Derby Week and Catch Up

Working full time + the mommy thing + the wife thing = okay, I got this. But add in the Kentucky Derby, and it's all over! Last week was a little crazy, and the weekends before and after were a little crazy, and I'm just now recuperating.

The weekend before Derby, my parents came to town, and we celebrated Mother's Day early at our favorite place, Buca di Beppo! (You should hear Nate say that.) It also happened to be prom night, and there were torrential downpours, so not a great night for going out to dinner, but once we got there it was fun.

My parents

The family

Mom and brother Lucas

With Nate, restaurants are always ... and adventure.

Here he is under the table balancing a spoon on his nose.

I thought Georgia was going to sleep, so she stayed in her carrier most of the time, but she didn't. Give this girl a spoon and a straw, and she's happy for a good hour.

She always has a bit of a crazed look in her eyes.

Nate destroying my necklace

Going to church the next morning.

At church, whenever one of the childcare numbers is flashed on the big screen, we just assume it's probably Nate (out of the hundreds of kids there) and check our numbers. Well, this week, sure enough one of our numbers was up on the screen, but this time instead of Nate, it was Georgia! She had been crying inconsolably. The next day we found out she had an ear infection.

Derby week is a very interesting time in Louisville. This is only our second year here, so it's all still new to me. If you're wondering, yes, you really do see women wearing huge fancy hats all over town for a good week. And most of the town shuts down there for a few days. On Monday, I got my first look at Churchill Downs, and I got spoiled! I went with some work friends to "Dawn at the Downs" and had breakfast and watched the Oaks and Derby horses exercise from Millionaire's Row. Here are some pictures from my phone.

Thursday was our big day at work. We had a fundraising event--the Oaks Eve Gala. I believe this was my first gala. :) That morning I took Nate to school, then took Georgia to work with me, and tried to keep her happy (she mostly cried) while filling gift bags. Alisa picked her up after getting Nate from school, and we had an event to put on. We hustled in the afternoon and then got all fancied up for the night. It was really fun, and pretty much went off without a hitch. I didn't get home until after midnight, and I was sore all over from wearing heels on concrete all night. I didn't work Friday, but we went to music class and had lots to do around the house.

Then on Saturday morning, the kids and I met Mindy and we all drove up to Columbus to visit Jenny and Ellie! We ate lots of good food, caught up on life, and watched the babies play.

Jenny and Ellie

She's a happy girl!

Not Georgia--look at that pout!

They LOVED each other!

Sometimes love hurts.

This is how I found Georgia sleeping that night ... not sure where the other leg went.

So, you might be wondering where Nate was during all this. He actually had his first solo overnight trip to Granna and Pop's house. We were all a little nervous about how he'd react--as much as I went on and on about his big adventure and having Granna and Pop all to himself, I don't think he realized I wasn't going to be with him until he left in their car and I left in mine. But he actually did way better than any of us thought he would. Granna reports there were no major tantrums (are we still talking about Nate?) and he actually went to sleep. So yay!

Sunday it just took us forever to get home, and it was raining and nasty, and we didn't even go home--as soon as we got into town, we went to a potluck with our Bible study. By the time we got home, it was after 8, and I gave the kids their medicine and put them to bed. We were all zombies the next day and went to bed early again. I think we're almost back to normal.

So, some new stuff going on here:

• We're switching Nate's seizure medication, because I just can't stand to hear him say, "I'm a sad boy" anymore! It breaks my heart! The new medication (topomax) is just a pain because it's sprinkle caplets, but I think he'll be okay because he gets it in a spoonful of pudding!
• He has started kicking Alisa. Not good.
• He is having some potty training success! Alisa is awesome, and she has him pottying regularly. There have actually been a few times when he's told us he needs to go, so major progress! Still a ways to go, but Alisa says if it's nice on Friday, they may try a naked day. (Note: Avoid our house on Friday ... unless you want to clean carpets, then you're welcome.)
• In addition to potty training, Alisa has Nate doing lots of new stuff, like asking for things in full sentences such as "Please may I have some water, please!" :) and climbing into his car seat on his own and buckling up and stepping out of the front door ... lots of independence stuff. LOVE HER. And yes, she is still my laundry fairy and does dishes and is just an all around angel and sanity-saver for me.
• GreenHill gave us a 6 month full scholarship for hippotherapy!!! Whoooohoo! I love them too.
• Georgia's crib now has teeth marks all over it.
• She's cruising everywhere.
• Her hair is growing.
• Her hemangioma is shrinking.
• I'm still really liking my job and getting more and more used to the schedule. And learning I'm going to need to stay home more weekends!

Now off to sleep, because I need it!