Finals Week

Hi Everyone,

This post is by me (Neal) yet again. Leanna has been busy working for the past week on her final exams for her summer classes. By this I mean that she has holed herself off in my parent's basement and has been working 14-16 hours per day on her insanely long finals.

Due to the intensity of her final exam schedule, we decided to go to Philly to spend the week with my parents. That way I have some help taking care of Aviva while Leanna is in her dungeon (also known as the den). To get an idea, here is a sample of Leanna's daily schedule when she was mid-exam:

8:30 am: wake up
8:30 - 8:32 am: bathroom
8:32 am - 11:00 am: work
11:00 am - 11:05 am: talk to Neal, get one (if not many) sodas, decide what she wants for lunch.
11:05 am - 12:20 pm: work
12:20 pm - 12:40 pm: See Aviva, give her a bottle, put her down for her nap
12:40 pm - 2:00 pm: work
2:00 pm - 2:15 pm: eat lunch/work
2:15 pm - 2:17 pm: bathroom
2:17 pm - 7:30 pm: work
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm: Give Aviva her bath/bottle, and put her to bed
8:00 pm - ???? am: work/dinner
???? am: bed.



On the positive side, Leanna has finished all of her exams, and is currently working on the final requirement for her classes-a term paper for her addictions class. But once that is completed and submitted she can finally enjoy her summer, or at least the next three weeks before fall classes begin.

Oh yes, I almost forgot...Leanna's tooth is fixed, and she can eat normally, though I think she has developed a fear of Target's caramel cashew nut mix.

While Leanna was chugging away on her exams, Aviva, my parents and I went to the playground and to the beach (which Aviva absolutely loves). One night (after her big, stressful final was over) Leanna, my father and I went to a local playground. Aviva had a great time chasing the rabbits. After an hour at the park, Aviva was exhausted and decided that only my father could carry her back to the car (see picture).

Finally Back In Rhode Island

Greetings everyone! This posting is being written by Neal instead of Leanna. So don't blame Leanna for any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or offensive speech.

After 26 days on the road, we are finally back home. Our house did not fall down while we were traveling, so I guess that's a win. The only apparent injuries were our two plants that we purchased at the farmer's market the week before we left, and forgot to water. However, with some quick thinking by Leanna and lots of water, our patients seem to be recovering nicely.

The trip ended with an abrupt halt (to use Leanna's term we "crashed and burned"). We didn't relish the thought of driving 17 hours over two days with Aviva (she has become a little resistant to long car trips), so Leanna, Aviva and I drove to Midway Airport in Chicago so Leanna and Aviva could fly to Philadelphia to be greeted by my parents.

On the night before we left, Leanna had a "dental malfunction." She was enjoying some caramel trail mix and ended up chipping her back molar.

The next morning, we left Iowa with ample time, however we were slowed down by an exploded diaper and a discarded fleece sleeper (no need to expand here-I promise). Upon their arrival in Chicago, the proof of age that the good people at Southwest told me would suffice was rejected by the ticketing agent, and Leanna was forced to buy a full-fare ticket for Aviva. To make matters worse, when they arrived in Philadelphia, our stroller was nowhere to be found. Our best guess is that someone decided to "upgrade" their stroller to ours (which I guess is somewhat flattering, but a pain in the ass nonetheless).

So poor Leanna arrived in Philadelphia with half a tooth, a loaner stroller, and an exhausted baby whose plane ticket cost double of what Leanna paid for hers. Meanwhile, I was driving across the midwest with a car full of luggage and a dog sleeping on the passenger-side floor.

After a few relaxing days in Philadelphia and two trips to the dentist for Leanna, we were off on the final leg of our journey, with a dog, a cat, a cranky baby and a wife with a temporary tooth. We were concerned that Aviva would be screaming the entire 6 hour drive to Providence, but using some of her toddler ingenuity, she managed to find a way to make the car dark enough for her to sleep (see picture).

I can't tell you how glad we are to be home!

Wyoming! We're Missing Wyoming!

In a few days, all will be better. We'll be snuggled up in our own beds, with our own pillows, with our own backyard, with our own house. It's not like it hasn't been fun seeing everyone, but 25 days away from home is a BIT too long to be gone. When we get back home on the 9th, I'll post pictures and commentary, but for now, here are some pictures of Aviva getting mad because I wouldn't let her eat any more sidewalk chalk!

The Eagle Has Landed

Holy hell - what a crazy time it's been lately! Our summer is officially in full swing and it's not going to let up for a little while. I guess that's what makes it fun though, huh? :)

Our summer vacation series kicked off on June 6th when my mom and niece came to visit. The three of us (sans baby) went to New York for four days and had as much fun as we possibly could. Well, except for the fact that we had a TERRIBLE tour of lower Manhattan. We went shopping in Greenwich Village and East Village, we ate delicious pizza in SoHo, we stuffed our faces with the most enormous sandwiches one has ever seen, and took pictures, pictures, pictures!

My mom took Aviva home with her on the airplane and Neal & I headed west by ourselves. We went a different route this time around (we drove) because we had to make a stop-over in Indiana for Neal's sister.

While we were in Iowa, we went on a quick whirlwind tour to go to my nephew's baseball game, went to visit old co-workers, and visited my other sister as well. B-U-S-Y! We then made a quick, day and a half pit stop in Omaha to visit my other brother and his family and then flew out to Seattle. We got in to Seattle today and are here until Wednesday. Then, we're off to Oregon for a family wedding!

Speaking of Seattle, I think I personally experienced Hell today. Aviva was fine on the first leg of the trip (the plane ride was only a little more than an hour) but then on the flight from Denver to Seattle (which is around 3 hours), she slept for the first 45 mins, then literally SCREAMED AND CRIED non-stop for the next 2 hours, and then she quieted down as we began our descent into Seattle. I'm sure everyone around us wanted us dead by the end of the flight. Let's just say thank goodness Southwest has an endless supply of Sky Mall catalogs because approximately four and a half of them are now in shreds in their garbage can thanks to Aviva.

Aviva is getting 6 teeth right now. One molar popped through about a week ago, and we can see a second molar ready to break through, as well as two more top front teeth and two more bottom front teeth. Poor girl! No wonder she's absolutely miserable.

Aviva also has begun to walk! She's been walking for about the last three weeks and it didn't take her long to catch on. She did the whole walk/crawl thing for two days and then decided that walking was much more fun. She hasn't crawled since. I think that's also why she hated the plane ride - because she couldn't get out of her carseat and run around.

We'll see what the next few days bring. Maybe by not being around people for a few days will help her. All I know is that this was the worst plane ride ever!

Nothing Gets Past Her Now

Well, I thought we would have a little more time before this began happening, but oh well - what can you do? Two months ago, the worst imaginable thing for Aviva was to swing. Now, that's all she wants to do. So Aviva & I met Neal at the baby park on Wednesday afternoon for a little swinging and a little sliding. Aviva & I were out and about and so we all just met at the park. Well, our trip to the baby park accidentally took us past a different park and about two blocks away, Aviva saw the swings at that park and starting pointing and screeching! I turned around to see what was wrong and she started smiling. She saw the swings and wanted to go play!

That night, I was changing her diaper (which has become more and more difficult as the days progress) and she saw her Little People lion next to her. A while ago, we taught her that a lion says "roar" by lifting our hand into a "claw" (original, I know) and extending our arm. Well, she picked up the lion and then just raised her hand into a claw. I don't think she has seen that lion toy in six months. What a smart baby! :)

Alright, I just had to brag. I don't do it often, but how could I resist? She's getting too smart for her own good.

Temper Tantrums Galore

Aviva has officially become a toddler - she has opinions and she loves to express them. Her favorite thing to do is swing (and swing, and swing, and swing) and every time we have to leave the park, she screams. And then all of the parents look over, expecting to see someone shoving skewers into her eyeballs, and then we have to smile and laugh and say "she just really hates to leave the park." Oh well!

She'll throw little temper tantrums if she's been sitting in the car for too long and she'll have little temper tantrums while sitting in her high chair if we don't get something for her fast enough or if we're trying to give her something she doesn't want to eat. It's kind of funny and Neal always says, "She gets it from you." Whatever!

We had a fun week-long trip to Philadelphia and the Jersey shore and my mom and niece will be here in two weeks! Time has definitely gone fast - we're going to go to New York for four days when they get here because Mercedes has never been and really, really wants to go. I remember being 17 and really wanting to go to New York as well. It didn't happen then, but finally happened when I was 22(ish). I'm sure it will be fun and the baby is staying home with Neal and his mom, so it will be nice to have a little trip without having to worry about her.

Then, it's on to our summer excursion! My mom is taking Aviva back with her when they leave and then Neal & I are going to drive out. We're going to be in Iowa for a few days and then all of us will fly out to Seattle to visit some friends for a few days. After that, we're going to drive to Oregon for a family wedding and will be there for another week. Then, it's back to Iowa and the 18 hour drive to Philadelphia. Oh boy! It will be a long trip! At least Neal does most of the driving on our trips - whew!

Life's A Beach

While hanging out in Philadelphia, we decided it would be fun to take a quick little trip to the shore house. So, here we are and even though it wasn't exactly the best day for the beach today, it was still fun. We're here until Wednesday and then it's back to Philadelphia to see Neal's sister & her family and to see Neal's parents and grandparents for a few more days before we head back home.

School starts a week from tomorrow; I'm taking Intro to Statistics and hopefully an Advanced Psych Seminar on Addictions. Those should be interesting classes, but most of all I'm excited for my Forensic Psychology class in the fall.

Today is a beautiful day, however & after Aviva wakes up from her nap, we're going to go to the playground a few blocks away and then to the beach!

Leanna & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

It's just been one of those days. Ugh. First, Aviva woke up with the nastiest diaper in the entire world! Let's just say it was full from front to back with little room to spare - actually, there was no room to spare as things spilled up and over the back of her diaper and onto her onesie. Gross!

Breakfast was fine - we're trying to get Aviva to drink from a sippy cup/sports bottle for her milk rather than a bottle and she's doing very well. She's also getting more and more frustrated during the day that she can't walk as much as she wants to. For instance, she wants to walk to the kitchen, but she can't walk unless she's holding onto something and then she can't find anything to hold on to, so she gets upset. Soon enough, baby girl - soon enough.

I corralled the dog and the baby after breakfast and off we went on our walk. We drove a few miles away to one of our favorite walking trails and took off; of course, not before changing Aviva's diaper for the second time in less than one hour. Changing a poop diaper in the car is no fun! So anyway, we're on our walk and of course, we were LITERALLY at the farthest point from the car when it started to rain. And not just a light drizzle - a downpour! Aviva was fine because she was bundled up and under her super-huge BOB visor but the dog and I got drenched. I debated if I should start running just to get back to the car faster but then I figured that it would be better for me to get wet than to drop dead from a heart attack!

Also, despite the fact that I only have EXACTLY seven days until I'm eligible to get a new, free phone, they won't let me get it early. What a great way to show customer appreciation, AT&T! So alas, I must hang on to my broken phone (which totally got tossed into a puddle this morning while I was trying to put everyone into the car as fast as possible after the walk) for one more week. Oh well, I'll live.

And that is that. I think I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap. But maybe I'll watch something crappy on Bravo first.

Time Goes Too Quickly

Our friend Mark came to visit this weekend from North Carolina. There was a teaching conference in Boston that he flew in for and both Mark and Neal went. It was great to see him again and was sad to see him go. I told him that as soon as I get my new phone (May 21st - wahoo!), I'll be better about calling him. And everyone else for that matter - I don't know what it is - maybe working so many years where my main responsibility was being on the phone from 8am-5pm every day - has soured me on phone conversations. Ugh - I'm surprised people still call me because I'm bad at calling people back! :)

While Neal & Mark were in Boston, Aviva and I had a busy day. Friday morning we went to the zoo for a little while (just basically to see the elephants and the giraffes!), went to Kohl's, and then went to the fabric store. After Aviva's nap, we went to a little local shop and bought her some new shoes and then went to the baby park.

After Aviva's 15 minutes of swinging - which, she totally loves now! - she went down the slide a few times. After that, there was a push toy next to the slide that she was attracted to and she went over, stood up, and began to walk by herself!!! Well, by herself with the assistance of the toy - but still! I was so proud of her! She whizzed around the park for about 40 minutes and there I was, the silly mom who was clapping and cheering for her the entire time! Oh well! She took some spills but got right back up and kept on going. Hopefully she'll be walking on her own soon!

Ruh-Roh

So, I've been soooo good for the past three weeks. I've walked every single day (I logged 19.1 miles this week) and I think I've eaten more fruits and vegetables in the past three weeks than I have in the past three years. Who knew that I would like zucchini so much?!?

And then I had a bad day. Harumph. Well, really just a bad night and admittedly it wasn't really even that bad. But I caved. And I went to McDonalds. And had the 2 cheeseburger meal with fries. And a vanilla ice-cream cone. And some Ben & Jerry's ice-cream. And a few Milk Duds. Whoops!

Tomorrow it's back to the grindstone but for right now, I feel very, very gross! Alanis Morrisette said it best. "You live. You learn."

The Calm Before The Storm

Ahhhh . . . . it was a beautiful, sunny, 70-something day today, but tomorrow - think again! It's supposed to get up to (and including) 90 degrees tomorrow! Blech! That does not make for a fun walk. Ever since I got my BOB, i have been walking every single day; the first week, Aviva & I walked 14 miles, the second week we walked 15 miles, and this week, it will be well over 16. It's easy to keep it up when you have a super-expensive jogging stroller waiting in the car to motivate you!

Aviva's favorite thing to do these days is ride in the super-fun carts at the grocery store. You know the ones - the ones that are shaped like cars, the ones that have 2 seats, and the ones that are teeny-tiny carts. She loves to beep the horn on the car carts and she'll wave at everyone as we walk past. Every time people wave to her, she usually would wave AFTER we had walked past, but today, finally, she waved bye-bye when the CVS clerk said good-bye to her!

Tomorrow is storytime - hopefully we don't get too hot on our walk!

Are You Kidding Me?

Oh geez - 87 degrees today?!? Are you kidding me? We went on our walk this morning (which turned out to be a little over 4 miles instead of 3 - whoops!) at 9:15 and it was already hot & sweaty outside. Well, that may have just been me, but it was really warm! The poor dog was ready for a gallon of water and a cool place to sleep the second we got home. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 70, then Tuesday it's supposed to be high 80s again, then after that in the low 60s for the rest of the week. Thank goodness we don't get tornadoes up here!!!

Happy Zoo Day!

Since it is absolutely beautiful out today (read: 70 and not a cloud in the sky), we ventured out to the zoo. It's only about 10 minutes away from our house and was the first time we have gone. What a fun trip! For a small state zoo, there were actually quite a few animals - elephants, giraffes, zebras, bears, camels, and lots of other four & two-legged creatures. There was even a quasi-petting zoo there, but the animals were behind wooden fences and you couldn't feed them.

Here, Aviva is petting a very friendly sheep. It's wool was not nearly as soft as I thought it would be and instead was just one big mat. I would like to be there when they shear that thing! Can you imagine the sweaters you could knit out of its coat?!? There was also an "exotic" type of cow, a donkey, two baby goats, a wild pig, rabbits, and a few hens or chickens, I think. We made sure to wash our hands really well at the hand-washing station after we were done petting all of the animals!



I think Aviva's favorite animal was the elephant. There were three elephants and it was feeding time, so it was neat to watch the elephants pulling their hay/grass out of the mesh bag atop a pole. Aviva was fascinated by the elephants, especially when they would stick their trunk up into the bag for food and then put their trunk in their mouth. We stood there for nearly ten minutes just watching the elephants eat!

When Aviva wakes up from her nap, I think we're going to take a walk and go fly our kite! Yay!

She Will Be Missed

Zoe(y), Neal's childhood dog, has passed away. She collapsed last night while taking a walk and she crashed immediately upon arrival to the emergency
vet's office. She had a good 15 years though with a great family. She was a great dog who loved the simple things - tennis balls, having her ear rubbed, and going on walks. Zoe(y) will be missed!

Mission Accomplished!

Today, at breakfast, Aviva discovered the joy that is nose-picking. We were sitting here, singing 'The Wheels on the Bus,' and when we got to the part about the mamas on the bus saying "shh, shh, shh," she put her finger to her lips, like she usually does, and then it quickly went north. I think it surprised her - but she thought it was funny and I couldn't help but laugh!

This is What I Paid For?

Our first swimming lesson was today, and let's just say that it didn't seem worth it. It's a different instructor this time than the last time we attempted swim lessons, and this girl just kind of hopped around in the pool while the three moms (yep, there's only three of us in the class) all just kind of did our own things. Aviva seemed to have a fun time though, so it was worth it. I might switch us to Sunday mornings though, just so that I would at least have Neal to talk to.

Here's Aviva in her bathing suit - we bought it yesterday because the other swimming suits haven't come in the mail yet, but it was the only one in size 18 months at Target. We got home last night and tried on the suit and low and behold - it was a 3T!!! Dangit - someone put the wrong swimsuit on the wrong-sized hanger and I didn't even think about looking at the tag. Oh well, it seemed to fit her fine for today.

This weekend is supposed to be beautiful again up here, so I'm sure we're going to go out and about. I think we may try to get to the zoo and the park, and maybe if it's a little windy again, we'll fly our kite at the dog park.

Rain & Books

It was rainy today, but luckily it wasn't raining hard enough to deter us from our walk. During our walk, we stopped off at the library near our house for toddler story time. We sang a few songs, read a few books, and then sang a few more songs. Aviva didn't really like waiting around for story time to begin (we got there about 15 minutes early), but once we started singing, she loved the part where we all clapped at the end.

I forgot to mention in the last post about more of Aviva's words. She's also now saying "mo," (for more) and another favorite, "no, no, no," while shaking her head and her finger!

Quite the Talker

Well, Aviva has become quite the talker these days. Of course, she's not speaking in ten-word sentences or anything nearly that advanced, but still, we've got to celebrate the little things, don't we? Her new vocabulary repertoire includes: "nite-nite," "mama," "dada," "nana (for banana)," and her all-time favorite, "uh-oh." She also pants every time we see a dog (because that's what dogs do) and tries to meow at the cat. She's also working on her imitations, which include meowing and making blender noises. I tried to encourage her to imitate the vacuum cleaner today, but she was more interested in playing with blocks.

Aviva keeps herself busy by trying to take everything out of its place, which is great for her, but not for me! She also likes to play with her alphabet blocks that Grandma Marilyn gave her and she'll stack three or four and then knock them down. Who knew being so destructive could be so much fun?!?

It's been insanely beautiful up here for the past four days - this weekend we spent a lot of time outdoors going for walks, playing at the baby park, and flying Aviva's first kite. We went to the stadium that Brown University uses for football to fly her kite, and it just so happens that the area is also quite the "unofficial" dog park of the East Side. So, of course, Aviva was more interested in all of the dogs rather than her kite, but I sure did have fun flying it for her!

Tomorrow is story time at the library and on Wednesday we start swimming lessons! Yay! I'll let you know how it goes after the fact. Good night!

We've Moved!

Well, just to a different blogging space. LiveJournal was getting a little too cumbersome to keep updating and there are plenty of things that are going on these days, so I thought I would move to a more fitting online space. Welcome!