New car!

Pictures of the new car are forthcoming...

We bought a new car! It was a chaotic weekend and with all three of us not feeling 100%, a tiring weekend. Saturday morning, we went to look for some used Honda Pilots or Toyota Highlanders. We found a few that we liked, but the morning flew by quickly and we had to get home for lunch and a nap (for Natalie AND me!). Meanwhile, Todd went back out to Woburn Toyota to look at a few more cars. He came home and said he found a 2006 Highlander Limited he really liked, but it was only slightly out of our price range. But it had all of the sweet features... 6 CD disc changer, leather seats, HEATED SEATS (a must in my book), 3rd row seating, wood grain paneling, automatic EVERYTHING, etc. We were going to look at a Pilot in Newton on Sunday, but the place was closed. What car dealership is closed on a Sunday? We took that as a sign, and went back to Woburn Toyota and bought the car! Thankfully, Todd's sister Helen (and basically the whole family) were able to watch Natalie for a few hours. They didn't have to do much because she napped the whole time we were gone. But it would have been excruciating to sit there during the paperwork part of buying a car with a 2-year-old. So THANK YOU to the Wilmington Fitch's! Really, Todd's parents and sisters are amazing. They are always willing to help out and we really do appreciate it. That is probably the biggest reason we moved up here to Massachusetts. It's so important for so many reasons to have family around when you have kids... and of course, one of those very important reasons is babysitting! :-) They just really make our life so much easier.

Speaking of babysitting... Maureen (our daycare provider) was awesome enough to keep Natalie Sunday night while Todd and I went to see U2!!!! What a show! It was down at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro (where the Pats play). I read some reviews and some people thought the sound wasn't very good (I didn't think it was that bad) and EVERYONE thought the parking situation there stinks... which it does, but thanks to Todd's co-worker Erica, we learned some parking tips and although we had to walk 25 minutes to our car, we were out of there in about 1 minute. Some people had to wait for 2 hours just to get out of the parking lots there. We have been to a Pats game before, and knew that the parking was awful. There's basically one road in and out (Route 1) and it becomes such a mess. But no problems for us! We had a great time, and as usual, U2 was awesome. They always put on a really cool display and light show. This time, the stage was set to look like what Bono called, "A Spaceship." (See picture above). This was the third time I had seen them and they never dissapoint (although I WAS minorly dissapointed that they didn't play "Bad" even though they've been playing it almost every night on the tour so far!) But I digress...

Maureen was super awesome to watch Natalie AGAIN Monday evening. Todd and I had to go to the Newton Wellesley Hospital tour/orientation. It took about a half hour, but then we needed to drive to Woburn to pick up Harry Highlander, our new car. Our drive TO Woburn was fine, but because of the second U2 show in Foxboro Monday night, Route 128 (our main route home) was a parking lot. So we had to take backroads home (me in Sally Civic, Todd in Harry Highlander). We didn't get to Maureen's to pick up Natalie until 7:30! Thankfully, Maureen had fed my poor child, and taken her to her daughter Rosie's field hockey game. Rosie even scored a goal!

I really don't know what we would do without Todd's family and our awesome daycare provider Maureen. Probably go insane trying to drag a toddler with us everywhere! It always makes me want to say a prayer for people who don't have the great support systems we have, or are without family or loved ones nearby.

Oh, and I'm 34 weeks today!

Natalie's first test

Well, Natalie is coming down with a cold (just about every kid I know has one right now!) so this will be the first true test of the tubes. I am a little nervous because Jason (of Reese's Pieces blog fame) told me his daughter Reese got an ear infection only 3 weeks after she got her tubes put in! (Guess how many weeks it's been since Natalie's tubes were put in ... about 2.5 weeks!). He did say that after that ear infection, it's been 7 months and she's been ear infection free, so that is encouraging. Let's hope Reese and Natalie remain ear infection free through the winter!

Of course, Natalie's cold means she doesn't sleep very well, which means Todd and I don't sleep very well. Last night (or, I should say... this morning at 4:30 am) she woke up crying for water. We knew this was coming and had a premade cup of water for her in her room. Todd took her temperature and it was only 99.2- so clearly she's fighting something off but it's not that bad yet. I keep saying to myself, "Better to get all of the colds and illnesses now... rather than when she's in school!" Somehow, I think she'll still get them :-)

Meanwhile, Baby G is moving right along. No new news to report there. He's still an active little fella.

In other news, Todd sold his car! After about a week of NOTHING, he got a phone call from a guy who wanted to test drive it and possibly buy it for his daughter (who was about 22 and graduating from college. Geez, my parents told me to get a job!). Well, he liked it, so he's picking it up this morning. No more Senor Civic. (My car is Sally Civic!) I always get really emotional for some reason when selling a car. I remember being young and being in my dad's big white Oldsmobile, shedding a tear because I would miss it. (Then we got the Camry, and that car rocked too). There are a lot of good memories with Senor Civic... we took him to NYC the weekend we got engaged (and he blew a fuse in traffic near the Holland Tunnel, causing the car to overheat and Todd to panic because he said he could just envision our entire weekend being spent in New Jersey, thousands of dollars poorer because the car had to be fixed!). Turns out it was just a $20 fuse. Then, we brought Natalie home from the hospital in Senor Civic. As Natalie knows now, "Mommy's car is black. And Daddy's car is green." There were many fun family adventures in that car, but now... he's gone, and we need something bigger to accomodate our growing family. So this weekend, we have to go out and buy a car! Hopefully we find something we like this weekend, but we aren't in a crazy rush because I take the train to work and Todd can take my car. I want to find something though, because then I can drive next week and not have to battle all of the illnesses on the train. YUCK.

50 more days... and other things

Although I have some neat things to blog about, all I can think of is how I only have 50 more days until my due date. That and the fact that my friend Joan had her son Bennett last week, so now I am incredibly envious that she is no longer pregnant AND she is getting to spend time with her cute little baby boy! (Her third, after her daughter Allegra and son Gabriel). My friend Stacie is also due with her first (an unknown gender) in a little over a week... so again, more baby mama envy.

Above is a picture from our recent trip to Paul Revere's house. This is a moment where Natalie was actually behaving. :-)

This past weekend, Kathleen (Todd's sister) was awesome enough to watch Natalie for two nights while Todd and I went out to Wellfleet to spend a few nights hanging out with our friends Alesandro (Cooch) and Karen. O.B. joined us Saturday night as well. We had a grand time... just hanging out and catching up. Because we all have very busy lives with jobs, kids, homes, etc., even when we all get together, it feels like there isn't enough time to talk and catch up (plus, I feel we're always spread so darn thin because there are too many of those Wilmington-ites!). So it was really good to see them. Saturday, we went out to Provincetown and walked around, enjoying the sites, eating a yummy lunch of conch fritters, and a gruyere, onion, bacon, and apple sandwich (which Todd and I split). We had to leave room for FUDGE! Yum. It rained a little bit when we were out there, but for the most part it stayed dry and temps were in the low 70s- very comfortable. We also hit the farmer's market for some delicious mozzarella, fresh basil, peppers, and corn on the cob. AND we were lucky enough to see the Yankee Lambda Car Club roll by in their parade of old cars. They are a gay classic car owner's society, and they were a real trip. Only one drag queen though, bummer. :-)

O.B. joined us for dinner, and Cooch made an awesome chili. Not too spicy, full of flavor, and we ate it with mozzarella and cornbread. (In addition to a caprese salad Karen made!). We watched a little football, and a little bit of Jaws (in honor of the great white sharks that are swarming around Chatham!), and didn't go to bed until 1 am! OUCH. Todd and I were hurting all day on Sunday. We were exhausted. I went to bed at around 8:45 and we "slept in" until 6:45. I slept pretty well Sunday night, so I am not feeling too bad on this Monday morning.

Tomorrow is my 33rd birthday (did I just write that? I thought a woman never told her age!) and I have my 33 week appointment with the doctor in the afternoon. (How about that! 33 weeks on my 33rd birthday). It's my last one until my weekly's start at 36 weeks. It's getting down to the wire. Todd and I have a lot to do before he gets here and we are going to try to get it done in the next 3-4 weeks so I can really relax at the end. (And not worry in case he comes early).

Just look at this face

This look basically describes Natalie of late. So cute, and so grumpy sometimes. She is having a bit of trouble with patience lately. I am just hoping it's the terrible twos and not how she actually will be! She can't seem to make up her mind, and when she does, she wants it her way only. Yesterday, when we went to see Paul Revere's house in Boston, she couldn't decide whether she wanted to ride in her stroller, or walk along side it. But the very second she changed her mind about it (which was about 10 times over the course of a mile), she wanted it right NOW. Like, "I get in da stroller!" (Imagine a toddler screaming and crying and writhing around). We try to calmly tell her that all she has to do is ask- she doesn't need to cry or raise her voice. All she needs to say is, "Daddy, may I please get in the stroller now?" Of course, she immediately looks up at us with those big blue eyes, smiles and says, "Daddy may I please get in the stroller now?" Why of course, since you asked so nicely! But inevitably, a few minutes later, we hear her scream, "I get out and walk!" UGH. She is like a little Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde lately! We can't decide if it's just the terrible twos, or if the combination of ear tubes this week, a new baby on the way, and potty training is what is causing the ruckus.

Good news... tonight I just spotted her lower left 2-year-old molar coming in! Hooray! I am hopeful this is a big source of the crankiness. (In addition to the above mentioned things). I didn't see one on the lower left side and didn't push my luck trying to see the upper gums. "Maybe tomorrow", as Natalie says.

Cory and Brie are getting married!

Good news people... my brother finally asked his girlfriend of 3 years, Brianna, to marry him! This happened on the eve of their move from Tampa to Charleston, SC. What a crazy week for them! My mom said the ring was bee-you-tee-ful, so I can't wait to see pictures! He proposed to her on Bayshore Blvd, (I think) when they went out for a final walk before they finished packing up for Charleston. It sounded like she had no idea it was coming, which is always the best way to do it.

I can't believe my brother is getting married. That is so funny. To me, he's still my little 10-year-old brother. Whoa, we are totally adults now! :-)

Natalie's tube surgery

Natalie's tube surgery went way better than expected! The doctors and nurses at Newton Wellesley were so good and very pediatric oriented. I'm sure they've dealt with fussy kids before, but I seriously think mine is the fussiest when it comes to doctors. When we got there, we immediately went back to pre-op where she was weighed and measured. She did great during this. Normally at the regular pediatrician visits, she cries and screams, even during this part. But she got to stand on a real scale, and be measured against a wall, which is different than at the pediatrician. Plus, I got to do these things with her, rather than have the nurse do it. She just observed and that didn't bother Natalie. The child life specialist also came back with toys and stickers, which Natalie loves. I was really concerned about her hating the gas mask and they were so clever with it... they rubbed strawberry Lip Smackers on the inside so she would take a deep breath. Plus, they let her cover it with stickers, which she thought was fun. She didn't want to take the strawberry flavored Tylenol, but they said that wasn't a problem... they just put a Tylenol suppository in her while she was under! Genius! Todd went back with her and she didn't cry at all until they put the mask on her (which we expected) but Todd said within 15 seconds she was already drowsy. He said she didn't even thrash around (like she normally would). Within 30 seconds, she was out. This is a picture of Todd in his awesome spacesuit. He had to wear it to go into the surgery room. The whole thing took about 10 minutes (not even enough time for us to finish a discussion about Nicole Richie and who she is baby mama to - Todd had never heard of him). We went back to recovery and she was sleeping (for about 20-30 more minutes). When she woke up, she was a bit groggy and cried a bit that her right ear hurt. She also said her tummy hurt, but that was probably because she hadn't eaten breakfast and it was already around 10 or so. They brought her some crackers and graham crackers and water. She would periodically cry a bit, but it wasn't bad at all. We asked the nurse if it would be okay to go to Panera and get her a bagel, and she said that would be fine. When we asked Natalie if she wanted to go to Panera, she perked right up! By the time we got out to the car, she was almost back to normal. She ate a lot of her bagel and we even went to Target after breakfast.

They gave us antibiotic drops to give her twice a day for 10 days, and that hasn't been really easy, but we've bribed her with an M&M each time, and even though she cries when we give her the drops, it's pretty short lived. We let her watch Dora or an Elmo DVD. It usually stops the tears. Thankfully, Friday is the last day of those. Maureen (her daycare provider) has been kind enough to give her one dose right before her nap, so at least for the rest of the week, we only need to give her one dose ourselves!

31 week update

Not much to report here. I had my 31 week appointment today. Baby G is measuring right on target. Blood pressure is good, and I had my regular flu shot. Got all of my paperwork for my short term disability AND the hospital pre-admittance paperwork ready for submittal. Check me out, I'm a house. I'm not even going to tell you how much I weigh, but I have never seen numbers on a scale like that! And I have 9 weeks left? I'm on target to gain about 35 pounds. I realize this is within the normal limits range, but I don't like it. I only gained 22 with Natalie. And she was almost 8 of it! So unless I've got a 20 pound turkey coming out of me in a few weeks, I'm gonna have to befriend Weight Watchers!

Natalie has her tubes put in tomorrow morning. I know things will go fine, but I'm worried about her freaking out. She hates doctors and doesn't want anything in her face (uh oh, beware the gas mask!) or anyone holding her down. Only one parent can go back with her, so my wonderful husband kindly volunteered. I suppose it wouldn't do any good to anyone if I went back there and she was kicking and screaming. I'm pregnant for crying out loud! But we both get to be there when she wakes up. We'll keep you posted!

Baby Bailey Update

Baby Bailey is doing really well. I had an appointment for an ultrasound at 29 weeks, and he was already approximately 3 lbs 3 ounces. Well that pretty much rules out any chance of having Trisomy 18! He's a big boy! They were pretty sure his brain cysts were gone, but he wasn't cooperating very well and she was having a hard time seeing that area "just right." But she said from what she saw, she didn't think they were there anymore. If he doesn't have Trisomy 18, then it doesn't matter if they are there or not, because they don't mean anything. So that is good news! I met with a new doctor, Dr. Clark, and I really like her. We don't get to pick who delivers (it's whoever happens to be working that day), but so far, I've liked all of the doctors that I've seen. There are only 5, and I only have one more to see. I now start going to my appointments every 2 weeks. So my next appointment is on Tuesday, September 1st, then again on my birthday, the 15th. Can't wait!

Natalie has her tubes put in on September 2nd, so next week is going to be a busy week for us. Hopefully everything will go well. Only one parent gets to go back into surgery with her. There are no IV's, thank goodness, but they do use a mask to put them under. I'm pretty sure she'll hate that and fight it like mad. Yesterday at lunch, Natalie said, "I don't like to go to the doctor." Yeah baby, we know.

Trip to Seattle

Todd and I recently took a trip to Seattle! We had never been out there, and Todd had to go out there for a work training, I decided to join him for a visit to a new city/state and to see our friends Kern and Dorothy. K&D are Todd's friends from his school days in Wilmington, and now live out there in scenic Bellevue, WA. We arrived on separate flights on a Friday, and I returned home on Tuesday. Todd came back 2 days later on Thursday. My mom was awesome enough to come up and watch Natalie for that time. The day before we left, Natalie started sneezing a lot (which only means one thing: cold---ear infection!). God must have been with us, because although she had a runny nose for most of the time, she never did get an ear infection (this might be the first time ever). We had a great time in Seattle. We went out to 88 Keys for some dueling piano fun Friday evening. Saturday, we went to the Rock and Roll Museum, the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (did you know there was such a place?), and to the Space Needle. While the views were great, we couldn't see Mount Rainier due to cloud cover. Then we went to an awesome Italian restaurant called Pasta Freska. There are no menus, and they just keep bringing you more and more food. I would label this place, "Italitan tapas." Each dish comes in fairly small portions and no one seems to get the same thing. Sometimes Dorothy and I got the same thing, while Todd and Kern got something different. They also brought a Montepulciano wine that Kern and Todd drank (and I also had a sip of- it was YUM!). I enjoyed a strawberry lemonade!

Sunday we headed out to Safeco Field for the Mariners/Yankees game. It was a beautiful sunny day, with temperatures in the 70s. It was fun to see the Yankees get beat by the Mariners. :-) Afterward, we went back to Dorothy and Kern's to grill out some yummy steaks and a delicious potato dish. Oh and let's not forget game night and ice cream (if you haven't ever tried Ben and Jerry's cinnamon bun or marzipan ice cream, you are really missing out. Might be my new faves!).

Monday, we went to Pike Place Market and then for a drive out in the Cascades to Snoqualmie Falls and through Snoqualmie Pass. They always have to use tire chains through Snoqualmie Pass (well, at least according to The Weather Channel!) and I'm a weather geek, so I wanted to drive through there. They don't use chains on the tires in Massachusetts because it rips up the asphault. Pike Place Market was really fun. We got to see them toss fish, and were there as they cut the cake for Pike Place Market's 102nd birthday! We also ate lots of yummy food as we strolled around. It was another nice day- sun and maybe a few degrees warmer than the day before.

Tuesday I had to come home, but it was so good to see my baby girl! I really missed her and I swear she got even smarter when I was gone. I feel like I've missed her a lot this summer, between work trips to North Carolina, fun trips to Seattle, and her spending time with her grandparents down in Plymouth while her daycare was closed. But it's good to be home with her now!

Pictures from Plymouth

Here are a few pictures from our trip down to Plymouth. The first is the entire Bailey clan - Todd and his two sisters and brother, wives, husbands and all of the kids. Standing, L to R: Madison, Kathleen, Gordie, Helen, Gordon, Colleen, Todd, Natalie, Steve, Megan, Jeanne, and Hannah. Front row, L to R: Seth, Lauren, Carole, Warren, and Ryan. The other picture was just too cute not to post. My lovely daughter Natalie and her cousin (and my Godson!) Seth at the East Bay Grille for Warren and Carole's surprise 50th wedding anniversary dinner. Good times were had by all, and probably some serious heartburn too!

Off Color Jokes

Unbeknownst to Natalie, she made two off color funnies yesterday. For dinner, she had strawberries, Yo Baby yogurt, cold grilled chicken (she loved it cold) and made an attempt at jambalaya with sausage but it was too spicy for her, so Todd cut up some string cheese for her. Natalie could see him doing this, and said, "Daddy cut the cheese!"

Then later, when she was in the bathtub, I decided to get some last minute cleaning of her bedroom in. My mom is coming for a visit so I wanted to make sure things were straightened up. I wanted to swiffer Natalie's room, but have to do it when she's in the bathtub because she LOVES to swiffer and always wants to help. So nice of her, but I just didn't have time for that last evening. So as I was cleaning underneath her dresser and armoire, I was banging around with the swiffer stick, and Natalie was asking daddy about the noise. She tends to still confuse her 5 W's sometimes, and last night was no exception. She said to Daddy, "Who's Mommy banging?" Cleverly, Daddy responded, "Hopefully only Daddy!" HA HA HA!

27 Weeks, and other news

Here is a picture of me at 27 weeks. Not much else to say about that, except I'm getting BIG. He's gonna be a big boy.

Natalie had her ENT appointment this morning. It got postponed from yesterday because the doctor got called into emergency surgery. So we went to the doctor and Natalie kept saying, "We go to Mommy's doctor!" because the last time we went to a doctor, it was mine. So we had to explain to her that this was Natalie's doctor! She was fine until we had to go back and meet with the audiologist. She had a hearing test that involved sitting in a room on daddy's lap and hearing whistle type noises and watching some battery powered bears clap and make noise. (Kind of reminded me of Chuck E Cheese's!). She cried a little bit during that but basically sat quietly on daddy's lap with her hands over her ears. (It's like she knew we were there for her ears...). She didn't really want to participate, so all he could tell us was that he was sure she could hear, although he couldn't be 100% sure she could hear out of both ears because she "wasn't playing his game." ha ha. She is way too smart for her age and far too aware of everything going on around her for that.

Then the poor audiologist had to blow a little air into her ears with a special machine to see if there was fluid in her middle ear. He said her right ear was great, but the left ear was not as clear. Natalie of course, screamed and cried the whole time, and even threw up a bit again. Thankfully it wasn't much, and we came prepared with wipes, tissues, and a change of clothes!

Next was the visit with the actual doctor, who was very nice and recommended that she have tubes put in. (Well duh, we knew that!). He had to take a quick glance in her ears, and of course, that set her off again. Unbelievable. I've never known a kid to have THAT much doctor anxiety. Especially when none of what they did was painful to her. She just really hates being poked and prodded, especially by strangers, and most especially by male strangers!

So anyway, given what you just read... September 2nd should be a real adventure. That is when she is getting her tubes. It's on a Wednesday, and we definitely could use the prayers for patience and calmness! (For all 3 of us!). The surgery itself only takes a few minutes, but they have to put her under a light anesthetic so she doesn't squirm (and you KNOW she would!). It's getting the anesthetic in her that worries me... it's going to be seriously traumatic for all of us, but will be SO much better in the long run once she stops getting these ear infections!

Sorry, I've been away...

Sorry, I've been away for 2 weeks in the month of July on business in North Carolina. I actually really enjoy the work I do down there, but missed my girl and my guy terribly. I go down for the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program scoping meetings. They have them every year, and we visit different counties (this year, 16 in all) to assess whether their recently-produced FEMA flood maps are performing accurately, and to see if they have any new needs for the maps. It's fun to meet with the communities, and the people I work with from the State of NC are just awesome. I bought a pair of maternity jeans when I was down there that were about 5 inches too long and one of the guys even hemmed them for me! (He does a lot of costume production, so he knows his way around a sewing machine). It was awesome!!! I also got to enjoy a nice pedicure one evening, dinner out with my friend Lisa a few times, and dinner with Emma and Kriss (see the post from May about their wedding in Florida). They live in Wilmington, and I got to spend a night down there and have dinner with them. Very enjoyable! I haven't laughed that hard in a while!

But now I'm back and not going away on business for the rest of the year (to which Todd says, "THANK GOODNESS!"). Natalie got another ear infection the first week I was gone (July 12-17). Poor Todd. And of course, poor Natalie. We have an appointment on August 5th to meet with the ENT for her tube consultation. We can't WAIT. Then I came home for a week, but Natalie's daycare was closed for vacation, so I spent Monday at home with her and went to my 24 week appointment (even though I was really almost 25 weeks). Todd was home with her on Tuesday and my in-laws came Tuesday afternoon to spend the night and take Natalie back to Plymouth with them on Wednesday. I missed her like crazy, but I got a lot of things done. Todd and I went to dinner at British Beer Company and then to see the Johnny Depp movie Public Enemies. AND we managed to get home by 9:30, which was great. I also got the house cleaned, Natalie's clothes sorted and organized (you have to do this every once in a while because they grow out of them so quickly), and about 5 loads of laundry done. On the 24th, Todd and I went to the Red Sox-Orioles game. The Sox won (thankfully) 3-1, and Brad Penny got the win. I wore a t-shirt that said "Future Sox Fan" around my belly. I was like a rock star, people were constantly telling me how cute it was. Aunt Betty got it for me, so I have to thank her for that. It was a big hit!

Then we went to Maine the following morning for Gordie's 50th birthday party. (For those who don't know, he is my brother-in-law... Todd's sister Helen's husband). They have a lake house up there that is awesome, and Gordie has done most (if not all) of the work on the house himself over the last 10 years. It's so cool. Natalie had a good time running around the place and playing on the porch-like swings. (They had 2!) We spent the night in a local motel (in Sanford, ME) where Katharine Hepburn used to stay! On our way back to Boston Sunday morning, we stopped at Bunker Hill to waste some time before Todd was going to drop me off at Logan to head back to North Carolina. They did a revolutionary war rifle demonstration that was really cool. We want to go back when we have a little more time.

Since I came back from North Carolina, we went to Natalie's 2nd cousin Joshua's 2nd birthday party this past Saturday. It was SO much fun and Natalie could not stop talking about going to "Joshua's house." She painted little wooden cars, did an egg hunt, ate cake and ice cream and played with balloons. On Sunday, we went to Mandy and OB's house in Haverhill for their open house. Their new house is so awesome, and even has a little chalkboard wall in the living room that Natalie really liked. Her friend Annabelle was there too, so they had so much fun together again.

Up next: Atlanta this weekend for my friend Stacie's baby shower, time spent with the Maryland Bailey's (as they are coming up here for their annual summer visit), and we're off to Seattle in a couple of weeks! FUN!!!

4th of July weekend

FINALLY we saw some sunshine over 4th of July weekend after a very nasty June. The NWS called it the "second gloomiest June on record." (Meaning we got very little sunshine). We had 14 days of the month with measurable rainfall (record was 16 days). Most days were cloudy, foggy, misty, breezy, and in the 60s. It was miserable.

But summer made it's appearance in time for the holiday weekend. First, on Friday, Todd, Natalie and I went to the Elm Bank Reservation. It has lots of pretty gardens and places for Natalie to run around. We found a killer hill that will be great for sledding in the winter. We saw a bunny rabbit, several dogs (on leashes of course), and a bunch of neat statues and things all around the gardens. Natalie started coming down with a cold, so we wanted to get her outdoors so she could "work it off" (ha ha). We also went to Panera for lunch. This is one of her favorite things to do. She loves their grilled cheese and yogurt.

On the 4th of July, we walked downtown to the Kiwanis pancake breakfast for some good eats. I think Natalie ate about 3 whole pancakes... I lost count somewhere after 2. Then we walked toward the town square to get a seat in the grass for the Natick 4th of July parade. Natalie really liked it. We thought the 15 firetrucks (and all of the wailing that went along with them) would bother her. But as soon as they were gone, she looked up at us and said, "More?" She liked all of the music that was played, and anything that had balloons on it. She is also like me... a people watcher. She loved seeing all of the kids and dogs that would walk by. She is just enthralled with dogs of any kind. She gets all giddy when they are around. She crouches down real low, pets them very softly, and then jumps up and laughs (and usually says something like, "Puppy Dog!").

After the parade and a nap, we joined our neighbor Bill and his friends and family at his 4th of July BBQ. A good time was had by all. There were a couple of small kids/babies there, so Natalie had some playmates. Then we finally met our neighbors across the way who have a 22 month old son named Spencer. They are all really nice, and we're so happy to have good neighbors!

We enjoyed a fairly quiet Sunday, going to church, and then the Bakery on the Common in Natick for a YUMMY breakfast. I'm definitely going back there for some pasteries. They looked excellent in the display case! Then we went to the park. Natalie discovered the teeter-totter (Todd wants to call it the see-saw). She LOVED the teeter totter and cried when we had to leave. I think it might have overtaken the swings as "Natalie's favorite playground activity."

The other picture up there was Natalie saying, "CHEESE" (yes, she makes this face when we tell her to say that) after we had taken her pony tails! She had the craziest hair... it was so funny.

Colleen at 22 weeks

Here ya go folks! 22 weeks along with Butterbean! I think I'm more pointy this time with him. I was more rounded with Natalie.

Natalie's 2 year stats

I'm a bit late with these, but better late than never right? Natalie had a very traumatic experience at the doctor's for her 2 year appointment. I'm not sure if they do this everywhere, but up in Massachusetts, they draw blood yearly to check lead levels in the blood. Last year in Virginia, they pricked her finger, which was bad enough. This year, in Massachusetts, they got the blood from the elbow crook of the arm, just like they would an adult! Good luck trying to find the vein on a chubby, squirmy toddler! She was not pleased. In fact, she threw up because she was so mad. If only she had hit the nurse, then we would have been satisfied, ha ha. Unfortunately, she just threw up all over herself. Daddy was spared, at least. She also got her last shot for a while (Hep-A).

She weighed 27 lbs 14 ounces (67th percentile), was 34 inches tall (55th percentile) and had a head circumference of just over 20 inches (which was still 99th percentile, but hadn't really grown much since her 18 month appointment so it looks like the rest of her body is trying to catch up with her big noggin!).

Forgot to post this...

Sorry folks, I forgot to post this picture! This was me at 19 weeks (now I'm 21 weeks, so I'll take another pic in two more weeks). My belly is considerably bigger this time around at this point in time. I think at 19 weeks I look like I did with Natalie at about 26 weeks. Pretty crazy!

Natalie's 2nd birthday

Happy 2nd birthday to my Baby Girl! I can't believe she's actually 2. Where did the last 2 years go? We had a fun birthday on Saturday. We met up with our friends Mike and Andrea, and their 3-year-old daughter Annabelle to go to the zoo. Natalie and Annabelle were SO cute together. It really made me want a little sister for Natalie (no offense Butterbean! It was especially cute when the two of them were holding hands and walking through Stone Zoo. Of all of the animals we saw, the one that stuck out the most in Natalie's mind was the very large worm that we saw. This wasn't even an animal on display! It has been raining a lot up here in Massachusetts and had rained the night before, so this guy was just crawling along on the sidewalk. When we asked Natalie (later) what she saw at the zoo, she said, "I saw a worm!" We also got to ride on the train. There is a little train for small children that goes on a circular track that Natalie and Annabelle couldn't stop talking about. It was at the entrance/exit to the zoo, so we decided to go see the animals and THEN go for a ride on the train. That is all Natalie and Annabelle talked about the whole time! So funny. So we put the girls on the train and as the train started, it gave a really big jerk... and Natalie fell over in the seat. (She was fine, didn't fall out or anything, but it really scared her). So she was crying and wanted off the train. Annabelle was worried that she did something wrong (even though, of course, she didn't!). So Andrea and I got on the train with the girls. We were a sight to see... two pregnant ladies trying to cram ourselves into this kiddie train. But it made Natalie really happy and she had a good time. She kept talking about how she rode on the train at the zoo. Then she would smile and say, "I fall down on the train!"

After the zoo, we all went to Friendly's for lunch. Natalie had a grilled cheese (which she ate almost all of), fries (which she didn't really eat) and a scoop of chocolate/vanilla soft serve with sprinkles. She ate a lot of that (I was surprised). Annabelle gave her a set of Curious George books for her birthday that she LOVED and we read all weekend long.

The rest of the weekend was spent at Grami and Bean's house in Plymouth. We had a cupcake after dinner and sang Happy Birthday. Natalie made an attempt at blowing the candles out, but daddy had to do it for her this time. Maybe next year! Then Todd and I got to enjoy a nice evening out to celebrate the fact that we have survived 2 years of parenthood! And we celebrated Father's Day. We went to 14 Union in Plymouth and had a scrumptious (to use my friend Corinne's favorite word) meal, and then went to see The Hangover at the movie theater. VERY funny movie. I hadn't laughed that hard at a movie since Role Models.

Natalie's Early Birthday Party

Natalie had her birthday party a week early this year, because Auntie KK, Madison, and Seth are going to Williamsburg, VA on her actual birthday. It worked out well, because we were also able to celebrate Bean's birthday, and even Nauni's (Todd's sister Helen) birthday (which was in late May). I think Natalie might have been more interested in the cake than anything else, which she calls, "Happy Birthday Cake." She got many great gifts, and hardly knew what to play with first! From movies (Wall-E), to musical oinking pigs, to Mega Blocks, to tricycles, to dollhouses and baby dolls... I think she got more presents for her birthday than she got for Christmas! It's so hard for me to believe my baby girl is 2 years old. Before you know it, Brother Butterbean will be here, and he will be 2 years old in the blink of an eye also.

Natalie's new game

This post is for my friend Buzz, who says I don't blog enough. I'm trying to find little things in my life that are worthy of blogs, but most days, it's the same ol' same ol'. Do people really want to read about what I had for dinner last night, or how Todd and I folded Natalie's clothes? Or how we watched the Red Sox sweep the Yankees, but since I'm pregnant and tired, I fell asleep in the 8th inning? Really, it's pretty boring stuff on a daily basis. Really, the most interesting part of our lives is Natalie. She really grows so much developmentally on a weekly or even daily basis.

Lately, Natalie's imagination is really starting to bloom. I had a very active imagination as a child, and I'm very excited for this phase in her life. Although I never realized until now that there is a fine line between developing a creative imagination and developing a little liar! Let me begin by saying that this all happened between Todd and Natalie and I was not there, so if I get the little details wrong, Todd can correct me. :-) Yesterday, Natalie announced to Todd, "I go on the bus today!" Todd, knowing she did not go on a bus yesterday, said, "Oh really? Where did you go on the bus?" Natalie said, "I go to school." Okay good. Just like her friend Mia at daycare who goes on the bus several days a week to pre-school (Mia is 3 years old). So Todd asks her, "What did you learn about in school today?" Natalie thinks about it, and says, "Um... uh... um... uh... OWLS!!!"

It's a BOY!!!

We found out last week that we are having a boy! We are totally thrilled. Now we can be done with the business of baby making! (Being pregnant makes me rather miserable, so I'm so happy to have one of each and be done with it). Sorry the picture looks crooked on here. I'm a terrible scanner. And he was slightly looking away from the camera which meant we didn't get a 100% profile pic. Just like his sister, he was very stubborn and didn't want to move for us. But he yawned when we were watching him... it was SO adorable. He is measuring right on target and everything looked perfect with him... except one thing. He did have two CPC's - Choroid Plexus Cysts in his brain. No big deal though, according to the doctor. It CAN be indicative of Trisomy 18, but in his case, it is probably not since he is so well developed everywhere else. Trisomy 18 babies can have major defects with their hearts, kidneys, hands and feet, to name a few. His were all perfect! Trisomy 18 babies have clinched fists, and he had his hand wide open, fingers spread apart. All signs pointed to a healthy baby... but we went to a maternal fetal specialist this week, just to be sure. They said the same thing our doctor said... that he looked great! They did not even recommend doing an amnio, which would rule it out completely- they were that confident. The good thing (??) about the cysts is that they will most likely be gone by birth (they just dissipate on their own), and they are in a part of the brain that makes cerebrospinal fluid. This area is very spongy and can be prone to these cysts. They are not in an area that is responsible for development, thinking, or personality. These cysts are also a "normal variant" - which means it's something normal they often see on ultrasounds in developing babies. In fact, it's about 1 in 50 babies that get it! To put that in perspective, Natalie's hip dysplasia was a 1 in 1000 thing (or so we were told). AND lastly, just because he has these cysts, it has no bearing whatsoever on how healthy he will be as a child/adult. They are not related to anything else, except Trisomy 18 (and even then, it's a minor association). They do not mean he will get brain tumors, they do not mean he will get cancer, and they do not mean he will have developmental delays. He will be and is PERFECT!!!!

Vacation to Florida (Part III)

Okay, these are just cute pictures of Natalie that we took on our trip! I couldn't resist! The first two are of a trip to Indian Rocks Beach that we took. Natalie and Daddy were making, "Happy Birthday to You Cakes." (This is what she called them). The next two are pictures with Nana and Pop Pop. The last one is a great pic of her on Indian Rocks Beach when she and Daddy walked down to the beach. One thing's for certain, this kid loves the beach!

Vacation to Florida (Part II)

Some of our vacation was NOT about Natalie! Big shocker, I know. Todd and I got to enjoy a few nights alone down at the Trade Winds Resort in St. Petersburg Beach. We slept until 9 every morning (if the 32-year-old me had told the 22-year-old me that... I would have laughed at myself!) and we went to the beach, enjoyed some fruity drinks (virgin for me of course) and spent some time at the pool. We also went out to dinner both nights. Once to Middle Grounds Grill (excellent choice if you're ever in Treasure Island, FL!), and then to Melting Pot. YUM! We even got to go out and see the new Star Trek movie!

We also attended the wedding of my oldest and dearest friend Emma. I have known Emma since I was 5 and she was 7. She was my neighbor growing up, and my very best friend. Oh the stories she could tell about me! :-) Emma and Kriss had a beautiful evening ceremony on Clearwater Beach, and then a reception on the beach under a big tent. The weather was just perfect and made for beautiful sunset pictures. You could not have asked for more beautiful wedding day weather.

Todd, Cory, Brianna, Dad and I also went to the Tampa Bay Rays-Minnesota Twins game. The Rays lost (and yes, we were rooting for them, but only cause Todd had the Rays pitcher on his fantasy baseball team and the Sox won that day!). It was a good game anyway, and Todd and I went to centerfield to "pet the Rays." They have a Ray tank out in centerfield where you can actually touch some rays. EW! But pretty cool anyway.

AND... Todd got to play 18 holes with my brother and my dad while I went to get my hair done! Nana (Mom) stayed busy the whole week chasing after Natalie, which is of course, her favorite pasttime!

Vacation to Florida! (Part I)

We had an absolute blast in Florida from May 23-June 1. It started off with Natalie enjoying very much the bus ride on the Logan Express to the airport. I believe "I go on a bus today" came out of her mouth no fewer than 50 times that day! Then we went to the airport for our non-stop flight to Tampa. Thankfully there were no delays and we got to Florida without any problems. Natalie was so well behaved, and we were told so by a bunch of people sitting around us for both flights (coming and going).

Nana and Pop Pop had a VERY cool bubble machine that Natalie really loved. She got so excited about it. We also enjoyed a lot of fun in the pool and on the boat. It was Natalie's first boat ride ever. She cried when we had to come home!

Updates...

We had a fun weekend in the Bailey household and even more fun is on the horizon. I am 16 weeks today (very exciting) and have my next appointment on Friday. Not much to report probably (they don't do much at these appointments) but our big ultrasound is June 5th, so get ready for the big announcement!

Friday evening, Todd, Natalie and I took a walk to the library, and then stopped at Pizza Plus on our way home. Natalie at 1.5 pieces of pizza!!!!! I was very impressed. She is so funny and friendly with everyone. She was waiving and saying "Hi guys!" to all of the men working in the pizza place. Then the delivery guy came in with his pizza bag and Natalie called it a backpack! She is so smart sometimes.

Saturday, we went down to Fan Pier in Boston for the Volvo ocean race festivities. These boats are sailing around the world, and their next stop is Galway, Ireland. So they had an Irish festival with music and Guinness. Natalie LOVED the dancers. Hopefully I can get the video of her dancing posted before we go to Florida on Saturday (although smugmug has been having some technical difficulties lately). It was priceless! Then we went to eat at a sports bar (yes, we take our kid to eat at bars!) and Natalie ate "fish nuggets." We find if we call anything nuggets, she is more likely to eat them! Even though it was just a fish-n-chip platter.

Sunday, we spent most of the day at home before heading over to Helen's house after Natalie's nap. Todd and I went to the Celtics-Magic game (game 7 of the Semi-finals!), and Natalie got to play with Helen and Lauren. They went to the park, and had pizza for dinner. Apparently, Lauren got Natalie ready for bed, and when she was in her pack-n-play, Natalie said, "I love you Lulu!" Helen said it brought tears to her eyes!!!!

Unfortunately, the game did not turn out in our favor (let's just say, it was a beat down by the Magic!). But we had fun anyway. Todd, Ryan, OB, and I went to the Fours for dinner, and then to the game. The boys drank beer, I ate ice cream! We were really bummed about the score though. The Celtics just didn't have it. Maybe next year.

Now we are getting ready for our big trip to Florida on Saturday! I really can't wait. I'm a little nervous about the flight down there. 3.5 hours on a plane with Natalie at 3 pm (waaaay past nap time) should be interesting. I hope she's so tired that she passes out for most of the flight, but I have a feeling it will be the opposite. That she'll be SO tired that she can't sleep! I really hope the hum of the engines will lull her to sleep. Pray for us!!!!!

The Eye of the World

Okay. I admit I'm a complete dork for loving this book. See, back in February, Todd and I made a little bet. If I won the bet, he had to read Jodi Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper." If he won the bet, I had to read "The Eye of the World" by Robert Jordan. Hmmm, I guess you can tell who won. I was very reluctant at first to read this. I whined a lot about it. "Do I have to????" Todd is a very fair person, so I had to be equally fair and honor our bet. So I started reading it a few weeks ago. I LOVE IT! I'm totally hooked. It's the first in an 11 book series called the "Wheel of Time", and all of the books are about as long as the first one, which is 782 pages long. This book follows the adventures of Rand Al'Thor and his friends from the Two Rivers (Emond's Field) and their fight against "The Dark One." It reminds me a bit of the TV show Heroes in that sometimes, you aren't quite sure who is good, and who is evil! (Especially with the secondary characters, but even sometimes with the main characters).

To be fair to the world of fantasy books/movies, I really enjoyed watching the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (also something I did not think I would like). I already have books 2 and 3 of the Wheel of Time series lined up at home, ready to read. Todd is waiting for book 4 from the library. They are making these books into a movie (allegedly) too, which is pretty cool. I guess they are still in talks with Universal about the rights/legal issues, etc. So production is still a long way off. I thoroughly recommend this book, even if you don't like fantasy type reading. Kind of like how a lot of people didn't think they would like the Twilight series (which I haven't read) because it had vampires in it- but everyone seems to love those books!

Baby Bailey

Baby Bailey is a little machine! S/he was moving the entire time we were in for the ultrasound, which was about 20 minutes. I totally cried the whole time. I think I realize this time how MUCH I will love that little baby. I knew I would love Natalie... but I don't think you have any idea what the extent of that love will be until they are here. AND... my love for her grows every day! So I know what's in store with this one... and s/he was so just perfect! It appeared that s/he has Natalie's nose (one of my favorite features!). We saw the two lobes of the brain, the heart and the bladder... all things that make you think, "Hmmm, there really IS a baby in my belly!" Oh and the heart rate was in the 170s. Here is a pic of Butterbean. See the legs to the left? The little thing above Butterbean's head is his/her hand. I am SO excited though. I've just known a lot of people who have gone through rough pregnancies lately, and although I'm only 12 weeks and I still have a LOT of time left, it's just so encouraging to see my sweet baby moving all around on the ultrasound!