Daily Rituals

Generally this is how we start out our day. Lucy isn't exactly a morning person. There is usually lots of crying and moaning and drama over something so small I can't even figure out what the problem is. Hopefully, after she has some breakfast, which is another whole story, she gets in a better mood.

















Whenever I want to put Eli in the car seat, this is what I find. Lucy is very adept at putting things into the car seats, correctly buckling AND tightening the straps. It's cute, but a little difficult to hold a baby and up buckle and loosen the straps with one hand.

























And then if we go somewhere twice in one day, I'll find this:

























This is where Eli currently sleeps. In a moses basket next to our bed. Lucy's old pink moses basket to be more specific. Do you think he'll be emotionally damaged when he knows this is where he spent the first several months of his life? I tell you, this boy is big, and soon he'll outgrow the basket. What you can't see here is poor Eli's bad rash caused by the hormones in breast milk. It should be gone soon. Until then, you don't want to see any close ups.

And finally, Lucy is usually her happiest, right before bed. Grandpa gave her this nightgown yesterday and she LOVES it. She's a night owl and gets into her groove about 30 minutes before bedtime. A time we deem completely reasonable for a two year old to go to bed, but one she disagrees with. And then we start the circle over again...

1 month

Happy one month birthday Eli. We are typical parents of a second child and I have no updated photo to post, nor time to make it happen. At least not today. I did want everyone to know though, that my one month old baby is already wearing clothes made for a 3-6 month old baby. He's HUGE and eats ALL the time. His head is as big as Lucy's - or so it seems.

Important News Flash Not About the Olympics or John Edwards!

We are proud to announce Lucy has decided it's time to loose those diapers and move on over to the potty. She has taken on this new task with determination. We are no longer buying the gigantic diapers, and she has graduated to only wearing big girl pants. We are still however, keeping the diaper companies in biz with Eli's frequent disposals. And he's as cute as ever...




















I'd include a photo or two of Lucy but she only seems to be running around the house naked. Every time I look up, she's stripped off her clothes - not good material for the internet...

Now weighing in at 9.2 pounds

Not much time to write these days. Eli gained an entire pound in ONE week. It seems all I do is breast feed and run interference with Lucy. Yep - that's my day!



















This is what happens when Lucy picks out her own 'pajamas' - those are tights.

Eli William Bonk

I'm not pregnant anymore! Baby Boy Bonk arrived Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 7:26pm. He weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 21 inches long.

So far, so good. He seems to be quiet and content. Lucy loves her new brother and can't keep her hands off of him.

For Curious Minds

I'm still pregnant. That's all I have to say.

Happy 4th

The town parade comes right by our house, and Lucy was ready to go! Now she thinks parades are something to get excited about, as we collected a bag full of candy.

The kitchen was finally completed, except for a few minor tasks. We have a light on order for over the kitchen sink, and the cabinet above the microwave still needs to be finished. The deck is also completed and has already proved to be extremely useful.


















Lucy is taking a nap, Ken is watching a movie and I'm waiting. Just waiting for this baby to be born.

Presents

It's 8:15pm on Saturday night. The hum of saws and nail guns still permeates the humid hot air outside. The renovations continue...

My friend Robin put together a little 'mail baby shower' for me this week. People sent gifts in the mail and Ken and I opened them up with Lucy this afternoon. It was such a fun idea and we got lots of great new clothes for the baby boy to be.

Lucy got a snazzy princess skirt from Robin too. At first she wouldn't put it on, but later in the evening she was posing for photos.


















The bangs continue to grow and I'm still pregnant. But I think this baby will be coming sooner, rather than later...

30 Days

With thirty days to go until my official due date, I thought I'd give you a quick state of affairs and what's on the top of our list in the next month:

The official 'party deck' as Ken calls it is being constructed and I'm hoping this deck will live up to all my hopes and dreams. Those hopes and dreams mostly consist of putting Lucy out on the deck for hours of fun while I tend to a new baby. And then after the new baby and I have bonded, putting myself out there for hours of drinking! So here is where we stand with the deck project. Everyday I'm told they will 'finish it today'. So far, we are only about a three days behind schedule.

This view from the window is where a set of french doors will be. French doors that are still on order...

Next on the project list was to install a simple new counter top. The island in our kitchen had no overhang, which rendered it useless as a place for eating or hanging out (in our already small kitchen). So we decided to go ahead and put in new counter tops for the entire kitchen and island. Seemed simple enough. But then we were told our base cabinets were in such bad shape they would not support the new counter top (after, of course, the old one was ripped out). So then we got new base cabinets. Then new counter tops, then our new sink - but now we have no back splash because the old one had to be ripped out for the new counter top. Asleep yet with boredom? A simple new counter top turned into that plus, new base cabinets that we still need to paint, a new back splash - that we will be paying someone to install and a new sink - which Ken plumbed. Sorry baby, we shall not be able to afford diapers or food for the entire family for several years. But our kitchen will look smashing!

A blurry picture of our island counter top and posts that need to be painted.

I seem to remember going through a home renovation once, and swearing to never do it again. Maybe it was something like 'I never want to go through a home renovation again unless I am 36 weeks pregnant and have a 2 year old'?

In Lucy land, Dora has taken a major back seat. Dora, the one who used to go everywhere with Lucy now lives at the bottom of the bathtub. Thankfully, Boots is there to keep her company during the long nights.

There is a new licensed character in town and her name is SNOW WHITE! Do you feel the love?

Not 2 minutes after I posted this entry, Ken came into the office and noticed a HUGE leak in the ceiling. The new water line to the new fridge had been leaking for a week, and saturated two tiles of the dropped ceiling Ken installed in our office. All in all, it will be an easy fix and we are thankful it wasn't worse. We will be so excited when this is all over and we can enjoy our beautiful house!

The Life of a Popsicle

It's officially hot and humid down here, but the pools are open and we have lots of popsicles and air conditioning to keep us cool. Lucy has really grown up lately and we are enjoying her ongoing monologue of our daily activities.

Perhaps the biggest change for her has been total elimination of artificial colors from her diet. Through research I've discovered that Red 40, and Yellow 5 and 7 cause hyperactivity in children. This is so well documented, that Britain is actually phasing out these artificial colors from all their food. Honestly, the LAST thing I wanted to do was to add one more thing to the list of things Lucy can not eat, but after only a few days, we all could clearly see the difference. I wasn't giving her large amounts of artificial colors, but I would give her lollipops and selected candies when in situations where she could not eat what the other kids where eating (because it contained milk or eggs or peanuts or nuts). The biggest score was the day I discovered Organic lollipops at Trader Joe's with no artificial colors.

Exciting life we lead, I know.

Other than monitoring everything that goes into Lucy's mouth, we have been busy with LISTS! PROJECTS! WE HAVE A BABY COMING! Our home improvements projects just never seem to end. And neither does this pregnancy. Please, please let this one be even a little bit early. I don't understand how there can possibly be any more room for this baby to grow. I'm maxed out.















































And yes, those popsicles are artificial color free! And cost lots of Mo-ney!

Family Vacation

We went to the beach - again! Living in The South really has it's advantages. We took a family vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Lucy had a wonderful time with her cousins on the beach. The biggest news of the weekend was that Lucy was an absolute dream child during the 8+ hour drive to and fro. She's changed in remarkable ways in the last several months. Less whining, more interactive!

And for those of you still getting snowed on - it was 80 and sunny everyday.

As usual it's late, I'm tired and my creativity is low. Here are some photos to keep you coming back:

Warning: We are in the middle of Operation Growing Out Bangs - Phase One.



















I can't even believe I'm posting this pregnant photo of myself...
























And lastly, if I had to sum up Lucy in one photo, it would be this. She's STILL into everything and doesn't give up. She tried to get into this chain-locked gate (to the pool that wasn't open yet) everyday, multiple times a day. She's no quitter.

Moving Forward

Or at least trying. Lucy pushes us, whether we want to go or not. Spring planting season is here and Ken has already tackled several projects.

Karen Marlow Wilkenloh

July 3, 1943 - March 27, 2008

It is with great sadness I announce my mother passed away on Thursday, March 27, 2008 after a three year battle with ovarian cancer.

It's already March?

Sorry, postings have been light, as we all have been preoccupied with my mothers deteriorating health.

But here is a little Lucy sunshine to brighten your day. I let her play with scissors tonight, something I know I will regret. It seemed like a good idea at the time. And we introduced Jelly Beans. Another questionable parental decision.


















Too late - it's already a regret. She cut her thumb with the scissors. No joke.

Winter Break

We drove to Florida, and it took less than a day! We left in the morning, and got there mid afternoon. If living in Minneapolis, it would be like driving to Chicago. We weren't in Southern Florida, but it was Florida, and there were beaches and ocean and I know none of you in from Minnesota would complain about that.

Lucy loved swimming in the pool. She liked to talk a big talk about GOING TO THE BEACH, but once we would get there, she didn't really know what to do with herself.

It was nice to get away and enjoy some 'warmer' weather. Lucy did really well in the car and even in the hotel. We were very nervous about the whole sleeping thing, but she had no problem. She looked a little cramped in the pack n play, but she slept, and we rejoiced.

It's been harder and harder to take photos of Lucy lately, as she doesn't seem to like the camera. Here are the best photos of the 4 day trip.

Becoming A Person

This photo was taken after she pushed the upholstered rocking chair in her room up to her dresser and pulled out most of the CD's and necklaces in the top drawer. I went to see what she was doing, and this is what I found, standing in the rocking chair.

She calls her new piece of clothing a hat. Obviously, potty training is going really well.

I put her down for her nap, with the underwear still on her head. And she still had it on, two hours later!

















Today she also said the following phrases:

Oh My Gosh!
Brown Shoes - CUTE!
Stop Whining

I guess it's time to reel in the language. Thankfully, no audible swear words yet. Utterly amazing!