Thursdays in Pella!

Last Thursday was our last "Thursdays in Pella" for the season. Each summer, on Thursday nights, food vendors, organizations, clubs, etc., gather together on the square and it is sort of a small community gathering / mini-fair (some nights) for the locals.

This last Thursday, Adam was playing with Amy Steenhoek and the Rising Son Band, but not until late. So... before he played, we took a gander at all of the different things displayed. Since it was the last night and seemingly "Farm Implement Night", there was a lot to see!






Also, we received a few free tickets for some rides, and finally I was excited that Julia was able to go on the barrel train ride. She is still too small to go by herself, so Adam went with her... she had a blast! She was really upset when it was time to get off the train.




erin

State Fair!: Butter

Each year, the Iowa State Fair boasts butter sculptures... each year there is a cow... and something else!

This year the butter sculpters celebrated the 40th anniversary of the moon landing... I thought the scultures were pretty inventive and neat. And of course, I took a picture of the cow too.






erin

State Fair!: Rain

Last Friday we went to the State Fair. Adam had a scheduled gig on the AE (Anderson Erickson for you non-Des Moines area folk) Stage with Amy Steenhoek and the Rising Son band for 1 pm that Friday. So, round about 11 am, everyone packed up and headed to the fair.

Two years ago when they played, I was able to ride with everyone else because we didn't have a child yet... but this year Julia and I had to park in the back 40 and pay to get in... we found a great spot for $5 only 3 blocks from Gate 8, and after a $10 entrance fee, we were on our way to find some lunch before watching Adam play.

I knew that rain was expected for that day, so I had packed extra clothes for Julia, and extra shirt for me, and because we didn't know how the temp would be throughout the day, extra shorts for Adam. The rain showed up while we were eating lunch for about five minutes... thankfully we were able to scoot into the cow barn.

The band started at 1 pm and things looked well weather-wise at that point. One of Adam's beer buds, Holly, showed up and she had two umbrellas with her. For one, I wasn't expecting her, for two, she chose to sit by me, and for three... it was not her original plan to have them, BUT SHE HAD UMBRELLAS.

About 20 minutes into the show, the rain started. It wasn't the worst rain in the world... and it waned for about 5 minutes... and then it really started to come down. The stage itself was protected overhead, but the seats are not, and the rain was coming in from all directions. The band had to stop and pull back their equipment because it was starting to get wet, and Holly and I tried our best to stay dry. I gave up on Julia after about 5 minutes... she was loving the rain and having a blast racing her Care Bears up and down the wet benches.





As you can see... quickly Julia was thoroughly soaked. But Julia wasn't the only one/only thing soaked... her stroller was starting to hold water... so despite the fact that I brought extra clothes for her, it was pointless to change her because she would simply become wet all over again just from sitting in her seat. However, Julia had a ball in the rain... and pretty much had a good time at the fair!







erin

37

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant... and yet again I will say, I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by!

While I am still 3 weeks away from my "due date", my C-section is scheduled for a short 18 days from now... September 14th! WOW!

Today was my latest round of doctor appointments... a check-up with my OB and a consult with the surgeon.

Total Weight Gain: 25 lbs

Difference from Last Appointment: +0 lb (Guess I should eat cake regularly more often! HA!)

Baby's Heartbeat: 150's

Fundal height (belly measurement): 38 cm / 38 weeks (No change from last week, but no concern there.)

Blood Pressure: 110/70

Today's my doctor's daughter started kindergarten (she turned 6 on the 22nd), so he was running a little late to work and came to work in a t-shirt and shorts. I heard my nurse say in the hallway that she didn't think I would care how he was dressed, so in he came. Hee! He had a student doctor with him and was teaching him how to do all the measurements and whatnot. It was a routine appointment and we mostly talked about late summer birthdays and They Might Be Giants.

After my OB appointment, I had a consult with the surgeon. It was pretty much a gathering of information that I'm pretty sure at least five other areas of the hospital and clinic already have on me... and then a rundown of all of the possible things that could go wrong during a C-section and okay, that is that and do you have any questions. I said... uh, yah. What about the day of? Where do I go? What do I do? He told me that OB would be calling in the next couple of weeks and talking me through things... but... HA!... if I didn't hear anything, I should maybe call them. Umm. Right.

Biggest waste of a co-pay EVER.

However... all in all, life is really good! I've been enjoying the rain the last few days and am seriously looking forward to the weather for the next week or so (yay for low 70s!).

And, I have a Wonderful Husband! Adam took time off of work this morning to come home and watch Julia so that I didn't need to find a sitter for her during my appointments; very sweet of him! :)

My next appointment is next Thursday (ooh, September already!).

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

erin

Corn Fed

Julia had fun eating corn on the cob tonight with us...!  YAY!  This is about the fifth time we've had corn on the cob this summer, and the last few times, she has wanted to try and eat off of my cob... and this time she wanted to take bites, so I cut mine in half and let her gnaw on it.  She had a blast with it!  Too bad that corn, one of the least nutritious of vegetables, is her favorite.  Ha!  Though, I have heard from the daycare lady that she also likes peas.  Will have to give those a shot again at home!  (We don't eat a lot of peas 'cause Adam is not a fan... oh, well!  The picture is hard to see... sorry about that!)

 

erin

Care Bears

Oh, yah.... ;)

Sepia: First Birthday

Our new scanner has arrived and has been installed!  :)  This is a picture of my dad and me celebrating our birthdays together in 1979.  It is my 1st birthday in this picture!  (And this picture was taken at Grandpa & Grandma Rischette's house... I bet based on this picture I could pinpoint exactly where in the living/dining area.  Too fun!)

erin

Hold That Thought...

My OB doctor called a little after I posted my "September 11" post to tell me that he had just talked with the surgeon and September 11 would absolutely not work for him.  He had planned to go out of town that weekend and didn't want to be there for the C-section but then pass me off to a different OB for the remainder of my stay.  So, he worked things out with the surgeon, and now the C-section is on...

... September 14th!  So... now we will be expected Baby Draeger on Monday, September 14th!  Fun!  YAY!  :)

erin

ps. And now I do not need to miss my quilt guild anniversary dinner either...!

September 11

A lot of things might go through your head when you hear "September 11"...

... anniversary of planes crashing into large buildings in NY and DC...

... anniversary dinner for Pella Area Quilters Guild...

... another day in September...

BUT this year it will have even MORE significance, because OUR BABY IS SCHEDULED TO BE BORN VIA C-SECTION ON SEPTEMBER 11!

We have a date!  YAY! 
(Okay... now that I've actually written that out... I might vomit from sheer anxiety at the thought that September 11 is only 3 weeks and 2 days from now... YIKES!  Ha!)

 

erin

You Say It's Your Birthday...!

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too--yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

(The Beatles)

Woohoo!

Today I am 31 years old.  I am almost 36 weeks pregnant (tomorrow), married to an amazing man (Adam), and mother to the World's Most Awesome Kid (Julia).  What a wonderful day it is today!

Did I also mention the weather today?  My favorite kind...!  Coolish (low 70's... GREAT for August) and Rainy... woohoo!

And the birthday cake?  Oh, yah.  What pregnant woman doesn't want a birthday cake of her own?  Julia helped me pick it out (Care Bears).  And yah... I totally took a picture of it... I will post it later!  It was absolutely as delicious as I hoped it would be... what a great way to start the day!  YUM!

 

Love,

erin