We are not the type of family that leaves Christmas decorations up all year but I have trouble taking down Natalie’s artwork. What do other moms do? How much should I keep? This is a favorite that I couldn’t part with so I did what any mom would do… Delayed the decision by putting it under the bed for now!
At 4 days overdue, Pinto is fully baked. More baked than his sister was (who was 4 days overdue, but at least had the courtesy to come that morning!) “They” say boys are more likely to be late, so maybe Pinto really is a boy. Natalie, on the other hand, remains convinced that Pinto is a girl. At dinner tonight, we told her that we’ll change Pinto’s name when he/she comes out and told her the name for each. Jordan quizzed Natalie, “what will Pinto’s name be if she’s a girl?” and Natalie responded (insert name here – we’re not going to give that up yet!) with some help. When Jordan quizzed Natalie, “What will Pinto’s name be if he’s a boy?,” she just responded “NO”! Oh my – we reminded her that we love Pinto if s/he is a girl or a boy.
Since only 25% of you know what its like to go 4+ days past your due date, you might wonder how we spent our day. Since this Saturday was all about Natalie, I’m wondering if she’s been telling her little sibling to stay inside longer. We started the day with Natalie requesting that Baby Ellie and her umbrella come with us to the Children’s Museum. We’ve been “lucky” to have main opportunities to utilize our rain gear – thanks Nana for the new rain coat to accompany Grandma’s umbrella!
Just singing in the rain!!!!
The Children’s Museum was a blast, of course… we spent nearly 30 min playing with sparkly play dough. Considering we have play dough at home, Jordan and I were happy to make our way to some other exhibits – aren’t these two just the cutest?
St. Patrick’s Day twins! For some reason, Mommy couldn’t find any green to wear, like us!
When at the Museum, I saw an email from Kathy, saying they were at Navy Pier for a gardening show, so we called them to see if they wanted to meet up for an impromptu lunch. The child-to-adult ratio increases further… what’s not to love about 4-on-1 (when you’re 2-years-old that is… maybe less so when you’re 16).
Weeee – more, more!
Post-nap wasn’t Nat’s finest hour. We had a mood reset while watching Dora – an episode about the map getting lost. Dora and Boots needed to make their own map to find The Map! Natalie and I decided to make our own maps too.
When will the weather be nice enough to go to Oz Park again, Mommy?
Mama, you just put your leg up like this. Its really easy. Just try. You’re always telling me to try new things.
Throw in some sweeping, laundry, Mac & Cheese cooking and a trip to Potbelly’s for a shake (past pot smokers and about 100 other St. Patrick’s Day patrons), and you have yourself a great day for being 4 days overdue.
Even though a birthday on St. Patrick’s Day might mean even more cause for raucous when Pinto is a college student, I’m really hoping that St. Patrick’s Day is the day! (I even re-packed my suitcase, which was originally packed about 2 weeks ago, to include the St. Pat’s day outfit!)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Natalie is a busy little girl with a lot of friends! Last week, she and her Little Gems friends enjoyed a morning in the snow….
A play date in the snow - Brilliant, as my Aussie teacher Ms. Jennie would say!
And, last weekend, we had a super fun play date with Natalie’s BFFs, Taylor and Molly (complete with Daddy’s too)! The girls actually did a great job of sharing with each other and the level of silliness was off the charts!
Have you girls heard of London Bridge? Come on - let's party like its 2002 (when our Mommies were in London together!)
(The picture above may already look crowded with 2 adults and 3 toddlers… but if you look harder, you may be able to see two in utero babies. One due tomorrow and another due on March 31st!)
Nothing like getting together with the girls over a bowl of yummy grapes!
A few weeks ago, Natalie upgraded to a Big Girl bed. We wanted to give her enough time to transition from the crib before Pinto moved into the crib. Since we already had a double bed (on which Jordan and I both slept for our 1st 3 years of marriage) and wanted to keep it for when guests come, Natalie really got a big girl bed!
You may not be able to tell from the picture, but the sheets and comforter have flowers, butterflies, hearts and owls. She doesn’t actually like sleeping with her sheets – just the same purple butterfly blanket that she had while in her crib. So, I use that as a good excuse never to make her bed.
Her first night in her big girl bed was quite eventful. She had a bad cold and there was a terrible windstorm outside. She woke up screaming around 12:30 p.m. I tried unsuccessfully to get her back to sleep and then traded out with Jordan, as Natalie’s bed didn’t have the 5 pillows that Pinto usually requires for comfortable sleeping. Jordan slept with her the rest of the night. The next morning, Natalie was still very proud that she slept in her big girl bed all night. I’m not sure it quite counts as sleeping in your big girl bed if your dad is with you for half of the night, but I was relieved she was happy to try it again the next night!
So, 2-3 weeks in, she’s settled in! It’s always a surprise to see which animals or toys are in her bed in the morning (we often forget about what is in there, as many are props during storytime.) Two days ago, I found her Valentine’s Day balloon. Today, after nap, I found Baby Ellie, Horton the Elephant and a book.
Jordan made an awesome calendar for our parents for Christmas. Each month includes the highlights from the prior year, around the same time of the year! Here are some of our March favorites!
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Who am I? Why, the Cat in the Hat, of course!!!
Photo credit: Poppy!
Grandma brought Natalie a belated Valentines Day present last weekend. This was our view of Natalie for much of Saturday….
Dry, Dry… Dora Dry. Boots dry too. (Her little Dora and Boots figurines are under the umbrella with her)
As you may know, we live near a college campus. Even 20-year-old guys cannot help but smile when they see a cute 2-year-old walking down the sidewalk in an umbrella. I don’t mind that now, but they better watch out when she’s 16…..
Come on, Gpa. Come on, Gpa. Let’s go to the park!
We heard a lot of “Come on, Gpa” over the weekend. Natalie always is sure to include Grandpa, even if he preferred to take a break in the living room. Luckily, she usually has a ton of energy so can run the tea cup or whatever else over to him. And, luckily, Grandma is usually within a foot of Natalie so she has plenty of adult attention. We’re ready for G&G to come back shortly after Pinto is born to provide more of that 1-on-1 (or 4-on-1, as was the case this weekend) attention to the Big Sister! 13 days until my due date!
Natalie and I decided we should visit Daddy downtown at work before the official arrival of Pinto. She was very excited to leave school early to take bus 22 (her favorite # – twice!) downtown to Daddy’s really tall building. She asked him nicely, “Will you buy us lunch Daddy?” He was only too happy to take us out!
Daddy also walked us to the train station – well, rather, he held Natalie’s hand, as the two of them asked me to chase them! With a stroller and an extra 35 lbs holding me back, it wasn’t much of a contest.
Right before nap, Natalie asked me, “Sing Mommy” (a standard). But, then she went on to tell me all sorts of things, like “look” and my eyes being opened. At one point, I asked her, “Natalie, are you listening?” And she said, “No.” I love the unadulterated honesty of a 2-year-old. She proceeded to listen after that though!
Thanks for a great lunch date, Daddy!
