Yogurt Party

A friend was selected to do a yogurt taste-testing party for Stonyfield Farms' YoKids and YoBaby yogurts.  We, of course, were delighted to take part.  Both kids could live on yogurt and crackers if allowed to.  It was a nice day out, Melanie set up the water table, there were new kids to play with.  Otis especially enjoyed himself.  He tried banana-pumpkin, a big hit, and blueberry, another hit, and strawberry-vanilla, another hit.  I doubt he'd find a flavor of yogurt he didn't enjoy...

Play Time

We  went to a friend's house yesterday and hung out with their kids.  I used to nanny for the boys, they are so big now!!  We reminisced about how I used to take naps with Peter when I was pregnant with Ingrid.  That was by far the best part of being a nanny while being pregnant--nap time! 

But now the boys are huge and they have a baby sister added in the mix!  Greta and Otis are exactly a week apart! 

It's interesting talking with Sally about developmental differences in Down's kids.  Greta is getting her first tooth just now.  She is sitting but not crawling.  Just little things that I take for granted with Otis getting bigger and getting mobile!  But oh, she is the sweetest thing.  And her brothers just love her so much!  We had so much fun, I hope to see them again soon!

Last Minute Road Trip!

Monday morning was dreary and stormy.  I looked at our calendar and realized we had nothing going on the whole week.  My friend Jami and I have been discussing when I should come visit her in Michigan.  No time like the present, huh?  So I called her, packed a bag, and took off on a 6hr. road trip with the kids!  We had so much fun, even though it was about a hundred degrees and we didn't have air conditioning. 

We all piled on a futon mattress  in the play room.  I brought Otis' bed with us but of course he didn't want to be left out of the sleepover!  This is what I woke up to in the morning.

Ahhh!!  So sweet! 

Ingrid had fun playing with her best bud Ben, and Jami and I got to hang out like old times.  Man, I miss her.  I wish she and her husband would move to Milwaukee :)  We had other friends over yesterday and got the three wee ones together.  Jami and I and our friend Heather were all pregnant at the same time.  And now we all have little chubs!

After tons of playing, lots of juice boxes, and not so much sleep, we drove back home yesterday afternoon.  It was so much fun and I'm so glad we went.  Six hour drives are not fun, though, so it will be awhile before I'll do that drive again!  Stupid Chicago, if it weren't for dealing with that traffic, the drive probably wouldn't be that bad...

A Very Busy Saturday

Yesterday was chock full of action!  We were having friends over from out of town, but we had a couple hours before they got here to go test drive yet another car.  This has been an ongoing process and it's hard to do with two kids.  Ingrid was hugging every car in the showroom, wanting to get in and lay down in all the seats (thus getting them filthy) and Otis was...well, he was okay.  He zonked out in the Moby.

We have test driven four cars, the Honda Element, which I said no to right away, the CRV, the Subaru Forester, which we have an old version of, and a Chevy Equinox.  You know what?  They're all the same pretty much!  There are little tweaks here and there, but they all cost about the same and drive about the same and have about the same space.  So...we couldn't decide.  So one more trip to the Honda dealership and I had had enough.  Let's just buy it, I said!  We like it, it's a good color, it's a good price, let's just do it! 

So we did :)  An hour before expecting guests, lol!

Then our guests came, and boy was that fun!  Brendan went to college with all these lovely people, and our get togethers have changed quite a lot in the past few years!  It used to be meeting at a bar to watch the Wisconsin game, or going to a Brewers game, and drinking a lot of beer.  But yesterday was the first family friendly get together and it was awesome, in my opinion.  I don't drink much and can't stay up late, so those bar nights were never really my thing anyway! 

Ingrid fell in love with five year old Ellie the minute they stepped in the door.

The girls played and ate, and screamed and yelled, and jumped and ran.  It was so nice to see Ingrid playing so well.  Here in baby-town she doesn't get to play at playdates, she just gets yelled at to be gentle with all the babies...The weather was nice and we went to the park.

The girls watched They Might Be Giants videos on youtube.

And then they all got their pjs on and had a drum circle with Ingrid's bongos. 

It was exhausting.

And Otis was a model baby, of course!  He was happy and cooing and smiling, then he'd pass out for a couple hours, then he'd get up and be happy again. 

Good times!  Everyone left around seven, Ingrid passed out, and I have to say, so did I.  It was a very busy day, fun and exciting, and tiring--so tiring.  Today will be nothing but relaxing I hope.  And driving my new car around the block again!

11lbs of Fun.

Otis had his doctor's appointment yesterday and weighed in at an even 11lbs.  Not too bad, he's gained more than six pounds in the past three and a half months.  The doc said he looks like he's catching up rather nicely.

Other things going on these days:  Ingrid has taught herself how to play the Wii.  Seriously, my mom and I watched her play table tennis and she totally won every time she played.  Now she knows how to do the bike game.  It's funny, but also a little worrisome to me since I think she's too young for video games! 

Today we had a playdate with some other Bay View moms.  So funny that they all pulled up in their Subarus!  As one mom put it, either there's a group of lesbians here or a group of moms :)  We had a buncha babies laying around snotting and drooling everywhere.  It was fun.

Milo was here again, and we were laughing at how much bigger he is.  Again.  That will always be funny.  Otis is 11lbs, Milo is one month older and 19lbs!  I dont think Ingrid was 19lbs until she was a year old!

Our friend brought us a play gym thing for Otis to lay on.  He's really into looking at stuff and is supposed to have more tummy time (am I the only mom that doesn't do this??  My doctor said I should be doing 15 minutes a day.  I ne-ver do it!)  Otis was pretty enthralled with all the things dangling above him, and I'm loving that the fabrics are cool and not so babyish. 

And one more fun thing--side by side pictures of Ingrid and Otis that Tia took.  Keep in mind that Otis is almost four months old and Ingrid was like 3 weeks old in these pictures!  Every time I think he's so big I get a reminder of how wee he really is!  But how much do they look alike here??  So cute.

Meeting Greta

Yesterday we had our friend Sally and her little girl Greta over.  I used to nanny for Sally's oldest two.  We were pregnant at the same time, and then ended up doing the whole NICU thing with our kids at the same time, too!  Greta just got out of the hospital recently, so we finally got to meet her!  She and Otis had fun looking at each other.

It's just so funny how my world is full of people having babies.  I swear to god everyone I know is either pregnant or just had a kid recently.  It's funny how that happens, isn't it?

Last night Otis was being extra smiley.  He was up on Brendan's shoulder and just as happy as could be.  I love that kid.

Babies!

Today we went to a little mama get together.  Ingrid was the oldest there and had to be reminded more than once to be gentle with all the little ones.  I am so used to her rambunctious personality I forget how crazy she really is!!  Orson didn't seem to have a problem with her, though!

Here are Milo and Otis (just like the movie!)  Milo is one month older than Otis, look how huge he is!  He was two weeks late and like 11lbs when he was born, so pretty much the opposite of our six week early 4lb baby.

Hopefully we can get together with these moms and kids often.  Especially when it gets to be nice out and we can play outside!!  Spring is right around the corner, right??

Valentine's Day, Toddler Style

Monday night we went to a friend's house for a toddler V-day party.  Ingrid was so excited about this, she kept asking for days "Is it Monday yet?"  It was a crazy mess of kids running around, ball pits, candy, food, and pregnant ladies.  So much fun! 

 

It was also a great send off for us, as it will be the last playdate Ingrid has with her Michigan friends.  It's hard to believe that when we moved here, Ingrid and Allie were 8 months old, Ben was just starting to walk, Olivia wasn't even born yet, and now look at them!  So big, such personalities, and new baby brothers on the way!  We'll miss you guys!

Playdates and Vintage Cards

We were lucky enough to have friends that braved the snow to come play at our house today.  It was Otis' first playdate!  He slept the whole time, as three toddlers ran around and screamed and threw stuff, I don't know how he does it...

The little man is so cuddly, it's hard not to want to hold him all the time. 

And one last random thing, birth announcements.  I had made some up online at different places but couldn't decide which one to get.  Then luckily, before I spent $50, I remembered that the last time I was at Dretzka's I found a bunch of baby announcements, and that I had gotten some from Heather at 3RingCircus.  Yay for vintage cards!  They are super cute and totally unique, no?  Now I have to figure out which picture to send along with them.  How to choose when my babe is so adorable?

Fairies, not Princesses

Yesterday we went to a friend's house.  Neither of us are into the whole princessy girly thing, but her family has gotten her daughter some dress up clothes that are very frilly and pink and come with wands and crowns.  She was so funny, she said "fairies are okay,  princesses are not."  Isn't that funny?  I feel the same way.  If Ingrid says she looks like Abby Cadabby or the tooth fairy, I'm fine with that.  But princess?  No, stop please.

Anyway, the girls had so much fun in their flouncy skirts and crowns and hitting the cats with their fairy wands.  This morning Ingrid kept asking to dress up like the tooth fairy so I made her a wand, dug out her old crown, and put a skirt on over her PJs.  She loved it!

Fall Time Fun

Today we went to a farm that's by our friend's house.  It was pretty great for a short morning out with two crabby toddlers.  We got cider and donuts that were HOT and gooey and sugary and so yum.  Unfortunately the bees came swarming over and attached themselves to us, so instead of sitting outside in the gorgeous day, we ended up inside.  Oh well.  Better than drinking a bee (they were diving in our cups!  Gross!) or getting stung.

There were pony rides and a little petting area with piglets and goats.  I love goats.  I think I've said it before, I'd love to have a goat or two someday.  And some chickens.  Ingrid liked to pet the goats but when the pigs would come sniff at her she got the most horrified look on her face and then kept wiping her hands off.  She's got a thing about getting her hands dirty lately, MY messy child!

We'll have to go back with Brendan and get our pumpkins--they had huge ones for $5!  Wherever we went last year wanted an arm and a leg for them, so this is a much better deal.  And Ingrid didn't get to ride a pony today because we just didn't feel like it, how's that for lazy?!  Two pregnant mamas with a sassy two year old each, we were all about the donuts, not so much about the horses!

In baby news, our midwife appointment went fine yesterday.  I've only gained 7 lbs in the past five months, which totally makes me see why I'm so tired all the time--this damn baby is sucking me dry!!  I by NO means watch what I eat, I eat all day long it seems like, so there's no reason I shouldn't have gained weight.  I'm not complaining, but it suddenly made sense why I always feel so tired and worn out.  He's kicking like crazy and making my belly all alien like.  It's so funny to watch my belly and see it move, knowing there's a human being in there!  It's like science fiction, people!  And he's only the size of a small banana now, when he's a melon it'll be even worse!

Lazy Days

Wednesday we had a playdate to go to.  Ingrid was pretty excited, but unusually crabby and whining at everything.  We got to our friend's house, and Ingrid wanted to play outside.  Once outside she wanted inside.  She had food and when the dog came up to sniff she uncharacteristically started to cry.  Another girl came up to see what she was eating, and again, she started to wail.  What's up?

We did manage to have some fun though, before melting down.  Heather put lots of balls in an old swimming pool--instant ball pit! 

And of course my little piggy spied the donuts right away!

But something was off, and that night Ingrid woke up an hour after falling asleep and cried and cried for an hour.  I felt so bad, I just sat there trying to be supportive even though I couldn't do anything, but then she'd yell "Mama, go 'way!"  Then cry out "I want my mama!"  Oh, heartbreaking when you can't calm your child!  The next day we woke up to lots of snot and the first cold of the season.  We vegged on the couch all day long, watching a cool Imax Under the Sea video and some Sound of Music.  I have to admit, it was the perfect day to be sick.  We had a thunderstorm and it was dark and dreary anyway, so it was relaxing to lay around all day.

Today is the same, although Ingrid is feeling just better enough she wants to do stuff but still feeling crappy enough she's whiny.  My favorite stage...We went on a walk and picked up some pretty red leaves that have started to pop up here and there on the trees.  We tried to press them between wax paper but somehow I don't think my iron is hot enough?  Or something, it just wouldn't work as easily as I remember it going when I was a kid.  Now we're drinking hot cocoa and wearing our cozy pants and starting our weekend early.  I don't like when she's sick, but it's actually kind of a nice slow change of pace!

Sprinklers and Cupcakes

The other day it was hot hot hot out.  We headed over to a friend's house and spent some time in our underwear.  Okay, not me, but oh how I wish I could be as free as a kid on hot days!  I wasn't sure how Ingrid would like the sprinkler since at splash pads she doesn't really like the water spraying in her face.  But Jami put the water on low enough that I think Ingrid felt okay.  She loved it!! 

I may have to go buy a sprinkler for her.  To add to the slide, kiddie pool, and sandbox in our tiny backyard!

Yesterday we went to get groceries.  This is a tricky thing now that I'm pregnant.  On the one hand the thought of food can make me sick.  So making a menu for dinners is hard.  On the other hand, anything and everything else that catches my eye could be the ONE THING I cannot live without and just have to shove in my face.  So wandering down the aisles I usually come away with some things I normally wouldn't buy.  The other day it was ham salad.  For those not in the know--ham or bologna diced up with pickles or olives and mixed with mayo.  Totally disgusting and yet I totally could not live without it.  Last week.  This week it's totally disgusting again.

Anyway, yesterday it was cupcakes.  We walked through the bakery and wouldn't you know, they had day old cupcakes in a neat little two pack, just the perfect size for a mom and her daughter!  We ate them when we got home.  I'd like to think I was a bit neater than Ingrid was.

And did you notice the swollen eye?  That was from being out in the sprinklers--tons of bugbites and all swollen ridiculously.  Poor kid.

Splash Pads are Awesome!

Today we went to a nearby park which is on a small lake.  The park is amazing, it has a bit of everything you'd need.  There are nature trails, a disc golf course, beaches, a playground, tons of picnic areas, and a splash pad for the kids.  We got there early and played on the playground and ate strawberries while waiting for everyone to show up.

I have to admit, I hate swimming in small lakes.  They seem dirty and weedy to me, I'm constantly worried that I'm hitting fish or seaweed with my toes.  I'm a big baby, I know.  Growing up by Lake Michigan, though, it's hard to expect less.

Anyway, so this park has a really cool splash pad, which has fountains, sprinklers, all kinds of ways of water to shoot out and up for kids to run through.  It doesn't have any standing water so you can kind of let your kid run around and not worry so much about them getting in trouble.  Our friends showed up and we spread out blankets and piled all our food in the middle, since the kids kept wanting whatever their mom didn't bring.  We ate and ran in and out of the water and enjoyed the morning.  It's only 15 minutes from our house so I think we'll be back often!