We are half way through our first week back to school/daycare and I can tell getting up earlier and no afternoon naps are catching up - with ME! Gerrit is adjusting to the earlier mornings and we are trying to figure out how to handle a somewhat cranky toddler while getting ready for work! It's an adjustment for all of us.
A side note on potty training: Gerrit seems to be going at daycare! Julie will put him on the potty and he goes! He still isn't to the point of telling her when he has to go, but at least he's staying familiar with the concept and hopefully it will click sooner than later. The nice thing is she doesn't go through as many diapers now either! Guess we should continue reinforcing the idea at home now too! My hope is to only have 1 kid in diapers...we shall see!
When I figure out how to scan photos, I will post a few pictures of the ultrasound...its chaos at school so its low on my to-do list - I will do it, just might not be till next week some time.
We are trying to get Gerrit familiar with the idea of a baby brother, rather than just 'baby'. He knows where the baby is and every time we talk about his baby brother, he says "baby Jack" - why Jack? He met baby Jack this summer at Sandy Pines - my good friend Amy had a baby in April and his name is Jack so Gerrit thinks all babies are 'baby Jack'.
No, we will not be naming this next one Jack - its a one syllable name and we need 2. We are in the process of generating a list of potential names and can tell it will be an on-going discussion the next few months. With naming Gerrit, we had it chosen well before we even decided to have kids! So now it's hard to come up with a name that we feel as strongly about as we did with Gerrit! It'll come (hopefully).
Gerrit continues to amaze us with his love for cycling. He will cry when he sees Adam leave for a ride and he does not get to go with. The way he says 'cyclocross' is so cute too; he tries to mimic the concept of cyclocross by lifting his bike up the front step and ride through the grass. As Adam was putting him to bed tonight, Gerrit was whispering: "bike ride, baby brother" - good thing the Burley is a 2 seater as Gerrit will have to share the ride next year!
And I'm too lazy to get the camera and download some pictures that were taken this week too. Sorry, again it'll happen soon. It always seems like the camera and I are not near each other when I update the blog. I got to work on that one.
I felt the urge to pull out all the newborn clothing etc we had from Gerrit, cousin Max, and our friends Soren/Anders...I lost count of the number of newborn sleepers we have ready to go! I quit after getting through the 3-6 months size and have more bins to go through these next few weeks. Just want to take inventory of what we have and what we need to stock up on before Jan. Even though Gerrit and the baby will be off a bit on sizing, cousin Max was born in Dec, so some of his clothes that Gerrit didn't wear will be used this time around. (I'm still bummed I don't get to inherit cousin Ella/Mia's clothes.) Anyways, getting excited and its starting to seem real that we will be having a little one around here sooner than later!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Final Day
Besides next weekend, summer vacation is over. I really enjoyed my summer and could use a few more weeks. Some years I'm ready to go back, but not this year. Going to the pool after nap time, hanging out with the boys and 'sleeping in' has been great! I'm not looking forward to getting up to an alarm tomorrow; I must admit, it has been over a year since I really had to get up to a clock. But, we will survive; Gerrit's bed time has been moved up and I think he will like a routine again. I will miss him during the day but look forward to the evenings and treasure the time I can watch him ride his bike and play golf (and tackle Adam in football) as those are the favorite activities when we go outside. I'm getting emotional now...stupid hormones!
Anyways, we had a fabulous day. Church, Bridget's, naps, and then off to the farm again. This time, the Dahlen family was there too so we got a ton done! Adam took his bike and snuck in a bike ride on roads he normally doesn't travel. Gerrit had his bike and couldn't get enough of it. The only time he was off it was when he fell into a hole (he has a few scrapes to prove this happened more than once) and to eat guac and chips that was made fresh! Luke was put in charge of Gerrit and I was able to help pick tomatoes for nearly 4 hours! It was so relaxing to be out in the cool temps, with the sun shining and the only things to listen to is our conversation and nature. Gerrit saw the horses again and had a blast! He pushed his bike up the hill where the house stood and then 'coasted' down, usually singing or watching Luker on the little purple girls' bike. It was fun to take a break and watch them. Before we left we took a walk to the river and put our feet in it - cold! Gerrit even dipped his feet in and said it was cold.
We were able to walk away with some more veggies too. I'm going to try and make zucchini bread for the first time and try to fix the beets for Adam on the grill. (No, I did not eat any last time as the smell reminded me of childhood and I couldn't stomach the thought of eating one - now that I'm an adult and have the choice to eat it or not).
Once we were home, I quickly showered and cleaned up Gerrit. I headed to the movies with the girls - saw 'The Proposal' (cute and worth seeing). Adam put Gerrit down and did some work.
We are going to try and head out to the farm next weekend too as there are a ton of tomatoes that will need to be picked again! Michael, Deb's hubby thought we picked over 200 lbs of tomatoes today - give Anne and I a job and we do it well! Although after the farm, we will head to Lake City for the last pool party of the season too.
Tomorrow afternoon we will find out the fate of our family...if it will be symmetrical or I will forever be outnumbered...
Anyways, we had a fabulous day. Church, Bridget's, naps, and then off to the farm again. This time, the Dahlen family was there too so we got a ton done! Adam took his bike and snuck in a bike ride on roads he normally doesn't travel. Gerrit had his bike and couldn't get enough of it. The only time he was off it was when he fell into a hole (he has a few scrapes to prove this happened more than once) and to eat guac and chips that was made fresh! Luke was put in charge of Gerrit and I was able to help pick tomatoes for nearly 4 hours! It was so relaxing to be out in the cool temps, with the sun shining and the only things to listen to is our conversation and nature. Gerrit saw the horses again and had a blast! He pushed his bike up the hill where the house stood and then 'coasted' down, usually singing or watching Luker on the little purple girls' bike. It was fun to take a break and watch them. Before we left we took a walk to the river and put our feet in it - cold! Gerrit even dipped his feet in and said it was cold.
We were able to walk away with some more veggies too. I'm going to try and make zucchini bread for the first time and try to fix the beets for Adam on the grill. (No, I did not eat any last time as the smell reminded me of childhood and I couldn't stomach the thought of eating one - now that I'm an adult and have the choice to eat it or not).
Once we were home, I quickly showered and cleaned up Gerrit. I headed to the movies with the girls - saw 'The Proposal' (cute and worth seeing). Adam put Gerrit down and did some work.
We are going to try and head out to the farm next weekend too as there are a ton of tomatoes that will need to be picked again! Michael, Deb's hubby thought we picked over 200 lbs of tomatoes today - give Anne and I a job and we do it well! Although after the farm, we will head to Lake City for the last pool party of the season too.
Tomorrow afternoon we will find out the fate of our family...if it will be symmetrical or I will forever be outnumbered...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Dinner
Tonight's conversation at dinner:
Dad: Gerrit, would you like more ham?
Gerrit: Pam? Dave?
This is Pam and Dave! We couldn't help but laugh, no matter how much we emphasized the 'h', he didn't get it!Monday, August 24, 2009
The Farm
I posted pictures of the farm visit from today in the post below this one but I'll tell about the trip here...
Deb from the bike shop has a farm not far from Z-town and has a lot of veggies that need harvesting...so I thought I'd take the boys out to the farm and help her out. Well, Paul didn't feel well so he stayed home so it was Luker, Gerrit and I. Gerrit was excited about the farm all day. I told him that after nap time we were going to the farm to see the horses...that made nap time come a bit quicker than usual! :) Anyways, we saw 4 of the 5 horses (one was on the other side of the stream) and Gerrit did not want to get too close to them but liked seeing them. Then we got to work - we helped with beans and I learned how to pick potatoes. Gerrit helped bring the weeds to the brush pile with Luke in the wagon and then they rode bikes. It was great, they could ride all over the place and not get into trouble! Amber, the dog loved chasing them too. We stayed longer than I thought and had a blast. It came time to wash the veggies and Luke was in charge of the hose...lets just say Gerrit got a 'little' wet. He liked putting his hand in the stream and watching the splash it would make. Soon he was running right thru the stream and was soaked! We tried to wash the potatoes between Gerrit running in our way and managed to get most of the dirt off the potatoes and other veggies. Gerrit would laugh and lose his footing and fall over - onto the freshly mowed (long) grass! So not only was he wet, he was full of grass by the time we were done. I let him have his fun and when it was time to leave, stripped him naked, tried to hose him off again (for some reason he didn't want to be sprayed by the cold hose water any more!), and put him in the car in just a diaper. This was beneficial because he ate crackers and finished off my 7-up which was spilled down the front of him! Anyways, before we left, we took one more trip out to see the horses. By now, only 2 were left on this side of the stream but that was just fine. Gerrit actually touched one of them and was starting to warm up to them. Luke was kind enough to pick him up, sopping wet, to get close to the horses. I was fine, taking pictures from a distance! We hope to head back to the farm and help out some more before the harvest season is over. I truely enjoyed myself and felt so relaxed! I love that Deb did the planting and the tough part and I could help reap the benefits of a long summer of gardening for her.
Deb from the bike shop has a farm not far from Z-town and has a lot of veggies that need harvesting...so I thought I'd take the boys out to the farm and help her out. Well, Paul didn't feel well so he stayed home so it was Luker, Gerrit and I. Gerrit was excited about the farm all day. I told him that after nap time we were going to the farm to see the horses...that made nap time come a bit quicker than usual! :) Anyways, we saw 4 of the 5 horses (one was on the other side of the stream) and Gerrit did not want to get too close to them but liked seeing them. Then we got to work - we helped with beans and I learned how to pick potatoes. Gerrit helped bring the weeds to the brush pile with Luke in the wagon and then they rode bikes. It was great, they could ride all over the place and not get into trouble! Amber, the dog loved chasing them too. We stayed longer than I thought and had a blast. It came time to wash the veggies and Luke was in charge of the hose...lets just say Gerrit got a 'little' wet. He liked putting his hand in the stream and watching the splash it would make. Soon he was running right thru the stream and was soaked! We tried to wash the potatoes between Gerrit running in our way and managed to get most of the dirt off the potatoes and other veggies. Gerrit would laugh and lose his footing and fall over - onto the freshly mowed (long) grass! So not only was he wet, he was full of grass by the time we were done. I let him have his fun and when it was time to leave, stripped him naked, tried to hose him off again (for some reason he didn't want to be sprayed by the cold hose water any more!), and put him in the car in just a diaper. This was beneficial because he ate crackers and finished off my 7-up which was spilled down the front of him! Anyways, before we left, we took one more trip out to see the horses. By now, only 2 were left on this side of the stream but that was just fine. Gerrit actually touched one of them and was starting to warm up to them. Luke was kind enough to pick him up, sopping wet, to get close to the horses. I was fine, taking pictures from a distance! We hope to head back to the farm and help out some more before the harvest season is over. I truely enjoyed myself and felt so relaxed! I love that Deb did the planting and the tough part and I could help reap the benefits of a long summer of gardening for her.
This and That
I have written a bit these last few days but havn't posted pictures so here goes:
Top left (and moving clockwise):
Top left (and moving clockwise):
- my great Sunday afternoon idea - Adam ride to Red Wing and meet us at a cool park with a great play gound...only Gerrit didn't want to play on the play ground!
- 'washing' off the potatoes at the farm
- reading the phone book is a new past time
- Gerrit had a bit too much fun with the hose washing the veggies. He went home in just a diaper after getting soaked and rolling around on the fresh mowed grass!
- riding bikes with the neighbor's granddaughters
- spending a lot of time lining up the cars on the window sill
- visiting the horses and actually petting one of them after not wanting to get too close!
- biking around the farm
- the fruits of my labor: beets (for Adam), carrots, onions, unique tomatoes, 4 kinds of potatoes - even purple ones!
- potty training getting goofy!
- riding bikes to see the horses
Friday, August 21, 2009
On Hold
So I decided today that the potty training is going to be put on hold (I think Adam is relieved). We are more trained to when Gerrit has to go than he is, so its not worth forcing. Plus the thought of dealing with diapers during Adam's race schedule this fall is more appealing to me than finding a bathroom! (Sometimes they are hard to find at parks etc where they have the bike races.) I think next time will be easier as he has the idea of what to do just needs to know how to listen to his body more. I said I'd give it a try before school starts and we did, so now we can go places and not worry about the time or if there will be an accident!
We are off to celebrate our anniversary and Adam's birthday tonight at Axel's (in Lilydale) - a fav. of ours. Gerrit will be in heaven playing at Dahlen's and won't miss us. Tomorrow on Adam's birthday, we had to Dahlen's for dinner with our cycling friends - the friends from France are in town for a bit.
Cool temps and rain makes me think falls on its way...I am not quite sick of the pool yet, summer needs to stick around a little longer - I know Gerrit would like that too, the little fish that he is in the water!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Day 3
We are still working on the potty training and havn't given up. He did fairly well at daycare, more in the potty than out! Now that we know his 'clock' we can plan to sit on the potty accordingly. Thanks to great books by Richard Scary, Gerrit enjoys looking for Goldbug and Lowly Work and doesn't realize how long he'll be sitting on the potty (thanks Aunt Cara for the books!). He still isn't telling us when he has to go, but seeing we are moving in the right direction, I'm hoping we can turn that corner in the near future. He will tell us when and where he just went potty which is thoughtful.
He's become a big fan of getting out of bed lately. Monday he decided to take his nap on the landing instead of his bed. I would think a soft bed and pillow would trump the carpet on the stairs, but I guess not. Tonight he has gotten up a few too many time for our liking that Adam put the baby gate up and gated him in his room. Before the gate was up he would make it to the landing and sit, when Adam would notice him, he'd close his eyes! Too funny. We shall see if he now prefers the hardwood floor of his room to his comfy bed! It's always something and never a dull moment around here.
He's become a big fan of getting out of bed lately. Monday he decided to take his nap on the landing instead of his bed. I would think a soft bed and pillow would trump the carpet on the stairs, but I guess not. Tonight he has gotten up a few too many time for our liking that Adam put the baby gate up and gated him in his room. Before the gate was up he would make it to the landing and sit, when Adam would notice him, he'd close his eyes! Too funny. We shall see if he now prefers the hardwood floor of his room to his comfy bed! It's always something and never a dull moment around here.
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