No, I'm not just fat!

From 2009 12 07

Its true! Baby number 2 is on the way! We are so thrilled! We are about 10 weeks right now. We heard the heartbeat on Friday, which means the baby is healthy! He or she will be expected sometime in early July, right after Gregory's 3rd birthday. Many of you may remember that we had quite a complicated journey to conceive Gregory. With this one, it did take a little longer than we might have liked, but at least it did not require doctor intervention! So far this pregnancy has been quite different as well. I have been feeling physically better than last time, since I am not dealing with the huge ovarian cysts I had in the first trimester with Gregory. However, I have been far more nauseous, and have major food aversions. I have not been able to look at, smell, talk about, or think about any kind of meat. Actually just typing that makes me a little urpy! I have occasionally been able to eat a little of it if I distract myself and don't think about it too much! I haven't been able to do any cooking really...I haven't even hardly been able to open the fridge - I have to hold my breath! Thankfully, Dan is in between exams right now and has been able to take over all that, bless him! I am expecting to be back to normal after the holidays...please let me be back to normal after the holidays!!!

We have interviewed several home birth midwives here. There are so many to choose from! They were all wonderful, but I am having a little bit of a hard time deciding which one to choose. I need to get that figured out soon! Since midwives are all legal and cool here, it is really nice to be able to talk about them by name and not have to be all sneaky like it was in Omaha. Nebraska really needs to get its act together when it comes to all that, its just plain crazy there! Anyway, I am just so grateful to be in such a fabulous environment now, because I truly appreciate what having access to birth options means.

We have talked about the new baby with Gregory a little bit. So far, he knows there is a tiny baby in Mommy's tummy, which will grow bigger and bigger. He has seen other moms around here with big bellies so I think he sort of gets that. We have also talked about having to share the milkies when the new baby comes, and he seems to be ok with that. He says that they will "switch" which I think means that they will share both of them! Greg has already reduced his nursing quite a lot from before I was pregnant, probably due to my decreasing milk supply, but I am really hoping that he will nurse through. You may recall, I had serious oversupply problems with Greg and I am hoping that if that happens again, having a nursing toddler will be a welcome relief. If there is anything I am fearing about having another baby right now, its that - the engorgement pain is just a place I don't want to go again! I'll birth a baby any day compared to that! Anyway, I showed Gregory a picture of what the baby looks like right now, from a book called A Child Is Born that my parents used to teach us about babies when we were little, and he took the book and gave it a big hug! I think he is really looking forward to having a sibling, but occasionally he does say things like "I'M your baby" and he tells the dog "No Lucy, thats MY mommy!" So of course, there is an ongoing process. Knowing him, I definitely think it was the right idea to start talking to him about it sooner rather than later...he will need the time to adjust to the idea!

Well, I am hoping to do regular pictures again with the pregnancy. I think it will be special for the kids when they get older, and I also think it will be fun to compare!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a nice little Thanksgiving season this year. Dan went down to Omaha the weekend before for the annual Midnight Ballers Turkey Bowl. Grandma Bonnie stayed with us while he was gone, and she and Gregory had a fabulous time together as always. The Grandpa Mike and Grandma Coralie came out for Thanksgiving and the weekend after. Coralie's brother Russ makes a very magical Santa, who we visited at the Excelsior Cristkindlsmarkt Festival. Gregory was not very sure at first, but I think having a familiar face in that Santa suit definitely helped him have a positive first Santa experience. And of course, what visit would be complete without Grandpa and Dan going to a Vikings game? Now the Christmas decorations are starting to go up around here and we are looking forward to our trip to California coming up very quickly!

I guess our blog isn't dead after all...

If there is anyone out there that even checks this blog anymore, I apologize for the long hiatus! It has just been a really insane several months, and our camera's memory card has been lost for several weeks. We finally found it, so I guess we can get a little back on track here.

The pictures pick up back in July, so we'll start there. Gregory and I visited North Dakota a little bit and he had a great time riding HIS "Sadie-horse" with Grandma Bonnie. Then, back in Minneapolis, we celebrated Dan's 30th birthday with an ice cream cake.


We spent half of August sick with summer colds, and then at the beginning of September, my Grandfather passed away. Gregory and I traveled home to be with the family, which was Grandpa's last gift! We were really grateful to be there with everyone, and especially, to meet my cousin Sarah's daughter, Rebecca, for the first time. She is stinkin cute and Gregory adored her. He really adored being with all the family, as always.

All the hugs were the result of the 1-2-3 Huggie game:


More Gregory and Rebecca cuteness:


I also got to visit with my friend Michal, and her son Xander, who happened to be there in California while we were there. Xander ended up getting sick and being in the hospital, and I was really glad I could be there for them during that rough time. Xander got well and is just fine, thankfully! Michal was also able to make it to the Memorial Service, which was a real comfort and help to me.

From Downloads

From Downloads

And of course, Fall brought the start of football season as well:


When Gregory and I got back from CA, Dan went to Seattle for a week-long exam seminar. Then on Oct 1st we moved out of the townhouse, into a house. We love the house, it is much more comfortable and conveniently located than we were before, which is a good thing because it looks like we'll be in it for a couple of years at least. Our house in Omaha is still on the market, and even if we sell it at this point, we will have to rent for a while to save up enough for a downpayment. I think we were a little naive about the cost of housing here in the Twin Cities, but the honest truth is that it is really about double what we were used to in Omaha. The rest of October was spent unpacking, and Dan was desperately trying to study for his exam, which he took on Oct 29th. As usual, we were all just glad it was over. Results don't come out until January, so we are just trying to relax and enjoy our time together.

More to post before 4 months from now, I promise!

Hangin in MN

Grandma Bonnie came to visit over the 4th of July, and we enjoyed a lot of fun time together. One of the highlights was the Taste of Minnesota festival. Gregory got to try a lot of classic fair foods for the first time, went on the pony ride TWICE with Grandma, the petting zoo, and even a carnival ride. Pony rides definitely make for great Kodak moments! Grandma and Gregory got to spend a lot of time together while Mommy and Daddy went out house hunting too. We feel like we have a pretty good handle on the areas we would consider living, so as soon as our house in Omaha sells, we should be ready to make offers here. Anyone know anyone in Omaha looking for a house?


And now for some merciless humor at Gregory's expense...it won't be long before we won't be able to post pics of him like this anymore, but for now, its hilarious! Gregory has been working on potty learning, so I often let him run around the house with no pants on. This day he wanted to play ball with Lucy in the backyard, which is shared with our neighbors, so I thought he'd better put on some shorts. I quickly grabbed a pair which turned out to be a little too big... I am very proud to say that he is now wearing underwear during all waking hours though, even when we go out! We didn't even have to bribe him! Such a big boy! And yes, I did get him some shorts that fit without the diapers!


Greg has also been experimenting with self-portraiture:

Whirlwind

Can it really have been 2 months? The time has just disappeared, and now we find ourselves with a whole new life. Dan has a new job and our family has relocated to the Minneapolis area. Yes, that's Minnesota, people. As in Minne-soh-tah! Our house in Omaha is probably going under contract in the next couple of days (yay!) and this afternoon was our third trip out with our realtor here to house hunt. In the meantime, we are renting a nice little townhouse. I, personally, am just trying to keep my brains from imploding. In between leaving Omaha and arriving in MN, Gregory and I visited CA for two and a half weeks. It was a great trip, but just added to the chaos of this time. So without further ado, I present May and June in pictures (and a few videos). I will do my best to break it down into digestible bits and explain a little context.

This was early May, including Mother's Day. We went to the same great brunch as last year. We learned that Gregory loves coffee.


Grandpa Mike and Grandma Coralie came down for a long weekend. We hadn't seen them in a LONG time, I think since November! We had a great time exploring the zoo, reading books, and dancing to music.


A little Gregory cuteness as we began the packing process:

My captions aren't working, but the one with the phone should say "Auntie Kayla, I'm calling to let you know I found your cell phone that you lost 4 years ago!"





Having a little fun with our friends before saying goodbye! We'll miss you Omaha!


Then while Dan organized the move, Gregory and I were off to California! The first day we arrived was Audrey's confirmation, and the next day was a big party to celebrate Claire's graduation from high school and Audrey's Sweet 16. We all had a great time, as you can see...we especially had a good laugh over Audrey's relighting candles - she had never heard of them, I guess!


We went on a nice nature hike with Uncle Benny and Auntie Kayla. There was a very friendly duck that we played with for a long time.




We played at the playground whenever we got the chance, and one of Gregory's favorite things was when Uncle Benny would wear him in the wrap and go for a walk. He was out like a light almost instantly!


Tita (Auntie) Liz was able to get us all tickets to see Sesame Street Live, Gregory's first stage show! At first he didn't really know what was going on, and wasn't real excited about having to sit still, but once he saw Big Bird, Elmo, and Abby Cadabby dancing and singing on stage, he was hooked! We all went out for a nice lunch afterwards, and when Mommy and the Aunties went out to the movies in the evening, Grandma Mary and Gregory hung out together.


The Bowers Museum and Kidseum in Orange County had a day for free attendance during their Pacific Rim Cultural Festival. Uncle Benny learned some Tahitian Hula, and Tita Liz won the cake walk! At the Kidseum they had a lot of fun masks, drums, and a puppet theater. Gregory got a big kick out of the way Tita Liz's hair was blowing in the breeze!


One day we went to Mother's Beach. We hoped it would be a little warmer, but it was pretty darn chilly. Gregory, Auntie Hannah and Auntie Audrey braved the water, though they didn't stay in for long. We got dressed again and chased seagulls and played on the playground.




When we were hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Greg's favorite place to be was the backyard. He showed the Aunties how to play broom ball, and we all laughed at Maggie frolicking around - she's almost 15, you know!


We also had a fun time at the La Habra Children's Museum! They had some cool trains, a carousel, and lots of other neat stuff...




We continued our enjoyment of the Long Beach Marina with a visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific, and a boat ride with Uncle Brian and Aunt Vicky. Gregory took being the First Mate very seriously!


We were proud to be there to celebrate Claire's high school graduation. She graduated with honors, and won the Jacqueline Vail Memorial Award for excellence in the arts - all four of our sisters who have graduated from Connelly so far have won that honor! It was a little emotional seeing (and hearing) Claire and Audrey sing "May the Lord Bless You and Keep You" in the Advanced Women's Ensemble for the last time together. It was a beautiful ceremony, but Gregory had a hard time appreciating it until he found some other boys to hang out with! We finished off the evening with a dinner at P.F. Chang's, making Uncle Benny-style moustaches from our wax sticks. The food was good too!


For me, the absolute pinnacle of the trip was taking Gregory to Disneyland for the first time. Grandma Mary treated us all to the special day. The only thing that was not 100% perfect was that Dan and Grandpa Nick weren't there to share it with us! I think Disneyland blew Greg's mind! The Tiki Room was the first thing we did, and it was fun but the drums were a little startling for him. He loved the Tea Cups even though he was so dizzy. He got to try Cotton Candy for the first time, and is now officially addicted. After the Winnie the Pooh ride he said "really really scary!" He adored the train, the carousel, Dumbo, and Autopia. We were so busy having fun, we didn't really take all that many pictures, and I think there are a lot of shots on other people's cameras (hint, hint, send them to me!) Some people think almost-2 is too young to take kids, but he is still talking about it, especially when he wears his new "My First Trip to Disneyland" shirt! I think it was totally awesome and I can't wait to go again at Christmas!


The day after we returned to MN was Gregory's 2nd birthday! Grandpa Mike and Grandma Coralie were in town so we had a little party. He blew his candles out all by himself and sang the Happy Birthday song for days afterwards! He got really into opening the presents too! I can't believe my little baby is already 2!




Since then we have been trying to get over our jet lag, learning our way around, unpacking a little bit, and house hunting. We've also gone to a few playgroups and started to meet some new friends. Its all very overwhelming, but all in all, its shaping up to be a positive change. I will start getting the camera out again now that I have all of these downloaded and I can erase my memory card! I'll do my best to post more often to keep you all updated on Gregory's adventures in Minnesota!

April in Pictures

Sorry for the long delay - the camera was, gasp, lost for a while there. Its ok, we recovered it!

April started off like this:

From 2009 05 03

So we were still all in the mood for being bundled up:

From 2009 05 03

From 2009 05 03

But the snow melted pretty quick and soon enough, it was Easter. Greg got his first Easter basket, and he really enjoyed it! He got so excited for chocolate, he was about to eat it wrapper and all!


And recently Greg has gotten the clue about smiling for the camera, so we will need to be taking advantage of that more!

From 2009 05 03

From 2009 05 03

I do have some videos from Easter, but I'll have to post them later - it takes forever to upload them!

Well, I have a LOT of pics and videos to catch up on from our trip to Chicago last week. Dan attended a seminar during the day while Greg and I visited our friend Becca and her two darling children, Jacob and Georgia. In spite of being sick, we all really enjoyed ourselves. Becca and the kids showed us around some of their favorite spots - the mall playground, the library, the zoo, the children's museum... Also we stayed at Gregory's Godparents' home, but they were away in Greece - we missed them, but we loved the comfort of a familiar home. Gregory had fun playing their piano, but I think their sweet cat was a little put off by the noise and rapid movements of a toddler... She did let him pet her a little bit though, and he loved her!









These coasters have musical instruments on them, mostly horns...







Thanks for the caterpillar, Patrick and Keri! The way he says caterpillar is so cute!


On the way home we stopped at an indoor playground to let Greg burn off some steam, which was a big hit! But then we were attacked by a coyote that threw itself in front of our van, demolishing the bumper and radiator. The bad news is that our van is STILL in Iowa City getting repaired. The good news is that we got to spend a little time in Iowa City and see a couple of old friends from our time during Dan's grad school days there, and we will have to go back to get the van when its done, so we'll visit a couple other people then...good friends that we do not see often enough!

WAAAHHHH!!!!!

I took Gregory for his first professional haircut today. It was a big mistake. I told the lady I did NOT want it too short, I just wanted her to fix it so the back was more manageable. The poor kid looks bald - he looks like one of those kids who is born bald and never grows any hair until they're three. I am so upset - all his beautiful soft hair is gone! That is the last time I let anyone else near his hair! I just hope it grows out quickly! Then again, looking through the pictures again, its pretty hard to diminish his innate cuteness...but still, he was cuter with hair!

A Little Gregory Humor...

Our boy is quite the little funny man - I heard some loud thuds the other day, and found him upstairs entertaining himself. He was so hilarious and having such a good time, I just had to grab the camera. (And yes, that is one of my bras around his neck!)


And here are some videos of him singing songs - he loves to sing! Its amazing how many of the words he knows, too! I can sing pretty much any song, stop in the middle, and he will sing the next word...even in the ABC's... I am so impressed with him!

"Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?"


"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" (distracted by the proximity of milkies after the 3rd line...)


"ABC's"


I don't even know what to say about this, except its typical Greg...and I love it!


I swear, he asked me to put this rubber band in his hair! Soak it in because he's going for a real haircut sometime soon...somehow, I don't think he'll mind shorter hair...but I'm not sure I'll be able to stand cutting off too much of it! Still, something must be done - we need a professional!

From 2009 03 12

From 2009 03 12

Greg and Daddy - my cute guys! Greg did take a spill yesterday and has a bruise on his upper lip...poor baby!

From 2009 03 12

He does slow down sometimes! This is him at nap time - all tucked in with the requisite "two babies"

From 2009 03 12

From 2009 03 12

More Fun Videos

Lunchtime fun


Singing in the bathtub


First BandAid


Counting

Hilarious!

Watch for the big finish!

(not so) Little Update

Hello all - I've been sorely neglecting this blog, my apologies. I have really not gotten the camera out much this month - work has been insanely busy for me, but its about to slow down some so I should have more time to take pictures, and post them!

Here are a few things that have been going on around here lately. We've been in somewhat of better routines with Gregory - he is maturing so nicely and able to a lot of things more independently. He also has discovered the power to refuse our requests, and uses that quite frequently! He is really quite the spirited toddler, and he's not even two yet! But I'd say he is absolutely delightful and fun at least 80% of the time, so that's really not too bad. We've also had a major breakthrough with the nap/bedtime process, which really takes the stress off... he will now basically go to sleep on his own! We have our little routine getting ready, then if its me putting him down I will lay and nurse him for a few minutes, or if its Dan he will rock him a little, and once he's sort of mellowed out, we tuck him in with his little lullaby glow worm and kiss him goodnight and leave! He will often talk to himself a little bit and then drift off without much fuss. Sometimes he calls us and we go back in and comfort him a little more, and all this goes for naps too - so we think he is really doing so great! He is getting closer to sleeping through the night too - I still nurse him once in the middle of the night, but other than that, he usually doesn't wake up much, and more and more he is able to go back to sleep himself too. Wow, its amazing to be getting better sleep now, and when we look back on all the effort we have spent on it, we are glad that we didn't force him into a rigid sleep schedule before he was ready. Here he is, not even two yet, and doing it on his own, without trauma! It reinforces the tough choices we made and all those times we wondered if it would be worth it, well, the answer is yes!

And yes, we are still nursing and still loving it. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until at least 2 years old, and I have no intention of forcing him to stop - I can't even imagine how traumatized he would be! As it is, I do have my limits and will tell him "later" sometimes, and its hard for him to accept it, but he does. I think it is a fabulous opportunity to teach him about limits and boundaries in a most loving context. I am also so grateful to have it as a tool in my parenting toolbox! For example, last week we were all sick and he didn't want to eat or drink anything except "milkies." He nursed like a newborn, but at least I didn't have to worry about him getting dehydrated or malnourished! And I didn't have to go out and buy some Pedialyte or any other ridiculous high-fructose corn syrup filled nonsense, either!

He is also coming along beautifully with his language skills - often he puts 3 or 4 or even 5 words together! He is learning new words and also new signs every day...its so much fun to hear his thoughts! Of course, a lot of the time, we are the only people who can understand him, but his pronunciation gets better all the time too... He loves reading books, so we go to the library and check out new ones all the time - he asks me to read the same thing over and over and over again! He loves to sing, and when Hannah was here, she taught him the solfege scale, Do Re Mi, etc, so he sings that all the time... He can count to 8, but not exactly in the right order! He is starting to work on singing the ABC's too - he can go up to D by himself... he is so funny!

OK, well I think that's a pretty good update for now. I will work on getting more pics and videos to share soon!



These are from lunch today - he was pretty tired as it was right before nap, but its easy to film him in the highchair because he can't run away!

"More Water"


"More 'Dilla"


"La de dum - Gregory sings a song"


And this was from Inauguration Day

Very Very Belated Christmas Videos (and more!)

My deepest apologies to those who check this blog frequently - I have been working about 30 hours a week this month, not counting grading and class prep, so I haven't had a lot of time to upload videos, which takes inordinately long! Anyway, here are some from California and a few from this month when Greg's Auntie Hannah was visiting. There were lots of silly ones of him ripping open Christmas presents, but really, they were not that interesting...I have only posted the funny and cute ones here...but if you really want to see him opening presents, I can hook you up, just let me know...











This one requires a little explanation - it was the first time he ever saw what a golf ball returner does...you hear the pop sound at the beginning and can briefly see the ball roll by, but his reaction is the fun part...

Very Belated Christmas Post

Sorry its taken so long to get these up - we had over 300 pictures to sort through, and that doesn't even count videos! Those will come soon...

I put captions on the pictures to give you an idea of where we were and what was going on, so hopefully you'll have a good idea of what we did while there. We took several fun day trips around the LA area, enjoyed spending time with family, and relaxed. It was pretty low key and wonderful! It was pretty hard to come back to Omaha considering that when we departed it was -7 degrees, and it was 52 when we got to LA.