Hush, Little One

When Abby was little I used to pray for the days when she could talk. I couldn't wait to hear that sweet little voice and I was so excited to know what she was thinking and feeling.

I still adore our daily chitchats, but there are a few things I really wish she would stop saying. Here are my six least favorite Abby sayings:

1. "Abby pee pees in the sink"

I only permitted this once, in desperation, when Jeremy decided to clean Abby's potty and the regular toilet at the same time. Unfortunately, now she enjoys the sink to other alternatives. Sorry, but it's not going to get a replay.

2. "Birds poop on my lip"

I told her this might happen if she pouts, but she didn't quite get the message. I think she's looking forward to it.

3. "Repent!"

Glad she's remembering her nightly scripture stories, but not so happy she's calling people on it. Usually she picks the right person for the message, and most people think it's pretty funny, but I fear her memorizing the 10 commandments and making the exclamation more specific.

4. "Mommy has a rash"

Not so nice for mommy. To my credit, any scratch, acne or blush is a rash to her. People probably think I have a never-ending case of scabies.

5. "Beth eats her arm"

This is totally true, but I'm sure people at the daycare center wonders who Beth is and why we're not concerned a cannibal lives in our house. She also like to yell, "stop eating your arm" and "Beth is yucky." She's quite the bully.

6. "I put my boogie on the (chair/car seat/my clothes/in the tissue/etc)"

It's better than "guess where I put my boogie?" Perhaps I'll let this one slide. At least I have some direction on where to clean later in the day.

Just Another Day

Could you pick a better time than nap time to accomplish whatever it is you are doing?

Easter Weekend Joy

This year Easter weekend corresponded with the opening of millions of blooming cherry blossoms. I couldn't imagine a more symbolic vision of what the resurrection truly means. What an amazing and memorable experience.

Abby was not so thrilled to be there. She wanted to run around and not be bothered by all the crowds. People love to take her picture and stare. It gets a little old. She's running away from Jeremy in this picture.

Abby could have watched these fish forever. I was waiting for her to stick her hand in and take one home.

She loved the potato tempura. She's quite the maverick with the chopsticks.

Captain danger refused to walk on the sidewalk.

I was planning on getting a few shots of Abby in her Easter dress later in the day but it started raining right after church. Fortunately, I was able to get a few pictures of her singing her nursery songs before we left.

The Easter bunny was kind enough to come in the morning. She even left a basket for the new baby.

Jeremy got lots of manuals to help us can and select healthier foods.

Can you see a theme in the clothes for the new baby?

I couldn't imagine a child less impressed to see what the Easter bunny left.

Chocolate High

Here is what happened after Abby got into my Easter bunny stash:

Singing Diva

Here are some fun videos of Abby showing off her singing skills. The best video is the last one.

Song One -- Abby never stops talking. Here is a sample of what we enjoy:

Song Two -- Remix of all the favs:

Song Three -- If you're happy and you know it:

Song Four: Abby rocks the ABC's:

Two Recommendations

I STRONGLY urge you to read and watch the following recommendations. They are currently changing my world and I'm positive they will leave a lasting impression on you as well. Knowledge is power -- take it, use it, share it!

Recommendation #1 -- the movie Food Inc.

A powerful look at how our food is made, marketed and distributed. The "life-changing" moment in this movie for us: there is NO way that we can get factory packaged meat with it having feces in it. That's just the start of it. Wait until you see how the animals are treated and how our food is made. I still shudder at the thought. We promptly threw out 50% of our fridge/freezer. I am so thankful I am moving to a place where we can create a garden, buy organic and get involved in a food/dairy/meat share programs. We might go broke doing it, but it will certainly be worth it.

Recommendation #2 -- the book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

This book should be on the mandatory reading list for all parents of girls (or boys that will marry girls, or anyone with a sister/mother/aunt, etc). Jeremy was annoyed the whole time I read this book, as I was constantly screaming out facts and stories that enraged and inspired me. This book is awesome because it doesn't just point out the problems -- it offers practical and efficient ways to help solve them. Seriously, I can't say enough good things about this book.

Here are some powerful stats:

More than 100 million women are missing.

Countries that nurture terrorists are disproportionally those where women are marginalized.

One third of all women worldwide face beatings in the home.

90 percent of girls and women over the age of three were sexually abused in parts of Liberia during civil war there.

11 percent of the world’s inhabitants live in sub-Saharan Africa, and they suffer 24 percent of the world’s disease burden – which is addressed with less than 1 percent of the world’s health care spending.

The WHO estimates that 536,000 women perished in pregnancy or childbirth in 2005, a toll that has barely budged in thirty years (one maternal death every minute).

In Niger, a woman stands a 1-in-7 change of dying in childbirth. Niger only has 10 ob-gyns in the entire country.

During WWI, more American women died in childbirth than American men died in war. But from the 1920s to the 1940s in the US, maternal morality rates plunged – apparently because the same society that was giving women the right to vote also found the political will to direct resources to maternal health.

122 million women around the world want contraception and can’t get it.

Each additional year of primary education leads a girl to have .26 fewer children – a considerable reduction.

A cost effective way to get more girls to attend high school may be to help them manage menstruation. African girls typically use (and reuse) old pads during their periods, and they often have only a single torn pair of underwear. For fear of embarrassing leaks and stains, girls sometimes stay home during that time.

31 percent of households in the developing world do not get sufficient iodine from water or food. The result is occasional goiters and, much more frequently, brain damage when children are still in the womb. Fetuses need iodine in the first trimester to develop proper brains, and both human and animal studies show this is particularly true of female fetuses. A capsule of iodine oil can be given every two years to all women who may become pregnant – at a cost of only fifty cents per capsule.

Half of Tanzanian women, and nearly half of Ugandan women, say they were abused by male teachers, and one third of reported rapes of South African girls under the age of fifteen are by teachers.

Women now own just 1 percent of the world’s titled land.

By 2007 Rwanda surpassed Sweden to become the nation with the highest share of women members of any parliament in the world. The United States ranked sixty-eighth among the countries of the world in the share of women holding national public office.

Once every ten seconds, a girl somewhere in the world suffers female genital mutilation.

In 2007, nearly sixty-six million girls do not have access to education in communities across the world.

Easter Egg Scramble

This weekend was the big Easter egg scramble on Zama. Abby was thrilled for the chase but incredibly annoyed by the life-sized man in the Easter bunny costume. Staying by dad was the way to stay safe.

It also doesn't hurt to throw out a few stank eyes.

Waiting for the moment of truth...

Here is Abby getting a better look at the Easter bunny.

Checking out the loot.

Some of the eggs were spinning tops, rattles and erasers.

Taking the treasure home.

Abby did not know what to think of this ball pit. She just went in and sat down. Then it was apparent we needed to get her out before the tears started.

Big hugs from dad helped.

Fun with the family.

Abby and I love this tree at the Shrine Park.

Here is a quick shot of Abby on her way to church today. She is still pretty fascinated by all the Easter excitement. She couldn't peel herself away from this squishy egg for a good shot. She got that beautiful goose egg by sliding into the wall last night.

Good Times

I know you're all dying to see how fat I am. Here is 22 weeks of baby bump goodness. Feel free to revel in my plumpness.


For some reason, Abby really wanted to play in her crib today. I'll blame it on the rain. She was really yucking it up. Whatever floats her boat!

There's a video, of course!

Shower-ific

We had a fun shower yesterday to welcome baby Isabelle.

The food was delicious, as always.

It was all fun and giggles for the ladies. Lisa (on the end) is next in line to pop.

Crystal relaxing.

Adorable Easter dresses all around!

We got to change diapers blindfolded and guess Isabelle's current weight. I lost at both games.

Congrats, Marlaina. You make super cute kids!

Shrine On

Jeremy caught our flu Sunday afternoon, so Abby, Beth and I went to the Shrine Park so he could sleep. It was such a beautiful day. The great outdoors is where Abby thrives. You can almost feel the excitement...

Abby singing on the bench.

There are so many paths to explore. Abby likes the ones less traveled :P

Beth likes the hang out in the shade and make friends with insects.

Just some of the beautiful flowers.

My two favorite people.

Spring is Here!

Every Friday I meet up with some of my favorite moms and their baby babes for super fun play dates. This week's adventure lead us to Sagamihara Park. The fun zoo, beautiful flowers and variety of playgrounds are just some of the draws.

Abby must have got a whiff of the pigs behind her.

Ready, set, jump!

Bombs away.

Riding Abby style.

All the single ladies.

Just a sample of the ladies.

Once the foliage starts to grow these become super cute bush animals.

These flowers were full of bees but Abby didn't care. She spits in the face of danger.

Just a snazzy dog out for a walk.

Crystal rolls with four kiddos in her stroller. She's a mega mom.