The month opened with a symbolic kick in the face when we got hit with a three-digit degree heat wave. The summer had been filled with clouds and nothing above 80. And then suddenly, the first weekend of August it reached over 102 degree. Add the fact that we have no a/c with me being seven months pregnant, and I was absolutely miserable. It was the first time in this pregnancy that my feet and hands were swollen and flaming hot and I had no relief. That saturday night, it finally cooled down (maybe got in the 80s) around 4 in the morning. I know, because that was when I was able to finally get to sleep. That next day, I mentioned to my friend (who had her baby a few days ago) that we didn’t have a/c, and she offered to let us borrow a window a/c they weren’t using. We picked it up and installed it right after church, and I was in heaven. I could finally sleep! Even with the a/c, we had to battle the heat for the next two weeks. The kids did great, not complaining once about the heat, even though Boston and I both had to deal with heat rash. Luckily the heat wave has left us and we might have reached mid-80s this last week. It’s been wonderful!
Boston’s second birthday was this month. It took me a while to decide what to make her birthday cake into, whereas deciding on Valin was way easier. So I decided to find pictures of cakes I thought she would like. After she looked at them all, she picked a princess cake, one of those cakes that uses a barbie with her skirt being the cake. That seems pretty easy enough, so I decide to make a “Belle” cake, from “Beauty and the Beast.” She had shown a little interest in the movie before, but after I decided to make the cake, suddenly all she wanted to do was watch that movie. So I ran with the princess theme. I bought her a tiarra, and printed off Beauty and the Beast coloring pages and used them to decorate. My parents came up to celebrate it with us and it was the first time they had seen our apartment, so it was a fun/fast visit. I think she like everything we gave her and loved the cake. She even asked about the cake days after.
Boston also got pneumonia in the beginning of August. Valin and I had battled a cough last month, so I wasn’t too shock that Boston got it too. But suddenly she started getting a fever and the cough never got better. She made everything worst because she flatly refused to swallow Tylenol. It was so frustrating seeing her suffer and yet refuse to take the thing that will make her feel better. Finally after seeing her ask for her chewable multi-vitamin, I realize that I should try giving her chewable Tylenol. It totally worked! We finally get her to take something to help her fever in time to take her to the doctor who diagnosed her with pneumonia. So now we had to be creative to have her take anti-biotic. She is such a stinker! I tried just with the spoon, but then applesauce worked for a while until she got tired of the taste. We still had three days left on the medicine so we tried mixing it with juice, and she threw that up. Then we tried mixing it in yogurt, which worked a little bit. I was truly praying that the Lord would makeup for the missed medicine doses. We took her to the doctor a week after and she had clear lungs, a true miracle.
We also went to the Portland Zoo this month. One day a month the Zoo has a discount day were admission for everyone was four dollar, Boston was actually free. It was crazy busy and Boston threw up all over herself as we looked for a parking space. Because of that, she was naked besides her diaper for most of the day. A few of the animals were gone, but besides that, the kids had a great time and I felt surprisingly good after a whole day on my feet. Toward the end, the kids didn’t want to stay in the stroller much, so while we were walking Valin grabbed Boston’s hand and they walked together. I was pretty cute, I admit, but that sweet gesture caused a stir as we walked. It was as if people hadn’t seen a brother be sweet to his sister before. My kids are pretty amazing and do love each other. I am one blessed mother.
We’ve been trying to can peaches this month. The same farm that had blueberries also have three different kind of peaches. About in the middle of august I picked about 20 pounds of Sunnrest and Veteran so we could see if we like them. But we really wanted Elbertas which would be the best for canning. So we’ve been waiting most of the month and yet, they are still not ready. Hopefully I’ll get some canning done next month.
Boston had a wellness appointment were she had to have three shots. I told Valin what was going to happen so that he would know why she is cranky and not wanting to be touched. The when we put Boston on the table, Valin insisted that I put him on the open space next to her head. When he told me it was so he could help comfort her, it was hard to object. The nurse gives her the shots and I took a quick look at Valin as Boston gets her last poke and he is just sitting there, hands over his ears with a scared look on his face. So much for comforting. But Boston was such a trooper. The kids got stickers as we left and without prompting from me and with tears still in her eyes she said “thank you” and “goodbye” to the nurses.
This month, the kids and I have been spending our mornings doing some kind of lesson and then walking with my friend Erin and her two daughters, (one four years old, and the other about 20 months old). I get to exercise, the kids get to play at a playground with their friends, and I get to talk to another adult. Everyone wins! My kids have learn a lot about how to play and other social graces. I can’t express what it has done for me. It means so much to talk with someone who knows what I’m going through, with kids around the same age as mine and most importantly to get out of the house. Plus, Erin is so much fun and we have a lot in common. Her mother was a high school drama teacher, just like my mother. Hanging out with Erin and her kids has really made my “load” from Patxi’s busy schedule so much easier to bare. I hardly think about how “hard” things are and it really has saved my sanity. Erin is such a giving and wonderful person and exactly what the Lord knew I needed right now. I am sooooo blessed!!
Valin is such a funny kid. He loves to make us laugh, but most of the time, it’s when he’s not trying to be funny that he cracks us up. At dinner one day he started to tell me a story of the “Bully Goats Gruff.” It was so cute that when we told me he wanted to tell me a pig story, I decided to capture it on film. I had to prompt him a few times, reminding him about the three houses and what they were made out of and then after dinner, we watched it. When he got to the part of his version where the “little pigs kill the big bad wolf,” he let out this disappointed and almost surprised expression. It made us laugh hysterically because he was listening to his own story and yet he was disappointed by the ending.
Valin is also learning so much about letters and their sounds. Now, he can hear a word and tell me the letter it starts with. Patxi is also starting to help him sound out and spell small words. He is doing great and impresses me everyday. It makes me excited to teach him even more. Valin is also becoming a wonderful helper. He is going to be the best older brother, well he is already. Sometimes he is a little too pushy, but we’ve tried to teach him to rein things in a bit. When he wanted to play with Boston, he would grab what ever toy she had and run around the room so she would chase him, or he would chase her. I finally had to point out that that wasn’t the best way. I told him that he should just go up to her, and ask if he could play with her, and asks if he could play with one of the toys she was playing with. Luckily Boston is great at sharing and when asked, will almost always share. Because of this, Valin learned quickly that asking was a better way. I even saw him do it when we are at the discovery room in our library. There was a girl playing with a doll house and Valin knelt down next to her and simply asked if he could play with her. She even gave up on of the toys she was playing with. I love it when lesson I teach sinks into the heads of my kids.
Valin has been getting more involved with the “baby in mommy’s tummy” this month. Sometimes when a soccer kick to the ribs sends a cry out of me, he likes to come over and kiss my “owie” or asks if I’m alright. He also has turned a few of his animals into babies and loves to put them to sleep. He also likes to help Boston with her baby she got last Christmas. And every time they both see or hear a real baby, they have to run over and ask to hold it. They’re getting more excited about this baby then I am. I hope their excitement says, but will more likely fade when they realize that all this baby can do is cry, eat, potty, sleep, and take mom’s attention. We’ll see what happens. I’m curious to see their reactions.
Boston is doing great. Learning colors, and counting and I swear she has better eye sight then I do. She is the one who spots things out on our walk that we would have all missed. She is such a fun, quirky, and loving little girl with an infectious grin. She is now talking all of the time. The problem is that it’s hard to understand her most of the time. She has her own dialect, but as she talks more, the more I can train my ear and understand. She also will repeat what she says, getting louder each time, until I acknowledge her or give her the answer she wanted. She is starting to eat everything on her plate now. Before he would mostly eat only fruit, meat, or carbs, with isn’t bad, but she wouldn’t even touch her vegetables and would throw a huge fit and battle us if we would ask her to eat them. Then something wonderful happened, we asked Valin to help us get Boston to finish her food, by having him show her “how to take a bite.” Valin was so excited to help us, plus it helped him finish his food to, and Boston loved to copy her brother. So now, Boston doesn’t fight us much anymore when we ask her to take bites of her food. It’s been wonderful!!!
This last Wednesday, Patxi finished his second term of the Fire protection program. He improved in so many ways from the last term and passed all of his classes. That only leaves four more terms of the fire program, and three of the paramedic. We are all so proud of him and appreciate his hard work and sacrifice. He is always in our prayers. It’s cute because, it’s a habit for Valin to say in his prayers, “Ask that Daddy be safe,” which we started saying when Patxi was gone for his shift. He’ll say it even if Patxi is sitting next to him.
Today, we spent the afternoon at the Oregon State Fair -one of the perks of living close to the State Capitol. It was a blast! The kids got to see and pet so many different animals, which was Valin’s favorite part, next to eating ice cream. We saw the normal ones -cows, sheep, horses -but I was totally surprised by an exotic animal exhibit where we got to see tigers, lion cubs, alligators, snakes, and even pet a huge turtle. It was a lot of fun. Once, while we were looking at the pigs, we saw a boar. As Valin viewed it from behind, he said, “That pig has a bum and a tail!” of course in reverence to the animal private part. Patxi and I couldn’t help but laugh.
While we were eating dinner, a man slowly walked by us holding paper antlers that could be placed on someone’s head. Valin reached out to touch them because he was curious and the man gave them to him. Valin loved them and called himself a reindeer. He even had a funny walk that he decided was how a reindeer walked. But when we got to the Artist’s village (a place where people make things to sell, like wood carvings, metal work, and ceramic pottery), I realized where Valin got his impulse to touch anything interesting. Patxi couldn’t keep his hands off anything. It got so bad, that both Valin and Boston were telling him not to touch. But even though I am disgustingly tired and my feet ache, we had a great time.
I guess I should give a baby update. I’m due in the middle of October, so I’m about 33 weeks along. Everything is going great and right on schedule. I’m now entering that part where after 10 minutes in any position, I’m uncomfortable. My back is just now starting to ache when I’ve been on my feet for too long. In my other pregnancies, I can remember my back hurting a lot sooner, so thank you, P90X. The baby has been moving a lot, which I remember Valin doing more then Boston. But since the baby is getting bigger, it’s now a bit uncomfortable. It’s like getting elbowed and kick by a boney little kid in the stomach, but from the inside. Sometimes it actually keeps me up and once woke me up from a deep sleep. The baby is really sensitive about its‘ space too because it gives me a swift kick in the ribs if I happen to be slouching, which improves my posture, I guess. Next month is when I have a lotted time to start my nesting projects and I’m excited to begin. It’s the normal things, cleaning, organizing, and finding everything I need to have. I’m getting closer and am so excited to meet the new addition to our family.
