Fishing

Megan has been begging to go fishing ever since she watched some fishing show on ESPN one day way back in December. So Daddy promised her that he would take her during the opening weekend of fishing season. About a week prior, we went to Dick's and bought her her very own pink fishing pole and of course Matt jumped on the band wagon too. Although it was probably just so he could get his own pole as well.

The weekend came upon us and it was perfect weather, so after Daddy finished his annual opening morning routine, he took both of the kids out to Wharton Brook State Park for their very first experience. No fish...not that the kids cared. According to Dad, they were more interested in playing with a little boy that they had befriended while there.

Sunday rolled around and since we had Bryan that day too we decided to head down to the river for another round of fishing. Again...no fish...but possibly because each kid lasted for about 5 minutes before they grew bored with it all. But not before I was able to snap some pictures of their first (ok second) experience...

Patiently waiting for Daddy to finish baiting the hooks...

...Matt's idea of waiting patiently...

Future Angler pin-up girl

The Devil at his best

Bored after just a few minutes and aggravated by the sand between his toes...

BEAUTIFUL weekend!!

This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous and we took advantage of every last minute of it. Saturday was opening day of fishing season, so when the alarm went off at 4AM, Bill was out the door for his annual ritual with Uncle Fat Kid.

I, on the other hand, rolled back over and slept until Matt joined me at 7:15AM, followed by Megan 30 minutes later when I finally pried myself off of the mattress. Once I saw (and felt) how warm and beautiful it was, I instantly felt rejuvenated and felt the need to do some spring cleaning...or nesting...haven't quite figured out yet what it was that struck me. So I set the kids loose in the back yard, keeping an eye on them as I began doing laundry, etc.

They started out playing on the deck and from there headed out to the swing set where I watched them running from the middle of the yard and landing on the swings on their tummies, laughing hysterically. All was good...and then I went upstairs to grab some more dirty laundry...and when I looked out the upstairs bathroom window, I saw Matthew...hanging from the middle of the monkey bars...with Megan hollering, "jump down Matthew".

It was like I was frozen on the spot. I knew I couldn't make it down the stairs, through the house and across the back yard fast enough to help him down (and no - not just because I'm weighed down with this gigantic stomach) but because I was afraid to take my eyes off of him for fear that if I left that window, he would fall and I wouldn't have been "watching". Crazy I know - but that was the thought process I went through in those few short moments. My saving grace, or rather Matthew's saving grace, was our old next door neighbor who came running across the back yard in his robe and p.j.'s, all the while yelling, "Hang on Matthew! Don't let go!"

Well he made it there in time and everyone was fine. I, however, went through another crazy thought process before ungluing myself from my post at the window. How do I go down and face my neighbor? An old man, with at least 40 years on me, who managed to make it out of his house (or at least off of his deck) and through the back yard fast enough to save my son, when all I could do was watch. God - I'm a horrible mother. What other mothers allow their 5 and 3 years olds play in the back yard without hovering over them? Was my need to get the cleaning done that great that I couldn't think logically? Can I get away with blaming my pregnancy brain on this one?

Nah - I went with the classic - "Thank you sooooo much John! I heard what was going on but I was going to the bathroom and couldn't get back out here fast enough." Surely implying that I was taking a dump was a good enough excuse. I mean, would he honestly think that I would round up the kids and bring them back inside, just so I could do my business? Yeah - this excuse would have to do...but I guess I'd better come up with something better for the next time when I allow my bad parenting skills to shine through for all to see!!

Baby #3 Update

I've been quietly holding my breath and saying little prayers that all early indications for the wee-one still in utero will wind up being healthy and it appears that I can finally exhale a bit. After numerous visits to Yale for follow-up ultra-sounds, I was given the ok yesterday that this baby should be as normal as possible. Well, at least as normal as a baby with one kidney can be. Ok...at least as normal as a Baker baby with one kidney can be. Because even with both of it's kidneys, it still would have a tough time being "normal" in this family!!

At last months check-up, the remaining kidney was normal in size, but as of yesterday, it had grown a bit more and is now slightly larger than the average sized kidney. And that's a good thing. This will help compensate for the missing one.

Also during my last check-up, the doctor "scanned" me rather quickly to see if I had both of my kidneys, which I do. They wanted to rule out heredity as a cause for this. But because Daddy was not readily available for a quick scan as well, this months check-up included extensive coverage of the heart. Evidently if this was NOT a hereditary issue, the heart could indicate a much larger problem at hand. After viewing the heart from every angle, listening and recording every little beat and watching the blood flow in/out of every ventricle and aorta, baby was given a clean bill of health.

And because the doctor informed me that the diagnosis was "medically conclusive", yesterday was the last chance I got to see my little one before the big day. (Barring anything freaky between now and then of course.) "It" is slightly over 4 lbs. (give or take a 15% margin of error), has a fuzzy head of hair which I have a picture of and since last month has decided to flip flop into a breech position - butt down in a "V". So c'mon baby - do some more flip floppin' into the right position over the next few weeks, because Mommy won't have a kid who won't cooperative before they even exit the womb!!

Easter

Easter is always a fun time for the kids. For Megan, she loves to get dressed up in her new Easter dress. For Matt, he loves that the Easter bunny will be bringing more candy!! And for those inquiring minds that really want to know - yes - I did recycle our left over candy and used it for Easter!! Thank you Karen for the plastic egg reminder. How could I have ever forgotten. And no, the kids were none the wiser about this.

I normally end up with some pretty good pictures of the kids, but I have to say, they must be hitting that akward, dorky, Rag-a-muffin look, must pose with a cheesy smile on my face, stage in their lives because I just couldn't seem to get a good one this year. It didn't help that Matt wanted to stand in a Karate Kid like pose and when I told him to put his leg down, he began to cry because he suddenly had to pee and couldn't stand still. Hmph...so this is what you are stuck with this year!!