Spring Break - Gesellchen Style

Mike and I had very different spring breaks this year.  He spent his in Phoenix and Vegas, while I spent mine in Iowa and Minnesota.  I feel like there’s something wrong with this situation!  Mike has an annual guys trip to Vegas for March Madness.  It was good for him to get away from his daily routine of being at home with E.  It was good for me too, I really enjoyed the time I had with E. It’s rare the two of us get that much time together without Mike.  My mom came to our house at the beginning of the week to watch E while Mike was gone and I worked.  Then we drove to Iowa and spent a few days at the farm so we could see my dad and grandma.  It’s always good to go back “home,” I’ll always be an Iowa country girl at heart.  At the end of the week, Mom, E, and I drove back to Minnesota so I could start another week of work (12 working days left before maternity leave!) and Mike came home on Saturday.  Mike said he had a fun trip but was ready to be home with his family.

Here’s pics from E’s and my spring break:  

We played with the barn cat.

We took naps.

We pet the goats.

We drove tractors.

We ate cupcakes.

We went out for lunch.

Over the Next Month

In less than a month, we will be welcoming Baby 2 to our family. My c-section is scheduled for April 21st at 11:40am.  I have four weeks left of work and am cutting back to 8 hours per night instead of 12.  I'm looking at this as a blessing and going to take full advantage of my extra time at home.  Over the next month, I plan on enjoying my pregnancy as much as I can.  If Mike has his way, this will be our last baby.  If this is our last baby, I want to be fully present and remember what it's like to be pregnant.  I'm going to spend time just lying on the couch feeling my baby kick and flip all over in my tummy.

Over the next month I also want to soak up E as much as I can. I want him to feel loved and secure and show him there is enough love in our family for both kids.  I want to remember E as my little baby before he quickly becomes the big brother.

I'm so excited to meet this baby.  Our family has been anxiously awaiting it's arrival and he or she is already so loved.  However, this last month will also be very special.  I'ts our final days of a family of 3 and I will cherish every moment.

A Year of Blogging

This week marks the one year anniversary of my blog.  I took time to read all of my posts over the past year.  When I started this blog, I wanted to be able to share things with family and friends who I don't see that often.  I also needed a creative outlet of some sort and I enjoy writing so blogging seemed the perfect fit.  After I was done reading, I didn't realize how much it meant to me having my family's lives documented like that for a year.  I've really enjoyed having this blog and I hope one day E and Baby 2 will look back and appreciate reading stories of their early childhood and not be too embarrassed.

Over the next year, I'd like to get more familiar with the tech portion of the blog and spice it up a bit.  But for now I'll just keep writing stories of how each day I'm finding my maternal side and loving every minute of it.  

Feeling Like Spring and Mommy E Time

Today is one of those days that gives me hope that once again it will be summer.  Yes, my yard is still covered with over a foot of snow but I can see some grass peaking out where paths were shoveled.  And the sun is shinning and feels so warm.  I'm feeling confident the Twin Cities is turning the corner into spring.

E and I headed out this morning for some much needed Mommy E alone time.  E is a Daddy's boy through and through.  He'll even go through phases where he'll want nothing to do with me which of course breaks my heart but I get it, he's with Mike 24/7 and he's a toddler.  It doesn't help that with my work schedule I barely see E for 2 days and then it takes him a day or so to adjust that Mom is back home.  So E and I needed some quality 1-on-1 time.  And frankly, Mike's been getting a little too comfortable in his AHD routine so I forced him out of the house to do something on his own.

First stop for E and I, Caribou.  I've been on a Caribou kick lately, I've stopped there the past four days in a row and ordered the same thing, Sparkling Green Tea Lemonade.  If that drink doesn't scream spring, I don't know what does.  I continued my trend for the week and ordered my drink and E had a mini strawberry smoothie.  We spent the morning reading books and chatting about the pictures on the wall.  He was the perfect Caribou date!  

                                             

       

Next stop was Trader Joe's.  I like shopping at TJ's because of their unique selection and during the week it's not crowded at all.  It's perfect to bring E there because I can let him walk freely and throw stuff in the cart without worrying he's going to get in someone's way.  It's small too which makes it easier to keep an eye on him.  Not to mention there's always samples and balloons or stickers for him to enjoy.

I couldn't resist the gorgeous spring flowers as I walked into Trader Joe's.

After groceries, it was home for lunch, a little construction site play and then down for a nap.  Now I'm enjoying the quiet of my house and the crisp fresh spring air coming in the open window.  Mike is continuing his alone time and went for a run.  Tonight it's off to sister Andrea's for dinner, no cooking or dishes for me tonight!