October 2013...Waiting for Baby Brother

We've been busy filling up the weeks before wee man is due to arrive (due Oct 16th).

Tag won the senior club championship (!!) - Very exciting - I am so immensely proud of him. He's been working hard on his game and it's great to see him get some special attention.

I'm still working, but pretty sure I won't have to go all the way to the due date.  I'm ready (in other words, I'm ready to be NOT pregnant!  And also to meet this little guy of course).  We finally sorted out where we're going to put him (his crib, etc) and with the Feinstone's help we moved Tag's office from the upstairs room to the downstairs "dog room." And now little man has his own room, complete with new dresser, borrowed crib, gently-used changing table (thanks Sully's!) and some super cute jungle cartoon wall stickers. Turned out very sweet, and it's the perfect size.

Smooches for Darcy
Ev told me once that "Darcy is my mommy when I'm at Lilly's house"

the lovely Darcy and Lilly
we will miss them terribly while they live their Switzerland adventure

our artist

ever the independent spirit, she hauled her own pumpkins to the wagon

September 2013

I've apparently reached the "Wow" stage of pregnancy.  I walked off the elevator at work the other day and that was the reaction I got from the guy waiting in the lobby. We're at week 37, which is technically full-term.  I'm waddling.  Out of breath. I laugh at my pregnancy tracker app when it recommends that I exercise.  Do they not understand that just walking down the hall is exercise? Anyway, feeling good other than the fact that I'm a whale. No problems.  Little bit is very active and seems happy to bump around in there.

Ev is as goofy as ever.  She is struggling a bit with her temper though these days.  Not sure if it's because mamma can't keep up or give her the attention/energy she deserves...or if it's just part of being almost 4. She gets so frustrated so quickly.  We're trying to help her through it, but not sure of the magic formula yet.

playing in her galoshes with rain water INSIDE them

always busy drawing or stickering or painting

Hangin' with Sammy at Marshall's birthday fest
(notice the shoes on the wrong feet)

showing off her new dance outfit

the loveliest dancer in ballet class ;-)

Enrolled her in a "real" ballet class and she is so fun to watch. I haul my big belly in there each Saturday morning and settle onto the floor to watch with a big dumb grin on my face the entire time (I guess parents aren't supposed to be in the class, since the other parents huddle around the doorway, but the teacher hasn't asked me to leave).  Ev is a little anxious about class and I have to encourage her to join the group, but once they get going she is her usual enthusiastic self -- shaking her hips when the teacher starts up a song with a fun beat. The class is mostly 3 and 4 year olds, so you can imagine the "coordination" that occurs. Miss Susan seems a bit overtaxed with the need for patience...I love all of it.  It's hilarious and I just want Evelyn to enjoy herself and have fun.

mamma toughed it out at the zoo and we had a great time
some face paint (a must) and we even petted stingrays and sharks! 

the view from up here

couldn't get them out of the massage chair section....

August 2013

Got a text from Tag one morning as he helped E get herself ready for school:  "I'm getting major resistance on why you cannot wear two dresses at the same time."  Those two are a hoot together.

Total pro at this pedi thing now

dancin' with Poppa 

great day for the playground - not too hot !

Play hard, sleep hard.

July 2013

The peak of Memphis summer heat and we're doing alright.  The belly is growing (!) and I'm pretty worn out most of the time, but the pregnancy is going along brilliantly.

Evelyn is visiting St. Mary's school for a week of camp, to change things up a bit for her (she seems bored at Heartsong...begs us not to take her there...breaks my heart that this kiddo has to "go to work" each day and can't enjoy a leisurely summer like we did growing up). Luckily, she loves the program at St. Mary's -- they do an excellent job there.  They sing and dance and turn it into music videos - hilarious.  Ev loves to show off the new routine they learned: "Your hands up high, your feet down low - this is how you jell-o!" with lots of hip-shaking (she loves to boogie).

She's asked if she can go to St. Mary's for the rest of the summer, but unfortunately they are booked up for the remaining weeks.  Next summer, I'll know where to send her for some fun!

Ev loves to cuddle with Sadie, the neighbor dog - "Can I hold her?" is the persistent request

Swim lessons are going fantastically well.  It takes her a bit to get warmed up, but once she and Coach Justin start their work, she really does well pushing the limits of her comfort zone.  Unbelievably, E touched bottom of the deep end during a lesson (12 feet !!) -- and it was only her 3rd swim lesson.  I'm happy to be a bragging mamma. ;-)

We've been growing tomatoes in the garden -- Ev helped select the 4 versions that we decided to plant: a yellow variety, a purple (!), a cherry tomato and a beefsteak.  We're starting to see the fruits now and Evelyn is a great harvester.  She loves to fill a basket with ripe tomatoes and then "save them."  She gets upset when we eat them...(HA!)...and she refuses to eat them herself.  To her credit, she did try a cherry tomato before deciding she didn't care for it.

Vanilla remains the favorite

Picnic for all her friends.
Not one for tea parties, but loves a good picnic.

Face of concentration as she does Cathy's hair

June 2013

Evey is spending the summer at Heartsong with her old school buddies.  They had an art project today where they drew their favorite animal.  Evelyn's favorite? "Mommy."  I feel honored.

Took Evelyn for her very first pedicure.  The staff were so great with her - she felt like a princess. I think I may have created a monster because she's now asking if we can go get a pedicure "every day, after school."

She started swim lessons with Coach Justin from the club swim team - she starts out each lesson a bit shy, but then warms up to him once the lesson gets going, and even seems a bit sweet on him.  He's excellent, very patient with her, and I love that she gets one on one time.  She's picking it up very quickly.  I'm excited for her.

Evey woke up early one morning and pulled her pillow and blanket into the bathroom to watch me get ready for work.  She picked out my shoes (red) and ran upstairs to get dressed herself so she could sit next to me while we both ate a bowl of cereal.  LOVE mornings with my mini-me.  That's what I miss the most as a working mamma.  All week, I typically don't even get to see her in the morning.

As a special summer event, and to break it up a bit for her since she doesn't really have a "summer vacation" I signed her up for Fairy Ballerina Camp at the performing arts center. It's a big deal to be dropped off in new place all week long. The camp is only half-day, so Oma picked her up at lunch time and spent the afternoons with her.  I was able to take off work early on Friday to watch the performance on the final day.  Tag and Oma were there too. As she walked out on stage with all the other little ballerinas I felt my throat tighten up, and as they danced I couldn't help it -- I cried my eyes out.  It was so wonderful to see her up there, so little and yet so grown up at the same time. I miss her so much. I guess she missed me too, with the week of "newness" taking it's toll;  Evey fell apart afterward, wanting to be held and even then having trouble not crying. She talks about it all the time though, about how she wants to go back to camp and is sad that she has to wait until next summer. I promised her I would sign her up again, and that we'd look into real ballet classes for her. That seemed to satisfy her.

As a special note -- Tag competed in the PGA Senior Open qualifier.  While he didn't qualify, it was pretty exciting that he participated.  His game is really hot this summer (!)

We're getting excited about another baby coming...it's starting to get real now...and the fact that E will have a baby brother seems natural and fitting.  It's a hot summer, but the pregnancy is going very well and it helps to have access to a pool (!) to cool off and float around in.

On stage the final day of Fairy Ballerina Camp

Cutie Pie

Grandparents Day at Lamplighter Montessori

May 2013

Hanging in the "baby playground" at the school near our house

E borrowed one of my sweaters and wore it to school - a big baggy turquoise wool with the sleeves all rolled up.  Her teacher asked, "why the warm sweater on such a hot day?" to which she replied, "cause it smells like my mamma even when she's not here."  That just melts me. What a lucky mamma I am.

We've been enjoying the pool at the Sully's. I picked up a life jacket for Evelyn so she can be more independent in the pool (and so Tag and I don't have to endure being constantly used as an orangutan buoy).  She did amazingly great, playing with Lilly and the older kids in the pool, getting braver and braver.  When we learned that she could touch the bottom in the shallow section, we tried it out sans life jacket and believe it or not, she started swimming! Well, almost swimming - she's working on it. We've got her in lessons at the club, and she's doing just great. She ought to be swimming like a fish by the end of the summer.  Which is great because she absolutely loves the water.

 

Our little bit is now the size of sweet potato. We got the blood work back, and confirmed with the anatomy ultrasound, that we are going to have a boy....Gosh, that makes for interesting discussions for Tag and myself.  We were ready for another girl -- I mean, we've conquered our fear of pink and we have a full wardrobe ready and waiting, and room for another bed in Evey's room.  But a boy?  Didn't we already get our dose of boy with Keagan and Dylan (!)?  Jury is still out on that one.  But there's no mistaking it.  Evelyn will have a baby brother.  She took the news better than we did, by the way. A bit of a disappointed "awww!" when she learned that her visions of a sister are foiled.  But she moved on immediately to say "I can't wait for my baby brother to come!"



April 2013

Oma planned a great weekend Sachs reunion in French Lick Indiana -- a perfect meeting spot between Holland MI and Memphis TN.  We stayed in a large, cozy cabin, the Wise Old Owl, and Evelyn had the BEST time with her cousin Helen.  We took hikes, the girls did some coloring and blew bubbles, there were campfires and marshmallows, guitar playing, and a trip to a nearby waterpark (where the super rapid slides gave Opa a bit of a flip...).  It feels good to give Evey time with her cousins - although poor Ruby had to tolerate some overly-aggressive moves from Ev who isn't that used to little ones yet. Ev can't stop talking about how much she misses Helen. Looking forward to getting these girls together again.

 

Beautiful Flower Girls, with fresh bouquets for the breakfast table

Corn Hole on the lawn with Oma

A wander in the woods

 

The Reunion Crew in French Lick, IN

Ev and I hit the Down to Earth Day at Shelby Farms and had so much fun.  There was an amazing little feeding/petting zoo with unusual petting zoo creatures like huge turtles and baby pigs, there were pony rides, fancy face painting (glitter!), and a crafts tent.  Evelyn is so energetic and open to trying new things - and she's big enough to really get into it now. With the exception of a particularly painful bouncy house collision, it was a perfect day.

Earth Day at Shelby Farms - So fun

 

And last but hardly least, the news is out: I'm 40 and pregnant (!!) but it wasn't the suprise I had anticipated when telling Oma & Opa.  Apparently Evey spilled the beans weeks before...

The plan was to keep the pregnancy a secret until we could be sure that things were going alright.  Tag and I agreed not to tell Evelyn until it was okay to tell everyone.  Well.  She and I were driving along one afternoon when she suddenly started to sing-song to me “mamma…you have a sweetheart in your tummy….!” And I was totally taken off-guard.  Did Tag tell her? What is she talking about? “What’s that babie?” I asked her. 

“You have a sweetheart in your tummy.” 

It felt good to start talking openly about it, so I agreed, “Yes, you are going to be a big sister!” And we had a very exciting conversation around the whole notion.  Looking back, I have to admit that she seemed surprised by the news.  She had tricked me, albeit unwittingly. I thought Tag had let it slip.  But apparently I was the one who couldn’t seem to hold back.  So anyway, I told her that it was a secret and that we couldn’t talk about it outside of me, her and poppa.  She happily promised.

When we finally did announce it, after receiving a beautifully healthy ultrasound, Oma had the funniest reaction.  She knew already! Weeks before, Ev had told her there was “a baby in mamma’s tummy but that it was a secret so we weren’t supposed to talk about it.”  She is Too Funny.



The first good peek at our baby on the way...