We spent the end of the summer relaxing and doing those end-of-summer things like barbecues, night walks, and drinking lots of wine on the deck. Marek really bonded with Daddy this trip home. As he gets older, he is willing to let go of Momma more and more. Matt quickly found that his favorite thing to do was let Marek fall asleep on his lap while he watched him play "cars" on the Xbox.
We spent Labor Day weekend with our friends along the Great River Road. It was a wonderful introduction to fall. The babies played great together and we were able to visit a number of wineries along the river. It is one of my favorite things to do in the fall!
After all of the fun and games we realized that it was time to get to work! We had a lot of things on our to-do list to get our house ready to be listed and we also wanted to start the process of searching for a new home in Minnesota. I was surprised how emotional the process of home searching was. We really had to think and talk about what we wanted not just for our daily lives but for our family and for our future. I was also a little surprised and delighted that we agreed on everything we saw, it sure made the process easier! What seemed like a long and draining process ended with us buying and selling sooner than we had anticipated. Our home sold in about a month, after we had already put an offer on a home in Minnesota. We had faith that everything would work out and our prayers were answered! We close on our new home after Christmas and a few weeks later, we close on this house leaving me time to move at a relaxed pace. There was a lot of preparation and organization that needed to happen, but I feel confident that everything will go smoothly even with Matt overseas. There is quite a bit to be done once we are there. It stresses me out to think about but Matt is SO excited to start to make it our "home" which includes finishing the basement and replacing some old flooring, paint, etc.
All of this was happening as we found out we are expecting baby number two next summer! June 14th to be exact. I am just over 12 weeks currently and it still feels like I'm talking about someone else. I'm sure once I feel the little peanut moving around it will really sink in :) Marek caught on pretty quickly after I showed him photos of pregnant women on the computer and made the connection. When I ask him to say hi to the baby he kisses my belly and says, "Hi baby, what doing?" I know he will mature a lot over the next half a year but two and half years never seemed so close together before! It was a rough couple of months physically and emotionally for me. I got very sick with pneumonia and a load of other maladies which lasted about six weeks. I've never been so miserable in all my life and I think it was amplified with the pregnancy and morning sickness thrown in the mix. The most difficult part was that during it, we decided it was the right time for Marek to be weaned which was the most difficult thing emotionally to go through. Matt was supposed to have left for work but because of delays with his ship he was home and extra month. "Everything happens for a reason" rang very true this last month when I simply could not take care of my child or myself without him. What a man! Thankfully, I am feeling better now and am starting to get back into my regular routine. The baby sickness seems to be subsiding and I've gained most of my strength back to start working out again. Our main concern is that Matt may find it difficult to be home in June but again, we are just praying that everything will work out, which it always seems to do. We will most likely find out the gender when Matt gets home (if we can wait that long). So far, everything looks perfect and baby is just busy growing!
We spent another two weeks in South Florida in October, the second to last time we will be there for a while (hopefully!). We enjoyed playing in the sand, spending time with Daddy during breaks from class, and a couple of trips to the beach. Over our weekend we visited the Miami zoo and although it was REALLY hot, Marek loved seeing all of the animals. His favorite were the elephants. He was trying to share his apple saying, "here you go heenee" (heenee=elephant in Marekese). Every week or so since, it randomly pops into his head and he giggles and talks about giving the apple to the elephant.
Daddy left a week ago which was harder than ever for him. Marek has been talking about him a lot and instead of asking for him or hoping and shouting, "Daddy home!" he has now started repeating to me, "Daddy airport" and "Daddy ship." We spent some quality time together the last week visiting Santa at Macy's in Minneapolis, spending time with cousins, and playing, baking, and watching movies at home. Today my baby turned two! I have been singing "Happy Birthday" to him all day and he looks so happy and proud. He woke up from his nap with a fever and was not well when we tried to visit Santa at the library this evening. I am looking forward to next year when we will have a proper birthday party for him with his whole family. Of course I am feeling nostalgic today. Here we were two years ago today, my perfect little baby boy. The best day of my life.
He is really something right now. We are having quite a time figuring out how to parent a toddler. Every day is so different and I am learning a lot about him and about myself. He needs a lot of attention, guidance and stimulation right now, things that got ignored during a busy time of year. As he learns to communicate more, it is beautiful to see him growing into himself and the person that he will be. I am feeling very patient and proud right now, things I usually feel when Matt first leaves but which become more difficult to hold on to as the months pass. I know that the time will fly by with the holidays and the move and we can't wait to see him thrive among all of his cousins with space to roam.
I'll sign off with a funny video that I meant to post in August documenting Marek's love for bananas (I swear he could eat an entire bundle if I let him) and a most beautiful photo that my niece took of him this fall that I just can't take my eyes off of.
Peace to you all this December!
1 comment:
Oh, my gosh . . . he almost inhaled that banana!! You would think he was never going to eat again and I don't think he could have put one more little piece in his mouthL)
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