Weekly Pictures and a Story

First the story:

We currently have a giant cookie in our house from the Great American Cookie company. At breakfast Dan told me that he had "put the c-o-o-k-i-e on top of the fridge". Immediately James' eyes dart to the top of the fridge at which point he says, "cookie!". I guess spelling one word out of the sentence isn't enough.

Now some pictures:

What a great idea! We went to the play museum Friday night with Dan's parents. It closes at 8 so at 7:50 they had a "goodbye" parade. Every child was given maracas and was voluntarily herded out!














While at the museum we ran into a couple of my friends and their families. If we were still in the dating world, it would have been awkward since they had invited us to go with them and we'd declined saying we were busy with Dan's family in town. Who knew we'd end up deciding to do our first evening museum trip?

Anyway, Since I had my camera and Dan there we seized the opportunity and took a picture of all of our pregnant bellies. From left to right: Amberly (3 weeks left), Charity (4 weeks left), Me (8 weeks left). I hate these pictures of me, but I think its funny to look at how differently we all carry. Gotta love my rectangular tummy. I simultaneously carry high, low, and side to side, and the front of my tummy is literally flat. I will hold off on describing how the other mommies carry their babies...social blunder I believe.














Here we all are again with our boys. They are all 2 years old. The middle boy is oldest, then James, then the boy on the left. We all live in the same apartment complex too. Parallel lives....














With all his new-found time in the evenings after work, Dan is getting to do all sorts of things he hasn't in awhile. For example, playing his guitar. This is the first time JJ has heard Dan play it and only the 3rd time I have, ever!



















He's also been helping around the house and playing with James more. JJ is on a big "helper" kick again recently. He has to be on the counter while we prepare every meal, even if it is pouring cereal into a bowl. During this meal's preparation, JJ ended up "helping" by eating the shredded cheese straight out of the bag. Keeping his hands occupied and out of the rest of the process was probably the best way he could help, though!

Wow!

Have you ever seen a baby move like this? I am proud to say that I know this baby's parents. Just thought I'd share!

And on a random note: Today, I would gladly exchange...I don't know...something important...if I could have:
1. A way to get my floor as clean as hand scrubbing it without all the effort.
2. Better bladder control.
3. An endless supply of Friendly's ice cream. I think we will be taking a walk tonight....

Baby Boy!

Congratulations Tartal family! Dan's sister and her husband just found out they are having a boy! What fun it will be for their 1-year-old, Cole, to have a little brother so close in age! To quote an old country song, "I smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E".

Celebrate good times!

Dan is done with the prelim! He finished Wednesday afternoon and doesn't have to go back to work until Monday. We'll find out in a few weeks how he did. Scroll down to the next blog for a picture slideshow. This is my journal-type entry about it.

Here is how we celebrated:

Wednesday

• Party with other Optics students. Food, beer, and a number of games featuring ways to maim pictures of the department professors.
• Nap
• homemade Stromboli
• Lost

Thursday

• Pack up the car
• Drive to Jellystone Park in Niagara Falls, Canada
  
• set up camp
  
• Leftover stromboli for lunch
• nap for JJ while we read, talk, and play cards
• miniature golfing at the camp site
• roast hot dogs, chicken "hobo" dinner, and lots of marshmallows (pretty much all for me) over the fire
• restless night sleep due to many mosquito bites (before and during the night), warm temperature, and Dan's side of the air mattress losing air

Friday

• Bagels for breakfast
• Showers--hooray for modern conveniences while camping!
• Trip to the Falls and ride on Maid of the Mist
• Canadian McFlurries: KitKat and Rolo! The also had Smarties-weird!
• Nap for JJ while I swam and Dan read. Eventually we laid down for a nap too, but our neighboring campers arrived during the afternoon and were too loud for any of us (including JJ) to finish our naps
• Playground fun and tractor ride with Yogi Bear
• Dinner at Mick and Angelo's, a good place recommended by some of the campsite staff.
  
• JJ and I got burgers and they were the same size! Turns out the only difference is the adult burger comes with onion and the kid's comes with complimentary milk. We noticed several differences about dining in Canada: no wheelchair accessible entrance, reused crayons in cups instead of new little boxes for each diner, and no healthy alternatives to french fries listed (although I asked and was able to get us veggies).
  
• Walk down the road "Clifton Hill" which has the Falls at the end. We were not picturing the Falls to be in such a city setting. It was like a cross between Times Square and Las Vegas.
  
• Fireworks at the Falls and viewing the Falls at night when they are lit in rainbow colors
• JJ crashed back at the campsite
  

Saturday

• Bagels again
• pack up
• drive home
• naps, lunch, etc
• Finally seeing Dark Knight tonight!

All in all a very fun trip, although we had a couple density problems. 1) of campers. They had us packed in too closely and one of our neighbors had some loud teenage kids that liked to hang out in our campsite and tell us stories, wake JJ up, etc. 2) Density of mosquitoes! I have dozens all over my legs and feet.

Anecdotes:

• We have a GPS unit now that Dan's dad gave us since his new car has a built in one. James was calling it the "MES", since those are the 3 letters at the end of his name. Now he calls it the "EPS" and loves to mimic it: "ding dong", "5 miles", "turn right", etc.

• On the tractor ride with Yogi they sang songs about the Yogi Bear characters to the tune of Camptown Races. JJ was telling me about it later and started saying "doo da, doo da". Dan said they never actually used the words "doo da" in their renditions. James, in the back of the car, overheard me ask Dan where he learned the "doo da" part then, and quickly responded "Grammy Grampy's house!" Sure enough, I remember now that when we were there for his birthday in July, James learned the "doo da" chorus of Camptown Races from one of his cousins Cole's books. We were so surprised that he was able to answer my question about where he learned that, let alone that he remembered!

• JJ is getting used to this whole daddy being around thing. Today (Sunday) when Dan was reviewing the lesson he was going to be teaching in Young Men's, JJ started saying "Daddy, no study! Daddy, no study!". He's gotta make sure we keep true to our promises about a study-free weekend!
  

Niagara Falls Camping Trip

Back log pictures

Last Saturday James and I got to spend the day with Grampy (who works long hours during the week) before returning to Rochester on Sunday. We went to a new play place near my in-law's home called, Kid Junction. It was really fun!















Cool train, until Grampy put a token in it. Apparently this made it scary. Having a debit card mommy has deprived James of opportunities to ride in this type of toy since I never have change.















Check out the cool "fitness room"! Finally a treadmill that he is allowed on!




























"Will this all fit into our budget for the week?"















Pizza with Grampy. "Prepared" and served by JJ in the Kid Junction Pizzeria.

Funny story: While "eating" their pizza, some fell on the floor. Grampy mentioned that it was too bad Aunt Nicole's dogs weren't there to clean it up. JJ jumped up and ran to the neighboring pretend Vet's office. He returned with a stuffed dog which quickly made its way under the table to retrieve the pizza.















Climbing, once he worked up the nerve. When we first arrived, he wouldn't play on most of the toys because there were other kids around. Once he got a crack at it by himself, he owned the place and didn't mind who else shared his domain.















Dan got me a surprise maternity/shower gift: this crazy pillow! Its great for old people and pregnant women because it can support my head, arm, tummy, and leg to make sleeping, and therefore life in general, much more comfortable. Thanks honey!















Another surprise when we got home: Ruthie's crib assembled! I had painted the wall the morning we left for NJ so JJ's room could air out. I add our new bedding set and this is the result (so far!). JJ is sporting his "bedhead". He is very proud to have learned that word, but is quickly learning it has dangerous consequences: water and a comb, to which he responds "no bedhead, no bedhead!"

Another anecdote: I think this is representative of what having a new baby is going to be like. For weeks JJ "understood" that we had paint samples taped to the wall because "Ruthie's wall, paint pink". He watched me tape, prime, trim, and paint the wall talking all about Ruthie's pink wall. Then for the last 10 minutes he played with a toy out in the hall. When he came back in to see the finished product he asked, "Blue go? Blue hiding!" Even though he knows Ruthie is in my tummy and that she's going to sleep in "Ruthie's crib", etc., I think it is going to be a little perplexing when there is actually a baby in the house.

Highway Soap Opera

Every kind of traffic to me is the worst kind. One that I seem to experience more often than any other on my long drives to NJ, however, is a long slow-down or stop due to a lane merge. The most bitter part is that most of the time, no actual construction is going on. The road clears and I zip past a line of cones...great...that was worth my time.

But then there is the soap opera inherent in every congested lane merge and this makes at least the first few minutes almost enjoyable. Its a vehicular form of people watching: who will merge early and join the long slow line and who will merge late and utilize the highway's full capacity until the last minute, even if they do get many dirty looks along the way? Not to mention the pace cars and the blockade runners to be introduced later in this little prose.

Me? I merge early and then secretly long to have the gall to do otherwise. I debate in my mind, or verbally if anyone but James is in the car, whether this is actually the most efficient merge method. I groan as I realize that I am practically standing still 1 mile from the merge point with an empty lane next to me. I try to explain to James that there are no traffic lights as he chants, "green light, go!" in the back seat.

A few cars that have the gall which I covet race past. While I try to memorize all of their license plates to make sure I don't let them merge when/if I ever do catch up to them, a large truck or pulls into the open lane to barricade the "cheaters" from zipping past us. I cheer out loud. This intervention works for awhile-with the exception of a few blockade runners who utilize the shoulder-but then, and this is so treacherous that I laugh, the pace car in the empty lane slowly starts to speed up. What? The moral compass of the slow lane?! Despite my encouraging remarks (don't do it! hold strong!) it proceeds past all of us suckers to the merge point. Maybe it earned its way there by blocking so many other cars from doing the same?

Well anyway, the point is, I think merging super early, as is often done on these particular roads, is probably not the best method, but I do it because then I get to do the scowling and not be scowled at. But on my most recent drive to and from NJ there were road signs at the merge points that said, "Use Both Lanes to Merge Point". Most cars still merged early but I seized the opportunity to move faster and maintain the moral high ground. It felt great, like any little bit of legal rebellion does to a good mormon girl, I suppose. Then today, I read an article in one of my favorite magazines, The Week, and learned that merge points that use these signs and this strategy (apparently the early vs. late merge is debated among drivers as well as traffic engineers) "produces a 15 percent improvement in traffic flow over conventional merges"! I appreciated the signs before I read that, but now I'm converted.

Knowing this, what will you do from now on in merges? If you were an early merger, will you be a late merger? Will it depend on whether that particular sign is posted? I can't decide. I do think I will read the book that article was adapted from, however, and have my eyes opened to other traffic issues. The book is called Traffic, Why we drive the way we do and what it says about us, and I have seen it praised now by multiple sources. Let me know if you read it!

By the way: I made it to NJ and back (6 hours each way) with a 2-year-old in the back and no one else and I didn't stop a single time. That would be a miracle even with out a baby bouncing on my bladder!

Dear Daddy,

I miss you!

Mommy kept her promise to take lots of pictures, but I haven't been cooperating with her promise to keep me from getting too big or doing too many cute things!


Pictures with "Captions" by JJ as he reviews the pics with me.














"Big ball, water on, JJ running"















"Water...turn off"




















"Dry off, all wet!" By Grammy and Grampy's pool.




















"JJ painting. Whoa, all this one (pointing to pictures). Painted this."




















"Grampy, read a book. Bye bye blocks right there, bye bye Grampy"















"Char-otte. Paint." Hope you liked your painting Aunt Charlotte!

Its only been 3 weeks since my last time to this park, but I am so much more brave this time! Here's my proof, just for you Daddy! (I hope you can read my captions, Mommy used a silly font color.)


See you Sunday!

Love,

M-E-S, James

If Sleeping Were an Olympic Sport...

James would be standing on the tallest podium. Why? Take a look at his sleep schedule:

Wake up: Whenever I go get him. He doesn't make a peep or even get out of his bed when he wakes up--just lays there with his eyes open or plays with his stuffed animals. Recently I've been finding him awake about 11 or 12 hours after we put him down.

Nap: From approximately 1-4. Usually he sleeps for 2.5-3.5 hours, again based on when I find him quietly awake in his bed. I usually wake him up once we hit the 3 hour mark.

Bedtime: Around 8 or 8:30, give or take. He is wonderfully flexible which is great for if we need him to go to bed a little earlier (so a neighbor can watch him without having to actually put him down) or a little later (if we are all out late). He sleeps all night without a peep unless he is sick (then he has nightmares and wakes up crying, but still stays in bed).

Yes, sometimes I get bored during JJ's nap, but only because I'm so good at avoiding work! Alas, my days are numbered...they are being counted on that baby widget in the sidebar!

Another talent: finding the "cama," turning it on, and sneaking 3 or 4 pictures before I find him out. The other pictures in this series were less exciting: the hall and the chair.

The moment Dan has been waiting for...

For the first time in the 51 weeks of my life I've spent pregnant, I have been craving steak. Dan has been waiting for this moment! Pair that with my perpetually low iron--despite multiple iron supplements a day--I finally found a way to fit steaks into this week's food budget! I also had a spinach salad with lunch. That one I was not craving.

Dan made sure to remind me that you can get meat on pizza too....

In other food news:
Does your table look nice for meals? Ours sometimes starts looking nice, but never ends that way. Our potatoes never made it out of the mixer and we had to add cereal to the table after JJ rejected everything but the green beans. At least the squash was the only thing he spit out and threw!

I baked a lot yesterday: enchiladas, homemade blueberry muffins with my fresh-picked berries, and chocolate zucchini bread with Katie's zucchini. Peach cobbler and frozen peach slices are yet to come (we ended up picking peaches too, only $1/lb)!

Things I'll do differently next time: 1) Just called the bread chocolate cake so Dan will eat it. JJ requests the peaches instead even when I do call it "cake". 2) Not do all the baking during JJ's nap since that is the hottest part of the day and I ended up miserable by the time Dan arrived home (no A/C). 3) Get a dishwasher way sooner than we did-I love it!

Video
One of James new catchphrases he learned from me--its one of my favorite things he says, "it happens". Also, James being brave/tough at the sprayground. Sorry about the obnoxious cheering on by some overly-attentive mother.

Studying for the Prelim

James in Dan's on campus study room when we stopped for a quick visit and cookie drop-off last week. Now try this for 12+ hours a day, James.

Please direct your attention...

To the side bar.

Old survey: I have been admitted to the hospital, when James was born. Nothing more than a 24 hour stomach bug, never the full on flu. No broken bones. Retainers were the extent of my orthodontics. I did get stitches once when my wisdom teeth were extracted. I live on the edge.

New survey: If you are so motivated, you can look this one up in past archives or on Dan's blog, but really...are you that motivated?

Widget: this way I can stop asking Linda how far along I am and I don't have to look at a creepy floating baby every time I access my blog. No offense to the many pregnant women I know with blogger babies bouncing in spheres on their sidebars.

To my Rochester friends

I'm planning lots of things to do this week to keep me entertained with Dan's study schedule. Let me know if you'd like to join me for any of the following:
Monday: Zoo
Tuesday: Early morning blueberry picking (8ish) and stop at the splash park on the way home
Wednesday: Brighton Library
Thursday: Genessee Valley Park: walk there, playground, picnic lunch, swim, walk or bus home
Friday: Springdale Farm (Friday morning activity)

Our Weekend, etc in reverse order

Weekend visit from Grandpa and Grandma !

My dad and his wife, Dianne, arrived Friday evening and got the grand tour of our place and played with James. Saturday we had breakfast at IHOP and a fun although poorly documented morning at the Strong Museum (I forgot my camera and had to use my phone). After a restful afternoon we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and I am converted! Unfortunately, James was feeling sick by this point and threw up at dinner. We had our cheesecake at home. This morning my dad and Dianne brought bagels over (I really dropped the ball as hostess on planning meals, unfortunately) and visited for a couple hours before they continued on their road trip to visit her brother. James loved playing with Grandpa and Grandma and was sad to see them go (as were we)!















Concentration Face
This bowling set is contraband from Dan's parents' basement. JJ meticulously puts one pin on each dot before taking his turn--always with his tongue out.















Another finished project

Shelves by Dan.














Reorganized junk and toys by Lisa.

We did away with the blanket "centers" to give James more free play space. It does my heart good to have all the toys on shelves instead of spread across the floor. The bookshelf was in JJ's room before Dan built shelves on the wall there.

**Please take a moment to fully appreciate this bookshelf. Purchased 5 years ago at a garage sale for $3; "uniquely" decorated with Kristy; and still with me 5 moves later (1 cross country) being recycled around our house. Can you feel Dan cringing?**














JJ "Counting to Ten"

3 attempts, but you can get the idea after the first 15 seconds. Somehow when he passed "5", the number "4" disappeared. Ten is also a little too exciting and "9" gets passed up. Not in the video: "ah ah ah" (like the count) when he finishes counting.

Sign Language Milestone

This time for me!

I forgot to mention: last week, while attending church with my in-law's in New Jersey, I had my first experience interpreting!

There was one other couple there who had learned sign language at church previously (similar to me and Dan). The wife interpreted the first half of the meeting before requesting some relief (its exhausting!) from her husband who look absolutely horrified at the idea. At that point I indicated my ability to help if necessary. Not a second later, the husband was back in his seat and I made my way to the front.

The speaker was a very intellectual one, which made interpreting tricky, but the deaf man, Paul, was very understanding and helpful. It was a perfect first experience since so few people knew sign language and Paul was so unaccustomed to having any interpreter. I was much less self-conscious and all 3 people who knew sign (including Paul) were surprised when I said it was my first time interpreting. Hooray!

I now have a somewhat renewed motivation to continue improving my sign skills so I can eventually help interpret at church in my area!