It has been a long, long, long time.....

For some reason, Google would not let me past the welcome screen until I cleared the cookies on my computer.  I did...several times.  And it still wouldn't let me past that dumb screen!  So time passed on and our blog became a distant memory.  Then on a whim, I checked to see if I could log on and not get stuck on the welcome page and it worked!

Yay! For the small things in life....

Avery 10 months!

Due to trouble with Internet connections, this post is coming a few weeks late!

Avery has made many strides in the past month. It feels that she is a new child every few weeks. It has been a joy to watch her explore and learn new things!

She can:

-Cruise around the furniture
-Says "night night" when she is ready for bed time!
-She dances when music is on!
-Pulls up on the wall
-Pushes chairs around the room
-waves "bye-bye"
-flips light switches on and off
-loves her "pretty pink purse" toy
-signs "more" when she wants more food

Russ and I just love this little girl!

Avery-9 Months Old!

So this post is a few days late...better late then never! I stole this idea from a fellow blogger! It is a great way to keep a baby book (or an e-babybook!)

We started off 9 months with a visit to the doctor for Avery's check-up. When she went to look in her ears, she said, "Looks like someone has a little ear infection!" What!!?!! She doesn't have a fever and at the present moment she was excitedly tearing up the paper on the examine table. After winning "Mother of the Year" award for not even knowing my child was sick, we went straight to the pharmacy and got her started on antibiotics.

Her current "stats":

Weight: 18.9 lbs (51st %)

Height: 28.4 in (50%)

Russ and I are still perplexed with where all this height and weight come from...we both are not big people!

Here are a few things Avery has accomplished this month!

~ says "Hi" and wave
~crawls at the speed of light
~pulls up on furniture
~understands her name and the word "no"
~she "sings" when music is on
~laughs a lot!
~loves fruit, especially "Hawaiian Delight"
~hates green beans and peas
~gets super excited when she sees the puffs can
~very observant and curious
~mastered the game of "bonk" (where she hits her head on your head)
~flaps her arms when she gets super excited
~claps all the time, especially when you say "Yay!"
~loves watching other kids
~loves french fries
~an expert at pulling off her socks and thinks it is really funny!
~favorite stuffed animal is The Grinch
~loves wires and Russ's shoes


These past nine months have gone by in a flurry! Way to fast if you ask me! I have watched this little baby of mine steal the hearts of so many people! What a blessing she has been to our lives! We love her so much!

Cooking shows

Have you ever flipped through the channels and landed on The Food Network? I have! I have stopped to watch the Barefoot Contessa carelessly throw perfectly chopped incredients into a beautifuly shiny Kitchen Aide mixer in a pristine spared-no-expense kitchen. The whole time I find myself being lured into a false sense of security with a dose of "Yes! I too can be a professional chef" and "That looks so easy! I am sure I could do that!" I give it a try and my kitchen resembles a D-Day explosion, the color/texture of the food looks a little off, and the stench could possibly warrant a visit from a Haz Mat team!


If you watch the shows closely, you will see that the "Chefs" actually don't do the grunt work of cooking. There is a nice person who cuts and organizes the ingrediants into neat and orderly bowls. The bowls are strategically placed around the area that the "Chef" is cooking so it just looks like everything is so organized! Also, the appliances and cooking utensils needed are always conveiently laid out. Then there is an empty trash can/bucket/bowl conviently set up to collect shells or what not that occur during the show. The "Chef" always proclaims, "This is so simple! It takes no time at all!" Yeah right! It is that simple when everything has been laid out for you so nicely and all you do is dump ingrediants into a skillet and mush it around with a wooden spoon! The rest of us have to find, buy, chop, prepare, use way to many spoons and bowls, read the recipe, and empty the trash before we add the by-products of cooking into the trash. And in the end we have to CLEAN IT UP! My 30 minute meal is more like a 60-90 minute meal!


This post might seem like a boycott against cooking. Not at all! I actually strive to cook more and become better at it! I envy people who can whip up a delicious meal with only 4 ingrediants in their fridge. I tend to fall in the domestically challenged category. I just feel that cooking shows are unrealistic! Make the "Chef" entertain/feed a baby while they cook a "deliously fast and simple" meal and then I might start to believe them!


I think Bridget Jones (my favorite movie of all time!) says it best,"I have a sneaking suspicion that I am a genious in the kitchen!" Hah!

Decisions, Decisions!

Since Christmas season is upon us...I have been in pursuit of the perfect gifts for Avery. And yes, I know that Avery will be 9 1/2 months old by the time Christmas rolls around. However, I want her to have the BEST first impression I can give her! I am also unbelievably excited about it! So in my quest for the best gifts for her, I have come across a dilemma. I have decided that I want to give her a "ride-on" toy, so I found two that I really like. I can't seem to decide which one to get!

1st Choice: Fisher Price's Stride 'n Ride Dinosaur

2nd Choice: Disney Princess Ride-On

I guess I just need to be honest with myself...she will probably like the box more than the gift. As long as she has a wonderful 1st Christmas, I really don't care!

The Bucket List

Russ and I have recently started watching the show, "The Buried Life" on MTV. It is a documentary about 4 guys essentially crossing items off their bucket list. This got Russ and I talking about what would be on our bucket lists. For the sake of time and space...I have listed a few items from each of our lists.

Russ:

1. Snowboard in another country

2. Be an extra in a movie.

3. Help build a house for Habitat for Humanity

4. Drive a left-handed stick shift

5. Sumo wrestle in a fat suit

6. Run in a marathon

7. Grow a sweet rat tail


Sarah:

1: Write a young adult novel

2. Be in a play

3. RV trip across the United States

4. Use a nail gun

5. Remodel a house from top to bottom

5. Cut off Russ's "sweet rat tail"


These are just a few things on our bucket lists. So, in the true fashion of "The Buried Life", I end this post with just one question...."What do you want to do before you die?" :)

Ballet...just like riding a bike (sort of)!

A few weeks back, Russ and I went to Alive After 5 in downtown Roswell. One of the vendors was giving away a free adult dance class at Atlanta Dance Central. So, I decided that I would get back on the horse and take a ballet class. Last Tuesday, I took my first ballet class in ten years! I signed up for an adult beginner ballet class since I was convinced I had forgotten everything I had ever learned about ballet. I actually lucked out and ended up having a private lesson because no one else showed up. I was a little intimidated at first, but as the instructor and I started working, I really started to feel at home at the bar again. My technique was off, but my love for ballet was still there!

I'm Back......

Okay, so I know I have been M.I.A. for awhile! But the past 8 months have been a little on the hectic side! Here are the "Cliff" Notes from the past few months:

• Had a beautiful baby girl!!!!
• Trying to figure out how to take care of the baby!!!
• Quit my full-time job
• Found a part-time job
• Had to learn some time-management skills with my new job
• Had a leak in my kitchen
• Had to have all of the hardwoods, a dishwasher, and a wall replaced.
• Helped planned my sister's wedding
• Chasing a crawling baby

So that brings us up to the present! I have missed writing and I finally feel that I am back to a place in my life where I can dedicate some time to it. Also, I make no promises that this won't become an e-shrine to Avery! :)

Lunch with 8-year old girls!

In my classroom, I run a mini economy. The students are paid to do their "job" every day. They earn $1 dollar for following directions and $1 dollar for completing their work. They also have opportunities to earn "bonuses" and they can be "fined". Once they reach a predetermined amount of money, they can earn certain rewards. My most expensive reward is to have lunch with me in my room (they can bring a friend as well). You can see why this one costs so much! :)


One of my students has literally been saving since the beginning of the year and finally earned enough money to have lunch with me. On Friday, she invited her friend and they came down to my room to eat. Here are some of the topics we discussed:


1) What are your 3 top favorite colors?


2) When is your birthday?


3) Why one of the girls does not like milk.


4) What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie?


5) What are your two favorite American Girl dolls?


Oh the things eight year olds come up with! I can't wait to see what Avery is interested in!

All we are missing is the baby!

After a long hiatus from the blogging world, I am happy to report that I am 38 weeks pregnant! That means little Miss Avery is allowed to make her appearance! I has been a rollercoaster ride. At 26 weeks, a mixture of frequent Braxton Hicks and a false positive test landed me in the hospital. But after a few weeks of monitoring and repeating the preterm labor test 3 times...it was determined that I was not in preterm labor! If only they would of consulted me...I would have told them that!

With all of that said and done, we got back to working on Avery's room! It came out adorable!Russ and I find ourselves hanging out in her room all of the time! Hurley has decided that she is moving in too! She is particulary fond of the rug and drags her stuffed animals in to play with them there!

So after all of the classes, buying all of the stuff we need, having wonderful friends who gave us wonderful showers, and completing her room...the only thing that is missing is her!

Truckin' along!

Russ and I have been busy getting the baby room ready for our baby girl! We successfully cleaned out the office/future baby room and (thanks to Russ's mom) were able to sell our stuff at a garage sale. After that, we purchased new office furniture and officially moved the office down stairs to the study.

After searching high and low and reading countless crib reviews, we finally purchased a bedroom set for the baby. The bedroom set includes a crib (which converts to a toddler bed, then a full size bed), dresser/changing table and a night stand.

Also, after endless internet searching, I found the crib bedding that was perfect! I wanted something that was a little on the modern side and definitely not frilly and overly girly! I know I am having a girl...but really...tool fabric for a bed skirt looks like there is a tutu around the crib.

Russ and I got to play Goldilocks and tried out many different gliders and finally found one that was not too hard and not too soft! It was just right...

We haven't decided on what color the fabric is going to be yet!

We are now in the painting stage and have decided to go with a nice beige for the walls. I will post some pictures soon!

As for our little girl! We had our 20 week ultrasound 2 weeks ago and everything looks good! She is definitely active and I am feeling her all of the time! I swear she is training for her debut as a mixed martial arts fighter. Even Russ has gotten to feel her kicks and jabs!

22 weeks down...18 to go!!!!

Goodbye Morning Sickness...Hello Backpain!

Russ and I went for a Nuchal Translucency test a few weeks ago. My doctor's office recommends this test which involves a Level 2 ultrasound to prescreen you and your chances of having a baby with Downs Syndrome or other congential defects. All of our test can back great and I presented with the lowest risk possible for any defects. Russ and I were very excited and got the best pictures from it!

Eventhough it was a little too early, the ultrasound tech made a guess that we are having a girl! Russ and I were estatic! She (hopefully!) was squirming around and was very active. I can already tell that she is going to take after Russ! :)

Baby Edelman!!!

It's official! Baby Edelman is due March 7th, 2010! Russ and I are so excited! I am 15 weeks pregnant and counting the weeks down till we meet our newest member of the family! So far, I have had a pretty good first trimester, but I am very excited to be moving into my 2nd trimester! Mornings have been rough, but overall I feel that I am lucky!

5 weeks 6 days

7 weeks

10 Weeks

We have a great doctor that has been wonderful! We have been lucky and have already had three ultrasounds. The baby was to small to find a heartbeat the first time, so she scheduled me for another ultrasound a week later. We then saw a strong heartbeat! At our next doctor's visit, the baby was still too small to hear the heartbeat using the doppler, so we headed back into the ultrasound room and we were able to see our baby waving hello! It was very cool!


We will keep you updated on our progress!

European Vacation!

We decided to go to Europe last year with our friends, James and Sharon. It was going to be the trip to celebrate our graduation. After deciding to go to France and Spain, we packed our backpacks and bought plane tickets!

When we arrived in Paris, we immediately managed to make the ticket window lady for the RER train mad at us…we didn’t know how everything worked! After navigating our way into Paris, we found our Hotel. The hotel/hostel was interesting. It was old with slanted fake wood floors, but we had our own shower! However, we did have to share a bathroom with everyone on the hall!

After getting settled in, we went out into Paris and walked around! We started off with seeing Notre Dame. It was so beautiful!

We then walked down to the Louvre and got some cool pictures in front of the glass pyramid. The Louvre is huge!

Next, we made the LONG walk to the Eiffel Tower. You can see the Eiffel Tower from the Louvre, and you think it is close…but it’s not! We finally got there and hung out in the gardens by the Eiffel Tower and walked around, but we didn’t go to the top.

That evening, we went for dinner and walked around the area by Notre Dame. We also walked along the Seine River and found were all of the locals hang out. They sit on the banks of the river and have a river picnic. We totally stood out!

The next day, the boys went to get the rental car at a train station not far from our hostel. However, it took them 3 hours to come back and pick us up! We started to get worried that they were forever lost in the city! After getting a sweet upgrade to a midsize vehicle we had to figure out how to navigate with a FRENCH GPS. We learned all sorts of new French phrases thanks to our GPS. Russ did a masterful job figuring it all out in French.

Our first stop was Chambord Chateau. The rooftop was designed by Leonardo Di Vinci and King Louis the 14th stayed there.

Then we went to Chenonceaux Chateau which was on a river. It had beautiful gardens and was very nice! After that we ran into many “deviations” (road detours) and finally made it to Saint Malo on the Normandy Coast. In Saint Malo, we stayed in a little bed and breakfast. We ran into a language barrier with our host when we were telling her what we wanted for breakfast. Instead of a delicious French breakfast, we ended up with one croissant and a cup of orange juice. Basically, this was all she could understand from us. Even though there was a little confusion, she was very nice and accommodating. We then headed up to Mont St. Michelle, which is a little island with a town, an abbey, and a cathedral on top of it! You can only get to it when the tide is out.



It was so cool! All the alleyways and streets were covered in cobblestones and you wind your way up to the top! We toured the Cathedral and got some amazing pictures!

Our next stop was the D-Day beaches. We ended up at Omaha Beach the day before President Obama was to be there for the 65th anniversary of D-Day. It was really neat to see the veterans driving around in their old WW2 jeeps and wearing their uniforms. At first glance of the hillside, you can’t see any bunkers. But when we got up there, there were old bunkers all over the hill. You can still walk into them and see tracks where they mounted some sort of gun/cannon. You can also see where mortars hit and explosions occurred. It was really cool but also kind of sad to think that many people died there.

After leaving Omaha Beach, we made a mad dash back to Paris to catch our 8:30 train to Barcelona. We got back to Paris at 6:30 and thought we had plenty of time! But, oh no, it took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to go four kilometers. We were stuck in front of the Louvre for about 1 hour. It was pure mayhem. The drivers and people on motorcycles were insane! We eventually found the place where we were supposed to return the car, but could not figure out how to get into the parking garage because it was surrounded by one way streets and bus lanes. So after circling the building and the area a few times, Sharon finally convinced James to “just commit” and turn down the one-way bus lane to get into the parking garage. We parked the car at 8:13 and managed to turn everything in to the car rental place in record time. We then had to run to the train station with 20 pound backpacks on our backs. I was so not in shape for that! We had to cross the longest bridge I have ever seen. Russ and James were basically pulling us across streets. We accosted a French man asking where the train station was and he very nicely gave us directions. We ran into the train station (which, thankfully, does not believe in security checks) and made it to our train with about 3 minutes to spare. The French lady checking our tickets said we had plenty of time…yeah right! As soon as we got on the train and into our rooms, the train started to move. We all started laughing about it and all of us admitted that we didn’t think we were going to make it!

The train was an overnight train and it was tons of fun! We met some interesting people on the way. Going to Barcelona, we had our own private room. On the way back to Paris, we shared a four bunk with James and Sharon.

In Barcelona, we managed to get in some beach time and a little bit of shopping! We also saw the La Sangrada Famila, which is a cathedral that was started in the 1890’s and will not be finished until 2021. The famous architect, Antonie Gaudi was the mastermind behind it. After that, we went to Parc Guell, which is another of Gaudi’s creations. They were incredible.

Back in Paris, we went to the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. We walked around the village area and then checked out Moulin Rouge. We ended the night with a dinner cruise down the Seine River. We had a great waiter who told us the appetizer plate was a “plate of discovery”. That soon became the theme for the night. On top of the boat, we were able to get great pictures of the Eiffel Tower at night.

We had such a great time on our vacation! I have never laughed harder and enjoyed being around my husband and friends more! It was definitely one for the memory books!