A Mom's First Day of Preschool...

Today was Fin's first day of preschool and I woke up this morning with my stomach in a thousand knots. I know, I know, Fin is the most social and well adjusted child you know, but he's MY BABY and the thought of leaving him in a strange place with all new people made me want to cry.

We carried out our morning as usual, the chief difference being that I ironed Fin's clothes for the day (which I never do and probably will not do again for quite some time - especially considering the note they sent home about how they do NOT use washable paints, but I digress...) and we had some bacon biscuits and a banana for breakfast. Brooks stayed home late so that he could watch Dash while I took Fin to school. We arrived in true Maggie style - a half hour early. It was nice not to rush and we had a little time to sit and talk about the day ahead (mind your manners, be nice to the other children, respect your teacher...) With 9am approaching, we hung up Fin's backpack on his hook and waited for the doors to open. At 9am sharp, Miss Annette opened her door and Fin was the first child in - with a hug and some help placing his snack in his cubby. And he was off! I actually had to yell for one last kiss and a promise to pick him up later. After which I promptly raced to the car in hopes that I would get out of the schoolyard before my tears escaped the range of my sunglasses. Poor Brooks had to deal with the "OUR BABY IS AT SCH(sniffle)OOOOOL" phone call.
Snack!

I came home, did some laundry and snapped up Dash. Then I did what every new preschool mama does. I went to Target. What makes me think that this is the chosen activity for those scant three one-less-child hours? Because I ran into two other moms from Fin's new class and spoke to a third who confessed to being there as well (Did you see their big back-to-school clearance? I mean really, does my preschooler need 5 notebooks for 50 cents? YES). I had been avoiding the Target trip for weeks just so everything would be "new" for this occassion when I needed the distraction. So Dash and I trudged around, list in hand (or mouth, depending on which one of us was holding it), and we talked about what Fin might be doing. Apparently Fin talks SO much I had sort of forgotten that, well, Dash doesnt. And people look at you like some kind of crazy person for having a deep discussion with your baby. (Huggies Baby Wash or Johnson & Johnson, Dash what do you think? Smell these for me...) I think I realized how much I missed Fin when I asked Dash if he needed to go potty when we left the store. Sigh.

Once Dash and I had loaded up the car with all of our exciting (diapers, wipes and notebooks) Target purchases, I realized it was still barely 11am. Did I mention that I had been feverishly checking my watch every few minutes to make sure I wasn't loosing track of time? One of my many nightmares last night involved me doing just that and arriving at the school to find Fin the last child there crying over a mother who had forgotten him. If that's not enought to get you to be on time, I don't know what is. With that fear in mind, I decided to just head straight to school. At that point Monika called me and reminded me that it was only a ten-minute drive. If you hit every red light. But I HAD to be the first Mommy there, so off we went. And then we waited...and waited...and waited. It should be noted that I had Dash in the Bjorn because in my post-first-day-of-preschool fantasy I would need both arms free to lift and hug the little boy who came running out so excited to see me...

At exactly noon, the doors opened and children started streaming out single file. Some burst right into tears upon being reunited with their lost parents. And Dash and I waited. Fin was the LAST child out of his classroom and only then at the prodding of his teacher letting him know I was waiting. But my dissappointment was shortlived, as he immediately launched into showing me his artwork (a crayon drawing and a dot painting) and explaining it (there was a traced hand, a circle, an attempted "F"), thanking me for his treats in his lunchbox (which made me feel like I had really done something right), and then detailing the misdoings of a certain Sophie (who apparently pushed down Owen - Miss Annette told her that wasn't nice - and stole a drumstick from Fin - Miss Annette told her not to steal - and tried to take said lunchbox treats - Fin told her SHE wasn't nice!) Then he grabbed his baby brother by his little head, told him how much he missed him and gave him a big smooch. Ahhh, here's that verbose child I missed so much...

Fin's artwork

I asked Miss Annette how he did, which I felt bad doing as clearly he was fine and I'm sure that was a question she had to answer a zillion times a day, and she said he was great. Great! So I, proud mama, took her preschooler to his favorite place - Johnny Rockets - as a reward. While we listened to Cheeseburger in Paradise on repeat (I KNOW they TOTALLY hate us there!), Fin informed me that he couldn't wait to go back to preschool. Only on Thursday he wants to take Dash with him. Now I have two days to figure out how to get Dash to sit still shoved in a cubby waiting for Show and Tell time. A mama can dream!

Happy Student at Johnny Rockets

A Project...

So Aunt Jan asked me to clean up an old photo for her - and since I couldn't sleep anyway with the big first-day-of-school looming ahead of us, I decided to play around with it last night. I think it turned out pretty well!

To Fin on his First Day of School!

My Dearest Fin,

I can't believe you will go to school this week! SCHOOL! MY BABY! Where has the time gone!

We had our orientation this week and you were able to see your classroom, your cubby and coat hook, and meet your teachers and some of the other children who will be in your class. You'll be in the 3 year old class at St. Stephens from 9-12 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Your teacher is Miss Annette and her assistant is Miss Shannon. They seem to be extremely kind as I suppose all preschool teachers must be. Your classroom is the blue room and it's so cute! They actually have a large space divided into three classrooms and after instruction time, they open it up so that you can play with the children in all three classes, not just your own. Speaking of your class, there are 13 children in it - 7 girls and 6 boys - and as I read over the list I wondered who you would choose to be your friends...I can't wait to see.

The school has a huge playground too with tons of stuff to do. As we looked around it, the teachers told us that they bring toys out too when you're having outside time. I'm worried that you're going to have so much fun that you may never want to come home! Our tour even included a peek at the bathroom facilities with their very special little potties. You were too excited to get out onto the playground, but I think you'll get a kick out of using a potty that is just your size. They have full time bathroom monitors too which made mommy feel better to know that there will always be someone nice nearby to help you if your pants get stuck. I'm so proud of your potty training efforts!

Mommy and Daddy got you a new backpack and lunchbox to take to school - since you so love construction equipment we went with that. You have the cutest brightly colored Crocodile Creek set with a dump truck on the front and all kinds of equipment dancing around the edges.

Well, I suppose I'll amend this note to let you know if you liked your first day! I was initially excited at the thought of getting a small break and perhaps a little alone time with Dash, but I hadn't realized how hard it would be to let you go or how much this forces me to face the fact that you're growing up so fast. I guess I'm trying to tell you not to be too surprised if my eyes get a little misty when I have to kiss you goodbye. I just love you that much.

All My Love,

Mom

Life Without TV

Anyone who knows us knows that we have a ridiculously large TV in our bedroom - and that we did so LONG before buying a nicer TV for our family room. We'd all much prefer to sit in bed and watch a movie or a show. We're just those people.

So it was kind of a big deal when said large TV began to go kablooie. Through the past three months, Supreme Purchase* has strung us along, misdiagnosing the problem, ordering the wrong part, only being available to service the TV at naptime, etc. Just long enough for the dang thing to whurr out a final death knell right after the warranty expired. Since the problem started long before the warranty ran out, one would assume that the replacement clause would be honored. Or not. We're currently at war with them.

The point is that our main source of entertainment is gone.

It took me a few days to realize that I never even turn ON the downstairs TV. I'd rather the boys just play when we're down there. Our key viewing periods were when the boys first woke up, at nap time and at bath and bedtime. Now we talk in the morning. I won't lie, naptimes are tough, but that is also probably because Fin is starting to resist the whole process. And a few days ago I got out my binder of old CD's (does anyone buy those anymore?) and we started listening to music. I had no idea dancing to the Cure and Bon Jovi with my kids would be so much fun! Today we went down for a nap listening to Sarah McLachlan. It was fantastic. Fin gets to choose our listening pleasure (this afternoon was an old Concrete Blonde CD because it was a pretty color orange).

Woob looked at me funny when I suggested turning off the cable and suggested I wait to make that decision AFTER the new fall shows start. He's probably right. But for now I'll just enjoy dancing with my kids. You should try it sometime.



*Pseudonym used

Changes Afoot

I had to do some closet cleaning this morning as the boys seem to be outgrowing their clothes faster than I can get them dressed. Going through Fin's closet, I found the box of shoes I had set aside for Dash as Fin outgrew them. Since space is at premium in Dash's room, I decided to stick them under his crib and as I was doing it I realized how fast they are growing. Fin is wearing his "big boy" underpants full time today and I realized changing Dash that we'll only need that changing table for another year or so. With Dash crawling and cruising at breakneck speed, it's only a matter of time until he's walking. I just wanted to document this in-between time. So here are the waiting shoes:

And at center, the shoes that Fin took his first steps in...

For Dash at 8 Months

My Dearest Dash,

I'm trying to keep up with these notes to you, but you boys keep me SO busy!!

You're sleeping through the night almost every night! Yay! Now if you could show your brother Fin how to do that...sigh. No more swaddles for you either - you're too big! You're still growing too fast and it's size three diapers for now. I had to take down your swing this weekend since you're too big for it and you'd rather crawl out of it than swing anyway :)

We're staying busy! We're watching Leila and Zach grow and I can't wait until the three of you are ready to play together. We just got back from your first Vacation - to North Carolina with Mommy's family. You LOVED the beach! Not so much a fan of the sand but put you in any body of water and you're totally relaxed. Speaking of which, we try and get to the pool a few times a week and I just pop you in your raft and you float around happily while I play with Fin. You're even more in your element in the tub and Fin is constantly yelling at you to stop splashing.

You're talking all the time - just mama and dada and other babbles, but it's so cute to hear. You're also quite the giggler lately. And waver too! All I have to do is ask for a wave and you're more than happy to oblige. You're also becoming more mobile by the day. You're crawling short distances (you have to be VERY motivated) and pulling up on anything you can get your hands on. The ability to get around, albeit a little bit, is really making you a much nicer little man. You love to sit and play, surrounded by toys.

You're still taking two naps a day and a few little snoozes (usually in the car). We all lay down for famliy nap time at 10:30 - I'm usually beyond ready by then for a little down time. You only really need an hour, so you and I sneak out and let Fin nap a little more. It's nice to get some alone time with just the two of us. We work on crawling and chatting. Then when Fin gets up you are SO excited to see him! I can't wait to watch the good friends you boys become.

So there you have it Dash, your life today in a nutshell. You're still teething like mad with NO teeth to show yet, and perfecting your speed crawl. Again, I'm asking you to please slow down my little one!

All My Love,
Mom

To Fin at 2.5

My Dearest Fin,

Time seems to be in fast forward with you boys these days - I can't believe you're two and a half. Before I know it, you'll be three!

Our morning routine is unchanged, you get up and come into our room and crawl into bed with Daddy and I and snuggle for a bit and watch some TV. You let Mommy and Daddy seep in a little more, but not too much, you really prefer for us to watch your shows with you :) Daddy goes and gets Mom's OJ and your milk and we chat a bit before Dash wakes up and wants his breakfast. Some days he sleeps until 8 and since you never sleep later than 6, we get some nice time in together.

You're retaining your title of greatest helper to mommy. You're quick to throw any clothes on the floor into the washer and help me get all the dirty diapers directly into the "diaper thing". The clothes part makes Daddy a little frustrated since he sometimes plans on rewearing (ew) stuff he puts on the floor. I think he's learning that clean clothes don't go there :)

Back to our routine. It's more fluid these days since Maya and Taylor became big sisters. Life is more difficult to coordinate with so many babies involved! We see your friends as often as we can and make sure we get to go on a few walks to the park and to the pool a few times a week. You still go to MyGym on Tuesdays and we just started a new preschool class on Thursdays. Your friends are all in it, and it's the first class you've done where Mommy can leave you. Although you wanted me to be visible in the waiting room during the first class so we'll see how that goes! On Fridays, we're back to having lunch with Mommy's friend Katie. You love her and you always beg her to come back to our house and play with you - and usually she does.

On the weekends we do walks with daddy and enjoy eating out. You're so funny with your pasta and burger diet, but I get plenty of fresh fruits into you during the day and you'll still eat baby food veggies so you do get some of those. We also do family movie night every Sunday. You love to sit in bed and watch movies with us and Mommy and Daddy LOVE that!

You're still a chatterbox. Some days I have to beg you to just give me a little quiet time. But you're so smart! You're also always listening so I have to remind everyone to watch what they say around you. We just returned from Topsail with your Uncles and I'm amazed that your vocabulairy didn't come back "enriched". You have total mastery of the alphabet - you can tell me any letter by sight and sound and vice versa. We're working on your writing and you're always asking me to help you write your name. Someday you'll appreciate the brevity of "Fin"! We're also working hard on recognizing your numbers, but you're not nearly as motivated with them as you are with the alphabet. Our potty training has stalled a bit, which is a bummer since James and Taylor are well on their way. But I know you'll let me know when you're ready - or at least I know you're very clear with me that you're NOT ready right now.

That's all for now my dear, I love you more than you know!

Mommy

Photo Editing

I've been playing around with some photo editing techniques and thought this one turned out pretty cool...

For Dash at 5 Months

My Dearest Dash,

Just like I did for your big brother Fin, I thought I would write you a little note and tell you some things about what your life is like at five months old.

You're sleeping in your own crib now, like such a big boy, and some nights (rarely) you even sleep straight through until morning! We still swaddle you, although you are quckly outgrowing your blankets. If we want to keep it up, we'll have to use quilts soon :) You're growing faster than I'd like and I think you're days in size two diapers are numbered. I went to Target last night (leaving you boys home with Daddy) and as I walked past all the cute little baby clothes I suddenly realized that you'd already outgrown them! It feels like it was yesterday that I found out I was pregnant with you and started looking at them again. How did you get so big??

With all of Fin's activities and playdates, our days are BUSY! We see Fin's friends from Mommy's birthing class almost every day. Lucky for you, Maya's mommy Kindra had a little girl a few weeks ago - Leila - and Taylor's mommy Elise will have little baby zach in a few weeks. You'll soon have a playgroup of your own! You've survived your first trip East as well as your first trip to Vegas (which you loved!) and our next few months will be filled with tons of travels as we go to New York for Aunt Carrie's Wedding, Topsail, NC for the beach vacation, and then back to DC in September for Aunt Julie's wedding. You're going to be one well-travelled little guy! Speaking of travelling, you're quickly becoming far too long for your "baby bucket" car seat. Your skinny little legs dangle off the ends of it and that's not to mention how buff mommy's arms are getting from trying to haul it around. We've already got your big-boy car seat ready to go, I'm just waiting until you can sit up a little better so that you're ready to tackle the world of shopping carts and high chairs!

Speaking of moving on to big things, you said your first word this week (3/19)! Daddy had come home from work early and got to hear it - Mama. Since Fin's first word was Dada, I think this was fair :) We're so proud of you, but a little concerned. I can't imagine a child more talkative than Fin, and you said your first word a little earlier than he did. At least you'll have eachother to talk to.

You take two naps a day and a few little snoozes. After running around all morning, we take a family nap together at 11. You're not very good at sleeping on your own yet, so most days I have to lay down with you both. Although I usually don't sleep, it's probably a very needed rest for me. Some days you and Fin both insist on "snuggles" and I find myself with a boy under each arm. I have to admit that there are days when you two seem too good to be true.

Like Fin, the late afternoon is the most difficult time for you. Everyone is waiting for daddy to come home and mommy's usually a tad tired and crabby. Once everything settles down, it's time for a bath. This is a mommy and daddy tag-team effort. Mom get's in with you AND Fin(oh the embarassment this will cause when you're both teenagers!) and dad get's everything ready for when we get out. You love the tub and you could care less when I dunk you or dump water over your head to wash your hair. There are some nights when I think you'd like to stay in the tub for hours! You love to lay on your back and kick and float. You're learning how to splash too - no doubt by the example of your big brother! After your tub it's time for one last meal and then to bed. We've been trying desperately to get you to take a bottle, but with no luck. Apparently there is just no substitute for mommy! We miss you being in our bed at night, but we all sleep a little better with you in your crib (three nights in a row of sleeping straight through as I type this). But on the weekends we all pile into Mommy and Daddy's bed in the morning and settle in for some snuggles and cartoons. You love to watch TV :)

So dearest Dash, there's a picture of your days right now. You're teething like mad, working very hard on your sitting skills and enjoying your first tastes of food (bananas are your favorite right now). We love you so much and are so enjoying watching you grow. Could you just slow down a little?

All My Love,
Mom

Carrie's Bachelorette Party

Here are just two shots from our weekend in Vegas for Carrie's BP. Mama ready to go and one of Susan, Carrie and Jess out front of the Bellagio fountains.

Horton the Elephant

Anyone who has one knows that life with a two-year-old can be exhausting. But then there are days like today when you think that this could be an age you could love...

After a trip to Whole Foods, and feeling guilty for no afternoon playdates, I decided to take Fin across the street to Khols and see if there was a new little treat I could bring him home with. He was being VERY good today. So in we went and they had a special on Dr. Seuss books ($5 and all benefitting a charity) and while I was asking him which one we should get, I failed to notice the large corresponding toy display behind me. Fin grabs an elephant and hugs it tight, yelling at me that it's the most beautiful elephant ever and "look how long his nose is mommy! Feel how soft he is!". A saleslady, who was watching the whole exchange, bent down and asked "what is the elephants name." Fin looked at at me and said "Mommy, what's his name?". I looked at the book - Horton Hatches an Egg - and told him it was Horton. He snuggled hin close and says "You can come home with me Horton".

Needless to say, Horton and Fin are enjoying a snack on the couch and watching Wonder Pets together:)

To Dash at Three Months

Dearest Baby Dash,

I cannot believe that you're three months old already! It was terribly hard for me to find the time to sit down and write this - you and your brother keep me so very busy!

Let me start by telling you a little bit about what your life has been like these past three months. I must say - you are one terrific baby. Aside from the normal baby spit up and explosive diapers (three outfits yesterday!), you're really pretty easy. I hope I don't regret saying that! You're still just a boob guy, but I think we'll try getting you used to a bottle soon. You've transitioned seamlessly from mommies bed into your own crib, which is great but I do miss you're little body in bed next to me. You're holding your head up like a champion, working during tummy time and trying desperately both to sit up and to talk. Your father and I know you have so much to tell us and will likely follow in your brother's chatty footsteps. You are definitely your own little person though - it's amazing how one gene pool can create two different little boys! The biggest difference between you and your brother is that you sleep through the night a few times a week. I can't tell you how great that is for Mom and Dad. Unfortunately, you're not so much of a napper :) We can't decide who you look like yet, but you don't look too much like Fin except when you're smiling - which you do VERY often. You're a total ham!

The household routine hasn't changed too much since you arrived. We spend our mornings getting ready and doing things around the house. Then it's naptime. On good days - which are frequent - you and Fin and I all nap together. I think there is no greater feeling than being all snuggled in bed with you and Fin. We get up, have a snack, and it's off to a playdate. Fin's friends love you (almost as much as he does)! Taylor and Maya are both going to be big sisters soon so you will have little friends of your own to play with as you get older. You love to watch all the kids play and I know you're just waiting for the day that you're able to get up and run alongside your brother. Don't grow up too fast for Mommy though!

I don't know what it is, but it seems like no one is happy in our house in the early evening! I think we're all overly anxious for daddy to get home. When he does, we have tub time. You love being in the water. For now, mommy gets in with you and Fin to make sure everyone gets all clean, but someday you'll be able to take a tub with just you and Fin. Oh the pictures mommy will take! After tubs, it's jammies and story time before you're off to bed.

That's all for now little Dash. I can't wait to watch you grow and see the little boy you will become. How lucky we are to have you as a son/brother in our family!

Much Love,
Mommy

To Fin at Two Years Old

My Dearest Fin,

You're two, TWO! I can't believe it! How did you get so big? I feel like yesterday you were my teeny new baby...

We celebrated your birthday with all your baby friends at My Gym. It was a joint party with James and you had so much fun! Monika got Sprinkles cupcakes for all and I did the goodie bags for the kids. Turbo, Gran and Uncle Russ even came since it was close to Thanksgiving. Mommy really liked not having to clean up ;)

The last few months have brought so many changes that it will be hard to remember them all. Maybe if I go through the routine of our days I'll remember better. You're sleeping in your Big Boy room now and in a big bed too. I'm very proud of you for doing that. In the mornings, you get up and come into our room and crawl into bed with Daddy and I and snuggle for a bit. Then we get up and you and Dash have breakfast in bed. While mommy feeds Dash, you eat a Zbar and drink your milk. Then we get dressed and ready for our day.

Speaking of Dash, you're a GREAT big brother. You worry over him when he cries and always try and make him laugh. You help him get his pacifier back in his mouth all the time too. And you're a great help to mommy - how did I ever get along without you!

Back to your routine. On Mondays we usually do a walk to the park and a playdate in the afternoon, on Tuesdays and Thursdays we go to MyGym and on Wednesdays we have our preschool playdate. I still like to have you all to myself on Fridays and of course we have the weekends with Daddy. You have lots of little friends now - we still see Maya and James all the time, and Taylor too (who you have a special love/hate/smackdown relationship with) - and now you have good friends Lexi, Giella and Bridgette from MyGym. You like the ladies ;)

Your speech has grown by leaps and bounds and you seem to NEVER stop talking! You're speaking in full sentences and your vocabulary is fantastic. You know your name (and just about everyone eles' that you've ever met) and how old you are. You're mastering the alphabet and you can count to 15. When prompted, you can count the number of various objects put in front of you too. You know every color and almost all of your shapes. You can sing Twinkle, Twinkle like a pro and will try and sing every song you hear. You love music and dancing! You're starting to learn to use the potty and often come to Mommy and tell her you have to poop - but we're still a ways off of real potty training.

You like to watch TV to unwind and your favorite show right now is the Upside Down show - two crazy Australian guys who do an improv/mime thing. You have a great imagination! You like Max and Ruby too - about a bunny and her little brother.You're starting to have the patience to watch longer movies which makes Daddy very happy - I think he'd like to watch the entire Disney library with you! You also love to color and it's a good thing we got out to eat alot because then you get to do plenty of it. Speaking of eating, you're master of the straw and doing great learning how to use a fork and spoon. You still won't drink anything other than milk and water. You have learned all too well to order your own dinner and you love burgers and pasta - don't know WHERE you got that!

Well, that's all I can think of my darling! I love you more than words and I'm so proud of the little boy you're growing into. Happy Birthday and I can't wait to share many more with you!

All my love,
Mom

Baby Dash Arrives...

Dashel Brooks Martin
10/11/07
7:52 pm
7lbs 9oz
19 in long

and DRUG FREE!!!

So apparently, whatever the Dr. did on Wednesday to "stir things up" worked! I started having a lot of "show" immediately and had a few good contractions Wednesday night. By Thursday morning they had regulated - just in time for Brooks to have to take my mom to the airport! I had him take Fin with them and I stayed at home to monitor things.

My contractions picked up a bit so I called Yvonne, our doula, and put her on notice. Then I called Jenny to come sit for Fin - and she had the FLU!! A quick call to Monika and Fin was taken care of for the evening. I finished packing my bag, packed a bag for Fin and had Brooks bring some lunch home. After we ate, things really felt like they were taking off so I had Brooks take Fin to Monikas and Yvonne came over. We all chatted while I worked through things at home from about 12- 3:30. At that point I wasn't sure about handling contractions in the car, so we headed up to the hospital.

Once we were through admitting etc., I got a room and was checked - I was at a 6! Great to hear since I felt like that was where I would be. Our nurse was amazing - super supportive of my drug free plans and full of nothing but encouraging words. She didn't make me have an IV or a heplock which was fantastic! The Dr. stopped in briefly, ok'ed all my birth wishes and said he'd see me later. By about 5:30 I was in some serious pain. I'll have to put more details in here later when our doula gives us her version of the birth, since it's all a blur to me. One nurse said I was at 10 around 6pm with just a small lip, then another nurse came on and she said I was only at 9. My bag of waters was bulging and they knew that all I needed was to have it broken and baby would follow, but the Dr. was in with a difficult delivery and unavailable. Finally, the nurse checked me again and "Oops, I broke her water" :) What an angel! Unfortunately there was meconium, although it was "thin" I was still freaked out. The next few contractions were unbearable and all of a sudden I was totally out of control. It was like my body was totally not my own and I almost laughed when told not to push yet! By the time the Dr. came in, he was looking into Dash's eyes as I had half his head out already! He caught the babe just in time and all was well! He put Dash right on my chest, which they didn't really do with Fin, and that was pretty amazing.

Dash nursed right away, pooped, and passed out :) We went right into a recovery room and were able to get some sleep before they brought me an early morning roomate (the hospital was SUPER busy!). Brooks spent most of Friday with Fin - they had an early morning visit and then came back to get Dash and I at 3pm. It was SO GREAT to get home! The girl sharing a room with me was electing to stay until Sunday. That would have been such a nightmare for me!! Dash wasn't so into the whole "sleeping" thing last night, so here's hoping that gets better, but he's so cute I can't complain. I'm recovering pretty well, no stitches or tears which is great, but the "afterpains" the second time around are NO JOKE! I'm seriously regretting telling my Dr. I didn't need pain meds before leaving the hospital. Other than that all is well! I posted pics over on Fin's blog - check out the new brothers!

Plantation Shutters!

The quest to upgrade the house continues - of course we left the family room as the last unimproved space! But we got our new shutters this week(family room, stairway and a slider for the back door). They're BEAUTIFUL! Now, if only we had non-college furniture :)

The Monstrosity

Apparently baby Spanky is giving mommy too much testosterone because she agreed to use all of her (and daddy's) birthday money to do this. You should see how big the Wonder Pets are! - Love, Fin

The Great Disneyland Adventure

Your Dad and I decided a little while ago that we wanted to go on a trip just the three of us, before it becomes the four of us! We originally planned to go to the beach for a weekend, but with your recent interest in all things Disney, we changed our minds and decided that it was time to take you to Disneyland! Now that we're home and unpacked, I thought I would take a few minutes to tell you all about your first trip to Disneyland. Your Dad and I both have great memories of our first trips to Disney and we hope you'll never forget yours :)

We got off to a great start by hitting the road almost an hour early Friday morning. Mom would like to think that was all because of her stellar packing/planning in the days before. Our second great surprise was that it only took a little over an hour to get down to Anaheim. Our plan was to ditch our bags at the Disneyland hotel (they'll hold them for you until you can check in at 3pm) explore Downtown Disney and then hit the pool. As we went to check in, we found out that it really was the happiest place on earth - our room was ready and we were able to get all settled in by 11am! Yay Disneyland Hotel! After unloading all of our stuff into our spacious and very clean room, we went to Downtown Disney where we got lunch at ESPN Zone and did a little exploring. We were back at the hotel and down at the Peter Pan-themed pool by 2. They had little life jackets for kids and you LOVED it! You and dad swam around for hours and they had a little waterslide that you went down fearlessly many times. Mommy was so impressed!! Not wanting to miss anything, we spent some time in the other "cove" pool too, which was also nice since we had the whole pool to ourselves.

After a nice nap, we all headed down to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner. I think this restaurant may have made your whole trip! You were so excited to see Goofy, Pluto and Chip and Dale that we had a hard time getting you to eat - which was amazing since it was a buffet that had just about everything a kid would ever want to eat. They interrupted the dining every 15 minutes for a dance or game in the middle of the restaurant and the characters wandered over to the table every few minutes too. You had so much fun! We ended our day walking around Downtown and watching the fireworks.

We got up early Saturday and had breakfast in bed - Mommy's favorite - before heading to the park. The park opens at 8am on Saturdays, but as Disneyland Hotel guests, we were able to get in at 7. We hopped aboard the monorail, which you loved, and were in the park by 7:30. We went straight to the new Finding Nemo submarine voyage and got in line - it was one of the few lines we would have to wait in all day and because we were so early it was only about 20 minutes - a few hours later people would have to wait 3 hours! The ride was well worth it and we all had a great time. From there, we went on to do the Buzz lightyear ride (one of your favorites), a rocketship ride, Peter Pan's ride, Alice in Wonderland's roller coaster, Pinocchio's Ride, Mr Toad's Wild ride, Dumbo's flight, the teacups, It's a Small World, Snow White's ride, Pirates of the Carribean, Winnie the Pooh's ride, King Arthur's Carousel, and I'm sure a bunch more that I'm forgetting. You were up for anything and everything and Mommy and Daddy were so proud! Around 1ish, we were all getting tired so we went back to the room for a quick nap.

We didn't wake up until 4 so we headed across the street to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. You had pasta - your favorite right now - and we were seated right next to a pair of loud elephants which you loved. After dinner we headed back to the park to ride a few more things and catch the fireworks. As it turned out, we were all too pooped to make it to the 9:45 showtime! We decided to call it a night, and on the way back to the hotel we were lucky enough to be able to ride in the front car of the monorail with the pilot - soo much fun!

We ended our short vacation Sunday morning with breakfast at Goofy's kitchen before heading home. You loved that place so much that I think we could have just taken you there and you would have been thrilled! You were so excited to see all your new "friends" again. Daddy told the waiter that it was almost Mommy's birthday and you got a kick out of hearing everyone sing to me. Then, as a perfect finish to our vacation, we made it home in an hour! Mommy was glad that she and you slept the whole way because Daddy must have driven VERY fast.

Well my dear, I hope that you enjoyed your first trip to Disneyland. I know Mommy and Daddy will never forget it! Just think, the next time we take you there, you'll be dragging your little brother around so excited to show him everything.

All my love,

Mom

A quick update...

Just a quick medical update from our dr.'s appt this morning! My blood pressure was normal and no signs of pre-eclampsia, which is great. My iron levels were fantastic so no supplements needed. No real swelling which is amazing! I'm only up 25lbs for the pregnancy (although when I weighed myself at home a few days ago, I was 2 lbs heavier?) which is pretty good. Little spanky was right on growth target and had a great heartrate too. Yay! I go back in three weeks (should be two, but they were booked, don't get me started...) and I also have an ultrasound on the 12th of Sept to check on the baby's size (standard procedure because of the GD). Fingers crossed that things continue this smoothly!

For Fin at 20 Months

My Dearest Fin,

Wow, what a few months will do! I can't even believe how far you've come lately! You are talking up a storm - you are almost never quiet anymore. You have mastered sentences and have no problem asking for what you want and telling Mommy and Daddy what you DON'T want. You're excellent with please and thank-you and you never forget to say bless you when someone sneezes. Over the past few days you've even got down excuse me and sorry - and you use them as needed :) Much to Mommy and Daddy's amazement, you've also managed to learn your colors! Orange and blue are your favorites and yellow and green still give you some trouble, but you'll have them all down in no time. I think the new development that makes me the most happy is that you tell me you love me. The other day, we were snuggling for a nap and you rubbed my shoulder and said "Oh Mommy, I love you." Wow. Sweeter words were never heard!

I should probably tell you what some of your favorite things are right now. When Turbo and Gran visited a few weeks ago, Turbo bought you a little bunny and you LOVE it. It goes almost everywhere with us. Which reminds me, you also learned big and little! Your favorite shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Blues Clues and Little Einsteins. You also still enjoy Sesame Street and Wonder Pets and a little Go Diego, Go too. You talk back to the TV (I'm listening to you do it now) which cracks me up. Your favorite books are The Hungry Caterpillar, I Love you Stinky Face and Hop on Pop. There are tons of others you like too and we're reading just about every day. You're eating some baby food veggies now, but I always give them to you with fruit. I'm glad you're tolerating those since you need to get some veggies and the real thing is just not happening! As for fruits, you'll eat anything, but you love grapes and bananas.

We're not going to the park much these days - it's been over 100 for a while now and the slide would burn us up - but we're getting to the pool almost daily. You've finally adjusted to being slathered with sunscreen which is a relief since it was becoming such a struggle to get you covered. You're kicking up a storm and I'm hopeful we'll have some real swimming by next summer! Other than that we spend our days in playdates or MyGym or doing things around the house and running errands. We have "school" once a week with your little friends and the Mommies take turns planning very short "lessons" so you're getting your first taste of preschool. You're still taking one nap a day - around noon - and I still try and sneak a nap for myself in there as well. It makes me sad to think that once Spanky arrives I'll have to surrender that luxury.

Speaking of Spanky, he's kicking like a wildman and you seem eager to meet him. You talk to him throughout the day and whenever you see an ultrasound picture you scream "Spanky, Spanky!". I hope that you're as positive when he finally does arrive!

Ok, I'm off to get your snack ready. I love you and I'm so proud of you!

Mom

Reality Check...

I'm on a message board for mom's due in October. And just this week, I was feeling like October is creeping up on us faster and faster every day (nevermind that I think this babe will arrive in September anyway). So today I got quite the wakeup call.

The first baby on our October board has arrived and is thriving.

I'm both terrified and relieved. I'm sure I have a good amount of time before Spanky joins us, but at the same time it's so nice to feel like he could arrive now and do just fine.

In other news, I'm doing well. No swelling of note yet, still wearing my rings and my feet haven't even had a bad day so far - which puts me WAY ahead of where I was with Fin as I had been without my wedding rings for months already by this time with him. That's a big relief. I'm definitely feeling the lag of the third trimester set in (I can't WAIT for naptime with Fin!) and Spanky is taking up more and more space. He's also moving like a maniac and everyone can see through my clothes now. It has me a little worried that he's going to be larger since I can't remember Fin doing that this soon. Other than that, nothing new to report! I'm sure I'll have plenty to complain about in the coming weeks though!