Happy Holidays

Finally getting around to posting a quick update - things are crazy at work since it’s our “busy season.” Major work burnout lately, I’m really looking forward to the holidays and having a nice break. I’m officially taking over as lead of our department on December 18th, so I’m also anxious to find out what my new rate of pay will be etc. Anyway, sitting here at work blogging about work is not fun, so moving on…

Carlow is getting ready to start daycare next Wednesday! Can you believe he’s going to be 4 months old soon? Calvin will be have a little brother at “school” with him now. Carlow has been sleeping quite good the last week or so, only waking up once during the night (7pm - 5am). That is subject to change of course, especially with the challenges of sleeping at daycare etc.

Calvin used the potty at daycare for the first time yesterday! In fact, he went twice and had a dry diaper for most of the day. They are continuing to offer the potty more and more so hopefully he is on the path now. He is really excited for Christmas this year and has a lot of fun reading about Santa and singing holiday songs. Next Thursday is the holiday program at daycare, it will be fun to see him sing with his friends!

Belated Birth Blog

Sometimes it’s hard to put the care and effort into writing a blog that tells the story of a life-changing event like the birth of a child. However, as most of you already know our second child was born unexpectedly while we were vacationing in August. Perhaps not writing as poetic of a blog post and waiting until now reflects a bit of the second-born way of things as parents. It’s not that the event(s) are any less meaningful the second time around, it’s just we’re so busy now we can’t pause to appreciate them as they happen.

Carlow James McDonald is already almost 2-months of age, but it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his sudden arrival in Alexandria. To make a long story short, we were two days into our stay when Angie’s water broke. The next thing we knew, we couldn’t leave the hospital and active labor was just a few hours away. Everything about the second labor and delivery was different this time around. We were in a different hospital, with different staff and miles from home. At the time, we felt anxious and unprepared, especially considering Calvin didn’t have a clue what was about to happen. Looking back on it now, it really couldn’t have gone much better. Angie was able to labor effectively and have a natural birth, and besides having Carlow spend one night on the light table, we were on the fast track. Now a family of four, everyone was happy, healthy and relaxing at the cabin for one last day of vacation. Pretty amazing, actually. 

Every day since Carlow was born has been busy, to say the least. Calvin gave up his pacifier about two weeks ago, which caused some distress, but everything seems to be going well for him again. Carlow has already grown out of his newborn-sized clothes and seems to get bigger everyday.

TGIF - Thank Goodness I'm Fishing!

Our summer vacation trip is almost here, we leave Saturday afternoon! Really looking forward to a relaxing week by the lake… it’s definitely our happy place. It’s been over a year since I was on the water, so I’m really anxious to do some fishing. I’m also excited to see how much fun Cal has playing in the sand, going for rides on the boat etc.

We’re staying in a different cabin this year and everyone will have their own room, so Cal will be sleeping in a full-size bed instead of the pack-n-play. So bedsides having to bring a bedrail, we don’t need to pack quite as many things this time around. We do most of the grocery shopping up there since it’s easier (and actually kind of fun). It also gives us the chance to pick up the special treats like root beer floats and s’mores.

Looking at the calendar, we have a week vacation trip, followed by a regular week of work, then the Labor Day weekend, then it’s pretty much baby time! In case you forgot, Angie’s due date is September 17th. Angie has a feeling it’s another boy (but since she thought the first one was a girl, I think it’s going to be a girl). We don’t really have a long list of names picked out at this point, in case you’re wondering.

In the meantime, Cal is still doing great in his twin bed in the new room downstairs. He usually goes (in) to bed at 7pm and gets up around 6am. He usually sings, makes siren noises and talks to himself etc. between 7-8pm, so he’s not actually asleep right at 7pm. He has slept through everything including fireworks, dogs barking and even the alarm going off, so he should be fine sleeping through the new baby crying upstairs.

He’s favorite playtime activities are driving and loading his dump trucks, tools, building with blocks and matchbox cars. We actually bought him a 5-pack of matchbox cars the other day but we’re saving them until the baby arrives, that way we can gift them to him from the baby.

To The Tune of June

June is flying by, except for work that is. Things are unsettled at best and doomsday at worst because our president unexpectedly retired this week. So far we’ve received no communication regarding the future of the company or more importantly our department (calendars). I can’t say I haven’t been in this position many times before, so I know from experience the next stage is basically this… hurry up and wait for the trickle of information, meanwhile jumping to conclusions and worrying about your future. It’s not fun. Consider me pessimistic about things until all the clouds have lifted and receptive to potential job openings.

Cal had a wonderful second birthday party and continues to amaze us everyday. His current focus is mowing the lawn and lawnmowers. He likes to put out all the spots that need to mowed (“Mow there!”) and use his lawn mower at Grandma’s house. We started swim class again on Monday nights, he had an absolute blast being dunked under water and kicking around. It’s going to be fun to see how he does at the lake this year!

Around the house I was able to finish a few big projects. I moved ten yards of black dirt around the yard and planted grass seed, organized the new garage and sanded and painted the cellar door. I still have a few big projects left like staining the deck and applying fresh mortar to the foundation. Our sump pump died unexpectedly after only four years but we were able to get a free replacement thanks to the lifetime warranty. Our current issue is with some wiring in the kitchen causing an outlet to fail… it’s always something!

P.S.

Angie's due date is exactly 3 months from today on September 17th!

Spring It On You Like This

First things first, the big news is that we’re expecting our second child to arrive on September 17th! We’re both very excited and Cal is anxious to have a new baby brother or sister to welcome into the family. We’ve decided to keep the gender a surprise this time, in case you’re wondering. In the meantime, Cal is moving up to the next room at daycare very soon. He’s vocabulary seems to grow by the day and he’s really enjoying being outside more in the warm spring weather.

Now that spring is sprung, we are making final preparations for the new garage construction. Don is coming over this afternoon to disconnect the power running to old garage and move a couple sprinklers backward. I’ve moved most of our things to the basement, save for the lawnmower etc. I’m going to take a few photos tonight to serve as the “before” memories in the album. Except for a few mice, I don’t think anyone is going to miss the old garage.

Wild playoff hockey starts this Thursday at 8:30pm. I have high hopes for us this year, but win or lose, at least we get to watch playoff hockey. A few months ago it looked like this season was in the tank. It’s going to be interesting to see how home ice affects the series, considering this year the Wild have played remarkably better on the road. Goaltending wins playoff games, and in that respect I like our chances. Anyway, regardless of Thursday’s outcome, I’m going to be dragging a bit come Friday morning.

Work has been going well, albeit a bit slow at this time of year. I’ve spent most of my time in Applescript, writing various programs to automate the production process in Adobe InDesign. After many books, hours and testing I’m very happy with my progress. Our busy season should be much smoother and faster, which hopefully means less overtime.

After a 2 year hiatus, I picked up gaming again via a New Nintendo 3DS XL. It’s a fantastic, portable system that works well with my limited free time and provides a huge collection of affordable games to play. Not to mention, it’s an easy way for us to watch Netflix anywhere, without needing to plug the laptop into the TV etc. I’m currently playing Fire Emblem Awakening and Final Fantasy Theater Rhythm.

I’m really looking forward to getting out for the first fishing trip and disc golf game this year. I’m also hoping Cal will enjoy riding in the bike trailer more now that he’s a bit older. It would be fun to take him for rides up to the Wabun picnic area etc. and use the pool. He’s seems to only handle the stroller in small doses these days, as he would much rather run around and explore.