Once

Once, there was a time when Kristen and Mike lived in Bangor and gallivanted and were frequently jet set and enjoyed life tremendously.

Riding a bull on a trip to Fort Worth, TX

Hiking for the Homeless with friends

Visiting our favorite dive restaurant in Rockland, ME

Golfing when we wanted, not when we had the time

Going on adventures to places like Ecquador

Once we had hung out for awhile and had some quality time together for a couple of years, Mike, Bangor's most eligible bachelor, decided to take the plunge and get married.  On a wonderful day in August in 2008, we boarded "The Adirondac" with a few friends and family, got married, and officially started our little family.

Mr. and Mrs. McCollum

Once, we had just played a round of golf and I started a conversation with Mike about how wonderful our lives were, working, traveling, playing golf on the weekends, and doing the occasional bout of "yard work" at the condo.  But how shallow I would find it if that is what we did for the next 50 years.  It was then that we decided to enhance our lives substantially with our Little Buddy, Thomas.

Then

and now

Our Saturday morning routine changed substantially.

Once, we talked about how important we both felt it was for Thomas Sidney to have a sibling.  We wanted to expand our little clan of three to include another child.  Now, waiting on pins and needles, we are ready, once again, to shift our lives in the name of happiness and fulfillment.
 

Week 39 and Mama's belly is bigger than a basketball

Thomas is ready to teach his baby brother many things when he joins us.

Like where to sit,

and how to park cars in a parking lot,

and how to play soccer and have fun outside!

The Pool

It has been an uncharacteristically hot and humid summer thus far in the beautiful Hudson Valley.  This has prompted the reemergence of the kiddie pool on our back deck.  We have a love-hate relationship with this pool.

Love: How easily Thomas can get in and out...and in and out....and in and out.

Hate: How the pool gets dirty and I have to scoop the water out instead of pouring it like everyone else.  If I pour the water, it seeps into the ground right next to the wonderful attached garage we have and water pools right next to my car.

Love: How I can just sit and watch Thomas from the comfort of a chair on the back deck.

We have ventured to our good friend Darlene's pool.  Darlene has a great inground pool that Thomas is really enjoying.  Initially, what he really liked about visiting "Dareen's pool" is the fenced in yard and the cicadas,the flowers, their pool toys, and the prospect of helping Joe with yardwork.

As of this week, Thomas is really enjoying the pool itself.  Upon our reluctant return home from a nice two hour swim, Thomas said, "I swimmed a lot.  By myself.  And I jumped a lot."  Thomas did indeed swim "by himself" and it involved a lot of grunting, flailing, and swallowing water, but it was WONDERFUL progress.

Getting brave is great, but means we now must always be at arms length away!

 Only with a great deal of coaxing did Thomas take a minute to eat his favorite lunch, a ham sandwich and pretzels.  Once he wolfed it down, he insisted we get right back into the pool and jump some more!

There is another sort of pool I am now entertaining.  A good friend asked what the pool was looking like and I assumed she was talking about this kiddie pool we have.    No, she assured me she could imagine a kiddie pool.  She was talking about the "Office Pool" for when I will have Baby McCollum #2.  Here's what we've got so far:

Joanne (Mama's tennis friend): last week 
Nana VanDusen: 7/20
Dianne (Nan's friend): 7/21--same as hers
Mama: 7/22
Aunt Barb (of the "Family" fame): 7/26
ACTUAL DUE DATE: 7/27
Allison (one of our fabulous babysitters): 7/29---same as hers
Tina (Darlene's quilting buddy): 8/1  *I did ask her, "What I ever did to you?!"  Any very pregnant person will shoot you daggers if you pick a date beyond the due date.

Care to weigh in?  Comment or email me. 

Our Way

Lately, we've been adapting to accommodate a very pregnant Mama (2.5 weeks to go!) and an increasingly independent and increasingly demanding almost three year old.  We have started doing things our own way.

When our guy Roger Federer made a very early exit from Wimbledon this year, we were reluctant to watch the rest of the field compete.  We ended up cheering for a guy named Tomas and a guy named David, but most importantly, we ate strawberries and cream our way.

High class "dip" of Shop Rite Lite Whipped Topping

But we loved it!

"Mama, let's say cheers with our strawberries. Cheers!"

And speaking of eating cream, Thomas still loves ice cream.  We do that our way too.  Usually ice cream is only consumed following a "good, good dinner" and occasionally a "good, good lunch," but every now and again there is a treat to be had while we're out and about.  Yesterday was one of those times.  Cut us some slack, dear reader.  I am seemingly always game for ice cream these days and Thomas may have a little pre-new baby nervousness that is manifesting as whining.   So we popped into Burger King at the West Point PX (50 cent cones!) and Thomas and I enjoyed a lunchtime treat.

Nearly two weeks ago, we made our last trip as a family of three.  We went to the 'burbs of Boston to Mama's friend Sean's wedding.  Thomas was dapper and danced his way with some of his favorite people.

All dressed up and ready for Sean's party!

Getting there on a bus with Caca

Dancing  his way (clapping) with Nana, our friend Baby Hunter and his mom

Sean, Caca and Mama (who pulled the pregnant card to avoid dancing)

Thomas recently broke me down and I bought him his own pair of scissors.  He loves to cut paper, and as it turns out, pajamas.  Despite my insistence that we only cut paper, Thomas cut his pjs one Saturday morning.  To follow through with the warnings I gave, sadly Mama "took those scissors and gave them to another kid to only cut paper."  Nearly breaks your heart to hear it said with such a sad (almost repenting) voice.  Lesson learned for Mama (no scissors unattended) and lesson for Thomas (we only cut paper).  Before the scissors were taken away, he cut paper things his way.

The Naked Cutter

We have been able to transition Thomas into a new room and a new big boy bed amazingly painlessly.  We discussed a big boy bed with him and discussed letting a new baby sleep in his crib.  Our way of tackling what could have turned territorial quickly was, dare I say, a success!  We are now into day 5 of the new bed and Thomas seems to enjoy this new bed, new covers, and new room. 

If as a family, we are going to pick our battles, then doing some things differently, our way, is a must.  Baby 2 is still enjoying his time in the womb.  Weighing in last week (almost week 37) at seven pounds and following suit, he'll make his appearance his way, when he's ready.  And we'll be ready to welcome "Baby Brudder" our way.