We've had a calm couple of weeks. And by calm I mean, only 5 or 6 commitments a week and no vacations, (besides the last minute weekend vacation we just got home from a couple hours ago). I had a feeling that after our Reno/Tahoe trip I'd have a bit of a travel let down. I felt like the fun part of summer was coming to an end after that. It's actually been nice to just be home. Start projects, finish projects, plan projects, clean, watch TV, play cards with Paul, have low-key evenings with my boys, etc. However, I am looking forward to the next somewhat unplanned vacation for my cousins wedding in San Fransisco in a week and a half.
I'll post later about our weekend at Lake Arrowhead. Until then, here's a little look into our lives here in California lately.
A backyard party for Garrett's second cousin.Projects for the girl. I got this frame at IKEA in the 'as is' section for 2.99 years ago, had batting, fabric, and ribbon on hand, so I threw this little clip holder together. (I have an idea for a headband holder too, I'll make and post later.) A baby who's been sleeping so much more sound since starting physical therapy. I almost feel guilty because he's always been such an amazing sleeper, but now he falls asleep quicker, naps longer, and stays asleep when we transfer him from car seat to arms to crib. It's the best!A day at the OC Fair.A new friend at the fair, who is also a former DOC band wearer.Swinging from the trees.Spooning with his new favorite stuffed animal.Lots of hours spend at doctors and clinics.More projects. I had my Wood Co buddy cut this board for me about a year ago. My plan was to make it and sell it in the store. I just got around to decorating it. It still needs a hole drilled at the point and then I need to find a place to hang it. (And it'll be hung a foot off the ground...Paul was a little confused when he saw the numbers.) A successful trip to IKEA with Grandma White to get stuff for Garrett's play room. Now I just need to move all my craft stuff and Christmas decor so I can get it all set up!Paul trying to teach Garrett how to walk. NOT my idea. I found them practicing in the hall when it was supposed to be bath time.And of course, lots of time in the water.Here's just a few reasons I'm so happy to have a little boy:
Mohawk haircuts, just for fun.A little horsing around and some 'Garrett on the Cob' while waiting on a doc.And 'The Boat Rocker' craziness in the popasan chair. (Paul was rocking and rolling him around like crazy, and no matter where G landed he was constantly trying to get up and crawl towards him -laughing the whole time.)And here's a couple reasons why its probably good that a girl is on the way:
Did I ever tell you that one time a nurse said to me, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but your little boy is so beautiful, he could be a girl." -I agree, my boy is pretty babe-licous!
Are you feeling the baby move? Yes, all the time. And a week or so ago I felt her move when my hand was on my tummy. I love this part!
Does your baby have a name? Yes she does. But we're not telling anyone until she's born.
Are you ready? No. I remember when I hit the half way mark with Garrett thinking, I can't believe I'm only halfway there! I'm just over 24 weeks now and I haven't felt that once. I'm in no hurry this time around.
Were you excited to hear it's a girl? Yes. Probably shocked more than excited at first. The ultrasound tech asked if we wanted to know and we said yes. When she got to 'that part' she paused the screen. I knew what I was supposed to see on a boy money shot, and when she paused it she didn't say anything at first except, "Are you ready for this??" I looked at the screen and the thought that immediately came to my mind was, "Oh my gosh, he doesn't have a penis!" Then she said, "That's a baby girl!" I think I was so confident that I was having another boy that I'd let myself get really excited about having 2 little boys so close in age. But when she said girl, I saw the look on Paul's face, (he really, really wanted a girl) and I was so happy. I even got a bit emotional. But I have to admit, I still sometimes think its a boy that was hiding really well.
How are you feeling? Not great. I think I'm remembering too much about my first pregnancy and how I felt SO AMAZING in my second trimester. I'm just a couple weeks away from my 3rd trimester and still don't feel like I've fully recovered from morning sickness. I threw up at LAX a couple weeks ago and in the car a couple days ago. It just hits me and there's no stopping it. I have to remind myself to eat because not much ever sounds good, but I still get feeling nauseous if I don't have a little something in my tummy every couple of hours. I feel like I eat a lot, but I had an appointment yesterday and I'm only up one pound from my pre-pregnancy weight. (We don't need to mention that I started about 20 lbs up from my pre-garrett weight.)
What are you going to do differently this time around? There were a few things that came to mind for sure when asked this. I won't be as worried about every little thing. At least I don't feel like I will be. She will nap in her crib, (I hope). I made the mistake of letting Garrett nap in his swing a little too often, and for the first 5 months that's the only place he'd sleep during the day. I won't second guess the 'cry-it-out' method. Garrett mastered falling asleep on his own in less than a week, but I spent the whole week wondering if it was too soon, if he'd feel abandoned, if I was mean/lazy, if it would work. And it broke my heart listening to him when he did cry. I believe it works and when I feel its time, I'll do it. Probably around 6 months...I think that's when I started with Garrett. I won't push solid foods! Garrett was only 4 and a half months old when he started. He did great for a week or so and then totally lost interest for about a month or two. It was so messy, so discouraging, and so time consuming. I hope to wait til she's 6 months before introducing solids.
How are you liking the OB doctor rotation? So far, I've liked them all. I think I've met 4 and talked to another one on the phone. Whenever I meet a pregnant person or someone with a baby I try to have it come up in conversation where they delivered and who their doctor is. I've never heard anyone say a single thing they didn't like about any of the doctors at this clinic or our hospital of choice. There was one doctor however, when he walked in the exam room, my first thought was, "Hi little boy, I think you're in the wrong room, do you need help finding your mommy??" ...And then he measured my stomach and answered all my questions. But he was really nice and knew what he was doing! A young, attractive, male doctor delivering my baby... I'm pretty sure that's Paul's worst nightmare. :)
Has 'pregnancy brain' been worse, better, the same? Worse, but I don't blame anything on it like I did with G. Now I blame it on old age. It didn't go away after Garrett was born, and its slowly gotten worse. I'm getting old. In one week I messed up 3 appointments, THAT I HAD WRITTEN DOWN. 3:15 and I thought 3:30, 9:00 and I thought 9:45, and 1:45 and I thought 2:30. I have no idea where I pull the new times from. It could be in part that we have about 3 a week, and tomorrow my little rock star has 3 in one day. But still, I'm getting confused a lot. And no matter how hard I try and remember, I always go to the wrong floors at the Women's Center and at Cranial Tech. I still blame my bladder control issues on pregnancy though, I'm not ready to give that one up to age yet.
I'll give you the short version first. The long version will have all the details and my feeling, thoughts, and emotions. So, it might be wise to stop after the short version.
Short:
Last night I peed my pants during dinner. Then I spend 4 hours at the hospital in labor and delivery. Then I went home and went to bed.
Long:
Last night I cooked dinner, had it ready, and had Garrett fed by the time Paul got home from work. That might be the first time that's happened since Garrett was born. We sat down together and ate. We talked about plans for the rest of the evening and weekend, and about the day, etc. I stood up from the table and realized that my pants were all wet...down there. And no, I didn't pee as I stood up. I don't know when I peed..sometime during dinner I guess, but I had no idea. I went to the bathroom to check things out. I was sure everything was fine. But Paul came in, and because this isn't his first rodeo and he knows a term or two to throw around, he said, "What if it's amniotic fluid?" Then I started to worry a bit. I changed my cloths and then called the after hours clinic. They relayed my message to the on call doc, and about an hour later he called me back. During that hour I laid on the couch planning to count kicks. I can always get the baby to kick with a cookie or two. So that's what I did. And of course for the first 50 minutes I felt nothing. I also sometimes have a little pain on my lower left side. I never worry about it. But that pain came last night, and I think because I was already worried, I tricked myself into thinking that pain was much worse than normal.
By the time the doctor called me I'd felt the baby move, and I felt a little embarrassed even telling him what had happened. He said, "So you don't know if you wet yourself or if your water broke?" I said, "right." He said, "Ok if you weren't aware that it was happening, and if it is a break or leak in your water then that's very serious at this stage in your pregnancy. You need to get to labor and delivery immediately and have an evaluation." I really didn't think it was necessary, but I've heard crazier stories, so I figured, better safe than sorry.
We headed for the hospital and Paul's parents met us there to take G. We got checked in and taken to a room. I still felt embarrassed because I was in the place where people are actually in pain, and actually need medical attention. And then there was me. They put me on the monitors. No contractions and baby's heart was fine. I stayed on for an hour. Then the nurse came in and asked me 10 million questions. She left for a 'minute' and was going to return to do an exam to check my bag of waters. But they got really busy, (with people who actually needed to be there) so I totally understood and just laid there listening to my babies heart. One thing that the nurse said had a me a little worried though. She told me how they'd run the tests and then she said, "and if you're water is leaking or broken then you'll be here with us until you deliver." That's 3 and a half months. I tried to remain calm, feeling deep down that things were ok. But I did let my mind wander into "worst case scenario/panic mode" for about 10 minutes. I thought, what if I don't get to leave here tonight? What if I don't get to leave here for 4 months? Who will take care of my son? (Paul, yes.) But, who will take Garrett to his 3-4 appointments a week? I'll never get to talk to his clinician again face to face about his progress. I'll never see his physical therapist again. My baby girl doesn't even have a room or a crib yet. I'm in the middle of so many projects. Paul needs me home. I'll miss the White vacation. I'll miss my cousins wedding in a couple weeks. I'll miss my sons first birthday. I'll miss my brothers wedding. What will Garrett be for halloween while I'm in here? (yes, I even made it to halloween in my mind).
I calmed down and reminded myself that all that stuff was probably going to be just fine and nothing to worry about. And even if I was in the hospital until I delivered, somehow all those things would still be fine.
The nurse finally returned and did the exam. One of the most painful I can remember. When she finished she said, "so far so good. There was no fluid pooling, so that's a good sign." She told me she needed to run some tests on what she swabbed to be a 100% sure, and have the doc clear me. I said, "so do a lot a pregnant women pee their pants and then run to the hospital?" She smiled and said, "...it happens often." She was great though. She and the 2 others I spoke to said more than once that its always better to come in than to not. It made me feel better. They took it seriously and I never felt like 'just another pee-er in labor and delivery'.
I was there for almost another hour and a half before I was released. Thinking about Garrett and how I already missed him. Missed his bath time. Missed doing neck stretches. Missed tucking him in bed. I thought about my daughter. How much I love her already. How much more real she felt as I listened to her heart. I'd feel her move and I'd move the monitor as she'd move to find her heartbeat again. I had my first tiny taste of what I feel it might be like to have two kids. To share my time with them. And how challenging that may be at times. Especially when things happen and one needs me more than the other. How will I not feel like I'm abandoning one?
Right during this peaceful, thoughtful time I was having, another nurse came in, closed the curtain to divide the room, and brought another pregnant women in to the bed next to mine. (She came in with another women, friend I assume.) The nurse asked what had brought her in and she said a lot of cramping and pressure. The nurse asked her due date, November 21st. (a week and a half after mine). They sent her to the bathroom to change so she walked past me. When she came out she was saying, "come on baby, you gotta make it 4 more weeks, just 4 more weeks...your brother survived, just 4 more weeks..." I did a little quick math and thought, in 4 weeks, she'll be 26 weeks...so what does she mean?... They got her hooked up and then started the millions of questions with her. I know I shouldn't have listened, but it was kind of impossible not to. What pregnancy is this? 6th. How many kids do you have? 1 boy. What year was that one born? 2004. And the other 4, just spontaneous miscarriages? 2 miscarriages, 2 terminations. How far were you when you miscarried? 16 weeks on one and 2o weeks on the other. Was your son full term? No, he was born at 28 weeks. So I guess she thought because her son was born at 28 weeks and was 'fine' that this one could be born at 26 weeks and be 'fine' too. I looked at Paul and whispered really softly, "I'm judging her right now." For the next hour I heard way too much stuff. Things from, she had cookies for dinner at 9PM and had no water to drink all day, to, she had a huge fight with her boy friend and they yelled at each other for a couple hours and she finally told him it was over but they'd probably still live together. The nurse was making her drink water and she was swearing and complaining about everything. She's cold, the water is cold, she's not thirsty, why does she have to stay on the monitor, everything hurts, she wants to go to the bathroom, she needs a blanket. Mixed with a lot of really ugly language and a lot of the friend trying to keep her calm and encourage her to listen to the nurses orders.
Babies come into so many different circumstances in this world. They are completely helpless and require so much from us to keep them healthy and safe. I felt sad for that little baby inside of her. And leaving the hospital last night...I loved my babies even more.
We went to Paul's parents to get Garrett, and as I carried him down the hall to his crib at 1AM, I walked a little slower, held him a little tighter, and kissed his chubby sleepy cheeks a little longer.
Ted and Lauren came over for dinner a couple nights ago. We met them a time or two before we lived here. Ted is 'in the biz'. He's the #2 guy at a cemetery near by, and cemetery guys know mortuary guys. But we've never hung out with just them. They got married a couple weeks before us and had a baby a couple weeks before us so we have a few things in common!
We had a really good time talking and getting to know them better. And the babies got along great! Ted made a joke as we were taking pictures of them that these would be great pictures for a wedding video. Maybe it's a little romance in the making! They did trade pacifiers once and Garrett patted her bum a couple times too, so maybe its a little more serious than we thought...
We hope to hang out with them more, it was a good time. -----------------------------------------------------------
Garrett started Physical Therapy this week. I'm very, very happy about it. He loves his therapist. She's a young little spunky grandma and she's so good with him. When he's squirming and trying to escape, she starts singing to him. At first I was a little caught off guard, but its amazing how her voice soothes him and calms him down. He's only been twice and she was amazed at how the work she did the first time held. She really knows what she's doing. She's asked a lot of questions about the doc band, (she's seen helmets but never doc bands). Today she asked if she could call Garrett's DB clinician so she can understand everything about it better. Garrett's cranial sacral therapist in Utah actually found this clinic for us. It's a sports injury PT facility but this one lady happens to specialize in babies. I'm so glad we got her info because the place we were referred to here was ridiculously expensive. The first visit was going to be $500.00! Just for an evaluation! Five Hundred! And then every visit after that was $55.00. The clinic we've ended up at takes our insurance and our portion was $20.00 for the evaluation and $15.00 for each visit after that. It pays to research, ask around and get more than one referral. I wrote about this part on Garrett's blog, but I wanted to remember. With everything Garrett has had done over the last 10 months, (massage, cranial sacral therapy, spinal touch therapy, and chiropractic, (wow, that's a lot)), PT is the one that I feel relaxes him the most. All the other places told me he'd sleep great right after, but I've never seen it happen. At PT I wasn't told that, but both times he's taken great naps right after. Today he fell asleep in his car seat on the drive home, stayed asleep while I got him out of his seat, and stayed asleep while I carried him to his crib and put him down. That NEVER happens. Anyway, I know its early on in the process, but I feel really good about things thus far. And I'm really proud of Garrett. Thankfully he doesn't have an illness or anything life threatening, but I feel like his little body has gone through a lot in his short life and he's just a positive, patient little boy.
A couple weeks ago Paul got a call from the President of the Uptown Whittler Association asking him for a copy of his resume. They had lunch together a month or so ago and Paul was asked if he'd ever be interested in being on the board. I'm pretty sure Paul told him that he may be interested at some point in the future, but probably not right now. ...Truth be told, I think he wanted to do it, but thought I might think he was spreading himself too thin. Anyway, I think he was a little surprised that he asked for his resume. But he sent it and then called him to ask if they could get together a visit sometime. Well, a week or so later (yesterday), the President called Paul to congratulate him. He told him that they voted at the last board meeting, and that it was unanimous. Paul is the newest (and youngest) member of the Uptown Whittier Board of Directors. I know Paul was honest with me about his conversations with the president, so I don't know if they had a miscommunication, or if the board just really, really wanted him. But I can tell he's happy and I'm happy for him. At least I think I am...I still don't know what kind of time commitment it is, etc. But it'll be ok, I'm sure.
At times I feel like there's no way we can add anything else to our busy (sometimes overwhelming) lives, but we find a way to do it! But I have nothing to complain about. So thankful for friends, help for G, and opportunity for Paul. Life is good right now.
Paul and I decided that we don't cook enough. And what I really mean by that is, Paul decided that I don't cook enough. It's really hard just cooking for two (and a half) especially when you want the half to enjoy it and be able to eat it. He eats what we eat most of the time and that makes life a lot easier. But I've become really lazy. I have 2 things I make. Spaghetti and...I can't think of the other one. We grill chicken pretty often because we always have different marinades and frozen chicken on hand. But other than that it's like, grilled cheese, sandwiches, Del Taco, frozen already made Costco stuff, Home style Bakes (its a just add water, meal in a box). Nothing ever tastes that good, and we never have good side dishes to go with the main course.
We went grocery shopping a few days ago with several meals in mind. Sunday was pot roast and vegis, last night was sloppy joes, tonight was thai curry and pad thai, tomorrow is a barbecue with friends coming over, Thursday we're going to a party, and Friday is taco salad. Go us! I really enjoy cooking, but I don't know how long this variety will last. Mostly I'm trying to find things that are quick and easy and don't require having a lot of ingredients on hand, also stuff that freezes well.
Tonight was the best (and one of the easiest) meal we've had in a long time. We went to a thai grocery store the day we did major grocery shopping. We grabbed a tub of yellow curry paste, a couple packs of pad thai noodles, and then the owner of the store showed us some good spices and meat seasonings to try. We tried it out tonight and it was a huge success. Paul and I go to a restaurant here called Thai Table almost every time we go on a date. We always share pad thai and yellow chicken curry so that's what we made tonight. It was SO YUMMY! I'd post the recipes, but it was nothing really that you can get at a normal grocery store, and we kinda added stuff as we went along. We were so proud of ourselves and it was really easy and SUPER cheap to make. We decided we're going to open a Thai restaurant next to Thai Table. It's going to be called White Thai Affair. Catchy, huh??I wish you could smell this picture. You would probably drool a little.
If you have easy recipes, good recipe websites, good freezer meal ideas, etc. Feel free to send them my way...
I woke up this morning and my head was spinning. All these "to-dos" came to mind and I quickly became overwhelmed. Our baby is due in 118 days and there's a lot to do. I know that sounds like a lot of time, but I looked at my calendar on my phone while in bed and between now and the due date we'll be visiting or have visitors for 26-32 days. That's a whole month wiped out! We have 3 weddings to attend, 2 not local. Garrett's birthday party. A bridal shower to plan. And between Garrett's doc band adjustments, my dr. appointments, mine and Paul's counselling, the chiropractor, and (starting this week) physical therapy, we have approximately 15 doctor appointments a month. I know most people can schedule and run to a doctor appointment on a lunch break, but when you're getting a baby ready and factoring in the drive time, (most are no where close to our house) a doctor day feels like all we get done that day is the appointment.
I started talking to Paul about "everything" and after about 10 seconds of talking he said, "I'm feeling a little glazed over." (Whatever that means) He told me to tell him what we HAVE to do before 2.0 is born. I said, build a room, paint the room, install the light fixture, buy a crib, buy a mattress, buy a monitor camera, (our monitor has a camera A and B switch so we just need to get another camera and we can switch back and forth from baby to baby), buy swaddle blankets, ( I found a kind I really like with Garrett, but nothing I swear by. If you have a swaddler you swear by, please leave a comment), buy a breast pump, (I rented a hospital grade one with Garrett, don't ask me why. I could have bought one for what we spent on the rental), buy newborn sleepers and infant diapers, go on a hospital tour. I'm sure I forgot a few things...
I then started talking about Christmas and how I really need to figure Christmas out before she's born. So I figured it out. There will be no baking this year. And there will be VERY MINIMAL gift giving this year, like almost nothing. And I'm going to convince my mom to decorate for me when she's here for baby being born/Thanksgiving. But then my head kept spinning and I thought of birth announcements and holiday cards. 2.0 will be a month old when I want to be sending holiday cards, so I may as well send them together and save postage, right? I just kept talking and talking, and Paul just watched me go...
Other things on my list were: iron the shower curtain, (???) move storage stuff at the end of the hall to set up G's play area, work on decor for baby room, sell my car, make a list of stuff to do in Utah for baby with my mom (sewing mostly) and make sure I have everything to take to Utah, (in October), make freezer meals, figure out a dresser for 2.0 without spending hundreds. I did that one today. I gave up one of mine, did a little repair/redo work on it, and instead of the 300 dollar one I was planning on from IKEA, my 10+ year old dresser went from this:To this:(The camera makes the colors much brighter, they're not that intense.) I did this little DIY project for 18 bucks!
And right as I was working on this and telling myself its not so bad if I just make lists and do one thing at a time, I got a call from billing at the hospital. "Hi Andrea, this is Stephanie from PIH, I'm calling to see how you'd like to schedule and take care of payment for your baby and hospital stay because your due date is rapidly approaching." ...and the spinning began all over again.
Also, look at Garrett. Isn't he huge!? I swear he turned from my baby to my big boy last week, and it happened over night! Man I love this kid.
First of all, Garrett is almost 10 months old. Yesterday I realized that when he turns 1 I'll be about 34 weeks pregnant. And if the home stretch of this pregnancy is anything like my first, I won't have much energy or motivation to plan a birthday party. I'd already come up with the theme for his birthday but hadn't done much else. Until yesterday. I'm in full on party planning mode! I told Paul not to worry because it likely won't last the full 2 months, but right now, and probably for at least a couple more days, the creative juices are flowing! I think he believes me...although I did hear him mutter a comment about contacting TLC's Most Outrageous Kid Parties. I told him last night in bed that I know Garrett won't remember it, or even know what's going on. But I asked him how much of his early childhood he really remembers. I don't remember much of mine. But I have pictures of fun things my parents did for us kids, and seeing those, even though I don't remember the days or events makes me feel loved. I told Paul, as funny as this may sound, planning things like this, and then having memories of it through pictures is kind of a little love note from me to Garrett. That helped him understand, although he didn't really have a problem with it.
But the main reason I started writing this. Garrett had an appointment at Cranial Tech yesterday. They see a little progress already, which is good. But there's still some concern about the left side of his neck. We got a call from his pediatrician today saying Cranial Tech called him and asked him to write a physical therapy prescription for him. We also have to take him to a specialist to have x-rays of his neck to see how bad it really is. I read somewhere months ago when I was trying to become educated about Torticollis that something like 8% of babies who are born with it have to get is corrected surgically. (I really don't think his is that bad, but what do I know?) Physical therapy is expensive! Just like everything else. But if he needs it, I suppose we'll do it. Paul talked to our insurance guy yesterday because we got a check from them to help with Garrett's helmet. We were told the most they'd pay would be $700 of the $3800 and we were pretty sure we'd get all of that. We got $585. Our insurance guy told Paul, "You need to remember, insurance companies aren't in the business of paying out money." ...Comforting... And, um, yeah, we know. In the month of June, between Garrett, my unborn child (who we pre-pay for the delivery for), counselling, and my tooth, we've been billed out of pocket, almost exactly $8000. In one month!!
My parents were always good when we were growing up about making kids the priority. Whether it be medical stuff, school stuff, extra curricular stuff, etc. But I do remember hearing from time to time when several things would hit at once, them saying to each other, "it never ends..." I only have one kid right now who's less than a year old, and I've already learned what those three words (when it comes to parenting) really mean. (But it's oh so worth it.)
Paul and I had three couples in Utah (that I'm sure I've mentioned before) that we spent a lot of time with over the past couple years. Saying good-bye to them when we moved was like saying good-bye to family. Tough stuff. Mara and Aron (one of the couples) moved to Reno the same time we moved to California, and because Jordon (one of the guys in the group) has a family connection to a SWEET cabin in Tahoe, we chose that as our first years destination. We just got back last night from 5 days in Reno and Tahoe, and it did not disappoint.Day 1: Everyone flew in at different times on Thursday and by early evening we all made it to the cabin. We flew in first, so Mara and I grabbed breakfast at a cute little local place in Reno while we waited for some others to arrive. That night we had dinner and some good catch-up conversation. (Garrett called it a night early.)Day 2: The boys had 'Boys Day Out' that consisted of golfing. Us girls had a lazy morning. Finally got ready and wandered around some shops with the babies. Then the boys came home to take over baby duty and the girls headed out for a spa/shopping afternoon. Mara works at a fun accessories store and arranged a private party for us. Refreshments and 20% off! It was a great store and we all took advantage of the discount! Then we got pedicures. So relaxing. Our group used to spend a lot of time together and we didn't have many secrets from each other. We all mentioned that because of life and living in 3 different states now that we all kind of expected that we'd have a lot to talk about. It was true. All of us have our own challenges right now and we definitely saved up a lot of stuff to share with each other. It was good to have several hours with just the girls to do just that. The boys had dinner ready for us when we got home that night and then we stayed up late playing games.This is Garrett's, "Mara is MY girlfriend, so why is she holding another man?" face. Day 3: Beach day. Sun. Picnic. Swimming. Paddle Boarding. Laughing. Talking. Fun! Lake Tahoe is beautiful and it was so nice to have a whole day at the lake. We found a secluded place with almost no people, a picnic table in the shade, and free parking. Can't beat that! We all took naps after the beach and then had a barbecue and played more games.Auntie Mara is teaching Garrett how to be gentle with Conner.He seems to be getting it...Uh-oh, what's he doing??...Somebody save Conner from Garrett!! Sad girls after we lost in the game 'fish bowl' for the first time ever to the guys. Don't worry, we reclaimed our title later.Day 4: We headed out to a fun little city about an hour from Lake Tahoe, Nevada City. We mostly just wandered up and down Main Street, did some shopping for souvenirs (and baby clothes.) We found a fun little hippie-like shop and got 8 things for lil sis and 1 thing for Garrett, all for 28 bucks! We had lunch there and then headed to Truckee for a little more shopping and then headed back to Tahoe. That night we had a Winnie the Pooh ice cream cake to celebrate Kate's graduation. (Pooh is what you get for graduation when you send the boys to get a cake!) We played more games late into the night and began to except that we needed to get ready to head home the next day.A little Bees Baby photo shoot with the little buddies on our last night in Tahoe.Day 5: The Mchenry's had the first flight out and were gone by 8:30. The rest of us got cleaned up, packed up, and headed back to Reno to have lunch before dropping the Elbert's off at the airport in the afternoon. Paul and I were the last to leave that evening so we got to spend a few hours in Reno with the Riddles. The boys went to a driving range and Mara and I got free slurpees for 7-11 day, and then hung out at their apartment talking and playing cards. When the boys returned they joined in, and then barbecued for us before we headed to the airport. Can you see little G in the window?It was a perfect weekend, it just went by too fast! We're already looking forward to trip #2 next year. Good-bye Reno!! :(
Projects for the girl. I got this frame at IKEA in the 'as is' section for 2.99 years ago, had batting, fabric, and ribbon on hand, so I threw this little clip holder together. (I have an idea for a headband holder too, I'll make and post later.)
A baby who's been sleeping so much more sound since starting physical therapy. I almost feel guilty because he's always been such an amazing sleeper, but now he falls asleep quicker, naps longer, and stays asleep when we transfer him from car seat to arms to crib. It's the best!
A day at the OC Fair.
A new friend at the fair, who is also a former DOC band wearer.
Swinging from the trees.
Spooning with his new favorite stuffed animal.
Lots of hours spend at doctors and clinics.
More projects. I had my Wood Co buddy cut this board for me about a year ago. My plan was to make it and sell it in the store. I just got around to decorating it. It still needs a hole drilled at the point and then I need to find a place to hang it. (And it'll be hung a foot off the ground...Paul was a little confused when he saw the numbers.) 
A successful trip to IKEA with Grandma White to get stuff for Garrett's play room. Now I just need to move all my craft stuff and Christmas decor so I can get it all set up!
Paul trying to teach Garrett how to walk. NOT my idea. I found them practicing in the hall when it was supposed to be bath time.
And of course, lots of time in the water.
Here's just a few reasons I'm so happy to have a little boy:
A little horsing around and some 'Garrett on the Cob' while waiting on a doc.
And 'The Boat Rocker' craziness in the popasan chair. (Paul was rocking and rolling him around like crazy, and no matter where G landed he was constantly trying to get up and crawl towards him -laughing the whole time.)
And here's a couple reasons why its probably good that a girl is on the way:
Did I ever tell you that one time a nurse said to me, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but your little boy is so beautiful, he could be a girl." -I agree, my boy is pretty babe-licous!
