To the Coast and Back

It's been just over a week since we returned from our annual Thompson, Bossert, Spencer family weekend at Sea Ranch. This year we had a lot less people (11 counting E ) and so we all fit in one house, which was quite a nice change. It meant easier hanging out while E napped and went to bed early and also easier time getting everyone together.

This year we left on Saturday morning (usually it's Friday). We stopped in Santa Rosa for lunch and all our food shopping and drove on to Highway One. Thankfully no body got sick on the windy way up. Ian made his tasty tomato bean soup for dinner and afterwards we all walked to the beach to watch the sunset. E got quite cold, but she wanted to walk and didn't really seem to mind (except for the fact she was shivering a lot). E slept pretty well, except she got up an hour earlier than usual. It's so odd how if she goes to sleep later than her normal bedtime (which is what happened after we went out after dinner and then walked back) then she wakes up earlier.

The next day we had our family devotional and sharing time, led by Grandpa Jim (known as Papa to E ) and then drove/hiked down to the Hot Spot. The Hot Spot is actually a little creek on the east side of Highway One (we usually stay on the west/beach side). We usually go to catch frogs, skip rocks, hike, etc. This year the creek was so tiny because of the drought that we saw dogs easily wade across to the other side (which was only about 10 feet away, where "normally" it's at least 30 feet). There weren't too many frogs, but lots of rocks. E got into the spirit by throwing rocks into the creek too. Hers didn't skip, though. They kinda more went "Plop". (This she continued the rest of the weekend whenever you saw rocks and water... even at the beach.) The other interesting thing about going down to the creek this year is we tried to hike down a bit with E in the stroller. We think our stroller is pretty good - it took the uneven dirt paths pretty well - and on the way back up E even fell asleep (amongst the bumping and rocking). BTW, thanks to Uncle Drew who pushed her most of the way up. What a workout!

Then back home from the creek, lunch and E's first nap in a crib not at home. We had been having E sleep in a crib for the last two weeks in hopes to train her to sleep there and not on us (or only in the car). So our room, which all three of us shared, had a closet with a sliding glass door... which her pack n' play just barely fit into. That's where we napped her. The first day's nap didn't go too well... about an hour of crying. It didn't help that she had fallen asleep on the way back up and slept for 30 minutes before she woke up for lunch. We still tried to nap her, but she wasn't really wanting to sleep again (even though she needed it). Also, she could slide the closet door open, the room was still pretty bright with all the blinds close and she could hear people talking and walking around upstairs (most of the rooms were on the bottom floor). But eventually she fell asleep. Ian worked (dissertation work is never done), I tried to take a short nap and everyone else went to go see the Sea Ranch chapel.

After everyone was back and E was awake, we had dinner and again walked to the beach. This time we went a little further to a spot that often times has seals and their pups laying out. This year, there were only a few on some far outcroppings. Maybe it was too early (we usually go to Sea Ranch a bit later in July or even in August) or maybe there was some change in weather/migration. Either way E couldn't really see the seals (a new animal she's learned from one of her library books and which she says very cutely - "seewl pup") when we pointed them out. But we did go down to the tide pools and show her some sea anemones, starfish and hermit crabs - which she loved! That night E slept really well...and she slept her normal amount. Yeah all around!

Monday, our last full day at Sea Ranch, started a little bit clearer (being at the coast in the summer usually means cloudy mornings and sun peeking through later in the day; Sunday stayed overcast till about 3pm and then started clouding back over at 5pm, so not much sun) and a little bit warmer, which is good because we were planning on going down to the beach and play in the sand. We had brought all of E's sand molds, buckets, shovels and stuff. We also got her suited up, just in case she wanted to go into the freezing (it's really cold, no joke) Northern California water. We packed lunches and tried to get to the beach around 10. At about 11... maybe 11:30 we finally got down to the beach with about two thirds of the family. One of Ian's sisters was not feeling too well and it was still pretty cloudy so they waited at the house.

E liked the beach and the water a lot. She was a bit wary at first about the tide, until Ian and his youngest brother Drew did some daring wading into the waves. E ended getting her pants wet all the way up to her thighs. We thought at first the tide was going out, but we were wrong. Ooops. Then Ian and his brothers built their fort, complete with moat and driftwood reinforcements. E mainly liked to walk in the newly made moat, smash sand molded characters (we had Nemo, Dorie and Squirt) and generally just get her hands and feet all sand encrusted. I think if there were more kids around she would have gotten even more into playing in the sand and even would have been up for the "dig a big hole and sit in it" thing (that we know Luke Armstrong likes to do). The Sun then came out about 12:30 or 1, but we had to leave at 1:30 (because of E's nap). By then, the boys were all pretty much done playing in the sand and when the Sun did come out it got really warm. So we were glad to get the morning to play and no one got burnt. The only bummer was our brand new camera (that we had gotten a week before to replace our super old digital camera) died. Some lens error that Canon compact cameras are notorious for having. We couldn't get it to work the rest of the weekend. This was okay because I had also brought the digital SLR, but no more videos that weekend from us and generally just less pictures were taken by us in general. We're hoping we get pictures from the rest of the family to offset our lack of photographing.

So a quick rinse, half a nap for E (she had gone down well, but I woke her up trying to put something in the room, then she was super cranky), some game playing for Ian, no nap for me (because I woke her up) and a shopping trip to Gualala for everyone else. Eventually Grandma and Grandpa (aka. Nona and Papa) came back (also from shopping, but groceries) and we all took E for a walk in the stroller, hoping she'd go back to sleep. She didn't fall asleep, but it must have helped because she was calm for the whole hour just sitting there quietly and seemed a lot better when we got back. After dinner that last night we didn't go anywhere but instead all played Apples to Apples. E went down to bed and the rest of the family played games until we all got too tired, which was pretty early.

This weekend everyone seemed to get tired much earlier and go to sleep earlier (all by 11:30 on most nights) and then get up earlier . Of course it probably didn't help that once people were up, the two brothers who were sleeping in the living room got woken up and that E gets up early, the Grandparents get up early and the kitchen seating area was very poorly constructed so you could hear even the slightest moving of chairs at the kitchen table three times louder in the bedrooms downstairs. The upside, though, is I think most everyone had a fairly relaxed and sleep-filled weekend. (Oh, except for the time the raccoons invaded a bag full of recycled cans in the middle of Monday night, which we heard about the next morning, and who on the other nights were scrambling around the roof.)

So our last day finally came, we cleaned up the house (better than what it was when we got there), and took a long drive back. We made one stop at Stengal Beach where E got to see a real seal pup (sans Mom, who was probably out to sea getting food), one stop in Jenner because someone got a little sick. Then another stop just a few miles later for lunch in Guerneville. Ian drove home and E and I slept the rest of the way back (after lunch). We parted from the family caravan on I-80 (because they take Highway 12 to Stockton and we just go north)... and made it home around 5:30 pm.

It was a great weekend that E (and the rest of the family too) enjoyed immensely. And it only took us about a week to finally unpack... ha lol. I know, lazy bums that we are.

The rest of the week went smoothly and quickly (nothing like staring your "week" on a Wednesday). The only adverse thing is that this week (a whole week later) E is not going down easily for her naps. Of course, that could be because of something else besides our trip to the coast. Hopefully though, no matter the reason, her sleeping well in her crib will be restored to how it was before, especially as I'm going to attempt to take her away for another long weekend to my parents this upcoming weekend without Ian (in hopes he'll be able to get one last good spurt of work done before his summer session class that he is teaching begins).

Keep us in your prayers! We're going to need it!

P.S. You can see all our pictures over in our Photostream to the right. I do have one really hilarious video that I hope to post next time... I hope :).

A Month Already?!?

Wow, where does the time fly?

After my video upload fiasco, I just couldn't bring myself to write more posts without finishing that last one... which meant I just didn't post for a whole month. Sorry faithful blog readers who were hoping to see something new. But now I'm back on... got the videos uploaded (see previous post for those cute videos and read our quick update at the bottom).

So, what has the summer brought this summer so far?

1. Hot weather.
We had almost a whole week of 100+ temperatures and most days no wind either. Let's just say we (all of us) haven't been outside for about 2 weeks. And I'm afraid to see what our next PG&E bill will look like, yikes! (AC from about noon to 8pm everyday along with fans running in every room)

2. E is napping in her crib!
We started this nap training about a month ago because I just could not comfortably hold her for her naps any longer (the bulging tummy gets in the way). But then E got sick... we took a break from the crib napping for a few days... and then we went away for a long weekend with my extended (the Yee) family. Failed attempt one. :( But when we came back from our long weekend, we started all over at square one. Now we're happy to say... at day 9 (second time around) E will go down for her nap in her crib with only a mild amount of crying or fussing. Sometimes if she's really not tired yet, she'll cry for two minutes which turns into calling out "Mamma Mamma Mamma" which turns into her talking and playing with her Mr. Bear Bear. YEAH!! Now I can get a nap in the middle of the day too... and E consistently takes 1.5 to 2 hour naps a day. This weekend we'll test how well this new "napping in crib" routine works when we're away from home. Cross your fingers for us!

3. One long weekend to Truckee.
This last March my dad retired, so my siblings and I planned a long weekend up at a cabin in Truckee. The first day we got up there just around dinner time, bought some quick dinners from Safeway and headed to the cabin.
It was a really nice cabin! E fully enjoyed the carpeted stairs (and all the aunties and uncle to play with). We even got the Master Suite and ended up putting E in a walk in closet (so she could sleep in her own room). The only bummer is the house was really warm (like high 80's) and we couldn't figure out to get the air working and didn't open the windows because of the hazy smoke filled skies. So, that night was a bit hot and uncomfortable. But by the next morning the haze had disappeared and everyone was ready to relax and hang out.
Each morning we walked the loop that the cabin was on and E had lots of fun looking at plants, saying Hi to neighbor's dogs and just walking with everyone.
We also made a trip to Reno (on Saturday) for some All-You-Can-Eat Sushi (and a quick stop at a casino). E was nonplussed with both. :) Sunday we went to King's Beach on the north side of Lake Tahoe. E LOVED the beach. She even went in the water and wouldn't come out (even though she was turning blue and shivering). This is a big step for her as last year she wouldn't even let us take her into a pool. And we ate a lot over the weekend (maybe too much).

4. E goes swimming and swimming and swimming.
Over the course of about a week... E was exposed to the beach and a full size swimming pool. And from that point on, she has been loving the water. It also helps that our friends the Uyeyamas have a new pool that has lots of afternoon shade and has the coolest (approximately) 3'x6' step that is the perfect height for E to stand and wade on.
At first she was wary about the water and only wanted to dip her feet. Then as she watched Vivi glide around the pool on a floaty, E consented to sitting with her. And by the end of that day, we was fully gliding on her own and playing with toys. After two or three more times (on separate days)... she'll go right up to the end and try to climb in on her own. Of course, she also asks us to join her (whether we want to go swimming or not, ha lol).
Will E become a water baby just like I was when I was younger? We'll just have to wait and see.

5. A lot of working.
Ian has been working and working and working and working on his dissertation. In the last month since school has ended, he's almost gotten two (of the possibly around five to nine) chapters done. "Only how many to go before December 1st to graduate by the end of fall quarter, Ian?" But really, this is already a lot. These two chapters are the introductory chapters that give you all the background and setup for the rest of his dissertation. I think (if I can recall) it adds up to almost 40 pages (single spaced!).
We also switched to a new schedule and both of us try to get up before E wakes us (although I was only successful with this for about a week) and eat breakfast, start work (or in my case, do some daily devotions). This has really helped Ian... as he is actually disciplined to stick with it. Ha lol! :)
I have also been working quite a bit... keeping E occupied (and away from bothering Ian when he's writing), making a baby and trying to get ready for Baby Two while also trying to plan ahead with our packing. I'm a planner by nature. So, I've already gone through most of our "storage" boxes, baby clothes, baby gear, our clothes and done at least one quick tour of the house for things we didn't want to keep that we garaged sold. But we still have the immense amount of books, kitchen gear and furniture to sort through and attempt to sell. My impulse is to do it all now (especially with another baby on the way), but we kind of need our stuff until we move and Ian doesn't really have the time right now to help (or make decisions about stuff months in advance). Oh and I'm also trying to do as much billable work as I can (that I can get paid for) to make up for all our income dips (which happens every summer, on top of rising rent rates and because we might be here longer than the University can "afford" to provide Ian with TA work/a stipend/waived tuition).

6. An ever growing Gilda (and baby).
We're in week 26 now... just about to cross over into the third trimester. Wow, that went fast.
I don't look huge... but sure feel big (and uncomfortable). Being pregnant this second time around has brought about all the uncomfortable and "big" feelings on early. Although most of the time I feel like I'm already in month 7 or 8 (I'm just under 6.5 months) with swollen feet, decreasing appetite and horrible night sleep. Being that it's been hot doesn't help either (think pregnant in hot weather and having swollen feet, but not being able to really slow down or even sit down for long).
Yet, we're very thankful that the baby is doing great. She's moving and Ian can feel her moving. People might even be able to see her move as she is very active and makes her presence known.
I'm also doing well (even if I'm always tired, but that's probably in part to playing with E all day) and I even passed my second round of glucose test ("passed" meaning I do not have Gestational Diabetes which considering my family history is good news). So now we just are continuing with our monthly checkups and moving right along.

7. And a new Costco in our area.
OK, I know what you're thinking "Uh, ok... odd thing to mention." Yes, but if you live in Davis, this is a big deal. First, it's close. Second, it has Costco gas, which is soooo much cheaper than anything else around. Third, stuff can be (but not always) cheaper. Fourth, it's air conditioned (or at least it feels like it is) and that makes it a prime place to hang out when it's hot. Not to mention it's big enough to roam in for a while and they have samples! (What more can you ask for?) Well, actually... reason number Five tops them all... it's the least busy, least crowded, most stocked Costco I have ever been in. And that's saying a lot, since my family shopped at "Costco" when it was still Price Club! This Costco NEVER has a line for gas, inside checkout lines are never more than 3 carts deep and there's so few people there that sometime the sample people blatantly say "Please take several samples". Case in point, one time we went there and they're were serving root beer floats (Henry Weinhart rootbear, mind you, in full size cups... just to sell the Kirland brand ice cream) and giving out samples of some pulled pork by cutting a 6" sandwich in half and serving that. That was one tasty day! :)

There's probably more, but that's all I can think of right now. And now... it's past my time for bed (Remember that new schedule?? It's also supposed to include going to bed earlier so that we get up earlier). Night Night.