Tommy's New Game

Match Day

I think most of you have heard by now the official results of Match Day 2011...Lance matched at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida for Internal Medicine Residency! We are headed back to Gator country! :) We are thrilled with matching at his first choice. It is a great program and it keeps us nice and close to friends and family. Match Day coincided with St. Patrick's Day, so it colored the tone of the ceremony--very fun. Pretty much everyone there was sporting their green to some degree. The ceremony took about an hour--the kids were AWESOME. It took place from 12-1 which is usually the tail end of lunch/going into nap time. They snacked before, during, and after. Needless to say, we didn't stay for the little reception afterwards.

These are the Deans of each Regional Campus. They really went all out with the St. Patty's Day theme. :) They drew numbers to see which campus would be announcing their matches first. Our campus, Tallahassee, ended up going first, so we were one of the first to go up on stage. Oh-and I forgot to mention...all students picked up their envelopes prior to being seated. After a brief welcome, the students were given permission to open their envelopes in their seats if they desired. Most folks did so, but a handful--including Lance--chose to wait until going onstage to find out and make the big announcement. We felt that it was somewhat anticlimactic to the purpose of the ceremony to open it early, so we waited! Lance let me open the envelope--I was shaking--we were so anxious to know!

This is the microphone where we stood to open the results and make our announcement. I didn't have anyone take a picture of us up there...I didn't think to do that. Oh well! --It was neat, though because we had both kids with us (again, they were AWESOME) and garnered some oohs, ahs, and how cutes. :) Gotta love showing off the babies!

My handsome men waiting for things to get started.

The girls (Maddy still insists the baby is a girl, btw.)

Cuties

Yes, Maddy is sitting on my belly. No, it did not feel nice. :)

My pretty little princess

We tried for a cute pictures with the flowers in front of the Ruby Diamond auditorium, but darn it, they just wouldn't look at the camera!

Not sure what they were looking at, but it made for a cute pic!

I think this is the best picture we got from the day :)

We drove down to Crystal River that night, left the kids w/ the Tegens on Friday while we started some house hunting in Gainesville, and then went to Leesburg on Saturday to visit with my grandparents (a very busy weekend!). These next pictures are from our visit with them.

Tommy enjoyed hanging out in the little rocking chair

Maddy warmed right up to Great-Grandma Powell even though she hadn't seen her in a while. She also enjoyed hanging out with Trouble the cat. :)

Great-Grandpa Powell joined in the fun on the floor. Tommy had a ball playing with him!

Tommy wasn't so sure about the cat...

After visiting at their house, we went for lunch at Bob Evan's. The kids had some fun with daddy's hat while waiting for their food.

What?

Go Gators!

Of course, Maddy needed her fair share of the attention...

...and who can argue with her cuteness?

Tommy started playing this game with Grandpa Tegen the day before. He puts his arms up and then wants you to do the same. (I have a video I'll try to post in a bit.) I love how Tommy is looking up and over to see if Lance is following his lead. :)

Driving home Sunday morning. Maddy didn't fall asleep right away, but she did sit like this for a few minutes...just wanted to be covered up. Who knows?

Tommy, on the other hand, he took full advantage of some primo nap time. :)

Weekend Fun

Saturday morning Lance took Maddy to another Lowe's Build and Grow Workshop. The project was a little shoot-around basketball hoop (we had to quickly "lose" the ball when it came home...fortunately, we have other balls that will fit through). Lance did most of the assembly for this one, but she had a good time and finally got her apron (they were on back order last time).

Displaying her masterpiece

Showing her apron

I asked for "just one more picture!" so I could get a better smile, but this is what I got instead...the preteen trying to shut her door on me...lol. Signs of times to come???

Her apron with her first two badges sewn on.

Close-up of her badges. The first (left) was for her race car.

Later that morning, she and I had a special lunch together at her favorite restaurant: Moe's. She loves her Mini Masterpiece (plain cheese quesadilla)! She dips it and her chips in sour cream. Didn't get any good pics of that...maybe next time. Her other favorite part is the cookie that comes with the kid's meal. She wasn't keen on sharing with mommy and baby today...video below.

No pictures of Tommy for this post. He's down with a nasty cold today, so he and I stayed home from church while Lance and Maddy went on without us. He's continuing to figure out this whole walking thing, but still not independently toddling around. He's also now using the signs for ALL DONE/FINISHED and MORE. He's getting much more "talkative," too, as he tries to figure out what everything is.

He and Maddy have their toy struggles, but lately everyone at the daycare has commented how just how much they love each other. The director said to us the other day that he has never seen two siblings as close as they are. Sometimes one helper might bring Tommy in for a quick visit to see Maddy (or vice versa) and they both just light up and run/reach for each other. Or, sometimes, the two classes will be in for lunch around the same time and Maddy is quick to proudly announce to her classmates, "That's Tommy! He's my brother!" or something of the like. It makes my heart so happy. I hope they remain close and always mean this much to each other. :)

Early Steps

The past couple of weeks have been exciting ones for Tommy. He's gone from pushing his train everywhere to standing on his own and this Sunday to first steps. We've been playing with him every afternoon trying to encourage him to take a few more! Here is a short clip from tonight. He gets so excited with everyone cheering him on! :)

Today's OB Visit

I am happy to report that everything is hunky dory with Tiny Tegen! S/he is looking good...and measuring THREE weeks ahead for size/weight estimates via ultrasound measurements. AAHHHH! As much as I'd hoped this might mean an earlier due date, my doctor said that this is more an indication of projected birth weight. Still, I think there is a chance we might get to see him/her a couple weeks sooner than expected. Wishful thinking? Probably. :) I DO, however, get to return for my next visit in three weeks versus the usual 4 up to now, and then we get to 2 week intervals...either way, we're getting closer!!! Am I really ready for this? NO. :) So excited though to meet this little person!


Maddy has been trying so hard the past couple of months to get the "I love you" sign. She finally seems to have gotten a handle on the fine motor coordination and started getting it a week or so ago. I got her on camera saying I love you today. She was so proud!!! She can't wait to show Grandma Rapacz and Jack! :)

What You Really Want to See

Finally. The good stuff. I know that these items are what you really check the blog for: cute pictures of the kiddos. Updates on life and cars and cranky pregnant women...blah, blah, blah, right? :) Here are a handful of pictures from the past few weeks.

Friday evening after dinner,Maddy and I hit Sonic for an Oreo Blast. We parked and she got to come sit with me in the front seat so we could share our special treat. She went with Lance a couple weeks prior. It seems to be a new thing--which she loves! :)

Tommy loves to sit and look at books. Also in this picture: look carefully at the bottom left corner. Maddy decided it would be fun to color on the carpet (and wall--see next photo) with a red crayon. At least these are the special washable kind. TOTALLY worth the few extra dollars to get them.

Washing the crayon off the wall. Needless to say, the crayons were in time out for the next few days. (I had to quickly and discretely snap the photo so she wouldn't think it was a whole big deal, but I just had to document! :))

Tommy savoring his mandarin oranges. He LOVES these things. He's in the booster seat because Maddy wanted to sit in the high chair and it was one of those days where I was choosing my battles carefully. Really, he could be out of the high chair, but we just have one booster--either works!

On the way to pick up the kids at daycare. The road is lined with Dogwoods, which have been in bloom this week. Maddy has been fascinated with them and says uber-cute things like, "I love them! Jesus made them. I love Jesus!" Makes my heart melt.

Lance and Maddy washed the cars last weekend, so Tommy and I joined them outside in the yard.

Such a happy little girl!

He hadn't been out in the grass in a while given it's been cool, so he wasn't quite sure about the feel of the grass on his skin. That and we usually sit and play on a blanket.

She is such a good helper!

Waiting on daddy to get everything set.

Two weeks ago, Lance took Maddy to a neat little thing at Lowe's that we recently discovered via a friend's blog posting (Thanks, Nicole!). They do these kid project clinics once or twice a month at their stores, and it's FREE. Home Depot does them, too, but for our first go around, we caught one at Lowe's. The project for that day was a pull-and-go race car. It made for a special Maddy-Daddy outing. She got to help build it (Lance hammered in the few nails and she applied stickers) and got to take home the finished product, a certificate, and a little badge that you sew onto a little vest. The idea is you collect badges as you attend the different projects. Cute, right? She loved it. Lance is going to try and take her to as many as he can before he starts residency. She loves helping him whenever he has to use his tools at home, so it makes for a special activity for them.

Proudly showing off her car. :)

Giving daddy a hug :)

Just a few updates on Tommy:

• He has 7 teeth! Poor guy has been teething like a madman. #8 is about to pop through.
• He took his first two steps at church yesterday (3/6)! I missed it while in the bathroom with Maddy, but he was hanging out with Lance, so at least daddy got to see it! :) Hopefully I can catch some more early steps on camera soon!
• His personality is coming out so much more lately! He gets frustrated so easily and makes the funniest faces when he whines.
• He is BIG. He is wearing 18 month clothes, and depending on the brand, is about to outgrow some...ack!
• He eats anything and everything, which makes for easy meal prep!
• He loves to point at things and wants you to label whatever it is he's trying to reference. He still doesn't have any clear words, but he is trying to take it all in!
• He is starting to produce his own version of "thank you" if you say it. Sometimes he tries to say it when giving you a toy.
• He loves to tease. Either by pretending to give a toy and pulling it away or playing his own little coy version of peek a boo. He's just a cutie!

As Promised...

Do-do-do! It's our way-cool 2003 Honda Odyssey EX aka kid-mobile!

Well, here it is. The new ride. :) Nothin' fancy, but it'll do! I'm not gonna lie; I miss driving the Santa Fe. It's only a year newer (an '04), but it has all the neato options like multi-CD player, heated leather seats, and ambient temperature display to name a few (we REALLY made out on that deal when we traded the Sentra in after Maddy came along). But, alas, only 2 car seats fit in there. Lance now gets to drive that around, which he deserves after chugging along in the manual-EVERYTHING focus for the last four years. :)

In last night's post, I felt I seemed kinda super-duper great about the purchase--and I am good with it (I mean, who wouldn't be with no monthly payments!?!), but I also felt the need to be more honest about dealing with my wants and my reality. It is so hard not to want the newest, the prettiest, the fanciest, and the best. It's part of this Earthly vanity we all have, right? When Lance came across this vehicle online (and may I remind you that he's been looking for the past few months nearly every night), we both agreed that it was definitely worth him driving over to check out. However, I kept hoping that maybe, just somehow, we'd find something newer and "better" if we waited longer. However, given the specific vehicle make/model we'd been looking for, I knew better. I think this process has been another of many lessons God has been teaching me lately. And I know that with residency, expanding to a family of 5, and student loan repayment on the horizon it is one I will need to take to heart especially. But more than that is God's faithfulness and goodness in our lives. There have only been a few really scary points, but all in all, He has always made sure we've found what we've needed. I can't say that we've ever been without food or basics, and for that I can be nothing but thankful and humbled.

Anyways, Lance spent yesterday detailing this out and getting car seats and stuff switched over. It is now officially the mommy and kid mobile. Really, the only left to figure out is how I'm gonna configure the kids when Tiny Tegen arrives. I'm thinking about putting Maddy and Tommy together in the back with baby in one of the middle captain's chairs and the other empty for any ride-along guests. Any suggestions?

28+ Weeks...

According to my due date, I am 28 weeks and 2 days along...I think it's more like 30, but I guess we'll see. I have my next routine visit tomorrow--very much looking forward to it. I'm sooo curious to see if that baby is measuring "ahead" again! No real complaints for the doctor--just dealing with the usual pregnancy aches and stuff. At least I'm rid of the nasty cold I had a few weeks back. The amount of coughing and sneezing was brutal with the whole trying my hardest not to pee with every cough and sneeze that worked it's way through. Too much info? Maybe; but it is what it is!

Let's see...in other news, we are anxiously awaiting Match Day. March 17th is taunting us as it sits marked on our calendar. We can't wait to find out where the heck we're headed. In the mean time, we continue to peruse the online real estate options for our top three choices. It'll be nice to take a more serious look once we know which market we'll be dealing with. Speaking of looking at items online, we have been scouring the internet for minivan options. Neither a Ford Focus nor Hyundai Santa Fe will get the job of hauling around a family of five (with three in car seats). So, it was with no sadness at all that we bid a good-riddance to the Focus. We purchased it shortly before moving to Tally as a point A to B car with the hopes it would just get Lance through med school...and it did. We were able to find a gently used (older couple--no kid wear and tear) 2003 Honda Odyssey a few hours west in Fort Walton Beach. So yesterday, after contacting the dealership via phone, Lance drove the Focus over, traded it in + a bit of a wonderful tax refund and came home with our new-to-us minivan. We have arrived. This is all somewhat anticlimactic, of course, as I don't actually have a picture to include with this post...I forgot to take one today. Maddy thinks it's pretty neato. It's the EX model which means power everything, including side doors. The first time Lance hit the button for the doors to shut, it really freaked her out. It was kinda funny. :) She has deemed the door by her car seat "hers" and the other, "Tommy's." So, yes, power everything--and it all actually seems to work! It had one prior owner and they took good care of it. Of course, in a perfect world, I would have loved a shiny new one, but we are still poor student folk and are so thankful that God in His infinite wisdom and provision made the way for us to find THIS vehicle. These babies (speaking of the minivans here...lol) don't come cheap! This leaves us with one less thing to worry about as far as baby prep goes. And it was a big one looming over us. So again, we are thankful for this find. Now we just need to figure out where we are going and see if we can manage to buy a house. :)

Blogger Does Not Like My Videos...

I have been trying to get a few videos posted for two weeks now and everytime I try, Blogger just peeters out and they don't load. As such, I posted them to Facebook...make sure to look for them!