Busy July continues!

Last weekend, we went back to Edmonton because Brian's brother Steve was in town with his wife, Andrea. We actually took Lynsey to the Muttart Conservatory - a moderate success. She didn't stay interested very long, but she did like all the pretty flowers everywhere:). It's been a pretty hot week so there's been a lot of pool time - first at Grandma and Grandpa's, then at home. Today, I actually took her to the Prairie Winds Spray Park which worked out quite well. I just had to follow her around, since she wandered a lot, but it's a big park so it worked out just fine.

In the last few weeks, her vocabulary has exploded! She says way too many words to count, and it seems like every day she adds a bunch more! It's exciting, although it can be a bit frustrating because now she is clearly trying to tell us something with certain words, but we can't understand them. Ahh the path to communicating effectively with your toddler! It's a long one! I also set up her booster seat at the table today, and I'm pretty sure that's where she'll be eating from now on. It started at breakfast yesterday when she refused to get in her high chair, and ate standing on a chair by the table. She did go back into the high chair for the other two meals, but this morning, she refused again. So we had breakfast and lunch in her booster. It actually works quite well (so far anyway). She is getting pretty good at feeding herself most things. I've been checking out toddler beds, and I think we're going to get one in the next month or so and start transitioning her to a bed. She seems to be ready, but we'll see when we try!

This weekend, we're off to Ol Macdonalds Resort by Stettler for my family's yearly campout. I'm looking forward to see how Lynsey likes being surrounded by all those kids! She loves being around other kids so much - it kind of seemed today like she was happy just to be in the middle of a bunch of kids running around, even if she wasn't really a part of their games. It's a bit sad sometimes at the park - kids are running around and she just runs after them, thinking they are playing with her! I suppose there's no harm - she has fun and it doesn't bother the kids:).

San Francisco

So we left for Edmonton last Wednesday night so we would have the day together with Lynsey on Thursday at Brian's parents' place. Our flight was leaving at 7:20pm so we had to leave for the airport around 5:30. We had been talking throughout the day about leaving Lynsey and that we were going away, but we didn't think Lynsey was catching on to anything that we were saying. However, by the end of the day we were getting a lot of hugs and kisses, and when we left, she just said "ba-bye" and watched us leave out the window. I may be giving her too much credit, but it almost seemed like she was somewhat ready for us to go! Our flight was smooth and we got to our hotel close to 10 that night. Our first night wasn't the best - we had requested a "room with a view", but we really weren't thinking. All that means is that you have a window on a busy street and you hear sirens and racing cars all night! The next morning, I went to talk to the front desk and they gave us a different room - a MUCH quieter one. Sooo much better! They were very nice over at the The Palace - I would definitely stay there again should we ever make our way back to San Francisco.

Our first day was really good. We took our time heading out in the morning, and took a cable car imitator up to Fisherman's Wharf (cable cars were apparently a bit of a wait that time of day, and we just wanted to get up there). We just walked around, checked out the sea lions, had lunch and made our way over to the pier where we could catch our ferry to Alcatraz. Alcatraz was a really neat place - they had a really good audio tour that you could listen to when you were going through the cell block that told you a lot of about the history and some of the notorious criminals and escape attempts etc. When we got back, we had dinner on the Wharf and made our way over the stand in line to take a cable car back (we had to take at least one cable car ride to say we'd done it!). All in all, a good day.

Saturday was a good day, also. We took a bus down to Golden Gate Park, and our plan was just to walk around the park and see the sights, but not really do go into any of the attractions. Well, there was this California Academy of Sciences that sounded somewhat interesting, so we were enticed into checking it out. It was pretty interesting, actually (more for Brian than for me, but I enjoyed it, too:)). We took a bus up to Golden Gate Bridge and took a few pictures, and then bussed it back downtown to our hotel. The hotel concierge recommended this local seafood place for dinner so we checked it out - AMAZING food! Soo good! The ambiance wasn't the greatest - the tables were packed in pretty tight - but the food was so good that I forgave that:). We never really did anything in the evening, except sit in the hottub at our hotel - we just weren't big into checking out nightlife.

Sunday was sort of a wrap-up day. We stuck around downtown and did some shopping. Well, Brian did some shopping, but I didn't find anything that I wanted that wasn't a million dollars. Definitely a higher class of shopping than I was used to! It was a little discouraging, because I wanted to treat myself to something nice on my 30th birthday, but I just couldn't justify paying the inflated prices. I decided to just buy myself something when I got home. We had another delicious dinner close to our hotel, and packed it in for the night. Our flight left early Monday morning, and we go to see Lynsey around noon at the airport - I had missed her so much! She did so great while we were gone - she had asked about us a few times, but the explanation that we were "ba-bye" seemed to satisfy her and she went on with her day. She loved her adventures outside and the jacuzzi tub for her baths - I think she had her own little vacation:). She was happy to see us, though, so that was good. She seems to be settling back into life here at home without a hitch, so it just proves to me once again what an adaptable little girl she is. I am so thankful for that!

All in all, a great trip, and I'm so glad we did it. I wouldn't have wanted to be gone much longer than we were - I think three full days was just the right amount of time. It's good to be home again! The rest of July is busy, still, but at least we won't have to leave our little sweetie again:).

Time for a vacation

The last few weeks have been busy but good. Last Saturday, we had Ian and Ezra for the day while Mary and Dave went to a wedding. It was a pretty good day, actually - not as stressful as I thought it might be. This weekend past was really busy - we had a wedding on Friday, and Ryan and Ruthy came into town and stayed with us. It was a really good time! Lynsey and Elijah played pretty well together for the most part, although there were definitely some tense moments when it came to toy sharing.

Lynsey has been increasing her vocabulary at an incredible pace! She is jabbering away now, although a lot of words she says we still don't understand. Communication is getting easier all the time, and she is definitely learning to manage her emotions. Our days are pretty routine - have breakfast, shower, play a bit, get dressed, and go outside until lunchtime. We spend a lot of time at various parks, and Lynsey is getting really good at climbing on everything - she even slides down most slides now with no help from me:). I sometimes feel like I need a change, but I think Lynsey is perfectly happy with the way things are going. There are days when I feel desparate to join some kind of play group or gymboree or something, and then there are days when I'm so thankful that we have such a free and clear schedule to just do what we want every day. I think once the summer is over, I will join something - the thought of being inside all day every day with her is a bit daunting! Just the last few days have been a bit rainy and the temptation to just let her watch "Cars" all day suddenly overwhelms me! Not good! Luckily for me, she isn't a couch potato by nature and even though she asks for movies, she usually only pays attention to them for about 5 minutes and then ends up playing with her toys instead of watching anyway.

The pregnancy is going well - I had my first midwife appointment last Thursday and it went really well! I'm feeling really good about my decision to go with a midwife. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the office was the comfy bed instead of those wonderful cot-type thingies in the doctors offices, and I decided at that point already I had made a good decision:). We heard the heartbeat, which just as it did last time, made it seem real for me that there was a baby in there! I like the way the midwife presents me with options and doesn't pressure - she hasn't even tried to talk me into a home birth and I'm already thinking it sounds really good! I never would have thought I would be the kind of person to consider something that seems so hippy-dippy and naturalist, but it just sounds so good to me! Imagine being in the comfort of your own home . . . there are pros and cons, which is why I am not totally sold on it. The good thing is that I don't have to make a decision about this for a long time yet, so I can do my research and see how the pregnancy is going. People in our culture have misconceptions about giving birth at home (including me!) so I want to look into it more.

We are leaving for San Francisco on Thursday night! I can't wait, although I'm definitely nervous about leaving Lynsey. We will be going to Edmonton on Wednesday night already to give Lynsey the day on Thursday to get used to being at her Grandma and Grandpa's with us for a bit before we just leave her there for three whole days. I know it's time to do this, but I know I'll miss her like crazy! I am looking forward to some sleeping in, eating out, and just general r & r.