Levi had his 2-month appointment today! We were right, he's becoming our biggest baby. After Ethan's average weight percentile 25%, Caty's of 5%, Levi is our big man, weighing in at 12# 2oz, which is a percentile of 67%! WOW! I'm glad I'm really not that crazy, and all my 0-3 month clothes haven't shrunk THAT much. We are starting to see a new pediatrician. After several frustrating experiences with our last one (most recently being the bilibed extravaganza), I decided it was time to step up and do things a little differently. Plus, I wanted to go to the Appleton office anyway. Which of course is the reason I told the receptionist at the old office. I'm a wimp. We got a good recommendation for a new doctor, and enjoyed the openness and calm with her. We're spacing out Levi's vaccines a little bit, so he got one oral vaccine and one shot today. I'm trying to figure out of his crabbiness tonight is due to that, or to the heat. We'll finish up with the other 2-3 shots in a couple of weeks.
Caty has been my drama queen the last couple of days. Not only is she pitifully sick, but she's not caught up on her naps and she's been terrible at keeping her balance. Hence, her knees are skinned up so bad, and then she'll take another digger and open up the nearly-fresh wound again. For some reason, she is terrified of bandaids or any kind of wound care. I feel like Godzilla sometimes when it comes to trying to take care of her. Even last night she ended up in bed with me because of her cough and fever, and anytime I touched her to try to give her medicine or a cool washcloth, or just rub her back, she freaked out. I have no idea why she's become like this - it's very unnerving.
Yesterday was Jason's and my 7 year anniversary. I remember when that just sounded like you'd been married forever! I was a horrible wife and actually forgot yesterday morning, and Jason wished me a happy anniversary as I headed off to church. We didn't get to spend the day together - he and Ethan were headed up to Door County for their first boys-only camping trip! I'm so hoping they're enjoying each other, and hoping that it's a little cooler up there than it is here. Ethan has been SO SO SO excited about this trip, and literally driving Jason bonkers this weekend with the pestering and wanting to spend every single moment with him as they got ready for the trip. We also enjoyed a weekend visit from some good college friends. It's such a blessing to reconnect and talk about the changes in life!
Ethan's preschool is just about over. I was a parent helper today - the last classroom day of the year. They have a fun field trip scheduled for Wednesday to go to Mulberry Lane Farm, and we're hoping the rain holds out! Today was an obstacle course day at preschool, and we each had a group of kids to help build an obstacle course in the classroom. It was fun, but my kids seemed more interested in building random towers everywhere in the room that we could jump over than in actually figuring out the course. So, I tried to incorporate as many of their jumps as I could (shortening a few of them) without hurting anyone's feelings. Preschoolers are super cute, but super exhausting. I truly admire anyone who can work with them on a regular basis.
On that note, this on-the-verge-of-exhausted mom is going to sign out for tonight. I really need to get these thank-you cards in the mail...
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Time for Catch-Up
Not only has a baby arrived, but he's over seven weeks old now! Mother's Day has passed, and I’ve turned 29 years old. We had a gorgeous April, and are having a cold May so far. I did start a blog post a few times, but didn't manage to finish at all. That means we're left to a bullet-pointed version, unfortunately.
To start, Levi Robert was born on March 27, the Saturday that was starting the kids' spring break. Very convenient. :) I had an OB appointment the day before, the doctor tried to get things started, and apparently did a great job! I had tingly legs all day, and contractions that afternoon and evening. I cleaned the kitchen floors that evening, hoping to ignore the discomfort, and slept most of the night. I woke up at 3:40 Saturday morning with much more painful contractions, but still wasn't convinced that this was "it". After hanging out for awhile, being checked on by Jason, a bath (where I was visited by a very confused Ethan who needed to go potty and couldn't figure out why I was in the tub in the middle of the night), and some eyebrow maintenance, I finally went back to bed and slept on and off until the kids got up at 7. By this time, I knew the probability was high that I was going into labor, but we got up with the intention of our usual pancake breakfast and we'd see what happened after that. Once I was up and moving around, though, the contractions came much faster and harder, and I quickly decided there was no time for pancakes. I made a quick call to the nurse, then to our friends who would be taking the kids. We had a quick breakfast, and out the door we went. Levi was born around ten o'clock that morning. Whew! Childbirth sure is exhausting and painful! I seem to forget every time, then once again I'm cursing the curse that made it this way to begin with!
We were blessed with visitors and friends helping out with the kids, and enjoyed beginning to get to know this new little guy in our family. Here's a few pictures from the hospital... just kidding, I’m STILL the worst at figuring out how to do this. I WILL get this figured out, I WILL I WILL I WILL…
Thank goodness for spring break, and my mom! She was here by dinner on Monday, and stayed for close to two weeks. I don't know what I would have done without her. Between her doing the dishes, helping get the kids ready for the day, taking them to the Children's Museum, and McDonald's, and the zoo, playing games with them, and even cleaning my bathrooms, I am SO blessed to have such a servant-minded mom. I hope I can be such a blessing to her and others as they need help. My dad came out for a few days too over Easter, and they seemed to enjoy our Easter dinner and egg hunt. Dad's car wasn't running that Sunday, and he almost had to stay longer than expected. We wouldn't have minded, but those working men always feel like they need to get back at it. :) Thankfully that was fixed Monday morning, and he was off to Michigan again Monday afternoon.
Oh, I almost forgot about Levi's jaundice! That gave us a bit of a scare! Of course, if our pediatrician had given us more info it wouldn't have been so bad. When we took Levi in for his 3-day check on Tuesday, they decided to check his bilirubin levels again. They were high, so we went in again Wednesday for another heel-poke. The level was higher, and we got a phone call that afternoon from the nurse telling us that we would need a bili-bed for him and it would arrive that afternoon to get set up. Unfortunately, no one told me that this was a day-by-day thing, and there was a possibility of him being off of it the next day! So, I'm bawling, thinking he'd be on it for at least a week (which I know does happen for some poor babies and their families!), and we wouldn't hardly get to hold him or leave the house or anything! The bed was small compared to what I had pictured, and what Jason remembered. It fit in the pack-n-play in the living room, and we could even move it to the cradle for the night. But the poor guy couldn't be swaddled in it. He could just be in his diaper, in this gown thing that velcroed to the four corners of the bed to keep him in the right position. That was the hardest part for Levi, because he'd been swaddled the last three days and now just flailed around and screamed while we cried and looked on helplessly. I probably sound so pathetic right now, but it really was very hard that first day. By the next day, he had adjusted better, and could sleep a little more consistently on it. Thankfully I called that first evening with some questions. I found out that yes, I was supposed to come in the next day to check his levels again, and we'd see if he still needed to be on the bed. WHAT A RELIEF! I was left mostly with annoyance at our doctor and her nurse for not informing us what to expect. Well, now we know. Sure enough, the levels had started to go down, so Levi got a break Thursday afternoon, and we made it to the zoo on Friday morning before he got his final heel-poke to make sure we were in the clear. Those heel-pokes were torture for all of us, too. Jason - he loves us you know - came to every one of those appointments, even meeting us there during his work day to help hold Levi and give moral support. Wow. What a first week.
Since then we've been SO blessed by friends who have provided meals and gifts and babysitting while life has charged ahead with bible study and preschool and all the other stuff that keeps us so busy.
Levi has been so fun to get to know, despite his louder than normal cry. I often refer to it as sounding like an eagle closing in on its prey. It can be very sudden, too! Thank goodness he seems to be getting happier this last week, and smiles aren't so hard to come by. He's getting the hang of naps and nights, although for some reason seems to think he must remind us all of his presence at 5:30 every morning. We're working on that. He's a spitter, too! Just like his sister, what goes in must come back up within 5 minutes. I feel like I should be nursing him wearing a rain coat and sitting on a tarp! The boy has dimples, though, and that makes up for a lot. :)
We have spring veggies coming up in the garden, our tulips have just finished blooming, and baby cherries are growing on the tree. Jason did a number on our apple trees, and used several of the branches for a little fort in the back for the kids. He also made Ethan a nice bow and arrow - his new prized possession. I finally used our rhubarb for the first time, and made a strawberry-rhubarb crisp. Yum! I just bought more strawberries, and will hopefully be making a similar recipe soon.
Ethan is in his last month of preschool, and has a lot of fun things to look forward to! He had backwards day (which he wasn't too excited about - didn't seem to like the idea of wearing his clothes backwards), he had safety day with a police officer and police car, and is looking forward to a park day with ice cream, a karate demonstration, and some other fun stuff.
Caty is also finishing up preschool this month, with an "Under-The-Sea" theme. It's been fun, and a little emotional for me as I taught her, Peter, and Kaylynne for the last time this month. It is cool to think that I had a small part in her education, even if it was preschool. :) (And yes, I know that as a parent I am always teaching her...I just meant actual school stuff.)
Well, more has happened recently, but my time is limited and I need to end this for now. I'll be back soon. Thanks for reading. :)
To start, Levi Robert was born on March 27, the Saturday that was starting the kids' spring break. Very convenient. :) I had an OB appointment the day before, the doctor tried to get things started, and apparently did a great job! I had tingly legs all day, and contractions that afternoon and evening. I cleaned the kitchen floors that evening, hoping to ignore the discomfort, and slept most of the night. I woke up at 3:40 Saturday morning with much more painful contractions, but still wasn't convinced that this was "it". After hanging out for awhile, being checked on by Jason, a bath (where I was visited by a very confused Ethan who needed to go potty and couldn't figure out why I was in the tub in the middle of the night), and some eyebrow maintenance, I finally went back to bed and slept on and off until the kids got up at 7. By this time, I knew the probability was high that I was going into labor, but we got up with the intention of our usual pancake breakfast and we'd see what happened after that. Once I was up and moving around, though, the contractions came much faster and harder, and I quickly decided there was no time for pancakes. I made a quick call to the nurse, then to our friends who would be taking the kids. We had a quick breakfast, and out the door we went. Levi was born around ten o'clock that morning. Whew! Childbirth sure is exhausting and painful! I seem to forget every time, then once again I'm cursing the curse that made it this way to begin with!
We were blessed with visitors and friends helping out with the kids, and enjoyed beginning to get to know this new little guy in our family. Here's a few pictures from the hospital... just kidding, I’m STILL the worst at figuring out how to do this. I WILL get this figured out, I WILL I WILL I WILL…
Thank goodness for spring break, and my mom! She was here by dinner on Monday, and stayed for close to two weeks. I don't know what I would have done without her. Between her doing the dishes, helping get the kids ready for the day, taking them to the Children's Museum, and McDonald's, and the zoo, playing games with them, and even cleaning my bathrooms, I am SO blessed to have such a servant-minded mom. I hope I can be such a blessing to her and others as they need help. My dad came out for a few days too over Easter, and they seemed to enjoy our Easter dinner and egg hunt. Dad's car wasn't running that Sunday, and he almost had to stay longer than expected. We wouldn't have minded, but those working men always feel like they need to get back at it. :) Thankfully that was fixed Monday morning, and he was off to Michigan again Monday afternoon.
Oh, I almost forgot about Levi's jaundice! That gave us a bit of a scare! Of course, if our pediatrician had given us more info it wouldn't have been so bad. When we took Levi in for his 3-day check on Tuesday, they decided to check his bilirubin levels again. They were high, so we went in again Wednesday for another heel-poke. The level was higher, and we got a phone call that afternoon from the nurse telling us that we would need a bili-bed for him and it would arrive that afternoon to get set up. Unfortunately, no one told me that this was a day-by-day thing, and there was a possibility of him being off of it the next day! So, I'm bawling, thinking he'd be on it for at least a week (which I know does happen for some poor babies and their families!), and we wouldn't hardly get to hold him or leave the house or anything! The bed was small compared to what I had pictured, and what Jason remembered. It fit in the pack-n-play in the living room, and we could even move it to the cradle for the night. But the poor guy couldn't be swaddled in it. He could just be in his diaper, in this gown thing that velcroed to the four corners of the bed to keep him in the right position. That was the hardest part for Levi, because he'd been swaddled the last three days and now just flailed around and screamed while we cried and looked on helplessly. I probably sound so pathetic right now, but it really was very hard that first day. By the next day, he had adjusted better, and could sleep a little more consistently on it. Thankfully I called that first evening with some questions. I found out that yes, I was supposed to come in the next day to check his levels again, and we'd see if he still needed to be on the bed. WHAT A RELIEF! I was left mostly with annoyance at our doctor and her nurse for not informing us what to expect. Well, now we know. Sure enough, the levels had started to go down, so Levi got a break Thursday afternoon, and we made it to the zoo on Friday morning before he got his final heel-poke to make sure we were in the clear. Those heel-pokes were torture for all of us, too. Jason - he loves us you know - came to every one of those appointments, even meeting us there during his work day to help hold Levi and give moral support. Wow. What a first week.
Since then we've been SO blessed by friends who have provided meals and gifts and babysitting while life has charged ahead with bible study and preschool and all the other stuff that keeps us so busy.
Levi has been so fun to get to know, despite his louder than normal cry. I often refer to it as sounding like an eagle closing in on its prey. It can be very sudden, too! Thank goodness he seems to be getting happier this last week, and smiles aren't so hard to come by. He's getting the hang of naps and nights, although for some reason seems to think he must remind us all of his presence at 5:30 every morning. We're working on that. He's a spitter, too! Just like his sister, what goes in must come back up within 5 minutes. I feel like I should be nursing him wearing a rain coat and sitting on a tarp! The boy has dimples, though, and that makes up for a lot. :)
We have spring veggies coming up in the garden, our tulips have just finished blooming, and baby cherries are growing on the tree. Jason did a number on our apple trees, and used several of the branches for a little fort in the back for the kids. He also made Ethan a nice bow and arrow - his new prized possession. I finally used our rhubarb for the first time, and made a strawberry-rhubarb crisp. Yum! I just bought more strawberries, and will hopefully be making a similar recipe soon.
Ethan is in his last month of preschool, and has a lot of fun things to look forward to! He had backwards day (which he wasn't too excited about - didn't seem to like the idea of wearing his clothes backwards), he had safety day with a police officer and police car, and is looking forward to a park day with ice cream, a karate demonstration, and some other fun stuff.
Caty is also finishing up preschool this month, with an "Under-The-Sea" theme. It's been fun, and a little emotional for me as I taught her, Peter, and Kaylynne for the last time this month. It is cool to think that I had a small part in her education, even if it was preschool. :) (And yes, I know that as a parent I am always teaching her...I just meant actual school stuff.)
Well, more has happened recently, but my time is limited and I need to end this for now. I'll be back soon. Thanks for reading. :)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Spring has arrived here in Appleton. The snow is gone, and the spring flowers are trying to bloom. I think the ground dried out pretty quick, though, and I'm wondering if those tulips are craving some moisture. I think it's my pride that's keeping me from going out and watering them. I mean, WHAT will the neighbors think?? I haven't seen anyone else doing it, so I'm not about to be the first. Anyway, we'll see what happens. No rain in the forecast at this point.
We've been trying to keep the house relatively clean and picked up before Mr. Baby Boon arrives, but every day he waits is more opportunity for clutter and dust to collect. We've had some hopeful times, with contractions and such, but so far life always turned normal again. We're pretty sure that this baby has to come out one of these days. Ethan's last day of preschool was today, so spring break has officially started here. We have no place to go...nothing that needs to be done...
A few evenings ago, we found ourselves without anything to do and with two kids that had a lot of energy! Jason came up with another brilliant idea. You know those scavenger hunts that are all the rage with youth groups these days? The ones where you have to drive around and take pictures by/with certain things on your list, then come back and show you made it to each spot? Well, that's what we did. Jason made a list for him and Ethan, and one for me and Caty. Then we set out in our separate cars, looking for our clues so we could stop and take pictures with them. The kids thought it was so cool! It was a relatively simple list, unless us adults wanted to make it complicated. I mean, these kids are in preschool. We had to find a flower, a statue, a bird, something red, the letter C or E (depending on the kid looking), a swing, a pinecone, and a pic running down a hill. The meeting place was set for Dairy Queen where we compared pictures and stories, and shared a delicious M&M blizzard. It was a wonderful idea, and we enjoyed the new memory. Of course, the next morning, Ethan wanted to do it again. Jason and I didn't quite have the will-power to attempt another one right away, so it was a simple one in the house. Not quite what the kids had in mind, and no ice cream at the end. Oh well, you can't please them ALL the time.
And that's about the extent of our excitement lately. Well, besides Ethan's preschool open house last week. Those kids have worked hard on LOTS of projects, and proudly showed them off during a special evening. The theme was Noah's Ark, and there were pictures and projects of animals and rainbows and arks everywhere! There were fun snacks, face painting, and places to take pictures (of course, I forgot my camera!). Each family had brought in their own project that we worked on too, so Ethan showed off his elephant mask with the slinky nose. I'm so proud of all of his work, and his attention to everyone at preschool. It's fun to see him in his element.
I guess that's it for now. Hopefully next time will be reporting baby news! Stay tuned!
We've been trying to keep the house relatively clean and picked up before Mr. Baby Boon arrives, but every day he waits is more opportunity for clutter and dust to collect. We've had some hopeful times, with contractions and such, but so far life always turned normal again. We're pretty sure that this baby has to come out one of these days. Ethan's last day of preschool was today, so spring break has officially started here. We have no place to go...nothing that needs to be done...
A few evenings ago, we found ourselves without anything to do and with two kids that had a lot of energy! Jason came up with another brilliant idea. You know those scavenger hunts that are all the rage with youth groups these days? The ones where you have to drive around and take pictures by/with certain things on your list, then come back and show you made it to each spot? Well, that's what we did. Jason made a list for him and Ethan, and one for me and Caty. Then we set out in our separate cars, looking for our clues so we could stop and take pictures with them. The kids thought it was so cool! It was a relatively simple list, unless us adults wanted to make it complicated. I mean, these kids are in preschool. We had to find a flower, a statue, a bird, something red, the letter C or E (depending on the kid looking), a swing, a pinecone, and a pic running down a hill. The meeting place was set for Dairy Queen where we compared pictures and stories, and shared a delicious M&M blizzard. It was a wonderful idea, and we enjoyed the new memory. Of course, the next morning, Ethan wanted to do it again. Jason and I didn't quite have the will-power to attempt another one right away, so it was a simple one in the house. Not quite what the kids had in mind, and no ice cream at the end. Oh well, you can't please them ALL the time.
And that's about the extent of our excitement lately. Well, besides Ethan's preschool open house last week. Those kids have worked hard on LOTS of projects, and proudly showed them off during a special evening. The theme was Noah's Ark, and there were pictures and projects of animals and rainbows and arks everywhere! There were fun snacks, face painting, and places to take pictures (of course, I forgot my camera!). Each family had brought in their own project that we worked on too, so Ethan showed off his elephant mask with the slinky nose. I'm so proud of all of his work, and his attention to everyone at preschool. It's fun to see him in his element.
I guess that's it for now. Hopefully next time will be reporting baby news! Stay tuned!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
I love being a mom this week.
"Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." ~Mr. Beaver
I'm reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to Ethan, and we were introduced to Aslan in today's chapter. It's a rather tough book to follow, for a 5-year old, but we have good "comprehension" discussions after each chapter. It was fun being able to compare Aslan to Jesus, and see how Ethan would feel if he was sitting next to someone who was not safe, but was good. It took him a minute to answer, but he finally decided it would be a good thing to be next to a person like that. The question we all need to answer, though, is: Am I safe sitting by that one who is not safe? Is there a reason why I am not safe? I SO love our reading time together, and I'm sure when we revisit the book as he gets a little older, more and more things will be easier for him to understand. He hates stopping at the end of a chapter, so I can tell he really enjoys this time too.
Last night was THE RACE! We've been anxiously awaiting this race for a month now. No, a year! AWANA's Grand Prix was last night, and the kids had each made a derby car to race against their fellow Cubbies. Ethan's was black, with some funky white designs painted on it, and Caty's was hot pink with purple polka-dots. Speed wasn't exactly on their side, although they did decently. But each of them came away with a design trophy. Caty came in third, and Ethan came in first. The pride and excitement is just more than they can contain! Ethan told me he had trouble sleeping last night because he was thinking about the trophy, and he brought it in to preschool this morning to show his teacher and classmates. Good job, Ethan and Caty! I so hope that they will truly learn the lesson of sportsmanship as top priority, though.
Ethan has another project this week, too. An elephant mask! His preschool open house is next week, and the theme is Noah's Ark. Each family gets to work on a project, and Ethan wanted to make an elephant. Well, he said he wanted to. But every time we go to work on it, it's like torture for him. That has been a little difficult. Hopefully the boring stuff is past, and he'll enjoy the painting and decorating a little more now.
Well, that's the latest update. Mostly on the kids, mostly on Ethan I guess. As far as the new baby we're waiting for...I'm 37 weeks and counting DOWN! I can't decide if I'm ready to deal with a baby at this point or if I'd rather he stayed put for awhile. Not that I have much say in the matter...
I'm reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to Ethan, and we were introduced to Aslan in today's chapter. It's a rather tough book to follow, for a 5-year old, but we have good "comprehension" discussions after each chapter. It was fun being able to compare Aslan to Jesus, and see how Ethan would feel if he was sitting next to someone who was not safe, but was good. It took him a minute to answer, but he finally decided it would be a good thing to be next to a person like that. The question we all need to answer, though, is: Am I safe sitting by that one who is not safe? Is there a reason why I am not safe? I SO love our reading time together, and I'm sure when we revisit the book as he gets a little older, more and more things will be easier for him to understand. He hates stopping at the end of a chapter, so I can tell he really enjoys this time too.
Last night was THE RACE! We've been anxiously awaiting this race for a month now. No, a year! AWANA's Grand Prix was last night, and the kids had each made a derby car to race against their fellow Cubbies. Ethan's was black, with some funky white designs painted on it, and Caty's was hot pink with purple polka-dots. Speed wasn't exactly on their side, although they did decently. But each of them came away with a design trophy. Caty came in third, and Ethan came in first. The pride and excitement is just more than they can contain! Ethan told me he had trouble sleeping last night because he was thinking about the trophy, and he brought it in to preschool this morning to show his teacher and classmates. Good job, Ethan and Caty! I so hope that they will truly learn the lesson of sportsmanship as top priority, though.
Ethan has another project this week, too. An elephant mask! His preschool open house is next week, and the theme is Noah's Ark. Each family gets to work on a project, and Ethan wanted to make an elephant. Well, he said he wanted to. But every time we go to work on it, it's like torture for him. That has been a little difficult. Hopefully the boring stuff is past, and he'll enjoy the painting and decorating a little more now.
Well, that's the latest update. Mostly on the kids, mostly on Ethan I guess. As far as the new baby we're waiting for...I'm 37 weeks and counting DOWN! I can't decide if I'm ready to deal with a baby at this point or if I'd rather he stayed put for awhile. Not that I have much say in the matter...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
I am blessed.
We successfully made it through our first marriage conference. I've been on plenty of women's retreats, but I think this was the first "retreat" sort of thing that I've had Jason with me. It was really nice! We attended Weekend to Remember, and I do recommend it, although it was a LOT of sitting! When you're in your ninth month of pregnancy with sciatic nerve problems, sitting for that long is torture, and may have caused the hours worth of contractions yesterday! But enough about aches and pains.
In trying to remember a lot of the topics that were covered this weekend, the ones that stood out to me were on conflict resolution (i.e. how to deal with anger), recognizing our differences, sex (of course), my roles and responsibilities as wife and mother, and even how to get back into reality and try to put all this into practice. There was so much covered, and I'll be wading through it for awhile trying to remember everything I need to and want to. The speakers were excellent this weekend, and one of them is a stand-up comedian - we could tell. :) They provided time to work through "projects" with our spouse, and my favorite of these was writing love letters to each other. I'm excited to see how our marriage grows as we WORK at it. As we stop trying to change each other, and try to change ourselves. As we show appreciation and respect and love for each other instead of holding grudges and griping about the way things aren't. As we receive each other as a gift from God. Easy? Um, NO. But necessary if this is going to keep working. And there's so much I want the kids to emulate and retain as they grow up, but there's always so much messiness that we have to sift through too. They learn everything from our marriage, the good and the bad.
Jason and I enjoyed a wonderful date at Casablanca's, a Latin restaurant here in downtown Appleton. Probably one of the most expensive meals we've eaten together, but SO good. He practically had to roll me out to the car between my contractions, back pain, and extremely full tummy. I was walking at a snail's pace. We got to stay in a hotel last night, which was really nice. It kindof made the "weekend getaway" more of an experience.
The kids apparently did pretty well too! They got to stay with our friends in Neenah, and we are SO thankful for their offer to take the kids. The warmer weather helped a lot too, so they could get outside and make snowballs with the apparently ultra-cool snowball maker. I haven't seen it yet.
And the other joy of this past week has been the tulip shoots emerging from the ground by the back door! LOVE IT! Spring is around the corner! We planted our first seeds indoors this evening, starting with Brandywine tomatoes and sunflowers. I hope it's still not too early. I'd like to get a flourescent light to hang somewhere to help these little guys grow straight instead of leaning against our one little south-facing window.
Anyway, that's the run-down. And so we begin another week, eagerly awaiting a new baby as well!
In trying to remember a lot of the topics that were covered this weekend, the ones that stood out to me were on conflict resolution (i.e. how to deal with anger), recognizing our differences, sex (of course), my roles and responsibilities as wife and mother, and even how to get back into reality and try to put all this into practice. There was so much covered, and I'll be wading through it for awhile trying to remember everything I need to and want to. The speakers were excellent this weekend, and one of them is a stand-up comedian - we could tell. :) They provided time to work through "projects" with our spouse, and my favorite of these was writing love letters to each other. I'm excited to see how our marriage grows as we WORK at it. As we stop trying to change each other, and try to change ourselves. As we show appreciation and respect and love for each other instead of holding grudges and griping about the way things aren't. As we receive each other as a gift from God. Easy? Um, NO. But necessary if this is going to keep working. And there's so much I want the kids to emulate and retain as they grow up, but there's always so much messiness that we have to sift through too. They learn everything from our marriage, the good and the bad.
Jason and I enjoyed a wonderful date at Casablanca's, a Latin restaurant here in downtown Appleton. Probably one of the most expensive meals we've eaten together, but SO good. He practically had to roll me out to the car between my contractions, back pain, and extremely full tummy. I was walking at a snail's pace. We got to stay in a hotel last night, which was really nice. It kindof made the "weekend getaway" more of an experience.
The kids apparently did pretty well too! They got to stay with our friends in Neenah, and we are SO thankful for their offer to take the kids. The warmer weather helped a lot too, so they could get outside and make snowballs with the apparently ultra-cool snowball maker. I haven't seen it yet.
And the other joy of this past week has been the tulip shoots emerging from the ground by the back door! LOVE IT! Spring is around the corner! We planted our first seeds indoors this evening, starting with Brandywine tomatoes and sunflowers. I hope it's still not too early. I'd like to get a flourescent light to hang somewhere to help these little guys grow straight instead of leaning against our one little south-facing window.
Anyway, that's the run-down. And so we begin another week, eagerly awaiting a new baby as well!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Fun times this week
There he goes. My best friend, off to spend a couple of nights in San Fransisco. Lucky guy. He strictly forbade me from having this baby until he came back. I highly doubt he needs to worry about anything. Still 5 weeks until showtime! (unless the contractions this week have been an indication of something different.) Yesterday we put up the crib and brought in any needed furniture for the baby's room, so it's pretty much ready. Holes patched up, a clean sheet in the crib, clean changing table, clean clothes, clean blankets. I have some decorating ideas, but I'm trying to decide whether or not to just dive in and paint the room first. It could definitely use a coat of paint, but then again, we now have the furniture in there. Maybe someone will just do it for me...
I was going to mention earlier this week that Caty had her first dentist appointment! She was strangely NOT wanting to go at all! I didn't think she would have a problem with it, but apparently she did not enjoy watching Ethan or me get worked over. She handled it well while we were there, except for a brief episode of "Mommy, they aren't nice!" "Yes, they are, Caty. You shouldn't say that about the ladies cleaning your teeth." "But they aren't nice!" And finally bursting into sobs. Thankfully we got it out of her system before the dentist came in to double check the cleaning job.
Jason's birthday was also a big event this week - he's now in his final year of the twenties! I told him he'd better enjoy it. And he did seem to have a great birthday, unusually so. We were out of milk that morning, so he got to have pancakes for breakfast; KC had a big meeting that they held at Lambeau Field, including a tour of the stadium, boxes, and going out to the field; we had delicious shrimp and asparagus for dinner; we had a special cookie cake for dessert (not one of my finer attempts at cake decorating); and to end the night he got to go play basketball and win his game! Wow. What a way to start the birthday year.
It's been an eventful week, we've been out and about A LOT, and are finally trying to catch up on sleep and housecleaning. I wonder if I'll make it to Hobby Lobby with the kids this afternoon. It's hard being the only parent around, especially since I don't handle being tackled very well, unlike their daddy!
I was going to mention earlier this week that Caty had her first dentist appointment! She was strangely NOT wanting to go at all! I didn't think she would have a problem with it, but apparently she did not enjoy watching Ethan or me get worked over. She handled it well while we were there, except for a brief episode of "Mommy, they aren't nice!" "Yes, they are, Caty. You shouldn't say that about the ladies cleaning your teeth." "But they aren't nice!" And finally bursting into sobs. Thankfully we got it out of her system before the dentist came in to double check the cleaning job.
Jason's birthday was also a big event this week - he's now in his final year of the twenties! I told him he'd better enjoy it. And he did seem to have a great birthday, unusually so. We were out of milk that morning, so he got to have pancakes for breakfast; KC had a big meeting that they held at Lambeau Field, including a tour of the stadium, boxes, and going out to the field; we had delicious shrimp and asparagus for dinner; we had a special cookie cake for dessert (not one of my finer attempts at cake decorating); and to end the night he got to go play basketball and win his game! Wow. What a way to start the birthday year.
It's been an eventful week, we've been out and about A LOT, and are finally trying to catch up on sleep and housecleaning. I wonder if I'll make it to Hobby Lobby with the kids this afternoon. It's hard being the only parent around, especially since I don't handle being tackled very well, unlike their daddy!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Dentist Visit
I guess we need to start budgeting for our mouths. Ethan and I went to see the dentist today, and didn't get sent home with beaming smiles. Well, no cavities. That's good. We've been brushing well, and the dentist was VERY proud to hear that Ethan brushes twice daily. (Although, Jason and I have been slacking on checking up on his brushing, and it's too early to slack.) No, the problem with Ethan is that his teeth are so close together that once the adult teeth start coming in, there will be BIG problems. The dentist said there is a 100% chance that he will need orthodontic work. And it may come as early as the end of this year. Ethan's six-year molars will be coming in, and will start pushing his teeth around. And there are no gaps for his teeth to move into. BUMMER. The boy got my teeth. BUMMER. The dentist said we would probably start with an expander. Guess who else started with an expander? Yup, ME. But I wasn't SIX! Good grief! Phone call to mom coming shortly to get the lo-down on how old I was when everything started, and how stinking much it cost. YUCK.
Then there's me. Apparently I picked the wrong set of months to take a flossing break. I have my first case of pregnancy gingivitis. How incredibly awful. Sounds like it can be reversed if I start flossing really well again, so here's hoping. Also, I brought up my latest unconscious bad habit: clenching my teeth. The dentist strongly recommended a nightguard. Yeah, not a big deal. It's only over $400 for one of those if insurance doesn't cover it. Better yet, Jason was told he needs one too! Oh, and last but not least, the grooves in my teeth are very deep, so even though I have never had a cavity, they strongly recommend sealants on my teeth. Sure, just throw that in with the other couple thousand dollars we're paying you.
We'll possibly end up with no teeth left by the time we're 50, but we'll have saved a few extra bucks! Ha! Who needs teeth, anyway? My favorite foods are soup and milkshakes, so I won't be missing much.
P.S. I just talked to Mom. I guess I was six. Possibly even five. And she didn't sound as shocked and appalled as I hoped she would. Boo.
Then there's me. Apparently I picked the wrong set of months to take a flossing break. I have my first case of pregnancy gingivitis. How incredibly awful. Sounds like it can be reversed if I start flossing really well again, so here's hoping. Also, I brought up my latest unconscious bad habit: clenching my teeth. The dentist strongly recommended a nightguard. Yeah, not a big deal. It's only over $400 for one of those if insurance doesn't cover it. Better yet, Jason was told he needs one too! Oh, and last but not least, the grooves in my teeth are very deep, so even though I have never had a cavity, they strongly recommend sealants on my teeth. Sure, just throw that in with the other couple thousand dollars we're paying you.
We'll possibly end up with no teeth left by the time we're 50, but we'll have saved a few extra bucks! Ha! Who needs teeth, anyway? My favorite foods are soup and milkshakes, so I won't be missing much.
P.S. I just talked to Mom. I guess I was six. Possibly even five. And she didn't sound as shocked and appalled as I hoped she would. Boo.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Lifestyle changes, just getting ready...
We moved Caty into Ethan's room today. Now it's Ethan's and Caty's room. Both of them were excited at first, but I think the feelings started to change when they realized this wasn't just a sleepover. This means the end of a roomful of personal space. This means Ethan's stuff is getting more cramped, and he's losing certain corners of his room. This means Caty has to live across the hall, and she wasn't too keen on that. She wanted Ethan to come over to her side of the hall. As the day progressed, Caty became happier with her new room (probably because her toys all looked different and new again), but Ethan got quieter. We'll see how the next few days go. I'm still trying to figure out how to give each of them playtime away from each other. We needed to get another dresser too, since Caty's will be confiscated for the baby (due to the changing table on top). We stopped at two used furniture stores this afternoon, and had success! But it sure was work cleaning out closets and organizing clothes that were too small, too big, and just right. My organization has gone quite down the drain when it comes to the kids' clothes. I guess it will take another weekend to get the baby's room set up. That's why we're starting now, right?
We managed a quick break to try ice skating again, but Caty never did get hers on. Ethan had his on for about five minutes, then we were all on foot the rest of the time. I may have been a little overly optimistic about last week's success.
Jason's big accomplishment today was replacing his first car battery. It took three trips to the hardware store, mostly because he needed a new set of tools (awww....) and one of the bolts had rusted through and broke in half as he was unscrewing it. But the car is running again!!
What a tiring day! It's tiring reading about it! Well, for me. And now after finishing up bible study homework, we are sprawled on the couch. A good night to you!
We managed a quick break to try ice skating again, but Caty never did get hers on. Ethan had his on for about five minutes, then we were all on foot the rest of the time. I may have been a little overly optimistic about last week's success.
Jason's big accomplishment today was replacing his first car battery. It took three trips to the hardware store, mostly because he needed a new set of tools (awww....) and one of the bolts had rusted through and broke in half as he was unscrewing it. But the car is running again!!
What a tiring day! It's tiring reading about it! Well, for me. And now after finishing up bible study homework, we are sprawled on the couch. A good night to you!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
First-time Ice Skating
We took Ethan and Caty to the local park today to try out ice skating! They have a nice big area made into an ice rink, and we had decided about a week ago that we needed to try something new during this rather long and snowless winter. We have snow, that's not the problem. The problem is that the snow is about a month and a half old, and majorly hard and nasty. So we found Caty ice skates at Play It Again Sports, Ethan's size was on clearance at Target, and today the weather was finally not bitterly cold and windy. Caty was really not looking forward to this adventure, but once she got some encouragement on the ice, she didn't want to stop! Ethan was excited, then he freaked out once his skates hit the ice. After some "forceful" encouragement for him, he got the hang of it too, and loved it! We brought a couple of kid-size chairs along for them to push, but Caty definitely preferred having her daddy helping her out. It was fun, a perfect day for it, and we even had some friends join us for skating/sliding around. They were the fun family, with hockey sticks and pucks! Maybe we'll have to find some used equipment for the kids to play with on the ice. Anyway, that was our grand adventure for the weekend. The kids are already asking to go again tomorrow!
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