A Weekend To Remember: Memorial Day 2013

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Kelly

Good afternoon and happy Wednesday!

We got back from South Dakota yesterday afternoon and have been playing catch-up ever since.

This was the last trip we planned to take before Baby Two’s arrival and we are so glad we made it happen. It was relaxing, stress-free, and fun.

Our previous trips that we have taken with Lula–all road trips–have tended to be tiring and stressful at times. It is simply what happens when we choose to travel with a baby.

9 months

11 months

15 months

This time, that was not the case. From the moment we got in the car, things were fantastic!

We made a point to take an hour break for lunch at a rest stop and Lula had a blast exploring.

She napped in the car twice. The entire trip up to SD took six hours with stops. She also read some of her books to pass the time which was so adorable.

Once we arrived at our destination–we stayed with Pa’s mom–Lula was immediately busy exploring the yard and house.

I was wary about how she would sleep as we have had limited success in the past but our first night there, she only woke up for a little while around 4 AM and otherwise slept extremely well, much to my delight!

I took it pretty easy on myself in terms of exercise. I ran/walked with Pa and Lula on Saturday before we left Kansas and walked a few miles with Pa’s mom and Lula on Sunday before we got in some good park time to let Lula stretch her legs.

After an incredibly relaxing day, we grilled Sunday night, including smores for dessert!

They were delicious.

Lula passed out and we heard nothing from her until Pa woke her up the following morning.

Pa went for a run while his mom and I prepped breakfast. She made french toast and it was truly the best I have ever had.

Stopping at two pieces was challenging.

Post-breakfast, we walked over to the park and let Lula run wild.

She had so much fun sniffing flowers,

exploring concrete tunnels,

attracting mud,

relaxing under a huge willow tree,

and running everywhere.

I feel that I have done my job when she exhausts herself by exploring her world.

The park was holding a memorial service while we were there and it was neat to see all of the flags and hear some of the speakers honoring those who served the United States.

After the park, Lula was extremely overtired. She eventually ended up taking a nap, thank goodness.

Once Lula revived, we headed back out into town to explore a new pedestrian bridge. It was structured in a way that Lula could safely run on it without falling into the lake.

The bridge offered a bottom and top area to stroll upon and we took advantage of both.

From there, we headed home and got ready to go out for dinner.

Dinner was delicious. Pizza for everyone!

That evening before we started Lula’s bedtime routine, she explored the yard one more time which included smelling every single flower that she could find.

We had a relaxing night chatting and watching junk TV before turning in around 10 o’clock. We were up at 7 and on the road back to Kansas at 10.

A rest stop for lunch was the perfect break for all of us.

After that, we made good time getting home. We spotted this fun sight somewhere in Missouri…it’s the big yellow thing in front of the semi. Guesses?

Pa guessed that it was the golden arches and he was right.

Today, I am a little sad to be home. It was a great trip and I was spoiled with all the help I had watching Lula. This morning was somewhat of a rude awakening as we all had to face reality.

Ah well, routine makes vacations all the sweeter. I hope that you had a fantastic weekend and we are just a few days from the next one!

Weekend In Review: 4.27 & 4.28

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Kelly

Good afternoon and another happy Monday to you.

We are in for a beautiful day here in Kansas so Lula and I are going to take advantage of the weather, especially since the rest of the week doesn’t look so nice.

We had a great weekend, even if I didn’t document all of it. In other words, I was lazy and tired.

Although I didn’t do any intentional exercise on Friday, I was experiencing a lot of stomach tightness throughout the day. With that in mind, I was not expecting much from Saturday’s run.

In total, I walked/ran 5 miles. Anything is better than sitting on my butt, right? Lula and I had fun taking some photos.

While Lula and I strolled, this bird put on quite a performance so we stopped and listened for awhile.

We got home and after cleaning up, I decided oatmeal was the right recovery breakfast. It hit the spot.

Apparently nothing else happened Saturday since this was the last photograph I took.

In actuality, we ate a light lunch after naps for everyone and then headed to a going away party for one of Pa’s coworkers in the early evening.

When we came home, we enjoyed some popcorn while watching Taken 2. We didn’t finish it until last night but it was a great movie…almost as good as the first one. We like action/suspense flicks and this movie fit the bill.

Sunday morning came quickly and our run turned into another run/walk for me. I probably ran/walked close to 4 miles.

It was absolutely gorgeous outside and Pa and Lula and I savored every moment of the sunny, breezy, fifty degree morning.

We let Lula run around for awhile once we returned home.

After clean up and breakfast, I took her into the backyard to tire her out before her nap. Pa sneakily shot this photo while we were both looking somewhat dramatic.

Although Lula’s nap was unsuccessful, we still had a great afternoon. She and I did some cooking and baking while Pa mowed the lawn and cleaned the garage.

Cupcakes!

Before Pa started Lula’s bedtime routine, we took a short walk to pick up a Sunday paper.

On the way home, we couldn’t resist a quick stop at the park.

All in all, a great weekend that went by way too fast.

Have a wonderful day!

On Juggling Two Kids

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Kelly

A few weeks ago, Brittany asked me how I was feeling about becoming a mom of two kiddos. Here are my thoughts at this point.

At the start of this pregnancy I was nervous about the idea of watching Lula and a newborn. The first three months with Lula were wonderful, hard, and hormonal.When I think back to the first trimester of this pregnancy, much of the anxiety I felt about taking care of two kids came from a place of nausea and exhaustion.

Simple things like changing a diaper or taking a quick trip to the grocery store felt like monumental jobs.

As I’ve moved into the third trimester–how is that even possible–I feel really excited about having Lula and a newborn to look after.

One, I think I have to feel that way or I am not going to survive.

Two, I have so much more experience now that I’ve been through it already. I really struggled with feeling isolated in those first three months with Lula. I was home alone with a baby who slept, ate and cried.

My poor husband barely got in the door after work and I was sharing every last detail of my day with him.

I feel comforted knowing that this time around, I have company!Since Lula turned one, she has developed quite the personality and other than my husband and sister, she’s my best buddy. We spend every single day together, I hope we like each other.

Although she will only be 22 months old when Baby 2 is born, I plan on putting her to work by entertaining the baby when I need to rinse out a diaper, prepare a meal, etc. (Feel free to think I am suffering from delusions)

Three, BABYWEARING.Earlier in the year I wrote a post about this topic and received many great suggestions. I am seriously planning on wearing this baby all the time. I wore Lula whenever we ran errands or took walks and that worked extremely well. I plan on wearing Baby 2 at home, as well as out and about. This will be a necessity.

Four, flexibility with working out. I know already that one of the biggest changes to my life will be finding time to exercise. When Lula was born, I had grand visions for how I was going to fit my runs in during the day. We have a treadmill so all I needed was her cooperation. She had the option of taking a nap or sitting in the Babysitter Balance while I ran 3-4 miles.

Oh, Kelly…you were so naive. The handful of times I tried to do this were almost all disastrous. She woke up after I ran for 8 minutes. She wouldn’t stop crying when I put her in the Balance. Every time I tried to make a run happen and it was a failure, I was angry and frustrated. Not at Lula, but at the circumstances I found myself in…all my own choices.

Over time–and after taking many long walks with Lula when running didn’t pan out–I realized that if I wanted to run, I had to do so before Lula woke up in the morning. In the early days, this meant that I was up for the day at 4:30. I nursed Lula–sort of a morning dream feed–ran on the treadmill, and showered.

Was I tired? Yes! Did I feel a sense of accomplishment and have a better frame of mind when I made those runs happen? Absolutely.

This time around, I’m going to try very hard to give myself more of a break about returning to running.Exercise is a very important part of who I am as a person and it always will be. However, I don’t want it to rule my life the way it did when Lula was tiny. My focus is going to be on my children. If that means I get more sleep (HA) skipping runs for awhile and taking long walks with my kiddos later in the day, so be it.

Finally, since becoming pregnant, I have discovered quite a few bloggers who are new mommies of two or who are about to have their second child. Frankly, a lot of their twitter feeds make me nervous.

From older children acting out due to less attention to an exhaustion that I cannot yet comprehend, the experiences other mothers shared have weighed on my mind.

Over time, I have found comfort in the simple fact that women have been doing this for centuries and kids–and moms–survive.

There are so many things about having two kids that I can’t possibly wrap my head around until I experience them for myself. I hope that maintaining a positive attitude and attempting to keep perspective will allow me to make it through the first six weeks without too many tears.

Have a great weekend!

Weekend In Review: 4.20 & 4.21

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Kelly

Good afternoon and happy Monday!

I hope that your weekend was wonderful.

Ours was great! Like most of America, we watched live coverage of what went down in Boston on Friday evening until we got sick of it…basically about 5 minutes of the news. Twitter was more entertaining anyway.

After a good night’s sleep and an hour or so to wake up, it was time to run. The sun was shining during the first three miles and when we turned around–we run a loop–clouds appeared. We saw some hawks circling something in the distance.

I felt great. The run went well and I didn’t have to walk at all.

The rest of the morning was filled with chores like washing the cars.

Lula discovered what she is capable of doing with her hands.

Please enjoy the tilled soil with grass seed in the background. Last summer was brutal on our lawn.

We spent the afternoon running errands and we were all exhausted when we got home. I sat down with my feet up for almost two hours.

Since we had a late lunch at Jason’s Deli, after Lula went to bed, we ate popcorn for dinner and watched about an hour of Skyfall before we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer.

Guess what we did Sunday morning?

A 5 mile run! My gosh we are creatures of habit. I had to walk for a few minutes at the end due to a sharp pain near my bladder. Otherwise, the run was great.

Here’s my pregnant shadow cast on the hideous concrete driveway.

The rest of the day was a fairly lazy one. Lula didn’t take a nap, I made banana bread which I forgot to take a picture of, and I sat down a lot.

We went outside in the evening and Lula enjoyed picking up dandelions, sticks, and trash and carrying these treasures around the backyard.

She also tried picking up Frankie but had to settle for a hug.

Pa is wrapping up the last few layers of paint on Lula’s wagon. This is an impressive tape job!

I am so excited to see leaves making an appearance on our trees.

Leaves=privacy.

Last year.

Yesterday.

We finished Skyfall with spaghetti and meat sauce once Lula was asleep. The movie was okay…does anyone ever follow exactly what happens in 007 films?

Have a great week!

Weekend In Review: 4.13 & 4.14

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Kelly

Good afternoon! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend.

Although Pa was on-call this weekend, we still had a great couple of days at home.

We celebrated Friday night by making a homemade pizza.

It was so good. We use this crust recipe and bake it on a stone.For years, we tried to make a half-whole wheat pizza crust and there is truly no comparison to this one.

We were thrilled to run Saturday morning (sarcasm), but one thing I know about myself is that I almost always feel better once I get out of the house and start moving. I had a few bouts of nausea before the run and even hustled to the bathroom once, but nothing came up. Guess what made me feel better? Running.

I decided to coddle myself with a bowl of honey nut cheerios and berries post-run, rather than my usual green smoothie. It was so good.

Lula didn’t take a nap Saturday–she played in her crib instead–so we knew we needed some outdoor time to distract her.

The lovely chickweed was back in the garden, even after Pa’s efforts last weekend.

He tilled it again while I dug dirt out of our compost bin.

I discovered a lot of rich soil that we then sprinkled over the garden. Lula was very helpful in this process.

I can’t say enough about how fun it is to watch her occupy herself when we are outside.

Once we finished up our tasks, Pa mowed and I shot a few amateur nature photos.

A solitary bud on our locust tree.

The forsythia blooming is a sure sign of spring.

At this point in the afternoon my stomach was as hard as a rock so I brought Lula back inside and sat down as soon as possible.

Pa and I enjoyed burgers while we watched this documentary. It was creepy, sad, and disturbing. I would recommend it if you enjoy watching shows like Dateline and 48 Hours. However, like many episodes we have watched lately, the ending of this documentary did not give us the closure we were looking for.

Sunday morning Lula was chattering at 6:45 and by 8 we were back outside for a 5 miler.

I took a few walking breaks along the way and felt pretty good, even after such an active Saturday.

Once everyone was cleaned up,

we decided to see if the local greenhouse was open and purchase some plants.

Although the sign said,

the owner recommended not buying plants yet since it was so windy out and the forecast this week is chilly. We thought that was sage advice and headed home.

Of course, Lula slept on the 7 minute drive home so once again, a nap didn’t happen.

After lunch, we convinced ourselves to go back outside and do some more yard work. The garden looks great……although close-up there is still knot weed everywhere. Does anyone have advice for how to eradicate this stuff?

We planted spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce seeds in the garden and planted phlox and pansy seeds in the wildflower container we keep on our deck.The leftover onions I kept from last year were completely dried out, but not to worry, Lula found a good use for them.

Last but not least, we planted our wildflower patch.

As I was watering it, Lula discovered the fun of walking through the running hose.Once again, my stomach was starting to make me extremely uncomfortable so it was time to head inside. We had a relaxing evening and Pa and I felt ready to start the week after a good night’s sleep.

I hope that you have a wonderful day!

Happy Friday!

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Kelly

Good morning!

I woke up feeling hungover this morning. How? I have no idea considering I went to bed at 9:30 last night and…oh yeah…I can’t drink since I’m pregnant.

I am comforted by the fact that it’s Friday.

Lula had her 18 month check-up yesterday and everything is great. We no longer have to buy iron-fortified cereal (HOORAY!) and can even move her to 2% milk if we wish. She is at the 50th percentile for what is referred to as her “Baby BMI”. That phrase cracks me up.

Today, I get the pleasure of sipping on some Glucola before heading to my appointment for a blood draw and a Rhogam shot.

Lula and I plan on running a few errands in the “city” after my appointment since we’ll be close by and we’re trying to be more frugal with gas these days.

I’m already looking forward to getting back home and relaxing for the rest of the day. We hope to pick up some plants this weekend and at least drop seeds in the ground.

Have a great weekend!

Weekend In Review: 4.6 & 4.7

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Kelly

Good morning- I hope that your weekend was great.

We started Saturday off with a 6 mile run. Although I had a bad side stitch, a few walking breaks helped and eventually it subsided.

Saturday was gorgeous- pretty windy but sunny and a high of 79 degrees! I was able to hang diapers outside all day long.

We had family over for an early dinner so after an unsuccessful nap attempt–both me and Lula–we started getting ready.

Check out this amazing salad our company brought!

It included apples, dried cherries and light cream cheese balls rolled in walnuts…just what this pregnant lady was craving!

We enjoyed a simple make-your-own sandwich bar for dinner…casual and easy.

After our visitors left, Pa got Lula to bed, and he and I relaxed before conking out around 9:30.

Sunday the sun was shining and after an hour of sitting around, we convinced each other that we needed to run.

It was a great morning and we got through 5 miles. I took a few walking breaks on some of the uphills and otherwise felt fine.

Once we were home and cleaned up, one thing we wanted to tackle yesterday was the garden- ugh.Every year we have the same discussion- is it worth it? It is so much work at the start and since we use land that hasn’t been cultivated, there are awful weeds that encroach on the garden.This knotweed stuff is the worst- it’s nearly impossible to pull cleanly out of the ground and when it’s tilled up, its seed scatters and takes root yet again…and in our opinion, becomes stronger than it was before.

We decided to do our best and prepare the garden anyway.

This year, Lula was on her own and she had so much fun wandering around.Last year, she was pretty much stuck in the stroller.She was pretty good about sticking close by and did her best to help out.

Once we started weeding the big patch of knotweed, we found this little guy!

Pa put him in our compost bin so he would have some privacy after being shocked out of his home.

A few other fun garden surprises included onions…

…and cilantro.Soon enough, it was Lula’s nap time and I was exhausted so I brought her in and then relaxed while Pa tilled the garden.

After Lula’s nap and lunch, it was back to the grind.

Pa and I plucked out as much of the chopped-up knotweed as was possible.

There is still a great deal of it rooted in the ground but for now, the majority of it is gone…largely thanks to Pa’s efforts.

In other news, Lula ate some fresh catnip I brought inside for Frankie…

…she seemed okay afterwards.

And we got much-needed rain in the late evening into the overnight hours.

Here’s to a great week ahead!

Easter Weekend 2013 Part II

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Kelly

Good morning! If you are catching up, Part I of my epic Easter weekend can be found here.

Easter morning saw us up bright and early. Pa and I took Lula out in the stroller for a 5 mile run.

When we got back to the house, Pa had some final touches left on Lula’s Easter present so we all hung out in the yard instead of showering right away.

Obligatory profile shot of the week…I’m running out of tops I can run in!

Once we were cleaned up, Easter eggs were boiled…

…and dyed…

…and displayed…

…and hidden throughout the yard…

….and hunted for…

…and discovered…

…and smashed!

Lula’s Easter dress is from her Aunt Amy, who bought it for her when she was a newborn. I seriously never thought she would be big enough to wear it!

Once she tired out, it was time for a ride in her Easter gift from Pa!

Her hair is an indicator of the wind, not my speed.

Lula’s beautiful handmade Easter basket from her auntie…tossed to the side as she checked out its contents.

One of the paper mache eggs Lula found inside.

We ended up grilling for Easter dinner which was great- no frills, no fuss.

Pa and I ran again Monday morning–5 miles–and his mom took off when we returned.

Monday was a pretty relaxed day with a trip out for lunch (Jason’s Deli) and a little more shopping.

When we came home, we took advantage of our brother-in-law by making him help Pa move an incredibly heavy desk down to the basement to create more space for Baby 2′s nursery.

A new dresser from Ikea was assembled shortly afterwards.

Lula did her best to help…

…but found that clothespins were much more exciting.

The finished product…

…complete with personalized knobs from Anthropologie.

Thanks to Emily for the idea.

SInce our visitors left, we’ve been playing catch up and gearing up for the warm weather that is headed our way.

Have a wonderful day!

Easter Weekend 2013 Part I

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Kelly

Good morning! Wednesday already? I am shaking my head.

We had a fabulous weekend and here I am, already 25 weeks pregnant!

I am feeling fine. I definitely have some catching up to do on sleep after our weekend visitors–so does Lula if it isn’t clear from the above photo.

Our house guests left yesterday morning and it has been so quiet without them here.

treats

Backing up, on Friday, Pa’s mom, sister and brother-in-law made the trek to Kansas to spend the weekend with us.

We were glad to give them a few days of mild weather since they live in South Dakota and Minnesota.

We had a nice evening catching up before it was suddenly 11 and definitely time for bed.

Pa and I ran solo on Saturday morning- I got in about 5 and a half miles with a little walking when I felt too uncomfortable.

After cleaning up, we headed into KC.

The Plaza is a great shopping destination. We saw giant bunnies like this one scattered throughout the couple of blocks that make up this beautiful area.No trip to the Plaza is complete without a meal at Winstead’s.

Delicious diner food- every bite was enjoyed.

We tried to give Lula a fair amount of walking time while we were out and about. We also brought the stroller and mixing it up worked really well for her.

After a few hours of shopping, we made our way here.

The place was hoppin’ since we stopped by on the day before Easter, but all of the beautiful displays kept us distracted while we waited.

We purchased some delicious goodies and after one more stop, made our way back home, exhausted…or maybe that was just me.

A bath, dinner, and some bedtime stories and Lula was off to bed. The rest of us sat around and chatted and my brother-in-law and I put together a quick Mexican meal.

Although Pa and I went to bed at 10, I was up past 12…my mind was racing and I felt like I had drunk a cup of coffee late in the day.

This is getting long so I’ll leave you with a peek at Lula’s Easter dress and wrap up our Easter weekend recap tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Lula: 18 months

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Kelly

Good morning! I hope your weekend was wonderful.

We have visitors so instead of taking away precious time from them by writing and publishing a weekend in review post, I’m posting a Lula update instead.

Embarrassingly enough, the last Lula update I did was at 11 months old!

I’m sorry I didn’t keep up after that as I just read it again and it was so fun to take a look back. At least her baby book is pretty much updated- phew.

It’s hard to believe that she is already a year and a half old.

18 months is such a fun age. When I think back to the days she relied on me to entertain her 24/7, it was hard.There is no other way to put it.

Fast forward to the present and most days are a lot of fun. I don’t even mind if she doesn’t end up taking a nap. She has fun playing in her crib and I still get a break.

She is walking, walking, walking.She started tentatively walking in December and left crawling behind for good mid-January.

I have to be on the lookout because she will suddenly show up right next to me…let’s just say that has startled Mama from time to time.

She loves Frankie.If he’s around, she is constantly hugging him, laying her head on his stomach, or laying directly on top of him.It’s pretty cute to watch, as long as she doesn’t go overboard, which happens frequently.

We have a play corner set up for her and she enjoys making a huge mess and looking at her treasures while she chatters.If I am working in the kitchen, this is her go-to spot.

I’ve been doing a lot of deep cleaning lately and she is right there with me.Sometimes she mimics me with a dust pan and broom and sometimes occupies herself by ripping a Kleenex into the finest shreds I have ever seen.

She also enjoys pretending to water the plants after she sees me do it.

We go to story time every Tuesday morning and she has a great time intereacting with the other kids. She has recently taken to wandering the entire library once the librarian starts reading. I don’t mind…I like her to be active.

Our other stomping grounds include Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Target and the park. I am looking forward to getting back to the park once the snow is gone and things dry out again.

Cloth Diapers: size M in gDiapers, double overnight

Clothing: 18-24 month

Shoes: size 3-4, impatiently waiting for her Minnetonka moccasins to fit her!

Eats: As many fruits and veggies as we can convince her to eat!

LOVES sugar. We rarely give it to her. I figure it’s going to be enough of a battle once she gets older, why give it to her now?

Here was a typical day of eats last month.

Attitude:

Sunshiney disposition most of the time.When she gets frustrated, she starts swinging her arms and sometimes wants to hit Ma or Pa. She has also been known to yank on her face or hair. We’re working on it.

She is very determined. Most of the time, when we redirect her away from something she shouldn’t be playing with, she will calmly attempt to find another way to get the item in question. I don’t want her to be defiant, but Pa and I both like that she perseveres and doesn’t give up easily.

She has some “imp” characteristics in her as well.She seems to enjoy making others laugh and doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Lula is very observant. In new situations, she watches for awhile before she is comfortable enough to involve herself in what’s going on.

She is incredibly curious and loves soaking in the world around her.

Language: Dada, mama, nana, lala, baba and recently added, blah, blah blah. She recognizes a lot of words. If I ask her to get her shoes, she will go pick them up for me. However, saying them? She isn’t quite there. She has her own language that she uses constantly.

She points a lot at what she wants……and frequently asks, “dah?” in the sweetest little voice when she wonders what something is.

Nursing: No longer- she wrapped up at 17 months on her own and doesn’t seem to miss it one little bit.

Naps: I change her diaper and read her a few stories around 11:45 AM and she is in her crib at 12.Somedays, her nap consists of playtime in her crib. She loves it and I can’t think of the last time she started crying in her crib…unless she was really overtired.

If she doesn’t take a nap and we have errands to run in the afternoon, she usually sleeps in the car.

If she does nap, it lasts until 1:45 which is when I wake her up.We found that she really can’t sleep much past 1:45 without having a hard time at bedtime…especially now that it’s lighter out later in the evening.

It’s pretty common for her to wake up on her own and play in her crib until I come get her.

Nighttime: We had a rough go of it when we got back from our Christmas travels.A combination of poor sleep, lots of extra attention, co-sleeping when things got desperate, and teething while we were away led to quite a few overnight wake-ups upon our return.

Most wake-ups were less than a minute of crying, two lasted for over an hour. Mid-February, she found her way and rarely wakes up overnight anymore. She is a heavy sleeper.As proof of this, Pa has gone into her room in the evening to pull out a chirping battery from the smoke detector, Frankie often races up and down the hall and meows loudly overnight (he’s crazy), and we are pretty loud and active once she goes to bed.

We live in a split-level and the kitchen and living room are right down the hall from her bedroom, so she sleeps nearby all our evening fun.I’m grateful and hopeful this deep sleep continues once Baby 2 gets here since their rooms will share a wall.

She is a wonderful baby and we love her so much.It’s fun to see how she has grown and how much she is able to do, especially compared to those first three months.Since she turned one, time has gone so quickly and I know there is no stopping it!