Wednesday, August 10, 2016

(mostly-olympics-themed) musings

To start with- thank you for all of the well wishes and happy birthdays you sent Millie's way on Friday! She doesn't yet have a concept of "blog friends," but I'm sure that on some level she felt the love. Hahaha. We had a wonderful 'family day' and did all of her favorite things.



Lucky for me, most of her favorite things involve food, so it was a pretty great day to be Millie's mommy. She had her two-year check-up today, and I discovered that she actually HASN'T gained a lot of weight...apparently I've just gotten weaker. Womp. Millie is hanging out at 29 lb 12 oz (84th percentile) and 35.6 inches long (91st percentile). So at least I was correct about one thing- she's super tall...more than 3 inches (and about a pound) gained since her last visit (in February).

Anyway, we (using the word "we" really generously here) did get Millie's playground built this weekend! Insert all the praise hands emoji right here.



It took Matt, his dad, his brother, and our friend the entire Saturday (about ten hours) (plus Matt and I worked on organizing the pieces for probably 3 hours the day before), but they did it! And then I generously screwed those two flags to the front, hence the reason I can say "we" built it with a semi-clear conscience. Obviously we've only had it for like five days, but so far I will give the swing set my stamp of approval. I mean, my #1 recommendation would be to get one from a company that will come to your house and assemble it for you...but if you're on a budget and can wrangle some helpers, this one turned out pretty great. And as you can see, Millie definitely approves!

And that leads us to our next important topic: the Olympics.


Without her swing set, how would Millie ever properly prepare for the 2020 games? She'll be six-ish then, right? Based on my observations, that seems to be about the average age of female gymnasts, so that's what we're aiming for.

No, in all seriousness, I've spent a lot of time thinking about which sport I would most want Millie to go to the Olympics for. I mean, obviously she is extremely gifted at probably every sport, so it's really up to me to just choose the one to really focus on. Gymnastics is most definitely my favorite one to watch, but over the last few Olympics (Olympicses?? haha), the diving events have crept up and are now rivaling gymnastics pretty hardcore. I get tired of the swimming events pretty fast, because...they just go on forever, they're not terribly interesting to me, blah blah blah. But synchronized diving? LOVE IT. Probably because it moves SO fast. Probably because jumping from a board or platform into a pool only takes about 2 seconds, even if you're doing 14 flips and twists on your way down. I just love the way that diving is as intricate and athletic and artistic as gymnastics, PLUS it's super fast, MINUS (I'm assuming) the humongous risk of debilitating injuries. It just seems like a win all the way around.

Oh yeah, PLUS...Millie really loves it. So I guess I can let her opinion count for something.


It's hard to see, but Millie is copying the (paused for instant replay) divers. When they show the slow-mo dive, she jumps up and spins around. Gifted.

But actually, I don't even think the diving is her favorite part of the Olympics. The water is.
And lest you wrongly assume, as I did, that when she excitedly screams "wah wah!!!" that she is referring to the (unbelievably gorgeous) Brazilian beach/ocean, or perhaps the pool...well, she's not. It took awhile to figure it out, but what she is ACTUALLY excited about is athletes drinking water on the sidelines. From water bottles. Every time they pan to someone on the sideline drinking water, Millie just can't even handle it. "WAH WAH!!!!!!!!" The thrill! Olympians! They're just like us!

Speaking of non-athletic-but-slightly-Olympics-related things...possibly one of my favorite parts of the Games is the previews they keep showing for the show This is Us. They piqued my interest with Milo Ventimiglia, but after a few days of seeing dozens of different trailers...I actually found myself tearing up at one of the previews last night. For a show I've never even seen! I don't even know the premise! I just know enough to know I'm already emotionally committed. So anyway, I'm excited about that.

I'm also EXTREMELY FREAKING EXCITED about Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life being released on Black Friday!!!!! I mean, it goes without saying...but I just felt like I needed to say it. Finally...something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. ;)

And on a final, unrelated note, I want to go on a cruise to Alaska. Anyone done this before? More specifically...anyone done this with a two-year-old before? I've been on several cruises and thought I would swear them off for life because of my seasickness. Plus, I discovered all-inclusive resorts, so like...who would want to cruise when you could have all the benefits with none of the drawbacks (like seasickness...or your ship losing power and floating aimlessly at sea while people poop in bags and what not)? But now I've got a hankerin' to check out Alaska (I don't know, maybe it's the 4,000 days of 100 degree weather that has me thinking crazy thoughts), and you can't really "check out Alaska" while sitting in an all-inclusive resort (or can you?). Cruising is supposedly one of the best ways to get to experience Alaska. And so I find myself researching and dreaming and scheming...but maybe this is the worst idea ever. Anyway, thoughts or experiences (good OR bad- just honest!) are welcome! 

And with that, I return to...oh wait, shocking...more swimming events!! Oooh wait, I forgot that there is one thing I particularly like about swimming events: Michael Phelps's baby. HOW CUTE IS THAT BABY??! Also, I love the Tula his mom wears him in. Major baby-carrier envy. So anyway. Look at me, finding the silver-ish lining. Ha. I guess Millie and I have that in common: an unconventional appreciation for things at the Olympics. Water bottles and Tulas. Good times!

11 comments:

  1. Millie is a good 3 inches taller than the twins- crazy! I think I remember you suggesting to me when we got pregnant with the twins that we needed to condition them early on to be successful Olympic athletes and perhaps we discussed them doing synchronized diving together? Maybe I made that up. Either way, maybe they'll get to train with Millie one day. And sign me up for Alaska!!

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  2. I do know some people who have taken an Alaskan cruise but they were all adults so no help as far as kids go but they did LOVE it!

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  3. De-lurking to say that you have the CUTEST KID EVER!

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  4. totally cried at This is Us trailer, like that show before it even starts. I've heard druises to Alaska are very family oriented. Thanks for announcing when GG will be released!

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  5. We went with my whole family(18 of us) about 6 years ago and the family ranged in age from 4- 60 and EVERYONE says it was the best vacation. Actually I think I posted pics from it on my old blog that hasn't been used in about 6 years but links in my profile I think. It was amazing for all ages.

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  6. Millie weighs a pound more than Drew and is about 1.5" shorter - I love comparisons! We went to Alaska but didn't do a cruise (Brent's cousin was living there when we went) and in August I was wearing sweatshirts every day. It was magical. On one hand, I am dying for GG, on the other that means I'll be weeks away from having another baby, and I am nowhere near ready for another baby, so that kind of freaks me out.

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  7. My parents went on the Alaskan cruise this past May, and except for the cruising part (they don't like crowds) they LOVED it. They said it's the absolute best way to see Alaska. However they went with all my mom's brothers and sisters so no advice on doing it with kids. However, some of my aunts and uncles are over 80 and they had the all-you-can-drink package so maybe it was like being with toddlers?!?!!?! :)

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  8. We just went to Alaska this summer! We spent 2 days in Vancouver, then the cruse, then 4 extra days in Alaska. Our cruise was awesome! calm water the whole time (duh) and never felt like we were on a boat. It was not overly crowded cause we went in early June. But that did mean not too many bear sightings. darn. We saw so many eagles, moose and it is just BEAUTIFUL! Spent a day in Denali and saw tons of people with small children. Highly recommend!

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  9. I went on a cruise to Alaska when I was in high school and it was fun! I mean, as a teenage I would have rather been able to actually lay on a beach or get a tan while on a cruise...but I still enjoyed it. The sights are breathtaking and you will most likely see whales. Plus with Millie's love for water, she is sure to have a blast. :) If you go early, spend a few days in Seattle...it's a beautiful place in the summer!

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  10. My parents did an Alaskan cruise and LOVED IT but they told a horror story about one of the excursions on a smaller boat. Seasickness galore. So just stay on the big boat!

    Also, how do you go about picking a swing set? Thinking it might be a joint Sept birthday gift for the munchkins….but it's overwhelming out there!

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  11. A cruise to Alaska would be amazing! And that swing set... gah. I love it.

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