Summer Vacation, Part 1

It's been more than a month since our adventurous summer vacation and I'm just now finally getting around to posting pictures of our travels! It has been a crazy summer- our two week vacation was fun, but we were constantly on the move! From Georgia to Illinois to Wisconsin to Canada and celebrating birthdays and national holidays in between, we certainly had a grand, but exhausting, time. Then we returned home to jump right back into work. I can't even explain how busy things have been around here, but I think they're finally starting to settle down.

So we flew to Chicago, as has been tradition for the past 3 years, to visit with my parents. Before even getting on the plane Jason was pretty sure this was the last trip we'd be making for a while. Only problem was it was just the beginning...

Never travel without your
"Go Go Babyz" Travelmate

Also- never travel without your iPad

Yeah, our flight was only just the beginning. After several delays and a detour in flight, we landed late in Chicago and only had time to go to bed to get a decent sleep before taking off the next morning to visit Jason's family in Wisconsin (it actually works out nicely that my parents and his dad are only about an hour and a half apart). We had a lovely time visiting with the Floods, and getting to eat one of our traditional faves- a ponzarotta! That would basically be a deep-fried calzone. Yum!

Cousins!

Second cousins!

Ponzarotta

Nonny and poppy have chickens!

Any eggs?

Maybe the egg was "staged", but it was exciting anyway!

We spent one night in Wisconsin then traveled back to Naperville. I dropped Drew and Jason off at the "green house" (Drew's name for my parents' house, to differentiate it from the lake house) before making a trip to the same urgent care clinic we visited with Drew on his first trip to Naperville. James had a horrible case of hives!

At least he's not bothered by it!

We never did find the cause, but they came and went throughout our entire trip. Thankfully they didn't seem to bother him much!

We enjoyed one nice full day in Naperville at the Morton Arboretum- another yearly tradition. We just had to get pictures of the boys in the little Adirondack chairs. And of course explore all the other fun the garden had to offer! We had a few showers, but that just added to the fun!

2013

2012

2011

Frog pond

Musical flowers

We found more chairs!

A new yearly tradition

We finished off our Naperville stay by celebrating Drew's birthday! We were happy that Jason's mom, dad, and aunt (and respective family members!) were all able to make it down to Naperville for the party!

He certainly is a traveling boy!

We kept the party nice and simple because as soon as we cleaned everything up, we hit the road for our long journey north...

Monday Minute: Geography

My family lives pretty much everywhere but here. Jason's, too. That's a large part of the reason for keeping this blog- since we're all spread so far apart, it's nice to have a place to post pictures, updates, and other fun things for everyone to see.

We are so thankful for things like the internet and Skype so Drew can still stay close to the family he doesn't get to see very often. He frequently begs me to talk to "Auntie Wawa" anytime the laptop is open or asks me if we can call Grandma and Grandpa.

I don't know how much Drew understands the concept of living far away, but we do try to teach him a little about geography and where his family lives. I certainly don't want him to be a fifth grader that, when asked what country he lives in tells me, "Georgia!" or worse, "Atlanta!" (that, unfortunately, happened frequently when I taught elementary school... 5th graders, no less). He does know that to see family we go to the airport where airplanes "go up and down". One evening an iPad game said the word "airport" and for the rest of the evening Drew begged me to go to the airport to get Aunt Laura.

So here's Drew showing off his geographical knowledge. No, he couldn't point these places out on a map, but this is a start. :) And, of course, when not on video he'll answer each question perfectly, but still, he's not too bad here (I tried about 5 times to get the "perfect" video, but, as usual, the first was the best).


And I thought this one was funny. Apparently Drew knows his B.A. Laura well even if she does live on the other side of the country. My guess is this comes from the fact that we get to wake her up every morning when she visits (being 3 hours behind makes trips to our side of the country pretty rough), but she really doesn't sleep much when she's here!

Monday Minute: Bouncy

For his birthday Drew received a trampoline from his Nonny and Poppy (Jason's dad and step-mother). They have a very large one at their house that Drew loves so they decided he needed one of his own. This one is a perfect size for him (and our tiny backyard). I think Drew and Floodlet will enjoy many hours of fun on the trampoline (while I enjoy some time to put my feet up, read a book, and get some Vitamin D).



And just because it's funny, here's Drew with some of his OCD tendencies...



Yes, I have my own OCD quirks, but I think most anyone would agree that cleanliness is not exactly one of them (over organized order, yes, but the need to keep things spotless, no). Not exactly sure where he learned it from, but I'm okay with it! :)

P.S. Thank you Nonny and Poppy!

Thank you

Thank you guys for all the encouraging comments after my sob fest the other day.

Things are looking a little brighter today. As always, with the light of morning things feel better (and sleep DOES do a lot of good, too, as my dad pointed out!!)

Work WAS very busy yesterday, but not run-around-like-a-chicken-with-your-head-cut-off kind of busy.

My CF appointment went well. Weight was only down 1 lb. and I'm still in my healthy BMI range. Lung function was actually up by a couple percentage points!

Drew is still fighting the foods (wouldn't eat a bite of lunch for the babysitter yesterday, only ate Cheerios all day) but we're at least getting him to drink. I've decided two things- first, I'm still going to put the foods he doesn't seem to want (including veggies) on his plate, even if he won't eat them because I think eventually he may be interested again and I won't ever know if I stop offering them (thus reinforcing the pickiness). I just won't try to make him eat or get mad if he throws the food on the floor. And second, as Samantha pointed out in the comments, he probably just isn't in the intense growth spurt that happens during the first 12 months. I know not to expect him to eat as much as I do, but he's always surprised me with the amount that he DOES consume. But it's very likely that he just doesn't need that much right now.

I did go to the store the other day, though, and picked up a few things to try out with him. I've always made his food from home, even his baby food purees, but I thought maybe some of the packaged toddler meals might appeal to him. Most of them were a definite no, but I found this little gem that he LOVED....

HappyTot Organic Superfoods. It's a squeezable pouch filled with fruit and veggies! This one is pears, peas, and green beans, as well as a grain called Salba that provides fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids. I didn't think he'd like it, but he kept on slurping it down! I purposely made NO noise of excitement or encouragement (I also think that toddler stubbornness is kicking in). In fact, I took the pouch away for a moment and he actually signed "more"! He just about finished the whole thing. I paired that with his cup of milk and some cheese for calcium, fat, and protein. Not a bad meal! I'm definitely going to buy more. I'm debating whether to stick with the same flavor (what if he tries one he doesn't like, then won't eat them again?), and also debating if I should do them once a day with a meal, or allow him to enjoy as many as he pleases throughout the day (with fear of him getting tired of them or realizing that I LIKE it when he eats them)???

I am off work today and instead of worrying about unpacking, cleaning, or anything else, Jason and I are both being lazy and just enjoying time rolling around on the floor with Drew (except for right now while Drew naps and I do meds).

Oh! Did I mention that on top of everything else yesterday, it was our 3 year anniversary?? Yeah, there wasn't much celebrating, though Jason did bring me this as a surprise....

Yum! We'll be celebrating by having a nice dinner tomorrow night followed by the midnight Harry Potter premier, followed by a couples massage the next morning! We both NEED it! Thanks to Nonny and Poppy for offering to look after Drew! :)

Wordless Wednesday: Tool time (in Mommy's socks)

On Edge

Many people comment on how Drew is just such a happy little boy. He's easy-going and rarely puts up a fuss. His Nonny and Poppy, who watch him every Friday, always tell me how easy he is, as does his nanny Erin (who is now watching him two days a week while Jason works more hours at the golf course).  Truly, he is a very happy boy, who makes me laugh and smile tons every day.

But, he isn't always happy and easy-going. Lately, our evenings have been looking something like this:

Yeah, we have terrible meltdowns many evenings.

So, currently, Drew gets 3 naps a day. One in the morning, one early afternoon, and one early evening. This seems like a lot of naps for him to still be getting, and, indeed, he often won't go to sleep for the evening nap. I keep thinking he's ready to phase it out. But, when he doesn't get that nap, or if he naps, but only for a short period of time, I end up with the screaming monster baby. The screaming monster baby is usually hungry, but will only suck on the boob for a few seconds (therefore not getting the milk to flow) before screaming and sobbing huge tears. He will eagerly take a bite of his beloved rice cereal only to scream because it's apparently not what he wants (too cold? too thick? too runny? I don't know!). He will violently turn his head away from frozen fruit in his "baby feeder" even though any other time he would greedily slurp every last sweet morsel from it. He will scream when he's set down, but will push away from me when I hold him....

Doing this evening after evening after a long day of work is exhausting, not to mention emotionally draining as I tend to feel that my boy is happy for everyone else besides me.

Something's. gotta. give. But what? When he naps he's his normal, happy self, but I can't force him to sleep. Even if I wanted to. Perhaps you can force a kid to eat (which I don't recommend), but sleep? That just doesn't work. You can leave him in his crib for two hours but that in no way guarantees he will actually fall asleep.

So we're playing with ideas like taking out the evening nap, but moving the final feeding and bed time earlier (but then will he wake up earlier in the morning too? He already sleeps 11-12 hours at night!). It's frustrating because things work right now (I mean, besides evenings). His current schedule works with my schedule, with Jason's schedule, with the babysitters' schedules.... I'm nervous to try and change things up.

But, if there's anything I've learned in the last 8 months, it's that flexibility is key. It seems we're always "on edge" (and not just in the sense of wanting to pull out hair at times). Drew is, obviously, constantly growing and changing. He's always "just about to....". Just about to roll over. Just about to crawl. Just about to get a tooth. Just about to sit up or pull up on his own. Just about to eat a new food. Just about to walk..... With every change we learn to adapt the way we do things. It is hard for someone like me, who enjoys routines and schedules, to constantly be in between. But I'm learning. In the end it's about what's best for Drew, not necessarily what's convenient for the rest of us. And having temper tantrums like ^ that.... well, that's really not best for any of us.

Tennessee Getaway

So if you were worrying that I'd missed Drew's four monthiversary, have no fear! I didn't miss it! Well, not entirely. We were out of town in Nashville, TN for an overnight getaway. I didn't miss his four monthiversary, I just spent it snuggling with him upon my return home instead of trying to get cute pictures.

But no worries, pics are on the way! I'm in the process of trying to get some today. I got a few this morning, but we had a small accident.... Mommy thought she could put Drew in his bouncy chair for a few seconds while she changed the "set" and learned why she always yells at Daddy to buckle him in (Jason was awfully nice about not rubbing that one in my face!). Drew had a little topple (the little bugger is trying really hard to sit up these days!), but thankfully he was more scared than hurt as it was a very short fall onto carpet. :( Mommy still feels horrible though.  He's happily napping right now and we'll try again a little later.

In the meantime, here are a few pics from our trip.

Neely's BBQ Ribs!

Jack on the Rocks

 You can see some more of our photos here.

Yup, we took a trip without Drew! I can hardly believe it myself. But he was in good hands (THANK YOU NONNY!!) and I got lots and lots of updates while we were gone. See? Here are a few pictures she sent:

Uncle Connor

Drew HAD to wear camo to visit Nonny and Poppy of course!

I missed him horribly, but it was great to get away just the two of us. If you came to our wedding you may remember that instead of the tables being numbered they were labeled with names of places that Jason and I had visited together (along with a picture of us in that place). We love to travel. And not just big travels; mostly we just like to visit little towns that are within driving distance for weekend getaways. We took this overnight trip to Nashville so Jason could see Rifftrax Live, a take off of a show he loves called Mystery Science Theater.

And we did have a great time (Jack Daniels tour, anyone?), but the trip was difficult too. And not just because I missed Drew oh so much (it practically hurt physically the amount I missed him!) but because I still had to pump every three hours or so. I didn't get to enjoy sleeping in and doing nothing because I had to set an alarm to get up and pump. (I didn't really enjoy my sleep anyway because of a combination of missing the sounds of my sleeping boy and a news clip that we saw right before bed about bed bugs).  Nor did I get to enjoy a "schedule free" day since we kept having to plan where we would be and when so we could fit in time for me to pump. I suppose we'll save the next overnight trip for a time when Drew's no longer breastfeeding!

Stay tuned for Four Monthiversary photos to come!

Tiling and styling!

Jason and I actually managed to accomplish a small remodeling project in our house, which, as far as I'm concerned, is no small feat with a) a baby in the house and b) pretty much no handiwork skills.

We actually redid our entire downstairs bathroom, or "powder room" for my Canadian counterparts. It all started because of a wobbly toilet.  It was so bad that I would get up off the toilet (which, at 9 months pregnant, was a little too frequently) and it would make a huge noise, then I would hear water running... not a good sign. After Drew was born Jason's mom came to visit and helped us pull out the toilet to replace the seal underneath.  It turned out that there was a leak, and it was pretty bad; the hardwoods under and around the toilet were pretty much destroyed.

So we decided to pull out the wood and replace it with tile.  Who puts hardwoods in a bathroom anyway? (Don't even get me started on the hardwoods in my kitchen... I love the wood, but between leaking refrigerators, dishwashers, back doors where wet animals come in and out, and of course said animals' water bowl, they're just about destroyed too!).  We picked out some tile that would match the chocolate brown walls in the bathroom....

Then we realized those walls were in horrible need of being repainted too (and what better time to paint than when the toilet and sink are out of the way!). My main reason for wanting to repaint the walls was because the previous owner had used a flat paint, and that paint showed every drip of water from shaking water off hands and dripping it over the towel.  Even though many of you were happy to see it go, I actually liked the chocolate brown, but I finally admitted that a closet-sized bathroom is not the place for dark enclosing colors (I should mention that aside from our master bathroom all the colors in our house are from the previous owner).  I was going to get a glossy version of a slightly lighter brown but I finally relented and decided to paint the walls with the same neutral color the rest of our house is painted with (so boring!).

Because I picked such a boring wall color I wanted to spruce up the rest of the bathroom. I wanted to incorporate the dark brown that I loved, and thought I'd also pull in some of the red from my living room and kitchen. Jason, however, was not happy about that prospect because he knew it meant spending even more money.

So I managed to buy only a few small things- a new towel (you can't use a tan towel with tan walls), a soap dispenser ($5 at Target!), a can of brown spray paint, a bottle of "antiqued bronze" metallic paint, and some red/orange glass marbles. I painted the mirror frame, the trash can, the towel hanger, and the toilet paper holder (which were all gold) with the antiqued bronze metallic paint, then spray painted my wicker baskets brown.  I almost bought a wall hanging for the wall (actually, I DID buy a wall hanging, and promptly returned it) before I realized I already had one sitting around doing nothing after getting knocked off the wall in my entry way (picture Jason walking through the house with a lawn mower... okay, okay, it's just a push mower, but still!). It was even better than the one I had purchased- the interlocking rectangles looked perfect with the little red rectangles on my towel. Instead of buying candles I filled the votive holders with brown stones I already had and the cheap red/orange glass marbles I had purchased.

I wish I had before and after pics, but I didn't think of it at the time. At the very least, here is the color the walls were (they were the same color that is currently in my upstairs guest bath, or Drew's bathroom I guess I should say)

And here are the hardwoods (against a darker chocolate brown)

And voila, the new bathroom:

It drives me nuts that some of the rectangles are crooked

 

Many thanks to "Poppy" for all the help ripping out the hardwoods and installing the tile.

And many thanks to Grandma for helping to fix our horrid painting job!!

Grandma had to borrow some painting clothes from me. Guess what? She's wearing a shirt I used to wear in 6th grade!

P.S. Those of you who have been to my house may be thinking, "that bathroom has been finished for a month! Why is she just posting pictures now?" Well, things were "finished" for a month but we finally got the last finishing touch put on last week- the wall hanging. I couldn't possibly take pictures until that was finished!!