It hasn't been quite, but almost, six months since going gluten free. I have lost ten pounds. And to be honest, I didn't think I needed to lose ten pounds. I am slightly upset that I lost eight of them. I am not going to mourn the loss of my back padding, but I kinda wish it had relocated to my ass. Never thought I would ever say this, considering that as a teen of a whopping 100 pounds I thought myself fat, I am too skinny. But other than that, I feel better than I ever have.
Natalie is doing a lot better also. She is definitely getting sick less. She has also gained about four pounds, sleeps better and for the most part a little less cranky. But boy is she cranky. No one ever tells you that a six year old can get pissy. I think I am paying for all those years that we never had any problems. Now however she is a handful. It is kinda funny because in some ways she is my biggest help. She holds Gwen, she can help with dishes, doing laundry, making snacks, but ask her to do something she doesn't want to. Wow she has been taking stink eye lessons from Layla.
There have been a few times that we have cheated. Only one of them emotional. Considering my absolute love of food this amazes me. My grandma is the most wonderful person in the world. Every holiday she would make chex mix. I am not overly fond of chex mix. I mean saying that isn't like saying cheesecake. I don't immediately want it. But she sent us a baggie this year at Christmas. No one else got any of it. Okay, Jack ate the pretzels, I don't like them. But seeing the bag of chex mix from my grandma was too much for me. I tried really hard not to think of the bht and all the other nasty stuff in it. Because really I was eating love. yeah, when I say stuff like that, and after I eat like a whole cheesecake,Jack wonders how I don't weigh 200 pounds. It will catch up to me I am sure, it has to everyone else in my family. I mean, even with dreams of donuts and biscuits, I have done pretty well. Jack, the devil, actually handed me a piece of toast loaded with butter and jelly. I held it in my hand. I gave it back to him. Besides for a few small things, biscuits, I have adjusted and it hasn't been that hard. Of course, it makes it easy when you get a horrible stomach ache, right?:)
And I wanted to share another home moment. We have been sick lately. This past weekend was bad for me. Jack actually took care of me. This doesn't happen often. I usually complain about feeling like crap. He thinks that I am exaggerating until he gets it. And then I end up taking care of him. This time, I am not sure why, but he believed me. Maybe it was the chills and fever? Anyway, he made me hot tea with honey, lemon and ginger brandy. My grandma used to make this for me when I was little. I would go to her house when I had to stay home from school. We even have irish coffee mugs, which is what she used to put it in. Somehow he made it just right. Funny, isn't it? How things are so much better when someone else makes it?

And sorry for babbling, and that there is still no pictures. Soon, but I am not going to promise. It has been hard to get moving the past few weeks. Gwen is a nursing maniac and she keeps falling asleep in my lap, she is right now. Oh and she fell off the bed last night. I knew this would happen eventually. I still don't think Jack will take the box springs out. I am going to try though. For the most part she stops when she gets to the edge. But I guess last night she was sick and just wanted to get to me. Jack always asks me why the girls sleep in our room when he has duty. That is why. I was reading to the girls in their room because again Jack wasn't home for dinner or bedtime. If they had been in our room, I would have seen Gwen wake up. But no, I didn't know anything was going on until I heard her crying.
I could ramble about more but I will stop for now, cuz all I am doing is getting sad over how little we see Jack, how much winter sucks and how we shouldn't have stayed here.

Mama

Yep, she is babbling it now. I told Jack that it doesn't really matter to me. She is going to be yelling mom! mama! or whatever for many years, I can wait until I hear it for the first time. But she is saying it now:) Though already I think she loves her daddy more than anything. He came home late last night, is there really anything new there? But Gwen was already asleep this time. She must have heard him talking though cuz she woke right up and was totally happy, until 11 being with him. This is the third night that she has been up that late. If it wasn't for her being so happy we would probably be insane. It is hard for me to believe sometimes how old she is. Remembering that this time last year she was just a bump in my belly.

Sorry no pictures this time. We have been slightly slacking there. Just had to share my sadness and happiness of my littlest girl growing up.

What a cute butt!

The girls are calling Gwen fairy goddess. Natalie picked out this diaper. Yeah, they make some freakin cute diapers now. I am leasing some from a friend. There are fairies on this one and the girls just love it. And my baby is just way too cute.

Who me? Me? I am cute? Oh yes she is. Of course I am her mother. She may not be as cute to toher people as she is to me:)

And a butt shot. You can kinda see the fairies. I am going to try not to take 50 pictures everytime I change her diaper, but I am not promising. I just had flats before this. And while sweet in their simplicity, they just aren't as cute. Oh and the reason that I went from my simple flats to this. My snappi kept coming off and leaving the diaper behind at crucial moments like pooping. Really, breastmilk poop is not fun cleaning off carpet. It is one thing when I leave the diaper off of her and usually have a decent eye on her. But when I know that a diaper is on her and then see poop on the carpet. Yeah, that isn't as cool.

WoooHooo!!!

Done. And I have realized what I need to make a mei tai without throwing my machine, sangria. Yes, sangria. And I can't believe my luck of getting them both to smile. How does that happen? How? I did break two needles. And one of the bottom straps isn't reinforced. I am not too worried about it. Natalie wears her for very short periods, and the way I put it on her it isn't a spot that is under a lot of stress. I plan on checking it and hopefully in the near furture getting that part done. But that is where both of the needles broke and I am out of needles! It is kinda funny that they broke there and not where I was sewing two layers of fleece and eight layers of material. But oh well. I am happy. I actually sewed today and the only thing that broke was a couple of needles. I still have my hair and I don't have a headache. It is a good day.

Tooth paste

Or powder. One less thing I have to remember to buy. So I had seen the recipe to make it but I hadn't yet. I had all the things I needed just didn't feel like it I guess. The girls love it and it is pretty nice. Not foamy so I am not gagging, not a very strong flavor, and the best part I don't have to read ingrediants and freak out over what they put in tooth paste.

Belated Birthday

Ahhhh, my little big girl...I was so insanely proud of her today. We watched this video today so she could see what was going to happen. It was awesome that we could find a video of a young girl getting it done. It isn't common to go to a tattoo/piercing place to pierce your 6 year old ears. But after doing TONS of research this was going to be the only way it happened. There is no way anyone is going near her ears with a gun. So we called around and found someone who had done kids ears and was alright with doing it. We talked to Natalie about how it would feel. And to be honest, we were a little worried. I am not going to say that Natalie is a wimp, but she is sensitive. Try brushing her hair. But we went and we weren't going to scare her and tell her that the pain was horrendous, cuz it isn't. Jack and I have both been pierced and it isn't a lot of pain. Anyway, I am taking a long time to tell this story. We went. The girls had a blast looking at mostly naked women flash on the walls and jamming to loud pulsing music. The guy I have to say was awesome. He has a 6 year old son. He was so patient and kind to her. She was really nervous, biting her lips. She held Jack's hand, made a few jokes and told the guy that she didn't want to know it was happening and wanted him to just do it. My brave brave girl. And so he did and she didn't even jump! Didn't squirm, just slightly moved away from him. He told her that he wished that the other kids he did were as good as her. I am really happy with how they are right now. These pictures were taken like ten minutes after. They are barely red. And they still aren't. She says that they don't even hurt anymore. So my little girl has her ears pierced. And Layla says she wants hers done for her bithday. I actually don't mind. If the healing process goes as well, then it is less traumatizing by far than when I got mine done. I don't mind. I am pretty damn happy with the experience so far.

And a cute bonus picture of my pig tailed Layla. Damn I love her smile.

Too many potties...

and a baby who won't use them... The girls were having LaLeche League. Don't try to tell tem that has nothing to do with ec. And I am glad to know that when they run out of dolls they can just use Gwen. I so thought the ec was going to be so easy this time. I was going to start fom birth and it was going to be easy. Well, it isn't. Which is more frustrating since it was so easy the first time around.

And here is Gwen doing her school work. She is going to be a genius. She already knows her letters very well and can read better than either of the girls. No, she isn't talking yet but we expect her to begin any second and start with Shakespeare.
And if you are reading this and don't know my sense of humor, I am sorry. That is actually Layla's book. And if you can see the previous page, where they are supposed to circle things that start with T, those are tabe grapes I guess. How she remembers that there were table grapes at the store, I am not sure, but they were purple. I am a mean mommy I won't get purple grapes and told her that. I love my Layla and the way she explains away just about anything. I mean, looking through her work book half of it is "wrong" but if you ask her why, it makes total and complete sense. There is no way I am ever sending her to school. They would totally ruin her wonderful mind.