Lila’s two year check-up

At her doctor appointment yesterday, these were Lila’s stats:

Height: 35.5 inches (90%)

Weight: 26 lbs (40%)

Head circumference: 19 inches (40%)

Lila speaks in full sentences and learns new words every day. She continually memorizes and sings songs. Current favorites are “Happy Birthday” and “How Much is That Doggie in the Window?” She can count to 10 and tries really hard to recognize colors but rarely gets them right and instead guesses green or blue-purple (as one word) every time.

Dr. Edwards suggested weening Lila off the pacifier, which we’re going to try to do very soon. She only takes it at nap and bedtime, or if we’re in an “emergency” (on a long car ride, at the store) and she’s freaking out. I want to have her weened before the Baby is born, and I know we shouldn’t make any drastic changes when he gets here, so now is the time. Future self — wish us luck!

———–

Mandi took these pictures while we were in Arizona. I adore them!

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Early October update

When I walked in the door last night after driving 6-7 hours home from Gilbert, I told Lance I’d never make the drive alone again! Today I’m hesitant to use the word “never”, but still feel pretty strongly that it won’t be happening again any time soon.

Lila was sad for about 2 of the 6.5 hours. Not fun! I decided to “drive through” instead of stopping at a McDonalds playplace like I usually do. It was nice to get home 1.5 hours earlier than usual, but it wasn’t worth it. Baby girl needs to get out and play, and I need to get out and stretch! It’s physically and mentally exhausting to consecutively drive for so long, especially with a whining, crying, screaming, sad sweetie in the back.

Last week Lila and I drove to the Phoenix Valley to watch Spencer (3.5 yrs old) and Mallory (9 months old) while Mandi and Brandon went to NYC for a few days. Lisa invited us to come stay with her so she could help, and I’m so glad we were able to — because the help was needed! Mom even joined us for two days and a night. I’m glad she made the effort despite having a busy week ahead serving at the temple and judging the Graham County Fair.

Mallory is still nursing, but also takes baby food. She did pretty well all things considered. She only wakes up once a night (about 4:30 am) to eat, so that wasn’t that bad. She didn’t love formula or drinking from a bottle, but we survived. She is such a happy, easy baby and is a joy to be around. Her face lights up and mouth opens wide with excitement at the smallest things. It’s the cutest.

Spencer is a firecracker and says the funniest things. Mandi is doing such a good job raising him and Mally. She is so good about explaining everything to him. That, and just his given personality, contribute to his thoughtful demeanor. He wakes up early and goes to bed late, though his sleep schedule is improving. I had Lila and Mallory in the back bedrooms with me, and Lisa kept Spencer in her room. He woke up before 7 a.m. every morning, but she’d let him watch TV before waking up with him at a decent hour. In that way, we were able to handle all three kids pretty well.

Jace and Brittany, who were on fall break from school, were also a big help. Spencer and Lila LOVED them. On the drive home, Lila kept asking “Jace, where are you?” It was fun to attend one of Brittany’s home volleyball games, though I felt kind of silly walking in five months pregnant with a 9 month old baby on my hip. I wanted to say “she isn’t mine!” If people only knew I’d left a 3.5 and 2 yr old back at home — ha!

We played board games, went to the park, went for RZR rides, made Playdough and made yummy food while at Lisa’s. Lila and Spencer fought like crazy, but they also played really well together. Lila adored Mallory but her love was a double edged sword. Sometimes she was so helpful — she’d entertain Mallory if I couldn’t get to her in time, etc. But sometimes she was too helpful and would want to share her snacks with Mallory while we were driving in the car! Talk about confusing when I’d say “Lila, share your crackers with Spencer. Lila, DON’T share your crackers with Mallory!”

I’m so grateful for my sisters. Mandi and Brandon were gone four about 4 nights, but were only in NYC for 2 nights. They left at 4 a.m. one morning and got back at about 11 p.m., which is why it felt like 4 nights to me instead of 2. Being tired and pregnant and having just gotten back from a long trip myself, I wasn’t super excited to drive to Arizona and be away from home again. But at the same time, I was happy to do it because I understand. There are very few people I’d leave Lila alone with, and Mandi is one of them. I’m happy to be that trusted person for her kids. I think alone time with your spouse is SO important, and I hope we can continue in the future to make this a tradition.

Baby boy is moving a ton, and I love it. It’s definitely the best part of pregnancy. I’m in a good stage where I’m obviously pregnant but not overly huge. My body sometimes aches, especially after sleeping on hard beds that aren’t mine, but for the most part I’m feeling really good. Mandi gave me some baby boy items of Spencer’s and it made me feel a new wave of excitement for Baby Boy to arrive. I wonder how he’ll fit into our family, what his personality will be like, what Lila will think, how he’ll sleep etc. I’m anxious to hold him and love him and feel that special bond that exists between parent and child.

I renewed and upgraded our Disneyland annual passes today. It was painful to click “purchase” because they are so expensive! We went from the $330 each passes to Lance’s passes being $579 and mine $799! Because Downtown Disney no longer offers cheap parking, we decided to “Go Big” and upgrade to passes that include parking and have fewer blackout dates. Now we’ll be able to go on most Saturdays. Plus we figured this is our only chance to do this before Lila turns three next year and we have to start paying for her. By then, we’ll likely downgrade or take a Disney break.

September Wrap-up

*Written February 2018*

Well, I’m behind. Ha. Posting about the trip took all of September, but the actual trip didn’t. After we got home, we celebrated both Lila and Lance’s birthdays, went to Disneyland (of course), the beach and the Irvine Regional Park. I’ll let the pictures do the talking. The main purpose for this entry, though, is so I can include the picture of Lila doing her yoga pose. She saw Marina do it at Lake Powell and continues to sporadically let her inner yogi out. Cutie.

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Austria + Czech Republic Cost Breakdown

Austria actual cost

Flight
Lance $75.56 + 60K miles
Keri $75.56 + 60K miles
Lila $70.06

Lodging
Vienna $556
Hallstatt $141.85
Salzburg $526.93
Innsbruck $507
Cesky Krumlov $94.38
Prague $424

Rental Car
8 days $757.69

Gas
Werfen $62.13
Prague $41.54

Travel Insurance
Allianz $105.39

Parking
Hallstatt $9.58
Hallstatt $7.19
Wasserwunderwelt (waterfall) $7.17
Innsbruck $2.39

Uber
to LAX $51.15
to Prague airport $14.77
from LAX $59.71

Restaurant
LAX airport $19.86
Vienna Artemis (Greek) $26.07
McDonalds $4.79
Magic Pizza $20.54
Prague pizza $6.69
Prague airport $17.79

Tourist sites
Schloss Schoenbrunn $34.04
Erlebnisburg Hohenwerfen $31.15
Eisriesenwelt Talstation $57.51
Schlossverwaltung Helbrunn $29.81
Nordkettenbahnen $67.53
Nordkettenbahn $20.74
Karlstejn Castle $30.56

Transportation
Vienna airport bus $24.14
Train to Danube $37.89
Train from Danube $36.93

Cash withdrawals
$201.99
$80
$180.99
$101.95

Transaction fees
$5.42
$3.05

Groceries
$19.33
0.42
$6.81
$28.75
$9.73
$4.02
$2.97
$16.48
$20.33
$15.93
$1.85
$8.05
$32.60

Unknown
$3.62

TOTAL
$4,800.38

Back to Reality: Life back home

I’m writing this two days and two weeks after we got home, and I’m so grateful to say that though it was a struggle, we’ve all normalized and gotten back on schedule!

The flight back home went fairly smoothly after some major bumps in the beginning. We woke up super early (4 a.m.!) to make it to the airport early in case we had trouble again. Our flight was for 8:15 a.m. When we arrived, we were walking through the empty airport line to check in and I made a semi-sharp turn while pushing Lila in her stroller and she fell straight out right on her face! Poor girl! It was if I saw the whole thing in slow motion. She wasn’t buckled in, but I was going so slow that I figured she’d just lay back, or at worst fall forward but catch herself with her arms. Nope! She had a pacifier in which maybe helped, maybe hurt the situation. Her tooth went through her lip and it bled and bled and took at least a week to heal. Not a great start to our day!

At the ticket counter, the Austrian employee said we had two infants attached to our ticket plus a wheelchair?! Ha. Luckily she was able to quickly solve the problem and even secure us a row of four seats to our selves. Though we didn’t have a bassinet this time, it was SO nice to have Lance and I sit on the edges and give Lila two seats to play between and sleep on. She fell asleep in his arms during take off and then slept on the seats for a few hours. She may have napped again on the flight but I already don’t remember. Either way, when we got back to the USA she was exhausted.

We walked in our door at about 4 p.m. on September 12 — that’s 1 a.m. in Austria. We put Lila down for a quick nap, and I ran to the grocery store. Unfortunately we made the mistake of not waking her up again. We tried! We brought her downstairs but nothing worked. She literally laid passed out on the floor, despite our coaxing, lifting her arms, tickling her toes etc.

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In hindsight, we should’ve given her a bath. But it was hard to be motivated when we were so tired ourselves. We waited until 7 or 8 to allow ourselves to go to sleep, and when we crawled into our nice big soft bed it was heaven!

Unfortunately, Lila was up at 3 a.m. She and Lance went downstairs and I eventually joined them because I too was wide awake. Lila was ready for the day and kept asking for her “choo choo train” — a wooden toy we bought in Prague. We all went back to sleep at 6 a.m., and were back up between 8 and 9 for work and the day.

The first night I thought it was kind of fun/endearing that we were all wide awake and spending time together in the wee hours of the dark. By day three when this was still happening, I was not a happy camper! It was hard because it was so unexpected — she jumped back from jet lag faster than Lance and I did when we were in Austria! Though things gradually started to get better, it seemed as though Lila’s progress had piqued at 6 a.m. I worried that 6 a.m. would be our new normal, and that’s NOT OK! I’m used to 7:30-8 a.m.! I don’t want to start my day when it’s dark, and I don’t want to have to worry about going to bed by 10 p.m. because I know I’ll be up early.

Luckily a few curve balls, like keeping her up late a few nights in a row, helped get things back on track. I was more careful to start waking her up from her naps (otherwise she’d sleep 4-5 hours) and not letting myself take naps either. After exactly a week, she slept in until 7:30. Lila now goes to bed about 8 p.m. and sleeps til 8 a.m., and wakes up naturally from 1 p.m. naps after 2-3 hours. Wahoo!

 

Last stop: Prague

In a way, we saw as much in Prague as we did in Vienna. Somehow the first and last cities we visit always seem to suffer. The former because of jetlag, the latter because we were just done. Done with tours, done with museums, done with spending money. Or was that just me? I think Lance would’ve been happy to keep playing tourist day after day, but was equally happy to take it easy with me.

In Prague, we wandered through the meandering streets of Old Town and enjoyed the city that was touristy but still genuine and dirty. People live and work here and you can tell. We’d always end up in Old Town Square, because it’s the view I always picture when I think of Prague. There we’d enjoy a snack from a street vendor and let Lila run around — she’d usually chase the pigeons, point to the “horsies” or want to pay a street performer to play in his bubbles.

Unfortunately the Old Town Hall and its clock tower were under construction, so it was unsightly and we were unable to climb to the top, which supposedly boasts the best views of town. Instead we ventured across Charles Bridge (a beautiful sight itself — built in 1390!) and wandered the grounds of Prague Castle. The castle is the city’s most popular tourist attraction and has traditionally been the seat of Czech rulers. Today it functions as the official residence of the president. Entrance to the grounds was free (though manned by armed guards) but to go inside any of the sights, including St Vitus Cathedral, required a ticket. We opted to just explore outside as the weather was beautiful and Lila needed a break from the stroller and baby carrier.

On our way back to our side of town, we stopped at a park just below Charles Bridge, which offered an amazing view of the bridge and the Old Town. Had we been alone, we’d never known there was a park there or stopped to rest and take it all in. It was moments like that that we were glad to have brought our Baby Girl. And despite the playground being covered in rain drops, Lila loved playing and making new friends. We would’ve stayed longer, but a poopy diaper and only two wipes made us return home.

During our three day stay, we discovered a yummy treat called “Trdelnik” — it’s a yummy pastry rolled into a cone with soft serve inside drizzled with Nutella. I had two while we were there (and together we could barely finish them). So good! We also finished up our souvenir shopping and bought a Prague magnet and a wooden “choo-choo train” for Lila. Though it looks like it could’ve been purchased at Ikea, it still reminds me of the trip (and hopefully someday her) because she pointed out and went on so many “trains” (metros).

The apartment

My AirBNB review: “Though this apartment has a lot of potential, I wouldn’t recommend it. Here’s why: The bed was so hard, loud/squeaky and uncomfortable that I ended up sleeping on the couch. The bedding and number of pillows are not accurately portrayed in the photos; no dish soap, laundry soap or paper towels was included; the place seemed to be hurriedly, half-heartedly cleaned and not at all restocked since the last guests. (We ran out of toilet paper!) Despite all of the reasons why I wouldn’t stay again, there were nice elements of the apartment. It was in a good location, felt safe, and the SmartTV (which allowed us to sign into our Netflix account) was a nice touch. Much of the decor was nice, and the bathroom was updated. But when traveling, I care more about comfort, cleanliness and functionality than aesthetics. (Just FYI — we are Americans in our 30s and this was the final stay of a 2+ week across Austria and the Czech Republic. We stayed at a variety of pensions, hotels and home rentals, and are used to different standards of comfort. This went beyond that.)”

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Karlstejn Castle + Photos

“Rising above the village of Karlstejn, 30km southwest of Prague, this medieval castle is in such good shape it wouldn’t look out of place on Disneyworld’s Main St. The crowds come in theme-park proportions as well, but the peaceful surrounding countryside offers views of Karlstejn’s stunning exterior that rival anything you’ll see on the inside.” — The Lonely Planet

Sounds great, right? Well … The Lonely Planet let me down on this one, but I’m still glad we visited it anyway.

Because of the size of the castle, its accessibility, where it’s located and the landscape, it was impossible to get a good view of Karlstejn. So it could’ve looked like a beautiful medieval castle on Disney’s Main Street, but I’d have no idea. Additionally, the inside was barely occupied by furniture and historical items, none of which were that interesting or ornate.

And yet, I’m still glad we went and think it was worth the trip. Our tour guide looked 18 at most, and spoke English with a heavy Czech accent. It wasn’t until halfway through that Lance whispered to me that “Jane the Virgin” nailed the accent — and I burst into laughter. “Jane the Virgin” is a TV show we watch that has a Czech immigrant who spoke just like our guide. After that, the tour was much more interesting purely because of that silly connection.

It was also worth visiting because it was interesting to hear about the country’s history and learn about it’s people from it’s past. Lila really struggled at the end, and Lance wrangled her the best he could. We gave each other “the look” (what have we done?!) several times.

The village itself was cute but kitchy and obviously geared toward tourists, though I doubt any spent the night because of its proximity to Prague. We shared a slab of fried cheese (yum!), a sausage, some fries and an ice cream cone and I cursed the fact that we hadn’t found any more gelato since our stint in Innsbruck. And then we drove to Prague in time to turn our rental car in by 6 p.m.!

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