Look at Me Mommy!

Emily yelled "Look at Me Mommy!" - and this is what I found.

Emily continues to be a source of joy to us, especially in the midst of such a busy time in our lives.  She both makes me laugh and want to pull my hair out about a hundred times each day.  She is talking like crazy, and singing all the time.  Most times whatever song she has in her head turns into Jingle Bells, so I think she'll enjoy Christmas this year.  She has pretty much given up her nap completely, but will happily read books for about an hour in her crib every day, which has been a huge sanity saver.  I'm a big fan of daily quiet time, and I'm not sure how easy this will be to enforce once she moves into a "big girl bed", but for now it's a good part of our daily routine.  Emily has been mostly potty trained for a couple of months now, but was showing a bit of regression, so we instituted the M&M reward policy every time she initiates going to the potty and has dry underwear.  Wouldn't you know we haven't had a single accident since we started that?!  She really must be her mother's daughter!

I am continuing to feel good during this pregnancy, though I am feeling quite large now, and will be ready to have my stomach (or tummily, as Emily calls it) return to a normal size soon.  I am struggling to have enough energy to get through everything on my long, daily to do list, and at the end of each day feel like I've run a marathon, but so far God is giving me the strength that I need to carry on!

Eric and I are also anticipating a move to Pittsburgh in the middle of December so that he can begin his masters program in anesthesia at Pitt in January.  He's excited for a new challenge, but we'd appreciate thoughts and prayers during our upcoming transitions.  Moving with a newborn and a toddler will certainly prove to be a challenge, as will finding the right people to rent our home, and finding the right home to rent in Pittsburgh, but we are taking one day at a time and trying to trust God with the rest.

Top Chef

Our apologies for not blogging very faithfully.  We've been rather busy, and while I don't expect that to let up anytime soon, I want to keep documenting our adventures as a family.  Lately Emily has been very happy to help me in the kitchen.  She loves cooking and baking, and an added benefit is that we've discovered she's much more likely to eat what we eat for dinner (as opposed to say, another peanut butter and jelly sandwich) if she has a hand in making it.  Sunday night we made a spinach, onion, and cheese quiche, and she quickly ate her piece with excitement at dinnertime.  She has also discovered the great tradition of licking the utensils after you're done, and here she is getting a head start on the banana bread dishes while I was putting some of the ingredients away.

Bathroom Etiquette

Today I'm at home with Emily and just witnessed what may be the first step towards reconciliation in a decades-long debate between the sexes.

Me: Emily, I'm going to the potty, please play with your toys.

Emily: What, why?

Me: because Daddy has to go potty

Emily: Oh, OK. Wait!

[Emily runs into the bathroom and puts the toilet seat up]

Emily: There, now you go potty, OK?

Me: Wow, thanks Emily!

Apparently all that potty training time in the bathroom has taught her more than just where the pee pee goes.

Elsa and Isaac Tie the Knot

This post is a little late, but we've been so busy since arriving back from PA almost two weeks ago!  On July 24th, we had the honor of watching as my little sister, Elsa, and her long-time boyfriend, Isaac, tied the knot.  This was Emily's second gig as flower girl, and she did a fantastic job.  The wedding coordinator at the church said she's one of the best behaved girls she's ever had.  Clearly she missed the tantrums that accompanied the obedient behavior, but overall, Emily did great! Thanks again to grandma Evonne for tagging along this weekend and watching Emily; it allowed the rest of us to really enjoy the weekend and cherish our family time together!

I also had the privilege of being the matron of honor, and making a toast at the reception.  Here's part of the toast I gave to the happy couple:

In many ways, Elsa and Isaac are pretty similar. For example, they both have a flair for the dramatic, which can lead to some entertaining arguments. In other ways, though, they are exactly what the other needs. Isaac, I've never seen anyone that can make Elsa laugh and smile like you can. And Elsa, Isaac's affection for you is obvious, even in those moments when he seems to be utterly exasperated by you. Isaac, as you already know, Elsa is sensitive, caring, faithful, and extremely generous with her time and her love. I know that she'll always be there for you, and that in return, you will honor, respect, and love her right back. Please raise your glasses with me to the happy couple!

Congratulations Elsa and Isaac!  We're so happy for you!

Emily Reads About Jesus

Tonight when I arrived home from work I walked into the middle of a book reading session, led by Emily. Emily was reading books that were (supposedly) about Jesus. After finishing the first book about Jesus (aka Elmo sticker book), she moved on to this Berenstain Bears book.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/13897417]

In case you didn't catch that line near the end, Emily says "I have go potty about Jesus!". Although I couldn't stop laughing while listening to Emily read, I am nonetheless excited that she already seems to grasp the central message of the gospel: (A) Jesus loves you, and (B) we should announce this to everyone in a loud voice.

Adventures in Pregnancy

I'm now just about 21 weeks pregnant with baby Plantinga #2, and in contrast to my first pregnancy, for the most part this one seems to be flying by.  Now that the morning sickness and exhaustion have passed, sometimes I even forget that I'm pregnant!  That is, until I try to squeeze into a space I normally could and realize my expanding belly won't let me.  Eric and I decided to find out the gender of our second child because we're terrible at waiting, and because it seemed practical to know if we needed to stock up on blue the second time around.  Between 16 and 17 weeks, we had a nurse on Eric's floor who used to work as an ultrasound technician give me a quick exam.  This revealed that we were going to be the parents of a little baby boy!  We were excited to hear the news, and also to know that everything seemed to be developing normally.

Then, yesterday, I went to my official mid-pregnancy ultrasound at my doctor's office.  After carefully measuring the heart, brain, kidneys, lungs, arms, legs, and several other body parts, it was determined that our baby is healthy and all looks great!  But then, when she asked if we wanted to know the gender, a funny thing happened.  She happily declared that we were having a girl.  Um, what?!  I was having a boy.  Where did he go?  It seems that our first results weren't as accurate as we would have liked, but this second set of pictures, taken with better equipment and at a later stage in the pregnancy, should prove to be much more reliable.  So, now we're adjusting to having a second daughter join the family in a few months.  And, we're trying to teach Emily that it's no longer a baby brother in mommy's tummy.  So far, that hasn't been successful.  She's a little confused, and to be honest, so am I!  But we're happy, ecstatic even, that our baby girl is healthy and growing.   Here are a few pictures!

Pickerel Lake Triathlon 2010

On Saturday I had the opportunity to compete in the sixth annual Pickerel Lake Triathlon.  After whetting my appetite last year with my first ever PLT, I was eager to try another.  Organized by Jason and Randy and company, this is a triathlon where everyone knows each other, there are no entry fees, the course is slightly adventurous, and when you finish, Uncle Marv hands you a t-shirt.  I did very little training this year, especially with regard to running, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  My goals were to (a) not get a speeding ticket on the way there (like last year), (b) not accidentally start the race from the bathroom (like last year), and (c) finish strong.  As luck would have it, I achieved all three.

The weather was great, and the water was just the right temperature for swimming.

Despite veering off course several times during the 1/3 mile swim, I was out of the water in a respectable 12:00.

After that, it was transition time and off on the 9.5 mile biking leg, which I finished in 39:58. I had a good solid bike ride, except for the home stretch, where I accidentally took the wrong road, costing me several minutes of carrying my bike back and forth through the woods. The 5.5 miles of running was much tougher, since I was both tired and not well trained. The highlight of the run was the aid station where Sarah and Emily cheered me on, and Emily ran at me yelling "Daddy!".  After that, I tried to just keep moving until the end, and finished the run in 46:33, a pace of 8:28 min/mile.  I finished 7th overall, with a time of 1:38:31, a mere 5 seconds faster than last year.  If nothing else, I am consistent. My three clear areas for improvement this year were (1) deviating from a straight line during the swim, (2) a wrong turn on the bike course, and (3) a slow run.

After everyone had completed the triathlon, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon with friends.  We went out on the motorboat with Jason, Melissa, and Esther.  Emily loved it, although she was a bit nervous at first.

Emily loved playing in the sand even more than the boat.  She especially liked playing with Esther.

They ran around together like they were sisters.

Emily also discovered the Elenbaas's jumbo dog, which is almost as fun on land as it is at sea.

It was a fun day, and a great way to celebrate the independence day weekend.