Summer's Here

Wow, two weekends have already come and gone.  Last weekend was a fun but short trip to Wichita, where we celebrated my Aunt and Uncle's 50th wedding anniverary.  We saw cousins we hadn't seen in years (and their kids who I'd never recognize as young adults!)  Noah really enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Grandpa (as seen here).  We did really well playing with some of his second cousins.

We couldn't leave without of course, getting a family picture taken.  What a handsome group! :-)

Mike, Noah and I did our own family picture and leave it to Mike to keep it interesting.

Sunday was of course, Father's Day.  I can't say Mike was able to spend it the way he wanted (at home in front of the TV relaxing) but we did have a great amount of family time.  We all went out to breakfast together before heading back to TX.  Noah was in a good mood and we took advantage of it by getting a great picture of him and his Uncle Ryan.  I worry the day Noah is older and visits Ryan in Chicago.  That is just asking for trouble if you ask me!

Noah loves visiting with Grandma Blick.

Noah is always sad when we have to say goodbye but we are fortunate in that he won't have to wait long to see his grandparents again.  They are coming down for the 4th.

The week was rather a blur, with both Mike and I very busy at work.  I was just happy to get through it.  We've had another busy weekend, trying to get the house cleaned and ready for Grandma and Grandpa Blick's visit.  I have also been very busy preparing for our 2nd son's arrival. 

I put Mike to work Sunday to get the room painted (that's a start) and have been busy with buying decor etc.  I already have the baby's bedding so once we get Noah's new bedroom stuff, we can begin to move the furniture to other room.

I have also been busy finishing up the boys' bathroom decor.  It turned out just as I'd hoped! 

(these are the "custom" knobs I created!)

Noah's room is still a work in progress.  I have a vision, I just need to make it a reality!  We still want to paint a few stripes on his walls and once that is done, I can begin to hang some of the items I've purchased.  We're doing an aviation theme and I think it's going to turn out really cute!

I've also purchased paint for our guest quarters and it's just a matter of time until we can get those rooms painted.  Since I'm not allowed to paint, it's all up to Mike and he's been so busy with other home improvements, we just have to take it day by day.

Overall, I've been feeling back to my usual self.  The baby is doing very well.  Very active!  I've just begun feeling him kick over the past week or two (definitely more so now!) so it will be interesting to meet him to see if his personality matches his activity!  Here is the latest picture of him at just shy of 18 weeks.  Handsome, isn't he?

 

I will get screened for Gestational Diabetes in the next 4 weeks or so.  I have a 50/50 chance of getting it with this pregnancy.  I'm just going to assume I have it (mostly b/c that is the kind of luck that I have) but it really wasn't such a bad thing.  Last time it helped me watch my weight so I only gained 22 lbs with the pregancy.  I've just about reached those lbs now and I'm only halfway there!  I've also begun getting some exercise to hopefully help combat some of the weight gain.  We are still on track for Nov. 8 delivery.  I think it will depend on whether I have GD to determine if they'll induce and send me in early. 

I think I've done the last of my work travels so it will be nice to be home more consistently.  I think this summer is really going to fly by and we have so much to do before the baby's arrival!  We are getting Noah warmed up to the idea of a baby brother.  He seems to be coming around and knows that the room next to his is "baby's."  I'm sure it will make all the difference in the world when he's here.

We have been trying to slowly introduce potty training to Noah but every time we ask him if he wants to sit on the potty it's "no thank you."  We're trying not to push it but I really don't want to kids in diapers!  Later this summer we may try a little bit harder but I've also been told that kids will do it when they are ready.  We'll see.

We finished up Noah's swim lessons yesterday.  He hates doing anything structured (which was seen at his friend's b-day party yesterday) so when he's told what to do, he throws a fit.  However, of the activities we did practice (getting out of the pool, kicking feet) he did really well.  He still refuses to float on his back and does not want to go under water (he came home telling daddy that mommy dunked him) which is sort of true...I didn't dunk, I just let him go under.  We have a lot to practice this summer so that hopefully he'll actually want to take swim lessons and learn to be on his own and not be afraid of the water or getting his face/head wet.  All in due time I suppose.

That's all for now from the World of Reichert.  I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Love,

Corri, Mike, Noah and Baby R.

Swimming Lessons

So as I said before, this was to be a short week.  We got back Monday night and Noah and I went back to work/school on Tuesday.  Mike stayed home to get some studying done and wait for the irrigation guy to come out to review our landscape/drainage issue.  Wed. Mike was home again due to illness but seemed to feel better by Thursday.  However, he stayed home again on Thursday as our media room was being completed, the pest control guy was coming out and the plumber made a visit.  The good news to the day was that our media room was done!  I say that in the loosest sense since we still have to paint and decorate the room.  At least the heavy lifting is done!  Now for the bad news...looks like it wasn't an irrigation issue after all.  We think the leak is coming from underneath the house.  The plumber said we have to turn off the water until Monday to let it dry out so he can get in there and see what the problem is.  n addition, the pest control guy found condensation on our AC so he thinks we should have that looked at.  Great.  So, looks like we're moving in with my sister for the weekend, along with my mother, since we can't use any water at the house.  There is no telling how much it's going to cost us or what the issue is.  I guess it's a good thing we have home owner's insurance.  Not sure what to do about the AC.  I guess Mike will have someone come take a look at it to see if there are any major issues.  Doesn't surprise me though as the upstairs has been having a lot of trouble cooling off.  I wonder if we've moved into the money pit?!

Friday, Mom, Dana and I spent the day at Canton.  We each found some goodies - I got most of Noah's bathroom decor found and am very excited to get it painted and then decorated.  That will be one more room complete!  My mom was awesome and Wed. painted his room for us so that looks wonderful and we're well on the way to getting his room completed!  My goal is to pick a paint for the baby's room and work on that later this summer.  We're waiting to find out the sex first.  Speaking of, if all goes well, we should know Monday!!  We are very excited to put the mystery at rest, pick a name and begin getting things ready.  We'll be sure to let everyone know!!

Noah began swim lessons today.  We were very excited for him to start learning and not be so afraid of the pool.  Have I mentioned he's in the terrible two's?  We get there and there are 5 other little boys in the class, most around 18 mos. with one other close but younger to Noah.  Noah is the only one fighting not to get into the pool.  Once I getting him in, all he can do is scream NO!  To everything.  NO to singing, NO to splashing, NO to the water.  Grandma came to watch and I think she was in awe of how difficult he was being.  The coach even tried a few things and he screamed NO to her as well.  It was STOP SINGING, TOO LOUD, BE QUIET.  So embarrassing!  Since they all have little ones, I'm sure they sympathized with me, but it still wasn't easy.  Thank goodness the lesson was only 30 minutes!  Then of course, he didn't want to get out of the pool, but he didn't want to obey the orders either.  Mom took pictures, but they are on her camera so unfortunately I have nothing to post, but I'll send them your way eventually. 
After lessons, Noah was insistent we go to the pool.  Mom and I decided that since Mike was out for the day, Dana had a hair apt. we'd go ahead and take him to the pool to practice what he learned.  His coach highly recommended we do that before the next lesson.  We got to the pool and again, he didn't want to get in but grandma was pretty persuasive.  Before long he was in the pool and actually wanting to swim!!  He did a great job kicking his legs while I moved him around the pool.  He also had to practice blowing bubbles in the water.  He didn't love that part, but did it a few times.  The monkey crawl is also a big one.  It's where they hold on to the side of the pool and shimmy over to the steps.  This is in case they ever fall in the water, they can kick over to the side, then hang on until they find stairs and can climb out.  He was monkey crawling all over the pool!  It was great to see how quickly he grasped the concept.  The last lesson was to float on his back.  He wasn't having any of this.  We tried a few times but to no avail.  That is going to be a tough one.  I'm sure it scares him not to see behind him.  Hopefully we can get to the pool a few more times before next week to practice. 
We didn't stay out there too much longer as we knew he was tired and he's not sleeping very well at Dana's.  He's on the floor of our room but seems to wake extra early and won't go back to sleep.  We've got two more nights like this and I can only hope he'll be ok back in his bed Monday night (I really hope we can sleep in our house Monday night!)
Mike spent Sunday painting the kids' bathroom.  I picked an aqua color and will be decorating with fish.  I've pretty much purchased all of the decor so I'm excited to put it together.  Just need to find a shower curtain, towels and mats to go with now!  Something is definitely wrong with the AC.  It was a sauna upstairs all day while Mike painted.  I guess it's a blessing that we aren't there because there is no way Noah would be able to sleep.
It's been really great having Mom here all week - she has to head home on Monday.  She's been a really great sitter; I've actually gotten a nap in the past few days which has been much needed!  I know Noah is going to be very upset and will ask about her for days.  All last week when she was staying with Dana he wanted to know where Grandma was.  We'll be going to Wichita in another few weeks so it won't be long before he can see her again. 
Keep your fingers crossed and send lots of prayers that our water situation isn't too bad!  Stay tuned!
Love,
Corri, Mike, Noah and baby R.

Memorial Weekend

Nothing better than spending a long weekend in Napa Valley, celebrating a wedding with family!  My brother-in-law, Matt, married his sweetheart, Emily and what a beautiful ceremony and party!  Mike and I flew out on Friday, leaving the kiddo with Grandma Blick and Aunt Dana.

We enjoyed a very leisurely weekend.  Mike surprised me for our anniversary (which was last Thursday) with flowers and Champagne in our room when we arrived! 

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We stayed at a very cute bed and breakfast, minutes from downtown Napa.  He treated me to a wonderful anniversary dinner that night. He's very much full of surprises.  We closed out the night back at our hotel, sitting outside drinking the Champagne.

Saturday we hit some wineries and I really enjoyed watching him taste wine.  No, I really didn't, but I did take a few sips here and there.  We met up with Matt and Emily and their friends, John and Theresa to complete the afternoon. 

Groth Winery was by apt. only and we made a last minute one.  It was a good decision because their wine was great and I think we'll definitely look for it in store!

Rubicon was a winery across from where we had lunch reservations.  Since we had 45 minutes to kill, we thought we'd just walk it.  That was a mistake.  The winery was about 2 miles up the road so let's just say, we missed our reservation!  The winery was very cool though.  It was quite the mansion and on the inside reminded me of a castle.  Just beautiful!

It got downright hot in Napa - days in the mid-80s but the mornings and evenings were just fantastic!  It definitely beat the 90 degree weather happening in Dallas.

That evening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

We couldn't have a rehearsal dinner without a story from Dad about Matt as a boy.   Apparently he loved garbage. 

The Reichert kids - which one of them isn't like the other.  Or should I say, which one is the drunk one?  Difficult guess, right?!

Just having fun!!

Sunday was a very relaxing day.  I spent it with Denise and Megan wandering downtown while Mike stayed in to study for a few hours.  The wedding was that night so before we knew it, it was time to get ready!

As I mentioned ,it got rather hot while in Napa and the wedding was outdoors.  I sympathized with all of the gentlemen wearing suits.  The women were lucky since we could wear lighter clothing.

The ceremony was beautiful and you could see the love between the two.  Weddings always seem to bring out the love in all couples so it was a fun evening all around!

Meanwhile, back at the house, I understand that Noah was keeping Grandma and Dana very entertained.  Grandma took Noah to the pool a few days.  She really knows how to wear that kid out!

I think he napped like this for a good while! I was very proud of him overall and how well he did without us.  Sunday morning when I spoke with him, it about broke my heart.  He told me how much he missed me, loved me and asked when I was coming home.  It was hard not to lose some tears over that one.  The more he learns to talk, the harder it does get to be away.  I knew he was in good hands though and was having much more fun than we could have with us home.  We have no regrets leaving him in Dallas while we enjoyed a nice weekend away but it was definitely enough time for us to miss him.  He was so excited when we got home and that was enough.  Of course, that lasted all of one day.  As soon as Grandma left for Dana, the tears came out and he wanted to go with her.  Well, I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder, but only briefly!

The week turned out to be a very short one...

To be continued...

Upfront Week 5/17-5/21

Yes, I know I'm severely behind in my blog posts but I hope to catch up very soon.  In the meantime, enjoy details from 2 weeks ago!

What a whirlwind week I had the week of May 17th! I left for NY early Monday morning and that afternoon began my meetings. Through the course of the week, I attended FOX, ABC, CBS, Turner and ESPN meetings. They rolled out their new shows along with their new technologies. In between meetings, we had lunches and dinners with network reps. This may sound fun, and they are, but they are also work as it’s a lot of shop talk and schmoozing. It’s nice that we have good people on our business though. It makes it so much easier! Monday night at the FOX Upfront, I got to see my favorite show, Glee, perform live – they are just amazing! I also got a picture with some of the cast afterwards.

Good start to the week! I have to say though, the highlight of my trip had to be the CBS party where I got some pictures of some of my favorite celebrities!

Two from How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor,

as well as my childhood crush (who am I kidding – I still have a crush!) Chris O’Donnell

 and the ever amazing LL Cool J.

 All were incredibly nice and gracious, which makes me like them even more. By the end of the week, I was exhausted and absolutely looked forward to seeing my two favorite guys. When I spoke to Mike Friday morning, he told me overall Noah had a good week (I’m thinking he didn’t want to worry me) but if he was telling the truth, I’m glad to know all went well.

I probably could have gone without the story he told me, but since I had to hear it, you get to too. Mike told me he found Noah one morning in the living room with his hand full of what looked like avocado. Mike was very curious what he had since he had no idea where he got it. He found out soon enough as he got closer. Noah decided to stick his hand down his pants and pull out poo. Yes, that’s right. And it was green. GROSS. Can anyone say, we need to get this kid potty trained fast?!  I hope you weren't eating as you read this...

We had intended to go to a baseball game Friday night when I got home but it just didn't work out.  Instead we enjoyed some family time together at home 

Mike left for his business trip early Saturday morning. It was me and munchkin for the week. Dana spent much of the weekend with us.  We took Noah to the mall where he enjoyed his first ride on the carousel.  He had a blast!

I was very blessed to have Dana help me out with Mike being gone.  The week following, Dana had her car in the shop so she stayed with us and we carpooled. It was nice to have someone around in our otherwise, big, empty house!

Mike got home late Wednesday night.  He stayed home on Thursday to get some things done.  By the time Noah and I arrived home from work/school, my mom was there and had dinner on the table.  Boy, a girl could get used to this!  She came to town so that Mike and I could go to California to attend his brother's wedding in Napa.  A rough life, we know!   That is my next blog post.  I need to download pictures but I'll be sure to share about the wonderful weekend!

On another note, I admit, I have been remiss about talking about our upcoming new arrival. I have been hesitant to post until we knew things were going well and all family had been notified. Now that I can check those boxes, I’m happy to report that our 2nd baby is due Nov. 8 and all is going well! I finally got over my nausea about 3 weeks ago. Up until then, I felt ill 24 hours a day. The only thing that seemed to help was food. I’m unhappy to report I think I’ve gained 10 lbs in the first trimester. I was so good with Noah, I can only hope things even out and I stay within 25 lbs for this pregnancy. We definitely plan to find out what we’re having and should know next Monday! We’ve been talking to Noah about becoming a big brother and asking if he wants a brother or sister. He doesn’t really know what we’re asking so until he sees mommy’s belly getting bigger, and more probably, once the baby arrives, he’s not really going to get it. We hope to get Noah’s room, along with the baby’s, completed this summer. We are also busy with the media room, trying to get that done as well. That will be very nice for Mike and I to have a “date night” after the little ones go to bed since I imagine we’ll get out even less once we have two to manage.

I’ll be sure to report on the little munchkin as we know more.

Love to all,

Corri, Mike and Noah