Ellie Goes to Camp

Pausing from the birth story.

Yesterday, we decided to go to camp, which, besides the doctor, was Ellie's first trip out, with a stop on the way at a store near Watertown that sells Amish furniture, specifically as our dining chairs are dying, one by one.   We had to wait until Todd was done with work so I hustled around the house getting things done, getting all the kids ready and keeping the A-team occupied.   I kept waiting for the anxiety to kick in over taking Ellie out for the first time.  It didn't really come.  Guess with three kids, my nerves have finally kicked it down a notch.

We took both cars in case we bought something...me with the girls and Adam with his Daddy, which he loves.  He is in a new Daddy stage.

We walked around and though all the furniture was gorgeous wood, it was VERY expensive.  Ellie did well in the car and walking around.  She was none too pleased when she was put back into the car without food.  Todd stopped at the Subway in Chaumont to grab dinner while I drove to the cottage so I could feed the kid.

The guy we hired to clean up the yard and trees was there.  The previous owner had taken no care of the property beyond bare minimum.  It's nearly three acres and many trees were overgrown, weeds and a giant pile of brush behind the barn.  When we bought it, I thought I'd be able to do more of that work.  Then I got pregnant.  He had cut down most of what we had asked, including a rotting grapevine and a mysterious berry tree my kids kept wanting to eat.  No thanks.  It looked a lot better.  He's quite a character...kind of like Daryl from the Bob Newhart show.

I had to get the baby in the cottage and Todd soon followed.  Darren was gone before I had a chance to talk to him...I think it was five and must be he quits no matter what!  We ate our dinner and the kids ran around outside.  We discovered our well pump had stopped working.  Great.

Ellie appears not to be a huge fan of her car seat, which surprises me as she likes the swing and the papasan...  So I carried her outside and down the dock where Todd and the other kids were.  Wrapped in a blanket, she fell asleep while I walked around and the other kids went wild.  I think she liked the feel of the breeze while I stood on the dock.  Neighbors stopped by to chat....including the guys who put our dock in and came back and removed a rotting apple tree for us.  It's definitely a little community in our little strip...many of them related, of course.

But I got exhausted quickly and Todd was already tired from work and then having to chase kids.  It's fun to see how they love to run around, but Abbey scared the crap out of us running to the highway and then disappearing.  The next 20 years are going to give me white hair, I think.

So far, I think the biggest change with three is that Todd and I are going to get tired of situations quicker.  Two hours instead of three, for example.

We ended stealing a couple of the chairs from camp which are smaller than our chairs here, but match...unlike the folding chairs we have been using.  I kind of like the idea of investing in some real wood furniture.  I know it's expensive, but it won't fall a part.  As Todd was carrying those chairs into the house, one broke.  Seriously.

Ellie cried on and off the whole ride home.  Guess at this point, she is not a sound car sleeper.  Like Abbey.  Who slept through Ellie the last 40 minutes home as sound as could be.

She was so exhausted from the trip, she had a hard time waking up to eat at night.  So she woke up for a few minutes.  A lot more often.  Not an ideal night for Mom.

She likes her song "Eleanor Rigby"  and the rest of the Beatles.  We listen at night.

The whole time I was pregnant, I kept thinking that if I could get through the first year, I'd be fine after that.  But now that she's here, I do NOT want this first year to fly.  The last 12 days have already flown by.  I want to enjoy each day and stage.  The fact that I KNOW it's my last probably contributes to that feeling.  I'm not in a hurry.  That doesn't mean juggling three isn't more work.  No more reading the New York Times on my IPAD.. ha!