The Karate Kid

Sibs

2012-01-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know why being spit at makes him laugh, but it certainly does! (Maia wasn't really spitting, just making that sound--I checked).

Even though he's a really jolly kid, I've never heard Sam laugh like this before. He laughed at Maia all night last night, even trying to mimic her sounds.

Some notes: Yes, he's standing up all by himself, even though it terrifies me. And yes, he's inside some gates in our living room (Barney can be a little much, and Sam climbs all over him). We call it being inside The ThunderDome!!! (said like a monster truck rally announcer)

I have a feeling Maia has an admirer!

Shot Caller

2011-12-11T10:46:00.001-08:00

Sam's a baller.

He's totally going to play basketball.

Just kidding, there's no way. Have you seen Brad? He's practically a midget.

Sam sure is great at dribbling, though!

3 1/2 Year Old Maia

2011-12-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

I stopped doing monthly updates of Maia a long time ago, and I didn't really do a great job of doing a proper update on Maia when she turned 3 in May (chalk it up to having a newborn around, will you?). I've been thinking about how Maia is changing and growing, and I haven't really been documenting it at all. Because of that, I'm going to do a proper update now. I know these are probably super boring for anyone else, but I love having a record of all of this, so feel free to skip it altogether! :)

Food and Drink:
--Maia likes to eat, and really likes helping to choose her meals. Perhaps I'd say she's a bit picky, but it's more about what she's in the mood for rather than what she likes and doesn't like. We try not to accommodate after we've already prepared something, but we'll often take her suggestions before we make a meal.
--Maia loves helping me bake and cook. She can crack an egg into a bowl, stir without spilling (usually) and dump measured dry ingredients into the mixing bowl for me. She has a relatively short attention span, so we usually have to work pretty quickly or I lose my assistant. :)

--She likes fruit (bananas and berries are favorites). When asked what her favorite fruit is, she said, "I love every fruit!"
--I just asked Maia what her favorite food is, and she said, "I like to eat raisins. My favorite food is raisins!" This could be because there is a bowl with some yogurt-covered raisins on the table, so it was the first thing she thought about. :)
--Maia is not a fan of vegetables if she is choosing what to eat. She has no real problem eating green beans (even though she'll tell you she doesn't like them), and she says corn is her favorite vegetable. She doesn't really like peas, although she'll attempt to try most vegetables if she's presented with them.
--She loves yogurt of any kind.
--She likes snacks, of course, and will always eat crackers. She likes cheese, and peanut butter and granola bars.

--She doesn't like drinking milk, but she always drinks water. We don't really give her juice, but she does like orange juice when she can get it (rarely). Sugar-free Kool-Aid or Crystal Light are also favorites when it's warm out.
--Maia is pretty good with a fork and spoon, but still wants to use her hands since it's quicker and easier. It can sometimes be a battle, but we do ask her to use her utensils.
--She's been enjoying having a booster seat in a big chair at the table. I think she feels more like a big kid, since Sam is the one in a high chair.

Sleep:
--Maia is sleeping in her own room, in her big bed.
--She sleeps with a night light on, and doesn't seem to be afraid of the dark at all.
--She likes her stuffed animal, Violet, to play "goodnight music" for ten minutes after we shut the lights off and say goodnight. Violet turns off on her own after that time, so it works well.
--Maia usually sleeps sideways in her bed, with her head on her moose PillowPet (a gift from Marin), but she does make the choice to sleep with her head on a regular pillow, sleeping the "regular way" in bed about once a week.
--We start the bedtime routine around 6:45. We go upstairs, brush teeth and go to the bathroom, get jammies on, and read two or three books. Maia insists on having her hair brushed before she sleeps (because I told her once that if she doesn't brush her hair it'll get knots in it, and that completely freaked her out), so we'll do that. She likes her green Nalgene waterbottle (a gift from my friend Kathy) to be full, so we'll fill that up if it needs it. We then turn on her fan, blow "flying smooches" from the door, and say goodnight.
--After that, one of two things happens. She might just say goodnight and quietly go to sleep. OR, she might start yelling requests and protesting our taking leave. And then scream and scream and sob loudly until we go back in (which we have recently stopped doing), or until we let her cry herself to sleep. That second option is super fun, let me tell you! Luckily, Sam doesn't seem impacted by her racket.
--Maia will sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, calling for me because she had a bad dream. She can often tell me what the dream was about if I ask her, and it's usually stuff like spiders or bears, or being lost. She's pretty easy to get back to sleep after that, luckily. I've also heard her talking in her sleep, although it's tough to make out what she's saying.
--Maia sleeps decently late in the morning, which is nice when Sam also sleeps. She's always up by 7:30, and is more likely to be up around 7:00 or so if we let her sleep. I usually have to wake her up at 6:30 or so on Joy's days.
--Maia doesn't nap at home anymore. She has "quiet time" in her room where she can play or read (she did fall asleep in her closet once) for about an hour. It's really more for Brad and me, let's face it, but she actually really enjoys it, too.

Play:
--Maia LOVES anything pretend.

Making lunch with her cousin, Cleary at Thanksgiving

Fishing from their boat!

--She likes making up and telling stories (which I'm always impressed have a real plot, with a conflict, a climax and resolution). She wants us to tell her stories, which she insists always star a princess named Maia and a prince named Sam. There's often a dragon who is mean, but then through a series of events, Princess Maia realizes that he just wants friends and she and Prince Sam decide to befriend him.
--Brad and I are often assigned roles out of nowhere, and for some reason I'm usually evil. Like, Brad is the king and I'm the witch or I'm the evil stepmother. Maia and I put on a full-out musical a few weeks ago, where I was a witch who was mean. I sang a song about just wanting friends (it's a theme here in our house) and wishing people would be nice to me, and I did it mostly to make Brad laugh. But then Maia came into the kitchen and started singing to me about how she would be my friend and we could live happily ever after. We finished with a duet about being friends and being nice to everyone. It was great stuff, let me tell you! :)
--Maia still really loves books. She will sit and read them herself for a long time, and is loves picking out which books we'll read at bedtime. She has the majority of books we own memorized, and it always shocks me how much of any given book she can recite word-for-word. She's been into The Lorax lately, and one night when I sighed, "Man, that's kind of a sad book!" at the end, she informed me that it's really about making sure we're nice to trees and protecting them. I stood corrected. :)

--Music is important in our house, too. Maia has a great ear for music, and often recognizes a song when she's only heard it once or twice. She knows lyrics and will sing them, which is better than Brad! :)
--Maia also likes watching TV. We struggled at first whether or not to let her watch TV, but my god is it ever a lifesaver sometimes! I will say that she gets very involved in the story lines, and we only let her watch shows for kids, obviously. Some of her favorites include Kipper, Backyardigans, Wonder Pets, and He-Man (yes, Brad introduced her to He-Man. She will often tell us that she's She-Ra, Brad is He-Man, Barney is Cringer, and I always have to be some random character like Orco or the Sorceress. Bitter!)
--Maia just finished her first dance class, and she continues to take swimming lessons. She was the youngest in her dance class and definitely struggled a bit to stay focused, but had a good time nonetheless. She's a good swimmer, and has no problem whatsoever swimming with her face in the water. She jumps in all by herself, and will go down to the bottom to try to get a ring.

Behavior:
--Whoever said three years old is a rough age, especially for girls, is no liar. Maia is a handful; she's exuberant and energetic and engaged. She's dynamic. And that's awesome when she's behaving well and doing what she's supposed to do, and god-awful when she's being naughty or not listening. She makes me more angry and frustrated than anyone or anything in the world. And at the same time, I love her more profoundly and deeply than anyone or anything else in the world (with the exception of a certain bearded fellow in our house, and I don't mean Barney). I know that other parents know exactly what I mean.
--Maia is surprisingly polite. She says please and thank you without prompting (although she needs reminders sometimes to ask us nicely to do things, rather than commanding). She has learned to say "Excuse me" when she wants someone's attention, and she'll often say it to random people in stores. They're usually pretty surprised when she does it, and then when they look at her she has to come up with something to tell them on the spot because she didn't actually have anything planned to say. Yesterday she showed everyone in an aisle of Target her snack: "Excuse me, woman. I have fruit leather!"

"Excuse me, Sam. Will you please stop pulling tufts of hair from my head? Thank you."

(I think this is one of my favorite pictures from Thanksgiving--my mom is kind of shocked, Sam is hyper-focused on his grip, Maia is whimpering, and I just stand and take pictures. Mother of the year, folks!)

--We use time-outs when she needs them. Lately, she gets them for not listening or for hitting (she will give us a very light slap on the arm sometimes when she's REALLY mad). We'll put her time time out, she'll scream and tantrum for a few minutes, but she won't get up. Then, after 3 or 4 minutes, we'll go get her, she'll apologize and we'll talk about why she got a time-out. It seems to be effective, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to shake her silly sometimes!
--Maia likes to make deals with us. She bargains with us whenever she can. "Mama, I have a deal for you..." In a way, it's good because it teaches her to compromise. She definitely doesn't always get her way, though! :)

New Sister Update:
--Mo continues to be a very loving and patient big sister. I have never, not even once, seen her act in a mean or otherwise unpleasant way towards Sam. She tries to cheer him up when he cries, sings songs to him and talks to him to make him smile and laugh, and even plays games with him. She is patient when we need to tend to Sam's needs, and she has asked about getting some more brothers or sisters (sorry, kiddo, you're out of luck!). From the way he looks at her and wants to see what she's doing all the time, I have a feeling Sam feels the same way about Maia. :)

See? She even shares her stickers! :)

(I came around the corner to find this scene and had to grab the camera)

Overall, Maia is a fantastically fun and challenging kid, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I tell her sometimes that when I pictured what I hoped my daughter might be like, Maia is exactly what I wanted--and that's absolutely true. Minus the whining. ;-)

Sam the Happy, Mobile Baby

2011-12-06T20:06:00.001-08:00

This may be shocking to some readers, but it is awesome when a baby appreciates the ridiculous things you do to try to get him to laugh. Lucky for us, Sam generally occupies the happy end of the continuum, so you either get smiles or laughter as a reward for you effort.

Exhibit A:

This is Sam just learning to get up onto hands and knees on November 8. Not too shabby for a six month old!

He's still learning here, but has much improved his sitting skills and decided that knees are an unnecessary part of crawling.

And here he is on December 4th. Pretty good progress, eh?!? Also note that of thirty odd videos that we took, this is the least video-bombed by Barney.

And yes, Sam is still happy-go-lucky at seven monthes.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-13T08:37:00.001-08:00

I am late with this, but I did want to post a few pictures from Halloween. It was a great holiday, with the anticipation almost as much fun as the actual night.

Brad is always doing fun crafty things with Maia. I came home one day to find Maia and Sam and Barney all wearing cardboard masks. It was cute and also kind of disturbing, like I had walked into some kiddie version of a horror movie.

The night before Halloween, Maia decided she wanted to wear her bumblebee costume to Joy's house for Halloween. Marin gave this costume to Maia awhile ago, and Maia LOVES it!

Maia was pumped to be wearing it out of the house, since we usually don't allow her to wear it out and about.

She did a quick test to make sure the wings were working properly--as you can see, they were.

Maia wasn't the only one dressed up for Halloween. Sam got into the spirit, dressed as a very scary monster. He's not so scary-looking here, but he was up a ton the night before and was up early on Halloween morning. Even scary monsters need a nap here or there. :)

I bought this outfit a month or so before Halloween, and had purchased a size 6 months. Sam barely fit into it, and you can see his little toes straining against the claw-feeties here. Still scary!!

I didn't get any "before" pictures of Maia dressed in her princess dress (with the fleece jacket I forced her to wear underneath--yes, I'm that mom). However, here's an after, where she's sitting with me and sampling her loot as I pass out candy at our house.

Maia had no problems whatsoever going right up to people's houses and ringing doorbells. She didn't want Brad and me to come up with her, so we had to wait in the driveway or on the sidewalk. She did, however, want to go straight into the person's house as soon as they opened the door. And she would say, "Can I have two, please?" in this very sweet voice. Brad and I told her she couldn't ask that, and she replied, "But they always say 'yes'!" I can't really argue with that logic. :)

Here's Mo, slowing down with the candy (I only let her choose four).

I love how she wears the crown--like an 80's aerobics instructor.

Until next year!

Fall Fest 2011

2011-10-27T03:57:00.000-07:00

Knowing Brad for so long, I feel like there's very little about him that surprises me (the lipstick and high heels episode notwithstanding). But every year, as summer slowly gives way to fall, Brad gets a little...down. It takes me by surprise every year when he starts feeling a bit sad--it's not like he gets so depressed that he curls into a ball on the floor or anything, but I can tell he's sad to say goodbye to summer. It just so happens, though, that I LOVE fall. So, to cheer Brad up and to really embrace the new season, our family decided to spend these past few weekends having Fall Fest 2011!!

Cinnamon latte!

What is Fall Fest 2011, you ask? Why, it's our first annual weekend o' fall fun! We did all sorts of fun fall stuff! Let's see what that included:

We started the morning off right with a little baking. Pumpkin muffins, anyone?

Papa and Sam were really excited, too.

(Yes, Brad is wearing the wearable blanket my mom gave me for Christmas. It's awesome)

Maia kept a good eye on the muffins while they baked. Once they came out, I could hardly keep her away from them while they cooled.

After we enjoyed the muffins, we decided to go to the pumpkin patch. We were a little hesitant, because it was SUPER windy out. But it was Fall Fest, people, so we bundled up and out we went!

Photos galore:

The above picture makes me giggle. I kept yelling at them to look at me, but apparently the sun was RIGHT behind me. This was the best photo I got of this shot! :)

The only picture taken of me was this one with Mo (proof that I was there, too!)

Maia picked out "one for Sam"

Brad ran into Target on our way to the pumpkin patch and bought this hat for Mo.
I was impressed with his choice, and Maia LOVED it! :)

Here it comes: memory lane time!!
Four years, same cart o' pumpkins:
2008

2009

2010

2011

I meant to get one of Sam, but it was SO chilly, and he was snug and sleeping in the Ergo on Brad.

We also went on a horse and wagon ride, and Sam woke up to enjoy it.
The photo is totally blown out, but it'll do.

Happy fall, y'all!

Pumpkin Pete

2011-10-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

His name isn't really Pete, it's just that "Pumpkin Sam" doesn't have the same ring to it.

A pumpkin's gotta roll, baby!

Over it!

Le Dance

2011-10-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Maia has been taking dance class every Saturday for five weeks now. My mom had been offering to get us lessons and dance clothes practically since Maia could walk and we finally took her up on the offer! Thanks, Mom!

Now, on to the show! Let's not count the number of times Maia leaves the line, swings on the barre, makes faces into the mirror, asks for hugs, cuts back into the front of the line, or otherwise just decides to do her own thing.

Super Papa!

2011-10-07T11:24:00.001-07:00

What this picture doesn't show is that I then carried them all on MY back. Okay, just kidding. I let Brad do the heavy lifting around here.

Summer 2011 in 45 Seconds

2011-10-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hey, guys--it's been awhile, huh? Pretty much a whole summer, in fact. We've been trying to find a good way to fix our photo storage problem, but I think we're just going to pay for the extra photos and be done with it. I have a whole back-log of photos to post, obviously, so to save me the headache (and to save you the millions of posts I'd put up to get them on here), I just used my friend Julia's idea to make a video. And by "make a video" I mean that I just had a website do it for me.

So, here is our summer (up until August) in a very quick 45 seconds. This will at least give you an idea of what we did. And, uh, it also goes backwards in time, since I loaded the photos in reverse chronological order. Whatevs. :)

I hope to resume typical posts very soon! :)

Technical Difficulties

2011-08-02T17:38:00.003-07:00

Sorry, guys. I realize it's been a super-long time since the last post. However, we're having some technical issues here--blogger tells me my photo limit has been reached! I'm not joking! We're trying to figure out the next step, whether it's moving the blog to another site or doing something else.

Blogger, it's not my fault I have cute kids, okay?! ;-)

We'll keep you posted.

Pool Party

2011-07-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

It's been wicked hot here the past few days. Maia has been beating the heat by going to the pool practically every day with Joy. When she asked to go to the park yesterday, I just couldn't bring myself to load up our gear, the smallest kiddo, and drag our sweaty selves to the park and back in this humidity. So, I told Mo we could set up our inflatable pool instead. By "we," of course, I meant "Brad can do it." He was such a trooper. :)

Remember this?

Mo, July 2009

She's changed a bit, huh? :)

Maia was a champ.

That pool water was pretty much straight from the hose, and it was fuh-REEZING!

Sam was finishing up his nap inside when we were outside--don't worry, we brought the monitor out so we could hear when he woke up.

We brought Barney out with us, and he decided to get into the pool when Brad got in with Maia, too. I didn't get a picture of that, but trust me when I tell you that wet dog smells fantastic.

Maia wanted to play with her chalk, too. The chalk and container were both gifts from her Uncle Brian and Aunt Karen, and she LOVES them (both the chalk and the people who gave it to her!) :)

I was out running errands before all of this, and when I drove up to the house I saw Brad tracing Maia with the chalk in the driveway. Brad filled in the rest while Maia played in the pool, so when she was done, she found a "Chalk Maia."

Sam finally woke up, and I fed him and brought him out to join the fun. Prepare yourself for a bit of a photo-dump here, but I just can't help myself from taking pictures of that kid. I think he is just scrumptious!! :)

He's checking out Papa's chalk-work...

...and he's a harsh critic.

I'm apparently not the only one who thinks Sam is edible.

(I like the panicked look on Sam's face, too)

My fellas!

Sigh. What a cutie!

(and the baby's not too shabby, either!)

Maia decided that she would run down the sidewalk a ways to gather some dried grass clippings.

Am I the only parent who practically has a heart-attack whenever her child runs fast on the sidewalk? I can't even begin to count how many times I say, "Slow down, buddy!" in any given week. Poor kid.

Maia showed Sam her grassy treasure. He was nonplussed.

Maia, however, knew that the grass should clearly be thrown into the pool right away.

I jokingly encouraged Maia to sit down in the water, and was surprised when she actually went for it. Did I mention the water was seriously glacial? I think you can see it on her face in the photo above.

She might be freaked out by sprinklers, but she's no weanie when it comes to cold pool water!

Towards the end of our time outside in the pool, Maia thought it would be fun to yell. So she did.

She said, "Oh, I think I hear an echo!"

That was pretty cool, so she decided to SCREAM.

That kid has pipes!

(Please note that she wore her goggles throughout most of our time outside)

It was a super-fun afternoon, even though Maia finally did tire of me taking photos.

She said, "Mama, don't ever take a picture of me again. Never EVER!"

Good thing I've got another one! :)

Popsicles for Papa

2011-07-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

We admittedly didn't do a whole lot for Father's Day this year. We kept things pretty simple--by that, I mean we made popsicles. I hadn't ever really made popsicles before, but I found a recipe that we wanted to try, so we figured we'd give it a shot. The recipe is very simple; it's basically Greek yogurt with some honey, simple syrup and lemon, and whatever berries you want to add in. Maia was very excited about making the popsicles, and they actually turned out really well! Here's how to make 'em:

First, make a simple syrup of 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar (or use a sugar substitute, like we did). You can add lemon peel to this syrup, or just use a squirt or two of lemon juice so you don't have to strain it. Refrigerate the syrup until it's chilled (or at least room temp).

Your toddler will be eager to get things going here, since you didn't let her help make the syrup.

Then, combine 1 1/2 cups of plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey, and the simple syrup in a bowl.

Stir well to combine the yogurt, honey and syrup.

Taste yogurt mixture and adjust sweetness as you prefer.

Use a spoon to fill popsicle molds about half-way full.

Place molds in freezer and freeze for 40 minutes or so, or until set.

Meanwhile, cut up any fruit you'd like to add to your popsicles. We used blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries in ours.

You can also spend some time playing with the tops of the popsicle molds while you wait.

Maia recommends counting them and naming their colors.

Once the popsicles have set, choose which berries you want to add.

Drop berries into molds.

Be sure to leave some room to add more yogurt.

Top off molds with more yogurt, and snap on the tops of the molds.

Place molds back into the freezer and freeze for 3 hours (or until completely frozen).

While you wait, feel free to eat the remaining berries.

Waiting is hard to do, but it's worth it--trust me! You should do what Maia did and take a nap in the interim.

* * *

Once everything is frozen, it can be tricky getting your popsicles unmolded.

We recommend placing the molds into a bowl of lukewarm water for a minute or so to loosen them up before you try to tug them out.

Enjoy!

Sam didn't seem at all interested in the popsicles

(don't worry, I didn't really let him try it. He's a baby and I'm not a good sharer)

Feel free to dance around with a baby as you enjoy your delicious and nutritious frozen goody.

*We had a lot of yogurt leftover after this first round of popsicles. We did another batch, and just added the yogurt and berries in all at once (we didn't do the layering). The popsicles turned out just as well as the first time, and we didn't have to wait an extra 40 minutes, so I recommend doing that if you aren't concerned about trying to make yours look fancy. Brad also did a batch where he added sugar-free raspberry syrup to the yogurt for raspberry-flavored berry popsicles, and those were super-delish, too! Yay popsicles!!

Memorial Day Tradition

2011-06-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

For the second consecutive year, our little family celebrated Memorial Day by setting up a picnic and pulling out the sprinkler in the backyard. And for the second consecutive year, Maia was beside herself with excitement over the sprinkler, until we actually set it up and turned it on. Then she decided she didn't really want to do it. She showed that by running away from the sprinkler as if it were acid spraying out of it.

Maia calls this a "pic-mic":

(Ugh, I look awful here. My body after pregnancy is a bitch, y'all.)

Sprinkler time!

Mo checks out the sprinkler when it's off. It seems harmless enough, right?

Papa coaxes her over as the spray begins

Ahhh!! Water!!! Abort mission!

RUN!!!!

(I love Mo's expression here)

Sam is very concerned about things.

Baby toes!

Just like last year, we thought that if one of us showed Maia how much fun a sprinkler can be, she'd get the idea and get over her hesitation (read: searing panic). Last year it was me, this year, Brad won the prize. Mo decided she would watch and see what it was like.

Luckily, Brad took to his job with real vigor.

Head first!

Leap!

Super graceful!

This is perhaps my favorite photo of the bunch. I love how Brad is the one jumping through the sprinkler, and Maia is well off in the distance just watching. Brad really tried to sell that sprinkler, I tell you!

Maia decided she would go through as long as Brad held on to her.

She still wouldn't go in by herself, though.

Notice how Brad's all wet, and Maia has barely touched water at all.

Luckily, there was one member of this family who was totally game for that sprinkler:

He either loved that water or hated it. Either way, he mostly just gnashed his teeth at it and tried to bite at the spray.

Barney in action--he's wet and he's CRAZY!!! :)

Anyone want to take bets on next year? Maybe Sam will be all for it!

Big Sis

2011-06-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

I look at her sometimes and think, "Where did our little baby Maia go?"

**Thanks to Maia's great aunt Julie and great uncle Jim for the adorable outfit!! :)

Maia and Sam: YouTube Stars!

2011-06-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

Maia has long enjoyed a book called Science Verse. I'm pretty sure it's still a little bit old for her in terms of both the pictures and the poems, but it remains an oft requested bedtime book. I had decided that she was mostly into the pictures, but as it turns out, she has been listening as well. Here is a recitation of a few of the poems, performed by our very own Miss Maia. If you want to follow along, the pictures are below.

Sam hasn't been reciting much poetry lately, but he has lots of other skills. He's particularly good at deadpanning and keeping a secret. I didn't realize it earlier, but he's also apparently pretty good at looking like a pirate if you match up the play symbol on the YouTube video with one of his eyes. Why are you still reading this instead of watching the video? Isn't it clear that I'm rambling at this point?

Good Morning!

2011-06-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that it's been hard to get out of bed these past few days to take Mo to Joy's (it meant waking Sam up and missing out on that little extra bit of sleep), especially this morning with the rain pattering on the windows. However, this morning was pretty worth it as my two kiddos snuggled in bed while I got dressed. Maia is SUCH a sweet big sister!!

She kept hugging him and saying, "Oh, I love you, Sam-O!"

Le sigh! :)

Social Smiles

2011-06-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

I'm getting really good at getting Sam to smile. I tried to get it on camera yesterday, but he played coy.

However, he was in a great mood this morning, and I grabbed the camera to see if I could catch one. Check him out! :)

Watch it build....

I bet his cheeks hurt after this from so much smiling--after all, it's the first time in his life he's smiled so much!

:) :) :)

Sam's First Mirthday

2011-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'm overdue in posting this, but Sam turned one month old on June 5th. It's been a good month, and it's already so weird to see how he's changed from birth to now. Here are some quick notes about Sam this past month!

I took the above photo with my phone in the hospital--he's so little!

--Overall, Sam is a very content and happy baby. Brad and I already knew that Maia was a, shall we say, "high-needs infant," but seeing how calm Sam is really drives that home for us. Sometimes, when he's just hanging out, awake and not crying, Brad and I will look at each other and say, "Babies do this?!" We just can't believe that he can be awake and not crying. :)

--Sam likes a good swaddle, but he's pretty okay with being out of the swaddle, too. We still use the Miracle Blanket, and it's especially helpful in keeping his arms out of the way when he breastfeeds.

--Yes, Sam and I are breastfeeding. I won't go into huge detail, but it's been difficult road getting here, and one that I've wanted to get off of many, many times. I've battled thrush and a staph infection (you wouldn't believe how many pills I take in a day), pumped a bottle of blood (I didn't realize it was blood until I looked down and burst into shocked tears), and worked through some suspected nerve damage on the right side (from when I tried to nurse Maia). My supply still runs on the lowish side, so we have supplemented with a bottle of formula here and there. I would say Sam is probably 85-90% completely breastfed. The weird thing is, to be honest, I really don't love breastfeeding like I had hoped. It actually makes me feel sick to my stomach sometimes when I do it, and I don't know why. Still, I fought to have this experience, and I'm really proud and happy that it's working out. If nothing else, when Sam is fussy, breastfeeding is one surefire way to calm him (and that, in itself, keeps me going).

"MILK!!!!"

--Sam is a good sleeper, and he's been on a pretty wicked-sweet self-imposed "schedule" lately. He wakes for the day (so to speak) around 7:00. He dozes here or there after eating (especially if we ride in the car somewhere), and then around 11:00 I'll put him down for a nap. He naps in his swing, and I put him down awake but drowsy. He usually goes right to sleep, and then sleeps for a good three or four hours!! It's so nice to have some time to myself, and despite being super ready to feed him when he wakes up, I love his nap. On the weekends, his nap actually corresponds with Maia's nap, and Brad and I have a few precious hours sans children. Like I said, this is Sam choosing to sleep like this, so it'll probably change at any moment. However, I like it right now, for sure!

--Sam sleeps for a decent stretch of time at night right away. He'll fall asleep down in the living room with us around 8 or so, and then I'll feed him again right before we go to bed, sometime around 10. He'll go right to sleep and won't usually wake up until 2:30 or 3:00 am. He's fed, and then he goes immediately right back to sleep until around 6:00 or so. I usually try to hold him off of getting up until around 7:00, which means putting his pacifier back in his mouth every five minutes when he starts to fuss. It's a desperate move, but I'll do anything for more sleep.

He looks so little here! :)

--Sam has already started to do some social smiles. It's this big, gummy, open-mouthed grin that changes his whole face (his eyes smile, I tell you!). I hope with all my heart that this smile sticks around as he grows, because it just melts us. Brad and I can usually coax the smile out with a little bit of work in the right moment, and he's even given one or two to Maia.

This isn't his smile, obviously. He's very serious when it comes to diaper changes, people!

--Most of what I've read says that 6 weeks is the peak of fussiness, and that it kind of lessens from there (that's part of the reason everyone says that the first 6 weeks are the toughest). I have to say, if that's true, then I'm thrilled! Sam is just a sweetheart, and is (knock on wood, here) a pretty easy baby. He's definitely stolen our hearts!!

Photo bomb! :)

(Sam is shocked that Papa would do such a thing!)

Maia's Third Birthday

2011-06-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

I realize Maia's birthday was May 22nd, and that this post is pretty delayed. I apologize for that, but it's been a little busy around here, so posting has been taking a bit of a backseat (the birth story post took me almost a week to finish, since I'd write a little and then have to go care of a kid). At any rate, I can't believe that Maia is three years old already!! She had a great birthday, especially considering that the celebration was spread into a full week for her. She started with a party at her babysitter's house and the festivities continued as guests helped her celebrate.

Grandma and Grandpa Caruth were here in Madison for 5 days. Maia was thrilled to show them everything she could do and most of her toys. She loved reading books with them, in particular.

We had a little party for her before they left, and everyone got a cupcake (well, Maia got part of a cupcake since they were pretty big) to mark the occasion. Maia was super-happy to open presents from them, and was in love with all the activity books and stickers and fairy paper dolls they gave her. Please notice that in the picture below, Maia can't stop eating her cupcake, even for one picture! :)

After the Caruths left, my mom and Marin came to town. Marin flew to Madison from DC, and I'm so happy she did! Maia was SO thrilled to see her, and it was really fun hanging out together here.

We also celebrated Maia's birthday, this time with her real birthday cake (that I did NOT make).

(No, that's not gel--Mo's hair was still wet from swimming lessons)

Maia also opened some presents, and loved every bit of it.

My mom gave her two "Skippyjon Jones" books, and a little Skippyjon Jones stuffed animal to go with them! Friskito Bandito!

Marin gave Maia some heart-shaped sunglasses (that she wants to wear everytime we're in the car), an adorable little coin purse that I want to steal for myself, a beaded necklace and bracelet that Maia wants to wear all the time, and a "Little Miss Birthday" book. In true Marin-gift-giving fashion, they were the perfect gifts (my sister's got good taste, y'all!)!

It's silly for me to try to put into words how fantastically proud I am of Maia, but I'll say this: she's smart, funny, kind, energetic and everything I hoped a daughter of mine would be. She keeps us on our toes, but I look forward to seeing her every morning when I wake up. I marvel at how much I love her. She's awesome, and I can't wait to see what her third year brings!

One month old

6 months old

1 year old

1.5 years old

2 years old

2.5 years old

3 years old...

...and one more for good measure! :)

Happy third birthday, Mo!!!

A Few Extra

2011-06-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

The stay in the hospital was great in some ways, super-annoying in others. On one hand, Brad and I got to focus on each other and on Sam without having to worry about the animals, the house, and Maia. People brought us food, which was pretty sweet, too. On the other hand, people kept coming in and bugging us about every fifteen minutes--I'm not kidding. We estimated that we saw at least 15 different people per day we were there. It was nuts. I don't know how many times it's necessary to come push on my stomach to check my uterus, but jesus, people! How about you leave me alone and I'll let you know if anything is up, okay? Sheesh!

There were a few pictures from the hospital that I wanted to share. Please excuse the fact that I look like I just had a baby in these. I look that way because, well, I just had a baby. :)

Relaxing with my new man

This is the first moment Maia saw Sam. This photo makes my heart swell!

I love that her reaction was so positive and loving. She was so excited and happy!

She wanted to know about my tummy now that Sam was out. I explained that it would take awhile (ahem, probably a long while!) for it to look like my normal tummy again.

Sam's middle name is Michael, after my dad. I hope Sam grows up loving life, just like his Grandpa Mike!

My mom was happy to see Sam again, since she headed out to care for Mo pretty quickly after he was born. I have a feeling Sam and Nana will be buddies, just like Nana and Maia!

Here are just a few more photos that I love.

My family always puts out a balloon to announce the arrival of a baby (there are photos of my grandfather doing this to mark my birth, and Marin's, too). My parents helped Maia uphold the tradition, and she loved it!

It was very windy, so Maia had to hold the balloon to get a picture with it.

(My mom told me that the balloon later popped on the mailbox because it got blown around so violently, but she didn't tell Maia!) :)

Maia is so proud to be a big sister! She really loves Sam.

I'm going to look back on the following two pictures when they're older and fighting.

Sam's Birth Story

2011-06-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

I love reading the birth stories of my friends' respective babies, so just in case anyone is wondering how things went for me, I'll tell you how it went (I'll try to put some non-graphic pictures up, too, to keep it interesting). If I had to choose one word to describe the labor, I would choose "unexpected."

I was large and in charge at the end. I'm wearing Brad's sweatshirt because mine would leave that stripe of belly at the bottom. Also, isn't Barney beautiful?!? :)

Throughout the entirety of my pregnancy with Sam, I was convinced that he would come early (of course). My mom was also convinced that he'd show up early, and when she and my dad came for Easter, my mom decided to just stay here so she'd be here when I started labor. It was really nice having my mom here, since I was feeling really big and uncomfortable. My heartburn was also really awful, and I wasn't sleeping well at all. Mostly, I just wanted to sit around and complain. :) It didn't help that every night starting around Friday, April 29th, I would have contractions in the evening. The contractions were definitely strong and were even about 5 minutes apart, but then as soon as I'd go to bed, they'd stop. Every night I'd think, "I bet this is it!" and then I'd go to sleep only to wake up the next morning still pregnant. Boo.

I occupied myself by organizing little tiny baby clothes. Cuteness!

I went to work on Wednesday, May 4th and worked all day. After work, I went to get acupuncture. If you're Brad, you're rolling your eyes right now, like, "Oh, you mean you wasted your money on something that totally doesn't work." However, if you're me, you don't listen to your husband when he gets all high and mightly about hippie stuff, and you do what you want. I thought the acupuncture was fantastic, and I had my first contractions while lying down during the treatment. The acupuncturist told me that she was convinced I'd start labor either that night or the next day, and I told her that sounded pretty excellent to me.

We took Mo to the park, and I could barely get through the opening at the top of the slide (the belly is hard, so I couldn't scrunch down enough). I had to lie down and scoot through.

I did make it, though. Victory!

(Do you think that's what birth was like for Sam?)

I'm pretty sure this is our last photo as a family of three.

That night, after watching Brad play some frisbee (and feeling bitter about not getting to play for awhile), I noticed the same contractions that I'd been having. However, they felt a smidge stronger. I tentatively told my mom and Brad that I thought maybe, just maybe, these were the real deal. Brad immediately high-tailed it upstairs to bed, thinking that he was in for a few days of no sleep while I labored. I asked my mom to take one last belly shot of me, thinking that it might be the last chance to do so. She happily obliged.

I look exhausted already. :)

I went to bed that night still feeling contractions, even when trying to sleep. I did get to sleep, but woke up around midnight. I timed some of the contractions with my phone, and realized they were two or three minutes apart. I woke up my mom to ask her what she thought I should do (I still had doubts that it was the real deal). I ended up calling my doula, who said I sounded too cheerful on the phone to really be in real labor (what she doesn't understand is that I'll always sound like that on the phone, because I was raised in the Midwest. I could be bleeding out of my eyeballs and I'd still apologize for waking you up). She advised me to take a shower to see if the contractions stopped and try to sleep some more. I did, and was able to doze/sleep for the remainder of the night.

In the morning, I was convinced I was really in labor. The contractions were painful, and about two minutes apart. I actually got Maia ready to go to her babysitter's for the day, pausing to deal with the contractions when they came. It was tough to do (since I pretended nothing was wrong so I wouldn't scare her), but I really wanted those last few moments of just us, without me having to rush off to deal with another child. It was very bittersweet to know that the next time I saw Maia, there would be another kid in the mix.

My mom made me do one last belly photo with the actual belly showing. You can see the crazy in my eyes!

As soon as Maia was off to Joy's, I called my doula again and told her that I was thinking about heading to the hospital. The original plan was for me to labor at home as long as I could, and I'm pretty sure Lea thought I was just jumping the gun. She told me to try to take a bath and see how that felt, and to call her. I called my doctor, too, to let her know that I thought I was in labor (she asked me to do that). She told me to be aware of myself and not wait too long, since she had a feeling the baby would come quickly. I was all, "Did I mention to you that my first labor was 81 hours from start to finish?" A quick labor sounded nice and all, but I wasn't getting my hopes up!

I decided to try to take a bath, even though my mom thought I was crazy. She knew I was in real labor, but I think I was still a bit in denial about it. At the very least, I didn't want to get everyone all worked up and then be told at the hospital that it was not the real thing. I filled the tub, climbed in, sat there for about fifteen seconds, and then said, "We need to go to the hospital." From then on, it was very clear to me that this was definitely it. So very much it, in fact, that the contractions became horrible. So horrible that I had to stop and moan through them every single time. I told Brad to get his crap together (after weeks of me having my bag, along with a few baby things, ready to go, Brad STILL hadn't packed anything). I remember that I was seething as he casually went about collecting stuff and putting it carefully into his bag. He told me later that he was trying to be all calm about everything, but I had to work very hard at not screaming, "HURRY, DAMMIT!" at him.

We finally made it into the car and were on our way. The car ride was tough, since I was having really painful contractions the whole way (they were getting worse). The only fun thing about the trip to the hospital was when we saw another car with the license plate, "THATGUY" or something similar. Even through my labor, I joked with Brad about that. "Hey, look! It's that guy! What are the chances of seeing that guy on our way to have this baby?!" If that was the highlight of the car ride to the hospital, you can imagine how I was feeling. :)

This is who I picture was driving the car with the "that guy" plates.

(Futurama fans, this is the "bone-itis" guy, isn't it?)

Once at the hospital, I was examined and admitted. I was 4 cm and pretty much fully effaced when I got there right around 9:00 in the morning. We were taken to our labor and delivery room, which was really nice (like a hotel or something). I remember that on the way, the nurse stopped to show Brad where the coffee machine and snacks were, and told him all about how there was free juice and crackers and stuff there. I was standing there in my little gown, having contractions, making fists with my hands and trying not to scream, "YES, SALTINES AND JUICE! I'M HAVING A BABY, HERE!!!" This was the first sign for me that this labor was NOT going to be like my previous one (with Maia); with her, I never felt out of control or angry or anything. As soon as we were in the room, our doula Lea showed up and my doctor did, too. It was kind of surreal that everyone I'd been meeting with and talking to about having this baby was there, in the room, ready to go. I got into the tub, and Lea and Brad did their best to make me relaxed and calm. I did my best, too, but I was really surprised at how intense the contractions became (again, they felt much stronger than when I had Mo). I stayed in the tub for awhile, probably an hour or so, and I started feeling like I wanted to push already. My doctor checked, and said that I was eight, almost nine cm dilated. She suggested I get out of the tub at that point, since the doctors there aren't allowed to do water births (the tubs are four sided, so they can't get at the babies very well).

Out I went, and then...well, I'm going to try to say this without any exaggeration: I went ape-shit. Again, let me stress to you how calm and peaceful I was at Maia's birth. Never, not even one, single time at that birth did I ask for pain medication or say that I couldn't do it. But, let me also stress to you that the contractions I had with Sam's birth were INSANE. My body kept trying to push him out, but I wasn't fully dilated yet. I was grabbing onto Brad, and I remember that I just kept saying, "I don't want this!" over and over. Lea and Brad and my doctor were all like, "What don't you want?" And I couldn't even tell them what I meant (I assume I meant the pain), so I would just say, "THIS!!"

And then, my dear friends and family who have listened to me talk about having another natural birth for nine long months, I started asking for an epidural. I started thinking about how I was acting crazy and yelling and almost panicky. At one point I grabbed onto Brad's shoulders, locked eyes with him and I-swear-to-god yelled in his face, "I'm peeing on the floor right now!!!" as my body just peed on the floor right there. Yeah, it was awesome. I think I maybe giggled about it a bit then, after the contraction passed, but now I can't write it or talk about it without laughing and laughing. It was like I was an animal, and I had no control over my body. Like I said, that made me feel a little panicked.

This is an actual picture of me during labor.

To their credit, everyone tried to remind me that I wanted to do it naturally, and my doctor reminded me of the physical benefits of doing it naturally, and everyone reminded me that I had done it before. They also pointed out that I had basically gone from 4 cm to essentially fully dilated in a few hours, so I was probably almost done anyway. I listened, and for the first few times, I was like, "Okay, you're all right." But I got to the point where I started thinking about how crazy and out of control I felt, and how I couldn't imagine the rest of this would be very pleasant, either. And this would be the last time I'd give birth, and wouldn't it be great if I could actually enjoy having the baby? The more I thought about it and the more intense the pain got, the more I knew that I wanted the epidural. My doctor checked me again, and reported that I had a cervical lip still hanging on (that means that there was just one bit of cervix that wouldn't pull back to let the kid through--you must have to wait to push until this is gone). I actually had this with Maia, too, and that's part of the reason labor took so long. My doctor did concede that the epidural might help me relax enough to dilate this last little bit, so it was go-time!

It was horribly difficult sitting through the placing of the epidural, since contractions were almost on top of one another and with each one, my body tried to push. But I did it, and thank god I did--once I had that epidural, it was like nothing was going on (in a very, very good way). I went from acting like Mr. Rochester's crazy upstairs wife in Jane Eyre to taking a little snooze in about 5 minutes. Brad went from trying to keep his shoes out of my urine flow to reading a book and putting me to sleep by telling me about history. Brad, of course, supported me in whatever I chose during labor, but I do suspect we were all a little happier with that epidural. (For the record, I did ask the older gentleman anesthesiologist if laboring women ever ask to kiss him. He said no, and then it was really awkward for a moment. No one said labor is comfortable, people!) :)

I dilated from 4 cm to 9 cm in about two hours, but that cervical lip took another four hours to get rid of. I'll tell you something, too--if I had had to wait those four hours without that epidural, I would have thrown myself out of the window, Cowardly Lion-style. Not to get too graphic, either, but there were some measures taken to get that last bit of dilation to happen that I would NOT have been down with had I been able to feel anything. For example, have you ever had a rubber glove filled with ice shoved up inside you to reduce swelling? Well, I have. That might sound crazy, but it finally worked (and thank goodness, too, because I asked what would happen if that cervical lip didn't go away, and they said a vaginal birth wouldn't be possible).

You want to put that ice-filled glove where?!?!

So, after napping for those four hours, it was time to push. I pushed for-EVER with Maia, so I braced myself for hours of pushing. However, when I did my "test-push," Sam's head crowned. Everyone got so excited, and I swear to you that pushing was one of the most fun and exciting things I've ever done (again, thank you, sweet sweet epidural). Everyone was gathered around me, and I could just look from face to face and see the joy and love. I only pushed something like four times, completely painlessly, and out popped Sam. He came out with his cord wrapped around his neck a few times (which is not a big deal, as all they do is unwrap it). He also had his hand up by his face, and that makes me shudder to think how that would have felt if I wasn't all numbed up. Thanks, Sam--we already know how large Caruth noggins are, and you go and add some girth by sticking your arm up, too. High-five!

All in all, the delivery was pretty awesome. The beginning was more pain than I had ever felt in my life, and I absolutely do not regret getting the epidural at all. I think things have a way of going the way they should. It's impossible to really compare the two birth experiences I've had, but I will say that I'm glad I got to experience a medicated birth, too. It's easy to get set in certain beliefs, and decide that your way is the best way (for me, thinking that natural childbirth is the best option for everyone), and I think that Sam's birth really reminded me that whatever people decide to do is the right thing for them.

At any rate, no matter how you give birth, you're rewarded with something pretty fantastic at the end:

I got a chocolate shake and a veggie burger!

Okay, fine. I guess the baby is pretty great, too. :)

**Sorry for the extreme length of this, but I wanted to write it all down for myself, too. Just in case I ever think that I might want another baby (j/k, Brad's getting snipped!), or in case I start to tell someone that I don't really remember my labor with Sam being that bad. Future-Micah, labor is ridiculous, and don't you forget it! ;-)

Some Sam Photos

2011-05-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

I promise to write more soon, but I realize that we haven't posted any updated photos for awhile. We're settling into life as a family of four, and we've been busy with visitors (we haven't really been hosting, but hanging out). At any rate, here is a random mix of photos of Sam-o and the family (that sounds like an awesome new funk band, by the way!).

Time to hand him off to Brad for a diaper change!

He's looking at the kitchen light. Fascinating!

He's thinking very deep thoughts. About boobies.

(He's just like his father!)

I promise to write more soon, and add some photos from Maia's third birthday extravaganza!

Welcome, Sam!

2011-05-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Samson Michael was born on Thursday, May 5 at 4:24 pm. He weighed in at 8 lbs 9 oz and is 20 inches long. Micah and Sam are both doing great!

Family resemblance much?
http://karatecaruth.blogspot.com/2008/06/maia-week-2.html

BIG NEWS!!!

2011-05-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

...is what we would say if anything had happened. Alas, we're still waiting and we're officially two days past the due date. Here's Mo with some raspberries to make us all feel better.

Fired-Up! (Ready to Go!)

2011-04-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

38 week belly shot

I love the look on her face here (she's totally "smizing," for you America's Next Top Model fans)

Sorry for the delay in posting anything new, but please understand that I've been VERY busy lying around and complaining about being pregnant. Oh yeah, and begging for foot and leg rubs. And then complaining some more.
So, I'm 38 weeks tomorrow. Full term is here, and with it comes my full desire to get this baby out. Of course, he should stay in there as long as he needs to in order to be healthy and fully-cooked. BUT, let's say that if he's ready now, I sure would appreciate him making an exit. A relatively painless exit, since we're asking for things. :)

Here are some true facts (as I like to say to Brad):
--I had an ultrasound on Thursday, and they're telling me that he's 7 lbs 11 oz right now. Obviously, ultrasounds can be off by quite a bit, but I consider that pretty impressive! Mo was 7 lbs 12 oz when she was born after 41 weeks, so if this kid's measurements are correct, he wins!

--During the ultrasound and during my last few appointments, he's been turned to the side. He is very low (my doctor said he was at -1 station on Tuesday, which means he's almost fully engaged in my pelvis). He really, REALLY likes to kick me way over on my side on my right. He'll poke his feet out like he's stretching and hold them there, and it's as uncomfortable as you imagine it might be. I'm kind of shocked at how far his feet can reach, since his feet poke out completely on my side.

--We've finally settled on three possible names, and we're just going to wait until we meet him to decide what fits him the best. I really love all the name suggestions you all gave, and it was fun to see which ones we'd considered. Let's just say that we have some pretty similar taste in boys' names! :)

Maia keeps demanding that we name the baby "Cecily"

I keep explaining to her that there's a 85% chance that we won't go with that one.

--We've also finished the nursery. I never did do a real nursery for Maia, since we were in our apartment when she was born. We moved to the house when she was two months old, and at that point I was so exhausted and dealing with post-partum that just didn't have the energy to do anything special. That's why I really wanted to do an actual nursery this time. I'm super, super happy with how it turned out, and I especially love the beautiful mural that my friend Molly painted on the wall!!

It was impossible to get a good photo of the decals on the wall. They look much better in person!

Don't worry, I'll be clearing it out when the baby gets here.

Here's the mural Molly did--she's amazing! :)

(If anyone in our area wants her contact info, just let me know--she's done murals at schools and businesses, too)

--Last weekend, a giant package came in the mail. Brad had told me that he bought me a present (a "push present," if you will), but he didn't actually tell me what it was. That's a big deal for Brad, since he usually can't wait to "hint" to you what he's done since he gets so excited. I'll be honest and tell you that I figured it might be jewelry of some kind, but had no idea what he might pick out. Then, the FedEx guy rang our doorbell and dropped this off, and I about flipped out!!

It is a foot/leg massage machine!!!!

WAY, WAY, WAY better than any jewelry.

Also, it's like a gift for Brad, too, in that I won't be bugging him to rub my feet (as often)!!

(Also, I really love that it's called "La Comfy." For what it's worth, I've named it "Marco" myself).

However, Brad refuses to let me open it until the baby gets here--yet another reason I'm ready to go.

--Overall, I'm just ready to get the pregnancy bit done with and just get the newborn party started. There's so much that's still unknown (will I be able to breastfeed this time? Will he be okay? How will we all adjust to having a baby around again, especially Maia?) Not to mention, I'm a little anxious about laboring again. I'd like to move all the unknown stuff to the "known" category. :)

38 week close-up

Yes, that's a Christmas globe on the mantle behind me. It's there because it was in Maia's room and we just took it out. It somehow made it up onto the mantle, and I didn't notice it before the photo.

--It's a full moon on Monday night...keep your fingers crossed for me!! :)

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

2011-03-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is where we are right now, folks.

Seeing as though I look like I'm about to give birth, people keep on asking me two questions. First, the expected gender question. And then, the dreaded, "What are you going to name him?"
Well, people, let me tell you the answer to that second one, because it's simple, really: we have no freakin' clue. We had Maia's name picked out pretty early on, at something like 25 weeks. But this kid is still nameless, and I'm kind of nervous about it.
Boy names are HARD!! We essentially have two names that we are okay with, but neither of us are totally convinced by either one. So, HELP US!!! Please give some suggestions for names. If you give us a name that we end up using, you can have the baby if we decide we don't want him after he's born. Deal? DEAL!!!

**Brad wants me to add that you should stay away from giving us "Well, just as long as you DON'T name him ______!" If we end up liking that name and using it, you'll be all pissed, and then what will we do with the kid when we don't want him? Do you get him or not? That's just too confusing for everyone.

Okay, everyone! It's time to play Name...Our...Son!!!!!

35 Weeks

2011-03-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I can't believe I'm already at 35 weeks. But then, I get a sizable and painful poke from this GIGANTIC baby inside me, and I can't believe I potentially have 5 or 6 or 7 weeks left! Here are some updates about this pregnancy.

--I'm far more uncomfortable this time around than when I was pregnant with Maia. I'm bigger belly-wise, and it's tough to get up out of chairs or pick things up off the floor (all the classic pregnancy struggles apply, really). I don't think I'm really waddling yet, but I'm probably headed there soon.

35 weeks, yo!

--I had an ultrasound when I was 32 weeks along, and they told me the baby was measuring two weeks ahead (even though I'm measuring right on schedule). They estimated that the baby weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces at that point. I completely realize how far off ultrasound estimations can be, but still--Maia was born at 42 weeks and weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces. My doctor tells me that boys tend to weigh more than girls, and that I shouldn't freak out about it. She thinks the baby will be an eight-pounder. However, she also told me the best way to tell how big the baby might be is to ask the mother how big the baby feels in comparison to other babies she's had, so I'm pretty sure this baby will top out around 12 pounds.

--I'm starting to retain water, as evidenced by my swollen feet and legs. I have that sweet, sweet pitting edema where you can push your thumb on my shin and the impression it makes will stay for awhile. It's fun and creepy all at once. I've been harassing Brad to rub my feet and legs pretty much non-stop, and he's been very nice about obliging.

--We've met with our doula, Lea, a few times now. I feel MUCH better about a hospital delivery after talking things over with her, and I'm excited that she's going to be there to help support us. I also remind myself that I know people who have had a birth like I'm going for in a hospital setting (Rachel, I think of your experience with Isla's birth pretty often).

--To put things mildly, Maia has been a screaming, crying, raging little monster lately. If you've never had someone call for you at 3 in the morning only to scream angrily in your face when you drag yourself out of bed to go to her, let me tell you that it's thrilling. She's been sick this past week, but I wonder if she kind of suspects that a major change is coming pretty soon and isn't quite sure how to deal with it.

--We're trying to finish things up around here to get ready for the baby. The nursery is almost done (I'm waiting to post pictures until I have it really ready, which is exciting and fun for me. Our new Ergo carrier came in the mail yesterday, and it's fun to imagine a baby tucked inside. I've got clothes for him all ready to go, and we'll probably pick up a pack or two of diapers soon just in case.

--I'm starting to gear myself up emotionally for my second attempt at breastfeeding. Even after my exhausting and unsuccessful (to put things mildly) go-around with Maia, I'm going into this round with an open mind. I'm absolutely going to give it my best shot, especially knowing that things are different with every baby. However, I'll be damned if I'm going to let it all suck me in (no pun intended) like last time if it doesn't work. I think I really let the pressure I put on myself to breastfeed Maia keep me from really enjoying her infant-hood. This time, if it doesn't work after my best effort, I'm going to stop and move on. After all, Maia was formula fed, and really, she's too smart for her own good. My good friend Kathy pointed out to me that all I did by not breastfeeding Maia was rob her of a few nights of binge drinking in college (in other words, those extra IQ points breastfeeding would have afforded Maia would have been shot, anyway). Those are maybe my favorite words of comfort that anyone said to me about letting myself off the hook, and I will most likely repeat them to myself as I attempt breastfeed Miyagi.

Guess what's NOT going to happen this time?

(Both the tube feeding and me looking like that, hopefully!)

--My mom came to visit last weekend so Brad and I could go on a hot date at my place of work. My company put on a pretty sweet party (we all had to get super-dressed up--some of the men wore tuxes and some ladies had ballgowns on!) and it was fun to get spiffy and spend some time with just Brad. It was a little tricky finding something dressy that fit over my belly, but I think I pulled it off.

It's like we're two kids going to Homecoming again! :)

--Last but certainly not least, my dear friend Betsy just had a baby girl!! Hannah is just gorgeous, and seeing Betsy (who I just adore and can't say enough good things about) with her own daughter makes me get all teary. Congratulations, Bets!!!!!

Little Swimmer

2011-03-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Maia continues to enjoy her swimming lessons, and I continue to be the crazy mom going nuts over everything she does. :)

She's discovered that wearing goggles is awesome, and I say there's not much cuter than a little kid in a cap and goggles. She also always makes a very particular face when she's about to go under the water, which you can kind of see in the video below--it's pretty grainy (apparently it's difficult to zoom in a ton and try to get a clear video through a thick pane of glass. Who knew?!).

Here's a snapshot of the "swimming face" she always makes before she goes under the water.

I keep telling Brad he'll be this proud of her when she does so well at something that he loves--I don't know, like, maybe, math camp or something?

Tea time!

2011-03-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Grandma Marjie sent Maia a talking tea set last weekend. Of course, Maia totally loves it and wants to serve us tea pretty much nonstop. I try to tell her I'm more of a coffee drinker, but I'll take tea when I can get it--especially when it's served by such a cute barista! :) (Side note: she's pretty pumped about her new sunglasses, too, if you can't tell!)

The Bop Fairy's Visit

2011-03-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Ever since she was a very small baby, Maia has liked pacifiers. It took us awhile to find the ones she really, really liked, but once we did, she always loved them. We started out calling them "pacifiers," but this soon morphed into us calling them "bops"--we would have her leave them in her crib when we took her out, and the sound effect we would make as she tossed them back in ("Bop!") soon became what we all called them all the time. Maia loved her bops, and we loved them because god, did they make our lives easier! :)
As she grew older, we told her she could only use them during naps and at bedtime. She got to the point where she didn't take them to Joy's anymore, and so we knew she was napping there without them. At home, however, she always wanted bops when she slept. In fact, she wanted a total of 5 while she slept--two in each hand, and one in her mouth (don't ask me why, she just likes it that way). Once she was in her big bed, it was harder for her to keep track of them--cut to her waking up at night and crying until either Brad or myself came in and found them (often buried under the covers or between the wall and the bed--not fun to search for at 3:00 in the morning). Obviously, it was time for everyone to say goodbye to our beloved bops.
Knowing Mo, I knew that it had to be "her" decision to give them up. I started telling her about the Bop Fairy, who comes to visit older children who want to give their bops to "babies who really need them." Since Maia agreed that babies do need bops, she seemed totally up for giving hers away. Last weekend, I decided it was time for the Bop Fairy to visit, and here's how it went down....

We penned (uh, crayoned?) a note to the Bop Fairy together. She told me what to write. :)

Maia's letter, decorated and ready to go!

We gathered up her bops, and Maia said her goodbyes.

All hail the mighty bops!

She seemed totally fine with it all--excited, even!

Barney helped us put the bops into a paper bag.

I suspect he really just wanted to snag one to chew up, but he was interested in our task.

She spit the last one into the bag straight from her mouth. A fond farewell!

The Bop Fairy apparently uses the US Postal Service.

Note that Maia jammed it in and ran back inside (it was cold out there!)

**Note**

After she put the bops into the mailbox, Mo went down for her nap. She seemed fine, and then realized about half-way through the book we read before the nap that she didn't have her bops. Then, she proceeded to cry for the next two hours (a little on-and-off, but mostly ON). I didn't get any pictures to document that, mostly because I went back and forth between feeling super-guilty and wanting to rip my own hair out.

As soon as I got her up, though she was eager to go see what the Bop Fairy had left in the mailbox for her (the Fairy brings a present in return for the bops, if you didn't know).

Here's the present that was in the mailbox to greet Maia after her "nap"

The Bop Fairy reuses Barnes and Noble bags. She's a conservationist!

Maia was elated to find that the Bop Fairy gave her four Berenstain Bears books.

After her initial nap-time cry-fest, Maia really has been awesome about giving up her bops. She hasn't really asked about her bops at all, and we're very happy about that! We'll see how she reacts in a month and a half when her little brother comes along--if he decides he's a bop-fan, let's hope Maia doesn't relapse! :)

Behold!

2011-03-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

The 31 week belly self-portrait!

I'm kind of turned to the side a little here, but you get the idea.

At least the belly sticks out farther than the ass, right?

(Public service announcement: you never realize how dirty your mirrors are until you try to take pictures using them.

Windex, please!!)

Rally

2011-02-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what to say on this blog about all of this other than what Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is trying to do is WRONG. I don't mean for this blog or this post to turn into a political debate, but what I will say is that my family (even though neither Brad nor myself are union members any more) absolutely, 100%, supports unions and organized labor. We bundled up Maia and went to the Capitol last night to support our friends and neighbors, and it was really emotionally overwhelming. I tried to get a few pictures, but it was impossible to capture the atmosphere and even the size of the crowd itself (also, I'm extra-crappy at shooting in low light outside, as you'll see). At any rate, I don't know how this will all end, but I'm so proud of the people who are standing up for collective bargaining and the rights of public workers in Wisconsin (and, let's face it, the nation).

I was surprised that Maia was such a spirited participator.

(although I realized that she was yelling, "Yay, unicorns!" until I told her it was, "unions")

We stood back to get some photos, but I just couldn't capture how many people were there.

I made Brad document that I was there, too.

Special note: Kathy, I'm constantly thinking of you and my former colleagues.

1000 Days

2011-02-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

Hey! Maia turned 1000 days old on Wednesday!

Happy 1000th Day anniversary of being a family, guys! :)

Crafty!

2011-02-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

A few weekends before Valentine's Day, we did a little arts-and-crafting with Mo. I'm certainly not a crafty or artsy person (at all), but Brad is pretty good. Brad cut out the hearts, and Mo and I decorated. Check it!

Barney was SUPER-PUMPED! Woo!!!

Brad took those hearts and made this awesome mobile that we hung up in Maia's room.

Every time I think Brad has used up all his usefulness, he goes and does something like this--I guess I'll keep him.

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

Despite Mo and Brad both having the cold from hell (Maia started it and graciously shared with her papa), we ended up having a pretty nice little Valentine's Day weekend. Even though he was sicker than I've seen him in a really long time, Brad was a total trooper. Luckily, my mom was in town to hang out and help us celebrate Valentine's Day, and she brought Maia a few new Valentine friends....

Maia was pumped about receiving a Valentine present

It took her a second to figure out what exactly it was....

Meet Maia's new hand puppet, Bananas!

She liked getting and giving smooches with her puppets

Tina the Ballerina!

Maia likes the idea of ballerinas, and I think Tina might be her favorite puppet.

Eh, maybe not! :)

This is Smolder the dragon.

Ever wonder what a ballerina, a dragon and a monkey might talk about?

Politics, mostly.

There was a Valentine's Day party at Joy's on Monday, and Maia dressed up for the occasion.

The skirt and leggings were a Christmas gift from Karen and Brian, and Maia LOVES them!

(Anyone else feel like Mo is channeling a little 80's Madonna here?) :)

We hope your Valentine's Day was oh-so-romantic and filled with chocolate!

Woot, Woot!

2011-02-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

It's been about two weeks since Maia has worn a diaper during the day! I've waited to announce it because I didn't want to jinx anything, but I think it's pretty safe to say that she's at least more than well on her way to being potty-trained! It was like a light switch turned on for her and she just decided to pee in the potty all the time, so she did (she poops in the potty, too!). She still wears a diaper at night, but even that is usually dry in the morning. She's even gone in the potty when we've been out and about, and didn't wear a swim diaper to her swimming lessons on Saturday. Yay, yay, HOORAY!!! :)

Obligatory embarrassing potty-picture! :)

Remember how Maia always used to poop in the curtains? Well, she's still a modest potty-goer. She always asks if we'll "hide under the towel" when we're in the bathroom with her. We went along with it to get her started, but now she'll settle for us hiding behind our hands (covering our eyes with our hands).

I can't even tell you how many total minutes I spent like this that first weekend,

but my sore knees and back were well worth it!

27 Weeks

2011-01-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone! Guess what? I got new glasses!

Okay, okay. I know you're not really interested in that. I've been bad about posting about this pregnancy, and especially bad about including any belly shots. So, especially for Claire and Kirsten, here's an update that focuses primarily on Miyagi.

I read in a pregnancy book yesterday that some people consider the start of week 27 to be the beginning of the third trimester. While I thought (and still think) that it's technically week 28, I'm still a little shocked to think that I'm already pretty much here. WHAAA?!?!? How is that even possible? Wasn't I just announcing my pregnancy, like, yesterday?!
At any rate, I certainly feel like it's the third trimester. I can't even tell you how HUGE I feel these days! My belly is far, far bigger and rounder and pokey-outier than it was at this time during my pregnancy with Maia. Whether that's because it's a boy this time or if it's the second pregnancy (everyone says you're lots bigger the subsequent pregnancies), or if it's just different because it's different, I don't know. But I feel more like I felt toward the end of the pregnancy last time around. Sigh. Here's a run down of what's up with the pregnancy lately.
--I made it pretty far without it, and I was hopefully I'd maybe make it to the end, but nope: my old friend, the 'burn is back. Heartburn is SO annoying, and it's been hanging around this past week and a half or so. It came on very sneakily, but after a sleepless night or two this past week, I've decided to say a big "eff you!" to heartburn and go for the big guns: ta daaaaa!

Cue angels singing and shaft of light streaming down from heaven

I've only taken one tablet so far--it makes me feel like I have to burp but can't. However, that's a small price to pay since it seemed to quench the fire-y spew.

--I've gained about 20 pounds so far (at least, when I weighed myself a few days ago). I'm happy with that, I'd say, but I'm honestly bracing for more to pile on during these last few months. I've been trying to eat well, but that's tough enough for me to do when I'm not pregnant. :) I'm proud of my workout regimen, though, and I've been far braver about what I allow myself to do during this pregnancy than I was with Maia. I'm lifting weights (in a class at the gym) twice a week, and I'm doing Master's swimming twice a week, as well. Four days is a week is seriously all I can muster, since what I really want to do is sit on the couch and eat pretzel goldfish.

--This new kid is a KICKER. I'm already super-surprised at how hard his kicks are, and how they've already gone from quick pokes to the kind of rolling over, sweeping movements I didn't feel until much later with Maia. He also likes to stretch out, since there are times I can feel him way up high and way down low all at once. Brad has already felt his giant kicks and has even been able to see the unmistakable punches from the outside (again, something that didn't happen until much later on with Mo). I picture the end of this pregnancy kind of like that scene in "Alien" when that creature just bursts out of Sigourney Weaver's stomach. --one day, he'll just punch too hard and out he'll rip. Gross.

--Maia has been very adorable about this whole thing, something that I really, really, REALLY hope doesn't change. She'll come hug my belly and say into my stomach, "Hi, Brother!" She often wants to feel the baby move and is good about holding still with her hand on my tummy and waiting. The other night, she and I were reading a holiday book where in the end the little llama learns that the real gift at Christmas is that you have your family (yeah, it's pretty much February, but Mo picks out the books, okay?). At the end of it, I said, "We have each other, too. I have you, and you have me, and we both have Papa." Maia looked up at me and said, "And we'll have Brother, too." I said, "We will have your brother soon, too." And Maia said, "And we'll be a family!" and gave me a hug. It was one of those moments I want to bottle up and keep so I can pull it out and gaze at it when Maia asks Brad something I just said "no" to, and when I start to protest, she says, "I'm asking PAPA!" It's a lot less cute and endearing, I promise you.

--One last thing about the pregnancy: Brad and I have hired a doula. Since my insurance has changed and the Birth Center isn't covered (boo to Dean Health Insurance), it was either a home birth or a hospital birth for me this time around. Since home birth isn't really an option for a few reasons, hospital, here I come. At the risk of a lot of you rolling your eyes at me and calling me a silly hippie, I'm going to say this anyway: I'm completely freaked out at the prospect of trying to deliver naturally (with no interventions at all) in a hospital. Brad and I are neither one very good at questioning authority figures when they're standing in front of us, but I'm bound and determined to try to allow things to happen as they will (even if that means a ridiculously long labor again). What it seems to mean is that I'll need to labor at home as long as I possibly can and be ready to politely yet firmly decline interventions that aren't super-necessary once we are at the hospital (of course, with the health of the baby and my own health in mind all the way). Because all of that also kind of freaks me out, I'm thrilled to have found a doula that I really like and whom I trust will be an excellent source of support (especially while I labor at home) and be an absolute advocate for us. It's also paramount that someone is there to tell Brad to eat and go pee at regular intervals during my labor, since if last time is any indicator, he won't do it without someone telling him to. :) Our doula has worked with my doctor before, and when Dr. Midelfort asked if we'd picked a doula and I told her it was Lea, she was like, "Oh, she's the best!" I feel very lucky to have found a doctor who not only supports us having a doula, but who suggested it in the first place.

--Okay, okay. Here's what you've really been waiting for: how big am I? Here you go.

A blast from the not-so-distant past:

22 weeks

(Trying to sneak away from the camera)

27 weeks (just yesterday)

POW!

For comparison, here's me at 27 weeks with Maia:

Way bigger, right? And the shape is different.

Those of you with two, was it like this for you on the second go 'round?

Killing Time

2011-01-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

Since I spend my weeks at work training people from all over the country (read: far warmer climates), I get asked a lot how we pass the cold winter days here. I usually assure them that we certainly find ways to entertain ourselves, and that it's not so bad living in weather like this. That, of course, is pretty much a lie: cold weather like this SUCKS! Brad and I ask ourselves all the time why we chose to live here when we were young and free and unfettered by responsibility and could have easily chosen to move to, well, anywhere that doesn't end up in the deep-freeze for four months out of the year. (Um, however, Owan and Claire, you'll just LOVE it here in the Midwest! Totally move here!!)
At any rate, we do find ways to amuse ourselves. Case in point: photographs below.

Like a fish!

2011-01-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

Maia has started swimming lessons. I thought about signing us up for another parent/tot lesson, but she seemed like she wanted to try it alone (as in, I asked her, and she said, "No, Mama, you can't come!"). So, we few weeks ago we headed out to SwimWest for her first alone lesson. I wasn't sure what would happen when we left her with her class and went to the observation room to watch--I thought she'd either cry or be totally fine. Of course, she walked in, said hi to her teacher, blew me a kiss and climbed right into the pool. There were three other kids in her class, and she was so sweet to them! At one point, another girl in her class was crying, and Maia leaned over and was rubbing her back. She even gave her a kiss on the head! :)
I couldn't have been more proud of my daughter, and we were totally the obnoxious parents who were filming everything through the glass. But that means you get to see the videos, right? Here are two good ones--please ignore my audible delight at pretty much everything she does! :)

(FYI: she's the one in the purple swim cap)

Snow Doggie

2011-01-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about bringing Barney to Iowa City was that he had the chance to run around my parents' giant (fenced-in) backyard. It really brought me back to when I was younger, watching our dog Sadie run madly around in the snow, too. I think my whole family loved watching Barney enjoy the space, and here are some pictures that tell you pretty vividly how he felt about that backyard! :)

Christmas Redux

2011-01-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Christmas, and even though it's been a few weeks since then, I'm still going to photo-dump here so I've at least got it archived. Highlights include: seeing Brian and Karen and Cleary, spending time with Marin, Maia getting in some quality grandparent time, seeing good friends (even if Kirsten was practically on her death-bed and delirious), eating delicious food and introducing Barney around.
Enjoy!

Playing with Grandma

Papa kept Maia "entertained" while wrapping gifts

(for the record, we only lock her in Barney's crate for a few hours at a time)

Barney and Marin became fast friends

I love that this was mere moments after the photo above was taken).

Tongue attack! :)

Frosting cookies as a family (we do it every year)

Brad and Marin are particularly awesome at decorating.

Mo got to sample some wine with the traditional Christmas Eve potato soup.

We start 'em young in our family.

(Okay, it's really water. But Mo was excited to be just like Nana!)

Because of snow, we didn't go to church on Christmas Eve (it's only the second time in my life that I remember that happening!)

The upside was that Mo was awake for present-opening. In fact, she got to deliver the presents, and LOVED doing it!

Barney was great the entire trip. He didn't even chew up any presents (which is impressive considering how many boxes there were just lying around!)

Maia was thrilled with her Elmo Magna-doodle, and still plays with it pretty much every single day.

She also takes very good care of Barbara, her Cabbage Patch doll from Gigi

(Maia is napping with Barbara as I type!)

Before bedtime, Maia picked out some cookies for Santa.

We wrote him a note so he'd know the cookies were for him, and Maia signed it.

Santa-bait! :)

We spent Christmas morning lounging in our jammies

(side note: who doesn't love my dad--seriously, he's the best!)

Maia played with her keyboard for awhile

(a present from Nana and Grandpa Mike)

She snacked on her apple while Papa read some of her new books

(This one, "I'll Love You Forever" made me cry as Brad read it--super-sappy!)

After breakfast, we headed over to Caruths for Christmas Day. Maia got to see her cousin, Cleary, who at the time was just under a year old. As you can tell, Maia was immediately smitten!

Who wouldn't be smitten with such a cute-pie?!

(And the baby's pretty adorable, too!) ;-)

Mo kept herself busy with some animal-nose masks while lunch was prepared.

(Here she is growling at Grandma and then running away).

The two cousins bonded over lunch, sharing food and giggling at each other.

Cleary is such a happy and sweet baby--my niece is a keeper, I tell ya!

After presents, Maia listened as Grandma and Grandpa read some books.

Much to Cleary's delight (I have no idea why we don't have pictures of her squealing with joy),

Barney made an appearance. He was a big fan of Karen right away, and I think the feeling was mutual.

The next morning, before we had to leave, we all attended Cleary's baptism. Maia and Nana posed for a picture together.

Marin and Mo read a book, too.

The Caruth family during the service.

Cleary was a little uncertain, but she was a total champ!

Saved!

The Caruth family. I love these guys!

Mo was very good during church, and had a lot of energy to let out after the service.

As you can see here.

Papa and Grandpa helped her fly a little.

To their credit, Brad and Rick did this with her about fifteen or so times (no joke).

Running down the aisle to yet another leap off the stairs.

Please note Brad's face here versus Mo's face--one is more excited than the other! :)

After the super-fun baptism celebration at Karen's parents' house, it was back to Madison for us. We had a wonderful Christmas, and we hope all of you did, too!!

Tiger Threats

2011-01-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

Maia the Tiger is growling at me and demanding that I update this blog with our Christmas photos. Okay, Mo the Tiger, I will!! Just gimme a few days and I swear, this baby will be updated!

Troublemaker

2010-12-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

Maia is generally pretty sweet to our animals, and they're pretty sweet to her. Last weekend, though, when Mo was playing on the deck while Brad did some shoveling, she discovered she could mess with Barney a bit. She spent quite a while gathering handfuls of snow and smashing them onto the sliding door right where Barney was standing (if the door hadn't been there, she would have been smashing the snow into his face). She was getting such a kick out of doing it, I had to snap a few pictures.

Is there anything much cuter than a kid all dressed to play in the snow?

He just stood there and took it the whole time.

He was just excited to see her whenever she came running back over with a new armful of snow to smash at him.

He even seemed kind of sad when she left.

Snowbound 2010

2010-12-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, that's a really dramatic way of saying that we got some snow these past few weekends, and that we were pretty much hermits during both weekends. We left the house last Saturday morning before the storm hit to grocery shop and take Barney to the groomers, but other than that, we stayed indoors. What did we do during all that indoor time, you ask? Well, let me show you....

We woke up to 6 inches of snow

Maia likes to eat snow. We let her.

I like that I took this from the warm coziness of inside our livingroom.

Lookin' good out there, B-Rad!

We stayed inside in our jammies

I baked, because what else am I gonna do?

This is the one loaf of cinnamon bread that actually worked and was AMAZING

(I've since made three more, and they were all colossal failures that refused to rise)

Oreo balls, baby!!

We also baked sugar cookies together

Maia helped with the sprinkles

Look, she had already licked her hands enough--I just cut out the middle-man

The cookies (the dough was the tube kind--big mistake!) didn't turn out quite like

we'd hoped. The cookie-cutters were kinda pointless...

...until Brad decided to just use it on the baked cookies. It sorta worked.

After all those sweets, were were pretty sugared-up. So we DANCED!

All in all, it's not that bad being snowed-in! :)

Tell 'em, Mo!

2010-11-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

She seems happy about the news, but she's still got her priorities straight!

Yes, we did see a penis, but it was this shot that really convinced us we're having a son:

Phew! Looks like I know who the father is, after all!
(That's a bubble pipe in his little fist--he's clearly a sophisticate, but
we'll have to have a chat about our no-smoking-in-the-house policy).

Everyone, Meet Our...

2010-11-27T10:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I talked Brad into getting a gender ultrasound (and by that, I mean that I just scheduled the ultrasound and then told him about it after I made the appointment--genius!). We just got back from the appointment, and we just couldn't be happier. We left with a TON of pictures, but I'm soon off to a hair appointment with my mom, so I just have time to post just a few shots of our...well, we'll let you guys guess a bit, shall we? :)

:) Oh, sigh! :)

(Just FYI, nothing in these pictures dictates gender one way or the other--

we'll do the big gender announcement after we tell Brad's parents)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! We hope you are all having as good a day as we are. We're especially thankful for great friends and family! And on that note, I'll leave you with a picture of Micah preparing our delicious meal! (She called in some back up to get everything ready at the same time.)

17 Weeks

2010-11-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

I may not be cooking a turkey this year, but I am cooking something!! ;-)

Brad kept telling me, "Do something with your arms!" so I'd get them out of the way.

17 weeks, y'all! :)

Turkey Time Prep

2010-11-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason, I'm super-excited for Thanksgiving this year. Instead of us driving to Iowa City, my parents are going to come up here since we already had our "Fakesgiving" last month when Marin (and my grandma and my great-uncle) could be in Iowa City, too. So, the actual Thanksgiving celebration will be hosted by me! I've never cooked for a Thanksgiving before, and I have to say, I'm kind of excited! Since I'm not attempting to cook a turkey, I feel like a little pressure is off. We're veggies in this house, so my parents are gracious enough to go along with it (although my mom did specify that she will NOT eat Tofurkey. I assured her I wasn't planning to make one).
At any rate, I'm feeling the holiday approach and loving it. I do have to work on Friday (damn new job not letting me take paid vacation yet!) but I'll deal with it. We've been doing little things around here to festive-up the house (and ourselves), and I think we're ready to go!

I'm not very creative, but I tried to decorate the mantle of our fireplace a bit--I added some candles and put a few gourds in there. I love the candles and fire going at night--it makes things feel very cozy!

We busted out our artsy sides and made some hand turkeys.

Only some of them have legs because little turkey legs are hard to cut out freehand from construction paper!

Mo is getting into the swing of things by unzipping herself from her footy-pajamas and racing around waving them like a flag. What does that have to do with Thanksgiving, you ask? Ummm...

...I have no clue.

Mo is also acting as a stand-in for my dad: this is where I imagine he might

end up after our awesome Thanksgiving meal.

Probably dressed much like this, too, let's face it.

I hope you all have fantastic and fun plans for Thanksgiving (Claire, do you and O celebrate?)!

*I'd also like to do a quick shout out to my BFF Kir, who lost her amazing Grandma Hannah last week.

My whole family has been thinking of you and your whole family!!

**Also, congratulations to my BFF Betsy on finding out she and her hubs are expecting a GIRL!! :)

Should We?

2010-11-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

Brad has no clue I'm posting this, and I'm POSITIVE he'd totally reject this idea, but I'm DYING to know if Miyagi is a girl or a boy! I think we'll have to wait probably four weeks to find out at our gender ultrasound (I asked about it at my last appointment, which was on November 5th, and she said we'd schedule it at my next appointment in 3 weeks).
Of course this has me googling ultrasound places here in town, and I was shocked (shocked, I tell you!) to see how cheaply and easily we could find out the gender, like, pronto.
Here's a place where it's only 55 dollars, and you get pictures and everything! And for 75, you get a DVD of the whole session! Come on, now, that's just a steal! Check it out:

Ultrasounds Prior to 23 weeks
2D Ultrasound for Gender determination:

**As early as 16 weeks gestation

Prince or Princess?: $55

30 minute elective ultrasound session
CD with all of the images
5 B&W photos of your baby
5 colored laser photos

Gender Plus Package: $75

30 minute elective ultrasound session
CD with all of the images
DVD of entire session
5 B&W photos of your baby
10 colored laser photos
Pictures of what your baby looks like in 3D/4D!
A return coupon for later pregnancy 3D/4D at $125
If baby is not being cooperative and won’t let us see its gender, we will invite you back for another look at no additional charge!

What do you guys think? Should we do it (meaning, should I try to talk Brad into it, probably to no avail)?

Breakfast with Mo

2010-11-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about Maia's age right now is that we're having actual, real conversations. Her verbal skills continue to amaze me. She came downstairs after her nap yesterday and I had left the TV on (America's Next Top Model marathon!). She settled in on the loveseat, but I had turned the TV to face the couch since that's where I had been sitting. We very rarely really watch TV with Maia, so I was kind of surprised to see her actually turn her attention to the TV and I wondered how long she would stay interested. I sat down on the couch, and Maia suddenly said (and I swear to god this is word-for-word), "Mama, will you turn the TV toward me so I can see it better, please?" I was like, "Um, okay...."

If you're wondering what it's like to sit and have a conversation with Maia, here's what went on at breakfast this morning. This is incredibly long, and I realize that probably only the grandparents really want to see videos like this. At any rate, though, here's breakfast with Mo.

A Question for Comments

2010-11-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

What "lies" did your parents tell you when you were a kid that you fully intend to tell your own children?

Here are two of mine:
--My mom used to tell me that she could see "lie bugs" in my eyes when she knew I was lying to her.
--My dad used to tell Marin and me to eat our green beans (or whatever was on our plate) because it would put hair on our chests. We would always squeal, "Dad! We're girls!!" but then we'd eat it anyway. :)

How about you? Or, if your children are already grown (ahem, Mom and Dad and Grandma Wright), what do you think we should tell our kids that you remember telling us?

16 Weeks

2010-11-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

I'm not really 16 weeks until tomorrow, technically, but I had 15 minutes to kill and figured I'd get this up now. Brad and I haven't been great at doing belly shots since both of us are super-busy, so I figured I'd give doing them myself a shot. Well, it's harder than I thought it'd be! I want to tell myself that this makes me look bigger than I really am, but I suspect that's not really the case. Also, I've gained 10 (gasp!) pounds, so it seems about right. Sigh.

In my defense, this maternity shirt really shows off the kid.

El bebe!

Gender suspicion

The big gender ultrasound isn't for awhile still, but I'd like to make this my official prediction: I think I'm carrying a boy in there. Everything about this pregnancy so far has been SO different than my first one--I did have morning sickness (although it's gone now), I don't have any heartburn to speak of (please, god, let that continue), I don't feel as exhausted as I did with Maia, and it feels like most of my weight gain is in my belly and waist region (it's thick as a tree trunk these days) rather than in my face and butt and hips (um, please, god let that continue!). I realize that everyone says that pregnancies differ one from the next, but I just have a feeling that all of this is pointing to a boy. It doesn't hurt that everyone around me is also predicting boy, either. :)

Names

If you all want to start suggesting names, my family is already offering up possibilities. My dad has been pushing "Colt" (because any son of Brad's will probably be a big, dumb football player, right?) and Marin and I collaborated and came up with "Brodyn" (pronounced "Bro-din"). I have a certain loathing for names spelled with an unnecessary "y" and for sort-of made-up names that are the combination of two other names, so Brodyn is about the worst name I can think of for my son.

I'm also slowly working on the nursery (which is currently Mo's room), and my friend Molly painted an absolutely AMAZING mural in there last weekend. I'll do a separate post on the two kids' rooms sometime this weekend. The good news is that Mo is still really excited about her "big girl room"--in fact, she's napping in there again right now! Hooray!

New insurance=new doctor=hospital birth

In other pregnancy news, I won't be giving birth at the Madison Birth Center this time around--my insurance has changed with my job, and our current insurance doesn't cover the Birth Center. The good news is that I've found a provider who I really like, and who I feel like is the perfect blend of medical-ness and hippy-ness. :) She supports natural childbirth, and will allow me to labor in any way I need to (yay!). She is a believer in breastfeeding (her partner, another provider I'll see, is a certified lactation consultant), but she also knows what I went through with Mo and will be supportive if I decide that it's not working this time around (rather than pushing me to keep breastfeeding). I'll be giving birth in a hospital, but when my doctor encouraged me to read Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth, I knew I'd found a good match. :)

Doulas Galore

The only thing I really still need to focus on is finding a doula--I knew I wanted one this time around (since I'll be in the hospital), and was really happy to hear my doctor suggest I find one, too. It feels a little like looking on a dating website to find a mate, but at least they all look pretty great--I don't think I'll go wrong.

Any of them sound especially great to you? Click here, take a look, and let me know if any jump out to you!

I think that's all for now--let me know if there's anything you're curious about that I haven't mentioned!

Big girl!!

2010-11-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhhh!! Right this second, Maia is taking a nap for the first time in her BIG GIRL ROOM!! I'm still putting the finishing touches on it, but she seems to love it so much that when she asked if she could sleep in there for her nap, I just figured, "why not?" She's been so cute about the whole thing. When she got to see the walls painted green, she said, "Mama, I'm proud of you. And I'm proud of Kirsten." (We painted them). Then, yesterday, when I showed her the comforter and pillows I got her, she ran up and was smoothing her hands over them, and she said, "Ooh, I don't believe it!" I asked if she liked them, and she said, "Mama, good job!" She knows how to make a mama happy!
But look! I can't believe how well it's gone so far! We read books in there, and then I told her that the one rule is that she has to stay in bed. I tucked her in and left, and I haven't heard a single peep so far!
Aaaaand, I've probably just jinxed the whole thing. I couldn't help myself--I just snuck in and snapped a picture. Prepare yourself for cuteness!

She's so little in there! :)

(Just FYI, that bulge next to her is a body pillow, to prevent her from rolling out)

First-Timer

2010-11-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

One of the things I was most excited about when we got Barney was seeing Brad experience owning a dog. He's never had a dog, even when growing up, so this is his first time as a dog owner. Don't get me wrong--it's been an adjustment, but I think he's doing pretty well so far....

"Excuse me, you're really interrupting our quality time."

Woof.

Coffee with the Girls

2010-11-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Kirsten was in town last weekend to help me (read: do most of the work) paint Maia's current room and her "big girl room," too. I seriously can't say enough about how much fun it was to spend that time with Kir, and also about how much work she did! The rooms look great (pictures to come), and the weekend wasn't even entirely non-stop work. We managed to find time on Sunday morning to take Maia out on a "girls only" date to Starbucks. It was Maia's first Starbucks experience, and she liked her hot chocolate!

Kirsten helps Mo take her first sips

To us!

Per usual, Mo refused to look at me and smile (this is her usual smile, too).

Kirsten couldn't stop laughing at my repeated failed attempts.

I love how Maia is looking at Kirsten here--it's clear that she's enjoying making Kir laugh!

Combine my established love of lattes with his daughter's newfound love of hot chocolate, and you get one nervous Brad!

Here's to all of us keeping warm as the temperature drops, right? :)

Boy or Girl?

2010-11-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if I think Miyagi is a boy or a girl yet. I didn't really ever have a good sense with Maia, either, so the plan is basically to wait until I have the ultrasound at around 20 weeks and then just claim that I "knew all along!" I will totally admit, however, that I'm dying to know if Mo is going to have a brother or a sister--even more than I was dying to know if Mo herself was a girl or a boy.
Because I'm willing to try just about anything to get a sense of Miyagi's gender, I totally spontaneously purchased the IntelliGender test from our local neighborhood Target (even though I don't support their politics, the store is about 50 yards from our house).
Here's what the website for IntelliGender claims:

Girl or Boy?

Share the joy!

Our Gender Prediction Test is the fun pre-birth experience moms are talking about! Discover whether you're having a boy or girl as early as 10 weeks pregnant. Our urine-based test is easy to perform in the privacy of your home, with results ready in minutes! IntelliGender's Gender Prediction Test bridges the curiosity gap between conception and sonogram.

My favorite part of that is the bridge between conception and sonogram--I did need that space in time bridged!!

Thank you, IntelliGender!

So, after taking a TON of crap from Brad and listening to him make sarcastic comments about the scientific validity of the test, I told him to shut it and I peed in the cup. I swirled the pee and the...the...whatever the magic potion that is IntelliGender together, and I waited the amount of time recommended.

The directions say that if the pee/magic solution turns greenish/smoky green, you'd better start thinking about whether or not you'll circumcise your son. If it's relatively unchanged (yellowish), or turns more orange-y in color, you should start queuing up episodes of Teen Mom to keep your daughter chaste.

Here's how my test turned out:

Here it is sitting on the counter.

Here it is in some sunlight.

Not super-clear either way.

So, what do you all think?

Belly shots!

2010-11-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

No, it's not some weird frat party call--in case you've forgotten (since I haven't really been posting a ton about it), I'm still pregnant. I haven't been as good about doing belly shots this time around, even though I feel like I've gotten HUGE lately!

At any rate, here's the progression so far.

5 weeks:

Does every woman do this? Look at the early shots and think about how awesomely in shape she used to be? It's kind of cruel to do to yourself, really.

Damn you, in-shape Micah! You're just mocking me now!

9 weeks:

14 weeks (taken on Halloween):

You never notice how much toothpaste gets on the mirror until you try to take a self-portrait.

For the record, this side of the mirror is in front of Brad's sink. ;-)

I promise I'll try to be better about taking belly shots--I've been kind of blindsided by how quickly I've popped out a belly this time around. My doctor had warned me early-on that I'd be shocked at how quickly I'd show, and I was like, "Yeah, sure...." I believed her, but I didn't realize just how quickly she meant! People at work know that I'm pregnant (probably even people I haven't specifically told), so I'm not even trying to hide it anymore (not that I could, you know?).

Also, my belly-button is already freaking me out. I kind of think it's gonna go this time, but we'll see...

Cute Cousin Card

2010-11-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Maia got her first real piece of mail last Friday. It was a total surprise to all of us, and it was an adorable surprise! Maia's cousin, Cleary, sent Mo a Halloween card! I handed the card right over to Maia, and here's what happened:

Yes, that's Cleary on the front, and on the inside.

We can't wait until we can smooch the real Cleary!! :)

Trick or Treat!

2010-11-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be honest. I'm pretty sure Maia knew that Halloween has something to do with pumpkins before she understood that it also has a lot to do with costumes and candy. All during October, we were priming her for Halloween and asking Halloween questions. I have probably heard/participated in these two sentences about fifty times:

"Maia, what are you going to dress up as for Halloween?"

"Ummm... a pumpkin!"

Lo and behold, none of the other costumes appealed to her, so here is our pumpkin!

We got off to a pretty rough start. Anybody else have children who call all your discipline-bluffs?

"I don't wanna be a pumpkin! I don't wanna trick-or-treat!!"

"Oh, well, I guess we'll just stay here and not get any candy."

"Okay."

Just so we're clear, she also gives herself time-outs:

Us: "If you don't stop 'insert bad behavior here,' you're going to get a time out."

Maia: "I do need a time out. Can I have a time out?"

You're gutting the punishment part of the time-out, kid!!

I love this picture. I'm pretty sure Micah wanted me to be helping, but this picture is worth so much more than any help I could have provided.

Once we got outside, though, all was right with the world again.

It was still light out, but we have a pretty young neighborhood, so it was already humming.

My smiling ladies! Who do you think is more excited about the candy?

Maia was pretty sure that the bucket was just for show (and potentially, the lesser candies). The Nerds were going to stay in her hand no matter what--seriously, she refused to put them in the bucket. She would set them aside when receiving new candy, put the new candy in the bucket, and then pick up the Nerds in her hand again. Three boxes, in her hand at all times.

Loot time! Again, notice the keen eye keeping track of those Nerds.

JujyFruits were also a hit!

I don't have any pictures to prove it, but let's just say that in our experience, sugared-up toddlers sing and chatter for a loooooong time in their cribs before they finally go to sleep.

Happy Halloween!!

ULTRA Soooooouuuuunnnnd

2010-10-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I always think of the word, "ultrasound," in an announcer voice. According to Wikipedia all cool people do, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. But, without further ado, here is Miyagi! He is busy relaxing up a storm (very recline-y). The sonographer had a rough time getting Miyagi into the right position to take her measurements, so we got to watch Miyagi relaxing/squirming alternately for quite a while.

Update! I forget that the sonographer pointed out the features of the picture to us. Now it seems obvious, but it wasn't obvious until she pointed them out, so hopefully this will help you see what's going on. Essentially Miyagi is reclining with his feet up, a hand behind his head, and sucking the thumb of his other hand.

One Sad Pup

2010-10-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

Barney got neutered on Wednesday. He's feeling a bit better now, I think, but he's still pretty sad about the whole thing. I told Brad to be sure to spend some time talking with Barney about what it's like getting neutered--after Miyagi comes, Brad's next!!

**Barney is wearing underpants to keep him from licking his stitches (and because it's adorable!)

Punkin' Patch!

2010-10-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

The weather around here has been insanely beautiful lately--crisp but not too chilly, sunny, and an abundance of yellow and orange and red leaves. I love this time of year, and this weather is letting us get out and actually enjoy it!
We've been revving Maia up for Halloween. She's talked about Halloween on her own, and is interested in going Trick-or-Treating. Whenever we've asked her, she's insisted on dressing up as a pumpkin for Halloween, and since that's a pretty simple costume, I'm all for it (we actually got the costume this weekend, but more on that later). Because she's into Halloween and pumpkins, our trip to the pumpkin patch was a sure success.
I'm going to let the photos do (most of) the talking!

I know--try not to fall over when this cuteness slaps you in the face.

Even better? The shirt is glow-in-the-dark (we tested it out)!

This is the face I get when I tell Mo to smile these days.

It's because I once told her to "show your teeth!"

Aaaaaaand...she's over it.

This is definitely more like it!

This was our first pick--we all liked the warts! :)

Mo was NOT into posing. At all.

We finally had the four we wanted, and Maia insisted on helping pull the wagon back.

She was very concerned with the pumpkins, and kept looking back to check on them.

Does this familiar at all?

That surly expression hasn't changed much in the past two years, has it? ;-)

Happy Fall!!

New Family Member!

2010-10-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

And I don't mean Miyagi, either! Because Brad and I figured that adding a screaming newborn to our already-chaotic household just wasn't enough, we decided to adopt a dog. Actually, we started the process of adopting a dog WAY back at the start of June, thinking that we'd be matched fairly quickly. As it turns out, having a two year old and two cats makes it difficult for rescue organizations to find a dog for you--whodda guessed?
   Anyway, after lots of waiting and a few disappointments here or there with potential dogs falling through, we got word about a week and a half ago that Wisconsin Adopt a Golden Retriever had a two year old dog that had just come in, and the foster he was staying with thought he'd be a great match for us.
   Two days after they e-mailed me about him, we met Zane (who we've renamed, since I had a student named Zane and didn't want to think of him everytime I called our dog). Two days after that (about a week ago), we brought him home. Suffice it to say that it was a super-whirlwind that we weren't quite expecting to go so quickly after almost 5 months of waiting. We barely had enough time to make a decision about him, and he was standing in our living room--I'll admit, I was a little panicked and overwhelmed.
   We had a few days of some uncertain moments (introducing him to a crate, showing him how to walk with a leash, working with him so he won't jump on us or try to hump us all the time), but things have started to settle in a bit. The bottom line is, he's a super-sweet and friendly dog, and he is a pretty quick learner. He doesn't mind our cats, even though Linus intimidates him every time he sees him. He's good with Maia, only trying to sniff her and never jumping on her or knocking her over.
   Technically, we're fostering him with the intent to adopt--they couldn't officially adopt him out until he was neutered. Instead of him having to go to another foster family while he waited to get neutered and then being able to come to us, they figured we could foster him and then just officially adopt him once the neutering was taken care of.
   He's getting neutered on Wednesday, so we're getting to the point where he can really become our dog (it already feels like he is, to be honest). As I write this, he's lying on my feet under our kitchen table.
   Enough with the words--here's Barney!!! :)

His full name is Barney Stinson

(after the character on "How I Met Your Mother)

He's very playful, and loves to go after tennis balls. I suspect that he'll learn to

bring them right back to us really quickly (he kind of does it now, but it's not consistent).

He loves his rope, and will kind of toss it around for himself sometimes.

He also REALLY loves lying under the kitchen table.

I can't say enough what a sweetheart he is, and how it already feels like he's

a part of our family. We're in love!

Isn't he gorgeous and fabulous?! :)

Trash Can Love

2010-10-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Maia really loves the trash can. And she has really cute animal pajamas. Is that reason enough to post these photos? I think so.

Apples!

2010-09-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

It is quickly becoming a tradition for our family to go apple-picking at Eplegaarden each fall. Our haul so far this year has included three pints of raspberries, thirty pounds of apples, one half gallon of cider, and about a hundred pictures. While I can't share the apples with you and I won't share the raspberries with anybody, the pictures are perhaps the reason you're here anyway.

Who's excited to pick some apples?!

Just put that one in the bag...or you could eat it, I guess.

Maia isn't the only one who is excited about apples!

As Maia would say, "I'm hiding in the treeeeeees."

I'm biased, of course, but you just don't get much cuter than that.

My ladies.

Aside from picking apples another part of the Eplegaarden tradition is a posed photo in front of the, "How tall this fall" sign.

I suppose I should have backed up to get more of the sign in the shot.

In my defense, I mumble mumble mumble.

Sorry, kiddo. Even in mama's arms the genetics suggest you're never going to see the other side of the six foot marker. We'll have to work on our jumping.

Maia has been very interested in hugs and "smooches" lately, but this was especially lovely.

Apparently the order of preference is: 1) Mom, 2) Apples, 3) Dad.

So long and thanks for all the apples!

A Sidekick

2010-09-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Exactly three years ago today, Brad and I did our first blog post. In that post, we announced that we were going to have a baby, and that we were calling the baby "Karate" after The Karate Kid. The rest, as they say, is history (cue Mo doing laps around our living room yelling, "I'm RUNNING!!").

Well, everyone knows that any good Karate Kid needs a sidekick. And we're thrilled (and petrified) to announce that we're (I'm) working on one for Maia:

Everyone, meet Miyagi!!

(we don't know if you should say "Mister" yet)

Due date: May 2nd, 2011!!

(Don't worry, it looks like a blurry gummy bear to us, too. Let's hope it gets cuter, right?)

Just Relaxing in the Grass

2010-09-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

Commander Maia

2010-09-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

We've had a few days of REALLY nice weather, and Maia dragged Brad out on the deck the other morning while I was finishing breakfast. After sitting and watching this scene from the kitchen table for awhile, I grabbed our Flip and shot exactly what I was seeing. Brad's a real trooper, no? :)

Awesome, awesome gift

2010-09-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

We received a package in the mail from Karen and Brian and Cleary this week. Karen's brother has been living in China, and she requested that he bring Maia a particular present. We've been loving the gift ever since we opened it, but this is the first time I've been able to get photos. When she's wearing it, I'm too busy giggling or exclaiming about the cuteness, so I had to build up my Panda-tolerance in order to get a few good pictures. See below. :)

I realize she looks distressed here, but it's mostly from me chasing her around with the camera.

She loves the hat, and she gets mad if I try to put on the other one (they sent us two!).

Karen and Brian, you guys are AWESOME!!!

Sing it, Girl!

2010-08-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Summer 2010 Recap

2010-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Clearly, starting a new job has really gotten in the way of my regular posting. Looking back over all the things I'd have to do posts on that have happened this summer, I decided to just go with the old standby: photo slideshow movie!!!

The pictures in this span most of the major events from the summer (mostly visits with family), but perhaps my favorite aspect of the slideshow is the music I picked. I'll just say two things about the song choice 1) Once this song popped into my head when I was brainstorming which music to use, I just couldn't NOT use it. I actually bought this song just to put it with this slideshow (and yes, I'm a little embarrassed about that) and 2. If you are close to my age, don't even pretend that you don't know at least the chorus to this song.
Anyway, here you go...Summer 2010 Photo Slideshow Extravaganza!!!

Potty Training Progress

2010-08-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people asking about how Maia's potty training is going since my oh-so-naive post awhile back. Well...it's not really going. She suddenly, for no apparent reason, wants nothing to do with the potty. To be fair, though, she's already got a bathroom of her own, of sorts:

I'm not lying when I tell you that she does 90% of all her pooping behind those curtains. Sometimes, if the curtains are hooked back, she'll even ask me to put them down so she can poop. The girl needs her privacy, people!