Claire Elizabeth

Our niece/cousin is here!
Meet Claire Elizabeth...

She was born April 10, 2014, weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces, was 20 inches long, and is the sweetest cuddle bug!

iPhone Videos

Anyone need a tile guy?

This boy apparently needs a ride on toy.

 A new favorite... pie!

Dancing in Seville

Best thing to do in Spain? Chase the birds.

iPhone Photos

On most days I rely on my iPhone to capture pictures of everyday moments. Here's a glimpse into our lives on a day to day basis over the past couple of months.



Forward facing for the first time! March 2014

First Zoo day of the year

First Icee

First time caught coloring on the wall

His outfit of choice for date night with Mommy

23 weeks/ 23 months

I'm 23 weeks and Parker is 23 months!

Baby Girl Update:
*She is always on the move! I was a little nervous a few weeks ago because I hadn't felt anything since some fluttering at the beginning of February. At my 20 week appointment she checked out perfectly and I learned that I have an anterior placenta, which acts as a pillow so her movement was just muffled. Apparently she's big enough and active enough now that the pillow doesn't make a bit of difference. I had my arm resting on my belly the other day and she gave me a good shove as if it was bothering her. Keith can feel her too.
*I need to stop eating so much. I was really sick in the beginning this time around and lost 5 pounds. Since then I've gained 17. Technically, I'm only 12 pounds over my normal pre-pregnancy weight, which is right about where I was at this time with Parker, but at the rate I'm going it's going to be bad in the not so distant future. If only pie wasn't Parker's new favorite and I could curb my sweet tooth.
*We don't have a name. We have a short list, but we just can't commit. We've run our names by Parker and his response to every one is "no."

Parker Update:
*He is becoming quite the talker adding new words to his vocabulary every day. He can say well over 50 words, which I think is about the number his pediatrician will expect by 2 years old. He's also becoming more conversational and interactive with his talking and has said a few 2 word "sentences" (for example, "need help"). The other day I was reading Jingle Wheels (a Cars Christmas book that he loves) and kinda trailed off before finishing the entire sentence. He chimed in with the final word. He understands so much too. It's amazing to me that for a while now we've been having to spell words we don't want him to overhear.
*He is so passionate. Whatever emotion he is feeling it is intense.
*He is a little Energizer Bunny, always on the go. Funny enough, "go" is his one of his favorite words. He runs, jumps, kicks, throws, climbs, and even gallops.
*"No" is also a favorite word. He's very into asserting his independence these days and can show a little (or a lot of) defiance. I'm still trying to find the right kind of discipline as nothing seems to phase him.
*We're working on colors, but he's not consistently getting them right. We also count a lot. I'm not sure it's sticking though other than him knowing that he's (almost) "two!"
*I love watching him interact with other children. He especially likes trying to hang with older kids.
*He makes us laugh so much.

Getting There

Parker has become quite the little traveler, both within the US and now internationally as well. (He has 2 country stamps on his Passport!) 

Lucky for Keith and me he loves planes, trains, and automobiles, which makes things a little easier for us when traveling. While we still have our meltdowns and issues (who doesn't when traveling with a little one?!), what works for us is keeping P engaged in something- exploring the airport (moving sidewalks and ramps are huge hits!), sitting next to the window and looking out at everything going on, unwrapping a new car to play with in route, reading a favorite book (Richard Scary's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go"), or playing with stickers just to name a few.

Pinkberry doesn't hurt either. ;)

When possible scheduling flights/train rides/drives during naptime and/or bedtime has usually been a success and gives us a little downtime (because keeping an active toddler engaged does take a lot of energy).  

When all else fails there's always the iPad (or as it is now known in our house- the tablet)!

Organization, patience, and flexibility are key! So when you have an unexpected bump (or 100) in the road you don't totally lose your mind. Let me give an example.

 

To get to Spain we were to take a flight from Nashville to Philadelphia where we had a 5 hour layover before hopping on an overnight flight to Madrid. We'd spend the day in Madrid and then take an evening train to Barcelona. That didn't happen.

 

On our first flight, an hour away from Philadelphia, the flight attendant announced that we were taking a detour to Columbus, Ohio (which was 30 minutes away) for an emergency medical landing. First of all, there wasn't really an emergency. There was an elderly man on board who we think was having somewhat of a panic attack so he was getting oxygen from the tanks on board. Second, in case you missed it, Columbus was 30 minutes away (in the wrong direction) and Philly was only one hour. A difference of 30 minutes. In any event, we went to Columbus. When we landed there were no emergency crews and no one was in a rush to get this gentleman off the plane. We sat on the plane for a over an hour and were first told that we'd be back in the air when maintenance replenished the oxygen tanks. Then we were told that Philadelphia had a hold on incoming flights due to weather. They assured everyone that no one's connections were in jeopardy. This continued until those with connections to Germany were told to they should go to the gate and rebook their flight. The rest of us continued to wait. Then they decided we all needed to get off the plane and go to the gate where the ONE agent would re-book everyone on another flight going to Philadelphia that was ahead of ours in the queue. By the time we made it to the ticket counter that flight had already left. We ended up on a flight to Charlotte. Once in Charlotte we were put an overnight flight not to Madrid, but to Frankfurt, Germany. THEN we finally boarded a flight to Madrid. By this time we had missed out on our day in Madrid and missed our non-refundable train to Barcelona. 

 

None of this was ideal, but we managed with P just as well as we would've managed without him (that's not to say that I didn't cry when we found out we were being re-routed to Madrid via Charlotte and Frankfurt, but I am pregnant). Having plenty of distractions and snacks (see above) and being able to tag-team were lifesavers. And P was mostly just really cooperative. After all that what's the big deal if P wanted to push his stroller everywhere or not want to sit still while we tried to eat a meal, right? ;)

 





Sorry for the poor quality of these photos. With the exception of one, they are all iPhone pictures.

Madrid, Spain

Unfortunately, due to some travel complications our time in Madrid was cut short. And by short I mean about ten hours (eight hours the day we were supposed to arrive and a couple of hours the day we were flying out). Fortunately, we weren't super excited about Madrid anyway. ;) (Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's great, but it seemed most of the "to dos" were museums and museums just aren't practical with an active toddler.)

 

So, for the couple of hours we did have we braved the cold and took a little walking tour stopping at Plaza Mayor...

the Royal Palace of Madrid...

 and Almudena Cathedral, directly across from the palace.

To wrap up our Spanish getaway we stopped in a little coffee shop for hot chocolate and churros.

 

After a taxi ride (Parker's favorite), 2 flights (one 9 hours and one 2 hours + multiple security lines, customs, etc.), and a quick drive, it was home sweet home! :)

Seville, Spain: Part Two

On our last day in Seville, Parker was ready to go the second he woke up.

But before we checked out of our awesome hotel

Hotel Alfonso XIII, originally built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition and since host to Spanish royalty and international celebrities, including Bruce Springsteen and Brad Pitt. 

I wanted to get a picture on our private terrace.

We decided to start our day by visiting the Alcazar, the oldest royal residence in the world still in continual use and the official residence of the kings of Spain when they visit Seville. So cool, right? Well, Parker was NOT interested. He threw a fit if we tried to leave the courtyard. So, Keith went on ahead without us while I let Parker run around for a bit.

After awhile I realized that P was never going to want to go beyond the courtyard so I bribed him with a fruit/veggie pouch and strapped him in his stroller. Although it wasn't pleasant, I was glad I fought that battle because the palace was pretty amazing. Huge and so elaborate.

We eventually found Keith and finished our exploring together.

 Then we headed across the river to an area known as Triana for lunch.

After lunch we briefly considered touring the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza, but decided we'd rather just walk around, enjoy our afternoon, grab some souvenirs, eat dessert, and hit up a local playground all before leaving town.

Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza

Napping while we shop.

El Rinconcillo- one of the oldest tapas bars in all of Seville.

Then it was off to Madrid!