Contentment

We are focusing on contentment in the Crozier household because, well, we have a whole lot to be thankful for. This topic has come up a lot lately surrounding conversations about our home. Although we would LOVE to sell it and get into something bigger with a yard for a family of four, we have made the decision that we will continue to call our lovely abode home for the next while. Define "while?" Well, I wish I could. We sort of assuming we are on a 3 year plan at this point, but who knows? Hopefully we will be pleasantly surprised with the means to make a move sooner than that but for sure we aren't planning to make any housing changes until Graham is done with school.

And so, in the spirit of thankfulness, I would like to share with some some of the many wonderful things about our place:

1) The square footage is limited. Though some might view this as a negative, I am growing more and more grateful for the reduced surface area I am and will be required to clean as I prepare to be an even busier mother of 2 with a husband who is gone most days of the week.
2) I don't have to mow the yard. And neither does Graham. We have landscapers who do that!!! And it's a good thing too because I'm pretty sure we'd have grass up to our ears if this wasn't the case.
3) I have a master bathroom to call my own. Many of the popular craftsman Seattle houses aren't so fortunate.
4) We currently have no next door neighbors. This means we can be as loud as we want (not like we ever are really that loud) but more importantly, we don't have loud neighbors banging on our one potentially shared wall.
5) I have space for a small patio garden. And let's be honest: could I really keep up with the full blown garden of my dreams at this point in my life? I think not. All I really need are some fresh herbs and some flowers to cheer me anyway.
6) I live in Kirkland!!!! I love this city.
7) I have green walls. And that makes me very happy.
8) There are some great walking trails and parks within a 5-10 minute's drive.
9) One of my favorite walking buddies lives 5 minutes away.
10) I could walk to Trader Joe's if I wanted to. I can also walk to Safeway, Albertson's, the dry cleaner, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Blockbuster etc. And there is a swimming beach an easy 15 minute run away.
11) We can afford to pay our mortgage!! Enough said?

We have much to be grateful for.

Week 17

(photo taken 3/24/11 although I was technically 17 weeks on the 23th...)

Never let the pregnant lady go grocery shopping is the moral of the story. On this space I shall confess what I purchased this week: a whopping total of 6 pounds of strawberries (on two separate trips), 2 miniature watermelons (YESSSSS!!! It's almost watermelon season!! Almost.), a pineapple, a couple peaches, a few plums, pounds and pounds of apples, 4 pounds of oranges, too many grapefruits to carry, 3 pounds of grapes and 2 bunches of bananas. Am I forgetting anything? Oh yeah, a bag of frozen strawberries (ya know, just in case I ran out of the fresh ones) and a bag of blackberries. Wow. I'm only now realizing how crazy that might seem. But, I am loving, LOVING fresh and frozen fruit! It hits the spot right now where dessert is lacking. And hey, I could be buying worse things. Like popsicles, bags of candy, stuffed pretzel snacks and ice cream like the pregnant lady behind me was.

I think I can say with confidence now that I'm feeling the baby move!!!! I don't know why I'm so hesitant to say this (probably because I hate being wrong) but, it's pretty hard to deny now: there has been a LOT of action in this belly of mine. And I don't really think I can blame it all on ligaments and gas anymore. I have had quite a few hard pangs in my abdominal region that literally make me jump. I have a hard time believing that a baby this size could possibly be kicking that hard already but what else would it be? Ladies and gentleman, I'm scared. If this child is already moving this much, I'm afraid I am going to have yet another busy child on my hands. Only time will tell!

We've started throwing around some name ideas which makes this all feel more real. And for all inquiring minds, we won't be finding out the gender at our ultrasound appointment on April 14th nor will we be sharing our tops names (right Graham?) Believe it or not, we actually have a couple that we actually agree on!!! We have a running mental list which I'm sure won't be finalized until D-day. Graham does not want to look at any baby name books; he wants the name to "just come to us." All I can say is that I'm glad I work with babies primarily because I'm pretty sure that's how any new name ideas will "come to me" as I don't really dream up new ones automatically. :)

Week 16

(photo taken 3/16/11)

I am loving this no-nausea thing! I am also really loving strawberry lemonade. I had it once and now I crave it all the time! Maybe because it soothes my very-much-missed sweet tooth.

I was greeted this week with much belly-itching. I remember itching in my 3rd trimester when I was pregnant with Isla but not this early on! I hope that doesn't mean I'm going to be absolutely huge. I've been using Palmers Belly Cream (even if just for the placebo effect) to try and soothe the itching but it doesn't really make it go away. After my whole stomach turned into one giant, itching, red rash, I called my OB office and got permission to use some Benedryl cream. Sweet relief! I was feeling like such a monkey, standing there scratching my belly all the time.

Pregnancy insomnia is also now a recent addition to my life. I'm waking up every couple hours most nights which is not my favorite but so far it's tolerable. Sometimes using the restroom helps and then I fall right back asleep. Other times, I lay there wide awake for hours. I've started wondering at what point I just get up and read or "accomplish something" until I can fall back asleep. I switched out my pillow for a firmer one since I'm now attempting to sleep on my side. I usually prop myself up with 2 pillows and read a bit before I hit the sack and have found that I'm actually falling asleep on my back (in a propped up position) which I've never found comfy before!

Because of my low-ish hematocrit, I took the liberty of eating red meat 4 (or was it 5?) days in a row this week. Delish! If I keep this up, there's no chance I could be anemic. :)

19 Months

Isla has had somewhat of a rough month but she continues to bring us joy and laughter every day.

She has started giving us "love pats" which are gentle pats on the back, usually in combination with a hug. I started it as a sly way to get her to stop and give me a hug without realizing what she was doing because she has not been much of a hugger or cuddler to begin with! Lately though, she's started running over to me (and others) and giving them a big hug while saying "Hi!!!" in her cheeriest of voices. It's so wonderful to see her begin to initiate!

One of my favorite things that Isla has started doing is saying "whoa, whoa" in a playful, dizzy sort of way. She likes to say it while spinning herself in circles, when she almost trips and falls, and (embarrassingly) when I slam on the brakes in the car or take a corner a little too sharp. 

We added a lovely ducky potty to our decor in the guest bath. Isla sits on it daily, sometimes with clothes and sometimes with a naked bum. We're not pushing anything yet, but just getting her used to the idea. There was one time where she actually went potty but unfortunately it was after she stood up! I think it was just coincidence though as she hasn't done anything similar since.

Isla hit one of what I'm sure will be many eating jags this month. For a bit there, she wanted pretty much bread and bread alone, with maybe a few berries thrown in there. It was really hard for me but I did my best not to make a big deal out of it and continued to offer her what we ate and if she chose not to eat it, the meal ended. If ever she saw bread though, she would start saying "Be, be, be" in her most pleading voice. But now this week we've had about 5 straight good days of eating again. Persistence pays off!

Isla's vocabulary is ever-expanding. New words that I can think of right now include: ice, potty, side (outside), light, wall, teeth, rice, mail, trash, help, bubble, clock, happy, no, pop (as in the sound, NOT the beverage!), read, down, papa (Grandpa), Oliver (sounds surprisingly similar to owl), Clover, wipe (she pronounces it "weep"), cheek, nose, eyes and ear. She now actually says Cheerio too instead of the former "che-che." The words we hear the very most are "help" (because we are teaching her to ask for help instead of whining) and "uh oh."

Isla loves to read. She will bring us book after book after book until we finally tell her that we're "all done." Sometimes if I am sitting on the floor, she will grab a book and back herself into my lap and say "read." I love it! She also really likes doing puzzles and has become quite good at it. Other favorite activities include wiping things (with wipes, napkins, TP, kitchen rags or paper towels) and caring for her baby. The other day she pulled an extra wire oven rack out of one of my cupboards and laid her baby on it, grabbed a diaper and proceeded to "change" her. Why on an oven rack, I'm not sure. She also had a pot and spoon nearby. I'm not sure if she was planning to feed baby or cook baby....

Isla has more or less mastered most of her animal sounds. She knows the cow says moo, the kitty meow, the dog woof woof, the lion roar and the monkey eee-eee. My favorite though is her sheep sound. Ask her what the sheep says and she replies "bah bah" in the most monotone voice instead of "baaaaaa baaaaa."

Isla loves to be sung to and is even starting to sing a bit herself. Her favorite songs are Jesus Loves Me, the ABCs, and Happy Birthday (she sings "Happy Day!")

Poor Isla spent 2 weeks of the last month sick. She spiked pretty high fevers and was pretty miserable at times but also remarkably cheerful all things considered. Poor girl had such a runny, stuffy nose and her eyes watered constantly for days so tears would just fall when she wasn't actually crying (almost like she has allergies!) I just had to get a picture so we'd remember....

As of March 2nd, our house became binky-free, as I mentioned in a prior post. I'd like to say the transition went well but I can't say so with confidence. Honestly, I have no clue what is responsible for what anymore but Isla basically quit napping this month (right after we established such a beautiful 2-4 hour afternoon nap only a month ago!!) She'll cry for over an hour, fighting, fighting, fighting sleep. The result has been an extraordinarily cranky and sensitive kiddo who cries at a drop of a hat and has utter and complete sobbing meltdowns/tantrums in the late afternoon because she is so tired. I don't know whether she's still adjusting to self-soothing without the binky, whether her teeth are hurting, or whether it was this rough bout of illness that threw everything off. All I can say is pray, pray, PRAY we get a nap routine in place again soon for my her sake and ours! We are totally at a loss. Thankfully (!!!) nighttime is going ok. She continues to sleep solid from 6:30 PM to 7:30 or so AM!

I found Isla's 2nd molar (upper left) cutting through on March 6th and then a third molar (bottom right) on March 20th. The girl may not have front teeth but at least she will have molars!!!

Until next month....

Spring really is here!

 It's been a beautiful week here in the northwest! The sunshine has warmed my heart and body, reminding me why I continue to live in this city that can make me rather gloomy during the long fall and winter months. Picnic season has started for us, a few things are popping up in my garden and Isla is loving tromping around in her adorable lady bug boots. Happy Spring! 

A Mother's Prayer

Dear Lord,

Please oh please can you bless me with a good sleeper in baby #2? I know you promise to not give us more than we can handle and you apparently believe I can handle A LOT of crying and A LOT of sleep battles. I feel like I'm about at my max. If it looks like I'm "handling" it fine, I might just be faking it. A good sleeper would be so lovely! Please?

Amen.

4 St. Patty's Days as Husband and Wife

This past Thursday-Saturday, Graham and I enjoyed a luxurious getaway in celebration of our 4th wedding anniversary. It was the longest amount of time we've spent ALONE together since Isla arrived and I'm happy to report, we still really like each other!! This much-needed mini-staycation came in the middle of a particularly hard season both with school and parenting challenges and so we were thrilled to get away. Given all this, I had very high expectations for the trip (which is always very dangerous for me) but I was not disappointed. Not one bit.

 We caught the Anacortes ferry to Friday Harbor for our first night. We spent the drive listening to a parenting book on CD, "Love and Logic" for toddlers (wow, we sure know how to get the romance going don't we!!?) It seriously was awesome though. We are rarely home at the same time so it was our one chance to listen to the book together and discuss strategies. It sparked great conversation and we sort of have our plan of attack, so to speak, for the next month or two.

Our hotel is the highest building in the picture, up on the bluff overlooking the harbor and ferry dock.

Lovely bed

I spent a great deal of time reading which was particularly enjoyable in front of the fire!

The view from our room

We spent the, may I mention, SUNNY (!!!!!) afternoon wandering the shops in town before our dinner reservations at our hotel's restaurant, The Bluff. We had an incredible soup to start: Blue Moon hubbard squash soup with beet chips and rosemary cream. Both of us are desperate to attempt a recreation of it as it was more brothy and savory (very complex flavors!) than a lot of squash soups. Next we had a salad of warm spinach and brussel sprout leaves with pancetta, berries, hazelnuts, fresh housemade cheese and a sherry vinaigrette. The salad was definitely lacking in the salt department but at least we got some veggies in us! For my main course, I had a bone-in pork chop along with sweet potato and yukon gratin, balsamic figs, mustard cream and a cider gastrique. Graham had the cider-braised short rib with parsnip mash, and Honeycrisp apple and fennel slaw. We like to compete when we eat over who orders the best entree. My meal definitely "won." The package we'd booked came with a $50 dining credit. We most definitely spent more than $50 for our meal but somehow they still didn't charge us. This was only the beginning of our string of good deals.

The next morning was a bit more overcast (but not rain!) so we ate our hotel's complimentary breakfast and caught an early ferry back to the "mainland." 

 We took a spontaneous detour to La Conner because the pregnant one got a severe craving for either clam chowder in a bread bowl or fish and chips. And she wanted to eat them by the water. My dear hubby happily obliged. We ended up at this adorable little place, The Calico Cupboard, where I indulged in chowder and homemade bread. Graham even splurged and bought a berry lemonade to share because he saw me eyeing it on a neighboring table. I blame the hormones but I totally teared up because it is so unlike him to spend $$ on stuff like this when we don't have a coupon! Awe, true love.

 It was at this point that I decided I needed to find some cute mason jars juice cups to pull out come summer. They just making drinking so much more fun!

The 2nd night of our getaway was a "surprise" except for the fact that Graham left his email open a few days prior. Trust me, I don't read his email but I just happened to glance at the wrong time and see a confirmation from the Woodmark in Kirkland. I put on my most surprised look when we pulled into the hotel but I don't think he bought it. Our friend Amy is a manager at the hotel and must have gone to all ends to get her staff to absolutely spoil us. When we walked up to the front desk, we were greeted with "Oh it's the famous Croziers!" by some nice man we'd never met. "Ummmm. Yes? I guess?" We were given the key to our room, a water view SUITE on the 3rd floor! And look at the goodies that were awaiting us in our room: chocolate-covered strawberries*, sparkling cider (for the preggo), a stuffed dog "Woody" for Isla, a hand soap and lotion set, a porcelain to-go mug and lid, cupcakes* and A FRAMED WEDDING PICTURE OF US!!!! We have yet to figure out how on earth they got that picture!!

 The suite felt bigger than our house and had a least 5 bay windows overlooking the water. Graham was pretty excited about the room. Sorry Amy. I promise he only jumped on the bed once. :)

 Our living area

 I couldn't get a good picture of the bathroom because it was so huge but this is the view of the water from our bed. The whole ordeal was divine.

But get this: it gets even better! So we head downstairs to Bin on the Lake for dinner (with the buy one entree, get one free coupon that Amy had left for us in hand). As we are deliberating over the menu, our waiter comes up to tell us that, not to make our decision any harder, but that we must order a starter as Amy had instructed them to provide one on the house for our anniversary. Sweet! We chose the corzetti (handmade coin pasta with winter squash, sage brown butter, almonds and ricotta) which was rich and wonderful. Next we ordered and salad Rogue blue, almonds, pancetta, winter squash, brioche and balsamic. Our waiter insisted on some champagne "to help us celebrate." He brought us bubbly even after I told him I was pregnant and then whispered than mine was non-alcoholic. He was probably one of the best servers I've ever had. He sold us hard on the filet mignon. I figured that since I'm borderline anemic and all, I should have the beef. :) This time both of us ordered the same thing (I think Graham was secretly worried I'd "win" again if he didn't order the same thing as me). It was probably one of the best pieces of beef I have ever had. Oh yummy yum!

After our leisurely meal, our waiter returned to offer us dessert. We declined, telling him we had cupcakes* waiting in our room but did they have any ice cream* we could take up to the room to make them a la mode? He said they didn't have ice cream at the restaurant but what kind would I like? They would make sure they got us some. WHAT?! Really?! By this point, I started to wonder if I actually was famous and didn't know it or something. Who does this kind of thing? We were told just to be sure we put our room number on our bill and "someone" would be up to deliver it to our room shortly. We headed back to our room (only to be stopped at the front desk so they could offer us still more champagne) and it was only 20 minutes later when our waiter of all people knocked at the door with a pint of ice cream!! It was so nuts. I felt like royalty. Amy must have given her entire staff a pep talk before we arrived, telling them to make sure we got whatever we wanted. Wow, wow, wow!

We had another lovely, sunny day on Saturday including coffee and reading at Zokas, followed by some maternity shopping attempts downtown Seattle and closing with Piroshky Piroshky down at Pike Place. We met up with my parents for dinner in Marysville to retrieve Isla and closed out the evening by watching our wedding DVD at home.

A huge THANKS to my parents for watching Isla and to Amy for making our weekend incredible. And now, thanks to my readers for still reading (if there are any of you left....)

*For those of you who may be wondering why dessert was consumed on this little getaway, Graham and I pre-agreed that we would have a brief Lent sabbatical during our anniversary celebrations. :)