October

As the month of October comes to a close, we’re feeling a little scared—seasonally appropriate, yes? (at which point we turn to candy—a tried and true coping mechanism). Our pre-baby days are seriously numbered. The last couple of weeks have been crazy so I’ll try to do a quick summary:

*Some of you may know that Avery doesn’t do well at the traditional photography studios. Sitting still is not her forte’, and we haven’t yet found a photographer that we’ve been pleased with. Enter Connie Tameling—WOW. Now she’s talented, and ENJOYS a challenge. I’ll be posting a link to these pictures soon. Like us, I’ll think you’ll love what you see. Speaking of pictures, here's a new family shot that my mom took of us:















*Dan and his boss traveled to Colorado Springs to visit Focus on the Family. I don’t quite get what they were there to do, but I do know it was Avery-free time for Dan, including decadent meals, and cool sightseeing. I’m really quite delighted for him.

Dan at Pike's Peak

















*Dan and I took a Great Expectations Refresher course at Central DuPage Hospital—a sort of labor and delivery course. It was a good class with a lot of helpful information. What was kind of cool was that from where we were sitting we could see couples leaving the hospital with their newborns. It seems like yesterday that we were bringing Avery home from the hospital. And it feels as though it will be tomorrow when we'll bringing this next little girl home.

*Speaking of this next little girl, we followed up our class with a 3D/4D ultrasound. Dan and I are feeling that we’re a two-kid family, so thought an ultrasound would be a fun way to cap off our “child-bearing” years. It was a neat experience, and it was cool to “catch a glimpse" (use your imagination with the picture).



















*We celebrated Octoberfest with some friends at Schnitzel Platz. This is Octoberfest-style fun like I’ve never seen before. For me, I think it was a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience (I’m not interested in going back), and for Dan it is a “once-a-year" type of experience (meaning he’ll need reliable transportation). Schnitzel Platz serves a two-liter (yep, you read right) boot of beer. That’s a lot of beer, yes? And yes, Dan drank his all by himself.

Dan, his two-liter beer, and his designated driver


































*Many of you know that we treat having another child like a storm is coming. We load the freezer, buy tons of food and supplies, finish projects, etc. One of our big pre-baby projects that we’ve been contemplating for months has been replacing our sixteen-year-old, peel n’ stick vinyl tile that is in our entryway, hall, kitchen, and bathrooms. And so, we finally chose a tile, made the purchase, and are awaiting our installation appointment (Monday, 10/29). The pre-installation work has been rough. We’re required to pull up the old tile, stain base shoe, move appliances, toilets, etc. Early in the project Dan had said, “Pulling up this tile will be cake; I might actually enjoy it!” Ha! Enter “The Stripper”—a piece of equipment that’s specialty is removing tile. What a godsend this tool proved to be (thanks, mom!). With luck, we’ll have finished floors by the end of next week. It’s like a domino affect; the floors get finished, which will bring on a massive cleaning effort, followed by carpet cleaners, etc. Then I suppose it will be time to put sheets on the crib ;)

Dan and "The Stripper"



















All in all, we’re doing great. A little stressed, but we’ll figure it out (this is self-induced stress). Hopefully we’ll enjoy a little calm before RJN appears on the scene.

Happy “early” Halloween!

Congratulations Eric and Danielle!

Our friends, Eric and Danielle, tied the knot this weekend, and our little Avery was part of the wedding party. When Danielle indicated to Dan that she’d like for Avery to participate, Dan and I did everything we could to gently encourage her to re-consider. Avery’s a bit of a wildcard, so naturally we were a little uncomfortable with the idea (mainly for Eric and Danielle's sake since Dan and I know what Avery’s capable of). But, Avery’s crazy about Eric and Danielle, so maybe she’d cooperate?

So, how’d she do? She did okay (maybe an 8.5 out of 10). Avery had a great morning and lined up nicely with the kids (she’ll do anything for fruit snacks). Then, it was Avery’s turn to walk down the aisle, and she became distracted by the fountain/pond (she LOVES water). So, she had a little tantrum, and I coaxed her off the ground, and down the aisle. She got about halfway down the aisle [TRIP 1], stopped, and yelled “WATER!” and then ran back to the fountain. I sent her back down the aisle [TRIP 2], at which point she saw Dan, and ran toward him, and tripped and fell. And then she went back to the fountain, where she threw her stick in the water, tried to retrieve it (nearly falling in; Dan got her just in time), followed by Avery and Dan walking down the aisle together [TRIP 3]. I scooped her up, and double-timed it back to the hotel room where the sitter was hanging out. Of course Avery had a few things to say/do before she’d go quietly, all of which was very loud, and Avery-oriented. Naturally, everyone finds her antics amusing while Dan and I were melting.

Avery was stellar at the reception. Then the music started, and Avery (“the dancing queen’’) was full-speed again, lapping the reception room. She honed in on the bride and groom’s first dance (so embarrassing, and we feel terrible that we didn’t see that one coming). So, again, I scooped her up, headed for the nearest exit until it was time for everyone to begin dancing. When that began, Avery ran for the dance floor and started spinning, and having a gay ‘ole time in her own little world. She kept saying, “I dance, I dance!” Dan and I are in awe of Avery, and nervously anticipate meeting her sister.

As far as meeting Avery’s sister goes, I am now starting my 33rd week. I check in with the doctor on Tuesday, and then every other week until week 36. At that point I’ll start checking in every week until the baby is born.

In other news, today is my Mom and Dad’s 31st wedding anniversary—Congratulations! And, this week Ranger Ray returned from his deployment, and we’re so grateful for his safe return.

In the meantime, we’re delighted for Eric and Danielle, and couldn’t be happier for them. They are a terribly fun couple, and I know Dan’s grateful to have them as co-workers. Happy honeymooning Eric and Danielle!


Danielle and Eric


















Avery and Danielle (and another fairy!)

















Danielle and Eric had a harvest-themed wedding. Avery was a fairy.

Milestones

What does it mean when your daughter comes to you, hands you the diaper wipes and a diaper, and proceeds to lay down on the floor in front of you? Or how about when your daughter says, “Mommy, diaper icky!” You’ve got it—Avery’s growing up, and the milestone I’ve been dreading now seems to be before me. So, we’re doing a little reading—Potty Training for Dummies, Once Upon a Potty, etc. The experts recommend choosing a weekend, and designating that time for concentrated potty training. I guess the next step is looking at the calendar…….Yep, we’re too busy! Sorry Aves! Let’s talk in six months or so……Just kidding! We’ll keep you posted on our messy progress! In the meantime, enjoy this recent picture (just for fun, of course!).