Our vacation

We are back from vacation! It was a fun trip up to Mille Lacs to share a cabin for a few days with Eric’s parents and Kaylee’s two cousins. It was hectic with three kids around – challenging with two two year olds who don’t know how to share yet. But still I have to say my niece and nephew are absolutely a delight! My niece is affectionate/cuddly, full of energy and laughs, generous with her artwork and an absolute beauty inside and out. My nephew always has a smile from ear to ear, is charming, athletic, and also has an endless supply of energy. It was fun to see how Kaylee reacted to the dynamic of two other kids. She was quieter than them during conflicts (i.e. sharing battles) but equally as insistent/feisty. We have a family full of cute, smart, energetic and fun kids! She worked hard at copying everything my nephew was doing. If they were doing chasing games, she would fall down when he would. If he stood up and brushed off his knee she would do the exact same thing. By the way, Kaylee is starting to become a heck of an actress. She can imitate any sound, facial expression and movement (it seems). I watched her fake a fall backward very convincingly. It made me realize how adept and able to do this she is, and to watch out for fake crying vs. real crying. Eric says it’s about tuning your ears to listen for the distinction. All in all, she came away idolizing her little cousins!

I cannot wait to introduce soon the new little guy into the mix! It was fun to observe how the older daughter, younger son (around the age as ours will be) dynamic worked as well. My niece is very protective of my nephew which is so cute. She would at times interpret his behavior for us or relay his message to us. My nephew looks to her for approval and for reassurance. When she disappeared from sight, he’d run around shouting her name. It was really sweet to see how much they love each other. Thank you to their Mom and Dad for letting us spend so much time with their beloved babes! I can’t wait for Kaylee to have a little brother!

The place we stayed was so gorgeous! It has a panoramic view of lake Mille Lacs. You could see the beach out one of fully-glazed walls. There was a balcony overlooking Mille Lacs from upstairs where the kids liked to catch a beach ball thrown from below. There was a pool and volleyball court (i.e. fun sand for pails/shovels when not used by players for the kids) . Everything was close and no one expected much walking from me. Very nice. My mother-in-law was an angel and cooked everything! It felt good to get away for a few days and to see Eric for a longer period of time (without his job requirements or mine in the mix).

Well I’ve got 4 weeks to go. The baby looks like it has dropped already, this does cause more pressure and the heat outside is a factor for sure in my energy level. I am not as flexible or willing to move without good reason. The swimming pool is a welcome amenity this summer. I’ve enjoyed having that during times of overheating. The weightlessness of swimming feels great! I’ve begun working on the details for my maternity leave with work and am thankful to work at such a nice, semi-flexible place! It is hard to arrange part-time work as an architect – there is not a lot of precedent for it. So I am staying “full-time” at 30 hours (my firm’s cut-off), which is 6 less than I am now – so I feel some relief about that!

One of the struggles I am dealing with as a working mother is getting dinners ready. It seems by the time I get home (I have a very long commute on top of my schedule) it’s like 6. Kaylee and Eric are so hungry that I just pop in whatever instant meal I can drum up and of course it’s gotta be toddler friendly – mac and cheese, nuggets, grilled cheese, bertolli pasta dinners and on a good night I might make some waffles from scratch. I feel like a real failure in this department lately. Esp. with being this pregnant /hot I don’t want to turn on the stove either. When I find a moment, I am going to be researching websites that specialize in recipes that can be frozen or cooked in the crock pot. I’ll let you know when I do that and what I find out. Would appreciate insights others have gotten or favorite family-friendly, expeditious recipes you may have under your belt!

34 weeks, birth center tour, new car, vacation plans

Kaylee had a great time yesterday visiting her Aunt Krissy and Uncle Matt. It was very hard for her to leave and there was a lot of whining but once we left, she wanted to come back in and tell them goodbye (in a nice way). They played with her at the playground for a long time! She slept well when we got home!

Update on me: I had my 34th week dr. appt. Everything's fine and normal. They want me to schedule a couple appts with PT for my back issues. Other than that what I really feel is totally tired....and hot! I have begun to swell and am glad I have all the flat, wide shoes I bought for this pregnancy early on. It's nice the second time you kinda know what to expect from your body. We have asked Kaylee what she wants to name her brother, reponses have been "Sammy," "Pippin,"and "Kaylee." I think we can safely say that none are contenders! :) But it's funny to get her input.

Kaylee has now pooped in the potty a couple times, I don't know if I mentioned that. But things are not predictable, nor does she quite seem determined/interested/committed. I personally don't have the energy/drive/committment that's probably required for the activity. I think we can count on a few months after baby arrives unless she starts to be really intrigued.

I went and toured the birth center to see where I would have the baby. It met expectations - it was nice, well-designed, good amenities and clean. I like the fact that they don't limit you from eating during labor. With Kaylee they yelled at me for eating teddy grahams during a 17 hour labor (I was hungry! Grrrr!). Anyways, now it's just up to the staff. I hope they are professional/competent/respectful/not focused too much on interventions/listen to us. I am crossing my fingers the midwife will be great and that the baby doesn't end up in the NICU like Kaylee did! One can only hope!

I got a new car - my old one had major transmission issues and unfortunately we lost (a lot) of money to that. This is my first new car. It's a mazda 5, seats 6, a manual, and red (my favorite!) It's a lot of fun - I spend A LOT of time in the car commuting to work as far as I do everyday. It feels good to have a reliable car and one our family can comfortably grow into. Thank you to Eric who did all the looking around/investigation without the pregnant wife in tow - that helped a lot!

Kaylee (and all of us) are excited that this coming weekend Kaylee's grandparents are bringing up Kaylee's cousins. We can't wait to see them! Kaylee even got to talk to them on the phone the other day (she loves doing that now and is pretty good at talking on the phone but is a little shy/quiet at first). We, as a family, will go stay at a cabin in Mille Lacs with them for a few days. That will be very nice and a welcome vacation for Eric and I!

Kaylee really enjoyed her fourth of July! First part of the day we had my family over for my sisters birthday celebration, a pool party. She loved running around outside and playing “ring around the rosy” (apparently the only way she will set foot in the pool – except for the stairs). She played a lot in her kiddie pool. She loved the chicken Eric barbequed too! “Good chicken Daddy!” She took a good nap and then the neighbors (with their 5 kids) came over to play in the pool and we had another party! She idolizes the older girls and loved that they included her in their counting as they jumped into the pool. She’s named one of her dollies after an older girl calling it, “Victooooooria.”

At fireworks at night, my parents joined us. She enjoyed seeing the carnival lights and the rides. She seemed to be in a state of disbelief about all the lights. She was in awe. Kaylee looked so cute in her American sweetheart shirt, her red polka dot skirt and her red, white and blue doggie barrettes in her hair.

Then the fireworks show started. She was a bit scared in the beginning and snuggled into Daddy’s lap, watching carefully the spectacle. Then she got used to it and cuddled with my Mom, and near the neighbor girls on the picnic blanket. The big girls helped her feel comfortable and soon Kaylee was making huge excited arm movements, her mouth was open in awe and she clapped for joy. She said, “Boom! Fireworks! Green! Heart!” You get the idea…she was fully participating in the experience. And just when it couldn’t get any better a train went by on nearby tracks – and she was in heaven. What could be better? A train and fireworks!

Something funny Kaylee said about going potty: Eric asked her if she would go poop in the potty if Mommy took her, because she had started. She said matter-of-factly, “No, I don’t need to poop in the potty because Mommy will just change my diaper.” So it seems some sort of reward system, like stickers, will have to be implemented….

Kaylee plays with her dolls in a somewhat embarrassing way now…for me anyway. She says to them, “You have a warning. Do you need a time out?” And then says to them “Do you understand?” She sounds like a little mini-me. I wonder what she sounds like to our daycare lady, at least she doesn’t say, “Are you ready for a spanking?” or something worse. (By the way, we do not spank Kaylee.)

One things that’s so cute she’s been doing is telling us when she’s really happy. Like right in the middle of playing with play-doh she’ll look up and say, “I’m happy Momma.” That’s so sweet. I love hearing her say that!

Catching up on photos from Father's Day and Visit with Smiths