“strive to be one standard deviation above the mean.”

Munchkin makes a snack bowl with a lid that allows little hands to reach in, but, little snacks stay in and cannot escape!

We tried this with raisins (the current favorite snack) and Anna LOVED it. She toddled around the house carrying her raisins with her.

Gerber also makes a bowl, but it doesn’t have handles. We tried both, she liked both, but the portability of the Munchkin was a favorite.

We anticipate a much cleaner car now!

We found both of them at Target!

Anna has been spending time at home with her Dad, so, naturally, she wants to do what he is doing. He was fixing a bike for me to ride in the Spring, and she helped out!

We have found more and more that Anna loves doing what we do. She helps with laundry. When I dust her room, I hand her a baby wipe and she cleans her toys. She LOVES being a big girl and helping mommy and daddy!

Recently, Scott and I have been searching craigslist online and yard sales for kids stuff. Mainly, we are looking for that stuff we will need 2 of in November. Yesterday, we came across a Little Tykes Family Kitchen at a yard sale. We paid $3. Oh yea! It has a little bit of crayon on one of the knobs and on the back. Other than that, it just needed some cleaning. And . . . . . ITS A HIT!! She crawled out of her Toddler bed (which she has slept 2 whole weeks in without trouble! wahoo!) this morning after I came in the room and went straight to her kitchen set and began “cooking” breakfast!

1. Pool time! Lather baby up with sunscreen and hit the water! This will help baby learn that the pool isn’t to be feared. A plus for their future swim instructors!

2. READ! Anna loves “Go, Dog, Go”. I read it to her, and then she “reads” it to me. 

3. iPhone applications, like Peek-a-boo barn. There are a few applications that interact with the kids and let them learn what sounds the animal makes. Anna loves Peek-a-boo barn! No iPhone for you? Use a book or a game to play “what sound does the animal make?”

4. Musical cards – hallmark, thank you! This is a great way to learn cause and effect. Anna sits and plays with those greeting cards that play music. Make sure you get one with a tune you can handle.

5. Family walks – outdoor time is great! It is hot, so make sure to dress the baby cooly and keep them as shaded as possible. Anna even lets us put sunglasses on her when the family runs together.

6. Learning opposites – anything to teach open/close and on/off: things like that. Light switches, boxes they can manipulate to “open/close”. Anna can reach the power button on her air purifier. Its not dangerous (no moving parts she can reach) so we let her turn it on and off. 

7. Learning body parts “where is your nose (or ears, toes, fingers, eyes, etc)?” self-awareness as well as learning the vocab is very key at this age.

8. Let them help out – if you are folding laundry, give them the socks. If you are dusting, give baby their own rag. A lot of times they will mimic what you are doing. Its good for them to learn to be with you, copy you, and to learn that everyone pitches in around the house. Anna even helps “unload” the dishwasher. Often, whatever dish she selects ends up in her mouth and in need of another washing, but, she was trying to take things out, like mommy or daddy.

i have had several conversations recently with friends who have 1 or 2 kids. they all revolved in how their marriage changed with kids, the difference in how a man handles the new little ones and how a woman handles the new little ones, and how stress seems to be a normal factor of life now. being in a marriage relationship requires energy to be as loving as you should be to your spouse. when kids enter the picture, especially young ones that may not yet sleep through the night, or, require a lot of energy during the day, a lot of your energy ends up devoted to them. it makes the marriage relationship that much more difficult to focus on. its not an easy road. it is so worth it. i commend those who want to wait to have kids.

for those of you who think kids might save your relationship, be careful. it could have the opposite result. kids are a hard core time and energy commitment, as they should be.

like anything worth anything, relationships and raising kids takes time and energy. be even more patient and gracious with parents of young children. we are sleep deprived zoombies. we may not know where the nearest salon is, but, we do know where to find cheerios.

we found out today our second child, who will be 20 months younger than her older sister, is a girl!

sarah elisabeth larimore will be her sweet name!

here is a picture of her profile. i think she may have big lips! ;o)

To all those who are looking out for a pregnant lady, here are some quick ways to spoil her. The bottom line, help her de-stress and focus on growing baby!

1. help out with chores. my husband loves his morning sleep in time. he has given it up to help me unload the dishwasher in the morning. small, but meaningful way to give me more time to sleep in myself!

2. prepare a meal for her! my favorite. i LOVE eating and i know a lot of pregnant ladies who do. having good food ready for you is so nice! my sister-in-law fixed baked ziti last night that is AMAZING and my husband, who is aware i am now forgetful, packed it for my lunch today! yeah for two yummy meals!

3.  buy some bubble bath! this is oh so nice! after a day of back aches due to a growing belly, a little relief makes sleep come a lot easier.

4.  create a nap time or sleep in day for her. take care of the phone, deliveries, other kids, pets, etc and allow her to have one day a week where she can catch an extra hour of sleep!

These are simple, and don’t require anything that will break the bank. Other ideas, like a pregnancy massage, or pedicures are also nice gestures to get the mommy-to-be relaxed. The more de-stressed she is, the happier the growing baby is.

One of the key symptoms a lot of mommies-to-be experience is exhaustion. This isn’t an easy one to tackle, especially if you already have a child(ren) to take care of. For me, it has been very hard. My husband has been graciously helping me with things I normally try to do around the house. And several times, he has ordered me a nap time and required that I take it. I hate giving up my time with Anna, but, the nap is necessary for proper development. 

At 18 weeks, baby has a lot of growing. Baby finally gets some length, so the head isn’t so big! Bones are beginning to harden, lungs are further developing, and the swirls that will become baby’s fingerprints have begun to form!

All this requires a little extra sleep and care on mommy’s part. So, even if it means giving up some play time, pregnant women just do not need to push it too hard (not until they are in labor – ha). For me, a little exercise has helped me de-stress, and relax. It also gives me time with my 1 year old daughter.

here are some tips, based on our experience:

1. pack lots of food for the car

2. packs lots of sippy cups

3. leave after they have had ~1 hour of crawling/play time. they sit A LOT better with some energy burned!

4. make a packing list one day during a normal routine -this way you remember what you need on a daily basis. pack a day or two in advance. you will forget something, but that is what Target is for!

5. if you have to stop for a meal, do it somewhere where the food doesn’t take too long. Cracker Barrel is our favorite!

6. give yourself plenty of time between when you arrive at your destination and when you have to be at your event – this allows the child to recover and not be so fussy!