So I haven't blogged in about 3 weeks and now I have a ton to write about again. I'm tired though so this may be an abridged version.
The trip to SD and IA was great. The kids traveled well and slept well and I think had a really good time. Some highlights from the trip include naming a kitty at Grandma and Grandpa Erickson's farm (she's a girl but her name is Bob), going swimming at the Elk Point pool and going down the froggy slide...27 times, going golfing with Grandpa Elmer, going camping even if the bugs were horrible, and picking green beans with Grammie Deb. The time actually seemed to go by really fast and by the time I realized that we'd been away from home for two weeks, we'd been away for two weeks. We happened to be home the weekend of Jefferson Days so I saw some of my HS classmates. It makes me feel old that my 10 year class reunion is next summer. Didn't I just graduate? Oh well, life goes on. See the kids' shutterfly site for pictures from the trip.
While the kids and I were camping with Grammie Deb, Matt was home playing Mr. Fixit. He yanked most of the big nasty bushes out from in front of our house to 1) get rid of nasty landscaping and 2) make it easier to paint which was the next task. The thing that is funny about these housing developments is that I'm sure they come in and the contractor goes right down the street doing his thing at each house and probably doesn't ever come back to correct mistakes, etc. Some oddities that Matt found were a soffit vent with no hole behind it--just a vent cover screwed into the ceiling on our porch--purely decorative I'm sure. Also on of the windows above my kitchen sink is a little screwy. They must have cut the hole in the house too big because the window casing on the outside had about a 1/4" gap all the way around it. We decided that they probably cut the wholes for both of the windows the same size and then realized that only one needed to be big enough for a crank out window since the other one doesn't move. Anyway...Matt spent all of last week busting his butt and working on the outside of the house. He did a great job and is almost done. I helped a tiny bit when the kids were sleeping but otherwise it was all him. I'll post some of the pictures so you can see the new color.
I've been a little stressed for the last week or so. I finally decided that I should figure out what we're doing for daycare for next year since I'm only a month from going back to work. So I started calling around to the daycare centers where the kids are on the waiting lists and had no luck finding a spot for both kids in the same place. They could all take Gabrielle but almost no one had room for Colin because he's under 18 months old and is still considered an infant. Too bad they don't measure kids based on their food intake. Anyway...I interviewed a few people over the phone and visited one at her home but wasn't ready to sign up there. Then yesterday one of the 20 or so people I call on Friday called me back. I was really excited to talk to her because she lives about a block from our house. The kids and I went to visit today and we liked her a lot so they'll be going there next month. She's got three grown children of her own and it really feels like a "Grandma's house" type of place so I'm glad to have found her. Plus we can walk there when it's nice and not have to worry about wasting gas, etc. I'm very relieved.
Gabrielle had what I'm thinking was a little break through today. She went potty on the potty chair 3 times this afternoon and did a great job of telling me when she needed to go--she was wearing her Elmo panties. She went once when Kent and Jean were here and then one more time after supper. Then we had to go get some groceries so I put her back in a diaper. We went to sit on the potty when we got home and her diaper was dry so she pottied in the potty chair. I've kind of been dragging my feet on the whole training issue but we've been talking up the idea lately so maybe it's finally taking hold. We'll see.
An update on baby Emma. She is doing great and might get to come home this week some time. She's out of the incubator and is just in an isolet now. She is on the tiniest bit of oxygen, can maintain her own temperature, and is up to 4lbs 6oz. If I remember right the only thing she has left to do before she can leave is east 8 times a day and she is at 5 or 6. She's still really little so she can only eat a little at a time. I think Dan said it was like 30ccs a feeding which is about an ounce. She's really doing great for not supposed to be born for 5 more weeks.
The summer seems like it has gone by so fast and I'm sort of dreading going back to work. I have really enjoyed my time at home with the kids and will miss it when I go back. We're going to probably try to hit the zoo once or twice more and maybe the pool if Matt can come along. Too much fun to have, too little time.
Ta ta!
