Irma the Hurricane Is Coming

Тужиться и карячиться он продолжил и сегодня. Дома утром никак не мог уснуть. Пока не пошел обещанный дождь, поехали с ним на прогулку в коляске. Катались, катались, но глубоко заснуть карапуз так и не смог. Кряхтел, покрикивал и карячился.

Дома покакал много-много, и наконец, кажется, заснул на диване. Не знаю, насколько основательно. Увидим.

Майк сказал, что небывало сильный в американской истории ураган идет прямо в район, где живут Мартон с Вайолет. Улететь они не могут. Билетов нет ни в одном направлении. Уехать тоже. По словам Майка, дороги все густо наполнены. Что будет? Как будет? Может, ураган все же повернет?

Alley Pond Park: Part Two

Today was the last day off for Zac. Happy Labor Day! Because the actual holiday is today, and not on Saturday or Sunday, and because the weather is so, so nice (bright sun, not too hot and pleasantly breezy), the park was unrecognizable. It was no longer that romantic and mysterious, as it was filled with people. Outdoor grilles were smoking, the paths were packed with children running and scooter/bike riding, and the lawns were filled with people sunbathing, picnicking and playing sports.

We still had a great walk, though. Gabriel pooped and fell asleep. Zachary was let out of his stroller and after a few minutes at a jungle gym, he switched to his favorite thing: Pushing the stroller. His behavior was great! He wasn't whining or misbehaving. he walked together with us probably a mile or two. In fact, he didn't just walk. he also ran: Sometimes, he was stuck behind and then ran to catch up to us. And sometimes, he ran ahead of us, and them towards us again.


Just like everyone else in a good mood, Zachary is great when happy! His laugh is joyful and contagious, he is very friendly, talkative, and he genuinely enjoys the surroundings. Today, he was in this exact mood, therefore, our trip to the park was a big success. 

what can Zachary do, as of today? He can sing the ABC song; he can dance and sing along many nursery rhymes; he can count to ten; and he can repeat many words, including long and complicated ones. In our opinion, he understands everything we say. 

And one more thing: Last night, before it was time to go to bed, he cleaned up his toys, all by himself! Nobody asked him to do it, he just looked around and parked his walker; parked all his trucks in their specific locations; and put together his pyramid with rings. I was so proud of him, my heart almost jumped out of my chest!

Gabriel's Doctor Appointment

Yesterday, Gabriel had his doctor's appointment. Wow! He weights... 9 lb, he is 21 in in length, and his head in 2 cm larger! It looks like he grows 0.5cm a week, gains a pound a week, and his head grows 1 cm a week. He caught up in weight, a little behind in height, and everything else seems to be well. What a strong kid! We are so proud of him. 

Doctor gave him his first baby shots. Gabi was screaming his head off, but stopped as the shots were over. He fell asleep in the car going home, and he slept well. The weather was helping, as it was rainy and gray. 

In the evening, I gave him anti-gas drops. Either the drops helped, or it was a coincidence, but Gabi was sleeping well all night, waking up to eat a few times, but quickly falling back asleep.

He now really likes bathing! It looks like he understands the process and genuinely enjoys it... unless he is hungry. If he is hungry, he screams through the whole bathing process, and screams even louder while I am putting lotions on him. All he can think about it milk, milk, milk.

... He looks so funny after the bath! His hair is ling and very light, although much darker than Zachary's. If I don't brush his hair after the bath, it looks spiky and messy. And when he looks around with his big blue eyes, he looks like a baby bird. So cute!

'Arbuz!'

Luckily, Gabriel slept well last night. Perhaps, it is true that his sleepless behavior was caused by the change of weather, but in the end, because he barely slept all day, he finally was tired enough to go to sleep. Who knows? 

It looks like Zachary finally started sleeping through the nigh without waking up once. This time for real, not temporary. I still cannot say for sure. I will be more confident saying it in October, when a month of sleeping through the night will give some more assurance.

Zachary's new word is "arbuz" (watermelon). He LOVES arbuz, and he says the word so clearly! It seems like he provenances Russian words better and clearer than English words, although it looks like he understands both languages equally well. Maybe I am just being bias because I ask him to repeat Russian words more often than English, haha.

Zachary does not yet know names of colors. Gabriel cannot yet concentrate his attention (eyes) on things, and he does not yet recognize familiar objects or faces. I am sure they both will master new skills soon!

Gabi Update

It looks like Gabi is undergoing another period of growth and development. He continued to fuss during morning feedings, morning exercises on a play mat and during morning walk in a stroller. It is 3PM right now. He is sleeping in front of me on his belly, on the changing table. He has just calm down.

Perhaps, it has something to do with the weather? I noticed that last time it rained, he, too, was fussy and sleepless. It is not raining now, though, but Mike says, it will rain tomorrow. And yet, I feel like the weather is changing right now. 

The Bigger the Better

Humidity is finally gone, and now it is finally so, so pleasant to be outdoors. It is dry, worm and breezy.

We noticed that now Zachary, when requests to turn on his cartoon, is looking at the TV rather than at the phone, where Mike has already turned it on for him (we are not into Dave and Ava, and Chu Chu TV, LOL). Meanwhile, very recently, he almost did not react to cartoons playing on the big screen, but he watching the same videos on the phone with big interest. We suggested that objects on TV are too big for him to register. And now, all of a sudden, there is this change.

Gabriel's life has also changed: He now drinks 5oz of milk at one feeding, and wears diapers size one (they fit perfectly!). Clothes size NB is officially to small for him now. He also started sleeping less.

Solar Eclipse 2017: NYC

Today, we all experienced a solar eclipse. In NY, we did not have the "full version" of it, like in many other states, however, we still got to experience it. Here, the Moon covered approximately 70% of the Sun. We all tried to see what it looks like (yes, yes, without the special glasses), however, the Sun is not something you can look at easily, even if it is 70% covered. So, no one could see anything special. And yet, there were definite consequences: It got a bit darker (not like at night. The sky was still blue, but it felt like the Sun was covered by transparent clouds). It also got a little cooler (not too much, just a slight comfortable change). And that's about it.

Gabriel is enjoying his walks almost fully undressed. He shows the world his round belly. In fact, he now looks really round and strong. You can never tell that he is a premature baby who, by the way, is technically not even supposed to be born yet (haha!).

You Can Leave Your Hat On

Hooray, Zachary slept through the night again, without waking up once!

My mom and Gabriel continue their long walks. He now wears short sleeves, as he is big enough for us to be comfortable undressing him.

We are expecting a very stormy weather tonight. Neither of my boys sleep well when it rains. Ugh!.. 

The Day after the Snowstorm

Sunday, and still no baby!.. I am doing everything I think should stimulate the labor: Mike and I started to have sex again (nice!!); today, I shoveled and dug both of our cars out; I walked in tall snow (it’s harder than walking up and down stairs, by the way)… But I feel like the more active I am, the more comfortable the baby is. I have a feeling that on Tuesday, after my NST appointment, the doctor will send me to be induced. Ugh. Tomorrow, I am going to work. And it might be my last day at the office for a while.

I woke up pretty early today. I opened my eyes at around 6, but stayed in bed until 7. I think this whole baby being late thing is making me anxious. Mostly because I know that if he is still not here within just another 2-4 days, they will schedule an induction. Also, Ralph was at the daycare since Friday, and from what I saw on the webcam, he didn’t look too happy. I couldn’t wait to pick him up today! By 9 AM Mike and I were ready to go outside and dig the cars out, and by 10 AM Mike left to pick Ralphie up. As soon as they both arrived home safely, I felt so much better and happier! We went on a really fun walk. Today’s weather was a classic weather after the storm: Sunny, frosty and just beautiful. Ralph enjoyed the snow, and so did I and Mike. There is something about this classic winter!

'You Can't Wait for Inspiration. You Have to Go after It with a Club.' -- Jack London

I cannot believe how stormy it is outside! When it rains, it pours. Meaning, when it snows, it buries. Perfect day to start writing again.

I am 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant today. Of course, I was hoping that by this time, we will already have our son born and at home. However, it looks like he decided to stay put for a while longer. I do not have any signs of labor, and I do not think he will be born let’s say, today, or even tomorrow. Although, like everything else, it will happen when you are least expecting it to happen.

At the same time, I am still hoping that I will have a natural birth without any meds. Yesterday, I had an NST test done, and the doctor almost sent me to the hospital to be induced that same day! He ended up letting me go, but while I was lying there, preparing to be sent to the hospital to have the baby yesterday, a million thoughts ran through my head. I was really surprised and disappointed in myself to realize that I was upset about things going not was way I wanted them to go. I cannot believe that after all I’ve been through, I still get frustrated if things are not going according to my “master-plan.” The only reason why I did not want to be sent to the hospital yesterday was the induction part: Induction means Pitocin; Pitocin means that I will not have a natural labor. My body will be rejecting the hormone since it’s not ready to give birth yet, so I will have a long, long labor. I will be hooked to a monitor for hours and hours, from the beginning to end, will be forced to stay in bed, and finally, I don’t think that I will be able to handle pain for such a long time confined in bed, and I will have to request an epidural. Basically, a complete opposite to the birth I imaged. Which is fine! And I thought I was ready for this kind of labor too, even a c-section if necessary, as long as my son is born healthy. Turns out, I wasn’t ready at all. I was trying to work on my state of mind while I was waiting for the doctor’s final decision, but I don’t think I was able to stop opposing the possible unnatural birth. My next appointment is on Tuesday, and by that time, I am truly hoping I will be ready to go to the hospital that same day and do whatever has to be done.

Lazy Saturday. It's snowing! Missing Ralphie, who is at the daycare until tomorrow (in case I go into labor). I look tired, but the truth is, simply no make up. Sad, but true!.. 

(Well, what I truly hoping for is that the baby will decide to show up on his own before this appointment!! Haha. I am terrible. I will accept things the way they are. Really.)

Meanwhile, here is the baby’s nursery:

And here is a picture of my growing belly:

I actually think my belly looks bigger in person, but maybe that’s just how I feel it. As of yesterday, his weight was about 7.2 lb, so the size of the belly really has nothing to do with the size of the baby.