hitting the road

We are getting ready to hit the road for a week long vacation. We will be at the cabin in Idaho with a couple days in Montana to visit the grandparents. Looking forward to a lot of swimming at the lake as long as the rain lets up and sun decided to come out again.

Once we get back it is a quick week before Daniel gets ACL replacement surgery and then Alena heads off to pre-school. I am amazed at how quickly summer how has passed and yet it feels like things are just getting started.

baby bump::reflection

It seems as if the first 11 weeks of this pregnancy went by so slowly. Maybe it was the decision to not tell others the news or maybe it was the constant feeling of nausea that was with me throughout the day. Whatever it may have been the last nine weeks have flown by. When asked what week I am in I often have to stop to think and even then can be off by a week. It is amazing the difference between the two pregnancies. Working full time was sure to make things fly by but really I had the luxury of getting home and laying on the couch by four in the afternoon each day. Now I find myself looking up at the end of a week and wondering how it passed so quickly. Between swimming, ballet, workout and playing with friends it's not that hard to figure out where the time has gone.

This past Wednesday evening after a long day of kiddo and an evening class I felt the baby move on the outside for the first time. At first it was hard to tell, I doubted and wondered but then a few minutes later it was confirmed. I was amazed at how reassuring that feeling was. It solidified things for me in a way that is hard to explain. The next day Daniel was also able to feel the baby and Alena tried, exclaiming each time "wow, she just did a somersault" even if nothing was happening. She just loves listening to the baby and being the translator for all of us as to what "she" is saying.

Early this coming Wednesday we are going to the Doctor for the ultrasound. We hope to find out the sex of the child [as long as everyone is cooperating]. With Alena we found out because of pure curiosity. Daniel's argument was that it narrowed his list of names to think about by half. But knowing in advance did not help us in picking the name any sooner. Alena was still without a name for the first 2.5 days of life. I am not sure knowing in advance will help narrow down our name options. I do think we will all be happy to know if its a boy or girl. I believe that Alena will have some major adjusting if it turns out the "she" is a "he" but I know she excited either way.

two turned three::three going on four

I can hardly believe it when I think over the years. Three seemed to pass so quickly and yet here we are. Alena turned three yesterday and as we went through the day with family celebrating I was struck by just how much she has changed over this past year. She is so eager to explore and try thing on her own. Next week she will be a Goldfish in swimming and is eagerly looking forward to getting into the pool alone with out mom [I am looking forward to not getting into my bathing suit]. She loves riding her bike while we walk to the farmers market and to the park to play.

The stories she has started to tell are entertaining and she can't get enough of her books on record. And on and on... These past few months have been wonderful getting time to really spend time with her. As I realize that September is coming soon and that she will be off at pre-shool part of the day, I want to spend more and more time absorbing everything she does.

By the first of the year the whole dynamic of our family will be changing as we are getting ready to welcome number four to our family.


Yes that's right I am a little over three months along and just out of the tired/nausea all day long feeling. It has been a little different this time around with a Toddler turned Kid who no longer enjoys taking a nap. We are all excited to experience our first Dr. appointment together. Alena loved listening to the baby'sx heart beat and now wants to talk to it daily. I have a feeling the next 5 plus months are going to be a bit long for this little girl.

Now that I have a bit more energy these days I hope to post a bit more often. I was looking back at this year and this is only my 12th post so far. Not quick the best track record for the third year of this blog but who is counting. Since the last post we have taken at least three more photo booth images. Maybe that will be the next post...

slow movin'

Miss. A is now to the point where getting to a place is as much fun as the place we are going to. She loves walking around and exploring every little detail along the way. She smells each flower, talks of the water they need, and points out each manhole or fire hydrant and talks about the water that is in each one.



Last week Miss. A and I drove down to my hometown to visit family and friends. We were meeting some friends for dinner but were about twenty minutes early so I parked two blocks away. This was the perfect distance because despite my wondering what we would do to pass the time she showed me by exploring the whole two blocks.



This is such a wonderful age. Her vocabulary is growing each day so much so that it is hard to keep up. She will want to recap events from the day before and talk about who and what was there. I can tell that this summer is going to be filled with all sorts of wonderful walks and adventures that she will be more than willing to talk about if someone were to ask. I am learning to take it slow. Park farther away and enjoy the process of getting to our destinations.

change in weather

After a few days of rain we were thankful for the sun that came out today. It was truly a spring day and one to enjoy. Miss. A and I enjoyed some time playing in the park this morning only to return home to warmer weather and sun that would only duck behind the clouds momentarily. Miss. A did not even want to go inside the house but instead insisted on playing in the yard.



So in the yard we stayed playing and eating lunch. Daniel was even able to take a bit of time off from to join us outside.



The progression of the plants and flowers in the yard are exciting to watch. Since this is our first full year in the house we are captivated by the different plants and are always talking about what should stay/go, how to trim different trees, etc. We have just finally finished identifying the plants in our yard thanks to our local nursery. The even let us know the plants that were poisonous and may not be so good to have around with a little kid. As the weather warms up we are finding ourselves slowly waking up from hibernation. House projects that have been put off for months are being revisited or started. There is something about the changing of the season that has allowed us to be revived. This is going to be a wonderful spring.

happy weekend to me

This weekend was wonderful in that it seemed to last forever. I was blessed to spend some quality time with both family and friends and that is what a happy birthday is all about. The weekend seemed to start on Thursday and go well into this evening. These are just a few of my favorite things.

::opening my shop:: going to hear an author speak about her great book::receiving a gift subscription to Selvedge magazine:: going to the museum with the family:: not cooking a single meal:: having brunch with the extended family:: receiving a beautiful necklace made by SCHEER:: going to see a great movie at this new theater in town. i would recommend this place to anyone who lives here:: wrapping up brown paper packages tied up with string and shipping them off:: sketching ideas in a new journal, it always feels good to finish a journal:: walking to the park with friends and playing in the sun:: knitting with friends::

There is something about having the sun come out that just enhances the events of a day. The weather around here has been so nice and is has put everyone in such good moods. I know that the rain is said to be coming tomorrow but I believe the events of this weekend will hold me over till the next sunny day.

lesson

I have realized this week that there is a lesson to be learned in traveling a lot. Over the past three weeks Miss. A has been traveling quite a bit and I believe it has caught up with both her and I. About three weeks ago she flew to Montana with her grandfather for four days and the report was that she had an amazing time. She returned in good spirits despite her new found obsession with babies and waking up a bit early. Once she returned we were able to enjoy a fun-filled week at home and then went back on the road for a few days to Seattle. Only to return and send her to the grandparents for three days. I have now realized that it may have been a bit much for her. On all accounts she did an amazing job of transitioning from one place to another and had a wonderful time while there but now it is different. It actually took me most of this week filled with frustration to figure out that she may have been a bit overly stimulated by the events.



This past week since being home she has needed to be attached to my side. Wanting me to follow her throughout the house, most of the time saying 'hand' so that I would then have to hold her hand on our excursions. At first it was fun being right by her side. I too had missed playing together and enjoying her company. But soon I grew frustrated as she would become mad if I was doing anything other then giving her my full and undivided attention. She would rip a paper out of my hands if I was reading or push me away from the counter if I was making dinner or washing dishes. On most days by the time she went down for a nap I would just sit there spinning my wheels because there was so much I wanted to get done that little actually got accomplished. Yesterday I finally realized that thought I had thought it was a developmental stage she was in, and it may be, it struck me that her behavior may be due not only to knowing that I would not leave her but that for three weeks she had experienced the undivided attention of friends, family and relatives. I am still a bit unsure about how to get that happy old Miss. A back, the one who would be happy to sit in her room and read books on her own or play with her toys for a bit while I finished a task. For now I just feel a little bit better with a new outlook on why she may be acting this way. I hope that as this stage passes more will get accomplished around here.

google blogger

So I was away from the blog world for a few days and when I tried to post they forced me to signup with google blogger. I have been avoiding the transition for some time and still have no idea what it all means but wanted to post so I made the switch, maybe it is time I changed over to Typepad. Not only have I been away from the computer a lot this week but I have also made some distance between fabric stores and myself. Yes, I made a vow to myself that after the show was over I would not walk into a fabric store for at least two weeks. So far it has not been that hard seeing that the amount of trips per week/day I was making turned out to be a bit overwhelming. Along with the fabric store I have yet to touch my sewing machine other than to sew on a bit of Velcro to diapers I made for Miss. A's baby. Her baby obsession has compounded since visiting relatives last week, so much so that Daniel had to confiscate all but the one she came back with. At least until she stops asking for a baby every time she wakes up.

This past week Miss. A and I made the most of our time and took a lot of trips to both the Science and Children's Museums. As a family we even ventured out on Friday evening to enjoy the opening exhibit Viscious Fishes. We had a great time staying up way past Miss. A's bed time and looking at all of the amazing snakes and fishes. We are really looking forward to the next exhibit Body Worlds3 to come to OMSI. The tickets go on sale the first of March and the show does not even open until June. I have a feeling it is going to be incredible and worth all the wait.

It feels good to take a bit of a break from sewing for a few days and catch up on other things. This is not to say I have not been busy with knitting. There is many an unfinished project laying around for me to work on. We also worked a bit on the house. Something that was unplanned but much needed. We have been intending to rip out the carpet in the den for some time and get moving on the transformation. So for a great Saturday night date we did just that. All of the dirty brown shag carpet came out in about an hour and we are once again motivated to get the room finished. Now it is just a matter of painting every last square inch of the place. That will be for another day.



Tomorrow Miss. A and I will be heading up to Seattle for a nice mini vacation with my sister. She had her second child, a little girl, three weeks ago and we will be up there helping out while her husband is out of town on work. We are quite excited to see the little girl who made her way into the world three weeks early. I foresee a lot of great walking around Green Lake and Alki. My sister is very active and there is noting that will keep her in the house not even two children less than 16 months old. We always have a wonderful time together and it will be great with it being just the two of the kids and us, something that I cant remember happening in the past five plus years.

I am currently trying to finish a few gifts to take up with me. We will see how productive naptime is today.