Memorial Day Weekend

17 Months, Week 4

The Friday of Memorial Day weekend is so awesome because of the feelings of anticipation; the office is half empty and the workload isn’t too terrible. Tim and I both got off work around 2pm so we decided to take advantage and have a small day-date while Nora was still at the sitter - wooo! 

We first hit Allyn’s Cafe in Columbia Tusculum - where we had our first date! We each had a beer and an appetizer. We decided to squeeze one more location so we went to Hahana Beach in Mariemont - it’s a “beachy” theme with large open garage doors and lots of volleyball courts - we enjoyed a beer and chips/guacamole there. Crazily enough, the high that day was only 68˚ so Tim and I sat indoors. 

Outdoors and cold!

Indoors with the “beachy” vibe.

Saturday we had completely open - we had zero plans and it was great! The most eventful part of our day was going through the carwash which freaked Nora out : (

Sunday we had a Kron family shower for Tim’s cousin Joe and his wife Kristen who are expecting a baby boy in just a few weeks. It was a lovely day and great visiting family - Nora loved seeing her cousins, Gabe, Bobby and Ben - whose names she says every day! 

Monday we visited our friends Maren & Chris in Mariemont - they had a small cookout that Stephanie joined as well. It was a very nice time, not too hot. Nora loves seeing baby Adrian and says her name fairly well.

All in all, it was an awesome, relaxing weekend!

Business Trip!

Friday at work was the start of Memorial Day weekend. Around 10am my director came up to me and asked if I could attend some consumer research in Indy Tues-Wed! Doh! I easily said yes because 1. That’s my job and 2. I was glad it was only one night and very close to home; i.e. no plane trip.

I carpooled with a coworker who is just a year older than me with a 10-mo old, so we had a lot to talk about and she’s just someone I enjoy and could see myself hanging out with outside work .... if that ever occurred.

Tuesday night our clients took us out to St. Elmo’s steakhouse - which apparently is famous and historic. Mostly for their shrimp cocktail - ?! Two of our male clients ordered this and one asked for extra cocktail sauce for his baked potato. I just had some wild Alaskan Cod which was awesome - cleaned my plate with the fish and the quinoa with green beans and my coworker’s mashed potatoes - YUM!

We stayed at a Westin which I expect to be fairly top of the line, but was a little dingy. They have “Heavenly” beds which I think delivered - I slept quite well!

Unfortunately as soon as we pulled into the driveway from a long day of research, Tim and Nora came out - Nora was her usual bubbly self with one difference - a freakin RASH all over her face! We hustled in the house and Tim said Nora didn’t eat anything she hadn’t eaten before. We called the doctor who said she’s simply at the age where her usual food - especially acidic - can react more with her skin. Tim said Nora had smeared hummus all over her face which perhaps was the cause - so we’re going to back off that jazz for a while. 

Not so dreadful...

DREADFUL.

So Proud!

17 Months, Week 3

So when I was pregnant, I was so adamant about baby sign language to help Nora and us communicate together. Starting at 6 months, we tried “food,” “sleep,” “milk,” and “more.” As a working Mom we weren’t around Nora enough to continue the sign language and we didn’t really push our Moms or sitters to sign to Nora so we thought it was pretty much a lost art. 

This week - at 17 months - she made the sign for “more” [while saying more] for food! It’s a little ironic since she can ask for more, but suddenly signing for it also. We aren’t sure if maybe out sitter is signing to Nora - ? Either way, we are proud of her.

Additionally, Nora’s vocabulary has rocketed the past two weeks - she repeats everything we say and remembers many phrases; “Daddy’s car!” “Mommy tired.” Of course we think she ’s brilliant : )

Not Nora - but this is the sign for “more.”

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This afternoon we went to Miami Meadows - east of here down Route 131. It’s a big clear space for soccer games, a playground and a dog park. Nora met a friend named Mackenzie. Mackenzie was 20 mos old and not quite as social. Nora just loves people [a new word she likes] and enjoyed walking with Mackenzie. The two girls simply walked around while myself and Mackenzie’s Mom followed the girls - they were all so nice and were from Loveland and maybe we’ll see them again at the park!

33 Year Streak Ended...

Even though as my Dad said - “Don’t expect a lot of sympathy,” my lifetime of no cavities has come to an end as of this week and I’m pretty bummed. I’m the type of person who has carried a lot of pride with my clean mouth. 

And it’s ironic that my Dad didn’t have any sympathy for me because I’m fairly certain my dedication to flossing came from him. 

Will be experiencing my first filling before November!

Lovin’ on Daddy

From about 6-8 weeks ago : ) 

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like... Summer!

Month 17, Week 

Mother’s Day weekend was nice - Saturday was our celebration day. We ate at Copper Blue in town which had good food and craft beer. Nora was very well behaved and ate like a champ. 

Sunday we had a nice visit with the Krons. However, I had to fast all day due to a poorly-timed colonoscopy I had on Monday. *Long story short, I had some symptoms that prompted a “just-to-be-sure” procedure which turned out to be just fine. So I was pretty cranky towards the end of the day and pretty sure I was PMSing on top of that. Yuck.

This weekend was lovely despite a few rain showers here and there. I had to take Friday off because our sitter needed off and we’d already tapped the Grandmas for the week. Nora and I made a trip up to Tipp City to wish Grammy Batty a Happy Mother’s Day and visit. 

Nora even spent a whole hour with Grandpa while my Mom and I hit some garage sales. It sounded like Grandpa and Nora had a fun time together! We hit the road at 1pm and Nora slept the whole way home. 

Saturday morning I went on a 6 mile run - not very long, but working my way back up again. We hit some garage sales again and a consignment shop where I found an official NFL girl’s Bengals jersey for $5! I’m not a fan of the pink-sportswear-for-girls, but for $5, Nora will wear it. 

Tim was off with his guy friends for the afternoon/night, so Nora and I ventured into Milford for some park time and soft serve ice cream. The rain pushed us back home so I had to continually think up some activities for her so she wouldn’t get too bored. It was fun yet challenging spending so much time with Nora alone this weekend - which may sound strange to some since she’s my daughter, but I’m also a full-time working Mom. She’s a busy toddler, which family tells me, so it’s not just in my head. 

Saturday evening, Aunt Stephanie visited for a few hours which was a treat for both of us! Stephanie enjoyed Nora’s quirkiness - such as smelling a mole on the inside of my arm. Yup.

Tim arrived home at 10am on Sunday which felt like mid-day since Nora woke up at 6:15 - Zzzz. It was nice to have Tim home so I could break off and do some chores and shower. After Nora’s nap we made a trip to Cincinnati Nature Center and walked around a bit in the heat. We still have not turned on our A/C - it’s amazing how being surrounded by trees really keeps your home cool and efficient - woo!

Seclusion

Remember that photo of the deck view from winter? The trees have filled in and we are in the canopy! Love it! 

Ps & Qs

17 Months, Week 1

A shining moment as a Mother this morning - Nora came up to me with her sippy cup and said “Pea Mo?” translation: please more

My heart fluttered!

Stop... Potty Time!

17 Month, Week 1

Nora has a few bad habits. #1 would be the thumb sucking [I’ll save that for a later date.] #2 She likes to stick her hands into the back of her diaper.

Poor Carrie has had to deal with poopy hands only once. Thankfully Nora typically does it with wet diapers.

We talk a lot about “pee-pee” and “poo-poo” and where it goes and what we do in the potty. Nora seems to be catching on fast as she’ll say “poo-poo” and then walk to the stairs for a diaper change, yet there’s no poo. 

So if she’s keen on the idea, we may go ahead and buy her a training potty to start her learning at the very least. 

I can’t believe we’re beginning it already...

Flying Pig Part 3 - After

After saying our goodbyes and congrats to each other, Tim, Steph and I grabbed a coffee - Best. Coffee. Ever. Probably because I’d been up since 4am. And had just run 13.1 miles. And was shivering. Did I mention my lips were blue? 

We dropped Stephanie off and headed to Tim’s sister, Amy’s to pick Nora up - she graciously watched Nora since the weather was going to be bad. Nora had a blast with her cousins and I think they enjoyed her too : ) We picked her up around 11am and we were only in the car 5 minutes before she conked OUT. 

We arrived home and I had to take some “selfies” [self portraits] because Tim had Nora on his shoulder on the couch so she’d continue to sleep - aww. 

I feel good despite some creaky hip joints

An early and exciting day for everyone!

As Tim & Nora slept, I hopped in the shower. Amazing. It was hard to get out. Nora woke around 12:30 and we all had lunch. Tim showered. We went to retrieve my car and get groceries - Hey, 13.1 miles ain’t going to help get dinner made this week! It was now about 3:30 and we were able to enjoy some lounging as a family with the crummy weather outside. Nora used an old paper towel roll as her robot hand: 

Look at me -I’m Crazy Tube-Hand.  I’ve got a tube for a hand - isn’t that... CRAZY?

As 5:30 approached, Mommy wanted to celebrate her accomplishment with a beer - a beer I used to drink in London on tap! Mmmm... We also ordered carryout burgers and fries. We were too tired to cook and I cashed in my “Not-A-Vegetarian-For-A-Day” card for my post-race craving. Hey, I’ve always said I’m a Veg 9 out of 10 times! 

Overall, it was an awesome day and I look forward to doing it again!