Pee ooo!

Theo's newest phrase is SO funny. Susan taught him to say "pee you" when she changes his diaper, only he says it "pee ooo." This was funny enough, but now after he poops he comes up to us and says "pee ooo!" (He also says it when he sees me cleaning something up off the floor.) Nice for the heads up when he needs to be changed. I'm not taking it as a true potty training sign because I think he's WAY too young. While many parents have some luck catching a few potty attempts at this age, my years of taking care of kids tell me this is largely coincidental. I have no interest in trying anything with Theo for another year or so, unless he comes to me and says, "take me to Target for some underoos and a potty seat, these diapers are outta here!" Hey, it could happen.

Summer catch up.

We've taken two out of town trips, we've swam in pools, we've melted in the heat and Theo and Lucy have grown. On the first day of summer, we're all ready for fall.

Charleston

Over Memorial Day weekend, we all traveled to Charleston for the wedding of an old family friend. Susan and I have always wanted to see Charleston and well, now we have. And, it's scratched off our list of "maybe we'd like to live there someday" places. Don't get me wrong, it's really beautiful. It's also really hot, really muggy and really full of mosquitos. There isn't enough bug spray or hair product in the world to live there! Nonetheless, we had a great time visiting with old friends and seeing a new place. The highlight of the trip was seeing Theo have a great time playing in the fountains by the waterfront park. The low point was visiting the Charleston urgent care to fix Susan's sclera, which she scratched "the dickens out of", according to the doc. Theo did a great job on the long ride, thanks to Gramma sitting in the back and acting as the entertainment staff.

Florida

Last weekend, Theo and I flew down to Florida to visit with family. Yes, flew. Yes, without Susan. I was nervous, Susan was a total wreck and Theo, well, he pretty much goes with the flow. It went absolutely as well as it could have. Better, actually. He was a totally perfect, angel on all 4 flights. Only on the very last one did they have an extra seat for him, so the rest of the time he had to sit on my lap. He looked out the window, played quietly with his toys, had a snack and even napped a bit. I was very proud. He did equally well on the trip. He ate, he napped, he played. He charmed old ladies at the pool and had a fun time swimming. He wasn't very into the ocean, which was fine with me since that's pretty hard to do alone. The pool was just down the sidewalk and very easy for me to manage. He met his Aunt Lainie and Uncle Tony and his cousins, Summer and Shannon. Everyone was complimentary of him, but hearing people repeatedly say how happy he is really warmed my heart. That's all we want for him and I am so glad others can see it.

Growing kids!

Theo's language development has really taken off. He will repeat just about anything we ask him to and is starting to use a lot of words. Some he says really clearly and others only we understand. For example, our dogs are no longer known by their names Dublin and Keegan and are hereby now known as Donna and Tuna. He is still obsessed with water and loves to go to the pool, which also has a spray park. He went to a birthday party the other day which was held at a gym. He had an absolute ball bouncing around on all the equipment, so we are thinking of signing him up for a toddler class for the rest of the summer. He's still a good eater and is growing well. He stays in the really low % for weight, but the pediatrician is pleased with him, so we aren't worried. We are just enjoying him so much and trying to spend as much time with him as we can before his little sister arrives.

Lucy is growing well and has becoming quite the mover. She hangs out super low and likes to use my bladder as a trampoline. Fun times. The pregnancy remains really hard and I will definitely be glad when she makes her appearance. I saw a chiropractor yesterday to help with severe back pain and sciatica. It didn't work. We are trying to get her nursery figured out and find the energy in the 100 degree heat to paint two rooms and move three rooms of furniture. Any takers??

It's been so hot here, it just makes everything and everyone move in slow motion. We try to get out with Theo every day, but we can't really do outdoor activities, so that limits our options. We do a lot of reading and playing inside to beat the heat. I feel bad for him since he loves being outside so much. Seems like the dog days of summer came really early this year. Hope you are all staying cool!

I heart Etsy.

Do you know about Etsy? You should. It's one of my favorite websites ever. You can find absolutely anything on there and all of the sellers have been a dream to work with. These are from two different sellers, but I just can't wait to see Lucy in them!

In an unrelated to Etsy note ... tomorrow is Theo's first plane ride! He and I are off to Florida to visit with family and splash in the beach and pool (wa-wa, as Theo would say). I'm crossing everything I can that the flights go well and we make it in one piece. We have been traveling a LOT lately, so I think this is our last trip for a good while.

As you can see, Theo is ready!

On shopping for a girl.

When I found out I was having a boy two years ago, I thought "but there are no cute clothes for boys!" How wrong I was. I LOVE dressing our little guy and have no trouble at all finding handsome stuff for him to wear. I'm a sucker for plaid shorts and polos and basically anything that you can't tell where it came from by looking at it. You know, some clothes just scream Carter's and Gymboree. Not that he doesn't have some of those brands, but I do try to steer away from stuff with animals wearing clothes and performing impossible tasks for their species, such as skateboarding or driving a tractor. Just not my speed.

Anywho, I have started a little shopping for Lucy. I was pleased to find that Carter's does a much better job with girl clothes and even managed to find some very pretty, classic, non-pink options. Don't be misled, I love pink, but I assume she will collect a lot of that along the way, so I thought I'd put myself in charge of filling in with non-pink stuff. I haven't paid a ton of attention to what's in stores for little girls since I haven't had one to buy for, but I can say, I was sort of appauled at some of the choices. Words written on the butt of shorts such as "diva" or "cutie", bathing suits with little triangles for tops (for infants!!) and shorts that are so absurdly short, I had to buy two sizes up just to get a reasonable length. It's been a little frustrating because all too soon we'll be fighting with teenagers about clothes and I'd like to keep my kids little as long as possible. Also, I found myself thinking about the implications of the differences in clothes for boys and girls and the social implications of raising girls. But, that's a post for another day.

With a little help from my shopping buddy, we did manage to get Lucy all squared away for next summer (only summer clothes in the store right now) and I have picked up a very sweet white infant gown with her monogram. I LOVE monograms! So, the search continues for 0-6 month size stuff for fall and winter -- at least there won't be triangle tops!

Halfway home!

20 weeks today. 20 down, 20 to go. Isn't 20 the wall? Oh wait, that's a marathon. My belly is huge. Way huger (that's a word, right?) than with Theo. I may not be so lucky as to escape stretch marks like last time!

The one and only belly shot I have taken:

Meatless Monday.

I've noticed a few of my friends are looking for some non-meat options for the summer. This is my absolute FAVORITE summer dish. It's a recipe from my grandmother and what I always wanted for my birthday dinner (which is in October, not the easiest time to get yellow squash!).

Enjoy!

Squash Casserole

4 medium sized yellow squash, thickly sliced

1 medium onion, cut in half, then sliced (I use 1/2-3/4 of an onion, your choice)

2 carrots, shredded

1 can Cream of Celery soup

1 cup of sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

7 oz. bag of Pepperidge Farms Cornbread Stuffing

1/2 stick of butter

1. Put sliced onion and squash in a pot, covered with water and bring to boil. After boiling, cover the pot and boil for 4 minutes.

2. Drain squash and onions and put in a mixing bowl with the carrots, Cream of Celery, sour cream and salt and pepper. Mix it up.

3. Melt butter. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the butter with the cornbread stuffing mix. It is just meant to lightly coat it.

4. Press 1/2 of the stuffing mixture into a dutch oven (or whatever you can bake in). Pour the filling over top. Press remaining stuffing mix on top.

5. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for an hour.

Freezes well!