Road Trip - Part II

We had a fabulous time in Louisiana.  We spent Thursday night with LaDonna and Dean at their home near Baton Rouge. Dean loves his motorcycle, and Jack had to check it out:

We all went to dinner at Sammy's Bar and Grill, LaDonna's daughter Sierra, joined us.  We also got to meet her son Cody, her daughter, Kara, and her precious granddaughter, Addie.  Addie was the little girl I posted about in January that needed emergency heart surgery.  She is doing amazing now.  Here is LaDonna with Addie and Dean with Vivian:

Sierra taught Nick how to eat Crawfish:

I've often talked about perspective before, and Bernie and I see New Orleans in completely different lights.  I've spent more time there than he has, so I've been able to explore the French Quarter and Garden District, and appreciate the art, culture, and history of the city.  Bernie was only there for a few days for work and the group he was with didn't get much beyond Bourbon Street.  When I've come back from trips, I've told Nick great things about New Orleans.  Bernie came back and didn't think very much of the party scene he got to experience.  When we were planning the road trip, one of the stops Nick really wanted was New Orleans, so he could see it for himself.  I would have needed a few days to give him a proper tour, but I did the best I could with the four hours or so we had there.  I think his view of New Orleans is somewhere in the middle of Bernie's and mine, although he did comment that he would love to come back for Mardi Gras after he turns 21.

We went to Cafe Du Monde for beignets, Central Grocery for Muffulettas, and Mother's Restaurant for Jambalaya.  We went to Jackson Square, we walked down Bourbon Street, we stopped into the Hard Rock to get a pin, we saw the Mississippi River, and we drove by the Superdome.  Here are some pictures of Jack near some statues, and one of Vivian in her tour vehicle (the jogging stroller):

Around Jackson Square, there are artists who paint themselves head to toe in gold or silver.  They stand still like they are statues and come to life when they find an opportune moment.  Given Jack's obsession with statues, this was his favorite part of New Orleans:



That night we drove to LaDonna and Dean's house in Mansura. Saturday we got to meet a lot of Dean's family, including the adorable grandchildren we hear so much about, Riley and Bryce. We celebrated LaDonna and Dean's first anniversary.  They rented a giant inflatable waterslide and bounce house for the party.  Here is Jack in the bounce house:

Vivian and her biggest brother:

The yummy cake:

Sunday morning we headed for Florida.  It is a LONG drive from northern Louisiana to Naples.  It took us two days.  Someone needs to build a high speed ferry between New Orleans and Tampa, or really New Orleans and just about anywhere on the west coast of Florida. We stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe' in Biloxi for lunch and to get a pin.  It was Father's Day and Jack was less than cooperative. That day's temper tantrum was brought to us by his lemonade being delivered with ice.  Jack has decided that he never wants ice.  I was trying to feed Vivian so Nick was dealing with Jack.  The waitress wished him a Happy Father's Day.  We thought that was hysterical.  Nick took it as a compliment, she must have thought that because he was so good with Jack.

We wanted to spend some time at the beach but the ones in Biloxi did not look tourist friendly, so we headed for Destin, FL.  It was a little out of the way but multiple people I know vacation there, so I wanted to check it out.  Destin had another Hard Rock Cafe, and I thought it would be nice if we could grab something quick for dinner and eat on the beach while watching the sunset.  We did get a pin, but it was dark by the time we got dinner.

We spent the night in Tallahassee at a less than desirable Fairfield Inn.  We were straddling time zones (we had done this earlier when we were at St. Meinrad).  Our hotel was in the Central time zone, and when I walked into the Walmart next door, I stepped into the Eastern time zone.  When you live in those areas, how do you ever know what time it is?

On the way to Naples, we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe in Tampa to get yet another pin.  We arrived at Jen's house around 6pm on Monday night. It was great catching up with Jen.  We went to the beach on Tuesday with her daughter, Brianna.  Jack actually went in the water, which was the first for this season.  Once he went in, it was hard to get him out.  Although, he did enjoy burying Nick in the sand.



We left Jen's early on Wednesday morning and headed for Orlando.  The plan was to spend much of the day at Typhoon Lagoon and then head for the Georgia border to stay the night. The weather did not cooperate, it rained most of the day.  Instead we stopped at Universal Studios for lunch where we could collect yet another Hard Rock cafe' pin.  We almost found ourselves in big trouble at Universal.  Our credit card had been cancelled by our bank when they found some overseas fraudulent charges, the new cards were being mailed to our house.  I had used my debit card at Moe's for lunch and somehow it did not make it back into my wallet.  I had little cash on me and hadn't brought any other cards with me.  Panic was quickly replaced with relief when I went to Guest Services and found that someone had turned in my card. Phew!  Here are the boys in front of the Universal globe:

We ended up driving through towards Atlanta and arrived at my aunt and uncle's house around 1:30am.

To be continued...

Road Trip - Part I

I've been meaning to start posting about our trip since we left, but just haven't found the time.  I don't know how far I will get tonight, but I wanted to at least get started.  I fully suspect that this is the virtual equialent of watching someone else's vacation slides, so feel free to skip this one if that is not your cup of tea.

I had three weeks left of maternity leave and I was going a little stir crazy at home, so I decided to pack my 5 week old, my 3 year old and my 16 year old in our minivan, affectionately known as the "living room on wheels" and go see about 1/3 of the country. A little insane?  Probably, but I don't regret it at all.  Sadly, Jack and Vivian are not likely to remember much of it, but Nick and I sure will. Photo Challenge 21 is appropriately entitled, Memories. I'll share some of our favorite memories here.

Where did the idea for the road trip start?  Well, we had already decided that Vivian would be baptized at my grandparents' church in Georgia on June 24th.  Bernie had to work through June 22nd, so the plan was for me to drive to Blairsville and Bernie would fly in late on the 22nd so that we would be there to organize things for the baptism. We were invited to LaDonna and Dean's first anniversary party in Louisiana which was one week earlier; and at that point, the plans for a serious road trip really began to percolate.

After packing what seemed like everything we owned, we set out on Sunday, June 10th.  The plan was to drive about five hours to Hershey, Pennslyvania, visit Hershey's Chocolate World and then continue driving and stay overnight in Columbus, OH.  The very first day of the trip, I learned the importance of being flexible, if the trip was to be an enjoyable success.

The first thing we did when we got to Chocolate World was go on the free ride that tells you all about how Chocolate is made; Jack loved this:

Jack has recently enjoyed the movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so I thought he would like to actually be involved in the chocolate making process. I purchased tickets to the Create Your Own Chocolate Bar attraction, and we waited in line. When it was our turn, and Jack was told he had to wear a hair net, he flat out refused and that brought on a full-on temper tantrum. We ended up leaving Chocolate World without being able to experience very much of it, and with me questioning whether we should just cancel the trip and head home. From there, we headed for the Hershey Story Muesum.  Not knowing if Jack would actually cooperate and having difficulty finding parking that would accomodate the car top carrier, we headed for a playground instead.  We found Cocoa Castle, which was featured at some point on Jon and Kate Plus Eight (admittedly a former guilty pleasure, though I don't remember seeing this particular episode). It was a great way to allow Jack to let off some steam and then ultimately continue our journey.

The entire town of Hershey smells like Chocolate and is centered around that tasty treat.  There is even a Chocolate Workers' Union. 



I had planned to make it to Columbus, OH that first night but those plans were foiled when the GPS decided to take us on the Pennslyvania Turnpike.  The PA Turnpike is a disaster.  Almost the entire thing is under construction, which means driving through a very long state, east to west at a speed limit of 45 miles per hour.  Add in a ridiculous amount of tractor trailer traffic that seems to be driving at about twice what is allowed, narrow jersey barriers, and tunnels through mountains that appear to be unstable, and what you end up with is an unhappy momma that barely made it to the Ohio state line that first night.  I was apalled when I got to the end and they actually insisted that I pay them $14+.  It really made my appreciate the CT DOT, our roads are never that bad!

We ended up spending that first night in St. Clairsville, OH, in a room overlooking (of all things) the parking lot of a Toys R Us.  Lucky for me, we left in the morning before they opened, and Jack seemed satisfied with the explanation that the store was simply closed.  Nevermind that it was likely to open in about ten minutes!

The plan for Monday was to tour the Lousiville Zoo and meet an old friend for lunch.  Being so far behind schedule, neither of those plans materialized. Instead, we ventured on to our next destination which was to visit Bernie's brother, Gary, at the infirmary at St. Meinrad's Archabbey.

Here is a picture of Gary wearing his back brace otherwise known as his "turtle shell."  We are optimistic that he will only have to wear it for a few weeks.  Gary was very excited to meet Vivian, as she is his only niece. We wanted Jack to be included in this picture but he wasn't interested.

Jack has been very much into statutes so many of the pictures of this trip will include Jack standing next to some sort of inanimate object. Here he is imitating a statue at the monastery.

As we were leaving St. Meinrad, we drove through Santa Claus, Indiana.  This is a very small town where everything is centered around Christmas.  The Catholic Church in town was Saint Nicholas, the shopping center was Kris Kringle Plaza and there is an amusement park called Holiday World.  Like most three year olds, Jack loves Christmas.  We had to stop on the side of the road to take this picture:

We also stopped at the Santa Claus Museum, which was accurately described by a local as likely to be about the size of a postage stamp.  It was way more about the town than St. Nicholas himself, but Jack still enjoyed what they had to offer.  It took all of ten minutes to explore the entire museum.



From Indiana, the original plan was to head to Texas via Arkansas. I wanted to see the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock and Nick wanted to go to Space Center Houston.  I also wanted to stop and see my friend, Lesley, and have some Max'N Cheese at Max's Wine Dive. We were getting tired and Houston was about ten hours out of the way. So, we decided instead to head to St. Louis.

The St. Louis Cardinals were in town that evening, so we headed for Busch Field to watch them beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-6.  Right outside the stadium was a giant macaroni sculpture.  Since Bernie works for Kraft Foods,we couldn't resist this photo opportunity:

It was Vivian's first MLB game and Jack's first of the 2012 season.  Jack really got into things like clapping, yelling "charge," and doing the wave.  Nick and I were both presently surprised by the price and availability of tickets.  We bought them at the stadium at a kiosk right before the game started.  Most of the time for the Yankees, it seems the only way to get tickets is at inflated prices through Stub Hub, unless you know a season ticket holder, or log on to Ticketmaster right as they go on sale.  We had a great time.  Here are some pics of the kids at the stadium:

On Wednesday, June 16th, Nick wanted to go visit the famous Gateway Arch before heading south.

For those of you who haven't been there, there is a museum about St. Louis in the ground underneath the Arch. This is also where you can board the ride that takes you to the top of the Arch.  The ride is slow and manageable for most people.  I decided not to brave it with Jack and the baby.  Nick went by himself while we waited outside and he really seemed to enjoy it.  Here is a picture of what the pod looks like that takes you through the monument, and also one of Busch Field, looking down from the top of the Arch.

For lunch, my Dad had suggested us stopping at Reifschneider's Grill and Grape. I definitely wanted to check it out, but it was a little bit out of the way.  The plan was to drive from St. Louis to Jackson, Missisippi and stop at the Cape Splash Family Aquatic Center for a few hours to let Jack run around. When we pulled into the Waterpark, Jack was fast asleep and Nick was unimpressed.  We tried to wake Jack a few times with little luck, so we kept on driving.

We got to Memphis right around dinner time.  I had really wanted to see the National Civil Rights Museum, but by the time we got there, it were closed. We headed for Beale Street instead. My dad goes to Memphis every year for a blues competition and suggested we stop at Huey's Blues, Brews and Burgers. The highlight of dinner was when Nick took multiple attempts to shoot his toothpick through his straw and stick it in the ceiling with the hundreds of other toothpicks already up there.  This is just one small section of the ceiling:

It was bike night on Beale Street and we got there just as the crowd was gearing up for evening activities. 

The zipper to Vivian's diaper bag broke while we were here and everything was falling out.  We stopped into the Hard Rock Cafe and purchased a back pack to solve that problem. From Memphis on, we had to stop into all the Hard Rock Cafes in our path to purchase pins for the diaper bag.  Beale Street was very cool, but not so much fun with little kids and the giant jogging stroller.  It is definitely a place I will need to revisit someday.

We got back in the car, and Nick convinced me that instead of driving a few hours to Jackson, we could make it all the way to Baton Rouge and not have to spend much time in the car on Thursday.  Jack was content sleeping and watching movies, so we did it.  We got to Baton Rouge at 2:30am and had a really hard time finding a hotel room. I am convinced that many hotels will not let you check in after a certain time, because no one seemed to have any vacancy.  We finally called Holiday Inn and they got us into what appeared to be a decent hotel, but was ultimately not as clean as we would have hoped.  Being that late with three kids in tow, I was happy just to have a place to sleep. 

To be continued...

The Journey

Photo Challenge #20 is: The Journey

I got a few shots yesterday at The Dinosaur Place, that I thought would be appropriate for this theme.  This first shot is one of Jack in the 'a"maze"asaurus', as he is trying to make his way to the end. 

For Jack, life is definitely about the journey and not about the destination. As soon as he found the end of the maze, he immediately wanted to do it over again (and again, and again).

In this second shot of Jack, he is wandering along one of the Dino Trails, in search of the more than thirty dinosaurs placed along the path.

 

To me, the journey isn't just about where we are going, but who we are going with. Tim Cahill wrote: "A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles."  One of our good friends along with us on our journey is our most awesome, daycare provider, Kellee (Haefele) Ratzer.  

I had to steal this picture from Kellee's Facebook Profile.  I have a ton of pictures from daycare but Kellee is usually the one taking the pictures, so she is not in any of them. It makes me realize that I need to start taking some so that Jack and the other kids will have some pictures that include her.

When we began our search for daycare for Jack, Kellee was just starting to run her business and all roads pointed to her.  When our previous daycare provider told us she was full, she immediately recommended Kellee.  Our next door neighbor, who knew Kellee from the Mom's Club, also gave her glowing recommendations.  She said that Kellee was one of the most patient people she'd ever met, and she was right.  She said she would send her own kids to Kellee without giving it a second thought, and eventually when she also needed daycare, she did.  When we met Kellee, we knew she was the right choice.  The fact that she is a vegetarian too, was an added bonus for me.

Kellee has been in our lives since Jack was nine weeks old.  It is very hard to place your infant with someone that you barely know, but it is a decision we have been happy about from day one. Kellee loves her daycare kids as if they are her own children.  

She is a surrogate mom, nurse, short order cook, maid, and preschool teacher all in one (and probably performs other jobs I am forgetting).  She keeps the kids on a pretty tight schedule with the right balance of fun and discipline. She makes healthy meals and snacks and somehow manages to keep track of all of their likes and dislikes and accomodates them.  They are always reading books, learning new songs, doing creative art projects, and playing various games.  They go for walks, play outside, and ride bikes all the time. No holiday goes without some sort of recognition whether its a project or a full on party. Field trips have included the library, Day Pond, the park, and Pumpkintown.

Kellee has been there to help with all of Jack's milestones from sitting to crawling to walking to running, potty training, and learning how to share and be a good friend.  Some of those we are still working on.  Kellee's day doesn't end at 5:00pm when we pick up our kids.  She spends her evenings cooking, shopping, preparing projects for the next day, and cleaning.   In short, she is amazing!

Kellee is always going above and beyond.  She'll drop off toys that Jack left at her house so he won't be without them for the weekend.  She brought his Mother's Day card and project over on her day off to make sure that Jack would have them in time for the holiday. She saves clothes from various kids and passes them along, such that a good majority of Jack's clothes have been supplied by her.  I think at this point she has purchased more little outfits for Vivian than I have. 

In a few very short weeks, Vivian will be joining her big brother at Kellee's house. It is hard to go back to work after having a baby.  The transition this time is made much easier by the fact that our little girl will be in Kellee's very capable hands and that she will be loved and cared for in a way very similar to how she is cherished at home.    

  

My final shots for this photo challenge are of a very tasty dinner Kellee recently made for us, to help make our lives a little easier after having a new baby.  It was amazing, as was my eggplant vegetarian option, dessert, and my favorite bottle of wine.

Saying thank you is never enough. I honestly don't know what we would do without Kellee.

Praying

On May 12th, Bernie and I went to bed early and exhausted from the challenges of being new parents for the third time. Bernie's phone rang around 11:30pm. Woken from a deep slumber to a number he didn't recognize, he was reluctant to answer the call. It was one of those phone calls that you hope you never get, that you pray is a wrong number, the kind of phone call where you are never quite the same after you say goodbye.

The voice on the other end of the phone was Bernie's one and only sibling, Gary. Gary had been in a horrible car accident. He was extracted from the car with the Jaws of Life and flown via Lifestar to the hospital. His injuries were extensive and he was listed in serious condition.  Not really knowing what to expect upon arrival, Bernie flew out to Kentucky to do whatever he could to help his brother.

After undergoing multiple surgeries and spending ten days in the hospital, Gary was released yesterday to be cared for and undergo physical therapy at the seminary where he's been working the past few years.  We are incredibly thankful for the progress he has made so far.  With his own preserverance and strength combined with the power of the prayers everyone has been saying for him, we are hopeful that he will make a full recovery. 

Photo Challenge #19 is: Letting Go of Perfect. This is something that our entire family has been challenged with since Gary's accident.  In a perfect world, he would not be 965 miles away.  He would be here with us so that we could visit him, care for him, and help him on his long road to recovery.  The world isn't perfect and those that love him the most are prevented from being there because of health issues, school exams, and family commitments. 

Things are not perfect at my house either.  Having a brand new baby and Bernie being away has been challenging.  We've been figuring it out one day at a time.  It helps to know that the separation is temporary.  It gives me a lot of admiration and respect for our military families who are separated for extended periods of time.  While we have missed him, Gary needed Bernie more than we did, and Bernie will be on his way home later today.  He is leaving Gary in good hands, and hopefully we will all get to see Gary in the very near future.  He needs to meet his brand new niece.

This picture was not taken this week.  I took it last summer when Gary was home for a visit.  It is hard to get a group picture, particularly when it includes Jack who may or may not cooperate.  This is definitely not the perfect shot that you hope for, but it still captures a moment in time and it helped Jack remember Uncle Gary even though its been several months since he's seen him.

The other person who would be here to care for in a perfect world, is my grandfather.  He is undergoing surgery on his spine as I write this and could also use lots of positive thoughts and prayers. I wish I could be there, if for no other reason, just to give him a hug.

My grandfather loves to travel, I think that might be a genetic trait.  It is not unusual for him and my grandmother to spend months on the road in their motorhome.  There are many places he loves to visit and a few he doesn't like.  Connecticut happens to be one of his least favorite places, although I would argue that some of his favorite people are here.  His biggest gripe with Connecticut is the toll you have to pay in New York to get into our state.  It's not even a Connecticut toll!  Their travel has been sidelined the past few years due to some health issues.  He said at this point he just wants to get in his motorhome and go anywhere, even Connecticut!  I am praying that after this surgery, he makes a full recovery and gets a break from his doctors for while.  If I can get him and Grandma up here, I may never let them leave :-)

Here is another picture with Jack, that isn't quite the perfect shot, the perfect expression, or the perfect angle.  Yet its perfect in my eyes because it captures two boys that I absolutely adore, blowing bubbles.

I skipped Photo Challenge #17: Green, during the craziness of the past few weeks. Being home with the baby, I noticed for the first time since we lived here (almost seven years), that we have hydrangea growing in the yard.  I really like those flowers.  It is amazing how much you miss when you are busy.  I had planned to post a picture of my hydrangea plant in response to the challenge.  However, when Bernie sent me flowers yesterday, I knew that I had to post a picture of those instead. I love Calla Lillies. They were the flowers I used for our wedding.  The calla lillies I received yesterday were beautiful shades of pink and purple.   I'm posting a picture here for now of just the flowers, but when Vivian wakes up from her morning nap, I may try to take some pictures of her surrounded by the calla lillies (which will likely be another exercise in admiring not-so-perfect photographs). 

There is a little bit of "green" in there if you look carefully - LOL.

The past few weeks have been an interesting balance of celebration and concern.  Mostly though, it all just makes you appreciate life and want to hold your close ones even closer. We would be grateful if you could include Gary and my Grandfather in your prayers.

A Baby Story

Photo Challenge No. 18 is Makes You Happy. It makes me very happy to introduce Vivian Caroline Edwards.  She entered our lives and our hearts on May 5, 2012 at 4:29pm.  She weighed 9lbs, 9oz and was 21 1/2 inches long.  She beat both of her brothers in terms of length and weight, but was also the latest of the three arriving at 40 weeks and 4 days. May 5th this year was Cinco De Mayo (as it always is), but was also Kentucky Derby Day, and the super moon made an appearance, allegedly the largest full moon in twenty years.  It was a special day by all accounts.

Friday night we went to Chilis for dinner, Nick went to see his girlfriend perform in a play at school, and we stopped at the casino to place very small bets on horses racing in the Kentucky Derby.  I never look at the stats and pick only by horses names.  I picked "Went the Day Well," since that was my hope for Saturday.  Bernie ended up picking, "I'll Have Another" which went on to be the winner of both the Derby and the Preakness, and now has a chance to win at Belmont and become a triple crown winner.   

I had mixed feelings about being induced.  I was extremely uncomfortable and ready for the pregnancy to be over, but on the same token, I wanted her to come on her own timetable.  I was having almost constant contractions which were making some change to my cervix but not enough to be considered "active labor."  We scheduled the induction for May 5th, but I hoped she would come on her own before that.  My doctors were not comfortable with me going much past forty weeks given my history of big babies and my blood pressure which seemed to keep creeping up during this pregnancy.

We called labor and delivery at Middlesex Hospital at 6:30am on Saturday, May 5th and they indicated that they had room for us.  If it had been too busy, we would have had to postpone the induction.  We arrived at the hospital at 7:30am, and we were running late, so I skipped breakfast (very bad idea).  I understand that by noon, they were having to put patients on other floors because it had gotten so busy. Joan was my first nurse.  She lives in the same town we do, and her daughter went to school with Nick when he was in the public school system.  She was a great nurse!  She hooked me up to the monitor and I was contracting so much, it was almost too much to start the pitocin.  My cervix was soft and starting to dilate (more than it previously had) and we started the pitocin on very low.  I thought we would have a baby by noon but the hours dragged on.  I was so bored at one point that I sent Bernie out to the Redbox to get DVDs.  We watched "Crazy, Stupid, Love" while we waited for things to get going.

It took until almost 2pm to get to 4.5 - 5cm. I knew that I wanted an epidural but at that point, I wasn't in enough pain to warrrant one.  We decided to go ahead and put it in before Dr. Bony broke my water.  Dr. Bony also delivered Jack, and is part of the practice I have been with since I was pregnant with Nick, Crescent Street OBGYN.  I highly recommend them if you are looking for a doctor.

My epidurals with my previous two children did not go that well.  They both left a window of pain in my stomach.  With Nick, I did not know that they could fix it, so I was in a lot of pain through his delivery.  With Jack, as soon as I realized it was happening, we called the anesthesiologist back three times before it was finally right.  The epidural this time went in like a dream and I didn't feel anything until it was time to push. My blood pressure did drop pretty significantly with the epidural and I did need some medication to bring it back up, but it leveled off pretty quickly.  With the previous epidurals, it was several hours after delivery before I was allowed to get out of bed.  With this one, I was up within an hour or so.

The epidural went in, Dr. Bony broke my water, and the pitocin was increased.  I was resting pretty comfortably until I felt the need to push.  When they checked my cervix, they realized I had gone from 5cm to 9 1/2cm in less than an hour.  It was a bit of mad dash to get the room set up for delivery.  At Middlesex you deliver in the same room that you labor in, recover in, and stay in for the duration of your hospital visit.  It's nice because you don't have to be moved at all unless you need to Caesarean section. Everyone got into place and I pushed for less than ten minutes before we got to meet little Vivian.  There was a bit of a scare that her shoulders might be stuck but I changed positions a little bit and she came out without incident.

My mom had been in the area to sample food offerings at The Society Room, where my brother, Brian and his fiancee', Gina are getting married in November.  Mom stopped at the hospital on her way home and saw Vivian within twenty minutes of being born.  Nick and Jack came to the hospital with Bernie's parents very shortly after that.  We were discharged after the standard two day hospital stay, she has been doing great at nursing although we are a little concerned about fluctuations in weight (she would rather sleep than eat).  Both of her big brothers adore her.  Jack is definitely feeling a little jealous of all the time I spend with her, but he has been nothing but sweet and caring towards her.

I know many of you might be wondering how we ended up with the middle name Caroline after Bernie didn't want to use it due to the Neil Diamond song and the affiliation with the Red Sox.  I think I explained in a previous blog that Caroline is my aunt's name (although she pronounces it like Carolyn), and that the meaning is "happy song."  Bernie's Aunt Millie and Uncle Vernon lived in South Carolina and he spent many happy summer vacations at their home.  So, Caroline for Bernie is reminiscent of South Carolina.  Also, while I was in labor, the South Carolina Game Cocks, the team Uncle Vernon followed, was playing on ESPN in the College World Series.  It is very rare that the Game Cocks are broadcast in Connecticut, so he took that as a sign that Vivian's middle name should in fact be Caroline. 

Brian Regan is a comedian that Bernie, Nick and I enjoy and have seen live.  He does a skit about names and whether the name Caroline is prounounced Carolyn or Caroline.  I think Bernie envisions calling her Vivian Carolyn when she is about seven and her correcting him, "no daddy, its Vivian CaroLINE!"

Here are some pictures from shortly after birth and from the photo shoot we did on May 18th.

  

Catching Up

I am now a month behind on the photography challenge, mostly because I was hoping our little girl would arrive to be the subject of some of these topics.  After weeks of trying to keep her in, now she apparently does not want to come out.   That's fine, we are happy that she will be full-term (maybe more than full-term) when she decides to make her grand entrance.

Photography Challenge #13 is: Let's Go Small.

Jack is tall like his big brother.  Once again he is outgrowing his clothes.  I try to wait until the seasons have really changed to go shopping. That doesn't always work in New England where the seasons do not have a definitive beginning and end.  We stopped in at Kohls on Friday to pick up some new jeans and shirts for him.  We are no longer shopping in the toddler section.  While he is only three, he is so big, we've moved on to little boys, sizes 4-7.  The clothes in that section have lost their "baby" appeal and are designed for little guys at least a year older than my Jack.  Between his new clothes, his height, and his haircut, he looks way more grown up than I'd like.  When you see him every day, he grows in small increments so that you really don't notice; that is until I put some of his clothes next to some that we've purchased for his little sister. 

Here is a pair of Jack's new socks next to some baby booties. It is amazing just how little the booties are; especially when you consider that Jack is still wearing toddler size shoes (though barely since he is an 11 1/2).

Photography Challenge #14 is: New.

I was hoping to put a picture here of Nick getting his permit or maybe even practicing driving.  We went to the DMV yesterday for him to take the test, but the line was so incredibly long that the testing hours would have been over by the time we got to the counter.  Word of advice: don't go to the Wethersfield office on a Saturday.  There are only a few main hubs you can test at now and Wethersfield seemed to be the closest.  We are going to head to one of the other ones on a weekday that Nick has off from school. 

Instead, here is a picture of something new to Jack.  Uncle Brian and Aunt Gina got him a giant sock monkey.  His grandmother had given him the normal sized sock monkey a year or two ago that he usually sleeps with.  He loves the giant one that is almost as big as he is.  Last night, he fell asleep on the couch next to it:

Photography Challenge #15 is: Texture.

Last weekend we visited the Connecticut Science Center.  They are currently hosting a traveling exhibit of life size animatronic dinosaurs, entitled "Dinosaurs Unearthed."  This is an amazing exhibit and I encourage you to go if you have little ones that have any interest in dinosaurs.  They are huge and they roar.  I was a little worried that Jack might be afraid of them.  He wouldn't get too close to the exhibits, but he keeps asking to go back and see the dinosaurs.  Here is a picture of one of the exhibits.  The amount of detail that when into creating the dinosaurs is incredible, and you can see the texture sculpted into this one's head and neck.

Other than the temporary exhibit, the Science Center has various floors of hands-on activities to explore for all different age levels.  One of the rooms has legos where you can build your own cars and then race them down a ramp to see which are the fastest.  Jack enjoyed that part.  Here is a better picture of texture from that part of the Science Center:

Photography Challenge #16 is: Play.

The Science Center also has a room with various water tables designed mainly for preschool play.  This is another area that Jack really enjoyed.  In these particular pictures, Jack and Nick are experimenting with building walls out of legos to control the rate of water flow.  Jack really loves playing with his big brother.

That gets me caught up for now.  Maybe next week we'll have some pictures of a newborn.  Enjoy your Sunday!

Thankful Grateful Blessed

When I first found out I was pregnant, I logged on to the What to Expect When You're Expecting website to chart the baby's growth and development.  Even though its my third, I am still amazed at how much changes in any given week. There are forums for each month of each year that babies are due.  Some of the forums form secret Facebook groups for more privacy and less censorship.  I joined a group for women due in May 2012.  There are about four hundred of us from around the world, all with different backgrounds, different socioeconomic status, different marital status, various ages, but all with the common goal of bringing our little ones into the world as safely as possible.  It has been an interesting journey.  Sadly, some women experienced losses in the beginning of their pregnancies, some a little later.  There have been some babies born extremely prematurely, some doing well, others not so well.  We are getting to the point where although its still early, it seems like there is a baby or two born every day.  One of the women in the group recently posted a picture of a bracelet she ordered:

This is exactly the reminder I needed right now: I am thankful, grateful, blessed.  I understand these are available online, here.  I have not ordered one and cannot vouch for the store, but I wanted to at least give credit to the artist. I am not sure I would wear the bracelet, but I have found a similar design in a locket that I might order.  I think A ring would be ideal, though I have yet to find one.

Gratitude is important because it changes your perspective.  It changes your focus from what you don't have, or what you can't do, to what you do have and what you are able to accomplish within the confines of a given situation.  Without gratitude, happiness is fleeting.

My favorite story about perspective took place in the Spring of 2010.  I was one my way home from one of several trips to New Orleans.  It was very early in the morning, I think the plane took off around 7am.  The way that airport is set up, there is really no where to get coffee that early once you've gone through security.  I was exhausted, grumpy, I hadn't had my morning infusion of caffeine, and I just wanted to get home.  As I was boarding the plane, the guy behind me was talking about how New Orleans does everything big, especially the size of their beers.  I bitterly replied that everytime I leave New Orleans I gain five pounds and go home with a hangover.  He replied that it sounded like a good trip.  He was right, it had been a great trip.  It was productive in that I had resolved several cases, and it was fun.  New Orleans is a city I really enjoy.  I didn't have to change the facts at all to see my situation in a more positive light, I just had to change my perspective.

It is easy to take the everyday things for granted, especially when life gets crazy. Life with me on bedrest has been hard on everyone in different ways.  Bernie has been taking care of everything without being asked and without complaining, but I know he is exhuasted. Nick has been great about helping with Jack.  I think the person it has been the hardest on is Jack.  He knows things are changing, but he really isn't sure how.  Everyday he asks me if we are going to go somewhere fun, and I have to keep telling him that I have to rest for a few more days.  To say that Jack has been a challenge lately is an understatement.  In the blink of an eye he goes from a sweet, caring, charming little boy, to a defiant, uncooperative, immovable force.  Some of it is just being three and trying to find some independence, but I think a lot of it is him trying to process what is happening.

The good news is that we've made it to April and I am still pregnant.  I am 36 weeks now, and babies born at this stage are very often "take home" babies, meaning they can usually leave the hospital when mom does.  One more week, and we'll have made it to "full term," which is of course, the goal. At that point, the restrictions are lifted, I can come off the couch and the nefedipine (medication normally used to control high blood pressure, but also used to lessen the effects of contractions, which gives me terrible headaches).  I am thankful for a lot of things, but I am especially thankful that we've made it this far in the pregnancy.  It was a pretty scary proposition when we thought little Vivian might arrive at 32 or 33 weeks.

I am grateful that I have a job that has allowed me to work from home while being on bedrest.  If I had to start my leave early, it would have affected how much time I can take off once the baby arrives. Additionally, without work, I think I would be going even more stir crazy.  Work keeps me occupied and productive.  The alternative: daytime television, is definitely not a good option.

I am blessed in more ways than I can possibly count, but especially, that I am surrounded by such a wonderful, supportive group of family and friends. I don't know what we would do without all of you.

I am once again a few weeks behind on the photo challenge.  Photo Challenge 11 was: Black and White. Photo Challenge 12 was: Song Title.  I am going to cheat a little here (what else is new?) and use one picture to catch up:

Obviously the picture is black and white.  This was taken at the Colchester Dog Park Easter Egg Hunt. The song title is "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns and Roses, which is applicable, at least most of the time.

I am looking forward to dyeing eggs with Jack as we get ready for Easter.  Enjoy the rest of the week!