It's the most wonderful time of the year

Christmas is now over, 2016 will be here in no time. I am finally enjoying the pregnancy relative to my first few months. I had a horrible scare September 30th. I had Matt take me to the hospital and despite everything seeming to be leading in a bad direction, we found out, miraculously, that everything was fine. A follow up appt at my Ob's confirmed the ER doc's diagnosis. Now that I have reached viability, I feel more comfortable discussing it, although my worry is not completely gone. It probably won't be gone until I deliver a healthy baby. We also found out around Thanksgiving that we are expecting a girl! While we both had an inkling we were having a girl, the ultrasound confirmed this!
Sean and Bradley have been playing so well together as they get older and older. Over xmas break so far, they have been starting light saber battles and play fighting. They are definitely in boy territory. We thought Sean was old enough to actually see Star Wars with Matt at the movie theater. I reserved seats for them at the Emagine Rochester. Sean loved the movie and couldn't wait to come home to tell Brad and I all the plot spoilers! haha
Before Christmas, we had a mini vacation planned to go to Traverse City. We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge and loved every second of it. They upgraded us to a Wolf Den Suite because our room wasn't ready at check in. The bunk bed room within a room concept was a huge hit. Sean loves the water so he enjoyed splashing around the water park. Brad hasn't really had a lot of experience with water, but he loved the Lazy River and Lily Pads. We also visited our friends, the Cannons, who recently moved from Bloomfield to Traverse City. It was great to catch up with them. We intend to go back to Great Wolf one day :)
Christmas Eve was spent with the Hersteins in Ann Arbor and Christmas was spent with the Guptas in Troy. It was so great to catch up with family. It truly is the most wonderful time of year!

 Ultrasound was taken in November. What a beautiful profile!

 We upgraded my Pontiac G6 to a Chevy Traverse. I LOVED my Pontiac but it did not fit 3 cars seats. I have never had an SUV, but it was an easy transition.

My 2nd trimester bump with my 1st SUV.

Disney World Summer 2015

We had a wonderful time in Disney World. Both boys were old enough to fully remember everything. Sean went on the Tower of Terror for the first time. He wasn't a huge fan, but now he has bragging rights that he mastered the scariest ride at Disney. I am so proud of him for being brave enough to want to go on it. Both boys went on Thunder Mountain for the first time too, while Bradley went on the Barnstormer for the first time. Bradley's favorite ride was Soarin'. He barely made it on height-wise, but as soon as we were buckled in and lifted off, he had the widest grin the entire time. He wanted to go on it again, but seeing how the wait was forever he will have to wait until next time, which may not be until February 2017!
The picture below is one of my favorites from the trip. The kids were acting like gargoyles while we were waiting in line for the new Be Our Guest restaurant. Such personalities!

We stayed with Matt's parents at the Beach Club and then switched over to Boardwalk mid week. I loved the Beach Club. It is my favorite outdoor area and villa so far. Although you cannot beat Boardwalk's scenic walks and night life area. I also had to take it easy because we found out I was pregnant pretty much right on our trip so I did the small rides and hung out by the pool while everyone swam.
We had never gone to Disney in August and it was HOT. We did get lucky with a few rainy days, but going in August is a little tough. Luckily the pools were amazing and kept us cool.

Above is a picture of everyone (except me) on Thunder Mountain Railroad. I took several pictures really fast as they were riding by, and to my surprise this one turned out pretty well. Bradley is in the front seat with Grandma and Sean and Matt take up the second seat. Grandpa is in the third row.

This is one of our only family pictures that we took! Hanging out with Goofy.

Colorado Trip

My parenting group has been a wonderful blessing. Beaumont Hospital puts moms together that had similar due dates so everyone in my group had babies between June and August of 2009. We got together every week from when our babies were 4 months old to almost a year old. It was nice to go through the challenge of being first time moms together. Now that our lives are much busier, it was surprising that so many of us could drop everything and spend a weekend visiting one of our fellow moms, who had moved to Colorado recently. We had a great time seeing Boulder and spending time at a dude ranch/spa. A huge thanks to all of the dads who took care of our kids while the moms went to play. It was the first time I had ever left the boys and I was pretty anxious about it. I don't think there is any other way I could have left them, unless it was with my Beaumont group. We were in this together again!

Spring Break in Orlando

We went to Orlando mid-March. We were going to just stay in Michigan but Sabrina kindly let us use one of her timeshare weeks. We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana resort, which was just minutes from Downtown Disney. Activities included Gator Land (cool place!), Disney World, Downtown Disney, and going to fun restaurants like the Grand Floridian brunch, the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian, and Cheesecake Factory. We needed a break from the cold weather, and were able to even swim one afternoon. Although it's nice taking trips, nothing beats coming back to the great state of Michigan and appreciating our home. =)

Brunch at the Grand Floridian

Cruise Booked!

I think I have a similar heading a few years ago! We booked a cruise yet again. We wanted to try out the new Disney Fantasy ship and were able to book a family ocean view room, which are some of the biggest standard rooms on the ship. If you have ever been on a cruise you know how SMALL most rooms are! We will be heading to Grand Cayman with Matt's parents, but not until 2014! Let the long wait begin. 

Disney Trip

We took the kids to Disney World in late September.

Since Matt's parents are in the DVC, we are fortunate enough to be able to stay on property, very close to the parks. This time we stayed at the Boardwalk, which is walkable to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Sean was at the perfect age to truly understand the characters and enjoy the rides. When we took Sean at 7 months old, it was not as fun, and even at 14 months, Brad wasn't really sure what was going on.

We had a really good time, despite the heat, in Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Sean's favorite ride was Peter Pan. After our trip, he started to become obsessed with Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Captain Hook. Bradley was fascinated with the animals at Animal Kingdom.

Both boys also loved It's a Small World and our hotel pool. During naptime Brad slept at the hotel while Sean had "downtime" and watched movies. Because of all the excitement and walking around, they were pooped by 7/7:30pm every night. That gave Matt and I time to watch a movie or even go out to dinner, thanks to grandma! We can't wait to go again, although it might not be until 2014! Sean still talks about Disney weekly and even asks if we're going when we wake him up early in the morning (since we had to wake the boys up REALLY early for our flight). I hope he's still excited about it come 2014.

Mississippi Trip

We went to visit my sister in Mississippi last week. We left when it was 22 degrees in the morning and, after two flights, arrived in 70 degree weather. It was a welcome change! Mona's sons, Sohan and Sanjay, are both a little older than Sean and Bradley, respectively, but not by much. We were able to go to the Children's Museum, Science Museum, the park and have fun in the backyard. It was nice to finally see Mona's new house, which is beautiful! Here are a few pics of our vacation.

Sohan and Sean in front of the Science Museum


Mona and I with our babies

Weekend Up North

We went up north this past weekend. It was great to get out of the house for a few days for a change of scenery. Sean had a blast playing with Grandma and Grandpa Herstein. He was the center of attention for a change while Mom and Dad could attend to Bradley. We decided to unswaddle Brad at night and he is sleeping through the night like that now. It's been 3 days and the night wakings and feedings have virtually stopped again. I guess he was done with the swaddle. I've also been putting him down for naps awake instead of asleep and that has cut down my rocking time by A LOT. I think being a mom is much easier the second time around.
I can't wait to go up north again, hopefully sometime this winter. Perhaps Sean will have a blast again and Brad will get through another milestone!

Miami

Last week we spent our time in sunny Miami. It was 80 degrees and sunny every day. We heard about snowstorms happening in Michigan and were very glad to miss them. Unfortunately, the snow decided to stay even after we came back so my hope that spring would arrive while we were gone was wrong.
While in Miami, we hung out by the pool, sipped virgin drinks on the beach, toured the Miami Zoo and went out to eat at some Miami hotspots. We rented a toy kitchen set for the room and Sean loved playing with that as well as playing in the sand and kiddie pool.
I'm glad we were able to go because having a second baby in the summer will stall our travel plans for a while.

Disney Cruise

Our vacation to the Bahamas and Castaway Cay aboard the Disney Wonder was wonderful! We did have an issue with our room being too loud, which ended up being a broken floorboard in the room above us. We lost some sleep, but luckily we were moved to another room later. Besides that issue, the weather, food, and people were great! Sean was the best baby ever. He ate everything, slept well, and was wonderful on both flights. Our little guy is turning into quite the traveler, just like his parents!

Cruising

Mona, Sujith and Sohan are now joining us on the cruise! We were able to get adjoining rooms too!
I booked a shore excursion for Matt, Sean and I in the Bahamas. We will be going on a glass bottom boat and taking an interactive tour of the Nassau Sea Gardens. Since I've already been to the Bahamas, I am more anxious to see Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. I have heard Disney spared no expense, as usual =)

Disney Cruise

We booked our Disney Cruise for the fall!!!!

Niagara Falls

Sean traveled internationally last weekend to Niagara Falls Canada! I hadn't been to Niagara in several years and I forgot how breathtaking the falls are. Although we were delayed on the way there and back, due to traffic and construction, our actual vacation was wonderful and relaxing. We stayed at the Hilton Fallsview and it was worth it to reserve a suite with a view for two reasons- 1. After Sean went to bed around 8pm, Matt and I could keep the lights on in our room. 2. The view was AMAZING; Sean even appreciated it. Every time he got up in the morning or from a nap, he would speed-crawl to the window and just look out in awe.



During our stay, we had a picnic near the falls, ate at Rainforest Cafe and Macaroni Grill (obviously we need to dine at family friendly places now!), walked around Clifton Hill, swam in the hotel pool and just enjoyed family time!

Disney!

We had a wonderful trip to Disney World as a family of 3. Sean was in awe of all the people, rides and sun! Sean's favorite ride was It's a Small World. He also loved riding the busses to and from the parks. We had views of the African Savannah at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our view happened to be right where one of the giraffes slept at night. It was neat waking up and watching wildlife right outside our window! I am thinking about getting a Detroit Zoo Membership so we can make frequent trips when it's warmer.

In line for the TriceraTop Spin

Disney in February 2010

We decided to go to Disney World with the Hersteins next February. We were planning on taking a European cruise with our little guy next summer, but once we saw how much work it was just to go up north for the weekend, we decided to hold off until Sean is a bit older. And I think Sean can ride any kiddie ride on our laps that don't require a seat belt so Disney will be fun for the whole family! We are staying in the Animal Kingdom Resort for a few nights and then the Boardwalk for the remaining nights. I have only been to the Animal Kingdom Lodge once to eat and am really excited to stay there because the rooms overlook the savanna where there are live giraffes!! I wonder how Sean will react to seeing a giraffe outside his hotel window!

2 months!

We went up to the Herstein condo over Labor Day weekend. Sean celebrated his two month birthday by sleeping in the car on the way up. It was nice to get out of the house and relax. Matt and I were able to golf for a little bit and draft our fantasy football teams.

Sean also went to his first restaurant! No ordinary restaurant would do so we went to the Duck Blind in the Otsego Lodge with Matt's family. What refined taste he has!
Here is Sean watching his first Michigan football game:


Sean just had his 2 month appt. I am glad the shots are over; I was dreading them. Luckily Sean had no idea and just cried a few seconds after each one. He fed right afterward and all was forgotten! He is 11lbs 12oz (50th percentile) and 24 1/4 inches (90th percentile). Long and skinny just like at birth!

Traveling

Because Matt and I love to travel, we are usually planning our next trip as soon as we get back from the previous one. Now that we have a baby arriving soon, we feel it's probably best to wait until he is at least 5-6 months before taking him on an airplane. In the meantime, we intend to go up north to the Herstein condo more often, especially since we bought a golf/ski 2-year membership. Although we won't be traveling for a while, that hasn't stopped us from tentatively planning!

In Spring 2010, we would like to go to the Southeast for a beach vacay. How cute would it be to introduce our son to the ocean and play in the sand? Possible places are Hilton Head or somewhere in Florida. We would like to go with another couple who have a child so we can swap babysitting duties and also have some company.

In Fall 2010, if baby H has all of the necessary shots, we would like to go to India. Matt has never been and hopefully both sets of grandparents and other family members can join us. I haven't been to India since 9th grade, and I feel this trip is long overdue.

Lastly, in 2011, Matt and I hope to go on a Mediterranean Cruise. I've always wanted to see Greece, and Matt, the history buff, would also love to see the sites. We've already found a few cruise lines that hit Athens and Crete, plus some hit Mykonos and Santorini!

While all of these trips are very tentative, it would be great if we could carry out this schedule. We'll see if we're up to it when the time comes.

Disney Trip

We had a wonderful time in Disney with Matt's family. I am really sad to be home. I had been to Disney World many times growing up, but the last time I went was in 2003. I hope to take our little one in a few years again so he can enjoy Disney too. We bought the cutest outfit with a baby Mickey on it for him to wear in the summer!
My favorite part about Disney was eating at all of the fantastic restaurants. A few favorites were Ohana and California Grill where Matt and I spent our 3rd anniversary overlooking the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Below is us at our anniversary dinner.

There were so many rides and attractions I hadn't been on. I couldn't ride the Mt Everest Ride or Mission Space so I'll have to do that the next time I go. I really liked the Toy Story ride and Soarin'. I also now appreciate the slow-moving water rides and spinning rides (like Astro-Orbiter) because it was very relaxing to feel weightless while being 6 months pregnant.


The Disney Boardwalk lit up at night

Japan- Osaka Part 4 of 4

On our last day we decided to walk around Osaka on our own. We realized without a tour bus there was a lot more walking involved! The caption for the pic on the right should be "Are we there yet?". We ended up seeing the Osaka Castle and great views of Osaka at the Umeda Sky Tower. Here is Matt in front of the Osaka Castle:



The next morning we headed to the airport and went home. Japan was an amazing country to see and I'm really glad Matt and I went through Explorient. They set up a wonderful trip for us that we will remember forever.

Click on Matt's blog to read his trip summary (to the right!)

Japan- Kyoto Part 3 of 4

Wow I can't believe it's already December 11th. Time is flying this week and it helps that I've been back on Eastern Time for several days.

Well on to Kyoto. After the bullet train we arrived in Kyoto. The first day of Kyoto was my favorite day of the trip. Tokyo has only been the capital of Japan for 100 or so years, while Kyoto was the capital for almost 1000 years before that. Therefore, the historical sights were more impressive here.
After we arrived and ate lunch, we were on a bus to Nara, a city right outside of Kyoto. There we visited the Deer Park, Todaiji Temple, and Kasuga Shrine. Deer are sacred animals and a long time ago, people were tortured for killing a deer, even accidentally. There is no penalty now for accidentally killing a deer, but it's still a protected species, and they are EVERYWHERE. These deer are not afraid to come up to people and beg for food.
Here is a video Matt took of me feeding crackers to a deer:


The Todaiji Temple is located in the Deer Park and houses the world's largest bronze Buddha. It was quite impressive. At the Kasuga Shrine (a Shinto Shrine), we were able to pray to the Gods the Japanese way. The way to do this is to bow 3 times, clap three times, pray, and then bow again. I prayed for something so I hope the Japanese Gods were listening and it comes true!

My favorite hotel on the trip was the Hotel Monterey in Kyoto. To sum it up, it was a classy, gothic, boutique hotel. Very unique.

The next day we had a full day of sightseeing. We saw the Golden Pavilion, Nijo Castle, Heian Shrine, Kiyomizu Temple and Sanjusangendo Hall. The Golden Pavilion was THE picture spot on the tour. It is a beautiful building, and the gardens are very picturesque. Nijo Castle was pretty neat as well. It used to house shoguns, who were pretty high up in rank. The floors are called "nightingale floors" because they were built in such a way to provide an alarm system. When we stepped on the floors they squeaked like birds. Plotting a coup was very common to overthrow a shogun so this was their way of making sure they were ready if an attack occurred!