Not Glamping

We just got back from Buffalo. Paul had to take a week of leave so we decided about a month ago to drive up to Buffalo to surprise my bestie and then spend a couple days in Toronto. It was about an 8 hour car ride, but thanks to the magic of the DVD player and the fact that who the heck wants to drive to Buffalo from Boston it was a surprisingly easy trip. Oh, we've gotten so old with our mini van, with a cooler of lunch stuff, and a dvd player. If only we'd had the luggage rack packed then our trip to old age would've been complete.

Of course I had worked out this whole trip with Cory's hubby who, on the morning of our arrival, told their 3 year old. Word to the wise..if you ever want to keep something a secret then don't tell it to a 3 year old. Abs spilled the beans when Cory picked her up from daycare so she wasn't super surprised to see us there (and Paul thought I'd be the one to crack).

Toronto was fun. We went to Center Island and I wished I had done more research on it before we got there. I definitely recommend it, would go back, but I'd bring our bathing suits and a cooler lunch. There's also a nude beach there if you are so inclined (I totally would be all about a nude beach!). We had an amazing dinner a few blocks from our hotel. The next day we toured Casa Loma. As there is no air condition and it was humid and rainy I'd suggest seeing Casa Loma on a cooler day.

We headed back to Buffalo for the weekend. Friday we went to the Anchor Bar for lunch. Home of the original chicken wing and yet so many restaurants have done them better. Paul wanted to check it off his bucket list though so off we went. No reason to ever go back. lol

Saturday (the part of the story y'all have been waiting for if you know me personally) was camping. Neither Paul or I had ever been camping before. Sure there was one drunken night sleeping in a tent on an island in college, but that hardly counts. We borrowed a tent from Brian and Cory's friends who also were camping with us. They were like professional campers. Paul and I were like National Lampoons. Where was my glamping cabin, my shower, my flat screen tv, my fridge? We stared at the cabins across the way longingly.

Now before you imagine us hiking into the wilderness and setting up camp I'll just let you know that we had the kiddos with us. And I'm afraid of the wilderness. (Crazy people live in the woods. Haven't you seen Deliverance or Wrong Turn???) We got to the privately owned park next to Brian's dad's house in the early afternoon. We set up camp aka unpacked the truck and broke out the cocktails. There is one thing I am certain of...camping should NEVER occur without cocktails. The afternoon consisted of sitting around the fire, entertaining the kids, swimming in the pool. It was pretty relaxing and a lot of fun. And of course there were hotdogs grilled over the fire and s'mores. I heart s'mores! And something I'd never had before called Texas Caviar. Oh heavenly goodness! Let me know if you want the recipe. You won't regret it!

I was worried Em would not sleep very well. It took about an hour for her to fall asleep and Paul hung out in the tent with her until she was asleep. She slept like a rock!

Paul went to bed about 10:30pm. Around 11:30pm Cory's daughter started screaming. We think she was having a night terror because they had a very hard time soothing her and getting her to calm down. Poor kid. It was awful to listen to and I felt so bad for her and them. Seeing as Cory and Brian were busy with Abs I decided to head to bed just as Paul came out to use the restroom. I sat next to the fire waiting for him and waiting and waiting. It felt like forever before he got back. It took so long I was getting worried! He wasn't wearing his glasses and missed the path to the bathroom and kept walking. lol

The bathrooms were super nice! Very long cabin-esque. They looked brand new and no scary spiders!

I thought I'd sleep well. It'd gotten cooler out and the sounds of the night and all that. hahahaha First off, we had filled up the air mattress earlier in the evening and not again so by the time I went to bed it was pretty saggy (given that the air had cooled off a lot). I had to cling to the edge to keep from rolling into Paul. He was still awake by the way.

Around 1:30am poor Abby woke up screaming again. It was awful, but at the same time we did laugh when the coyotes started howling in response. This time Cory, Abby, and Brian headed home. I then had to use the restroom and my potty partner had just left! I braved the walk to the very nice bathroom and raced back to the tent. I was afraid the coyotes were going to come looking for Abby and find me instead!

I think I finally fell asleep after 2am. No relaxing night of sleep for me. I was freezing, I was worried about Emma being cold, I was clinging to the edge of the air mattress for my life, my list of complaints went on and on. At 7am I woke to find Em still sleeping and I thought "Yes!" until someone's car alarm woke up. Emma sprang up saying "car, car." Sigh. No more sleeping for us. My eyes felt like they had sand in them.

Luckily, Brian and Cory brought back coffee and donuts and they were delicious!

I thought I'd nap Sunday or at least go to bed early, but the 4 of us stayed up talking until almost midnight. Monday we drove home and didn't hit any traffic (because, ya know, we were driving from Buffalo to Boston).

I miss my bestie already!

Seven Days of Falafel

Everyone knows we've been trying to have another baby and if you read my blog you know that so far we have not been successful. And if you've ever been on the unsuccessful baby making train you know it can get a little crazy tracking when you ovulate (toot, toot) and when you do the deed (woo, woo). It can be a little tiring and sort of takes the fun out everything. We already have our train tickets purchased for next week. All aboard...next stop baby town!

Last month I saw a show on Lifetime about, well, let's just call it the Seven Days of Falafel. It's tracks 2 couples who are struggling in their relationship over 7 days and their goal is to make falafel every day and then see how their relationship is at the end of the 7 days. Sadly, the one episode I watched I recognized the female from another reality tv show (she was a former Playmate and not one of the Girls Next Door main characters and no, we weren't watching a Playboy movie and I think I just saw her in an ad for another reality show).

You now how when you're in a new relationship you want falafel all the time, 3 or 4 times a day even. You can't get enough falafel. All you think about is falafel. And sometimes you dress up to make falafel or you might have falafel in places that you normal wouldn't say like a park or the beach or the bathroom in a restaurant. Ahhh falafel.

And then you get married, and have kids, and suddenly falafel is not as important as, oh say, sleep. It's next to impossible to keep the house clean much less get all cleaned up to make falafel. Plus being covered in poo, vomit, urine, or other bodily fluids at any given point in time sort of puts a damper on any thoughts of falafel. Then there are the nights where you look at each other and one person says, "We should make falafel," and the other person says, "I'm tired. Let's have falafel tomorrow night." Poor falafel. So neglected cause you know that next night you're gonna be just as tired as tonight and both of you are just pretending that there's a snowballs chance in hell of having falafel tomorrow.

So, I saw this show and thought hmm...and so we decided to undergo the 7 days of falafel challenge. No matter what, no matter how tired, dirty, cranky, covered in poo or vomit we were there was going to be falafel.

I'll admit we did well. We were in it to win it. We even got a little crazy with our falafel making. I didn't get dressed up to make falafel at all but I'm about 8 sizes bigger than I was when we met so none of my falafel making costumes fit anymore (unless you like that stuffed sausage, open zipper, muffin top look).

I was proud of us for getting back in the game. There were nights where we were tired and it was like come on we have to make falafel, but we persevered.

And I got what the experiment was about. I started to look forward to falafel every night. I felt it brought us closer that week and made me feel a little bit more like my old self (you know the one that was sexy and had a better body and nice pre-breastfeeding boobies and didn't feel so exhausted all the freaking time).

Of course once the 7 days were over neither of us had any interest in falafel for a week. We were both like no more falafel, but that's what happens when you overindulge.

All in all I'm glad we tried the 7 days of falafel experiment. It was a great success and so easy to do. Maybe everyone should make an effort to indulge in some marathon falafel making periodically. You might be surprised at what you find out.

Happy falafeling!

False Hope

Science is amazing, but it can also be misleading. It used to be that a woman had to wait until she missed her period to take a home pregnancy test and find out if she was pregnant. Now you can take a home pregnancy test up to 5 days before your period starts and find out if you're expecting.

And that's what I did last week, Wednesday to be exact, and guess what...it was positive! I took another test on Thursday and that was positive. We were overjoyed. Friday I had a doctor's appointment and she did a pregnancy test at her office and it was negative. Suddenly I wasn't so overjoyed. She reassured me that it was still early, that maybe their test just wasn't as sensitive, but my heart sunk a little bit.

And over the weekend I continued to have positive HPTs, but the positive line got fainter and fainter and my symptoms (nausea and exhaustion) disappeared. Yesterday I was pretty certain I was going to get my period and this morning I did. I'm guessing it was a chemical pregnancy or very early miscarriage.

So, here I am...3rd lost pregnancy. I cried this morning on the way to Stroller Strides and I'm crying now as I write this. I have 2 friends up here who have children around Emma's age. They are both pregnant again and I'm so so happy for them. But, BUT it's so very very hard to be around friends who are pregnant right now. It's sort of like a little dagger to the heart and I can't imagine how people who truly struggle with infertility must feel. I can't imagine years and years of this feeling. I don't consider myself struggling with infertility. I can get pregnant. I just can't stay pregnant (with the exception of my beautiful, wonderful Emma Bean).

I keep repeating to myself "All in God's time" and I'm trying to hold out that He must have something good in store for us or know that something is coming up that it's not the time for me to be pregnant (maybe an earlier than expected military move or whatever), but I still feel sad. I really thought this was it, that I was going to be having a baby around March 28th, 2013, and now I'm not.

Now I'm not.

The Weekend Update

We had quite the busy weekend. I can't believe how quickly our little Emma Bean is growing up. She finally is very interested in walking and has made tons of progress this weekend walking independently. And her interest in the world around her is amazing. She is so nosy!

Friday we went to a picnic on base. Holy hotness! It was in the tennis bubble and it was boiling! Paul had to stay and clean up afterwards so Em and I went to pick up our free federal parks pass and then sat in the swagger wagon, drinking smoothies, and watching Sex and the City.

I realized, as we watched the Sex and the City movie, that we are now in the phase of we have to watch what we say, do, and see. There was a very brief scene where Miranda and Steve are having sex. You don't really see anything, but there was some moaning and what not. When the scene ended Emma looked at me and starting making panting noises. And then she spent the next 5 minutes walking around the van, making panting noises. I'll admit I laughed, but she was just so funny!

Paul took Em home while I went to an appointment and I got this pic on my phone. Paul stopped by a park that we hadn't been to before and they had a great area for little kids (we went again this morning, too).



Saturday morning we woke up and went to The Home Depot with Paul. For the first time we put Em in the fun cart where she could face forward and "drive." She thought it was fantastic as you can see by her expression. Of course it's like pushing a bus, but at least she had a good time.

After Home Depot it was home for a nap. Em fell asleep in the car and actually stayed asleep being carried up to her crib. Miracle of all miracles!

After she woke up from her nap it was time for the birthday party! It was for beautiful and smart 2 year old Adrianna and it was at the Little Gym. I was super excited to take Em there because I knew she'd have a good time. It's kind of like a mini gymnastics place and they have kiddie tumbling, gymnastics, movement classes, etc.

I know this picture isn't very good, but you can see that Em is NOT having a good time at all. haha I have never seen this girl move so much! There was so much to climb on, see, do, scarves, balls, a bouncey runway...You could tell Em was thinking how much she loves birthday parties!

And this was all before they brought out the cupcakes. I think of all the kids there Em enjoyed her cupcake the most. And she was NOT sharing! No ma'am. I think she finished the whole cupcake in under 5 minutes. Our little piglet. That's watermelon in her other hand so at least she had something healthy.



For some reason Em is not into baths right now so you can imagine how fun it was trying to clean her up after all this.

This morning, since it was my morning to get up with her, Em decided 5am was the time to wake up. I tried to get her to lay back down with us, but I guess she's too big. She still likes to cuddle, but unless she isn't feeling well she so does not want to lay back down in the morning. We finally got out of bed around 6am and by 6:25am were on our way to the gas station to gas up the swagger wagon. The first station we went to was closed, but luckily another station was close since I had no gas. Then we went for donuts and got there 20 minutes before they opened. Oops! I put a kid friendly movie into the dvd player and we hung out until they opened the drive through.

When Paul finally got up (at 9am!) we watched Joel Osteen, went to the park, and went out to lunch with our friend Rebekah at Outback. Delicious!

All in all a busy and fun family weekend!

She is Our Child

There can be no doubt in anyone's mind that Emma is our child cause dang the girl can eat! She loves food like we do. Poor girl.

Yesterday's food of choice was chicken wings off a Chinese buffet. Today it was sushi and hibachi chicken.

Good thing she loves veggies too!

Love is Ugly

I realized something today as I was crawling around wearing my husband's dirty knee pads, sweating my ass off, using a drill to screw deck board onto our new deck. Paul looked at me as brown, dirty sweat ran out from the bottom of the knee pads and said, "You've never been hotter," and he was serious.

Any relationship can have flowers, and romance, and getting gussied up for dates. Most relationships start that way. You get dressed up, you go out, you wear perfume, and your best panties, and a month or a year or more goes by and the relationship ends. It's easy in the beginning.

The real part of the relationship comes later. It's when you look at each during the ugly moments and realize you are still in love. It's funerals and farts and getting fat and being hateful with each other because it's just that day and it's staying. The ugly part is staying together no matter what life throws at you, no matter how bratty you might act, through tears and laughter, and realizing that you aren't that sexy 20 something anymore. And if you or your spouse thinks someone else is hot, it's being secure enough in your relationship to know that no matter how hot someone is your spouse isn't going to stray. And you don't stray because you know the grass isn't greener and your yard is pretty darn nice.

It's knowing as your crawl around in the hot sun, screwing on deck board, that your husband thinks your amazing. It's looking at your husband, who has spent every available hour on the weekends and after work for the last 2 weeks building a new deck, and thinking he's the most incredible husband ever.

Yup, anyone can have flowers. Not many people are lucky enough to get to the ugly parts.