Ready or Not....

Here we are at 40 weeks! I had to save the moment to look back on, no matter how heavy, awkward, or puffy...and of course, I am eating!

Greta

Almost 22 months. Almost a sister!

Just Like a Summer Night

Fall is in the air, but we had a summer night out this weekend.  It is almost surreal to me that soon our family will be four - not just a couple with a baby, but a family of four.  We really enjoyed every minute of this weekend knowing it was the last with just us three...and not because we are savoring this selfishly, but because we are all so excited for what lies ahead. 

It also became very clear to me how much Greta is going to thrive with her new baby brother.  She adores other children - she runs to them and is so exhilarated by their interaction. I watched her from my chair as she introduced herself. It usually goes something like this, "I Gigi, dee Dadda and dee Mamma!" (as she points in our direction).  She wants to play. Her vocabulary is limited, so I always feel the urge to help her communicate - but I hold back, and she succeeds. Who wouldn't want to be her friend?

We found a wonderful spot to meet friends for casual dinner.  There is a great little shopping area near Town Center in Leawood that has a great restaurant called, "Ingredient" and a gorgeous open area covered in soft green grass and bright colored chairs for lounging and sipping wine , or tea, or....milk.  The kids love it as much as we do...and now you can even walk across the grass and get a gelatto! 

There are some photos of our fun. May there be many more nights just like this one. (add one chair.)

Best friend, Cohen, is brought to you today by the number 11....

Greta made some teen friends.  She said, "Mamma, Dadda, Elmo, Po?" They just smiled.

Greta and Niney...
Milk does the body good.
America's next top model...

Pigtails

She is no longer a baby. She is a little girl in pigtails. Oh, heartbreak!

Greta and Her Blanket

Greta and her blankie are inseparable. When it falls out of her view you are sure to hear, "Niney, where are you?" in her sing-song way. I am challenged with the task of washing it. I have to be stealthy and sneaky. Today she saw me toss it in the washing machine and our eyes locked. "Mammma, noooooo!" she cried. I grabbed it out as fast as I could and placed it in her arms where she brought it to her lips and said, "oh, niney." Maybe tomorrow, it will get a freshener.
The last time I washed it, Derek was in on my strategy. We distracted her with a drive to Einstein Bagels for fruit and chocolate milk. She was uncomfortable the whole time - just not herself and not complete. We swung back by the house and I threw it in the dryer and drove around some more...Counting trees, singing songs, looking at my watch... whew - it had to be dry, and we pulled in the garage. We walked inside the house and she sang, "Niney, where are you?" I grabbed it, all warm and soft out of the dryer and she stood in the doorway watching. She brought niney up to her cheek and said, "Oh, niney, I know, I know...." So much love in this child.

Heaven

It was dusk, maybe even several weeks ago, when Derek, Greta and I all got in the car to run for Greek salads and gyros for a late dinner. We turned off our street and onto 95th and the sky was a blaze! It really was the most amazing sunset I have ever seen in Kansas - the whole sky was filled with color and maybe I found it to be so beautiful because it came so unexpectedly.

Isn't that like life....the most beautiful moments are usually those not scripted or planned....Those you can't prepare for?...Just maybe....

First Kiss

It happened a little sooner than I had expected, and I can't say that I blame her, Cohen is quite a guy.  I think they will have many more sweet moments and that is wonderful, as long as she saves some kisses for us.

Tiny Dancer

Greta's Very First Babysitter

We did it! Finally, after almost 2 years, Derek and I had a date together! It is our 3rd anniversary and we celebrated by going out for a nice lunch and a movie just like we always used to do before being in the baby zone. It was wonderful - and we sped home as fast as we could!

Our very good friends, Tara and Jason and Cohen came over and played with Greta while we were gone and they took some great photos I thought I should share....for some, a babysitter is no big deal, but for us it was almost monumetal!

Something is always funny!

I better take this call.....

Oh, no he di 'ent!
Dress Up in hoodie...

Oohhhhh, dadda....

Little Greta and her Dadda have a special bond like no other I have seen. She loves him. She adores the way he plays with her. She lets go and laughs with such joy - until she sees the camera.... whoops.

38 Weeks Pregnant

I feel ready. I am eager to meet him and touch his cheeks and smell his sweet baby scent. I wonder if he will look like Greta or surprise us with a new face and smile. I feel him moving so much! He must be bored.... or maybe he hears his sister playing the pots and pans like a drum set.

I have had pregnancy cravings - Gala apples, waffles, Heath Bar Blizzards from DQ, ice water and avocados. That is the best part about being pregnant in the summer!

Dress Up

The ultimate fashion sense. Very few will ever measure up.

Big Smiles Before Bedtime

There is nothing better than ending a day on a good note. This summer we always enjoyed our evenings by filling them with a drive in the "zoom zoom", ice cream and running around naked...well, at least one of us did.

So much can happen in 9 months

It has been too long! I don't even know where to begin, and that has been the biggest obstacle for me in posting a new entry...let me just begin...

Since last I wrote, we sold our tiny house on Holly Street and bought a home in Overland Park. And if that wasn't big enough news, I can top it...we are adding a son to our family!

I am due in three weeks and he is already so loved....even by Greta, who kisses my tummy and laughs.

The events of the past months just snowballed into one another and Derek and I also had to laugh. I have to admit that packing and moving with morning sickness is as hard as you might imagine it to be. But, we survived. Greta was a big help. (sarcasm). We found this happy home and knew it would suit our needs right away - what a change it is from where we lived before. The street outside is quiet at night and there are kids riding bikes to school and to play each day on it. Greta seems to feel at home here! She enjoys the stairs and so much more room to play. And, for the very first time, at 14 months old, she slept through the whole night without needing some cuddle time from me. Believe me....we should have moved sooner!

As Greta settles into this new world with us, I worry about her having an easy adjustment - a new home, a new baby in the house, less time on her momma's lap....And I reflect on it often as she naps in her new room, in her old crib with her old fuzzy friends and I realize that she is eager for life to evolve and I might be the one to harbor fears. She weaned from breastfeeding at 17 months without a single tear. I never had to tell her no, I just had to guide her. She is so very expressive and chatters away in her own language trying to make her point. Now the words are flowing and I find the patience to listen closely and am always so glad that I did, she always makes me laugh. Booger. That is funny.

Another thing that makes me laugh...I thought I already loved her the full amount, but somehow it keeps growing.