July 1-5 ~ Mom and Dad Essington came to visit for the Fourth
of July weekend!
On Saturday we were able to celebrate more of Craig's 30th birthday with a cake they brought
over. There were MANY candles and lots of smoke in the air! In the evening I attended choir rehearsal and sang
in that night's service. We sang Today, Joy of Heaven, Holy is the Lord, I Surrender
All, and It's All About Jesus. I really love Holy is the Lord by Chris Tomlin (and so does Natalie).
Scott told us it is based on Isaiah 6. I especially like the first three verses of that chapter that say:
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on
a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs,
each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole
earth is full of his glory." I guess it's because the image I get in my head of these angels with
six wings is just so magnificent!
On Sunday we all went to church and then to Iowa River Power
Restaurant for brunch. In the evening, Nattie stayed with her grandparents while Craig and I went out on a date.
We drove to Cedar Rapids and had dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. Then we saw the movie Superman Returns at
the Imax Theatre.
On Monday we all had brunch at The Brickhaus over in Amana. Natalie
splashed in her pool during the afternoon. In the evening we went over to Morrison Park in Coralville to listen to some
of The Charlie Daniels band...then headed over for Iowa City fireworks. We watched the fireworks from the church parking
lot this year. Not sure we'll be sitting there next year...too much traffic and lights. Natalie announced that
her favorite color fireworks were the purple ones...she insisted that Grandma couldn't like purple too...only her!
On Tuesday we made it over to the parade in Coralville. It
was a nice parade, but very long and hot. Nat was very sleepy from staying up late the night before. We took a
break and went over to Red Lobster for lunch. Then we came back over to the park to ride a few rides and pet the animals
at the petting zoo. Nat was nervous at first, but slowly warmed up to feeding the goats! Before we knew it, it
was time for Mom and Dad E to go home. Natalie was so sad and did not want to say goodbye to her Gran and Grandpa.
July 6 ~ I bought Natalie a new DVD today...Big Sister Dora.
She probably watched it three times before the day was through! She says she wants a "blue baby" (a baby wearing blue
clothes?) but still says the baby's name is "Mara"...Mara is the youngest daughter of our friends, Jason & Paula Caylor.
July 7 ~ Natalie and I were going to meet some others at the pool
today, but had to cancel due to Nattie having some stomach troubles. Instead I took her to City Park in Iowa City...I
always forget they have rides there during the summer. She had a blast riding a fish ride and an airplane ride.
She also went on the train they have there...the track makes a pretty sizeable loop...she could still see me but I was far
away. Nattie was crying a little as the train came by after the first loop...I felt so bad...but she was fine during
the second loop. We talked about it when she got off the train and I told her there was no way Mommy was going to just
put her on a ride and leave her :) She was happy with that. After the park we stopped at Dairy Queen for some
hotdogs and Sprite. Then we went by Daddy's work for a little bit.
July 9 ~ Craig, Natalie and I stopped by the Brezinski home to meet
their new baby girl! Madison Renee was born on the 4th of July. She is so cute!
July 11 ~ Natalie and I had a big day out at the mall! First
we attended storytime at Barnes and Noble. Then we went to the Children's Museum for a few hours. Natalie had a
lot of fun playing grocery store, playing doctor, and playing with the dollhouse there. Then we shared some tacos in
the food court while watching some girls ice-skate. Natalie says she wants to "spin" and ice-skate when she is a big
girl! After all that activity we were both ready for a long nap! After nap we met Daddy for dinner at The Vine.
We ran into the Schafbuchs there as well.
July 14-16 ~ Craig, Natalie, and I spent the weekend in Indiana!
Our neighbors, Kelly and Karen, agreed to stop by our house once in awhile to take care of the dogs (and that worked out really
well).
On Friday we drove over to
Greencastle to load up the plane. Craig had already been there earlier that day to practice some landings, check over the
plane, and gas it up. So we were up in the air in no time! Natalie kept her headphones on the entire time, so that
was good. Nat spent most of the time chowing down on snacks that I brought and drinking tons of Capri Sun drinks. She
loved pointing out things like the water, cars, clouds, and even a really long train. Speaking of clouds...we flew through
so many clouds this time...it was the coolest thing! We don't usually get to see that many clouds since Craig is only
licensed to fly visually and not solely by instrument...but as long as the clouds weren't too thick and we had an idea what
was on the other side, we were okay. After about two and a half hours we landed at the little airport in Delphi, Indiana
which is something like 20 minutes from Lafayette. Wanted to land in Lafayette, but they had the runways closed for
maintenance. Craig's Aunt Wanda and Uncle Denny picked us up along with little cousin Tanner. We stayed for two
nights at Wanda and Denny's new house in Lafayette. They have a big barn with lots of horses and goats. Natalie
wasn't her usual risk-taker self during this particular weekend...she was very afraid of the horses...it had been awhile since
she'd been near a big horse. She was also very afraid of their dog, Aussie, who ran at her full speed and knocked her
down near the beginning of the weekend :) But she did enjoy looking at the animals as long as it wasn't too close.
Cousin Tanner, who is four years old, stayed the night the first night we were there...so Nat had a blast hanging out with
her! We all went swimming that first night in Denny and Wanda's pool...actually it was the pool at their old house. The
old house is just across and down the street and is not sold yet...and the new pool at the new house is in
the process of being built. Tanner and Craig had the most fun in the pool. Natalie just wasn't in the mood. Natalie
and Tanner spent the rest of the night chasing each other around the house, playing with pretend makeup and other toys, and
watching movies. Us adults played a really fun game called Sequence. It was after midnight when we
all finally went to bed.
On Saturday, Craig's parents drove
out and stayed the night as well. We all went over to Ryan and Roxanne's house for Taylor's first birthday. Roxanne
is Craig's cousin (also the mother of Tanner). The party was outside and boy was it hot!! There were so many kids
there, and Roxanne had them involved in many different games. Natalie was still a little too young to understand all
the rules, but she did participate in some of the activities. Her and Tanner threw water balloons back and forth to each
other. The balloon popped on Tanner at one point and got her all wet...Natalie was pretty sad to see her friend cry from
being wet...neither of them understood that it was part of the game :) There was also a little boy there who was pushing
Nat and pulling on her pigtails...luckily Daddy could see the whole thing and came to her rescue. Yay Dad! After
the party we all went back to Denny and Wanda's to freshen up. Mom and Dad Essington, Denny, and Wanda all went to an
outdoor play of the musical Grease. Craig, Natalie and I spent some quality time together eating dinner at
White Castle and then snagging some donuts at Krispy Kreme...yum! We spent the rest of the evening relaxing. Natalie
got to soak in the big footed bathtub which was fun. We all fell asleep a bit earlier on the second night.
On Sunday morning we
packed up our bags and got ready to head out. We went with Mom and Dad Essington to Cracker Barrel before they drove
us to the airport. Craig loaded up the plane and the three of us strapped in. Then wouldn't you know it?...we
had trouble starting the plane! The propeller wouldn't start...actually, the propeller would turn but wouldn't truly
kick in. So we were stuck. I was pretty mad at first, until my mother-in-law reminded me that God must have
his reasons for not allowing us up in the air at that time. Luckily there were two really nice men there to help
us...one of them was a guy who had both his private and commercial licenses and the other was in fact an airplane maintenance
guy. Having these guys there was a blessing, especially since the airport is so small and the chance of having someone
there to help is small as well! We also ran into another small problem...we had run out of diapers for Natalie. I
thought I had brought enough for the weekend (plus I didn't want to overpack knowing we didn't have alot of storage room on
the plane). Well, I thought what I had left would last until we landed...little did I know we'd be stuck with a
broken plane for hours. So at one point, Grandma and Grandpa drove into town and picked up some diapers...and also some
ice-cream! Finally, after about four hours of Craig and the two nice men standing out in the sweltering sun, the plane
was running again! Come to find out that part of the engine was just super gunked up and needed cleaning. Before
long we were up in the air and so ready to go home! Natalie was uncomfortable on the way back...she did end up sleeping
for quite awhile...then after she woke up she wanted to take her headphones off so we let her. Despite our problems
on the last day, it was a really nice weekend!
July 17 ~ Craig spent the day with his friend, Brian Pierce, and another
Pearson employee. They went golfing somewhere in Burlington. I don't know all the details, but Craig said it was
a good time!
Nattie and I ran some errands in
the afternoon. I also found her a little plastic makeup set...she loved playing makeup with Tanner over the past weekend. I
didn't know it was going to be so difficult to find a set that wasn't actual makeup!
July 18 ~ Tonight was a Moms Night Out! Amy Smellie, Steffany
Kroeger, Laura Schafbuch, and I had dinner at Olive Garden. It was so delicious! I really think my appetite is
starting to kick in...I finished every bite on my plate and even dessert. I was feeling discouraged before dinner...not
knowing how many people were going to actually show up. I had invited fourteen mothers...having only three of them show
was a little disappointing. Not that I didn't have a good time with the three that came...because I did!...I just wish
some of the others could have taken the time to come. And I wish some of the other moms would take more initiative in
planning some playdates or moms nights or something...sometimes I feel I'm the only one that does. I always get upset
and say I'm not going to do it anymore...but I always end up doing it anyway. Just another one of those issues I need
to deal with I guess.
July 19 ~ Nattie and I met up with Ashley and son Jake at the mall.
The kids had fun in the playarea and then playing with the Thomas Train set in the bookstore. Nat took her shirt off
in the playarea...had a little discussion about keeping our clothes on in public! I was so tired in the afternoon. Nattie
didn't want to nap or allow me much rest...but of course she fell asleep on the living room floor just as I was getting up
to go make dinner!
I am starting to really feel the baby move inside
me now. It's still not very frequent, but I feel it! I wonder what this baby will look like? I wonder if
it will look at all like Natalie? It is so exciting!
Natalie is such a big girl. She insists on doing
everything for herself these days. She wants to put on her own clothes and shoes. She wants to brush her own teeth
and wash her own hair. She now says "Mommy, look at me!" a whole lot lately...I didn't think that would come until much
later! She loves making art...painting, playdoh, coloring, cutting. And she still loves hugging (that makes me
happy)...in fact, she'll just go up and try to hug or snuggle next to a kid at the mall playarea...and most times the other
kid will be giving her a look like "Hey, get off of me!"...it's cute.
July 22 ~ While Craig was busy running some errands, I took Natalie
over to the Ped Mall for awhile. She happily played in the fountain and on the gym equipment for an hour or so.
Soon it started getting cloudy and we made it back to the van just in time to stay dry! We have had so much rain lately.
Later in the evening, Craig realized it
was the last night for Beef Days in Solon. So we all drove out there for a steak dinner and to see these two guys sing
and impersonate Elvis (sorry, I'm just not a big Elvis fan). Nat was able to ride one of the carnival rides.
July 24 ~ Nattie and I met up with Paula, Laura, and their daughters
at the Coralville pool. It was kind of a nice change to be at the pool at 6 pm rather than in the afternoon. It
wasn't crowded, we didn't have to worry about sunburns, and the water was still really warm. The little girls had fun
on the small slide and us bigger girls had a good time catching up.
July 25 ~ Natalie and I spent some time at the mall today. We
started at the play area where we ran into Ashley and her son Jake (aka: Natalie's "main squeeze"...haha!). The kids
were all over the place! Oh and it was so cute...some other boy pushed Nat and Jake was right there to push him back!
What a sight!
In the evening we met Daddy at Arby's
for dinner and then drove out together to the Johnson County Fair. We saw lots of cows, horses, chickens, roosters,
pigs, etc. Nat's favorite by far were the roosters...she loves hearing them go cock-a-doodle-do! Also ran into
Amy Smellie there with her husband and one of her daughters. Before we knew it, a storm rolled in and we had to leave
early...but not before snagging a few bags of cotton candy!
July 27 ~ We had our 20 week prenatal appointment today (though we
are closer to 21 weeks). I cannot believe we are halfway through this pregnancy already! Craig says he feels it
is going slow, but I totally feel the opposite. And I cannot believe that when I weighed in I had gained 10 pounds in
one month! It scared me a little hearing that...but my doctor is not concerned considering it's the first weight I've
gained with this pregnancy so far. I am hungry all the time now...I just hope I don't go too overboard. Dr. Clevenger
said we could go ahead and set up our ultrasound. I will be gone all next week (going to Bloomington with Nattie), so
I asked if they could get us in before then. So it happens tomorrow!
Tonight was the last night of the Johnson County
Fair, so we went out there to catch the fireworks display. Ughhh...it was rainy again! But they did the fireworks
despite the rain and it was still good even though we went home fairly wet!
July 28 ~ We got to see our newest little one on the "big screen"
today! I was told to try to drink about 32 ounces of water before going in for the ultrasound. Oh my gosh...I
really had to pee once we were in the waiting room! Sorry for too much information, but it was true! And wouldn't
you know...the technician who did our ultrasound must have been pretty new...I was on that table for over an hour! Halfway
through I was practically doing Lamaze breathing because I had to go to the bathroom so bad and thought I was going to be
leaving with wet pants! Thankfully the tech girl let me go to the restroom as soon as she had gotten most of her important
information. Natalie did not do very well during the ultrasound...it just took alot longer than we expected...if we had known
we would have thought to get her a babysitter. But the nice part about an hour-long sonogram is that we got to stare
at the image of our new baby for quite awhile! The baby was moving all over the place and I could really feel some kicking
in there. It was ultimately Craig's decision whether or not to find out the sex of the baby...in the end it was decided that
we try to find out :) ** WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GIRL!!! ** The image of the boy/girl parts didn't seem as clear to me as it had with Natalie.
With Natalie, she had her legs wide open for the world to see...with this one they were pretty close together, but we're pretty
sure we saw the girl part and we did not see the boy part...so we are pretty sure it's a girl. Now of course there is
always room for error so we'll see. So how do we feel about another girl? For me I really don't have a preference
at all...Craig doesn't have too strong of an opinion either...but of course he is a guy and the majority of guys would love
to have a boy at some point or another. Girl or boy...we are so excited! The rest of the ultrasound looked pretty
good to me. The tech didn't have much to say, but I will touch base with my doctor at the next appointment and make
sure all the measurements and such look normal. Now we just have to concentrate on the name for this little girl.
We have a boy name picked out already that we've had ready for years. As for the female names, we have it down to a
list of maybe 3 or 4 first names and 2 middle names. We won't be revealing the name until the baby arrives. On
a side note: Even though it was a very long boring appointment for Natalie, there were some really sweet things about having
her there. Many times she came over to stand by my side during the ultrasound and she just caressed my arm so gently...made
me so happy :) Then when we got home, I caught her pretending to give herself an ultrasound...she had taken the receiver
of one of her play phones and was rubbing it slowly around different parts of her belly.
July 29 ~ Today was pretty much a lazy day for us. We watched
a few movies and went McDonalds for dinner. I really need to start cooking again or we are going to be broke! :)
So how is everyone doing? Well Craig
has been busy getting the front porch and the back deck cleaned up so he can hopefully get it stained this summer. Work
has needed him a lot more this past week or so...he worked all day last Sunday and there have been many mornings when he's
received phone calls here at home at like 3am. And he has still been helping me with the majority of the housework as well.
Natalie has been just a ball of energy...but she will manage to settle down a little if you pop in a video or read her a story.
She loves getting books at the library and right now her favorite video is Pooh's Heffalump Movie (I must say it
is a very cute movie). She is very active...I've been thinking of getting her involved with something more this next
spring. Like dance or gymnastics or some other sport...around age three is when young kids are allowed to start trying
out these types of things. I'm really leaning toward maybe letting her try out soccer...she loves kicking balls and
isn't too bad at it. We'll see. I've been showing her our family pictures and home videos lately which she loves. She
looked at our wedding photo on the wall the other day and said "There's Daddy in that picture! And there is Mommy dressed
like a princess!" It was really neat! As for myself, I am doing well. I am very super emotional during
this pregnancy, though. I bet I cry about something everyday, and I get these worries going through my mind that just
don't need to be there. Plus I believe that pregnancy makes a woman really start to re-evaluate her past, present, and future. It
is a really strange time. I am getting very nervous about labor, too. But at the same time, I am just so so happy
about having another baby and adding to our family. I am craving sugar and caffeine all the time and really need to cut back.
I dream all night long...I describe it as "one constantly running Lifetime movie" that seems to keep going and going as I
attempt to get comfortable in bed...it is so annoying and exhausting. I have felt really frustrated trying to buy
maternity clothes lately...the sizes seem to run so small and all the tops are really low cut, so then you are forced to wear
layers to stay modest...who the heck wants to wear layers in the summer? I can't wait for fall...the clothes are so
much better! Oh, I've also taken my wedding ring off already. Actually, Craig yanked it off for me just the other
night with lots of cold water and soap. It's not because I'm swelling yet...it is because of weight I had already put
on before this baby...I don't think I had taken my ring off in over a year...it was that stuck! So now my hand feels
naked without it...I may just go out and find a few cheap rings to wear for the rest of the year.
