"Beefs"

I took these the other day on our walk to the library. Adam stood beneath this tree and commented about all the "beefs" on the ground. He was very concerned that they were falling off the tree. I tried to explain that he needed to get used to that as it would be happening a lot in the coming weeks.



We were also fortunate enough to find several puddles along the way. He hasn't quite gotten the idea of "jumping" into the puddles yet.


He prefers to just dip a toe.

"Baby"

So, about a month ago, we bought Adam a doll. We hoped it would serve a dual purpose. First, we wanted to acquaint him with the idea of a "baby" and talk about how to touch/hold the baby so that he would be better prepared for Jane's arrival. Second, we wanted to use it as a potty training tool. You know, "look Adam, the baby is using the potty". Don't worry, we're not potty training...yet.

What we didn't expect was that "baby" would replace "Ah Ah" (aka his stuffed monkey) as his lovey. He sleeps with her every night and sometimes has to bring her downstairs in the morning so she can "watch" while he eats breakfast. We gave the baby to him for the first time during a long car trip while trying to keep him entertained. I think it's safe to say it was love at first sight.




We've drawn the line with the baby leaving the house. She has to stay home no matter how much Adam would like to bring her to church, the library, the museum, etc. We all know kids who had to take a piece of their favorite blanket to kindergarten. We're trying to save him the humiliation of showing up to kindergarten with a purple baby doll.

A Few of His Favorite Things...

Adam has one big thing in common with his Uncle Wade. When Wade was little, he loved ducks. Scott's Mom made a duck book for Wade and when Adam's fascination with ducks started, he asked if she still had it. Turns out she did. Adam loves this book.




Another thing high on Adam's list is airplanes. He gets very excited when he sees them flying overhead. We talked to some friends who told us where to park at the airport to get a good view.


Adam loved it when they landed. We were surprised by how low they came. Adam talked for weeks afterward about the planes. His most common descriptors were "big" and "loud".

We'll see you at the 2024 Olympics!

I took these the first week of September, which was also our last swim before our friends closed their pool for the winter. This child has no fear.

His best angle:

He knows exactly what he wants, we don't have to prompt him at all:
Preparing to jump:
"Hey, there's a plane!":
Great execution, for an 18 month-old:
Now he's just showing off:

29 Years Old and 30 Weeks Pregnant

As the title says, I turned 29 this week and Baby Jane is now 30 weeks. The trip to NYC was my birthday present from Scott. This didn't stop us from also celebrating in our traditional (and cheap) manner of going to Red Robin for my free burger. I also have a coupon for a free ice cream from Cold Stone, I'll be using that this week.

My friend Amy and I have birthdays the same week. To celebrate, we went to lunch with friends. Amy gave me these beautiful flowers that are just now starting to wilt. Thanks to my great husband and great friends for a memorable birthday.


I also reached the 30 week point in my pregnancy this week. At my next Dr. appointment I start making my appointments every two weeks instead of every four. I know I still have a ways to go, but it's hard to believe how quickly this pregnancy is going (talk to me again in about 8 weeks).

NYC

We left for NYC on Friday morning and got there late afternoon. By the time we parked the car and walked to the apartment (a long way when you're carrying your bag), it was evening. The apartment was a one-bedroom with two pull-out couches in the living room. Luckily, we brought an extra air mattress, because the beds were really small. Here is a view of the apartment (if you can see around my belly).

After getting settled into the apartment we went to Times Square to check things out. I've never been to NYC so it was nice to see. I prefer, however, the Central Park West area where our apartment was to staying in Times Square. I don't do well with chaos.


On Saturday we went to Chinatown. It's amazing the dark alleys and secret elevators one will follow strangers into when promised knock-off bags. I was pleasently surprised with my ability to barter and even more surprised at how well my pregnancy helped my case. Here is a picture of our haul (sorry, it posted sideways).


And here is the fall-out from Chinatown. We were all exhausted. I thought I was wearing pretty sensible shoes, but if I go to NYC pregnant again I'm going to buy the ugliest Dr. Scholl's I can find. Anything to avoid the feeling that cutting my feet off at the ankle would make me feel better.


The purpose of this trip was so that four of the ladies could run the Tunnel to Tower race. We went down to the WTC site on Saturday so they could check in and saw this guy who was constructing an intricate sand castle.


Here is what the finished product looked like on Sunday. Pretty impressive.


I just love this picture. We weren't posing. This is just how cool we are, naturally.

I'm Practically Famous Now

So, I went to NYC this last weekend with a group of friends. We had a fabulous kid-free time, except Amy, who brought her nursing baby. But I think even Amy felt like she got a good break. Anyway, I have pictures to post, but I wanted to post some fun anecdotes before I forgot them. Here are my favorites from the trip:

#1
Our friend, Seleta, lived in NYC for a while and so she navigated while Mrs. Finkle drove into the city and to the parking garage we'd rented. Seleta had very specific instructions for Anna while we weaved our way through NYC traffic. My favorites were:

"Those pedestrians are crossing against the light, don't slow down, they don't matter."

When a little old lady crossed against the light and gave us a little wave, Seleta said, "Okay, slow down for her."

Many times a street was cut down to one lane because a car was double parked. Seleta's instructions were to never hesitate when going around these cars. This is basically a very scary game of "Chicken" with experienced NYC taxi drivers. When Anna got stopped because she couldn't get around a car because of oncoming traffic, Seleta said, "See, you hesitated."

#2
This story explains the title of this post. While walking from the apartment we rented to the subway we were passing an upscale apartment building when, at that very moment, none other than this stud walked out.

I don't want to brag, but we had a moment. There was eye contact and, I believe, a brief smile. So, in my calculation Matt Dillon possibly thought about me for 1/1, 000,000th of a second. I'm practically famous now.

#3
This last one happened on our way home. We were somewhere in central NY and we came to an exit that said, "Scott, 1 Mile".

Me: Look, Scott is in one mile!!
Joanna: We should stop and get a picture.
Me: No, we're already running late.

Then we came to the sign that said "Scott" with an arrow pointing to the exit.

Joanna: Are you sure you don't want to get off on Scott.
(pregnant pause followed by raucous laughter)
Joanna: That's not what I meant!

Sure Joanna, sure. Filthy, just filthy.