Not-baby Ivy comes to town

Our flights home from Williamsburg had some hiccups but overall were much smoother than our flights there. The water system on the first flight was down and they ran out of snacks. The flight attendant hid two bags of cheezits under a blanket and smuggled them to us like a drug dealer. The second flight was delayed by almost two hours then we sat on the tarmac while they got extra gas. But we weren't stranded at the gate for seven hours so we counted our blessings. We rolled into our driveway at 12:30am and instantly went from vacationers with room service to hostess with the mostest because look who rolled into town the next day! Our favorite baby Ivy!

"Mom. She's not a baby anymore." "Auntie Sarah, I'm only Ivy now. Not baby Ivy." Me in my head, "You'll always be Baby Ivy to me. Your wedding card will say baby Ivy."

Erika and I are thick as thieves and the girls are thick as thieves which makes for exceptionally pleasant visits. They had a sleepover in Annabelle's room and giggled for over two hours. Every morning they took all the clothes out of Annabelle's closet and each put on multiple outfits at the same time. We went to the playground, for walks, to get iced coffee and roasted smores. We played games and talked until midnight because we had several months without seeing them to catch up on. Ivy started to not feel well on the second to last day so Erika became Dr. Llama Pants and gave her and AB checkups. Yesterday Annabelle asked me to give her a checkup and when I listened to her lungs she said, "Dr. Llama Pants doesn't do that. She doesn't listen to our lungs!" Well, excuse me for trying to give a thorough checkup! I don't normally follow the medical example of someone with the last name Llama.

We asked Daniel if he could take a picture of us from a good angle that would make us look young and slim. This was his response.

 It did not give us a lot of confidence in his ability to perform but 17 tries later he did a good job.

These sweet girls are cute at all angles!

I have not learned the art of a short recap

I didn't mean for so much time to pass between posts but that's how it goes every time I go home for a visit. I think I'll have time to read and blog but in reality I do very little of either.

It was so stupidly hot most of our visit. The day we arrived was 66* but every day after was sweltering. I am not the best version of myself in the heat. I get very annoyed with life in general and have very little patience. I thought a great idea for our last day of Aunt Camp would be to visit the splash pad. Contrary to the website, it wasn't open so we tried another park Daniel knew of. It was closed for an old car show. We tried a third park but it didn't open for an hour and a half. All it had was a fire hydrant stuck in the middle of a cement enclosure so it wasn't what we were looking for anyway. Morale in our car was dropping rapidly so I called a fourth park with a wading pool to find out the hours. I wasn't about to make the girls sit through a drive to another failed park. The woman on the phone said it was open until 5:45. I found an open park! The day was saved! I was the Aunt Camp MVA (most valuable aunt). We picked up Chickfila and I got the girls enthusiasm back up. THE NEXT PARK WAS LOCKED. The sign said it didn't open for 45 minutes. I was so close to breaking in. I didn't travel for two hours to be defeated. Two lifeguards showed up and we thought they'd let us in early but no such luck. They sat on their chairs for half an hour while 17 children waited in the grass. They said no one could swim, or stick toes in, until noon because of insurance. Insurance shimnsurance. It was 98* with high humidity. Children were falling apart. A certain mother might have been on the brink of organizing a revolt against the wading pool. Like I said, I'm not my best self in the heat. Once we all got a chance to cool off and have some fun we all decided it was a good trip after all.

Halfway through Aunt Camp, Ivy started sitting on her potty every time AB sat on hers. She'd announce that she peed, Annabelle would get off her toilet to check, then tell Ivy to sit back down and try again. They looked like Jacks in the box, hopping up and down. At one point she was laying on the ground in front of Ivy's potty out by the pool encouraging her to keep trying. "Just keep trying, Baby Ivy! Keep trying and you'll get better!" This pattern repeated for several visits to the bathroom and by the end of our visit Ivy was saying when she needed the potty and using it almost full time. Erika did nothing but buy the potty and monitor handwashing.

It took 10 months to potty train Annabelle. She didn't get it until four months ago. Apparently she's now enough of an expert to train Ivy. I'm thinking of making this lucrative and starting AB's Potty Encouragement, LLC.

Tuesday night we went to fireworks and Wednesday we went to the parade. We almost didn't go to the parade because of the heat but I'm so glad we did. There's so much change going on so it was nice to do something I did as a child. Annabelle loved it. She danced and clapped and collected candy. She was so ladylike about picking the candy. She'd run over to the pile, inspect every piece, then pick one and bring it back to. She never took more than one because she wanted to share with the others.

Baby Ivy is my favorite.

The photographer for the local paper was fascinated with her. I can't say I blame him. She did have the cutest outfit.

It was with great sadness that we left yesterday. The visits always go by so fast! When we got to the airport the man behind the counter said, "You know the flight is delayed? You got the email?" If I got the email and knew it was delayed I would not have shown up five hours early. Mom and Elizabeth hadn't left the airport so we reconvened and came up with a plan that didn't involve me entertaining Sesame in an airport for half the day. Suddenly the handle on the collapsible wagon we travel with broke. It was at this point that Annabelle bit my arm. She NEVER bites. I know she was overtired but it was not acceptable. I was already over the day and it wasn't even noon. Elizabeth said she'd find a way to fix the wagon and she did. We drove to a mechanic, she took the broken wagon in and reappeared with it completely fixed. I told her I wish I had the courage to waltz in there for help. I've been known to leave the grocery store without an ingredient instead of asking for help. She said she did it so she'd make it to the blog. LET'S ALL RECOGNIZE ELIZABETH.

We finally got on the plane at the time it was originally scheduled to land in Georgia. We had our tray tables up and seatbelts securely fastened when the captain announced that Air Force One was in the area and all other air travel in the area was prohibited. We sat on the runway for an hour. 

The pilot tried to lighten the mood by telling us it was 6* cooler in Atlanta. What a blessing. While we sat, I realized my fitbit was counting steps even though I wasn't walking. Donald may have delayed my flight but I did earn 347 steps while sitting still. Last time we flew we couldn't land because DT was in the area and we hit turbulence which made AB throw up. I'll take free steps anyday.

family affair

Our favorite little girl came to visit over the weekend.

Ivy Rose is in the house.

She came with her parents but they didn't come running to hug us at the airport. 

They were only here for two and a half days but we tried to fit everything in. I gave them an award-winning tour of our new town. It takes less than three minutes to drive through the center of town (even if you get a red light) so it was a very short tour. We visited a new coffee shop and were flabbergasted that the people making the coffee didn't know how to make ice coffee. We had to tell them that regular ice coffee is not the same as a latte. "You want us to pour coffee from the refrigerator over ice?" Yes. That's literally all there is to it. We went back the next day and ordered one drink with whipped cream and one without. The lady at the drive-through window made sure she pointed out which had whipped cream and which didn't. HOW WOULD WE HAVE KNOWN WITHOUT HER.

I expect this is what it will look like when I have another child.

Neither child is looking at the camera and I look exhausted.

Except I'm already exhausted so only half of it will be new.

We visited two playgrounds and the zoo. It was so hot on Friday that I got sunburned after an hour at the playground. I love sunshine but I'm VERY concerned about what temperature it will be in by April when it's already over 80* in February.

Erika helped me hang up outdoor lights on my front deck. I have visions of a Pinterest worthy deck with a rug, flower pots and maybe a fountain. Currently, it has a kids trampoline, pink Frozen pool, and black and white teepee. It's not exactly an outdoor oasis but the lights were supposed to kick it up a notch. We came home from a pizza dinner at Mellow Mushroom to my lights twinkling in the darkness. The sky was clear and we looked at the constellations. The girls ran around playing and giggling. It was lovely. I had carefully inspected the area for frogs and having seen only a small one that hopped away I thought we were in the clear. I sat on the swing and enjoyed chatting with my family. For whatever reason, I decided to check the wall behind me. THERE WERE MORE THAN  TWENTY FROGS. They were everywhere. I'm not embarrassed to say I screamed and yelled and jumped. I swear I could feel them crawling on my skin. I have no choice but to burn the place down. So much for my outdoor oasis. 

Aside from the frogs we had the best visit. We live 7 million miles from home and I've missed everyone so much. Daniel and Erika came right at the knick of time to boost morale. 

the maine event

We just returned from a week in Maine. Erika and I decided Aunt Camp has been so successful we should take the show on the road. Our husbands/the uncles came along to experience the fun of Aunt Camp and be our built in babysitters. I enjoy when the adult/child ratio is so high.

We rented an Airbnb house and it was beautiful. We all had our own rooms and a nice living room and yard with a hammock to share. We could see the beach from the front patio. We all get along so well and had so much fun. The girls favorite part of the house was the washing machine and dryer. They were new and had bright lights and played little songs at the end of the cycle. More than once they both sat on my lap in front of the washing machine and watched it spin through the window in the door. We could have stayed home and watched our own washing machine for free.

Our first night there we went to Erika's friends for supper. Their home is in the middle of the woods and it looks like the trees will take over the house any day now. They're very environmentally conscious and the husband works at a wildlife refuge. Their last name is Feurt but Annabelle misunderstood and kept calling him "Mr. Spork." It makes me laugh every time. This picture cracks me up because they have almost identical hair. 

It's so fun to see AB and Ivy begin to play together. At Aunt Camp last year Ivy couldn't even roll over. This year she was trying to help Annabelle build her ''play area for the people with a beach and a house and a turtle and a castle." Ivy didn't understand AB's vision but it's the thought that counts.    

Erika and I spent two afternoons exploring the little shops in Kennebunkport. She and I always laugh so much when we're together. I never wanted an older sister because I was THE older sister, but now that she's in my life I have to say I enjoy it. We're good shopping companions because we can help the other justify almost any purchase.

We're not biologically related but we've been cursed blessed with the same square chin.  

We played in the sand and collected too many rocks and shells. Annabelle LOVES them both and we brought home a large box of rocks for her rock garden out back.

Too bad Annabelle and Ivy weren't more relaxed. It's a tough life, being pulled in a wagon while you eat goldfish.

On our first full day we went for a walk at Mr. Spork's wildlife refuge. It POURED the entire time but we walked the whole trail anyway. We were soaked by end. In such muddy and wet conditions we decided it would be a good time to swing by the Bush family summer home. It was nearly lunchtime and I assumed they'd know a fan when they saw one and have us in to eat. Sadly they must have missed the fact that I was standing outside their door because I wasn't invited in. There are multiple homes on their compound so I don't think my plans for a sleepover should cause any trouble. 

One morning we put a sequinned pillow in the window to catch the sun, turned on some tunes and had a disco party. Erika didn't join us but Daniel and Ivy did. Ivy dances much like her father. There's very little movement in her moves.  

This is what it will look like if I ever have another girl. Matching outfits for everyone!

The original Aunt Camp crew.

We were so so sad to leave. I could have stayed there another week or the rest of my life. I was hoping our maid our be home to help unpack our bags and wash the clothes but she was nowhere to be seen. Good help is so hard to keep! Annabelle helped out by "washing" the windows with the broom while I unpacked. I file that squarely in the "making more work for me" category but she thought she was helping.  

I'm already counting down the weeks until next years vacation Aunt Camp vacation.

aunt camp 2017

Aunt Camp 2016 was such a success we immediately knew it would be an annual event. We arrived at Ivy's house last Wednesday to start the festivities. Annabelle likes to play a new car game of counting the house/buildings/trees/cars we drive by. She doesn't enjoy playing alone, will only count to 19 before starting at 1 again and likes to change the rules so it's not my favorite game. It was a long hour drive from Grammy's to Ivy's house.

Look at Ivy's adorable little face. If you don't think she's cute we can't be friends.

Each day of Aunt Camp started off with a trip to the playground. Our goal was to tire the girls out and make them take good naps. I think it tired out Erika and I more than the girls. One afternoon we went to a science and nature museum called the Ecotarium. Annabelle insisted it was called "da EcoAquarium." They had a huge outdoor play area that was perfect for kids Annabelle's age. There was dirt, sand, rocks, water and musical instruments which is all Annabelle needs to be happy. Thankfully she can't read so she missed the sign saying it was mud activity day.

"Can you take my pit-chur?" 

At night the camp counselors sat on the couch to recover from the days activities. We watched shows and talked for hours. We all get along so well and enjoy spending time together. It's exactly what I pictured life with a sister in law and niece would be.

We saw adorable patriotic dresses at Walmart so we bought them for the girls. Erika asked if she thought Ivy needed a bow. AS IF I WOULD SAY NO. We had big plans of a cousins photo shoot but didn't plan the timing well. Ivy was awake past naptime and Annabelle was acting like a typical three year old. It did not go smoothly.

Multiple adults were needed.

We finally got these winning pictures. 

I told AB that when Ivy is older they can be best friends. She said, "She's already my best friend." 

saturday by the sea

Saturday was our 6th anniversary. We spent a few hours walking by the ocean and gawking at all the houses 28 times larger than ours.

The traditional sixth anniversary gift is iron. The iron bookends I ordered Christopher weeks in advance were back ordered so I went to the deep recesses of my brain searching for a temporary alternative. I read somewhere that a modern gift alternative is sugar/candy, so I bought him a box of Nerds. Nothing says I love you like a cavity in a colorful box.

That evening we went out for clam cakes and chowder to celebrate Dad's birthday. Annabelle was in her happy place. She lives for time in a sandbox and having an entire beach of sand was beyond exciting. 

Baby Ivy was there also. Annabelle insisted on holding her or her hand as much as possible. Ivy stole my clam cake and crawled to the other side of the blanket. On that same weekend last year Ivy had just gotten out of the NICU. Look at her little bald head now! She's so cute.

I hope next year she and Annabelle are building sandcastles together.

Christmas 2016

People are pulling down their Christmas trees and here I am, talking about our Christmas five days later. I like to keep the holly jolly going until well into the new year.

We celebrated our own Christmas at home the weekend before Christmas. We had a North Pole breakfast with snowmen shaped pancakes and Christmas straws in the morning, played in the snow and opened gifts at night. Annabelle gave me a music box that plays Edelweiss which she told me about four days before I opened it. Every time she talked about it she would tell me, "But Daddy said not to tell you 'bout it." She asked for a whistle and a jump rope, both of which she got in her stocking. Christopher bought the whistle and I have a feeling it might accidentally on purpose get temporarily lost it if goes too annoying. 

We went to a Christmas Eve service than made the long commute all the way across the back yard to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas festivities. Sesame was so! excited! about all things Christmas. It wasn't my favorite holiday season in general but she definitely made it better. She was only 9 months old on our last Christmas here so this year she was old enough to enjoy everything.

She's worn this dress 3 years in a row. I hope it still fits when she's 14.

She was having a fantastic hair day.

Aaron passed out the gifts on Christmas morning and this tag stumped us all. We have neither a Cristy or a Della in our family. We're not known for great organization skills on Christmas morning but this takes the cake as the most random.

Annabelle's single stroller wasn't big enough for her ever growing family of babies so Grammy and Grampy got her a double stroller. She quickly learned to maximize space and stuffed in no less than 7 assorted dolls and animals. She pushed it across the yard to Memere's then abandoned all the babies so I was once again on Grandma babysitting duty.

66% of us are smiling so I call this a successful family picture.  

Baby Ivy and I got some good cuddles in on her first Christmas. She is so cute. I wish Daniel and Erika would have stuck her in my stocking!

She knew it was important to do some planks and burn off all that wrapping paper she ate!

the Baby Brigade has a new recruit

I made a goal for myself this month to blog 2-3 times a week all month. Here we are at October 12th and this is only my second post of the month. Much like the pounds I am trying to lose, neither goal has gone according to plan.

Last week was awful. There were some family issues to deal with, Annabelle clogged up a pipe so we couldn't use the washing machine, my car had a flat tire and the furnace needs to be replaced so we don't have heat. My body decided it would be fun to get in on the negative action and I caught a virus and had vertigo. I had never experienced vertigo and I hope I never do again. The first night it happened I couldn't walk straight. I'd see where I was trying to go but walk into the wall. The next day I was laying on the bathroom floor and couldn't get myself off the floor for any longer than it took for me to throw up. (I know what you're thinking and no, I'm not pregnant.) For 45 minutes everything was spinning and I could not have stood up to save my life. Sesame was in the other room yelling "MOM!! I want more yunch! Mom! Where are you? I wanna new show!" She has no bedside manner. At one point I tried to pull myself out of the bathroom but never got farther than halfway out the door. AB came over to investigate and said "What's going on over here, Mama?" with a look on her face that showed she was annoyed I hadn't pulled myself together and gotten her another cheese stick. I'm dying, that's what's going on.

What I'm trying to say is I wasn't physically or mentally capable of blogging.

Good times came rolling into town on Friday. Daniel, Erika and Ivy came up for a visit! We live far from family so it always feel like Christmas when someone comes over. Saturday we had planned on hiking but it was raining on and off so we went to the zoo instead. The polar bear was feeling extra friendly. 

Daniel and Erika left Ivy with us Sunday night through Tuesday morning while they attended a wedding. Ivy's look of concern stayed the whole time she was in our care.

To be fair, I think we've forgotten how to care for a five month old. She was crying nonstop on Sunday night and we couldn't figure out the problem. We rocked her, bounced her, tried giving a bottle, found a pacifier she wasn't interested in but she would not stop. Eventually we decided to change her diaper and bingo. Happy camper. You'd think that we would have remembered about one of the most basic discomforts in a baby's life. 

I'm proud to say that for all of 30 minutes I achieved the simultaneous nap aka the envy of parents around the world. Once minute 31 hit I was staring at a baby who was wondering if my promises of being the coolest aunt around were going to pan out. I thought it would be fun to play dress up and she didn't voice much disagreement. I put her in the same Army bear uniform Annabelle wore her first Halloween. 

Sergeant Sesame in 2014.

The Baby Brigade has some adorable soldiers. Too bad they don't know how to change their own diapers.