Cram Session

The waiting game - the last couple of weeks are always the hardest. Can't get comfortable, moody, tired...I could go on and on. I am trying to stay upbeat, but the truth is I am ready. Ready to meet him or her. Ready to hold them in my arms. Just ready. That being said, I also think a lot about Ian and how our time together is going to change and that I must fill each weekend with activities that are about him. I want to enjoy being just the three of us as we won't ever be that again.

Saturday AM we headed to Sunflower Farms in Longmont. We took Ian there last year, but he was able to enjoy it more this year. He loved it. He was most delighted with the Tonka trucks in the sandpile, but we were occassionally able to draw him away to other attractions. The goats were a favorite for a lot of the kiddos. Ian liked feeding them until he got a little nip and decided that was enough for him. I thought Ian would be into the pony rides, but after the long wait in line he was not having it by the time it was his turn. Oh well. Maybe next year. It was a gorgeous day, started off cool but became hotter as the day went on. Our A/C is acting funny, so we decided to take a trip up to Estes Park after Ian's naps in hopes of cooler temperatures, but it was pretty warm there as well. We had a nice stroll and enjoyed some ice cream! It did cool down a bit at night and we were able to sleep with the windows open. Always a nice treat...until someone in the neighborhood decides to mow their lawn at 6 AM on Sunday. Really?!

Sunday our friends, Maggie and Amy, hosted a baby shower for Baby Dos and Baby Courtney. My friend Kate (mother of Ella) is also expecting her second baby a couple of weeks after me, so they thought we should have a little party. It was great to be able to hang out with our friends and catch up before the wonderful chaos of a newborn ensues. Ian's previous daycare provider joined us with her 2 kids. We miss her so much! It was so great to see Kristin, Annalise, and Joseph. I am a little heartbroken that our baby will not get to be in her care, but promised to let her know when he/she arrives so she can come visit. Kristin was such a blessing to us when Ian was born and truly made my return to work less stressful. I am happy we have kept in touch. Uncle Jon and Aunt Heather also stopped by to hang out. Heather is due soon as well - so many babies to love! Ian loved being outside. He just wanted to hang out in the hammock and get his picture taken. Such a ham:) And we got to enjoy another yummy cake from Indulge Bakery! Thanks to Maggie and Amy for bringing everyone together for such a fun afternoon - you girls are the best!

We returned home to find a warm house. I tried desperately to get comfortable, but struggled. I finally went to bed around 10 PM because I had to at least try, but I tossed and turned almost all night. The A/C was on, but not working properly. I wanted to cry. I think I did at one point. I tried every location in my house to sleep, but couldn't find a place to cool down. I was wide awake from 2 - 5 AM. Ugh! I got up this morning and tried my best to make it out the door, but Casey demanded that I stay home. He was right and I am glad I followed his advice. I called Welzig and don't even want to think about how much money I will have to pay in the end just to be cool. But I'll take it. It is amazing how quickly one can lose their sanity when hot and tired!

Happy Birthday to Ella!

This past Saturday was a busy day for us. We started out the day with a shopping trip to Babies 'R Us. We received a nice gift card from my co-workers last week and decided we should take care of those last minute items we were still in need of. Ian helped us pick out a few things too. At one point, I heard him yelling "Melissa, where are you?" throughout the store. How adorable. It was early so there weren't very many customers yet and we were able to get in and out without too much hassle. The BRU store in Ft. Collins has a Toys 'R Us attached to it - trouble if you have a toy lovin' toddler in tow. He did pretty good, but I wasn't able to break the grip he had on the bumble bee pillow pet he had his eye on. He rested his head on it throughout the store saying, "I sleeping." He rode all the way home with it and they have been inseparable since...worth it I would say. This morning I found him at the bottom of the stairs with his pillow, blanket and vaccum. I am not sure his life could get any better at that moment! Casey said we will store it for him and then give it to him on the day he leaves for college, informing him that if he wants a different pillow he will have to buy his own:)

I also had to make a quick stop at the Once Upon A Child in Ft. Collins. This is an awesome consignment store - huge! I couldn't believe it...we scored a brand new gym mat and Baby Bjorn for less than the cost of a new Bjorn. Holla! Now I can store the old Bjorn in the car so I am never without one. A mistake I made several times with Ian. I will definitely return to that store for some good buys in the future!

We got home in time for a nap. Maggie came over early to hang out before Ella's party. It is always good to see Maggie. Ian was happy to see her when he woke up from his nap! We collected our things and headed to the birthday party. It was a warm one - broke a 100 degrees. We were thankful Kate opted to have the party at her house instead of the park:) On the drive there Ian kept saying, "Happy Birthday to you!" but of course I couldn't get him to say it to Ella once we arrived. The kids enjoyed playing together - we ate good food and enjoyed a fabulous cake from Indulge Bakery. Ian was so excited and was talking about the cake all day. Yet, once he had a plate in front of him he chose the broccoli instead. I am thinking Daddy must have staged that one...

Next up, it was time to open presents. Ian was front and center, wanting desperately to help Ella out. I am sure he thought he needed to show her the ropes since he has 6 months of experience on her. Fortunately, she was kind and willing to let him "help" her out. Shortly after that we had to bolt - an impending meltdown was around the corner and I knew we had to make a quick break. I felt bad for leaving so abruptly, but any Mom with kids knows how it goes. Ian had a blast and made the best of that sugar high until he crashed around 8 PM!

Sunday we tried to focus on relaxation. We took Ian to Sandstone Ranch in the morning to run through the water. A great way to cool down and burn off some energy! We worked around the house to get everything ready for Baby Dos' arrival. I am 37 weeks tomorrow. My how the time has flown! It is hard to believe we get to meet our little one in just a few short weeks. The cradle is ready, the clothes are washed, the names are picked, the gear is bought...now we just need you! Any time you are ready, we are. No, really. Any time - my back and feet are killing me...

Surprise!

This past weekend was Rhythm on the River in Longmont. We went to the festival last year as well, but this year Ian was much more into everything they had to offer. He loved getting to check out the fire trucks and ambulance! However, I think his favorite was a tie between the bouncy castles and the giant bubble blowing tower. It was very hot out, so the free water was a nice touch! It was a nice way to spend the morning, but short lived due to the heat. Ian and I had to get home and take naps:) Sadly, Ian woke up with more energy and I think I woke up with less.

We spent some time on Saturday putting together the car seat and strollers for Baby Dos. Ian was happy to help - checking it all out and giving it the Big Brother stamp of approval! After that was finished, Casey carved out the boxes to make a race car for Ian. He is in heaven! Everyday when we get home from Lily's he hops into his car and is off to race!

We have been talking a lot about the baby's arrival and are slowing getting our house in order for the arrival of a little one. One of the books we read Ian before bed talks about how Grandma is coming to visit and Mommy is going to go to the hospital and have a baby. Saturday night I asked Ian if he knew who was coming to visit tomorrow. He said, "Yup." I inquired further. He looked at me with a blank stare and said, "Grandma, then Mommy is going to hospital to have baby." Adorable! I laughed so hard and then told him that this time was only a trial run, but very soon he would have a new brother or sister and he would get a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa:)

Sunday AM Uncle Jon picked up the boys and headed to Bandimere Speedway for a day of fun at the race track. I headed to DIA to pick up Mom - she flew in to surprise Heather for her baby shower. Everyone was surprised to see her and we had a good time. I won Pin the Sperm on the Egg! They got several nice things. We decorated our own onesies for Peyton - your choice of fabric paint or tie dye. It was my first time tie dying something, believe it or not. I liked how mine turned out. I think Ian and I are going to have to have a little craft day this fall!

Another bonus of my Mom's visit is that she was able to come to Level 3 on Monday to join me for my baby shower. My co-workers threw a good party for me. We got some great gifts and some spending money to get any other items we might need. It is all starting to sink in. This weekend we will try to get a lot more organized so that we have a couple of weekends to just relax before Baby Dos arrives. It was a great visit with Mom - too short, but soon enough she will be back for a much longer visit. Hard to believe that when she returns I will be a Mom of two!! I hear that is when the real fun begins...

Racing

Casey stumbled upon this website last night and forwarded the link to me at work today - http://www.vodafone.com/start/sponsorship/f1/gforce.html.

I had no idea how entertaining it could be, especially when all I could do was focus on NOT working.

I always wondered what I would look like racing...

Ian is way cuter though...

My 100th Post!

I love the 4th of July! I have many fond memories from my childhood - our family vacation every year was in Syracuse, IN on Lake Wawasee. We were there the last week in June and the first week of July. Fireworks were awesome! Sometimes we took the boat out and watched them from the water, other times just from the shore. Regardless, I loved them.

I always get a little homesick for WI on the 4th of July. I think 4th of July in Door County reminded me so much of my childhood that I couldn't help but love it. It is hard to get used to living in an area where the 4th of July is not the life blood of the community. There are parades, parties, fireworks - just about everything in Door County. In Longmont, it almost seems like just another day.

Casey had to work some this weekend, but fortunately he had the 4th and today off with us. We woke up yesterday and headed into Boulder. It has been a long time since I was on Pearl St. so I was excited to check it out. It was early enough that the crowd was minimal and the weather was nice - mild, yet summery. Ian was so excited to play in the fountain! We wanted to wear him out and extend his nap so that he could stay up late enough for the fireworks. We got him home and he crashed until about 4:30 PM. Later, Tom and the Courtney family came over for a cookout. Sadly, the clouds and thunder rolled in. It rained pretty hard for the rest of the night. We weren't sure we were going to get to see fireworks, but my fingers were crossed since I had been telling Ian about them all day! We enjoyed some good food and then headed to Coldstone Creamery around 8:30. Everyone was a trooper, trying to be optimistic that the fireworks would happen. We saw people sitting in their chairs with umbrellas. We grabbed some ice cream and hung out under their canopy to stay dry and sure enough...kaboom at 9:30 PM! It was a decent show - we were just happy to see fireworks at that point. The kids did great and our master plan of late naps worked famously. We got home around 10:30 PM and read Walter the Farting Dog for the fifth time that day. Ian crashed and we soon followed! It was a lot of fun, but nothing will ever compare to a Door County 4th of July. I am already planning our trip back next summer in my head...





We were going to take Ian to the zoo this morning, but I was too tired and not sure my feet could handle much more walking. We decided to take a little roadtrip to Ft. Collins. I didn't realize how close we lived to this fabulous town! I have only been there one other time for Casey's competition back in March and we have been talking about checking it out. I was glad we did. It was lovely! It started off rough as Ian had another fight with the sidewalk and the sidewalk won. Once we got him calmed down, we enjoyed a downtown stroll before heading over to City Park. I really like this town. It has so much to do and see. Casey described it perfectly - if Longmont and Boulder had a baby, Ft. Collins would be the result. It has a great mix of people and charm.

Ian is napping and I am trying to fight it off. Back to work tomorrow, but at least it is a short week. Very close to the one month countdown of Baby Dos' arrival...it won't be long now!

July...really?!

Staples has an easy button, but does anyone have a pause button I could borrow?! No, seriously. I am trying not to panic, but the weeks are passing by quicker than I care to admit! I really need to come to grips with the fact that we will be bringing home a newborn very soon, but I want to cherish these last few weeks I have with Ian all to myself. I am constantly wondering what it is going to be like for him, how will he adjust? How can I ensure I am the best Mom for him and the baby? I need to stop worrying and start acting though...maybe next week.

Ian has fully recovered from his surgery. He started sleeping through the night again the last week of June. Amen! We had his follow-up appointment today and the doctor said he looks "spectacular". Cheers to a healthy little man! I did learn something new today though - adenoids can grow back. What?! They said the likelihood is minimal, but that in children under the age of 3 who have them removed it is possible. I was quite relieved to get the thumbs up from the doctor and Ian did such a great job - he was too excited about outdoor water play day at Lily's to care about much else!

I finally got my plants in pots last weekend. I have been procrastinating on everything lately I guess. Ian helped me pick which plants should go in which pots, but I took advantage of his nap time to actually pot them. I forgot how much I enjoyed getting lost in gardening. I just wish I could figure out this CO climate. It can be tricky sometimes. One day we will have an outdoor garden, but this year I just settled on a couple of things to plant. Tomatoes (green and red), basil, rosemary, mint and sage. The sensitive plant is a special treat for Ian!

I was able to mark one thing off my massive to-do list last weekend. I scored a rocking chair! We have the glider in Ian's room and I wanted to be able to still have a chair in his room to read stories at night, but I knew I was going to need a place to rock the baby as well. I didn't want to get another glider so I set out on a mission to find a reasonable used rocking chair and it only took me 2 quick stops. I am so pleased with my new purchase:)

As most of you know, our son has an immense love for vacuums. He is constantly talking about them - usually the first thing he mentions when he awakes in the morning or from a nap. He loves to "help" us vacuum the house and he has one at daycare, so I have been thinking for some time that he should have one at home too. And what did I stumble upon at the flea market besides an awesome rocking chair? A Dirt Devil Junior! I figured it would be the perfect "I am all better" gift. It really hasn't left his side since last Sunday and I am pretty sure he would take it to bed with him if we would allow it. He absolutely LOVES it - more than I think I could even imagine he would have. We did have to explain to him that the vacuum only works at night or on the weekends. I can't handle that droan first thing in the morning, it is like nails on a chalkboard to me! He is still happy as a clam and that is enough for me.

Summer has been great so far and we love being outside. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of outdoor entertainment. I can see our neighbors backyard from our bathroom window and I am envious of all their outdoor toys. We have the swing, but he has almost outgrown it (that will be a sad day for everyone!), and we got a pool a few weeks ago but I was hoping for something more. I found a great deal on amazon.com for this sand and water table. I was hesitant at first because I really don't care for sand. I knew he would love it and it would be great for when Ella comes over to play with him, so I caved. It has been quite challenging for me to just let him go and dump sand everywhere, but I am easing into it. Every kid deserves a sand box, right? Or I can just fill it with water once the sand runs out to give myself a break. It has been very nice to relax in a chair and read a book while he plays with his loaders and shovel! All in all, happy with the purchase. Next on the agenda...swingset, teeter totter, halfpipe...the possibilities are endless!