And so it begins... but first, a quick Gettysburg Getaway.

Last night I was up to my elbows in dishwater, mentally sorting through to-do lists and calendars and bracing for the hectic couple weeks ahead, when I realized I had been so distracted that I had forgotten to turn off Toddler Radio on Pandora and was being subjected to yet another chorus of the Hokey Pokey. I could hear the water running in the bath upstairs and then Seth yelling, "Finleyyyyyy!" followed by a familiar chuckle that could not have come from the bathroom. I whirled around, soaking myself and the carpet in the process, to see a buck naked Finley, arms in the air as she teetered across the kitchen, boogying wildly to the music. She was gleeful about her escape and temporary reprieve. I didn't catch it on camera, and I'm almost glad I didn't try. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life, and pictures definitely would not have done the scene justice.

We had needed the laugh. This morning kicked off two weeks of Seth cramming for comps with every available second while I juggle Finley duty and my own load of papers and exams, plus the increasingly frequent doctor's appointments we have to keep reminding ourselves to schedule (who has the time?)

For once I'm thankful for daylight savings time, as Finley has handled the time change like a champ and it allows us to continue our post-daycare pickup playground tour of Bethesda now that the weather is on the uptick. The fresh air is chicken soup for both of our souls.

With massive school demands, unfinished pre-baby business, the admin. stuff we've been putting off like grad school enrollment (me) and navigating the West Point CDC and housing lists (ahem, Seth), not to mention the looming specter of taxes, we're on a pretty nutty downhill slide to mid-April. The Easter getaway we had been considering is almost definitely a no-go- so we're pretty glad we squeezed in one last quick adventure before the chaos. We spent the weekend at Gettysburg for Jess' lovely (and convenient!) wedding, at the very cool Lodges at Gettysburg, which we totally recommend. Finley loves vacation, and the opportunity to get dressed up (yes those are Air Jordans with her pretty dress)

and dance (yes, that appears to be the chicken dance.)

She also got to hang out with some real, live war heroes (left to right, Flo Groberg, her Dad, and Aaron Causey)

and soak up a little history. (Although she seems to be aware that that is a very bizarre statue.)

Of course, the jungle gym-like cannons

and the rocks on Little Round Top were her favorites. (By which I mean, she tried to eat them.) Although Seth the history nerd tried his hardest to impart some knowledge between "not in your mouth!"s.

Tough to pick photos of the week, when you have all these in the archive: our proud little walker,

our messy eater,

and our lunch thief. (I taught her to dip her pita in hummus and created a monster.)

But this one- which I took at great personal peril just for you, Mom & Dad- from our Sunday bike ride on the canal is one of my favorites ever. It's tough to make out, but it's Finley in her trailer less than five minutes down the trail, giving me the "all done" sign repeatedly through the window.

Nice try, kiddo.

Not Exactly Zen

I eased my 34-weeks-pregnant body into camel pose gingerly and arched my back, trying to remember to get a deep breath or two into my space-constrained lungs at the same time. Finley, now a full-blown walker, teetered around the living room, seemingly content with her search for sharp and dangerous things that may have rolled under the furniture. I had taken a big gamble on trying to finish up my workout in the company of Finley while Seth jumped on the water rower in the basement. It had been a long day of housework and baby prep projects and dealing with the newly-christened Finley bin Laden (we have recently become acquainted with temper tantrums, and they are not our favorite thing) while we both tried to get papers written and homework assignments knocked out. Mind-clearing workouts were a must if we wanted all three of us to make it to bedtime, and it seemed like we might actually be able to pull this off.

Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my side, and I turned my head to see a drooling, grinning Finley, sharp little teeth bared at me. She had bitten me, hard, for no reason, right in the middle of my desperate search for zen. It seemed kind of apropos, somehow. Yoga was officially over.

We're smack dab in the middle of final countdown to babywatch these days, and the stars have aligned for this delightful period of "oh shit, we need to buy diapers, and where did we put the breast pump tubing, again?" to coincide with the onset of the early terrible twos, some serious late night teething fun, and the end of the school calendar for both of us. It's utter chaos, to say the least. (This is a rare quiet weekend moment, post-backyard golf and subsequent inexplicable meltdown, when we remembered the magical power of bubbles.)

Luckily, Mom and Dad are still around, and we've been milking that for all it's worth. They've been staying down at Belvoir and always have a full hiking schedule, but when the chips are down they show up and whisk Finley off somewhere, and she comes home exhausted and stuffed full of sweet potatoes and peanut butter sandwiches (her and Ata's fave.)

They took her to the zoo on Saturday, and Seth and I not only got papers written, we also had a lunch date at a restaurant that did not have crayons. (I don't have a picture of that, but I do have this amazing one of Finley on her new tricycle from Ana & Ata, which is a death trap at her age so of course she loves it.)

I picked her up after I finished up at the library, and managed to catch a little bit of fresh air, this incredible sunset at Accotink,

and one of my favorite sights (or, as Missy calls it, "what we all look like after a day with Mom & Dad.")

At any rate, we're all hanging in there and the weather has taken a turn for the gorgeous, so I think Finley's back at the zoo (she's a big fan of the seals) while Seth and I are locked away in class. Lucky little beast. Life continues to be good, if a tad frenetic, and Finley- enjoying her last month+ as an only child- keeps us on our toes and laughing. Her newest fun trick is helping herself to whatever she finds in the fridge while I'm making dinner, which makes us incredibly glad we buy organic produce. I didn't catch her the first time until she had taken a bite out of every single apple.

And the photo of the week is of Finley's first frozen yogurt. She's had bites of mine before, but never gotten her own until this weekend. It definitely took her a few hilarious bites to get used to how cold it was. And then, of course, she licked the bottom of the bowl.

Sara's Peruvian Exile

I just heard from Sara, and it looks like she and her 15 suitcases made it on the plane without incident. A minor miracle in itself, and according to her it wouldn't have happened without Mom & Dad's incredible powers of luggage-stuffing. (They have had lots of practice!) It also seems that I'll be finding random piles of "didn't fit"s around the house for quite some time, although I'm not complaining. At least some of those involve Belgian chocolate.

Sorry, Daniel.

It was a whirlwind of a week, although come to think of it any week that includes all or part of the Walters Fam generally is- but such a treat to get to see the temporarily-in-Peruvian-exile Sara. Sadly, Seth and I were up to our eyebrows in school and couldn't take much time off, but Mom & Dad came out to join the fun too. The return of the Arkansasans (?) was a godsend in that 1) Sara had during-the-day shopping buddies (and boy, did she have shopping lists...!) and 2) Mom did all the cooking. The manicotti (Sara's favorite) was devoured, and I had a creme de menthe brownie for breakfast. Winning.

Oh, and they took Finley to the zoo and the park while Sara and I made insane and hilarious across-state-lines trips to run down out of season cold water wetsuits.

I felt bad that the weather wasn't better for the Hawaiian princess, but she and Finley bundled up (they apparently feel the same way about the cold)

and consoled themselves with cupcakes. 

Sara maintains that Finley is the only baby that has ever liked her, and Finley definitely turned on the charm for her Aunt Sara. And not just because Aunt Sara is a much better sharer than Mom.

And let the little messmaker eat kiwi with a spoon. 

And introduced her to Tibetan singing bowls. 

We also made a pilgrimage to the Inka Trail exhibit at the American Indian museum, where Finley definitely extracted the promise of an alpaca ride in Peru.

All in all, a success for all concerned, since Sara managed to find both wetsuits and inflatable SUPS (not to mention the discontinued beanie boo we had all been hunting for), Seth got to sample Pisco (which made for a rough morning), some serious belly laughs were had, and we got to FaceTime with the priceless Lehua, who started preschool today (!!) And Nat and Ty in Japan!

We didn't, as per usual, take nearly as many pictures as we should have, although I brought Finley's camera to Harper's Ferry Sunday and we snagged a few. They're here.

It will be tough for all of us to return to the rat race (minus Sara, since it does not sound very rat race-y in Cusco), but the fun's definitely over in Bethesda. Seth and I are frantically scrambling to finish papers and exams before the baby arrives, so it's off to the coal mines we go. Wish us luck!

Birthdays these days.

Birthdays are hard to celebrate when you're a grownup. For us, anyway. I have friends who are forever sharing pictures of the special occasions they pull off for their significant others omni anno, with scavenger hunts and surprise event tickets and special date nights. It's adorable, and intimidating.

 

We have a one year old, two school schedules, and beltway commutes. We managed a late afternoon lunch date for Seth's birthday, and I bought him a juicer to replace the one he burned up after less than two weeks.

OK, fine. It was a really great lunch date with mimosas and bleu cheese fries, and we went home afterwards and lounged in bed in front of the TV until it was time to pick up Finley. It felt pretty luxurious.

 

And it's a really, really nice juicer.

 

So I'm telling myself that I did OK on Seth's birthday. Which is fortunate, since our spur of the moment birthday eve dinner with Finley was characterized by tears, thrown silverware, and my still chewing dinner on my way out the door after Seth had finally had it and dragged the little terrorist to the car. We may have reached the "family restaurant meals are on hold for awhile" phase.

Still, it was a nice short week, even if we did come down with colds (for once, I'm blaming Seth's fellow college students instead of Finley's daycare buddies for the germs) and decide to spend our weekend recovering at home. Seth threw at his first track meet of the season despite being under the weather, and was happy with his "baseline effort." Finley helped me with chores,

 and was rewarded with a trip to the park.

The weather was gorgeous on Saturday, so we scrapped museum plans and went for a family hike. (We discovered that nothing makes Finley happier than watching her Dad break sticks. Argument #436783642 for not buying a ton of expensive toys.)

Sunday was rainy, which delighted Finley since she had the playground all to herself.

She also got a Barnes and Noble date out of the deal (and a bite of my Georgetown cupcake). All in all, a pretty nice weekend at home for the little beast. 

My favorite photo this week is an action shot of finley knocking down Seth's carefully constructed train at the bookstore.

And now we're busy getting ready for Sara's arrival tomorrow! The Tibetan singing bowls have arrived (don't ask), and I have restrained myself and stayed out of the nutella- so far...

Long weekend, grandparent love, and lots of walking.

Remember how they used to name Friends episodes? "The one where no one proposes" and "The one with the male nanny," etc? It used to crack me up. Well, we had a long weekend, it was Valentine's Day, and Tony & Jayne came to visit. And Finley started walking like a boss. So this blog post would be titled "the one with way too many cute pictures to choose from, and definitely more than I have clever words to match." Or something like it.

OK, fine, I definitely won't quit my day job to name sitcoms anytime soon.

We had a doctor's appointment Friday morning (everything is fine, baby looks great, and we continue to be amazed by the lack of punctuality displayed by anyone at Walter Reed) and I picked up the Niemans while Seth went to school and Finley snoozed at daycare. She's been a tad clingy- for her- lately, and I wasn't sure how waking up to Grandma and Grandpa would go, but she went straight to Grandma and proceeded to not give Seth and I the time of day the rest of the weekend.

And that was before the presents came out. ("For me??")

The Niemans had brought the North Dakota weather with them, it seemed, so our big plans to play outside were derailed and we introduced them to our inclement weather plan: walking practice at the various Smithsonians. Saturday at the Udvar-Hazy Museum Finley took full advantage of all the space in the hangar, and did her best walking yet.

She was, needless to say, ridiculously proud of herself.

The museum had some amazing stuff, though. I was particularly impressed with the Discovery. Seth was partial to the Enola Gay. And Finley liked the rivets.

Sunday was even colder, and Finley requested a return trip to the American Indian Museum,

where she licked the alpaca fur

and sweet talked Dad into letting her sample the fry bread at the cafe.

Afterwards, Mom & Dad got an actual Valentine's Day date (Finley having already enjoyed her flowers from Dad and chocolates-minus-taxes from Mom). It was incredible. We went to the new-ish and amazing Passionfish in Bethesda, where Seth had his first caviar and I ate my body weight in chocolate.

We were beyond grateful to Grandma and Grandpa, who got this crazy-haired beast as a valentine date.

Monday morning it snowed

and Finley, having been devastated by Grandma and Grandpa's departure, spent the day helping make our favorite cookies and hoping their flight would be cancelled. It wasn't- but we're already looking forward to next time!

Oh- and there was sledding.

My favorite pictures from the weekend are of Finley's crinkle face (usually made when she's doing something she knows she's not supposed to, as here),

Finley's stubborn face (looking just like her Dad),

and proof that she came by it all honestly.

Lucky Finley

I sometimes look back at old pictures of the Walters kids growing up and wonder if my parents worried whether we knew just how lucky we were, hiking all the gorgeous trails that make buzzfeed lists these days and ogling European castles.

Then I remember that we were old enough to understand the phrase, "listen up, ingrates. Not every kid gets crepes for lunch and Alpine vistas for scenery."

Finley, on the other hand, will probably never get how cool it is that she learned to walk at the Smithsonian on chilly DC weekends. Turns out that they're perfect indoor playgrounds when it's not quite nice enough out for extended trips to the park.

Our new year's resolution to enjoy DC with Finley in tow continues to yield photo ops like these (loving the air & space museum), make us appreciate our proximity to the city that we spend most of our weekdays stuck in traffic and hating,

and keep us all from going stir crazy. Not that the littlest Nieman seems to mind the late season winter weather, since she finally talked us into putting away the Christmas tree and turning the whole area into a playroom. (Our oddly shaped living room turns out to be perfect for this purpose, since the sectional hides the mess and eliminates the compulsion to constantly tidy.) We're thinking it'll come in handy when there are two!

Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet week. We stayed home for the super bowl, and- in Seth Nieman tradition- vats of venison chili were made, consumed, and splashed all over the kitchen. I made my favorite pumpkin bread recipe and worked on a paper. Seth finally got his FATS system working in the lab at school and started collecting lab data. We both got stuck in traffic regularly.

We took the little beast on a bowling date Friday night, and she trounced us both (although she did have a little help) (and we are not letting her wear half shirts-- this was just a wardrobe malfunction in a daycare backup outfit, we promise).

I think her highlights (and some of my favorite photos) were of bathtime (always a hit)

and taking possession of my hand-me-down Uggs.

Seth also sent me this one, on the way to daycare in her new super classy hat and big girl car seat, and it might be one of my favorite pictures of her ever.

We finally heard from Mom & Dad, who are alive and well and temporarily in Arkansas, and it sounds like the house may actually be done one of these days soon. We're hoping to get them to come out for a visit in the meantime, so I should probably stop telling Mom about the broken heater at the Belvoir pool. (It's fixed! I swear!)

Anddddd a big happy birthday to Sara, who is celebrating with a camping/ hot springs adventure to Santa Teresa. We can't help but be a little jealous, and can't wait to see pictures (and hear all about Lehua's first real camping trip.)