Mommy Spa Day

Our weeks have been passing by in a blur, but this past Saturday, I had the opportunity to slow down for a bit. My mom, my sister, and I spent the day at the Grandover Resort & Spa as a special Mother's Day gift to each other. This is the third year in a row that we have had a 'spa day.' It's a tradition that started with my first Mother's Day when I was pregnant with Emmy. That year, we went to the Rock Barn Spa in Conover, NC, and the past two years we have gone to Grandover in Greensboro. It isn't too far, but it gives the feeling of a getaway. We enjoyed all the services of the spa: the fitness center, sauna, pool, and showers. After our massages, we headed out to the pool, and after a whole week of cloudy and crummy weather, the sun broke through the clouds, and we had almost 3 hours of uninterrupted pool time. The time went by too quickly of course. It's not often that we spend time just the three of us, and it is so special when we get to. Of course the nice robes, peaceful pool, and fruity drinks are a plus, too!

After getting back from Greensboro, it was a quick turnaround before leaving the house again. The Forbush women's soccer team played in the 4th round of the 2A State Playoffs on Saturday evening, and Boomer, Emmy, and I went to cheer them on against Salisbury High School. The game was at 6PM. We knew it would go past Emmy's bedtime, but we decided to risk it since she had had a pretty good nap that afternoon. She was content in her stroller for most of the first half, but then she became antsy during the second half. I tried to let her get some energy out by playing in the grass behind the stadium, but she kept moving back to the stadium. She was only interested in climbing up and down [and up and down and up and down and upanddownandupanddown] the concrete steps. Towards the end of the game, we moved back to our seats. She was most happy when she was sitting with Daddy or when we were giving her a constant supply of Cheerios. 

On Sunday, Boomer spent a couple of hours working on his dissertation. He estimates that he is about halfway through in terms of total pages, with another good chunk from his doctoral proposal that he has not yet incorporated. Neither of us like that the writing means more time apart, but we know that the end is in sight. I am so proud of him for continuing to chug along! While he is writing, I try not to bother him, except to send encouraging texts and cute photos of his girls. 

This week has been much lighter in terms of Boomer's evening schedule. Sadly, on Saturday, the Lady Falcons lost 1-0, bringing the official end of spring sports. With no athletic events, we enjoyed an evening at home together last night, and we hope to have several more over the next few days. Unfortunately for Mommy it means actually cooking dinner! :D  I feel like I am finally finding a routine of working out, picking up Emmy, fitting in dinner, walking around the neighborhood, and then getting ready for bed. It's practically taken the entire school year, but alas, here we are! Yesterday, when I picked up Emmy from daycare, I captured her sitting all by herself in the little baby pool that they use for toys. Her teachers say that she is "very independent" and "can occupy herself", and this photo confirms that. It's what we often see at home too when she plays independently. She rarely needs an adult or another child to keep her entertained. I love seeing her become engrossed in stacking blocks or arranging different items. I just had to laugh though, our little loner hanging out solo in the baby pool! Soon after this picture, she raced to the door to meet me and then pointed out her hair bow and her sippy cup, all the things we gather before we leave. Just like Mommy, it seems Emmy too has adjusted to the routine. 

When once mornings and evenings were stressful and frantic, now I find myself enjoying the time and loving the routines we have developed. If there are any new moms out there reading this, hang in there! I hope you feel encouraged to know that a 'new normal' will come, and you will love it! Now, my last sight in the morning is Emmy following her Daddy out to the car. And the evenings, we even manage to fit in visits to the library, dinners out, and Little League games with Emmy's cousins. 

Following Daddy to the car - such a big girl! 

 

 

Fast Paced Weekend

We fit a lot into this past weekend! Right after work on Friday, I met my mom at the doctor's office for Emmy's 18-month appointment. The appointment had been scheduled for several months, but it came at a perfect time. Just a few days before the appointment, Emmy had symptoms of a cold, and then on Thursday, I got a call from daycare saying that she had a fever. Luckily, the fever came down with Tylenol, but I was especially glad to have a professional look her over. Instead of going to daycare on Friday, Emmy stayed home with Grammy before meeting me at the doctor's. Emmy got some special attention, and I loved getting pictures from them throughout the day.

It is always so hard to know when to go in to the doctor and when the body will fight off the sickness. Luckily, the doctor said her ears and chest all looked and sounded good; it was just a cold that would run its course. The snottiness and the cough are still lingering even now; I'm hoping they go away soon! The rest of the appointment went well. Emmy weighed around 21 pounds 10.5 oz (37th percentile) and she was 32.75 inches long (80th percentile). 

After Emmy's appointment, we met up with JR and Becki. JR and Boomer have been best buds since Wake, and Becki and I have bonded as the wives of these two goofballs. We have been able to get together with the Riddells usually once or twice a year, despite them living in Baltimore. They were on their way to a family vacation so it was a quick visit, but we are so glad that they stopped by for the night. Boomer ended up having play-off games at school, so after we all met for dinner, the guys headed back to school and the girls headed home. There was still time to fit in a walk around the neighborhood, and then we were off to bed. We all had an early morning on Saturday. 

On Saturday, Meg and I checked off our 2018 half-marathon. We have mostly kept the tradition of an annual half-marathon since 2010, with our most recent run back in October. That was the first time that I had finished under 2 hours, and it was so exciting! In some ways, the pressure was off for having a fast race, but we still wanted to have a good time. For our 2018 half, we choose the Carolina Brewfest in High Point. It is kinda our 'home course' since we have ran the half (and the full marathon!) there before. The route was a little different from what I remembered in the past, but there seemed to be the same amount of hills! Combined with the heat, it was tough. Luckily we had our cheerleaders there mid-race and at the finish line, and Meg and I both managed to get PRs! My final time was 1:56:09 (8:52/mi pace). We were both happy to check it off until next year! 

Pre-race selfie

Emmy wasn't so happy about being at the race!

After the race, we filled our bellies at Freddy's Burgers and Custard and then headed home to relax. Boomer had to go back to Forbush for more playoff games that evening, so Emmy and I enjoyed some mommy-daughter bonding while grocery shopping and going out to dinner. 

Sunday was Mother's Day, and we headed to Star to celebrate with Boomer's mom. It was a beautiful day for grilling hamburgers and laying out by the pool. Carlin came home, and Goosie and Darby and the kids came, too. With Emmy still a little under weather, she missed most of the fun while she was napping, but we did get her in the pool for a few minutes before we left. We headed back home to Kernersville and finished off the day with pizza at Blue Naples. Here is the only picture from my Mother's Day. Unfortunately it's not an after-church photo or one where we are dressed up, but it is real life, with pool hair, no make-up, and a baby that just wanted to eat in peace. Happy Mother's Day! :)

Small Town Spring Weekend

Every weekend seems to be a little taste of summer. Getting together with friends, going for walks around the neighborhood, wearing shorts and flip-flops, even mowing the grass and doing outside chores - it feels like summer is on its way. This past weekend, Boomer had a late night on Friday with sporting events at Forbush, so Emmy and I got sushi with Caroline. It is nice to have an adult companion on the evenings that Boomer may have to work late. I think he will have a few more late nights over the next few weeks since Forbush's sports teams have had a phenomenal spring season. It seems likely that several of the teams will continue into the playoffs. Go Falcons! I wish that I could be there to cheer on the teams, as I did before we had Emmy. With her bedtime, it just isn't practical to go to a game that doesn't even start until 7PM. I know there will be a time soon that she can stay up later and cheer for Daddy's school, but until then, I'm thankful for friends that keep me company on the nights I am solo. We had a fun girls' night out with Caro ...even though we were home by 7:30PM! Emmy loved the salty soup and the rice and vegetables from my plate. As always, we finished off the meal with Cheerios. 

On Saturday, we went to the Kernersville Spring Folly. It was the perfect weather for being outside, so we went twice! We went for a couple of hours in the morning and then again in the evening. I got my annual chicken pita from the Kernersville Running Club booth, and Boomer got a couple of corn dogs with french fries from the Kiwanis'. Shortly after lunch, we headed home for naptime. After a couple of hours of rest (even Boomer took a nap!) we went back for dinner. We met up with the Houstons and the Williamses, and we once again got some good greasy fair food, and for dessert - a funnel cake! As we were getting ready to leave, a stranger gave Megan some extra tickets for the rides. Earlier in the day, we had only played on the playground, choosing to save our money until perhaps next year when Emmy might know what she is missing out on. She seemed quite content to climb on the playground equipment and go down the slide, but with the offer of free tickets, we couldn't resist. Thank you, Aunt Megan, for sharing with us! Emmy and I were able to ride the carousel and the jumbo slide. As you can see in the pictures, Emmy liked one a bit more than the other. At the bottom of the slide, she immediately burst out in tears, so we hustled back to our car for bedtime. And so concluded another year of the Spring Folly! :)

Growing like a Weed

The saying seems to be true: April showers bring May flowers. There were several dreary days at the end of April, but May has kicked off with beautiful weather. We've tried to be outside as much as possible to enjoy the sunshine and the 70+ degree temperatures. I'm hoping that we can soon do our daily walks around the neighborhood like we did last year, in that sliver of time between dinner and bedtime. With the school year winding down, there have unfortunately been several evening activities for both Boomer and me, but I am hoping that by the end of May, we can make it a part of our regular routine again. (We did fit in one walk this week!) Even though it has been tricky to be outside much during the week, we were outside a good amount this past weekend and hope to be again this coming weekend. Last Saturday, we went to Zander's tee ball game and a birthday party for Jared and Ashley's son, Harrison. Zander had quite a cheering section at his game with all the Houstons, Bakewells, and Kennedys there. He did very well hitting the ball off the tee and stopping the ball when it came to him in the field. He plays with other 4- and 5-year-olds, so they are all learning the basics of the game. It is entertaining to say the least!

Zander is #21, standing on 2nd base

Uncle Boomer supporting the team - Go Braves!

There were two major mishaps over the weekend. First, on Friday evening, our dryer broke! We had to resort to hanging our wet clothes around the house, and then on Saturday morning, we found ourselves at Lowe's purchasing a new one. We won't be getting it until Sunday, so until then, my parents have been providing free laundry service. It's actually been pretty nice! Maybe I don't need a new dryer after all... ;)  We did a lot of shopping this weekend between our weekly grocery run to Walmart and then the trip to Lowe's. Emmy loves sitting in the shopping cart, and Daddy gives her an exciting ride by swerving and speeding through the aisles. Emmy is such a dare-devil, and her laughs and giggles only provoke him to go faster!

The second mishap of the weekend was on Saturday afternoon during naptime. We usually put Emmy down while she is still awake, and so she will often 'play' in her crib for a bit until finally going to sleep. I'll see her on the monitor walking around inside her crib or playing with her blanket, moving it around and re-positioning it until it is just where she wants it. There was a loud cry, and we assumed that she was making one last attempt at resisting her nap. Not long after, she was quiet. When I went in to get her later, she had a black eye! We think she must have fallen and hit her eye on the wooden railings of the crib. With the combination of the unsteady mattress and her beginner's balance, I suppose it's surprising it hasn't happened sooner. We have been lucky to have avoided any injuries up until this point. The bruise is currently going through all the many colors of purple, blue, and yellow. It actually looks worse now than it did when I first took these pictures. Hopefully it will heal soon!

Boomer and I had a belated birthday date tonight (Thank you, Grammy!) We had originally planned to go out to dinner on my actual birthday, but then when everyone else's schedules aligned to go out for Japanese, we swapped the date for a family dinner. I've always loved dragging out my birthday anyway! After a nice dinner at 4th Street Filling Station, we then did some shopping for the upcoming YoungLife Golf Tournament. The tournament is next Wednesday, and Boomer is involved each year. He puts in a lot of hard work - I have no idea where he finds the time! We finished off the evening with some ice cream at Mayberry's. Throughout our date, we got several cute pictures from Grammy. Any guesses on what she is doing in the last picture? ... ;)

"Here's my nose!"

"Grammy, no pictures! A little privacy, please!"

As we turn the calendar to May, the weather isn't the only thing that is changing. Emmy is almost 18-months old, and I seem to notice new things about her everyday. All of a sudden, she started saying "daddy" instead of "da-da", a slight difference but one that Boomer and I noticed almost immediately. She says it in the sweetest voice and several times in a row: da-dee, da-dee, da-deeee. She will say it when Boomer is around and when he isn't, but she most certainly knows who she is referring to. I have tried to work with her on other words that end in "-ee" (like Mommy, Grammy, and Emmy), but so far, only Daddy. I've also noticed that Emmy has learned the daily routines of our mornings and evenings. During bedtime, I can ask Emmy to close the door to her room and get her blanket from where it hangs on the side of the crib. I love watching her proudly prance around the room while she does these things. She is still showing resistance to putting our books away when we are finished reading, but most nights, she is very helpful through the bedtime routine. She willingly opens her mouth to brush teeth, even sticking out her tongue when I say "tongue," and she will turn out the lights as we go from the bathroom to the bedroom. Like with bedtime, she has learned our morning routine, too. She will often say or point to the next thing on the list: socks, shoes, hair bow ("bo"). She'll also reach for her jacket when she sees Daddy putting on his. Emmy LOVES her shoes. Right now, we are rotating between three different pairs: her size-3 pink tennis shoes, a size-4 pair of Nikes, and a pair of white Mary Janes for church. She likes to take them off and on throughout the day, and she has figured out how to strap and unstrap the velcro on each pair. I think she likes her shoes so much because it is the only item that she can wear which can also double as a toy! Here she is on the way to church wearing a pair and playing with another!

Emmy is almost in size 4 diapers. I say 'almost' because I just bought our first box of that size, but she is still wearing size 3's for now. We will probably be using up the last of the 3's in the next few days. Sometimes I look at pictures and can hardly believe how big she is getting. We go next Friday for her 18-month appointment, and I am curious to see her weight and height. Stay tuned!