What a week!

This is daddy's first blog attempt, please bear with me:

Jeanna, Max and I had lots of fun visitng my brother this past weekend. Max played with his cousins Brady and Cooper. They splashed in the pool and learned how to use the slip-n-slide. The adults had some quiet time to take a nap and to catch up on what's been going on. Our lives have been so busy with work and family that there has been little time for rest. This was a much needed break. I found it hard getting back into the swing of things at work this week. I'm glad tomorrow is Friday!

Max and are also keeping close tabs on the Chicago Cubs. We left Milwaukee on Monday as the Cubs were coming to town. I think that is why our bus was late picking us up. There were so many Cub fans on the road the bus could hardly move. I guess the hour wait wasn't so bad as long as the Cubs won the game. They did better than win against the Brew crew, they swept the final game of the series today and increased their lead in the NL Central to 5 games over the Brewers and 4.5 games over the Cardinals going into tonights games. Max and I couldn't be happier. This year they will win the World Series!

As you may already know our family is preparing for the arrival of a baby brother for Max. It's hard to believe that Jeanna is already 31 weeks pregnant. That gives us 5-9 weeks before we could possibly have another child here. The anticipation is mounting. Max still doesn't seem to understand there is a baby on the way. We tell him there is a baby in mommy's tummy but then he points to his own belly and says "baby in the belly." He'll learn quick when the new one arrives.

Whew! I got through my first blog attempt. So how do you end a blog entry anyway???

Home sweet home!

While we always enjoy our trips away, it's always nice to be back home too. We had a great time socializing with family, Max enjoyed playing with his cousins, Daryl and his brother got to hang out a bit and my SIL and I had plenty to talk about too.

Our bus trip:
The way down to IL went well. I didnt know what to expect, but when there was a seat toward the front of the bus with a small table and three seats left, we jumped at the opportunity. It worked well, because Max could color, eat, play cars, etc. He was to short to look out the window, but we did let him stand up once in a while to look out the window to look ofr cows.

Our trip back didn't start out so well. We arrived at the drop off location about an hour earlier than suggested (which worked out well, Max got to see some trains and run off some energy). We walked over to our drop off point around 4:30 and waited, and waited and waited (in the heat, no place to sit down, in 80+ degree scorching sun). The bus was supposed to arrive at :455, at 5:20, Daryl called the Customer Service number and they told us the bus was late, and would be arriving around 5:30. 5:30, came and went, another person waiting with us, called and they said, the bus was 6 minutes away. We all know how long 6 minutes can be in traffic, but surprisingly, the bus did arrive within a short amount of time. We boarded the bus, me frantically searching for at least two seats together so one of us could sit with Max. No such luck, in my frantic state I yelled to Daryl and said, "there aren't two seats together" (there was no way, Max was sitting on a lap for 6 hours...and I did buy him a seat). Thankfully, a very nice gentleman said he would move so we could have the two seats together....THANK YOU!
After getting situated, the trip went smoothly, Max cooperated, we kept him busy with stickers, food, coloring, and looking out the window (we sat on the upper level of the double decker bus on the way back). Thankfully, Daryl got Max to fall asleep for about two hours on the way back, it was dark and late and we both knew he was exhausted...much needed rest, for all of us.

Here are our tips for riding the megabus
***Book your trip as far in advance as possible, the earlier out, the cheaper the tickets will be....some people did actually get a ticket for $1.50 one way (LUCKY THEM)!!!
***Don't take the late afternoon bus. If you can, stay the extra night and leave in the morning departure. Don't want you waiting around like we did.

Are you wondering if I will ride the bus again?! Maybe! if it were just Daryl and I, absolutely! If my kids were older, say 5 or older, than I might, but I can't imagine taking a newborn because you can't bring the car seat on the bus. All in all, Daryl and I are proud of Max for being well behaved and he did really well. 5.5 hours on a bus (or any vehicle) is a long trip.

PICS TO COME

Kick me baby, one more time!

Tired, achy, sleepless? Yes, yes and YES! I can hardly bend over, can't see my toes, have acid indigestion, and of course eating a lot. Glorious pregnancy! For the most part I do enjoy being pregnant, it's just hard to except how big im getting.

I read up on how baby is developing and how big he is getting so here it is (taken directly from http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/trimesters/week/article/30th-week-pregnancy

All About Baby
Your baby's face looks much like it will when he's born. He still needs to fill out more to get the characteristic chubby infant cheeks, but he's on his way. He can move his head, open his eyes, and make breathing movements through his open nostrils (although no air comes in).
How Big Is Baby?
If your little one were born today, he'd have a good chance for survival at about three pounds and nearly 11 inches long (crown to rump). Don't you dare think about coming out yet, we haven't even begun to prepare for your big debut.

Baby boy is always on the move and of course he's extremely active when im laying in bed, trying to sleep. I hope thats not an indication of his regular sleep schedule. It'll be up to Daryl and I to dictate his little sleep schedules and if all goes well, he'll be a great sleeper like Max.

Baby names?! None! We are still trying to agree on one (I think, we've narrowed it down to three at least). And, we aren't sharing until he's born anyway.

We're going on a trip!

We're going to IL (leaving Fri and coming back Mon) for a long weekend to celebrate our nephews third birthday. We aren't driving ourselves this time, instead, we'll be riding a bus (http://www.megabus.com/). Sounds crazy and I wonder how Max will do, but the price couldn't be beat...it's actually cheaper round trip on the bus than paying for gas and wear and tear on the car.

I've been telling Max that we are going to see his aunt and unlce and cousins and we'll be singing Happy Birthday, and of course that we are riding a bus. He thinks it's a school bus and I'll let him think that.

Im so excited we are going, my sister n law is expecting another baby within days of us (lucky lady will get induced early though), it'll be neat to compare bellies and share stories. We don't get down there very often anymore since having kids, but each and every time we do go, it's so much fun.

I'll let you know how the trip went when we get back.

What have I learned?

As I dig deeper and deeper into the Spirited child book, I've learned a lot. Even Daryl says he's seen some improvement from Max and myself (well, some days that is).

So, what exactly have I learned?

Say YES more often and NO a lot less
Use the words that he is actually feeling; anxious, overwhelmed, angry, sad, etc. Max is only 2.5 so we've got some work to do on this one..once he realizes how he's feeling, he'll be able to pull himself out of a stressful moment.
Limit TV time. Really, they say the child actually becomes a character in the program and has a hard time pulling themselves out.
Take breaks, for BOTH Max and I.
Watch for cues that your child is about to lose his top
Keep stimulation and stressful situations to a minimum.
Know when to pull your child out of a situation that makes him act out.
Don't blame yourself
Remind yourself that your child is NOT acting out on purpose.

While i've learned a lot, there's still so much more. I must figure out how to make our days more fun and positive rather than yelling and arguing about wearing our pj's all day.

More words from Max

My peepee is...
falling off
blowing away (I admit it that I do change his diaper quite often in the back of the car)

The trees are dancing.

He works hard for the money!

Literally! Aside from his regular 40 hour a week job, Daryl also has a part time weekend job working at the Hospital, doing various jobs. Today, marked the 13th day in a row he has worked. He called me during lunch today to tell me that he was having a horrible day! Poor guy, he did a quick training for this two day shift and he's frustrated, overwhelmed and tired. I'd like to surprise him by telling him to set up a golf outing, but it wouldn't be a surprise because he does read the blog.

So, hubby, here's to you! Plan a golf outing with your buddies and enjoy! You deserve it!

Reading materials

I've taken to reading. I figured I do have a little extra time in my days/evenings so im reading some new books. All of them related to parenting and family.

My current read is "Raising your spirited child" 2006 edition. Yes, that's correct, "Spirited". After reading the first 60 pages of this book, I discovered that Max is an introverted spirited child. His behavior/reactions at playgroups or out in public made me wonder what I was doing wrong in teaching and parenting him. Now, I totally understand. So, im learning how to get inside his head and help him understand his feelings, needs and urges. It's a learning curve, but im confident that I can get a handle on it now, so that he'll be able to understand when he needs a mini break.

Who is the spirited child?
The word that distinguishes spirited children from other children is more. They are normal children who are more intense, persistent, sensitive, perceptive and uncomfortable with change than other children.

Updates to follow, but for now, i've got a little more reading to do.

Super Duper Farmer's Market!

One of my favorite things about summer is the Farmers Market. Fresh fruit, veggies and flowers right at your fingertips. Saturday morning I ran over to one to pick up a few ingredients for dinner this week. I love supporting the local farmers, and not giving ALL my money to the grocery stores.

This weeks dinner menu

Monday: Ravioli with a fresh creamy spinach sauce

Tuesday: BLT's (with the local grown tomoatoes)

Wednesday: Chicken, cheese and squash bake

The rest of the week will be brats, pizza and hamburgers (obviously not from the Farmers Market)

Max and I dove right into the strawberries and ate about half the container. By Sunday morning they were all gone, we used the last half on our waffles.

The progression...I think i've had one too many strawberries.

What's next?

Max is really into puzzles right now. We've slowly been buying them, mostly the wooden chunky puzzles that didnt mimic the actual puzzle piece shape. On Friday night Daryl picked up a real puzzle at Target for $1 (24 pieces) and he's already got it mastered. He'll do it three times in a row. He loves these things! What's next for a 2.5 year old? I guess we'll have to move up to a 50 piece puzzle.
The barn puzzle was first, a good challenge, but he figured it out quickly. The auto puzzle is acutal puzzle piece shapes, again, a good challenge, but he's bored with it. The U.S. puzzle is the one Daryl bought, he's mastered it already.

Meal time bites

No, I really mean that. It bites!
Max has become very picky, or unwilling to eat. He seems interested and than we sit down at the table and he wants nothing to do with eating. Sometimes he'll eat a PB&J sandwich, sometimes cottage cheese. Other times he'll eat just fruit. I make meals that I know Daryl and I will make and offer it to Max, but he never eats it. He used to eat veggies and fruit and lots of other foods. I don't know if his appetite has diminished because its summer and its hot out, but man, I get exhausted thinking about the wars that meal time will bring.

Throw a plate full of chicken fingers and french fries in front of him and it's devoured, even if he wasn't hungry, it'd be gone! McDonald's, and other fast food restaurants, I want to (no, I NEED too) know what you put in your food. Kids just love this food, what is it? For me its not that it necessarily tastes good, it's just down right convenient. Running late, or too lazy to cook, no problem, i'll just run through the fast food lane.

Happy eating!

Words from Max

I thought it'd be fun to share some of the wise things Max has to say.

"I just burped...in my butt!"
"I have caca in my butt!
"I just dry" (as his diaper is hanging off his butt, soaked to the bone)

will add more as they come to me.

Pregnancy ups and downs

Ok, it's only 8:24 am and i'm already bored at work, so I'll spend the day filling up the blog.

I realized that I haven't shared much about the pregnancy so here it goes: Im 28 weaks, exhausted, feeling like a balloon and I just want a good nights sleep. Aside from being tired all the time, I feel good, I've only gained 9 pounds. Im sure it'll catch up to me any day though. While Max doesn't really understan that there will be a new baby soon, he does touch my belly when Daryl or I make mention about it.

I've decided to take on the task of cloth diapering...hopefully! It's a big commitment with a lot of extra laundry, but it's cheaper and greener and well, we're on a tight budget. Wish me luck, i've been learning and reading up on it and it's quite overwhelming to say the least, there are 100's of choices for cloth diapers and the more you dig, the more you find out. I should just stop while im ahead.

Random thoughts

Toddler tantrums: Who's teaching who. The toddler usually wins because the parent can't take it anymore.

Repetition: Im going to count how many times Max repeats himself in a day (the same sentenance or question that is). Results later.

Potty training: If I waited until he was 4, would that be too late.

Toddler questions

When do kids start asking questions that are actually meaningful? Like last night, when Max wanted ice cream.

The conversation went something like this:

M: Daddy, I want some ice cream (politely, soft voice)
D: In a few minutes Max
M: I want ice cream (whimpery and disappointed)
D: In a few minutes
M: Daddy, I want some ice cream now! (Loud and angry)

It finally ended wtih me telling Max that daddy was asking you nicely to wait a few minutes. (Forget teaching toddlers about time, patience and waiting). Max than proceeded to say, "I need to get my jammies on", I said, "ok, great!" I changed his him into jammies and he got his ice cream.
Max will ask all the questions in the world like, "can I mommy" with no real importance. It might be because he wants to throw the ball, or put a toy back in the bin. But, when we wants something he demands it. So much for being polite!

My favorite question and one I can't resist laughing to (and quite honestly, I don't know how to answer it).
Max: "Can I play with my peepee, can I mommy?"

Happy 4th of July!

Daryl and I took Max to the Eagan parade for the 4th. It's really nice and convenient, we don't have to drive just load up the wagon and walk one block to the main road where the parade runs. We had some friends join us this year, the kids had a lot of fun. Max enjoyed the parade, but was a little scared by all the horns and sirens and didnt want to get his own candy, so I willingly helped. The rest of our day consisted of lunch, a very quick trip to the Fun Fest, which Max didnt' care for, a nap (for all three of us), and playing at the park. We decided we stick it out for the evening and headed out for some ice cream and than sat and watched the fireworks. Max really enjoyed the fireworks, being his first time I was a little skeptical, but he was a trooper and loved every minute of it. I have to add that from where we were sitting, I counted at least 6 other fireworks displays going on at the same time, not as viewable as the ones we were watching, but pretty neat to see the entire sky lit up with fireworks.

Happy Independence Day!

If we had loaded the wagon with anymore stuff there wouldn't have been room for Max. 3 water bottles, a blanket, sunscreen, towel and snacks...did we forget anything.

We saw firetrucks, clowns, marching bands and even old men riding on little tiny cars.

For months, Max has been trying to figure out how to climb up this little tunnel that leads to the bigger part of the playground. I've risked ripping my arm off (by sticking them in the holes) many times to help him get up the darn thing. He decided to take his shoes off and what do you know, he made it up all by himself.
Come on over sometime and we'll take to the newest ice cream shop near our house. Ring Mountain, they've got homemade ice cream and even gelato...YUM-O! Max chose blue ice cream that tasted like frosting.