Moments I don't want to forget

I squeezed into my maternity bathing suit yesterday to join Leah, Adam, and Jason in the water fight that was starting up in the backyard.  The suit fit just fine, it was just a little shocking to see bumps and curves where I don't usually have quite as many.  But when I walked out the door, Leah ran over to me with an approving look on her face and said, "Mama, you look beautiful!"  Sweet, sweet girl.

During a recent family game night, we tried to teach Adam how to roll the dice.  His attempt resulted in throwing the dice straight ahead, which, unfortunately, was the location of Leah's forehead.  We tried not to laugh at the stunned look on her face or the proud look on his. 

A typical game that Jason plays with the kids is "wrestle around".  Not my idea of a good time, but that is why kids have a mom and a dad, I suppose.  Of course, the game usually gets wilder and wilder until someone gets hurt and starts crying.  One night Jason was taking on both kids at once, and when Leah saw Adam struggling under Jason's arm, she got a steely look in her eye and declared, "Hey!  That's my brother!"  She grabbed the closest thing she could reach (a wooden block) and hurled it right at Jason's face from a distance of about 3 feet away.  It hit him square in the lip, and while he held his mouth to cover the bleeding, again we couldn't decide whether to laugh at her fierce loyalty to her brother or scold her for throwing things. 

We laughed.

Weekend in Pictures

It felt like I spent the entire weekend making and remaking lists of things to do in preparation for our upcoming visitors and vacation, but the pictures on my camera remind me that we did a few fun things, too- like an impromptu backyard picnic.

A trip to Wolf Park, where we got to learn all about and howl with the wolves.  It was neat seeing the wolves so close, especially with Leah and Adam's fascination with wolves thanks to "Peter and the Wolf", our current car listening story of choice.  We listened to it on the way there, and both kids had a great time "singing" along with the instruments.  Adam's "bom bom bom-bom BOMMMMM" rendition of the wolf horns was my favorite part.

Of course, the bleachers, rocks, and open fields were the best part of the park, and Leah and Adam had more fun racing around with the friends we met up with than noticing the wolves, foxes, and bison.  Typical, but it was a fun night for all of us. 

We've also experienced enough tornado weather to last the whole year, as far as I'm concerned.  The thunder and lightening, wind, hail, and sirens are enough to keep me on edge all day long, and I'm grateful for the fair weather that we've had the last few days.  We have a bunch of bunnies that tromp through our backyard daily that we all love- we call them our "Good morning bunnies" because they are always in the yard to greet us when come down for breakfast.  Last week we watched as a mother and her baby played chase, and were delighted when the baby found a perfect hiding place on the near side of the (fenced off because Jason's a party-pooper who won't share his lettuce) garden.  He tricked his mother into hopping right by!  I caught this picture during a storm last week- it make me so sad to see that tiny bunny stuck under the slide in the pouring down rain, but by the time I'd finished taking the picture, he had hopped off again.  

 Both of the kids have developed a sudden attachment to their blankies, and especially love being turned into super heroes, pirates, and ghosts.

And there was the usual family movie night- we watched Charlotte's Web after having recently finished reading it with Leah.  The animated version was adorable, and Leah did a good job of picking out the differences in storyline.  She still looked plenty sad when Charlotte died, though.  Such a great book.  We also had a late night on Sunday- after the kids woke up from their naps around 6:00, we played Memory, went on a walk, and played hide-and-seek in the backyard before we realized it was 9:00!  All in all, it was a regular, wonderful weekend.

30 Weeks

We're finally on the downhill slope for this pregnancy, and I'm thrilled- hence the smile in the picture.  (The first few shots I took had me looking like a deer in headlights, which might be a bit more indicative of how I'm really feeling!)

Physically, I'm feeling pretty good.  The night time leg cramps have started, the baby sister loves to kick at night (which I love, too) and I'm starting to have to shift my belly to the side to lace up my shoes.

Mentally, I'm trying to wrap my head around the idea of having a newborn baby again.  It is really hard for me.  I hear the stories my recent new-again moms tell me, and while I believe that I will have every one of the same struggles they are dealing with (namely sleeping, eating, and pooping issues, not to mention getting the baby here in the first place), I mostly try to focus on the snuggly sweet joy of a newborn.  All that other stuff will just have to be the price paid to get the snuggles.

I am grateful that the weather has been so chilly lately.  While I could do without the daily tornado sirens and endless rainstorms, I am enjoying the cool weather while it's still here.  I've been walking since the weather warmed up, and I recently started meeting up with my old running buddy (who is also 7 months pregnant).  Getting out and moving makes a world of difference in my sleep, patience, and attitude.  I'm also keeping up my prenatal yoga and silly Denise Austin workouts.  Frosted donettes continue to be my pregnancy weakness, but that is easily overcome by just not buying them... too often.

We've got our babymoon just around the corner, we're bringing extra beds into our house tonight to accommodate upcoming house guests, and my aversion to pasta is gone.  Chicken parmigiana tonight!

And now, to keep an eye on the prize, let's take a look at what makes all these many, many weeks of pregnancy so completely worth it.

 Sweet baby Leah, on her birth day.

Handsome Adam, not quite 24 hours old.

I'm so excited to meet the baby sister!

Life Lessons

I've been trying to teach Leah how to pump on the swings for months now.  But as long as I stand near her, she doesn't have any real desire or need to figure it out.  The other day I told her, "You know, Leah, you will go higher by pumping yourself than you'll ever get by waiting for me to push you."

It was a very "teach a man to fish" moment for me.  As much as I love my kids and want to give them everything in the world, the best thing that I can do for them is to teach them how to do things for themselves.  And hopefully, one day when Leah can nearly reach the clouds because she is swinging so high, she'll be proud of the fact that she got there herself.

Summer Fun

Now that Leah is done with Joy School, our weeks are almost entirely open for summertime adventure.  As I mentioned last week, I am trying to pack in as much summer fun as I can before I'm too pregnant, it's too hot, or the baby is here.  I made a short list of things that we want to do this summer.

Me- take a trip to DC with Jason, go on a day trip to Chicago without the kids, another one to Indy, visit the Indy zoo and possibly the Chicago zoo, and take the kids to the children's museum one more time.  I'd also like to visit the local orchard to pick strawberries, blueberries, and peaches (and learn how to preserve them), go camping in the backyard and roast marshmallows over a fire, visit the Purdue fountains, finish my Christmas tree skirt, go swimming as much as possible, and go walking with my old running buddy twice a week.  And of course there's all the getting ready for baby that needs to be done- sorting through baby clothes, buying a few new essentials, putting the carseat, swing, and bassinet together, and stocking up the kitchen big time so I don't have to set foot in a grocery store for as long as possible.

Leah- "Visit the enchanted forest, stay home every day, and go to the zoo (she means the little local one)."

Adam- (roughly interpreted) "Take really long naps every day, preferably from 1:00 to 4:30 without interruption."

My kids are just pretty agreeable.  Since my to-do list is full of want-tos, not have-tos, I'm feeling pretty flexible about what our summer will actually look like.  I was feeling extra motivated last week and created a tentative game plan for what each day will hold.  It includes a craft day, cooking day, adventure day, playdate day, and library day for each week.  I highly doubt that we will actually accomplish half of what's on my mental to-do list, and I'm not interested in sticking to the list enough to require that it gets done on days when I just don't feel like it.

Today we had a craft- it was a fun start to the summer, and reminded me that it takes all of 3 minutes to actually execute an activity around here.  The kids are quite easy to please-I think most times it's me that gets caught up in the busy-ness of every day, when all they want is to, well, be kids.  And thank heaven for that.

So all I really need to do is stock up on craft supplies and squirt guns (Adam discovered one at a friend's house last week and was in heaven!) and we'll be set!

Graduation

Leah graduated from Joy School yesterday.  As with most things Joy School-related, it was very laid back.  I was "in charge" of the graduation, which mostly meant decorating, assigning treats, and printing off the diplomas.  It rains every day here lately, so my visions of a beautiful backyard graduation were foiled by the rain. We all squeezed into the home of one of the families.  Thankfully, the rain cleared up in time for the kids to play outside after the graduation.

Leah has been so excited to graduate.  She wanted to wear a pretty dress for the occasion, and kept her bottom lip tucked into her mouth the whole 10 minutes of the ceremony- a sure sign that she was wasn't quite sure how to act in an unfamiliar situation.

Part of the ceremony was a thank you to all the moms that taught the class.  The dad that gave that speech took the kids outside and gave them a potted flower to give their moms- it was adorable!  I love my petunias!

One great part about being the graduation MC is that I got to hand the diplomas out to each of the cute kids that were in the class.  I feel bad for the other moms that have a giant orange belly in their kid's graduation pictures, but it was a delight for me to hug each child and congratulate them on learning so much this year- Leah included!

Now she is boasting that she's on "summer break", and seems to understand what that means- no school, lots of sunshine, playtime, and swim class.  She knows that after the baby sisters comes, it will be time to go to preschool, and she can't wait!  I have loved Joy School, but I am really excited for her to go to preschool, too. 

Fair Enough

Jason and I used to joke that the only thing we knew how to do in Indiana was leave it.  After a long stretch of staying at home while Jason got his corn planted, we decided to leave town last weekend.  We headed to the nearby dairy farm to check out the cows.  It was so nice to buck our regular routine and spend the day together. 

The kids loved the outdoor play area- our first stop in an effort to beat the rain.

Then we headed over to the birthing barn to check out one of the 80 calves that are born every day at the farm.  It was pretty amazing to watch, and the kids weren't at all grossed out by it.  And thankfully, the process didn't solicit very questions about my upcoming birth of the baby sister.  We named our calf Emmett and checked on him later that day.  What a cutie- I'm just grateful I will never have to give birth to an 80 pound baby with hooves!

Next we boarded the Moo Train to go see the cows in their barns and the milking stations.  I think the best part for the kids was not having to wear buckles on the bus.

Then it was over to the cafe to stuff ourselves with fresh grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate milk, and ice cream.  We sat right outside the cheese making factory.  The sandwiches were great, but the face of the kid sitting behind Leah was even better!

It was definitely naptime by the time we got our ice cream.  While Jason and I were "discussing" the right way to assist Adam with his ice cream cone, Leah informed us, "Mom! Dad! No one wants to hear you fighting."  She was definitely right.

We took a quick break from the farm to head up to a local gummy bear factory, then finished up the day with a pass through the museum part of the farm.  I never know which kid is going to be affected by what- Leah sobbed through the 4D movie and demanded that I take her out, and Adam was the one that refused to sleep a wink in the car on the way home.  I just never know how the kids will react to new things.

And this would be my new favorite picture-

I especially like the closed eyes.  Jason has found his calling in life, that's for sure.

Milestone?

Adam does not ever sleep in our bed.  He has no interest in cuddling, snuggling, or snoozing together.  But, thanks to sickness, this past week his sleep has been irregular and restless.  I have been woken up to the sound of a bleating little lamb- "Maaa-maaa, maaa-maaaa" several nights in a row.  One day he started at 4:00 in the morning and didn't let up until I scooped him up and brought him into our bed at 6:00.  I figured he wouldn't go to sleep and we would just have an early start to the day, but he snuggled right down, stretched out all legs and arms, and slept until a gloriously late 8:00.

I just wish I had a picture of his face when he got out of bed and wandered out into the hall all by himself.  He was quite proud.

Teasing

When I say something that Leah doesn't believe, she tells me, "You're just teasing, Mom."

Case in point- today I sneezed five violent sneezes in a row, and (being as pregnant as I am) a little pee squeaked out.  Surprised, I told her such, and she said, "You're just teasing, Mom.  A little green pea didn't squeak out of your nose!"

No wonder she has such a hard time believing me!

 *****

After following the usual bedtime routine of bath, jammies, family scriptures and prayer, two books, one "story about when you were a little kid", a scratch-back, song, and hair-twirl, I asked Leah if we should (finally!) say good night.  She looked confused and asked, "To who?"  Silly little missy.

*****

I'm trying to compile a list of the kids favorite meals for their upcoming visit with Grandma (and Auntie Emily- yay!)  I asked Leah what her favorite dinner is, and she responded (in unison with me), "Rice!  With soy sauce!"  Yep, she loves it.

Cultured

One of the best gifts Jason and I gave ourselves last year was a package of tickets to the local symphony orchestra.  For five months from September to May, we had a date night already scheduled and already paid for.  It would have only been more delightful if the concerts were the same night as our baby-sitting swap, but we have enjoyed getting to know the Young Women in our ward through baby-sitting.

My favorite concert was the All Tschaikovsky night with world-renowned pianist, Vassily Primokov.  Wow- he was incredible.  I never thought I'd be SO impressed by musical talent, but he definitely left an impression.  Jason agrees.  That was his favorite concert, too, with the Big Band Blast an enjoyable second.  We easily picked out which concerts we would love to attend in the 2011-2012 season, but will probably favor quiet nights at home with our new baby girl this time around.  

The view from our seats- only 10 rows from the back of the concert hall, the season package was definitely affordable,but the music was still just as great!)

But I am too excited about once concert to miss it- they have a Lollipop Concert every season that is geared toward kids and gives them the opportunity to learn about the instruments in the symphony.  Next year's concert includes Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf  and Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals- two of our very favorite pieces of music to listen to right now.  Thanks to the charming Tubby the Tuba by George Kleinsinger, Leah is fascinated by the various instruments of the orchestra, and I know she will absolutely love her chance to see them perform.  Of course, the concert isn't until February, so there is no way I am telling her about it anytime soon!

Sick, Sick, Sicko

Without question, one of the greatest blessings our family enjoys is excellent health- or at least few illnesses thus far.  I could probably count on one hand the number of times I have had to take either of my kids to the doctor for something other than a well-child checkup.... Leah had a broken arm and lost her voice to croup once, Adam... well, nothing until today. 

The kids both had a nasty bout of pinkeye two weeks ago, and I took them in to get eye drops to clear it up.  Leah recovered quickly, and while Adam's eyes cleared up, his accompanying cough and congestion have been getting worse and worse.  After he fell asleep in the middle of stake conference yesterday and spent the rest of the day with a high fever, I decided he needed to go back to the doctor. 

Leah had a dentist appointment this morning, and we had just enough time to kill before Adam's appointment that we went to the local zoo and park.  I knew it was getting bad when, instead of watching the dancing porcupine (whom we had affectionately named Mr. Pricklepants), Adam did this-

I'm not sure there are many thing things that have made me feel like a worse mother than dragging my sick child around the zoo, especially after the nurse informed me that his temperature was 103.7. 

She asked me when his fever started and what the highest temperature I'd recorded was.  Bumbling over my words, I responded "Well... I haven't been taking it... he just felt.... hot..."

The down side to having generally healthy babies (if there is one) is that I really stink at knowing when to take temperatures, how soon to call the doctor, when a fever is worth calling in about... But at least we were at the doctor's office!  That counts for something, right!?  Lest  sound like a complete idiot to you (it's too late for convincing the nurse), I should mention that Adam was perking right up when he got Tylenol, slept a peaceful 13 hours last night, and has been eating, drinking, and peeing like normal.  So I knew things weren't that bad, just more uncomfortable than we'd like.

It turns out he's got the beginnings of an upper respiratory infection, and we were sent to the pharmacy to fill our first prescription of amoxicillan (yum! I lived on that stuff growing up, thanks to an endless childhood of ear infections).  We also stocked up on popsicles and pudding- sick bed staples- and now we're just praying that Mr. Man will be back to normal in no time. And that I can continue to keep this blessed ignorance about sicknesses, embarrassing as it might be.

The Grazer

I think I can actually hear the parents of my childhood laughing with sweet revenge as I coax Adam away from the table after his 45 minute lunch.  Just like his mom, this boy loves to take his sweet time when it comes to meals.  So yes, my parents wish that I would have a child just like me when I grow up came true, and yes, it is incredibly annoying!  At least he's eating though.  Some of my other children prefer to pop up and down from the table 14 times before they are done, and then ask for a snack 20 minutes after I've cleaned up the meal!  I'm not sure which is worse!

Another favorite pasttime- playing in the car!  This boy will crawl around the car, happily pushing buttons and shoving as many CDs into the player as he can fit for as long as I will let him.  Makes for easy unloading of the groceries, although yesterday I discovered yellow crayon scribbles on the ceiling of the car.  In the words of Jason, "We just can't have nice things!"

Check out those flats!

Adam loves saying the prayer.  With a little prompting, he can get through each word on his own.  This morning he decided to take a variation on the norm-

M- Dear...

A- Dear...

M- Heavenly...

A- Heavenly...

M- Father...

A- Fruit snack... (giggle, giggle)

As for the belly debate in the last post, I think I'll be sucking in both sides from now on.  Today Leah informed me, "Mom!  Your bum is big and round just like your belly is big and round!".

Thanks, sweetie.

Out The Window

I've started making a mental list of all the pieces of my daily routine that I expect to disappear once the baby sister comes.

History- When Leah was born, I was working full time.  I worked the day I went into labor.  I worked for a few months after she was born.  The transition to full-time mom was huge, and it was hard.

By the time Adam was born, I was a fully committed stay-at-home-mom who was moving across the country just 6 short weeks after giving birth.  We lived in a very crowded, half-packed apartment for 4 weeks, then finally moved into my parents home for the last 2 weeks before heading out to live in Indiana.  All.  Alone.  It was another huge adjustment, and it was hard.

This time around, I don't foresee much change.  We aren't transitioning careers, we aren't making a huge move.  We're just continuing on with life as ususal, becoming the 4 Musketeers instead of the 3.  I do realize that not considering this to be a huge change is a huge mistake.  This baby girl is going to turn our lives upside down (happily) and it is going to take a good long time to figure out what our "new normal" is.  In addition to constantly asking my closest new-again moms what the biggest and hardest changes are this time around, I've started the list of all the things I'd better just let go of come August.

The first thing to go will be sleep.  We'll just give that up right away.  For the past year or so, Leah has only napped when I lay down with her.  Perfect for today, when we are all ready for a nap at the same time, not so perfect when I can't set aside the baby sister to take a nap with her nearly 5-year old sister.  And let's not even mention nighttime feedings right now. 

Second up, my beloved "house that cleans itself" housekeeping regime.  It goes something like this- heavy housework on Mondays (laundry, menu planning, sweeping/mopping/dusting/vacuuming up all the grime the weekend brought home), Tuesdays- grocery shopping, Wednesdays and Thursdays, general maintenance, Fridays- clean out the fish bowl and get ready for the weekend by vacuuming, sweeping and mopping again, Saturdays- clean the bathrooms, Sundays- turn a blind eye to the weekend mess for one more day.  This is all on top of the regular bed making, kitchen cleaning, tidying up that we deal with every day.  I love the way this schedule works, because you just do it.  I hate cleaning out the fish bowl, but every Friday, I know it's time to just get it done.

Third major change- daily activities and general getting-around-town with the kids.  When Adam was born, I was completely terrified at the thought of being alone with my two kids.  What if they both needed something from me at the same time?!  It took a good long while, but we are deep into our groove by now.  I can handle just about anything the kids throw my way, but add a third into the mix, and I'm a bit anxious about what I can really handle on my own.

I've started doing as much as I can with the kids while I can.  Monday we went to a park and the local zoo.  Today we decided to go on another adventure- this time to an enchanted forest.  Leah was thrilled to be on the look-out for unicorns, and Adam braved the dozens of stairs and steep switch-backs.  He only insisted that I carry him for the last 20 minutes of our 2 hour hike. 

It was precisely the kind of adventure we won't be having anytime soon after the baby sister comes, but that's okay with me.  It was a delightful way to spend the morning as the 3 Musketeers.

I thought I'd document the belly that I lugged around on our hike, but couldn't decide which picture is more accurate- sticking out or sucking in?  Probably somewhere in between the two.

A Different Seven

Tomorrow is our 7 year anniversary.  What more can I say?  

Three homes, three degrees, three fish, almost three children.  

Seven years down, eternity to go.  

 And we couldn't be happier.

Upcycling

I have been saving toilet paper and paper towel rolls for a few months now, in hopes of making a marble run like the one from this website.  With two sick kids at home and date night canceled (darn you, pinkeye!) I decided today was finally the day to build the masterpiece.

Nevermind that it looks like I taped trash all over the wall of our toy room because- hey!- that is exactly what I did!  But the kids loved it.  Adam especially was fascinated by the process of sticking a marble in one end and having it pop out at the end.  Yay for cheap fun!

And nevermind the horribly listless look on his face and squinty eyes in this picture-

because the kids both have pinkeye and are miserable.  Adam especially is horribly congested and looks and sounds awful.  I have (again) renewed my commitment to obsessive hand-washing and toy disinfecting.  Jason and I were supposed to go out for our 7 year anniversary dinner tonight, but that will just have to wait.  We all snuggled up and had a great family movie night instead.  Now we'll just hope that Leah's prayers to "help mine and Adam's worser eyes to get better" are answered soon.

Seven

We have finally reached month 7.  Leah has been asking if it's month seven yet since the first day of month six.  We have been reading "What's in your tummy, Mommy?", a book that counts down to baby's birthday by months, and while Leah realizes that we have to get all the way through month nine, she has no real idea how long that is going to take. 

I feel like someone has flipped the third trimester switch.  Last week I was energetic, happy and vaguely aware of the fact that I am pregnant.  This week I am suddenly finding myself uncomfortable, irritable, and exhausted.  I have fully committed to my maternity clothes, and I'm back to wearing tennis shoes most of the time to deal with my aching legs.  Hard to believe there are still three months to go, although I am still nowhere near ready to deal with the one way out of this situation... not ready for labor just yet.

I've never had a 3D ultrasound picture, but this one I got at the doctor's office today made my resolve to get through the next three months all the stronger.  What a darling little face!  Leah said, "She's so cute!" and once I explained to Adam what he was looking at, he said, "Baby!  Goo-goo, ga-ga!" (something he says to my belly several times a day).  This baby girl is already so loved!

Tuesday

I made eggs and muffins for breakfast.  After spying the cheese, Adam could think of nothing else.

M- Adam, do you want milk or water to drink?

A- Cheese!

M- Milk or water?

A- Cheese!

M- I know you want cheese.  You can have cheese on your eggs.  Do you want to drink milk or water?

A- Orange juice!

It's another one of those days...

Monday Monday

I was all set to write a post tonight about how rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

Today we got both- woke up to the rain and the laundry, menu planning, grocery shopping, and general recover-from-the-weekend that usually accompany Mondays.  And on top of all that fun, Adam developed a bad case of the whinies in the night, and Leah decided today would be a great day to be disagreeable (although when I told her that, she reminded me that sometimes I'm disagreeable, too.  Like when I "get her breakfast wrong".)  I think we were all counting down the minutes until Daddy walked in the door. 

And when he did, everything turned around.  He taught a fantastic Family Home Evening lesson about Mother's Day, complete with trivia about Mom, the cutest "Moms wear many hats" story, a game about what makes Mom happy, and a surprise foot rub!  It was great (and he only got a bit of encouragement on the lesson topic from me, the idea of which I got from here.

I was showered with hugs and kisses and "I love you's", as well as a few chocolate treats.  It definitely brightened my day, and made me all the more excited about Mother's Day!  So I guess this Monday wasn't that bad after all.

...And these pictures came from our recent family bike ride.  I love the tulips in the background of the top picture, which I have been cutting and bringing into the house as they begin to wilt... 

... something that Leah hates.  Today it even earned me a "sit-down-on-the-couch-with-me" moment, where Leah cleared aside the pillows, patted me a spot beside her, and proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't cut the flowers any more because she loves them and now our garden looks ugly.  I tried to reason that now our house is beautiful inside and out, but she wasn't buying it.  I just couldn't win with her today.