- We're loving summer... our days are non-stop fun with the park, pool and plenty of play dates.
- Charlotte is so smiley. Her favorite person is her brother.
- Will is both completely awesome and unbelievably challenging. His emotions exist in such extremes... either overwhelmingly happy or overwhelmingly sad. I have to remind myself that he feels everything so deeply right now, and sometimes just doesn't know how to handle it.
- I'm obsessed with neon. Wait until you see my new front door.
- I've already read seven books this month. I predict nine before July 1.
- My surgeon says I'm an "exceptionally good" healer.
- We recently made the decision to ditch our Keurig.
- I've managed not to kill my garden yet. Veggies look awesome. Watermelons might not make it. Rabbits are the enemy.
- I was sick of all our old and mismatched socks so I threw out every single pair and bought new ones. I'm pretty sure Ben was still holding on to some socks from the 90s. And now, all our white socks are all the same brand and type so I can easily pair them back up. Win!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Around Here
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Carbon Copies
Apparently Ben and I make only one type of child, male or female...
My sister and I have not looked alike a day in our lives, so I love that they look so similar. How fun to see the family resemblance!
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| Will, 2 months (left) and Charlotte, 2 months (right) |
My sister and I have not looked alike a day in our lives, so I love that they look so similar. How fun to see the family resemblance!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
2 1/2 Years Old
Gah! I'm so late on these letters lately. Luckily I make notes so I can fill in details later. Better late than never... here is my letter to Will at 2 1/2 years old (February 2013).
Mama
 |
| Shy |
 |
| Silly |
 |
| Sweet |
Dear Will,
You turned 2 1/2 years old this week.
The occasion snuck up on me a little bit. We've been battling illness in our house lately, which means you and I (at 7 months pregnant) are both exhausted. We just can't seem to shake the sickies around here, but lucky for me, that means lots of extra snuggle time.
Despite being under the weather, you continue to be such a sweet and smiley boy. You literally light up my life every day. I'm amazed at how kind and intuitive you are. How sweet and sensitive. How funny and perceptive.
You continue to learn at a rapid pace. You now can identify all the uppercase letters, as well as numbers zero through nine. You love to point out letters when you see them. We were running errands a few weeks ago when you started reciting "O-T-E-G-R-A-T" over and over again. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what you were saying until I realized you were spelling "TARGET" backwards (with the bullseye symbol being an "O").
You absolutely love to sing. Your favorite song right now is the "ABCs" but you also make up your own tunes throughout the day. You really have an ear for music and can match pitch and intonation remarkably well.
You spend most of your time playing with trucks and trains. Your favorite truck is your mini steam shovel. You bring it everywhere with you... from your bed to the car to the library. You tell us all the time that it is "digging and scooping and dumping".
We don't watch much TV, but you love "Super Why" on PBS Kids. You shyly interact with the show, quietly calling out the letters when you see them and giving a "thumbs up" when prompted. So cute!
You started attending a part-time Montessori preschool in September, just after your second birthday. Although the first few weeks were rough (you cried every time I dropped you off), it wasn't long before you were running in the door excited to play. We've seen such a huge difference in your confidence since then. You are much more comfortable with new people and places, more willing to jump into unfamiliar situations. Unfortunately, your preschool closed right before Christmas, but I really credit the school and teachers for helping you develop your confidence and social skills.
Your sister will be here in just a few short months. You're such a kind and caring little boy, I know you'll be a wonderful sibling to her. In some ways, I'm sad to have our one-on-one dynamic change, but I'm so excited to see you in your new role: big brother.
I love you so much, sweet boy.
The occasion snuck up on me a little bit. We've been battling illness in our house lately, which means you and I (at 7 months pregnant) are both exhausted. We just can't seem to shake the sickies around here, but lucky for me, that means lots of extra snuggle time.
Despite being under the weather, you continue to be such a sweet and smiley boy. You literally light up my life every day. I'm amazed at how kind and intuitive you are. How sweet and sensitive. How funny and perceptive.
You continue to learn at a rapid pace. You now can identify all the uppercase letters, as well as numbers zero through nine. You love to point out letters when you see them. We were running errands a few weeks ago when you started reciting "O-T-E-G-R-A-T" over and over again. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what you were saying until I realized you were spelling "TARGET" backwards (with the bullseye symbol being an "O").
You absolutely love to sing. Your favorite song right now is the "ABCs" but you also make up your own tunes throughout the day. You really have an ear for music and can match pitch and intonation remarkably well.
You spend most of your time playing with trucks and trains. Your favorite truck is your mini steam shovel. You bring it everywhere with you... from your bed to the car to the library. You tell us all the time that it is "digging and scooping and dumping".
We don't watch much TV, but you love "Super Why" on PBS Kids. You shyly interact with the show, quietly calling out the letters when you see them and giving a "thumbs up" when prompted. So cute!
You started attending a part-time Montessori preschool in September, just after your second birthday. Although the first few weeks were rough (you cried every time I dropped you off), it wasn't long before you were running in the door excited to play. We've seen such a huge difference in your confidence since then. You are much more comfortable with new people and places, more willing to jump into unfamiliar situations. Unfortunately, your preschool closed right before Christmas, but I really credit the school and teachers for helping you develop your confidence and social skills.
Your sister will be here in just a few short months. You're such a kind and caring little boy, I know you'll be a wonderful sibling to her. In some ways, I'm sad to have our one-on-one dynamic change, but I'm so excited to see you in your new role: big brother.
I love you so much, sweet boy.
Love,
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Post-Op
Well, you've never experienced fun until you've carried your pee around in a bag outside your body.
Wednesday's surgery went well. The cyst was removed with just a minor complication. More of the cyst was attached to my urethra than they were expecting, so the surgeon had to reconstruct part of the urethral wall. This meant I had to wear a 24-hour catheter home, which was an absolute delight (as I'm sure you can imagine).
But the catheter came out this morning, and despite being a little sore and very sleepy, I'm feeling well. I was even able to nurse Charlotte earlier than expected, only 8 hours post-op.
I go back to see the surgeon on Tuesday, and can hopefully resume normal activity then (I'm on a lifting restriction again, so I can't lift Will or Charlotte's car seat until I get the all clear from the doc). Happy to have the procedure over and done with, though I have to say...
The anesthesia nap was delightful.
Monday, June 3, 2013
40 x 40
I turned 30 this year. Whereas my 20s were filled with a lot of change and growth (college, career, first home, marriage, children, etc), I'm looking forward to the relative stability of my fourth decade. Ben and I have a house we love, we're done having children, we're both steadily growing in our chosen careers... we're ready to just be for a bit.
While we may not have any major life events on the horizon, I still want to make sure I'm seeing and experiencing as much as I can. So to keep things fresh and interesting, I developed a sort of bucket list for my 30s. I give you my forty by forty list...
40 x 40
While we may not have any major life events on the horizon, I still want to make sure I'm seeing and experiencing as much as I can. So to keep things fresh and interesting, I developed a sort of bucket list for my 30s. I give you my forty by forty list...
40 x 40
- Run a half marathon
- Get a PhD
- Write a children's book
- Learn how to use my DSLR
- Read Atlas Shrugged (it's 1,168 pages!)
- Become a certified yoga instructor
- Take a 3-4 week trip abroad with the kids
- Enjoy a glass of wine in Napa Valley
- Complete a sprint-length off-road triathlon
- Take a beach vacation with Ben (children optional)
- Visit the Grand Canyon
- Learn how to play guitar
- Knit something
- Serve on the board of directors for a non-profit
- Learn how to use a sewing machine
- Make a quilt with my mom
- Visit New York City
- Master the art of the French press
- Learn to say "hello" in 20 languages
- Become a rock star chef on the grill
- Take a tap dancing class
- Go white water rafting
- Climb a rock wall
- Ride in a hot air balloon
- Learn to play poker
- Read every book that has won a Pulitzer Prize in the fiction category
- Give a speech in front of a large group of people
- Visit the White House
- Participate in NaNoWriMo
- Perform in a community theater production
- Win an award for personal or professional achievement
- Donate $1,000 to a non-profit I care about
- See the redwoods in California
- Go skiing in Colorado
- Take surfing lessons
- Give blood
- Join the National Bone Marrow Registry
- Host Thanksgiving dinner
- Get a tattoo
- Be part of a flash mob
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