New Year's Eve (morning)

Hello.  Happy New Year's Eve!
It's only been about 85 years since I've posted.
I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, but I'd like to make a goal of blogging more often in 2016.
Especially, after Baby Marino #2 makes his presence.
I know, I know...I'll be too busy with a new baby...but seriously, I hope to make it happen!

 I'm currently blogging from bed, with a big bag of Starbursts (Merry Mix) next to me (Thanks, mom)!
Steve is snoring.  Man, this brings back memories of my old blogging days, many years ago, when I had just started - in bed, with Steve fast asleep in Dreamland, next to me.  It amazes me how fast this guy can fall asleep.  I just "sent him to sleep" literally two minutes ago - "You said you wanted to get to bed early tonight, and instead, you're showing me a picture of some random person's thigh with a horrible tattoo of the Twilight actors on it!  I don't want to hear you're tired tomorrow!"

Okay, it's really hard to type and unwrap Starbursts at the same time.

So, we are 364 days into 2015 and 1 away from 2016.  Crazy.
I'm kinda in one of those zones where you have no idea what day of the week it is.
Steve's been off since Christmas Eve and we've been working on lots around the house, and getting ready for baby's arrival.  It all seems never-ending, but we're making a dent, and it's becoming more real as we make more progress.  I've got a strong nesting bug, but at the same time, feel that "chill baby number two feeling" people talk about.  If you ask Steve, he'll disagree, though.  He has a harder time than I do, realizing that this baby could be here very, very soon.

So many changes that have happened, so many happening, and so many still to come...for us, for Piper, and our family.

Speaking of changes,
Miss Pips sprung a big one on herself and us the morning after Christmas...

Time for a big girl bed!

You see that little Moonchie...she's a funny one.  Steve and I are still laughing at the sequence of events that took place on the morning of December 26th.
I went to bed pretty late Christmas night...close to 3 in the morning (and the many nights prior).  I definitely was in a deep sleep the night leading into the 26th, and eventually woke up around 8 to Steve not in bed, and Piper opening our bedroom door, walking up to the side of our bed, and asking "Mama, I sleep with you?"  With drool literally pouring onto the arm I was sleeping on, I reached out and pulled Piper into bed with me.  I asked her if DaDa sent her up to see me (figuring he was on the toilet and was going to let me sleep in).  She didn't answer, got herself all situated under the covers, and started drifting to sleep. I thought it was weird that I didn't hear the monitor, because I always do.  And I also thought, "Thanks for letting me sleep in, Steve...kinda!"
About ten minutes later, Steve came into the room, looked at us and said "Awww, so sweet!"  He asked me if I had heard the loud bang and said it probably woke Piper up.  I hadn't heard anything and groggily said, "No, I was fast asleep when she came in here.  Were you on the toilet when you sent her up to see me?"
His expression was hilarious.  It still makes me laugh when I think of it.  Deer in headlights.
"Maria, WAIT!  She came in here?  You didn't go get her?"
At this point we are both laughing uncontrollably...and a little freaked out.
Steve screams "Ohmygosh, she escaped from her crib!  That was the loud bang I heard.  I was on the toilet and checked the monitor when I heard it.  I thought it was you guys, and you had gone in to get her!"
We were snort-laughing, and Piper had woken up.  We asked her if she climbed out of her crib.  She very matter-of-factly replied, "yes!"
I couldn't believe she wasn't hurt.  And I also couldn't believe she did.  I know it happens all the time with kids, but she's never tried it (at least from what I've seen) before.
It all makes sense, though, as Christmas night, she was SO tired...delirious-tired, and talking about how she didn't want to go to bed and see the fire in her room.  Again, that freaked us out a little. Come to find out the next day, that the "fire" in her room was the red light on her monitor, that stared at her every single night since she was a baby.  As she's getting older her imagination is of course, growing wilder, and she's becoming more aware of things.   (The monitor is now behind her and she's not scared of the "fire")
So anyway, as soon as she fessed up to her acrobatic crib escape, I swooped her up in my arms, jumped out of bed, and asked her to show me and DaDa how she got out of her crib.  I plopped her in her crib, and she proudly gave herself a little jump/boost, gripped her small, chubby hands around the guardrail, and used her right foot to press against one of the spindles as she hoisted her left leg over and over and over the guardrail.  We were cackling as we watched her, and then I grabbed her before she could make another "loud bang" again.  I kept asking her if she hurt herself and where she fell, but she just kept on saying "Yeah" (usually her word for when she knows the answer but doesn't want to say it).  I kept picturing her waking up, seeing the red light of fire, and thinking, "I'm getting the hell outta here," as she strained to her herself out of the crib.  I picture her falling hard, looking up, and shaking her head fast as lightening, like the cartoons characters do after a giant fall, standing up, brushing off her hands,and marching her little self down the hallway to our room.
I wish we had it on video.

More on Pippy and her big girl bed transition to come...

Now for some Christmas memories...

Christmas Eve

Her last visit from HoHo the elf.
She brought Pips a little treat and was "hiding" by the computer.  She wanted to take a picture with Piper on the webcam before heading home.

Cute job with the setup, DaDa!

#pippyvid

Jellybeans

Her Aunt J gave her this beautiful dress last year.  Piper wore it last Christmas Eve, and I was so excited it still fit her!

Sandals in December.  I'm not a fan.  We want snow.

At least she could show off her pedicure.

Had a return to make, and Pips loved that it involved cruising the aisles of Toys 'R Us.

What would Christmas Eve be, without a trip to our second home, Target.

Christmas "crack"...one of the only baking recipes I haven't messed up.

It's addicting.  And I'm going to make more very soon!

She chose everything to put on Santa (and Rudolph's) plate.

And then she sampled a few pieces.

My two babies.  

The night before Christmas, before Steve and I headed upstairs with bellies full of Chinese take-out.

Our 2015 Christmas card

Christmas...

 Christmas morning, Piper slept in, and we went in to wake her after 10.

She sat right up, we told her "Merry Christmas, Piper.  Today's the day!"

And she looked up at us, so excited, and said "I like Tiana!" I'm LOL.

(Tiana from "The Princess And The Frog")

I mean, that was my exact thought when I woke up, too!

I told Steve I imagined her being kinda shy when she went downstairs and saw everything.  Hard to believe, but she does have her timid moments.

She was definitely funny and a bit shy about approaching everything under the tree...all for about one minute.

Here's a little #pippyvid of her reaction

More than anything, Piper wanted Baby Alive Super Snacks Snackin' Sara for Christmas.  Say that four times fast.  She first discovered Sara on one of her favorite YouTube channels, where a mother and her son give an entertaining toy demonstration on her.  She had to visit Sara whenever we'd go to Target, and she made sure to tell me she wanted "the yellow one" (blonde one) at least 938 times.  I picked up Sara on one of my solo trips to Target, and she has haunted me ever since.  She is not the cutest dolly in the world.  She's straight-up hideous.  BUT, she does talk and poops real poop (okay, Play-doh poop - green "broccoli" and orange "carrots").  And we love pooping around here.

Here are a couple of #pippyvids of Piper opening her surprise eggs and Snackin' Sara

Before we headed to Dee Dee's, Piper requested we all lay in bed together and play with her new pizza.

Pizza and donuts...that's my (and Pippy's kinda morning/afternoon)...

Deeds had a dozen waiting for us when we arrived at her house.

Pips went right for her favorite - pink frosting with sprinkles.

Stocking full of goodies

Santa Dee Dee made Pippy's Christmas extra special!  It was a VERY princess Christmas this year!

Piper had her own little system going with gift-opening.

She'd rip open a gift, announce what it was, come up to Mama and DaDa and tell us she was "gonna open another one" and then find another gift to tear into.

#pippyvid

She was so excited to help open her baby brother's gifts!

Princess Dee Dee and Princess Pippy were "goin' to the cookie f-wace," and sugar cookies were not on the agenda!  She even growled a little bit at Deeds when she told Princess P she wanted sugar over chocolate chip cookies.

#pippyvid

2016 photo calendar and 2015 photo book for Dee Dee

Watching her "get it" this year and take in all of the holiday fun made my heart swell.  It really is so magical, and I imagine next year will be even more so.  

I made the same dinner that I did the Christmas I was pregnant with Piper - chicken and beef tacos.

(And I didn't burn the house down!)

Ashley must really love me.  She offered to give my big, swollen Frankenfeet a massage.

"I think she poopied" was said at least 237 times Christmas night.

Followed by 237 diaper changes for Snackin' Sara.

Lemme tell ya, I'm getting my practice for the marathon diaper changes that are headed my way in a month or so!  So is Dee Dee...

#pippyvid

And again...the day after Christmas...

So with this picture appearing again, I think it's only appropriate that I mention that it's now 5:23 in the morning, and I took a brief (okay, far from brief) break...try, almost FIVE, yes, FIVE hours now...
Because, a little someone turned the knob to our bedroom door and whimpered "Mama, come sweep wif me!" around 1:30.  She wasn't giving up...and pulled all the right moves to keep tugging at my heart, and makin' me stay wif her "just another ten minutes." 

In the last four hours, I've followed her back to her room from our room, telling her, "It's time for bed, I'm gonna tuck you in and turn out the lights, and see you in the morning."
The second "visit" she informed me that foxes have noses like Rudolph the reindeer, that she had two hands and wants me to paint her nails tomorrow, and that Anger (from Inside Out) sleeps in a big boy bed and doesn't get out.  "No talking, just sleeping" is no fun for Pippy.
The third time she asked me to "lay wif" her, grabbed my hand, put both of her hands on top of mine, and said "Mama, I love you!  You no go in your bed yet, okay.  Stay wif me for two more minutes" and that was that.  I laid on my left side, trying to keep most of my weight on the railing, and snuggled the hell out of her.  I'm pretty sure Piper plus her baby brother's weight (I'm gonna go with 22 pounds.  He feels that big!) equals the weight limit that toddler bed can handle.  Add Mama, and we're really pushin' it.  Still no sleep.

I woke up DaDa after 4:30 to tell him about our fun-filled night, and he went in with her for a bit while I went potty.  Piper didn't want to go to bed.  She wanted to "watch Mama pottyyyy!"
Let me tell ya..This has been one wild night morning.
It is now about 7, and she's FINALLY asleep.  Will it last?  I'm scared to know.


Besides the exhaustion and utter monotony, it really has been sweet getting Piper used to her bed and "layin' wif her" at night.  The conversations we have and the snuggles we share have brought tears to my eyes.  (So has the almost five hour stretch of time I spent trying to get her back to sleep)
She's just such a little person, and I think I'm realizing it even more in just these past few days and nights.
There's so much I could type about the past few nights of her big girl bed transition, but I need to get at least a bit of sleep.
 I'll say, I'm so glad she made the "great escape," because we planned on transitioning her to a bed when she was three.  It's good she's getting this practice now (which hopefully turns into routine) before her brother arrives, because I can't imagine (okay, I can, and it ain't pretty) how it would go down if we transitioned her right after her brother was born.   
For my documenting's-sake...the first night, she slept through the night, the second was a little rough, and the third, she slept through the night after LOTS of snuggles and tries.  Last night, she slept over Dee Dee's (and got a solid 11 hours).  I'm jealous.  :)
And tonight...well, tonight's been grand.
I'm getting my no-sleep training nice and early before baby arrives.


So, I'm gonna let the pictures do most of the talking for the rest of this post.

Her first "nap" in her bed.  One minute in between these pictures.  LOL

We both conked out for two hours later that day.  I was drooling everywhere.

Eat up, Sara!

Picking out paint for baby brother's room (she asked to wear her princess pjs...why not?!)

#targetpippins

A magic clip doll game with us.  It's the game that never ends.

Helpin' DaDa put up the painter's tape! :)

She also helped me organize my jewerly.  This would be what I turned to see after I had just organized a bunch of my earrings in rainbow order.  "Mama, look.  Pick a surprise.  Close your eyyyes."  She dumped them ALL!

"Let It Go"
#pippyvids

Conked out on me at 7.  A record for her.
#heartexploding

#pipergraceiloveyourface #ponchopippy

Last night, Pips had a sleepover, (or a "party day") as she likes to call it, at Dee Dee's.

They were pretty excited!

Steve and I went to dinner

and stuffed our faces with garlic bread, caesar salad, and pasta.
At one point, baby kicked so hard against the table, even Steve felt it!
Granted, my belly was already pressed against the table.
I'm pretty sure he liked all the garlic and carbs!

Side note - In the midst of her eyes getting very heavy tonight, Piper asked me "What did you and DaDa eat at dinner last night?"

We sat for hours and talked about everything...mostly Pippy, baby ____, and how excited we are for everything headed our way.  We got teary-eyed at the table, sharing stories and visions we had for the future.

33 weeks with #babymarinonumero2

This morning, we woke up, after sleeping like amazing logs, got some more stuff stored away in the basement, and then headed out for lunch and a little shopping.

Dee Dee and Pippy had a wonderful time together, as always!
Some pictures from Deeds...

It wasn't long after we arrived at Dee Dee's, that Pips wanted to play the magic clip doll game.

Snugglin'

Reunited with Sara

And Brushy Baby (the other Baby Alive that Santa brought her)

I'll end this post with some of my favorite pictures from December...
(and a yawn or two)

This is how I feel right now...

I hope everyone had a very MERRY Christmas, and a wonderful holiday week!
Happy New Year's Eve, and Happy (almost) New Year!

If I keep my New Year's resolution goal, I'll see ya sometime next week! :)

Merry New Year's Eve,