It's a BOY!

It's time to talk about bb #2.  I'm sitting here writing this at 36 weeks, hoping to remember all the little details of this pregnancy.  I know I mentioned it before, but this pregnancy has been so much different than Auggie's!  I felt incredibly sick all the way through the end of the second trimester.  I remember the nausea starting to ease up a little bit around 24-26 weeks, but I didn't feel truly ok until about 30 weeks.  Oof!

Because of how sick I felt (dry heaving 2-3 times a day, sometimes throwing up, migraines upon migraines with a new presentation of arm numbness, a diet of nothing but chicken noodle soup and cheese-less baked potatoes for weeks, and possibly some tongue damage from all the preggie pops and jolly ranchers I had to suck on just to make it through the day...), I thought for sure it was going to be a girl.  But when we headed into the ultrasound appointment, I think I knew deep down that it would be another boy.  So it really came as no surprise that our soon-to-be nugget would be a baby brother!

{potatoes on repeat}

{feeling like I'm about to throw up}

We are getting really excited to have two little boys running around.  Auggie acts like he understands the situation, and he keeps talking about how he's going to teach his little brother how to play trucks, and that he's going to give him "biiiiiiiiiiiig squish hugs!".  I'm so curious to see what his personality will be.  Will he be just like Auggie?  Or will he be entirely different?!  Either way, I hope they're the best of friends! 

{bb #2!!}

{32 weeks}

{36 weeks}

Here we go again, folks.  We can't wait to meet our newest little addition!

Visits with G & G Quebe!

Still playing catch up here.

Back in May, we went up to Ohio a couple of different times to spend some time with my parents.  Auggie really enjoyed the hikes around the river, swinging on the hammock, picking tomatoes from Grandpa's garden, and reading with Grandma.  We tried to drive up there as much as possible before we moved! 

Here are some pictures from our weekends in Cleveland.  (Also, I was newly pregnant in the hammock photo and feeling soooo nauseous.  I certainly don't miss that!)

Our new normal.

I meant to finish documenting our summer back in July, but whew...a lot of changes have happened over the last four months.  I'm barely hanging on!  More on that in a flurry of future catch-up posts.  

For right now, it's time to do a little update on Covid-19.  Remember that nutzo coronavirus that turned the world upside down?  Yeah.  It's still going strong, and it's still scary.  But on the bright side, it has been the catalyst for the most entertaining 2020 memes.   I would call it catastrophizing, except it's alllllllll real.

In all seriousness, the world is a dark place right now.  Our new normal is a fear-based approach to life...physically and socially of course, but also emotionally and politically.  I haven't even mentioned the death of George Floyd or the BLM protests/riots.  Back in June, a lot of our local stores were boarded up for a couple of weeks because of the protests.  Thankfully, nothing got too out of hand in Pittsburgh.  

{Our Whole Foods, boarded up}

 {"Say Their Names" tribute across from our Target}

{"Slave Labor...still exists!" and other BLM signs along Butler Street}

{BLM sign painted on Penn Avenue}

In my lifetime, I've never seen America so divided, so racist, so angry, so violent, or so afraid.  We're lucky that our day-to-day isn't affected that much (this is sadly not the case for a lot of people).  We socially distance and wear masks.  But the mental toll this year has taken on everybody is exhausting.   Combine the last four years of a Trump presidency with a global pandemic, and you've successfully turned 2020 into a literal dumpster fire.  

Oh, and I do mean literal.  After Harry and Megan quit the royal family and after Kobe Bryant's unexpected death that lit up the news cycles, California and Oregon caught on fire and have been burning ever since.  Like, 4 million acres kind of burning.  I can't remember if the fires started before or after scientists discovered invasive Murder Hornets in the northwest?  They definitely started before Ruth Bader Ginsburg's politically charged passing, and definitely before Donald Trump lost the re-election but refused to concede.  Hopefully our democracy will still be intact next year, but I'm not holding my breath.

So yeah.  Not catastrophizing.  

Obviously, I'm projecting a lot of different emotions here: seriousness, humor, sadness, sarcasm...etc. etc.  I realize this post feels like a pendulum swinging back and forth between funny and depressing, but geez, so does 2020.  Half the time we're all joking about the fact that we can't buy toilet paper or Lysol wipes, and half the time we're in disbelief as we watch another Covid-19 surge move the needle on an already too-high death toll.  Here are the latest numbers:

Total Deaths:  1,309,408

American Deaths:  249,975

Anyway.  At least this year has helped me focus on perspective.  As we embrace whatever our weird "new normal" is, I'm trying my hardest to do it with gratitude and empathy.  We could all use a little more of that right now (and more memes...let's be honest), even to remind us just a smidge about hope and humanity.  

And now here are some random pandemic pictures from the summer, because why not?

{the fountain at Lemieux doing "pick-ups" with dad}

{the Lawrenceville gargoyles wearing masks}

{airport travel these days}

Summer Update!

With Covid-19 still a big concern everywhere, this summer has been a little bit different than in the past.  We've spent a lot of solo-family time together (if that makes sense?!) and a lot of time outside.  Our isolation, however, hasn't stopped us from making some big decisions...we have a quite a few updates to share!

But first, some cuuuuuuute pictures of our fun in the sun.  

{Mimi + the fam}

I think Mimi has been enjoying our time outdoors the most!  She loves hanging out with us, just within sight and just out of reach.  We've been pleasantly surprised by how gentle and patient she is with Auggie, even when he pushes her.  They have a special kind of bond, and somehow he gets a pass.

{Auggie goes to the polls!}

{evenings with Dad}

The one positive thing about Covid-19 is that Don has worked less hours on a daily basis than he did before.  We've had more evenings with him than I can remember in a long time!  We've taken advantage with family walks, outdoor reading sessions, truck games, and take-out dinners.

{day-to-day happenings}

{4th of July}

{that sandal tan tho...}

{Don's ankle surgery}

One of our updates is that Don had surgery on his ankle last month.  It wasn't a traumatic injury or anything, more circumstantial.  Basically, he had a piece of bone that was growing in the wrong place for a long time.  It was beginning to affect his workouts because it was hitting tendons and causing some pain.  Because it would only get worse with time, Don decided it would be best to get the piece of bone taken out sooner rather than later.  The surgeon said it was a minor surgery...no no no.  I've had a minor surgery, and this was not that.  

He was in a cast with crutches for three weeks, completely non-weight bearing.  Somehow neither of us realized that he wouldn't be able to drive?  Surprise!  That meant that Auggie and I had to drive him to and from work during those three weeks (Also, this.  Don is a surgery trooper.  He went to work three days after surgery, even doing procedures while on his knee rover!)  It quickly became one of Auggie's favorite things, and we all looked forward to "drop-offs" and "pick-ups" with Dad everyday.  Thankfully, after the first three weeks he got a walking boot.  He's still in healing mode right now, but his ankle is finally starting to feel better.     

{eeeeewwwww}

{knee rovering at pick-ups}

{baby #2!}

This is probably our biggest news, apart from the other little thing that we're moving again.  But that's another post for another day because I'm pregnant!!  We were a little worried that it might take a while because it took almost two years to get pregnant with Auggie.  But not so.  I got those two positive tests after only two months.  Right now I'm 19 weeks, and my due date is January 7th.  I'll also be writing another post about my pregnancy, because this little nugget has been rough.  It has been very different than Auggie, so we're both excited and curious to find out if *maybe* it's a girl next week!  Stay tuned.

{our favorite auggie things}

Our sweet little Auggie is growing up so fast.  Over the past couple of months, we have been very surprised at how much (and how quickly!) he is learning.  It feels like his growth is exponential, and he copies everything we do.  Not to mention...the kid's got jokes, and we don't ever want to forget how smart and hilarious he is!

For starters, can we talk about all of his adorable word mispronunciations when he first started talking?!  He's already pronouncing things correctly these days, and I'm a little bit sad that he's not a brand new babbler anymore.

Word pronunciations:

please = peeez!

trash = taas!

truck  = tuck

water = daa-dee

pillow = pee-yo

rocks = yocks

basketball = baa-bo

monsters = mossers

idea = i-dEA i-dEA!
cleanup = pan-aam!
pizza = pi-zzia!
vitamins = viiiiiiiie-mins!
T-rex = teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-yex!

You'll notice some of the words have exclamation points at the end and some don't.  That's because there are certain things that Auggie gets really excited about.  He is one of the most enthusiastic, passionate, full-of-life little guys you'll ever meet!

Take vitamins, for example.  One day we gave him these little gummy vitamins as a treat, not thinking much of it.  It turns out they were like, the best thing that had ever happened to him.  Since then, he's been obsessed with vitamins. 

Now, every time we ask him if he wants vitamins he gets this exaggerated "ooooooooooohhhh!!" surprise face (like it's something new?!), clasps his fists together with white knuckle intensity, and shouts "viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie-mins!!!!" at the top of his lungs as he runs full speed towards the kitchen.  It's the same thing, everyday.  He also thinks that dad is the only one that gives him vitamins, so it's extra exciting when Don gets home from work.  We've since taught him that he only gets two vitamins per day, so to top off this daily episode of cuteness, he insists on declaring the number of vitamins he's allowed, "Only two! One and two viiiiie-mins!".

The best thing about his love for vitamins is how often he uses them as a topic in casual conversation.  If someone asks him what he did that day or what he wants to talk about....his response is always the same.  Vitamins.   If there is a lull in the conversation, he'll just turn to us and say "vitamins", as if it were the obvious go-to conversation starter.  His sweet, matter-of-fact facial expression is so confident that #vitamins will solve all the problems!  I think he truly believes that everyone loves vitamins as much as he does.  

Here are some of our other favorite Auggie-isms:

{Farmer Dan}

We can thank the back of the Kix box for this one, and it's too long of a story to tell.  Just know that if at any moment you ask Auggie what Farmer Dan says, his response is a very enthusiastic, "HullooooooooooooooduuurrHullloooodoidurHiiiiiyyoooooooooooodurrrr!!!!".  Translation...."well, hello there!".  I laugh just thinking about it.  For some reason, we think it is so so funny.

{Trash Truck/Recycle}

We started taking Auggie outside to watch the trash truck each week.  He learned very quickly that the trash truck comes on Friday, and if you ask him, he'll tell you!  He loves watching the trash truck and recycle so much that now he reminds us that it's coming.  Just last week I woke up to hear Auggie shouting from his crib in desperation, "trash truck! trash truck!  Friiiiiiiiday!".  I ran into his room all flustered, only to see that he was right!  Sure enough, the trash truck had come early that day, and it was on its way down our street that very moment.  He probably woke up to the familiar beeping sound and put it all together in his little head. 

{Seeks}

Auggie loves a good game of "seeks".  His favorite time to play is right before he's supposed to take a nap or go to bed.  He'll run in between his room and our room, waiting for us to come find him.  He especially loves playing with Don and always asks him to go hide.  He understands the concept of the game completely, which I just find incredible.

{Sneakies}

For whatever reason, Auggie thinks everything right now is "sneakies".  I'm sure at one point something scared him, and I probably told him it was being sneaky.  Well, it stuck with him.  If Don goes to the bathroom and the sound of the toilet flushing surprises him.  Dad...sneakies!!!  If Mimi walks by him unexpectedly.  Mimi...sneakies!!!  If he finds a toy monster underneath the table.  Mosser...sneakies!!!  It is really cute.  Who knew the unexpected could be so exciting?

{Memory}

Auggie has an incredible memory.  If you tell him something once, he remembers it.  At 21 months, he knows most of his letters and some of his numbers up to ten.  He loves when we read to him and has learned a lot from his books.  If you ask him, he can name several artists, including Dalí, Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, and Chagall.  If you ask him who paints the water lilies, he says, "Monet", and he knows that Degas paints the ballerinas.  He can also tell you that when the apple falls from the tree, it bonks Newton on the head, and he most recently learned that Handel's Messiah sounds like Hallelujah.  When we first introduced the concept of rules, he thought about it for a couple of minutes, and then simply confirmed, "Rules....need em'".  

There is never a dull moment with Auggie and his enthusiasm for life is contagious!  He is full of surprises, always keeps us laughing, and always smiles extra big for the camera.  All the while, he reminds himself of his no-no's when he thinks we're not watching, and does his own voluntary cleanups just because.  We love him to the moon and back and couldn't have asked for a sweeter, more perfect kiddo.

Easter Sunday Best

Don bought me a new lens for my camera a while back, and we finally got a chance to use it for an Easter Sunday photoshoot.  Despite being in quarantine, we changed out of our sweats to seize the day!  With a little help from the self timer, we captured some fun pictures of our little fam.

{Easter Sunday, 2020}

Happy Easter!

Coronavirus and Quarantine

Ok, it's time to talk coronavirus.  Wow, this last month has been weird.  I can't believe it's only been a month since this whole quarantine debacle started because March seriously feels like a lifetime ago.  Let me explain.

Back in December, news outlets started generating reports of a novel virus spreading through the Chinese city of Wuhan.  For the next couple of months, we all watched cautiously as the virus began to pop up in other areas of the world.  It spread to Italy first.  The spread was concerning for the CDC and the WHO because Covid-19 seemed to have a higher death rate than any other virus they'd seen in recent decades.

In an article written by Amy Harmon out of the New York Times, she paints a vivid picture:

"Coroners in some parts of the country are overwhelmed. Funeral homes in coronavirus hot spots can barely keep up. Newspaper obituary pages in hard-hit areas go on and on. Covid-19 is on track to kill far more people in the United States this year than the seasonal flu.

But determining just how deadly the new coronavirus will be is a key question facing epidemiologists, who expect resurgent waves of the infection that could last into 2022.  

As the virus spread across the world in late February and March, the projection circulated by infectious disease experts of how many infected people would die seemed plenty dire: around 1 percent, or 10 times the rate of a typical flu."

Covid-19 is a respiratory virus, much like pneumonia.  Symptoms include fever, dry cough, difficulty breathing, and fatigue.  So far, the data indicates that people who are young and healthy generally get through it just fine.  But for the older population or immunocompromised, the percentage of people who require hospitalization is significant.  

At the end of February, Americans started getting a little nervous about the virus, but it mostly just manifested itself in the form of everybody frantically buying up all paper products from all the stores.  I kid you not.  There was no toilet paper, there were no paper towels, no kleenexes anywhere.  Oh, and definitely no Clorox wipes or hand sanitizer.  That was gone a while ago.  The toilet paper situation though!  There were soooo many memes about the "great toilet paper shortage of 2020".  This one is a personal fav:

As you can see, the feeling in the country was still mostly light-hearted about the whole virus thing.  We were supposed to go to Utah on March 10th for an eight day ski vacation, and although we briefly considered staying home, we ultimately decided that it was ok to go. 

We had a great time the first couple of days, skiing and running with friends.  We also brought Auggie to feed the ducks at a local pond near the Williams' house which he absolutely loved.

{Feeding the ducks with Grandpa Dan}

{Running with BYU friends}

But after the first couple of days, things with coronavirus escalated very, very quickly.  What was a funny meme the week before suddenly became a national state of emergency.  Within twenty four hours states were closing down schools and businesses, enacting stay-at-home orders, and responding seriously to what was now considered an immediate threat.  Utah closed their ski resorts.  At the time, we were very nervous that the government would enact a travel ban and that we wouldn't be able to get back home.  Needless to say, Don and I reevaluated our plans and flew back to Pittsburgh the next morning.

Since arriving back in Pittsburgh, we have been at home in quarantine. Pittsburgh has now announced the official stay-at-home order, and we're doing our best to be responsible citizens and do our part to not catch or spread the virus.

To be honest, we've been lucky through this whole ordeal.  Quarantine for us has been a wonderful, unique time to be together.  Don has had quite a bit of time off because of previously scheduled vacations and because work at the hospital is slower right now.  Most hospitals are not doing elective procedures, and if they are, they are limited.  I also feel lucky that we only have one little baby bean to take care of.  At this point, almost all schools have closed for the rest of the year, so moms everywhere are left in charge of home schooling their kiddos.  Yikes!  I just think homeschooling like, four kids would be really, really rough.  

Quarantine for us has been a lot of running, cycling, going on walks, being creative, and playing with all the toys.

{Walking by the river to see the geese}

{Sitting in baskets, of course}

{Playing in abandoned parking lots}

{Picking up sticks and rocks, on repeat}

{Stroller runs}

{Laundry games}

{The most extreme paint-by-numbers in my free time!}

We haven't talked to anyone in person for the last four weeks, with the exception of neighbors who happen to be out walking at the same time.  Even then, we stay six feet apart as directed by social distancing.  For good reason, but it sure feels like all we talk about these days is social distancing.

Such is the case at grocery stores as well.  I only go out for my once a week trip to the grocery store.  Almost all the grocery stores have lines out the door in order to control how many customers come in at one time.  That, along with masks, sanitizing carts between customers, plexiglass protective sheets at the registers, and specified shopping times for the elderly and disabled are all efforts to curb the spread of the virus.  

{Social distancing line at Trader Joe's}

{Sign:  "8am - 9am seniors and disabled shoppers only"}

{Face mask grocery run}

 {Sign:  "Face covers are required!}

{low, low gas prices}

At this point, all non-essential businesses have been shut down.  As a result, a lot of employees are being furloughed.  I got that call from Anthropologie last month.  They told me that all part-time employees were being furloughed until at least June 1st, and I was on the list.  I guess the unemployment rate is the highest it's been in a long time, and everybody is just waiting with bated breath to see if and when the economy will turn around.

(So...is now the time to mention that Don just signed a contract for a new job in Utah and gave UPMC his six month notice last week?  Well folks, it's done and we're moving.  In the middle of a possible economic depression and a worldwide pandemic...but yolo, right!?)

I could go on and on about our epic search for toilet paper, how we bought jasmine rice online because every other kind was sold out for weeks, or how we haven't been to church in a month because all meetings have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, or how everyone is sewing their own masks because there is a worldwide shortage, or how sports have all been cancelled and the Olympics are postponed until 2021, or how we subconsciously check the death toll every hour just to see how high it's ticked up...like I said, I could go on and on.  For the record, the current stats after four months are:

Total Deaths:  170,096
American Deaths:  42,201

It's sobering to think that these are the statistics despite the world literally standing still.  Don and I feel very grateful that we have everything we need.  For now, we'll just keep praying, fasting, and having faith that the world will be ok again soon.