It's A Date

Friday is special. Big Daddy and I are going on a date.

I'm not sure when our last real date was...I think it was in November when we went Christmas shopping and car-looking.

We have family close by and lots of people think that means that we leave our kids and go out alone a lot, but we don't. Our weekends usually involve at least one family outing and a trip to Church and very seldom do I ever go anywhere other than the grocery store without the kids on the weekend.

So...Big Daddy has Friday and Monday off for Memorial Day and wanted to do something, just the two of us. We talked about a day trip to the beach, but we are an extra hour away (since we moved) from our favorite beach spot and decided that it would be crazy-busy anyway. We talked about a little hike at one of our favorite mountain spots, but again it would be busy and it's a small hike that we want to do with the kids and I really don't want to spend our time in the car. As of now, we're planning a trip to the party store, the baby store, a little car shopping and lunch basically the stuff we would usually do with Maggie and Ellie in tow. We are planning a trip to an indoor shooting range sometime soon too...maybe on our anniversary date.

I love my kids, but we're together a lot. My mom keeps one of the kids during the day for a little while on average once a week, but I'm usually doing something not all that fun with the other one. It's a real treat to go somewhere and not be wearing a baby, pushing a stroller or getting kids in and out of car seats. And then there's the whole thing of not having to feed someone else while we eat.

Maggie is not happy about having to stay with Nana, although she would normally beg to go over at anytime. She thinks that we should have a "family date", so that she can come along. She has an idea for where we should go, though. Her suggestion was to "date at Wal.mart and then you can buy me a Snow White Barbie". And of course, she follows it up with, "I think that would be a great idea". I know she'll have a great time and will not want to come home when we pick her up.

Ellie has no idea what's going on, but will be so happy to stay with Nana. When I try to take her from my mom she shakes her head no, and holds on to my mom's shirt. I think we have another Nana's girl on our hands!

Days 2 and 3 of our Summer vacation were wonderful! Today, we're having our last Storytime...at the park and we should be getting a pool for the girls

Wordless Wednesday- Take A Picture of THIS, Mama!

Summer Break- Day 1

Day one of our little summer break did not go well.

The positives-

• I had the bathrooms clean before 7 am .
  
• I managed to get our groceries, hopefully for the full week.
  
• We made a quick visit to Nana's house to pick up the steam cleaner. Yes, cleaning the bedroom carpets and the area rug in the living room is one more thing that I want to do. When my mom told me to keep the steam cleaner I knew that I would probably postpone my cleaning a little. It's supposed to be raining this week, so I'm going to wait until we have nice, sunny weather and I can get he girls out of the house while the carpets dry. I'd also like to add that we haven't lived here quite a year and the carpets aren't that dirty, but Ellie's previous spit up issues and present drool problem wreak havoc on carpets...and hardwoods.
• Ellie had a longer than usual early nap which allowed me to put groceries away and prepare lunch while Maggie played.

The negatives-

• Maggie was up at 6:30.
• Ellie has been a little fussy and very drool-y. I'm blaming this on teething, as usual.
• Maggie has been very strong-willed today.
• Ellie didn't want to nap at the usual household nap time.
• Maggie "just couldn't go to sleep".
• Maggie had a monstrous display of her strong-will and bad temper for nearly an hour.
• Mommy wants to run away and leave the children with Big Daddy for at least a day.
  

In the middle of Ellie screaming because I couldn't hold her while trying to calm Maggie down from being "so very tired" my phone rings. I answer and it's the Director of Preschool Ministry from our Church. They needed a volunteer to help with a few small children that belong to the camp teachers for Preschool Summer Day Camp and just wondered if I'd be able to help out. Of course, I don't want to say no and the only real reason that I couldn't do it was because I didn't know if my mom could watch Ellie. I think you know the toddler teacher...me. Ellie will be coming along for camp too! This will be a nice way to be involved with the Church and it will save me from making so many 15 minute trips to and from Church. Maggie's really excited that Ellie and I are going to camp with her!

Feel free to pray that today goes better for us. We had planned on meeting Daddy for lunch and doing a little shopping, but after Maggie's behavior yesterday we decided to just hang out at home and have lots of play time.

Summer Vacation Starts Here

Today is our first day of our first real summer break! Preschool ended last week and this is our last week of Preschool Storytime at the Library. We get to have a two week break before Maggie's week of Summer Day Camp at Church and we're not planning a family trip until August. August.

So...what are going to do???

I would love to say sleep late, but my sweet Maggie inherited the "wake up early" gene that I had before I had children. We were up at 6:30 this morning.

We are working on a zoo trip with our best friends from Sanford and planning to have lunch with Big Daddy once in a while and meet up with a special friend that lives close by. Cousin Callie will be out of school in a few weeks, so we'll probably have play dates with her and Nana. I would like to take Maggie to a movie at some point. Big Daddy had a date with her yesterday and she saw her first movie (Shrek) in a big theater.

I feel like I would have tons of fun things planned if we were still in Sanford, but the truth is I probably wouldn't. We would go to our favorite greenhouse once a week and visit Gammy Gladys a lot, but that's about it.

Big Daddy has tossed around the idea of getting a family pet and summer would be a nice time to do this. (I guess he thinks that I need something else to take care of and clean up after!) He has never really been a big fan of pets, but Maggie & Ellie both love a nice, calm, friendly dog. Ellie lights up when she sees her "cousin" Griffin and both girls are in love with our neighbor dogs, Slater, Jack, Sky and one other one. I can't even think about an indoor pet (unless it's a hamster or a fish) because of my asthma and allergies and tendencies to try and keep the house clean. I wouldn't be against a nice, large, quiet dog that lived outside. I say "quiet" because we have been the unfortunate neighbors to a barking (all. the. time.) dog and it's not fun. Anyway, I don't see the pet-thing happening right now. Although, I'd love a nice, big dog to walk with!

So...I think we'll play outside a lot, try to go on one "field trip" each week and remain pet-free for the time being. Just making it through going to the grocery store each week with Maggie and Ellie is all the adventure I need!

Where does the time go???

I have been asking myself this question all week.

I have been awake more hours than usual this week, but I haven't been able to get very much accomplished and there's so many things that I've wanted to do. Maggie's school calendar has kept me occupied and then there's the sick Ellie-thing.

Today was Maggie's last day of preschool. I have been a little excited about having those two mornings free, but I'm also sad that her first year is coming to an end. And oh my, look how she's grown!


And that hair!!!

Yesterday was a tough day for me because I went to bed late, woke up several times with Ellie during the night and was up fixing her breakfast at 5:30. After lunch I went to the mailbox and there was a graduation invitation from my sweet little first favorite preschool girl, Kelly Grace.

Maggie noticed that Kelly's outfit matched our glass magnets on the refrigerator and suggested that we "hang Kelly up". Isn't she lovely? And her "little" sister is gorgeous too.(Notice Maggie's morning to-do list beside of Kelly)

Now, every single time I go near the fridge I see my Kelly is all grown up.

I haven't actually talked to Kelly, but I have talked to her mom, dad and sister. We went to her Church for a while, got to hear her sing, sat behind her and a friend at IHOP one night and live right down the street from her, but I haven't talked to her. It's sort of hard for me to imagine introducing myself to her and knowing that she probably wouldn't remember being a three year old and being one of my bestest friends. She taught me that "because that's the way God made it" can answer a lot of tough questions. I have purposely encouraged certain things with Maggie just because that was the way Kelly did it when she was three. She is such a special girl and so is her sister and her parents are just amazing. I went out with the girls on Wednesday night and saw her dad. He encouraged me to actually stop by and visit and said that Kelly can't believe that she has a namesake.

Anyway...I'm feeling like time is going by way too fast and before I know it my little girl will be graduating from high school.

And FYI- Ellie is also sort of named after Gammy Gladys- a.k.a. Ellen Gladys.

Not Wordless Wednesday

I realized on Tuesday morning that I hadn't put away the laundry that I folded on Saturday morning. I also had a ton of diapers that needed to be washed and the hardwood floors are dirty dirty. Ughh.

In my defense,

• Ellie has needed me...a lot.
  
• Big Daddy has only been at home about 6 hours each night to sleep.
  
• Maggie was supposed to have a picnic at a local lake on Monday, but it was rained out and I was "party parent" and decided to leave Ellie with my mom, take Maggie to school late and then hang out for the end of the year class party.
• Tuesday, I spent the morning holding the sick baby (starting at around 5am) and had to take her to the doctor.
• Today, Maggie has a "Preschool Luau" (weather permitting) and of course, I need to be present for that because it is the last day of preschool.

Ellie's pediatrician gave her a thorough exam and said her ears were clear and her throat was red. He did a strep test which came back negative, so he checked her white cell count. Long story short, she has a virus. He said to continue treating the fever and he also gave me a prescription for an antibiotic since her nose has started running. We discussed her past ear infections (2) and since they both occurred during a cold he thought that the antibiotic may prevent us from returning if her runny nose turns into something more and then turns into an ear infection. We both liked the new pediatrician and we found out that he was my brother-in-law's childhood doctor!

Anyway...I'll share a few pictures from our rainy Sunday at the Bog Gardens because that's the most excitement we've had lately.

Maggie loved the gardens, but refused to smile for the camera. All the girls in her preschool class are going through this phase too.

Ellie was more than happy for me to wear her in the sling. She loved watching all of the ducks swim around.

Ellie enjoyed looking at the waterfall.

Maggie carried her umbrella the entire time. After it stopped raining she used it as a parasol because she said the sun was just "so very bright". It wasn't.

Maggie was sad because according to the signs at the bog you are not supposed to feed the Canadian geese. They can produce over a pound of feces a day and scare away other wildlife. Who knew!?

A Little Update

***Edited to add that Ellie has a high fever again and is acting uncomfortable so we're going to the doctor and Big Daddy worked 17 hours yesterday and I've had maybe 8 hours of sleep over the past two nights and I'll be parenting solo until Friday and Ellie was up REALLY early and Maggie is sleeping MUCH later than usual. Ughh.***

Ellie's finally fever-free (at least for right now) and is resting well! I went out to get more M.otrin and thermometer covers and then came home to put the girls in the bathtub. I decided to check Ellie's temperature since she was still really warm and it was time fore more medicine. It had gotten even higher than it was last night, so I decided to call the pediatrician. If she has a fever in the morning they'd like for her to come in. I also found out that my mommy-friend K has a sick little boy too. We were both at Ms. A's for a birthday party on Saturday, so we're thinking that someone shared a germ.

And speaking of parties...we had so much fun at our friend C's fourth birthday party! C is my mommy friend A's little boy and we like to think that he'll be Maggie's future husband!!
Maggie ran off to play as soon as we got out of the car and Ellie enjoyed sitting in the stroller for a while and then being worn in the sling.

C lives on a farm so we were able to visit farm animals and ride tractors!
Ellie was able to see her friend Baby T again. Ms. A & I want these two to be best friends.

We were also able to meet Baby L for the first time! Maggie, Baby T and Baby L were all in the bellies in Kindermusik at the same time. These two sweet girls loved Ellie's Strollee.

Maggie was thrilled to see her Kindermusik friend E! (Baby L's big sister) These two became inseparable right before Kindermusik ended and we moved.

While the boys were checking out C's new birthday toys, the girls took over the sand pile! They got really dirty and had so much fun!

I spare you the pictures of the Bog Garden! I wore Ellie in the sling the entire time and Big Daddy pushed Maggie in the stroller (which we lovingly call "Strollee") while she held her Disney Princess umbrella over her head. Maggie didn't want her picture taken and made a pouty face every single time I pulled the camera out!! We had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back when we can spend a little more time there.

We were planning a trip to the zoo with our friends, C, K and E, but have decided to postpone it due to the fevers. I cannot wait to spend some quality time with my three sweet mommy friends (and all of our kids) sometime soon! The adventure of raising toddlers and then (three of us) having our second babies really caused us mommies to bond!

What A Weekend!

We had a really great weekend, even though Big Daddy had to work on Saturday. When he came home on Saturday afternoon we were off to Sanford for a birthday party. Maggie & Ellie had a great time!

We didn't get home until late Saturday night, so we overslept and didn't make it to Church on Sunday. We spent a little quality time together as a family and visited a local Bog Garden and had Mexican for lunch... yummy. (Maggie informed me that she prefers "Chinese rice)

Ellie came down with a HIGH fever last night. She seems to be feeling okay most of the time and is eating and playing well. I'm hoping that it breaks today and we can avoid a trip to the doctor since she seems to be feeling fairly normal. Between worrying about Ellie and her having a little fussy spell during the night I think I got about three hours sleep. I'm going to enjoy this rainy day and take a nap while the girls are sleeping.

I'll post pictures of our fun weekend tomorrow.

My Life Is A Mess Right Now

If you know me, you know that I like for things to be neat and clean. I also like for the kids to be entertained while I "work".

My sweet nephew came over yesterday evening (to pick Big Daddy up for a man-date) and took one look at the pots, pans and toys in the floor and the chips, salsa, salad and enchiladas all over the table and asked "do you need me to do something???". I handed over a crying Ellie and tried to finish washing dishes and started playing another Taylor Swift video on youtube for Maggie. Maggie has discovered a love of chips and salsa and the videos were sort of her dessert.

(Ellie loves to play in the kitchen...just look at that smile! You'll notice that Dorothy is back, too.)

If we have somewhere to go (at least three mornings during the week) Maggie and Ellie usually play while I get ready. Maggie usually closes the door to her room so that she can have a little "private time". It's quite at treat if she allows Ellie in her room.
They were playing well this morning and I thought I'd sneak a peek and take a picture of them playing together. This is what I saw! For some reason, Maggie is all to happy to let me take pictures of her if she's partially dressed or doing something silly.

I know the look on Ellie's face is one of admiration and she's thinking "I can't wait to be big like my sister. I love her".

Maggie proceeded to take off the fairy wings and run around and act, in her words "crazy and n@ked". She put the fairy wings back on with a dress and wore them to the Library. After about 45 seconds inside she asked to put them in the car.

While Maggie was running around all "crazy and n@ked", I dressed Ellie. While I was straightening up her room, she crawled into my room and found my hidden box of tissues. Of course, she started tearing them up.

She blew a raspberry when I told her she was making a mess.

I like to think that all of the cleaning that I do is not in vain. I'm sure that the house is clean under all of the mess.

Wordless Wednesday

Maggie On A Saturday

Maggie sitting on the back steps cleaning her finger nails.

I have a different attitude and outlook on Saturdays, even though I take care of the kids as usual and Big Daddy is often not at home. I do a lot less housework and I find it easier to spend the entire morning outside without feeling like I should be doing something.

The Saturday before last, I found myself parenting alone while Big Daddy was at work. Maggie was so funny and I wrote down a few of the things that she said so that I could remember them later.

"It's horrible. There's bird poop all over Ellie's swing". ~when we first got to the swing set

"I'll pretect myself from strangers while you put Ellie to bed".~she was swinging and Ellie was falling asleep in her swing after lunch

"I'm just going to put flowers all in the road so that people will know that I'm a friendly person".~on our walk

And my favorite...

"Neighbors love me".

Her Mommy loves her too...in spite of her mood swings. Last Sunday after Church, Big Daddy picked Maggie up from her class, while I was getting Ellie. They were finishing up a "Celebration of Families" to go along with their Bible story about Abraham and Sarah. While we were eating lunch I asked Maggie what kind of party food they had. She responded, "You know, those little round doughnuts without holes in the middle". They're also known as doughnut holes.

Because I Just Love To Clean

I was offered the chance to try and review a product of my choice from a store that has everything from sectional sofas to diaper bags...it's CSN Stores! Going to CSNStores.com gives you the chance to shop in 250 stores all from one website. How convenient is that?? And they really do have a little bit of everything.

CSN Stores has more than one thing that each member of our little family would love, but I chose to get something to help me out. I decided that I needed a product that would help to clean up all the crumbs that accumulate on the rug under the table and the hardwood floors around the table in our kitchen. Three Meals + Two Kids = Lots of Crumbs!

I love my job as a mom, but sometimes it gets a little...messy. That's okay because according to the "About My Mom" letter that Maggie "wrote" at preschool for the Mother's Day Tea, I love to clean and it's only second to her as my most favorite thing. (Let's get it straight. I like for things to be clean, therefore I like to clean.)

We have carpet in the three bedrooms and the bonus room, ceramic tile in the two bathrooms, vinyl in the laundry room and then hardwood floors in all of the other places (foyer, living and dining rooms, kitchen, hallway and entry from the garage and the stairs). I clean hardwood floors a lot. A lot. I sweep, dust mop and/or damp mop every single day. Every. Single. Day.

Enter the Dirt Devil Swift Stick Vacuum Cleaner! I'll probably use this at the end of the day if not several times throughout the day. I'm hoping that it will not only keep the area around the table in our kitchen clean, but that it will also help our bigger vacuum stay in the closet when I need to clean up those little messes!-
I'll let you know how it works out!

Go to CSNStores and take a look at all of their products. Seriously, they have sectional sofas and diaper bags.

Publish Post

And then...

she walked!!

About five minutes ago, Ellie Grace took her first two steps!

Happy Mother's Day to me!!

All I Want for Mother's Day & Vaccines

I've already instructed Big Daddy not to worry about getting me anything for Mother's Day other than a card. Maggie is SO excited about the flower pot that she made me for Mother's Day at preschool. I bought a few new clothes (guilt free) and I need to schedule an eye exam (my first ever because my perfect vision isn't so perfect anymore) and I want this in lieu of gifts.

I thought I'd make a little list of stuff that I would like to have if I were going to request presents.

• Since I'm with my children all day, every single day, I think it's okay to ask for alone time even though I most likely will not get it. I'd even like a shopping/girl's day with Maggie.
  
• Perfume. Seriously...I haven't had perfume in over 4 years. I'd love to have Ralph Lauren Blue or something that smells good.
• Jewelry. I think this necklace from Joy is gorgeous. (I want it and I'm going to get it some day!!!) She made my "VP Mommy" necklace a couple of years ago. I don't wear it because it makes me a crying nutcase, but I look at it and touch it often and it's beautiful. She is the sweetest girl and I feel blessed to call her one of my blog friends. If you order from her, tell her that I sent you!
  
• A date with Big Daddy. Our 10 year anniversary is coming up, so hopefully this is one gift I'll get soon! We haven't had a real date since Ellie was born!

Like most moms and women out there, I'd settle for a little appreciation and adoration from the ones that I mother...Maggie, Ellie and Big Daddy!

*********************************************

On a completely different note: Last night I became overwhelmingly concerned about vaccinations. I was so blessed with Maggie's former pediatrician (that I'd go to again if we were in the same town) because she guided me and didn't try to tell me what to do. Since Maggie's four year well child visit last week I have been researching more on vaccines and I feel like I've made a lot of mistakes. I have decided to see a different pediatrician. Big Daddy says that a guy from work has an "amazing" pediatrician and we are hoping to go there. I'm planning to call later today.
I am not at all against vaccines, but I'm not so sure that the benefits outweigh the risks and I want a doctor who will respect that. I'm not sure if it's "mother's intuition" or just me being a little obsessive compulsive, but I am feeling very anxious about giving Ellie vaccinations at her 12 month well baby visit. This never happened when Maggie was itty bitty, but she hasn't had every single vaccine that the CDC and AAP recommend.
I'd LOVE to have your feedback and hear what you think about vaccines.

Baby Ellie You Are 11 Months Old

How can our Baby Ellie be such a big girl!?!You love to clean out the kitchen cabinets and be Mommy's little helper.
You enjoy "playing" in your sister's room when she lets you or when she's not at home.

You love bananas, pears, spaghetti, carrots and green peas.
You are a good eater, but you like to put food in your hair.

You love playing outside and you are never still.
You crawl all over the yard and you love to pull up grass.

You can stand alone without pulling up, but you aren't interested in walking. You love to crawl.
You say "Da-Da" a lot, but mainly do sign language for "Mommy".
You also do the signs for eat, thank you, more and please.

You give the best "love" where you lay your head on my shoulder and you'll lean your head in for some "sugar" (kisses).

You "bark" at the giant dog that Gammy Gladys gave you.

You like to ride in the stroller, but only for short periods of time. I am thankful that you still enjoy being worn in the ring sling or the Baby K'Tan.

Baby Ellie, we adore you and you complete us.

Multi-tasking Mommy

This happens to be one of my favorite photos of me and my two girls.


Coffee in hand. Maggie at my feet. Vera Bradley Baby Bag on my shoulder. Ellie in the sling.

Of course, this picture was taken several months ago, but it sort of captures my life as a mom.

I'm lost without a baby on my hip.

I'm a Babywearer.

I feel like I've forgotten something if I don't have the Baby Bag with me.

And then there's Maggie. She has been my almost constant companion for a tiny bit over four years.

The Mocha was just a perk for the moment. The girls...they are forever.

Motherhood right now is sort of like always having a little friend close by, like it or not. We just aren't complete unless we're together.

Linked up to Kristen at We Are THAT Family.

The Day That I Was Super Mom

Most days I don't claim to be "Super Mom," but I do have my moments. One of my favorite recent moments happened last week at Maggie's preschool.

I hadn't planned on arriving at the preschool early so that I could stalk (I think our kids deserve a little parent-free time at preschool) Maggie as she rode her bike for "Bike & Trike Day". Of course, I heard at drop off that several of the other parents were planning on being there to cheer on their child and take pictures. I decided that I didn't want Maggie to worry that I was the only mom not there, so Ellie and I spent an hour and a half goofing off and killing time to avoid driving home, staying a few minutes and then driving back to preschool. Of course, this meant I was camera-less.

Ellie fell asleep while we were driving back to school, so I decided to stay in the car (stalker style) and wait for the kids to come out and get their bikes. I saw the kids getting their bikes and I plopped Ellie on my hip, safe and secure in the ring sling and joined the class and their entourage.

The adults-

• Mr. R- father
• Mr. T & Ms. D-parents and C, who is a week younger than Ellie
• Ms. C
• Ms. N- Maggie's teacher
• Me & Ellie
  

There were 8 children, 4 bicycles, 2 tricycles, 1 Big Wheel and 1 scooter.

Of course, one of the girls didn't want to ride her bike (Thank You dear Lord for letting it not be my daughter) so her parents, Mr. T and Ms. D had to try to get her to ride. Ms. D had brought her big, nice camera and was trying to take pictures while holding Baby C. Mr. T was holding his now crying daughter and trying to talk her into riding her tricycle. I was wearing Ellie so I had two free hands and offered to hold Baby C. I managed to push at least FIVE of the children on their bikes...WHILE WEARING/HOLDING TWO BABIES! That left Ms. C, Mr. R and Ms. N standing at the other end of the little bike course doing nothing.

And that is all about the hour that I was Super Mom.

Motherhood Changes Things

I just realized that this will be my first Mother's Day with Ellie outside of my belly.

My first Mother's Day as a mom of two...girls.

I refer to my life before having kids as "when I was single". Of course, Big Daddy and I had been married for nearly 6 years when we welcomed our little Muffin, so I was hardly single! (Muffin's now less of a Muffin and more of a Maggie) I is more of a plural now that I'm a mom. If I say that I'll come, I'll probably be holding a little girl's hand or wearing a baby. (Ellie is no longer Baby Ellie, she's Big Ellie because she's growing so fast)

I remember my last few years before Motherhood...barely.

• I would sleep until I woke up unless I had meetings or appointments with clients.
• Because I was alone most evenings I would often do paperwork at home.
• I always had my cell phone with me. Always.
• I bought new clothes almost every week.
• Big Daddy went to the gym at least three nights a week and went for a run and to the gym on Saturdays.
• I was a size 6. A size 6.

Everything changed when I got pregnant with Maggie.

I had lots of complaints early on (as in immediately after I became pregnant). I was being treated for urinary tract infections and felt worse than I ever had before. I was only sleeping a few hours at night so I started going to work late, leaving early and spending lots of time on the couch cuddled up with a heating pad. I decided that there was something horribly wrong with me and that the doctor's would eventually figure out what it was.

A few weeks passed and I found out that I was pregnant. It was two weeks after my 28th birthday and I always said that I wanted to be finished having babies by the time I was 30. My real estate partner was the first person that I told, other than Big Daddy and my OB/GYN office. Since the doctor thought that the pregnancy may not be viable, I tried to cherish every minute. Two weeks later, we saw our little "Peanut" and heard her heartbeat. Two days after that, we told my family.

I went back to working "normal" hours and did everything like normal until January of 2006. I made the decision to take Thursdays off work since that was the day of my midwife appointments. I also left early...a lot. I took naps and rested and tried to enjoy being pregnant.

Fast forward to now.

• I wake up when someone cries, whines or calls my name because their stuffed animal fell out of the bed...usually more than one time a night.
• I always have a big diaper bag, a baby on my hip or a little girl holding my hand.
• I start to panic if I realize that the sling, stroller or the Baby K'Tan are not in the car.
• I only buy new clothes for me when I really need them.
• I'm not a size 6, but I know the easiest way to lose 20 pounds is to take Ellie out of the sling!
• I know all sorts of things about the Disney Princess movies that I'd never seen before now.
• I had never heard of Vasa Previa.
  

Of course, these aren't the only things that have changed! The changes are to numerous to list. Life is better, but so much busier.