Summer Bucket List 2015

Been meaning to get this together for a couple months now but better late than never. Hoping this will give our summer and my time off some purpose so we don't reach the end feeling like we missed out on living it up!

   1. Diablo pool afternoons

   2. Friday lunches at Diablo
   3. Day trip to the beach
   4. Weekend trip to Tahoe
   5. Tilden Park Animal Farm
   6. Tilden Park Steam Train
   7. Throw a Fourth of July party (or another BBQ)
   8. Have a party where we invite the neighbors
   9. Make ice cream, this recipe
   10. Run in the sprinklers

   11. Blow up the bounce house
   12. S'mores
   13. Swim lessons for the Little Bair
   14. Get LB painting once a week
   15. Learn to make the perfect margarita: 1, 2, 3
   16. Make popsicles weekly
   17. Maintain our garden and use the fresh herbs in meals
   18. Make sangria
   19. Watch a sunset over the mountains/ocean
   20. Create C's baby book and finish LB's

30 Signs You are Almost 30

In honor of the Hubs 30th Birthday this week I wanted to share the list I came across from Buzzfeed, "30 signs we are almost 30"... Especially numbers 5 (I was just discussing with a friend), 12, 28 (ummm all.the.time and 30 (I am that friend, sorry guys!) 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/30-signs-youre-almost-30#.ygk21Qd0wx

Enjoy!

Pregnancy is Like a Marathon

The best way I can characterize pregnancy is classifying it in terms of a major endurance event. It's a grand, long, intense, and trying but beyond rewarding, ending with a tremendous high like you've never experienced.

Part 1, the first trimester = The Swim
Scary land of the unknown, and you spend the entire time anxious for it to be over and praying you make it. The first trimester is a time of apprehension, full of what-ifs. These were regularly filling my mind and it was tough to find a quite moment. While I was so thankful and over-the-moon excited, I was cautiously optimistic.

Part 2, the second trimester = The Bike Ride
This is what many consider the most enjoyable part of pregnancy, your energy is back and while you are still tired and dealing with a few aches and pains, you can coast a bit. Focus on enjoying this time as much as possible. This is a good time to start your registry, attend your shower and do the work to get organized for your bambino(a).

Part 3, the third trimester = The Run
The last piece of the journey and the anticipation has built to an almost unbearable level. This and labor itself, are where the endurance come in, where all the patience you've learned and practice you've done will have their debut. You might be uncomfortable, anxious, and dragging your feet a bit to get things done either because you are so darn tired or because you have another little one(s) to soak up time with before bebe makes the big debut. 

As anyone who's been through it before can tell you, the reward is well worth the journey. It's really just the first step of your initiation in to motherhood.

Little Bair Moments - Big Boy Bed

LBs big boy bedframe was delivered last Wednesday and man was he excited to build it. So excited in fact that after Hubs opened the box to check the box withintheboxwithinthebox (fort box) contained all the right pieces, LB started grabbing the long styrofoam "slats" (used as the packing material) to build his bed. I quickly realized he was completely ignoring the wood that came in the package and was only interested in the Styrofoam pieces. He lined them up perfectly one by one and even took the smaller and thicker rectangular pieces to use as pillows. 

I am completely convinced he thought this was his new bed. When he laid down on it and said "ooh yay I love my new bed", "yay this is comfy mama thank you" and "goodnight mama I'm going to sleep in my new bed now" we about died laughing and we are still laughing about it. 

This little guy gets me every single time. I love you buddy!

Dear Charlee: 6 Weeks with You

Dear Charlee,

My sweet girl. It's been 6 weeks with you in our busy, wild world. You are the most relaxed, easy going second child I could imagine. Given your brother loves to be active I am very thankful for your demeanor. You nurse like a pro, we still have work to do to manage my oversupply but you're growing to handle it quite well. You generally nap in your crib, 2 solid 2-3 hr naps a day. When you don't want to sleep in your crib you typically want to eat or will sleep for hours in the baby k'tan carrier while I do house work. This easy going attitude makes me weary of your teenage years. I really hope you don't make-up for it then :)

Something unique is that so far I am pretty much the only one to hold you, a few offers have but not for long. It's been a busy busy 6 weeks for everyone around us so it's pretty much just been you and me, shopping trips, grocery runs, walks, park dates and mini manicures have filled our days. 

We love you so much already and as our second baby we have the luxury of knowing that this love will increase exponentially as we watch you grow and change. I look forward to the many memories, laughs, and even heartaches you will bring us.  

Love,

Mama

Pregnancy Week 34 - 4.11.13

Written 4.11.13...

We are actually getting close now! Just 6ish weeks until he's here!  Early in my pregnancy 34 weeks was the one I considered getting really close, being here feels crazy. You know when you are a kid and you think you will be old when you are 16, 18, 25, etc? That's how I feel about 34 weeks.

With just about 6 weeks there is nothing really left to do until we get closer and can install the car seat, pack hospital bags etc. I of course will be doing this around the 4 week mark to just get it off my to do list. I have been staring at the same to do list for weeks without being able to check-off anything!  It's driving me crazy because I desperately want everything to be done but feel like it's too early to do it all. I also have a theory that part of when labor sets in is mental, it makes sense that your body is less likely to start the process if mentally you still feel like you have a lot to do. Since I wouldn't be opposed to meeting this baby a little early if he's ready, I want to get this stuff crossed off!

I have everything noted in my Google calendar at the first date that actually makes sense to do it.  I really want to check off things like making witch hazel padsicles and freezer meals but my fabulous husband keeps the freezer way to clean and organized to let something sit there for 6 weeks. The list of what we still have left includes:

• Padsicles
• Set-up Pack n' Play
• Install Car seat (tip: don't put the carrier in the car until you go to the hospital because if you get in an accident some of the safety mechanisms may deploy and you have to get a new one)
• Organize clothes/toys for 6 months and beyond
• Organize garage
• Finish packing hospital bags (baby bag is packed and good to go)
• Freezer meals
• Hang nursery art
• Hang nursery curtains
• Hang shelves
• Add legs to ottoman

So maybe there's more than I thought and some things we can actually get done now (YAY!!!)

I've been eating dates a lot, I read there is a chemical in them that prepares your body for labor by softening the cervix. You are supposed to eat 6 every day starting 6 wks from your due date. They are healthy and they curb any other sugar intake cravings so I'm all about it. I will take notes on whether I think it helped.

A wine craving? Well this may have something to do with the fact that we went with both sets of parents to Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga for a fabulous wine tasting and BBQ hosted for folks who purchased their wine futures. Almost a year ago to the day I was roped in to buying futures by my Dad and husband, unfortunately I didn't realize how expensive they were when I said yes. Found that one out a few months later when I couldn't figure out why the alcohol/bar portion of our mint.com spend was so high but that's another story. Oh how things changed in a year.  It's very unfair to take a pregnant lady wine tasting btw, don't do it. I know she can be your sober driver but don't make her do it unless you plan to bring her lots of food and other things to keep her occupied while you spend 5 hours tasting wine.  I did end up taking the teeniest tastes of 3 of the most special old wines because (1) I knew I would never get the opportunity to taste this special wine again (2) my tastes were so small there was literally nothing to swallow after I let it sit on my tongue for a few seconds and (3) I wanted it and at this point I'm so far along that the teensy taste described above will not hurt the baby especially since this wine which is all organic, sans sulfates, etc. That said, it will probably be the end of wine for 6 more weeks unless I go past the 40 week mark and face getting induced, all the mom's I've talked to who were late said their doctors told them a glass of wine/champagne and step up and down on a curbside until exhaustion sets in, sounds excellent right? More than 10 moms with different doctors told me this and they all went in to labor the next day, coincidence maybe? Will i try it? If my doctor says its okay and I am facing an induction, you betcha!

Cravings:
Dark chocolate, wine (weird), smoothies, protein

Weight:
147.2lbs gain of 24.1 lbs

Pregnancy Week 33 - 4.2.13

Written 4.2.13...

How did this happen so fast??

(Super unflattering picture but at least you can see there is a bump! Well, sort of...)

The pregnancy has completely flown by! Partially because you are always waiting for the next thing, at first you wait to hit 13 wks and 1 day, then you wait to find out the gender, then the 20 wk appt to hear if everything is okay, then the milestones you've set up in your head as being important, like the first kicks, 24 wks because your baby will most likely survive outside the womb, and some that you've set up in your own mind like "wow I can't wait to have a big bump at 2X weeks. Then of course there is the birth at ~40wks. It really can be just a waiting game if you don't take the time to enjoy it.

Ever since I passed in to the third trimester I have tried to focus on cherishing every moment of this pregnancy, even the challenging ones. I am enjoying carrying my little boy with me where ever I go, his baby kicks, the (sometimes painful) rolls, the cravings, even the hours upon hours late at night where he is moving so intensely I cannot sleep. It really is incredible and I truly am beyond blessed to experience this. I would not trade it for anything.

We have just 7ish weeks until Baby K's debut and we cannot wait to meet this little one. I feel like I already know some things about him and I can't wait to see if his habits in the womb will be the same outside. I am full of theory's about pregnancy and childbirth and am sure I will gather hypotheses as we move through all the phases ahead...infants, toddlers, adolescents, teenagers (eek!), etc. I can't wait to learn whether the childbirth and infant ones are true.  Although if I'm right this kid will be a late night party animal and I'm perfectly okay being wrong on that front.

Eating: 
Dark chocolate, tea, avocado, protein, smoothies

Weight: 
145.8 gain of 22.7lbs

Ciao for now!