Waiting, but maybe not patiently!

Monday night we got together for Father’s Day. We had burgers and dogs, the usual grill-out stuff. I think if you could fix my Dad a good juicy burger and maybe a hot link every day of the week, he’d probably be happy.

Tuesday night was supposed to be our “free” night…the only night we didn’t have something going on. Instead, I made some phone calls during the day procuring a full-size mattress set for Dylan. Chris went and picked it up after work and we spent the next 2 hours putting new bed rails on his bed and getting everything put together. I had to wash sheets and everything to get it ready. It went well, though. Dylan is so small in it right now. The next morning I went to get him out of bed and it actually took me a second to find him. He had his head on the comforter and was using his pillows as his blanket. It was too cute!

I've been dilated to a 2 the last two doctor visits and I go back tomorrow. I'm sure it will be the same report. I think I'm ready sometimes and then I start thinking about how much life is going to change for everyone in the family and then I get kind of scared. I know it will be ok, but that doesn't change the anxiety I will have until Eli is born.

Last Thursday night we had a bbq picnic with all the people from Chris’s work. It turned out a lot better than anyone expected. Several of the people who generally sit back and watch actually got up and involved in some of the games. That was cool to see. They didn’t have any organized games because they didn’t want people to feel pressured into it, but they had something called ladder golf and another game called washers. It was a good time. They had it at Chesterfield Park which is very clean and has a nice big playground. Dylan got plenty of play time and we took his t-ball set and some footballs, also. Chris had to be there early to set up and do the cooking so Dylan and I came alone but by the time we got there, Chris was pretty much finished grilling so we all got to hang out.

Friday night we had Callie’s 1st birthday party. Callie is the youngest of Aaron’s 4 kids. Callie has been standing by herself for a week or two but isn’t walking just yet. It’s kind of crazy but out of the 7 grandkids we’ll have in our family, 4 of them will be born within a month. Like birthdays is what I mean. Callie’s birthday is June 23rd and then Eli will be in the next week or so and then Samantha is July 9th and Hope is July 19th. Callie and Hope turn 1 this year, Samantha turns 2, and Eli will just be born. It’s kind of cool but probably a little hard on the checkbook if you know what I mean.

After Callie's birthday party Chris and I attended the first of two events for his 10-yr class reunion. We went to a place called Fox and the Hound. It's kind of like a pub. Everyone just hung out in one little area and talked. They had a few pool tables but not many people played pool. I think it went well because several people they couldn't originally get a hold of still got the message and showed up. Some people who weren't really part of the class back in high school attended, as well. We stayed for almost 2 hours but my body needed to go home and rest. We heard many people stayed until midnight. I guess that's a good sign.

Saturday morning we went and picked up Dylan from Papa and Nana's house. He went home with them after the birthday party. I think they stayed at the birthday party until about 9:00. He got to enjoy a few hours in the morning with Papa and Nana before we came to ruin the fun. When we got home we played in his swimming pool and played outside giving him lots of attention. Saturday evening after his nap we went to the 2nd event of Chris's 10-yr class reunion. We rented a small tent area at the Springfield Cardinals game. We had burgers, dogs, baked beans, chips, cookies, and brownies. We all sat together and talked for a while and then had reserved seats for during the game. Lots of people attended and I think everyone had a great time. We didn't actually sit down in a seat during the game. Chris and I took Dylan over to the grass area and let him run around and play. It was a good game although we left in the 6th or 7th inning. It was time to get home and take a bath for church on Sunday.

When we pulled out of the parking garage Saturday night after the game, Chris said his ear was hurting really bad. He had a sinus infection a couple weeks ago and it never has completely gone away. We think maybe it was some of the drainage from that. Anyway, when we got home he was miserable. He was up and down out of bed for the next 4 hours or more. Around 2 a.m. he went and got some ear drops at Wal-mart. The pain was actually making him sick to his stomach. I knew he was in and out of bed and he told me when he was going to Wal-mart but I guess I didn't realize how bad it was. Anyway, when he got home I help him put ear drops in a couple different times throughout the night and he might have finally fallen asleep around 4 or 5 a.m. It was a miserable night for him. He stayed home from church Sunday morning because it was still bothering him but by the time Dylan and I got home from morning services he was feeling better. I don't think I've ever had an earache like that so I don't know what he was going through but I know any kind of pain in the head area that makes you sick to your stomach has got to be bad.

We actually don’t have a whole lot scheduled this week. I have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, as usual. Dylan and I have storytime on Wednesday and Rec Center Farmyard Puppets on Thursday. Dylan enjoys storytime. She reads a couple books, sings a song or two and usually has a craft or other activity. There are never many kids there which makes it a little more enjoyable. The Rec Center is just behind our house and during the summer they have a different group come in each Thursday for about an hour. The first week a lady from the zoo came in with some unique animals: a bearded dragon lizard, a hedgehog, and a screech owl. She talked about each animal and their differences, what they like to eat, where they live and all that good stuff. Last week we had Bongo Barry who played the drums and a guitar. He had instruments for every kid in the audience to play and he talked about rhythm and tried to teach the kids a little about beat. It was neat! This week they have Farmyard Puppets. I think it has to do with teaching all about the different animals you might find on a farm. They have 6 or 8 weeks of these planned through the summer months. We’ll see how many we get to go to.

It sure is summer out there. Dylan just gets soaked when he played outside the last few days. I don’t mean from water either. His whole head sweats. His hair is soaked like somebody dumped a bucket of water on his head but they didn’t. I filled up his little kiddy pool last week and let him play in it a while. He liked it but I think he had more fun standing outside of it dipping a bowl in it, getting it full of water, and then dumping it on his shorts and feet. He laughed and laughed and did it over and over for like 20 minutes. Crazy kid!

Well, I've got dinner to make for tonight and then I'm going to try to make a few things I can freeze for the few weeks after Eli is born. I know it's going to be an adjustment and if I can have a few dinners already made to just pop in the oven, I think it will work out well.

Tripod to You, Microphone to Dylan!

Lonely!

This has been an interesting last 6 weeks or more. Chris has had a car for quite some time now that has been having mechanical problems. It was a big problem and not worth the money to fix. The best situation was just to wait until the motor froze or blew up or the timing belt snapped. We've been researching vehicles and looking for a great deal for several weeks now. We just started about 2 weeks ago actually going to dealerships and diving into our search more in depth. Chris called me on his way home Monday night. I had a roast in the oven, rolls out rising, and was ready to put on some mashed potatoes and corn to cook. He says, "Well, it finally happened". I'm like what? He says, "I'm sitting on the side of the road...my motor finally blew". He's actually almost laughing about it. We both expected it so it wasn't a big deal. I told him to give me 5 minutes to figure out what to do with the roast and get Dylan up from his nap. I made my way down there and when I get there he says he wants to go into town car shopping. Well, I have a roast on so we have to go home and turn the oven off, cover the roast so it doesn't dry out, put the rolls in the fridge and set the other things aside. We go into town and visit a couple dealerships before he quickly decides he's hungry and we head back home.

Tuesday, Dylan and I were scheduled to meet Aaron and his family in town at Sam's Club and then go to lunch together. We took Chris to work first thing in the morning. We went to a nearby park, played T-ball, watched the turtles and ducks in the pond, did a little swinging, pushed his Tonka dump truck down the slide repeatedly, and had tons of fun. We left there to meet Aaron's family. Since it was Chris and my 8th anniversary Aaron and Julia offered to take Dylan home with them and we could come by and pick him up after getting a little alone time that evening. It was a great offer so Dylan went to his Aunt and Uncle's house. Julia then offered to just keep him overnight and we'd get him at church on Wednesday. That sounded like a good deal because then we could car shop as late as we needed and eat dinner out and have an evening all to ourselves.

I guess I hadn't considered how lonely I would be today. The house is so quiet. I have gotten a lot done. I got a load of laundry done, the dishes, ordered some stuff for Eli's room, got Eli's car seat cleaned up and put back together (that took a while), did some NTCP work, printed and mailed out some info for Chris's 10-yr class reunion, and did a little cleaning. I know I couldn't have done all that with Dylan here and it wouldn't have been as productive a day but I'm still thinking that having him here is more fun than getting lots of work done. He does cry occasionally and want my attention constantly and makes messes, but if you're a mom you know that just comes with the job. I have never had a day to myself with no Chris and no Dylan. Usually, if Dylan spends the night somewhere or is gone during the day...it's because Chris and I have plans. I miss my little guy. I guess the saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" stands true for more than just love life relationships. Dylan lights up my day and I can't wait to have another little boy that we can enjoy just as much. I'll bet he's having tons of fun with his 4 cousins and Aunt Julia, but what I'm really hoping is that when Chris and I get to church tonight and he sees us that he comes running over to give us both big hugs. That would make my day and I guess make it worth it all!