Libby is 3 months old!

Oh how time flies when you are sleep deprived! Libby is growin' like a little weed. We continue to hit milestone after milestone. The newest thing is making little noises like a motor boat. VERY CUTE. There is much spit and slobber involved as well as a bib, but what could be more musical to my ears? Libby's belly continues to be trouble. At night there is lots of crying. We are used to it. Ella was the same way. She hasn't grown out of it yet. We have tried EVERY possible remedy to get her to stop screaming. And I do mean EVERYTHING. She has seen 6 different doctors from naturopaths to midwife to chiropractor and of course, our family doctor. Nothing seems to work. We now have an appointment for an xray at Children's Hospital which will be reviewed by a GI infant specialist. Hopefully that will be all clear. There are always hoops to jump through when it comes to kids!

Ella is doing great. She LOVES being a big sister. She tries very hard to be helpful and involved with her little sister. It more turns into pestering her, but it is nice to have her want to be so actively involved and not jealous. They look identical to eachother in the baby stage. You could hardly tell them apart when shown 2 baby pictures at the same age side by side. I played a little trick on Dale with that!

We can't believe that 3 months have already gone by! Before we know it she will be a year old. She is such a happy girl and VERY cooey when her belly is happy. I haven't been doing much work and have been focused mainly on caring for Libby. Ella has started Pre-K school and is there 3 days a week from 9-4. She is LOVING it!!! They call her their little busy body at school. HA! She is their "blessing" for the time there and it is nice and quiet at home! LOL She turned 4 in August and is looking like QUITE the big girl. Amazing how fast that happens!

We havent done much this summer with Libby outside. 2 times we sunburned her in the SHADE. No sun on her but the refection of the rays sunburned her. A very odd thing that kept us inside a lot. She appears that she will have strawberry blond hair and is definitely a red head. No one in the family has red hair.... very odd. The UPS man does, but she looks nothing like him.

As we move into the fall I am looking forward to the cooler weather so that we can do walks and be out during the day. We are having fun and trying to soak in every moment, even the ones that are frustrating with belly upset. Our little family grows and so does that love!

Learning new things...

Summer is finally here in Lake Stevens! We have been enjoying some nicer weather, getting outside and feeling like maybe mother nature isn't totally bipolar! The amount of rain and gray days we have had recently had us wondering if summer was ever going to show up! Last weekend we spent 2 wonderful days hanging out on our patio and enjoying the lake. It seems like an eternity since we have been able to do that. The new patio that we poured last summer is very nice and makes for a lot more space to "be". We got some new lounge chairs and a fun floating island that Ella thinks is the coolest thing since sliced bread!

Libby is doing much better. The probiotics she is taking are finally having an effect on her tummy. Things are processing easier and a LOT of the screaming she was doing has stopped. I took her to the chiropractor today and she is VERY out of alignment. Her neck and hips are bent and she is kinda "C" shaped like a little bent wire. I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before... it is so obvious now. Also, the way she likes to be held and comforted has a lot to do with holding her in the right position. The chiropractor is someone who specializes in babies. She adjusted her, which looked like her poking her with her 2 pointer fingers (gently) and home we went. It didn't seem to have a great effect on the "bent" part, but she did have a full diaper today. Not sure if it's totally related, but we will see with the future adjustments I have on the books for her.

Life is getting better. We have switched Libby to another formula that has a little more to it than the hypoallergenic formula she was on. We have been mixing it with the hypo formula to get her used to it at 1/2 strenght. The hypo formula wasn't sticking with her and she was eating every hour and 1/2. She is stretching longer with this formula and seems to be happier, generally. Soon we will give her the new milk full strength and I am sure she will start to give me a 3 hour stretch of sleep at night. I really wanted to ease her into the new type and not create troubles with her bowels being on a less broken down milk.

Ella is doing well. She has started summer camp which is the same as her preschool with new lessons focused around reading enrichment. It is nice for her to have school 2 times a week. She really likes it! If she is not in school I am taking her with me to run errands and spend time together while LIbby is at home with Sasa. She likes the one on one time with Mommy and we do little fun things or have "treats" while we are out and about.

With the sun coming out, I am hoping to do some camping in the travel trailer. I would like to get that ready to go so that we can hit the road when ready! Until then, Dale's company picnic is coming up in 2 weeks, and I was hoping to take Duke for a ride on Saturday! We shall see what happens!

E

Happy 4th!

We have had lots of little firsts with Libby this week. She is starting to coo and has been making some cute little noises with her voice. She doesn't realize it is HER voice making those little squeals while kicking on the changing table which is pretty cute. We gave her the first bath on June 20th and she has had a few since then. She doesn't like it but she is getting used to the idea of being naked. She had her first afternoon nap in her crib (picture above) and was passed out for 3 hours. She likes to sleep on her belly some and it is the perfect place for her to do that.

Her colicky belly is getting better each day. I am not sure if it is the probiotics she is on or if it is that we are figuring out what makes her more comfortable. The screaming is greatly diminished with only a couple of episodes each day. She is happy and content, typically, during the day which is a wonderful time to enjoy her. She sure is cute! Right now she is going through the baby acne stage and has a bunch of little red bumps all over her face.

Ella is doing good. She will go back to school on tuesday for summer camp. Basically it is the same thing as preschool. She will be excited to see her friends that she has been missing for the last 2 weeks. Daddy has been sleeping in her room while Libby and I occupy the master bedroom. They are enjoying each other's company and that way Daddy is able to get more rest. Libby is still giving me one 2.5 hour stretch at night then waking up every hour to eat. She is one hungry girl!!!

It is a blessing to have each day improve and Libby feeling better. She is one darling little itty bitty being and we are eating her up with love.

A Little Relief... Libby is ONE MONTH OLD!

Our little Libby is doing better on the hypoallergenic formula and prune juice. The crying and discomfort is still there but at much less frequency and volume! I took her to a midwife naturopath and we put her on probiotics. That will take about 2 weeks to help regulate her digestive system and get things moving more efficiently. Until then, she is one little gassy and uncomfortable being at times. She will grow out of it.

As of now she is being held in one way or another most of the day. There are windows here and there that she can be put down on something very soft to give us a rest. I also put her in the moby wrap (a kind of baby sling you wear) and go about my business. That last for a while. We can take a walk or I can do chores but it is limited.

Her schedule and Ella's are kind of opposite. It is sometimes hard to get Libby settled before midnight with her fussing and discomfort. Ella goes to bed between 9-10 and Dale has to get her settled and through the night routine. Once I get Libby settled I go to bed, she wakes up to feed almost every hour starting at 2ish and then has an awake time around 6am. She likes to go back to sleep about 7:30am which is when Ella gets up. So suffice to say, both of them are making sure night time sleep is a little questionable.

Alyssa (Sasa) is helping out during the day so I can sleep an hour here or there and get errands run (like groceries) as needed. Sasa is a baby whisperer and can get Libby past her crying fits. The crying doesn't bother Sasa, she just works through it with Libby and settles her as best she can.

As it turns out, Libby really likes to be out and about. We have had a couple of successful outings with her to dinner. As long as the restaurant is loud and lots happening, she is pretty content. Dale has joked that we need to take her out every night! LOL.

We are making sure we enjoy the time that is passing us by. A month has already flown by and she has already gained almost 2 lbs! Although times are tough and trying, we are aware of how important it is to smell the roses and ENJOY her being a newborn. She sure is cute!

I will post more pics soon!

Where did June go?

It has been far too long since I have blogged but my hands have been a little tied up holding Libby. At about 2 weeks old she developed colic and the screaming started. We are exhausted and trying our best to figure out what makes her more comfortable. Since Ella was colicky, we are very knowledgeable on how to handle it and what to do. I was breast feeding her and have since stopped that, as we switched her to hypoallergenic formula. This is what Ella was on as an infant. It has helped with the gas and taken the edge off her screaming. Hasn't been quite as bad. We couldn't figure out what it was that I was eating that was making her so gassy and uncomfortable... so we called it a day and put her on formula.

I have taken her to the doctor 2 times and to the naturopath/midwife for suggestions. I know it will just take time for her to grow out of it. We have had a little success with some of the remedies in making her more comfortable but she still has very unhappy times during the days and nights.

I am hoping in my next post to have good news, that she is better and we are getting more rest! She is such a good girl and really tries not to be so unhappy. We are doing our best to keep up with Ella's schedule and not have the colic impact her so greatly. We have been getting her to the park and other fun activities so she doesn't feel put on the back burner with Mommy and Daddy giving Libby so much attention. She is a good big sister.

The baby milestones are wonderful and we are enjoying each and every one of them. Since Libby is our last baby we are making sure to be present in the moment and enjoy the time we have with her where she is happy. She is such a darling little being and a blessing. Sometimes it is hard to see that through the fog, but we are making sure we make light of it and remember how fast it all goes by.

Ella's big school bus ride!

It's official... we are tired! Miss Libby is the cutest thing ever and has a vivacious appetite! Daddy is getting very little sleep since Libby is in the basinette in our room and he is woken up every time I nurse. I haven't been able to pump yet... things are still too sore! ;0) TMI, I know. It would be much easier if someone could give her a bottle, but it just isn't in the cards right now. We have given her a little bit of formula and it upsets her belly, so it is all about the boob!

Daddy had his Central Welding golf tournament over the weekend. It is nice to have that completed and off his chest. It was a very nice event. We girls loaded up and went to visit with everyone after they were finished with the golfing. There was a nice luncheon and we got to introduce Libby to lots of the company family.

Ella had a big day on Friday. She got to go on her first bus ride. The bus picked her up from preschool, it went around the lake and we met at Lundeen Park for lunch and pictures with Clifford. It was a VERY fun day for her that she had been talking about for the last couple of weeks. SHE LOVES THE BUS!!! We have been trying to add things into her schedule that are fun for her and gives her special one on one time. She is doing reasonably well with the adjustment of Libby, but is also over the top INSANE with her energy level. It is all due to the adjustment but I am getting sick of telling her to stop jumping on the furniture, running through the house yelling and other things she KNOWS are NOT acceptable in our home. I feel bad putting her in timeout so much, but... she knows the rules. She is VERY sweet to Libby and a BIG helper to mommy. If we could just get the energy thing under control. You can only go to the park so many times in the day!!!

I am having to watch what I eat. Libby does NOT like fajitas (our regular friday night dinner with the neighbors). Anything spicy or containing preservatives seems to make her belly hurt.... Ate a costco hotdog the other day... that was a NO GO for the Libs! No big deal though, it is a great reminder to keep my diet to my normal plan. Lots of water, fruits, veggies and such. I don't know how it is possible, but I weigh the same today as I did when I got pregnant with her... I feel great, other than being tired~!

One week old!

I will post more pics in a few hours (gonna grab a nap while I can).

Miss Libby is now one week old. We are setting into a routine that is pretty doable. She is a nursing champion. I can't believe the difference between her and Ella. She is so content and very scheduled with her eating. There has been very little fussing and she is sleeping a lot. Some of that will change after she gets closer to a month old, so I am trying to take advantage of it while it lasts. Libby is DEFINITELY the second child... she is so used to hearing the busyness of Ella from the womb that NOTHING phases her. I swear a freight train could run through the house and it wouldn't bother her. Ella can, well be Ella, and the Libs is quiet and takes it all in stride. I can remember tip toeing around the house with Ella. EVERYTHING would wake her up or upset her. Libby is the polar opposite in that regard... well, at 8 days old anyway.

I am doing really well and am putting my all into it. Dale is wonderfully supportive and a great cheerleader. Anything I need he is right there helping out. I have cut out most of my busy schedule to focus on her and trying to stay healthy... without the exhaustion that I experienced with Ella. So far it is working! I am taking my vitamins, grabbing sleep while I can and have been grateful for friends meal deliveries that have helped feed the family and made my life much easier. We are so blessed to have such supportive friends that keep showing up and feeding us!

Dale's mom is coming over once a week and taking ella on fun playdates. This week they went to the park and rode her new bicycle that my mom brought over for her. She is learning how to ride it. Very cute. EVERY opportunity we have to burn off some of her energy is helpful. That is what we are relying on other most for... Ella play dates!!! This week Ella had a ride on a school bus for a pre-school field trip where we met at a park and got to have our picture taken with Clifford. I will upload a few pics of that shortly. It was a VERY fun time for her!

Alyssa (Sasa) is here helping out for anything/everthing I might need during the day. Right now she is taking Ella to pre-school so that we don't have to cart Libby around and can keep her out of the public for a little while longer. Her immunity, I am sure is better than yours or mine, but they recommend not throwing them into any environment that is germ infested for a while.... which I would say a room full of coughing and busy 3 year olds would be!

Our little family is thriving. I am LOVING every minute of it. It is difficult at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Milk Drunk... Straight out of the Gutter!

Libby is now 5 days old! The cutest little bug ever. We are doing great. Tired, sure... but we are adjusting and getting into the rhythm of a cafeteria that is open 24/7 and taking shifts to be sure everyone is getting enough rest. Ella is doing great adjusting to being a big sister and having some of the attention diverted towards Libby. We are making GREAT efforts to be sure she has lots of things to look forward to and special one on one time with mom and dad. We are making sure her schedule stays the same with pre-school and fun. Since she has sooooo much energy, we are getting her to the park to burn off steam. We have our college age helper Alyssa ("Sasa") to thank for the moments of needed relief. She is out of school for the summer and lives next door. We are blessed to have had her in our lives for the last 3 years. AND SHE LOVES BABIES!!! Ella kinda looks up to her as a big sister.

We had a doctors appointment yesterday and all is a'ok with miss Libby. She was 7lbs 3oz when we came home from the hospital. She has maintained that weight! She is an eating and pooping machine. MUCH different than the experience we had with Ella... Ella wasn't a good eater right from the beginning. I am trying to limit my VERY busy tendencies and be sure I am getting the rest I need. Our friends have been amazingly supportive with meals and keeping us well fed. That is sooooooo appreciated. I haven't had to think about what would be on our dinner table every night. We all get full bellies without any planning by mom!

Our first night home...

We did really well for our first night home. Had a great night last night. Feedings every 2.5 to 3 hours. I got a good 3 hour stretch of sleep (oh la la!). Daddy had a slumber party with Ella last night and slept until 1:30am in her room. He took over following the wee AM hours nurse and woke me up when she was ready for the next feeding. As a first night home from the hospital goes... it was perfect. Libby is a nursing champion. It seems as though I have enough to sustain her, which was not the case when Ella came home. We have this little device that I call the "boob straw" that is a mini plastic straw thread type thing attatched to a syringe that we can give her a few teaspoons of formula by lacing it in the corner of her mouth and SLOWLY pushing on the syringe while she is nursing. The exctra couple of calories has made the difference in her feeling full and happy. I ran to Target to pick up a few things I needed while Sasa watched her and Daddy took Ella to work. Sounds like we have some friends coming over tonight (Millers and Hansens) for a little visit and the Millers are bringing dinner. Doesn't get much better than that. Now... on to that nappy that I am needing~!

She's Here!

Elizabeth Marie Wilton
7 lbs 5 oz.
I woke up on the thursday morning at 6:30 told Dale I would see him after he got home from work that I was going to lay low for the day and hope to make it to a singing concert that Ella was supposed to be in with her preschool. Libby was riding very low and had been for the last few days. Contractions started at 7:00 am. I called Dale to come home at 7:10, we were at the hospital at 8:00. Dialated to 8, they got me in a bed, and she was born at 8:48!!! I had intense contractions and pushed 3 times. We hit a fair amount of traffic with all the construction in Lake Stevens... Thank god they finally let us through!

After she was born we had lots of visitors, fun and a little birthday celebration with the cupcakes that I made for her that were in the freezer waiting. The nursing staff enjoyed the sugar on the night shift and was very attending to our every need. We were comfortable and grateful to be in such great hands. It was nice seeing folks at the hospital and helped to pass the time!

We are home from the hospital now. We had the one night there that wasn't very restful and are glad to be home in our own beds. Libby has been wonderful. She eats like a nursing champion, is happy and pretty much is out like a light between feedings. We are trying to take advantage of the "rest" time she is giving us and HOPING this will be her pattern! Ella is VERY excited that her little sissy is finally home. She is adjusting to the idea that she needs to curtail some of her energy and try to contain some of her 3 1/2 year old excitement!!! There will be LOTS of trips to the park and utilizing "opportunities" to burn off the extra enthusiasm! She will be a BIG helper with all the "jobs" we will give her to help out in caring for Paby.

Due date is FRIDAY 5/28!

My 39 week photo... probably the last one!
Paby Wilton has decided to stay a while. Last week I thought she was coming. I was very tired and felt pretty miserable. I had enough of the being uncomfortable and cracked! A good cry later, all was well and into another week! The nursery is pretty much done. Daddy picked out a "cupcake" theme that we have decorated in. All her clothes and bedding is washed up and everything we need is in the car for the hospital. Now I am just putzing around the house taking care of incidentals and passing the time!



Ella is doing great and is eagerly anticipating the arrival of her little sister. She is dealing well with the adjustment that mommy can't pick her up and she can't sit on my lap. She will be a perfect helper when we need her. She is all moved into her big girl room and has been there, comfortably, for a month now. Daddy picked out a "butterfly" theme and we were able to use some of her decor from the nursery. She really likes it and LOVES when mommy has a slumber party with her. There are 2 twin beds in the room, so I can stay with her if Daddy needs a break from me getting up to pee 47 times at night!

We got a jump on the yard to make sure all was in order with it before the baby came. WOW it looks great. We are going to have one rockin' awesome yard this year since we got irrigation. I can't wait to see my dahlias come up! It is so wonderful to sit out on the patio and RELAX, knowing all is ready for our attention to be diverted.

We are getting closer to being finished with the remodeling. Downstairs is pretty much done. We got new carpet a couple of weeks ago. The house has FINALLY been painted inside AND out. It only took us 15 years to get that done, but it looks great!!! The only thing left downstairs is to refinish the hardwood floors (someday when we can be gone for about 4 days) and add in additional millwork for the mantles over the fireplaces. Upstairs has new paint and carpet. Our next projects will be to gut the kids bath (starting soon) and then on to the master bath (BIG PROJECT, BIG MONEY!!!). Since we won't be moving (probably ever), it is nice to have everything fresh and new. The house was dying on the vine and all our appliances were going one by one. I love being home now as everything is organized and we have gotten rid of TONS of stuff that was accumulated over the last 15 years. Amazing what you can stash in places!

I will update again when Paby arrives...

Almost 35 weeks... Paby it is....

It has been a busy week. I am not sure where the time goes? I can't believe today is Thursday! I am keeping up with my weekly OB appts, physical therapy and massage. It has been helping with my discomfort. Thursdays are a day that is packed with Dr.s!

Paby Wilton seems to be stickin'. Ella has nicknamed this baby Paby. No one will know what her name is until she is born but we do have some ideas. When we see her we will know. Until then, we call her Paby (Pab bee). Pretty cute... the Puddin' and Paby.

Last weekend we stayed in Seattle after a pal's 30th birthday party (Erin is now an old maid!) Our room at the Hyatt was GREAT for the 10 hours we occupied it! Dale had to get to work in the morning so we went to bed at 11:00 and left at 9am! Sasa stayed with the Pud over night. It will be our last night out in a LONG time, I'm sure.

Our yard looks amazing. Sunday was almost 70 degrees and we did a lot of work outside. Ella did a very good job of sticking close and not getting into too much trouble. I can remember not being able to spend time outside last year gardening with her as she would inevitably wonder towards the lake. You couldn't take your eye off her for a second or she was gone. Now, we can have a "helper" in the garden. She is very task oriented and needs a job to help out. Very Wilton'isk. I planted about 12 flowers and the bending over about killed me. What the heck!!!??? I spent most of my time in the yard in my bikini before Ella was born. No problems. Paby is a different story. Thought I was gonna die on Sunday night!!!

Carpet comes next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. We can FINALLY move Ella into her new room and get the nursery set up for Paby. I have everything I need to get us going. It will be nice to get Ella moved into her BIG GIRL BED so that I can set up the nursery. Due date is only 4 weeks away! We had Ella's nursery set up 3 months before she came!!! That's the second child for ya!!!

We got to spend some time at the farm last night playing with and brushing the horses. Duke is very cute about Ella and puts his head down so she can hug his nose and kiss his muzzle. He keeps the other horses away from me. He knows I am pregnant. He gave my belly some sweet little nuzzley kisses. He is a very gentle soul. Love that horse!

Almost 34 weeks...

This morning Ella and I got around to taking a new preggers pic. She insisted on being in the photo. How cute is she? I have been busy with work and juggling OB appts, massage appts and all the other "life" stuff that happens.

We had bark delivered this week and, luckily, there is someone in the neighborhood that is doing a wonderful job of getting our yard weeded and the bark spread. Dale usually does this (I help) but he is VERY busy and is still not totally over being sick. His cold is lingering on. After tomorrow the yard will be in order which will be wonderful... all before May!

I am feeling tired a lot and very STRETCHED. I have to lay down at some point in the day or my stomach feels so tight that it could pop! Little miss Wilton, which Ella seems to be calling Paby, is kicking the crap out of me non-stop and is very opinionated about what she likes and doesn't like. She is NOT a fan of me sitting for too long! Jabs to the pelvis typically are her reminder that I should really move a little!

We have everything unpacked and back to normal following Maui. I feel like last week was such a wash. We were all kind of in a daze. It was reasonably decent, weather wise, when we got home and rained a little. Made it easier to get back in the swing of things and focus on normalcy. Ella took some MONSTER naps to catch up. It was great to be home!

Home sweet home!

We spent our last few hours at the pool soaking in the sun. We were able to squeeze in a little play time with Ella's new friends from London. It will be fun for her to have pen pals in another country. We learned that vacation for a 3 year old is all about OTHER KIDS. Sure mommy and daddy are great, but it was more about playing with other kids than anything else. We didn't really get into that until that last couple of days. Had we figured it out earlier we would have had a little more time of her occupied with kids and Dale and I being able to relax a little more, not chasing her so much ourselves during pool and beach time. Next time we will definitely bring kiddy recruits!!!

We got home last night in the wee hours of the morning. Yes, it was raining and cold... but it felt great to be home and in our own beds. We were excited to see all my tulips up in the garden and just starting to open. That way we will get to enjoy them! There are so many!!!

Dale is very sick and we are giving him a day without AC to "clear up" his lungs, then it is off to the Dr. for him. I am sure he is glad to be home. My cold had come back. Ella looks to be in good health and without any troubles.

Our adventures were wonderful, we had a great time (despite all the baubles) and always look forward to our next trip to Maui!!!

Easter in Maui...

We had a great Easter in Maui. We went to the ocean center and saw all the aquarium fish, we hung by the pool, got to have a SHORT play date with our new friends from London and went to a "family" friendly dinner at Cheeseburgers Island Style. It was a GREAT day for Ella and she was perfect all day! A very nice way to end our little vacation.

Tomorrow morning is all about packing, squeezing in some pool time with our London friends, having baby items picked up by David (and giving him all our left over food), shipping out our totes full of stuff to go home... and getting on our plane!

We will be home to the icky weather before we know it!!!

Last Full Day!

Today is the big push to soak it all in! Tomorrow we will get the morning to enjoy and will have to catch our plane home at about 2 in the afternoon. Our colds are still rather prolific and we are looking to nurse everyone back to health when we get home!

The weather has been PERFECT the whole time we have been here. Yesterday at the pool Ella FINALLY had a great time and didn't want to leave. Her friends she met from London even left and she was happy to play games with us. It was a super pool day! She still isn't interested much in the beach which we find odd. What 3 year old wouldn't want to play in the sand? Oh yeah... our daughter.

There has been a LOT of whale watching to partake of. They are very busy breeding and having their calves. It is such a spectacular site to see a full sized whale breach and come down on the water with a splash. We have a great vantage point of the ocean from our condo. If you put your head under the water you can hear the whales talking to each other.

We have a little bird that Ella named Fred that we have been hand feeding. When he sees us here he comes and chirps at us... little begger! He is a gray cardinal with a red head. Not very skittish and is quite friendly. We see him a few times a day. Hopefully the next guests will continue to look after him!

The last few days we have gotten to have some time to ourselves and go sit on the loungers by the water while Ella naps. We had a run there where she wasn't napping well, was a meltdown mess and we couldn't leave. At night we have been leaving Sasa and Ella home to watch movies so we could enjoy dinner with the Hansens, minus a busy body. Movie time at night is something she likes and happily gives us time away.

We have enjoyed dinner at Longhis the last couple nights. It was AMAZING food and a super time. It was great to get out and enjoy some honey time. We do love it here and would love to spend a month or two here during the winter. 12 days is definitely not enough for us to set into any kind of routine and for Ella to adjust to something new. We are probably more tired coming home than when we left... but... we are tan, sunshined up, have eaten some amazing dinners, and have had some WONDERFUL experiences while here!!!

The rythm of Maui in the veins

FINALLY we are in the rythm of Maui. It was a VERY trying last couple of days while we weren't getting any sleep, had a tired and VERY cranky daughter and were ready to put the kibosh on vacationing with child. After we figured a few things out (turned up the AC and give her motrin before bed) we are finally getting rest at night and aren't up all night with a daughter who wouldn't sleep.

Ella and I are turning the corner on our colds and feeling much better. The sun is helping to bake it out of us. Dale is still really hackin' and it is putting his back out. I am pretty sure he has bronchitis. There is a walk in clinic here but you can't do antibiotics and sun, so... he will wait til we get home (if he actually goes to see a dr.).

The last 2 days have been great. We got a FULL night of sleep last night and the Puddin' has been taking 3 hour naps during the day. When she is rested she is fully charged and a happy little vacationer. The beach and pool have been marvelous. We have really enjoyed watching her learn to try new things and not be so afraid of the water splashing on her face. She is jumping in the side of the pool to daddy and trying to dog paddle a little.... but, don't get me wrong... she is NO fish, that's for sure.

The weather has been HOT and very clear the last couple of days. We all have mild sunburns even though we are slabbing on sunblock at every turn. Every night has been a different dinner spot as we soak in our favorite restaurants. Ella has been doing great with that as she typically plays games on Dale's iPhone.

I have had to be more careful about the amount of walking I am doing each day and not to over do. The baby is growing and I can feel things stretching again. If I do to much, I am pretty miserable at night. Shorter walks in the mornings and making sure I lay down for an hour or so each afternoon that Ella naps is helping. We are walking a LOT during the day to the beach, pool and dinner so the 4 mile boardwalk stroll in the morning was just to much (so I figured out the hard way!). Sasa is going on her walk without me in the morning and getting her exercise in without having to wait for me to catch up.

Tomorrow... more of the same.... more beach, more pool and hoping that the wind stays down so that we don't eat any sand like we did today! Our Maui time is 1/2 over now and we are grateful that it has settled in to a good rhythm where everyone is happy and has the feeling of aloha running through their veins.

Trade winds a BLOWIN'!

Last night we had a great dinner at a cheeseburger place in the Wailea shopping center. Ella got this fun pineapple drink and drink umbrellas that entertained her almost the ENTIRE meal. She proclaimed it to be the BEST DINNER EVER! Was pretty fun in the eyes of a 3 year old!

We are all feeling pretty tired and still hackin'. Dales cold seems to be more bronchitis in nature. His back hurts from coughing so much. Hoping to have a miraculous recovery for him. I am feeling better and but Ella is about the same. Still has a pretty nasty cold. Every morning the Puddin is up at about 6am which makes it hard to get any additional winks in!

This morning was pretty cute as the birds started to chirp with the sun coming up (rises at 6). Ella was saying... "quiet birds! Stop chirping!" I enjoy the sound of the birds in the morning. It is a nice thing to wake up to. There is one type of bird that has a VERY loud kacoo in the morning, but we don't seem to have many of those around our unit, or it would be like waking up to a rooster outside your window. When the birds start singing, I get up and Sasa and I go for our walk along the boardwalk. It was slow going this morning... I was pretty tired. I may have to skip a morning or two while here or not do the whole boardwalk. I was waddling pretty good on our return home! ;0)

The beach this morning (about 9am) was GREAT! There are SOOOO many vacationers here for spring break. I can't say as though we have been here when so many folks have been on the beach. Ella had a great time digging holes, hunting for crabs and running up and down the beach. After the beach it was a short stint at the pool before meltdown and having to head back to the condo. Unfortunately there was no nap today for our Puddin'. She was coughing, was pretty upset and wanted out of her bed. Dale took off to do some freeway fathering hoping she might take a quick wink in the car and they ended up at the park. Hopefully we will have a quiet and early bed time tonight. We all could really use it!

The trade winds are here with full force in the afternoons. It is pretty to see the white caps rolling in across the ocean. You have to make sure everything is tied down! It is great to sit out on the lanai and enjoy the warm breeze and scenery. The Hansens fly in today and our little beachy clan will get bigger by 2! I am sure they had a pretty bumpy flight with the wind!

Hopefully our little family can rally after a good night's rest and get back at it tomorrow! It took a LOT to get here... now we just need to heal up!

Our Preps and First days on Vacation!

It was a bit of work to get everything ready to go for Maui this year. It seemed like a rush for me to get all the personal things done while I KNOW Dale has been working for months to get to a place where he would feel comfortable leaving the company and his projects that he has going on. Sometimes it seems we are moving mountains! But, of course, we got it all done... despite the whole family having hacking coughs and TOTALLY worn out. We were fortunate enough this time to have a house sitter stay (thanks Candace) and take care of the home front while on vacation.

We had a pretty uneventful plane trip over and Ella was a great little traveler. The toys have been replaced by technology and gaming on Dale's iPhone with various apps that he downloaded. Something tells me Ella will have an iTouch here shortly so she can play away without burning through the batteries on our phones! She totally pantsed Dale while we were waiting in line at the Hawaiian ticketing counter. One minute daddy standing there normal... the next standing there with a kid and pants around his ankles. She was sliding down daddy's legs and took his jogging pants with her. Pretty funny. Not many people saw it, I quickly got them pulled back up when I realized what had happened. His hands were full of backpacks, plane info and a Puddin. The couple behind us was trying to be polite and not laugh, but that quickly subsided when we were all ROLLING and dale was saying... now that was funny!

We had some troubles getting Ella to eat enough through out the travels, which had an effect on our first night of slumber. She was cranky and crying most of the night keeping Dale and I up. Alyssa got a great night of sleep!!! In the morning we FORCED her to eat saying she couldn't go to the beach until she finished her breakfast. Then it was off and running!

This is how a typical Maui day stacks up for us.... Alyssa (Sasa) and I go on our morning walk along the boardwalk (6:30am) which is about 4 miles round trip. By the time we get back the Puddin is through her morning routine with Daddy and fueled up. We head to the beach at about 9am. Ella has REALLY grown since the last time we were here. It is AMAZING the difference in her capabilities from 2 years old to 3 1/2. After the beach we head to the pool for a while and then it is up to the condo for lunch and a group nappy! We all passed out for a while the first day and were ready to go after our nice long moi! Then it is about 3:00 in the afternoon and we start thinking about dinner. After dinner we come home, put our Pud to bed and wake up the next morning to start all over!!! It's a rough schedule, but someone has to do it!

More beach time and pool time today and we have just finished our naps. I am sure there will be some afternoon Puddin' walk collecting flowers for a lei we are trying to make. It ahs been very windy with the trade winds in the afternoon. The grounds here become littered with Plumera flowers and we are gonna thread some together. There are many "tasks" to do in Maui, we figured this was a good accomplishment!

The whales are still here and we can see them from the condo. The temp has been in the 80s, lots of afternoon wind, and some high clouds. The feeling of Aloha has definitely set in. Now if only our colds would go away!!!

Pregnancy and Such

WOW it has been a LONG time since I have posted anything on the blog. What a bad blogger I am. There has been so much happen that there is NO WAY I could possibly catch everyone up on everything. I will have to post some pictures in a slide show as catch up!

We have been remodeling our house all summer. Things were slowly dying on the vine. It started with a deck that was becoming rotten and dangerous, kitchen appliances dying one by one, and sidewalks cracking or falling in. MUCH to do and MUCH money to be spent. UGH. After one summer night of the super hot temps and it being 85 degrees IN THE HOUSE AT 4AM we decided air conditioning was gonna be a must!

I bought a travel trailer in May, which we affectionately call "the Nasher". It is my little slice of heaven. The Puddin' LOVES it and Dale, although he would never admit it, secretly likes it too. We weren't able to get it out much over the summer with the remodeling and busyness that comes along with lake living and summer fun.

I also am expecting another baby on May 28th. In August my eggo was preggo and it has been a journey ever since. The second baby thing has been pretty taxing. I am not sure how ladies have LOTS of kids, but maybe it has something to do with being 35 and pregnant? My sciatic nerve is KILLING me and the baby feels like a bowling ball that is being held in by my tailbone. LOL. All indications are telling us it is another girl... which we are REALLY excited about. Ella is very happy to be having a little sister.

Christmas was REALLY fun with a 3 year old. Santa brought Ella a guinea pig named Cupcake. Who knew that Santa dealt in "used" pigs. She is pretty sweet and is a great addition to our little slice of "American Pie."

For now, it is getting the rooms ready (Ella moving into her big girl room and changing the nursery). Dale chose a butterfly theme for Ella's new room and the nursery will be cupcakes. There is LOTS to do before baby comes, but... there is one more squeeze in of Maui before then. I will make sure I do a better job of updating the blog while we are feelin' the aloha!