Things we have been doing since - well - since my last post! Not the last previous post. I mean the last post I posted about "what we have been doing". Thinking about it, that might actually be the title of the post. Now I'm curious. Let me check. No, I'm wrong. The title was actually What's Up.
Anyway! Good that I checked, because that made me aware that I need to report about September and October, so far!
A few things pop into my mind, immediately!
Pool season and city summer activities were over by the end of August. Kids were sad! Specially about the pool thing. Nico still asks about it every time we drive by one of the pools:
"Pool empty?", "No water?", "Too cold?" are the usual words he keeps repeating.
At least it got better from his first reaction to the end of pool season: "Poooooool. Pooooool" (read: boy crying and insisting we go to the pool. Rain or shine,
So no more pool! I guess we all got that right by now! Let's talk about something else then!
Back to school! We managed to enroll Rebecca in the closest catholic school, and what a blessing it has been! I just don't worry about a lot of stuff I used to every minute she's at school! First grade is a whole lot more serious, but I think she enjoys the challenge and the extra responsibility! Rebecca at school and Rebecca learning amaze me, every single day! Nico misses her a lot! Me too, actually! There was a time I needed to send Rebecca to school for my own sake/sanity! Not anymore! Now things are actually easier when she's around the home! That cutie-pie!
Bonus point: get to see her at school Mass!
Bonus point 2: Rebecca wearing uniforms! I die!
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| Helping at Mass. Yes, she is petite! And they are all giants! |
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| At grandparents day - but with mom, dad and Nico, instead! She is still our happy girl! |
Contrary of a bonus point: At the school playground there is an area with SAND. Every day her socks are super filthy (but our laundry machine is great) and her shoes!!!!!! Let's just say that I'm pretty sure little by little (or not so little) - all that sand will ended up in my trash bin. She loves sand! She was telling me that she actually doesn't play with her classmates during all 3 recesses! Why? Because they don't play in the sand! And this was our actual conversation one day:
Me: "Well Becca, you see, most girls your age don't like to play in the sand, maybe because it's so dirty!"
Rebecca: "Well, this girl does!" - smiling and point both thumbs at her chest!
Aaaw, ok! Be happy, my girl! I can manage the dirt! I strongly dislike it, but I can manage it!
Oh, and don't you worry, Rebecca has a best buddy who also loves sand during recess, Lea, from kindergarten! And one day we were at a school-bash event plus book fair (we always let her buy one book every year, usually from her pocket money). We were enjoying great (and free) hot dogs, chips, cookies and lemonade and that's when we finally met Lea! Boy, are they alike! What a duo!
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| At the school bash/book fair event! Very cool! No, that's not Lea! That is E, a classmate. |
Right! A few other things!
At the beginning of September we visited an Apple Orchard (apple farm!).Our first time doing so! I knew it was a thing here in Sioux Falls so we had to go! We are a very economical family, I'd like to believe, so we managed to pull out a day of fun with very little spending! In our current conditions I hardly doubt Dan and I would enjoy a day of entertainment if it ends up hurting our wallet too much! It would compromise our fun! So we choose! We didn't have lunch at the Family Apple festival, but I bought a snow cone for Nico (the boy loves sugar) and me, while dad watched over Rebecca so she could enjoy the inflatables (we choose to buy one inflatables wristband, just for her). Then when it was time for apple picking, we purchased the smallest bag. In the end, a lot of little apples fitted into that tiny bag (who knew? We didn't!) and the experience was awesome! E-ve-ry-one loved it!
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| Kids stare at Dan.... Maybe Dan looks different! And my fat face! It comes in free during pregnancy! |
September included a lot of doctor's appointments:
- We took Nico to check his ears once (no infection luckily).
- Rebecca had her 6-yo well-child check up.
- Rebecca had her follow-up appointment with her growth-specialist endocrinologist doctor. Everything is checking up fine, so far! Actually, doctors are really thinking she will be somewhat of a late bloomer like her mama - although probably still on the small side. Her hand x-rays and her growth velocity curve indicate that! And it matches my own history. And all her blood work is fine. Now the doctor said that just one visit per year - instead of two - is necessary).
And
- I had my 28-29w appointment: 2 vaccine shots, 1 RhoGam injection (blood type O- here and both kids A+ blood type - like most people from Japan), a Gestational diabetes test and a blood draw! What an appointment! I always get anxious about this one! My maternal grandpa had diabetes so I always fear for myself!. In the end, it was a relief to know I don't have GD, but..... my blood sugar was actually too low. That doesn't necessarily mean I have hypoglycemia, but the nurse made sure to tell me that I need to remember to eat every couple of hours! Which makes sense because every time I don't do it, I feel very weak and nauseated.... And there are not many snacks I feel like eating... nothing store-ready sounds appetizing. I like plums! They were helpful. But plum season days are mostly gone by now. Sandwiches are cool - I ate sooo many of them, but sometimes I lack the energy of preparing one myself. I know I can't complain. I have food to eat! I'm growing a healthy baby, giving another beautiful soul a chance to live her own life! I mainly write these things here in case I have more babies (and we hope so) and I need to remember what happened in my previous pregnancies! It really surprises me how much I forgot about my other two pregnancies! Sometimes I really feel like a first-time-pregnant woman. But with a "3-times mom" pregnancy brain.
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| At 7 months pregnant! In one of the few clothes that still fit me well! |
Let's just wrap up the whole pregnancy report, shall we? I'm 32 weeks now and my next appointment is this coming Friday, October 28th! Then, I should be seen every other week, I think. Baby Vicky is my strongest kicker, so far! And she is very active! Which doesn't come as a surprise, really! At 29w she was already measuring 1.5w smaller, but that's the usual with my babies. Most days than not I worry about pre-term labor. But I hope it's just me being paranoid. And a nice discovery today showed me that one of my only two pregnancy pants don't fit me anymore. Amazing! And the other one is not very comfortable. Oh well. I wore yoga pants to Sunday Mass yesterday! Don't fret, I covered my butt with a long dress-shirt. Very fancy!
We finally bought everything we needed. We have a newborn crib, a nice pack-and-play that it's not so hard, a brand new car seat, a car seat cover (gotta have it during heavy winter!), a new baby bath tub. We don't have a baby stroller. I figured I won't be venturing myself with baby out during winter till mid spring. And there is still Nico to worry about, because he would still be home with us until mid next year. We got rid of our old double stroller and a new, good one, is out of question for at least a good while. So... we'll see. And we don't have a crib anymore. Eventually after six years, the only crib we got didn't survive Rebecca and Nico's relentless jumping play. I know we need a crib of some sort for later on but we'll see about it too, when the time comes.
Now let's talk about October! We visited a super gorgeous and charming Christmas Tree farm. They were hosting a Fall Festival with free inflatables, tractor rides to their pumpkin patch, free games, free peanuts! We didn't buy our lunches there, but that would have been fine because everything was very affordable and we would love to contribute somehow. But we ended up getting there too early and leaving before lunch. But weather, place and entertainment were top notch! Next year we hope to be back for lunch - and I will also buy a bottle of the local fruit wine! This time I even passed the free samples....
That's what I talked about choices too! We planned we would have one family- somehow local - entertainment like this per month. So we budget for that!
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| Growing Christmas Trees |
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| See? To early for lunch! |
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| I want to buy these flowers for our front yard next year! Gorgeous! |
Dan and I also enjoyed some free babysitting at the gym for a few Saturday nights. Not that we had budget for that but our free babysitting days will be over when baby Vicky gets here because they only take kids 3yo and older, who are already potty trained, so..... all of our couple's entertainment is coming from our savings but it's something we can only take advantage of now! We went to the movies once (watched Finding Dory - I LOVED IT!!!!!!), went to a japanese restaurant (with groupon) another time, went to Chili's (I love their endless salad and soup combo, the best enchilada and loaded potato soup ever) followed by a trip to the neighbor bookstore. One other time we didn't feel like eating out but Rebecca wanted to go the gym and play so we let them stay there. And there was another time we were late for our movie (ben-hur) so we missed it. We ended up going home to eat junk food and watch Once Upon a Time. But we actually felt weird about staying home with no kids.... we missed them, so after just one episode we picked them up!
And of course! Carrie Underwood show!!! Because of the duration time of the show, we had to pay for babysitting this time, but boy!!! What a life experience that was! First, let me just say it was my first show ever! And we were sitting so close to the stage! And she is a power house! What a voice! Dan snatched the tickets through his work and some upper connections and it was a surprise gift for our 10th dating anniversary! I always wanted to see her singing live! And Dan made my dreams come true! At the end, Dan who was not so familiar with many of her songs, left the show even more star-struck than me, haha! He now says she is his new idol! But Dan, my dear, I would appreciate if you'd learn more lyrics other than "All-American Girl" to sing everyday..... every hour.
Just kidding, not really, luv you, babe!! And thanks!!!!!!!
A few last things, we finally visited the local farmers market and it's so cool! I promise that if one day we have more spare money I will only buy my vegetables and fruits, organic and local!
And we also visited a state park nearby and we found out - by accident - about a beautiful and quiet lake recreational area, also nearby!
And we still take the kids every weekend to parks and playgrounds!
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| We hope to go fishing here next year! |
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| And I also hope we'll be able to afford a boat in the not so long future! |
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| You probably can't tell, but on the back there are beautiful brown cows drinking the lake water. |
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| The state park! Seems very promising with lots of trails and bordering the Iowa River, but 32w pregnant mom was an impairment to the rest of the team! We didn't venture too far! |
Finally, one word about Fall: WHAT???
Gosh, it is beautiful! Everyday a new scenario. Thank you God!
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| Aren't we lucky we have TWO maple trees - plus some other two trees in our back yard? I thought you would agree so! |
Now I'm really finishing this post! Really! But one last thing! About the heartwarming part I mentioned on the title!
Is Rebecca again! She is a great, great, big sister! And a big helper to mama. Her heart enlightens us! We don't know how we ended up being in charge of such a precious soul. I'm never one to deny the struggles that exist too, but for today - I will concentrate in her virtue, only!
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| helping Nico - thus helping mommy - at the playground |
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| Reading to Nico! My kids love to read, and Nico loves that Becca reads to him! I am BLESSED! |
Everyday daddy takes her to school and they pray in the car! And Dan tells me she always prays for the "poor people". Dan suggested that when she'll be a bit older we take her to help with food banks, or something. I sure hope we can do something like this!
I pick Rebecca up from school, and there is a Perpetual Adoration Chapel by the church on our way to the parking lot. She always asks me to take her there after school. We pray three Hail-Marys and one Glory.
And when we are praying together, she also prays for all the animals that have died and all the babies that have died!
I can't!
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| Our little garden roses! They are still up and running even after some frosts! |
xoxo
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