Addison, Ruby and Abby (Abby is three days older than Addison).
In the jumper after a few days practice
and now, the rest of the story
6 years ago
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Looks like a happy child....
Hangin out in exersaucer
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Not so lazy days....
So, on a day to day basis it seems like we don't have much to say, but then when a few weeks goes by it seems like you don't even know where to start. I guess we need to go back to Thanksgiving. We were on the brink of being overwhelmed. We had decided to host the family gathering as it would be easier than packing up a 4 month old child and all her conveniences for an undisclosed amount of time. It all began with a good thorough cleaning of the main floor; it was not too bad, but what added to the stress of the cleaning was the fact that we had fruit flies in the house. It had been a nuisance since Early August, but we could not determine the source. Since we had a garden and were always bringing in vegetables and going down to the farmers market we almost thought it could be explained by all the food lying around the house, although nothing was there that long that it was going bad. So this week before thanksgiving I knew that we had not had any fresh food in the open for more than seven days but the bugs still appeared from time to time, only in the kitchen and dining area. So the major cleaning began. We moved every piece of furniture and appliance and cleaned under it, we got rid of the dog bed and vacuumed and mopped every floor. Two days later the flies still were there. Then we thought that even though we had not seen any flies in the bedroom area that maybe they were somehow associated with the trash can in Addison’s room, so we moved that outside for a few days and the flies were still to be found. It was now two days before thanksgiving and I was embarrassed that we were going to have people over and we could not get rid of these pesky fruit flies. Finally, we had this house plant in the kitchen that was that was dying, and I chucked it out into the garden. Low and behold, after that day I did not see another fly. Thank goodness no more fruit flies, perhaps we should have guessed at that sooner.
Now we could concentrate on making a turkey. We used the recipe from good eats on the food network channel. I’ll say the Turkey turned out OK. Everyone claimed it to be the best turkey they ever had, however, with the attendance at our gathering, we only ate the white meat and did not need to get into the dark meat, and it’s a good thing because in our opinion it was not done. I think our temperature probe was a little inaccurate. So now we did not have hardly any leftover turkey and Michelle had bought a bunch of groceries to make stuff with the left over turkey. So on the Saturday after thanksgiving I bought a turkey on clearance at the local grocery store and we took another shot at it. This time we used two probes, one from our gas grill and the digital probe that plugs into the oven. We verified that the one in the oven might be about 5 degrees off so we took the second turkey up to about 170 degrees and let me tell you, it was worth the second effort. It was awesome. The white meat was super moist and the dark meat was done perfect as well.
Addison is growing like crazy. And she is becoming so much fun. At her 4 month appointment she weighed in at 17lbs 8oz. She is "in the 97th percentile for height and a little more than that for weight”. Those were Dr. Vanzee’s words. But at 4 months she still was not sleeping through the night without eating. So on thanksgiving weekend we considered a few nights of “tough love”. On Wednesday night we decided that she would not get fed, we would just take turns comforting her back to sleep. We were both relatively surprised that she was fairly cooperative. So that’s the routine we stuck to for the rest of the weekend and on Monday we went the next step and decided that if she woke up we were just going to let her cry. She caught on pretty quick. I think there was a mutual understanding there. So now she is holding out till about 5:30 in the morning but even if she wakes up she just lays in bed and makes quite noises, that is, until she hears one of us up and about, then she lets us know she’s awake. That’s enough for today. Even though I could go on about repairing molding that ruby chewed when she was a puppy and painting the dining room and both of us signing up for a triathlon in St. Anthony’s FL next April, and taking photos for our Christmas cards and trying to get those sent out. We need to stay on top of this blogging. We’ll try to post a few photos this weekend.
Now we could concentrate on making a turkey. We used the recipe from good eats on the food network channel. I’ll say the Turkey turned out OK. Everyone claimed it to be the best turkey they ever had, however, with the attendance at our gathering, we only ate the white meat and did not need to get into the dark meat, and it’s a good thing because in our opinion it was not done. I think our temperature probe was a little inaccurate. So now we did not have hardly any leftover turkey and Michelle had bought a bunch of groceries to make stuff with the left over turkey. So on the Saturday after thanksgiving I bought a turkey on clearance at the local grocery store and we took another shot at it. This time we used two probes, one from our gas grill and the digital probe that plugs into the oven. We verified that the one in the oven might be about 5 degrees off so we took the second turkey up to about 170 degrees and let me tell you, it was worth the second effort. It was awesome. The white meat was super moist and the dark meat was done perfect as well.
Addison is growing like crazy. And she is becoming so much fun. At her 4 month appointment she weighed in at 17lbs 8oz. She is "in the 97th percentile for height and a little more than that for weight”. Those were Dr. Vanzee’s words. But at 4 months she still was not sleeping through the night without eating. So on thanksgiving weekend we considered a few nights of “tough love”. On Wednesday night we decided that she would not get fed, we would just take turns comforting her back to sleep. We were both relatively surprised that she was fairly cooperative. So that’s the routine we stuck to for the rest of the weekend and on Monday we went the next step and decided that if she woke up we were just going to let her cry. She caught on pretty quick. I think there was a mutual understanding there. So now she is holding out till about 5:30 in the morning but even if she wakes up she just lays in bed and makes quite noises, that is, until she hears one of us up and about, then she lets us know she’s awake. That’s enough for today. Even though I could go on about repairing molding that ruby chewed when she was a puppy and painting the dining room and both of us signing up for a triathlon in St. Anthony’s FL next April, and taking photos for our Christmas cards and trying to get those sent out. We need to stay on top of this blogging. We’ll try to post a few photos this weekend.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Yes, we're still alive
Ok, so we’ve neglected to pay attention to our blog for a while. We’ll try to get better at that. So, Michelle and Addison made a journey to California on Wednesday October 31st, Halloween, and returned on Monday November 5th. They were able to see lots of family and friends. Addison was able to meet her cousin Logan for the first time.
Plus she got to hang out with his brother Garret again (I think it’s pretty awesome that she’s been able to see her cousin Garret, who lives across the country, twice already and she’s only 3.5 months old – that could be an expensive trend if it keeps up for too much longer).
While they were gone I tried to get a bunch of chores out of the way. I raked all the leaves (which sems almost sensless and the yard is filled with leaves again right now), washed and waxed Michelle’s car and washed my truck, changed the oil in the truck, did work on the snow-blower to get it ready for winter, plus a little laundry and a few miscellaneous items around the house and still managed to get in a couple bike rides in a last ditch effort to prepare myself for an rapidly approaching event. They returned home on the 5th. Michelle has a few stories to tell about traveling with an infant, and they had both caught colds. The week was a bit of a challenge getting Addison back on her schedule after dealing with daylight savings time change and jet lag but it was not too awful. Late in the week I managed to catch the cold that the girls brought home with them. Then Saturday morning I headed out the door at 5:00 a.m. to drive up to Kalkaska and do the Iceman , a 27.5 mile mountain bike race. By the time it was all said and done I didn’t get home till 9:00p.m. and still had to unload/unpack my gear. Needless to say I slept good that night. Last night when I got home from work we loaded up the child and the dog and went for a little hike at on the trails at Robinette's Apple Orchard. This was a blast by the way, Addison was over-stimulated by all the colors on the leaves.
While they were gone I tried to get a bunch of chores out of the way. I raked all the leaves (which sems almost sensless and the yard is filled with leaves again right now), washed and waxed Michelle’s car and washed my truck, changed the oil in the truck, did work on the snow-blower to get it ready for winter, plus a little laundry and a few miscellaneous items around the house and still managed to get in a couple bike rides in a last ditch effort to prepare myself for an rapidly approaching event. They returned home on the 5th. Michelle has a few stories to tell about traveling with an infant, and they had both caught colds. The week was a bit of a challenge getting Addison back on her schedule after dealing with daylight savings time change and jet lag but it was not too awful. Late in the week I managed to catch the cold that the girls brought home with them. Then Saturday morning I headed out the door at 5:00 a.m. to drive up to Kalkaska and do the Iceman , a 27.5 mile mountain bike race. By the time it was all said and done I didn’t get home till 9:00p.m. and still had to unload/unpack my gear. Needless to say I slept good that night. Last night when I got home from work we loaded up the child and the dog and went for a little hike at on the trails at Robinette's Apple Orchard. This was a blast by the way, Addison was over-stimulated by all the colors on the leaves.
and Ruby was over-stimulated by the unfamiliar scents. It’s so much fun to get that dog out of the city where you can let her off the leash and not worry about her getting hit by a car. Everywhere we went she just ran circles around us. We were only out there for about 30-40 minutes but it was still priceless time spent together as a family.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
The end of an era.
Well, maybe 5 1/2 months does not qualify as an "era" but it's definitely a long break. I'll be back to work this coming Tuesday. When I left on bedrest back in APRIL I had let my manager know that I thought I would not be able to return as a full time employee - the job just runs me ragged...long days when we're busy, travelling, working weekends and the occasional terse voice mail (left in haste with no real backing...it's saved in my inbox) - and that was fine, when I just needed to come home to a husband who would listen to my rants, be ok with mac and cheese for dinner tonight, and let the laundry slide when I just needed to sack out on the couch... and a dog who just needed one of us to walk her. Now, there's just more to come home to and I'd like to be able to give a little back to that adorable baby when she wants mom's attention and affection. Anyhow.... my manager told me to really think it over and consider that I may feel differently after the baby came. Understandable, but I really want to work. Yep. I just want to do it all. So, I went back and proposed that I work a part time schedule... I knew it wouldn't be a popular suggestion and was fully expecting a "no" but, as my husband pointed out, "you'll never get what you want unless you ask for it" Yes, he's a wonderful husband ;)
So, much to my surprise and delight - they agreed to let me work part time for a trial period. The plan is that I'll be at work Tuesdays through Fridays, 6 hours a day. I'll have less on my plate and no travel. Best of all, I know I'll be home on time at night to spend some quality time with our daughter :) Of course, I have apprehensions and am nervous about making it work, but I have to give it a try - it may be the best of both worlds!
As for our little "peanut"... she's busy working on rolling over. She gets half way - from her back to her side...usually rolling to the right. I have a feeling it may be awhile before she figures out how to get all the way over and then it will be massively frustrating as she tends to get very angry when she finds herself on her tummy! oh, and mommy's trying to figure out how to get her back to sleeping 5-6 hours at a time. She used to do it when she slept in her chair, but now that she's back in the crib....not so much. I'm thinking about burning the book that says they will likely start sleeping through the night at 8 weeks...but some won't until 10-12. Yeah, we're at 12 weeks and I'm not seeing any signs of change. I'm beginning to implement different "methods" but I try to give each one a week or so... so far, no luck. I'm sure there are a few sympathetic ears out there...
So, much to my surprise and delight - they agreed to let me work part time for a trial period. The plan is that I'll be at work Tuesdays through Fridays, 6 hours a day. I'll have less on my plate and no travel. Best of all, I know I'll be home on time at night to spend some quality time with our daughter :) Of course, I have apprehensions and am nervous about making it work, but I have to give it a try - it may be the best of both worlds!
As for our little "peanut"... she's busy working on rolling over. She gets half way - from her back to her side...usually rolling to the right. I have a feeling it may be awhile before she figures out how to get all the way over and then it will be massively frustrating as she tends to get very angry when she finds herself on her tummy! oh, and mommy's trying to figure out how to get her back to sleeping 5-6 hours at a time. She used to do it when she slept in her chair, but now that she's back in the crib....not so much. I'm thinking about burning the book that says they will likely start sleeping through the night at 8 weeks...but some won't until 10-12. Yeah, we're at 12 weeks and I'm not seeing any signs of change. I'm beginning to implement different "methods" but I try to give each one a week or so... so far, no luck. I'm sure there are a few sympathetic ears out there...
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
All smiles!
That's right. For the past few weeks I've debated if she is actually smiling or if she is just pulling faces. Michelle insists that she is making a conscious effort to smile. I was saying she was just making a face that appeared to look a lot like a smile. Now I think I’m convinced, but we’ll let you be the judge. Checkout the clip this Michelle took.
So it’s been a couple weeks since we made and entry to our blog and you might ask what we’ve been up to. Well, unfoutunately, there just has not been too much to talk about. It seems like time just disappears. I’ve been working on installing a fence around the back yard at the house next door so that’s been taking up most of my spare time but I finished that last weekend.
Other than that, I come home from work, and a couple times a week I have managed to get in a bike ride. A few friends are trying to convince me to do the Iceman, a 27 mile mtn bike race from Kalkaska to Traverse City in held November (we’ll see how that turns out). I’ve done it before and I have mixed feelings about doing it again. Michelle has been out with Addison in the Chariot behind the bike a few times as well. It seems Addison is very content when being towed behind the bike. Here is a low quality video of the departure of their maiden voyage.
And perhaps the rest of my household will not agree that this is a blog worthy topic, but since the posting was left to me, I've decided that I'll take the liberty to let you know that I'm excited that the jeep got some new treads yesterday (33 x 13.50-15 Toyo Open Country M/T's). They are actually not as noisy as the 12 year old BFGoodrich MT's that they replaced.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Travelers
Phew - It's been too long since I've been able to post. I'll do my best to get in all the activity that' s fone on...
Ok, first of all I will say I had a fantastic little get away to Royal Oak at the end of August. Addison and I visited my friend Jen, her husband Dan and their little one, Trey - who is exactly 5 weeks older than Addison. They were instant friends :) Ok, so they didn't actually "play" together but they did do some simultaneous complaining, which Jen and I just laughed about...and said a quick thank you prayer for not having had twins! We were moms-about-town, we walked to dinner Monday night with the kiddies in the strollers - had ultimate margaritas, made jokes about drinking and driving...the strollers and got home just in time to warm up a couple bottles and pump-and-dump. (It's just not the same having a drink, knowing that you have to find time to get rid of 'tainted' milk.) Tuesday we strapped the kids in the front pack and headed to Starbucks then switched it up and took the stollers to Trader Joes. But, mostly, we caught up and just enjoyed the time with babies! It's amazing to see the developmental differences between the two just 5 weeks apart.
Addison and Trey
Jen and I...headed to Starbucks!
Dan and I took it easy for Labor day weekend. It's a new feeling for us to be home more often. We are definitely the type of people who are generally always on the go.
My sisters Emily and Anita came in from California to visit us on Sept 6. Anita brought her youngest son, Garrett, with her - he is 5 months old. Luckily, Garrett is an angel of a baby (quite a chubby little cherib, but angelic nonetheless) because they had quite the travelling woes getting here - and leaving. Delayed an additional 3 hours in Chicago on the way here and having a flight delayed and then cancelled when they tried to leave! I hope they thought it was all worthwhile; I certainly loved having them here. It was wonderful to finally meet Garrett and me and the girls had an awesome time just hanging out. We managed to fit in quite a bit of cooking, a few card games, and a board game - Dan finally managed to win a game of Catan. Anita and I tried to pry into all the juicy details from Emily's on going saga of a social life and even tried to get her to respond to some of those e-Harmony matches ;) Anita and I also got to attend a little seminar at Williams-Sonoma on making homemade pasta. We actually made linguine later that week, but I definitely need an upgrade if I am going to embark on that endevour again. It shouldn't take 2 people and over an hour to make a batch of pasta for 4. I love good food, but I'm far too practical (and impatient) for that.
Of course I must add that with the help of a supportive husband, a wonderful baby and the sisters - I was able to get up last Saturday morning, squeeze (a very tight squeeze, mind you) into my wetsuit and tackle the Reeds Lake triathlon course....one leg at a time. I was the most nervous about the swim, but once that was done I was fairly confident I would make it through the bike and run. The run was tough and I could feel my non-existant abs screaming at me for the last mile, but it was worth it. Ah, back to my old self again....well, not really, but I'm getting there.
Emily, me and Anita
Addy with Cousin Garrett
Ok, first of all I will say I had a fantastic little get away to Royal Oak at the end of August. Addison and I visited my friend Jen, her husband Dan and their little one, Trey - who is exactly 5 weeks older than Addison. They were instant friends :) Ok, so they didn't actually "play" together but they did do some simultaneous complaining, which Jen and I just laughed about...and said a quick thank you prayer for not having had twins! We were moms-about-town, we walked to dinner Monday night with the kiddies in the strollers - had ultimate margaritas, made jokes about drinking and driving...the strollers and got home just in time to warm up a couple bottles and pump-and-dump. (It's just not the same having a drink, knowing that you have to find time to get rid of 'tainted' milk.) Tuesday we strapped the kids in the front pack and headed to Starbucks then switched it up and took the stollers to Trader Joes. But, mostly, we caught up and just enjoyed the time with babies! It's amazing to see the developmental differences between the two just 5 weeks apart.
Addison and Trey
Jen and I...headed to Starbucks!
Dan and I took it easy for Labor day weekend. It's a new feeling for us to be home more often. We are definitely the type of people who are generally always on the go.
My sisters Emily and Anita came in from California to visit us on Sept 6. Anita brought her youngest son, Garrett, with her - he is 5 months old. Luckily, Garrett is an angel of a baby (quite a chubby little cherib, but angelic nonetheless) because they had quite the travelling woes getting here - and leaving. Delayed an additional 3 hours in Chicago on the way here and having a flight delayed and then cancelled when they tried to leave! I hope they thought it was all worthwhile; I certainly loved having them here. It was wonderful to finally meet Garrett and me and the girls had an awesome time just hanging out. We managed to fit in quite a bit of cooking, a few card games, and a board game - Dan finally managed to win a game of Catan. Anita and I tried to pry into all the juicy details from Emily's on going saga of a social life and even tried to get her to respond to some of those e-Harmony matches ;) Anita and I also got to attend a little seminar at Williams-Sonoma on making homemade pasta. We actually made linguine later that week, but I definitely need an upgrade if I am going to embark on that endevour again. It shouldn't take 2 people and over an hour to make a batch of pasta for 4. I love good food, but I'm far too practical (and impatient) for that.
Of course I must add that with the help of a supportive husband, a wonderful baby and the sisters - I was able to get up last Saturday morning, squeeze (a very tight squeeze, mind you) into my wetsuit and tackle the Reeds Lake triathlon course....one leg at a time. I was the most nervous about the swim, but once that was done I was fairly confident I would make it through the bike and run. The run was tough and I could feel my non-existant abs screaming at me for the last mile, but it was worth it. Ah, back to my old self again....well, not really, but I'm getting there.
Emily, me and Anita
Addy with Cousin Garrett
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