He's Arrived!!!

In the spirit of being a little overwhelmed and sleep deprived, I am once again way behind on the announcement of Nathan's birth. So, here goes:

Nathan Thomas Culler entered our lives early in the morning (12:57am) on Wednesday, July 1st. He weighed in at a hefty 7 lbs and 15 oz and was 21 inches long. He started his life with a healthy cry immediately. He has very lush, black hair and even had to get it combed in the nursery during his first bath!

We are totally fixated on him. His big brother, Jack, is OBSESSED with him. Jack loves being a big brother, holding his little brother, and helping to take care of him. Stay tuned for more posts to follow.

FW Children's Zoo

Yesterday, we went to the Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo. This is part of the week that I'm calling "Jack's Extravaganza", as this is his last hurrah before the new baby arrives. This is one whole week dedicated to Jack and all of the things that he wants to do. Stay tuned...Saturday we're going to take him to the races at Angola Speedway.

We visited the newly opened (on June 6th) section called the African Safari. It was amazing and you felt like you were in the bush on a safari. We saw monkeys, zebras, lions, and giraffes. Looking back on it, I wish we would have paid the money to have Jack feed the giraffe a lettuce leaf, but there's always next time when we visit in the fall with our friends, the Saris'.

Of course, Jack's favorite part was not the monkeys, lions, or zebras in the African Zone or the rainforest area in the Indonesian Zone. No, predictably my child enjoyed the part called "Indiana Farms", which involved normal farm animals, John Deere tractors (huge suprise), and goats that you could feed and brush. His favorite part: the goats. That is, after he got over the fact that one really hungry one tried to eat both his hat off his head and his t-shirt!

It's A.......

Yesterday was our official 20 week'ish ultrasound.  (I am actually 22 weeks today.)  All baby systems looked good:  spinal cord is "beautiful" according to the technician, two arms and two legs, functioning kidneys and bladder, and the skull looks normal.

The baby is 1 pound and is in the 41 st percentile for growth.  At 21 weeks and 6 days (calculated by my ob), the baby is measuring 22 weeks and 1 day.  We're right on track for growth and development.

Then the money question....what is the gender????  Mother's intuition once again failed me.  My ob's prediction failed me.  My mom's prediction failed me.  Yes, we are having another one...a BOY!!!!!  Claire (the dog) and I are soon to be outnumbered by testosterone and raised toilet seats.  All in all, kind of lucky for me because I couldn't create a french braid to save my life!!

Now we have some direction for working on a name---our next hurdle.  Any suggestions? 

St. Thomas--Our Beach Boy

Last night we got back from our week-long trip to St. Thomas.  Jack went along this year and we had a great time.  We stayed in a villa (condo), which is much more tolerable with children than a traditional hotel room due to two bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, and full kitchen.  This vacation was much less of a disaster than Mexico two years ago with a standard hotel room, a six month old in a crib, and Ben and I in bed by 8:30 with all the lights turned off and the TV on so low you can even hear it!

As it turns out, our boy is a "Beach Boy", as he calls himself.  He LOVED the beach and sand.  Given the choice between picking the pool or beach, he always went with the beach.  We also rented a Jeep Wrangler which he LOVED.  With the windows pulled off the side, he could have the wind blowing through his hair and still be outside.  He's requesting that we buy one back at home...

It was interesting and entertaining to spend a solid week with him.  Last summer we took a week here at home to spend it at the lake with him, but we always have some sort of family around and we probably hired a teenage babysitter for a night so we could go out to dinner.  Not this vacation....it was pure Mommy, Daddy, and Jack uninterrupted time.  Some of the things that he says are hilarious.  Ben and I have to laugh behind our hands so he doesn't see our reactions, as that eggs him on.  Some of the things that he does are downright infuriating.  I guess you have to take the good with the bad...

This was a great vacation...but a different vacation.  Better than the Mexico fiasco.  Better than last year when we left him with Mimi and Pop and went by ourselves because we missed him terribly.  One thing we've learned and talked about extensively is that a vacation with your kids is not really relaxing.  You always have to be on your game.  We were up by 6:30 Island Time every morning (5:30 here before the time change).  You don't sit in a lounger, sip a drink, and immerse yourself in a good book.  You spend the time running after your kid, saying "don't do that", and playing with them.  Great vacation, but I may be more tired than when I left!  One bonus...our unit had full laundry facilities, so no dirties when we got home.  The laundry queen can retire for a few days:)

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Do you ever wonder where your kids come up with some of the things that they say?  Do you wonder who they're telling your business to?  It seems that I have a child who not only likes to chat, but sometimes embellishes stories too.

So, Jack and I are hanging out at my parents one afternoon last week after I got off work.  He and I are both laying on the floor talking to them.  He said to me, "Mimi, mommy, mimi, I mean Mommy". (He gets my mom's and my names mixed up sometimes.)  So, I asked him what my real name is.  He said, "Mommy".  I then asked him what my real, first name was.  He couldn't remember.  My mom asked if my first name was Ben, Tom, or Bryan.  He replied no to all three.

My mom then told him that she would give him a hint.  She asked the million dollar question, "What does your Daddy call your Mommy?" (Meanwhile, I'm thinking "oh, crap!" on this one.  I knew that it would be a wild card on what would come out of his mouth.)  Sure enough, he didn't disappoint.  His reply was an emphatic, "Sugar!".  

Now, anyone who knows Ben knows that he would NEVER call me Sugar.  I don't know where this kid gets it...I suppose Sugar is more complimentary than some of the other things he could have come up with...

Come to find out that earlier that day he told my parents that Ben kisses me on the lips and then demonstrated it.  Needless to say, I rushed home to tell Ben the whole story in a very hushed voice and then read him the riot act about watching what he says AND does.  Even when you don't think Jack's paying attention, the little sponge is absorbing EVERYTHING!  You never know who he's going to tell it to, and when he does, it could be a bit embellished or skewed!

Registering/ Touring Preschool

Today Jack and I checked out his preschool for next year.  He will be attending the older three's class which meets three days a week starting the day after Labor Day.  Jack's favorite part of the tour was not the classrooms and all the talk about the learning opportunities, but the full-sized gymnasium and the large outdoor play area with tons of playground equipment!  We are very excited to get him started in his big boy school and I think that he is too!  The one hang up is that he REALLY wants to ride the bus.  First of all, no bus service is offered to preschool.  Second, I would NOT put my three year old on a bus.  He doesn't care though...in his mind, big kids ride buses and any of you that know Jack know that he THINKS he is a big kid!

I can't believe how involved preschool is!  I was reading the Parent Handbook this afternoon.  We have an ice cream social in August, 2 parent-teacher conferences during the year, and field trips (where he has to wear his special shirt that is issued to him ahead of time).

Don't get me wrong...I think that sending him to preschool is probably the best thing that we can do at this point.  Until the end of last November, he was the only grandchild on both sides and, of course, our only child as well.  His life is about to change dramatically with the addition of our new baby and by spending more time with Quinn (aka "Cookie") and Christopher this summer.  I have to say, I wonder how the time has passed us by so quickly...I'm feeling a little sad to be sending my little man off to spend time elsewhere.  It's funny to realize that he's going to have a life outside of our little family.  I know that this sounds totally silly...but I can kind of sympathize with Moms who experience the empty nest syndrome when their kids go off to college.  I know he's not moving 2 hours away, but the other side of Fremont is far enough for now!

Three Successful Nights!

I have to brag about my son...It's now been three nights (tonight is number 4) that he's gone to bed in his big boy underwear and not had any accidents.  I hesitate to go on about this, as I am paranoid that I will jinx the whole thing.  Tonight, he is wearing his new Mickey Mouse/ Donald Duck PJ's that he got as a big reward for being such a big boy. When did my little boy grow up and become a little man?????  It seems like just yesterday that he was a baby!

As an update, I have been asking Jack if he wants a brother or sister.  Each time his reply is, "Just a baby, Mommy!".  Maybe it's a good lesson for all of us that we shouldn't be so obsessed with gender, but rather health and well-being.

Big Brother, Jack!

I am way behind on blogging...one entry for the month of November is stinky.  I had to come out of the gates with something good to impress, so here it is:  It's true...Jack is going to be a big brother!  On or around July 17th, we will be welcoming a new member into the family.  I am trying to sell Jack on the idea of a sibling.  When I first asked him if he wanted to be a big brother, he enthusiastically replied, "No way!".  I have been telling him about how cool it will be to be the big man in the house and all of the things that he can teach the baby.  Now when I ask him, he says "Okay".  Maybe we're getting somewhere.

I was hoping to avoid the nausea that I experienced when pregnant with Jack, but no luck...it's here in full force.  I am also pretty tired.  Through all of the first trimester stuff, I always find the nausea a little comforting, as I feel that I know everything is okay if I feel sick.  Kind of strange, maybe.  Ben has been doing a great job, pitching in extra with laundry, meal prep, and early morning Jack duty.  He gets the Gold Star!

Jack continues to thrive and do well.  Each day his vocabulary expands.  He routinely makes four word sentences.  We have had a few five word ones.  Last week while riding in the car, he said, "I read books to babies to make Amy happy".  Nine words!  I could hardly believe it.  More importantly, though, I was focusing on the meaning.  Amy is Aunt Amy, Ben's sister.  She is currently pregnant with twins and due any day now.  He is excited about her babies and also concerned about making Aunt Amy happy.  Hopefully, he can slide into his new role as cousin and help his transition to big brother be a little smoother.

Trick-or-Treat 2008

Trick-or-Treat 2008 was a giant success!  This is the first year that Curious George aka Jack has really known what was going on.  All day Friday we practiced how we were going to knock on doors and what we were going to say.  To say that he was excited would be an understatement.  He started asking to go around 10:30 am.

George didn't want to put on his costume, but once he did, he didn't want to take it off.  He pranced around the house saying "I am George!".  First, we went to Mimi and Pop's.  He filled his basket with plain M & M's and the Matchbox car set of emergency vehicles.  Then he went next door to Judy and Al's where he scored a John Deere tractor (even one he didn't have in his extensive collection yet---bonus!!!).  BTW, gotta love those folks who don't load your kid up with candy---thank you. Next we headed out towards home and hit up Aunt Amy.  She was waiting with a special goodie bag.  We ended our night at Ken and Jeanne's  house for dinner.  Jeanne made a great dinner for us and Ken (aka "K" to Jack) fed Jack about fourteen cookies.  A great time was had by all.  Boppo and Nana (Ben's parents) didn't make it up in time from VW for Friday night, so Jack got to dress up again on Saturday and visit them.  Who knew Halloween could be so exhausting!

Why I Love the YMCA

Yesterday, Thursday, Ben, Jack, and I headed for the Y.  Jack goes to kid watch and Ben and I workout nearly every Thursday before work.  The schedule works for us and if we have a set time to go, we're more likely to be guilted into going.

So, I'm doing my thing on the treadmill.  To me it feels like an out and out sprint.  Granted, I am only running at 4.6 mph, but for someone with a 27 inch inseam, it feels like I'm Flo Jo making her way down the backstretch.  This older woman (greater than 65) gets on the treadmill beside me.  She's walking for 10 minutes and then gets off.

I finish my twenty minutes of hell (aka running, but always feel sooo good afterward).  I did the resistance machines for arms and legs and then headed to the locker room to shower.  Awaiting me in there was the little lady on the next treadmill.

She told me that I was doing a really great job running.  She wished she could still run.  Now, I know that I am not a track star.  Usually I feel like I'm going to cough up one or both lungs while on the treadmill.  Until I turned 30, I had NEVER run for 20 minutes consecutively in my life...not even sure if I had broke 5 or 10 minutes before.  It was so nice and uplifting to have someone (even if she was 65+) recognize your effort.  That was my little piece of gratitude that I felt yesterday.  I don't know her name, but "THANK YOU" little blonde lady with a frizzy ponytail for making me feel like my hypoxia on the treadmill is not all in vain.  You made my day!!!!!  Sometimes it's the little things in life that mean so much....

Jack's First Pumpkin Carving

Today we carved Jack's first pumpkin ever.  Uncle Tom bought it for him three weeks ago and it has been sitting outside just waiting for the perfect time to carve it.

I thought Jack would be grossed out by the pumpkin's slimy guts, but it was actually Mommy who thought she may need a moment to herself.  Ugh!!!  Jack was a trooper, pulling out the seeds and scooping out the insides.  What a great helper!  His favorite tool was the "Goop Scoop" that came with the carving kit.  He mastered using that in no time flat.

When we were all done, he was very proud of his pumpkin creation.  We put it by the front door with the hay bale, scarecrow, and the mum.  We're anxiously waiting for it to get dark tonight so we can light it up!

Library Day!

Today Jack went to the library with my parents for his weekly group.  Last week was a little rough for him...he was influenced by some naughty classmates and decided to join in their antics.  Who knows...maybe he was the ring leader.  I am not one of those parents who kids themselves and thinks that my child only acts up when he's around "bad kids".  This week, things went MUCH better.  Mimi reported that he was extremely well behaved and all the kids wanted to hold his hand in the circle.  She said that Jack bent down and took the hand of a little girl who wasn't joining on one side, and on the other, a hand of a difficult classmate who was acting badly.  My heart leapt!  My child showed compassion and tolerance.  I know it sounds a little far-fetched to infer these things from one little act, but hearing it made me want to cry--just a little.  I don't think I'm overly hormonal, I am just excited as I look at this little man who has morphed from my baby!

Update on Jack's fish:  All four goldfish have now died and the bottom feeder thing too.  Ben and I suck at keeping fish alive.  Thank goodness we are better at parenting than aquatics!  Drained tank, refilled, conditioned water, and getting new fish tomorrow.  We're going for something more resilient and harder to kill.  Wish us luck!!!!

When Did He Grow Up?

So, we got back from Vegas on Friday night.  We were only gone for five nights total.  I am in awe of how much our son has grown up.  It's probably been happening all along, but when you're with him day after day, you don't tend to notice as much.  Today, I am proud to report that he wore his big boy underwear in the CAR BOTH WAYS from Mimi and Pop's house with NO ACCIDENTS.  This is a first for a round trip of success.  I am so proud of him!

He's becoming so verbal...and actually making sense.  We've not graduated to saying "yes" yet, but are now saying "uh-huh" instead.  A huge improvement and a breakthrough in the communication process.

When I was young, my Grandma used to say that life passes by so quickly.  Before you know it, your kids are grown up, ect...  I just thought it was an old person thing.  I lived a life where summers were never ending and the school year was even longer.  I think that I have reached that old person place.  Days, weeks, months, and years now seem to fly.  I can't believe that my 7 lb. 4 oz. baby is now two years old, going potty on a big toilet, and forming five word sentences!  Where does the time go?

Las Vegas 2008

Just got back from Vegas...great time.  Ben and I went with 2 other couples (Bethany and Matt--we stayed at their timeshare & Scott and Audrey).  It was nice to spend some time with them, as we don't get to see them very often.

First time I did the karaoke thing--disaster for me.  It's a little bit more intimidating getting up in front of people, as opposed to doing it in the car for an audience of one--Jack.  First time playing blackjack.  Won 10 bucks, with a lot of help  (still have no clue how to do it by myself--much practice needed to be able to sit at a table by myself).

So, we had a super time, ate really good dinners, and talked about Sarah Palin way too much!  Going on vacation is nice, but it's always rewarding to come home and snuggle with your kids!

Note:  Pictures- top:  Bellagio Fountains from Olives Restauraunt

middle:  All of us at Olives

bottom:  The girls singing at Harrahs

A Perfect Afternoon in the Sandbox

Somedays I feel like my child is being controlled by a monster.  This was one of these days.  He appeared to wake up on the wrong side of the bed and it went downhill from there.  Right now, for those of you who don't have 2 year olds living in your house, you probably wouldn't even know this stage exists, we are in the "loud phase".  We only know one volume:  earsplitting.

Sometime between 5am and 3:30pm (after a nap, of course) he morphed into this delightful child, one who I wanted to spend time with.  After getting home this afternoon, we went outside and he played in his sandbox for an hour.  He was content and happy, and I was a satisfied Mommy.  This hour on a random Thursday afternoon was the most rewarding that I've had in a while.  He played, I read a magazine beside the sandbox, and we chatted every so often about life.  The weather was perfect and so was my company!

New Additions to the Family--a New Fish Tank!

Jack has joined the Wednesday library reading group for 2 and 3 year olds again this year.  Miss Judy is the leader again.  Today was the first session and my parents took him.  Everyone survived and vowed that they would go back next week.

Jack has a new addition in his bedroom.  We are now the proud owners of a 2 and 1/2 gallon fish tank.  To say he is obsessed with it is a gross under estimate.  Amazingly, he is more responsible than his Mommy and reminds me to feed the fish nightly.  If it were up to him, we'd feed them six times a day.  We started with four goldfish and some disgusting bottom feeder mini catfish looking thing.  On Monday, we had our first man down.  Of course, Ben was working late...I had to deal with the lost soldier.  I think it was Nemo the first who died, but who knows...they are all named Nemo (or according to Jack "Meemo").  We'll try to get a picture of him with his tank for the next entry.  The problem:  he moves so darn fast that the camera can't keep up with him!

2nd Night in the Big Boy Bed!!!!

Last night was Jack's first night in his "new" room and his big boy bed.  It was a little rough to begin with...sounded like a herd of elephants were in our upstairs for the first 15 minutes.  Lots of pounding with intermittent cries of, "Mommy!".  Tonight went much better...only five minutes of crying, so we're improving each night.  He seems to like his new bed, just not when he has to be in it alone and the lights are turned out.  He's such a trooper!

"Potty, Potty, Potty!"

Ok...we've entered the land of potty training.  It's going REALLY well.  Jack has successfully made it a few times in the car to and from Mimi and Pop's house without an accident.  Yesterday went out without a hitch, so I decided "why not?" today.

It was an early morning for us--cholesterol clinic day.  I got Jack up and he used the potty.  So far, so good.  I withheld his normal morning sippy cup of milk.  Smart, I thought.  We loaded up in the car.  Two minutes from home, he yelled, "Potty!  Potty!".  I pulled over in a church parking lot, of all places.  I popped open the hatch on the wagon, set the potty in, and he did his thing.  Ok.  I can deal with this, I am thinking.

Five miles later, "Potty!  Potty!".  Pulled off the paved road onto a dirt road.  Popped the hatch again and set up shop.  Successful, except for the eighteen mosquito bites I got while hanging out by the cornfield.  Pretty full morning...and all before 6:30am!  For the record, on a normal day, it's only a 20 minute commute! 

Our First Posting

Our first posting...I can hardly believe that I have crossed over to "the other side" of blogging.  I have always known that people do this, just not people I know.  Then came Bethany.  Now I'm feeling the pressure to keep up with her...

Anyways, this was a busy weekend for us.  Jack's second birthday was Sunday.  Saturday was his big birthday party--John Deere theme (of course).  Since Sunday was his actual birthday, Ben and I tried to make it extra special with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and swimming in the lake (complete with a trip to the island).  Jack ended his day with a stroller ride (which was very popular with him).  More pics of the party to follow.