2,001 miles on the BOB!

Our BOB stroller has officially strolled over 2000 miles! We love our BOB stroller and will be sad to set it aside for individual runs only in the near future. We have strongly considered getting the side by side BOB for Oliver and "Oscar" but the width just isn't practical for urban living. We are planning to purchase the Phil and Ted's Sport Double, it stacks the kids so has the footprint of a single stroller.

We have had a very busy two weeks. Last weekend, Oliver and I traveled to a friends' place in Sarasota for a Mama and Kids weekend. It was a lot of fun.....four 2 yr. olds, a 1 yr. old, a 5 yr. old and four Mamas. Oliver was thrilled to see Aby again and they spent the weekend playing. My friends, Kim, Anne, and Natalie threw me a baby shower on Saturday evening and we stayed up late both nights catching up. I am fortunate to have great friends. We are planning to make the "Miami Mama and Kid" weekend an annual event. By the time we arrived home Sunday afternoon, I was exhausted and ready for Oliver to spend some quality time with Daddy.

This past weekend we worked on the apartment and completed many items on my "nesting list" as Daniel refers to it! I washed all the baby clothes (newborn to 6 months) and put them in the drawer. Oli was helpful during the process of sorting the clothes....he wanted to try everything on and sort on his own. He was cute saying "share with Oscar" referring to his dresser. On Sunday evening, we attended a birthday party for Audrey (Kim's daughter) and had a wonderful evening with friends. It ended a bit abruptly because Oli expired due to an early nap, cutting teeth and 2 yr. old antics but we still had fun.

Oli's newest thing is saying "Mmm hmm" in agreement when I say something. It is very funny. He is crazy about Curious George and I can recite several of the books that we have borrowed from the library. Oli's potty training seems to be a "marathon" we have great days and wet days:( I am not giving up but have moments where I question what am I messing up....we will work it out and mommy will keep encouraging. One of Oliver's favorite things to do is "shower with mama, shower with Daddy" and tries to jump in with either of us when he hears the shower running.

The photo is from the Mama and Kids weekend at Nat's. It was hard work getting a photo will all the kids sitting at the same time.

Filling Daddy's shoes

 

I woke up this morning at 3 a.m. with a muscle cramp in my leg and am unable to get back to sleep. I can hear Oliver coughing from his room and have been in to check on him several times. He is cutting his last two molars and unfortuantely seems to be struggling with a cold. I am hoping that he is feeling better because we have a road trip planned for this upcoming weekend. I am driving with my friend Kim and her two children to Sarasota to visit our friend Natalie. My friend Anne and her daughter Aby will also be visiting. We have planned a girls weekend at Natalie's with 6 children. I am not sure what Daddy will do all weekend with a quiet apartment....but I am sure it will involve a few beers and a pizza:)

I am 32 weeks pregnant now and feeling a bit more tired. My morning adventures with Oliver leave me exhausted by 11 a.m. Additionally, my energy is zapped by the crazy heat we have been experiencing this year in Miami Beach. I keep hoping that Fall weather will arrive and the 88+ days will depart but there seems to be no break in sight. UGH! Danl is giving me lots of opportunities to lay down and rest when he is home and I am trying to take advantage of this. At the same time, I am feeling like the days are flying by and I need to get things done....my stupid list of to do's!

Time to get back to bed to rest up for a full day with Oliver...

More teeth

Oli's final molars are erupting and he has been a bit cranky this week. I am thankful that these are the last two teeth he will cut until approx. age 5. At times he is just plain angry but does communicate "teeth hurt" and he chews on his thumb for relief. We hate medicating him but have been giving him motrin to ease the pain.

We are enrolled in music class again and Oli seems to be enjoying this session even more than the first. One of the new songs is "My Bonnie" and I often sing it to Oliver at bed time and he is starting to sing along. Oli seems more aware of my belly now and touches it saying "Oscar little brother". I guess we will have some serious explaining to do if the baby is a girl!!

Oliver's favorite food is peanut butter sandwiches which he request every morning instead of his oatmel. He is also very fond of ginger snap cookies. His new favorite toy is the Brio hammer bench that we got him for Christmas. He loves to hammer the pegs! He has attempted to hammer many other things in the house but is reminded that hammer only happens on the bench.

Danl is training for the Escape to Miami Triathlon in October. The race is not his preferred distance but it is a challenging swim in the bay and the race is local. Unfortunately his favorite race in Orlando (the GFT) happens in late October when I am 37.5 weeks pregnant and we don't dare chance the travel. He is also planning to train for an ultrathon is 2009 (50+ miles).

I have been busy making my list of all the things I want to accomplish before the baby arrives. The list is long and I don't seem to be making much progress on it. I am finding myself more tired each day after spending the day chasing Oliver. I take him out (park, pool, museum) each morning to burn off his toddler energy and so he will nap in the afternoon. While I will have two to care for...I look forward to having my pre-pregnancy energy back.

1932 miles

Our currently mileage on our BOB stroller is 1,932 miles. Our goal is to exceed 2000 before Oliver's second birthday:) My jogging miles are non existent but I still walk a lot with Oli and average a few miles each day. I have had more energy lately and have been better about getting to the gym to get my workouts in. I am walking on the treadmill at an incline of 10% which gets my heart rate up and allows me to comfortably breathe.

Lately I find myself torn between wishing the days away and wanting the clock to stand still. On one hand, I feel tired, big and uncomfortable and can't wait to deliver and meet our second child. On the other hand, I realize that my time with Oliver will soon change and feel like I want to hang on to our time together. I also know this will be the last time I feel the kicks and flutters of a baby in my belly and that makes the 10 weeks that I have to go seem so brief. My second appointment at the Miami Maternity Center went really well and I feel confident in Shari's ability to lead me through a natural birth.

Daniel is busy with work, school and training. He is getting up each morning at 5:00 to work out and running his long runs on Fridays and doing his long rides on Sunday. Some how we still manage to find time to spend together and with our friends. Oli and I are going to the pool with Daddy while he does his laps so we can spend the time together.

Oliver is BUSY! Yesterday he said "no thank you Mama" which was his first combination of four words. He loves his bed and is sleeping well throughout the night. I love waking up to the sound of his feet on the tiles OR "hi Mama" next to our bed. One of his newest things is "reading" books. One book he can read alone by the cues in the pictures. Some other books, I read part of the sentence on the page and he finishes the sentence.....he is very proud of himself. Below is a video of Daddy and Oli skateboarding. Oliver loves the skateboard and pushes it to the door when he wants to ride.

Oliver's first Tropical Storm

Attached is a video of Oliver's reaction to his first Tropical Storm Fay. He couldn't have been happier to run on the balcony with the wind in his hair and puddles at his feet!

Mommy loves Friday

Thank goodness it is Friday. It has been a long, tiring week. I am not sure why but everything seemed to be a challenge this week. Oliver has been trying my patience this week and reminding me that his 2nd birthday is coming:) In addition, I am looking into alternative options for my prenatal care because I have lost a lot of confidence in the midwife and the birth center I have been using. We are going to tour another birth center on Sunday. I am hoping that I find someone that I feel will provide me with the support I need to have a successful VBAC delivery.

On the upside....Oliver has turned a corner on potty training. He LOVES to wear "unders" and pleads with me to change into them as soon as he wakes in the morning. He is also telling me when he has to pee or poop and making it to the potty often. He has also been keeping his pull ups dry when he naps or we go out and telling us if he has to pee. I don't want to celebrate prematurely but potty training is going so much better.

Oli's favorite book is now Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. I borrowed it from the library a few weeks ago and he is crazy for the story. I have since returned the book and taken out another Five Little Monkeys have a Picnic Supper but Oli still makes me tell him the other story at bedtime. His favorite toys are mega blocks and his matchbox cars. Oli continues to repeat everything and talk in simple sentences/phrases "love you too Mamma" "Oli fell down" "Oliver get down" "Oliver want pie" "More water please". He also says please and thank you most of the time and reminds us to say please or thank you!

I am now almost 27 weeks pregnant. The baby is moving all the time and I am really sure that it is a boy. We have started to tell Oliver that "little brother" is in mommy's belly. He loves to touch my belly and when asked who is in there sometimes he replies "baby or little brother" other times he enthusiastically says "PATRICK". I am trying to spend more time at the gym and pool to slow my weight gain. I am about 5 lbs. heavier than I was with Oliver at this point and that has me a bit concerned. My desire to work out is gone by 5 p.m. so I am attempting to work out earlier in the day so I get it in. I keep reminding myself how much easier the Miami marathon will be in January if I keep myself fit now.

Awake at Midnight

Fortunately it is me that is awake not Oliver:) I remember these energy surges from my pregnancy with Oliver. I am dead tired at 5 pm but when 10 o'clock hits I am wired and can't get my mind to stop. It was a lot easier when I was teaching because I would come home from school and nap but as a stay at home mom I don't get that option. I try to rest when Oli naps but I always have school work to complete and laundry, dishes, blah, blah, blah.....

After many, many searches and discussions we have found Oliver's first bed and will order it tomorrow. It is a green, twin platform bed. "Green" meaning sustainable hardwood, low VOC finish, etc. The bed should be delivered in two weeks so then we will begin a new chapter with Oliver's sleep routine. I am hoping for a smooth transition out of the crib and wonder what it will be like to have him come to our bedroom in the morning (or at night).

I am including a video of Oli playing with his blocks. He loves to build "towers" with his blocks and then knock them over. Oliver really enjoyed building towers with Patrick and misses him. I know he will be thrilled when his brothers return in December.