Date night

Kyle and I went out to dinner in March - that had been our lone date for the year so far.  So, we decided it was time for a second.  Now, we spend most evenings chatting and watching TV and hanging out - so it's not like we never get to talk or anything - but it is nice to go do something different every so often - to have somebody else put the kids to bed for one night and to be outside when the street lights come on.

So, last night we headed out into the city for what is probably the last time for a good while.  We bought tickets to see the Boston Pops play, which is always a nice treat.  The guest was Matthew Morrison (aka Mr. Shue from Glee)  who was promoting a new album of classic rat-pack and broadway type tunes.

Before we hopped the train, we walked down to the centre and tried a little thai place that we walk past all the time.  A tiny little place with about 5 tables, mismatched dated decor, and faded vinyl  tablecloths.  But, it has a great reputation and it seemed like a perfect date night spot as we'd never fit in there with the whole clan.  We ordered our pad thai and just chatted.  Food was really yummy and hit the spot.

After dinner, we hopped the train into the city and walked down Mass ave to the symphony.  We bought cheap seats - which is fine - music still sounds nice from the rafters. :)   The Pops played several familiar pieces, we listened to some high school kids who were contest winners perform various songs and then watched Morrison do his song and dance bit for everyone before the Pops closed out with stars and stripes like they always do.  Morrison left after performing "singing in the rain" which was appropriate as it was indeed raining when we got out.

We made our way back to the train in the rain.  When we got back to our stop it was coming down pretty hard, so we ducked into a little irish pub and tried to wait it out for a bit.  Then we decided to wait it out in another little bar down the street where Kyle got another beer and the bartender gave me free chocolate milk.  The rain didn't really let up, so we just walked home in it.  We got home around midnight - wet and tired but happy for the nice evening out.

Maybe we'll do it again before next year.  :)

at the pops

thai

faceless phone pic of morrison

 chocolate milk & beer...mmm?

2 week wait

When you first suspect that you could possibly maybe be pregnant - you have to wait about two weeks before you can test with any sort of reliable results.  Fondly known as the two week wait - or 2ww for you online lingo folks.  I think the length of those 2 weeks is rivaled only by the length of the last 2 weeks of pregnancy.  At least for me - who is not one to expect to go early (or even on time).

I suppose the last 2 weeks probably go faster than the first 2 weeks - because you're busy, there are to-do lists, and other kids to worry about.  But, then again, you're huge and it's difficult to maneuver and you're running into things, things ache and pull that shouldn't etc.  Either way - both are draining in their own right.

I currently feel that 2 weeks could not be a longer time frame.  I do not feel that this baby is even close to making an appearance - nor am I ready for it to meet us quite yet.  I am equally torn between wanting to (needing to) concentrate on work and trying to finish things before I leave and wanting to meet this little baby and get on with mothering 3.  I'm afraid I'm going to run out of time before I'm able to get my work ducks all in a row.  And I'm selfishly - but not unreasonably - craving some down time to myself to concentrate on this baby.

I feel unprepared for this baby in some senses.  No, not unprepared, just...that I haven't had the chance to slow down and daydream.  I felt the same way with E.  I wanted to just sit and think and imagine and spend time talking to my belly - talking to this baby - bonding.  That's the word.  I want time to bond with this baby before it's born.  I think it is harder to pre-bond when you don't know the gender, don't have a name (or names), etc.  I haven't done any shopping for this baby, I haven't bought any clothes, I haven't done any projects or prepared anything.  The kid isn't born yet and I'm already feeling guilty about it not having the same attention as the others.  Guess it's a mom thing.

And yet - I know that if this baby were to come tonight (settle down, it's not)  that it would be fine.  While I haven't had time to prep and primp the house - babies need blessedly little when they're new...and this ain't our first rodeo.

Le sigh.

I think the baby is still breeched.  I won't know for sure until my ultrasound next week.  I have to decide if I want to go through the prep and pageantry of having a manual flip attempted or not.  I'm leaning towards not doing it.  Partially because I don't know when I would find the time to go in for it (work is BUSY) and partially because there's no guarantee it would work.  And worst case is an emergency C-section...which is also the "worst case" if I don't do it.  Plus I hear it hurts.  So, I think I'd rather give the kid a chance to flip on his/her own.

Sometimes, I get little waves of emotion that catch me by surprise.  I'm so busy at work and with the girls that I sometimes forget that I'm actually excited about this baby.  And I know that sounds awful...I just mean that when I do slow down long enough to really THINK about it - I am excited.  I'm curious to find out what this baby is and WHO this baby is.  I'm nervous, of course.  I worry about the girls.  I worry about all the transitions.  I worry about nursing and traveling and plenty of other things - but when it is all said and done - this third kid feels right, and I know s/he was always in the plans - and I'm excited.

2 weeks. tick tock.

off guard

There are certain things that I expect to make me feel like a mom.  I fully expect to cry on Abby's first day of pre-school.  I expect to beam at my baby's first steps.  I expect to feel guilty when I have to yell. I expect my hair to be simple and my clothes to be slightly wrinkled and to occasionally find half eaten apples in my work bag.

But, then there are other times that catch you off guard.

I came home from work on Monday to find that Abby's little friend (who lives 2 doors down) had come over to play.  This, of course, is fine.  Abby was having a blast.  E woke up and all three girls played for a while.  Eventually, however, I had to get ready to go to Target to pick up some stuff - so I gave the girls their warning - 5 more minutes and it'll be time to walk friend back home.

Abby said "ok, mom"

3 minute warning.  "Ok mom"

Time to get your shoes on.  "Ok mom"

Ok, time to go.  "Mom?  Can we just have TWO more minutes?  Pleeease???"

and then two things happened at the exact same time.  The first was that I said "no, we need to go now"  and the second was that I was transported back to when I was about 8 or 9 years old.  Living in Little Rock and playing with a friend who had to go home and begging and pleading and bargaining a longer playtime.

And I felt like such a mom.  When did this happen?  It was like lighting struck and a freaky friday thing happened.  I was the kid pleading, not the mom. When did I become the authority on playdates?  When did I stop being the little girl?  Cause, y'know, I don't always feel like the 30-year old mother of 3 that I appear to be.  I very often feel like I'm about 12.  And yet, I have my own little girl now who is looking at me with big wide eyes and saying "pleeeeeeease?"

It happened again after we took our friend home.  I chatted with their nanny for a second, and in that second, the girls all disappeared upstairs to keep playing.  Again, I called to Abby that we had to GO...and she replied with an "Awwww, but mom?  please just two more minutes?"

Another thing.

I love that she has this friend "down the street"  It's the kind of thing that I used to daydream about when I imagined being a mom.  It's the kind of thing that makes me not want to leave our neighborhood or buy a home somewhere else - because the fact that she has a little girl friend 2 doors down - it's just...exactly as it should be.  It's the kind of thing I want her to grow up with.  And while I'm still hesitant to do it - they live close enough that I could send Abby down or they could send Abby's friend up the street without an adult escort- we can stand on our front porches and intercept children as they come and go.  It's nice. And I know this is something that is so normal for most of my friends who live close to friends and family and perhaps have a whole neighborhood of little friends running around - but it's something I wasn't sure we would have up here.  We live on a great street - but we don't know most of the families on it.  We really lucked out to have a great family 2 houses down that we've been able to get to know.

Anyway,

All of this ties into the over arching fact that Abby has become a kid recently.  She's not a toddler.  She's a full blown kid.  I feel like I actually watched it happen.  One night, I was getting her ready for bed and I noticed that her legs were longer...and more muscular.  I've noticed that her face is more defined, that her speech is out of this world, that the connections she makes are more advanced, that she's added new skills faster than I can count to 100 or color all the way within the lines.  She's just so big.

And I'm bursting at the seams proud of her for all of it.

I'll write more later - E is awake and Abby just got home - time to play monster and chase them for a while.  Kid or toddler - they still like mommy to chase them.

2 etc

Just start with something small and mundane.

That's what I tell myself when I sit down to blog and instantly feel overwhelmed.  There are 100 posts in my head.  1000s of things I don't want to forget.  And then I sit down and find that posting on facebook or reading other people's blogs is just so much easier than writing my own.

So.

I just put lasagna in the oven for dinner.  It already smells good.  I don't know what I'm going to have with it cause I think my lettuce is bad and so my salad idea isn't going to work.  I guess probably some frozen veggies.  We'll keep it simple.

Anyway.

The biggest thing I should blog about is my sweet Elizabeth turning two years old.  TWO.  It's curious, how different it feels for her to be 2 than it did for Abby.  I have to remind myself that E is, in fact, NOT a baby anymore.  She can do so many things.  She knows so many things.  More than I give her credit for.  I suppose that's the curse of having an older sister who is also somewhat of a talker herself.  I forget just how big E really is.  She's growing up fast.

She had her 2-year check up the other day.  You may recall, my girls don't do well at the doctor's office.  Kyle and I have tried to do all the tricks to get kids to like the doctor.  We talk, we play, we roleplay, we prep, we reinforce, etc.....but that doesn't matter.  Most of our appointments still end with a note on their chart that says "partial exam due to anxiety" For real.  We're the family the nurses talk about and compare others too.

All that to say - E did amazing for her visit.  I was shocked.  She complied, she didn't really cry for her shot.  She did cry during the blood draw, but was fine once it was over.  It was...surprising.  And I wasn't the only one who was surprised.  All the nurses commented on how "good" and "quiet' the girls were today.  They got stickers from one nurse, they got a book from the doctor, they got fingernail polish from another nurse.  They got a post-doctor trip for donuts from mom.  I was quite pleased that the visit went so well.  Oh, and right when the doc asked me about how many words E has, she pipes up with "what're you guys talking about?"  It was *perfect* timing and the doc was happily impressed with that sentence.

E is 60% for height and 66% for weight.  Or is it the other way around?  28lbs, that's all I remember.

Earlier in the week, we had E's party.  A general transportation theme since the girl loves all things with wheels and wings.  We had our playgroup over to our house for snacks, pizza, ice cream...and lots of noise and toys and general craziness.  With adults included, there were about 30 folks running around our place...which is kinda a lot.  But, it was fun.  E had a great time.

So.  At two years old E is:

- in size 2T for most things and some 3T shirts
- size 7 shoes
- size 4 diapers
- 34" tall
- 28 lbs

- her vocabulary is good and she's fairly easy to understand - although she certainly has babyish enunciation of many words.
- she can go up stairs fine and can come down forwards or backwards.
- she's now forward facing in the car (we flipped her just before her birthday and I still felt guilty)
- she sleeps in the bottom bunk bed.
- she's not very good at falling asleep at night (she'd much rather get up and keep playing). She falls asleep closer to 8 most nights.  She wakes up between 5:30 and 6:30 most days.
- she likes most foods.  Her favorite veggies are green beans, peas, and broccoli.  She likes carrots and tomatoes.  She loves all fruit.  She doesn't like guacamole or tuna.
- she loves her sister, so much.
- she's also more aggressive than her sister and will hit and slap and bite if she's angry (whereas Abby never hits, but instead will just melt into tears)
- as antagonistic as she can be, she hates seeing Abby sad and will go out of her way to find a way to make Abs happy.
- she responds well to time-outs and goes willingly when needed.
- she loves to paint and any other activity that is messy.  The messier the better.  Playing in a sandbox full of sand and paint and glitter and mud while blowing bubbles would be her heaven.
- she can sing twinkle twinkle the best of her songs.
- she can count to 10, but needs help.  Most of the time she counts "one, two, one, two, ten!"
- I think she knows most of her letters, but not all of them.  She gets excited when she sees one she knows somewhere.
- she loves her cars.  They are her favorite toy.
- she likes to point to my belly and ask if it's the baby...but I'm not so sure how much she really understands that there's, y'know, an actual baby coming.  

That's E in a nutshell.  here are a bunch of random pics.

day one of being flipped forward

bed head 

birthday party!

morning breakfast with mom 

party favors

birthday trip for ice cream

her first ice cream cone 

(we don't really eat as much ice cream as it seems)

party decor 

mini me

like seafood?

party stuff

love this picture. 

hiding from mommy-monster

post-doc donuts

party food

clean eating

I've had a few friends recently bring my attention to the way I/we eat.  My friend Hannah probably started it with her successful switch to the Paleo diet. It got me to researching such things.  After a lot of reading, I realized a few important things. 

1) Paleo isn't really for me - not so much because I absolutely couldn't do without grains and dairy and legumes etc (although, yeah, that *would* be really hard) but because I just don't feel the need to eliminate them from my diet or my kid's diets.  We really like green beans around here, and milk, and oatmeal.  And I'm cool with that.  However, it did bring my attention to how much other stuff I was buying. 

2) I do want to eat better.  We, as a family, tend to go through cycles with food.  We go from pretty healthy to super healthy to having weeks of convenience eating.  Winter is the hardest with a more limited selection of produce and fruits and less energy to deal with it all.  Spring and Summer, by contrast, are just teaming with freshness - so I figure now is the perfect time to start making a few changes. 

3) Clean eating.  This is the term that I was missing from my vocabulary, but was trying to pinpoint.  The first thing you'll read is that clean eating means something different for everyone.  For me - it means eating foods that fresh, whole, and have no ingredients that I don't know to pronounce.  I'm making 2 big exceptions here.  The first is that I'm not buying "clean" bread and tortillas yet - I'm buying relatively healthy ones still - but bread is too hard for me to add to my clean list right now and I need to start manageable.  The second exception is that I'm not gonig to throw out all my "bad" food. I paid for that frozen lasagna in my freezer - so we're going to eat it.  The change is that I'll stop buying them in the future.  I suspect it'll take a few months to really weed out all the old stuff - but that's ok.  Slow and steady.  

Love a newly stocked pantry. 

 Still got some not-so-great foods in there, but I bet it's 75% clean food. 

So, I will fully admit that this is me nesting.  It feels like it.  I don't have a strong desire right now to clean out my closets and scrub my baseboards with a toothbrush (yet - that phase may still come) but this clean eating idea is exciting and is giving me a satisfaction about providing for my little ones.  I have this week off of work for April vacation, so I have more time than usual to cook and plan and I'm feeling very optimistic about maintaining this.  It all just feels good.  The word that keeps coming to mind is "empowering"

No more sugary insta-oats.  I'm making them homemade from now on. 

The other part of this that I find exciting is that this is providing me so many opportunities to teach Abby about food - more than we've done in a while.  It would make me so happy and so proud if she grew up with a very healthy sense about food.  She loves helping me cook, and this plan requires a bit more planning and prepping and cooking - so we've been doing more of that together.  It's been nice.  

omelet muffins - prep.

 omelet muffins - done. 

I froze a bunch of these - 1 min in the microwave and it's a quick breakfast option.

And finally - even though I'm purposely taking things slow - I've found that cutting out processed foods and things with weird ingredients has been really pretty easy.  Most of our dinners haven't changed too much.  My grocery list wasn't severely altered.  I've still been able to coupon - which is key for us.

So, it's going well.  I like doing it.  I think it'll become easier and easier.  Thanks to Hannah and Bobbi especially for getting this ball rolling.  

ruby red through and through.

I won the BJ's strawberry lottery this week with a perfectly ripe bunch