The Catch Up, Part 2: A Family Wedding in Maine

Thank you all for the kind words of sympathy - they've meant a lot to me over the last few days. It has been a bittersweet experience. We've all been throwing out wonderful, happy memories of Papa to each other that make me smile - they've brought back some memories I had almost forgotten! But it's still tough to accept that I'll never see him again. My grandmother held a service down in Florida today to let his friends there say goodbye, and this July we'll gather as a family to hold another memorial service and intern his ashes in Massachusetts. Maybe by then it will feel more real.

And in the meantime, things keep moving. Gardens get planted, zoos get visited, teeth are lost (Finn lost his second one today!), book fairs are attended, teachers get appreciated... it's been a busy few days, and that's OK - good, really.

And I carry on with my "catching up" here in this space. We left off with a whirlwind trip to Wisconsin that brought us back home VERY late on Easter Sunday. It was quickly followed by a birthday, where yours truly tipped the scale toward "late thirties" by becoming 36. We celebrated with cake and a Frederick Keys game - where I wisely chose not to bring my camera, since Lucy hung all over me for the entire 7 innings that we lasted. Girlfriend was a HANDFUL, let me tell you. But Finn had a blast, so I have a feeling we'll be heading back again this summer.

No photos from that part of the month, but it's for the best, because now I'm going to overwhelm you with them. OK, wait, scratch that - M. e-mailed me some photos from his iPod from the Keys game, so here you go!:

 

Finn posing with "Keyote," the team mascot.

 

This souvenir hat used to be full of popcorn. Then it was on Finn's head. Now I have to find a place to store it FOREVER because Finn and M. and Lucy are sentimental schmucks that won't let me throw out anything. It's currently stacked with my mixing bowls along with two other souvenir baseball helmet/ice cream bowls. Blarg.

 

But he does look cute in it.

 

She was so ANNOYING.

 

But also cute

 

Less than two weeks after my birthday, we flew up to Maine to watch my cousin Katy get married. Since the wedding was in Portland, we were able to stay at my parents' house on Sebago Lake. It was still too cold for any kind of water activity, but just being able to look at it was so peaceful and relaxing. I'll narrate a few of the photos here, but most of them speak for themselves:

 

Mom and Dad bought a "Pirate Castle" playground for all the grandkids, and it was a HUGE hit!

 

The grown ups were declared "The Enemies." Here, Ned plots his next move.

 

Josephine surveys her kingdom.

 

But also lets her mom in, grown ups be damned, because she can't bear to be without her.

 

A view of the whole castle from the house.

 

M. indulged in Maine flannel and a mid-afternoon beer - how decadent!

 

That's me on the right, Stacey in the middle, and Kristin on the left.

 

Looks fab, no?

 

We had a small birthday celebration for Lucy that Friday night, since we were only 6 days away from her actual birthday - this is how happy it made her. Look at that smile!

 

She received a jewelry box replete with jewelry, including clip on earrings. She was in total heaven.

 

 

Here are the girls primping in front of a mirror the next morning, while the house was bustling with frantic grooming and showering.

 

Followed by several attempts for photos before we left for the wedding. Some were less successful than others.

 

The best shot I had of all the cousins (from left, Cameron, Josephine, Penny, Ned, Finn, and Lucy)

 

God, they kill me.

 

I have LOTS of photos from the wedding ceremony, but they all suck. I had my ISO up pretty high because the lighting was dim, and it just didn't work out well. Alas. Perhaps this is the kick in the butt I need to learn how to take flash photos properly?

 

Here is Lucy after the ceremony, bellied up to the bar and enjoying some goldfish crackers we brought with us.

 

My brother Andrew and my dad

 

This was Finn's very first Shirley Temple. They have a special place in my heart, because my grandfather would always make them for us kids during cocktail hour so we'd have something special to drink, too.

 

Goofing around during the dinner and dancing portion of the night.

 

I made them pose for this, but it's still cute. God those eyes are blue!

 

My sister Stacey with her husband Jeremy and their daughter Cameron

 

This is the group shot of the bride's paternal side of the family - 4 siblings (my mom, her sister, and her brothers) and their spouses, 11 of the 13 children they spawned, several husbands and boyfriends/girlfriends, and 7 little "next generationers." We were only missing a few people - two of my cousins who couldn't make it, and my grandparents (Mimi was back in Florida with a sick Papa). All these people came from the little tree branch started by my Mimi and Papa - crazy!

 

Busting a move on the dance floor

 

 

Dancing, Gangnam-style

 

Lucy was absolutely OBSESSED with Katy (who was a beautiful bride, and I wish I had some proper pictures to do her justice!), and would NOT dance with anyone else. Nor could she be convinced to leave the dance floor. Here she is with her cousin Cameron, monopolizing the bride's time. Katy was so sweet and gracious about it, though, and it made Lucy's night:

 

 

We all became pumpkins at around 8:30 (wedding started in the early afternoon), and headed back to Sebago for bedtime (for the kiddos) and a cocktail out by the outdoor fireplace (for the grown ups). It was COLD, though, so bedtime was relatively early - which was good, because ALL the kids were up by around 6:15 a.m.!

 

 

Enjoying a sunny Sunday morning before heading back to Maryland. Much coffee was had.

 

I have one more "catch up" post to do until we're even - a rundown of Lucy's birthday party. Coming soon to a blog post near you!

Making A Liar Out Of Me

My last post demonstrated some of the havoc Lucy is able to wreak from a mere few inches off the ground, crawling. Well, as of this weekend, her havoc-wreaking tentacles have extended:



This happened, of course, about two hours after I left town for a few days. Mommy leaves, Lucy decides to start walking. Because why would Mommy want to see that anyway, right? Perfect timing. Apparently she was sitting in her PB Anywhere chair, stood up, and started walking. Just decided it was time, I guess.

We are not up to full time walking yet, there is still plenty of crawling mixed in. But we are definitely getting there, and despite my failure to witness the big milestone firsthand, I couldn't be happier. All of that crawling on the playground at school that is completely ruining Lucy's brand new white sneakers may have something to do with my happiness, but I'm also thrilled that she's found a new talent that she loves practicing.

This weekend marked another Lucy milestone, too - Lucy is now completely bottle-free. I thought it would be a huge struggle, because Lucy LOVED her bottles. She got so excited to see them, and would do no more than throw any sippy cups filled with milk. We hadn't been forcing the issue at all, but something seemed to just click, and all of a sudden Lucy started getting excited when we brought out a sippy cup for her (or her brother). So we just went with it, and ditched the bottles cold turkey. Surprisingly, it has worked out really, really well.

As I mentioned, I left town for a few days. I went from a 3-year-old with an attitude occasionally bordering on teenager-ish:

and a 1-year old who just learned to walk and drink from a cup:



to this:



Oh, the contrast! My babies are babies no longer! I happened to have a work trip in the Boston area, and used the opportunity to spend a couple of days with my sister, MommyEsq, her husband, her 21-month old twins, and her brand new baby girl Josephine Alice (Josie). Josie was only 5 days old when I arrived, and so adorable! I had lots of fun holding her and remembering all those sleepy, cuddly newborn days (the good parts only, of course). If MommyEsq or any of my siblings want to have dozens of kids, I'd be totally supportive - I'd come take care of them whenever they wanted! This baby factory may be closed, but I love, love, love new little babies, and I couldn't be happier for the Esq family.

A Holiday Review and a Look Toward 2009

2009 began quite early for us. 5:38 am, to be exact. Someone decided that, since he couldn't immediately find his pacifier when he first stirred, he was done sleeping for the day. Ugh. I have a feeling the damn paci is not long for this world.

That auspicious start to the day was followed by several whining fits. By the same paci-addict, of course, not M. or myself. I blame the 2-year-old molars that are definitely working their way to the surface of Finn's gums.

We spent an hour or so in the morning of New Year's Day checking out new daycares (from the outside only, of course, as none were open). The largest, most anxiety-ridden item on my big "Before The Baby Comes" To Do list is finding a daycare. Yes, we already have one that we like, a lot. But it's near my work, which would involve about 2 and a half hours of driving each day if I were to make 2 round trips to take Finn there and pick him up during my maternity leave. That's just not going to happen. So, we are looking for a new daycare closer to home. Possibly only for the 3 months of my maternity leave, but we are leaving ourselves open to the idea that we may keep Finn there permanently and have the baby go, too.

I've been putting off the daycare search because the mere thought of it riddles me with all kinds of guilt and other negative emotions. I hate the thought of disrupting Finn's life and schedule by moving him away from his friends and teachers to a brand new environment. Right at a time when his entire world is going to be turned upside down by the addition of a sibling. And, if we aren't completely satisfied with the new daycare, or we can't get a spot for the baby when the time comes, we will move Finn back to his old daycare when I go back to work. Two transitions in a 3-4 month period, possibly. Oh, the guilt. And even if it's only one transition (meaning we get a spot for the baby and switch to the new daycare permanently), I feel guilt. I LOVED going to visit Finn every day during my lunch hour, I did it for over a year. I knew every baby and teacher in the infant room intimately, and Finn and I had a lot of quality bonding time. Putting the new baby in a daycare near our home would mean I can't do the same thing this time around. And that doesn't even address the guilt I feel over my need to send Finn to daycare during my maternity leave. Why am I spending the money (especially when part of my leave will be unpaid) and uprooting my child when I could just keep him home with me? Stay at home moms do this kind of thing all the time - adjust to life with a newborn AND take care of a toddler or two, all day, every day. But I know myself. I had a hard enough time keeping my sanity during my maternity leave with Finn. I REALLY think that it would not be fair to Finn or the baby (or me) if I have them both home with me during my leave. So, yeah, did I mention I feel guilty? Maybe I was Catholic in another life?

Thankfully, we were able to cross several daycares off our list just by viewing them from the outside (our main goal yesterday, as I have no desire to tour all of the 13 or so options I had on my original list), and we have at least a few good places to pursue. Our drive yesterday morning gave me renewed energy and hope to tackle this big task.

Yikes, so I'm re-reading what I've written so far, and I realize it all sounds so negative. I'm actually quite full of good feelings about this year. Finn is going to make a wonderful big brother, we will find a great solution for childcare for both kids, we have lots of fun things to do to get ready for Baby M (seriously, have I mentioned how much I love folding and organizing baby clothes? Because I do. And I love that I have an excuse to do it all again.), my job may bring new opportunities for me later this year, and we have a huge surprise coming in April. Sunshine and roses here, people, REALLY.

In other news, I somehow became hugely pregnant. According to my OB appointment today, I am measuring right on track at 24 weeks. But seriously, my belly is going to need its own zip code soon. It now officially sticks out farther than my chest. With 16 weeks to go, I'm a bit worried about just how big it will get. But aside from that, I feel good, the baby is super active, and I'm loving this part of the pregnancy.

I'll end with a few pictures from the holidays. We took tons, but many just didn't come out very well. I'm contemplating looking in to a new camera soon, because I think we are not realizing the potential of some very good photo opportunities with our rinky-dink Olympia. Sorry for any blurriness or red eye below!

Testing out snow for the first time this year, not so sure how we feel about it:


Digging a sled ride from Bumpa after warming up to the snow:


A family picture taken on Christmas Eve:


An adorable picture of Cousin Penny:


The three cousins, Penny, Finn and Ned, in their Christmas finery:


Finn getting ready to hang his stocking by the chimney with care, in his new bathrobe from Grammy:


After the mad rush of opening stocking presents, Finn and M. taking a break:


The "big toy" of Christmas day, Finn's GeoTrax modules from Grammy and Bumpa:


Is there a doctor in the house?:


I cannot stress to you how INTO Frosty Finn has been during this winter season, and during our final day of snow play before heading home, Finn finally got to meet the epic, mystical Snowman (hind end thanks to M., abdomen thanks to Bumpa, and head courtesy of me):


PS - Resolutions, schmesolutions! My typical New Year's resolution is to lose weight, get in shape, etc - all various versions along the same theme of being able to buy smaller clothes, damn it. Now that I am luxuriously pregnant this year, I don't feel the need to torture myself with a resolution. So freeing! I highly recommend ditching resolution-making. Happy New Year to you all, I hope the coming months have many good things in store for you!

Not Dead

I swear, we are all alive and well! Busyness and exhaustion have kept us from blogging, but things should be slowing down now.

When I last posted, I was about mid-way through a stint of single motherhood, with M. in Vietnam for work. While he was there, my parents and my sister Stacey came to visit for a few days, and we had a great time. They helped with a few projects around the house - installing shelves in our new office closet, refinishing a light fixture, moving around some furniture, and replacing several of our severely ugly overhead lights that were peppered throughout the house. I definitely felt spoiled. The best part was the fun Finn had - lots of people to shower him with attention, and plenty of quality baseball-watching time with Bumpa (my dad). Baseball is apparently Finn's favorite sport, and every time he sees a TV he asks to watch it (Lord help us when the season ends!). Bumpa was happy to indulge, and we have a little Red Sox fan in the making.

About an hour after Grammy, Bumpa and Auntie Stacey left, M. returned home. Finn woke up from his nap to find his much missed Daddy, and I have never seen him jump up and down in his crib with quite so much excitement.

M. and I spent the next couple of days recovering and trying to help M. figure out what time zone he was in (Vietnam is 11 hours ahead of us), then I took off for the Boston area to visit Mommy Esq and my new niece and nephew. Penny and Ned are adorable and unbelievably small - how soon one forgets the tinyness of newborns! They are already ten times the sleepers Finn was, which makes me very greatful for Mommy Esq and Husband's sakes, but very jealous too! I hope my next baby can take a cue from Penny - that little girl loves to eat and sleep, and really only cries when she's getting her diaper changed.

Today is Sunday, and I have a few more hours here in Boston. Mommy Esq and I are sitting on opposing computers, blogging at the same time. How trendy of us! I hope I have been some help - all the old moves to quiet a fussy baby came right back, and I think I was especially good at getting Ned to catch some zzz's (Penny needs no encouragement in that area). But I do miss Finn a lot - we have been Skyping (talking over the computer with a video camera) every night, and it's both wonderful and hard to see his cute little face from afar. It will be nice to get back to him and M., and return to normal life. More travel is scheduled over the next several weeks for M. and myself, but they are short trips and hopefully Finn will have plenty of opportunity to remember what it's like to live in a two-parent household.

I have some great pictures from our visits with the various members of my family, so expect a photo post soon!

My Short Attention Span

I have many things I should be blogging about. Those really yummy Tempeh Reubens I made last week, for example. Or the fun things Finn and I did together this past Saturday while M. had a much deserved golf outing. The bits and pieces of Olympic coverage I managed to catch (those speed walkers are really freaky, don't you think?). Even the disappointment I felt when I heard Joe Biden was selected as Obama's running mate (I'm keeping an open mind, but I can't deny my initial reaction of, well, blah).

Instead of concentrating on one of these topics, however, my mind keeps returning to the clock. 1:30 pm, the time scheduled for MommyEsq's c-section, was very, very slow in arriving. But arrive it finally did. And it left. As did 2:00, 2:30, and 3:00. Just when I was starting to worry a little - did something go wrong? Or is her doctor keeping her waiting AGAIN? - my cell phone rang. It was Grammy (my mom) with some of the essential information. I don't want to steal MommyEsq and Husband's thunder, so I will not post the names or weights. But Baby A and Baby B are here and everyone is doing well.

As I type this, I realize how little I really know. The big stuff, like how well is "well?" Is NICU time a possibility for either of the tykes? And the smaller but still important stuff. What time were they born? Who came out first? Birth order is very important, you know - my sisters and I are all classic eldest, middle and youngest children personalities, though we were born only 3 minutes apart.

I was hoping that this tidbit of news would be enough to get me back to concentrating on, if not an articulate and thoughtful or humorous blog post, at least my, er, job. While I'm still antsy to get my sister on the phone and have her tell me all about her babies, I guess this will tide me over for a little while.

About that job... I must really get back to it, at least for the next hour or so. Then I get to go pick up my baby, something that I look forward to every day. But before I go, back to those yummy reubens, and a shout out to my fellow vegetarians Jen, Yson and G. You really MUST try this recipe. They are sooo good (M. doesn't want me to admit this, but he liked them, too) - I had three last week and I'm still craving them:

Tempeh Reuben Recipe

(adapted from www.yumyum.com)
8 oz tempeh
2 tb soy sauce or tamari
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1/3 c water
2 ea garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 ts black pepper
1/2 ts caraway seed
1/2 ts dillweed
1 ts onion powder
1/2 ts paprika
8 sl rye bread
1 c sauerkraut, heated
4 sl Swiss cheese
Thousand Island dressing

Slice tempeh in half crosswise. Slice those slices in half through the middle as though splitting a cake into layers. In a shallow baking dish, combine soy sauce, vinegar, water & seasonings. Add the 4 tempeh slices & marinate either for several hours or overnight. Turn occasionally. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake tempeh slices, covered in their marinade, until hot, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve on rye bread with a slice of Swiss cheese, smothered in sauerkraut & Thousand Island dressing.

Coming Soon - New Cousins!

As you may have read on her blog, MommyEsq has received her c-section date. Knocked up with twins, both of which are breech, she'll be going under the knife on August 25th. Only 12 days away! I'll be winging up to visit them once the baby nurse MommyEsq and her husband have hired is gone in order to provide a little support, probably some time in October.

A teeny, tiny part of me will mourn the phase where Finn was the only grandchild on my side. His reign as Supremely Spoiled Grandchild is about to end, or at least drastically change, and he will be sharing the limelight with (and perhaps be overshadowed by) his new cousins. Overall I'm ecstatic, though. Sharing the attention will actually have a lot of benefits for Finn. He was a bit of a super-celebrity at recent family functions like our trip to Disney World. This puts a lot of pressure on him - everyone wants a hug and a kiss (even though to Finn they are virtual strangers), and he's always being asked to do his "party tricks" (whatever new skill he's recently mastered). Of the 600 or so pictures that were snapped in Florida, Finn was in roughly 500 of them. He had his own paparazzi!

Finn has two cousins on his dad's side, 6-year-old Ty and 3-year-old Bo. As the youngest cousin (at least for now), Finn does have a special place in the family, and each boy is given lots of individual attention. But he also gets to be part of a group - a pack of wild little boys that I'm sure will have tons of fun together in the future. Sounds just about right to me, and I'm excited that there will be another little pack for Finn to join, one he gets to lead.

Other reasons for excitement: The Esq twins are boy/girl. Finally, I can shop in the girl clothing sections (see above, where I mention the THREE boy cousins on M.'s side, begat by a set of brothers. What's up with those X swimmers, family of M?). Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of cute outfits to put a baby boy in, and Finn owns many of them. But it's nothing compared to the sea of options in the girl section, each one more adorable than the last.

And, finally, let's not forget the biggest reasons to be excited - these babies are healthy (fingers crossed that they remain that way) and are soooo wanted. And, you know... twins! I mean, come on, how cute is that!?!? OK, I know how overwhelmed I felt with just one baby, so I understand this will be no cakewalk for MommyEsq and Husband. But there are many, many of us who are excited for their arrival and willing to help, so hopefully that will make things a little easier.