Seven Quick Takes – My Poor, Neglected Blog Addition

1. I cannot believe that I didn’t post at all in May. Well – I can, actually. The trip, plus illness that we are just crawling out from under, has thrown us for a loop. I have been sick since EASTER. Yep – Easter Sunday I came down with a cold, and it has been one cold after another since then. Teddy and Dave have been sick for this same time period, too. BLAH! We are (fingers crossed) all on the mend, but it does make for early bedtimes and no time for blogging.

2. The trip was FANTASTIC. The ship itself was amazing – almost brand new – and we had a wonderful time. And one of my girlfriends works onboard! During our fall trip, we were gobsmacked to find out that my friend Shannon (from Georgetown, fellow Guelph student leader) happened to be running the youth program aboard. She and her husband have worked on ships on and off years, but I hadn’t heard that they’d gone back after a break as they live in Australia now. She, in turn, didn’t know we’d had a baby (she doesn’t check Facebook while working onboard). We showed up at the youth area open house and she nearly keeled over! And we quickly discovered that she’d also be running to program onboard THIS cruise. Anyway, we hung out with her (and her awesome husband) and her staff (who LOVED Teddy) and it was wonderful. Lots more on the trip to come, promise!

3. Work has been kicking my butt. My regular job has some tight, tight deadlines and we have a very small team (like 3 worker bees). In addition to that, I’ve been pulled onto a high-profile special project on a subject near and dear to my heart…with an every CRAZIER deadline. My manager agreed to let me participate (she really had no choice) but it is a struggle to carve out time for both. And it is exhausting. It is also hard to believe that I only have 10 weeks until I head off on maternity leave!

4. Speaking of maternity leave, pregnancy 2 keeps chugging along. I am at 28 weeks today! And has the 2nd trimester ever been a joy compared to #1. I am starting to get a bit more uncomfortable, and I am nervous about being pregnant during the summer heat, but I am still excited.

5. As of last Friday, we are the proud owners of a minivan. Yep – living the dream. Our beloved Protegé5 was approaching 7, and we knew that we couldn’t fit 2 carseats in the back and still have room for anyone to sit comfortably in the front. And before you say it (Jorge), crossovers, etc. were not for us. We wanted a car in which at least 6 people – adults included – could sit comfortably and one that could grow with our family over the next few years, as more kids come along (if we are so blessed). Also – for what you get in terms of power, options and sheer ability to transport people, minivans are a great value. We’d been researching the purchase for a while and had test driven pretty much every minivan on the market. We narrowed our choice down, and ultimately went with the Grand Caravan. We got an amazing deal – with research and negotiation we got it for 2% above their invoice cost. Plus – there are crazy rebates (like $7k worth) and 0% financing (we could have paid cash, but I’d rather have my money work for me, thanks). We got one with a swanky entertainment system and nice options, and we are very happy. Plus, the extended warranty Chrysler offers is a steal – it covers everything other than brakes, tires, wiper blades and headlights – for 5-7 years. Oil changes, filters, all other maintenance will be covered, and roadside assistance, too. I will take it!

6. Teddy continues to be a joy. He is a busy, busy kid – his toddler run is a treat to behold, and he just loves to tackle stairs. He is 16.5 months and he continues to love people – waving at everyone unprompted, making friends wherever he goes. His vocabulary isn’t terribly large, but I have no worries about his comprehension. He has no trouble following requests like: “Please bring Mommy your blue ball/green truck” or most others, for that matter. He is also a bit of a mimic. When my Mom tells him not to touch, she unconsciously waves her finger. Within minutes, he was waving his back saying “Don’ such!” as he avoided touching things. He has also referred to my Dad as both Bampa (preferred) and Granpoop, and my Mom as “Irma”. One of his first sentences was “Dat Bampa” when he spotted my Dad from afar.

7. I have so many posts that I want to write. Perhaps I should make a list here about the topics so I will have some sort of record? It will make me more accountable. Topics include:
- our trip
- a request for advice on being sibling/having siblings/parenting siblings
- a record of my lactation journey with Teddy (aka expressing breast milk for my non-latching, tongue-tied baby…for 14 months.) The milk stores in the freezer are almost gone, but he’s nearly 17 months now!
- other topics about which you might be curious?

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!