« July 2005 | Main | September 2005 »
August 29, 2005
He did it!
Gus slept ALL NIGHT in his new bed! He didn't even fall out!
We read books in his bed, then turned off the light. About an hour later, I woke up, still in his bed, with Gus snoring in my ear.
We'll see how long the belly can fit on this little thing...
Posted by janna at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2005
Back at it
Lots to catch up on, better get started.
Update on Gus, the toddler with the most edible cheeks in town:
1. Gus can count to TWO
2. He knows the colors yellow, purple and blue
3. Says 'MONEY' loudly whenever we take our atm card out or have any bills and change. He loves money so much that we bought him a piggy bank at Ikea. As I was raiding my wallet for change, I was obviously not passing it over to him fast enough for deposit as he clawed at my hands, yelling, 'MINE!'
4. Did I mention he's in to saying that everything is MINE?
5. When he sees his own picture, and we ask him who it is, Gus says, "Me!"
6. He's starting to say I love you, and can sign it, too...he usually says 'Papa!' after uttering his phrase, so adorable.
7. We're really into saying NO this week in a dramatic and pouty way. I'm just trying to let him feel the way he feels, all the while cursing the most collosal evil tooth making its way into his mouth, most obviously the root of all his troubles. Not sure what excuse I'll come up with when his mouth is full of teeth.
8. Yesterday we bought a toddler bed at Ikea. Big deal. HUGE. We set it up today, but left his crib in there, as well. I'm a little paranoid about having Gus downstairs once baby is here and needs a crib, so I'm hoping we might have a little room sharing upstairs. That's a long ways away, but in the meantime...we're trying to figure out a strategy for moving him into the bed. The thing is, he doesn't climb out of his crib, but he's just so damn tall that it really is cramping his style. We put a gate on his bedroom door and tried to see if he would fall asleep on his bed for a nap. Nope, although he does like the bed. We'll try again tonight.
9. Gus did really well in Michigan. We rented a house in Saugatuck, about 3 1/2 hours away from here just minutes from the lake. We were in the woods, surrounded by quiet. There were wild turkeys, deer, hummingbirds.... lots of food, tons of sleep, darkness (we no longer know darkness living so close to Chicago), great friends for half the stay (Maddie, Ben and baby Pearl, you cutest pumpkin, you). It was actually cold for most of our trip, so Gus actually wore socks for the first time in months. I'm glad I played the paranoid Mama part and packed all that stuff for him. Just sorry I didn't do the same for John and I. There were no computers, only TV was for the DVD player, and I just totally felt more relaxed than I have in a really long time. Maybe it was all the bacon I ate.
10. Gus ate in Chinatown twice within 24 hours. Grampa is in town with his wife, Sue, so we got to have some time with them enjoying some dinner and dim sum...yum!
Update on Baby D2:
1. We're at 14 weeks, yippee!
2. I feel like my belly and, um, other parts have exploded this week. Oh, 14-year old chest, I will miss you. I'll see you in, oh... two years. Damn.
3. We'll have our first ultrasound on the 6th. That will be our first check to see if my cervix has become a bit tougher than it was with Gus. Everyone, cross all fingers and toes on this one, and chant, "NO BED REST... NO BED REST..." (It is totally worth it if that's the case, but really... keep chanting.)
4. I had my first little twang of freak out the other night, just feeling like I couldn't possibly go through another delivery, could I? Then I thought about how amazing Gus is and was instantly convinced that I could. I just won't eat Chinese food two hours before going in to the hospital. That should help at least one aspect of the delivery. Anyhoo.
5. I'm really trying to not eat sushi. I haven't, but I keep thinking that if I went to a really good place it would totally be fine, and Japanese pregnant women must be indulging, no?
Update on John:
1. He's already starting to scold me for moving furniture. I love him.
2. John hung out with Gus on Thursday and Friday when I went back to work. Back to daycare tomorrow, and all his friends (Gus, that is... John is going back to work, tee hee)!
Pictures of Michigan are to come...
Posted by janna at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2005
V A C A T I O N in Michigan
More to come... just catching up with life.
Posted by janna at 06:58 AM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2005
Belly growth
The past few days, a couple of co-workers have remarked that I don't look pregnant. They're standing right in front of me, and they say it with all honesty.
Ladies, black must TRULY be a slimming color because I am feeling anything but slim.
I'm getting beyond the feeling that I'm just bloated, and my belly is pushing tighter and tighter against clothes that were loose on me in the past. I'm trying to wear my favorite outfits as long as possible, before packing them away for another year.
We're at 13 weeks tomorrow...we'll have an ultrasound on the 6th. That's the first check to see how my cervix is doing. Hopefully all signs will point to no bedrest. Fingers, toes, all crossable things are crossed.
Posted by janna at 09:15 PM | Comments (2)
August 15, 2005
How can I write about this?
I really needed a video camera with me to truly capture this moment.
I took Gus to the infamous boat playground after work today. As we were leaving, we went over to a woman sitting on the bench with her baby, who was sitting in his stroller. He was four months old. After flirting and being elusive for a bit, Gus suddenly walks over to the baby, holds his hands straight in front of him towards the baby, starts grunting and speaking in tongues, then emphatically signing and saying 'alligator' and dramatically walking away.
The other mom was laughing and laughing...I then translated for her:
"I impart all of my knowledge to you, oh small one. When you are eating solids in two months, remember, it is your job to spit the food out. That is all."
Posted by janna at 08:09 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2005
Heartbeat
There you are, Baby D2! We hear you!
Posted by janna at 02:25 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2005
Is this heaven? No, it's...
Iowa... no... the Museum of Science and Industry!
Ah, the train!
Gus and Maegan (thanks for visiting Chicago!)
Ok, Anji is due in October... why is my belly looking very similar to hers? Hello, February? I haven't even gained any weight yet!
Posted by janna at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
Green Dolphin Street, revisited
John and I have not been back to Green Dolphin Street, where we were married three years ago, since before Gus came around. We had the chance to go back on Saturday, where we were able to celebrate Sean and Michaela's wedding. Here's a pic of where our first married kiss took place...if you were there, you'll notice that Gus and his truck are new additions to the view.
Posted by janna at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
Hi little guy
Posted by janna at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2005
Steady clip
We're at 10 1/2 weeks with Baby D2!
Keep going, kid. You're doing great. We're already stressing about sleeping arrangements and car seats and daycare costs and general juggling of two kids, but you know what? More often than stressing we're looking at each other in awe, not believing that we actually get to be parents to another child. Lucky us!
Posted by janna at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)
Li-brar-y
This past week Gus' ability to mimic and repeat and remember new words and signs has exploded.
He'll sign something, I'll sign it too, then he'll look at his hands and my hands and change his hands to correctly mimic mine. He's also trying to sign everything now, rather than just words here and there. If he says something and I don't understand what he said, I'll ask him to sign... then he'll try to sign everything he's saying, so amazing (even if he doesn't know what he's signing, the fact that he tries is so cool).
But the three- and four-syllable words...elevator. Library. Butterfly. What is going on in your brain, crazy brain-mapping/language making!
Posted by janna at 08:51 PM | Comments (0)