Ever since Peter and I moved to the Willamette Valley, we've scoffed at what the locals call a "snowstorm." The anemic skiff of white stuff that usually passes as snow around here and sends motorists into a panic hardly causes us born-and-bred Eastern Oregonians to blink an eye. This week, however, has been different. We have gotten snowfall after snowfall, and this is what I would call a decent accumulation. Schools have been closing all over the place (except the one I work for), people are putting chains and snow tires on their cars, and you can see a snowman in every third or fourth yard as you drive down the street. It's pretty refreshing to see this much snow, and it really reminds me of winters past.
Let's see, what has happened since my last post? Two weekends ago, we took Solomon for his first trip to the zoo. Needless to say, it was a major hit. He liked the bears so much that he asked to go down there with them in their enclosure. I calmly explained why that wouldn't be a good idea, but he still liked them anyway. His favorite exhibits were the black bears, the tigers, the elephants (they have a 3 month-old baby one at the Oregon Zoo), and the hippos. He actually laughed out loud when he saw the hippos lumbering about. It turned out that we were a bit ill-prepared for the trip - it was a cold morning, and although Solomon was well-bundled, Peter and I had to buy hats and gloves for ourselves at the zoo's gift shop. We also forgot to bring our snacks into the zoo with us, so Solomon didn't last quite as long as we were hoping. But all in all, it was a grand success and a lot of fun.
This past week has been so snowy and I've had such a bad cold that I missed every day of work except for today. I know, what a slacker. I spent all day Wednesday and Thursday asleep in bed. I'm not sure what was wrong with me, but I sure felt like poo. I woke up this morning feeling much better, though.
On Tuesday we had an appointment with the OB (actually it was with the NP). We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat for the first time! It was so cool to hear that rapid little "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sound. The NP said that the baby is measuring a little small and I'm carrying it very low, but everything is just fine and the baby is doing great. We scheduled our ultrasound to find out for sure that it's a girl (note my confidence) for January 6th. I'll definitely keep you all posted as to the results!
We hope everyone has a very warm and merry Christmas!
Love,
The Willises
Well, another Thanksgiving has been sucessfully completed. My parents came over from Pendleton for the holiday, and there was much feasting to be had. I have helped cook Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house before, but this was the first time I hosted the meal in my own home. We had all the traditional dishes: stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, olives (which my mom kept trying to get Solomon to stick on his fingers), and of course, a beautfully roasted and deliciously seasoned turkey.
This year boasted another first for me: I went shopping on Black Friday. Peter had to work, so my Dad and I took Solomon out to Costco and Target. Granted, we didn't get up at the crack of dawn to chase after big sales, and we stayed away from the malls, but there were still crowds and I still felt pretty proud of myself. Solomon was such a good boy on the trip that his Grandpa bought him a Lightning McQueen car to play with.
On Saturday, I gave all the boys haircuts, including Sol. It always breaks my heart to snip off his golden curls, but his hair was getting pretty unruly. We collected everyone's hair in a box to help make cleanup easier, and it was amazing how much contrast there was between the color of Peter's and my dad's dark brown hair and Solomon's white-blond hair.
After my parents left on Sunday morning, Solomon started saying that his tummy was owie. We
assumed he was constipated and went to the store and bought him some chewable laxatives. Then we came home and watched the Cars movie and snuggled a bit. He seems to be feeling better now....but still no poopy diaper. So now we're just waiting for that bomb to drop....which will hopefully happen before his nap.
Well, I've finally joined the rest of society and created a blog...now I can feel cool just like everyone else. Do I really have time to maintain a blog? Do we need to be reminded of the MySpace fiasco (checked it twice in three years...received increasingly miffed messages from distant friends...finally decided abandonment was the best plan)? Only time will tell.
My friends assure me that this is the best way to keep family and friends updated on what we're doing, and, more importantly, what my kids are doing. I say "kids" because I do have two of them, even though one of them isn't quite born yet. We're expecting him/her in early June. The doctor gave us a due date of June 3rd, but after my experience of being two weeks overdue last time, I'm trying not to put too much stock in due dates.
So I am 13 weeks along now, and I'm starting to feel less nauseous and tired all the time. That's a big plus! I even had enough energy to take Solomon for a walk on Saturday, which I haven't been able to do for a long time. I'm trying to gain less weight this time around, since the 65 + lb. I gained with Sol was a bit too much (please read the understatement in that sentence).
Peter and I are trying to sell our house and move to Monmouth, where I work. I take Solomon with me to daycare in Monmouth every day, and I'll take the new baby too, once it's born. All our friends live in Monmouth, our list of babysitters live in Monmouth, and hey, we just like Monmouth. So our house is on the market (see our listing here http://www.realestate.com/Property/11181475---Salem-OR-97302-603540.aspx) and we're just waiting for that buyer to come along and make us an offer we can't refuse (meaning any offer at all!).
Solomon has been at "back-up" daycare for the last two weeks because his normal daycare person is on vacation in Disneyland (lucky!). Sol doesn't sleep well at the back-up babysitter's house, so we've been dealing with overtired, cranky, super-silly toddler every evening. Poor little guy. He's such a sweetheart, and he just can't handle life when he's tired. Hey, I know how he feels!
Let's see, what has happened since my last post? Two weekends ago, we took Solomon for his first trip to the zoo. Needless to say, it was a major hit. He liked the bears so much that he asked to go down there with them in their enclosure. I calmly explained why that wouldn't be a good idea, but he still liked them anyway. His favorite exhibits were the black bears, the tigers, the elephants (they have a 3 month-old baby one at the Oregon Zoo), and the hippos. He actually laughed out loud when he saw the hippos lumbering about. It turned out that we were a bit ill-prepared for the trip - it was a cold morning, and although Solomon was well-bundled, Peter and I had to buy hats and gloves for ourselves at the zoo's gift shop. We also forgot to bring our snacks into the zoo with us, so Solomon didn't last quite as long as we were hoping. But all in all, it was a grand success and a lot of fun.
