Update on life

Kevin is back in town and the whole family seems like they are getting back to normal, with the exception of Ellie the cat. It seems to take her longer to get used to his return as she remains miffed for a good week. She is going to be very upset on Saturday when he leaves again, this time with the whole family!

Delaney is going through a phase of being extremely determined to wear exactly what she wants. Which includes only a handful of items, and all of which are super comfy cotton elastic-type clothing. She refuses to wear anything resembling jeans, khaki shorts, dresses, any of her cute shoes, etc. She is one VERY opinionated girl when it comes to getting dressed in the morning.

Work has been nearly unbearable lately but I am trying to grin and bear it. I'm excited to get away for a few days and take a break, although begrudgingly I think I will have to do some work while away because of various annoying reasons. Argh. A bunch of friends have asked when I am going to leave, and we have decided I will be working up until my leave. My last day in the office will be Friday September 19 (unless I go into labor sooner). It's longer than we had originally anticipated, although with all the money we have spent on the house and Delaney's new room, it made sense to do it this way.

I just finished the book The Time Traveler's Wife. I know I am in the minority on this one, but I wasn't that crazy about it. The writing was good, but the subject matter just never grabbed me and I didn't like all the jumping back and forth through time zones. It's really just a personal thing with me and I realize most people are a lot more tolerant of this technique. And to boot the book was really long at 540 pages. Sheesh. Next on my list is Passage to India which is my August book club selection. Also not far behind are Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kinsolver. This is not a book club selection but I want to read it and am excited to jump into that one. My other book club has selected Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott for the September book so hopefully I will get to that soon after Passage.

Here is a cute video I shot of Delaney the other morning before school.

Butterfly Pavilion visit

On Sunday I went to the Butterfly Pavilion with my friends Anne and Joelle. Our kiddos were all born within the same week (Joelle and I were even in the hospital together) and we eventually met up through a mom's group at Becoming Mothers. Delaney really likes Spencer and Kyra, and had a blast running around looking at insects, bugs, fish, butterflies, etc.

It's a great place to bring a toddler although the butterfly room itself was stifling hot and humid for this prego lady.

I have a few pics of the kiddos holding hands and being silly.

Growing Gardens

I pulled my first zucchini from my garden last week, and since then have pulled EIGHT of them. I have no way to eat that many zucchini's when it's just myself so I have been trying to dole them out to neighbors as much as possible. Here is a pic of the first one:


Also, my tomato plants are growing like crazy and about 6 of them have had tomatoes on them for about 4 weeks. I am hopeful, since that is earlier than ever, that I will actually get to eat some red tomatoes this year. Usually I am pulling them all off the vine when they are still green before the first frost hits in October. Since it's July, some of them have to turn red, right?!?!?!


At any rate, a few of the plants are taller than me at the moment.

Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies busted for coke

I logged onto my Comcast page yesterday and this was one of the big headlines of the day. You can find the article here.

I also happened upon the BNL message boards for a quick 5-minute tour of various fan reactions. The general consensus among fans seemed to be surprise and dismay because Steven and the rest of the BNL boys always seemed so "normal". Then it seemed like there were about four categories of opinions -- total disapproval and vowing to sell off all BNL albums, a questioning of whether or not they could remain fans, total support for Steven in his "time of need" and then ones who simply said "I could care less if he snorts something, I still enjoy listening to their music".

I can't exactly what camp I fall into, but I'd be lying if I wasn't a tad bit disappointed in Stevey boy. As posted on my blog a few weeks back, we just went to the children's concert they put on here in Boulder. I guess it's an understatement to say it's bad timing to get busted for coke after releasing a children's album and being in the middle of a children's tour. Steven looked trimmer than usual at the Boulder show and now I might have an explanation for that. According to various gossip sites and fan comments, Steven separated from his long-time wife last year (they have 3 sons), he has been battling drug addiction for some time, and has also had bouts of depression.

What's funny to me is how BNL always has seemed like the boys next door who struck it rich doing what they love. You could see they loved what they did (both before and after they made it big) and always made you feel like you knew them. I can't think of a time I saw them that they didn't tell some anecdote that made me feel like I got to know them better. Not only that but they always make an effort to get to know the place they are playing which made you feel like they were getting to know you and where you live. Maybe that's why all the fans are so upset by this information. It's like when a good friend tells you that they're getting a divorce out of the blue... it seems like an affront that you didn't know about it because you were friends and should have known something so important.

But why would we know that Steven Page has battled some drug and behavior demons? Do you think he would outright tell us this in his songs? I suppose you can read subtext into a lot of their songs, especially Call and Answer, and assume that he knows a thing or two about demons. One of their earlier big hits, Brian Wilson, now seems like a foreshadowing about Steven Page's life instead of the troubled Beach Boy singer.

One of the first things Kevin and I bonded over was our mutual affection for BNL. Triathlons were also a big draw, but BNL was the reason I sent Kevin my first email communication. I was going to be home in August of 1998 and was wondering if he was planning on going to their bay area show. Good excuse to write a potential date, right?!?

Since then he and I have seen them probably a half dozen times, and my guess is that we've seen them separately another dozen times. Our ears have been blessed with their music during countless road trips and weekends around the house. We don't see them live as much anymore because they play huge venues and generally we are not fans of the huge venue. My guess is that we will continue to listen to them (I actually have them on right now as we speak) and support the band as long as they make good music. But that image that they were our friendly neighbor next door does seem a bit different now.

My hope is that it doesn't mean that BNL is done for now that their leader has proven he is going a bit off the deep end. I would hate to see them break up and stop making music. And I hope Steven gets some help and his family and friends are there for him. I wonder if he's lying in bed, just like Brian Wilson did.

Sleeping issues

The sleeping issues have started for me, which is scary because it seems like it's a long way until the baby is born.

I think it's one of those cruel jokes that nature plays on you when you're pregnant. There isn't a time that you need sleep more than before a baby comes, but when you've got this squirmy being inside you messing with your body and hormones, it seems almost impossible to do so.

Last night I laid awake from 3am to 5am and had trouble dragging myself out of bed when Delaney started singing this morning. At least she doesn't wake up early, I think I have been blessed by her ability to sleep in. I can't imagine we'll have as much luck with a second kiddo on the sleeping in factor.

Most of my issues center around insomnia, hip aches, temperature issues and general body aches.

At 4:15 I was so frustrated that I ended up turning on the light and reading my book for a half hour. I am reading the Time Traveler's Wife, which quite honestly is not grabbing me and I have been at it now for a few weeks (and am 200+ pages into it). A lot of my friends loved the book, so I'm hopeful that I will understand that better as I progress. I feel like there must be something big that happens in the end that has you thinking twice about previous clues and things you've read. I just don't know what that is yet, and frankly I am a little annoyed by all of the back-and-forth between space and time. Not my kind of topic usually.

I have been blessed by constant attention from the neighbors, as Don and Lindsay had me over for dinner last night and Delaney loved hanging out with Finley. I have a BBQ tonight and a bunch of invites for this weekend as well. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have made a dent in my loneliness during this solo stint. 6 more days to go.

Excited for our upcoming trip

In less than two weeks we are all going back east for a few family visits. We will spend 3 days in Arlington staying at Kevin's brothers place catching up with his side of the family (and Jo's 70th birthday celebration). I'm sure my niece and nephew have changed so much since we last saw them and I'm excited to get to know them again and remind Delaney that she has some cousins. :) I am not looking forward to the east coast humidity, but hopefully it won't be too bad.

Then we are DRIVING our way up to Ellsworth Maine which is apparently about an 11-hour drive. We are going to do it over two days and hopefully stay in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which we hear is a very charming and fun town.

Then we get 4-5 days in Maine with my parents where we will undoubdetly be eating tons of seafood (although I will have to moderate) and showing Delaney what a wonderful east coast retreat her grandparents have set up. I predict that she will be very scared of the lobsters and crabs, and probably even more annoyed about wearing a lifejacket in the lobster boat.

I feel like I could use a break from the daily routine of preparing for a second child, and it will be nice to not have to think about crossing items off a to-do list on a daily basis. Me thinks it will do me good to get away for a few days.

Sadness

It is a bit of sadness that I write my update today, as it seems like a bunch of generally sad things have been happening lately.

My co-worker Anna lost part of her home on Saturday in a random fire that totally burnt their neighbors house to the ground. Anna's family lost their entire garage (including cars) and a part of their home. With the smoke and water damage they know whey won't be able to be back in their home for at least 6 weeks, possibly longer, and I know that must be hard with 3 kids in tow. To add insult to house injury, we found out on Sunday that Anna's half-brother was found dead in Hawaii after he had been missing for two weeks. He had recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was apparently scared to death because he thought everyone was out to get him. He was found on a trail by some hikers, and my thoughts are with Anna and her family during what must be an awful, awful, time.

And much less sad is that Kevin is gone again and our whole family seems to be despondent over his departure. The house just isn't the same without him and I am starting to get lonely without him around since he's been gone so much. Most of the time it just seems more hectic, busy and frustrating when he's gone. But somehow lately it's just felt more lonely than anything.

I have started to feel the discomforts of the third trimester a lot earlier than I did last time, including long bouts of insomnia, hip pain, sciatica, fatigue, belly discomfort and plantar fascitis. Ugh. I can't believe I have 2.5 more months! Calgon take me away.

I am starting to get worried about being able to care for two children on my own since Kevin likely won't be able to take more than a few days off work. My mom is thankfully coming out for 2 weeks (some of it pre-birth, assuming I don't go early) and I am considering flying out my dad to help in October or November. It's harder for them both to come out together so maybe I can get him to come out after her and have a little extra help. It would just be nice to have an extra set of hands around since I remember just how overwhelmed I felt with a new baby at home. And now I'll have a baby AND a toddler. At least I have very helpful neighbors, but it's not the same as someone who is willing to occupy Delaney for hours on end. I'm sure we'll figure it out and everything will be fine. :)

I have some good plans this weekend with my mom's group friends so I'm excited about that, including a trip to the Butterfly Pavilion with Delaney. We have never been and I hear it's fun. Other than that not much else to report. No new photos but I'm going to try and snap some this week so Dad can have a glimpse into our world.

Rambling update

I don't have anything magnificent to share, so will instead opt to provide a run-of-the-mill update on our family and our weekend.

Kevin returned late last week from 11 days away in China, which was a huge relief to EVERYONE in the house. I feel like I can handle one week fairly adequately, but the longer ones start to get me and the whole family. Lucy had spent so much time with Murphy and the neighbors that she stopped wanting to hang out with me and wouldn't even come over when I would return from a day of work. Ellie started wailing at all hours of the day and the ones in the middle of the night are always fun. Delaney started talking about how when daddy gets home she wanted Mommy to "go away". And me... well.. let's just say I was ready to have my hubby back for the company and help.

We spent a nice weekend as a family and caught up on some projects around the house to boot. We took two trips to the pool and Delaney is really coming into her own at the pool. She will jump in by herself and is ok with submersing herself completely as long as I get her when she's underwater and bring her back up. She likes to float and kick, and has even attempted to do something that looks very close to swimming. The best part is seeing her squeals of delight about being in the water and her sheer joy when she is doing something in the water that makes her happy. To say that she likes the water is probably an understatement.

We dined out for a few meals but mostly ate all of our meals on our outdoor patio and new patio table. It was a gorgeous weather weekend and we enjoyed as much of the outdoors as we could muster. There were a few obligatory trips to Home Depot mixed in but as long as Delaney gets to drive the "car cart" she doesn't seem to mind going. Our neighbors Kate and Rico had a party on the 4th and we enjoyed spending a few hours with our close friends and neighbors. I made a peach crisp that was pretty darn good, thanks Barefoot Contessa.

And of course Kevin and I did some relaxing by the TV watching the swimming and track/field Olympic Trials. I think the track and field was more exciting than the swimming, especially the men's 800 meter final. I think Kevin has successfully turned me into a track and field fan.

Kevin's jet lag is worse than I've ever seen it by about 5 fold. He has been plain out of it since his return and has not had a normal night of sleep yet. He has also been uncharacteristically cranky and groggy, which makes it hard when the whole family is excited to have him around and wants him to jump back into action so quickly. We tried to take it easy on him and let him sleep in a few mornings but even after 10 hours of sleeping he still didn't seem to be himself.

I am dreading the fact that Kevin is set to leave again so quickly for Europe. We won't have another weekend together as a family (in Boulder) until late August. Sniff, sniff.

The pregnancy is going ok, I am definitely starting to feel like it's the third trimester. The boy moves all day long and has a tendency to like to push very hard on my bladder and other parts that are very uncomfortable. But all in all no real complaints.

The last of Delaney's big girl furniture arrives Wednesday and I am thrilled to finish up that room and check it off the list.

Other than that just enjoying having the man of the house around for a short stint. I took zero pictures this weekend so I have nothing exciting to show of the weekend except my update. :)

Music in North Boulder Park

One of our favorite things about our neighborhood is living near North Boulder Park. It's about a half-block away and it's a huge park complete with a playground, two softball fields, bbq pits, and plenty of place to lounge around. In the winter after a fresh snow it turns into a skate skiing course which is also a nice benefit.

In the summer our friends Steve and Colby Evans organize a great music series on Sunday nights called, appropriately, "Music in the Park". They usually feature talented local musicians who play for a few hours while the entire neighborhood congregates while camped out on picnic blankets. Most people bring food and drinks as well.

The park comes alive with children running everywhere, squeals of delight and conversation after conversation between neighbors and friends. It is hard to explain unless you live here and experience it how close-nit this neighborhood feels during events like Music in the Park. There are hundreds of people but yet it seems like I know just about every other family in attendance.

I snapped a few pathetic pictures last Sunday, they are terrible quality but you can get a general idea of the event. Delaney and I went together and it was hard to manage an active toddler and have any conversations, but still worth it to attend nonetheless.

Children's concerts

Last Friday we were invited to join a few of Delaney's classmates (and their parents) to attend a local children's concert. Since Kevin is out of town I gladly accepted and knew that Delaney would be very excited to hang out with Jasper and Abilene, and listen to some tunes. When I told her we were going to a concert she actually got excited and said she wanted to go dance and jump. I have a little concert veteran on my hands.

All of the parents were able to sit and chill for a few moments as our kids entertained each other, and we were all remarking about how our lives had changed so dramatically when it comes to social events. Now we go to children's concerts and actually enjoy that it somewhat resembles a social life, when in reality we know it's nothing like the late night shows and fun we used to have. But such is life. It makes me happy to see Delaney so happy with her friends. Here is a snapshot of their breakdancing fun.

For what it's worth, I think they're all amazing dancers. :) Abilene in particular has a flair for an "interpretive" style dance.