Painful Truth?

I am hoping that three-year olds don't really have all the answers and that they don't really know everything.

I was getting dressed the other day and said something to the effect of how nice it would be to have my stomach small again after the baby is born. Owen chimed in and said, and your butt. I asked with an edge of shock to my voice, "is my butt big?". "It is", I was so matter-of-factly informed. Oh dear, I thought the pregnancy was progressing ok. I was feeling ok but now I have a big butt.

I was in the kitchen later that day with Owen and Greg and mentioned to Greg that I didn't want a big a butt. Owen shrugged his shoulders and said, "but it is". Then, rather than letting his poor mom be, he pointed to his tummy, pointed to his butt, put his hands up and mouthed, "they are both big."

Well, there you have it, update on pregnancy: 3 months left, 96 days, big tummy, big butt.

Nothing Specific

Random thought #1: I worked all day today. A long day starting with hearings at 8:30 and followed up by appointments all day, every half hour lasting until 6:30. Greg, being the nice husband that he is, anticipated that I would indeed have a lack of time to eat. He prepared me a nice dish of strawberries to take. Thank heavens for those!! I ate cereal before I left, a dish of strawberries around 11:00, a granola bar that I was so happy to find in the bottom of my bag around 1:00, and a few chocolates from the dish in the reception area. Now, to the point. Upon, returning home I was STARVING. So starving that the idea of fixing something to eat seemed far too overwhelming and time consuming so instead, for dinner, I ate 6 Cadbury Mini-Eggs and half a sleeve plus 2 of thin mint Girl Scout Cookies. Mmmm mmmm.

Random thought #2: My child is weird. Last night he was climbing and climbing and climbing on me. I usually don't mind. But the increasing belly size and sensitive chest area make it hard to stand. I asked in my nicest being a mom is hard voice that he PLEASE stop pushing on my stomach and climbing on me. He said ever so nicely, "It is ok mom, I will take care of you." Then he proceeds to pet my hair and my face and says so softly and sweet, "it is ok, mom, just calm down, just calm down, you just need to get used to it, just calm down and you just need to get used to it." Odd one that boy.

Random thought #3: Now I have had a total of 10, make that 11, Mini-Eggs for dinner.

The Best Photo of My Trip

This picture deserved a post of its own. How cute is this!

The Beach - Part IV

Here we are, already to Sunday. The day before we leave to come back. Sunday was the day set aside for the beach. We decided to take it easy in the morning. I asked Owen at one point if he wanted to go walk around and see some shops with his Grandpa, he said "No, I want to do nothing." Even at 3 you recognize when it is time to do nothing.

I am sure I started the day with a continental donut. (How could I not).

Owen ran around the hotel and played with his cousin Aubrie until it was time for lunch. At lunch time we remembered our favorite place: Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation. My favorite soup and salad bar restaurant. As an aside: how I miss eating there! I wish they would open one a little closer to me at home. 3 hours is a little far to drive to eat there...... although, I would do it.

A delicious lunch behind us and it was off to Old Navy. My winter child needed something a little lighter to wear for the day. Everyone was wearing tank tops and sandals, I looked over at Owen wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and his rain boots and thought it was best to buy a few lighter items before heading to the beach. Flip flops (that he says hurt too bad), new shirts and some shorts later, now he was ready for the beach!

It was the perfect day to play at the beach. We played in the water (as much as we dared, it was cold!), wrote our names in sand, threw sand at our friends (sorry Kati, he is still learning about sand apparently), put sand on mommy's shoes, filled our pockets with sand, ran in circles, buried our legs and made ourselves into a sand castle, poured sand onto our heads, and had a wonderful time!!!

Sea World - Part III

Sea World. San Diego. Warm Weather. What could be better.

Greg, Owen and I headed out early Saturday morning to have breakfast in San Diego at our favorite breakfast place. We had a nice drive minus a little car sicknesses from Owen.

After breakfast we made our way to Sea World to meet Greg's family. We started the day off with the Shamu show. Owen and Greg sat down in the front. Somehow they stayed dry but they were determined to try again.

After the Shamu show we made our way over to pet the bat rays. Owen loved it! I held him on the edge with all my might. If I would have allowed it, he would have plunged himself right into the pond. We tried to feed them but I think Owen threw most of his fish to the bottom or fed the seagulls.

Once we were done there, we spent a large amount of time purchasing summer atire (hats, flip flops, t-shirts, of course all for that exact moment, these were not items for the summer). I got myself a nice new sunhat.

Being so good while everyone shopped.

We saw the remaining shows: Pet show, Dolphin Show, and the Sea Lion Show. We saw penguins, flamingos and played on the grass. We enjoyed the sun!!

Here we are eating the first of 2 ice cream bars for the day.

Some of us saw more of the Sea Lion show than others.

Of course owl came, here he is watching the dolphin show. Owen was down in front with Greg.

After the dolphin show: nice and wet. He didn't like it because it was too salty.
And of course, the 2nd ice cream bar for the day.

Don't let him fool you, he is awake. He wouldn't have fallen asleep with his beloved ice cream bar.

The cool weather moved in when the sun went down and we headed out to eat. After a little confusion as to where to go, we headed back to Anaheim and enjoyed a yummy dinner at McCormick and Smith's. Thanks Greg's Dad!! Owen missed the dinner as he slept through it. I think that is the first time in his life he has stayed asleep with so much going on, he even stayed asleep getting back in his seat, getting back out of the car at the hotel, putting his jammies on and putting him in bed.

From the way he slept, obviously this was a good day.

California Adventure - Part II

The next day it was off to spend the day between Disneyland and California Adventure. I had never been there before so this would be new for all of us.

We woke up and ate a continental donut and we were ready to go.

I had made some pre-vacation plans to assure we rode the Monsters, Inc. ride, saw the Playhouse Disney show, and watched the Pixar parade. That is exactly what we did. And that was all we did, well, that is all Owen and I did. They have crazy roller coasters and other rides made especially for non-pregnant adults that the others made their way to.

Owen and I had a nice day. We wandered around, we talked, we ate, we looked at things, and we ate the first of several delicious chocolate covered ice cream bars (or as Owen refers to it - that ice cream thing that has a stick in the bottom and chocolate on the top).

We enjoyed our ice cream while Greg and his family rode the crazy roller coaster. I was eating the ice cream bar to take my mind off the possibility that Greg may die on this roller coaster - let's just say they are not his thing, but that is a story for another post.

They all came back alive and after watching the Pixar Parade, we made our way back to Disneyland to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride.

After a long but fun day, we made our way out of the park and ended up at Tony Romas for a nice plate of ribs (Greg, not me.)

It was off to bed with a tired but happy little boy, mom and dad.

Owen with Kati & Ryan (sorry Kati, she wanted a picture of her and Ryan,

but Owen insisted on getting in)

My shirt matches with Sully!

Owen and Frozone

If anyone is heading to California Adventure, I would totally recommend this show - So CUTE!

Owen and Aubrie playing Hide-n-Seek while everyone rode a ride (they both took turns hiding in the exact same spot each time)

Watching the Pixar Parade

Disneyland - Part 1

I brought my computer to California specifically to blog. I knew that once we got back I would get caught up in life again and slowly the details would fall out of my head. I tried to blog on my trip, I really did - but the world's slowest Internet connection made it impossible. So here I am with a million pictures and a lot to say! I have a pile of Hershey's Kisses, I am ready.....

It wouldn't be a vacation without a continental hotel breakfast to start the day. We had cereal in the hotel, but I opted for the continental donut. Mmmm Mmmmm. I was ready for Disneyland now.

The park opened at 10:00, we packed up for the day and headed over. Our hotel was across the street, we enjoyed a nice short walk to our day of fun. I was curious what Owen must be thinking. Up to this point he has heard so much about Disneyland. He has heard about the fun from my yoga class, preschool, music class, strangers in the store who were told we going, and people at Greg's work to name a few. I am sure I gave it much more thought than he did, he acted like it was any other day and said he just wanted to hold his cousin's hand.

We spent the day riding rides, eating food (there is something so yummy about the pineapple and grapes they have at Disneyland), enjoying the warm weather, enjoying being away, and waiting in minimal lines. It seems I spent most of the day on the Buzz Lightyear ride with Owen and his cousins. Being 5 months pregnant limited my riding ability. Greg got soaked on Splash Mountain and spent the day wet (better him than me).

I have been to Disneyland more times than I can count, however, this was a first for me to take my sweet little boy. It was so fun being able to enjoy the day through his eyes, to see his excitement as he told me about the pirate ride, to see him intently riding the yellow submarine watching Nemo swim out in the ocean, to hold him as he fought sleep trying so hard to stay awake in the Tiki Room, to see him enjoy his chicken nuggets with hundreds of packets of ketchup that he had to open and pour himself, to see him enjoy what may have been his first churro (it made it even better that it was Greg's churro that quickly was lost to little 3 year-old hands), to buy him the big Woody doll that he then wouldn't let go of the rest of the day, to see his pirate face and hear the soft little words coming from his stroller all day - Yo Ho Yo Ho a pirate's life for me..., to watch him enjoy his family and love his cousins, to feel a touch of sadness as he picked his Grandpa Geoffrey to be his ride partner on the Haunted Mansion, but also feeling happiness that he knew his Grandpa would keep him safe when he was obviously a little scared, (I was then able to enjoy the ride with Greg and know that Owen was safe).

There was something so magical about sharing this day with Owen. And as we left the park with a little boy who was asleep before we hit the exit, I was reminded that I love my life.

We ended the day perfectly, with a hot chocolate from IHOP. I even had two.

It was time to sleep, tomorrow was another day, another adventure, another day of firsts, another day of fun.