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apparently I missed the 2009 edwardsville kidmania that is held in Edwardsville IL each spring at the high school. I finally found it online after searching again. Shoot. It was March 7th. Dang it. I'll try better next year to find the date and post it sooner. I bought so many things there last year for when Julia for when she was just crawling and into walking. (Time to sell those items now and buy bigger and better toys. LOL)
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huge kids resale. Established location ( we've been there for 7 years) Looking for consigners for a childrens resale in ofallon,mo on Friday may 8 and saturday May 9th. Only 20 percent comission ( not 30 like all the rest!!!). 10.00 holds you a spot in a great sale that is sure to make you some extra cash!! all details including contact info is posted on our website www.momsofmultiplekidssale.com Check ii out!!!

huge childrens resale (ofallon, mo)
Reply to: sale-msfa5-1101584806@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-03-31, 9:24PM CDT


huge childrens resale friday may 8 from 7-9pm and sat may 9th from 7-11 am most items half price on sat may 9th from 1130-100. Consigners wanted !! We are the only sale in st charles county who only take a 20 percent consigning fee. see our website for details www.momsofmultiplekidssale.com or contact Jhelland8663@yahoo.com

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I also found this on craigslist today.... not sure if anyone else has heard about this, but I'll list it here...maybe they will post more about the sale there soon.


Big Kids Consignment Sale - $7 (Wentzville)
Reply to: sale-htut3-1080005974@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-03-17, 10:58PM CDT


We are having a kids consignment sale to raise money for the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 323. It's only $7 to register as a consigner and you receive 70% of your sales. For more information, please email us. It is April 25-28 at the American Legion Hall in Wentzville.

lack of words equals more pictures to post of fellow adoptive moms and kiddo's

All three kiddo's here are adopted through the same agency! Thanks to the mommy in the middle having let us know of A Gift of Hope Adoptions just prior to the birth of their son Liam, we signed with that same agency. All 3 of us mommies know each other from attending the former local infertility support group. So glad we met and now have 3 beautiful children to make our lives so full of love!
Landon, Liam, Julia (Richelle, Cindy & myself).



Julia in daddy's truck on the way back from her friend Landon's birthday party sporting her new cool sunglasses from her friend Liam. (ssssshhhhh, we are working on the bottle issue!! I know, I know, she should be off it, but honestly, I think she and I are just not ready. We will get the talk from the Ped at her next appointment in 2 weeks so the breaking of the bottle and bink are coming soon!)

Hockey and Baseball all in one day...

I just sat down to check my email. Prior to that I changed the tv channels to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball preseason game in FL against Atlanta Braves. Sweet. Nice to get into the baseball thinking mode. Then I tuned in the other satellite station to the St. Louis Blues Hockey game. Ahhhhh, no better sports day than this.

We went to a mouse race fund raiser last night and had a blast. The cause is for a great friend of the family that is fighting ovarian cancer. mid-40's and fighting cancer. Just sucks, but she is doing well and was so happy to see us all last night. While participating in the card mouse game and the mouse races (well, actually they were gerbils, LOL) they held an auction. I knew there would be Cardinals Baseball items to bid on. DH and I both looked at each other and set a limit on our bidding since we just got our tax return back. WE WON a split bid on eight Diamond box seat tickets and on field viewing of batting practice with group pictures pre-game. OMG. I am so freaking excited. All we need to do is set up the date with the vp of sales that was there last night at the event. OMG.. I am so excited. We have never bought nor bid on something like this before.

So we have 4 tickets. I wonder if they will let us take Julia and maybe one our nephews with us for our 4 tickets.. if not then we need to talk about who we will invite for the other two seats. My Aunt, uncle, his sister and brother-in-law split the other 4 tickets. I don't know if we can all do the same game, but how exciting as a life-long St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan to be able to do this. I am excited about the 2009 season for the Cardinals so this takes it to a whole new level of excitement.

I truely feel as though we are getting out of the season of cold and into the season of Spring and renewed love of Sports.

GO BLUES. I really hope they can get into the playoffs. shhuuuuu, I know, I don't want to jinx the good run they are having. OH man, the blues almost scored as I am typing this. hinote tried hard. GO BLUES

Oh, the other night we were watching the Blues game and I was telling Julia that this was "Hockey" and she tried hard to repeat the word. She is looking at the screen now and said "hooociiieeee". I love it.

Have a great day.

Time Outs, already?

Julia just has had her first day of time out with her babysitter (Aunt Chris, my sister). J has been hitting, spitting at Aunt Chris and her cousins so I told her to start with the time out corner and she did. First time this morning (sister just called me), it took her 20 tries to get Julia to stay in time out for 1 minute. We use 1 minute for each age of the child that they have to stay in time out before they can leave time out and then say they are sorry and or a full apology to the child or person they did something to. Discipline is good. I like time outs if you really work them for the benefit of the child to understand that they need to pay a consequence of quiet punishment time in time out and to realize what they did was wrong.

So now I am working on a time out place in our house. Wall by the doorway between the dining room and the hallway.

Hitting, spitting and kicking provoked the necessity of time out this past week. My sister and I see a lot alike with our discipline with kids so that helps so much for us as husband and wife to be able to do this at home with our daughter too.

Seeing them eye to eye level after the 1 minute is over for her and discussing what the reason was that we put her there for is so worth it each time plus having her say sorry and in the future to give a full apology to that person she did this bad act to will teach her to not be mean again.

How did you institute time outs?

WOW... pictures of Julia and some links to some freebies...

I am all for freebies..... I often browse other sites so let me share these all with you. I got the links from an email I get often from Money Saving Mom blog

Arby's Roast burger for free with purchase of soft drink: http://www.arbys.com/arbyscoupon/?cid=bn_yahoo300x250030509

Baski n Robbins coupon for one free Sundae:
http://www.baskinrobbins.com/coupon/20090328BOGOSundae.html?cid=469973&jid=12790868&mc=XX&eid=900285&cmpid=email_ext_000016_4

Make sure you use an email you are ok with getting surveys and such from the company if you do fill out your address info. I get free samples from different companies all the time. I love it

HUGGIES diapers coupons... $5 off 1 or $3 off 1... also watch for the Walgreens circular in a week and they have these huggies on sale so you SAVE BIG plus watch what their register rewards are for that week. EVEN BIGGER savings. I love being frugal and this is the way to do it.
I don't usually stock pile, but at great savings like this, you can't pass it up especially if Target is still more expensive after coupons!!!!!!!!!!


Here are a few pictures of my sweetheart 17 month old. I know, you moms all gush over your babies growing up so fast too so I thought I would gush here also. This past week she has started putting 2 and 3 words together. FUN. We had a blast at the zoo yesterday so I'll post pictures from there later this week. Also I'll try and blog about my feelings of late with the adoption side of things. I ache for not having contact with J's birthfamily anymore, especially since birthdays are coming up again. I still have Christmas Gifts here for them too. I am so afraid to mail them off. More on that later this week. stay tuned.

a meme day.. well kind of

I took charge and took Friday off so I could go to the zoo with my daughter, sister, 2 of her kids and my brothers 3 kids. FUN.

Suppose to be 68 degrees and SUNNY. I might have to bring the sunscreen. Bring it on. Yeah. CHarge up the camera. bring some snacks and go have fun. I plan on it.

anyone else going friday?

Pain of endomitriosis

Even after having had my fully involved adenomyosis filled uterus removed in a partial laproscopic vaginal assisted hysterectomy, I still have endometriosis pain. I am near calling the ever so trusting gyn / doc and asking him to consider putting me on the list late summer to early fall for surgery to remove what might be growing in my abdomen again.

You see, along with my doctors recommendation, I agreed to leave my ovaries in after having my LAVH partial hysterecomy in May 2006 after having had 5 miscarriages (including two sets of twins) and two tubal pregnancies. The adnomyosis was so bad after having my uterus removed that my doc told my husband in the waiting room that I just knew my body and knew it so well that I had something major wrong with my ute. Believe me, I am so relieved to not have to go through the monthly god-awful pain and 8-10 day long clot filled menstral cycles. I had proven that I could not carry a pregancy past 10 weeks gestation and I was not going to live my life with a purse filled (VERY LARGE PURSE, mind you) with nearly a box of 40 tampons and at least 7 pads a day. Yes, you read that right. It was that bad. I was done. Take it out and let me begin, with my husbands love and help, to build our family through either surrogacy and or adoption. (Thanks to the love of our daughters birthmother, we are proud adoptive parents now).

Ok, gotta go to bed, the sleeping pill has kicked in. I will promise to continue this tomorrow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endometriosis