The Start of a Big August

This week marked the start of August, which could be one of the most significant months of our lives with the hopeful arrival of our baby girl. We kicked off August with a bang, enjoying a busy week full of fun and preparation.

On Tuesday night, we saw a movie, marking our first theater visit in a long time. We watched "Fly Me to the Moon," an entertaining and funny film featuring Channing Tatum as a serious launch director and Scarlett Johansson as a duplicitous marketer. The story unfolds around the intense preparations leading up to the Apollo 11 launch. We thoroughly enjoyed the film, though it was a bit surreal to watch previews for upcoming releases and realize that in the future, we will need to book tickets in a theater with a baby room. This may have been our last movie date before becoming parents.

On Wednesday night, we attended a car seat safety class. I had been looking forward to this as it was a great chance to learn about car seat safety, get our car seat installed, and have a certified expert review our setup. The class was downtown, like the remainder of our classes, so we left early to allow plenty of time. Arriving early turned out to be beneficial.

The class provided a lot of useful information and was very hands-on. We spent considerable time reviewing our car seat and car manuals, which helped us understand the features and the best way to install them. They even provided a baby doll for us to practice buckling into the car seat. By the end, we felt much more confident.

We also got to install the car seat with its base in our car and practiced securing it using just a seat belt, which will be useful when we travel. This was trickier than we expected, but it was a valuable learning experience. We'll practice a few more times before trying it in a taxi or Uber.

On Thursday night, we attended a breastfeeding class led by our passionate educator, Janette. Her enthusiasm made the session engaging and informative for everyone. Initially, I was curious to know how beneficial the class would be for me, as my role in breastfeeding is limited. However, I had always planned to attend to support Alison. I'm really glad I did. The class emphasized the partner's role in facilitating the breastfeeding process and provided valuable insights on what Alison should expect. I also learned to recognize early signs of potential issues, ensuring we can seek support promptly if needed.

Friday was more low-key as we stayed home, and I worked on my signature dish for August: sourdough wood-fired pizza. I recently bought an Ooni pizza oven on Prime Day and was eager to try it out. After prepping my sourdough pizza dough over the past few days, I gathered a variety of ingredients to make different kinds of pizza. Making wood-fired pizza has a bit of a learning curve. Here are my key takeaways:

1. Less is more when it comes to ingredients, especially cheese.
2. Constantly monitor the fuel to maintain the right flame.
3. Stretch the dough and get it on the pizza peel before adding toppings—I lost one serving of pizza dough by not following this order.

The pizza was tasty, and next time will be even better.

On Saturday night, we headed to the Daybreak Summer Concert series with Kristin and her girls. The headliner was Lover, a Taylor Swift tribute band. As soon as the schedule was released, I marked this date, knowing my nieces would be thrilled. It turns out, everyone else was excited too—it was the hottest ticket in Daybreak. The usual 2,000 tickets sold out in three days, so they added another 1,000, which also disappeared quickly. Thankfully, we snagged five tickets in time.

Expecting a big crowd, we planned to arrive early. The concert started at 8 pm, but the gates opened at 6:30. We got there just before 6:30 and set up our chairs right at the edge of the dance floor. I ran over to Maxwell's Pizza and Cheesesteaks to grab dinner, and while waiting for the pizza, it started to rain. Luckily, I had packed umbrellas. Anna wasn't a fan of the rain, so Jake and Meg took her to their house while the rest of us waited it out. By the time I got back with the pizza, the rain had lightened up, making the evening pleasantly cool.

The show kicked off at 8 pm with a local Daybreak resident, Heather Jackman, who was incredibly talented. The excitement for the Taylor Swift tribute was palpable, with kids running around trading friendship bracelets. Skylee traded a few too. Jake and Meg brought Anna back for the main event, but it turns out Anna's not into loud, high-energy concerts. The production quality was good, but the show itself was a letdown. Skylee tried to high-five the performer, but she didn't even notice. The tribute act was more of a copycat, imitating Taylor Swift's ERA tour down to the phrasing. Unfortunately, the singer looked a bit like Taylor but couldn't sing well. Despite the lackluster performance, the crowd's energy was high, and everyone seemed to be having a blast.

About an hour in, it started raining again. We huddled under umbrellas but decided to call it a night and headed home. From our porch swing, we listened to the rest of the concert. Anna perked up once we were away from the crowds, and Skylee entertained us with her own singing, proving she was better than the night's performer. We ended up having a fun dance party on the porch. Overall, it was a successful night. If this band returns next year, we'll listen from home.

The girls had a sleepover, probably the last one before our baby girl arrives. I had a special activity planned. A few weeks ago, Anna was digging in the sand at a nearby beach and pretended to find a treasure chest, which was actually a rock. Inspired by her imagination, I decided to create a real treasure hunt. I got a treasure chest, some pirate gear, and drew a map of Daybreak Island with tasks to complete along the way.

The kids woke up to the surprise treasure hunt. I explained the rules and sent them off. I quickly buried the treasure on the beach with an X marking the spot and flew my drone to capture their adventure. It was a beautiful morning, and they had a blast digging up the treasure, especially the chocolate coins. The hunt was a huge hit.

The girls took videos of their tasks:

Pirate Tex

On Sunday evening, Alison and I hosted my family for dinner. My grandparents usually host Pancake Sunday on the first Sunday of the month, but with my grandpa undergoing cancer treatments, we volunteered to have everyone over for a barbecue instead. My Aunt Ardis and her family came, along with my brother and his fiancée, and my grandma (my grandpa was too tired to come). We enjoyed a delicious meal and had a wonderful time catching up.