Bittersweet Farewell

Tonight we parted with our "family car" of 4 years, our Volkswagon Jetta. I've had mixed emotions over the past few weeks as we prepared for this day. For some reason I just felt an absolute need to capture a few shots of Isla in front of "her" first car. I don't know if she will have any recollection of it but parents took pictures of me in one of my first cars and seeing the photos jogs various memories. I want her to have the chance to do the same. It was, after all, the car we took her home from the hospital in, the car she endearingly referred to as "Mommy's Car."

It's been quite the week! I'm not at liberty to share details but a few unexpected happenings occurred which absorbed a lot of our time and will soon absorb a good chunk of our money (in the form of medical bills). And then, in the midst of all this, we've been trying to sell the car to offset the higher-than-planned price tag of our new van. Of course, just prior to listing the Jetta, we'd taken it to the car doctor to get it all spiffy and ready for sale. We've had trouble with the engine light going on and off over the past few years and we wanted it OFF so we could attract buyers. $900 later, the engine light was finally off, only to pop back on on Saturday. We were both feeling super discouraged and just wanted it all to be over. Another trip to the shop would likely set us back another grand and, at this pace, if we kept it up, the car would basically be totaled in no time.

My father-in-law took it into the shop for us today and got the mechanic to turn off the engine light (for free--the car really does work fine, it just has quirky computer wiring) and then THANKFULLY, a buyer surfaced and bought the car in cash tonight. Did I mention he paid the exact amount we were hoping to get out of the deal? And just like that, it's all done!

As crazy as this week has been, I'm happy to report that our To-Do-Before-Baby list is rapidly shrinking. The huge items like:

-buy a car

-sell Jetta

-buy a crib

-sew bedding

-buy a double stroller

are being replaced with more doable items like:

-buy purell

-put up shelf in nursery

-boil binkies

-check medicine cabinet to make sure we have Ibuprofen

I've been feeling totally maxed out and so my in laws stepped up to "babysit" our car since we had no place to park a third vehicle and my father-in-law helped field calls from potential buyers so I wouldn't have to. I am feeling incredibly thankful for the Lord's provision tonight!

And to our former Teal Jetta, you will be missed...at least a tiny bit.

Pregnancy 2: Weeks 33 and 34

(Taken 7/20/11, 34 weeks)

Random tidbits:
-Baby keeps kicking my right hip which causes SHARP pains. I thought I was suppose to be carrying him/her in my belly but sometimes I wonder if my uterus hasn't extended down into my thigh. Weirdness.
-The left side of my belly sticks out further than the right.
-I feel the most movement on the way lower right (near my hip) and then in the middle, just left of my belly button.
-There have been a few times lately when I think my belly button is going to split right open. It is still an "innie" but one side of it is being stretched more than the other making it show under my shirts now.
-I enjoy balancing a book or laptop on my belly and watching it jump around (and sometime fall off) as the baby jerks and kicks.
-Graham and I felt the baby hiccup for the first time last night! The baby remained super active for 2 hours straight (the length of an entire movie) which I'll admit grew a little uncomfortable by the end.
-I've been sleeping remarkably well and still am only using TWO pillows. I think having a toddler is quite helpful as she wears me out during the day so I can't help but crash at night. I usually wake up 1-2 times/night but it doesn't bother me because I'm so tired I immediately fall right back to sleep.
-My hip joint isn't hurting much anymore!
-I/baby continue to measure "right on."
-Baby's heart rate at my last appt was 136 which made me briefly think BOY until I asked a dr at work if there was any science behind that idea....
-Tragic news this week: my dr said I can't go to my good friend's wedding which takes place in deep OR, 11 days before my due date (Isla came 12 days early). I'm SO BUMMED. Unless baby comes early (yes please!) or we choose to disobey (could I live with the guilt?) we won't be able to go. Boooooo.
-I'll be honest. As much as I'm DYING for sun, the lower temps have been quite now as my little radiator seems to add an extra 10 degrees to whatever the outdoor temp is running. Maybe being pregnant through the whole summer wasn't such a bad idea after all!
-I washed all of the newborn girl/neutral stuff I own this week. Now to find it a home...

"Summer"

My spirit needed a little bit of a pick-me-up this morning as the weather in the NW has been a bit dreary for the month of July. I feel like everyone around me is complaining about it so really my intent is not to jump on that bandwagon. I just needed a little photo reminder that we HAVE had some periods of summer in recent weeks.

Isla and I have been having picnic lunches in the backyard whenever possible. We also go to go to one of Uncle Ben's baseball games when his team traveled to south Bellevue. Isla frequently asks to go to his games now.

 We spent our first day (of hopefully many) at the lake this summer with some other members of the family on a lazy Wednesday afternoon.

 Isla was fearless and didn't seem to mind that the lake was freezing and dunked completely multiple times. Did I mention she was pretty much the only kid (of MANY) that was brave enough to go in the water? I love her "I-can-do-anything" spirit! You can't tell from this picture but she was shrieking with glee as she climbed up and down the steps into the lake.

The forecast for the remainder of the week is looking pretty grim but I'm hopeful we'll complete at least a couple things on my agenda:

-rest!

-check out the outdoor pool in downtown Kirkland!

-go berry picking!

Happy July to all!

Pregnancy 2: Weeks 31 and 32

(31 weeks, taken 6/29/11)

Phew, I'm definitely slowing over here. At a recent appointment, my doctor made a comment that I should keep up my same level of activity in the 3rd trimester though it may be tempting to slow down. At the time, I brushed it off and thought "He doesn't know me. My activity level certainly won't slow!" And now I'm eating my words. Maybe I felt this way toward the end with Isla-I can't remember-but I'm finding the couch more and more appealing these days. It's not necessarily that I'm sleepy, it's more that my body aches like an 80 year old. I am trying to follow my doctor orders and keep up with the exercise but I definitely pay for it for a while after. If I hit the sidewalk early in the day though, I'm fine and came power through some pretty hefty walks (while pushing two kiddos in a double stroller even!)

Oh, so I know my due date again! It is still August 31st. I asked my doctor if he thought this baby would come early since Isla did. He said that every woman has a 1 in 10 chance each pregnancy of her water breaking to begin labor. He said if my contractions had started 2 weeks early, he might say I had a good chance of delivering this one early too but since it was just my water that broke, he said it was likely a fluke related to my having a cold. Boo hoo. I'll remain optamistic!
I forgot to mention in an earlier post that I've had a little bit of reflux/heartburn over the past month. This is totally new to me and one this that differentiates this pregnancy from my first.

At my last appointment, I was about 30 weeks and measured in a 29 cm which affirmed the fact that I think my belly growth finally is slowing. My doctor said everything looks "Just about perfect!"

I'll be transparent. I've gained 30 pounds already so I'm hoping to limit myself to only 5 more over the course of 8 weeks (don't think that's possible, particularly with my recent ice cream intake....) Thankfully, Graham gained 6 pounds over our long holiday weekend of eating indulgences so we are back to being neck and neck again. :)

I finished all the bedding last week for both Isla and baby!! Most of the pieces had a few unexpected challenges but I think I overcame them for the most part and am happy with the result. I'll post pictures someday but for now, that would involve getting up off the couch.

(32 weeks, taken 7/6/11)

Isla is showing more and more signs of understanding what is to come. We keep telling her that pretty soon the baby is going to come out. Her immediate response is "Baby out! Change baby diaper." Sounds like she's got the routine down! We ask her frequently whether she thinks the baby is a boy or girl and her answer always changes. She also likes to walk up to my belly and point and tell me either "Baby awake" or "Baby sleeping."

I have been struggling a lot of emotions over the past couple weeks. I'm already feeling guilty about the decreased amount of time I will get to spend with Isla once baby comes. It just doesn't seem fair that her whole world is about to change without warning. My mother-in-law reassured me the other day that it will be good for her to realize the world doesn't completely revolve around her so I keep trying to remind myself of that. And in the meantime, I'm trying to savor my last few weeks of having just Isla and I at home.

Our list of potential names is whittling down! We're finding it much harder to agree this time around...

As for the next few weeks, it's time to tackle the nursery! It occured to me the other day that I really need to take inventory of my newborn stuff. I was thinking I'd be totally set if we have a girl but then I remembered that my cousin loaned me a ton last time around and I can't recall what I actually own and what was borrowed! For sure I need to pick up a take-me-home-from-the-hospital girl outfit (we still have our boy one from our last go). Thanks to my wonderful coworker and my sister, I have a pretty good supply of diapers at least. Oh and TONS of blankets from Isla (I think I determined that's what everyone likes to give as gifts when they don't know the gender of the baby--she was given at least 20!)

Hat Island Take 2

I think I'm still coming off of the "high" after returning from a wonderfully relaxing weekend on Hat Island with the Crozier Clan. I think this is becoming my 3rd trimester pregnancy tradition since the last time we went I was 35 weeks pregnant with Isla. Maybe it's because we're thrill seekers (had I gone into labor, the only way off the island in the case on an emergency is to have a helicopter land in the middle of the golf course and fly you back to the mainland.) Anyhow, I remember the last trip well because it was on a beach walk here when my hip first starting popping out of joint in preparation for "things to come" which totally freaked me out. This time around, I was pushing 32 weeks and my hip had already been popping out for many moons. It really is a great vacation spot for pregnant persons but I did tell my sister-in-law that I nominate her to be the pregnant one next time around. :)

Everything about the house we rent is awesome. I'm pretty sure it's the nicest on the island and oober modern. I actually sort of liked the modernity of it though (Graham's usually the one with the modern taste!) I told him that if he built me a house (almost) just like it, I could "handle" it. It'd be a great compromise of our tastes.

The open floor plan is amazing and the fact that pretty much the entire living space is solid windows or sliding glass doors. See, look at the view I had while doing dishes! Can't complain...

We more or less spent 3 full days lounging, eating, walking the island, crabbing or clamming, kayaking, sunbathing, napping and reading (I think everyone finished at least one book except for me who made it to page 264 of my LARGE PRINT version of "The Help." I sorta had a toddler to chase but I'd call that pretty good given my recent reading track record.) I assure you, Graham was wearing pants in this picture!

"Carry please!!!!" Isla still wasn't the biggest fan of sand underfoot...

John caught enough crab to eat it as the main course for TWO dinners--heaven!

Isla slept in the "Monkey Room" with all these stuffed monkeys that she spent much of the time doting on. She wanted ALL the animals in the chair, under the blanket just so and then she would rock them. If ever one fell to the floor (which happened about every 2.3 seconds), she would beg someone to fetch it.

We had GORGEOUS weather for the long weekend with the exception of Sunday which started off a little wet. With all the windows in the house, it didn't even feel gloomy (another reason I want Graham to build me one just like it).

Isla literally spent 1 1/2 hours one evening pouring water from one stacking cup to another. She was soaking wet and freezing by the end of it but refused to stop until someone cut up the watermelon...

We striped off her wet clothes and she went to town on that wedge of melon!

Graham and I even got to watch a sunset ALONE together one evening. Sigh. The glories of traveling with family! As always, I came away from the trip loving my family even more--we are truly blessed!

How I came to own a minivan

I honestly never thought the day would come. Ever. I refused to even consider the idea. I don't know what came over me (maybe let's blame pregnancy hormones?) but there is officially a sleek piece of metal in the shape of a minivan sitting in front of the house. WHAT?!

Man oh man did we try to fight the issue. We tried every argument known to man, trying to convince ourselves that a mid-size SUV with a 3rd row would suit our needs. But then we tried sitting in the 3rd row of many such vehicles only to deem them essentially useless as even I could not fit back there without my knees hitting the seat in front of me. And forget about trunk space! With the 3rd row of seats up, there basically wasn't any which defeats the whole purpose in my mind.

It isn't that we necessarily NEED a seven-seater "family car" at this juncture but we definitely needed a new car. I think we all know by now that I have had a love-hate relationship with our Jetta. It's so stinkin' cute, it's fun to drive (it's a manual!), and it has both a sunroof and CD player (formerly my two main criteria when vehicle shopping). But oh how I also hate that car. It guzzles gas, chugs through motor oil like nobody's business and costs no less than $1000 to repair any time something minor breaks. My little Civic has nearly double the miles on the Jetta but has only required routine oil and tire changes and one new battery in the seven years I've have it. I don't even want to think about how much $$$ we've poured into the Jetta in the short 3 1/2 years it's been in our family for little aches and pains.

My sister-in-law (who grew up in Germany!) says that Germans don't have kids which explains why their car designs are useless (in my opinion) to growing families. There is literally only one infant car seat on the market that will fit in that car and it really only fits in the back middle seat (otherwise the driver has to drive with his/her chest against the wheel). With our second on the way, we need to be able to fit two kiddos in back, hence our quest for a new car. We plan to take things as they come but have a strong suspicion that our family will not stop at 4 members so we hit the car market with that in mind, hoping to find something that will last us a good 10 years.

And that, my friends, is why my new ride has striking similarities to a small bus. I took it out for a spin today and, as much as I hate to admit it, it was really kind of fun. I never knew pure luxury could come in the form of a minivan but I'm telling you, my new set of wheels has heated leather seats, a sunroof AND CD player, a DVD player (or DBD player as Isla calls it), sensors that tell me when I'm about to hit something, back windows that ROLL down, built-in sunshades on all the back windows and, get this: the radio tells me what song is playing (Graham's gonna fall off his rocker when I'm finally able to successfully name the artist/song title when he quizzes me!)

In case you aren't convinced and plan to de-friend us to avoid associating with the minivan types, let me close with a little quote from Popular Mechanics: "From a practical standpoint, minivans have all other sorts of family transportation covered. The vans are roomier than any crossover, more economical to operate than a full-size SUV, and far more readily adaptable to cargos of people or things than station wagons,” says Popular Mechanics.  “If every vehicle purchase was a purely rational decision, just about all of us would be driving minivans.”

That's all! :)

Father's Day 2011

I'm so behind on my blog. But I wanted to make sure that I documented the fact that we have been managing to squeeze in some fun amidst the busyness the accompanies being less that NINE WEEKS from due date! Father's Day this year was low key and fun. Graham's dream was to grab some food from Whole Foods and spend a sunshiney afternoon at the beach reading magazines and having a picnic. Well, do any Seattlites remember Father's Day? It wasn't exactly sunny. So we quickly changed gears. Graham's other desire was to pretend we were in France just like Father's Day last year. I whipped up some sweet crepes the night before and packed a sack breakfast which we took to a new Kirkland coffee shop, Cafe Rococo. We ordered coffees from them but provided our own breakfast of nutella crepes with strawberries, bananas and whipped cream. We (okay just maybe just Graham) has no shame!

Isla and I did a little shopping earlier in the week and surprised Graham with a pair of his long-desired Toms Shoes. Funny story. So we've been married 4 + years now and is it horrible of me to admit that I DO NOT KNOW MY HUSBAND'S SHOE SIZE?? I tried for a while to casually get it out of him but could never get a straight answer. Now I know most of your are probably thinking "Duh, just go look at a pair of his shoes and see what size they are!" Well, I actually thought of that, but unfortunately, NO TWO PAIRS OF HIS SHOES ARE THE SAME SIZE!!!! I was completely baffled but then it all began to make sense why he wouldn't give me a straight answer. Well, for all who are wondering, we now know he wears a size 10 1/2. :)

After making a delicious lunch together of pork chops stuffed with ham and cheese with mushroom sauce and roasted cauliflower, we lounged around and enjoyed a day indoors. We watched our friends' son that night and invited Graham's family over for traditional Sunday night scones in honor of his dad.

I'd just like to say for the record, Graham is an amazing dad. I still can't get over how easily he transitioned into the new role and how wonderful he is with his daughter. I tell him all the time that he is just made to father girls. He knows just what they need. He is intentional about telling her that she is beautiful, he is extraordinarily creative in his play with her, he makes her laugh every day and he is very patient. Happy Father's Day to an awesome Dad!