We all went to my 20 week ultrasound this morning and saw the baby. It was really encouraging to see the little one on the screen! Most days, I get really focused on feeling pregnant (read: nauseous, tired, achy, moody) and I forget that there's a child in there. So, good to see you Little One!
We were surprised with Monica's gender at the birth, so this time, I wanted to find out ahead of time. Kevin was not so sure so we just had the tech write the result on a piece of paper so we could take it out later. Since Kevin was really really not sure, I hid the paper away for the remainder of the day. We took it out at dinner and looked at the result together, and it's a...surprise to you and everyone else! Sorry but we're going to keep it a secret from fam, friends, and the blogosphere.
Monica (obviously) did not really react. When she sees the ultrasound pictures of the baby, she says, "Puppy!" If that presumption continues, she's going to be sorely disappointed in June. Kevin ended up being sad about finding out. Not that he is sad about the baby's gender, but he is sad about missing out on the surprise in the delivery room. I feel a little bit of that, but I am looking forward to mentally and emotionally connecting to this baby in a different way than I was able to with Monica.
I'll post a little pic of Baby Dos as soon as I can. The motherboard on our laptop died a couple weeks ago and we're in the process of getting a new computer and extracting our other data. Oh, technology...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sea, Sand, Sun, and Unfortunate Events
We're all hanging out in Clearwater for the next couple of days, and the weather is fine! Each year that goes by I become less tolerant of the winter and more passionate about sunshine and warm weather. So, when Kevin called me from work a couple weeks ago and asked, "You wanna go to Florida?" I thought I might just be in the middle of a fabulous dream. But no pinch was necessary. Kevin is attending a three day conference and Monica and I are hanging out at the beach and the pool. (Pics to come!) The weather was sunny and about 70 degrees today. There has been no ocean swimming, but the heated pool is a favorite.
Monica really does love the beach though. She just toddles around, picking up interesting things off the ground (read: shells, leaves, rocks, and garbage) and smiling a lot. She's not really into climbing on the playground as of yet so toddling and the occasional swing sesh is about all we've got at the beach. I never really thought about what 15 month olds do at the beach or at the park. At first, it didn't seem like much: toddling, picking up stuff, babbling. But I see now that there is a whole lot of discovery and limit testing that goes on. I realized how much I take for granted in walking through sand in barefeet with relative ease and staying focused on a destination (i.e. the water) and being able to walk up inclines without looking like I'm rock scrambling. This is an age that requires a lot of patience for repetition and very simple activities.
Kevin was busy with a late business dinner so I took Monica out for dinner by myself. Arg. It was a series of unfortunate events.
We went to a well known seafood restaurant that seemed tasty, but not too touristy. I was right on both accounts, but it was a tad too upscale for soloing it with a milk intolerant toddler. When we walked in, I told the hostess that we were a party of one and a highchair. She gave me a blank stare and said blandly, "Just a high chair?"
Seriously? If the girl had stopped to think for a second, she probably would have realized that
1. A toddler would not be hanging out by herself for a meal at this restaurant.
2. I cannot fit into a high chair.
After straightening out debacle #1, we moved on to others. The highchair's buckle was broken, which I thought wouldn't be a huge deal...except that the chair didn't fit underneath the table and Monica was trying to stand up in it every other second. So, I caught one of the four hostesses (not the one from Debacle #1) and asked for a high chair with a functional buckle. She was only able to find other broken high chairs. It wasn't until she got the manager to assist her that they found a functional high chair.
Debacle #3 was the menu. I only got one menu which had no children's options. Arg. I chose a chicken dish that I thought Monica would like and ordered that, except that I realized about 15 minutes later that the sauce was probably really buttery so I talked to the waiter about plain ol' grilled chicken. He asked me about any other options on the childrens's menu...that I never saw. Apparently there was a separate children's menu that the hostess did not offer. Excellent. So, I changed our order only to receive the dinner sized crab cakes instead of the appetizer size.
Debacle #4 was the timing. By the time the food came, Monica was already full from the bread that I had been giving her in small bits to distract her from fussing and destroying the table while we waited for food. She ate almost none of her meal. I guess we'll be eating grilled chicken and steamed veggies for lunch tomorrow.
But, honestly, aside from tonight's restaurant adventure, the trip is going really well, and I am incredibly thankful for this chance to get away from the cold grayness that is January in Michigan! More to come...
Monica really does love the beach though. She just toddles around, picking up interesting things off the ground (read: shells, leaves, rocks, and garbage) and smiling a lot. She's not really into climbing on the playground as of yet so toddling and the occasional swing sesh is about all we've got at the beach. I never really thought about what 15 month olds do at the beach or at the park. At first, it didn't seem like much: toddling, picking up stuff, babbling. But I see now that there is a whole lot of discovery and limit testing that goes on. I realized how much I take for granted in walking through sand in barefeet with relative ease and staying focused on a destination (i.e. the water) and being able to walk up inclines without looking like I'm rock scrambling. This is an age that requires a lot of patience for repetition and very simple activities.
Kevin was busy with a late business dinner so I took Monica out for dinner by myself. Arg. It was a series of unfortunate events.
We went to a well known seafood restaurant that seemed tasty, but not too touristy. I was right on both accounts, but it was a tad too upscale for soloing it with a milk intolerant toddler. When we walked in, I told the hostess that we were a party of one and a highchair. She gave me a blank stare and said blandly, "Just a high chair?"
Seriously? If the girl had stopped to think for a second, she probably would have realized that
1. A toddler would not be hanging out by herself for a meal at this restaurant.
2. I cannot fit into a high chair.
After straightening out debacle #1, we moved on to others. The highchair's buckle was broken, which I thought wouldn't be a huge deal...except that the chair didn't fit underneath the table and Monica was trying to stand up in it every other second. So, I caught one of the four hostesses (not the one from Debacle #1) and asked for a high chair with a functional buckle. She was only able to find other broken high chairs. It wasn't until she got the manager to assist her that they found a functional high chair.
Debacle #3 was the menu. I only got one menu which had no children's options. Arg. I chose a chicken dish that I thought Monica would like and ordered that, except that I realized about 15 minutes later that the sauce was probably really buttery so I talked to the waiter about plain ol' grilled chicken. He asked me about any other options on the childrens's menu...that I never saw. Apparently there was a separate children's menu that the hostess did not offer. Excellent. So, I changed our order only to receive the dinner sized crab cakes instead of the appetizer size.
Debacle #4 was the timing. By the time the food came, Monica was already full from the bread that I had been giving her in small bits to distract her from fussing and destroying the table while we waited for food. She ate almost none of her meal. I guess we'll be eating grilled chicken and steamed veggies for lunch tomorrow.
But, honestly, aside from tonight's restaurant adventure, the trip is going really well, and I am incredibly thankful for this chance to get away from the cold grayness that is January in Michigan! More to come...
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Happy Fifth Anniversary Kevin!
These five years have been full of growth, change, and fun! I hope and pray there are many more.
Thank you for helping me to become a better wife, a better mother, and a better woman. I love you!
Thank you for helping me to become a better wife, a better mother, and a better woman. I love you!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Trespasses Against Us
Trespasses Against Us by Christian M. Frank, the latest installment in the John Paul 2 High series, is a breath of fresh air in teen literature. Today's secular teen fiction tends toward the erotic and sensational but does not have much to offer in the way of quality, realistic, and morally sound literature. There is also Christian teen fiction, but sometimes the characters and stories are so clean that it does not mirror real life. However, Christian M. Frank is looking to change that.
Christian M. Frank is actually a team of people who took their pen name from their alma maters, Franciscan University of Steubenville and Christendom College. The initial "M" is for Mary, the Blessed Mother, who "keeps the peace between [them]." This team of people is looking to write books that are realistic, exiciting, morally sound, and geared specifically toward Catholic teens.
One strength of Trespasses Against Us is its characters. The teens in the series come from all different types of families: small and large, single parent and two parent homes, divorced and remarried, permissive and oppressive. The characters have a conversational style that is typical of young people, but the authors do not resort to crass and offensive techniques to keep the reader's attention. The plot is also fast-moving and exciting; it incorporates technology (i.e. texting, email, instant messaging) that many teens use on a daily basis. There are some very dramatic and violent events which may not be for younger readers. But these are events happening in high schools around the country and the team of authors takes on a difficult task in tackling them from a Catholic perspective.
The authors also do a great service to the reader by making sound, Catholic teaching accessible and applicable to everyday life. One challenge many teens face is applying religion to everyday choices. Trespasses Against Us uses the plot and framework of the series (a significant amount of time is spent in a Catholic high school classroom) to connect Scripture, the catechism and papal teachings to situations facing the characters and somce of those situations may even be similar to those of the reader.
In short, Trespasses Against Us is an exciting, entertaining, and educational read. If you have or know of a teen who could use something fresh and worthwhile in their literary diet, try introducing the John Paul 2 High series. I don't think they'll be disappointed.
This review was written as part of the Catholic Book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company . Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Christian M Frank's Trespasses Against Us.
Christian M. Frank is actually a team of people who took their pen name from their alma maters, Franciscan University of Steubenville and Christendom College. The initial "M" is for Mary, the Blessed Mother, who "keeps the peace between [them]." This team of people is looking to write books that are realistic, exiciting, morally sound, and geared specifically toward Catholic teens.
One strength of Trespasses Against Us is its characters. The teens in the series come from all different types of families: small and large, single parent and two parent homes, divorced and remarried, permissive and oppressive. The characters have a conversational style that is typical of young people, but the authors do not resort to crass and offensive techniques to keep the reader's attention. The plot is also fast-moving and exciting; it incorporates technology (i.e. texting, email, instant messaging) that many teens use on a daily basis. There are some very dramatic and violent events which may not be for younger readers. But these are events happening in high schools around the country and the team of authors takes on a difficult task in tackling them from a Catholic perspective.
The authors also do a great service to the reader by making sound, Catholic teaching accessible and applicable to everyday life. One challenge many teens face is applying religion to everyday choices. Trespasses Against Us uses the plot and framework of the series (a significant amount of time is spent in a Catholic high school classroom) to connect Scripture, the catechism and papal teachings to situations facing the characters and somce of those situations may even be similar to those of the reader.
In short, Trespasses Against Us is an exciting, entertaining, and educational read. If you have or know of a teen who could use something fresh and worthwhile in their literary diet, try introducing the John Paul 2 High series. I don't think they'll be disappointed.
This review was written as part of the Catholic Book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company . Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Christian M Frank's Trespasses Against Us.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Christmas Happenings
Hope your Advent was blessed and your Christmas season is peaceful! It's been a busy couple of weeks at our house so here's a recap...
We went to a gingerbread house, well, more like gingerbread structure, party the Sunday before Christmas. Here are our "masterpieces." My creation is the candy covered box. Not so creative...I'll blame it on pregnancy mush brain. (Notice the empty pile of frosting glue on the left? Yes, Kevin ate my lime slice.) Kevin's aircraft carrier isn't too shabby, eh? I like the sharks and surfacing submarines (bottom left).
Here's Monica in festive PJs on her "new" rocking horse. That beauty was Kevin's when he was little.
Christmas was fun and crazy...a chipped tooth, a sewage backup (which necesitated a group excursion to restrooms at an alternate location), and mulitple extended family events kept us busy.
A couple of pics...The fam on Christmas morning. This might be in the running for the 2010 card.
On Christmas night, we went to an outdoor light display downtown. This one is definitely vying for that 2010 card spot.
The days after Christmas brought quite a bit of snow. In fact, the evening we were supposed to drive home looked like this:
...so we stayed at my mom's house that night and had a little par-tay. Some of us got crazier than others. Maybe we should have just given her a lampshade.
Now we're home and no worse for wear. A safe, happy and blessed New Year to you all!
We went to a gingerbread house, well, more like gingerbread structure, party the Sunday before Christmas. Here are our "masterpieces." My creation is the candy covered box. Not so creative...I'll blame it on pregnancy mush brain. (Notice the empty pile of frosting glue on the left? Yes, Kevin ate my lime slice.) Kevin's aircraft carrier isn't too shabby, eh? I like the sharks and surfacing submarines (bottom left).
Here's Monica in festive PJs on her "new" rocking horse. That beauty was Kevin's when he was little.
Christmas was fun and crazy...a chipped tooth, a sewage backup (which necesitated a group excursion to restrooms at an alternate location), and mulitple extended family events kept us busy.
A couple of pics...The fam on Christmas morning. This might be in the running for the 2010 card.
On Christmas night, we went to an outdoor light display downtown. This one is definitely vying for that 2010 card spot.
The days after Christmas brought quite a bit of snow. In fact, the evening we were supposed to drive home looked like this:
...so we stayed at my mom's house that night and had a little par-tay. Some of us got crazier than others. Maybe we should have just given her a lampshade.
Now we're home and no worse for wear. A safe, happy and blessed New Year to you all!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Shoe Trauma
Monica is nearly running now, so about a week ago, I decided it was time for *real* shoes. Up until recently, she's been toddling in Robeez, which just don't cut it outdoors, in stores, restaurants, etc. So, because she's little and we spend so little on clothes, (Thank you older cousins!) I decided to get her some quality footwear. Off to the mall we went.
When we arrived at the children's shoe store, Monica was her usual jovial self. She toddled about, picking up shoes, playing with little toys, and just enjoying herself. A sales woman soon approached and offered to measure Monica's foot so we could be sure to get a good fit. Right before she brought out the foot measuring plate, she warned me, "Some children really don't like this." I didn't respond, but thought to myself, "Eh, Monica won't be a problem. She's not the cranky type."
As soon as her little heel hit the plate, she let out the loudest, highest pitched scream I've heard in a long time. As long as she had a foot on that plate, she was bansheeing. It.was.painful. I was so surprised it took me a while to get my wits about me and shove the pacifier into her screaming mouth. That improved the situation somewhat while the sales woman went to the back to retrieve the requested shoes in the appropriate size, but as soon as the woman came back into view, Monica started to full out cry again. Even as the saleswoman kept her distance, the sound of her voice was enough to cause wimpering and high speed toddling for the exit. Another customer who was apparently shopping for older children was really sympathetic. She assured me her children did the exact same thing. So, apparently, this is a real childhood phenomenon? Is there an official diagnosis for pediatric foot-measuring-plate phobia?
The other circumstance that made the ordeal more painful was the fact that half of the shoes were out of stock in Monica's size so the saleswoman had to keep coming back to us with shoes only to listen to Monica's pitiful cries. Once I finally reached my decision on a pair of shoes, I made sure to apologize to the poor saleswoman. She was very gracious and assured me it was not the first time, nor would it be the last. I thanked her for her assurances and said that it was comforting to know your child isn't a freak. She replied, "Well, I didn't say that..." Then it was my turn to assure her that every parent, at some point (or many points, really) wonders if there child is a "freak," and it's always comforting to know you child is not the only one screaming at foot measuring plates.
That will be our first and last foot measuring/shoe store experience for a while. I was a little nervous that Monica would hate the shoes, but she really likes them. Sometimes she'll bring them to me so she can wear them around the house. Apparently, no permanent scars were made, and she has a cute, functional pair of shoes. Trauma survived.
When we arrived at the children's shoe store, Monica was her usual jovial self. She toddled about, picking up shoes, playing with little toys, and just enjoying herself. A sales woman soon approached and offered to measure Monica's foot so we could be sure to get a good fit. Right before she brought out the foot measuring plate, she warned me, "Some children really don't like this." I didn't respond, but thought to myself, "Eh, Monica won't be a problem. She's not the cranky type."
As soon as her little heel hit the plate, she let out the loudest, highest pitched scream I've heard in a long time. As long as she had a foot on that plate, she was bansheeing. It.was.painful. I was so surprised it took me a while to get my wits about me and shove the pacifier into her screaming mouth. That improved the situation somewhat while the sales woman went to the back to retrieve the requested shoes in the appropriate size, but as soon as the woman came back into view, Monica started to full out cry again. Even as the saleswoman kept her distance, the sound of her voice was enough to cause wimpering and high speed toddling for the exit. Another customer who was apparently shopping for older children was really sympathetic. She assured me her children did the exact same thing. So, apparently, this is a real childhood phenomenon? Is there an official diagnosis for pediatric foot-measuring-plate phobia?
The other circumstance that made the ordeal more painful was the fact that half of the shoes were out of stock in Monica's size so the saleswoman had to keep coming back to us with shoes only to listen to Monica's pitiful cries. Once I finally reached my decision on a pair of shoes, I made sure to apologize to the poor saleswoman. She was very gracious and assured me it was not the first time, nor would it be the last. I thanked her for her assurances and said that it was comforting to know your child isn't a freak. She replied, "Well, I didn't say that..." Then it was my turn to assure her that every parent, at some point (or many points, really) wonders if there child is a "freak," and it's always comforting to know you child is not the only one screaming at foot measuring plates.
That will be our first and last foot measuring/shoe store experience for a while. I was a little nervous that Monica would hate the shoes, but she really likes them. Sometimes she'll bring them to me so she can wear them around the house. Apparently, no permanent scars were made, and she has a cute, functional pair of shoes. Trauma survived.
Friday, December 4, 2009
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