Ever been on a flight with one of those kids that just won't stop screaming? I'm pretty sure we all have.
Remember my post about me not being a kid person? While I was never drawn to kids in particular, those that cried were worse. And those that cried on a plane while I was trying to sleep or listen to music? The worst.
However...I am now a mother. A mother who flies on an airplane. With kids.
Any mean glance I might have thrown in the crying kid's direction, any disgruntled sigh I might have let out...I take it all back. I apologize for my annoyed attitude.
Adele has been on many flights in her young life. Living out of the country, taking visa renewal trips to other countries, visiting our home country, and having family who live in Washington and Iowa have all contributed to her experience on an airplane. Henry has now been on two flights. So far, my kids have been awesome.
However, I have been that-mother-with-the-crying-kid once. I purposely kept nursing Adele through our visit back to Costa Rica when she was 16 months old. With a number of flights, a couple of them a little longer, nursing was an easy way to make sure her ears did ok and that she was comforted. A few weeks after our trip to Costa Rica, I quit nursing. And a few weeks after that, I took an unplanned trip to visit my family.
If you recall, Adele gave up her pacifier at 6 months old. Without the comforts of nursing or a pacifier, flights were a bit of a challenge at this point in her life. She did well for 3 out of those 4 flights. The last flight she had fallen asleep (whew) but then woke up during the descent. I couldn't do anything for my sleepy little girl - not even get up and rock her. I tried giving her juice, rocking her as best as I could from my seat...but she still cried for about 10 minutes.
Those 10 minutes felt more like 45 minutes.
Some people tried to help, and some gave sympathetic looks. And some glared.
Flying on a plane with kids is stressful. Probably most mothers would avoid flying with their young kids if they had other travel options. But sometimes it's unavoidable.
On one of our flights back to the US from Costa Rica when Adele was really little, she did great but there was another baby crying loudly for a long time. We all breathed a sigh of relief to get off the plane. But I felt badly for the mother. She received many annoyed looks, both on and off the plane as we waited for our luggage. One young girl even said to her friends "If I ever have kids, I am never flying until they are old enough not to act like that!"
I wonder if she held true to that statement.
On many of our flights around the US when Adele was younger, she received lots of comments when we first got on the plane. Comments like "You're cute; I hope you behave yourself!" or "Hi there, are you about ready for a nap?" And I received comments like "So is she going to be a good little girl?" or "Are you going to be able to keep her quiet?" Adele always smiled at them, and I simply said "I hope so!"
We have two flights left in a few weeks until we get back to Oklahoma. I will do my absolute best to keep my kids happy and quiet. Nobody likes a crying kid on an airplane - especially the mother, as I've learned.
Here's hoping to a happy toddler and a sleeping baby!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Oklahoma
So....Oklahoma.
Let's rewind a little bit. After a long search last year for a house we could rent, we came across a house in a great location, with good space. Though the rent was a little too high for us, the landlady was nice and agreed to give us a little break on the rent in order to make it just barely affordable.
While we knew we made the right decision at the time, over the course of the year we had some surprising encounters with our landlady that made us question renting her house. But switching rental houses just because the landlady isn't the best? Wasn't going to happen.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Our landlady sent me a text out of the blue saying she was going to raise rent significantly for the next year, and if we couldn't pay, we needed to move out by July 31st. Yes, she knew David was out of the country. Yes, she knew I was out of the state, with our 2 young kids. Yes, she knew our financial situation hadn't changed. No, she wasn't willing to let us stay even just until the end of August to move out. I asked.
The next week was crazy, as I tried to figure out our options. David and I were able to skype almost every night and brainstorm our next steps, and I still can't believe how things came together.
A number of years ago, David and I (with some help) were able to purchase a house in Spokane to use as a rental. David's dad, who is a real estate agent, got to work right away so we could figure out how fast we could possibly sell that house. He also contacted a friend in Oklahoma so she could start gathering a list of houses that would potentially meet our criteria, IF we were to sell our Spokane house and have money to buy something in Norman.
As crazy as it was, our house in Spokane sold. And it looked like there were a really good number of possible houses we could afford in Norman.
So...were we going to move? By the end of July??
There was still the small factor of our current house in Norman. How would we get it packed up and moved by the end of the month?
Pretty soon after this ordeal started, a friend in Norman told me that she, along with others from our church, would do whatever was necessary from that end to make it possible or us to move. Including pack our house. That's right. Pack our house. Who does that for people? Only the best of the best, I'll tell you that.
So now it looked like things were completely falling into place. So were we really going to do it? Move??
Yep.
Fast forward to last week, my week in Oklahoma. My parents graciously went with my kids and me, and once we reached Norman, we hit the ground running and never stopped.
Our house was a mess (in a good way) with boxes everywhere. We knew we had a lot to do still with the house - finishing packing, getting movers in place, renting a storage unit, and getting the house in a presentable order.
But first things first.
The day after we arrived, my dad and Henry and I went out with the real estate lady and in one day looked at 12 houses. And then re-visited the top 3. Yep, we viewed 15 houses in one day. Once we narrowed it down to the top 2, we rested for the evening.
The next day we all went and looked at the top two and I came to a decision on which house I wanted to buy. I did talk to David on the phone, but his response was pretty much just what I would expect from my wonderful (but not helpful in this case) husband. You know, the standard "sounds like you have two great options and can't go wrong. I trust you. You'll make a great decision."
So I made the decision. Then came the offer, signing papers, the counteroffer, the next counteroffer, signing more papers, and meeting with the lender.
Once we got the new house under contract, my parents set out like mad, packing everything else left in the house, organizing, and cleaning. They were there for 4 whole days, and I still can't believe everything we were able to accomplish. We were up in the morning, worked all day long, taking turns watching the kids, and ended each day crawling into bed at night - minds still racing about what we needed to work on the next day.
I left Oklahoma on Tuesday, exhausted. My parents left on Monday, equally exhausted.
I've had comments already saying how people can't believe I did all this on my own. The point is, I didn't. I couldn't. I had TONS of help. From David, who was stressed and trying to do as much as he could from Nicaragua. From David's parents. From our friends in Oklahoma. From our real estate agent in Oklahoma. From my parents.
It's a humbling thing to receive help. It's a lot easier to give, I think. I never truly had to beg for help - people came out of nowhere offering services. But I also couldn't ever turn away any help. When someone says "I'll do this for you", it's hard to know your only response is simply saying thank you, rather than being able to say "I appreciate your offer, but I can take care of it."
I was so overcome with gratitude and appreciation of the love that I felt from my family and friends over the last month that I shed a number of tears. We'll never be able to repay these people for the help they gave us.
I only hope that in the future, I will be the type of person that will pack someone else's house for them.
Let's rewind a little bit. After a long search last year for a house we could rent, we came across a house in a great location, with good space. Though the rent was a little too high for us, the landlady was nice and agreed to give us a little break on the rent in order to make it just barely affordable.
While we knew we made the right decision at the time, over the course of the year we had some surprising encounters with our landlady that made us question renting her house. But switching rental houses just because the landlady isn't the best? Wasn't going to happen.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Our landlady sent me a text out of the blue saying she was going to raise rent significantly for the next year, and if we couldn't pay, we needed to move out by July 31st. Yes, she knew David was out of the country. Yes, she knew I was out of the state, with our 2 young kids. Yes, she knew our financial situation hadn't changed. No, she wasn't willing to let us stay even just until the end of August to move out. I asked.
The next week was crazy, as I tried to figure out our options. David and I were able to skype almost every night and brainstorm our next steps, and I still can't believe how things came together.
A number of years ago, David and I (with some help) were able to purchase a house in Spokane to use as a rental. David's dad, who is a real estate agent, got to work right away so we could figure out how fast we could possibly sell that house. He also contacted a friend in Oklahoma so she could start gathering a list of houses that would potentially meet our criteria, IF we were to sell our Spokane house and have money to buy something in Norman.
As crazy as it was, our house in Spokane sold. And it looked like there were a really good number of possible houses we could afford in Norman.
So...were we going to move? By the end of July??
There was still the small factor of our current house in Norman. How would we get it packed up and moved by the end of the month?
Pretty soon after this ordeal started, a friend in Norman told me that she, along with others from our church, would do whatever was necessary from that end to make it possible or us to move. Including pack our house. That's right. Pack our house. Who does that for people? Only the best of the best, I'll tell you that.
So now it looked like things were completely falling into place. So were we really going to do it? Move??
Yep.
Fast forward to last week, my week in Oklahoma. My parents graciously went with my kids and me, and once we reached Norman, we hit the ground running and never stopped.
Our house was a mess (in a good way) with boxes everywhere. We knew we had a lot to do still with the house - finishing packing, getting movers in place, renting a storage unit, and getting the house in a presentable order.
But first things first.
The day after we arrived, my dad and Henry and I went out with the real estate lady and in one day looked at 12 houses. And then re-visited the top 3. Yep, we viewed 15 houses in one day. Once we narrowed it down to the top 2, we rested for the evening.
The next day we all went and looked at the top two and I came to a decision on which house I wanted to buy. I did talk to David on the phone, but his response was pretty much just what I would expect from my wonderful (but not helpful in this case) husband. You know, the standard "sounds like you have two great options and can't go wrong. I trust you. You'll make a great decision."
So I made the decision. Then came the offer, signing papers, the counteroffer, the next counteroffer, signing more papers, and meeting with the lender.
Once we got the new house under contract, my parents set out like mad, packing everything else left in the house, organizing, and cleaning. They were there for 4 whole days, and I still can't believe everything we were able to accomplish. We were up in the morning, worked all day long, taking turns watching the kids, and ended each day crawling into bed at night - minds still racing about what we needed to work on the next day.
I left Oklahoma on Tuesday, exhausted. My parents left on Monday, equally exhausted.
I've had comments already saying how people can't believe I did all this on my own. The point is, I didn't. I couldn't. I had TONS of help. From David, who was stressed and trying to do as much as he could from Nicaragua. From David's parents. From our friends in Oklahoma. From our real estate agent in Oklahoma. From my parents.
It's a humbling thing to receive help. It's a lot easier to give, I think. I never truly had to beg for help - people came out of nowhere offering services. But I also couldn't ever turn away any help. When someone says "I'll do this for you", it's hard to know your only response is simply saying thank you, rather than being able to say "I appreciate your offer, but I can take care of it."
I was so overcome with gratitude and appreciation of the love that I felt from my family and friends over the last month that I shed a number of tears. We'll never be able to repay these people for the help they gave us.
I only hope that in the future, I will be the type of person that will pack someone else's house for them.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
4 months!
So I've totally skipped over our entire week in Oklahoma and am now blogging from Washington. I will have a few posts about our short (but hectic) time there and thoughts on flying with two kids (by myself).
But for now - my baby is 4 months old! Let's all breathe a quick sigh of relief that he has reached a new bracket in which SIDS is a much smaller risk.
Henry had a doctor's appointment this week and he is in the 90% for weight, clocking in at 16 lbs. 8 oz., and is in the 95% for height. Because of these higher numbers, we've also already switched out his clothes to 6-9 month outfits.
Henry is rolling over any time I set him on the ground, lifting himself up on his stomach great, and is super interactive. His new favorite activity is jumping up and down on someone's lap as they bounce him.
Henry has also started to show some more signs of needing me to be close by, or sometimes just in my arms as opposed to someone else's arms. While I'm flattered, I've been talking to him about being accepting of others who are simply looking to love on him.
He also loves those slobbery open-mouth kisses. I try my best to only let him plant those on my chin, but he seems to prefer going straight for my mouth.
Henry also does fairly well at night - usually giving me at least a 7-hour stretch. If only I went to sleep when he did so I could enjoy 7 hours uninterrupted....
The sad news is that he is most likely finished with his bassinet. :( We are in Spokane for a few weeks and I didn't bring the bassinet with me, which means by the time we get back it may be time for crib sleeping. Another sign my sweet little (chubby) boy is growing up.
Love you Henry!
But for now - my baby is 4 months old! Let's all breathe a quick sigh of relief that he has reached a new bracket in which SIDS is a much smaller risk.
Henry had a doctor's appointment this week and he is in the 90% for weight, clocking in at 16 lbs. 8 oz., and is in the 95% for height. Because of these higher numbers, we've also already switched out his clothes to 6-9 month outfits.
Henry is rolling over any time I set him on the ground, lifting himself up on his stomach great, and is super interactive. His new favorite activity is jumping up and down on someone's lap as they bounce him.
Henry has also started to show some more signs of needing me to be close by, or sometimes just in my arms as opposed to someone else's arms. While I'm flattered, I've been talking to him about being accepting of others who are simply looking to love on him.
He also loves those slobbery open-mouth kisses. I try my best to only let him plant those on my chin, but he seems to prefer going straight for my mouth.
Henry also does fairly well at night - usually giving me at least a 7-hour stretch. If only I went to sleep when he did so I could enjoy 7 hours uninterrupted....
The sad news is that he is most likely finished with his bassinet. :( We are in Spokane for a few weeks and I didn't bring the bassinet with me, which means by the time we get back it may be time for crib sleeping. Another sign my sweet little (chubby) boy is growing up.
Love you Henry!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Iowa recap
The fun continues.
Tomorrow we take off for Oklahoma. Not for long though - just long enough to finish packing up our house, buy a new house, do some laundry and repack some bags, and get on a plane to head out to Spokane, WA for the remainder of our time without David.
The whole pack-up-our-house-and-buy-a-new-house wasn't originally part of the plan. This has been an unexpected surprise, since we obviously needed a little extra stress in our lives this summer. (note sarcasm)
I'm a little (read: lot) overwhelmed with the Oklahoma portion of our summer travels, and not even sure where to begin blogging about it.
So I won't.
Instead, I'll finish our time in Iowa with a recap of what we've been up to.
Henry: has decided he is older than he really is and never stays on his back for more than 10 seconds before rolling to his stomach. He has been spending his time trying to figure out how to crawl, get an adult to bounce him up and down, and now gives those lovely (and disgusting) open-mouth slobbery kisses. He also gets fatter by the day (minute).
Adele: has learned some new songs and loves to belt out her current favorite Somewhere Over The Rainbow. She loves to play - in the kiddie pool, with the toys in the basement, Duck Duck Goose outside, at The Little Gym, or at a park. She hasn't sat still very long. When she does sit still, she is quite content to watch a movie with Grandma or cuddle with Grandpa and watch Mickey Mouse.
Me: I have been getting together with friends and family, playing with Adele, bouncing Henry, attempting to figure out our Oklahoma ordeal, and drinking a good amount of coffee.
Here are a few pictures to recap our time:
On to Oklahoma!
Tomorrow we take off for Oklahoma. Not for long though - just long enough to finish packing up our house, buy a new house, do some laundry and repack some bags, and get on a plane to head out to Spokane, WA for the remainder of our time without David.
The whole pack-up-our-house-and-buy-a-new-house wasn't originally part of the plan. This has been an unexpected surprise, since we obviously needed a little extra stress in our lives this summer. (note sarcasm)
I'm a little (read: lot) overwhelmed with the Oklahoma portion of our summer travels, and not even sure where to begin blogging about it.
So I won't.
Instead, I'll finish our time in Iowa with a recap of what we've been up to.
Henry: has decided he is older than he really is and never stays on his back for more than 10 seconds before rolling to his stomach. He has been spending his time trying to figure out how to crawl, get an adult to bounce him up and down, and now gives those lovely (and disgusting) open-mouth slobbery kisses. He also gets fatter by the day (minute).
Adele: has learned some new songs and loves to belt out her current favorite Somewhere Over The Rainbow. She loves to play - in the kiddie pool, with the toys in the basement, Duck Duck Goose outside, at The Little Gym, or at a park. She hasn't sat still very long. When she does sit still, she is quite content to watch a movie with Grandma or cuddle with Grandpa and watch Mickey Mouse.
Me: I have been getting together with friends and family, playing with Adele, bouncing Henry, attempting to figure out our Oklahoma ordeal, and drinking a good amount of coffee.
Here are a few pictures to recap our time:
Cowgirl Adele strumming her guitar
Grandpa (Gregory William) and his grandsons, Henry William and Asher William
Grandma and her granddaughters, Adele and Kennedy
Adele painting with her soon-to-be-Uncle Robbie
Henry and Mama
Bathtime for the cousins Adele and Ash after blue popsicles
Big boy Henry in the bumbo seat
Henry kissing the cutie in the mirror
Adele and Grandpa making footprints after stomping in the water
Adele giggling with her best friend James
On to Oklahoma!
Friday, July 13, 2012
If my niece and nephew were monkeys...
So Costa Rica has 4 species of monkeys. Originally when I figured out what monkey species would best fit my kids, it was also obvious that my sister Emily's kids fit very well with the other two species of monkeys in Costa Rica.
It doesn't exactly seem right to blog about someone else's kids being monkeys without their permission...so I got the a-ok from my sister.
I present to you my thoughts on her kids:
Like I said, Adele is a little squirrel monkey because she is tiny, petite, and acrobatic. Kennedy, my niece who is almost 6 months old, also has acrobatic skills. The girl can play for a long time on the activity mat or bouncer. And not just play. She has her legs wrapped up around anything she can reach and is never in the same position Emily left her in. Plus, she has long limbs.
I think Kennedy is a spider monkey. A long-limbed acrobatic monkey.
A spider monkey in Costa Rica
Kennedy on the floor mat
On the other hand, my nephew Ash is a white-faced capuchin. Not totally sure if his personality matches up with this particular monkey, but this picture says it all:
A white-faced capuchin in Costa Rica
Ash at The Little Gym
Anyone else want me to figure out what species of monkey your kid might be? :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
If my kids were monkeys...
When I was pregnant with Adele, we were still living in Costa Rica. We called our families to tell them the good news, and when we were talking to our nieces and nephews, we asked "guess what we'll be bringing home for Christmas this year!" Our nephew Gabriel, who was three at the time, guessed excitedly "a monkey??"
Sometimes I think that's exactly what we did.
I love monkeys. Always have. So it should be no surprise that I would not only compare my kids to monkeys, but also go through the process of figuring out just what kind of monkey I think they are.
Today we went to The Little Gym, where my sister Rachel works. Adele thrives at The Little Gym. She loves being around lots of other kids, follows instructions well, and absolutely loves to do gymnastics. She spends her time in class running around, going from the balance beam to the uneven bars to open areas where she can do continuous somersaults.
I think Adele is a squirrel monkey. A super cute, acrobatic, playful, and petite monkey.
A squirrel monkey in Costa Rica
Adele at The Little Gym
On the other hand, I think Henry is a howler monkey. Not as active, not as acrobatic, and well....chubby.
A howler monkey in Costa Rica
Henry hanging out
My kids are the cutest little monkeys around.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
In the beginning
My youngest sister got engaged this week.
It was pretty exciting. Clever, too. Her fiance Robbie had planned everything in advance. The two of them went hiking on Tuesday morning, and at the right moment, he got down on one knee and asked the question. He gave her a ring he had made, out of an oak tree from his grandpa's backyard.
Later, after the hike was over, both sides of the family were there for a barbecue. As they were re-telling the story, the re-enacted the engagement part in front of the family. At that point, Robbie got down on one knee again and pulled out the "real" engagement ring - a beautiful sparkly diamond that made my sister Rachel cry all over again.
It was precious.
It's fun to see Rachel and Robbie as they are beginning to plan their wedding and start a new life together. Takes me back to the beginning for David and me...
One day in particular comes to mind when I think about those first couple years of marriage.
Naturally, you learn a lot about your spouse in your first coupledays years of marriage. One of the differences David and I noticed was in the way that we clean. The day in particular that I'm thinking of was a Saturday, at our home in California. We planned on spending the day cleaning, so we got up early and got to work.
Sort of.
I set about picking up first, so the place would look tidier before actually getting to the dusting and vacuuming. David, on the other hand, opened up a "junk drawer" and sat down, organizing the one drawer. Within a short time, I had the place tidied up.
Except for the area where David was working, which had become messier as he organized the drawer.
We realized we have very different cleaning styles. Even the simple task of "cleaning" had different meanings for two different people. At the end of the day, our place was tidier, cleaner, and more organized. It was one of those days in the beginning that we did accomplish our goals, but took some time to figure out how to accomplish those goals together. Without driving each other nuts. I laugh about the day now, even though I'm pretty sure I wasn't laughing at the time.
Packing is another area in which we differ. I make lists. I feel as though I am practically finished packing - as long as I have my comprehensive list of what needs to go in which bag. David lays all his clothes out. He feels as though he is practically finished packing - as long as his clothes are out.
After almost 8 years of marriage, we've figured a lot of things out. I'm sure we still have a long ways to go.
But at least now, David doesn't get annoyed when I want to make a list of cleaning tasks that we need to get done before we start cleaning. And I don't get frustrated when David starts the cleaning day by organizing a pile of papers.
Which wasn't on the list to begin with.
It was pretty exciting. Clever, too. Her fiance Robbie had planned everything in advance. The two of them went hiking on Tuesday morning, and at the right moment, he got down on one knee and asked the question. He gave her a ring he had made, out of an oak tree from his grandpa's backyard.
Later, after the hike was over, both sides of the family were there for a barbecue. As they were re-telling the story, the re-enacted the engagement part in front of the family. At that point, Robbie got down on one knee again and pulled out the "real" engagement ring - a beautiful sparkly diamond that made my sister Rachel cry all over again.
It's fun to see Rachel and Robbie as they are beginning to plan their wedding and start a new life together. Takes me back to the beginning for David and me...
One day in particular comes to mind when I think about those first couple years of marriage.
Naturally, you learn a lot about your spouse in your first couple
Sort of.
I set about picking up first, so the place would look tidier before actually getting to the dusting and vacuuming. David, on the other hand, opened up a "junk drawer" and sat down, organizing the one drawer. Within a short time, I had the place tidied up.
Except for the area where David was working, which had become messier as he organized the drawer.
We realized we have very different cleaning styles. Even the simple task of "cleaning" had different meanings for two different people. At the end of the day, our place was tidier, cleaner, and more organized. It was one of those days in the beginning that we did accomplish our goals, but took some time to figure out how to accomplish those goals together. Without driving each other nuts. I laugh about the day now, even though I'm pretty sure I wasn't laughing at the time.
Packing is another area in which we differ. I make lists. I feel as though I am practically finished packing - as long as I have my comprehensive list of what needs to go in which bag. David lays all his clothes out. He feels as though he is practically finished packing - as long as his clothes are out.
After almost 8 years of marriage, we've figured a lot of things out. I'm sure we still have a long ways to go.
But at least now, David doesn't get annoyed when I want to make a list of cleaning tasks that we need to get done before we start cleaning. And I don't get frustrated when David starts the cleaning day by organizing a pile of papers.
Which wasn't on the list to begin with.
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