She's Here!

We are pleased to announce that we have a new addition to our family. Aurora Ellen Masse-Brown, aka baby sharky", was born at 2:26am Saturday December 20. Mommy and baby are doing very well. Carrie's water broke at around 1130, we were at the birth center by around 1245, and Aurora came into the outside world not even 2 hours later! Carrie did a wonderful job bringing Aurora into the world naturally. Aurora has been busy nursing ever since- a stretch, but not much...
Logan was very sweet when he met his baby sister this morning.
Big thanks to Auntie Heather for coming over late last night and taking such good care of the boy today.
Pics will follow soon.

False alarm

Argh! I had (timeable and somewhat painful) contractions from 10 am yesterday morning until 2:30 am last night. And now? Nothing. Well, one, maybe two contractions an hour. Darn it! I think I jinxed it by rolling Sunshine's hair off our hospital bag. That and putting H and our doula on standby. I can console myself with knowing it can't be too long now...

Appointment

I had a midwife appointment yesterday where I was hoping to hear, OMG that baby is coming right now! As you can guess, that wasn't the message I received. Basically she said she was "unimpressed" with my cervix. Crud. I know things can change on a dime, but I doubt there will be a baby this weekend. We shall see...

Can you believe Christmas is in one week? That hardly seems possible. Logan is coming to my office pot luck today, so that should be fun. He goes to many of my work functions and is usually very well behaved. The only bummer is that my boss P won't be there, so he won't get to see her.

So that's that. Don and I are totally amazed that we are in the position of wanting a baby to come out rather than needing it to stay in. Feel free to send *come out baby* energy my way, I certainly won't turn it away!

Logan love

Yesterday at dinner Logan told me he is proud of me. So cute! He couldn't tell me why, but he knows it is something important and good. *swoon* He has also recently been saying to me "Mom, I love you more." Then we get into a "no, I love you more" argument. The best kind to have!

I was hoping for some clairvoyance last night and asked Logan when I am going to have this baby. He told me "Wednesday." So that is either today or next week. Hmmmm...I am not sure he knows when or what Wednesday is.

Rain again today. I am so thankful that Don didn't have to drive in it to his final class last night. You wouldn't believe how freaked out everyone here gets from water on the road. There were over 15 accidents reported on the radio this morning. And I fear I am turning SoCal too. Pathetic!

Flying

Time that is. I can't believe it has been a week since my last post!

No baby yet, and I can't imagine Sharkey will be coming anytime soon. It is just so high and I have no indication that it is ready to make its move. Once we make it through today it can come anytime without causing logistical issues. Don has his last drawing class tonight, and once that is over then we are home free. I do have a holiday party on Thursday that I would like to attend, but I wouldn't be sad to have a baby instead!

In other news, our stove was delivered! The crap under the old stove was truly frightening. I can't even think about it without shivering a bit. Yuck. The people who lived here before must have been purposefully stuffing things underneath. Anyway, the new stove is nice and matches our other appliances, so all is good.

Logan is doing great. He is totally clueless about both Christmas and the upcoming sibling arrival. I mean, he sees the tree and likes the holidays, but I don't think he knows he will be opening presents Christmas morning. Better to keep it that way for now, lest he get too unruly. Especially if Christmas needs to be postponed.

So that is pretty much it. Nothing terribly exciting and we are happy about that. For now. Ask me in a week, and, if I still don't have a baby in my arms, I might just lose my mind.

Well I thought I was being nice

Yeah, it seems I may have hit the crabby stage of this pregnancy. Don may feel that I have been here for a while, but really I don't think it has ever been as bad as this week. The worst is that I feel like a totally reasonable person and I am in complete control. This makes it kind of hard to head it off, and then I don't even apologize immediately. In fact, I kind of feel justified in whatever overly blunt comment I have made. So I should probably limit face time with, um, everyone?

In other news, we got a bill from a collection agency today for Logan's birth . LOGAN'S BIRTH! Seriously we have never seen it before and I am 1000% sure we paid it, oh, almost THREE years ago. Puh-leeze! Let's see them try and mess with me now.

Monday, monday

Here I am at work for another week. Today we meet my potential replacement (potential, but also the only one in the running, so you can guess how potential he actually is). I really hope we like him and he can do the minimal admin/data entry type stuff we need him to provide. I am sure it will all work out fine. Right?

We had a really nice weekend. We went to the zoo on Saturday and Don hung up our outdoor xmas lights. They look so much better than last year because we replaced the crazy flashing icicle-type lights that were seizure inducing. This year things look much more peaceful and Don said he only swore once when putting them up. That is the same as my xmas tree swearing, so overall we did really well with the potty mouths this year.

Yesterday we just hung around watching football. Poor Logan could have really used some outdoor time, but he was deprived. He did get a haircut, which was desperately needed. I thought he looked like Rob R.einer's Meathead from All in the Family. It is much better now, though Don hates that any hair gets cut at all. *eye roll*

So that is that. Nothing is going on here, other than last minute xmas wrapping and such. Oh, and we have to buy a stove tonight. Ours is officially not something I want in my house any more. So merry xmas to us. Woo hoo.

Is it really December?

Because really, I have seen two butterflies in the last week. Butterflies! Very pretty yellow ones. We also have hibiscus (a mother's day present that has been wonderful), purple sage, iris, and jade blooming. Oh, and I am looking out my office window and there is the most gorgeous fuchsia rose blossoming right now. I also see barbed wire fence, so don't get too jealous. That is not to say it hasn't cooled off some, I actually need a sweatshirt in the mornings and evenings.

So clearly, I am still here. I will check in on the blog often, so you all know the latest and greatest news. Lucky you! I have a midwife appointment this afternoon, but I don't expect anything new to come out of it. I have asked Logan a bunch of times if this new babe is a boy or a girl and he always says girl. Hmmmm... I am having very strong boy feelings, so who knows. Don has no intuition either way (surprise surprise). Even though Logan says it is a girl, he also insists he wants a brother. I tried to tell him both was a bit of a stretch, but he wouldn't listen. Hee hee!

A few Logan-isms for fun...

• He happily tells anyone when out and about he is wearing his "new super fast brown shoes." Ah new shoes, they are wonderful, aren't they?
• When he wakes up from sleeping and I go in to get him from his room he always tells me "I can't sleep anymore" and will not believe me that he just woke up from a long nap. Uh, ok.
• My lovely boss P gave him some new cars, one of which is a tar covered L!ghtening Mc.Queen. He makes up elaborate scenes with these new cars including a dramatic fall into a cactus patch like the movie. So cute!
• I am no longer Mommy. Yes, my not-even-3-yr-old is calling me Mom. Don is Dad. Wha? I thought I had years before he would make the switch. Though yesterday he would only call me Mama, I think this was just a fluke. I am still no where near ready for Mom.

Made it!

Whew! 37 weeks today. Such a huge milestone for us, as it means I can actually give birth in the place I want with the people that have been caring for me since my first 6 week appointment. Hooray!!! That said, I don't think this little one is coming any time soon. Still up high, and no contractions at all. Fine with me! I'll take a couple more weeks. I know how much easier it is to have them inside. Though I would like to get my body back so I can, you know, put on socks without it being a major production.

This experience is just so much different than what we had with Logan. I was cuddling him last night (he actually let me), telling him that he gave us a run for our money when he was first born. His underwhelmed response was "Yeah." Someday he will like to hear the story of how he was born, but for now building tunnels for his cars and driving pretend delivery trucks is more interesting.

Still here

We are still hanging in, not much new to report. Had a good weekend looking at boats and walking by the waterfront. Tried to replace our area rug, but found out it is going to cost a lot more than we were expecting. Put up the xmas decorations and tree (whee!).

One thing L has been doing lately is asking "What's that?" A LOT. And not pointing to or elaborating on what he is talking about. It is frustrating to say the least, especially when he can answer his own question 98% of the time.

He also calls construction vehicles "constructions." Don and I agree that we won't be able to pass a group of backhoes, payloaders, and cherry pickers without referring to them as constructions for a long long time.

26 hours to go and I am 37 weeks. Eeeek!

Mushy goo

I am feeling very sentimental today, Thanksgiving always makes me appreciate what I have. (As it should.) Clearly we have much to be thankful for...

I am still pregnant
Logan is cuter than ever, and healthy!
We have jobs and a home
Great friends all over the country and here in San Diego
Amazing family
We live in a most spectacular and lovely locale
Logan started telling poop jokes/stories a few days ago

So yeah, things are pretty good.

The most

There are a couple mosts going on at our house right now...

Logan was the most sick he has ever been this week. It all started Sunday, and by Monday night we knew he did not have a run of the mill bug. Tuesday's doctor appointment confirmed pneumonia. Pneumonia! Random serious illness. It appears he caught it as a primary infection, which happens, but is not the most common way it invades. So, he was out of daycare this week and after some heavy-duty antibiotics, is feeling much much better. I stayed home Tuesday and Wednesday. I practically skipped to work on Thursday I was so happy to get out of the house. I was even happy to have my teeth cleaned Wednesday afternoon. Being cooped up with a sick kid is not great. Thankfully we are on the other side.

I am the most pregnant I have ever been! We are all thrilled that 34 weeks 6 days has passed and we have not met this little one yet. I am considered full term on December 3rd, so I have everything crossed that I make it that far. I must admit that I had a rough weekend of worrying (it didn't help that the baby was super quiet), but we are over that hump and now I have a honey-do list that is a mile long. Glad Don has next week off!

So sorry for the radio silence, but to say this week has been overwhelming would be a gross understatement. Hopefully we are back on track and I will make up the non-posting days. Clearly NaBloPoMo has bit the dust on this blog, but I do enjoy the frequent posting. I even have a few pics to share...

Smallish

So I guess this baby is going to be on the small side. I could have sworn that I saw that Baby Sharkey was at about 50% for growth at my 30 week ultrasound, but that is not what I was told at my last two appointments. So, nothing to be concerned about, but a small babe nonetheless. Makes sense, Logan wasn't very big for his gestational age either.

Speaking of Logan, he was very crabby tonight. Just a stinker. Don couldn't wait to get to work and I felt very sorry for myself that I was going to be left alone to deal with his poor mood. He righted himself a bit, but I was certainly glad for bedtime! Tomorrow is another day...

PT update

Well, we had one potty accident over the weekend. ("Oh no! I just peed on my brown shoes!" Of course with no warning at all.) I am very pleased with the overall success and his willingness to sit on the potty when he is asked. We are obviously still working on his ability to stop whatever he is doing and ask to go to the bathroom, but that will come. So yay Logan! He got a reward yesterday for his good work and I will post pics later on.

Yesterday was so lazy. As are most Sundays. This one involved talking about a slew of things we need to do, but not actually accomplishing anything. Though Don did make a *magnificent* pork loin and mashed potato dinner. Seriously, it was so freaking good. I am still thinking about it and very excited for a mashed potato lunch. Yum!

That dinner was the only thing that kept me from banishing him from the room during the Eagles game last night. Oh my lordy, he was terrible. This season has been a very good one fantasy-wise, so it has been fun to watch the games. Yesterday things took a bad turn and there was much cussing, hissing (isn't it weird that he hisses at the TV?), and grumping. Awesome. Can't wait for next weekend...

Odds and ends

The last few days Logan wants to "go to work." This means he wants to push the radio flyer toddler wagon around the block with his foam letters in it (specifically O and S, the other letters aren't good enough for work I guess). He runs pushing that wagon as fast as he can. Don makes him stop and wait for me as I am always about 20 ft behind.

I am starting to really feel pregnant. Fortunately, I have felt great up until now. I think 32 wks was my turning point. Poor me, right? You can feel bad for Don, he has gotten the brunt of my complaining *by far.* My ears are doing some weird fluttery thing, my sense of smell is in overdrive again, and my gagging is back full force. And that is just a sample of the magic of pregnancy! Seriously though, these are really minor annoyances and things are going very well. A really scary thought is that if I were to deliver Baby Sharkey at the same time as Logan (34 wks 6 days) I would be giving birth in a little over a week. Yikes! Consequently we went to a big box baby store and dropped some cash on supplies we still needed. Once I get tubing for my pump I should be all set for an infant. Unreal.

Pretend

Logan's pretend play has grown significantly, but what he likes the most is for me to pretend to be someone else. Yesterday I was told to be a baby, a turtle, and (as usual) his Memere. He has a great love for his Memere, and I think he would be pleased as punch for me to physically become her if I could. With all the potty training happening in our house, he enjoys the praise he gets when he has a successful bathroom trip. He likes it so much that after I cheer, he asks me to be his Memere so he can get accolades all over again. Sneaky.

This morning he woke up early and followed me around the kitchen as I was getting ready, all the while asking to go visit his Memere. Unfortunately we are on the opposite coast, but that has no meaning to a 2.5 yr old. I am just thrilled he loves his great-grammy as much as I do.

Good, bad, and wow

Hooray for president-elect Obama!!! To say our house is thrilled with this news is the understatement of the election season. It is so nice not to feel completely defeated after a presidental election.

Boo to California, Arizona, and Florida. I mean really, what the heck? Voting to discriminate against a group of people is beyond words. I am seriously disturbed by the passage of these laws.

Wow to the fact that Logan has had 2 accident-free days! Go Logan! I am so proud.

Once again

We voted! I think this is the first election we didn't take a picture of us all at the polls. There were no lines at our polling station and Logan was very happy to help me mark off my choices with a marker. It was exciting to take part in such a historic day. No matter what your persuation, I am sure we can all agree that anything is better than what we have had the last 8 loooooong years.

Now off to bite my nails over CA's Prop 8.

Costumed

Here is Logan checking out his fancy construction worker costume in the mirror...



And here he is with a mustache. He was excited about it at first, but then decided immediately that he wanted it wiped off. I am lucky I got a picture at all! A woman on a message board I visit often had decked her whole family out in mustaches and I thought L would get a big kick out of it. Maybe another time...

Mixed bag

I got lazy on the picture front, so I will have to post those tomorrow.

Potty training went well today, only 2 accidents. It is frustrating because he would sit on the potty for 5 minutes, then turn around and pee on the floor not 2 minutes later. *sigh* He finally started to get it later on in the day, let's hope it sticks tomorrow too.

Don and I had a date night on Saturday and had a nice time getting out of the house. After trying a new sushi place (I can. not. wait. to have raw fish again!), we shopped for baby clothes but came up empty handed after hitting the closest outlets. Wild times.

One a day

Yeah, so it is NaBloPoMo time again. The month where I post 1x a day no matter how boring it gets.

This weekend is potty training. We have had mixed results so far, one success and one accident. Though I am not really sure I would call it an accident. More like a "hey, I didn't feel like telling you I needed to pee so I just did it on the couch. Now clean me up!" incident. I expect more of the same throughout the weekend.

Tomorrow I will post the delightful, but sparse, Halloween pictures. Judging by the fact that the candy bag can't be more than 2 feet away from Logan today, I would say he had a great time.

Decorated

Our house is officially ready for Halloween tomorrow! Now let's hope we get some actual trick-or-treaters...

Overheard

Logan's language seems to be getting a lot more sophisticated. He has had a few things lately that have had me in stitches...

Before we started eating dinner last night I filled up our empty soy sauce bottle. We had Cost.co sushi (what a delicacy!), which Logan really likes. About halfway though the meal Logan says:

L: Hey guys, do you remember when that soy bottle was empty?

This is notable only because he has never addressed Don and I together as "hey guys" and he has never referred back to something in the past with a "do you remember" type statement. We were totally rolling!

~~~~~~

L and I were outside and he came over to me with chalk in his hand...

L: Does drawing make your belly hurt?
Me: No. Drawing doesn't make my belly hurt. My belly is fine right now.
L: Drawing makes you feel my better?
Me: Yes, sometimes drawing makes me feel all better.
L: Good. Mommy draws a shark. NOW.

I love how he was just testing the waters...

Overheard

Logan: I have a superfast watch.

C: Oh, you have a superfast watch?

L: Yes, it gives you time outs. Get in the chair. Three minutes.

Things of note

We have procured the services of two very interesting and (hopefully) great women in the last 24 hours. A doula and a babysitter, hooray! Our doula from Logan's birth is pregnant and suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, which is like the worst morning sickness you can possibly imagine x 100. So obviously she isn't available to attend a December birth. I thought I had someone else, but she turned out to be not quite as upfront as she should have been and took another client. Clearly it wasn't meant to be. Instead we found a woman who is perfect in so many ways. To say I am both excited and relieved is a total understatement!

Then last night I went to this "speed interviewing" thing for local babysitters called Sitter Socials where I met a great woman right away. Of course then I had to interview another 15 people, but that was ok. It gave me practise and showed me viable alternatives. Anyway, I am thrilled that we can actually go out and have a standing date 2x a month. Hooray! Only 2.5 years into this parenting thing...

Also, we are having an Oktoberfest party tomorrow with our lovely, lovely neighbors. We are providing the beer, snacks, and a backyard. They are making (from scratch, because they are, you know, crazy) sausages, sides, and other yummy goodies. Should be a good time, though we didn't really send out the invite with tons of notice so who knows how many people will actually show up. Last night the set-up for the huge Oktoberfest fair was in full swing, it was amazing to see the Blvd getting transformed into a giant, tacky street fair. Just this time last year the lovely S family was visiting. We miss you!

In other very exciting news, my wonderful college girlfriend B had her second girl yesterday!!! She has certainly not had an easy go of it recently, so this joyous occasion is more special than ever. Congrats B! We love you so much.

28 weeks

Here I am at 28 weeks...

Unexpected rain

Any day that starts out with unexpected rain is a happy one for me. September is dry here, as in I can't actually recall the last time we had any sort of precipitation fall at our house, so free watering is delightful. In fact, I thought Don was rolling a trash can or something down our the side of our house the sound was so unfamiliar. A far cry from our roots.

All is well here. Logan and I got sick last week and he was better within a day or two. I am still battling a nasty cough, but feeling 100% better. Not to be a total complainer, but the pregnant + parent + sick combination really stinks. And Don was gone 3 nights last week instead of his normal 2, so it was not easy. But, things are looking up and I have my fingers crossed that we don't get anything too terrible in the next 10-12 weeks. And beyond really. Ha! Not likely.

Logan had a great weekend with some recently acquired craigslist goodies. I found a playhouse and 4-5 big toy trucks for insanely cheap. All he wanted to do during the day was play with the trucks. We washed them, filled them up with mulch, and drove them all over. He also "grilled" lots of "hot dogs" in his new house.

Sunday we went to breakfast and he was feeling a little antsy at the end of the meal. He looked at me and said "OJ will my all feel better" which translates to OJ will make me feel all better. *so cute*

Baby Sharkey

So a few weeks ago Logan nicknamed the unborn one "Baby Sharkey." I am not sure if he thinks I am going to give birth to an actual shark or if he understands it will be a human. Either way, he is pretty interested. So far he has told me that we are going to hug Baby Sharkey (true!) and that it is going to lay down a lot (true again!). Oh, and that it is going to have a tail. Ummm, well, we hope not. He tried to look in my belly button to see the baby, but, despite my having the deepest belly button ever, he couldn't catch a glimpse. Very cute.

In other news, I have banned myself from buying those cinnamon rolls that come 8 to a can. We got them to have for breakfast yesterday and I ate 7 of them within 24 hours. I feel so gross. Yet I could still eat more of them if they were around. I think I have gained more weight already with this baby than I did the whole time when I was pg with Logan. Oh well...

Overheard

On the way to T.arget...

L: There's a yellow truck over there! There's a yellow truck mommy!
Me: Yes there is Logan, you have very good eyes.
L: I have special eyes.
Me: Yes, you are able to see lots of things that I don't. Your eyes are very sharp. My eyes are not special like yours.

*long pause*

L: Mommy, you have pretty eyes.

And then my heart melted onto the floor.

I love J.on S.tewart

Trip recap--NH and Maine

We went to NH to meet up with several of my college friends. One couldn't make it, and we missed her very much. I was hoping to see her pregnant self, but pictures will have to do... So we got to stay in a family condo up in Waterville Valley. It was heaven! Pretty rainy, but there were lots of breaks to get out and about. Frankly we went out in the rain a bunch too. All the kids got along well and Logan is still talking about them. Especially a show that S put on that involved spooky stories, a flashlight, and lots of physical comedy. It was something to behold! It is weird being in NH and not having a home or cottage there. So much of my life involves that state, but now there is nothing left tying me there. It feels a little empty or maybe just disassociated. It is strange for sure.

Maine was more rain, but so relaxing. I spent much of my free time on the trip reading, and totally got into the T.wilight series. I only have the last book to go, but I can't say I am actually going to read it, the reviews are pretty bad. I digress...

My parent's new place is amazing. I am so happy that they are settled into a home where they will make everything just the way they want it. My dad can fish to his heart's content, my mom can get to the ocean in 15 minutes, and family on both sides is close by. Other than the fact that Maine winters totally SUCK, it is they perfect spot for them. And it doesn't hurt that we get to visit in the summers.

Monday we spent laying around and taking advantage of the good weather when it broke through the showers. We took a boat ride (Logan drove the boat for the first time), got in the water a bit, and played around. We visited Logan's Meme (my grandmother) at her apartment for a little bit too. On Tuesday we hung around some more and had dinner at my aunt's house with my cousin and her two kids. It was so great for Logan to spend time with them, they had a ball "fishing" in the pool and not sharing toys (well, that would be Logan not sharing toys--W and K did just fine).

Wednesday we decided to venture out and brave the mob at the ME Children's Museum. Logan was reserved at first, but ended up having a great time. He still talks about the stuffed beaver he saw there. They also had a little veterinary/grooming area where we "washed" a toy cat.He loves to rehash that experience as well. Let's just say that the 2 hours we spent there was more than enough to make us all overwhelmed and cranky. It was still nice to be out of the house though. Don and I had a date night and saw Bat.man. It was everything I hoped it would be. We loved the first one, and the second didn't disappoint. We almost didn't get to eat our dinner due to bad planning on my part, but it all worked out in the end.

Thursday we spent the morning at the Maine Wild Animal Park. My aunt brought W and K so the kids had a good time running and feeding all sorts of animals. They all pet a baby deer, so that was a big hit. Friday we had lunch with Meme at her place and Logan was introduced to tons of her friends. He was incredibly well behaved and loved sitting on Meme's lap. We had such a nice time and enjoyed the fabulous company! Friday night was dinner with another aunt and uncle and cousin K. We kept them up way too late and thoroughly enjoyed the conversations.

Saturday was actually nice so we did all the things we wanted to do all week in one day. Hooray! Fishing, boating, relaxing in the sun, biking,and lunching outdoors--it was great!

Overheard

D: Logan, who's the boss?
L: Logan!

How right he is...

----

Three hours later:

D: Logan, who is the boss?
L: Mommy!

I love that kid!

Trip recap: Philly

Why yes, we did go on a trip. I didn't mention it? Really? Oh. Right. That is because I have been a bad poster... Anyhow, we went on a two week tour of the northeast starting in PA. We went to see Nana and PopPop at their home for the first time in a while. We ended up invading their sunroom, and sleeping at the house was fantastic. I was sure would be required because of allergy issues, but it all worked out great. It was L's time at their house and he had lots of fun. I think the highlight of the trip for Logan was the gift of L.ightening Mc.Queen shoes from Nana. He is still totally attached to them.

We were able to see Uncle Chris and had a family party on Sunday. Five running kids, ten adults, and a newborn made for a busy night. We met up with friends on Monday and Tuesday which was really fun. Logan really liked riding on a city bus. We headed to Winterthur one afternoon and checked out the Enchanted Woods. Next day we drove to Strausberg to ride the railroad. It was HOT and close. Logan was thrilled and I got to see Amish country, which I had never done before.

We ended the trip with a trip to the Brandywine Museum where I got to see some of A. Wyeth's Helga paintings in person. The whole collection was spectacular. The Wyeth family is beyond talented and it was interesting to see the generations all together.

Random updates

I came into work this morning and there was a GIANT moth in my office. And by giant, I mean I thought it might be a small bat. Seriously. Luckily I was able to trap it in a garbage can and let it free outside. Not the way I expected to start my day!

Last night we went to the car show for the first time in weeks. Logan was so enamored with all the cars that he told us to "look at that one!" for every single old car. And there are a lot of cars - it was very cute. Last year he just soaked it all in very serious-like. No smiles, just looking. This year he loves going and talks about it all week. I am going to be so sad when they end. What will we do with our Thursday nights?

Don is heavily involved in fantasy football (well fantasy baseball too, but I won't get into that here) and his group is getting together for a "live draft" next week. *rolls eyes* His level of excitement over picking players for his imaginary team is quite high. I think he is mostly looking forward to drinking with his friends and being able to talk about sports with people who care as much as him. Can't fault him for that, but it still is kind of funny. I will mini rant here about how I hate that the fantasy team supersedes real teams that we love, leading Don to route against (against!) teams he would ordinarily support. It takes the fun out of watching together, which is half of why I like football. Last year he promised to be better, but it didn’t change. I don't hold out much hope for this year either. *pity party over*

We had our "big" ultrasound on Monday and all seems well. Our tech wasn't very chatty, but she did say everything looked good. We are happy with that and I am sure I will find out more at my midwife appt next week. Logan's big u/s didn't go as smoothly so I am happy that this one was a breeze. Except that we had to bring Logan because it was in the middle of the day. He was well behaved, but I was glad when he and Don left to go outside. You can only expect so much from a two year old in a dark boring room.

Why, good morning

So how's your Sunday?

Mine started out with both dropping an egg on the floor, then spilling a full glass of orange juice all over the kitchen not 20 minutes later. Oops.

On the up side, Logan and I watched the W.all-e trailer and built a robot so that was good.

Here's hoping the clumsiness doesn't last all day..

Thwarted

We tried to go camping this weekend, but it was a comedy of errors instead. It started out innocently enough, just a small schedule change. Don forgot the tickets to the D.el M.ar fair at school, and we had tons to run around and procure, so we decided we would skip the fair and go straight to the campground. We left at L's nap time and headed to the Palomar Mountain area to camp at the La Jolla Indian Reservation Campground. This campground is a real gem, it has a stream running through it and has TONS of tent spots. You can rent tubes and float down the stream over and over. Heaven! I mean, there is practically no available fresh water around here (everything is a reservoir) so swimming in a stream is a real treat.

Well, first we took a wrong turn (further justifying my desire for a gps system) and ended up going almost to the top of Palomar Mtn before we decided we went the wrong way. It was so incredibly a) hot, and b) twisty, that by the time we got back to the bottom I felt pretty green. L woke up on the way down but that was to be expected, and, hey, we were almost there! Ha. We checked in to the campground where they politely took our cash. Then we went on the monumental journey of finding a spot. To say it was insanely busy does not do it justice. The stream was crawling with people and both Don and I could only mutter e. coli under our breath. I was happily anticipating our tent site and Don was freaking out. He was never keen on camping in the first place and the atmosphere was frantic with people. When we got to the end of the grounds it was clear that there were no spots left. And our little receipt had a bold "NO REFUNDS" policy outlined. So we left. We figure we will go back on an off-weekend in September. Other campgrounds will suffice during the summer. I was bummed, but what could we do?

On the way in we passed a casino in the middle of nowhere. We figured we could salvage the trip, stay there overnight, and use their pool. Good plan! Logan was being super patient and we headed back toward "town." We pulled up outside the casino, I went in and inquired about a room for the night. Yeah, they were sold out. SOLD OUT?!?! I still don't understand how this is possible. The hotel is huge and there is nothing in that area. So we were thwarted again.

We decided to salvage the day by using our zoo passes by visiting the wild animal park. Logan had fun and at least we got out of the car. It was a long day, with relatively little to show for it. Ah well. We are camping in our backyard this weekend. At least we won't need to pack...

Overheard

Overheard in our house tonight:

"I poopin' in the tub Mommy!"

I have never been so glad Don does bath time.

News

We have got some big news we have been sitting on for a little while now--we are pregnant again! I just started my 2nd trimester and so far everything looks good. We are very excited. Logan is still in the dark, we will tell him in a few weeks. No need to burst his bubble yet...

Yeah, so my due date is Christmas Eve. Not exactly what I would have chosen willingly, but an excellent holiday present. We have everything crossed that this baby decides to stay in longer than Logan, but unfortunately I have very little control over that. Now that I have made it through the 1st trimester I have lots of time to fret over early delivery. It is always something, right?

So that is why the blog has been s l o w lately, I was tired, nervous, and preoccupied. I promise it will pick up again.

In Logan news, he pretends his rocking horse is a motorcycle and today he told me that it has a loud engine. True enough! Our neighbor details motorcycles and she is always out and about on her own so we hear them quite a bit. She is one rocking lady, we love having her in the neighborhood. Her dog Freckles is super sweet too.

He has recently begun getting scared of monsters. We have a few books with monsters that he likes, nothing scary, but he needs reassurance that they are nice. Cookie monster is also a character he enjoys, but again, he is kind of freaked out by him too. I read him a book the other day and it spooked him enough to cry. Poor kid! Also "Fi.nding N.emo" is out, he cried at that too.

L and I made our first batch of chocolate chip cookies together last weekend and they turned out great. I forgot how many cookies come out of that Ne.stle recipe--a lot! I ate them all. Don helped, but only a little. Logan was completely disinterested. Weird kid.

Decided

Well, on the job front, it looks like things are decided. Don interviewed for a position at a Fine Arts/technology high school in a smaller district and was convinced that he totally blew the interview.He obsessed about it for days, and I lovingly tried to tell him that I was sure he did fine. Even if he didn't there was nothing he could do about it now. See? I was so sweet. Ahem. Lo and behold, he was offered the job. Guess he did ok after all! He accepted, and told Zamorano he would be leaving. Both our reactions are mixed sadness and relief. It means a longer commute, but more money. And relative stability. So, we will see how it goes. Mostly we are just really glad he will be working(with benefits) in the fall.

Logan has been a joy to be around, except when he is having a monumental meltdown. He does not do tantrums half-assed, no sir. I got hit in the head twice with a toy a couple days ago, and that was both humiliating because it occurred on Ms. T's lawn, and ouchy because I got a killer headache from the blows and the crying (his, not mine). I figure I should document these times too, so I won't be able to say to anyone later on "Oh Logan? He never gave me trouble, such an angel that boy..."

In happier news he is talking like crazy and is the best companion on just about any outing. We went grocery shopping yesterday and I have never had so much fun. He is silly and cute and pretty happy when out and about. A few things he has said lately are:

• Come on dude! (when he was frustrated with a toy)
• Gross (he learned that directly from me)
• Excuse me, pardon me (we say this to him all the time, he is such a parrot)
• Night night buddy (to Don as he ran down the hall to his room)
• One more time! (for anything he wants to do again)

Oh dang it!

My child is running around the house, starting with "Get set, go!" and then "falling" and yelling out "Oh dang it!" Yeah, that was not really a phrase I was planning on teaching him, but I suppose it is better than many alternatives I have said in front of him.

New things about Logan:

• He loves the movie Cars. We discourage TV watching, but he was sick last week and we spent a day with the boob tube on. Cars was viewed twice. I am ready to put it away for a while, but I doubt I will be allowed.
• He is taking temper tantrums to a whole new level, with an epic one lasting over 45 minutes last week. It was not. fun. This week has been so much better.
• He sings Ms T's daughter's name like a song. He has such a crush on her.
• He got another haircut, and Don didn't even notice until Ms. T pointed it out. This after not letting me do it when he was around because he didn't want to see the curls go.
• He has new "yellow shoes" that he is obsessed with. They are actually sandals, and they are the first thing he asks for when he wakes up in the morning.
• He is so helpful. He sweeps, does laundry, wipes up, and washes dishes. Heaven!

So other than that, we have been preoccupied with Don's job stability and our general lives. We have tickets for our summer vacation, and will be in PA and ME this summer at the end of July, beginning of August. So looking forward to it!

Ouchie

Logan has an ouchie on his arm that he got a daycare today. I pointed it out to him and asked him how he got it and he told me his arm is "broken," and vaguely referenced a toy. I asked him if he wanted me to kiss it and he emphatically said "NO!"

He didn't even notice this gem below, yet a little scrape and his arm is broken...

Vacation

We had a great time in Palm Springs. Seems like it was ages ago, hmmmm, I guess it was...

Here are some pics of cuteness.

Wow

It has been so long. Just the thought of blogging had me paralyzed with all the things I should write about but wouldn't remember properly, and so I didn't. But now I am!

Logan is doing great. He has been so pleasant despite getting three of his four eye teeth in at once. There is some crying in the night, but nothing motrin can't handle. And in true Logie fashion, they are taking forever to come in. Two-year molars are nowhere to be seen.

He is talking like crazy, and most conversation revolves around "big trucks." He can now properly identify bikes, cars, trucks, vans, buses, big trucks, trains, and we are currently working on scooters. Colors are hit and miss (which means he calls most everything blue), but he surprises me every so often.

The other night he was so cute. He got his baby doll and decided to put it (can't decide if it is a he or she--it's an androgynous baby) down for "night-night." He got a blankie, covered the baby and we all had to be really quiet. The he picked it up and did the cutest little bounce up and down while shushing, to help it fall to sleep. It was seriously adorable. Then he found a bed and spent a good 20 minutes putting the baby to sleep. My heart instantly turned to goo. He is going to make a great dad someday!

We are going on a little trip tomorrow so wish us luck. I hope we can still watch tv or a movie while he is sleeping in the room with us. If not I guess we will come back really well rested!

4, 5, 4, 5, 6

A list, since I am so far behind...

• Friday was Grammy Brown's birthday! We wish we could have been there to celebrate, we love you so much.
• He is starting to count, but I guess he feel most confident about the 4-5-6 pattern right now. So we hear a bunch of 4, 5, 4, 5, 6...rinse and repeat. Hee hee! It is really cute.
• We have been insanely busy lately. Lots of running around, working, and general life stuff coming together right now. A "when it rains, it pours" kind of thing.
• Sunshine continues to be our son's most favorite living thing in the whole world. She is being very patient with him (as usual), despite him becoming a bit more aggressive. He pushy with love, so we have to shield her. At least he responds to "gentle" and she is much, much, much faster than him. :-)
• Speaking of Sunshine, she brought in another live alligator lizard the other day. I had to get it out with spaghetti tongs and a garbage can. It was not my idea of fun, but it had to be removed. She was mighty disappointed when I chucked it outside and she stayed inside. Forever.
• We went to the beach yesterday and it was perfect. It reached 85 degrees here and will be close to that today. Hooray! Logan loooooooved the beach and the water (which was unbelievably cold, like really painfully cold). There were some bugs, and Don would say I am whiny at the beach, but bugs are gross no matter what. But that was the only unpleasant part. So a great morning overall.

More wheeeee!

In the car, on the way back from seeing the annual desert wildflower bloom with Grammy and Grampa.

Two eggs!

Yeah, that is what my kid just said on his way for a diaper change while holding--wait for it--two plastic eggs! Guess all those number books are paying off...

Two!

Today is Logan's second birthday. Two. I am in total denial.

We had a great morning. He was thrilled to wake up to streamers all over the house and very much enjoyed the balloons we bought while out and about. We had H & M over for his party (brunch and cake/ice cream), which was low key and yummy. H & M brought presents and MORE balloons, so you can imagine how this pushed him over the edge to ecstatic. After we ate, he actually asked for a nap. Poor kid, he was wiped. The rest of the day was nice, a long walk, web calls with the grandparents, doodling outside, and a bath. He is now out like a light.

He has gone from this...



To this...



To this...

Broken

Did you know that breaking food items up into smaller (non-choking hazard) pieces for your toddler is blasphemy? Causing reactions such as howling with indignity and sobbing "broken" repeatedly? Hmmmm...wait.Your children don't do this? Ah well...welcome to life with Logan. He has become incredibly picky about having food presented to him in it's"natural" state. A cracked graham cracker (even on the line where it is supposed to be divided) means complete refusal of any snack. Hummus in a bowl instead of the container it comes in is a personal insult. You ripped the bread in half???? You are rewarded with a piercing shriek that could break glass. Ok, he just yells and sobs, so the shriek is an exaggeration. Our saving grace is soup. The boy loves soup.

Overall he is doing great, other than the typical toddler stuff. He is saying more words every day and is starting to recognize colors and shapes. His most consistent color is white, and he can find a star anywhere. He was looking at our fish over the weekend and declared"white fish!" Which they are, with some orange. And he knows there are two, so numbers are right around the corner.

And, um, he is turning two (2!) next weekend. Gah!

Reunion

Facebook strikes again. I met up with my high school friend K, who I hadn't seen in 9 years. She found me on facebook and happened to be in town for a course. We had a great time and it was like no time had passed at all. Lovely!

On the mend

I succumbed to a nasty stomach bug this weekend and it wiped out all my fun plans and interesting adventures. Booo! Not at all what I was expecting, but who really plans for a random illness?

Last week, Logan was sick in the middle of the night. We changed him, the sheets, wiped everything up, and all went back to sleep. The next day I saw what a poor job I did at 2 am. I sometimes think back to before Logan and pregnancy, when I had an idealized view of motherhood and caretaking. I daydreamed about rocking him, changing diapers and the hilarity that would ensue, breastfeeding, playing silly games, and most especially the crafty projects that would consume all our free time. I did NOT envision wiping puke off every rung and rail on the crib and the wall. I didn't fantasize about cleaning vomit out of our washer while my child sprinkled A.jax cleaner all over the garage floor. Nope, not part of my little collection of fuzzy white fantasies.

Logan started swimming lessons last Saturday and they were a hit except for the part where he had to put his ears underwater. He might even learn to put his whole head under this week. Poor kid was so cold when he got out that he had the all-over body shivers. He had completely warmed up by the time we left and went to the awesome playground outside the pool. He ran around like a crazy man who couldn't believe his good fortune. There were so many different things to play on, with, and over that he was totally overwhelmed. Then he pooped so we had to go to the car, and then home.

Pictures of our park adventure and a meme to come...

Adjustments

I think I mentioned that there is a new baby at Ms. T's who just started in January. Logan had been the youngest kid at daycare until B joined the group. I am thrilled, because I think it is great for Logan to be around kids littler than him.

He seemed to be smitten with baby B until he figured out that this kid isn't a temporary addition. Now he is so impatient, and, most dramatically, is crying at his morning drop-off. This kid has never cried when he has been dropped off. Poor kid, jealousy is hard. Ms. T feels badly for him too, since he rarely causes trouble (you know, outside that biting issue this fall). He'll come to terms with it soon enough.

Speaking of adjustments, I had my first ever chiropractic appointment last week. Bouncing a 20+ lb baby on an exercise ball for months on end really messed me up. We haven't been doing that for ages now, but my back hadn't fully recovered. I am glad I went, though I won't be returning to the same practice. It was too impersonal and busy. I am looking for someone who, um, listens to me. What a crazy requirement, eh?

Congratulations Don!!!!!

Don was selected as Zamorano's Teacher of the Year!!!!!!!!!

OMG, I am just so excited! I love you honey, way to go!

Pathetic

So I didn't mention how, on the way home from the party Sunday, Logan's nose started running like a faucet. Out of nowhere. I guess I didn't think much of it, but when I picked him up from daycare on Monday he had a full-blown cold. Monday night was pretty hellish--he was up every 2 hours and my day pretty much started at 3:30am. Not the start I am accustomed to, but what can you do. The coughing/wheezing is the worst part. It makes him puke, which means we need to do all sorts of changing and laundry, and in general keeps everyone in the house up. I stayed home with him today and this is what our morning looked like. So sad, isn't it? Don't be alarmed, he perked up after his paltry, waaaaay too short afternoon nap.

Work par-tay

Yesterday afternoon we braved the rains (like buckets dumped on our car) to attend a work party in Carlsbad. I rarely go that far north, so it was a treat for me. The house we visited is gorgeous! I mean, really amazing. It would be like living in a hotel/spa. They have an outdoor kitchen, putting green, and a waterfall. All with a spectacular ocean view, of course. Logan had a great time mingling with people he--kind of--knows. Though truth be told, the people were secondary to his obsession with finding V&T's cat. Because every house has a cat, don't you know? He looked under beds, asked all the guests ("Where's sunshine?" "I can't find sunshine?" "Where is the kitty cat?"), and explored every corner he could get into. Alas, V&T don't actually have a cat, but no one could convince Hoagie otherwise. I think he was still wondering about that cat this morning.

Needless to say, his Sunshine obsession has not waned. She is the most patient, loving cat I could have asked to share our home, so he is dang lucky. I am not sure she feels the same way. ;-)

Scruba scruba scruba

Logan looooooves playing in the sink. He walks around asking "hand, hand, hand?" as his way of saying, let me play in that sink lady! He likes it the best with bubbles and washes anything that is in his reach. He even puts stuff on the drying rack when he is done. Exxxcelent. Good thing he doesn't understand allowances yet...

Meme time!

Thanks for the tag from Insane Animals...
The Rules:
1) Link to the person that tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people at the end of your post and link to their blogs.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6) Let the fun begin!

Ok, six things...

1-I drool a lot (not on purpose, it just happens), and so does Logan. His is excusable, as he is not even 2 yet, but mine is a bit more embarrassing. Like when I did it in my supervisor's office this morning.

2-I have been putting off cleaning my beloved fish tank for weeks. This is not good. I am a bad steward of these animals and I am sure my mother could have predicted this situation from the moment she read I was thinking of getting the dang tank. I should have listened. Anyway, I have let it go so far that now I even have to clean the plants. Grrrreat.

3-I am going to start exercising by walking with Logan in the E.rgo. This contraption is wonderful and he loves it. He won't even walk when I have it on. Maybe I will lose the 15+ lbs I have gained since he weaned.

4-I love, love, love audiobooks and am currently listening to the "His D.ark M.aterials" trilogy. The G.olden C.ompass was excellent, though the sound quality was a bit lacking. I look forward to my daily driving when I have books to keep my mind occupied, though I do feel out of the loop politically speaking because I am not listening to NPR.

5-I am totally undecided on who I will vote for in less than 2 weeks. Totally. I am informed about the local propositions, but I need to just choose a presidential nominee out of a hat.

6-One of my favorite things to do in this whole world is to watch my child dance. He really gets down to the funk Don has and he liked ABBA the other day. He gets his whole body into it and is beyond happy. He likes it when we join him or clap the rhythm. It really is a sight to behold. Hmmmm... I sense a video coming soon.

Surfacing

January has been pretty insane around here, between parents visiting, a trip back east, and a weekend away in Arizona, things are just starting to slow down to normal. Of course, this "slow down" coincides with Don's first day back at school for both jobs and a Saturday class this weekend. I really feel for him, that isn't exactly easing back into things.

In Hoagie news, Logan is going through a big language spurt. He is saying more than ever and is talking in short little sentences. We still hear "mine" (think"miiiiiine!") a lot, but there is more complex language mixed in there too, like "I see it!" Some things never change--his obsession with shoes and having them on all the time for instance, but other things are inconstant flux, including his teeth. The poor kid really does hurt when they are moving and shifting in his mouth, and the volume of drool is something to behold (see, he is like me...). Overall he is melting our hearts and making us laugh, with occasional moments of intense frustration. You know, normal child rearing.

Here he is looking adorable even with a yucky (and I mean YUCKY) stomach bug...



And evidently this is the kind of stuff that happens while mum is away...

For Monty

And can it be that in a world so full and busy, the loss of one weak creature makes a void in any heart, so wide and deep that nothing but the width and depth of eternity can fill it up!
~Charles Dickens

Much love to Don's parents, whose sweet, silly basset hound Monty passed over the rainbow bridge yesterday. He will be sorely missed.

In loving memory

Logan's Great-Grandfather, and my much beloved Grampa passed away today. I am so incredibly thankful that he was able to meet Logan and spend time with him. I was able to say goodbye to him this morning and I am so appreciative of the thoughtful family who allowed this to take place. It means so much to me that I was able to say goodbye. Please send some love to my family who is grieving his loss.

New year

Ah, so much happened in 2007, and I didn't even do a New Year recap. Shameful. Oh well. It was pretty good in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately many friends did not have the same year. Same as it ever was I suppose, just rotating the baton of good luck vs bad.

Logan is really taking off with the sentences. He said "Mama, you see my balloon?" yesterday. He also threw approximately 1,454 tantrums, hit us both numerous times, and yelled "NO!" all day. What fun! Rainy days are tough, made tougher by lazy, wanting-to-do-nothing parents. When recapping our craptacular day, Don and I realized it was almost entirely of our own making. Duh. Today we are trying to be more, ah, active, but perhaps we started a little pattern yesterday. I am sure it will change again soon.

I don't think I reported this yet, but Don was nominated for Teacher of the Year! We aren't really sure what all this entails, or how many others from his school were also selected, but it is so dang cool! After only 1 full year of teaching full time as well. Go Don!

Lastly, we are so very sorry to Cali, who is living more heartache. Much love to you.

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