We Moved!

We finally moved on Dec 27, and I still haven't found the camera cord to update new photos. We almost lost Claudia (the cat) in our move. She chose to hide in the dark/rain while I was packing up the last of the car. I found her at the last minute!

Christmas was weird this year, a tiny tree amidst boxes and a flurry of packing. Santa should be coming to the new house to do stockings THIS weekend instead. I've also lost my phone cord- I have one battery bar left, and am still searching through the piles. Soon there will be photos from our lovely new digs!

Happy 2011, I hope to emerge from this chaos intact and with all family members accounted for!

3 Month Rolling Baby

Don't these smiles just KILL YOU?? My favorite is the one where Ryan is asleep and Indi looks like she heard the funniest joke. She is the cutest little hand/finger sucker with thigh rolls Ever!

Indigo rolled from her belly to back three times tonight, and I realized that she is 3 months old, it's time to blog! Ryan cheered for her as she pushed herself over again and again. It is so sweet to see their relationship blossoming. He is truly proud of his baby sister, and she is always watching his every move, and beams at him. It is heart melting.

Ryan is starting to show some initiative with potty training. If he keeps up at the current pace, he will be fully trained by his birthday! We're running out of room for all of his potty prizes. I switched to gummy lifesavers two days ago, as long as he uses the potty when it is light out, he gets candy. After dark, matchbox cars. He hasn't quite figured out the distinction yet, he just knows that he can't have sugar at nighttime. :)

In other news, our house has sold! In this market, it is a real blessing that we were only on the market for a month. Now, we have to get our new house situation ready to roll for a just before Christmas move in. I've already started saying goodbye to this house, our first home. I get all sentimental about all of the hard work that has gone into making this a home for our family. But I know the next one will be even bigger and better.

Coming out of the Fog

My daughter has colic. What does this really mean? It means she screams for no apparent reason for hours every evening. It means my husband and I are at our wits end--emotionally and physically drained. It is so hard to hear your baby cry and not be able to help her. Both of us have backaches from holding Her Majesty in the appropriate position (on her side, bouncing non-stop-oh and you can't sit down, or she freaks out)

This has been going on for 3 weeks now. I removed all dairy from my diet, it has helped to decrease the LENGTH of her freak outs, but not stop them all together. Theories abound on why babies get this--the latest I'm believing has to do with immature digestion.

We have informed Indigo that once she is 3 months old that she must cease and desist all of these shenanigans. I'm so tired that the other night I made chicken for dinner and forgot to make any side dishes (noodles and veggies). Dare I say it, the last two nights haven't been too bad- are we emerging from this fog? Or have I just jinxed tonight's rest? Gotta run, she's screaming again.

Our Halloween

Here we are: Baby Tiger/Pumpkin, Dragon, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Big Bad Wolf. Ryan dictated everyone's costumes this year. He likes to sing the Hey there little red riding hood song. We taught him this one as the "Nursery Rhyme" to go with a puzzle. His howl is quite cute.

I'm a little late, as usual. We celebrated Halloween on the ACTUAL night, not anything fancy surrounding it. This year was Ryan's first Trick or Treating from door to door. We went with some friends up in Everett. Ryan and Hazel had trouble with the concept of knocking on a door but not going inside...a new idea for both of them. We only hit a few houses, so there isn't enough candy for Mom and Dad to yoink. That's ok, since I had to give up dairy for Indigo, chocolate included, this Halloween was a bit of a drag for me. Those of you that know me well understand the sacrifice I am making for this child by giving up chocolate. I will have to find some weirdo-hippie version without dairy to keep my wits about me!

How to soothe a colicky baby- Daddy Style

Her nickname du jour: Sack of potatoes

Two Months Old!

Indigo is pudging up nicely. It's weird to have a "normal" sized baby after one who was so tiny. She is moving quickly through her brother's gender neutral hand me downs. I've been putting 3 month onesies on her because the looser fit results in less screaming than the tighter fitting 0-3 month size. She is cooing and squawking more each day. We've also been blessed with a colic diagnosis for her screaming fits. The record stands at 6 hours straight. We have a barrage of remedies that we throw at her when she starts up-usually around the time it gets dark outside. Luckily, she wears herself out and gets a good 5-6 hours of sleep afterward.

The picture of Ryan and Grandpa is from Granna's birthday celebration at our house. Unfortunately, I only have a photo of the partially eaten cake. I put 100 on the top with red licorice. She took it all in stride-Thanks for being a good sport Granna.

All of our family visiting is over for the year. We are hoping to manage a trip back to Indiana over Christmas, but it will be very pricey.

Random Ryan

Yesterday Ryan and I were playing Birthday Party by making cakes out of legos and singing to each other. I asked him how old he would be for his next birthday. His response: "Becember". I think he means that his birthday is in December, which I have only told him a couple of times! He does not respond with a number to this question ever.

Today Ryan was playing with "Nugget" his baby doll. He was trying to nurse the baby, but said that his boobies were too small, and asked if I would feed the doll. I attempted a through the shirt fake out, but the little guy was on to me, and told me to lift my shirt. I said that he needed Ryan to feed him. We ended up getting the baby a bottle from my stash, and now Nugget is a strictly fake formula fed doll. I've got enough on my hands with little Miss Indi eating all the time, I don't need to pretend to nurse anybody else! Ryan is always very diligent about burping Nugget after each feeding, and replacing his binkie in his mouth. I love watching Ryan's creativity develop!

In Indigo news, she is getting chubby. Today while perched on a shopping cart, the roughness of the ride made her little cheeks jiggle like a basset hound. It was disturbing and cute all at once. Oh, and the mid-thigh roll has made it's appearance. Hooray for baby fat!

One Month Old

I'm a few days late with my post, but some people count 4 weeks as a month, and others wait until the day of, so whatever: my baby is a month old.

She weighed 8 lbs 6 1/4 oz at her check up, and was 20 inches tall. I don't think this counts as 1 1/2 inches of growth since birth, I just think the nurses are more able to get her legs to stretch our for a more accurate measurement. The lovely outfit was provided by Grammy and promptly scarred with a mega diaper blowout following this photo shoot.

3 weeks old and Grammy's visit

Claudia does not like to share her Grammy. She slept with my mom through the entire visit.

Mama Bear Moment

Everybody knows that you don't corner a mother bear with her cubs. I got cornered today, and my instincts definitely took the fight path at full force. After dropping my mom off at the airport after an amazing 10 day visit, I stopped at the cell phone parking lot to nurse Indigo, who had starting squalling at top volume. I moved from the driver's seat to the front passenger seat to allow myself more space, but left the keys in the ignition to allow Ryan to continue listening to his music. All of a sudden, an older man opened my driver's door and started to get into my car! I had my left boob in my daughter's mouth, and was mostly uncovered. I screamed at him in my most authoritative tone, "What are you doing? Get out of my car!!!". He was obviously as flustered as me, simply getting into the wrong car. His car was next to mine, and he drove away in embarrassment. I then broke down in tears, since I was so scared and startled. I thought I was about to be car jacked by a 70-something man in broad daylight!

Lesson learned- ALWAYS lock the car, even when you are in it! I was nervous of locking the kids in the car, since I was shuffling myself around, but maybe next time Ryan will have to wait for more music. :)

Boys Versus Girls

Nobody warned me about the mess. This cute little baby generated the above pile of laundry in a mere twenty minutes! We were alone for a bit, and she came at me with a barrage of bodily fluids, taking out the bouncy seat and my clothing on the way. Ryan was never THIS bad. At least when he peed on me, it was a nice stream that I could dodge, Indi is more of a soak and submerge pee-er.

Due Date- 40 weeks

These pictures were taken on Sunday, August 29, Nugget's real due date. Yes, I'm behind on posts, but I have 2 kids now, so computer time is much less than it used to be. Give me time to adjust, we'll see if we can avoid second child syndrome with the photos.

Introducing Indigo Joy

The following post contains details of labor and delivery. Do not read if you will be put off by details, but I know many of you are interested in this stuff.

It all started at 5:30 AM on Thursday, August 19.

I went in Ryan's room to "tuck up" his covers which he had removed so he could go back to sleep. He has been asking for the baby's crib for the past few nights, and we have been accommodating. Maybe he knew that Indi was on her way. As I bent to cover him, I felt a flush of amniotic fluid, not a gush, just enough to get my attention. I woke Jeff, took a shower, and called the triage nurse. She said to head on into the hospital, even though my contractions were very light and more than 10 minutes apart. We took our time going, stopping for coffee and a scone from Starbucks on the way. Ryan does not like to get up in the morning, so we packed him up in PJ's and managed to forget his shoes at home.

We arrived at triage at 8:15 AM, my contractions were a bit heavier, but still not very painful. I just took some deep breaths and focused on whatever inanimate object caught my attention at the time to get through them. After assessment, I was declared "admitted" at 5-6 cm of cervical dilation (you have to be 10 to have the baby). We were escorted by soft spoken nurse Shirley to our room on the next floor. I had a few more contractions, and sat up in the bed as my midwife, Rebecca, came into the room. I felt a "pop" which I thought was audible to others, and the rest of my water broke. It was 10 AM. I went to the restroom and had a huge contraction. When I returned to my bed, nurse Shirley put an IV access into my arm-just in case. Nothing was hooked up to it, and she noted the time on the bandage, 10:15. I then had the worst contraction, which caused me to yell and cuss and ask for medication. I had another contraction and was yelling for meds. Rebecca said, "We need to check you first". Well, I had dilated to 10, and was ready to deliver the baby, so no pain meds for me!! Just yelling (enough that my throat was sore later) and crazy amounts of pushing. I delivered my daughter while laying on my left side. Poor Jeff was contorted onto the bed in front of me, supporting my top leg and helping my pelvis to maximize the stretch for Indigo to pass through. Rebecca placed my hand on Indi's head, and I pushed into my hand. It was surreal. Indigo was born at 11:01 AM. Our birth team was amazing. They followed my birth plan to the letter without question--no lights, no meds for baby, no bath, skin to skin contact as much as possible, and Indigo stayed with me the entire time.

Indigo has beautiful dark straight hair, and cloudy blue eyes. Her head is perfectly round, and her petite body is perfect in every way. We came home on Friday afternoon, and have been blissfully snuggling, bathing, and learning to eat since then.

Thank you to all our well-wishers and friends. We are a very blessed family of FOUR.

Name Clue

And yes, they are swollen.

Eviction Notice

Dear Tenant (Nugget of Joy),

Please consider this an official eviction notice. Don't take it personally, you have been a lovely boarder here at Chez Momma, but it is time to start thinking about moving out. You have 28 days to move out, or we will have to resort to drastic measures. You are outgrowing your space here and will be much more comfortable in alternative surroundings. We have many other options available for you: co-sleeper, swing, bouncy seat, sling, Moby, etc. We also offer round the clock feedings of fresh, warm, sweet milk, and a big brother who is anxious to snuggle you on the couch, pat you gently for burping, and has even volunteered for diaper assistance (I don't believe him on the last one either).

I am not known for my patience. You brother was already home from the NICU at this point in gestation, not to start the sibling comparisons off negatively... You have been a much quieter fetus than your brother. He always kicked at the doppler, you tend to ignore it. You have also been kind to my ribs and lungs, even though your feet have been tucked against my right side for more than 3 weeks now. You are not so nice to my down lower parts, but I get it- you are running out of room. I am not a large person, so growing a baby isn't exactly my forte. I'll do much better when you come out, okay?

We are all excited to meet you- your brother thinks you will have blue eyes. For some reason, I think you will have dark curly hair. Daddy has predicted that you will be more docile than your brother. I hope you will sleep better than he does.

I look forward to helping you make the move into your new accommodations soon!

Love, Mommy (The Management)

Nesting?

Yes, it is now 5:41 AM and I have to write on my blog. I have been awake since 2:30- (Ryan was up then), but have not been able to sleep. Things I MUST do now- write on blog, charge up video camera, download still photos, thaw turkey for meatloaf, and possibly polish stainless steel fridge. Could I BE ANYMORE STEREOTYPICAL????

Yesterday I hit 36 weeks, an unprecedented stretching of my body has taken place. I am anxious and excited to meet my daughter, but would really prefer her attached to the outside of me at this point. More on that later. The real reason you are all here: belly photos.

Also, we had Family Bonding Time this weekend. Ryan is a real cowboy. He loves pony/horse rides (his lingo). We picked (Ryan ate) blueberries at a blueberry farm. We came home with 6.47 pounds! This is my official prediction on Nugget's weight. According to Google, that converts to 6 pounds, 7.52 ounces. (I think I was 6 lb, 7oz, but I don't remember back that far-Mom, fact checking needed please).

Photo captions: Red dress, 35 weeks, Blue dress, 36 weeks (note the not so subtle change in demeanor) Ryan in robe= he loves how soft mine is compared to his, the kid is a texture freak!

Sleep, the Elusive Mistress

I have lamented before about Ryan's sleep issues. They come and go, as phases are know to do, but we are now in the midst of another level of trouble. Summertime in the NW means that it does not get dark outside until after 9:30. This means all neighborhood children are still galavanting freely in the street, screaming and playing with all their might. You can't blame them, but when you tell a 2-year old that it's time for bed around 8:30, you are met with some mighty resistance. We have given up on early bedtimes for now. I haven't been working since late May, so we usually don't need to be up early in the morning. Today, we both slept until 9:30. (more on my troubles later).

We begin the bedtime process for Ry just before 8 PM, with a bath and teeth brushing. Then we move to the couch for a book or two, then into the bedroom for 2 more books, and talking about our day. Singing seems to be out for now, I'm okay with it. The problem comes when the parental unit attempts to detach from our leech of a boy and exit his bedroom. Ryan wants us to lay down with him (double bed, so totally happens). Last night, this was at 9:15. He screamed and cried about "Mommy holding his hand so he won't be scared" until after 10:15. Last night we let him go on, with check ups at 5, 10, and 15 minute increments to hopefully wear him down. It's really wearing us down. It's horribly unnerving to know that your child is scared of some unknown. I have told him that we are just down the hall, and that I will look in on him before I go to bed, all to no avail. Jeff gave in last night and retired with Ryan at 10:15. I stayed up until 11, then went to tug on his foot to signal that he could escape to our bedroom. The poor guy (Jeff) is getting up at 5AM to make the ferry commute and bank some time up for when Nugget gets here, and doesn't need to be fighting this sleep battle with the Boy. I don't have the energy either. So we are back to no adult alone time. :( How will we fit a newborn into this crazy dance? EEK.

Now my troubles. Temperature regulation, itching feet and hands (yes, I moisturize several times a night), bladder emptying, and a fetus who just loves to grind her head into my pelvic floor are just a sampling of the joys that I am currently experiencing. These are all pregnancy related and I have to wonder if it will be easier to deal with the baby than deal with all of this stuff! I will find out in 6 weeks.

I was WIDE awake from 3-6 AM today. I got up at 3 for Ryan's crying fit and lay with him for about 30 minutes. Then I was hungry, so I had Breakfast #1. Then I went back to my own bed and lay there. When I was finally dozing at 5, Jeff's alarm clock went off. So I got up again and made his lunch, and lay back down. Ryan called me in at 8 AM for a snuggle and we fell asleep together until 9:30.

What do you do for insane toddler sleep issues?

Swim Photo

I forgot to post this.

Chronicles of Ryan

Photo captions for above: crafts of the week, making a mockery of my body's condition 1 and 2, and 33 week photo (I'm at 34 weeks tomorrow, but this shows the hugeness of the situation well)

In these last few weeks of Ryan's fleeting only-childness, I need to document some of his sayings/doings so we don't lose it all in the fog of newborness that is about to descend. For the uber-pregnant me, the next six weeks will drag, but I know each moment alone with my little man must be cherished, even though some can border on the mind-numbingly repetitive.

• Quote of the week: "Mommy, did you SAW that?" (said after doing just about anything)
• There must have been some unseen growth spurt of 1/8 inch or something. Clothing still fits, but all of a sudden, Ryan can reach and use the pedals of the trike much better, and can reach the bathroom faucet with ease.
• Independent hand washing has ensued.
• Pulling down his own pants when time to change clothes. (assuming the Dictator has approved of the wardrobe selection and timing of change- translation- This has happened twice Ever).
• Previous two items are tell-tale signs of readiness to potty train!!!!
• Requested to "sit and make toots" last night before bed. Although this is just a new tactic in his repertoire of bedtime procrastination techniques, we are being indulgent, as maybe someday he might produce Something while on the potty. He sat for so long last night that the cushioned toilet seat was stuck to his bum when he arose.
• Bedtime is still a challenge, but got a little bit easier last night. Last parental entry into bedroom at 10:15 PM, and no one had to sleep over! (he's been having bad dreams, and wants someone to stay so he doesn't get scared). It's 8:20 AM, and he's still asleep. The only joy of a night-owl child is that he sleeps in. However, this puts a big damper on morning appointments, work schedule, etc.
• Ryan started swim lessons with Daddy last week. See photo. Gymnastics ended at the beginning of June, which I participated in, and I'm glad it ended when it did. Bending is not my current forte.
• Last weekend, Ryan pounced on his Dad post-Daddy nap and proclaimed, "Daddy, you're my Best Friend!". We both melted.
• Daddy worship is in full effect. Any exciting thing during the day is met with, "I'm gonna show My Daddy after-fore he gets home from work."
• We've become crafting fools, this week we produced two caterpillars, a snake, and a chicken. See photo.

Mama Bear Syndrome AKA Hormonal Overdrive?-32 weeks

I've reached a certain point in this pregnancy where I feel like an adult that has the ability (and uses it) to strike fear in the hearts of other people's children. I'm not doing it to be malicious, but being feared/respected?/and minded by other's is an empowering feeling, especially when my own offspring can be such a dictator. I call this feeling Mama Bear Syndrome. I've had two incidences in the last week, and am becoming fearful of waddling my wide load out into public, as I will act upon my thoughts immediately. Public be warned!

It first struck me at the Fourth of July celebration we attended, where children were playing on a huge playground waiting for darkness to fall and the sky to light up. Three girls, (ages 9-11?) were hanging out at the top of the tunnel slide and talking. One girl was hanging off of the outside of the slide and dangling her body dangerously over the ground. I heard another mother voice her concerns to her friends about the girl falling, but I'm the one who acted on it.

I'm sure the girl felt perfectly safe doing this and proud of her strength. However, I have a highly impressionable two-year old, (and there were MANY kids of ALL ages out there) who might think that he could do that move too. So, I approached the girl and asked her to please come down, as she was setting a bad example for the little kids on the playground. Her friends gave me a pre-teen sneer, but she came down. Triumph for Mama Bear!

The second occurred at my house at 11:30 last night. It has finally reached 90 degrees in Seattle, and most homes are not air-conditioned. Therefore, we were sleeping (not insomniac me) with our windows open to catch the night breeze. My neighbors (the good ones) have two kids: one boy age 10, and one girl age 17. These are good kids, we even hire the girl to watch our cat when we are out of town. Last night, the kids were playing basketball in the street at 11:30 PM. Mama Bear came out to tell them that it was time to put the ball away and go inside. I'm not sure if their parents were home or not, but they have air-conditioning, so I'm sure the repetitive sound of a basketball on asphalt was muffled by the closed windows and air compressor. I told the kids that I had a sleeping baby next door, and if he were to wake up from their antics, I would be VERY unhappy. I said that they could stay outside, but the ball needed to stop, and if they were setting off fireworks (someone in a mile vicinity was) that should stop too. I tried to be polite, but was up until 2 AM feeling like a mean old lady who yells at other people's children. I need some blogging love to know that my hormones have not driven me over the edge of socially acceptable behavior.

I am trying to raise my child(ren) to be respectful of others and conscious of their actions in public. So far, I hear that my little tyrant is very well behaved (for others) after two overnight visits with grandparents etc.

In other news, I've hit a milestone. With Ryan, I was in the hospital at this point, so I didn't have a chance to yell at other people's children! My biggest complaint is that in the photos, my body is growing and it seems that my head is shrinking! The bones in my feet hurt too, but since last pregnancy I was off of them at 28 weeks, it is a new feeling. I've only gained 20 pounds so far (with Ryan at 34 weeks, I hit 40- but water was to blame for the last 10).

Some Ryan updates:

Ryan had his first solo camping trip with his dad at the end of June. See photos. Very fun for both.

Yesterday, I took Ry to McDonald's for a "biggar" (hamburger) (very rare treat for him). He scooted into the booth after we had washed our hands. I said we needed to go order our food. He said, "No Mommy, the lady is coming." (the waitress?) I think we might take him out to eat a bit much if he is expecting a waitress to take his order at McDeath! So funny.

We've been crafting more. See the dinosaur to the top of this post. A fellow blogger suggested this website, which has been very helpful for finding age appropriate, learning type crafts. No Time for Flash Cards.

That's all for now, I'm off to take a nap! Only about 7 more weeks of baby cooking to go!

30 weeks

I got my belly henna-ed at Father's Day beer festival yesterday. It should darken a bit more tomorrow, but I'm too excited to share it. It's the closest thing I'll likely ever have to a tattoo. I'm feeling big, getting up and down is harder, and I'm not sleeping very well. Jeff is going to have to take over the laundry next week. I washed a bunch of baby stuff tonight and could barely reach the back of the washer to get it all moved to the dryer. Luckily, Ryan is more into helping lately and enjoys moving the laundry along with me!

Some of Ryan's latest sayings:

"When I was a little boy...."

"Don't talk to me" (used to avoid direct questioning, such as did you poop in your diaper?)

"I don't want to"

"Don't talk at the table" (I think this is a morph of don't talk with food in your mouth, but am not sure)

We're still on yesterweek for things in the past, and he thinks that all the days of the week are Tuesday for some reason. I started talking to him about time on his digital clock, like that 8 is his bedtime, and 8 is when he can get up in the morning. Tonight he was jumping on the couch and reading the thermostat clock and told me it was 9 o'clock (at about 7), so something with that must be sticking-at least he was looking at a clock.

Ryan told me last night that his baby was kicking in his tummy, so I put my ear up to it like he does to mine. He said, "did you hear it?"

He has really taken to his doll, also named Nugget, and shushes him and pats his back. They

sleep together, and Nugget rides in his lap in the carseat.

Ryan hit the Terrible Twos last week. Getting dressed in the morning is a challenge, everything needs to be his idea, and he never likes the clothes I have picked out. Even today, as we were going to see Toy Story 3 for Father's Day, he fought us on leaving-even though he knew we would see a movie and have popcorn! Some days you just can't reason with The Dictator.

Good Times

I'm past 28 weeks now, and lots is happening around here. Ryan got his first taste of carnie rides, the big slide was fine the first time, but the second time, he had to be rescued by Daddy. He LOVED the pony ride, note the look of glee on his face.

I had an ultrasound yesterday, and when I showed Ryan the face of his little sister, he told me it looked like a gorilla! I guess I might think that too if I had never seen one before.

He's growing so big, and understands and communicates very well for a 2 1/2 year old.

27 weeks

Getting big.

A Series of Unfortunate Events-Part 2

Where were we? Or yes, crying and driving. If you are just tuning in, go to the Previous Post to get the Whole Story.

Ryan was very quiet during this part of the day. And he actually ATE the wadded up cereal bar. We got back to the car dealership at 5:45 PM. I get the keys and begin moving back in to my now super clean car. All is forgiven. Ryan is again "driving" and I hit the lock on y remote so he doesn't fall out (such a safety conscience mother) (it does not lock, since a back door is open) while I go inside to get some help with getting my car seat out of the loaner. The middle seatbelt had taken it hostage. The nice salesman came to help me, and even picked up my keys off the ground when I dropped them. I stuck them in the seat pocket while I began the maneuvers that are involved in car seat installation all over again. I can't find the receiver for a seat belt that was replaced during this service visit, so I get out and shut the door. The car locks. With Ryan and my keys inside. BAD THING #8. I rush back inside and calmly explain that I have 2 more problems. A missing seat belt half and a locked car with child inside! All three salesmen came out to assist me. One guy was really animated and got Ryan all excited to hit buttons so he could unlock the car. After many of the wrong button, he finally hit it and the guy jerked the door open. I caught Ryan as he tumbled out (my fear all along) and the car alarm started going off! We all cheered and Ryan was happy to have helped. (don't think he had a CLUE what was happening).

It took 2 salesmen in the back seat of my car to find the missing seat belt receiver, but they did, phew. After that, we packed up, met Daddy for dinner in Poulsbo (I made him order FOR me as I was driving the 20 minutes north again- remember my lunch portion?) and made Jeff drive us up to Port Townsend. We survived and had a nice weekend away. I am exhausted again after this retelling of my Series of Unfortunate Events.

I had a Bad Day- A Series of Unfortunate Events

Last Friday was so horrifically bad, I am just now able to break it down enough to write about it. The day was made of many small items which led to big problems, which led to tears, but ended in triumph. Just like a movie. Maybe made for TV movie, as Ryan and I both tend toward dramatics when the going gets tough. Here is our story.

Last Friday, we were planning to have a lovely family get away weekend to the Peninsula. Our friends Nick and Lacey were hosting a joint birthday party for Nick and Jeff at their "family compound" in Port Townsend. Our plan included Ryan and me going to get the car serviced in Bremerton then meeting Jeff at the ferry terminal (he would walk on from Seattle) then driving north together to Port Townsend. I would love to include a map here, as it is helpful to the story, but Google the Washington Peninsula, and you will get the idea.

Our car drop off time was scheduled for 10:30 AM, I don't schedule anything where I am responsible for getting other people ready before 10 AM. However, due to poor sleep the night before, neither Ryan nor Mommy woke up before 8:40 AM. Oops. (bad thing #1) We didn't leave the house until 9:45- no big deal, I call the dealership and say that we are running behind. But the car guy says they may not be able to do the interior detail (a service they owed me due to a missing part last time) if I don't get there quickly. (the back leather seats were covered with a fine mist of rotten milk- If anybody needed a detail, it was ME) While on the phone, the milk that I have placed in a sippy cup/cooler/cloth grocery bag begins forming a puddle in the hallway. (bad thing #2) This is immediately AFTER the phone call to my husband to say that we were leaving, where he reminded me how nice it is to come home to a clean house after being away all weekend. Virtual middle finger went his way, as I ran through the house trying to find something absorbent enough to hand Milk Pond that won't matter if it has to be pitched due to rotten mild smell. After repackaging our food bag and leaving things in the sink that would haunt me Sunday afternoon, we BARELY made the 10:10 Kingston ferry. I achieved a relative state of Zen after some paper bag type breathing once our car was loaded onto the ferry. We arrived at the car dealership at 11:30 AM.

At the dealership, they provide a loaner car while my car is serviced. I love this. However, I have an entire weekend packed into the back of my Forester. And they give me an Outback. Which has a much smaller cargo space. Also, I am 23 weeks pregnant. An elderly woman and her deaf teenager had pity on me ferrying my carload of crap and helped me move some of it over. I placed Ryan in the front seat and let him "drive" while we moved stuff around. Installing a car seat is never a picnic, as you have to use your body weight to work it into the seat and keep tightening everything around it until it is snug. This is fine if you are a slim, and realitively limber individual. Not so great with Nugget in the way and me unable to get my knees up so high.
During the Car Swap Olympics, Ryan pooped in his diaper. This is something that unfortunately still happens at least once a day, and is usually when we have walked into an establishment that does not have a suitable area for changing and when we leave the diaper bag in the car. Luckily, I had the diaper bag, but had to balance him on the edge of the sink while doing the change and got poop on the changing pad that I would be using all weekend long. (Bad thing #3).

My big plan for the time the car will be at the dealership involves driving north about 20 minutes to a town called Poulsbo for some lunch, and to look around at the real estate in the area to get a feel for neighborhoods and housing options. Ryan and I head straight to lunch. He passed out for his nap just as I was ordering our turkey sandwich at a quaint little bakery. Unfortunately, this bakery was SO quaint, they were cash or check only. I had $6+ change in my wallet. A whole sandwich was more like $7+, not to mention the pies, cookies, and other yummy things that were SPEAKING to me as I walked in the door. Ryan and I SPLIT a HALF sandwich, I ate all the chips (he was asleep anyway) and I bought 3/$1 cookies for a treat. Bad thing #4- eating 1/4 of a sandwich for lunch and being out of $. After wandering the downtown for a little bit with my sleeping charge, I headed up the hill again to our parking spot (only 1 hour parking was open) and who should wake up upon our return to the car? Mr. I Don't Need Much a Nap Today! So, I get him into the car and feed him his 1/4 of the sandwich and some black olives (he loves these) and his cookie. We are then on our way to explore the town. I found the Chamber of Commerce and we inquire about our bank (I thought it was a national bank, but could not find an ATM). The kind lady sent me to the nearby grocery store to the ATM (my backup plan was to buy something there and get cashback anyway, so not a bad thing). I have never seen such a tiny ATM as the one I used at Albertson's. It was straight out of the 80's. It actually made that dial-up squealing modem noise while accessing my funds! I had to laugh out loud.
We spent the next couple of hours playing in a park, sharing an apple, and touring a track house (never done it before, wanted to see what all the hype is about- not my style. I need a house with Personality). Jeff was to board the 3:00 ferry from Seattle, which would put him in Bremerton at 4. He called to say that he made the ferry, but then called again at 3:45 to say that he had arrived. So we start back south and I tell him to find a good meeting spot and I will be there in about 20 minutes. On our way to Bremerton, my phone rings again. It is Ryan's pediatrician. They have test results on a urinalysis we ran earlier in the week. Ryan had been complaining, "Something is wrong to my pee pee," so I took him to the doctor to see if there was a real issue or not. Collecting pee from a diapered boy is no picnic. It involved gluing a baggie to his body for a while then REMOVING it (oh the horror) and taking the pee to the Dr. The immediate results were negative, but the culture grew some bacteria. Granted, this is normal skin type bacteria, but since he was still complaining about it, they wanted to give antibiotics just in case. I am in an unknown area here- my kid is complaining, when he had surgery last fall, they said to always believe it if your kid says they are in pain, so we went with it. Anyway, this all resulted in me having to find a foreign pharmacy during my weekend getaway so my kid can have his meds. The Dr. decides to call it in to Bremerton, so I can get it on my way. No big deal, right? wrong.
I go to meet my husband first. While I am headed that way, the dealership calls and says that my car is ready for pick up. My plan of attack-- get husband, pick up med, go swap cars, go to Port Townsend. Easy, right? Wrong. After numerous phone exchanges and loops driven through the ferry terminal area in Bremerton, we discover that Jeff has walked on the the WRONG FERRY!! He is in Bainbridge Island--no where near Bremerton. This is why he arrived so quickly! I yell at him that he is an A-hole, tell him to get on a bus to a central meeting location and head out to find this mysterious pharmacy to get my kid some drugs. Bad thing #5. I am not all that familiar with the geography of Bremerton, but I had the address of the pharmacy, and knew from the in-car compass that I was heading north (away from car dealership). I ended up at a Safeway nearly all the way in Silverdale. I must have passed 5 other pharmacies along the way that would have worked just fine, but it's 5 on a Friday, do you think I can get a hold of the Dr.'s office again. No way. Bad thing #6. I rush into the pharmacy and ask for a phone book map so I can figure out how far I am from where I need to be- it looks like a 30 minute trip back down to the car dealership. So I call them. They are closing. But they will leave my keys with the salesmen who will still be there when I arrive. Phew. In the course of providing my information and waiting for the medicine to be mixed up, Ryan poops AGAIN. (see previous history of pooping while diaper bag is in the car). I burst into tears in the pharmacy in front of the entire staff. (bad thing #7/straw that broke me) I scoop him up and head out to change since we are still waiting for medicine. A turd falls out of the car while I'm changing. I just kick it away. We go back in, get the medicine, and directions to get back to the car dealership.
At the car, Ryan asks for a cereal bar snack. He has his weird toddler things, like any kid, and will throw a FIT if it is broken. Guess what? It broke. He screams, and I screamed right back at him. I wadded the bar in my hand to make it whole again and left it in his cupholder. I got in the front and started sobbing as I drove back to the dealership. At this point Jeff calls and says that he will meet me at a restaurant in Poulsbo. He has taken a bus from Bainbridge Island to Poulsbo to be on the path to Port Townsend. I start to breathe again. But it is too soon.... I will have to continue my story later, as this is the World's Longest Post.

Water Heater Hell

We have been living on borrowed time with our water heater since moving into this house 4 years ago!! Replacing it was a top item for the pre-Nugget arrival list. Well, we've been without hot water now for 2 days, while Jeff fights the beast. We thought there would be victory last night, but when he got up this morning to shower, water was leaking from the thermostat of our defective water heater!! He had a big ski trip planned for the day, since it just FINALLY snowed in the mountains this week. So, Ryan and I went to a friend's house for me to shower for church this AM, and he took his skanky bootie to the mountains! Now it's 10 PM, and he just discovered why we are having such trouble. 1) there is air in the pipes, 2) the water valve feeding the water heater was not all the way open!!!! NO WONDER IT TOOK THE THING 3 HOURS TO FILL UP!!!

I hate home projects, I would TOTALLY hire someone for everything, but my husband loves to learn by doing.

If we don't get hot water in the next hour, I'm moving to a hotel. I do not enjoy camping in my own home, and the dirty dishes are really piling up. I had to boil pans of water to give my baby a Little House on the Prairie bath tonight, and it was not fun.

The plus side:

1-Jeff redid the floor under the water heater, since the old one was sitting on soggy particle board (classy).

2-We also replaced the old with a "lowboy" version that will get us 1/2 a closet in the office. (our office houses a water heater in one closet and the furnace in another- good use of space? I think not)

3- Ryan got a swanky clubhouse box to hang out in and color. He should be busy for the next week decorating it. (minus- getting green marker out of his EARS during his pioneer bath)

In other news, today marks the 20 week point for my pregnancy. I'm half way there!!