Bigger Bumps and Big (Dinosaur) Humps

It's almost May, which is awesome because 1) Mother Nature has finally gotten her act together (despite the rain this week...nobody's perfect), 2) my nutrition class final is next week, so I can focus on planning my path forward (and not be out of the office so much), and 3) because I'm going to Colorado at the end of the month for a conference/stay at the cabin.

Then again, it's almost May, which SUCKS because 1) I've done nothing to prepare for this baby, 2) I can't sleep for shite anymore and expect it will only get worse, and 3) did I mention I'm still pretending that I'm NOT pregnant?

But moving along, she's decided it's time for me to stop this denial BS by kicking constantly during the day. CONSTANTLY. Fortunately, she's pretty quiet at night, but I can already see the sibling conspiracies starting, as Angus has taken to farting around in bed until 10 or 11pm. We moved him to a "big boy" bed this week, and I think all this big boy talk has gone to his head. *Sigh*

But a few pictures to continue the posting streak...before Angus' little sister arrives and the picture-taking....stops. A la Dave and Barb Marden circa December, 1980.

I took Angus to the Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit in DC last weekend. He was a pretty happy camper.

First of two dinosaur tattoos. I have visions of the future, and I'm sure my fondness for tattoos will bite me in the a** eventually with at least one of the kids. "Mom, YOU have 10 tattoos, why can't I get ONE??!!"

Digging for gold. Or fake dinosaur bones.

Angus loves him some Stegosaurus.

His little legs don't quite reach the peddles, but he's gotten pretty into riding it around parks lately.

Mommy may have worn him out last weekend. Poor thing passed out for 2 hours.

You're welcome, Angus and TBD

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/pregnancyparenting/love-of-physical-activity-may-start-in-the-womb/ar-BBrCZgL?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=DELLDHP

I'm just saying...

So it may LOOK like Angus is extremely lazy and prefers to watch tv and eat in bed, but in reality, he'd just finished a 10-mile run. (in his dreams)

Half-Way There....

Though I'm not sure where "there" is...? Total insanity? Or just the addition of a sweet, calm little girl to the family? In any event, I'm 20 weeks along now (still in total, absolute denial, if you must know). Feeling "meh". That's as much as I can say. For all of his shenanigans now, Angus was pretty easy on me during pregnancy, but this little girl is starting to be pretty high maintenance. I had my 20-week ultrasound a few days ago, and it took 2 1/2 hours because she refused to cooperate. Twisting, turning, tumbling...you name it, she did her best to avoid helping the technician get the shots needed.

Ah, well. In other news, it's finally starting to look like spring in DC. Long overdue, if you ask me! So Angus will be gearing up soon for his racing season...stay tuned for finish line victory pictures :).

We went to West Palm Beach recently for Christopher's cousin's daughter's wedding. Angus had a great time at the beach, despite a teeny bit of sunburn. And sand in his diaper.

Getting buried.

He loves loves his new Spiderman sunglasses...

"Mommy...where the fishes?"

What do we do when mommy is craving egg salad and fries? Why go to Booeymonger for dinner, of course!

Round 2....

I have (unintentionally) taken a break from blogging (more than one year). Blame it on being busy, blame it on computer issues, blame it on the aliens who abducted me on Halloween...whatever the reason, I need to get back in the swing of things, if for no other reason than to get Grandpa Marden off my back :).

As all 2 readers of this blog know, I am also pregnant again and expecting a girl in late August. Now, assuming that this little girl will have ZERO interest in reading anything her crazy, out-of-touch mother wrote, I'll go ahead and say that I've got a fair amount of trepidation about this whole thing. I'm definitely in denial that I'm even pregnant, though my expanding stomach (seriously, why didn't anyone tell me how much faster you get fat with the second one?!?!) will eventually force that issue. Angus seems ok with it, though he does occasionally do a semi-psychotic gritting-teeth and pinching my stomach thing that makes me think the sibling rivalry is already alive and well. I do love being a mom, even when I start wondering about how old boys have to be to be admitted to military boarding school, so I'm sure I'll get with the program sooner or later. I'm (understandably) nervous as hell about having a girl - as my brother informs me, she WILL become a little princess, like it or not - but hopefully Angus will step up his game as big brother.

Anyway, the original crazy mini-me himself is now closer to 3 than 2 and going 15 miles/minute. He's a sweet, charming little boy who does let himself get carried away at times (holy hell is he physical!), but he's healthy and happy, so I couldn't ask for more.

Some pictures from our recent trip to Kansas to see Grandma and Grandpa (and, of course, Annie). Getting back on the blogging-train will hopefully get me back in the habit of taking pictures (and documenting things for this little girl).

Angus rocking my sunglasses and one of the two shirts he would deign to wear while in KS (the other being his favorite dinosaur shirt). At the Arboretum in Lawrence, near the soccer fields where my brother and I both started our illustrious soccer careers....

Muncher's donut. I want one RIGHT NOW.

Angus reading with Grandma.

Open gym. This was about 3 seconds before another kid landed on him and he was reduced to tears.

I don't know what possessed him to do this, but I guess Angus was emulating fat mommy.

And reading with Grandpa...

Angus is a serious task-master when it comes to Annie's walks.

Second birthday cake for Grandma!

"Why yes, Angus, I DO see what you mean about the migration patterns of ducks in middle America". I think he was pointing at trash and yelling "FISHIE".

Chilling at the lake with Grandma.

He asked me to take this picture. And I did wash his shirts, I swear.

Pre-dinner TCBY treat. Followed by Aladdin Cafe, my new favorite restaurant.

Run Like the Wind!

I'm sorry, Angus. If you are reading this in 10 years, you probably are pretty pissed at your old mom for your hairstyle in some of these pictures. In my defense, you have very, very nice hair and would have been an adorable little girl with pigtails! I don't think I'm helping myself here...

In any event, this past weekend, Angus ran his first race. Well - "ran". As part of Team Kam, my friend's charity group, we went to help out at the Baltimore Running Festival's Kids Fun Run. Angus was none too thrilled about being woken up before the buttcrack of dawn to leave for Baltimore, but it was a beautiful day, and he seemed to have fun in the end. I wouldn't say he set any records, and we were definitely the last to cross the finish line, but he did most of the 1/10 mile course himself. And maybe the announcer asked me if he was a boy or a girl as we were nearing the finish, but at least people were cheering for him :). Pictures tell the rest of the story.

And yes, to confirm, Angus is now routinely sleeping 10-11 hours straight each night. I don't even take him running with me anymore most mornings anymore - I'm very happy about the former but have mixed emotions about the latter :/.

His Team Kam shirt was a teeny bit on the big side.

Holding his own near the finish line.

Post-race team picture. Medals even!

Yeah, I don't know what this face means. Just weird.

Angus digging in for a post-race feeding. Muffins, bananas, all the good runner stuff.

To the Rockies!

Yet again, it has been a while since I last posted, so....sorry? Anyway, with the holidays coming up, I'll hopefully find reasons to post more frequently.

But to this post. Angus and I spent one week in Colorado earlier this month. I had a work conference - held at the luxurious (tongue-in-cheek? you decide) Crowne Plaza Hotel near the Denver airport. Hey, it was paid for by my company, so I can't complain. Anyway, my parents drove out to meet us - with so much family in the Denver area, there's never not a reason for them to make that drive, and this way, they could watch Angus while I conferenced the day away!

Conference done, we headed to the mountains to stay at the cabin my aunt and uncle own near Estes Park. I'd not seen the cabin in years - and had never stayed there - so I was pleasantly surprised by how big it is. It's also remote enough that you feel a bit disconnected (in a good way), but not remote to the point where you aren't a 15 minute drive from restaurants (and coffee). I always enjoy time spent in the Rockies, and I was happy to share that experience with Angus, especially now that he's discovered the joys of walking. Stumbling. Falling. Whatever it was, he genuinely seemed to enjoy himself, even going for a gentle hike with me and grandpa. I'll let the pictures tell the story :).

Trying to catch Annie to torture...erm, LOVE her.

In the dog's bed at my aunt's house. Of course. Because where else would he sit?



Visiting Grammy Kay and loving every minute of the attention.

This may have been right before Grammy Kay suggested I dress Angus up as a mini-devil for Halloween.

By the creek in Estes Park.

Taking a break.

Angus was having a blast showing off his walking skills, though he was routinely distracted by pinecones.

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Nappin' along Lake Lily (?), a nice, short hike not too far from the cabin.

Angus's hair, despite having been cut twice already, is a lifeforce of its own. I, being the ever-empathetic mother I am, put his hair into a ponytail while visiting Greatgrammy Kay. He MAY have been mistaken for a girl once or twice (or 15 times). Well, he would have been a damn cute girl.

No, no, this isn't Angus's first trip to a pumpkin patch. This is a photo op set up outside a Denver Whole Foods, where I forced my father to spend almost $100 on dinner. Oops.

Our trip back to DC was not the best way to cap off an otherwise enjoyable workcation/vacation, as our flight was delayed by a solid 5-6 hours, getting us to Dulles just before 2am. Angus was a bit fidgety but was generally well-behaved. And he got McDonald's for the first time in his (albeit young) life.

Grandma and Grandpa, First Overseas Trip, Waterpark Fun

I've got a bit of catching up to do with the blog, so I'm combining three recent events into one post. The first was a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Marden - they came for Angus's and Grandpa's birthdays (and a massive carrot cake courtesy of yours truly). This was Angus's first birthday, and Grandpa's more than first birthday :). Both birthday boys are, of course, young at heart and full of energy! I won't do a grand pontification on the first year with Angus - all I'll say is that, in some ways, it's hard to believe that he's already one year old, and it sometimes feels like yesterday that I was waking up (very drugged) in the hospital to be handed my new son. In other ways, of course, the past year feels like eternity ;), and I can't imagine life before the lifeforce that is Angus George.

I think he had a pretty good first birthday, even if he had no clue what was going on. It was a nice celebration for me, as I could say "yes! I made it through the first year of motherhood with a healthy and happy baby!!!". Not always an easy task to accomplish.

There was cake, a large dinner, and a whole pile of presents - a few more for Angus than Grandpa, but Grandpa was a good sport about it.

The second event was our recent/annual trip to Scotland and London. Angus unfortunately came down with a pretty nasty virus the day before we were set to leave, so he and I had to delay our departure by a few days. Once he was healthy again, though, we were off, and Angus got his first taste of overseas travel. We spend the first week in Scotland, where Angus got to meet most of his cousins on his dad's side. There were no major injuries or major tears, so I consider this first meeting a success. We then flew to London for a few days to spend some extra time with Christopher's youngest brother and his family. While there, we went to the Imperial War Museum - a place I would have loved to spend several hours exploring but soon realized that museums and babies don't mix too well. Ah, well.

The final "event" was a trip to a waterpark near us. Well, a park that has a splashground. Nothing groundbreaking about this, but Angus LOVED it, so I took a few pictures to record it.

Trip to Old Town for Grandma's favorite restaurant on the water.

Trip to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

I'm sure Angus will thank me some day for posting naked pictures. Him and his cousin at bathtime!

On the way back from the Imperial War Museum. Angus SHOULD have been sleeping...

Checking out the splashpark.

Full crazyman mode.

Where did my shirt go?