Monday: too smart

Tonight was Isaac's birthday party (pictures to come).  Ben and I got him a balance bike.  So this morning we were at the store in the helmet section, and I was trying to be sneaky.

Amanda: Hey Isaac, let's get a hat.
Isaac: I like this one.
Amanda: ok, can you put it in the cart?
Isaac: Bike too?

How does he know they were bike helmets?  We don't bike lately.

Saturday: really

Isaac has recently discovered that really can be an adverb.  So lately we've been getting descriptions like "When I'm really, really, really, really bigger I can touch the ceiling."

Ben was also putting together his birthday present tonight and Isaac asked, "Is Dad drumming?"  I responded with, "It does sound like that, doesn't it?"  I felt sneaky in a good, parenty way.

Friday: this and that

I was so awake last night.  I usually try to go to bed around 11, and tried to do so again last night.  But after repeated attempts to fall asleep, I just got up.  I think it took me until at least 3am to fall asleep.  I'm wondering if the "late" night iced teas had unexpected caffeine in them.  The baby was also super wiggly, so that didn't help either.  Even Ben couldn't get him to calm down.

But the day went well despite the lack of sleep.  Isaac's been asking to play in the sand all week, so we did that first thing.  (Part of the reason we haven't done it is rain, but the other half is that I just get busy and don't want to stop whatever I'm doing.  And I don't enjoy going outside in the heat of the day.)  Anyway, we ended up spending about two hours out there and the weather was very nice.  Isaac wanted to go in the deep water so we walked out a bit.  But I made him walk himself (while holding his hand), even though he wanted me to carry him.  He got about up to his belly button before he was done.  I was curious as to how far he'd go out.

We also took the baby's crib apart and moved it out of Isaac's room.  Isaac removed about 1/3 of the bolts by himself...I was rather proud.  I would have set it up in the baby's room, but that room is currently a disaster.  I'm hoping it'll get more manageable within the next week or so as things move out.  I've been working on it, but I seem to put more stuff in it lately than I take out.

Wednesday: pictures

Here are some pictures from camping.  Better late than never.

The only rope we had was kind of short or super long.  So the Subaru provided the best distance for the shorter rope.

We got all our stuff in...barely.  I thought it would be a lot easier going home, but we didn't eat as much as I expected and we didn't pack everything as well, partly due to the rain.

Isaac and his friend.

Isaac and his trusty lawnmower.

Isaac and another friend.  Isaac pushed and pulled him on the car...and probably developed some strong muscles.

Isaac "tickling" Ben.

Eating campfire donuts.

Tuesday: outtings

This morning we went to the church for playgroup.  It was raining, so we were in the nursery.  Im pretty sure that almost every toy was taken out.  At the end Isaac ended up running up and down the front of the church with two of the kids that we camped with.  They ran so hard for about 20 minutes.  But running is good exercise and Isaac was interacting with them, so I was happy to stay around.

Then in the afternoon I had a doctor's appointment to hear the "heartbeep."  Isaac told the doctor that he has a puppy in his tummy and she got a good laugh out of that.  (He also told her that she forgot to use soap when washing her hands, but she had just used a different dispenser than he was expecting.  I was a bit surprised that he noticed and that he said something.)

Monday: bed

Good news!  Isaac stayed in his bed all night through to the morning.  And during his nap.

He was super excited to get his actual twin bed tonight.  He surprisingly went right to sleep but we'll see what happens the rest of the night.

So sleeping seems to be going well, but toilet training went terribly today.

Sunday: coming home

We had more (unexpected) rain last night.  It made packing up a bit annoying, but not too bad.  Ben and I were rather exhausted during the afternoon, but we survived.

Isaac is sleeping out of his crib tonight.  We thought that since he got used to not sleeping in a crib while camping it might be a good time to transition.  I think he went to sleep without getting off his mattress, but it's a little hard to see.

Saturday: for real

So the last post was really Friday's. Saturday started out a bit cloudy, but nice weather. We ate and were relaxing when Ben and I decided to play bean bags with friends. Isaac wanted to play and when we told him no he crashed. Then he said he was sleepy and wanted a nap. So I put him down, figuring that the worst thing that would happen is he'd be up again soon. But he fell asleep!

So everyone else went to the beach before us, but that was fine. I took a nap and Ben got some alone time. We did catch up with everyone a bit later...it was a long walk to the beach but Isaac had been asking to play in the sand all weekend. So we did that and then took a short walk to a dune. Isaac wanted to climb it, so Ben took him up. We were expecting to only go up half way, but Isaac wanted to keep going so they did...because let's face it, going up is the hard part.

We had some more rain at night which was rather annoying, but we played some games and talked under awnings.

Interlude: food

Yesterday night we had hobo pies. Isaac was so tired that he wasn't eating the quarter that I gave him. So I ate the other three quarters. Then Isaac handed me his plate, with one bite out of his quarter, so I ate the rest.

He turned as I was finishing and cried, "don't eat mine!" The next five minutes there were serious tears. Finally we sort of calmed him down by promising more watermelon and a bite of the one Ben was eating.

Fast forward to tonight when Isaac wasn't eating his sausage. I asked if I could eat half of it. He immediately said no! And took a bite I the side he hadn't eaten and rubbed it on his cheek, giving it a hug. Needless to say, I didn't eat that part of the sausage.

Saturday: fun in the rain

Today really wasn't that rainy, although it threAtened all day so the humidity was rather high. Isaac woke up bright and early at 6. He did a lot of running and then we played on an empty playground. (It was nice because once the playground is full he gets slow and it feels dangerous.)

We had several breakfasts due to our early wake up time- they were all delicious. We played some Catan. It was raining a bit then, so Isaac ha the choice between "playing" the game and watching a movie. He smartly chose the game and actually did a really good job helping for about half the game. Once he told everyone what was in my hand,"baas", but the next time he was asked he just said "cards"

Isaac also had a ton of fun with a lawn mower that some of the people brought. He probably mowed grass for at least two hours today. And he played with the other kids too, which was nice to watch.

It rained hard at 3pm, but we were taking our naps.

Hobo pies and a fire finished out a damp but very nice day.

Thursday: a rough day

Today was rough. I was grumpy. Isaac was a little off. However, it seemed like a pretty common problem today. (We got out of the car at meijer and two kids were crying.)

We did make it camping though. And we got the tent set up, even with several problems. Isaac is starting his transition to a "big boy bed" and was so excited to sleep in a tent and in his sleeping bag that he went down very easily. I suppose it was after his bed time, but I was expecting more movement after I left


(Morning donut time)

Wednesday: Farmer's market

Today, in between thunderstorms, we went to the farmer's market.  I loaded up on fruit.  No veggies, but 1) we have meals planned for the next several days and don't need anymore and 2) I really wanted fruit.  Isaac's favorite part of the market was the puddle that I let him splash in.  There was another little boy splashing in it and Isaac asked first, so I was at least able to take off his shoes and socks.  He also got to hold a duckling.

The thunderstorms were also a highlight of both of our days.  In the early morning I kept saying "shh" as we listened to quiet thunder, and Isaac did it to me around lunch time as another storm was moving in.  I also forgot to thank God for lightning at lunch, although we did remember thunder.

Tuesday: back to reality

Today was the first day back to reality.  It was fun being with Isaac again, but a bit annoying being in charge of a toddler again.  I had to remember bathroom breaks and deal with tears about not wanting to go to bed.  But to be fair, there were several fun and funny times too.  I also felt especially pregnant today so I don't think that helped.  It might have been due to moving more and realizing how hard it is to do some movements.  Luckily, Isaac decided he was willing to help me with the laundry and got a lot of things off the floor.

In other news, here are some pictures from our kayaking trip that Jenny took.

Monday: home

We made it home.

We spent some nice time in the morning playing games and in the pool.  Then we packed everything up and ate a nice lunch, being sad that our vacation was about to end.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare.  The spot Ben sat in was really hot, so I made him move.  The whole trip home was rather hot; I think I was cool for only part of one airplane ride.  Anyway, I slept a bunch on the first airplane ride.  Ben decided to just check and see if there was an earlier flight out of Detroit and there was!  It had two seats open and the flight we were booked for was overbooked by two, so they didn't make us pay either.  On top of that, our luggage managed to make it to the correct plane so I don't need to go pick it up tomorrow!

Ben woke Isaac up (although I'm not sure how asleep he was) when we got back and he hopefully said, "Dad's back?" and gave Ben a big hug.  Then he wanted to sit with me in the chair for a bit and after a few minutes said, "Miss Mama."  Aww.  My heart melted a bit.

Sunday: 10 years (and one month)

Happy 10 year anniversary to us! I was gone on a different trip on our actual anniversary, but this trip had been planned as our gift to ourselves. It's been a lovely ten years, mostly with ups but with several downs too. But we were together for the downs, so that made them more bearable. (Random side note: we've lived in six places in the last ten years. Hopefully that number stays the same for the next ten!)

Today was a pretty lazy day-we swam, played games, ate ice cream, and relaxed. It's sad that it was our last full day down here (although I do miss Isaac) (as in i'll be happy to see him, not as in I've wished he was here.). It seemed a bit hotter than the last several days, so it was nice to have several ways to cool down.

Saturday: mangrove

This morning we went on our kayak tour through the mangrove. Our guide may have talked a little bit too much about himself! but he also had a lot of interesting information about the mangrove. The different types of mangrove, how the ecosystem works as a whole, and the fish that we keep seeing jumping. We also saw lots of crabs, a Florida whelk, and lots of trees.

It was very awkward getting in and out of the kayak at seven months pregnant, but doable. It also was a lovely overcast day, so that made kayaking nicer too.

The afternoon was marked by relaxing, playing games, and being in the pool. By the time we were done with that it was almost six and we were worried that the ice cream shop would close if we ate dinner first. So we went out for ice cream.

We came back and grilled. Maybe I should say we came back and everyone else grilled. I didn't know how to make any of the food (well, except for the green beans and Ben claimed those). So I got to read while food was prepared and I felt rather spoiled. Zach made salmon and it was pretty good...I might have to try it sometime myself.

The very end of the night was marked by a ridiculously active baby. So much so that I felt a little sick actually. In other child news, Isaac seems to be having a fun vacation of his own. The first day he talked to us he kept asking if we were going "home next?" But since then he seems to be having too much fun to care when we're coming back.

Friday: skulls

Today we were going to go on a kayak tour but when we were just about to go a big thunderstorm came through. (I was a little sad Isaac wasn't around...he seems to love thunder even though I think he's only been in one thunderstorm that he remembers. We thank God for thunder a lot.). Anyway, kayaking was canceled.

So we played a game. There was one die with zero to two skulls on it. Ben rolled two skulls for me and one for everyone else, which was fun since I currently have two skulls. The problem is that I, and only I, kept rolling two skulls throughout the game. Two skulls was not a good thing, so I kept blaming baby for my bad luck.

We went to see the latest tom cruise movie in the afternoon. (Tomorrow never dies?). It was pretty good. As with most flicks there were plot points that were pretty dumb, but over all it was fun.

We played a few more games and sadly were too late for ice cream...hopefully we'll make it tomorrow!

Thursday: relaxing

Today I slept in until 9:30. 9:30!!! I haven't slept in that long since Isaac was born. I was expecting to sleep until 7:30 or 8, since that's usually when I wake up if I happen to wake up first.

We started the day by having a relaxing breakfast. Then we did our one chore of the day and went to the grocery store. Entermann's donuts we're buy one get one free!

We came back, had a leisurely lunch while playing a game, and hopped in the pool.

We went out for dinner and they sat us down and forgot about us. We laughed about it quite a bit because this is the third time we've gone out and the third time we've had drink problems. But once they remembered us we had a very nice dinner and then we had some good ice cream.

Wednesday: escape

Today Ben and I escaped down to Florida. Without Isaac. I'm not sure Isaac understands what is going on, but I also have no doubt that he'll have a great time with the grandparents. We escaped!

Flights went fine. It was really nice not traveling with a toddler, because then we could both be kind of blah as needed. Our luggage did get soaked somehow...my underwear was very wet and our game instructions will never be the same. But most of the water sensitive stuff was either in bags or didn't get wet. (PSA: delta doesn't do anything for water damage, no matter what.)

Zach and Jenny picked us up and we made it to the place we're staying. We went to dinner and didn't realize that pizzas were half off...our bills were so surprisingly cheap! So we got ice cream too. :)

Tuesday: OB appt, things I never expected to say

I had another OB appointment today.  The heart rate was good at 140 and I'm still measuring about a week ahead at 33 weeks.  Isaac loved listening to the baby's heartbeat, although he calls it a heart beep.  I also gave him the option of sitting in the stroller or the big chair and he chose the big chair.  We talked about how he had to stay sitting in the big chair and couldn't go touching everything and he did a very nice job staying in the chair.

And changing the subject, here is another thing I never expected to say:

"I don't drink things made from people."

Isaac has been "scraping" pieces off our knees and making them into cocktails which he then expects Ben and I to drink.  However, these are a bit better than the food he made a few days ago that involved taking pieces of Ben or me, making them into a food, measuring the heartbeat, and then expecting us to eat them.  I don't eat things with a heartbeat either.

Monday: hi

Hi.

Nothing all that noteworthy happened today.  Isaac and I went to the pool.  It was ok...a little cool and he kept wanting to sit on the chairs instead of play in the warm water.  We had a nice dinner with family.

Oh, I guess the biggest news is that Isaac has slowly been figuring out when he needs to pee and actually makes it to the toilet first.  We've been accident-free five of the last seven days.  I know there's still room for improvement, but even on the days he's had an accident it isn't as big of a deal.  And he's been waking up dry from most of his naps.

Sunday: today

Today...yeah, I survived today.

I threw up last night...the first time in quite some time.  It came out of no where!  I didn't feel very good the rest of the night.  At one point I really needed to go to the bathroom but when I started to sit up I started to feel sick so decided to try and go back to sleep instead.  This morning was a bit better, but I think I was tired.  I ended up taking two naps.  At the end of the first I was doing better, but the second one was still nice.

We (mostly Ben but I helped a bit) managed to fix one of the sprinklers.  It was harder than it should have been, but I think we (as in Ben) learned a lot so the next ones should be better.

Isaac thankfully did well all day.  It's sometimes hard to remember that just because I'm not feeling good doesn't mean that it affects him all that much...especially on weekends when Ben is around too.

Here is a picture from the pool from a while ago...I got it after the blog post but think it's super cute.

Saturday: conversations

Isaac: is mom going to have another baby?
Amanda: no, this is my last baby.
Isaac: the next baby dad will do?
Amanda: yeah, dad can have the next baby.

***************************************************

Isaac: Is mom putting on sunscreen?
Amanda: Yes.
Isaac: me too?
Amanda: Yes, but later.  You have a spray sunscreen and we need to do it outside.  I have a cream.
Isaac: Cream cheese?
Amanda: No, silly.  You don't want to eat sunscreen.

Friday: sand

This morning we went to play on the neighbor's beach.  I was expecting it to last about thirty minutes.  Two hours later it was time for lunch.  I suggested a boat ride as a transition, and during our short trip he fell asleep.  He wanted to go back to the beach for the rest of the day.

Luckily, we were going to the beach for a birthday party tonight.  He got to enjoy more sand. :)

Thursday: zoo

We went to the zoo today with some friends.  We were there for 2.5-3 hours and Isaac was a champ.  At the very last exhibit he sat on the floor and said he was tired...but so was I.  Overall it was a ton of fun.

We got to pet a wallaby,

Feed some birds,

Pet some goats,

and play in a train.

We also saw E-Es (monkeys), Ah-Ahs (alligator - thanks to zoophonics), a grizzly bear moving, and a whole bunch of other fun animals.

Wednesday: misc stuff

1. Pregnancy brain.  Yesterday I dropped off four books at the library.  I got to the last one and thought, "where's the small one that was on top?"  I looked for it for a minute, but didn't find it so decided I'd look for it later.  I looked for it when we got home and didn't find it.  I looked in the house in case I hadn't actually grabbed it and didn't find it.  I looked in the car again and didn't find it.  Turns out I had returned the book and couldn't remember that I had 30 seconds after doing so.  I still don't remember doing it, but the library says I don't have it checked out any more.

2.  Isaac took his first shower by himself!  He did pretty well, although needed some help getting soap on his hands and didn't rinse his hair well enough.  But hooray for learning new skills.  He also put on his tennis shoes by himself for the first time today.

Tuesday: crash

I put Isaac to bed tonight and crashed. I may not be quite as close to my normal energy levels as I thought.

Monday: maybe

Today I am optimistic that normal is back in sight. I realized at the end of the day that I could see things on the first page of my to do list that have been sitting there since October. So not only am I getting things done, I'm actually looking at my to do list, which is a huge step since January and February when I didn't care. At all.

I'm also happy to report that the house looks normal. I won't say clean, because there's usually stuff to put away or clean, but I feel like I could get the house clean with a minimal amount of work.

My energy is rising too. Maybe some of that has to do with it being summer now, but it remember this happening with Isaac too...the third trimester is my happiest. There are still days and times when I don't feel good or I feel extra tired, but it is manageable again.

Nine weeks and counting! (Nine weeks is still a long time.)