One. More. Move.

Little People line-up: kitchen floor to window ledge to play kitchen counter to play kitchen fridge and back again

One. More. Move. That has been my mantra since fall when we moved into a one-bedroom apartment in the Seattle ‘burbs. I thought the move back into the house would be the last one … until they moved me six feet under. But the life of a Nowak can’t be boring so we threw in one more move to make life fun.

Now we’re reliving the pre-C days in B’s bachelor pad (he wishes it was THE Bachelor Pad where Gia prances around in bikinis all day). On the positive side, K gets her own room (she hasn’t slept through the night since nine months, so I guess we get a break every nine months. The joys of parenthood). Our commute is on foot. We have two bathrooms. The negatives are all about food. Our pots and pans are packed since our apartment was furnished, so we have only one pan. One. Trying boiling pasta, sauteeing veggies, browning meat and heating sauce all at the same time with one pan. I’m surprised I haven’t hit B over the head with it as I wrestle him over dibs. Hey, I’m pregnant, feeding the baby wins. Lucky for us, mom still cooks once a week and sends care packages. Otherwise, I think we’d eat Corn Pops and ice cream for every meal … with one of our four spoons.

Moving snowflakes from window to window

Nothing phased K. She runs from the elevator right to the door to do what she does best … dance, move gel clings from window to window and line up her Little People. If I was a school counselor, I would push her toward interpretive dance, department store window display or tour guide (she’d especially be good in China getting all those people to follow her waving flag).

Three weeks down …

It’s a …

Sorry, no anatomy shot. TMI!

Yesterday was G(ender)-Day. We excitedly braved Seattle’s Snowpocalypse to find out if B would remain the minority, or get to play with non-pink toys while looking forward to tea parties as much as going to war with troops of army men. Believe me, K is daddy’s little girl, but would he finally be able to pass along his manly skills such as how to grill the perfect steak, backpack for days without a shower or how to use every tool in the garage? Well, about two years ago I wrote this statement: It’s a Girl!

Today, we are proud to say: It’s a Boy!

Big sister K doesn’t know what’s going on yet, but she’s already a pro at carrying around her new baby doll and giving it a blankie, pacifier or bottle. It looks like K is going to be mommy’s little helper soon. At 23 months apart, we’ll have two under two so hopefully she learns quick.

Interesting that K and her baby brother are both ankle crossers.

Time to sort through the clothes …

“B, can little man Nowak get away with these blue pants (with pink stitching) or these Chuck Taylors (in pink)?”

“No!”

I can’t believe it. He gave me permission to go shopping for clothes!

Blogging Sabbatical Ends

Heading to the water to play kerplunk

I took a little blogging sabbatical to go back to work full-time, build a house and help raise our now 18-month-old daughter. But as the new year unfolds I’m making a resolution to start blogging again. I think it’s one I can stick with. It’s not like I have a tough topic – documenting the exploits of my daughter, husband and me. Soon to be four. Like how I slipped that in there?

A quick update on the last four months:

September: We moved out of the house, prematurely. We moved our threesome into a one-bedroom apartment, which quickly turned into K’s large playroom. Lucky for us we had a lake and big yard, too bad summer was almost over. B & K made up a new game called kerplunk. I started working full-time at Zillow doing PR, what else.

Dancing along with the SeaGals

October: Started work on the house. It has been amazing to watch. One week we had a roof, the next we had three stories (just the frame, but still amazing). B liked to watch the workers run along the wall-tops balancing wood on their shoulders. I liked knowing that it wasn’t B up there. We picked pumpkins, dressed K as a bumblebee (BTW, I think every baby has been a bee or ladybug as I counted about six dozen as we treated ).

November: We took K to her first Seahawks game. She loved every minute – dancing to the music, watching the SeaGals (along with her dad) and eating game food.

Hurry up, daddy! Why didn't you put it together last night?

December: Christmas in Seattle. We celebrated with a Christmas Eve feast lovingly prepared by me … ha, kidding, by B and my mom. I must say I am trying to do my part in the kitchen as B digs ditches at the house. AllRecipes is my new BFF.

I better not write too much or I won’t have anything more to say to keep up my resolution.

One Was Fun

While B is away, K will play

It seems like only yesterday I was wondering if I was ever going to sleep, shower, wear clothes without spit-up. Now I’m wondering if K is down to one nap (no!) and how I cram her 10 hours of awake time into two, or less.

I’m forgoing my usual cutesy post to really marvel at working parents. I started work – in an actual office, in early July and now I get two hours – if I’m lucky – to hug, kiss and chase after little K. Perhaps it’s because I was home with her for almost a year that I got used to seeing every smile, milestone and tossed food item that I didn’t fully appreciate what working parents go through every day. We work to give our children a good life, perhaps a better life than we had; but is it better to have both or one parent absent 80 percent of the day? People say the children won’t remember, but the parents will. B and I pretend-chuckle when we say we’ll miss K’s first step and that the grandnannies should knock her over like in the movie Just Go With It. We are being dead serious.

When it was just B leaving the house every morning, I made sure to send him pictures throughout the day to show him what K was wearing, eating, doing. But now that I get these daily updates I wonder if I was actually making it worse. I love getting my daily updates from grandpappy nanny letting me know that K went for a swim, banged on her coffee can drums, and had 19 peas, 4 Fruit Loops and one WHOLE banana. I cherish the pictures they send of K reading a Quiznos menu, tickling the ivories or banging on the keyboard. I smile, then get sad.

About those two hours K’s doctor tells us to put her to bed at 6, or earlier. No way. B would never see her, now both of us never would. We have our routine down now and it does not involve only seeing K on the weekends, or when she wakes up in the middle of the night. We swoop in after our climb up the hill, play a bit and start on the dinner, bath, bed routine. If we’re slightly off schedule K knows and voices her displeasure. No food at 6:30? You better plug your ears. No book and bed by 8? I hope you’re ready for a long night. For a 24-pound little girl, she sure throws her weight around the house and already can tell time. Genius.

It’s hard, it’s tiring, it’s exhausting, but worth it. Now that she’s one (yes, this post has been sitting unfinished for nearly two months) maybe we’ll push her bedtime back to 9. Good luck.

I’m sure one day I will wish K would go to bed at 8, eat 19 peas and willingly go out in public with me, but for now I cherish every moment I can.

Sadly, I know I’m not alone.

(In case you’re pining for K pics, I promise to post pictures from the last three months … soon.)

Swimming, Swinging and Strolling into Summer … Finally!

Swimming with daddy

Seattle-ites know summer doesn’t start because the calendar says so. Summer in Seattle starts when it’s good and ready. Sometimes that’s July 5, and then it takes a vacation and roars back for the month of August. We also know to take advantage of every near 60-degree day. Hence, socks with sandals, summer dresses paired with fleece, year-round heated pools, and pasty arms and legs that never get the chance for a gradual golden tan, just a quick lobster red.

That said, we did have some nice days in June. They always seem to coincide with the in-laws’ visit (does this mean they should visit more often?!), so we took full advantage by taking K for her first swim, lots of swing time and mountain strolls.

Swimming: Good thing B is part fish. He already has K kicking and happily splashing the water, and he’s dunking her underwater. He has aspirations of an Olympic swimmer.

Swinging: Our yard isn’t exactly child-proof. For one, high rock walls ring our property with nary a fence in sight. We have various hedges and bushes, but, after watching K launch herself off the bed, the foliage doesn’t stand a chance. So, when we’re outside we either employ the ring of neglect, Bumbo or tree swing. The neighbors chuckle as they walk by with us weeding and K supervising from her ring; or K swinging as we mow, prune and walk by every few minutes to give her a push.

A leisurely stroll ... for K

Strolling: K went for her first hike on my back. I felt like I was on the Biggest Loser when they have to carry their former weight and drop heavy sacks as they run a crazy course. As much as I wanted to, I didn’t drop off K off at the top. But she actually got heavier. It’s amazing how a 23-pound-baby’s dead weight seems to double when sleeping. We’ve gone on a few more hikes since. Luckily K fell asleep on B’s back on the way down last time. B+K+gravity=a fast descent. I was rushing to catch up and went airborne landing my knee on two nice rocks … of course one week before a marathon.

Hopefully, this is just the start to warmer, sunnier days ahead. Happy summer, everyone!

Kaitlyn the Destroyer

The Destroyer in action

Don’t let anything get in K’s way. Lego towers tumble, mouths and noses get the fish-hook finger, heads get kicked, faces get whacked, cars get crammed with people then slammed to the ground. Gone are the cutesy nicknames. B’s new one for K is Kaitlyn the Destroyer.

If you are wondering what happened to month ten and why I am so late in penning the 11-month escapades, K is a destroyer of time, too. I often find myself squinting at the clock wondering if it really says 1, not 10. I’m definitely learning that babies quickly grow out of multiple naps and sleeping 20 hours a day, and sitting contentedly staring at nothing during awake hours. Just graduating K to real food added hours to my day: cooking, feeding, picking peas out of crevices you never knew you had, chasing errant Cheerios across the room, wiping soup sneezes off my face, retrieving the tossed sippy cup — again and again, wiping smeared food off octopus arms and legs, and sampling the goods to show the little one it’s yummy. Speaking of yummy … yum was K’s second word, after daddy. I’m not even sure mommy ranked a close third.

Hold the bear and smile?! No, thanks. I'd rather body slam him. See what I did to poor Dolly?

I better go check on the Destroyer. She’s been awfully quiet, too quiet. We thought she was going to go straight to walking (she is so close, so close it’s scary), but instead she decided to embark on a funny one-leg crawl last week. She can really move, so I am always armed with my ghetto child-proofing kit of zip-ties (she is fascinated with opening and shutting the fireplace doors) and hair bands (they work wonders on kitchen and bathroom cabinets … for now).

And if you are looking for the monthly “watch me grow” picture, you try getting the Destroyer to sit still and not pummel and toss her bear and doll. I tried. Many times.

Stats: 22 pounds, 29.75 inches.

Reunited

Bon Voyage!

My parents (a.k.a. mommy’s little helpers) sailed the Mediterranean seas for a month and got back very early Monday morning. Their five-hour layover turned into eight. My mom spent the time glued to her Kindle while my dad roamed the concourse looking for a free hotspot; and B tossed out good food spots to hit at O’Hare, which were all closed at that hour. No cheesesteaks for the travel weary.

I had the pleasure of picking them up at 2:30 a.m. They felt bad for waking me up to get them. Funny. Did they forget the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and K has baby insomnia (=sleeps like a typical adult when she should be logging 12 hours at night and three during the day). I hadn’t even gone to bed yet.

A few days into their trip I started to realize just how much I rely on them. I had a few interviews while they were gone. How do you ask a potential employer if you can bring a baby — a well-behaved baby — to your interview? You don’t. Well, I did once, but it definitely took some multi-tasking skills. I guess that’s a good quality to show in an interview. I suppose next time I could hide her in one of those designer doggie carriers. Interviewer: “Why are you feeding your dog Cheerios?” Me: “My dog only eats people food.” I’m kidding. Don’t call CPS on me … yet!

We also had a friend’s wedding and our anniversary to celebrate. We found a willing friend to look over K while we imbibed and shimmied to the wedding band (these guys were AMAZING! The singer was up in years, but was able to croon like Frank Sinatra one minute, sing like Fergie the next, then rap like Jay-Z.). We dined at home as a happy threesome to toast our two years. B continues to surprise me. It was champagne and pizza, and diamonds (Thanks, Toni!) and dirty dishes.

Then there were the standard activities. Golf, happy hours, long workouts and sanity sessions, all things my parents usually happily rush over to cover, were verboten. It definitely was an eye-opening month, but one that made me appreciate them all the more. Thanks, mom and dad!

Reunited!

I was nervous that K wouldn’t remember them, but it was like no time had passed. My mom even “sabotaged” K as she woke up from her nap. She smiled from behind her crib bars and raised her arms. This bodes well for Grandma and Grandpa Nowak who visit next month. Showing pictures of family in absentia must help … an idea I got from my brother and sister-in-law. It seems to work as their girls know who I am. It’s super cute.

My parents typically see K a few times a week so changes are gradual and less drastic. We did an experiment with daily pictures to see how much she changed during a month. You be the judge.

Cloud Nine (Months)

Daddy gets me dressed me on the weekends. Doesn't he do a good job?!

B is in the garden planting a pumpkin for Halloween, and K is right beside him looking like a one-toothed jack o’ lantern.

Nine months … well, by the time I actually post this K will be almost 10 months old, but better late than never. Whoever said being a stay-at-home mom is all bon-bons and soap operas has another think coming. It was easier when K slept every two hours. Now awake-time ranges from three to eight hours of constant activity. So, I’ll apologize to future K for belatedly posting her gummy grin, but she can rub it in her just-a-twinkle-in-our-eyes sibling because we actually had time to document every word, tooth and inch.

Now what did happen last month?

• Playdates … with boys! More on this later, but boys be warned that B is sharpening his knives.
  

  Another daddy-dressed-me day ... all in his favorite color, yellow!

• Smiles. Still the happiest baby on the block, and beyond.
• Food. Everything must be taste tested. We hear this changes, but for now we are enjoying watching her try things like sushi, St. Patrick’s Day corned beef and cabbage, and lovingly pureed meats by her vegetarian mom.
• Playtime outside. Finally! Which means her first shades, too.
• First plant. We planted seeds at the library during storytime and they are flourishing. K seems to have B’s green thumb … not to mention his appetite, eye and hair color, face, and personality. If I didn’t witness the birth, I’d swear this wasn’t my child.
• First shareholders meeting. K was the youngest in attendance. She tromped around like she was caffeinated (we were at the Starbucks meeting), but it probably was the endless free doughnuts.

For those of you (=grandparents) keeping track of K’s milestones: at nine months she was 20 pounds 2.4 ounces, 28.25″ short and her first tooth popped out on April 2 … it was a loooong night.

Happy Baby

The happiest baby

I was getting frustrated taking shots for K’s eighth-month pictorial. She wouldn’t cooperate. She would just grab her feet, smile and laugh … at the delusional woman thinking this little lady is going to strike a perfect pose. But strike a pose she did. A happy baby yoga pose every time the camera clicked.

Speaking of happy. Everywhere we go people comment on the happy baby. Oooooh, cute, your baby is smiling and soooooo happy. Of course she’s happy. She doesn’t have to get all sweaty hauling groceries (and herself) home from the store. She doesn’t have to tame an octopus to get her clothes on. She doesn’t have to clean up mushy Cheerios and purred meat out of mommy’s hair … right after she takes a shower.

Taking a break from flying and dancing

It’s true. K smiles through everything. Even when she cries a smile peeks out. B thinks it’s because she knows her little gummy smile melts our hearts and we are putty in her hands. Probably.

What else can I say about the last month? K is nearing 19 pounds, can feed herself finger foods, is at the highest level in her ring of neglect … I’ll just let the pictures tell you. Enjoy a few of our happy baby pictures.

Walking With Daddy

K is all bundled up, B is in shorts, both happy

Technically it was running, touching, swinging and chin-upping with daddy.

Last night B rushed into the house, threw on shorts and a t-shirt, declared it was a balmy 51 degrees and daddy-daughter walk time. Hey, I wasn’t complaining as long as he was the one toting around heavier-by-the-day K.

B & K time is always entertaining around our house and I never fail to snap some “you let him do that?!” pictures.

Feeling the flowers

 

Running with daddy

Petting the moss

Is there a weight limit on swings?

Daddy don't hit my head!