Favorite-Things-Phone-Dump Friday

I wrote the rest of this post earlier this afternoon, thank goodness, because our power went out with the crazy storms at about 8pm, and 3 hours later it is still out. So I figured out how to post this from my phone. Word on the street is that the power may not be restored until late Sunday night, so it could be an interesting weekend!

On to the original post...

Since this was my first week home with Cal for the summer, I have a lot more pictures than usual. :)

I decided to create collages categories of things I'm thankful for, based on the pictures I have...

Here goes!

Favorite Thing #1: Work time on "laptops"

Favorite Thing #2: Bubbles!

Favorite Thing #3: Catching up with childhood friend Emily and her daughter Vera!

Favorite Thing #4: These two stinkers and their ice cream

Favorite Thing #5: Toddler in a banana (if you follow the mommyshorts blog, you may know what I'm talking about.  If not, you'll just be confused and that is okay).

Favorite Thing #6: MOA date with Jenna, Charlie and Mabel

The biggest thing this week has taught me is...patience.  As I expected.  Callie and I actually did very well together (for the most part), but after being used to working full time and having a crazy-busy- structured schedule for so long, it was hard to adjust to "toddler time."

As in, toddlers don't care about time at all.  And the more you try to push them along to hurry up with something, the slower they seem to go.  At least that is the case with my toddler.  Maybe not all of them.  But definitely mine.  So far, the only strategy that sort of works now is counting down from 5 and setting the timer on my phone, which we call "Piano Man" because it is a piano riff that goes off when the time is up.  She'll usually get her butt in gear and do what I ask in both of those circumstances, but I'm just waiting for her to realize that I got nothin' in terms of consequences if she doesn't. 

What has been totally awesome this week is the amount of sleep our toddler is getting.  Summer wears her out, and it is fantastic.  She is quick to fall asleep, late to wake up, and still takes good naps.  Which means that I get a much needed nap every day too.  Whew!

Deep Thoughts QOTD

While eating lunch today.

Callie: (staring off into space and chewing)
Me: What are you thinking about?
Callie: (a few seconds of silence) Fish.
Me: What about fish?
Callie: (staring off into space and chewing)

***A couple of minutes of silence later***

Me: What are you thinking about now?
Callie: (a few seconds of silence) Snowmans.
Me: Okay.

Normally I like to talk or play games with her while we eat, but today she just needed to think. 

About deep things, like fish.  And snowmans. 

Stranger QOTD

Strangers continue to make conversation with me.  It is like people have never seen a pregnant person before.  Today we were at the pool with my parents.  I was playing a game with Callie in the kiddie pool (the game required me to stand up and sit down a couple of times, which as you can imagine, is more difficult than normal).  All of a sudden, a guy came up to me and we had the following conversation:

Man: I have a question.  Are you pregnant?
Me: (internal eyeroll) Yep...just a little bit! (fake laughter)
Man: My wife and I were looking at you and we just feel so bad for you!
Me: (punching him in the face in my mind) Yep.  It's a lot of fun.
Man: But it's AWESOME!

Uh huh. Thanks.

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Father's Day Edition

Happy Father's Day to Daddy, Bops, Pa, and Papa! We got to see them all today, so it was a happy Father's day, indeed.

Except for the little 3-years-going-on-13 attitude we've got going on these days.  HOLY MOLY.  Let's just say that our little toddler is teaching us patience beyond our wildest imaginations.  I don't think that even makes sense, but I hope you get my drift.  PATIENCE.

And Pastor Mary's sermon tonight was all about forgiveness...it was pretty appropriate.  At one point she had us picture someone who we needed to forgive, and the only face that popped into my head was my lovely daughter's.  She has been testing the boundaries and disobeying the rules on purpose this weekend and we have been at our wits' end.  So, her face was in my mind when Pastor Mary told us forgiveness is about these three things:

1) PRAY and BREATHE (deep breath in...deep breath out...REPEAT)
2) Don't be the first to try and get even or get justice- give GRACE
3) Have PATIENCE

So...that was a pretty perfect message for me as we head into my first week staying home with her.

Wish us luck. :)

Anyway, on to the weekend...

Saturday

We had a mommy/daughter (decaf) coffee and muffin date.

Later we went to George and Isaac's annual summer party- it was raining at first, but it obviously didn't matter!  A fire truck came to the party too!

Dancing in the rain

Playing with George

Sitting in the fire truck

Callie had a sleepover at Boom and Bops' house on Saturday night so Chris and I could have a date night out.  We definitely needed the break, and Callie was a complete angel for Boom and Bops, so it was a win-win situation for all.  They sent us lots of pictures to show all the fun they were having.

A new "computer" from Bops

Playing at the Guthrie

Popsicles!

Sunday

Cuddles for Bops on Father's Day

Of course, Callie had to be woken up at 7:30 this morning (let's not talk about the fact that at home we are lucky if she sleeps until 7)...stinker! :)

Later, we went to G-ma and G-pa's house and hung out with Pa, Auntie Cat, Uncle Dan, Nana and Papa.  I am large and pregnant, so I did a terrible job of taking pictures, but I managed to snap one of Cal and Pa playing at the sand table.

And that's all I got for today.  We went to church tonight, and then Chris and Cal went home while I went out to eat with Boom, Bops, Auntie Yoda, Auntie Mari, Bob and Barbara. 

Hamsie Update:  35 weeks.  Approximately 5.25 pounds and 18 inches long.  I'm trying not to freak out thinking about how little time is left.  Though, as I've already said a bunch of times, I can't imagine getting bigger for another 5 weeks.  My sausage feet are currently best friends with our basement recliner.  I'm SO HOT all the time.  I'm so glad that it hasn't gotten hot until just recently.  Seriously.  SO HOT AND sweaty GLISTENY.  But enough of my complaining...I really am great overall. 

Favorite-Things-Phone-Dump Friday

Schoooooooool's OUT...for the SUMMER!!!!

For the kids, anyway.  I'll have to go in off and on for the next couple of weeks, but I still consider today the first real day of summer break.

It was lovely.

So was the rest of the week...

Favorite Thing #1: SUNSHINE and RUNNING (not for me at this point, but for them)

Favorite Thing #2: Summer BBQs with friends!  (Cal with Baby Avery)

Favorite Thing #3: Waving to the kids the last day of school

Favorite Thing #4: Hiking with Pa

And my MOST favorite thing this week, Favorite Thing #5, is the first day of summer with my girl:

 

A smoothie date

Bubbles

A Bubble Catcher

Family time

 

I'll be honest, I am a little nervous about this summer.  Maybe a lot nervous.  I was thinking earlier that summer has started, and by the end of summer we will be in a new house, have a new baby, and our lives will be amazingly different. 



Belly Pics

I have not posted the monthly belly pic this time around like I did the first time. 

Partly because I haven't taken a monthly pic.  Because, well, I haven't really thought about doing it.  The 2nd time pregnancy stuff just gets totally overlooked when there is a toddler around.

But I was going through pictures on my phone at 5am this morning when I couldn't sleep, and came across this belly pic from April (on the left) so I decided to wear the same outfit today and take another picture to compare it to (on the right).

Remember when I thought I was HUGE back in April?  Remember when my hair wasn't in a ponytail?  Yeah, me neither.

So I know I definitely look bigger in the second pic, but not out of control huge.  The out of control huge look comes when I turn to the side.  My side view is the reason that everyone who sees me thinks I'm going to "pop" any day now.

Seriously.

QOTD Catch-Ups

I haven't done a QOTD post for awhile, so I thought I'd catch up with a few recent gems.

Today in the car, after some (what appeared to be) deep-in-thought reflection time.

Callie: Mommy, do you know what?
Me: What?
Callie: We really, really, really, really really, really, really, really, REALLY* need to paint my toe nails and finger nails again.

*It is possible there were a lot more reallys than I wrote out.  It was an extensive list of reallys.
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Over the weekend, she was not being a good listener so I was using my stern voice.  She threw a behavior management technique in my face.

Callie: OKAY MOMMY, HERE IS YOUR CHOICE.**  YOU CAN BE MEAN.  OR YOU CAN NOT BE MEAN.

**We clearly give HER too many choices.
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This morning, while I was getting ready, she called to me from the kitchen.

Callie: Mommy, can you help me count to 100?***

***She rocks at counting...she only needs help with getting the tens in the right order, otherwise she does it on her own.

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And finally, some Hamsie-related QOTDs.

Callie: (looking at my stomach) WOW.  Hamsie is REALLY getting big!

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Callie: (laying on the couch with me and rubbing my belly) Mom, how is Hamsie going to come out?
Me: (totally caught off guard with NO idea what to say) UMMM...she is going to come out of my tummy!
Callie: But how?
Me: UMMMMMM...(meanwhile Chris is listening and being absolutely unhelpful)...she is going to go down my body and come out.
Callie: (moves on to a new topic)****

****Thank GOODNESS toddlers have short attention spans, because that was probably the worst explanation of child birth EVER.