Where have you been?

Despite being mostly stuck on a couch for the last 8 weeks, I haven't blogged because I didn't want to whine incessantly about being sick and miserable.  It actually was nowhere NEAR as bad as my first pregnancy, so I was quite pleased with the improvement, but I still threw myself an entire first-trimester pity-party. 

We visited family, went river tubing, I did my parents' taxes.  The boys rode four-wheelers, went to Vacation Bible School and the story times at the library.  We survived a heat wave, a fall down the stairs, a toddler who won't listen and runs in the street.  The dogs only escaped a few times, and thoroughly enjoyed the lake and the island at Great-Grandma's house.  We skyped with Daddy while he spent time in Baltimore, Tampa, Boston and NYC.

I visited a few friends, so nice to see JM (now Shamp) and her three kids and with amazingly good luck on the timing, we got to see CF (now Cook) and her new baby B!  We didn't make it around to everyone, but considering I spent most of my time on the couch, wishing this baby would be nicer to me, I was pleased to get out a little.

Chester learned a few new words, like Grandma and Grandpa, More and Up.  He expressed his undying love of dinosaurs, and we checked out every dino board book from the library.  By the end of the 6 weeks, the shirts we brought at the beginning of the trip didn't fit an he had to wear Pete's shirts.

Pete learned to answer a phone (yes, like a real phone on a wall, not a cell phone- he was amazed and befuddled at the same time) and he gave us such dinnertime conversational gems as: I'll eat these five green beans and then my penis will get really big and I'll pee them out in the potty.  Clearly a few lessons in bodily functions are in our future, but I was impressed with his grasp of the general concept.

A true hero, Ryan flew to Ohio late on a Tuesday and woke up wicked early on a Wednesday to drive us back to Boston.  That 10-12 hour drive is only made tolerable by DVDs in the minivan.  And by the very end, even the DVDs weren't helping.  Thank God we don't have to make that drive again until next year for the combo trip including my 10 year college reunion/family vacation/Baby Threepete's baptism.

Not quite fully recovered, but ready to get back in the game, I took the kids to the YMCA the night after we arrived home.  I was ready for a workout and to see my friend K.  Pete was desperate to see his friends Tyler and Maddox too.  He talked about them the entire time we were in Ohio.  I would tell him we were going to a friend's house, or Grandma's friends were coming over, and he would hop right up asking if his friends Tyler and Maddox were coming too.  So sad.  (It was the same way when his first BFF Christian moved to Hawaii last year.)  But back to the YMCA- Let me explain that I've gained 13 pounds so far in this pregnancy.  Although I'm over 16 weeks and that would seem acceptable, let me just explain that it's ALL FAT.  None of this is baby yet, it was "eat whatever makes me not want to die".  So when I put on workout clothes last night and headed for the gym, I was pretty horrified at what I look like right now.  Not only am I pudgy, but I've been away from the zumba class for about 2 months so I don't know any of the new dances, my coordination is shot to hell and I'm falling all over myself.  Two months away will also cause me to lose enough of my normal fitness level so that I'm out of shape and panting heavily.  During one song, we bounced and jumped and all I could think was that I needed to get out of there and go pee!  Damn having three kids in under four years!  As a final insult, after I got the kids home and into bed, I tried to carry the remaining suitcases upstairs to the closet and realized I couldn't walk up the steps.  I just left them there in defeat, took some Tylenol and headed to bed. 

So we're back, and after one more weekend of crazy busy wedding and family visits and two more weeks of Ryan commuting to Baltimore, we'll be ready to settle down into our normal (if it's EVER normal???) life in Boston for another three years. 

Get ready for some more amusement, courtesy of the pre-schooler, toddler and soon-to-be lump of baby.