Our Night with Jen

Tonight my sister-in-law, Andrea, and I went to a book signing of one of our favorite authors, Jen Lancaster. She's on tour for her new book, The TAO of MARTHA.

This is a must read!  If you haven't read of one of Jen Lancaster's books, you are missing out.  She is hilarious!  Her newest book summarizes the ups and downs of spending a year trying to live life according to Martha Stewart.  Again, hilarious!  I've read all of her books and this is definitely one of my favorites.  It was great to see her in person tonight.  She's exactly what I expected; real, sarcastic and quite entertaining.  I've never been to a book signing and discussion before and it was great to hear her talk about her journey writing this book.

I'm such a fan of Jen Lancaster and I was so excited to meet her tonight.  I want to be her friend, so when it was my turn to get my book signed, I wanted to be prepared with something clever to say, something so she would remember me and want to be my friend too.  When it was my turn, I froze.  All I could muster up was a "Hi" and "I'm excited to be here."  So Jen and I won't be becoming Besties anytime soon.  But at least I got a signed copy of the book and a photo with her.

Attempting a Picnic Lunch

Today we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the park for the afternoon.  I got out my picnic gear including cute plates and napkins and loaded up a cooler.  My vision of the day was Mike, E, and I sitting on a blanket soaking in the sunshine eating a delicious lunch of chicken pasta salad and fruit.  Afterwards, we'd stroll over to the playground and E would run around.  Then maybe we'd head back to our blanket, relax, and take in the scenery.

  

The only part of my vision that was even remotely close was E running around the playground.  In fact, that's all he did.  Ever since he started walking that's all he wants to do.  It's go, go, go, constantly.  There was a time when I couldn't wait for him to start walking and now sometimes I think back fondly to the days when he would just sit in one spot and play with whatever was around him.  Don't get me wrong, I love that E has reached this milestone but it's a lot more work for Mom and Dad.  

I did get E to sit still for a few minutes to eat some watermelon (his new favorite food) but that's about all he ate.  The rest of the time was spent exploring the park and playing on the playground.  He had a smile on his face pretty much the entire afternoon.       

The next picnic I pack won't be as elaborate because now I know E could care less about the food I prepare of the cute plates I serve it on.  As long as he can run around and explore he's happy.  And if E is happy, Momma's happy! 

 

We Did It!

Mike and I survived our first vacation away from E.  We've both been gone before but it's never been together and it's only been for 2 nights max.  But we finally did it, we took a vacation, 5 days and 4 nights together and away from E.  It was good for the two of us to get away and remember what it was like pre-E, but there were moments it was definitely hard.

We had a good excuse for vacation, Mike's childhood friend was getting married in New Hampshire.  There were 2 other couples traveling with us so we decided to add a day in Boston before we drove up to NH for the wedding festivities.

We had no problem reverting back to our carefree and childless ways.  We ate, drank, laughed and stayed up late like there was no tomorrow.  We did lots of reminiscing but also created new memories and made new friends.  Even though some of our friends live close by, we don't see them as much as we used to so it was great to spend time with everyone.

My mom was staying with E and she sent me text updates and I called her everyday.  I knew E was in good hands so I didn't worry about his care.  I just found myself missing him especially in the mornings.  Monday, our last full day of vacation, was especially hard.  By then the wedding was over, I was tired from lack of sleep and maybe had a slight hangover, I was ready to be home and see my little boy.

I do realize the importance of spending time away from my child.  Whether it's with Mike or my friends, I need that time to reconnect with myself and not get so wrapped up in being a mom.  When I got home yesterday, I felt refreshed when it came to my mommy duties.  I feel like I'm being a better Momma to him because I took the time to reconnect with myself and with Mike.  Mike and I actually had conversations that did not include E!  With all this being said, I'm in no hurry to vacation without E anytime soon.  For now I'm happy to be home with my boys and enjoy our summer.

Here's some pics from our vacation.  Once again, I found myself forgetting to take pictures and I've got to work on my photography skills.  Maybe one of these days I'll actually get a camera instead of just using my phone.

Samuel Adams Brewery Tour.  Lots of samples on the tour!

Party Trolley from brewery to Doyle's Bar.
Possibly one of the best parts of the trip.
Who knew a trolley could have a disco ball,
bubble machine, and a pretty sweet
sound system???  

The house we stayed at the first night had a gorgeous view.

Wedding Day!  My friends and I hiking
up to the ceremony site.  Yes, that is a beer
in hand.  

Ceremony Site

The groomsmen (and some random people) waiting for the show to start.

Bride and Groom
(And the Groom's parents heads.
Gotta work on those photography skills!)

The boys!

I found a hot Groomsman...and got an awesome farmer's tan!

Last Monday Funday

This was our last Monday Funday.  We leave for vacation Friday, come back on Tuesday, and then I start my new schedule on June 15th.  So now Mondays will be my Fridays.  Confusing I know but we'll adjust.  Pretty low key weekend at the Gesellchen house.  Here's our weekend in pics.

Saturday morning cartoons.

I think E liked his lunch.

Got some good sandbox time in.

Grilled salmon, grilled bread, tomato salad,
and a new coleslaw recipe.

Color time.

Found a way to look out the window,
and a new safety hazard.

Park time.

Golf with Dad.

Drinkin' and Swingin', life is good!

 

Monday Funday - 1st Birthday!

What a weekend!  It was E's first birthday so the past few days have been whirlwind.  I'm glad I'm taking this time to reflect on his first birthday and really let the experience sink in.  I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact a year ago I was in the hospital with him.  I look at those pictures when he was first born and think "Where did this year go?"   It has been an amazing year and it was a great weekend!

I had Thursday and Friday off last week for a total of five days no work.  Amazing feeling and the time off really helped.  I'm not even dreading going to work tomorrow.  Thursday and Friday were cleaning days, both inside and outside the house.  We not only wanted to be ready for E's party but we had a Realtor check our house out on Friday morning.  We're just in the information gathering, checking out our options phase right now so more on that later.  It's amazing what your house can look like when you take the time to pick up and de-clutter.  My parents also arrived on Friday afternoon so Mike and I got even more stuff done around the house with their help.  Plus the extra pair of hands to help with E makes chores easier.

Saturday was grocery shopping day and decorating for the party.  I got some relaxing in too which was nice since the past two days Mike kept me busy with a long "To Do" list.  I'm usually the one with the list and this change in roles wasn't sitting well with me.

Sunday was the day of the party.  We've been planning this for months and it was finally here.  I planned a dinosaur themed party.  When E was very little he would make these noises that sounded like a little dinosaur. When he would make these noises, Mike and I would say "Dinosaur!" and it just kind of stuck.  Ever since then I assumed he liked dinosaurs and bought anything dinosaur I could.

I was hoping weather would be nice so we could be outside.  It was cold and rainy but we were able to get burgers and brats grilled.  We had traditional picnic style food; veggies and dip, fruit, chips, potato salad and my dad's famous baked beans.  I also tried a new recipe, Brownie Batter Dip, which is delicious with graham crackers.  

It was a really great day and my little E is so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.  I was so grateful for the people that were there to help us celebrate.  It meant a lot to Mike and me.  There were people that lived far away that couldn't make the trip but I know they were thinking of E on his special day as well. E is a very loved little boy and it was such a wonderful day to honor him and be grateful for the joy he has brought into our lives.

Here's some pics from the party:

Centerpieces

E's Birthday Invites

He dug right into the cake!

First taste of cake!

Mom, Dad, and E with his dinosaur cake.

Present time!

More presents.

Golf clubs, he and Daddy are set for the summer.

         

A Year Ago...

This week has been so full of emotions for me.  It's E's Birthday Week!  I can't believe it's been a year.  I wanted to write about what was going on in my life at this time last year.   

A year ago today I was 38 weeks pregnant with E.  I went to my weekly prenatal checkup with everything being normal and left with orders to go on bed rest.  The past few visits my blood pressure was high and this week it was extremely high.  They were concerned about preeclampsia so they thought bed rest was the best option to lower my blood pressure.  I remember not thinking anything of it.  I would be on bed rest the rest of the week and be back at work on Tuesday.  I went back to work to check in with my boss and team and grab my computer so I could stay caught up on work while I was gone.  I made a quick stop at Costco to stock up for the week since we wouldn't be out and about much.  Looking back, I realized I didn't take orders very well.  Bed rest meant go home and rest, not go grocery shopping! 

I felt fine so I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the couch and watching TV enjoying an excuse to do nothing.  The next day I did the same thing still feeling fine.  That night I woke up around 2am with a sharp pain in my right shoulder and upper right abdomen.  It was so painful I couldn't get back to sleep.  I woke up Mike to tell him what was going on and he asked if I wanted to call the hospital.  I said no because I didn't think it was contractions so I tried going back to sleep.  About an hour later I still couldn't sleep and was still having pain.  I got up and Googled my symptoms.  After doing some reading I decided I should call the hospital.  Since I was put on bed rest for preeclampsia they wanted me to come in right away.  So I woke up Mike again and we headed to the hospital.  Thankfully the hospital is in our same town so it was a quick 10 minute drive.

When we finished checking in and got settled in a triage room, it was about 4am.  They took my blood pressure and it was still very high.  They drew blood and put me on a magnesium sulfate drip which made me feel intoxicated, blurry vision and foggy brain...awful!  Mike and I just sat there in silence, neither one of us knew what to think.  I was feeling a little worried but glad we had made the decision to come to the hospital.  If anything was wrong, we were in the right place.

Finally around 7am it was determined that I did have preeclampsia and my blood pressure showed no signs of going down.  The Dr. came in and asked “How do you feel about having a baby today?”  Mike and I looked at each other and the reaction on both of our faces was the same, this is really happening.  The Dr. went on to explain the only way to “cure” preeclampsia was to get the baby out.  Since I was 38 weeks along, the baby was developed enough that the probability of complications for him or her were minimal.  I remember asking if we could call our parents because if this was it, I wanted them there.  Mike went out to the hall and called my mom and then his mom and explained what was going on and that they should probably come.

When Mike came back into the room the nurse told us she would get us into a delivery room and they would start me on an IV to induce labor.  While they were getting our room ready, Mike went home to let Josie out, poor puppy had been in her kennel for a long time by this point.  Of course I didn't have a bag packed so I tried to rattle off things to Mike that I would need and where he could find them. 

Around 10am I was settled in our new room and I was thinking great, just in time to watch Hoda and Kathy Lee!  Since I was still on bed rest, I wasn't allowed to get up and walk except to go to the bathroom.  I was also on a liquid diet so I couldn't eat anything and I was starving!  I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before.  My parents arrived around noon and Mike’s shortly after.  We got everyone up to speed and then they left to go wait in the waiting room while Mike and I tried to get some rest.  It was a long afternoon.  I finally had some broth and jello for dinner and then tried to sleep more.  I woke up every 2 hours or so that night to go to the bathroom.  Poor Mike had to get up with me every time to help since I was hooked up to an IV. 

The next morning, Saturday, there was minimal progression but enough where they broke my water.  I was then able to shower which felt so good.  Then there was more waiting.  Thankfully our family was there so Mike could take some breaks and get some food.  I was starting to feel pretty weak, probably from all the drugs and lack of food…I was living off cherry popsicles and water.  Between 6 and 7pm, I started to feel some mild contractions.  I got excited, finally something was happening!  Unfortunately, I had also developed HELLP syndrome and my platelets were dropping.  The Dr. started to talk C-Section.  Nothing in my birth plan had gone the way I wanted it to and a C-Section was definitely not in my plan.  But at this point it had been 36 hours and I was ready to be done.  Mike agreed so we got ready for the C-Section.  It was finally time, we were going to meet our baby.    

A Letter to My Husband

Dear Mike,

Happy 3rd Wedding Anniversary!  I'm so thankful you are my husband and I couldn't ask for a better Father for our son.  I know there are days when we get on each other's nerves.  Like when you don't clean the sink out after you wash dishes.  Or when I leave my pop can by the sink instead of putting it in the recycling.  There are times when I nag you about all the things that need to get done, and then you get overwhelmed, and then we get crabby with each other.  Those moments aren't fun, but it's real, and it's us, and it's our life.

But our life is also those moments when we kiss and E giggles at us.  Or the times we spend eating dinner together every night talking about our day.  The moments when I'm stressed and you calm me down, moments spent laughing at the stupidest things, and moments when it's just you and me and we don't need to talk, we can just be.  This is what makes our life together great.  Because it's these moments and so many more that make all the things that are hard in life worth it.

Thank you for being my love, my friend and my family.  I love you.

Love,
Jessica