We're 12 Weeks!

We hit a great milestone today - the baby and I are 12 weeks, or 3 months! It's nice to know that in just a couple of weeks I'll more than likely be feeling better and in just a couple more weeks I'll be showing and feeling this little one move!

I've had a few people ask how I've been feeling...in a word, crappy. Not throwing up, but spending a lot of time wishing I could because it might make me feel better. I haven't been able to rest as much which has made the fatigue that much more frustrating. I've taken a few naps at work (shhh!) and would squeeze one in on the weekends in the earlier weeks, but evenings, when it seems like I'm the most tired, there's just too many other things to do. The boys want to play, dinner needs to be fixed, the boys need to go to bed. Don't get me wrong, Christopher has been amazing! He does baths, gets the boys ready and all I have to do is read their bedtime story. He always does dishes and has cooked dinner a few times when I was completely out of commission.

We've also both been through bouts with strep throat, though thankfully the boys have been pretty healthy so far this year.

Overall, though, this pregnancy has just been different. I think it's partly because I'm a little bit older and in a lot worse shape! With the boys I wasn't very sick at all...an annoying lack of appetite and occasional waves of nausea, fatigue but I had a lot more time to rest, and that was basically it. I've been able to add several more symptoms with this one and the nausea has definitely been more intense.

In the end, it's been wonderfully reassuring and at one point when I actually started to feel better, I prayed for God to send the symptoms back because I'd rather be nauseous than worried all the time. It worked, and I felt much worse later that day! I can't wait for our next appointment and we get to hear that awesome heartbeat again. I'm curious if this one will stay high or drop into the 140s or 150s like the boys did.

I will keep this updated with any new news or information we have!

The News is Out

Well, I can finally reveal why I've been so incredibly absent the past couple of months. Basically, my brain has been totally occupied with the fact that I'm growing another baby!! And I haven't been able to focus on much of anything else!

We're so thrilled to be welcoming another baby into our family and I look forward to sharing all of the big and little milestones here. I know I have a couple of "followers" so far (Hi Rick! Hi Kimmy!) and hope to have more soon.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving after hearing our baby's beautiful heartbeat and have so much to be thankful for this year. Everyone of course is speculating that this one is the little girl that has been so elusive in my darling husband's family. Our sonogram can NOT come soon enough! I'm hoping to get in as close to 18 weeks as possible (roughly 7 weeks from now) which is the earliest my OB will order one. That should fall sometime in mid-January. We will certainly share the news as soon as we know! Hopefully this baby won't be too shy and will let us know!

I will start posting belly pics and updates starting this weekend when I'll finally hit the 12 week mark and will for all intents and purposes be in the "green zone," as far as my risks for miscarriage. This has certainly been my scariest pregnancy, though it's gone almost as smoothly and my symptoms have been way more intense. Just that analytical brain coming into play.

The boys are doing great...they were so good this weekend despite being out of their routine and being drug all over town. Andrew had a very difficult time going back to school today (as he does with most transitions) so we're hoping that improves as the week goes on. They are both working on their lists for Santa and their priority gifts change on a regular basis. So far, it's all about trains, trucks and cars for both of them.

I'll be back this weekend with photos!

The Great Pumpkin...Hunt

We took our annual visit to Carolyn's Country Cousin's pumpkin patch last weekend. It is by far one of my very favorite holiday traditions. The family that owns the farm has done an amazing job creating a little wonderland around the tradition of picking out your own pumpkin for Halloween. They had been advertising a ton this year and it was an absolutely perfect day so we weren't surprised to see a line stretching from the front gate all the way to the far edge of the parking lot. It moved quickly, though, and we were inside before we knew it.

We made an immediate bee-line to the miniature train ride since that's what the boys had been talking about for ages. We enjoyed a quick ride and drug the boys out of the gift shop that is strategically located at the entrance to the ride.

Next, we made our way to the tricycle racetrack. This is what Thomas had been most excited about, and to our shock and amazement, Andrew was actually able to keep up with him this year! Last year, he wasn't quite pedaling yet, so tried to push himself along with his feet which was not at all efficient. This year, he was keeping up with, and often passing, the other kids. They had a blast and we finally drug them away from that to get on the tractor to go pick out our pumpkins.

The fields were amazing...the pumpkins were so fresh and still connected to the vine. It really doesn't get any better. Andrew picked out a very pathetic looking little pumpkin about the size of a large grapfruit which then tapers into a wrinkled, rotted-looking bottom. But, it was his. We picked three more beautiful pumpkins before heading back on the tractor.

Thomas enjoyed this part up until he saw me picking little sticker buds off the back of his sleeve. He completely freaked and refused to walk any farther. He was miserable for the rest of the visit to the field, screaming and wailing his way through.

Once back at the farm, we spent some time at the playground until it became obvious we'd pushed it a little too far past lunch for Andrew. Christopher took him to the car while Thomas and I waited in line to pay for our pumpkins.

I have to say, they look pretty darn good on our front porch and flanking a cute yard sign I have in our front landscaping. Very festive!

It was a great family day!

Soaking Up the Final Hours

Friday was another very relaxing day hanging by the pool, reading, and soaking up the sun. Sal Joe and Fat Nicky were back, though neither wanted much to do with Thomas. My parents and brother went golfing so we didn't see them until close to lunch time. We brought the boys up to eat lunch at the villa, and I took another snoozer. The afternoon brought more pool time, which we soaked up every last minute of.

For our last night, we decided to try a restaurant at the resort next door. It was sports bar full of Yankees fans (make that LOUD Yankees fans), but the food was great. The boys were pretty good, until Andrew decided to start running laps around the 10 or so empty tables behind us. A very sweet, grandparent-like couple were amused the first few times, then started telling my dad that part of the benefit of growing old was that you didn't have to deal with "this" anymore. Point taken.

Friday night brought some crazy lightening, thunder and torrential rain. One of the resorts got off a nice show of fireworks before it fizzled out in the rain which we could see perfectly from our living room window. The boys enjoyed it for the most part, though Thomas was not thrilled about the thunder. I had to spend quite a bit of time soothing him to sleep that night, and promised that the thunder and lightening would be over by the next day.

Leave it to Mother Nature to make a liar out of me. The thunderstorms had fired up again around 4 or 5 a.m., just as we were waking up to head to the airport. It was storming pretty good all the way to the airport, which the boys really were not thrilled about. I was a little anxious about getting out of there, but luckily it all blew over by the time we were boarding our plane to leave.

The travel back home was another long and trying day. Most of the goodies and new movies we'd brought had been seen and the novelty was mostly worn off. We had one blow up with Andrew on the flight from Miami to Dallas, but a trip to the bathroom and a discussion about what was appropriate behavior on an airplane helped. We successfully kept track of and chased Andrew through airports in Chicago, New York, Aruba, Miami and Dallas. That's some serious mileage.

We were so happy to be home, the boys especially. Andrew's relief came in the form of him completely crashing in the car not to wake again until 6:30 the next morning. Thomas was a little more wound up, and we had a hard time getting him to go to bed at a decent hour. We would go back to Aruba in a heartbeat, either with kids or without. It was an amazing vacation and one that we feel so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to take! Thanks Mom and Dad, and Happy Birthday!

Shopping in Oranjestad (say that three times fast!)

On Thursday, we decided to tackle some shopping and get out and see the island at bit. We walked along the beach to a resort that we'd learned the night before had a pretty good breakfast buffet. We had a nice breakfast, then walked around a new, partially under-construction shopping area. There didn't end up being much there, nor much that was open that early. We decided to head "downtown" and jumped in a couple of cabs.

Downtown Oranjestad was interesting. One side of the street was lined with individual vendors in glorified tents selling all kinds of cheap tourist crap. Almost every vendor had the same stuff, so we quickly tired of that. We crossed the street to find and interesting dichotomy of shopping choices...there were either very high end, Beverly Hills-like shops (Tommy Hillfiger, Feregamo, Yves Saint Laurent) or more cheasy tourist crap. We did find the boys some cute t-shirts but the trip was otherwise a bust. We had lunch downtown at Iguana Joes, and I probably had the best steak quesadilla I've ever had in my life. Yum!

We decided to get the kids back to the resort while the rest of the family enjoyed a drink at the notorious Carlos and Charlie's (the last place Natalie Holloway was seen alive). A little morbid if you ask me.

Back at the resort, Christopher took Thomas down to the pool. I napped and tried to get Andrew to do the same (fat chance). We followed about 20 minutes later.

Thursday night we had dinner at a great local restaurant that featured outdoor seating along a vine covered stone wall, and a short distance away, smaller tables the circled a small swimming pool. It was such a pretty restaurant, and probably the nicest we've ever taken the boys to. They did really well, though, and we got to each in relative peace. I stayed back with the boys again while the rest of the family partied it up back downtown at Carlos and Charlie's. This was truly okay with me :)

Shuffleboard and Sunset Cruises

On Wednesday, the boys joined a shuffleboard tournament with Daddy and Grammy which ended up just being them. They got a quick lesson then they mostly just goofed around. It was unbearably hot, so we made an immediate bee-line for the pool. We spent most of the late morning and afternoon there. Andrew crashed on one of the lawn chairs and napped for more than two hours. It was a sorely needed nap so I was more than relieved he finally gave in! Thomas made a new friend, a 3-year-old from Boston named Anthony. They had a long-running joke going about different kinds of cake - fascinating! "You're a boonie cake!" "You're an elephant cake!"

Christopher, Joe, Julie and I went on a beautiful cocktail sunset cruise Wednesday evening. Mom and Dad watched the boys for us, which was very sweet, and we had an amazing time! The ship departed from the Radisson Hotel, just a little distance down the beach from our resort. They had a great beach side bar where we waited and had a cocktail. A small motor boat came and picked us up and took us out to a large antique sailboat that looked like an old pirate ship. We had a wonderful two-hour cruise up and down the beach, with an open bar and music. Christopher and I met a really sweet couple visiting from Boston on their honeymoon. It was their fifth or sixth time in Aruba, so they had some great restaurant suggestions. There were several other honeymooner's on the ship, and it was a very romantic night.

One fun fact about the boat was that it was used in an episode of The Bachelor (The "Charlie" season)and featured a hammock that hung out over the end of the bow. One couple actually was brave enough to venture out there, but I stayed firmly planted on the deck. The sunset was breathtaking and we got some great photos. Joe and Julie clicked with an older couple on the ship that invited them to dinner. I was a little uneasy about it, but had met the couple and although a little different, seemed innocent enough. They luckily made it back safe and sound and even had some great stories to tell.

There's a Reason They Call it Paradise

I was so consumed by the beauty of Aruba, I didn't get to finish sharing our experiences! I'll try to summarize our final few days over the next several posts...

We did spend part of one afternoon at the beach. The resort had these great primitive tables that looked to be carved from the trunk of a palm tree, which were then topped with adorable thatched umbrellas. They provided a great amount of shade which was needed. The boys got to play with their sand toys (purchased at the gift shop), and I floated very peacefully on my raft in the ocean. They had a nice-sized swim area roped off so you didn't drift too far away :)

By early afternoon, it was too hot to hang out on the beach any more, so we made our way back to the pool and finished our afternoon there. Thomas made some interesting friends - Sal Joe, a 6-year-old from Staten Island and Fat Nicky, Sal Joe's cousin from Queens. They were only two of many East Coast natives we met all week. Everyone was so nice, but at times we felt like we were talking to characters from a television show :)

Tuesday was my night for dinner so once we were all cleaned up everyone congregated in our villa for taco bar and margaritas. Yum!

I also may have failed to mention some shenanigans that took place Monday evening - I wasn't there, but I know it involved my husband falling down stairs at the Marriott casino a couple of hotels down and a lively game of cards that went well into the early hours of the morning. As usual, I was the responsible party sleeping snug in my bed :)

Sunshine and Waterslide Bliss

Our last two days have been such a blast...Aruba, and the resort where we are staying, are heavenly!

The weather here is a bit hotter and more humid than I'd anticipated. It's been primarily in the 90s and so humid our windows in our villa are regularly covered with condensation. We are just over 12 degrees from the Equator so the sun is also pretty intense. We've all been getting our fill of sun and are trying to take breaks every so often to get out of the sun and avoid getting fried so early in our vacation.

We've spent most of our time so far at the pool and the beach. We are staying at the Marriott Surf Club which is part of the Marriott Vacation Club worldwide resorts. You have to be an owner or guest of an owner to stay here, and the accommodations are first class. The pool is amazing...it has two main areas with a lazy river in between. The boys definitely prefer the side with the water slide, water fall, spray pool and lots of room to swim. We bought water wings our first day here and Andrew has especially taken to the water. He even started jumping into the pool all by himself yesterday - with no one there to catch him. He loves to dunk his head in, get a mouth full of water, then spit it out either on the side of the pool or on Mommy' head...nice!

We visited the local grocery store Monday to stock up on food for breakfast, lunch and a couple of dinners we'd planned to eat in. The produce was so fresh, and the prices were only slightly higher than in the U.S. I spent about the same amount I would have for a week of groceries, though I only bought dinner for one night plus breakfast and lunch items. They had most of the items you'd find in American grocery stores, with some exceptions, but you could usually find a good alternate option even if it isn't the brand you're used to. They also had an entire isle of Asian and Dutch items which I found really interesting.

DH has fallen in love with the local beer here, Balashi. I tried it when we had dinner out Sunday night and it is pretty good. I'd compare it to a Heineken. I think he has single-handedly drank a couple of cases in his first few days here :)

We'll be going out to eat tonight and Friday night, then we split dinner the rest of the nights up by couple. It's been a great way to save money, and more convenient with the kids. They do pretty well eating out, but it would have been pushing it to eat out more than a few times.

There is so much to do here, it can be difficult to prioritize and choose what you want to spend your money on. We took the boys to the children's area here at the resort and Thomas painted a t-shirt while Andrew played with all of the balls. They have great activities for kids of just about any age. They break up the activities in a magazine the hotel provided when we first got here by ages...my kids fall under the miniMAZE activities which are appropriate for ages 2-4. Thomas could probably do some of the kidsMAZE activities which are for ages 5 and up, but it's been easier to keep the boys together. Tonight is movie night, where they'll be showing Shark Tale outside by the pool. They have other arts and crafts activities, a kids day camp, and indoor movies. They do an excellent job catering to kids, providing parents with a break if necessary, or fun things to do with your kids.

Lots more excitement to follow!

Aruba - Day One

The drive to our hotel presented a little bit different Aruba than I'd expected to see...a port with sparsely stacked containers, public beaches lined with low trees, boarded up hotels, and as we got closer to our resort, Taco Bell, McDonalds and Pizza Hut with outdoor play areas.

The boys were fascinated by everything we passed...and the funny Carribean music that sang something about bananas. We pointed out the beaches, and Andrew immediately announced the second he saw McDonalds. Thomas keeps confusing our trip to this beach with the one where his Nanna and Boss live in Florida. I'm not sure how many tens of times I've explained that they are at a different beach and that it's pretty far from where we are.

When we pulled up to the resort it was like we were entering a totally different reality. A boulevard driveway lined with palm trees led up to a 10 story peach colored, sprawling resort. Our taxi took us to the main circle drive where several bellmen were immediately there to unload our bags onto luggage carts and extent a warm "welcome to Aruba." What a relief...I felt pure thrill flood my body.

We went into the main lobby while my dad got everyone checked in. We took the boys over to the "Kids Check In" which was a cute thatched-roof stand with brightly colored tie-dyed t-shirts and lettering. The nice young woman behind the stand immediately handed me a magazine with information on kids activities and explained all that the resort would be doing through the week. She then asked the boys their favorite colors and proceeded to make a balloon fish and rod/reel connected with a piece of green curly ribbon - I'd never seen anything cuter!

Thomas enjoyed his until he decided it was "broken" because the rod had gotten twisted and wasn't hanging the same way it had been when she first gave it to him. Andrew was wandering all over the lobby and at one point decided to let the breeze carry his balloon animal across the floor right behind several people that were checking in. Suddenly we heard a loud "BANG!" and I realized we'd had a balloon casualty. I ran over to where I'd heard the noise and found Andrew's balloon fish with only half of his tail and lips. The two men standing right in front of the mangled balloon figure turned around laughing and one said "Don't worry, I have another pair of swim trunks I can change into." I was laughing so hard I was crying. The nice lady at the Kids Check-In happily fixed Andrew's balloon and it was finally time to go to our villa.

The rooms were a bit anti-climactic since we've stayed in a Marriott resort before in Palm Springs. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful resort. We gawked at the beautiful pools, waterslide and lazy river on our walk to the building where our elevators were. Light sherbet colors, ceramic tile floors and granite accents definitely made you feel like you were in a luxurious place. Our villa has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area and full kitchen. We have two balconies, though we've gone to great lengths to block the access to the one off the boys' room. This had DH pretty nervous, but we just slid the pull out couch in front of it and pulled the drapes closed to avoid any temptation. The balconies are safe, with narrow iron slats, but we'd never even take a chance. I'd wished there was some kind of pole that we could just put at the top of the sliding glass door so they could have light in their room, but there wasn't one available.

The master suite has a king-size bed, soaking tub and sink, then separate area for the stool, stand up shower and a second sink. We truly felt pampered.

We put clothes away and got settled in then immediately changed for the pool. The pool here is amazing...there are several areas to accomodate both adults and families. We stayed in the family area that featured a zero-depth entrance and was close to the swim up bar (but not so close it was inappropriate for the kids). The boys were absolutely in heaven. I purchased some water wings and a pair of goggles and they had a blast. We all had a couple of drinks while we watched the boys swim, then decided to walk on the beach.

We walked along the smooth sidewalk the short distance to the beach and the ocean. The sun was just beginning to set and cast a warm orange glow on everything - it was etheral and surreal. There was a restaurant just past the resort and we made plans to come back for dinner. Once on the beach, the boys were fascinated by the sand and the water. Andrew ran along the water, finally entering and sitting down in the shallow water. We took lots of pictures and just enjoyed the peaceful, relaxing environment.

When we'd had enough of our short visit to the beach, we headed upstairs to get cleaned up for dinner. I have never been more excited to shave my legs and wash my face! It felt amazing.

The restaurant was very warm and relaxing, with soft cushioned teak armchairs, blue wine glasses and yellow linens. It was just the perfect balance of luxury and casual dining. We had a great dinner, enjoying the local beer - Balashi - and the boys were thrilled to find they had Macaroni and Cheese! They both devoured their meals and were finished before any of us ever got our food! I had the Grouper Beure Blanc and DH got the Mahi. Everything was delicious! The boys hung out with us for quite a while, then Andrew began his laps around the restaurant again. The wait staff were incredibly attentive, and understanding. DH finally took the boys upstairs for bed while I waited with my family for our bill.

We will definitely only be eating out a couple of times - $90 later (including tip but not drinks since my dad paid for those) I made my way to the gift shop to find some minimal groceries to get us through the next morning. Another $45 later I had milk, eggs, butter, yogurt, cereal, saltine crackers, four more cans of Balashi, o.j. and apple juice. Yikes! We'll be hitting the local grocery store tomorrow to stock up for the rest of the week and I'm really hoping it's a little more reasonable there.

My family came and hung out in our villa until about 10 p.m. at which point we all finally crashed. What an amazing first day - I can't wait to see what the rest of the week will bring.

Biggest lesson of the last few days: Kids truly are resilient and are pretty good at taking just about anything thrown at them. Don't be afraid of traveling to non-traditional places - the kids will adjust. Aruba is fabulous for families!

We made it - beautiful Aruba!

Wow, all I have to say is - AMAZING! and totally worth the hellish travel mayhem it took to get here. I'll start with the day we left, Saturday.

The morning went pretty smoothly. DH and I were up around 3:45, and woke the boys at 4:30 - a.m. We'd prepared the boys well, explaining that we'd be waking them up before the sunshine was awake, that it would still be dark and would feel like nighttime. I gave them their new dinosaur "travel buddies" which they loved and have kept close almost the entire trip so far. We left the house before 5 a.m. (our goal). We parked in sattelite parking and had a shuttle waiting for us. Our check-in was a little lengthy due to the international travel but American Airlines has a new system that's all automated. We had a very nice customer service rep walk us through the entire process, I was definitely impressed. We got through security with no issues, and were at our gate in time to relax for a while before the flight started to board. The boys were happy with cereal bars and juice in their new Spiderman sippy cups.

The flight was seamless, not full - though there aren't many people crazy enough to travel that early in the morning on a Saturday. We didn't even have to really tap into any of the "new" toys, books or activities we brought. The novelty of being on the plane and watching all of the activity was plenty enough to keep them entertained for the 57 minutes.

We should have known it was too good to be true. Once we landed in Chicago, things went very quickly downhill. Our next flight was delayed 4 hours due to a mechanical failure, which meant we were going to miss our connection in Miami. My family didn't arrive until we'd already been waiting for an hour. So, we got a little bit more substantial breakfast (I'd had yogurt at 5 a.m.) and tried to keep the boys occupied.

Thomas was great, just a little whiney at times, but overall, obedient and in good spirits. Andrew was, well, Andrew. The first gate we were waiting in opened into a large atrium with the American Airlines logo on the floor. Andrew thought this was a great opportunity to lay face down, head resting on his new dinosaur buddy, and wet his pants. He was wearing a Pull-Up, but leaked right out of it. I got him changed and cleaned up, and we headed back to the gate. I pulled out just about every activity we'd brought trying to keep the boys entertained. Andrew kept running back to the atrium, dropping to the floor in a spin reminiscent of true 80s style breakdancing. There was another much younger toddler that was watching him, with fascination and pure glee. Andrew was the picture of freedom. He loved to lay on his back and stare straight up into the atrium, or just run in circles and then try to tackle Mommy.

We did finally get our flights figured out. We ended up flying to New York, spending the night then flying direct to Aruba on Sunday morning. This was the best deal and we only lost about half a day. The boys really were troopers, despite the fact that Mommy and Daddy were totally wiped and very short on patience. They watched a couple of movies, Andrew slept on my lap through the first half of lunch, then they both crashed on the flight to New York. Every time Andrew slept, it just upped the spaz factor. By the time we got to New York, he wanted very little to do with the stroller. He just wanted to run!

Our bags did not make it to New York (big surprise), but most of us had brought an extra change of clothes, and I actually had some travel size toiletries. None of us had pajamas, however, but I was wearing my cotton sundress which nicely doubled as a nightgown ;)

We got to the hotel where the airline was putting us up on a packed to the gills shuttle bus, only to find yet another incredible line of people waiting to check in. My mom and I took the boys right to the restaurant and ordered them some dinner. Andrew would sit as long as there was food in front of him, but he was finished well before we ever got our food and refused to stay in his seat. He polished off a giant piece of cake (after M&Ms, iced animal crackers and plenty of apple juice throughout the day - ugh, sugar overload!) and wanted to run laps around the restaurant. The boys were both pretty slap happy at that point, so DH took them up to the room and popped in a Thomas the Train movie. When I got up to the room about 20 minutes later, the lights were off, and they were totally engrossed in the movie. DH hadn't gone through any part of the bedtime routine, so I got them all settled for bed. We read one of their new dinosaur books, went potty, had to skip the teeth brushing, said prayers and lights went out.

Andrew was convinced that there was more yet to do with the day...he wanted to read books, and I could tell he was trying to settle down, the poor guy. He was driving Thomas nuts, and though DH and I drifted in and out of light sleep, Andrew was up for at least another 20 minutes. Finally...all was quiet.

We started the day Sunday at 5:20 a.m. I showered, then woke up DH and the boys. We met the rest of the family in the lobby to wait for the shuttle back to the airport. It was another sardine-can-like ride, with very nice people, however, and it was quick. We got our boarding passes, went through security and made our way to our gate with little struggle. We pretty much have the security thing down, with DH and I dividing and conquering between getting ourselves, two young toddlers, and several bags through without completely holding up the line. The boys are old enough now, too, to walk through the security gate by themselves and wait for us on the other side.

We had breakfast together, I bought a package of $20 size 3 Pampers (CRAZY!) because we were out of Pull-Ups. I prayed there wouldn't be a blow out!

The flight to Aruba, while long, went fairly smoothly. We used up the batteries on both laptops while the boys watched two movies each. Andrew got really into the Color Wonder paints and Winnie the Pooh book. Thomas napped briefly, ate a good lunch, and was pretty easy. I have never been so glad to see land, though, as I was when we landed in Aruba. Even being smacked in the face with the hot, humid air was luxurious.

We got through customs and had yet one final snafu with our bags. Most of ours were waiting for us when we got there, and the last one came off with the rest of the bags on the flight from New York. My dad and brother had to wait in line for a while before learning that theirs were simply being stored behind the desk.

Finally, we were boarding two taxi-SUVs/minivans and were on our way to the resort.

Countdown is On

We are now just four days away from our trip to Aruba! I'm feeling way more optimistic about our travel day. I picked up a few more things this afternoon - frosted animal crackers, M&M mini bags, and writing pads. I think we'll just purchase drinks at the airport.

We found out that we will meet up with my family after the first flight so we'll have help a little earlier than I'd thought.

It's been a real struggle to concentrate at work this week...I'm just so ready to go! I have most of our clothes packed, reading materials and the carry ons about ready to go. I'll be spending the day Friday cleaning the house so we don't come home to a pig sty.

I've been a little preoccupied for other reasons, which I hope I can share in the next week or two :) I really hope the next two days fly by!

One Little Monkey...

Jumping on the bed. He fell off and bumped his head...

We'd been after the boys all day to stop jumping on the bed. We'd had friends over and they were completely wound up. DH was changing in our bedroom for his softball game while my youngest was apparently disregarding every warning we'd given him throughout the day, including the one DH had JUST uttered before going into the other room to change. A very loud thud and blood curdeling scream later...large 2 inch gash in my youngest's forehead.

You forget how much the head bleeds...must be God's way of shocking the hell out of you to act fast. We had my youngest in the car and were on the way to the ER within 15 minutes. The bleeding actually stopped fairly quickly with a little bit of pressure.

Dermabond is a wonder! They basically put superglue in the wound and squeeze the skin back together. From what we understand, in about five days the dermabond will peel off on its own and the wound will heal on its own from there. No traumatic stitches, though you would have thought that's what they were doing when they had to hold him down to put the dermabond on.

The nurses and ER doc at North KC Hospital were great. We were in and out in less than two hours, that has to be a record for us.

And what was one of the first thing's my darling toddler did when we got upstairs to take a bath? Started jumping on the large chair in our bedroom. And when I kneeled down and explained that he can NOT jump on the furniture ever again...big smile. Lord help us...

Retail Therapy is Great for Panic

So, I went on a little shopping spree last weekend in an attempt to find enough "surprises" to keep the boys entertained on our travel to and from Aruba. Here's a quick run down:

• Dinosaur story book and plush dinosaur for each (this will be their suprise first thing in the morning to get them up and going, the dinos will be their travel "buddies" for the trip)
• Two card games (in cute mini-lunchboxes) for my 4 1/2 year old
• New Spiderman sippy cups
• Mini-movie projectors with wild animal slides
• Monkey hand puppet
• Disney's Little Einsteins "action" figures
• Four Crayola Color Wonder activity books (one for each child per trip)
• New Thomas the Tank Engine movie
• New Little Einsteins movie

Good news - DH is bringing two laptops (one is a back up) to watch the movies so no need to fork over the cash for a new portable DVD player! Between all of the new activities (as well as a few of their stand-by favorites that we'll bring as well) and plenty of snacks I'm feeling a little more confident that it won't be melt down city throughout the day.

I also picked up a cute cotton sundress, straw hat, flip flops and glamour sun glasses - both comfy AND trendy! I'm definitely getting more excited!

So little time...

I'm sitting here trying to make it to 4 p.m. so I can have my second afternoon snack. Darling hubby (DH) is trying this new diet that says you have to wait at least two hours between snacks. Seeing that I need to lose about 10 lbs., I figured I'd try some of the techniques. It's much harder than it looks as my eyes fog over and my motivation takes a nose dive. Only 12 more minutes!

Now that I've bypassed the first major hurdle toward achieving my APR accreditation (national standard for public relations), I feel like I can start thinking beyond the next couple of days. Fifty-three pages later, it's like a huge weight off my shoulders, though I still have a two hour presentation and 150 question exam to prepare for!

That being said, I've allowed myself a few indulgences today including doing some online "window shopping" for a new sundress to take to Aruba. Yes, Aruba...with the kids. My parents turned 50 this year and wanted to take the entire family on a tropical vacation. They surprised us with the invitation in late 2005. I had one child that was almost three and another that was almost 18 months old. We were looking at a trip sometime in late 2006 or 2007. I thought for sure they would be less demanding and easier to travel with by then - snort!

The original plan was to go in the spring of this year. I researched resorts all over the world looking for the most family-friendly and once-in-a-lifetime vacation spots I could find. We seemed to keep coming back to Aruba no matter where else we looked and it was settled. Now we just needed to determine a date. Last summer I was trying to start a magazine career and thought I might be in the middle of launching a new publication the following spring. We also told my parents we wanted to start trying for baby number three some time this year but would hold off until we returned from the trip.

Ah, the perils of planning a vacaction by commitee, and 18 months to two years in advance. So many unknowns, and everyone has their own agendas.

When my magazine dream crumbled last summer, my parents tried to book a spring trip but none of the villas in Aruba were available. The travel agent said that we needed to book them at least a year in advance...this was summer of 2006. So, October it was. Booking a year in advance using points is allowing my parents to take all of us virtually for free, however, according to my dad we got the bottom of the barrel pick for our travel schedule. This has been a small source of anxiety for hubby and I...especially the last several months as we've realized our three-year-old will in fact NOT be any easier to travel with now than he was at 18 months.

Here's our schedule:
6:30 a.m. Flight #1
10:30 a.m. Flight #2
Four hour layover in Miami (!!!!) - but this is where we'll connect with the rest of the family.
6:00 p.m. Flight #3
Arrive in Aruba at 8:45 p.m. - a good 45 minutes past the boys' bedtime.

So needless to say, it is going to be a long, exhausting and very challenging day. I've done some initial research online to find articles about traveling with toddlers, especially energetic ones. Parents Magazine's site was incredibly helpful, as was BabyCenter.com.

We'll be taking lots of new activities - anything they will be happy doing while they are seated - a car seat for my three-year-old, snacks, and we will probably have to invest in a portable DVD player. I'm trying to think of a cool surprise to get the boys out of bed that morning since we'll have to be out of the house by 5 a.m. to get to the airport in time.

Sigh...I am SURE it will all be well worth it once we're sitting by the pool, or riding our inflatable toys around the luxurious lazy river, sipping our fru fru drinks. I just wish we could skip the whole nightmare travel day.

We got a nice glimpse of what it may be like when last weekend, as we were traveling back to KC from my parents' lake house, our car broke down. We had to spend two hours in an O'Reilly Autoparts store while "Dustin" looked our car over and my husband discussed our options. The packaged Hot Wheels cars entertained the boys for a good 20 minutes, but it was downhill from there. At one point, they were literally running laps around the entire store while I stood by the door with a completely defeated, blank stare on my face. I had already chased them down two or three times and begged, pleaded and bribed them to stay in one place, but that only resulted in a sword fight with these antenae-lookin extendable magnets (no IDEA what one would use THAT for!). So, finally, I just stood in one place and when anyone caught my eye I gave them a sheepish grin and said pitifully, "We've been here a while..."

Think that will play in Miami?

The Spectacle that is the Iowa State Fair

This weekend we took the boys to the Iowa State Fair. Memorialized by Rogers and Hammerstein's 1945 musical "State Fair," it is probably the largest and most well-known in the country. There's something about being so close to such fundamental elements of life, fresh produce, farm animals, wild flowers and indigenous plants, not to mention hand made crafts, that's fulfilling. It's something that I grew up with a unique appreciation for and something that I really want my boys to have fond memories of as they grow older.

Growing up in Des Moines, home of the Iowa State Fair, this spectacle and cultural phenomenon that is uniquely Iowa was an integral part of my childhood. The Iowa State Fair is where I saw my first concert in 7th grade (Tiffany and New Kids on the Block), and where I always avoided the creep show that was the Midway (carnival rides and games). My grandparents worked at the Fair in some capacity for more than 50 years, and my mom tells the same story every year about running around the Fairgrounds in bare feet for the entire two weeks while her parents worked. When my grandparents worked at the Horse Pavilion I was between the ages of 9 and 13. We could get in to any horse show we wanted for free and had I been allowed, I literally would have sat there all day long. I couldn't ever get enough of those beautiful animals prancing, galloping, cantering and gracefully moving around the ring. English saddle was my favorite, with the regally dressed riders bouncing up and down in a predictable rhythm, backs straight and giving the appearance of absolute grace and control.

This year we got to take the boys for a ride on the Giant Slide. The smell of the burlap sack and the exhileration as you fly over the rises in the giant yellow slide were just as vivid as when I was a child.

Of course, no visit to the State Fair would be complete without the annual viewing of the world's largest pig. The massive animals are rarely seen awake, or standing. I'm not quite sure how they get them in and out of their pens. The boys are always apprehensive and rarely enjoy more than a distant peek at the impressive beasts. With the world's largest pig in such close proximity, it's only appropriate to gorge yourself on every fried food under the sun. The joke goes, if it can be fried, you can find it at the fair. We actually found "macaroni and cheese bites" - think balls of macaroni and cheese, breaded then fried. Heaven!

The other joke, is that you can find just about anything served "on a stick." Darling hubby usually indulges in the deep fried Snickers on a stick, but since he's been working out lately, he passed this year. We even saw "beer on a stick" for the first time this year!

Making new traditions and new memories with the boys adds a whole new dimension to the fair now that I'm a mother. This year it was visiting the farm implements displays, especially the John Deere area. They have both developed an incredible fondness for the big green tractors and seeing them in real life was almost more than they could comprehend. Andrew loved the smaller, yard machines, while Thomas found a digger that was just his size.

We always make "spin art" - the boys put drops of paint on a white piece of cardboard, then push a button that spins the piece of cardboard and sends the paint flying towards the edges. The results never disappoint. The boys get their faces painted at the Cultural Building, and play on the wooden train playgrounds.

And new this year, we went to a new building that houses several baby animal displays. Meant as an educational center for different livestock animals and the breeding process, we heard stories of people who actually witnessed live births of cows, pigs and goats. I'm personally not all that disappointed to have missed that, though they had video running over and over on larger than life screens all over the building.

As we walked out of the gate, we all agreed that we'd definitely gotten enough Iowa State Fair to last us until next year!

Home Sweet Home

I'm never more grateful for my husband, children and my beautiful city than when I travel. Being in Chicago the last three days certainly allowed me to revisit that appreciation - and distance truly does make the heart grow fonder.

I stayed at the Club Quarters at 111 Adams St. in downtown Chicago. When I made the reservation via the main reservation phone number (located in New York), they failed to mention that I would be staying at the Adams Street location. Everything on their Web site advertised a Wacker location just off of Michigan Ave. I only found out when I arrived at said Wacker location, that my reservation was, in fact, at the Adams Street location. It was now 10 p.m., my flight had been delayed roughly a half an hour, and I was more than ready to hit the sack. I jumped in a my second cab of the evening, and made my way to the other hotel.

The front desk clerk was on the phone when I arrived, though I only waited a few minutes before she hung up and turned her attention toward me. She checked me in quickly, then handed me my two room keys in a small non-descript manila envelope. She bid me a nice evening and indicated the elevators to my right.

Someone was getting off just as I turned, so I entered the already open elevator. I pressed the button for my floor and nothing happened. I waited several seconds, pressing the button several more times and finally the doors slid shut. Then, nothing. They immediately opened again and I went through the same motions. Again, nothing. The young lady at the front desk literally feet from the open elevator, seemed blissfully unaware of my struggle. I tried several times to catch her eye to no avail. I tried the next elevator, same problem. Finally I stepped off toward the front desk just a few feet away and a man was coming in to the crazy, "fun house" elevator. I told him that it was broken and wasn't responding.

Finally, the incredibly observant front-desk clerk noticed me and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that you have to put your room key in the slot before you press the button." At this point, I literally had only an insignificant shred of patience left in my brain so I quickly turned to get back on the elevator. A young woman was also getting on and had heard my conversation with the clerk. She disgustedly stated that they'd done the same thing to her, though she had spent an hour riding the elevator up and down until someone finally clued her in. Guess it could have been worse!

The room was small, and had a damp, sticky feeling to it. Given the thin layer of "travel filth" already covering my body, this was a most unwelcome realization. My eyes were bleary with exhaustion, so I kicked off my flip flops, noticing immediately that the carpet was just as damp and sticky feeling as the air. Too tired to care, I pulled out all of my comforts of home and went to set the bathroom up for the next day. I reached into my cosmetics bag and realized with horror that I'd forgotten to pack my toothbrush. I luckily had my toothpaste and did the best I could with the disgusting Burger King chicken sandwich and Sprite film that coated my entire mouth.

I pulled on my satin jammies, and climbed in to bed with my book. The radio next to the bed had this great feature where you could set it to play ocean sounds, babbling brook sounds (which included frog noises, I immediately eliminated that option) or chimes. I set it to the ocean sounds, set the alarm and settled in for the evening.

I slept surprisingly well, and awoke fairly well-rested. After finally reading the hotel literature, I realized that the AC had been shut off after the last person left (a conservation measure) and would be each day when housekeeping came to tidy the room. Good to know. I quickly turned it back on and immediately felt the cool, dry air permeate the small room. What a difference that made!

I hadn't packed my usual shampoo and conditioner since most hotels have sufficient samples already available. This particular hotel had one bottle of "conditioning shampoo," a bottle of mouthwash and two round bars of "French milled soap." I would have been better off had I been a 65-year-old man. The mouthwash came in handy and definitely did the trick a bit better than my finger had the night before.

Once showered and dressed, I made it to the hotel restaurant with a comfortable amount of time to eat breakfast and check in with the office. I had my colleague send me a document I needed to edit and prepare for email distribution the next day, then enjoyed my Eggs Benedict. After a quick stop at the Starbucks next door, I was in a cab and on my way to my workshop.

There is nothing better than commiserating with other people that work in the same field as you. This workshop was part comedy show, part therapy session and part motivational speech. I came out of the first day with a million great ideas that I am sure will be squelched the minute I present them to my superiors.

My second evening in "the windy city" (which comes from the hot air spewed by the city's early politicians, not the weather as most people think!) included a wonderful, giggly, fold-your-legs-under-you, curl-up-on-the-couch-and-veg-in-front-of-the-TV visit with my college roommate and best friend. I snuggled with her eight-month-old, had a fascinating conversation with her two-year-old about trains, ate left over home made pizza and laughed til my sides hurt. We also made plans for a "girls only" visit to our college Homecoming this year. Par-TAY! Of course, being with her adorable family also made me ache for my guys even more!

Back at my hotel room, I realized the AC didn't do much for the sticky layer of tracked in filth in the carpet, and I collapsed into the bed.

Finally, my last day. I slept in and decided to have breakfast and coffee at the workshop. I would be leaving the workshop and heading straight for the airport so I had to bring every living thing with me in the cab. I scrambled out with my laptop and purse, fearing I was going to be a few minutes late, and with my brain mainly on the hot coffee that waited upstairs. I settled into my seat from the day before, cold cereal, o.j., and hot coffee in hand. I noticed another workshop attendee walk in with her roller bag suitcase and my heart stopped. Cold fear gripped my insides as I realized I'd forgotten to grab my bag from the trunk of the cab.

I made an immediate desperate phone call to the cab company, and was immediately routed to a emotion-less, careless voicemail system where I left a message providing as much detail as I could recall in my current mental state. I quickly began to take a mental inventory of what was actually in my suitcase and tried to reason with myself that it was all replaceable. There truly wasn't anything of value in the bag, other than my favorite pair of flip flops and linen capris. My flat iron and cell phone charger were significant losses, but altogether replaceable. It was time to replace most of my makeup and toiletries, too. Satisfied that I could certainly live without the contents of my suitcase, if it came to that, I relaxed and was able to refocus on the workshop.

I made several more calls to the cab company, realizing each time that I was at the mercy of a complete stranger who was driving my poor bag all over Chicago and may or may not have a conscience. It did console me somewhat that there really was nothing of monetary value and if he did decide to keep it, the joke would be squarely on him!

The closer it got to the time I would have to head to the airport, the more that sickening feeling of personal violation set in. Was the cab driver rifling through my dirty underwear, nearly full box of regular tampons, all of the magazines and background materials I'd brought to work on stuff for work, my makeup and cosmetic bag? Was he pocketing my favorite flip flops for a wife, girlfriend or teenage daughter? I suddenly wanted nothing more than to be home with my family and out of this heartless situation.

On the cab ride to the airport, I asked the driver what their protocol was for returning items left in the cab and I got an immediate, "Oh @#&!." Not comforting. He then proceeded to tell me that if the driver was an honest person, he would return it, but that I shouldn't count on it. He told me a colorful story about a couple that left $300,000 in jewelry in a cab and when the driver returned it, they paid him $50,000. Great.

I walked in to the airport feeling like I'd left my left arm back in that cab in Chicago. Thankfully, the rest of my trip was uneventful. Once home, I got to spend $104 replacing all of my make up, deodorant, make up bag, face cleanser, and toothpaste. Joy.

The good news...any anxiety I had completely melted away when I walked into the boys' room and my three-year-old's face lit up when he saw me, "Mommy!" I got exactly three hugs and four or five kisses. My 4 1/2 year old woke up briefly when he felt me brush his hair off of his forehead and tenderly kiss his cheek. "Mommy!" he said, groggy from being in the early stages of slumber. In seconds, he was quietly snoring once again.

I climbed in to bed with darling hubby and finally felt like I was home.

Birthday Boy

When I visualize the ideal birthday photo, it's this one...the birthday child at the kitchen table, surrounded by family, with maybe a sibling standing close by to help blow out the candles at a moment's notice. The lights are dimmed and all eyes are on the child leaning precariously over their home-baked birthday cake. The child may be the only person in the photo, but you know that the family is looking on from just outside the frame.

Sometimes Mom is represented by an oddly detached torso and arm reaching in to present the cake, aflame, wax dripping onto the butter cream frosting.

When my youngest celebrated his third birthday earlier this month, I was posessed about getting this photo of him. We didn't do a big birthday party this year, and I was feeling a little guilty about that, so this was really my only chance to get him blowing out his candles.

These birthday moments come and go so very quickly. In my opinion, the only way to truly hold on to them is to memorialize them in a photograph. Sure, they stay alive in your memory, but it's never as vivid as the photograph that you can go back and relive time and again.

Just about every child has this kind of memory about their birthday. Even if, like my husband, you didn't have a party with your friends from school every year, you AT LEAST had some kind of celebration with cake or some other sweet treat and your immediate family. Gathering around the one piece of furniture that has the power and the capacity to hold the entire family together at one time is the ultimate symbol of celebrating the place a certain person holds in your family. The family dinner table is something that almost universally represents a family gathered as one unit.

I was fortunate to have grown up with this positive view of the family dinner table. As an adult, I know now that ideal hasn't been every child's reality. As a parent, to respect and take advantage of our ability to gather around our table at least once a day is one of my most closely held intrinsic values.

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!

Firsts

One of the greatest things about being a parent is getting to experience, document and sometimes create your child's life's milestones.

First step, first tooth, first haircut...these all typically take place in the tumultuous, sleep-deprived first year. But it's the ones that have taken place as my children have gotten older, aren't dependent on brain and physical development that I treasure.

On Saturday, I took my oldest, at age 4 1/2, to get his first library card. He had been asking me for a couple of weeks now if we could go to the library so I took the opportunity to teach him how the library book lending system works. I also figured he's old enough to have some responsibility - what a novel idea (no pun intended!).

We got up and dressed first thing Saturday morning. He was so excited he asked me no less than 10 times if we were going to the library yet. He wanted to wear his flip-flops (like Mommy) so we decided to drive the five or so blocks rather than walk.

The library was quiet and sunny. It's a smaller community library so the selection isn't impressive, but for a 4 1/2 year old on his first visit, it's perfectly underwhealming. We reached the front desk and I told the very kind, attractive, sixty-something librarian that "Thomas would like to get a library card."

I don't think I could have dreamt a sweeter, more perfect librarian for Thomas' first experience. She was enthusiastic without being condescending and seemed truly thrilled that I'd brought my child in to get his first library card. We signed the sheet with his mailing information, answered a few questions and I handed him the slick black piece of thin plastic with the regional library logo on the front. His face was brighter than the brightest lights in Times Square. He was glowing.

Since it was his first visit and they hadn't qualified all of his mailing information yet, he was limited to two books. That was more than perfect for his first visit. Not too overwhealming in choices, and just enough for him to keep track of.

He originally wanted a dinosaur book, but seeing as the books were organized by author, he decided instead to get a Thomas the Train book. He found one almost immediately and I reminded him he could pick out one more. He headed over to a table where they had sports themed books displayed and chose one on skateboarding. I had to hide my amused smile - not only had he probably never seen a skateboard, but I imagined what darling hubby's face would look like when he considered the prospect that his innocent son would admire the "skate or die, dude" crowd.

It took mere minutes and I almost wished he'd agonized over his choices a bit more so I could savor the moment, but I decided against pressing him as he seemed pretty certain of his choices. The nice librarian scanned his books and his card and we were on our way. I shot the photo just outside the library in front of the hedge. He was so proud!

He's looked at his new library books all of three times, I think, and has been kindly sharing them with his 3-year-old brother. I knew the responsibility lesson had stuck, though, when in the car on the way home from daycare today we passed the library. He excitedly pointed it out, then repeated, "We have to bring our books back so somebody else can read them, right, Mommy?"

Do I love milestones...

Generation X vs. The Millenials

I was born in 1976 which makes me one of the last of the Generation Xers. It also means that in many ways, I relate significantly more to the all-popular, white-hot-with-the-national-media-these-days, Gen Y crowd.

I've read most of the latest articles that have been written about Gen Y, or Millennials. I found myself wondering what happens to those of us on the cusp of these societal definitions of generations. Am I some kind of anomaly because I can easily relate to the values and motivations of TWO generations? Does it make me more attractive in the business world? In my next interview, should I be promoting myself as uniquely capable of relating to the values and characteristics of the two most feared, and most needed, generations of our time?

What this has to do with my role as a mother, I have no idea. Just my brain balancing my dichotomic roles in life - public relations professional and mommy. I'll have more later after I snuggle with my boys, fix dinner, find out how my husband's day was and make a delicious bean and corn salsa for a picnic tomorrow afternoon. Priorities, priorities...

Later...
So now we're sitting out on the patio enjoying the mild summer evening. Thomas is eating the mini M&Ms I got for them to have for dessert tonight (the only thing that motivates him to finish dinner these days). Andrew left most of his meal uneaten of course so he's not as priviledged. The hubby and I are enjoying a frosty beverage and waving to the next door neighbors.

Speaking of neighbors, there's some good material. I actually love our neighborhood. We definitely lucked out with both of our immediate next door neighbors. We'll call one family the Ds and the other, the Bs.

The Ds are great. They were one of the first of our neighbors to come to our door bearing a "welcome to the neighborhood gift," Mrs. D 8 months pregnant with her darling husband and six year old son in tow. They were the first of our neighbors we actually socialized with. They are a darling family and have become dear friends. We've had Chiefs parties, birthday parties, and many an over-the-fence backyard conversation. The boys absolutely idolize their oldest son and he actually seems to enjoy playing with them.

The Bs are a mid-30-ish, childless couple. Their dog has the same name as ours, and Mr. B and I see eachother often through work. He's general manager of our city Symphony and Mrs. B is a lawyer. Last year they bought gifts for the boys at Christmas, came to our youngest's birthday party, and Mrs. B drove all over the neighborhood until she found our dog that had run off in 20-degree weather last winter. They are truly kind people. Despite our different priorities, they have been interested in our lives, gracious, and darling hubby has really hit it off with Mr.B. I especially love to hear about darling hubby going next door to play video games on Mr. Bs 50" plasma TV until midnight.

Then there's J & K and their three kids. They live behind us and our backyards meet. There's no fence and they have a large, incredibly tempting swingset. The boys made a bee line for it the minute we moved in. Back then, there was an open invitation from K, as long as we were there with them. That lasted, hmmm, about six months. We honestly only went over there maybe once a week, nothing that the average person would think was excessive. Eventually we started hearing their two older children yelling at our boys "You didn't ask!!" Then more mean spirited things like "Go Home!" It broke my heart to hear my kids being treated that way so we eventually quit letting them go down there unless the family specifically invited us. I have a hard time believing those kids came up with that sentiment on their own. Other experiences with J (yelling at his wife because she wasn't watching their youngest closely enough for his taste), and arguements with other neighbors have confirmed our feelings. From what we understand, there's a bit of a "cul-de-sac cult" that this family belongs to. They own a John Deere tractor mower together, have Easter Egg Hunts and 4th of July parties together. Don't get me wrong, I'd be right in there with them if we lived up there, but it's a little wierd to observe from the outside.

I think I'm feeling a script for a sitcom or primetime drama here...