Choo-choo

Today we headed south to the adorable town of Los Gatos and a really cool park featuring a train and a carousel.

Here's the gang gathering before the first trip on the train.
Getting ready to go. (Note his very appropriate conductor's hat.)

On the carousel. He loved it soooo much that he cried when had to get off.
See Addison off to the left? Recognize the dress? Here's a hint.
Playing at the playground.



After lunch and some playing, we headed back for one last train ride. Of course, Leo's big, ol' preggo mama needed to stop at the bathroom first, which caused us to miss the train. We had to watch all our friends chugga-chugga down the track.
We hit the carousel instead. Leo got the whole thing to himself. Here's a little video. Try to ignore the grinding noises. I know I did.

My last day

Today was my last visit to the college campus for a long, long while (maybe forever?). I collected my students' final papers, passed out some cookies and waddled on out of there. I don't even need to go back to turn in my grades since I can do it all online. Well, in theory I can do it online, but since Tom will be out of town when I'm suppose to do it, I'm not 100% confident about pulling it off by myself.

In Leo news, he pooped on the potty today. And despite my compulsion to document every moment of his life, I didn't take any pictures. It was more a matter of mom instincts and good timing than major potty training progress. But like I've said, we're not on any type schedule with the potty, so all achievements are celebrated and not taken for granted.

I'm now in the last stretch of this pregnancy. I'm feeling incredibly anxious and scattered. It seems like I have so much to do to get ready for her arrival and all I'm able to do right now is make lists and fret. My mom will be here on Saturday for a few days, so I'm hoping to make a dent in my "to dos". I could whine about how crappy I'm feeling, but I'll spare you. As the old saying goes, if pregnancy and childbirth were easy, men would do it.

Dad day, date night, potty progress and much more.

A lot has happened in the last couple days, so let's rewind to Friday morning. Leo was diaperless, which is not too unusual around here. He was playing and, without prompting, went to the potty, sat for a few moments with a thoughtful look on his face and got up after successfully emptying his bladder. Woo-hoo! This was big and we called Daddy and Nana to share the news. He also received some cool truck stickers for his good work. He hasn't had a repeat performance (in fact he's made a few puddles), but that's okay. We're not really potty training, more like potty experimenting, so we're thrilled with whatever progress is made and have no expectations.

Friday we walked over to Katie and Doug's house for a fun playdate in their back yard. Leo loved the blow up pool.


Big bite of popsicle. So delicious, but so cold.
The gang enjoys their frozen treats.

Hanging out with Addison in the pool .


Saturday night Tom took me out for my birthday. Date night is always fun, but this time we schedule it so that Sheila (our sitter) was going to put Leo to bed. This was a first. In Leo's 20 months on earth, he's never missed a before-bed nursing. I've always been there for bedtime - scheduling dates, moms nights out, everything around putting him down. I was nervous, but I have a lot of faith in Sheila. She's awesome with Leo and she puts him down for naps at least twice a week. I told her to call me if he freaked out, but there was no call so I knew all went smoothly (she confirmed this when we got home). I was a little worried that he may not want to nurse tonight, but he was back to his routine with no problem.

You'd think I'd have a nice date night picture of Tom and I dressed up at the fancy restaurant. Or maybe a snapshot of the delicious cheesecake with a candle for my birthday. But that's not the date night picture I took. I took this one...
Tom was polishing off one of the "world famous" pork chops I ordered. His fingers hovered over the exposed bone. "I'm going to go for it" he told me tentatively. I said, "go for it, baby." And he did.

I got a pedicure on Saturday and Leo has been very enamored with my purple toes. He requested that his toes also be colorful. I did him up with some washable markers.
If you look closely you can see a big scratch on his right foot courtesy of Billie (our cat). It was an accident, but I'm still super pissed about it.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Leo and I gave Tom some gifts this morning, including this box of See's candies (a custom mix). Leo liked wearing the bow.
Leo and I made this shirt for Tom. Leo's handprints are on the front and I ironed on the words "awesome dad".
I let Leo just go nuts on the back to make this abstract design. I can't tell you how stressful it is to deal with a toddler and fabric paint. But it was totally worth it to create this heartfelt present.
The guys modeling their dad-themed shirts.
This afternoon/evening we had some friends over for a BBQ. They have two "big kids" and Leo had a blast playing with them and they did a great job of entertaining Leo so Tom and I could eat and socialize. Awesome.
Leo, Ella, Oscar and their mom, Danielle.
And here's a picture of my psychedelic beets just because.
The last few mornings, Leo has been talking to my belly - patting it, resting his head, giving kisses and saying "Sissy". It pretty much the sweetest thing in the entire world.

Happy 75th Birthday, Ito!

It's my dad's birthday. We call him Ito because when I was little I couldn't say abuelito (Spanish for little grandfather), so I called his father Ito. He has inherited the name. Growing up, he was an "old dad" before it was trendy to be an old dad. Now a whole lot of dads are having kids in their forties; Tom will be one of them very soon. He never behaved like an old dad though. Very active and spry. He still is actually.

Here he spending time with Leo shortly after he was born.
This picture is from last summer when we all met up in Seal Beach.
This is a picture of a picture that was taken before I had a digital camera. We're on vacation in Mexico, visiting the ruins of Tulum specifically. This is quintessentially my father. Soccer jersey, fanny pack, big camera and so happy to be in Mexico where he can speak Spanish, talk about soccer with knowledgeable fans and eat foods he loves.
Oh yeah. It's my birthday too. Yep, I was born on my dad's birthday. Pretty cool, huh? I had a very nice day with my main man. He was very good while I had my check up. Baby girl is active and healthy, and I received my paperwork packet for the hospital which just drives home the fact that the big day is fast approaching. Then we headed to the park for a playdate. He just loves the water now.
Singing the "bringing home a baby bumblebee" song.
Being led back to the blanket by Jackie.
This afternoon we went to the farm to pick up our first summer CSA basket. We got beets the size of your head. Seriously.

I received lots of sweet emails, phone calls, facebook messages, cards and even flowers from both my dad and husband. Thanks everyone. I feel very loved.

Check out this b-day gift.

My big boy

Thank goodness I'm having another baby soon because Leo is no longer a baby. He's pretty much a big boy and blows me away everyday. He feeds himself with a spoon or fork (sometimes he needs a little help loading it up, but he's got it from there). He talks up a storm and I'm able to understand more and more of it. He's good about sharing and playing with other kids. He's learning patience, which is great. He's even had some success on the potty, though we're not pushing it. Last night he earned himself some truck stickers. This morning he said they were from Nanny (most stickers are), so I had to remind him that they were a reward for big boy potty time. One major sign he's moving away from babyland is how little he's nursing. He still has brief booby time right before bed, but we mostly focus on cuddling and singing. It makes me a little sad, but it is the right time for both of us. Nursing is extremely painful while pregnant (the hormones make things extra sensitive) and kind of awkward with the big belly. Baby girl actually likes to kick him while he's laid across my lap. It's pretty funny. But my favorite big boy development...his attempts to do a somersault. I'll capture it on video soon, I promise.

Here he is talking to Grandma Ruthie on Sunday.
Everything tastes better on a divided plate.

I'm too tired...

to write a blog post...or get the laundry out of the dryer. I'm even too tired to get myself a bowl of ice cream. Okay, well, maybe I'll muster the strength for the ice cream.

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More water fun

I'm too tired and too pregnant to write anything tonight, so just enjoy these cute pics from today's playdate.

Belly comparison

I feel like this baby is riding a lot higher in the belly. I've heard about "carrying high" vs "carrying low" but I thought it was a bunch of hooey. That's until I started to experience the lung/stomach squish so darn early. Tom says I look the same, but I think I have a torpedo belly.

The best way to tell is a little side-by-side comparison. Here I am at 28 weeks pregnant with Leo (and pretty darn tan).
Taken today (28 weeks with baby #2)
See a difference? Or am I just crazy?

Checking out a new park with the gang

My moms' group has about 88 members, but about a 1/2 dozen or so are the regulars. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time with these women and their kids. Kind of like co-workers, but more enjoyable. And the other moms spend a lot of time with Leo - most days, more time than his daddy. I feel very fortunate that they are women that I really like. We have a lot in common - similar parenting styles, close in age and married to geeks (that's instant bonding right there). The great thing is I know they will be there for me when baby girl comes along and I could use a helping hand.

Here's the gang playing in the water feature at a new park we tried out today.
Leo loves it.

We took a break from the water for some playground time.




Before we left, we had one more visit to the water but didn't bother with the swim suits.

Here's Leo getting the big tease from the water feature.