Lately, I've been...

- getting a triple venti extra hot caramel macchiatto with one splenda at starbucks. every day. either i need a vacation or six STRAIGHT hours of sleep.

- delighting at Lucia's milestones. Clapping. Waving bye-bye. Babbling mama. taking her first steps. and making faces. that last one is a bonus. even faith didn't do faces at almost 10 months. it's really impressive. and super funny!

- singing the Cookie Monster song ("...c is for cookie, that's good enough for me..") in opera. never fails to get lucia's attention. and makes the hubby crack up.

- feeling depressed every time i enter a clothes store. need. to. lose. weight. easier said than done.

- thinking about my pilates instructor telling me she's going to make me hang from a bar with my legs and arms hooked on restraints. it is very, very scary.

- wanting to go to divisoria to get a wading pool and those giant water guns at outrageously cheap prices. then have a water fight with the kids this summer.

Books into movies...I never learn. The books tend to be so much better than the movie. And so is the case with Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief. What a disappointment. At least Joshua liked it. Faith was covering her ears while I covered her eyes almost the whole time. I told her I wouldn't bring her to those kinds of movies anymore. Only Disney cartoons for her from now on.

Lately I've been thinking of a way to wean Lucia from nursing before going to bed. It's been really difficult because, well, I'm not producing any more breast milk so what she does is more for comfort or a sleep aid than anything else. Second is because the little gremlin likes to bite. She gets a kick out of hearing me yell in pain. I know because she smiles every time she does it, the little imp. So I put her in her crib, she screams bloody murder, I pick her up after a few minutes and she roots in my shirt then we start the process over again. It's exhausting. And very painful. I've tried giving her a pacifier but she just plays with it for a while, then starts rooting in my shirt. Giving her a bottle also doesn't work. And she only does it with me. Not with my mom and definitely not with the hubby! ha ha! Someone help me please!

So many movies, so little time!

Lot's of movies opening this Valentine weekend. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief and Valentine's Day. I was supposed to get free tickets to the premiere of Percy Jackson but declined it because it was for two people only and I wanted to see it with the kids. In case you're not familiar with the movie, it's based on a series that's a bit like Harry Potter but based on Greek Mythology. It's a great series and I loved reading it. But since it's opening weekend, we'll pass on this one and probably watch it next week. Joshua has long tests scheduled next week and has to study.

So that leaves Valentine's Day. We'll see if the hubby and I can sneak in a quick movie date for this. And Faith still wants to watch The Princess and the Frog.

I'm also in the middle of the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth. I'm "in the middle" because I can only watch one hour increments when I get home from work. So I watch it while I rock Lucia to sleep. Not a bad way to unwind after a tiring day.

Tomorrow's a busy morning for me with Pilates class and a doctor's appointment for Lucia. I hate waking up early on weekends but I'm really trying to make time for exercise.

Meanwhile, I am going to spend the remainder of the day going through book catalogues. Sigh! I love my job!

What the...????!!!!!

Serves me right for not checking my blog. Imagine my surprise at finding an ad by a presidential candidate in my ad sense below my last post. I immediately changed my ad sense settings. I have not decided who to vote for yet so I don't want any politically inclined ads in my blog.

Work is great! Busy, but really really interesting. Between work, a baby and two kids, I haven't had time for anything else. February's been a busy month and all our weekends are accounted for with school events and doctor's appointments. I've managed to squeeze in a trial class of Stott Pilates and enjoyed it. It's the perfect activity for my injured knee with the added benefit of hopefully making me lose the extra weight after baby number three. I can only manage a once a week class on Saturdays because of work on weekdays which means I'll have to supplement with diet and some cardio. I really hate the after pregnancy and delivery part! After three babies, it's sheer hell to lose the weight.

But Lucia is perfectly adorable. So totally worth the difficult birth and the sleepless nights. She's nine months old now and is equal parts angel and little gremlin. I love it. She's mastered cruising in her crib and is starting to stand up from a sitting position without support. Teething doesn't seem to be a problem except for the part where she likes to chomp on my shoulders and breast. She's got one little tooth poking out from her lower front gums.

And I know, I need to post pictures. Am probably the only blogger mom who rarely posts pictures. I know it's easy but I don't have the pictures in my laptop. It's all stored in the laptop at home which I don't have time to open when I get home because Lucia latches on to me like a panda bear to a bamboo tree.

So all's well on the home front. I'm currently nursing a mild headache from coffee deprivation in the morning due to an early meeting. Figured I'd rush a quick post. Only two days before the weekend! Yay!