The Best, Worst, and Weirdest of Philly

Hey everyone!  Nice to see you again.  I know I've taken a little break.   Or maybe an extended vacation.  A sabbatical even.  But I'm back.

We've been in Philly now for just over a month and I thought it was time that I documented what I've learned.  Here goes!

Let's start here . . . 

The Weirdest Things About Philly:

1 - There are more dogs than children.  By a hundred kajillion.  No joke folks, lots of people have two ore three dogs and no one bats an eye, but I get weird looks walking around with my two kids.

So of course, when we walked to dinner with some friends, I had to document something that has probably never happened here before: 3 dads walking with 3 double strollers.  I'm surprised this pic hasn't been on the cover of one of the tabloids here in Philly.

2 - The outlets are all upside down.  Yeah, take a closer look.  I've even asked a bunch of other people living in different areas of the city.  All of them are upside down. 
 

3 - People ask me if I'm the nanny.  Everyone is shocked to find out I'm the mom.  I go to the park and hang out with all of the other nannies.  I know it's crazy, but where I'm from you assume the adult with the kids is the parent :)

  Maybe I need to look into this whole nanny thing . . .

And then there are these:

My Least Favorite Things About Philly

1 - Everything convenient is So.  Far.  Away.  Costco should never be more than 7 minutes from where you live.  The following image is extremely graphic, so shield your eyes if necessary.  This estimate is if there is no traffic whatsoever.

2 - There are about 300 freeways and highways and all sorts of other ways here.  Usually I have to switch on and off about 4-5 of them to get anywhere.  I miss Utah and I-15.  Singular.  One freeway.

3 - Discrimination against strollers.  Me and a friend walked to Anthropologie the other day.  Here is what we found:

Yep, stairs.  The nemesis of two moms with two strollers with two kids each.  Sad, sad day.

4 - You have to pay in order to get people to hang out with you.  Not really, but sort of.  You have to pay to park to go see them and that's pretty much the same thing.

And finally, TA-DA!!!


My Favorite Things About Philly

1 - Moss grows on the sidewalk.  That's how humid it is here.  To be clear - the humidity is not my favorite thing, just the moss on the sidewalk.  Isn't that cool?

2 - They use words like TAVERN.  Love it.  I feel like I'm living in the 1700s or something.  Not that I even go to taverns, but doesn't it just sound so much better than "bar"?  I mean, really!  Also, the street names are really cool.  Like Brandywine Street, and North York Drive.  You almost have to say them with a British accent.

3 - I'm friends with Ben.  Yep, Benjamin Franklin.  Or I would have been if I'd been born around 200 years earlier.  We're like this:

4 - I love the row houses!!!  They just have this wonderful big-city-yet-still-cozy feel.  Gorgeous, right?

5 - It's the City of Brotherly Love!  And for the most part, I'm feelin' the love.  We've made great friends, people are helpful, and I feel like Philadelphia has welcomed me with open arms.  I couldn't be happier.

I hope to be back before another year and a half goes by.  That's my goal at least!  Peace out - from the City of Brotherly Love!

Counting to Ten

I'm going to change your life today.  Yep, I am.  Now people out there will tell you all sorts of things about what you need to know to be a good parent - techniques for feeding your child, getting your child on a good schedule, putting your child to sleep, disciplining your child, etc.  Compared to what I'm going to teach you, it's nothing.  Let me tell you what will actually be the most useful thing to you as a parent: counting to 10.  Now, now, don't get overwhelmed just yet.  I know it sounds daunting, but it's a skill that can be mastered by most, if not all of you.  And let me explain the many reasons it just might save your sanity.

#1 - JUST TEN THINGS.  Let me explain.  When you're a parent, you're going to be overwhelmed.  There's no use trying to avoid it because you're just going to be.  Some days will be worse than others.  If you have a two-year-old there might be many overwhelming days in a row.  Especially if they like to change outfits 10 times a day.  And throw tantrums if you don't let them.  I could go on.  But most days you will just be trying to survive - and if the kids are alive at the end of the day you're feeling really good about yourself.  On those days, your house will probably be a disaster.  And on those days, it will feel like nothing you do will make any difference. 

So here's what you do: you say to yourself, "Self, I can put away 10 things.  Just 10.  Easy peasy."  And you do it.  And then you give yourself a break.  Maybe even a 10 minute one (if you can call chasing down your two-year-old who is attacking the couches with her peanut-butter covered hands a break).  And then you do ten more.  And break. And again. Seriously, I can't tell you how many days I've survived with this tactic.  Somehow, when you break things up into 10s, they are so much more manageable.  And, on days that are a little less overwhelming, I sometimes work for 10 minutes at a time.  I know, I know, I'm impressive.  Just take it slow.

#2 - COUNTING BOOKS.  I bet you've never even thought of this, but, as a parent, there will come a day when you'll be reading your child some sort of counting book.  Whether it's Thumper Counts to Ten or My Little Counting Book, at some point that big moment is going to arrive.  And let's be honest, it's going to be awkward if you don't know how to count to 10. 

#3 - COUNTING TO TEN.  Not.  Remember that funny little addage, "Before you react, count to ten."  Um, yeah right.  When your blood is boiling because your child just did something very naughty, you feel lucky if you can even remember your own name, let alone stop and remember to count to ten.  (Isn't it funny how you always remember their name though, yelling it out full blast, middle name included?)  But I can imagine that if you could remember, counting to ten would be very useful in this situation as well.

#4 - START BY COUNTING TO THREE.  Here's the good news: if you haven't mastered counting to ten yet, you will not be losing sleep at night.  Parenting can basically cure the strongest cases of insomnia.  So don't worry about counting lots of sheep - you'll probably only make it to 3 before you're conked out.

#5 - COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.  When life seems most overwhelming, don't forget to count your blessings.  You have to be a real master at counting if you want to attempt this one.  Because chances are, you'll be counting a lot higher than ten.  Here are two of mine:

The Roller Coaster of Pregnancy

Yes, I think that is the best description of pregnancy.  A roller coaster.  It could also be summed up in the words to this familiar song . . . "you're hot then you're cold, you're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up then you're down."

So let me tell you about the recent ups and downs on my pregnancy roller coaster adventure.

Down: I've been really sad recently thinking about how much less time I'm going to be able to spend with Kate.  Don't get me wrong - I'll still be at home with her all day, but it won't be just me and her, hanging out, playing, laughing, napping, etc.  I've become so sentimental about this that recently I let her watch a little extra tv, just so I get some time to hold and cuddle her.  Chalk it up to pregnancy hormones overemphasizing the negative.

Up: Every time I see a little baby I get SOOOOOO excited.  A baby that will actually hold still, that won't try and kick you and run away when you change their diaper, and that will take naps on your chest.  Aaah.  Can't wait.

Down: How horrible I feel 90% of the time.  I feel like I'll never have energy again, never go a day without heartburn, never be able to brush my teeth without my gums bleeding, and never be able to sleep through the night without having to get up and go to the bathroom six times.  This pregnancy has been WAY harder on my body than the first one.

Up: I can't wait to see Kate as a big sister!  I know that she is going to be so awesome, and I can't wait to see her in action - she really is so sweet, and can already say, "Emma" perfectly.  Can't wait for two little girls!  Bring on the tea parties!

Down: Will this baby ever come????  I know that technically it's 4 weeks until my due date, but hey, I'm getting impatient here.  I feel like I'll be fat . . . forever, and ever . . . no hallelujah, no halleljuah!  Kate was born two weeks early, so I already feel that if this baby comes a day after October 10, I'm getting the short end of the stick.  Which isn't good, because what are the chances of me getting lucky two times in a row?  Not good.

Up: Labor - on the one hand I think it's going to be awesome and exciting going au naturale - my sister-in-law described it as a real "high."

Down: Labor - what was I thinking?  All that pain and no epidural?  Ugggh.  I hurt already.  My sister-in-law is certifiably insane.

Up: Well, at least I'll be getting some free meals out of this thing.

You know how it is.  The roller coaster of pregnancy.  There must be something to it, because where my (semi) flat stomach once was, now resides a large bump, resembling the up and down of a roller coaster . . .

The Great Northwest

It's now or never.  This post, I mean.  I know if I don't write about our trip up to the Northwest right now, it'll never happen.  Something else will come up -  my need to go get another handful of peanut butter m&ms, a trip to the bathroom (for the umpteenth time today), or the tired bus is likely to hit at any moment.  So here goes.

Our first stop was Seattle, Washington, to visit several of Dave's aunts who live in a closeby town called Enumclaw.  They couldn't have been more accomodating - and it was great seeing both Karyn and Kamele and their families.

Our first real day we took a trip to the horse races, a first for all of us.  Dave loved it because he picked the winners three out of the five times . . . too bad we don't gamble, we could have struck it big!  (Sorry no pictures, I was too busy chasing after Kate).

The next day Karyn and Chris showed us around Seattle.  Our first stop was Pike Place Market - one of my favorites! 

We had freshly made donuts, saw them throwing fish, and looked upon row after row of fresh and delicious looking produce  -

We bought some fresh peaches which we made into peach pie later that night!  Scrumptious!

We saw the original Starbucks -

In Seattle, people are crazy about their coffee.  There are about two Starbucks per street.

We also just walked up and down the streets and enjoyed all the shops, here was one of my favorites -

I love their motto, if you look carefully at the bottom of the sign, it says, "Forgive me chocolate for I have sinned.  I have not yet had my daily confection."  Pretty sure that's one sin I've never committed.

After a lunch of gyros and some delicious mini cheesecakes, we made our way to the city center where we got a lovely view of the fountain and Space Needle.

It was pretty windy, but Kate had a great time -



The next day we headed to the zoo.  For some reason, I failed to take any pictures.  But my favorite were the new baby leopard cubs.  There were two of them, and they were fast asleep.  We have this game with Kate where we pretend to be asleep and she says, "Boo!" and wakes us up.  She just couldn't understand why the baby leopards wouldn't wake up when she pounded on the glass and said, "Boo!"

That night we got to see a Mariners game.  The field was amazing.  Too bad they lost horribly to the Angels.



We still managed to have a great time.

The next day, we headed down to Portland to spend some time with Lisa and Matt, my sister and brother-in-law.

We spent one day at the Portland Children's Museum and Kate loved it.

Along with many other things, she got to do construction,

go grocery shopping,

spend some time at the vet's office,

and drive a bus (Daddy is the passenger in the back - he fell asleep).

We also visited the famous Portland Rose Garden.

The flowers were AMAZING -

Kate enjoyed them too.

Since Matt and Lisa had to work during the day, we got babysitters so we could go out at night.  They showed us the best places to eat in Portland - including Little Big Burger, Le Happy (a crepe place), and Torro Bravo (our favorite - divine Spanish food).

On Saturday, we all took a trip to Mt. Saint Helens.

I'd been there before, but it's still pretty amazing.  Here is the picture before Mt. Saint Helens erupted in 1980.

See what I mean?  Pretty big difference.

Looking at this picture makes ME want to erupt.  Except hopefully I'd look better than Mt. Saint Helen's in an after picture.

After all that, we were exhausted.  Luckily, the flight home wasn't too crowded, so Kate could do this -

And so did Dave and I, just as soon as we walked in our front door.

Thank you family, for the wonderful time!

BIG

BIG NEWS . . .

[Excuse the lack of a picture, you'll understand why when you keep reading]

I can't believe I've gotten so behind, but maybe once I explain why, you'll understand.  Our big news.  Baby #2 is a going to be another little girl.  We had our ultrasound about a month ago, and caught little Emma Rose sucking her thumb, just like her big sister.  We can't wait for her arrival in 3 months!

BIG BELLY . . .

I'm not sure how accurate my own opinion is, but I feel SO MUCH bigger this pregnancy.  Maybe I am.  Maybe it's the heat of the summer.  Maybe I'm growing two placentas instead of one.  I can't say - all I know is that I feel HUGE, and I still have three months to go.  At least I'm not an elephant - or I'd be pregnant for 2 years and give birth to a 200 lb. baby.  Things could be worse.

BIG MOVE . . .

Have I mentioned that we're moving?  Yep, again.  One week from today, to be precise.  It's a long story, but the short end of it is that Dave's parents are moving to the Caribbean (poor things, right?), and they've basically asked us to house sit for them for the next couple of years.  It was a tough decision . . .

Dave's parents: Will you please move into our huge and very nice house for dirt-cheap rent?

Us:  Well . . .

Dave's parents: Did we mention that we're repainting the whole house and getting brand new wood flooring?

Us: Okay, fine.

So yeah, it's actually great timing for us, since little Emma isn't far away, and Kate really doesn't sleep well with anyone else in her room.  Tender mercies from the Lord.

Sorry I've been such a bad blogger recently.  I'll make it up to you by inviting you over to my nice big house once we get all moved in.

Mind Your Ps and Qs

So I've been thinking about writing on my blog for a long time now.  Weird thing, nothing ever shows up when I just think about it.  So I guess that resigns me to actually writing.

Do you remember when you were little and your parents used to tell you to mind your Ps and Qs?  And you always sort of wondered what Ps and Qs were?  Well, now that I'm a parent, Kate has generously enlightened me.

Kate's favorite animal sound is by far the "quack quack" of the duck.  In fact, sometimes while she's falling asleep in her crib, I'll hear her randomly say "quack quack" to herself.  I would sure love to know what goes on in that mind of hers.  Anyway, back to my point.  About a month ago I started trying to teach Kate the concept of "please" (the whole tantrum thing just wasn't working for me).  So I started saying "Say please" at least 30 times a day, and eventually it started catching on.  Except everyone once in a while I would slip and say "What do you say?" forgetting that Kate didn't actually know what word I was looking for.  Kate looked at me, and with full expectation that I would give her what she wanted if she said the magic word, she'd say, "Quack quack!"

So there you go, mystery solved.  P stands for please, and Q stands for quack quack.  I never really corrected her, because I thought it was so adorable.  But I was a little relieved when she figured out that please was the word I was asking for, because it might have been a little awkward if she was still saying that when she was five or six years old.  Funny, but awkward.

Top Ten Signs You Might Be Pregnant

Oh yes, hello.  It's me again.  Heidi.  I know we've met at least once, but I thought maybe I should reintroduce myself.  You know, since I haven't been around for 3 months!  I, of course, have lots of excuses, but I won't bore you with those.

But yes, I am pregnant . . . so here's my top ten list:

10 - You haven't done your hair or makeup in 2 weeks.

9 - Your table and counters are covered in take-out boxes.

8 - Your child could eat an entire meal by sitting under their high chair (no, really).

7 - People ask how you are feeling instead of how you are doing.

6 - You eat and crave random things like pack after pack of ramen noodles, toaster strudels, nachos, and lots and lots of toast.

5 - Unlike any other time in your life, your life is counted in weeks.

4 - You sleep 14 hours a day (whenever possible).

3 - Your library books are 2 months overdue (precisely as long as you've been pregnant).

2 - You get an email every week telling you how big your little fetus is (in terms of fruit sizes).

1 - You burst into tears, lose your temper, and fall into the depths of despair over the silliest things . . . like your husband's disagreeing with you about whether Kate has been rubbing her ears a lot recently.

Here are the answers to your commonly asked questions:

Little baby #2 is due on or around October 25.

This means I'm 10 weeks along (1/4 of the way there!) and my baby is the size of a prune.

I am not feeling nearly as miserable as last time, but still plenty miserable - especially since Kate and I have both been sick a lot (besides morning sickness).

Dave thinks it's a boy, and I tend to agree, but I don't feel as certain as I did with Kate.

Yes, I'm already getting fat.

Well, that's all for now, I'm going to slowly try and rejoin the ranks of the blogging community, so wish me luck!

Book Review: The Help

What can I say?  I love this book.  For those of you who know me well, you may think that I'm biased because of the time period in which this book is set.  I am.  I admit it freely and openly.  I love the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, but beyond that, this book is actually wonderful.

One of my favorite things about it was the character development - I absolutely loved the characters in this book, by the end, they were basically my best friends.  Yes, apparently I have fictional imaginary friends.  But they're not figments of my imagination, they are figments of Kathryn Stockett's imagination.  I loved how they grew, developed, and I loved how well I came to know them.  One of the reasons I loved these characters so much was because of their innate contradictions - just like real people.  They had depth and weren't always consistent, and were sometimes good and sometimes not.  Just like me.

Besides the fact that this is a very well written and fascinating story, I loved the ending.  Here's why: I can't stand really sad endings, and I can't stand perfectly-tied-with-a-pretty-pink-bow endings either.  That's why this book was perfect for me - the end left me . . . satisfied - a little happy, a little sad, and better for having read it.

P.S. I read this book several months ago and have been quite delinquent in this book review.