Mandatory Evacuation

Hi, everyone! I know it's been FOREVER since I posted on here, and let me tell you there's lots of stories and BIG news that need to wrote about! After looking at some of my friends' blogs, I thought I should take a few minutes and write something in ours.

As you all know, Iowa (our home state) is in a state of disaster. Something like 89 of the 99 counties in Iowa are experiencing some sort of devastation at the moment. Our own hometown of Columbus Junction is looking more and more like a "war zone" every day (that is per my mother-in-law, who has been active in assisting the evacuation of the downtown area). I spoke to my dad today, who runs a rock quarry/sand plant in CJ, and he said that they are loading trucks as fast as they can with rock (I believe they ran out of sand) to be added to the man-made levees. He said that they are taking the rock as fast as they can make it! Pictures we have received are just amazing. The town has really come together to try and prevent flood waters from damaging everything in their path. I guess there are several semi trucks at the high school that are filled with the belongings from different stores and businesses from the downtown area.In the top picture, this levee is being built along the Iowa river, and the lower picture shows the levee along Highway 92, the main highway that runs through CJ. Both of these levees are built to protect the downtown businesses and city water system.

In this picture, you can see the bridge is blocked off to get downtown, and on the right side of the pic, you can see the water coming up to the levee.

Here, you can see some of the devastation up close, as a home is beginning to flood.

I spoke to my mom today, who lives in the neighboring town of Fredonia, and they are being forced to evacuate their home. They are not too worried that their home will be flooded, though, because someone from the Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that the river would need to rise to 43-44 feet to get into the house, and SO FAR, it's expected to crest at 38 feet. We'll see. The scary part is just that it's so damn unpredictable. I mean, I guess you can project what looks like might happen, but looking at the pictures and video from Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, and Iowa City, the future for most of CJ and Fredonia looks pretty grim. I feel awful for everyone there. It must be heartbreaking to watch your town and everything you know and own threatened by Mother Nature. What an awful experience.

I just spoke to my dad again, and they have turned off the water in CJ. Supposedly, the man-made levee (in the above pics) is about to break. Once that happens, the river water will flood all of downtown and contaminate the city water. It's a true disaster, and honestly, as bad as it is there, I wish we were there to help! It's such a helpless feeling, sitting here, watching the news, talking to family, watching and waiting. Waiting for what? I'm not entirely sure! I just know I would feel better if I could help sandbag or evacuate something. It's just hard to watch and do nothing to help.

So far, the only people in our family having to evacuate is my mom, brother, and cousin. I'll try to keep everyone updated as we find out more. Keep our family and town in your prayers!

The Littlest (almost) Skinny Dipper!

Over the weekend, Maya decided it would be a great time to go wading around in Lake Bella Vista. Never mind the 60 (or less) degree water! Hypothermia? Not a concern. When I took her down to the water's edge, the idea was to let the water touch her little pigs. I had no idea that Maya intended on bathing in the lake! With her first few steps, I took off her leg warmers. Then off came the skirt. Shortly after this picture was taken, we ditched the t-shirt, too. She walked around in her diaper for probably a good 10+ minutes. She loved it! I think there's a good chance she will be a little fish!

Maya has an Announcement!!

MAYA'S GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER!!! We found out the day before my birthday that we're expecting Baby #2! What a birthday present!! I had been only slightly suspicious that I might be pregnant, but denial had set in a bit and hushed my rational self. Just last week, I got online and checked into signing up for a mini-triathlon. I'd been working out with a trainer and trying desperately to shed pounds and get my "old body" back. For whatever reason, while I was reading the specifics about the triathlon, I clicked on the medical information. I felt compelled to check on their policy regarding dropping out of the race for "medical reasons" (pregnancy, specifically). What I found was that the competitor would basically be out of luck, taken off the roster, and not issued a refund. I decided that just to be safe, I would wait for a week, make sure I wasn't pregnant, then I would sign up. In the meantime, I kind of forgot about that whole incident. The week of my birthday, every morning I would wake up, get out of bed, and within 3 minutes, I would be drenched in sweat. I jokingly said to Will, "I think I'm going through menopause... I keep getting all these hot flashes!" We would laugh about it, but I really wondered why my temperature was so out of whack every morning! Also, that same week, I bet I had 4 different conversations with people about when we were going to start trying for baby #2. They would usually go like this:
Person: So, when do you think you guys will start trying for another baby?
Me: We're not sure.
Person: How much space do you want between Maya and the next baby?
Me: THAT'S what we can't figure out. We're thinking 2-3 years, but we're not sure!

Guess what? Now, we don't have to worry about it!! The age spacing has been decided for us, and we don't have to take responsibility for that decision! I worry about having them too close together. I don't want either of them to feel short-changed. At the same time, I'm really excited about it, because there's a good chance that they'll be best of friends. I'm due on Christmas Eve 2008, so that will put them 19 months apart. Two babies in diapers, two babies in cribs, and one exhausted mother trying to keep up with a busy toddler and a newborn! It's going to be fun!! (Feel free, if not compelled, to come over and help at any time with anything. I promise, I will never turn down the offer.)

In the above picture, Maya's shirt says, "I'm going to be a BIG SISTER!", and she's holding the baby's ultrasound picture. We decided to wait to tell our family until Maya and I made our trip back to Iowa on May 12th. Maya wore her little t-shirt to surprise everyone with our secret. It was funny how long it took people to notice the shirt, then to see how long it took them to figure it out... well, it was pretty funny. I thought I would die with anticipation, sitting silently, waiting for someone, ANYONE, to read the shirt and figure it out! Once they got it, everyone was very excited. Will's sister, Tara, was the funniest. She looks at Maya, then looks at me and goes, "So, does that mean... I mean, are you? Now?" Hahaha... I said yes, and she goes, "Well, I didn't know if it meant soon or just sometime in the future!" It was really funny. My dad totally didn't get it. My stepmom and two littlest brothers saw the shirt, got it, and started congratulating and hugging me. My dad looked really puzzled and said, "WHAT?!" Everyone was like, "SHE'S GOING TO HAVE A BABY!" Overall, it was a really fun way to tell everyone. It was extremely difficult to keep the secret for so long, though.

There were people I told right away, though. I called my mom that night and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you something about Maya." This is at like 11pm in Iowa. She goes, "What's that?" I said, "She's going to be a big sister." My mom responds very quietly, "Are you serious?" I lost it. I started jumping around the room, shouting "yes!" and "Maya's going to be a big sister!" My mom started screaming on the other end, "Oh my gosh...!!" She was so excited. Two days later, there was a gathering with a bunch of my friends, and I told all of them, too. They were all very shocked and excited for us. I also called my dad in Arizona, brother in Illinois, and close friends near Detroit, Eric and Mary. They were all very excited for us to have another baby. For the most part, everyone said that they were totally surprised, that was caught them off guard, that they weren't expecting to hear that news. My only response was, "So are we!" I was actually on birth control pills when we conceived this baby! My cycles had been totally screwed up since we had Maya, and I had NO IDEA when my last period was. Beings as I am a nurse, one would assume that I would know this information. Believe me, I felt REALLY stupid not knowing! I had no way to try to figure out my due date or anything! I was totally clueless. I thought it had been awhile, but I couldn't remember how long. I've never written it down! I've never had a reason to. Prior to having Maya, my cycle ran like clockwork. Believe me, it felt very odd saying "I don't have any idea" when my family and friends would ask my due date!

This pregnancy has proved to me that, ultimately, I am not the one who's in control of my life. We certainly weren't planning on having a baby by the end of this year, but obviously, God had other plans. I can't express how grateful and joyful I am about this pregnancy. As I said before, I no longer have to stress over how much time is the right amount of time to put between our babies, nor do I have any reason to feel guilty over "short-changing" either of our kids. I have complete confidence that everything will work itself out, and nobody will be short-changed in the process. It's interesting how different I feel about this pregnancy than I felt about my pregnancy with Maya. Since Maya followed my miscarriage, I was terrified to be pregnant again. I was very nervous about carrying her through the first trimester, and really, my nerves didn't settle until I could feel her moving around regularly. With this baby, it's totally different. I feel like this baby is a total gift from God, that He brought this baby to life, and I can't believe that it would be possible that He would take this baby that He is ultimately responsible for, away from me. Since I feel that God is responsible for this pregnancy, I have an incredible feeling of peace, that everything will be okay. It's quite wonderful to feel at ease, especially during the first trimester. It's a feeling that I'm really not used to! This pregnancy has been such a surprise and a blessing to our family. We are so very excited to meet this baby and see what Maya thinks of her little brother or sister! I think it's going to be a little difficult for her to share the spotlight at first, but I have no doubt that she will be an awesome BIG SISTER!! (She actually seems too little to be a BIG sister!)

First Drink of Cow's Milk

Maya tried cow's milk for the first time today! I poured about half a sippy cup full of whole milk and handed it over to her. She grabbed the cup, put the straw in her mouth, and took one little sip. To my surprise, she promptly sat the cup back onto the table, looked up at me, and SHOOK HER HEAD "NO"!! What could I do but laugh?? It was so stinkin' cute! Then, my second thought was, "Oh, crap. What if she doesn't like cow's milk?!" By the time she was done with lunch, she had sucked down the rest of the milk. No more yucky faces. No more shaking her head "no". YAY!! Success! She'll drink cow's milk, and that's WAY cheaper than formula!!!

Girls' Night Out!

I met up with some friends tonight for dinner in GR. We hadn't gotten together for quite some time, so it was great to see everyone again. I've missed you guys!! We had good food, great conversation (mostly about kiddos), and just an awesome time being together. Everyone was in agreement that moms NEED time out for themselves. Being a mom is a tough 24/7 assignment, and it's imperative to get out of the house and do something just for ourselves every once in a while. I think it makes me a better person, a better mom, and better wife. Everyone needs a break now and then. What better way to spend some time out of the house than with other amazing women?! (BTW... Thanks, Will for watching the Munchkin!)

Maya tried to take some more steps today, with our coaxing, of course. She is doing pretty well, taking 2-3 steps at a time! FYI, there's a video of her taking some steps on our website! There's a link on the front page to the video, and Will put up a ton of pictures on Maya's page. Check it out!

Happy Birthday to ME!

We celebrated my 27th birthday today! Maya slept in for an hour, until 8:10am, so that started the day off with a great gift from her! Will made me some pancakes for breakfast, my favorite! They were delicious! We ate lunch at Jimmy John's, my favorite sub place, and later, we went for some ice cream! Will also took me to the mall to shop for some cooler clothes (as in temperature... it's starting to warm up here, and I'm tired of wearing jeans when it's almost 80 degrees!). It was one of those times when I really did need to find something and turned up with nothing. Bummer. We wrapped up my birthday by watching "Juno", which was a really cute movie. It's worth a rental. It was a great birthday!

Oh my goodness, it wasn't until I got on here to write this quick note that I realized I haven't written a blog in almost 3 months!! I guess I totally blew my New Year's resolution, huh? Well, as a "happy birthday to me" gift, I'm going to TRY to a least write one back blog every night, and if there's time, one current blog. Bear with me if I don't stick to it exactly, but I promise I will try.

Oh, yeah, another birthday gift... Maya attempted some steps today!! Will and I were sitting on the floor facing each other, and we took turns standing her up, then making her let go of our hands and try to make it a couple of steps to the other out-stretched hands. She did it a few times, sometimes more steady than others, and every once in a while, she would just belly flop on the floor, kind of just dive forward. I think it was her way of saying, "I don't really care to be doing this. I like holding your hands to walk, and I'm really good at crawling. What's the rush?" She been crawling for 4 months now! I guess she'll go when she's good and ready. When she's ready, she'll be off and running. Of that, I am certain.

Happy 7th month, Maya!

Doesn't she just look like a little ball of fun?! Well, she is! She's 7 months old now, and she continues to be very content, happy-go-lucky, and FULL of life. It doesn't matter what situation she is in, whether it be traveling, staying the night in unfamiliar territory, going to the store, or being dragged along during house-hunting for several days, she just grins and bears it. Adaptation is definitely not a problem for her. She's happy regardless of where we are or what we're doing. She just goes with the flow!

She has continued developing this awesome sparkling personality, and it just draws people in. So many times when we're out and about, people will approach us and just start chatting her up, gushing over her beautiful smile, saying how happy she looks, and why wouldn't they? Look at her!! I hate to sound like a bragging mom, but I'm not kidding when I say that people are drawn to her like moths to a flame. It's unbelievable the response she gets when we're in public. It really warms my heart to see her make so many people smile. The positive impact she has on people never ceases to amaze me. She's awesome! I feel so lucky that I'm the one that gets to love her forever! I get to take her home with me, take care of her, and in return, get unlimited smiles and a few cuddles here and there. I feel so lucky to be her mom! She's only 7 months old, and already, she makes me so proud.

This month, like last month, saw a lot of changes. Are we seeing a pattern yet?? Let's see... so, feeding... ahh, yes, the food. Well, she's completely weaned off of breastfeeding, and she eats formula from a bottle like a little champ. My body has completely adjusted to the change, and I have to say that it's quite a relief to be done with breastfeeding. While I enjoyed nursing, I feel so much more relaxed now that I don't have to worry about milk production, whether she's getting enough, if she's gaining weight, etc... The pressure of being her one and only source of food has been lifted, and I feel like I can enjoy her more because I'm not constantly worrying about all those things. Now, for baby food... we had made progress with the squash, but now, she won't eat ANYTHING! I still can't get her to eat ANY foods, so I've decided to give up trying for now. I'm going to give her a week or two, then I'll try to start again with the cereal and see where it goes. For now, she just gets a little cereal in her bottle at night. It keeps her belly full, which keeps her sleeping, which keeps me happy. Typically, she gets up once a night, around 11p-12a, I give her a bottle, then she sleeps until about 7am. Works for me! She also got her 3rd tooth (right of the bottom middle two). Maybe that has something to do with her refusing food? Then again, maybe not!

Maya's physical development has just skyrocketed this month. At the beginning of December, she started "inch-worming", and she gets around VERY well that way. She's fast, and she doesn't stay in one spot for more than a few seconds. Seriously. She's all over the place! After experimenting a few times with getting up on her hands a knees, it didn't take her long to figure out how to crawl! She's in the very early stages of crawling, where she's still better at "inch-worming", so most of the time she resorts to that. It took her awhile to find the courage to lift up her right hand to crawl. For some reason, she could crawl with her left side with no problems, but when she had to pick up that right hand, she'd go right to her belly and start "inch-worming". It was the funniest thing! Now, she lifts both hands and crawls, but "inch-worming" is still faster and therefore gets used as her main mode of transportation! She doesn't just want to get places, but she wants to get there quickly! She's also started tripod sitting. We have to put her in a seated position, but she sits pretty well once she's up there. She's also pulled herself up into a standing position onto her toybox! I'm afraid she'll be walking before we know it! She's determined to stand and climb already! Yikes!

What else? Oh, yes... Maya started screeching and squealing A LOT! I think it's really cute because she does it when she's really happy or in a good mood. It's always a happy sound, not a mad cry. Hopefully other people can discern that sound, too, otherwise they may get a little annoyed by all the ruckus. Too bad if someone's annoyed because I'm not going to make her stop making that beautiful joyful noise! No way! Speaking of noise, she also started clapping! She hasn't really figured out that she needs to straighten out her fingers, so it's actually a pretty silent clap. Noise or not, it's a clap! She always smiles great big when she claps, like she's so proud of herself, and she should be! That's not an easy task for a baby! It's really adorable!

Maya also said her first word this month! We heard her in her crib one morning saying, "Dadadadadadada...". It's so cute, and Will's so happy that she's saying "dada"! Not only is she saying "dada", but it's her FIRST word, which makes it extra special for him. I wonder when she'll say "mama"?