Fall 2009

The last month has been a busy one. We've basically been trying to squeeze in as much as we can before winter sets in, a new baby is here, and we're stuck in doors. A couple weekends before Halloween the cousins all hit up Caroline's for a little pumpkin picking, tractor riding, animal feeding, and donut eating.

Here is my first attempt at the required "picture among the pumpkins" with just my two. Slight Fail.

Much better. Even thought they're not smiling, at least they're facing the same direction and looking near the vicinity of the camera's lens.

The ham decided as I was putting the camera away she was ready to cheese. Typical.

The next attempt was at a cousins picture. Even bigger Fail, but at the very, very least they are all in the frame.

Lucy loved the idea of her head atop a scarecrow's body...

so much we had to take two pictures.

Uh, Zoe, not so much.

Let the tractor rides begin. Parents with multiple children: It's probably not a great idea to take kids on a vehicle without seatbelts and an open roof if you 1. are outnumbered, 2. have child(ren) that don't mind (and try to throw themselves between the slats of the tractor as it's moving), and/or 3. are nine months pregnant.



I told the girls they could get ANY pumpkin they could pick up and carry back to the tractor. Zoe found one she really wanted. Unfortunately, when she went to claim her booty, I heard her state (very matter-of-factly, and with a grunt, no less), "Too heavy, Mama". Oh, too bad. Maybe next year.

I have no words. I think it's only something a toddler would understand...

The girls are champion "loungers". They love to lay all over any surface or person they can reach: couch, floor, mom, dad, etc. This seating is typical in our house, and believe it not, neither of them seem to mind the arrangement.

Zoe turned 19 months at the end of October. Every day I think, "When did she become such a big girl?" She is no longer a baby, and I have a feeling that this will become even more apparent in the next week or so. She is just so verbal and mature (the benefits of having an older sibling). Sure, she's got kind of a sassy streak, but I like em' just a bit spunky.

My Lucy isn't so little anymore either. She is quite funny and smart. She knows exactly what to do to get what she wants too. Example: I was telling Charles the other day that she is quite a hypochondriac. Everything is a boo-boo or an ouchie. He tells me about an exchange they had just the day before, an no kidding, in the next minute their exact same conversation takes place.

Lucy: Daddy, my tummy hurts.
Daddy: Oh no. Your tummy?
Lucy: Yea. Tummy. Hurts.
Daddy: What would make your tummy feel better?
Lucy: Chocolate.
Daddy: Chocolate would make your tummy feel better?
Lucy: Uh huh.
Daddy: Okay, we'll get some chocolate for your tummy.

Lucy eats her chocolate and looks at her father with such love.
Lucy: Tummy all better. Thanks Daddy.

This is how the conversation would have ended had it been between Lucy and myself:

Mommy: Oh that's too bad about your tummy, Lucy. Chocolate would just make it feel worse. Do you need to poop?

Which is exactly why my children never ask for candy.


Lucy's school had a Halloween party where the kids dressed up and went trick-or-treating door to door. I sent Charles to the party with the camera. He took two pictures. Two. Apparently there was a memo that all the Asian girls in Lucy's classroom dress up as witches...

We did trick-or-treating on the Square again this year. The kiddos loved putting on their costumes and begging for candy. And, in case you're wondering, Zoe was a turkey.






When we got home Daddy and the girls decided to make cookies, and by make cookies, I mean they opened up the package of pre-made, pre-shaped, and pre-decorated dough and laid them on a cookie sheet. Baking is hard work!

Someone's a wee bit excited.

Waiting patiently, or not so patiently...

The next day was so beautiful that we decided to be productive while enjoying the outdoors. Lucy and I raked while Zoe did nothing (of course), and Charles mulched the huge leaf piles.


This past weekend the Sue, Kevin, Kalani, my Dad and Stepmom came over to hang out with the kids so Charles and I could go out (Thanks, guys!). It's been almost one year since our last date, and I figure it will be another year before our next. I'm glad that we got out of the house by ourselves, but it made me realize how fulfilling just being at home with the kids and Charles is.

39 weeks

I had my 39 week appointment this morning and all is well. The practice I go to will not let anyone go past the 41 week mark, so in less than two weeks we will have another family member. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I could be pregnant for another month. I get really sad thinking this pregnancy is quickly coming to an end. It is an understatement to say that I LOVE being pregnant. *sigh*

Side note:

I did have an fetal growth ultrasound last week and this baby is a peanut. I knew she was smaller than Zoe (because I can walk without my hips giving out and sleeping is a non-issue), but I was really shocked to hear that by the 40 week mark, they estimate her size to barely be 7 lbs. The blessing is two-fold. Because she is smaller, they won't be urging me to induce this week AND the doctor thinks that pushing her out won't take the full two to three hours that I am accustomed to. So, yay!

As of this morning I am 4cm dilated. I was 3-4 with the girls for over a week before anything happened, so I'm not holding my breath anything is going to happen before the end of the week. I'm hoping for either the 18th or the weekend following when my two favorite doctors are on call.

Aliens III

I'm 37 and a half weeks, still feeling good. This child is quite comfortable, as evident by the video below. When she gets to moving like this, which is most of the time she's awake, I like to play the game, "Guess the Extremity". Aside from distinctly knowing where her bum is, I'm usually at a loss. At this point, knees, elbows, arms, legs, fingers and toes all feel just about the same, painful; but any mother-to-be can testify along with me that it is the best painful feeling in the world. I'm going to miss this when she's born.


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One post per season, apparently...

Sooooo, let me just go out on a limb here and say that I do not win any gold stars for blogging or picture taking. What I do get an award for is getting these pictures in chronological order, the first time around. So, yay me! This first set was taken towards the beginning of July. You'll notice that as the further down you scroll, the paler my children get. Hence the change in season. Poor kids got pale skin from both sides of the family.

This is what Charles and I call the "typical Zoe face". When she smiles, boy does she smile! It's quite contagious. I think it has to do with the combo eye squint/nose wrinkle.


Lucy and Zoe, such great sisters and friends. They love each other so much, that I sometimes wonder if they will view their new sister as an interloper. Side note: Do these girls look like twins to you? What is wrong with people? Anywhere and everywhere we go, I get asked if they are twins. Uh no, they are not.



This the end of July. I was told the my placenta previa had cleared, so my restrictions were lifted. We hit quite a few neighborhood parks until I started to bleed and was put back on low activity. End of story, although they couldn't pinpoint the source of the bleed, everything turned out fine. I think it was my body's way of telling me to slow down.




Another cute, random example of "typical Zoe face".

We've moved into August territory, the very, very tail end of August territory. And the only reason I know this is because this next set of pictures is from Lucy's birthday. Once again, for the third year running, Charles and I dropped the ball. We had every intention of throwing her a party, but just never got around to it. What a couple of slackers. At the very least, we've set the precedence in our favor, and none of our children will expect much when their birthdays roll around...



Lucy, my big three year old girl, started preschool in the middle of September. She gets to go four days a week for three hours a day. She loves it. Her favorite part is riding the school bus. In fact, I only have to mention the school bus most mornings and that is enough motivation to get her out of bed.


Zoe, sitting on the steps, quite forlorn after Lucy first stepped onto the bus with out her. She's much better these days, but for the first couple of weeks after Lucy started school, she was quite the pill. She really missed her sister, but has since learned that there is fun to be had as a singleton, if only for a few hours at a time.

Give these girls some books, a couple of lollipops, and Dora, and you get quiet. These three things are my saving grace. How did I get anything done before?

Lucy and Dad enjoying their one-on-one reading time.

Another thing I love about the end of summer? Three words: Liberty Fall Festival. I had been dreaming of jumbo sized corn dogs, kettle korn, funnel cake, and tropical snow ALL summer long. The Browns joined us for an evening of grease-laden treats, carneys, and over-priced (and quite scary) rides.

Don't Lucy and Kalani looked pumped up?

Self portrait time! Us girls had the tedious task of winding the strollers around the mobs of people, as well as watching said strollers while the Dads took their kids on rides.

Kevin and Kalani on the crazy-fast carousel. Seriously, that thing didn't have any belts or restraints to speak of and was moving at what appeared to be a break-neck speed. As the carousel was going round and round, the only thing I cold see was the flash of white coming from Charles' knuckles as he tried to keep Lucy seated. Of course, that didn't stop them from riding it again...

We went back for some more that Sunday afternoon, thinking it would be a bit less crowded. Wrong. It was so busy and hot, but the girls were troopers. I cannot say the same for Charles and myself. The things we do for our children.... Lucy loves carnivals. Can you tell?



Zoe, on the other had does not share the same feeling as Lucy. Can you tell?

The end of September. My happy girls. They are high chair dancing to whatever music is on. Zoe's got some sweet moves, but you can get a feel for my favorite of hers: the head crook/arm wave move.


I'll be 36 weeks on Saturday and am already 2 cm dilated (not that that means anything). I can't find the disc that has the baby's 3/D pictures on it. If I find it before she's actually born, I'll post some. She's got the same full lips as her sisters . She really looks quite a bit like Zoe, but we'll see. They change so much in the first few months. I'm still feeling good. Just the typical pregnancy things: Sore hips, fatique, indigestion. Nothing that the chiropractor, extra sleep, and TUMS can't fix. I also developed PUPPs again, but started a holistic treatment of dandelion root and flax seed oil. Where in the heck was this stuff with my last pregnancies? I'm still itchy, but the rash outbreaks are completely gone! I've also learned firsthand that restless leg syndrome can be combatted with extra folate. I don't have any belly pics, but will take some to post on the next blog. I don't feel that big, but for the last couple of months many, many people have asked or told me that a) "You look like you're about to pop!" b) "Are you sure not carrying twins?" c) "You've really dropped!"/"You're carrying low!" What is wrong with these people?

That's all for now! Hopefully I'll post again before the baby is born.

June in Review

We had a busy month of June. We finally bought a dining room set, Charles took three overnight-out-of-town trips, Grandma Judy came up for a much-needed week long visit, I learned how to thread my sewing machine, we had playdate after playdate, we finished two more projects in the (soon to be completed) mud room, and we took an extended weekend trip up north to visit Uncle Iain and Auntie Katie.

As cute as they are, don't let them fool you. They are still very much eating in their high chairs. But, just like us, they love to sit at the table. It's kind of a novelty, and it's crazy how much more appreciative we are to have one after eating on the couch, floor, and bar area for over a year. Now we even have a more comfortable place to pay bills, go through mail, do laundry, etc. You know, all of the fun stuff.

The girls relaxing with Grandma J.

Lucy loves her Grandma so much. They had such a great week together that when Grandma left to go home, Lucy went through withdraw for almost the whole next week. She moped around and kept running into the guest room to see if there was anybody in there. So sad.

Here we are trying to figure out how this blasted machine works. It was a Christmas gift from Judy, and we finally cracked open the box earlier this month. I cannot believe how long it took for us to apply the directions (with pictures) to the machine. You'd think the darn thing was written in a foreign language or that neither of us had ever seen a sewing machine. Four hours later...Victory!

When we had the basement finished we kept a small space off of the the garage to use for clean up and coat/shoe storage, as well as a place for my dusty treadmill. We painted months ago, after the reno was completed, but we still had to tile the back splash behind the slop sink, electrical wires were still dangling from the ceiling, and trim couldn't be done until the floor was laid. Ugh, there was so much to do, but after months of staring at an unfinished space and the motivation of the baby's arrival, we got our crap together and completed phase one of the mud room.

Here she is, in all her unfinished glory. The bookshelves will eventually be refinished and re-cut to flank our still unfinished fireplace. Are you noticing a trend yet?

I have to give it to my husband. He has transformed into the handiest person, or maybe he's always been, but has just decided now that out of necessity he can show off his sweet skills. Here here is with the wet saw. We rented it on a Friday night at 8 PM, he figured out how to use it shortly after, and tiling was completed by 11 PM. We already had a bit of practice in the kitchen, but amazingly hadn't needed to cut any pieces.


Ta Da! No more dangling cords and no more exposed concrete floor. The electrical work is also that of Charles. I keep telling him he needs to go into business as a handy man, but strangely enough, my suggestions have gone unheeded.


Check out that fancy tile job! I also have to say that I was not entirely unhelpful. I laid all of the tile and I cut all of the shoe molding with the miter saw. I thought that I would be afraid, but working with power tools is quite liberating. That's not to say that I want to make a career out of home improvements, but it feels good to do something start to finish. Charles, the plumber aka Charles the electrician, hooked up the slop sink last night. All that's left is to get some lockers and benches and install them. We'll see how long that takes to complete...


Last week the girls and I headed over to Auntie Aprils (aka Lucy's BFF) to visit and see her Mom, Crystal. Sarah and Miss G also made an appearance. The girls had a grand time playing and I even managed to get a nap out of both of them that afternoon.

Lucy is still learning how to "be gentle". Poor Zoe is used to being man-handled/loved on, but this was new territory for Greta. Here they are "hugging" or rather, Lucy putting Greta in the sleeper hold/head lock. Greta didn't seem to mind the "attention" one bit.

In fact, while they were together for the afternoon, they were inseparable. What most people would call attempting to destroy furniture, we call "durability-testing", and fortunately for April, her end table passed with flying colors. Can the bottom shelf hold fifty pounds worth of children? Check!

More durability-testing on the moses basket that Crystal bought at a garage sale for her grandson. Yup, it passes inspection.




This is not the best picture, but it is the only one I have of Uncle Iain from this past weekend. Not only do I never have my camera out, ready to take pictures, but when I finally remembered to get it, the batteries went dead. I suck.

Anyway, we had a fantastic weekend. The girls did great. They road-tripped well, slept in an unfamiliar environment well, and played well, given the fact that we packed as few toys as possible. We loved catching up with Iain and Katie (even if it meant staying up until the wee hours the morning), and couldn't believe how lucky we were when we also got to see Grandma J, Grandpa Dave, and Auntie Peggy and Uncle Jim for a few hours on Friday and Saturday night. Thank you so much Iain and Katie. Your new home is beautiful and we can't wait to see you guys again!

My SIL Katie and I in the requisite "belly-bump" pose. Here we are at 23 weeks and 20 weeks. I am so happy we get to experience this together. My first pregnancy I got to be pregnant with Vadsana, the second with Sue, so I've shared every pregnancy with a sister. I am so lucky!

We have first trimester shot, here is our second trimester shot, and hopefully we'll get to see them again in August to get the third shot. She has the sweetest little belly and I can't wait for October to meet my nephew!

More evidence that Miss Zoe is a ham!

It's probably just me, but since it's fairly obvious Lucy mostly takes after me (if Lucy and Zoe traded eyebrows, she would be my twin), these two are twinkies. Two, pretty cute twinkies, at that.

Lucy is the most fickle girl when it comes to her BFF. Let's just say she's a social butterfly. She could not get enough of Auntie Katie this weekend. It's good practice for Katie, although it doesn't seem she needs much. She is so very maternal already. Much more so than I ever was before children.


My gut has told me all along this baby is a girl, so it was nice to get confirmation today. We saw the doctor, and she is as healthy as can be. Everything checks out and I am grateful. We are so blessed to have another baby on the way. She was so quick and active during the ultrasound as well as being incredibly stubborn. I specifically wanted a profile shot, but the child would not give. Every time to inducer came near her face, she turned her head or put the arm block up. Little stinker. This is the best one we got. Still, I think she's pretty cute, even though she resembles the characters from the Peanuts comic strip (does anyone else see that?). We do get to see her again in six weeks, but not for her, but rather to check my placenta location, again. It's still low-lying, so they want to keep an eye on it. I am hopeful it moves so I can have another vaginal delivery, but you never know. Anything can happen, and we will just prepare ourselves for that. We hope everyone has safe and fun Fourth of July!

They do make a Mama proud...

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They call me " the Referee"

So, one would think with two, little, sweet girls, that playtime would be all tea parties and baby dolls.  Not in our house.  This is how you would find my two little gems on any day of the week, at any given time.  Zoe's first phrase will either be "knock it off" (courtesy of Dad) or "that's enough; be nice" (courtesy of moi).  The "roll around and wrestle" narrowly beats out the ever popular "sneak up behind my sister and grab legs/hair/arms/any appendage, really, tackle, then tickle".  So, that's what they're up to these days, well with the exception of playing "fake puke up the fake vegetables".  That ALWAYS leaves them in stitches.  You gotta love make believe.  The video above demonstrates their love of vegetation.  Sorry for the poor quality, and I have no idea where they learned this.

It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt...

I can't remember what we were over at Aunt Sue's house for, but Kalani and Zoe had fun sharing cheese and puffs.  I can't believe his birthday is next month.  And I really can't believe that while he has had his haircut (multiple times I think), Zoe's is barely present.  Boys get the thick eyelashes and thick heads of hair.  It's just not fair.
I'm posting these pictures of Lucy for posterity's sake. Lucy has never, ever been one to smile for the camera.  She can not stand to have her picture taken.  In fact, she's perfected what we call her "dead face".  Get out the camera and point it in her direction, and immediately her eyes close, but not all the way, her mouth parts just so, and she tilts her head back to the slightest degree.  It's the strangest thing.  Well, there must have been a full moon this night, because she could not get enough of the camera.  All she wanted to do was "cheese" and that was fine by me.



On the other hand, there's our little Zohan.  She has a love affair with the camera.  She loves to have her picture taken and she loves to help take pictures.  My two polar opposites.  On a side note, this little one started walking a few weeks ago.  She's big stuff now.
Lucy and her buddy Ethan, enjoying a spaghetti dinner.  Or rather, Ethan enjoyed his, and Lucy stared at hers.  From what I hear this is typical behavior for couples on a first date.
We met up with our playgroup last week at the park.  What a beautiful day.  We had such a great time catching up with friends we haven't seen in months.  The girls can't wait for another picnic playdate.
With Mallory and Chloe missing, my two were the only girls.  Maybe that's why they love to wrestle...

On an end note, some of you know, some of you don't, we got new cars!  Mazda girl was on her last leg.  We've been debating this entire last year about what we should do, and she made the decision for us.  We had already put sooooo much money into her maintenance and this last "check engine" warning put us over the edge.  I have to admit, it was sad leaving her on the lot.  I really thought the girls would be driving her.  They just don't make them like they used to.  Well, the timing was right so Charles is now driving a safe, gas friendly Fit.  It's not the manliest car (seriously, have you heard the horn on those things), but who cares?  At the last fill up, that thing got over 40mpg!  

We also traded in the Pilot for an Odyssey.  It's a good thing we did, because there was no way we'd be able to comfortably fit in three carseats.  That's right peeps, we are pregnant, again!  I've stolen this idea from a few of my friends' blogs, so here goes:

Were you trying? I know what some people are thinking and a few people have already asked.  Were were most definitely trying.  After Zoe, we had decided that we were done with two.  Well folks, we changed our minds.  Enough said.  My new rides seats eight, so I guess we'll just wait and see what the future holds.

When are you due?  November 14.

Will you find out the sex?  Most definitely and soon.

Have you picked out any names?  Not really.  

How are you feeling?  Fine.  The first trimester was rough, as I anticipated.  A lot of fatigue and morning sickness.  The girls play a game called "Night, Night".  I lay on the ground and they cover me with a blanket, kiss me on the forehead, and say, "Night, Night, Mama".  During playtime, I'd sneak a few minutes rest here and there.  I'm not so pathetic anymore, so the game is much more humorous.

 

Do you think it's a boy or a girl?  My gut is a girl, Charles thinks the baby is a boy, Lucy thinks there's a cookie in my belly (which most of the time there is), and Zoe just likes to slap my stomach.  Let me just say, Charles and I disagreed with the last two pregnancies, and I was always right.  There's a first time for anything.

Oh yeah, no belly pics for now.  I'm waiting to look pregnant, rather than bloated and squishy.  Ya know?

Easter, Self-Portraits, Models, Birthday Girl

This year's Easter Bunny was "Friendly/Hippity-Hoppity Easter Bunny" compared to last year's "grown-man-in-furry-costume-getting-ready-to-rob-bank-Easter-Bunny", and strangely enough, neither child was too receptive.  This is about as close as either one of them would get without shrieking.  

The lazy ones waiting for their cousins to fill their baskets.

Eggs: Kalani = 2, Zoe=0

The only picture I have of Lucy hunting for eggs.  I don't know how she managed to get empty eggs.  My theory is either the quicker children took the candy and put the empty eggs back, or as a way to save money, the Easter Egg Bunny laid a few empty ones.  
Cousins picture.  It is going to be a long, long time before we get a decent shot of all of them.

Maly, Alison, and Zoe experimenting with the self-portrait option.  Uh, yeah.  There are some definite keepers in this collection...

Nice.

My Mother and Grandma recently came back from a trip to Laos.  They brought all the girls matching outfits.  So very chic and pink and noisy.  Every outfit has at least ten mini-bells.

Grandma Maly, Lucy, and Pari.  

Zoe turned one a month ago, but we celebrated this weekend.  I'll blame it on scheduling, but really it's just procrastination at its finest.  Things Zoe enjoyed: the singing, the presents.  Things Zoe did not enjoy: not being held my Mom, the taco bar dinner, the cake.  Things Lucy enjoyed: being held by Dad, the singing, the presents, the taco bar dinner, and especially the cake.  Things Lucy did not enjoy: being told there was no more cake.

Momma and her girls, Aunt Sue and Kalani S.  

Grandma Penn and the easily-amused Kalani.  Those cheekies are so juicy.  That child is definitely not missing any meals.

Oh yeah, I didn't post any pictures, but Lucy got her first "real" haircut a few weeks ago.  If you ever wondered why Lucy always wore her hair up, this is the reason: Hair pattern and growth is weird.  Lucy's hair grew so fast in the back and took forever to get any thickness or length up front.  What I'm trying to say is if I let it grow to its own accord, this child would naturally have a mullet.  No Joke.  The hairdresser took a little over three inches off the back, trimmed her bangs and took nothing, absolutely nothing, off the front and sides.  All that was missing was the Natty Lite can and half-smoked ciggy.  Mullet-Skullet rest in peace.

My silly girls.

They are so loving and affectionate.  I couldn't have asked for sweeter girls.

Spring Break

Most folks think of spring break as going somewhere tropical with exotic drinks either poolside or on a beach.  Not us.  Our version of spring break consists of a sweet Marriott hotel with a slightly frigid indoor pool and a view of the interstate.  The destination you ask? None other than Cabo San Des Moines.  It is a central place for us to meet and we had a great time - always nice to discuss everybody else's dysfunction while complimenting ourselves on how great we are.  Given the recession and economic conditions, I assumed we would not have to wait for a table when we decided to go eat - but apparently there is something about chain restaurants in West Des Moines that attract large crowds of people.  During the two hour wait at Texas Roadhouse, it was a perfect time for a photo opportunity.  

Here are Nanthida, Charles, Iain and Katie in-between taking trips to ask when our table was going to be ready and complaining to management.  

Lucy and Zoe with Grandma J and Aunt Peggy.  There is a board behind them that displays when your table is ready....notice that nothing is lit. 

Lucy showing a little midriff - I think she gets that from her mother.  Her dad has since bought her extra long shirts - which is a trend that will continue into adulthood. 

Zoe in her standard pose - I think she calls this one 'blue steel'.  I tried to tell her that the name was already taken.

Lucy and her dad in what looks like dance practice.  Her father's dance moves are so awesome and yet rare to catch on camera - some things are just meant to see live.  

Group hug.  Lucy is a very sweet girl and loves her sister...most of the time.

Lucy helping Zoe with her presents.  She is such a good helper that way.  She will even demonstrate to her little sister how things work.  But don't assume that Zoe is passive, she defends herself with a stealth-like hair pull when nobody is watching - and will smack Lucy in the face when she is sleeping.  Hey, if a bear craps in the woods....

Lucy is getting to be so big - she has now transitioned herself into pullups.  Not sure that she has it on correctly but the box didn't come with directions - I guess you are just supposed to know these things.  Anywho, here she is showing her biggest fan (Zoe) how its done. 

And as always with a spring break trip, we are counting the days until next year.