Mission Accomplished! (Barely)

We did it! We got Andra on Santa's lap. By the skin of our teeth. :)

Let me back up. Andra refused to get within 20 feet of Santa last year. She loved seeing him in books and movies, but wanted nothing to do with him in "real life." But this year, she was talking a big talk...saying she'd sit on his lap on one condition: that her blankie could come with her. Fair enough. :)

So we headed to the museum today to see Santa and see if Andra was all talk. She was. Once we got within view of him, she said she didn't want to sit on his lap afterall. So I scooped her up and we started chatting with Santa. Then I plopped Alec on his lap. I think once Andra saw that her baby brother was sitting on Santa's lap and not afraid, she decided she could handle it too. So I plopped her in his lap (with her blankie, of course) and snapped a picture before she had a chance to change her mind. And despite weeks of practicing her list to recite to Santa, I think she was a little star struck once she was on his lap; she couldn't remember a single thing on her list to ask him for!

To be honest, I was a little bah-humbug today. You see, the entire purpose of our trip was for Andra to ride the little train in the Christmas exhibit (her train obsession continues). We'd been talking about the train for several days. When we arrived, we heard a nasty rumor that the train was...BROKEN. And wouldn't be running for a couple more days. I refused to believe it. Upon confirmation of this nasty rumor, I had to break the bad news to Andra. It didn't go over well, and I had a heartbroken, lower-lip-quivering, crying 3 year-old on my hands. She had her heart set on riding that train. My attitude soured even more when an old blue-haired lady declared that my heartbroken little girl was being "crabby." I almost unleashed my mommy fury on her. Crabby?? No. Heartbroken? Definitely.

I squelched her tears with a snack from my purse. Only to be told snacking was not allowed in the museum. So then we decided a fancy lunch in the tea room would help cheer her up. Come to find out, you MUST have reservations to eat in the tea room. Lovely. Next was the Santa visit, where I was required to turn MY camera over to Mrs. Claus to take some crummy pictures from a great distance. Or, of course, I could pay $18 for the professional one (even though I'd just paid FULL museum admission, despite the broken train!). I sweet-talked Mrs. Claus into PLEASE letting me take ONE photo...only to be told I had to stand a certain number of feet away from Santa to be allowed to take my photo with MY camera. Seriously?!? Merry Christmas to you too, Mrs. Claus. Oh, and Santa was right next to the sad little broken train, which was just like rubbing salt in Andra's wounds.

So we settled for greasy pizza in the museum cafeteria, a bit mopey, then headed toward the exit...only to experience our Christmas miracle. A staff member stopped us to tell us the train had been repaired!!! I'd like to kiss the engineer who repaired that train!

This was Andra's response to the good news. :) Too bad old blue-haired lady couldn't see my "crabby" little girl now.

So all was well again in Andra's little world. I guess I should've kept the faith. Lesson learned. :)
Merry Christmas to all, and to all skilled engineers nearby!

Snow Bunnies

My last day on maternity leave, we spent a little time playing in the snow! It was only a couple inches, so not enough to build a snowman or make snow ice cream...but enough to take Andra on some laps around the house on the sled.

Alec even was introduced to the white stuff! He kept gasping when the cold wind would blow in his face (understandable!), so his first snow experience was short lived. It was before the horribly cold temperatures set in, so Andra and I stayed out for quite awhile. Her favorite part was having a snowball "fight" with Pudge...although he was pretty defenseless. :) We'd throw a snowball at him, and she'd collapse in fits of giggles when he'd try to catch it in his mouth, only to have the snowball explode all over his nose. Really funny to a 3 year-old...and a 30 year-old too! :)

Where'd the time go??

Whoa.

I just realized it's been a month since I've blogged! That just might be my longest lack of blogging ever. I'd like to apologize to my two loyal readers. ;) But I have a valid excuse. Our hands have been full. Literally...

...and figuratively! Aside from trying to savor my last month of maternity leave, we also made a somewhat spur-of-the-moment decision to put our house up for sale. We hadn't planned on doing it quite so soon after Alec being born, but we saw a golden opportunity and couldn't pass it up. A builder that's actually in our price range (gasp!) started developing a neighborhood in the perfect location. It's got huge yards (a whole half acre...all to ourselves!), beautiful homes, and it's only 90 seconds away from one set of grandparents! See what I mean? Golden.

Well, before we BUY a house, we have to sell our current house. So thus launched a flurry of activity: choosing a realtor, cleaning/repairing our house so it's spotless for showings, and signing piles of paperwork with our builder. It's been exhausting. The great news is we've got a down payment reserving our lot in the new neighborhood. The catch: we have to sell our current home before they'll hammer a single nail. So now it's a game of keeping the house spotless for those last minute showings (and this is a CHALLENGE, as anyone with a three year-old can imagine. We have our own personal Hurricane Andra here who manages to mess up as fast as I can clean up!)

Admist all this added activity, I've been nervously eyeing the calendar...knowing my remaining days of maternity leave were dwindling. The sad count is now down to just four days. *sigh* I'm hopeful it won't be as hard to return to the office this time around as it was with Andra. When I returned to work after having Andra, I was going back to a job that was full-time and I also happened to hate. This time, I'm going back to work only part-time and to a job I love. I'll sure miss kissing Alec's chubby cheeks all day long and seeing what hilarious things Andra is saying, but I know they're in good hands too. I know a lot of Moms would kill to have my schedule, so I'm trying to keep things in perspective. I've got it pretty darn good, and for that I'm very grateful.

So, I had a valid excuse for not blogging for a month, and I'll try not to let it happen ever again. :)

Trick or Treat!

The kiddos had a great time Trick or Treating this year! It was a little nostalgic...Alec wore the same "chocolate lab" costume that Andra wore her first Halloween. We remembered Andra absolutely being swallowed up by the costume, but our big boy really filled it out! (Keep in mind, their birth dates are only 2 days apart, so Andra was the same age as Alec when she wore it). We both got a good chuckle when we put him in it, and Dave said, "It's almost too small for him!!"

I have to tell you, I think our little guy is going to be quite the charmer. I can't quite explain it...his grins just seem so sweet and yet mischievous at the same time. He often does these lop-sided grins, where he just turns up one corner of his mouth, like he's up to no good! And he just seems to smile SO easily and really connect with people. I remember when Andra was this age having to work REALLY hard for those smiles. She made you earn them! Her personality was just more introspective and contemplative...Alec gives me the impression he's going to be more of an extrovert and quite the charmer.

Andra went trick or treating this year as a witch...but she was very quick to correct anyone that called her just a witch; no, she was a "friendly witch" she'd tell them...because "I'm not wearing a mask." ??? I'm not exactly sure where she picked that up, but she was very adamant that she was NOT wearing a mask, and hence, was a FRIENDLY witch. :) Her costume was handmade by Grandma G.; you won't find a witch's costume THAT cute in the stores! I love homemade costumes...it's like the love is stitched right into them.

She seemed a little proud too that her baby brother was wearing her old costume.

So October has come and gone, and it's hard to believe November has arrived. Only 5 weeks left of maternity leave. *Sigh* I'm trying to soak up every moment!

Say "Cheese!"

I finally did it! After several failed attempts, I managed to capture one of Alec's adorable little grins on camera!! So here it is...our little guy hamming it up. Good thing he seems to like the camera...this Mama has it out a lot! He's been doing some really good open-mouthed cheerful smiles, but he'd only give me these little grins this morning. I'll take it!

Oh, and did I mention he's in the 99th percentile for height, and 90th percentile for weight?! Big boy!

Other than the big news that Alec is officially smiling--and we have the pictures to prove it!--we're just busy enjoying the autumn. I don't know if my kids will inherit my love of fall, but I'm certainly trying my hardest! We've been hitting all the autumn hotspots...the apple orchard, Zoo Boo, not-so-scary haunted house. Still on the list: pumpkin patch, and a fall festival at Kelsay Farms. There's just something about crisp cool air, apple cider and cozy sweatshirts that just make me giddy. And if I can manage to hear a drumline practicing in the distance...well, that's a whole new level of giddiness. I'm a nerd. (the result of the countless fall marching band contests that defined my teen years)

So here are a couple shots from the apple orchard...

And I'm so proud of Andra...rather than just licking off all the carmel like she did last year, she actually ate the APPLE part too this season! All the way to the core! 'atta girl!

A Little About Alec

The newest member of our family has been living with us for about three weeks now, and we're all getting to know each other a little better. So far, he seems to have the same mild temperment as Andra (thank goodness!). In stark contrast to his big sister, however, this little guy EATS. A lot.

Some cute little things that make our little man even cuter:

First things first...he's another blondie, with blue eyes that seem to get bluer with each passing day. I was stunned when I had my FIRST blonde child...and a little dumbfounded that my dominant genes failed to be dominant AGAIN when Alec showed his blonde little head. Dave keeps hogging all the DNA. But I have to admit...I have a very special place in my heart for my blonde-haired, blue-eyed babies.

He's got fuzzy hair on his ears like an old man. :)

He has the cutest little dimple on his left cheek when he grins (which so far, he's only smiled in his sleep. And after his 1 a.m. feeding last night, he let out a really solid chuckle that shook his whole body. What on earth do babies think and dream about that make them laugh??)

He has beautiful, long lashes. Way longer than Andra's. Doesn't seem fair that God gives the boy the long lashes!

He has the same gorgeous heart-shaped lips as Andra.

He has absurdly long toes (like his Uncle J). And his pinky toes have a mind of their own. They're always doing something completely different than the rest of his toes. It makes me laugh.

And we've yet to get through a single bath without him peeing in the water, or peeing on me once I get him OUT of the water. Although karma got him once when he peed during a diaper change, and instead of spraying me, the poor little guy sprinkled himself all over his face! That one was post-bath too. *sigh* Kinda defeats the purpose of getting clean.

But perhaps what's most special about Alec is that he came at a time when my family needed him most. My grandma was recently diagnosed with cancer, and it soon became clear that her days were numbered. She had a serious surgery in early September...right around the time Alec was due. We'd visit her in the hospital (ironically, the same hospital where he would be born), and she'd always tease me when I walked in to visit: "Haven't you had that baby yet?!?!"

Well, we did have that baby...one week after her 90th birthday. I'm so grateful the two got to meet each other before she passed away. In her final weeks, our little guy got to visit her a couple times, and she really seemed to light up when she held him, which truly warmed my heart. I hope it helped her forget her painful condition...if only for a few fleeting moments.

It's been a bittersweet intersection for my family; watching one life begin and another come to an end. My grandma died today, October 4, in a condition that I'd rather forget. Instead, I'll always try to remember my grandma as the plump, jolly lady who loved a good tease and could talk sports with the best of 'em. And always popped out her dentures for a good laugh when we were little (it took a little extra prodding once we were "grown ups" :) We love you, Grandma, and you will be sorely missed. Please watch over our family from up above.

(My grandma and her two daughters: Carolyn (left) and my mom (right)

Alec David is Here!

Ok, I have exactly 17 minutes before both kiddos wake up from afternoon naps. Although this is a post I certainly don't want to rush...such is the life of a mother of two! :)

Most of you already know, but our little miracle Alec David joined us on September 10 at 5:14pm...after another ridiculously easy labor. I pushed exactly four times through four contractions (about 10 minutes), and he was here! I was induced at about 11:30am, so I really didn't labor for very long.

As I look back on that day, now about two weeks later, a few moments are captured in my mind like little unforgettable snapshots. I, of course, remember the moment he was laid on my chest...all warm and snuggly. I didn't want to let go...and I didn't for a really long time. :) It's amazing to me how those first few moments, everything else just fades away. All the other action going on in the room...my sister taking photos, Dave cutting the cord, the doctor continuing all his "work"...it's all like fuzzy background to me. Like none of it was even going on; I don't remember any of that happening. I just remember my little man snuggling with me and the sweet bliss of finally seeing him face to face.

A second moment that I'll forever treasure is when Andra walked into the delivery room to meet her baby brother. The entourage of grandparents were so kind to let her be the first to walk in. The smile and excitement on her face is forever burned in my memory. I'm so grateful my sister captured it on camera...my little gal walking in with nothing buy joy written all over her face. Oh, how I hope they're great friends someday! Ironically, we actually brought her baby brother home on her third birthday, Sept. 12. We'd already celebrated with a party weeks earlier, and she really didn't even KNOW it was her birthday...but it was surreal to think on the day Andra was born three years earlier, we brought home another little miracle. God is good.

So here we are. A family of four. Mother of two. Life at home has been going relatively smoothly (other than the first couple days home, when Andra came down with an ugly virus that sent us to the hospital twice. Those are a couple days I'd like to forget!)

I think it hits me the most at nighttime...this whole "mother of two" thing. I've gotten into the habit of always sneaking into Andra's room before I go to bed just to check on her...make sure she's under the blankets, has all her animals close by and is snoozing peacefully. Now, I leave her room, walk about six feet down the hall into ANOTHER room. Where my other baby is sleeping (hopefully!). Something about walking into TWO rooms, checking on TWO miracles...it gets me every night. It's like I can physically feel my heart warm...it feels so FULL. I don't really know how to describe it. I wonder when checking on two kiddos won't feel so "new"?? Well, I love that feeling, and for now, I'm just gonna enjoy it.

Waiting Waiting Waiting...

Well, here it is Labor Day, and I was pretty darn certain that I'd have a baby in my arms by now...but this little guy has apparently got a mind of his own! The doctor had led me to believe that I'd probably be induced around 39 weeks...but 39 weeks came and went, and the doctor seems confident we can give the little guy until 40 weeks to come on his own. Beyond that, he's concerned his size could make for a difficult delivery, so.... the final verdict seems to be that unless he comes on his own before then, I'll be induced first thing Friday morning, Sept. 10. It's a little ironic, considering that's been his due date all along! Maybe he just likes to be punctual. :)

So we're (not so) patiently waiting...and I'm trying to just let this process be in God's hands. I really don't want to be induced--I loved the surprise of waking up in the middle of the night with Andra's delivery--but I'm also trusting that our little man will enter the world exactly how he's meant to. Andra's getting really excited, and keeps asking how many more days until her baby brother is born. I don't have an EXACT answer to that, but at least we now have an idea! Until then...

Final Preparations

Well, I think we're ready. At least...as ready as you can ever be to bring a new little human being into the world. I felt rushed getting ready for the arrival of our little man; it was an entirely different experience this time around. With Andra, we had all the time in the world to organize, reorganize and get the house ready to bring a baby home. With this little man, the only time I could get anything done was during naptime or bedtime! But we managed...and by golly...I feel--for the most part!--prepared to bring our little guy home. At least I think so.

Now that his arrival is likely only days away, we took Andra to Build a Bear to make a stuffed animal for her baby brother (I totally stole this clever idea from a friend!). She chose a dog (not suprisingly), and had a blast making him. Her favorite part was giving him a "bath," and here she is cleaning his ears.

Since she has a Colts shirt, Andra decided her baby brother's doggie needed a Colts shirt too. She picked out an entire outfit for him, and sealed it with a kiss. :)

She's really attached to "Doggie" (she chose his name too)...and PROMISES she'll give him to her baby brother when he's born. We'll see. :) In the meantime, she sure is taking good care of him. I have a feeling "Doggie" is going to be a little broken in already by the time baby brother gets him. She did seem proud to have something special to bring to the hospital for him.

One of our final preparations was pulling all the baby "gadgets" out of the attic. We got down the pack 'n play, baby swing, bouncey seat, and infant tub. It's amazing what a little person requires! Andra LOVES having all these new gadgets to play with, and "bouncey seat" has officially entered her vocabuarly. She spent the entire day today taking "Doggie" from one gadget to another...his two favorite seem to be the swing and bouncey seat. At least that's what Andra says. I have a feeling we may be replacing the batteries before the little guy even makes it home! Here she is giving him a bath (the towel is over Doggie's eyes, because that's how we wash her hair). I'm thrilled that she's so nurturing and seems really excited to bring her baby brother home...I hope it lasts!

So here we are...likely about a week or so away from meeting our new little miracle. It still seems surreal to me. It likely won't sink in until he's put in my arms. It's so amazing to me that this little creature we're about to bring into the world will eventually grow into a little person just like Andra has...I know that will be an incredible and fun journey...so that's what I'm trying to focus on. But I'd be lieing if I didn't say I'm scared too. :) Until next time...

Andra's 3 ! Sort of. Ok, not really.

This was a big weekend in our little household...we celebrated Andra's third birthday! I say "celebrated" because, technically, she's really not 3 years old yet. Her birthday (Sept. 12) is exactly two days after her baby brother's due date (Sept. 10). Rather than try to have a birthday party with a newborn to care for, we decided to have her birthday party a few weeks early this year. She too young to know the difference. :)

This year, it had to be Thomas the Tank Engine-themed, of course. She LOVES all things Thomas and still is nuts about her Thomas train table...so, not surprisingly, she asked for a Thomas birthday party.

So...I felt compelled this year to make Andra's birthday cake myself. My mom made some of the cutest cakes for us when we were young, so I feel like it's my motherly duty to make her cake. I found a really cute engine-shaped Thomas cake decorating kit online, and the pictures made it look really simple to assemble and ice...nevermind that I'm a complete cake rookie. I'll figure it out, I told myself.

So about $40 later in cake gadgets that I had NO idea how to use, I decided to do a practice run of this Thomas cake about a month before the party. Welllll...if you want all the gory details, you can talk to Dave (who witnessed my mental and emotional breakdown) or call my mom (who cleaned up the emotional mess).

Let's just say the practice run went miserably and I ended up in tears. Lots and lots of tears. There's even one particularly nasty rumor of a spatula being thrown across the kitchen in frustration...I deny all such accusations. And if such a thing WERE to happen, I'd blame it entirely on raging pregnancy hormones. This cake was nearly the death of me. Anyway, I called my mom in tears...beyond tears really...having an emotional breakdown over a stupid cake...then decided to call in the professionals to make my little gal's cake. Her name is Donna Bricker, and she's a miracle worker. Also happened to make our wedding cake. And here is the beautiful result or her incredible talent!! Needles to say, Andra LOVED it and it physically pained me to cut into it. It really brought to life the saying "you can't have your cake and eat it too."

She made me laugh (as usual)...when everybody was singing Happy Birthday to her, she sang too. It was so funny...I don't know why, it just cracked me up. Then she blew out her candles like a big girl (with a little help from Mom, since she kept blowing through her two front teeth)

My little gal. (Almost) three years old. How does that happen? It makes me teary to just think of it. THREE sounds so old. She's becoming such a little person...we can have conversations, she can tell me what's on her mind, and when she disagrees with me. :) I love the little girl she's becoming...so sweet, so smart, and so unconventional with her love of trains and all things mechanical (a future engineer, I've decided). When I get sad about how fast she's growing, I always try to remind myself how incredibly blessed I am to have a healthy and growing little girl. She's my angel. :) (Now let's just hope she's got a baby brother to celebrate with in a few weeks on her REAL birthday!)

A Special Photo Shoot

Andra and I had a special mommy & me date a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait to blog about it until I could include the pictures!

It had been over a year-and-a-half since we'd had any professional photos taken of her, so I decided to have her "three year" photos taken a little early...since her actual birthday in mid-September is also her little brother's due date. I was afraid if we didn't do them now, we'd never get around to it.

So Andra and I spent the morning at the JC Penney photo studio and had a lot of fun. She was in a great mood, so she gave us lots of smiles. Here's a few of my favorites... (this is her Easter dress that, so far, she's only worn on Easter Sunday. I LOVE this dress and was tickled to pull it back out of her closet!)

The photographer told us to bring something that she loves to have some photos taken with. Well, duh. Her blankie. She hardly goes anywhere without it, and NEVER sleeps without it. Her Great Aunt Carolyn made it for her before she was even born, and it has become THE blankie.

I also wanted to have a few maternity photos taken with Andra for posterity's sake. I love the one of Andra checking out her belly! Earlier in my pregnancy, she used to always tell me SHE had a baby in her belly too. (If you click on the photos, you can see a much larger image of them)

We had a great morning together, and she was so well behaved, I wanted to treat us to a special lunch (ok, ok...I really just wanted to treat MYSELF to a nice lunch!). So we headed to Cheesecake Factory for a "fancy lunch" just the two of us and had a blast. She amazes me...I really feel like she's a dining companion now...we can sit there and have a conversation. I love it. I hope she'll always want to go to lunch with her Mom. And it took every ounce of willpower I had to get our cheesecake to go so I could share it with Dad that night. :)

Tahoe Getaway

You know how sometimes in life the stars just seem to align and you have to pinch yourself because you feel so lucky? Well, that happened to me and Dave when we found out we'd get to take a trip together to Lake Tahoe. Dave had to go to Reno for a week for work training, and as luck would have it, an incredibly generous friend of mine offered her vacation condo in Lake Tahoe to us! So, after Dave's week-long training, I flew out to meet him, and we spent an awesome long weekend together in Lake Tahoe. And by the way, it's just as beautiful as everyone says. These pictures don't do it justice, but you'll get the idea!

While it was a little hard for me to leave Andra at home (four nights was the longest I'd ever been away from her), I also knew it'd be really nice for Dave and I to reconnect before our lives are turned upside down again with the arrival of the baby. So Andra got to spend some special time with her grandparents, which is always a treat for her! She was spoiled rotten, of course, and I was even informed that one night she had ice cream and M&Ms for dinner. :) The girl knows how to play her cards right.

One of our favorite activities in Tahoe was a tour of the lake on board the Tahoe Queen. It took us to Emerald Bay, which was breathtaking! We went all the way back into the bay, and the mountains were just towering over us. It was incredible.

This next picture is from one of our favorite discoveries we made while in Tahoe...Memorial Point. It's a lookout just off the main drag, and a short hike leads you to this (and several) other incredible views. The water was an amazing turquoise in some spots, a rich blue in the deeper areas, and crystal clear! It made you just want to jump in! ...but oh man, was it COLD! The lake is all snow run-off from the mountains, so the temperature in most places is in the 60s. Brrrr! We did get in a few times, but usually not for very long! The locals call it "refreshing." :) um, okay.

At Memorial Point together... this spot both brought us back to our honeymoon. It reminded us of a picnic spot we discovered on the coast of Maui! (Crystal, GO THERE! It's in the Hawaii book I sent you!)

We also took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain for some incredible views. Dave is terrified of heights, so the ride up wasn't so pleasant for him, but he did it for me. What a guy. ;)

The view from the top. Dave admitted it was worth the terrifying gondola ride. :)

One night we had a casual picnic on the beach and watched the sunset. So relaxing and so beautiful!

As if the gondola ride wasn't enough, I also made Dave drive this hairpin-turn road to the top of a mountain to reach Donner Pass. I'm pretty sure he wanted to kill me with his bare hands (if he could have taken them off the wheel) on the way up, but we survived the trip and were rewarded with another incredible view! (In my defense, I offered to drive many times, but he refused) Again, he thought the view was pretty incredible once we made it to the top. :)

We had such an amazing time together and finished our trip with a romantic, relaxing sunset dinner lakeside with a great view of a marina (below) and the mountains in the distance. I had the best salmon I've probably ever eaten in my life (and I eat a lot of salmon!), and dessert was divine. It was called Hula Pie, and was a giant slice of Macadamia Nut ice cream pie about as big as your head. When it arrived on our table, we thought we'd never be able to eat it all. And then we did. :) Dave even accused me of licking the chocolate syrup off the plate. I blamed it on the baby. :) I should've taken a picture of the pie, darnit.

So we came back relaxed, rejuvenated and (hopefully!) a little bit more ready to embrace the chaos of a new baby arriving. It was an incredible getaway, and we're already wanting to take the "kids" back someday! There were some water sports I couldn't take part in (belly in the way) and lots of fun family activities we'd like to do too. So, until next time, Tahoe...