Colorado: Day 5!

Today was the day- after a yummy breakfast and fond farewells, we left Lincoln and began the last leg of our journey. The landscape slowly changed from corn fields and wide open prairies to desert hills and ranch land. It was a lot like the drive into the Walla Walla valley and brought back many fond memories of our first years of marriage in SE Washington. 

We ate a quick lunch and pushed on. We made it to CO about 3:30pm and stopped at the welcome center. Two more hours of deiving remained. We began to see glimpses of Denver. Our route took us right through the heart of the city, past the towering business buildings and city parks, the Mile Hi Stadium, and downtown amusement park. We finally pulled into our hotel parking lot at 6pm, tired, hungry, and car-weary, yet grateful to have arrived safely. 

To our dismay (honestly we expected no better, but we were hoping against hope our expectations would be wrong), the place was sleazy and janky.  Despite having called ahead several days before, the carpets were not cleaned and the place reeked of smoke and must. But as this was the only extended stay hotel that would even consider a monthly rate of under $2k, we resigned ourselves to our stay. While Matthew unloaded our trailer and vehicles of the things we brought with us, I put Lyssa in her playpen and used Lysol, Simple Green, and cleaning rags to scrub down the suite from top to bottom. Much to our surprise, the place actually looked quite nice after, carpets and furniture aside. Matthew assured me he would get a rug doctor from Home Depot on Monday night after work to give the carpets and couch a thorough cleaning. In the meantime, we kept Lyssa off the floors and entertained her with toys and books. 

While our accommodations are proving be questionable, we are excited to start exploring Denver, the Rockies, and the beautiful foothills between us and the mountains. And to find a house. Come on, new little nest- let us find you!  

Colorado: Day 4

We enjoyed a wonderful Friday night and Sabbath with Damie, Jared, and Clify. After getting into Lincoln, we ate a yummy dinner of grilled veggie dogs and pasta salad. We visited for a bit on the front porch after the babies were in bed, enjoying the warm evening. The next morning following breakfast, we went to church and then enjoyed a delicious picnic on the front lawn while the babies napped. I even got to take a ride on Jared's vespa. That was terrifying- which of course meant that I loved it. (so when Matthew gets his bike, he will definitely be teaching me how to drive it...) When both Clif and Lyssa were awake and full of energy again, Damie and Jared took us on a tour of Lincoln including UNL and downtown. We had a lovely dinner at their favorite Thai restaurant and treated ourselves to ice cream. 

As always, there was delightful and often humorous conversation- and lots of baby watching/playing time. We're excited that we live within a day's drive instead of half the country dividing us. 

Colorado: Day 3

After a night in a sleazy motel on the outskirts of Chicago, we enjoyed a yummy breakfast at ihop and then were back on the Road. We headed west through the remainder of IL into IA, then veered south towards Lincoln, NE. Our day's drive was quite uneventful following our exciting experiences the day before. We spent a lot of time on our headphones, talking about plans and bragging about how well our little travelers were doing. They really were troopers on the whole trip! 

At lunch time, we stopped to get gas and some subs; then we drove a few more miles to a rest area. We had a picnic in a shaded pavilion on the edge of the mowed grass next to the prairie. The wind was especially whippy, meaning Sushi was chasing everything that moved and we were chasing our napkins and sandwich wrappers. It was nice to stop though, and Lyssa especially enjoyed crawling around after several hours in the carseat. 

We concluded our day's drive in Lincoln where dear friends of ours live. We'll spend Sabbath with them tomorrow and finish the final 7 hours to Denver on Sunday. 

Colorado: day 2

Had a nice breakfast at the Poffs and hit the road about 10:45am. We got part way through PA before we hit a major downpour. Matthew was fine in the CRV, being an all-wheel drive vehicle; I had some trouble with hydroplaning, so I had to decease my speed significantly. I was so relieved that Lyssa was with Matthew. After about 20 minutes of intense, stomach-clenching, body-tensing navigation through the scariest rain I've driven in, I found myself on the west side of the storm and was able to slowly catch up to Matthew. 

We hit Ohio sometime later, complete with another rain storm (not quite as bad); uneventfully passed through IN; and finally made our way into IL. We stopped for a sunset dinner at on the wayside service centers and made friends with a local kitty (much to Sushi's chagrin). Lyssa and Sushi got some much needed leg-stretching and blanket-wallowing time and then we were back on the road. 

Finally making our way into IL, we started looking for a place to spend the night. Matthew wanted to make it to the west side of the southern suburbs of Chicago; so we drove through late-night traffic on 12-lane interstate 80. Both of us were tired and ready to stop; however, the pace and amount of traffic kept us alert, especially when we saw sparks flying out from a car in the left lane a little ways in front of us. As gained on the car, we discovered a sedan driving 80 miles down the interstate, dragging a bike in its wake. And by dragging, I mean on the road, parts and sparks flying off, dragging. And no one was responding... I instinctively knew that Matthew was going to try to get the driver's attention so braced myself for a chase. Sure enough, off he went, flying up on the car's tail and flashing his lights. The car drove a few hundred yards and then got over one lane. Matthew kept tailing him, flashing his lights. This happened through all six lanes and then the car took off on a north-bound road at an interchange. In the meantime, I'm doing my best to keep up with the now 85mph speed Matthew was taking. He had the GPS, after all, and there was no way I was going to lose him in the mess of roads we were driving. So move over, Chicago traffic, NJ is coming through... (Using my NJ training well :)))) At the last second, Matthew swerved back over to avoid the exit that the car had taken and almost left me northbound into Chicago. Once my heart rate returned to normal, I called him up and told him to please let me have the GPS next time he decided to engage in a car chase in a major intestate exchange...

W finally found a hotel and after checking in, made our way to our room. It was like a bad movie- cigarette smell, a dirty bathroom, stains on the sheets, filthy floors, and dinged up, sticky furniture. I agreed to stay only because it was after 1am and Lyssa was so ready for her bed. We were grateful that Lyssa had her own portacrib and we had our bedding from home. Nevertheless, I didn't sleep well at all that night, terrified of bed bugs and that someone was going to come shooting their way into our room. There are times I really don't appreciate my overactive imagination...

 

Colorado: day 1

We finished packing and emptying our 7 Spruce Road nest today- its strange to leave this place behind. After loading our two vehicles with the household items we will need for our temporary hotel abode for the next two months, we buckled up and drove out of East Windsor for the last time in the pouring down rain. NJ was crying at our departure- it was certainly bittersweet for us... First stop: Poff B&B in Strasburg, PA. Sushi and Lyssa are doing well so far!! 

Where is all our stuff, mommy? 

Picnic in the living room!

Um, help?!

Our transportation and home-on-wheels for the next four days. 

7 Spruce Road, we will miss you!!

5/12/2013: Mother's Day

In the past few years, I've had many firsts - but not one has been as rewarding and beautiful as the first that has made me a mother. The first pregnancy, the first child being born to a first mother and father, the first time of overwhelming feelings of love, wonder, and gratitude for a tiny human being that has completely and eternally found a place in my heart, the first time really understanding what my mom has meant all these years (I get it now, Mom)... and now the first Mother's Day. I have been given a perfect day- and while I don't want it to end, I look forward to cherishing the memories from today for years to come. 

Thank you...

Happy Mother's Day to the best mommy a girl could have. Thanks, Mom, for nurturing me, giving me unconditional love, and for your wisdom, advice, and friendship. Thanks for always being there for me. And thanks for loving my precious girl and being a wonderful Nana to her! 

Happy Mother's Day to my dear mother-in-law who raised the man I married and love more than life - thank you for being his mom, raising and loving him, and loving me too. 

Thank you to those who have guided and mentored me in my life. You mean the world to me and I thank you. I would not be who I am without your presence in my life. 

Happy Mother's Day to my sweet sisters, aunts and cousins, and friends - I hope your day has been blessed with love and joy!

Lastly, I'm grateful to God for making me a mother to the sweetest daughter a woman could ask for. Thank you for being the true example of parenthood. I pray that in everything I do, I point her to You. 

39weeks- happy 9mo Alyssa!

It's been 9 mo since her weekly birthday has matched her monthly birthday. This Sunday marks a beautiful day of remembering and being overjoyed at our little girl's presence in our lives. Can she be any more perfect and sweet?

Lyssa's perfect ratio- 41wks&3days

My dear sweetheart,
You are now at the time in your life where your age in this world matches the time you were cradled, warm and safe, in my womb. It is hard for mommy to believe that this much time has past since you made your first appearance in my life and that my love for you is even stronger and deeper than it was then. You are a beautiful baby- with your blue green eyes, your golden hair, your dimpled cheeks, and your sweet smile. But more than that, you are showing more signs of your sweet personality that we've seen since your birth, demonstrating patience, joy, contentment, and a heart full of happiness. You are so sweet my baby and your mommy loves you with all her heart.
I want you to remember always- that however much mommy loves you, which is more than you'll ever be able to comprehend, Jesus loves you even more- more infinitely, more perfectly, more beautifully, and more eternally.
I love you my little heart queen.
Love,
Mommy

Week 36-38

Tooth 5 and 6 are popping through and 7 isn't far behind! She is a drool machine at the moment, which keeps mommy cleaning up after her constantly. Her smile is changing with all these little teeth...
She is also mimicking our hi's, adding a little Queen Elizabeth wave. She greets everyone she sees with this charming little stunt.
Other new developments: standing on her own, drinking through a straw, pursing her lips, mimicking sounds like chuckles, squeals, and whistles (which produces a very warbly squeal), and climbing the stairs. She just started this adorable throaty chuckle and will spider-crawl around chuckling to herself.
She is still infatuated with the piano, always pulling herself up to the bench and reaching her little fingers to the keys. She also has been raiding sushi's toy bucket, much to sushi's chagrin and consternation.
Her appetite continues to expand, including practically anything that mashable or small enough to eat. She is becoming increasingly independent and wanting to feed herself. This is nice as it gives mommy and daddy a chance to get in a quick bite or two.
She still likes to chatter, hum, and talk to herself. Her 'vocabulary' has quite a wide range now. But she always says dada when she see her daddy and a mix of baba or mama when she sees me :) hmmm...

33-35 weeks

What a little charmer we have! Lyssa is rapidly becoming one of the friendliest babies I've seen... She's always been good with people, but she has started to really respond to others. She loves to people watch and when someone pays attention to her she gets very excited. Of course that brings more attention because, be honest, who can ignore a giggling, squealing, adorable baby who is all happy to see you...
Her hair is coming in... gold. That certainly didn't come from mommy or daddy. The red tints from mommy, sure, but the yellow? All Johnson and Cole. And her eyes are a gorgeous mix of slate blue and ocean green. Some days we think 'ah her eyes are blue' and other days they are definitely green. In any case, they're just beautiful.

Week 31&32

Developments over the past two weeks:
Clapping (super cute!!), looking for Sushi when we say his name, hitting things together to make sounds, jibber-jabbering in conversation with syllables such as baba, dada, and ahah. Growing out of her 6-12 mo clothes and now wearing 12-18 mo outfits. More hair! (still blonde tho...)

Swim class

Lyssa started swim class last week. Mommy went to take pictures and videos. But this week they were off on their own while mommy stayed home for some quiet time to herself. During this time, she caught up on blogs, made dinner, ordered groceries, and picked up. She also found a little time to lie down for a quick break :)

It's amazing to think about this time a year ago-- I had no little munchkin crawling around underfoot while I tried to get things done. Or to keep me occupied instead of getting said things done. I barely remember having the freedom to run an errand, bake cookies, clean, or do countless other things uninterrupted. Worth it? Oh my goodness yes. Do I ever wish for some quiet time? Well, Lyssa and daddy are taking swimming without mommy, right? ;)