Seattle Trip - 2017

I'm currently being audially assaulted by Mara making lip smacking sounds so I'm not sure how upbeat this post is going to sound.  But I want to document it and leaving the room isn't really an option right now... so my misophonia is flaring up and there's really nothing I can do about that.

I'm going to dump all the pictures here and then caption them all by way of a timeline.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure I'm in more than one or two of these pictures. Lol.  But I was there, I swear it.

The first night we were there was Friday, June 23.  We decided to walk from our hotel down to Hard Rock Cafe (which is kind of a tradition for me every time I'm in Seattle, no matter who I'm with).  It's all the way down next to Pike Place Market so it took about 10-15 minutes to walk down there.  Well, it should have taken about that long, but with Mara walking, you have to stop and smell the flowers.  As is evidenced by this photograph.

Saturday, June 24.  I turned 17 weeks pregnant this day and, as appears to be my habit, I take photos with coffee cups in hotel mirrors while waiting for elevators.  (I did this in Astoria, too, back in May.)

We headed out to Seattle Center to find the fountain.  Mara wore her swimsuit under her dress, and quickly shucked her outer layer once the fountain came alive.  It was a little overwhelming for her as the water does shoot out very far and can be a little loud.  All told, we stayed at the fountain for about 30 minutes before finding something else to do.

A selfie.

Mara and Grandma.

After we left the fountain, we headed over toward EMP and found this music-themed playground.  That main climbing structure is literally 50 feet tall!  Mara wanted to climb on it so badly but neither my mom nor I could climb up to help her (my mom being not a fan of climbing and me being pregnant) so she had to pass on it for this trip.  She did keep herself entertained with the low ropes and the little kid slide area (not pictured) as well as the swings.  

It was really hot at this point (almost noon) so we played here for about an hour and then finally decided enough was enough as far as sun exposure.  I was pretty sure our sunscreen was about to wear off, too.  So we went off in search of lunch.  

Mara and her artisan PB&J sandwich (on brioche bread).

BEFORE

and AFTER

She annihilated that sandwich!  She actually ended up eating all of it.  So much for my plan to eat her crusts as my lunch, haha.

Another Seattle tradition for us is to go to Daawat, an Indian restaurant a block from the hotel we typically stay at.  We went here the first year we did the 3-generation Seattle trip (2015) and it was the first time I ever really tried Indian food.  I'd tried it once before but hadn't enjoyed it, so to go here and like it was a nice surprise.

Here's my mom and Mara walking over.

Being silly at the table.

They gave us a free piece of cake for dessert.  Not sure if that was because I mentioned to the waitress how we come back every year or because Mara was so cute.  Maybe a combination of both.  Anyway, my mom and Mara enjoyed the chocolate.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel, changed into our swimsuits (yes, even me) and went to the hot tub.  Mara floated back and forth between my mom and me for half an hour and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.  Bedtime wasn't very smooth that night, but eventually she went to sleep.

Sunday, June 25.  We walked down to Pike Place Market, as we hadn't yet done that this trip.  Mara has to climb on everything everywhere we go.

At the market, my mom decided to buy half a dozen mini donuts.  (Cue a little freak-out on my part.  I don't like having donuts near me.  I'm not even sure I actually like them any more.  I used to, but now.. I don't know.  My tastebuds changed.  Anyway, donuts are a hard food for me regardless of whether or not I actually like them.)  Mara's behavior was deteriorating as the morning wore on.  She hadn't napped either Friday or Saturday so lack of sleep was accumulating and she was starting to crash and burn.  After a particularly loud disagreement about whether or not she could stand up in the stroller (I eventually prevailed), my mom sweetened the moment with a mini donut for Mara, which she promptly devoured.  The only downside was that the sweetness was short-lived.  As soon as she finished the donut, she wanted a second one and had a massive meltdown when I said one was enough for the time being.  Gotta love toddlerhood.

We walked down to the water and found.. The Norwegian Pearl!  Again!  In 2015, we took a walk down here so that Mara could nap in the stroller and we happened across this very same monstrous ship.  (Click HERE to see the post where this is featured, if you don't believe me!)

Lastly, on our way home, we stopped in Centralia at the outlet stores, as is also tradition.  I took Mara to Children's Place but they didn't have much.  However, she spied this pair of sunglasses that she absolutely couldn't live without.  They were only $1.99 so I bought them for her and she kindly posed for this photo outside the store.  Look at ALL the sass!

On the whole, the trip was fun.  Definitely had some behavior challenges to work with, but generally it was a good time.  I'm not sure if this will be our last year to do this trip.  My mom didn't seem overly gung-ho about going again next year with two children.  It seemed to me that this traditional trip to Seattle doesn't mean as much to her as it does to me.  I told her that next year, if she wants to go, she has to approach me about it.  We'll just see.

Oh, You Know, Just The Usual

***I apologize in advance for the yucky nature of some parts of this post.  If you have a squeamish stomach about toddlers with tummy bugs, I suggest you don't read this post! Lol.***

Well, yesterday was one of those days where you're like, "Can it be bedtime yet?"  If I weren't pregnant, I'd have needed a BIG glass of wine by the end of the day.

Wednesdays are sometimes tough because Mara doesn't have preschool.  She only naps about 50% of the time now, so Wednesdays where she refuses a nap are hard.  This pregnancy is kicking my ass and I often use her nap time to rest as well, so when she doesn't nap I am exhausted.

The day started out fine.  She woke up around 7:30 or so and we took our time with breakfast.  Corky went off to work for the morning (he usually works from home on Wednesdays but since he's losing part of today's workday due to a Father's Day party at Mara's school, he decided to work yesterday morning at the property) and Mara and I soon took off for the Children's Museum.  Mara loves the Children's Museum and we go often since we have a membership and it's free.  

On a small side note, I called Corky from the museum at one point to ask him if he needed anything from the store on our way home.  I mentioned that it always amazed me how, at a museum made for CHILDREN that is about as kid-proofed as a place could possibly be, Mara always manages to find an unsafe/inappropriate way to use things.  Crazy!  The kid has a talent for giving me adrenaline spikes, that's for sure.  My hair will be gray in no time!

Anyway, after the Children's Museum, we came home instead of going to the grocery store.  Mara was yawning and looking tired and I was fading fast, so we opted to come home for a nap and do the grocery store and other errands later.  Mara took a nap (and I fell asleep with her for a while) and all seemed fine.

Mara woke up at about 1:50pm and came downstairs.  We puttered around for a little bit and at about 2:20, she announced she had to go potty.  What followed was a very sudden, very icky case of diarrhea.  It came on very suddenly and it was extremely watery.  The next few minutes, Mara walked around holding her tummy and saying she had a tummy ache.  It appeared as though she was experience stomach cramps.  When she went to the bathroom twice more in the next 15 minutes, I decided something was up.

I remembered that the night before, Mara had decided to "brush her teeth" with the dirty dish brush from the kitchen sink (germaphobes are certainly convulsing at this point).  Because of this, I was worried about salmonella or e.coli, so I called her pediatrician's office and they advised me to bring her in for a 4:50pm appointment with her doctor.

At 2:50pm, Corky's mom arrived.  She comes over every Wednesday after work to hang out with Mara for a few hours so I can run errands or take a shower or whatever.  At the same time as she showed up, Corky announced that Abby (our French bulldog) had gone missing from the backyard.  Poor Grandma, she walked in and I said something like, "Hi! Welcome to the chaos!  Mara is having diarrhea and Abby went missing.  Would you mind hanging out with Mara here while Corky and I go hunt for Abby?"  Thankfully, she was a good sport and agreed to try and handle the poop situation while we went looking for the dog.

After scouring the immediate neighborhood for half an hour on foot, we decided to hop in the car and look that way.  We drove for another twenty minutes and still no sign of her.  Corky dropped me back off at home to check if Abby had returned and to see how Mara and Grandma were hanging in there (Grandma had forgotten her phone so she couldn't call).  I decided to check up the path just behind the house one more time and it was a good thing I did, as out of a bush popped Abby!  I've since told her she's grounded forever.

After splitting the errands (Corky went to the grocery store while I went to the pharmacy and bank and Grandma stayed with Mara), Mara and I headed off to the doctor.  We tried to collect a stool sample at the doctor but it had urine in it and couldn't be used, so they sent us home after a quick exam with a stool sample collection kit and two pairs of gloves.  How on earth was I going to keep watery poo separate from urine??  It took several (messy) tries but eventually we got it and the sample was dropped back off this morning.

About the time we arrived home, Corky was starting dinner preparations as my dad was coming over for dinner.  My mom is out of town until Saturday and if left to his own devices, my dad would eat Taco Bell or some equally hideous thing, so I always make a point to invite him over for dinner when my mom is gone.  Corky informed me upon my arrival that he thought he was coming down with a cold.  We took his temperature only to find that it was 100.9 and he had the aches and chills.  Lovely. So I completed dinner (as we couldn't have him breathing germs all over the food).

Despite the tummy situation, Mara ate well at dinner and in fact requested an extra piece of toast before bedtime.  Corky went to bed at about 7:00pm so I was flying solo with Mara the rest of the night.  Bath, butt cream (as she was getting a rash), PJs and bedtime all before 9:00pm.  Thankfully, she slept all night, only getting up once for a very brief time due to a nightmare.

This morning, things seem better except that it appears Abby ate a bit too much grass on her little field trip yesterday.  She vomited green in her kennel yesterday evening and refused her breakfast this morning.  However, she jumped at the chance to get treats twice today so I'm confident she'll soon be back to normal (whatever that means).  Mara and Corky both felt well enough, thank goodness, to go to preschool and work today, so it seems that the Father's Day party is still on the agenda.

Just another day in the life, you know.  Parenthood is ever so glamorous.

Coming Soon....

My bestie Glenna and I have done it again - managed to get pregnant at the same time!  Mara's little sibling, due December 2, 2017.

(This is why I feel like I've been hit by a bus all the time.)

More on this later. 

Sleep Regressions (Or Something)

I am literally at my wits end right now.  I was tired when Mara was a newborn.  I was tired when she was an infant.  But I was really hoping that by now, when she's 2.5, that I'd be somewhat less tired.  

Apparently not.

She has been waking up a zillion times per night for the last several weeks.  Last night was probably the worst.  By the time Corky and I finally went to bed (at around 10:30), she had already been up three times.  By the end of the night, she'd been up SEVEN times.  

And then... Frank, my boxer, started.  He's been waking me up earlier and earlier every day for a while now.  But this morning he decided 5:28am was a good time for a wake-up call.  I  literally slept MAYBE a total of an hour and a half last night.  And for the maybe three weeks preceding this, the most I've slept in a night is maybe 4 hours.

This cannot go on!   What the hell is happening?? They say there's a 2 year sleep regression but she's way past that.  I don't understand and I don't know how to fix it!

Busy Month

I think it's about time I overhaul my blog.. what do you think?  I've had this same background and everything for years!  Kind of ready for a change.

The month of May has landed upon us and I couldn't be happier about that.  Spring is, as you may remember from previous discussions of this, my least favorite season.  Winter can be sucky too but at least for some of it you've got holidays to look forward to.  Spring.. not so much.  Just rain, rain and more rain for eternity.  Although as I type this, it's actually sunny outside. Lol.

It's already May 7th and I've had several things on the calendar already.  Appointments and such.  I've got more appointments, little things (like babysitting my friend's kids, taking Mara to some playdates, etc.) and trips occupying the rest of the month.  The weekend of the 19th we are going to Astoria, Oregon for the weekend.  The following weekend I go to Canada for four days BY MYSELF!!!!! I've got a "spa day" planned for the 31st with a friend of mine and then of course there's Mother's Day earlier in the month.  Busy busy busy.  Helps time fly.

We are all doing fine over here.  Mara is still in preschool 4 mornings per week and absolutely loves it.  It really was the best decision I could've made regarding that.  

Corky is doing well, loving his new job.  He is up to his eyeballs in work.  He's got a house he's currently flipping by himself, as well as doing some general contractor work for our neighbor AND half a dozen half-finished home improvement projects at our house.  Breathe in, breathe out, Kate, it'll get done.  I'm not a fan of chaos, as you can probably guess.

I'm doing pretty well, too.  Working, momming, cleaning, you know.. the usual.  Looking forward to some actual warm, sunny weather so I can get outside with Mara and the dogs.  Today is sunny but not warm.  I think it won't get over like 65 F for the foreseeable future.  Kinda mean since we had two 80 degree days last week.  Sigh.  Oregon, stop teasing us, would you please?

So Done With Winter!

We have had the second wettest winter in 75 years.  It's been raining (or snowing) pretty much nonstop since mid-October with no end in sight!  It's no wonder that Oregonians are commonly deficient in vitamin D - we hardly ever see the sun for eight months of the year!  Last Friday we hit 70 degrees F.  The last time we had a 70 degree day was October 8th (175 days prior) and weather.com was unable to predict when we'd have another one (although it looks like Wednesday May 3 is a contender according to the weather app on my phone).

In an attempt to break the monotony of springtime in Oregon and give myself something else to look forward to, we booked a trip to Astoria, Oregon for May 19-21.  I leave for Canada the following weekend so it's safe to say that the last few weeks of May are going to be very interesting and exciting!

We need this.  We are having a LOT of behavior challenges with Mara.  To be honest with you, it's downright awful many days.  There are times when I just want to get in my car and drive away maybe not come back for a few hours.  Or a few days.  Or ever.  Unfortunately, I know that's not an option.  Anyway, having Astoria and Canada so close together will give me something to look forward to and get me through the challenging days.

I don't want to go into much more detail on stuff, but do be aware that there'll be more info on that coming soon. :)

So Many Things!

There are quite a lot of things happening around here.  I'm not exactly in a place to say much about it yet, but if you just hang on, there'll be some clarity. :) ;)