If only Gordon were a mouse...

We went to Petco this afternoon for a change of pace. Cran and Beebster just love looking at all of the pets!

They stood though for about 20 solid minutes when we were about to leave in front of the cage of white mice. They watched the little mice clammer over each other taking turns on their exercise wheel and doing flips. They have never laughed so hard! So many people stopped to watch them get such a kick out of these little white mice. Now, I've got two little girls begging to go back to Petco "every single day, Momma" just to see these little white entertainers.

Now if only I could get Gordon to do these tricks here at home!

Jane and Michael

Maddie is infamous for coming up with different aliases for herself and her beloved Beebster, and Faith is infamous for thinking these aliases are wonderful... even if it means that Faith gets to be the male character in the duo! I remember Faith was Prince Phillip from about 13 months of age, and then she became Albert (the classic 'Bread and Jam for Frances' books). She has also been Ernie, but then again Bert (Maddie) is also a male character. Some of the news ones though are that Faith is Prince Ali and Maddie is Jasmine, and my recent favorite that Faith is Michael and Maddie is Jane from "Mary Poppins." Maddie says that Faith is messier like Michael and that she is very clean like Jane. She explains that Michael can't skip too well (like Faith), while she can just like Jane. It makes me laugh so hard!

They've been quite busy playing with Aunt Lisi's old Bitsy Bears and Mapletown/Sylvanian figures. They just love them. We were able to get to Guy and Ella's house on Monday while Dan was off, and Maddie was prepared to offer a trade. She took a bag of My Little Ponies to offer Ella in exchange for the little bears, etc. They had a blast with their cousins, as usual. Once I tell them that we are going over there, or that Donovan and Ella are coming over here, I need to make sure that we really do see them because their hearts have been broken before when they didn't get to see their beloved cousins as had been promised. They just love their Guy and Baby Cuz. They were all hilarious- all 4 of them- when they had a "wonderful dance party" after dinner. All four of them were shaking their butts and doing some classic dance moves.

And, now they have been playing so well together with their new treasures- these little Bitsy Bears and other figures. I remember Steph and I also liked the Mapletown/Sylvanian guys from the 80's, but Lis was the sole collector of the Bitsy Bears in the early 90's. They are really cute little toys that Nene luckily saved, just as she saved all of our classic My Little Ponies that Maddie and Faith have loved their entire lives. They've been in heaven playing with these little guys and taking them for walks in their doll strollers.

The weather has been nice enough (temperature wise.. not necessarily clear skies, except a few hours this morning) that they've been able to get out in just sweatshirts instead of their stinkin' coats.. thank goodness! We went down to the creek yesterday afternoon with Dan, and it was a really nice walk. Not to mention, it helps crippled old me and my leg and pelvic pains! Going down to the creek made Dan anxious to get out fishing soon with his little women, and they were excited thinking about it. I took them for a walk this morning before it started raining. Although it's going to go back down to the 30's by week's beginning, it's nice to have even a little break from the cold. Faith was beside herself because I put her in Maddie's 2T/3T princess sweatshirt (that is huge on her!) and she got to be like her 'Dee!' She kept kissing her beloved 'Arara' and 'Beau' (Belle). She loves those princesses like her Dee. 

Faith has now invented a new way of playing hide-and-seek for the two of them, and it is quite hilarious. Faith sits out in the living room counting (the way she counts, she says "awa.. awa..awa" I'm not sure why!) and then comes searching for Maddie while carrying a fishing rod. Maddie thought this was so funny the first time Faith used a fishing rod to come try and search for her underneath the bed covers, so this is their new favorite way of playing hide-and-seek. Then, of course, Maddie goes out and counts and has to take the fishing rod with her.

Tonight at dinner we were talking about baby sissy and her arrival in a few short months. They are excited! They decided to become 'newborns' after dinner and were having fun being swaddled and drinking some water out of baby bottles. Haha. 

'Married'

4 cousins!

Cranster and Beebster-cousins

Cousins racing

Cranster and Beebster-Magic Kingdom

Stupid weather

I'm glad I took advantage of yesterday's nice weather, because today is just plain miserable. Moving down south again has never looked more appealing!

It was in the low 40's yesterday, but hey, for PA winters that's not too bad. Maddie came out from her rest yesterday and was complaining of a bad headache. That always worries Dan because he used to get really bad headaches as a child and they even did a CT scan on him to make sure everything was OK. I guess he just grew out of that. Well, we had planned on going for a nice walk down by the creek in the afternoon but Maddie just didn't want to do anything. Poor girl. So, I took Faith for a walk around the neighborhood while Dan stayed with Maddie. Faith is hilarious when she's by herself-- she makes me laugh so much. She kept stopping at the sewage drains to wave to "swampy" and kept picking up sticks for a birdhouse.

By the time we got home, Maddie was feeling much better and we stayed outside for a good while drawing with chalks. It was a really nice day. 

Today, on the other hand, we've done nothing besides go to the Dollar Tree where they got to pick out some $1 Princess socks. 

28-week appointment

Baby sissy and I had our 28-week appointment this afternoon.

I was VERY, VERY excited that I passed my glucose screening test. I had gone in on Monday to do my glucose test, and was anxiously awaiting this appointment to hear my results. I remember having to go in for the 3-hour glucose test with Faith, and wasn't wanting to have to worry about the possibility of gestational diabetes this time around. No need to worry though since my results were good. 

I was telling Dan that it seems so ironic that I was so worried about being pregnant this third time since it was quite unexpected and I wasn't in good shape to say the least. I'd been going to the gym to try and get back into better shape, but had only succeeded in losing 8 pounds in those few weeks. Although I'm already just 2 pounds shy of my ending weight with both Maddie and Faith's pregnancies (and I still have 12 weeks to go), I have only gained 2 lbs over what I started thus far. I was so worried about having lots of health problems with this pregnancy, and (knock on wood) I have had NO problems thus far. No blood pressure elevations and its repercussions, something that was an every day problem while pregnant with Faith. I feel very lucky, and also very excited that this baby is doing so incredibly well. 

I usually hate to "complain" to the doctor since I know most of the complaints are just generalities that come with the territory of being pregnant, I did ask him today about this recurring problem I have with what I thought was nerve pain on my right side. It can be almost debilitating at times, and it comes out of nowhere. He said it sounded like muscle spasms and that I'm probably doing too much, and to take it easy. Riiiiiiight. I have two little women to care for and tend to and make sure I continue to give them my best, so 'taking it easy' isn't quite practical. He did ask me though if it seemed like it was happening at a certain time of day, and I have noticed that it gets worse as the day progresses. So, he told me to try and just lay down without doing much once the little ladies are in bed. I can certainly try that remedy. Hopefully it works a little because last night I got a shooting pain so bad that I nearly fell out of bed screaming in pain.

Other than that though, little Abrie continues to get a clean bill of health. And, that is all that matters. Her heartbeat was 142 today, and ironically, I looked at my book while I was pregnant with Faith and hers was exactly 142 at 28 weeks as well. Crazy. Cran and Beebster were full of antics at the appointment as usual pretending that they were going to the farm show while in the waiting room. Crannie then was telling a lady there that didn't know if they were having a boy or a girl that she was going to be a big sister to a baby GIRL and that she is "so excited!"

Two vacationers

Magic Kingdom carousel riders

"Dreams come true"

Feeling 96-years old, and Twitterpated

The sole downside to driving to Florida has been my physical condition now upon arrival. HA. Dan asked why in the world I was hobbling around this morning, and I told him "this is your new wife. I am a 26-year old trapped in a 96-year old body that is failing me these days!" 

My back has been bad since even before becoming pregnant with little 'Breebster,' but it's gotten worse as I've gotten bigger. That's nothing unusual since I'm quite used to back pain with all three pregnancies, but the 17-hour drive didn't do many wonders in alleviating that back pain. I figured sleeping in a hotel bed would help it once we were there, but it didn't get better. The drive back was uncomfortable to say the least, and now I officially have what feel to be permanent knots in my back. It's quite painful. Not to mention, I had horrible sciatic pain during my pregnancy with Faith, but on the left side. I've had very bad nerve pain, but on my right side, since about 18 weeks pregnant this time around. It's getting worse, and not better and I sometimes nearly fall over from the jolt of pain that runs up and down the right side at the most inconvenient times, and without warning. 

To top it off, I had all but forgotten the joys of leg cramps until last night. I remember having a few with both Maddie and Faith, but at almost 28 weeks with this little one, I had been spoiled in not having yet experienced that joyful feeling again. Until last night. Those are some harsh pains. Needless to say, THAT is why I was hobbling around this morning: I can't stand correctly and crouch because of my back, I walk with a limp because of the jolts of nerve pain, and I was also slightly hopping because of how badly my right leg hurt. 

That being said, I love being pregnant! Aside from those minor issues (it could be much worse and I could have stupid high blood pressure again, etc.. I remind myself of this all the time), I feel great and I would drive down to Florida and back again tonight if it meant we could go back to Disney! I know two certain little girls and a certain "prince" that would agree with me in a heartbeat.

******

Yesterday being Valentine's Day, my little ladies were quite amusing. They both kept saying they were "twitterpated" and in love with each other, and Momma and Daddy. They had gotten Valentine's cards in the mail from both Grammy and Nene when we got back on Friday, and of course that made their day. They LOVE to receive cards in the mail. They spent yesterday afternoon making Valentine's with construction paper hearts, glue, and glitter. And, our prince took us out to breakfast yesterday after coming home from work. They're so funny these days in that they insist on sitting next to each other in the booths at restaurants. Faith always ends up hugging Maddie and plastering her by smooshing her, and they are always in a fit of giggles. They're too funny.

Cran and Beebster- Orlando '09

Orlando, all we ever wanted

We'd be lying if we said we were happy to be "home" in PA. Maddie keeps saying, "I don't want to be in Pennsylvania with a yucky winter coat. I miss my hotel" and Faith keeps pointing toward the car that she wants to drive back down to Florida. Dan and I feel the exact same way. It's literally quite depressing to be home, and for our trip to have come to an end. But, we are certainly feeling like the luckiest people in the world that the 4 of us experienced the magic of Orlando and Disney for the first time all together.

I'm now currently in the process of putting a video together for our little women with pictures and videos that I took while on vacation. They are constantly asking to see pictures and the videos, and I have a feeling they'll be watching their video over and over again.

Our sole tragedy (and, it was a tragedy) on our vacation was that we lost Crannie's beloved blankie that she has sniffed and sucked her fingers with since she was 7 months old. The same blankie that I always covered her with as a newborn and would put in her crib since she was tiny. The same blankie with the "special spot" that she loved and would sniff in particular, and the same blankie that smelled just like Maddie. The same blankie that even Dan would grab sometimes (he does it with Faith's as well, as do I) to sniff since it's so soothing! Yep, that same blankie is now officially lost after 4 years. Faith shared her blankie very well during the entire trip, and luckily Faith's smells pretty much like Maddie's so it was also soothing. But, of course Maddie kept asking every day for "Hankie" and we visited the Lost and Found there every day (not to mention called all of the places we had visited). We ended up going to Target and picking out a similar material blankie that is pink with flowers. Their blankies have always been neutral, but Maddie liked the pink one and called it 'Jasmine.' I can't say though that she has taken to it that much since it doesn't have the 'special spot' or the 'smell' and she's still wanting to share Faith's. I was definitely just as upset-if not more-about losing beloved blankie.

********

It's quite the experience that not only Maddie and Faith, but Dan and I as well, get to experience and share all of these first time memories together. As Maddie kept saying throughout our vacation, "now we have to bring Abrie Constein because she can't see too well through your bellybutton, Momma." Haha. It really is something else though to see Maddie and Faith's faces and reactions to everything, and also live it for the first time with Dan as well. We kept telling each other how surreal it felt that we were doing something we've always wanted to do, and to be able to get to do it for our girls also. We definitely had quite the magical time.

We got to Orlando on Sunday after driving the 17 hours (with stops) starting Saturday night. It was quite the drive, but my little women are troopers. They seemed to keep the big picture in their minds the whole time, and were so well behaved the entire 17 hours. Maddie kept telling us when we had first arrived in Florida and we had told her to go ahead and rest her eyes since it would still be another 3+ hours, "But, I'm too excited to close my eyes!" They were beside themselves when we reached the hotel. They are two little girls that truly appreciate hotels, and just love the free reign of getting to explore new places, etc. They loved that there was an indoor pool and an outdoor pool, and definitely took advantage. They also spent forever every day fooling around on their bunkbeds and clowning around in the tub as usual. 

******

We went to SeaWorld the first two days since we had the 2nd day free. This has always been a lifelong goal of mine to get to SeaWorld. I LOVE aquariums and zoos, and have always loved killer whales and beluga whales. Luckily, my little women share that appreciation for wildlife. They were in awe of the park, as were Dan and I. It's a beautiful park, and it had so much shade that it made for a really nice two days there. We saw everything except the sea lions and turtles, and they especially loved the simulated ride into the Wild Arctic, the dolphin cove, the Shamu show, and especially Happy Harbor. They could have spent all day there, and Dan and I were so happily surprised that it didn't even get packed in that children's area while we were there. Cran and Beebster had it pretty much to themselves the majority of their time spent there. These girls can't ever get enough of carousels, and so their sea carousel was a huge hit with them. They spent FOREVER each day on the slides and also loved the sand, which was so clean. Dan and I could sit and relax with our feet in the sand, and it was like heaven. Of course they also love getting wet, and loved the little splash pad. 

I packed lunches every day (and took breakfast also) so we never had to worry about lines for food or anything like that, and it was so relaxing. They absolutely loved the "Believe" show, and it was hilarious because I think Maddie was half expecting the killer whales to find some sea lion pups or baby grey whales to eat. She has seen that on "Blue Planet" and kept asking if these were "nice killer whales!" hahaha. 

The second day at SeaWorld, we went over to see the dolphins first thing in the morning since we had heard that was the best chance to feed the dolphins. Faith and Maddie desperately wanted to feed them. Faith was too young, but was still able to go right up to the dolphins and put her hands in the water to pet them, and we got Maddie a packet of sardines to feed them. Dan and I kept laughing because we couldn't believe our Crannie was dangling sardines for all of the dolphins that kept coming right up to her. It was unbelievable! Dan and I got to pet them, and although Maddie and Faith's arms couldn't quite stretch far enough out to reach them, the dolphins were all literally inches from them and kept 'smiling' at our two little women. They thought this was great! We loved SeaWorld.

******

We lucked out and were able to get our two Disney afficionados over to the Contemporary Resort on our first full night there to eat at Chef Mickey's with Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto (or, as Faith would say.. the "Ruff"). They were in HEAVEN. Not to mention, they were already in heaven at the little gift shop there in the resort since it was their first Disney gift shop to enjoy. Maddie found her 'baby Jasmine' doll set that she desperately wanted (that I didn't think they sold, but kept telling her "well, maybe at Disney we'll find her") and Faith found some 6 inch-or-so set of the 7 dwarfs who she just adores. Needless to say, she then showed off her prize dwarfs to Goofy and friends whenever they came around to our table!

It was an awesome experience to eat with the characters and have them hug our little ladies. Faith has NEVER allowed a character to hug her at Sesame Place (even though she waves incessantly and talks about it constantly afterwards, she's just always been too shy in the very moment to get too close) and yet hugged and kissed every single character that night. It was just awesome. Our little Beebster is still just a little over 2 years old, and yet she knows every single Disney character just as well as her big sissy. It's so neat! And, of course, she LOVES Mickey and friends. She especially loves Pluto ("Ruff") and Minnie, so she was so excited to see them. Maddie of course loves every single character just as much! They had a blast. Dan and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their faces the entire night, and I barely even ate from being so excited. To top off the awesome night, we walked out of the resort towards the parking lot at almost exactly 8pm and all of a sudden saw the fireworks over Cinderella's Castle. Maddie thought this was pure magic, and stood there so quietly. I asked her what she was doing, and she told me quietly, "I wished a wish that all of my friends could be here at Disney." It was too cute. Faith fell and skinned her knee while watching the fireworks (or, as Maddie would say, the "sparkleworks") but loved them nevertheless. She kept waving to the sky!

*****

We went down to Downtown Disney on our 2nd full night in Orlando, and we all loved it so much. We ate at Rainforest Cafe and they were too funny that night clowning around and Beebster hugging Maddie the entire night. They rode the carousel- OF COURSE!- and loved the gift shops. Maddie found a set with the princes that she chose, and was only disappointed by not getting to do the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. We have NEVER, ever seen Maddie be so disappointed about something. We were leaving the gift shop and "Never Had a Friend Like Me" (the genie song) came on, which is one of her favorites. She'll usually belt out the lyrics at the top of her lungs, but looked at us so sadly and told us she wanted to get dressed up like a princess. She noticed an older girl going towards the window wearing a Belle dress and all dressed up with her hair done, etc and the photographer was taking her picture. She stood in front of the window and tapped on the glass longingly. I saw tears in her eyes, and I felt so incredibly bad that it was so expensive to get to do the boutique. She quickly came around though and in true Maddie fashion was telling us within minutes that she was "so grateful, Momma." My little sweetheart.

******

Our sole day at Magic Kingdom was everything we ever imagined, and that much more. This has always been a huge dream of mine, and one that became even more clear when Maddie and then Faith started enjoying every single Disney movie known to man. I'm not at all a person to cry when I am happy, but I couldn't hide tears when we rode the monorail to the park from the parking lot. Maddie and Faith sat in between Dan and I with their little legs dangling over the seats (and Faith's skinned knee quite visible!) and Dan and I kept smiling. It was just plain awesome, and so surreal. They were in heaven the entire day, as were Dan and I. We chose a perfect time of year to go when the crowds aren't TOO bad and the prices were much more affordable for us, and they were able to ride the majority of the rides they had wanted to experience with little or no wait. They keep telling us constantly that their favorites were Dumbo, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, and (of course) the Carousel. Maddie has been singing "It's a Small World" constantly while Faith hums the background music to it. They loved everything!

I never thought that they would get to actually MEET characters either, and meet them they did. Beebster loves Ariel, and she was adorable at how mesmerized she stood next to Ariel. She kept asking, "where Dee?" (as in, where's Melody from "Little Mermaid 2") and smiling so bashfully. She does the exact same thing Maddie used to do when she was 2 years old which is smile towards the floor and look so bashful when she is in awe or so excited. It's precious. Maddie of course was in princess heaven, and asking all about where Prince Eric was, etc. They were adorable. Maddie then saw the Fairy Godmother outside of Cinderella's castle and gave her a huge hug and said "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" to her at the end. In the afternoon, we only waited 15 minutes to see Belle, Cinderella, and Aurora (or, "Awa" as Faith calls her). They were beside themselves. Faith started humming "Once Upon a Dream" to Aurora and dancing, while Maddie got down to business and asked if Merryweather was upset that her dress wasn't blue on that particular day. They then went with Cinderella, and she was too funny asking about their bows in their hair and telling them she loved their dresses (which Maddie had insisted they wear those particular dresses just in case they saw the princesses, so that they would be "beautiful!"). Cinderella told them, "you know, when someone puts such a pretty bow in your hair it means they love you very dearly" and Maddie pointed right to me (I have a picture of it) and smiled. It was so cute. They then saw Belle, and Faith didn't want to leave her side. It was such a cool moment!

They just loved the parade, and waved to everybody. They kept asking though why certain characters weren't there (Faith: "where, (making bunny wrinkly noses), Momma?"-- she wanted so badly to see the White Rabbit!) but they were still very pleased. Not to mention, they absolutely loved the show in front of the castle. On our way out of the park, Faith saw Anastasia, Drizella, and Cinderella's stepmother at Storytime with Belle and kept telling Dan that she wanted them to kiss her on the cheek! She LOVES those "bad girls!" hahahaha.

It was one of the most memorable days of my life, Dan's life, and their little lives. 

The whole vacation was nothing short of incredible, and so surreal. We're realizing dreams of our own that our little girls share with us, and that is something that can not be expressed in words. Dan and I- and Madison and Faith- feel so blessed that we got this opportunity and we had the time of our lives!

Singing women, part 3

Singing women, part 2

Singing women, part 1

Little 'Breebster'

Nope, not Beebster. BREEBSTER.

That'd be my little Abrie woman. I've been having a tendency lately to call her Breebster, but I'm sure that will change once her older sisters bestow some wonderful nicknames on her later in life!

She's my precious little buddy. I can't get enough of feeling her move. Lately she's been doing little punches where I can feel her little fist. It's always at night when Dan has left for work, and I finally have a chance to lay on the couch for a little while. It's our special time together, she and I. I feel so bad though for Maddie and Dan because they both are always wanting to feel her move when I tell them she's moving, and the little stinker stops completely when they put their hands on my stomach! It's so funny. She is starting to move so much and kick whenever I read Faith or Maddie their stories, and they think it's hilarious when I explain to them that their baby sister wants to listen to the story also!

Disney bound

I never thought I would be able to say the words "we're going to Disney!", and yet the day has now come.

We start our drive down to Orlando on Saturday night after Ella's 1st birthday party, and the girls AND Dan and I are beside ourselves with excitement. We will be realizing a dream of mine that I have had since I myself was a little girl, and a dream that became just that much more apparent when we had our two little ladies. They share that exact same love for Disney that I have always had, and I just can not wait to see their faces. I can't even think about it without getting overcome with emotions. 

We're clearly not going "all out," but we're making it an affordable trip that we really never thought possible. So many of the books say to wait until they're older, etc etc but THEY don't know MY daughters. Dan and I are extremely excited to get them down there at the ages of 4 and 2 because their faces are priceless at this age. They are two little ladies that enjoy and appreciate every little thing in life. Sesame Place is their heaven as of now, and I just can't wait to see what Faith does when she sees the 7 dwarfs and the White Rabbit. And, Maddie's face at the sight of her beloved Aurora and crew (for the past few days she actually has awoken with a "new favorite Disney princess"... yesterday it was Jasmine, and today it was Mulan although she proclaims her fondness for her Aurora every second and says she is not forgetting her!). 

We have our reservations set, and are excited about our hotel. It was an awesome deal that we never thought would be possible, and yet a great place that we think Maddie and Faith will just love. We have our SeaWorld tickets and are so very excited to see what they think of killer whales and beluga whales and everything else in person. My little nature lovers! We have reservations to eat at "Chef Mickey's" one night, and are thrilled beyond words that they will get to see Mickey and crew. Maddie was dying to eat with the princesses and Faith was dying to eat with the Mad Hatter and Alice, but of course they're all booked. I have no complaints though, and can't wait to see them hug their pals! We have our Magic Kingdom tickets, and although we can only afford to go one day, we are going to make the most of our day. This is going to be, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my life. 

And, so the countdown begins.