From August 6th to August 28th

O.K. I know it has been way too long. There has been a lot going on, and either I haven't had the time to post a new blog, or haven't really felt like it.

To start off, following my last blog, Natalie and I took a trip with Connie, Alex, and Chloe to Ocean City for a one night adventure. That was really fun, though really, really, hot! We got to OC just about dinner time on Tuesday, unloaded the car, and went off in search of food. We finally settled on a nice Italian place, and the kids were amazing. We then walked to the end of the boardwalk so that the kids could get on the rides. Connie mentioned it was 18 blocks, but it truly wasn't that bad on the way down. I am really glad we didn't have to walk back though! The kids loved the rides, and Natalie enjoyed them even more having her cousins there to ride along. They took turns picking which ride was next, and riding with one another. Alex and Natalie rode this rocket ship that zoomed round and round, and would also lift up and down as one of the passengers pulled on the handle. It took a bit for them to figure it, so the rocket sort of bumped and skidded until it took flight, which they both thought was the best. We could hear them laughing out loud as they came around. I found myself laughing out loud just watching them. We all got on the ferris wheel. That was a little much for me, it wasn't a very large one, and went kind of fast. My belly barely fit in there, and the heights were freaking me out a little, but in the end it was nice to be able to ride at least one ride with Natalie.

That following weekend we received some bad news. My grandfather's wife has been battling liver problems for years now, and we received a call Saturday that she was back in the hospital not doing well. By the next morning I had messages that she had passed. It was completely unexpected, as she has been really sick for some time. But, she had been going back and forth, and I think everyone just expected her to come home, even if only for a little bit, this time. We haven't visited as often as I used to as a child, but they are the only grandparents that I really have. This is a huge change in our family, and while I am glad that she is no longer suffering, I'm a little nervous about what this means for the future of our extended family. My grandfather, as expected, is not taking this well at all. Not only has he lost his wife of 31 years, but his whole way of living must change. We went to Petersburg, WV this past weekend for Donna's memorial service. It was nice to see the family all together, especially since that rarely happens anymore and is probably even less likely now, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances. Natalie went with us this time, so I tried to explain to her before we left about the memorial service. We haven't really had big talks about death, even though Natalie has recently lost her Great Pop-Pop on Dan's side of the family. I told her that Donna was very sick and the doctor's tried to help her but she couldn't get better. Natalie suggested we try to give her Ginger Ale, but I explained that we couldn't because she died. Natalie was very sympathetic, as if she understood, and said, "Oh, I am very sorry for her." I told her that Donna would be with God, and about the memorial service. I wanted to explain that people would be sad because they would miss Donna. She actually slept through most of the service, but in the end really enjoyed seeing the family even if it wasn't under the best circumstances. As a family we are still trying to figure out what we can do to help one another, and keep my grandfather on his feet.

While we were in WV, we stayed with my aunt Lisa. She has a grand-daughter about Natalie's age, so there are toys and things for Natalie to get into! Almost immediately Natalie latched onto this stuffed white tiger. She loves animals of all kinds, particularly stuffed ones. She has taken to naming her animals. We have a cat named Lucifer, after the cat from Cinderella (her new favorite movie), a horse named Molasseees (yes, it's eees on the end). Well, this tiger she found at Lisa's is no different. Normally, we can decipher her names pretty well (she has been talking for a long time), and can normally figure out where she came up with the idea. This one was a little more tricky. Natalie named this tiger, and I truly have no idea of the spelling, Scionwistisis!!!!! We had to laugh every time she called the tiger!

Something else that happened in these past few weeks is that Natalie has declared that she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She was watching a bit of Barney (I know, I forbade that show in my house when Natalie was first born, but she hasn't formed a great attachment, and she loves singing and dancing, not to mention dinosaurs in general), and the kids were discussing what they could be when they got bigger. She came up to me and said, "Mommy, I want to be a doctor when I grow up. Daddy can be a firefighter when he grows up." I had to laugh, and we talked a little about how Mommy and Daddy have been firefighters. She then grabbed a doctor kit that goes with one of her dolls, and informed me that I needed a check-up. Evidently I didn't have a temperature, but I did have throw-up in my heart. I was concerned, but Dr. Smith gave me some medicine and I felt much better. She still likes to check out Mommy and Daddy, or have us give her a check-up. This really has made it nice for visits to the Doctor and Dentist. We are so blessed that she is an easy going child when it comes to these visits. In fact, she had a dentist appt. last week. The hygienist asked her if she could brush her teeth with some red stuff, and Natalie simply said, "Sure" picked out a toothbrush and let the lady go to work. The lady turned to me and asked, "Is she always this easy going?" As a flurry of temper tantrums and other impatient outbursts (which she gets from me no doubt) ran through my head, I had to still answer yes. We have never had a problem with her at the dentist or doctors. I hope that keeps up, especially after her 4 year check-up next year. She will be receiving 4 shots!!!!

Last Wednesday Natalie and her cousins, along with Pop-Pop went to visit the Science Center. The kids love that place since they can touch everything, and we've all had a membership that has been going to waste. Natalie did well, and didn't even want to stop for lunch. Finally, at around 2 or so I had to tell her we needed to eat (Mommy and her brother were starved), and then we could come back for just a short while longer. I think both Natalie and Pop-Pop enjoyed the exhibits.

One of the things that Natalie has really started doing a lot lately is turning to me and saying, "Mommy, I love you." It's got to be the best feeling in the world. She has really shown a lot of compassion and empathy for others, whether she sees someone who is sad or just not feeling well. Mom-mom was sick last week, and Natalie was devastated that she couldn't go for a visit. She was talking to my mom on the phone and said, "Mom-mom I will do magic, and say the right magic words so that you will feel better." She was very excited when my mom called the next day and was doing much better, so Natalie got to spend the night. She's always very quick to take care of me too, if I don't seem to be up to par. If someone squinches their eyes, because of pain or thinking, or makes some other gesture that indicates in any minute possible way that they are not happy, she will say, "What happened to your eyes?"

As for me, I am doing pretty well. I am getting huge, and I will be getting a t-shirt that says, "No, I am not having twins!" With Natalie I got large all over. So far, I have only gained about 5 pounds (at least that's what it was at my last doctor visit, so it could be more now), but really it's mostly in my belly. My heartburn is getting really bad, and it's hard to breathe after I eat, but we're hanging in there. I am looking forward to doing some substituting now that school is back in!!! I don't have an updated pic of my belly just yet, but I will post one later this evening...promise ;)

Dan and I are looking into buying a minivan. We'll keep you posted on how that goes!

Well, I think that's about it for now. I promise weekly updates now that things have settled a bit. Hope you are all well!

Here's a link to pics from OC (thanks to Connie):

http://picasaweb.google.com/constance.phelps/OceanCityAug2007

Week up to August 6

Well, this past week and a half has been pretty uneventful. Natalie and I came down with the summer plague, so we took it easy for most of the week. Grammy was in Ireland for just about two weeks, and on the 31st we celebrated Grandad's birthday with dinner at Bill Batemans. It went o.k., though I was completely miserable with my stuffy nose! This past Saturday we went to Baby Allison's birthday party. It was in Greenwood, Delaware this year. The party was a blast, but it took us twice the amount of time to get there (nearly 3 hours to the hour and fifteen it should have). Natalie had a blast in the little blow up jumper there, and of course the pool. Unfortunately we don't have any pictures from the party itself. I am going to try to take some pictures of Natalie swimming today. She has become very comfortable with the arm swimmies, and really enjoys doggy paddling around on her own. Yesterday we went to Grammy and Grandad's for dinner to welcome Grammy home from her trip to Ireland. It was a very nice visit. The dinner was great, and the kids had a fun time running away from "Goggle Man." While we were there, Grammy handed out the souveniers. The girls received cute little Irish dolls, and Alex received a double decker bus. He was even interested in the box! He asked Natalie if she wanted to look at the pictures, and during this time she leaned over, gave him a hug, and exclaimed, "Alex, you're the best!" Natalie likes to listen to her kids songs when we drive in the car. One of the songs is "Make New Friends." A few times she became a little sad and said, "I don't have any new friends." So, we talked about all the "old" friends she has, like Ray, Zack, and Baby Allison. We also talked a little about some of the "newer" friends she has through our playgroup and other places. She then said, "Alex and Chloe are my friends." I told her that was true, and then she said with such enthusiasm, "And they're my cousins!" Now, whenever she hears this song, she likes to name off the friends she has. She even asked about some of our friends' and family pets, and if they have friends.

The other big news for this week is that we had our ultrasound this morning!!! I haven't received the official report on how everything is, but nothing glaring was mentioned, so there doesn't seem to be any cause for concern. My next appt. is September 12th. We also didn't think we would be able to find out the sex, since the baby was being very stubborn!!!! But, in the end after a few trips back to that area, the technician seemed very positive of her declaration! For those of you that thought Natalie would be having a baby sister...WRONG. She will in fact have a baby brother sometime around the New Year! They told me at the ultrasound the due date is December 29th...just a few days before my doctor's date of January 1st. We'll see how it goes, we have nothing but time!!!! Natalie, Mom-mom, and Grammy were able to join us for a few minutes at the end of the ultrasound. Natalie was very intrigued by seeing the baby on the monitor. She exclaimed, "Look, the baby is moving." When the technician said it was a boy, Natalie got so excited and looked at Dan and said, "I am going to have a brother???" When Dan confirmed this, she announced to the room, "I am going to have a brother!!!!!" We were very excited that she was so excited. Just last night, she told us she thought the baby would be a girl! We were concerned that she would be disappointed if she didn't get what she ordered so to speak!!! Here are some pics!!!

Natalie's Party and Following Week

O.K., so I start this thing and I'm already behind. But, I promise weekly updates from here on out! Natalie's party was Saturday the 14th, and it was quite a success. There were so many people here, which was wonderful. We had a blast, though at times I did feel like I was running around like a chicken with its' head cut off!!! It's a good thing we took a lot of old toys to Grammy and Grand-dad's garage sale, because we needed the room for all the new stuff. Natalie wanted ponies, and that's what she got! There are ponies of some sort everywhere!!!! She also received a lot of money and gift cards, which we've allowed her to spend at various stores. So far she has picked out a Cinderella dress, Chutes and Ladders, CandyLand (which we made sure to inform her ahead of time did not include real candy), a few movies, a jump rope (the girl loves jump rope...even if mostly to pretend it's a leash!), and a book or two. She still has so much left over, so we're debating on putting it in the bank or letting her spend more! Thank you cards are going out, so you should receive those soon! It really was a nice time. As tradition would have it, we got a big cake that everyone could eat and I baked a 6 in. cake just for Natalie; however, this year my decoration did not turn out in the least (neither did the cake for that matter)! But, never fear, kids do not know better, so we put it down with a handful of forks and Cousins Alex and Chloe joined right in on the cake eating.
One of Natalie's friends also helped this year, so the cake was enjoyed nevertheless! A friend of ours, who used to be our roommate when we lived in Arnold, stayed with us for several days following the party. Lori has a 13 month old little girl, and it truly was a blast. There were some trying times, but good practice for Natalie learning to be a big sister! At one point Bree was relaxing with her mommy, and Natalie decided she would read her a book. So, she took out "Are You My Mother," (which she has memorized), and proceeded to read. If a stranger came upon this scene he/she probably would have thought Natalie was truly reading, but it is definitely memorization (heck! we've pretty much memorized the story too with the numerous times we read it before night-night).
The Monday after her party was Natalie's 3 year check-up. She measures 37.5 inches tall, which we somewhat expected since she was allowed to ride the roller coaster at Dutch Wonderland this year. At the doctor's office they said that was the 60th percentile and said she is just above average. I was a little surprised since everyone informs us that Natalie is tall. Now that I look back at the paper they gave us she is in the 68th percentile, which is more like it, but still far from the 90th that she was in at a much younger age. She seems to be right on track with everything. We bought a few pre-school workbooks that we work on together. She always looks at me as we finish a page and exclaims "I'm learning!" or "I've learned!" I am glad that she enjoys doing these activities. I find it hard to "play" with her...I never seem to get it right as daddy does; but, the board games and workbooks have extended our "play time" together. I am just trying to figure out how to start her writing letters. I feel like she's too young for this now, but I know that in preschool they start writing. All of the workbooks have writing pages, but I just don't know how to get her to hold the pencil properly. I guess that's why I'm an Elementary teacher and not Early Childhood.
Friday of last week, we went to Extreme Bounce Zone in Millersville. They have a story time and bounce time for children 4 and under (which makes it a bit safer for the kiddies). The theme was ducks, and Natalie got to actually pet a real duck. She LOVED that (have I mentioned that she loves animals?)!!!! She did a lot of bouncing, and made a duck out of a paper plate, construction paper, and feathers. I couldn't help her with the big climbing slides this time, so she gave one of them a try all by herself. The first time she needed a hand by one of the people that worked there, but by the second time she had it figured out. One of her friends, who is a bit older, from the playgroup we are in was encouraging her the whole way. She was almost to the top when she looked up at him and said "I am doing it! I am so proud of myself!" I was really excited to hear that because Natalie tends to get frustrated quickly when she can't make something work just right (I have no idea where she gets that from!), and a couple of times she has said to us, "I'm can't do that. I'm not good at that." I was a little concerned when I heard this, but continued praising her when she would do things on her own. It was a great ending to a very tiring, overwhelming, and patience thinning week!!!!
As for me, I am just over 4 months pregnant now. August 6th is the date of our ultrasound, so we should hopefully find out what we're having. What does everyone think? I am feeling much better now, except that I already feel so huge!!! I've only gained 3 pounds, but my belly is really out there. My "big" clothes are still way too big, but my "small" clothes are now getting a bit snug. So, I go back and forth between maternity and big clothes!!! When I wear maternity clothes I really look pregnant, other than that I just look fat!!!!

Natalie's 3rd Birthday

Hi All! I figured now that Natalie is three years old, and we have another one on the way, it's high time that I start getting things together and sending updates and pictures (especially since we have many) to everyone. Truth be told, I am not as technologically savvy as I once thought I was, so I resisted the effort to use the computer to help send out many updates. Plus, my last year of school really took its' toll. But, Dan and Connie convinced me that using this blogger site is really easy, and now that I have no homework or portfolio to complete, I have a bit more energy to put forth into sending updates. We'll see how it goes!

This first blog is about Natalie's 3rd birthday. I cannot believe she is three already, but in some respects I can't believe she's only three. She officially turned three this past Tuesday, July 10th. We decided to surprise her with a trip to Dutch Wonderland for the day. It turned out to be a wonderful time. Natalie is much like her mommy and daddy in that she loves rides. Last year we went to Dutch Wonderland with cousins Alex and Chloe, but Natalie was not quite big enough to get on many of the rides she would have liked to...especially the roller coaster. But, not to fear, she has her daddy's genes, so she has sprouted up a lot in the last year, and rode the roller coaster 4 or 5 times on this trip! I was a little jealous, since I couldn't do many rides this year. I am just shy of being 4 months along with our second baby, and the doctor's do not recommend amusement rides when you're pregnant. I managed to get on a few with Natalie, and also enjoyed the water park as a welcome break from the heat. The heat was not nearly has unbearable as we thought it would be, but let's not kid ourselves...it was HOT! That actually worked in our favor a couple of times that day. Not a lot of people were at the park to begin with, so despite arriving a little later than we planned (surprise, surprise!), Natalie rode about half the rides before lunch time. We then decided to hit the water area, where Natalie proved to be a bit more courageous than we expected. She loves the water, but is not happy about going under. Daddy took her on a slide where she went under, but she bounced up after a moment of sheer shock, smiled, and before I knew it Dan had her going down the water slides on her own!!!! Our time there was cut short when a thunderstorm passed through. But, unlike 2/3 of the people there, we decided to wait it out. So, by the time the storm was through it was 10 degrees cooler, and more than half the people were gone. No more lines for rides!!! Natalie rode every ride in the park that she was able to, save for one slow moving tour boat (Natalie does not like the slow rides...she is definitely a thrill seeker), and some of her favorites she rode 4 and 5 times. It seems that her favorite ride this year was actually the log flume. She kept wanting to go back to that one. We also enjoyed a break while we watched The Frog Prince show at the park. Natalie loved to watch the "frog princes" dive into the pool, and thought it was the best thing ever when they splashed us thoroughly! We decided to head home around 8, and told Natalie that she would be able to pick one thing from the gift shop as a birthday present. She immediately latched onto a $50 stuffed giraffe (the child LOVES animals) that was not quite as tall as she. We spent the next half hour showing her everything in the gift shop hoping to dissuade her from the giraffe. In the end, a stuffed chicken and baby chick, and a princess cape worked! Thank goodness! After stopping for a late dinner at Cracker Barrel, we made it home just before midnight to discover that our power had been out for about 12 hours. Fortunately, there was a fleet of BGE trucks working in our neighborhood, the house wasn't really bad, and we didn't lose much from the freezer/fridge. We decided that we would stick it out, and within a half hour the power was back on! So, all in all, it was a great day! Tomorrow is Natalie's party, where we'll see many of you. Natalie is very excited to see everyone, and is looking forward to cake! We'll send an update about the party, and then hopefully I will be on track to send something once a week!

Here is a link to som pics from the day.
http://picasaweb.google.com/too.many.dan.smiths/DutchWonderland?authkey=G5VciDx5BpA

Love,

Dan, Danielle, Natalie, and Baby Smith