The season for the non-profit that I am involved in is in full swing! We have a new terrific website and have had all kinds of fun developments including some local media coverage and dress drives! I am so proud to be a part of Ever After Gowns! It was fun and strange to see my name in print in the news article! :) I have been working with the local Kappa Alpha Theta active chapter at the U of MN as an advisor and they have adopted EAG as a philanthropy project...it is terrific to see all the fun things that I am involved with intersecting and working together successfully!
Check us out at www.everaftergowns.org! If you know anyone that may want to donate dresses, shoes, accessories, etc. please feel free to pass on the website info!
Monday, February 27, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Pregnant Alien Creature
Well the waiting game continues! After such a tricky time at keeping Liam cooking for a decent period of time, now that I am off the medicine this little guy is hanging on and not quite in the mood to greet the world yet! It would not be so bad if I did not keep having regular contractions. They have gotten to 7 minutes apart for hours to the point where I debate whether ‘this is it!”……but they end up waning away. They are a daily occurrence that I will just have to live with. It is tough though….they wake me up at night, they strike at odd times and some are really quite unbearable. I continue to progress slowly as far as dilation and effacement goes, but labor never fully kicks in. Due to the stress on me, my body, and the baby, the docs have scheduled an induction this week! He will be at 38+ weeks and plenty cooked. In fact, he has officially been in the womb longer than Kate was! I pray that all goes well. But I cannot wait to meet him!
In the meantime, we are just trying to keep distracted. It is harder to do than one might think. I cannot do too much because then the contractions kick in, so long walks are out. And the movies are out because I cannot sit still for that long comfortably. This weekend Nick and I decided to go on a “real date” and we went for a lovely dinner at a restaurant we have wanted to try for ages. With Kate being watched by her Nana, we set out for our first date in ages! It was so lovely. GREAT food and atmosphere with a terrific wine list that Nick sampled. The only drawback – and I suspect this would have happened had I waddled into any eating establishment be it McD’s or L’Espalier – was that a large number of patrons spent the evening giving me somewhat nervous sidelong glances during dinner. Never mind the blatant open stares of shock as I floated my mass into the restaurant with Nick and checked in our reservation! Now, I KNOW I am big. I KNOW I look like I am about to “pop”. But I dressed nicely and looked half-human and was thrilled to be out and about…..I did not need the looks of shock as if they were afraid I would ask the waiter to clear off a table so I could climb upon it and proceed to birth a baby in between our Foie Gras and Pork Medallions. GOSH!!!!!
Most of these looks came from men. Where do these guys think THEY came from? Some human manufacturing plant OTHER than the womb? Were they beamed onto the planet? I feel like so many people think that I should just stay home and not bring this strange phenomenon of pregnancy out amongst the “normal” people. Is it so offensive? What century are we in? Granted, I am not the petite little adorable preggo with a perfect little round belly who has not gained an ounce anywhere except for the baby. I KNOW I am alarmingly pregnant – I scare myself sometimes! But please don’t stare at me like I am a zoo animal. I was “thisclose” to calling out to some of these fellow diners “hey, take a picture it will last longer”. Sheesh.
Oh well – I guess I don’t have to put up with it too much longer so I won’t complain!!! One positive of the evening was me enthusiastically diving into a divine dark chocolate dessert with whip cream and berries with no care whatsoever! That and the fact that for the first time in ages, Nick and I had an adult evening out with great conversation, a fine meal, and no toddler table manners to deal with! Just lovely.
In the meantime, we wait. The blessed event always could occur before the induction date later this week….but somehow I doubt it. Thank goodness for the unending patience of my husband, my mother, and my 2-year-old daughter who are putting up with an increasingly irritable and miserable me.
I should end this entry before I sound ungrateful and angry about the blessing that all this REALLY is! ☺ Soon to come – pics of our first little blessing! Kate continues to shine!
In the meantime, we are just trying to keep distracted. It is harder to do than one might think. I cannot do too much because then the contractions kick in, so long walks are out. And the movies are out because I cannot sit still for that long comfortably. This weekend Nick and I decided to go on a “real date” and we went for a lovely dinner at a restaurant we have wanted to try for ages. With Kate being watched by her Nana, we set out for our first date in ages! It was so lovely. GREAT food and atmosphere with a terrific wine list that Nick sampled. The only drawback – and I suspect this would have happened had I waddled into any eating establishment be it McD’s or L’Espalier – was that a large number of patrons spent the evening giving me somewhat nervous sidelong glances during dinner. Never mind the blatant open stares of shock as I floated my mass into the restaurant with Nick and checked in our reservation! Now, I KNOW I am big. I KNOW I look like I am about to “pop”. But I dressed nicely and looked half-human and was thrilled to be out and about…..I did not need the looks of shock as if they were afraid I would ask the waiter to clear off a table so I could climb upon it and proceed to birth a baby in between our Foie Gras and Pork Medallions. GOSH!!!!!
Most of these looks came from men. Where do these guys think THEY came from? Some human manufacturing plant OTHER than the womb? Were they beamed onto the planet? I feel like so many people think that I should just stay home and not bring this strange phenomenon of pregnancy out amongst the “normal” people. Is it so offensive? What century are we in? Granted, I am not the petite little adorable preggo with a perfect little round belly who has not gained an ounce anywhere except for the baby. I KNOW I am alarmingly pregnant – I scare myself sometimes! But please don’t stare at me like I am a zoo animal. I was “thisclose” to calling out to some of these fellow diners “hey, take a picture it will last longer”. Sheesh.
Oh well – I guess I don’t have to put up with it too much longer so I won’t complain!!! One positive of the evening was me enthusiastically diving into a divine dark chocolate dessert with whip cream and berries with no care whatsoever! That and the fact that for the first time in ages, Nick and I had an adult evening out with great conversation, a fine meal, and no toddler table manners to deal with! Just lovely.
In the meantime, we wait. The blessed event always could occur before the induction date later this week….but somehow I doubt it. Thank goodness for the unending patience of my husband, my mother, and my 2-year-old daughter who are putting up with an increasingly irritable and miserable me.
I should end this entry before I sound ungrateful and angry about the blessing that all this REALLY is! ☺ Soon to come – pics of our first little blessing! Kate continues to shine!
Friday, February 17, 2006
Cold Enough for ya?
Ok - all I have to say is that right now the AIR TEMP outside is -8 degrees. Without wind chill.
With wind chill it feels like -29.
But hold on - tonight the air temps are supposed to reach -20! And with the windchill tonight it will feel like more than 40 below zero. There is hardly any snow on the ground - it is just frigid. Snow I can handle - I mean, when living out East we dealt with plenty of snow. Snow shmow. But this cold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ack!
Anyone want to come to Minnesota for a visit this weekend?
As Nick said when he went outside to start his car this morning to allow it to warm up before driving to work...."It is so cold that my eyeballs hurt."
With wind chill it feels like -29.
But hold on - tonight the air temps are supposed to reach -20! And with the windchill tonight it will feel like more than 40 below zero. There is hardly any snow on the ground - it is just frigid. Snow I can handle - I mean, when living out East we dealt with plenty of snow. Snow shmow. But this cold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ack!
Anyone want to come to Minnesota for a visit this weekend?
As Nick said when he went outside to start his car this morning to allow it to warm up before driving to work...."It is so cold that my eyeballs hurt."
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Baby News and Big Girl Beds
I cannot believe how different this pregnancy is from having Kate! I just got back from my weekly OB appointment and at 35 weeks I am 2 ½ cm dilated and 75% effaced. Crazy! And that is with the anti-labor meds! So strange since I had no progress like this with Kate until I was actually in labor. Anyway, I go off the meds this week, so we shall see what happens!!!! Anyone who looks at me cannot believe that I technically have over a month left in the pregnancy as I am so large that there should probably be small moons orbiting my body. Planet Maggie!
In more fun and less “technical” news, Kate is the best girl ever! She is a big girl now, for all who care to hear her announce it! ☺ This weekend Kate made the transition to her BIG GIRL BED!!!! She is doing great! I am probably jinxing it by saying so, but she has slept through the night three nights in a row without getting out of bed or putting up a fight of any kind. We had one nap time that was an issue because she wanted to climb in and out, but only did it twice and then fell asleep. Nick’s and my new favorite sound is around 7am when we hear a small ‘thud’ as she plants her feet on the floor out of bed and then the ‘scamper pitter patter’ of her little feet as she runs out of her room on the floor above us. It is so sweet. She calls out for us and waits patiently at the top of the gated stairs for someone to get her. We usually have warning because when she wakes up, she first reads aloud to her “friends” for a few minutes and we can hear her tales over the baby monitor. Too sweet.
So now, thanks to the excellent help of Patrick and Tara, the kids’ rooms are all arranged. P & T came over this weekend and helped move and assemble furniture and bed rails and bedding etc. They helped put all the baby clothes for Liam away and both rooms are so precious I can hardly stand it. Kate loves what she is calling her big girl princess room and she also thinks that “Wiam’s woom is sooooooo cuuuuttte”. I will post pics soon!
In more fun and less “technical” news, Kate is the best girl ever! She is a big girl now, for all who care to hear her announce it! ☺ This weekend Kate made the transition to her BIG GIRL BED!!!! She is doing great! I am probably jinxing it by saying so, but she has slept through the night three nights in a row without getting out of bed or putting up a fight of any kind. We had one nap time that was an issue because she wanted to climb in and out, but only did it twice and then fell asleep. Nick’s and my new favorite sound is around 7am when we hear a small ‘thud’ as she plants her feet on the floor out of bed and then the ‘scamper pitter patter’ of her little feet as she runs out of her room on the floor above us. It is so sweet. She calls out for us and waits patiently at the top of the gated stairs for someone to get her. We usually have warning because when she wakes up, she first reads aloud to her “friends” for a few minutes and we can hear her tales over the baby monitor. Too sweet.
So now, thanks to the excellent help of Patrick and Tara, the kids’ rooms are all arranged. P & T came over this weekend and helped move and assemble furniture and bed rails and bedding etc. They helped put all the baby clothes for Liam away and both rooms are so precious I can hardly stand it. Kate loves what she is calling her big girl princess room and she also thinks that “Wiam’s woom is sooooooo cuuuuttte”. I will post pics soon!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Could I brag more about Kate? Um....yes. Yes, indeed.
I realize that we have not posted in a while and wanted to just give another update. Right now Kate is up in her room for her “nap” which lately has consisted of about 45 minutes of her “reading to her friends” followed by an all-too-brief 45 minute snooze. Her “friends” are her entourage of stuffed animals and dolls that she surrounds herself with. She has taken to bringing at least 5 storybooks to bed with her and will arrange all her “friends” as she calls them for “storytime”. It is an absolute riot listening to her through the baby monitor. Some books she practically recites from memory, and some she makes up stories to aloud according to the pictures….but she chats away with all kinds of inflection and even different voices for different characters. Occasionally she will admonish one of her friends saying “don’t be naughty, bear” or “no puppy, sit here”. She is so funny. Right now I am listening to a sweet, lilting rendition of the ABC’s……..
In other news, I am just taking it easy. At my 34 week OB appointment this week, it was discovered that I was dilating at 1+ and am 50% effaced. So I am still on meds and trying to keep Liam cooking for a while longer. I am not going to lie – I am so uncomfortable. Kate has been terrific and thankfully is easily entertained by “quiet activities”. For instance, yesterday she colored for over an hour straight and this morning we read books together for almost an hour-and-a-half. That allows me time to keep relatively still and then when Nick gets home, they can rough house and run around while I watch in delight.
Luckily I can usually still get out of the house for one outing a day. Whether it is a quick trip to Target, to the library or storytime with Kate, or a meeting for my non-profit group or Advisory Board, it is nice to still be able to get out and about….as long as it is not too strenuous. Nick is doing well – his new responsibilities at work are definitely keeping him on his toes, but he is up to the challenge and enjoying it. Today the President of The United States came to the 3M campus for a tour and a speech! I have not heard yet from Nick how it went, but am anxious to know.
Not much else to report. We are just trying to spend some nice time with Kate before she has to “share” us with her brother. Last week, before my most recent doctor news, Nick and I took Kate to see “Sesame Street Live” in downtown Minneapolis. She really loved it and, while she watched very intensely for the first half, by the second Act she was literally up out of her seat and dancing along with Cookie Monster and the rest of the Sesame Street Gang. I think we have some pics – I will have to post them.
Ok – this is getting to be a novel and the storytime over the baby monitor has come to an end to be replaced with deep breathing. I now have less than 45 minutes of peace and quiet! I would appreciate prayers that Kate NOT abandon nap time entirely as I really hope to get at least one hour during the day when she and Liam are both asleep! ☺
Some cute Kate-isms of late:
“Ayuda me!!!” Which is Spanish for “Help Me”….she is really into saying this when she needs assistance of any kind
“Excuse me, please, Mommy”…..this is the never ending chorus whenever I am on the phone or when Nick and I are talking together. She knows she needs to be polite when interrupting, but has not learned to really wait her turn to talk so she just says this politely over and over and over until she gets your attention. Fun game, that one!
“I need a moment please”…..this is what she said to me yesterday when I finally acknowledged the “excuse me’ interruption. So funny.
“No, no, in Apanese”…..Gramps taught Kate how to count in Japanese (Apanese) and she will ask for “Apanese” instead of English or Spanish (which we practice counting in. She can go all the way up to 20 in both!).
“Kate will come on, too”….now using the third person, this is Kate’s way of announcing she is coming with you – whether it be to the laundry room, the kitchen, the bathroom or anywhere else. She is quite a tag-along these days.
“Famiwee”…..Kate has just shown that she grasps the concept of Family. She talks about it often and the other day we were all in her room reading stories and she announced dramatically “Oh, gosh, I have my whoooole famiwee here!” And then, pointing to each of us she said “mommy, daddy, wiam, and kate”. Of course “Wiam” was my enormously protruding stomach…….
In other news, I am just taking it easy. At my 34 week OB appointment this week, it was discovered that I was dilating at 1+ and am 50% effaced. So I am still on meds and trying to keep Liam cooking for a while longer. I am not going to lie – I am so uncomfortable. Kate has been terrific and thankfully is easily entertained by “quiet activities”. For instance, yesterday she colored for over an hour straight and this morning we read books together for almost an hour-and-a-half. That allows me time to keep relatively still and then when Nick gets home, they can rough house and run around while I watch in delight.
Luckily I can usually still get out of the house for one outing a day. Whether it is a quick trip to Target, to the library or storytime with Kate, or a meeting for my non-profit group or Advisory Board, it is nice to still be able to get out and about….as long as it is not too strenuous. Nick is doing well – his new responsibilities at work are definitely keeping him on his toes, but he is up to the challenge and enjoying it. Today the President of The United States came to the 3M campus for a tour and a speech! I have not heard yet from Nick how it went, but am anxious to know.
Not much else to report. We are just trying to spend some nice time with Kate before she has to “share” us with her brother. Last week, before my most recent doctor news, Nick and I took Kate to see “Sesame Street Live” in downtown Minneapolis. She really loved it and, while she watched very intensely for the first half, by the second Act she was literally up out of her seat and dancing along with Cookie Monster and the rest of the Sesame Street Gang. I think we have some pics – I will have to post them.
Ok – this is getting to be a novel and the storytime over the baby monitor has come to an end to be replaced with deep breathing. I now have less than 45 minutes of peace and quiet! I would appreciate prayers that Kate NOT abandon nap time entirely as I really hope to get at least one hour during the day when she and Liam are both asleep! ☺
Some cute Kate-isms of late:
“Ayuda me!!!” Which is Spanish for “Help Me”….she is really into saying this when she needs assistance of any kind
“Excuse me, please, Mommy”…..this is the never ending chorus whenever I am on the phone or when Nick and I are talking together. She knows she needs to be polite when interrupting, but has not learned to really wait her turn to talk so she just says this politely over and over and over until she gets your attention. Fun game, that one!
“I need a moment please”…..this is what she said to me yesterday when I finally acknowledged the “excuse me’ interruption. So funny.
“No, no, in Apanese”…..Gramps taught Kate how to count in Japanese (Apanese) and she will ask for “Apanese” instead of English or Spanish (which we practice counting in. She can go all the way up to 20 in both!).
“Kate will come on, too”….now using the third person, this is Kate’s way of announcing she is coming with you – whether it be to the laundry room, the kitchen, the bathroom or anywhere else. She is quite a tag-along these days.
“Famiwee”…..Kate has just shown that she grasps the concept of Family. She talks about it often and the other day we were all in her room reading stories and she announced dramatically “Oh, gosh, I have my whoooole famiwee here!” And then, pointing to each of us she said “mommy, daddy, wiam, and kate”. Of course “Wiam” was my enormously protruding stomach…….
Friday, January 20, 2006
One of the main ways to my heart was and always will be BOOKS......
My heart is melting right now. I am sitting downstairs on the sofa at the end of a long week…..I left Nick and Kate upstairs in her room a while ago with Nick handling bedtime duties tonight. The routine always involves a bedtime story – always of the typical story/picture book type. “The Giving Tree”, or “Manners” or “Dora” or a book of what Kate calls “Wimes” – which is really “A Children’s Treasury of Irish Rhymes”. She has also taken to listening to these stories on the floor like she is at storytime at the library. Then will crawl up for a quick cuddle and song before going to sleep.
BUT. Tonight, Kate selected a book off the bookshelf that is “a big girl book”. She asked Nick to read the real “Winnie the Pooh” to her. Not the Disney storybook version, but the chapter book. Now, maybe she was trying to be clever and extend bedtime by selecting it – but I don’t care! I left them upstairs, snuggled together in the rocking chair with Kate in her yellow footed fleece jammies, freshly bathed, sitting on Nick’s lap, holding her sweet floppy bear in the crook of her arm. I can now hear them over the baby monitor as Nick reads a full chapter from “Winnie the Pooh”. Kate is not fidgeting or being distracted at all. Every now and then she will make a little remark about the story, though. So engrossed. Such a big girl. And so special. Like I said – my heart is melting. It is moments like these that illustrate the indescribable joys of motherhood and marriage. Thank you, God!
BUT. Tonight, Kate selected a book off the bookshelf that is “a big girl book”. She asked Nick to read the real “Winnie the Pooh” to her. Not the Disney storybook version, but the chapter book. Now, maybe she was trying to be clever and extend bedtime by selecting it – but I don’t care! I left them upstairs, snuggled together in the rocking chair with Kate in her yellow footed fleece jammies, freshly bathed, sitting on Nick’s lap, holding her sweet floppy bear in the crook of her arm. I can now hear them over the baby monitor as Nick reads a full chapter from “Winnie the Pooh”. Kate is not fidgeting or being distracted at all. Every now and then she will make a little remark about the story, though. So engrossed. Such a big girl. And so special. Like I said – my heart is melting. It is moments like these that illustrate the indescribable joys of motherhood and marriage. Thank you, God!
Friday, January 13, 2006
Wild Head Kate in Curlers
Kate loved playing with her Nia's curlers.....she had so much fun "getting ready".
Hello 2006!!!!
Kate continues to be a total delight! Christmas was so much fun. She really got into the idea of Santa “seeing you when you’re sleeping and knowing when you’re awake”. I have to say that I know bribery is not really the way to go with children, but the concept of Santa really helped to generate some EXTRA good behavior on Kate’s part in the weeks leading up to Xmas! ☺
So, we all had a wonderful Christmas. My parents were both here and we all spent some terrific time together. New Year’s Eve was low key but wonderful – we all hung out at my parents condo and ate amazing food – courtesy of one terrific Chef, Kate McKenny! – and played movie trivia games and watched football. Those who were able to drink enjoyed some celebratory beverages and preggo me looked on in envy! ;) It really was a great break, with Nick finally enjoying some much deserved time off. And little Kate got to spend marvelous time with her Nia and Gramps. She was so sad to see them go back to Florida and actually wailed “Kate go to Fwowida tooooooooo”. Break our hearts!
So now 2006 is in full swing. Nick has taken on some new responsibilities specific to a business within 3M with regards to Mergers and Acquisitions, so that is keeping him incredibly busy. He also jumped right back into house projects here in our wonderful little bungalow and has made some great progress. The baby’s room is now no longer a catch-all storage room with old OLD windows (complete with black shutters with RED plastic inserts), hideous paint and no heat or ac. This room was a combo effort between the “pros” and Nick and now our baby’s room has a beautiful new window, heat, ac, and air return, is painted a lovely shade of “Riviera Azure” (read: blue) with all new brightly painted clean white baseboard mouldings and room trims and good-as-new painted closet doors. Well, the doors are to be completed this weekend. I know that I MUST post some pics soon of all the changes. They are just wonderful. The playroom is fully functional now and Kate absolutely loves it. It is a terrific place to spend family time. So many changes! This house most definitely now feels like “home”. We love it.
Not much else to report! I am still on the “take it easy” prescription from the doctor. In addition to being on the medication Nifedipine – which helps to keep contractions at bay – I have to have relatively light days and I also have to go in for full checks at the doctor once a week now. I am 32 weeks and have been told I will be taken off the meds at 36 weeks and anything can happen from there. I am not exactly comfortable – I am not going to lie! I am roughly the size of the state of Montana and my already existing pregnancy heartburn/reflux is aggravated by the fact that one of the major side effects of the medication I am on is, you guessed it, heartburn and reflux! Woo hoo! Lots of fun. I am sure Nick is looking forward to the day when his National Monument sized wife stops needing a forklift to get off the couch so she can pop 10 Tums at a time! ☺ Nah, Nick has been wonderfully understanding and cool about it all. And in the grand scheme of things, some meds, rest, and discomfort are a walk in the park compared to what some people have to go through to enjoy the blessing of new life. We’re fine!
I am getting busy again with my charity that I am involved with here in the Twin Cities….Ever After Gowns. We help to provide young ladies with a free prom dress, shoes, and accessories to help them have a memorable and financially worry-free high school event. It is SO fun and rewarding and last year’s event was a huge success. I am proud to be a part of it. This year I have to stick with more of the computer planning aspects, of course, and not be running around to dry cleaners and boutiques begging for donations….but I am happy with handling logistics! If anyone is interested or wants to help, our (fledgling and under major development) website is www.everaftergowns.org. I would love for you to check it out!
Along with the logistics for that, I am learning how to become a Mac user! I am TOTALLY new at this and am learning as I go, but I really like our new iBook! Santa (also known as Ed McKenny) brought us one for Xmas! It is super cool and fun to play around on. So – as I am a beginner, please bear with me as emails, blog posts, documents, pics etc, may seem different or unreadable or whatever. I am trying to figure out an easy way to transfer all my Outlook contacts and emails from my old PC to the iBook as well. Any Mac experts out there with any advice?
Well, this little blog post has become something of an homage to Tolstoy’s longwinded style of writing. To sum up – all is well and we are looking forward to all the exciting things ahead! We hope you are happy, healthy and blessed as well!
To end on a light note, here are some of Kate’s latest phrases and words at age 2. She speaks in full sentences now, but sometimes they are a bit…..off:
“Ooooh! It’s Darking, Mommy” - Translation: It is getting dark.
“We’re in a tunnel! It is sooo Fooky” - Translation: She says this every time we are in a parking garage. And “Fooky” is “Spooky”. She cannot say the Sp sound – it comes out as an “F”. But I don’t know where she got the idea that things were “fooky”. So funny.
“Ow! Ow! Double Ow” – She said this once when she stubbed her toe and it cracked us up. She says it all the time now. Have no idea where she got this.
“Wiam is moving!” – Wiam is her baby brother in Utero “(William or Liam). She LOVES to kiss him and hug him by kissing and hugging my tummy and is always wanting to see or feel him move. Which happens a lot.
“I’m cooking Deppables” - Translation: “Deppables” are “Vegetables” and she LOVES to pretend that she is cooking then in her play kitchen.
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little…….applesauce.” - Kate LOVES to sing, has great pitch and sings ALL the time. But she also fancies herself a bit of a comedienne. She thinks it is hysterical to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but just before the word “Star” she pauses for dramatic effect, tries to suppress a smile or chuckle and replaces the word “Star” with a silly word like “Applesauce” or “Boat” or with someone’s name. She then absolutely cracks up. We are talking belly laughs, rolling giggles, nonstop. She repeats this to the point where you cannot even understand what she is saying she is laughing so hard. Of course the more she cracks herself up, the more we laugh – and the cycle continues.
“Daddy is cweaning the snow” - Translation: Daddy is cleaning the snow, or he is outside in the freezing cold shoveling the sidewalk or scraping the car after a storm.
“Daddy is beuwding the house” - Translation: Dad is working on SOME project in the house – which as you know is a lot. This sentence applies to painting, sawing, hammering, whatever!
“No, I messer it” - Translation: “I measure it”. After watching her Dad so much, Kate thinks she is quite the contractor. She REALLY like to use the tape measure to measure things – the coffee table, her bear, a book. She will very seriously, and adeptly, use the tape measure and call out a number of “the messering”. Sometimes it is in the range of what is showing on the tape, sometimes not.
Well, that is all the Harris bragging for now. Time to hit the hay. I just have to grab a dozen or so Tums first………..
So, we all had a wonderful Christmas. My parents were both here and we all spent some terrific time together. New Year’s Eve was low key but wonderful – we all hung out at my parents condo and ate amazing food – courtesy of one terrific Chef, Kate McKenny! – and played movie trivia games and watched football. Those who were able to drink enjoyed some celebratory beverages and preggo me looked on in envy! ;) It really was a great break, with Nick finally enjoying some much deserved time off. And little Kate got to spend marvelous time with her Nia and Gramps. She was so sad to see them go back to Florida and actually wailed “Kate go to Fwowida tooooooooo”. Break our hearts!
So now 2006 is in full swing. Nick has taken on some new responsibilities specific to a business within 3M with regards to Mergers and Acquisitions, so that is keeping him incredibly busy. He also jumped right back into house projects here in our wonderful little bungalow and has made some great progress. The baby’s room is now no longer a catch-all storage room with old OLD windows (complete with black shutters with RED plastic inserts), hideous paint and no heat or ac. This room was a combo effort between the “pros” and Nick and now our baby’s room has a beautiful new window, heat, ac, and air return, is painted a lovely shade of “Riviera Azure” (read: blue) with all new brightly painted clean white baseboard mouldings and room trims and good-as-new painted closet doors. Well, the doors are to be completed this weekend. I know that I MUST post some pics soon of all the changes. They are just wonderful. The playroom is fully functional now and Kate absolutely loves it. It is a terrific place to spend family time. So many changes! This house most definitely now feels like “home”. We love it.
Not much else to report! I am still on the “take it easy” prescription from the doctor. In addition to being on the medication Nifedipine – which helps to keep contractions at bay – I have to have relatively light days and I also have to go in for full checks at the doctor once a week now. I am 32 weeks and have been told I will be taken off the meds at 36 weeks and anything can happen from there. I am not exactly comfortable – I am not going to lie! I am roughly the size of the state of Montana and my already existing pregnancy heartburn/reflux is aggravated by the fact that one of the major side effects of the medication I am on is, you guessed it, heartburn and reflux! Woo hoo! Lots of fun. I am sure Nick is looking forward to the day when his National Monument sized wife stops needing a forklift to get off the couch so she can pop 10 Tums at a time! ☺ Nah, Nick has been wonderfully understanding and cool about it all. And in the grand scheme of things, some meds, rest, and discomfort are a walk in the park compared to what some people have to go through to enjoy the blessing of new life. We’re fine!
I am getting busy again with my charity that I am involved with here in the Twin Cities….Ever After Gowns. We help to provide young ladies with a free prom dress, shoes, and accessories to help them have a memorable and financially worry-free high school event. It is SO fun and rewarding and last year’s event was a huge success. I am proud to be a part of it. This year I have to stick with more of the computer planning aspects, of course, and not be running around to dry cleaners and boutiques begging for donations….but I am happy with handling logistics! If anyone is interested or wants to help, our (fledgling and under major development) website is www.everaftergowns.org. I would love for you to check it out!
Along with the logistics for that, I am learning how to become a Mac user! I am TOTALLY new at this and am learning as I go, but I really like our new iBook! Santa (also known as Ed McKenny) brought us one for Xmas! It is super cool and fun to play around on. So – as I am a beginner, please bear with me as emails, blog posts, documents, pics etc, may seem different or unreadable or whatever. I am trying to figure out an easy way to transfer all my Outlook contacts and emails from my old PC to the iBook as well. Any Mac experts out there with any advice?
Well, this little blog post has become something of an homage to Tolstoy’s longwinded style of writing. To sum up – all is well and we are looking forward to all the exciting things ahead! We hope you are happy, healthy and blessed as well!
To end on a light note, here are some of Kate’s latest phrases and words at age 2. She speaks in full sentences now, but sometimes they are a bit…..off:
“Ooooh! It’s Darking, Mommy” - Translation: It is getting dark.
“We’re in a tunnel! It is sooo Fooky” - Translation: She says this every time we are in a parking garage. And “Fooky” is “Spooky”. She cannot say the Sp sound – it comes out as an “F”. But I don’t know where she got the idea that things were “fooky”. So funny.
“Ow! Ow! Double Ow” – She said this once when she stubbed her toe and it cracked us up. She says it all the time now. Have no idea where she got this.
“Wiam is moving!” – Wiam is her baby brother in Utero “(William or Liam). She LOVES to kiss him and hug him by kissing and hugging my tummy and is always wanting to see or feel him move. Which happens a lot.
“I’m cooking Deppables” - Translation: “Deppables” are “Vegetables” and she LOVES to pretend that she is cooking then in her play kitchen.
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little…….applesauce.” - Kate LOVES to sing, has great pitch and sings ALL the time. But she also fancies herself a bit of a comedienne. She thinks it is hysterical to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but just before the word “Star” she pauses for dramatic effect, tries to suppress a smile or chuckle and replaces the word “Star” with a silly word like “Applesauce” or “Boat” or with someone’s name. She then absolutely cracks up. We are talking belly laughs, rolling giggles, nonstop. She repeats this to the point where you cannot even understand what she is saying she is laughing so hard. Of course the more she cracks herself up, the more we laugh – and the cycle continues.
“Daddy is cweaning the snow” - Translation: Daddy is cleaning the snow, or he is outside in the freezing cold shoveling the sidewalk or scraping the car after a storm.
“Daddy is beuwding the house” - Translation: Dad is working on SOME project in the house – which as you know is a lot. This sentence applies to painting, sawing, hammering, whatever!
“No, I messer it” - Translation: “I measure it”. After watching her Dad so much, Kate thinks she is quite the contractor. She REALLY like to use the tape measure to measure things – the coffee table, her bear, a book. She will very seriously, and adeptly, use the tape measure and call out a number of “the messering”. Sometimes it is in the range of what is showing on the tape, sometimes not.
Well, that is all the Harris bragging for now. Time to hit the hay. I just have to grab a dozen or so Tums first………..
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
A quick baby update for those who are interested. We had some more excitement with the pregnancy where I actually took another trip to the hospital with Nick sweetly by my side. More and more contractions - which are not unusual at all since I have them every day now, except this time they were regular - about every 7 minutes. After about 3 hours of having regular contractions I called the doc and he had me come right in. I really had a feeling that everything was fine, but when there are more than 4 contractions an hour you are supposed to call the doc. I really waited a while because 1. I felt I was fine apart from the pain of contractions and 2. I WANTED things to be fine, but ultimately Nick and my Mom made me call. So I went in and, indeed, I was contracting away regularly so after some monitoring and tests they gave me Turbutiline with some Visterol (spelling?) to stop the contractions. Yuck - I did not like the Turb stuff but the Visterol supposedly tempers it. The Turbutiline made me very shaky - I looked as if I had sat out in the frigid weather we are having as I sat there and quivered. The magazine I was holding shook, the blankets shook. Whole lot of shakin' goin' on. They also did a fetal fibronectin test which came back negative - which is good! It means delivery was not imminent. So, after meds and some more observation, I was allowed to go home! And then they gave me a prescription for Nifedipine to stabilize me further so now I am on that around the clock. The baby is terrific - super active and a great heartrate and growth so I am not worried. I am still pretty restricted as far as activity goes, but at least I am home, so I am NOT complaining. Just trying to keep this baby cooking! This is such a different experience from being pregnant with Kate! But still a blessing! I am so excited to meet our little baby boy! But he just needs to stay in there for a while longer. Thanks to all for prayers, emails, phone calls, and even fun magazines mailed to us all the way from Great Britain for some great, new reading material! Lucky me!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
For those who check the blog regularly for updates, I have to apologize for not posting in so long. One would think that I would have much more time for such indulgences since I am now much more restricted in my activities per doctors orders.....alas, I either run out of steam by the time I think of a posting or I am otherwise occupied. Plus, with the fact that I have not been out and about as much, there is not as much news! I have been pretty boring as of late! All is well and the baby and I are fine - and Nick and Kate are wonderful and helpful and very understanding.
Kate continues to provide endless entertainment and, since most of you check the blog for Kate updates, I hope you don't mind a couple of quick stories:
"What does Kate say?"
Kate LOVES to tell you "what animals say". And, thanks to her favorite kids program that talks about exotic animals, her supply of animal sounds is extensive and interesting. She will gladly answer when you ask "What does a Dog say?" (Kate's answer: woof, woof) or "what does a rooster say" (Kate's answer: cockadooooooooo). However, her favorite animals sounds are those of the more international variety as opposed to domestic or farm. For instance, according to Kate, a humpback whale says "awooo, awooo" in a high pitched tone. A macaw says "sqwaaak, sqwaaak" in a very loud and rough voice. A jaguar says "rrawr, rraawwr" in a growly voice and a sloth makes some sort of high pitched squeak indescribable by the english language...you have to hear it. So Kate just LOVES to play the game "what does a ______ say". The other night, her Uncle Patrick was naming every animal he could think of. We always finish off with "what does a bear say" because we find her answer to be funny - she makes a growly face and says in increasing volume with each word "A bear says bear, Bear, BEEAAARRRR". I guess Bear and Grrr sound the same to her. Last night, though - Patrick then asked for the first time - "What does Kate say?" just to see what answer she would come up with. Kate, who had been hopping around imitating animals of all kinds, quickly composed herself, stood very sweetly with her hands folded and with her huge eyes looked up and said "Kate says 'I LOVE YOU'. MELT MY HEART. She is too much.
"I Need Bless Yous"
The other day Kate was following me around the house saying "I need bless yous, Mommy. I need bless yous! Where are the bless yous?" I had no idea WHAT she was talking about. Finally, she found a box of tissues on the bookshelf in my bedroom and grabbed them and said in a very relieved and dramatic voice "Oh, THERE you are Bless Yous! I FOUND you!!!!!" I started laughing and Kate said "Mommy, do you need a bless you?" So tissues are "bless yous".
Well - those are just a couple of quick stories that I, of course, find to be sweet. Hope they make you smile! All is well here - my folks are in town for the holidays and it is WONDERFUL having them here. Kate is absolutely in love with her "Nia and Gramps". Last night we were over there for dinner and when it was time to leave Kate announced that she was staying to "sweep at Nia and Gwamps house". My Dad is off on a business trip tomorrow, but we will have him back for Xmas before he returns to Miami for work.
Well, it is LATE and I am rambling. I will post some more pics very soon. Lots of holiday activities coming up, so lots of pics to be taken. Keep checking for updates. Also, FYI for all of you who are being so WONDERFUL and sending out terrific holiday cards - THANK YOU! We LOVE getting them! Nick and I really struggled with the decision that we made to NOT send a holiday card this year....but we will be doing another mass mailing soon when the baby arrives, so we will consolidate greetings and announcements then. ;) That does not change our wish for all our friends and loved ones to have a joyous and happy holiday season and a new year of peace and happiness!
Kate continues to provide endless entertainment and, since most of you check the blog for Kate updates, I hope you don't mind a couple of quick stories:
"What does Kate say?"
Kate LOVES to tell you "what animals say". And, thanks to her favorite kids program that talks about exotic animals, her supply of animal sounds is extensive and interesting. She will gladly answer when you ask "What does a Dog say?" (Kate's answer: woof, woof) or "what does a rooster say" (Kate's answer: cockadooooooooo). However, her favorite animals sounds are those of the more international variety as opposed to domestic or farm. For instance, according to Kate, a humpback whale says "awooo, awooo" in a high pitched tone. A macaw says "sqwaaak, sqwaaak" in a very loud and rough voice. A jaguar says "rrawr, rraawwr" in a growly voice and a sloth makes some sort of high pitched squeak indescribable by the english language...you have to hear it. So Kate just LOVES to play the game "what does a ______ say". The other night, her Uncle Patrick was naming every animal he could think of. We always finish off with "what does a bear say" because we find her answer to be funny - she makes a growly face and says in increasing volume with each word "A bear says bear, Bear, BEEAAARRRR". I guess Bear and Grrr sound the same to her. Last night, though - Patrick then asked for the first time - "What does Kate say?" just to see what answer she would come up with. Kate, who had been hopping around imitating animals of all kinds, quickly composed herself, stood very sweetly with her hands folded and with her huge eyes looked up and said "Kate says 'I LOVE YOU'. MELT MY HEART. She is too much.
"I Need Bless Yous"
The other day Kate was following me around the house saying "I need bless yous, Mommy. I need bless yous! Where are the bless yous?" I had no idea WHAT she was talking about. Finally, she found a box of tissues on the bookshelf in my bedroom and grabbed them and said in a very relieved and dramatic voice "Oh, THERE you are Bless Yous! I FOUND you!!!!!" I started laughing and Kate said "Mommy, do you need a bless you?" So tissues are "bless yous".
Well - those are just a couple of quick stories that I, of course, find to be sweet. Hope they make you smile! All is well here - my folks are in town for the holidays and it is WONDERFUL having them here. Kate is absolutely in love with her "Nia and Gramps". Last night we were over there for dinner and when it was time to leave Kate announced that she was staying to "sweep at Nia and Gwamps house". My Dad is off on a business trip tomorrow, but we will have him back for Xmas before he returns to Miami for work.
Well, it is LATE and I am rambling. I will post some more pics very soon. Lots of holiday activities coming up, so lots of pics to be taken. Keep checking for updates. Also, FYI for all of you who are being so WONDERFUL and sending out terrific holiday cards - THANK YOU! We LOVE getting them! Nick and I really struggled with the decision that we made to NOT send a holiday card this year....but we will be doing another mass mailing soon when the baby arrives, so we will consolidate greetings and announcements then. ;) That does not change our wish for all our friends and loved ones to have a joyous and happy holiday season and a new year of peace and happiness!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
WOW. What a week this has been! As some folks know, we had some stressful times with the pregnancy these past 8 days. All is well, and we are counting our blessings which are bountiful! Last week I had some pregnancy complications and I actually wound up being hospitalized Tuesday/Wednesday. IVs, medication, monitors and machines that beeped. Not fun and more than a little scary. The doctors think that I may have had a very small tear in the amniotic sac so some amniotic fluid was leaking. The AFI levels were still good, but I also was having pretty strong contractions. So they gave me all kinds of meds and put me on bedrest. But the baby is FINE and I am FINE. I was on bedrest for a week. I went to the doc yeterday and, while I am still contracting a lot and have terrible headaches (which could be brought on by the hormones released when the contractions set in) - the combination of which are really very uncomfortable - the great news is that I am NOT dilating which means it is not preterm labor. Also the small tear in the amniotic sac appears to have healed over, so yay! I just have to deal with the contractions and keep a close eye on their strength, duration etc. Apparently I have an incredibly "irritable uterus" according to the doc, which I find to be hysterical. Too much info? :)
So, I still have some meds for when the contractions and headaches get out of control, but thankfully I was given the greenlight to resume SLIGHTLY normal activity. I can move around, but still cannot lift anything and am pretty limited, meaning if I can sit down, then I should be sitting down. So I can make dinner and do some light cleaning, and light activity, but no mega trips to the mall, no major shopping, no lifting laundry baskets, groceries etc. Can't really lift Kate too much. Basically if I can be resting then I should be resting. It is better than bedrest which was not nearly as restful as one might imagine it would be. I STRONGLY DISLIKED being dependent on others and we had to have friends come over and watch me AND Kate while Nick was at work because I was on meds that made me a zombie and I could not do anything to take care of Kate anyway. It was a lesson in humility to be sure. And my one outing in a wheelchair REALLY woke me up to how handicapped people have to deal with such enormous amounts of crap from insensitive idiots. BUT I can get back to at least walking around and socializing some!!!!
I have to say a HUUUUGE Thank You to the terrific friends and family we have here in the Twin Cities that helped us get through this week. Our friends the Dunns - who just had TWINS and have a 2-year-old - let me crash on their couch for a couple of days during Nick's working hours. Kate and their daughter played and they kept an eye on me in my doped up state. Tim's parents were in town to help with the twins so they kindly offered to help with me as well! We are so grateful! Also, our friend Claudia came over to watch Kate one day and Patrick helped out as well. I am so very sympathetic to women who have to endure this kind of medical necessity for literally months on end. It really shows even more how important and cherished and valued our friends and family are. If I can EVER repay the favor......
Kate is amazingly awesome and has been such a good girl through all of this! It was almost like she knew and was really so very sweet and well behaved. Instead of us running around, she was terrific about reading stories and doing puzzles with me instead. Precious girl. Nick is beyond description as far as how terrific he is. He has been super husband through this ordeal....though I am not surprised. He was so great: Getting Kate up and fed and ready in the morning then heading to work then racing home to make dinner, do laundry, take care of Kate AND me.....all while I lounged on the couch. He is a keeper...not a peep of complaint out of him. I love him so. Really, how in the WORLD did I get so lucky?
Well - this has become a small novel. Probably more info than any of you ever wanted! I just wanted to post about the events as so many have been so kind with warm thoughts and powerful prayers and I wanted to let you know that things are FINE and I so very much appreciate your care! I fear this sounds like a cry for pity or something - far from it. I have just come to realize all the more how precious this life inside me is and I am SO grateful that our little guy is strong and safe and healthy and I will do whatever I can to make sure he stays that way! He is the main concern here. This could have been so much worse and I realize that....it makes me all the more thankful for the way it turned out.
Blessings to all!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Kate the Baby Jaguar with a big bowl of Halloween Candy. Please note the pink bows on the ears, which she insisted on! ;) She calls herself a baby jaguar instead of leopard because one of her favorite shows is "Go, Diego, Go" - an animated show about rescuing animals in the jungle. On the show, Diego has a pet "baby jaguar" and that is what Kate is. When you ask her what a baby jaguar says she answers "Rawr, Rawrrrrrrr" with a growly face. She loved Halloween and had so much fun! Thanks to Popsi and Aunt Mary Ann for the cute costume!
Mom and Kate going trick or treating! Dad stayed behind while we did one side of our block. Then Mom manned the candy bowl at home while Dad and Kate did the other side of the block! All the neighbors loved seeing Kate and she said "Trick or Treat", "Thank You" and "Happy Hawoweeeen" at EVERY house. So fun!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
October was a really big month for all of us! The pic above is Kate with her suitcase because she got to spend almost a week with her Nana while Nick and I went on a trip to London! It was wonderful! This followed a terrific second birthday for Miss Kate. And the most RECENT amazing news is that Kate is going to be having a little BROTHER! Yes, the ultrasound has confirmed that we are having a BOY! We are so excited! Kate will be a terrific big sister! In other news, look for a post about the remodel soon - Nick has been putting Bob Vila to SHAME and as soon as I have time to get some pics taken and uploaded, I will write a little blurb about it all. It looks amazing. We are so very blessed and lucky to have each other - and all the wonderful friends and family that bring us joy. Thanks to all!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
I have some very important news to announce! It is big!!!!!!! I am going to be a BIG SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mommy is going to have a baby! Daddy, Mommy and I are so very excited! My new brother or sister (not sure which one yet) will be here sometime in early March. I am so excited to be a big sister and cannot wait! Mom is finally over feeling sick and is back to her old self now, except she has a growing tummy! I turn two years old in two weeks! What an exciting time - babies and birthdays and joy all around! Yay!!!! Love, Kate
I have some very important news to announce! It is big!!!!!!! I am going to be a BIG SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mommy is going to have a baby! Daddy, Mommy and I are so very excited! My new brother or sister (not sure which one yet) will be here sometime in early March. I am so excited to be a big sister and cannot wait! Mom is finally over feeling sick and is back to her old self now, except she has a growing tummy! I turn two years old in two weeks! What an exciting time - babies and birthdays and joy all around! Yay!!!! Love, Kate
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
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