Nikolai

Niko Gregory was born Sunday night and we were home Tuesday. It wasn't until the last hour at the hospital that I actually read some of the information in the hospital packet and realized . . . there was an upgrade from my last stay there: WIFI. So, I could've been on here while I was sitting around the hospital waiting to come home. But, since I've been home, I have just been spending time with my two sons, my husband, and my dog. It's not often we get to spend this much time together. And there is only another week to go before our live-in guests start arriving. First my mother-in-law from Anchorage, then my mother and then my father from Minnesota.

I think I may have brought someone else's baby home from the hospital. This baby is the sweetest thing on earth. He doesn't cry unless you undress him and make him cold. He barely fusses to poop. He sleeps day and night. And he has almost black hair. Gosh, I love him to death and am enjoying every second of him, so I sure hope I just lucked out and he is mine to keep.

Inspired

Just when I thought this blog was really heading downhill, I get three positive comments in one day. I've thought that my posts are scattered because I just don't have enough going on to write a lot about one topic. But, maybe people like the random thoughts. Feel free to comment on the blog! I mostly do this for personal entertainment, but nice words (or bad) are always inspiring.

Well, I am happy to report that a major project is almost finished . . . or has just begun. It depends how you look at it. In December, I spent a couple of weeks worth of nap times going through digital photos from 2006-2009. I managed to reduce the number of files from probably 15,000 to about 8,000. Once you get around to flipping them the right way, you see that a lot of them are blurry-faced or taken of the floor or you have 2 photos that are identical. It's easy to pick the ones that are crap and toss them. But, it is a frustrating process. We have 3 digital cameras, and since we spend a lot of time with my parents that adds 2 - 3 more. Organizing the combination of file names and dates is a nightmare. Needless to say, they're now all organized in folders by date and topic and fit into 8GB. Yesterday and today, I spent quite a bit of time going through these 8,000 files and choosing ones to print in these categories: House building & yard projects, My son's life in 2 years, Adventures in Minnesota, Mike and Sarah favorites, Inappropriate Baby Book Photos, and some other pretty ones that I would consider blowing up and putting on my wall if they look good in 4x6 (the test).

The reason I say the project may have just begun is because if there are some that I am happy with in 4x6, I'd like to spend the money and make some nice prints for the house. There is this great website called Mpix.com where you can order prints on canvas gallery wraps or standouts. However, it can get spendy if you want them large, which I do. Also, on snapfish and shutterfly, you can do some neat things with photo albums. The possibilities are endless.

Great Day

First off, I was able to sleep in this morning. My husband has arranged this with his boss . . . that on the days I have to watch my son my husband can go into work late so I can sleep in. It's nice to have a boss who has kids and understands what we're going through.

Today, the 21st, my husband predicted the baby would be born. He disagrees with me and says he meant next Thursday . . . but I know what I heard. Another person predicted Jan 12. I'm glad it wasn't then. Anyway, I had 6-8 hours of contractions last night. 4-5 minutes apart, but they weren't too painful and even though I've had them throughout the day also, I've chalked them up to Braxton Hicks contractions. I guess these fake contractions can be quite intense in second pregnancies. I didn't have to deal with the intermittent contractions last time. My water broke, I went in, and had the baby a few hours later. Even though it was new, I felt sort of a calm feeling throughout them last night. I just relaxed in my bed, knowing there is a great hospital with great people just 10 minutes away. I don't think I would feel so great if I were in rural Minnesota!

I got a message from a friend that her husband had a free DVD player for us. My husband gave away our bedroom TV and DVD player to a friend whose ex-wife took literally everything from his house. In place bought a friend's TV because they moved to Europe and couldn't use it there, which was quite the upgrade from what we had before. But, without TV reception, our lack of desire to purchase satellite, and without a DVD player we haven't used the TV yet . . . and it's been almost a year! Now, I can enjoy a movie in my brand new bedding.

I also received a wonderful email from a professor in Anchorage who appointing himself my graduate advisor. It is actually going to work. These courses that I started out taking for fun and to keep my mind busy during the boring winter months are going to amount to a Master's degree. I only have 3 courses left and I have a plan for 2 of the 3 of them. It's amazing how supportive people are when you tell them you've chosen to stay home to raise your children.

We have a birthday party coming up for the son of my husband's friend from college. It has been one of my goals to make new friends. This is a step in that direction because there will be all new people there. I have some good friends, don't get me wrong, but I need to make more friends with kids . . . preferably friends with more than one kid or friends that stay-at-home and friends that are reliable. This will provide for more play dates, which'll pass the days more easily.

And, to top it off, tonight my friend from college is making me meatloaf, her mom's recipe. She is just starting to try out recipes and in my opinion is a great cook. So, I will be able to relax and chat with her and work on my cross-stitch kid-free.

And not just to top it off but the icing on the cake. We're going to Argentina in 2013 . . . for an entire month! Can you say Aconcagua?

Random Lists

My to do list last week:

1) Don't expel baby for 2 more weeks (so I'm 1/2 way there--to Jan 25)

2) Eat

3) Sleep

4) Don't freak out

Outgrown coats in order:

1) Mountain hardware fleece

2) Marmot down

3) North Face down

4) Columbia white

5) Columbia blue

6) Carhart

7) A loaner from my grandmother-in-law. It's hideous (on me), so I'm going to try to have the baby before I can't zip the Carhart anymore

Favorite words my son says:

1) Mum-mum for mama

2) Jew for juice

3) Dithe for ice

4) Hee for hair

5) Uck (+ whiney face) for stuck

Nesting List:

1) Vacuum living room and put up my son's tent

2) Install infant seat in my car

3) Put sheets on crib

4) Organize a few more closets

5) Finish cross-stitch for baby’s room and frame it

6) Bring dog to town to be bathed and clipped

35 Weeks, Almost!

The big news is: I'm almost 35 weeks pregnant with baby "z" as my mother-in-law calls him. Yes, we've picked a first name and a middle name, but just like with the birth of our first son we're not really telling anyone just yet. I'll just say, I've never heard of anyone with the name, but a distant friend in Norway tells me it's quite a popular name in Europe . . . kind of like our first son's name: Aleksander. The middle name is another family name like Michael. Somehow, we picked both the first and middle names mutually. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out and I think my husband is too.

I was finally able to see my doctor Hess, the brilliant man who's delivered only God knows how many babies in the last 40+ years. He disagreed with the young midwife who saw me 3 weeks prior and said he didn't think I needed to be on any type of restrictions. The baby is a perfect 5-5.5lbs and will be born any time it likes. This man loves me, because I am not 300lbs, like he claims all his other mothers are. Anyway, he expects I'll have another 6lb something oz baby as he's a firm believer the babies are usually proportional to the size of the mom.

Still, my husband has been doing most of the chores around here. It seems like people in general like to help out a highly pregnant woman. My father-in-law, even though I told him I'm free to go back to my motherly duties, wants to watch my son Monday and his wife wants to watch him Tuesday. I'm not opposed. I've noticed my required dosage of sleep has increased from about 9 hrs/day to about 12 hrs. So, having help these weeks has made me feel better overall.

Glasses have been popular in our household these days. We're taking advantage of a vision plan that we'll opt out of when the baby comes. The ones my son likes to wear are from the 3D movie avatar. But, my husband got his first pair of glasses ever--for working on the computer at work. He looks awesome, but that's beside the point; hopefully they'll help with his headaches. I got my umpteenth pair but only my second ever pair or plastic frames. I'm a glasses snob and not a fan of plastic, but the price was right and I'm not one to pass up a $250 discount on glasses.

Some things are happening upstairs in our house. Throwing out the guest queen bed, moving a twin up there in the meantime for guests and for my son's future bed, moving everything else around eventually: crib, changer, children's furniture, rocking chair. It's not easy logistically. Let's just say it's not just being cooped up in the winters that have made me thankful for a big house. There are soon to be four of us. I hate clutter. And with 4 people + frequent guests + a needy pug, we need all the space we can get. Plans are in place and being somewhat executed for decorations in both of the boys' rooms, and I bought myself all new bedding. Our king bed is only 2 years old, so our bedding wasn't that old, but I went cheap when I bought it and it was a mistake. Still, everything we purchased was 40% off this time, but it is good quality, and it is worth every penny. I mean, a person spends a lot of time sleeping. It might as well be enjoyable.

Superdad

Did I ever mention how much I love, cherish, and am thankful for meeting and marrying my husband? He is smart, sexy, and most importantly a good guy who is loving and protective of his family. And these past couple of weeks have really brought these qualities to light.

After I returned from the doctor almost 2 weeks ago and brought news that I am supposed to lie down when I can, drink a lot of water, empty my bladder often, and not do anything to induce contractions if you know what I mean, my husband really took the news seriously. He has been taking care of all of the chores, taking care of my son, and taking care of me. This is no easy feat for a man with a full-time job, an almost 2 year old, a huge house, and now a babysitter who has gone on vacation.

It has gone well. I'd say there was maybe one day the kitchen got out of control, another day we didn't have a fire in the wood stove, and one day my son wore pants that were too short. Not bad, right! There was one day I got into trouble because I had posted christmas card photos on our refrigerator and another day I was accused of going to Taco King, which wouldn't have been surprising knowing my love for the food. However, I've been a pretty good girl. I've watched television. I've napped. I've done crafts (lying down). It's been boring, but I am trying to enjoy it. Soon, peace and quiet will be a thing of the past. And my wonderful husband keeps me in check and tells me to go lie down when I start to go crazy picking up toys or futzing around in the kitchen or if I even think of lifting up my 30lb son.

I think we have him to thank that this baby is still inside me at almost 34 weeks.

Baby Web Pages

Wow! People really go crazy when you have your first baby. I just finished up a scrapbook, which required I go through cards we received during my son's birth. It reminded me of all of the cards, the gifts, the kind words . . . and I didn't even have a normal shower. Because my son was born early, I missed my work shower by about 3 days. My family threw a shower for me in MN, but I could only watch it via web cam. And there was kind of a shower on my husband's side, but it was really just a few gifts and a cake thrown on the side of the normal annual family memorial day barbeque. This time, all we've received is one (darling) outfit from my college roommate . . . not that we need more stuff.

My mom made this website for my son Aleksander's birth two years ago. It was fun and a huge success:

http://www.babyhomepages.net/shefnicka_grandbaby_bragbook

So, we started one that we will use for the announcement of our second son's birth. I don't expect the same response, but it is a fun way to spread the news to those who are far away:

http://www.babyhomepages.net/kvaschik

Let's Talk about Canda

Our trip to Vancouver was the best of the best. Yes, our condo was expensive. But, it was nice. It was great to only have to care for 800 square feet of space and it was convenient that we had all the amenities and more at our home away from home. I don't know if I could stay in a hotel again . . . not that I remember the last time I vacationed in a hotel. I don't think I ever have. I'd rather stay home in my nice house.

The city and the people (in my opinion) were also the best of the best. It is one of the most densely populated cities in North America. Most people don't drive cars or own houses. Oh, poor Americans who are losing their 3,000 square foot homes . . . NOT. They live in sky-rises and walk. And they are happy. And they are kind. I could move to Vancouver in a heart-beat. It's green. It's wooded. It's modern. They have 4 seasons. It's a great place for adults, and it's great for kids. Their Science World really puts the Science Museum of Minnesota to shame. A great aquarium, a touristy market, felafels, Thai, authentic burritos, ski resorts, good coffee, shopping . . . all spell heaven to me and my family. And, get this, their television news has substance to it.

Anyway, no wonder Vancouver and Whistler were chosen to host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

What a happy trip. Here are some photos:

Vancouver

Big trees, canyons, suspension bridges

Little Canadian playing in condo

Grouse Mountain, a ski resort

Whistler

Aquarium

Last but not least, this is my Sadie girl, a friend from college who is now my neighbor in Alaska. She cared for our house and our dog Harley for a good part of the month. Thanks! We get to watch her kitties in return :) She loves her new Canadian snowboarding sweatshirt!

By the way, I would recommend vacationing during Christmas. We avoided the consumerism and the receiving of gifts that no one really likes anyway. We spent our money on what we wanted to do and that was our gift to ourselves, our family. In addition, it was an excellent way to break up the winter!

Creative and Crafty Projects

Anyone who knows me knows I need to stay busy. Usually, I'm only intellectually or physically busy. I am addicted to school, the structure of classes and their requirement to learn to receive an "A" and of course the end goal of getting some sort of degree. I love the outdoors and exploring new places, which goes hand-in-hand with physical work. However, I've also been finishing up some creative projects these last few months. With a 2300 square foot house to care for and a sweet boy to look after usually I don't take time for these types of things:

• Finishing a scrapbook that was started for me almost 2 years ago
• Knitting a scarf for myself that I started over a year ago
• Growing my first garden and keeping alive my first (expensive) transplanted trees
• Raising red wigglers to compost our food into fertilizer
• Organizing 4 years of photos. We won't even talk about how many photos there were. Just think: love, built a new house, lots of travel, and a baby = A LOT!
• Making my son's first Halloween costume, which required that I learn how to use my sewing machine
• Sewing a fleece bug blanket for my son's new big boy car bed
• Hand sewing personalized blankets/quilts for my sweet cousins' babies, the cousins who threw me a baby shower in MN when I wasn't even there!
• Cooking new meals and starting a recipe binder
• Buying my first set of curtains, and I hate curtains

Okay, well, I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was a shift for me. As my mom recently asked, "So, you've pretty much given up on becoming a rocket scientist now that you're a mom?" I confirmed, happily. I could still be the smartest of the smart, but I don't want to be a "rocket" scientist anymore. I love this relaxing stint in life and the chance to try to be creative.