winding down

I'm not sure what seems harder to believe: that tomorrow is the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for Dexter, or that a month from tomorrow, he will begin orientation at his new dental job in Maine.  Both seem pretty remarkable to me.  Life right now is a series of lasts, and a flurry (or, it should be) of packing and wrapping things up.

Life in NJ has been good.  So much has happened here for us these past two years, it will be bittersweet to say goodbye.  We have celebrated all three of Kyalo's birthday's here, made friends, joined a church, etc.  Starting over once again (and for me, the 5th move since 2005!) seems a little daunting.

There's a lot that's been going on, and a lot yet to do before we settle into Maine.  Let me try to recap the last month. . .

In early April we had a little 'party' for Kyalo for his birthday - basically some friends of mine and their kids came over for snacks and cupcakes for a couple of hours one morning.  It was pure chaos, the kids generally only ate the icing off the cupcakes and then played in the crumbs after, but it was a sweet time...too sweet to have any pictures, unfortunately.

The next week, we went to celebrate his friend Griffin's 3rd birthday.  After the party, I managed to get a photo with Kyalo and Ellen, who was also there.  Since neither really sits still, or looks at the camera, this was the best I could do!

 Dave, Allison (3 months in this pic), Jenny & Ellen

Mulandis!  Grabbed a chance for a family photo.

After Griffin's party we dashed off to another gathering, this time, with the "Fab Four" - our little dental school group.  Without even realizing it, that may have been the last time we're all together!  In just a few months, we'll all be scattered.  The evening was great because Sirisha hosted and filled us with spectacular Indian food.  She makes it look easy and effortless, when I know that there are a ridiculous amount of steps involved (soaking grains, grinding them, etc).  Mmm...just thinking about it makes me want more!

Then, there was Easter up in Essex - which was also the weekend of the Boston Marathon, so my parents had other guests who would be either running or watching it.  The weekend included:

Painting with Judy.  When she visited us back in November, Kyalo was in a really big water color kick. She remembered that and brought the real deal water colors (not the $2.00 Target brand that I get!) and nice paper. She and Kyalo braved strong winds for a long time painting outside.  

 helping Grandpa shuck the oysters that Judy & Neil brought from Maine.

I was sad to miss out on them!  Next summer, I guess.

Kyalo discovered a new favorite activity. . . peeing outside.  He said one afternoon, "I'll be right back. I have to go do sumpting" and about 2 seconds later Dexter says, "Oh, Kyalo!" and grabs the camera.  Because there was Kyalo, peeing on Grandma and Grandpa's front lawn. (I'll spare you the naked pictures - I just couldn't resist the joy on his face here. Sorry for the fuzziness...it was taken quickly, thru a window.)  I think since then we've trained him now to pee behind the garage.

There have been other things...like a walk in the Cherry Blossom Park one Sunday after church.  Another trip to MA and ME -- this time for house hunting which was an utter fail.  One month to go and no housing yet. I'm a *tad* worried about this.  The trip to MA also included a visit with friends Matt and Erica from TN. They were in Boston for a conference and came up to see us after.  A sweet visit with friends!

And then lastly, I had the big 20 week anatomy ultrasound.

precious hand!

(I was looking at ultrasounds of Kyalo yesterday, and was amazed at how much better the ones I've gotten in the US are.  I shouldn't be surprised, I know, but I was.)

The technician said baby's anatomy looked 'perfect' and 'right on track' but then when the doctor saw my blood work from my OB and realized that I have some trait in my blood that can lead to a rare disorder (I forget what it is!), he had me go back to have the baby more closely scrutinized - esp to make sure that there were 5 - and only 5 - digits on all hands and toes.  Thankfully all checked out OK. I go back to my OB next week so will see if there's anything else I'm supposed to do.  The condition is a) very rare, and b) I think Dexter has to have the same gene mutation (or something) as me for the baby to actually have it, so I'm not toooo worried.  BUT - it could mean baby could have a degenerative eye condition which would lead to blindness by pre-adolescents and some mild to severe mental retardation.  I try not to dwell on this too much, and trust in God that all will be well!

So that's what we've been up to. Here's what remains:

Graduation next Tuesday. Packing, packing, packing.  Back to MA - and ME for more house hunting on the 27th (say a prayer we find something livable, in our price range, and, preferably 3 bedroom!), a quick trip to CA to see my brother and his family, back to NJ to pack up and actually move out (7th, I think?), and we hope, move into our new place in Maine.

Whew.  

That has us pretty much all caught up.  Hope it isn't another month before I pop in here!

baby update

April 12, 2014

17 weeks, 6 days

This picture already seems outdated now, since I'm 19 weeks.  Life is kind of busy around here right now, so getting regular bump photos doesn't seem likely.  I was hoping for another one on Easter, but that was a crazy day, and no pictures were taken at all!

I figure it is about time (almost half way through this pregnancy? whoa) to jot down some thoughts about being pregnant the second time around.

One thing is for sure, it is much harder to be pregnant when chasing a three year old around, and not just sitting calming at a desk!  Thankfully, though, I had no morning sickness or other pregnancy related issues.  (I've been sick a couple of other times, just regular flus and things - not fun).  The only weird food thing I have is that I can't seem to eat plain avocado (the horror!), but can eat it fine in things, or as guacamole. Go figure. Like with Kyalo, things seem to be going smoothly enough.  No complaints!  One big difference is that I'm fairly sure I started feeling this baby kick around 10 1/2 weeks, while with Kyalo is was probably not until about 18 weeks.  Maybe I just knew what to expect this time around?  

And let me tell you, going to an OB in America vs Kenya?  A whole different ball game!  For one thing, so far I have had ONE doctor, and not the latest visiting OB like in Kenya.  I had my first ultrasound at 8 weeks, and the seat was heated, and she apologized that she didn't have the gel warmer!!  The heated seat still seems like luxury to me.  My first real ultrasound in Kenya I almost left in tears because it was so different from my (TV-induced) expectations.  I've been trying to keep expectations low this time around so that I'm not disappointed.  Another big difference is the medical stuff that we do -- lots of lab work, fancier ultrasounds to determine the anatomy of the baby is OK.  My insurance doesn't cover it, but by now I could know the sex of my baby, and if he/she had any abnormalities to be concerned about.

In some ways, I'm missing the simpler experience I had in Kenya.  I miss being able to dash down to the hospital for my appointments, and feeling like this was all a normal, regular thing, and not something to be hyper worried about!

I must admit to a heightened sense of anxiety about this pregnancy, though.  I had a miscarriage in November, and while I was able to get pregnant again so easily, I still get worried with every twinge or moment of pain.  Being sick twice in the past month hasn't helped my anxiety level either - I'm afraid this baby, even if fine now, will suffer the effects of these sickness somewhere in the future.

There are just a few more appointments for me here in NJ, and then I have to find myself a new doctor in Maine.  We move in June, the baby is due in September, so there should be enough time.  I'm telling you, things are moving at lightening speed around here.  Between Kyalo's birthday, Easter, being sick, graduation in a month, the big move, etc, I've hardly had time to think about this baby much!  I'm getting excited - and I know Kyalo is, too.  He still says to me at random times, 'No! I want a sister, not a brudder.'  Let's hope I don't disappoint!

36 months

I have had some veteran moms tell me that three is more 'terrible' than the terrible twos.  We're a week and a half into Kyalo's being three, and I think I'm already seeing the signs that three is going to be harder than two was.

That being said, there's still a lot of great things going on with Kyalo.  He continues to bring joy and amusement to our days, and cliche though it is, can't imagine life without him.  All in all, the one word I would use to describe him is happy.  He is so easy going (most of the time - more so when we're out of the house, thankfully), smiley, and calm.  In general, I'd say he's even-tempered, but lately I've been seeing his anger come out.  He doesn't really throw the typical tantrum, but he does grind his teeth and make a lot of noise. Kind of hard to explain, I should try for a video one of these days!

So, some things of note from this month.  I guess I'm going to have to start writing these things down in a journal now that I'm ending (I think) these monthly updates.

He ALWAYS wants to know, 'what time it is?'  as in, he'll ask, I'll tell him, '4:02' and then he'll ask again, so I'll tell him, '4:03'.  I was telling Dexter we should decorate his room in clocks so he can always tell what time it is.  When do kids start to learn to tell time? Because I'm ready for him to be able to read a clock!

He's big into asking 'why?'  This is a question that can really put me over the edge, because there are only so many answers I can come up with.  Plus, he'll ask what time it is, then I'll tell him, and he'll ask 'why?'  Um, cuz it is, kid. Because it is.  Also lately he's taken to asking why twice in the same sentence.  For example, he got a second birthday card in the mail last week and he asked, 'Why did I get another card? Why?'

Every morning he asks Dexter to make him a 'peanut butter and jewwy sammich' (PB&J, in case you can't speak toddler) as a sort of pre-breakfast.  I can't understand it myself, but I bet he has it five days of the week.

He still can't really count - not even to five, let alone 10 or higher.  The other day we were in the car and he was counting something like this:  ' 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, SEVEN!'  Dexter asked me how homeschooling was going. Ha. Ha.  And even the other day, we were counting, 'One, Two. . .' and I asked him what comes after two and he said, 'Four!'  Sigh. I feel like we do a lot of counting in life between books and counting things like stairs or items or whatever we can, but for whatever reason it just isn't clicking yet.  Soon, I guess.

He's pretty excited about being a big brother.  Kyalo had to come with me to my first OB appointment where I got my first ultrasound (about 8 weeks), I showed him the picture and said, do you want a brother or sister.  He immediately said, 'Sister!' which surprised me.  And he has continually asked for a sister since then.  Which is funny because I want him to have a brother.  Oh well, not much we can do about it now.  Sometimes he'll even come up to me randomly and say, 'I want a sister, not a brudder.'  So, there you go.

Kyalo still loves to be outside, and I think his favorite thing is probably a stick.  Most boys his age like cars or trains or something like that. He does like those things but doesn't seem super attached to them.  But he'll have a melt down if a stick he left in the sidewalk isn't there when we return from a walk.  I'm thinking Maine is going to be a great place for him!

And thus ends three years of monthly updates!  I can't believe I stuck with it for all three years...but I'm so glad I did.  I think some day, he will be too.

three!

Last week Kyalo's much-anticipated, much-talked-about birthday arrived!  Unfortunately, I was sick all weekend and week, so a few of the small things I had planned had to be pushed to this week.  Still, I rallied enough to try to make the day a bit special...and I'll hold out that turning 4 will be the blow out he's looking for.

In addition to my being sick and on the couch, the start of our eagerly-awaited Music Together class didn't happen because the teacher thought it starts this coming week.  Poor kid, foiled at every turn.  Thankfully my friend Gina is coming to MT and took us out for some awesome pizza.  Since I wasn't cooking or baking anything, we took Kyalo out for ice cream, after presents, after he kept asking, 'can we go to my birsday now?'

In the morning, before Music Together, we headed out to feed the birds some scraps of bread.

This face has been so kissable and smoosh-able since day one!  It just keeps getting better.

Thanks to Grandma, he had a few presents to open.  We also gave him a couple of books.  Since we're moving to Maine in just a couple of months (!!!) I wanted some Maine-themed stories.  I got the classic, Blueberries for Sal, and got it as a book on CD.  He's loved that, and as of yet, I haven't had to read this book to him.  He doesn't quite get the concept of turning the pages when the little bell chimes, but he seems to enjoy it, and it keeps him entertained for 20 minutes!

always happy, but opening a few presents really brings out the smiles

This was the other book we got him, I Met a Moose in Maine One Day, and he insisted that I read it right away.  I love both his cute little grin in that top photo, and the hand on his cheeks and the intensity with which he's listening.  I'm pleased with our purchases.  :)  I think he's ready for Maine, though he may be disappointed to realize he'll never have a moose in his bathroom!

I felt bad that we didn't have anything to put a candle in on Thursday, so on Friday, I whipped up a batch of yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting.  We forgot to actually sing to him, but at least we had him blow out some candles.

I tell you, party planning is hard work!

Looking at the pictures of the cupcake they look kind of pathetic.  But, as you can see, they certainly did the trick for Kyalo!  We'll have more cupcakes this week, I think, so he still has plenty of time to 'go to his birsday'

Since this is more of a birthday recap, I think I'll push some of the monthly updates to another post.  I think I'm going to have to start a 'chats with Kyalo' topic because he's really saying the cutest things right now.

Happy Birthday to our little man! We love you so much!

gma & gpa visit

I mentioned in my last post that my parents were able to come to NJ at the beginning of this month. The timing coincidentally coincided perfectly with Dexter's all-day exam on Sunday.  Initially, Dexter thought he'd be at the school on Saturday, too, which would mean I'd be carless the whole weekend.  I was not envisioning a good weekend.  He decided to skip the trip to school on Saturday, and my parents rolled in on Thursday night.

We didn't do a whole lot with them, really.  I took zero pictures with my camera, but thankfully my parents now both have iPhones (fancy!) and so we got a few pics to mark the weekend that way.

On Friday we swam at the hotel's over-chlorinated pool and then had lunch. Kyalo insisted he needed meatballs for lunch. 'I love meatballs!' he kept saying, so my dad graciously got a meatball sandwich to share a meatball.  Kyalo proceeded to eat none of it.  Thanks, grandpa.  Dexter and I even got to go out to a movie (12 Years a Slave) and have a little date, which is a rare occurrence for us, so that was a nice treat.

Saturday, the day was nice enough that we ventured into NYC.  Yep, it always takes visitors to get us there.  We hit Central Park where Kyalo enjoyed watching the seals in the zoo (from outside the zoo), and climbing rocks and running around with sticks.  Dexter enjoyed running into an actor from Breaking Bad in the men's room, and we all enjoyed a spring-like day in the city!

We took Kyalo to ride the 'horses' - the big carousel in the park. He loved it.

And snapped a few family photos here and there.

After the park we hit up a burger joint and met up with my friend Becky who lives in the East Village.  So, we didn't do anything remarkable, but I think it was the perfect distraction for Dexter as he anticipated his exam on Sunday (did I mention he was driving one of his patients to the exam, so he left the house at 5, on daylight savings day? lucky guy!).  As always, it was nice to be in the city. Who wants to visit us before we leave so we get there again?

My parents left mid afternoon on Sunday, with a van full of our stuff we no longer need.  The packing has begun. Ugh.

(I am happy to report that snow is all gone!)

Thanks for the visit!  See you back here for graduation!!

the future

Things are moving at a pretty fast clip around here, I can hardly keep up.  My parents were in town at the beginning of the month for a little visit, and to help keep me sane while Dexter was in his 8 hour licensing exam on Sunday.  Working backwards a bit, I'll have a few pictures up from that later.  In the meantime, the good news is that Dexter PASSED his exam, which was a big relief. This was the third part in a three part exam which means he's now good to go license wise.  A big step in the right direction.

Last week was Spring Break for Dexter.  Remember how last year we had an epic road trip to Maryland-Virginia-Tennessee and back?  I had been hoping we might get some place warm and sunny this spring break, but instead we made plans to head north, first to MA and then on up to Maine.

Why Maine, you ask?  Well, because that's where we're heading at the end of school!  In a kind of it-can-only-be-God situation, we got connected to a dentist in Maine in the fall, and made a visit to him in December.  While it seemed likely that a job was going to happen, we didn't want to count on it so early.  But as Dexter had continuing conversations with Dr. Kim, and as he continued passing his exams, it became clear that a job was being offered.  So a few weeks ago we made plans to go up on March 20 and spend the night, meet with Dr Kim and his partner, Dr Aaron Im, and their wives, and to do some house hunting.

March 20th, I'm sure you remember was the first day of spring.  And South Paris, Maine got 14 INCHES of snow.

14 Inches.

On the 1st day of spring!

Is it too late to back out now?

Since the roads were a mess (and Dr Kim was fleeing to Florida) we postponed the trip to Friday.  And we had a great time!  Dexter enjoyed his time with Dr Aaron at the clinic (and checking out his brand new dental chair), and I had a great time with Aaron's wife, Gayle, and their 3 year old son Lucas.  Gayle and I have a lot in common, and I'm already counting on her being my new best friend forever.  I'm sure she won't mind!  I can't wait for Kyalo to meet Lucas.

I thought this post would have pictures of our new house, but alas, we didn't make it into anything.  I talked to a realtor who is now on the hunt for something for us.  We may need to go back up before Easter, so perhaps I'll have pictures then.

I hear amazing things about Maine in the summer so I hope you'll plan to visit.

So between a new state, a new job, and a new baby, the next six moths are looking very busy.  Overall, though, the future is bright and exciting.

And cold.

35 months

Oh, hey.  I've really fallen down when it comes to blogging.  Guess this winter has really done us in.  And then I've been trying to catch up on a little show called Breaking Bad to see what all the fuss was about.  I'm not yet convinced that it is the best show EVER but I'll keep giving it a chance.

I don't have too much to report from this month, really.  Just the usual things - Kyalo's growing in all the right ways.  His talking is really on fire now.  He said something to me the other day that really surprised me because it seemed like a big word and a big concept. "Ohhh! I just noticed something! We have ice cream in the freezer!!"  Maybe that's all normal and on par with where he should be, but still impressed me.  I'll list some other cute things he's saying at the bottom.

Kyalo's really taken an interest in taking pictures - with anything he can get his hands on whether its a real camera or not - lately (or, better, again) and so we let him use our old camera.  He grabbed it one day and was studying it pretty hard on the couch for a long time.

And when it came time to take our monthly pictures, I could barely get him to agree to put it down.

future photographer

Once I did get him to put the camera down, it was still hard to get good pictures. He won't sit still, was making funny faces, etc.  Needless to say, these monthly pictures have run their course!  I figure three years is a pretty good run.

 see? funny faces

that's a little better

What else?  We've turned a corner (finally!) with potty training. One day Kyalo just started pooing in the potty. It hasn't been 100% -- or without its battles -- but we're getting there.  I'm still holding out hope to be done by the time he turns three, but I'm not sure about overnight and long car rides (we go to MA on Monday, and I doubt we'll brave that 5 hour trip diaper-less.)  So, we'll see what happens about that!

He discovered scissors this month, and has been happily cutting everything in sight.  His art table is covered in paper confetti, and I'm trying to be OK with the mess.  Also, there are a few items of clothing and our sheets (?) that have cut marks in them now, but that's ok.  He's having fun, and keeping busy.  

So, some other things he's saying. . .

'I can't do that right now'

'Because I shay (say) so!!'  (Perhaps I've said this one too many times to him?)

Oh, and one other thing:

September 2014