Annie and Oscar 12-09

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The nightmare before Christmas

Annie is having her first Christmas where all the gears are turning and she "gets it," boy, does she ever. We wrote a letter to Santa and mailed it to him at the North Pole. Her primary wish is for a red bike. She added later that she'd like a double stroller for her and Oscar (she's so practical), but I told her she can only ask for one big present per Christmas.

We've tried to embrace Annie's new awareness of the holidays by taking her to holiday-themed events, one of which was a "Santa Fly-in" that we were invited to by our landlords Beverly (shown above with me and Annie) and Al (Al is a retired pilot and Beverly still belongs to a wives club that hosts the event each year). Santa taxis in a red plane at a local airfield, deplanes and the kids get to follow him back to the air club where he hands out presents to each child (supplied by the parent elves earlier). When it came to Annie's turn, I had to carry her up (she wouldn't walk by herself) and then screamed bloody murder as soon as we got within a foot of him. I had to take her present from Santa, and ever since then she has often pronounced that she doesn't like Santa. I'm hoping he's hard of hearing at his advanced age. Fingers crossed. My thinking is she's just never been a fan of big loud crowds and this place was packed and noisy with kids hopped up on candy canes. She's more into the "Silent Night" version of Christmas we believe. Well, we'll just have to see what ends up under the tree to learn just how forgiving he is.

We're headed up to our own North Pole on Sunday, aka Connecticut. It's going to be one big family-palooza with my sister and her boys, Jay's sister and her family and my good childhood friend Miranda and her family returning for her first Christmas in Connecticut since they moved to Jakarta 3+ (maybe 4?) years ago. She has a little girl who will be almost 2 and the last time we saw her she was 6 months old, so we can't wait to see how she'll give Annie a run for her money. I expect the results to be hilarious and fully documented. Oscar will also be there, observing it all with his few hours of awake time per day. We can't wait.

Oscar just chillin', waiting for Santa

Speaking of Oscar, he's the gruntiest baby we've ever met. It's his way of getting noticed, we gather, since as the second child, he's got to find creative ways if he's going to get any kind of attention. He's a great, albeit slow, eater. He's getting better at the sleeping thing, usually getting up once in the middle of the night, then again in the early morning. We cart him around everywhere and he doesn't seem to mind, and, as a result, is (sadly) becoming a great car-seat sleeper. Today at his one-month checkup, he measured around 9+ pounds (I have it written down somewhere...), and a little over 20 inches. He's at 25th percentile for weight and height and 35th for head circumference; his head is smaller than Annie's was (she had and still has a huge noggin). He hasn't smiled yet but gives us this sort of pleased look. He coos (which melts me every time), and as mentioned before, grunts like a sow.

P.S. Just so I don't forget to document this: Annie's newest Annie-ism, when I'm kneeling to put her jacket on or something and tip over saying, "Oh, I lost my balance!", she pretends to pick something up and hands it to me, and says, "There you go, Mama, there's your balance."

We'll have more after the new year with what I hope to be some hilariously cute photos and video of all the relatives and ensuing shenanigans. Until we return, Happy Holidays, everyone!

In a nutshell

It seems Oscar's first month of life will go largely undocumented, but on the bright side, there wasn't much variety to these first 4 weeks. He basically slept, ate, pooped, ate, pooped, slept, pooped and ate, usually in that order. He's now seeming more of a "baby" to us and less of a little alien parasite, albeit a cute one. It's been a challenge figuring out how to entertain a 3-year-old and keep an infant alive without losing what little sanity I have left, but we're managing. Some days better than others. I have to say though, the second kid gets the shaft. I can count on my fingers the times Oscar cried for only a second before picking him up to nurse, more likely, he's cried for at least 5 or 10 minutes while I raced around trying to complete whatever task I was in the middle of before scooping him up. I can say though, that I've become quite adept at nursing and doing many other household tasks at the same time; something I never would have done with Annie when she was an infant. Such things as cook, dress, make beds, type, and play doctor with Annie. Oscar doesn't seem to mind. He's sadly used to the lack of undivided attention.

Annie's in love with her little brother and will adopt that "he's soooo cuuuute" tone of voice usually reserved for grandparents when addressing him. She'll say things like, "Oscar, don't worry, food's comin'," when I'm having trouble getting to him for whatever reason and she helps burp him, brings me diapers and pacifiers when asked. She's a big help. It's been hard for her though to adjust to not being the center of my world every second of the day. I guess it had to happen sometime. We've noticed a little more acting out and disobedience than usual, a little potty training regression, but the last few days I see a little more of the "old" Annie coming back. We had her three-year checkup and she's right where she should be, so that's a relief. She had to get a H1N1 shot the other day and was quite brave, as she always is. Since then she'll say at random points of reflection, "I don't like shots, Mama." But we've talked about how they're necessary to keep us healthy and she seems to get it. Her vocabulary grows every day and she now uses verbal pauses, like, "well," and words like "actually," often now, which always cracks me up. She'll explain if she's upset when I put something of hers away by saying, "Mama, that's important to me." She loves to dance, play doctor, pretend "school" with me. She's into puzzles (the big floor kind), playing store, and I'm always amazed at her capacity for imagination. She has made the space between the wall and Oscar's crib her "Mexican house" (we don't know why). Basically, she's becoming a pretty cool little person and an extremely patient 3-year-old. We still have it pretty good, despite the occasional tantrums and emphatic "NO!"s. I can't wait to watch her interact with Oscar as he gets older. I have a feeling she'll be a pretty fun big sister.

A baby in waiting

I need to get this down before I forget everything. The lack of sleep combined with an already poor memory does not bode well for you, I'm afraid, Oscar. But I'll do my best.

Nana got into town a week before Oscar's due date. I was pretty convinced I would never be having this baby. The contraction activity had slowed down and I was so used to being pregnant, I just figured I would deliver this baby in time for his high school graduation. The night before his due date, Nana implored us to go out to dinner while we had a free babysitter and one child (outside of the uterus anyway), so we took her up on it and left a weepy Annie whom we reassured of our return and went to Jack Fry's where I had a lovely sea bass. Little did I know it would be my last meal for 21 hours. (I should have gotten dessert.) When we returned home a little before 8, it was business as usual. I lumbered upstairs, synched on my scrubs (the only pants I could fit in), brushed my teeth and got into bed. About 45 minutes later I started to have some contractions that seemed to last more than 30 seconds and were looking to be somewhat regular intervals apart.

I told Jay and after they got to be about 8-10 minutes apart, we called the OB on call to see what she thought we should do. With Annie, my water broke before I got to the hospital so there was little doubt that I was indeed in labor, but this time it wasn't so clear. At the same time, my OB told me not to wait until they were 5 minutes apart since it was my second (whose births typically go a lot quicker), which of course put the fear of God in me (I have a new car and really didn't want to give birth on the upholstery). So they said not to wait too much longer before coming in, so at about 11:30, Jay and I woke up Nana, packed up and headed over to Baptist East. We had a perfect parking spot given the ungodly hour and anyone who knows me knows how much that meant to me. We headed in and it was all so surreal. I wasn't in crazy pain so it was kind of like checking into a hotel after a bad airplane ride. I got my gown on and got hooked up to the monitors. I had to get an IV of penicillin because I was Group B Strep positive. Let me tell you, that hurt more than the contractions--and I had to get it every 4 hours.

So after all the wires and needles were in their appropriate places, we just sort of waited. For a REALLY long time. The contractions kept their 8 minute intervals, but then slowed to 10. I told Jay, look, we're here. We're having this baby one way or another. So at about 5 AM (after another round of that IV of acid they called "antibiotics" and a nursing shift change) when the contractions were really just plain misbehaving, they administered Pitocin, or "Pit" as the nurses like to call it. Now the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart but I still was only at 4 cm (I need to be at 10 to push). They also weren't super painful. I was all "if this is 'bad,' I can totally do this naturally." My body had no memory of exactly how excruciating Annie's labor was. I kept thinking, maybe I was just being over dramatic. Then another nursing shift change. More Pit. Not much more activity. 4-5 cm. The doctor finally visited us around 9 or so (this is foggy). She said she would break my water after she did a C-section on someone else. The contractions were stronger but nothing I couldn't breathe my way through. We started watching bad HG-TV shows full of slate pavers and misguided design choices. Jay got some work done on the computer. I updated my status on Facebook. And I was STARVING. I just kept thinking about all the food I wish I could be eating instead of those blasted ice chips they push on you. Jay got breakfast, then Jay got lunch. This was getting ridiculous. When would this labor kick into gear?!?

Then something happened. About an hour after they broke my water (which only led to a trickle since the baby's head was so low), the baby did some crazy kind of jolting head butt inside me. It was as though he got turned around and decided to just poke a new hole in me to get out. It actually scared me the way someone saying "Boo!" when you least expect it scares you. Then, literally, the flood gates opened and all that pain I had so conveniently blocked out came rushing at me like a freight train. Derailed. Downhill. Over and over again at 1 minute intervals.

I had brought along a picture of Annie to be my focal point, but remember that weepy Annie we left behind telling her we'd be there in the morning when she got up? Well, unfortunately she was put on the phone when we called to check in with Nana that morning and she was screaming crying for me to come home and give her a hug in the most pathetic Hallmark Hall of Fame way possible. I lost it after hanging up the phone and then every time after that, when I looked at her photo, that whaling flooded my ears and tears flooded my eyes. Annie and I had literally never not woken up in the same house since she was born. Never. I felt like I was cheating on her. So much for the focal point. So when Jay said, "Do you think you want the epidural now?" I have never in my life nodded so emphatically as I did then.

At 1:30 the anesthesiologist came in and by 1:45, the line was in and he was starting to push the meds, or as I like to call it, liquid heaven. Just before then the nurse checked me and I was at 5-6 cm. It took about 20 minutes for the pain meds to kick in but once they did, and the nurse checked me again, she was startled to see how far along I had come in such a short amount of time. She had just gotten off the phone and told the doctor to get lunch. Now she had to frantically call her back and thought she may have to deliver the baby herself. The delivery nurses came in, people were rushing about. I felt like I was in an episode of ER. Jay was great. He kept reassuring me how well I was doing. When the pain was bad, he watched the contraction monitor to let me know when each one was ending. And most important, he didn't eat in front of me.

Once the doctor returned, she coached me through a few pushes and I felt like I was getting the hang of it and it only took like five more pushes to get him out. It was crazy fast. And this time, unlike with Annie whom I spent 4 exhausting hours trying to push out, I was so present for his birth. I also remembered to wear my contacts so I could actually see him when he was born. I was exhilarated and overjoyed. And the best part: given the late epidural, I didn't feel a darn thing. There was no tearing, so my recovery would be easier, and there was this boy, our boy, right in front of me, screaming to go back inside where it was warm and dark. Nine months of heartburn, back pain, exhaustion and waiting all came together into something so beautiful and perfect. I felt like laughing and crying at the same time, and I did. Jay looked amazed. Now all we had to do was name him. We took a rain check and I sent Jay to get me a sandwich. A big one.

Because I had so little problems with the delivery, I talked them into letting me go home a day early. Oscar was fine (according to the pediatrician) and I could not bear missing Annie's birthday morning that Monday (Oscar was born on Saturday, the same birthday as my dad, and named on Sunday). After more screaming and crying when she left the hospital after visiting on Saturday afternoon, I just couldn't take another day away from her (or me). So Sunday evening I came home as a mother of two. Oscar Kind (pronounced like you would in Kindergarten, Jay's Mom's maiden name) was born at 2:43 PM on 11/7/09, weighing 7 lbs. 4.3 oz. and measuring 19.5 inches.

Oscar since then has been great. He originally had his days and nights confused which meant he was getting up pretty much every hour on the hour at night to feed, but we've slowly worked that out. Now he seems to be getting the newborn thing down. Eating, sleeping, pooping. And I've only been peed on once! Annie's adjusting pretty well to all the change. Having Nana here has been a great help. Annie's totally head over heels for her and they're having a great time playing with AALLL of Annie's birthday presents. I'm a little scared (OK, petrified) of what life will be like when she leaves on Monday and I go from having 4 hands to just 2 again, but we'll figure it out. Just don't expect too much in the blogosphere. Although, be kind of impressed, I typed most of this while Oscar was sleeping in my arms and/or nursing. Yeah, I can totally do this.

Oscar and Annie - birthdays 11-09

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Sorry for the long intermission here. We're still getting our bearings but doing better everyday. Enjoy these photos while we get ourselves in order. Soon to come, the birth story or, as I like to call it, "the labor that wouldn't end until it ended in record time." Confusing, I know.

Halloween and other stuff

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Enjoy these messages during our brief intermission

So, I lied. There are just too many cute videos of Annie to share and since I'm still with child (AND HOW), I figured why deprive her public of her hilarious antics? Since my attention is currently distracted by the large foot trying to puncture my lung, I figured the least I could do is post a few live action clips. One is from today's fun fall leaf backyard play (notice my sprinting) which quickly turned into a jungle safari, and the other from Annie's "soccer" class. As you will see, Annie is trying so hard to comply by the regulations. Enjoy.

You also get to witness her new verbal tick, "Okaaaaay?"

(Love the victory dance at the end.)

So, this is it...

On the way to "Little Kickers" soccer meetup with the moms' group. Annie loved it.

(Cue Huey Lewis)

This is probably the last post I'll be making before the much-anticipated baby number 2 arrives to sideswipe our lives with endless demands and impossible cuteness (just a hunch). I've been relishing every moment with Annie as a single kid lately. Where we always used to get out of the house several times per day, I've been perfectly content just staying home with her and playing with her and letting her tell me what to do (for which she has an incredible gift). We've been baking and eating and cooking and eating and playing and eating. It's like these last few weeks of pregnancy my body has just gone, "Screw it. Look at you. Just pig out." Of course, my stomach is the size of a walnut now because of this massive body taking up residence in my abdomen, so my version of pigging out is more like a day-long mini-meal session. It's almost like I'M the newborn who has to eat every two hours. If only I were satisfied with skim milk.

Annie's been getting more excited about the potential a new sibling holds, but I can tell she's a little anxious about the change. She's been talking about Houston a lot, wanting to go back to her old life, and last night we had a major bedtime blow out where she actually cried herself to sleep after multiple attempts on our part to get her to go to bed by herself. It just killed me. I wish there were a way for me to show her the future so she can see that she's always going to be loved and nurtured and taken care of the same way she was before the baby. Only it will be better, because she'll also have this little person looking up to her, thinking she's God and watching her every move in awe. What could be better? A built-in biggest fan! Well, I guess she's just going to have to see for herself.

We are also eagerly awaiting the arrival of another family member: Nana, or "Nan" as she now prefers. She'll be down on the 2nd for about 3 weeks, and we all are looking forward to showing off Annie's new tricks and culinary abilities and just settling into this cozy nest before one more chick hatches. Here's to hoping the other one doesn't beat her here, and, to safe trips, all around.

More Annie October 2009

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Fallin' in love again

I think I've already made this abundantly clear, but seriously, I LOVE THE FALL. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I had to whip out those slippers one chilly morning and had that sweetly hot taste of mulled cider floating in my mouth for the first time in years. Last weekend we went to Huber's, a Louisville autumnal staple (although it's really in Borden, IN)l. There, we got to take a tractor ride to pick out some pumpkins. She then visited the petting zoo and corn maze, and we had some cider donuts and mulled cider. While she enjoyed the pumpkin pickin', Annie was really excited about the fact that there are now so many opportunities in which to interact with heavy machinery and livestock. In addition to the horse meetup detailed in an earlier post, our mother's group also visited another farm this week where Annie got to be on a hayride and see chickens, cows, and horses. The girl's in toddler heaven.

In pregnancy news, my last appointment showed me at 2-3 cm dilated and 60% effaced. If this was my first pregnancy I would probably have the car idling outside the house at all hours "just in case," but with the second, I now know that this status could last for weeks. Tomorrow, we go to the hospital to take the Labor & Delivery tour. We're taking Annie with us so she can see where Mama will be when she's giving birth. We're hoping the baby holds out until Nana gets here on the 2nd. Me, I don't know if I can wait that long. My nesting is complete, having made the obligatory warehouse store run, cleaning out closets (even though we just moved here), building a shelf in the laundry room, and cooking chili AND soup simultaneously (because it just made sense at the time). I don't know if I can take 3 more weeks of these hormones! By the time my mom gets here, I'll probably have refinished the floors (seriously, the upstairs could use it).

Annie October 2009

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Horsin' around

Today Annie and I got to go on a gathering with a mother's group we recently joined. The kids were brought to a horse stable and allowed to feed and ride the horses. When I say "ride," we're really talking a horse with a kid on it while someone leads the horse around the barn, but still, to Annie, it was *thrilling*. She's been around horses before, but always a little afraid to touch or get on one. Today she took the horse by the reins, so to speak, and rode not one, but two of the sweet equines available, Ella and Socks. Ella was the sweetest of the two and nuzzled us and enjoyed our attention very much. I think that's what won Annie over. After that, she wanted to ride another and feed the horses (something she originally wanted to watch but not participate in). It was really fun for both of us, and settled Annie nicely into her role as Kentuckian.

We've also been busy enjoying fall again. Yay, sweaters! We made our first apple crisp, decorated a leaf picture for school and have generally been just enjoying going "brrrrrr" in the morning when we walk outside. I love it, and given that I'm 8 months pregnant with the body heat of one with twice the blood volume of a non-pregnant woman, I've been enjoying the chill thoroughly.

Nursery

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Oh, baby

Here's to the not forgotten, but all-too undocumented pregnancy this family is currently experiencing (and yes, it is a group effort--in fact, I'd also like to give a shout-out to Graeter's Ice Cream, as they've played a pivotal role in the success of this gestation). We're in the final stretch: 34 weeks and counting, and we have pretty much everything set. Nana is coming down the first of November (the due date is the 7th, so we're leaving some wiggle room), the nursery is furnished (as you'll see soon, I promise) and my stomach is huge. All good signs. Today, Annie and I discussed at greater length what babies "do" all day. She's very excited to hold the baby, clarified that the baby can't walk or talk, nor does it have teeth, and all the baby's going to eat is Mama's milk. Oh, and she also asked if I was heavy. So I think we're set. As you can see, Roscoe has taken a shine to the baby as well. He jumped up on the table as soon as I exposed my belly to give it a little nuzzle. Little does he know that his world will yet again be rocked, and not by the quiet, soothing momentum of a rocking chair, but by the loud whaling and general chaos equal to that of an earthquake with a tornado chaser.

At my last appointment, I got to have another ultrasound and therefore see this little Poppy in action. This baby can move, let me tell ya. He/She had its fists waving in the air like it knew that we, perhaps, weren't giving it our full, undivided attention. The picture shows its profile (click on it to see it larger), albeit kind of blurry, but trust me. It was cute, and it made me all the more excited to meet this little one. It's measuring almost 5 lbs. which indicates that, if I carry it to term, the baby should weight around 8 lbs. ! Fingers crossed for that 10% margin of error in my favor. Annie was 7 lbs. 4 oz. so this should be interesting. Again, I'd like to thank Graeter's for their selfless contribution.

The big dig

This week, we have a guest writer, Annie's Papa, here to talk about their fun-fossil-filled adventure this weekend:

Today Annie and I ventured across the Ohio river to its northern bank in Indiana for the Clarksville fossil festival. A steady rain kept the crowds at a minimum and the limestone fossil beds slick. It also kept us from photographing the visit, but the local newspaper took a picture of Annie digging for treasures, which may make it to press in the Lousiville Courier Journal. (At this time, currently no pictures of Annie. Their loss.)

For the festival, they scooped up some of the limestone river basin and dumped it into piles for the kids to explore. (Two piles were rich in fossils and one pile had mostly crystals.) You could keep anything that you found, and we did, since fossil collecting at the Falls of the Ohio Park was not allowed elsewhere. The fossilized animals are about 387 to 380 million years old and are from various sea-dwelling invertebrates (corals, sponges, mollusks, etc). You'll see here some photos of what we found.

There were booths with local Paleontological and Geological Society members and also fossil vendors. There was a visitor’s center, which looked nice, but our clothes quickly became sopping wet and muddy, so we stayed outdoors and plan to visit it on a different day. Instead, we hiked down to the river’s outer bed, despite the warning that the terrain is “not suitable for children under 8 or 9.” Annie climbed down and back with little assistance, tightly gripping a yellow crystal all the way. Then, I drove home in wet jeans and Annie in her underwear. (Editor's note: to me, that's a sign of a good time.)

Annie gets some visitors

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A spectator sport

We were honored to have our first guests break in the basement guest "quarters" in the new house when "Becca/Sara Kate" (and now joined by "Baby Sister," also known as Elisabeth) from Houston came for a few days last week. Annie needed the familiar faces and, frankly, so did I. But with 2 toddlers and an infant ruling the roost, Rebecca and I realized quickly that we were merely chaperones to this reunion. At almost three, Annie and Sara Kate are truly a force to be reckoned with, but in a good way. We had a blast (although Roscoe and Mason may never be the same). We went to the zoo, parks, breakfast, lunch, made play-do and brownies. What could be better? Well, Annie didn't nap the entire time, so I guess THAT could have been better, but she held her own and I think she was just so excited she didn't want to miss a minute.

The above video gives you a hint of the effect these two have on each other. Prior to Sara Kate's visit, Annie wouldn't go down a slide to save her life. She was traumatized by a visit to a bouncy playground with her father--at Christmas, LAST YEAR--and still had yet to recover. And, I'm told, Sara Kate wasn't so much of a climber until she encountered our simian daughter launching herself up the slide on all fours. Ah, the power of friendship. And, if you're worried about the shaky ending of the video, don't worry, Annie made it down the stairs just fine, although I have a few more gray hairs than I did prior to their acrobatics.

Baby Elisabeth should not be forgotten in this post. She celebrated her half-birthday while visiting, and, at 6 months, this kid is already a heart breaker. Annie was certainly smitten. I'm hoping that it's babies in general she has an affinity for and not just Elisabeth, given the pending sibling. It was very sweet to witness her sometimes overly enthusiastic love for this baby. (I'm sure the bruises are healing fine.) All in all, it was a great visit and we were sad to see them go. Roscoe and Mason, on the other hand, probably are a little bit glad there is again only one kid running after them. Well, at least, for now.

What's in a name?

It all started when Annie found out what our "real" names were. Then it was "Jay!" this and "Jay!" that. This was back in Houston. Finally we got so fed up with it we manipulated her into stopping by saying that it hurts Papa's feelings when you don't call him Papa and then constantly reminding her of that. It took a while but it worked. Of course, not two seconds after she stopped with the "Jay!," she's all "Jessie!" And we tried to quell that one too, but it's much harder in my case because I'm with her ALL day long, so I'd have to be reminding her every second of every request to call me Mama. I try, I really do, but now the words "Jessie," "Jessica" and "Mama" are completely interchangeable in Annie's little head. People crack up when they first meet us. It's like we're a circus side show. So, lately, it has been bugging me more and more because I love it when she calls me Mama. Hey, I carried her for 9 months and pushed for 4 hours to earn that title. So now I'm bootcamping her into submission. I think it's kind of working, but now she's started calling Jay and I "Grownups!" or "Parents!" so the end is not near. What can I say? Variety is the spice of life.

P.S. The above photo was taken on a recent visit to Papa's office (on the weekend, he normally at least wears a tie with his T-shirt). If only she knew that all the certificates behind him said "Joseph" and not "Jay." It would all begin anew.

Kickin' it new school

Annie started school last week. She's switched from going two days per week (9-2) in Houston, to going 3 mornings a week here. The first week went great, as did Monday. Today, however, tears. Lots of them. It surprised me how hard it was for me to keep from crying too when she was that upset. I know it's just a normal adjustment, but goodness, does that girl know how to get to her mama. But focusing on the positive, last weekend we got to do our first homework assignment with Annie. The teachers had traced her body and we all got to decorate it together. Here's the final result (click on it to see it larger). Annie's favorite part was applying the rhinestone stickers in the lower left corner. Papa obviously loved him some glitter:

We also enjoyed our first "school picnic" to welcome the kids back at a nearby park (first photo at top). There are a lot of great people at the school and I know Annie is going to have a blast. I'm sure once Annie gets settled into the routine of school days, we will have less tears ... on both ends.

In other news, I promised a picture of the deck (nursery is still a work in progress, although you'll be happy to read, it is no longer a storage room). Again, click on it if you want to see it bigger. So here it is, deck furniture and all. Still no grill, but we're working on it. We also want to get one of those little fire pit things so when it gets chilly and the mosquitoes finally die off, we can really enjoy those crisp autumn evenings. And, we have plants and fresh herbs! I am such a grownup! I can't tell you how gratifying it is to go out on the deck and pick some fresh basil for our pizza. I feel like Mario Batali (and not just because I have a big belly and a ponytail, no offense, Mario).

The last hurrah

Annie and I made a pilgrimage to Connecticut to do our last plane ride as only child and mom. We visited Nana and GrandBob and Oma and PapaJoe, as well as our friends Denise and Trout. We also got to see our good friend Sarah from high school (mine, not Annie's ... she's smart, but not that smart) and found some fun at the Bridgewater Country Fair (as exhibited by the pineapple on a stick), which I partook in pretty much every year of my childhood. It was a lot of fun for one short week. Now that we're back, Annie's starting her Monday, Wednesday, Friday of preschool and yesterday was her first day. She did awesome. I was a little nervous because we put her in a "threes" class, when she's really not three for another couple months. But she seemed to do fine and got a smiley face on her daily report, so we're relieved. She can also read! Well, not really, but she's read this book enough that she makes a pretty good case. Here's her reading in her favorite reading spot as of late, pull up a bath mat, Nana:

In other news, I'm huge. Well, not huge, but I feel a lot larger with this pregnancy than I did with Annie's. This may or may not be true, but I'm scared for the last two months of this ride. I have another ultrasound in a couple weeks to checkup on a fibroid that has a slight possibility of interfering with something (but I think it's just another excuse for the dr.'s office to bill our insurance for another ultrasound). And, maybe due to the hugeness, I'm exhausted. I have spurts of nesting energy but mostly I would trade my right arm to be a good napper. I guess I know where Annie gets her resistance to day-time sleeping. Annie's recent love of the nap though gives me hope.

Annie in Connecticut 8-09

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Our new abode

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Just don't call her frosty

Amid all the drama surrounding Annie's various transitions to big-kidom, there are some other less dramatic updates to report. Annie has introduced us to her friend Snowman. Snowman is a girl, 2 1/2 and white. We're not sure if she is actually a snowman or if she's a person. We've been told she does not have a carrot for a nose, so it's still up for debate. There's also a Papa Snowman and a Mama Snowman, but they only make cameo appearances in Annie and Snowman's escapades. She'll often say to me, "Snowman's here, Mama!" and we're always glad to have her. Annie's favorite activity lately is talking to Snowman on the phone, as seen here. And apparently, Snowman has really bad luck and/or is very clumsy because she's always in the hospital for a broken leg. (We have two books that have the characters with broken legs: Maisy Goes to the Hospital and Curious George Gets a Job, so I'm thinking that's where this is coming from.) And, the malady isn't limited to Snowman; if Annie is particularly cranky and not getting enough attention, she'll come whining to me, saying "Mamaaaa, I have to go to the hospitaalllll; I broke my leeeeggg." She's becoming quite the drama queen. If only she'd use her power for good and not illness.

Big girls apparently DO cry

We have good news and bad news. The good news, Jay and I found a babysitter, who is awesome and whom Annie adores. The bad news: Annie has all of a sudden realized that everything in her life is now different and started freaking out at bedtime, which makes using said babysitter for nights out (like that pictured above at an MS benefit; and yes, that is me being a pirate) increasingly troublesome. We returned from our return to grown-up land to find that Annie had indeed not gone to bed, but instead cried for me and screamed the second our sitter left her room. Now, Annie has had trouble falling asleep before, but it's usually her talking and singing in her crib happily that delays her sleep, not screaming, pathetic whaling. Also, Annie had gone to bed fine for the sitter the last time we had used her. After that, it was all down hill. We bought mattresses that weekend, and thinking they'd be delivered that Monday, we moved Annie to her crib mattress on the floor for Sunday night. Got a call. Nope, mattresses won't arrive until Friday. Long story short, Annie had to spend a whole week on a crib mattress which went fine up until that Wednesday. Then, the dark cloud descended on the Ferrara household and many a tear were shed in the process, mine included.

FINALLY, I am happy to say, after getting her mattress (Friday) AND her bedframe (yesterday), she is finally starting to come to terms with her big girl status, albeit reluctnantly and with much back rubbing and on and off night waking. I was silly in thinking that once I got her to sleep through the night as an infant, my work in the sleep department would be done. I would have given her the crib back, but it's my crib from when I was a baby and in need of some repair before we put bambino number 2 in it, so it's currently in a few pieces on the floor of what will be the baby's room. It's probably good that we didn't have that option and stuck to our guns. It's been a tough week, but I think the clouds are parting and the flood of tears is receding (along with the rainwater in downtown Louisville, which did not get to us, thank goodness... that would be ALL I needed. What next? Locusts!?). Annie still says she doesn't like her big girl bed, but she is now napping and sleeping in it, so it's clearly a love-hate relationship. Hopefully, soon, it will be more love than hate.

On a lighter note. Now that all of our furniture is in place, I can finally take some pictures of the abode and post them soon. I'm just waiting until the cleaning lady comes on Saturday (Yes! A cleaning lady!) to make the place presentable. Stay tuned.

In my defense

This isn't going to be a long one... there is something I think is too funny about Annie lately that I feel the need to mention it quickly here because this pregnancy, while giving me the gift of another life, has taken away all of my memory. It's a miracle I find the door in the morning. So, either it's because I'm catching Annie in the act too often, or she's picking up on my horrible speech patterns, but now whenever, and I mean WHENEVER, you ask Annie what she's up to, she adopts this defensive tone: "I'm just looking at the sharp knife," even if it's something completely inocuous like "I'm just taking my shoes off." I feel bad that she feels like she has to be a teenager already; at least she doesn't follow the phrase with an exaggerated eye roll and humphy sigh.

I hope next week to post some photos of the new house. Annie's cute and all, but have I mentioned the deck?!

Annie June and July 2009

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Life in motion

Here are a few videos I've been meaning to post but have been sans my trusty desktop until now (I had to buy a desk chair and didn't get one until yesterday) so I finally have had time (read: procrastination) to upload these two. The first, the most recent, is of Annie singing happy birthday to her father and stealing the spotlight to blow out his candles. We opted for a homemade key lime pie this year instead of cake. After all the restaurant food we had been eating for the prior few weeks, something on the "lighter side" seemed appropriate. Of course, regardless of whether or not a pint of heavy cream constitutes "lighter," it certainly tasted good.

The second is from the last night we had in Houston with our good friends. Sara Kate is Annie's best friend. The two have known each other since Annie was about 9 months old, Sara Kate, 6 months. So it was only apt we spend our last meal in Houston with them. Jay captured this last play date as we prepared reluctantly to leave. It totally captures their dynamic. Sara Kate has a plan, and Annie sort of flits around it, much to Sara Kate's shagrin. But you also see the joy they have in playing together. They'll be truly missed by each other and by us.

Signed, sealed, delivered

Annie is transitioning well into "big girl" land with the potty training in full swing. I didn't really mean to take this on as my first project in Louisville, it just seemed like the right time for a variety of reasons and two days ago, let's just say, her "number 2" made its first appearance in the potty and boy, was everyone proud. I'm sure she'll kill me later for divulging this, but I have to give her some fodder for when she's a teenager. She even made me save it for Papa to see when he got home. Luckily for me that was only 15 minutes after the blessed event. So we're on day number 3 with no diapers, even at night. Yes, there have been accidents, but she's getting the hang of it and has no trouble using a public restroom (unlike her mother), and, sorry for the plug, but it's all thanks to the Potty Hammock. I got this from a friend of my mother's when Annie was born and originally thought, 'When am I ever going to use this,' but lo and behold, we use it ALL THE TIME, and it works and fits weightlessly in a little pouch in my bag.

We visited a school for Annie for the fall. It will be three mornings a week which I think will be great. It's called Friends School and it was founded in the Quaker tradition although they're nondenominational. Both Annie and I got a great feeling from the people there, so we just have to send our application in. Fingers crossed. I'm hoping those fencing and Japanese lessons pay off (I kid).

We're also about to order her big girl bed in preparation for our number 2 (which will hopefully be a lot cuter and less stinky than Annie's). And as soon as the only working phone jack is out of the nursery we can start on the baby's room. Right now there's our DSL modem and wireless router in there, so it's doubling as a mission control for the time being.

I hope Annie's excited for her new sibling. Tonight she saw my ever-dwindling belly button and said "There's a baby in there?" and I said, "Yes, do you want to give it a kiss." She did, but didn't want to kiss it through my belly so I had to explain to her it wasn't ready to come out yet. So she gave my belly button a kiss and I said "Thank you," and she responded, " No Mama, you can't say 'Thank you,'" and I replied, "Oh, so the baby should say 'Thank you'?" and I said a high-pitched "Thank You" to simulate the baby's intended retort, and Annie smiled and said, "The baby said 'Thank you'." Heart melting. Glad to hear they're starting off on a polite foot. It's all fun and games until that baby comes out, I'm sure.

For now, I'll just enjoy Annie's sweet gestures and pretend the soccer kicks happening inside my abdomen are failed attempts at the baby reaching out to give its big sister a hug.

Aaaand, we're back!

It's official, we live in Kentucky. You could say we eased ourselves into our new resident status as first, Annie and I flew with Roscoe, were joined by Jay and Mason the next day (who went by car) and proceeded to stay in a hotel for 5 days until we could move into our real address. But we did it and bought a car (at a rock-bottom price, thank you very much) and got our licences AND kept most of our sanity in tact! My organizational skills have suffered however as you'll see there is no photo associated with this post (I'll edit later from my laptop on which said pictures are stored and rectify), but we wanted to let everyone know we're safe and sound and Annie is absolutely LOVING her backyard, and the mosquitoes are absolutely LOVING Annie. I think we'd have to dip her head to toe in Deet to get this kid to avoid a bite, but she doesn't seem to mind, so we'll soldier on. Annie got to see her first fireflies and sparklers last night in celebration of the 4th of July. America the Beautiful, indeed.

We love the house. It was built in the 1920s, so there are those 1920s things we have to deal with, like oddly shaped rooms, electrical outlets with just two prongs, and squeaky stairs, only one working phone jack, but the important things have been updated, like the kitchen and downstairs windows and the basement is somewhat finished so we're not complaining at all. I mean, I have a deck people... A DECK!

From first impressions it seems we'll have a lot to keep us busy in Louisville. Annie and I already have started a music class, continuing her Music Together stint she started when she was a babe in Houston. I was impressed by how quickly she took to the class here. We've met Jay's coworker's family who was kind enough to invite us over to their house yesterday for the obligatory 4th of July BBQ even though they just had a baby 6 weeks ago (I know!), and it was GOOD. So we're slowly but surely settling in and promise to post photos of the new digs once we get everything put away. We're almost there. In fact, and some friends will not be at all surprised to read this, we've even HUNG THINGS ON THE WALL! Please, keep your applause down, Annie's sleeping.

Annie's last days in Houston

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A very fond, sad farewell

Annie and I have been truly blessed by the amazing group of mothers and kids that is our mothers' group. Today, the entire gang turned out with their families to say farewell to Annie and her family hosted by the brave Chris and Mike (parents of Annie's friend Cooper). It was complete with amazing food, amazing cake, and the best company a kid (and parents) could ask for. Plus, there was a pool, which will make any day for Annie. It was a bittersweet gathering but more sweet than bitter, and we left feeling pretty darned lucky for the last two years we've had with this great gaggle of families.

I feel sad that Annie's memories of our time here may fade as she grows older, because it has been pretty unforgettable for me. I've spent many a park play date, lunch, ice cream, and bubble time with these comrades as Annie has grown from 8 months (when we met Chris and her then 3-month-old Cooper) to her now over 2 1/2 year-old self. When I say we're going to do something with our "friends" she immediately lists off names of who could be there, "Maybe Sara Kate be there? Or... maybe Jackson be there? What else?" It's going to break my heart when she asks (and I know she will) to see one of her friends once we're in Louisville and I can't produce them. We've explained to her that we're moving and won't be living in Houston anymore, but there's only so much reality a 2-year-old can process. Annie's grasp of time and space is still a little shakey. Yesterday she thought we'd be seeing Nana and Grandbob in Louisville. But we've signed her up for the music classes that follow the same program that she's doing now, so there will be a little consistency there, albeit with a new teacher in an entirely new setting. But I hope she'll also be excited by the transition as we are. We'll finally have a backyard for her, some semblance of fall, and if all else fails, some good bourbon to dull the pain (I jest). If there's anything I've learned about Annie, it's that she's a trooper. I'm always amazed by her resilience. Maybe she'll teach me a thing or two during this move. I am sure going to miss our friends.

Oh, to be a kid again

As we near our move, and our apartment is looking more and more like a basement that hasn't been cleaned out in 20 years, Annie and I are pretty desperate to get out of the house during the day. Today, we thought Annie would enjoy going on Jay's commuter bus (the complex sponsors a bus that takes people to the medical center which is why we've been able to live on one car these past 2 years) and meet Papa for lunch. Had we known what joy mass transportation would impart on our child, we would have certainly done this sooner. She sang the entire way there, so excited to not be in a car seat (or any restraint device, for that matter), and cried when we got off. Her tears were soon alleviated once she got to go up an escalator, and, to top it all off, we got to go to the CAFETERIA. Annie was awestruck watching people mill around choosing their various fast foods and brownies. I should just take her to a busy airport from now on when I'm out of things to do with her. She would probably be mesmerized for hours. Jay also shared his bread pudding and pink lemonade with her, which she promptly guzzled long enough for me to dig through my enormous diaper bag and find the camera, turn it on and capture her in action. I expect her to come down from the sugar high sometime next week.

In other news, we had our 18-week appointment, which Annie also got to attend. This is the one where they do an ultrasound measuring all the various parts of the baby to make sure it's on track, and where they can tell you the gender if you so choose. We so chose not to. Annie was kind of interested for the first 20 minutes but then she just wanted to get down and investigate the jelly on mommy's tummy. "We don't eat that," was her refrain. I can't really blame her; only about 2 seconds of the ultrasound actually looked like a baby. Those 2 seconds are shown in the photo here. A face shot and a profile. Kind of freaky, but I'm sure it will be a lot cuter when it comes out. (You can click on the photo to see it bigger.)

Other than that, we are packing away, getting signed up for utilities, researching car prices, and preparing for our increasingly sadder departure from Houston. This Sunday my mothers' group is throwing us a farewell party and we'll see how these pregnancy hormones hold up to what's sure to be an emotional event. I'd buy stock in Kleenex if I were you.