Adelyn's First Christmas

I loved celebrating Christmas with Adelyn this year. And from what I could tell, she loved it too!

On the 23rd, my mother-in-law came into town. She came in early so I could get any loose ends tied up without my little helper. But, I was already done with almost everything. But she still got to babysit so that Ben and I could go to the movies.

Christmas Eve day we celebrated with Ben's parents. Breakfast was coffee cake brought by Mickey. Lunch was "Those Sandwiches", veggies and dip and Jell-O Ribbon Salad. All was made ready the day before, we I just had to bake the sandwiches and set the table. Dinner was our traditional Chinese take-out.

Before dinner, we opened presents since Adelyn goes to bed usually before 7. She was much more involved in this process than I was expecting! She loved to tear the paper off the presents. It was so cute! Ben got a bit of video that I will put up on YouTube.

Christmas Day we went to my parents for brunch then to my Grandma's for dinner. It was a long day (we left home around 10:30 AM and got back around 7:30 PM). Adelyn was so excited to see Auntie Krys and Uncle Pranob (haven't seen them since August) and with everything else, that she didn't want to nap. I was sure that she was going to have a major melt-down at some point, but she didn't! As we were getting ready to leave my Grandma's she got super tired and whiny, but my cousin Leah kept her occupied until we were ready to leave. I thought she did great with all the commotion and new people.

This year, the Christmas story had a whole new meaning to me. I'm sure that Mary didn't know everything that her son would do for us, but if she had even an inkling of his sacrifice, I really don't know how she managed to hold it together. I would do anything to protect my Adelyn. I want to protect her from the evil and hurts in this world. I know that I can't and shouldn't protect her from everything and that breaks my heart. So instead, I pray that she will be strong enough to handle it and to mend quickly.

Merry Christmas!

First Stamp

This Thanksgiving, once again we hit the road. This time our destination was Costa Rica to visit Ben's brother and his family. To me it is so funny that infants need passports. But anyway, Adelyn in now the proud owner of a stamp from Costa Rica!

We had a great time while there. We were there for 10 days and honestly, the time went by super fast. Ben had to work a bunch while we were there, so I spent a good portion of my days with Sara and the kids. Simon was super interested in Adelyn. And by interested I mean that he kept poking her in her eyes. So, we had to keep those two separated. Once Adelyn can crawl and get away, I'm sure it will be an easier visit.

One day we drove to a volcano. I was so excited! And it was awesome. It was Volcano Poas. There is a great view of the current crater. It was busy cranking out clouds of sulfur. But it didn't stink as much as I thought it might. Then we hiked up to the old crater that has formed a lake. It was another awesome view. And an awesome workout to hike up to it. With a stroller.

The last part of our trip we went to Jaco so Ben could learn how to surf (his #1 priority for our trip). We rented a condo that was right on the beach. I LOVE being so close to the ocean. Watching the waves breaking is so relaxing. I could get used to that.

Two interesting things: 1. There are virtually no road names or signs in Costa Rica. You just have to know how to get there. Or know local landmarks. 2. If the Russian Mafia is after you, you can't just run to the embassy and expect them to let you in and protect you. You have to have an appointment...

In a very short nutshell, that was our trip. Ben and I are already talking about our next visit there.

Two Firsts

I know, I know. Adelyn will be experiencing a lot of firsts. But today we had two!

1. This morning she went to her first funeral. A good friend's dad passed away, so we went to the funeral. My friend has been an amazing daughter! I hope that I can be such a blessing to my family as they age. She has a multitude of siblings, and yet she was the only one that took the time to be with her aging and ailing father. She made the hard decision to move him to a home last year. She has visited him at least twice a week since then. Even though he sometimes would yell at her and sometimes would think she was his wife (who passed away 5 years ago). Her unselfishness caused her a lot of stress, but she always put him first. Richard, may you rest in peace!

Oh, and Adelyn did pretty well. She started wanting to talk when the priest started the sermon, so we went and hung out in the foyer. We could still see and hear everything, but she could make happy baby noises and not disturb anyone.

2. She participated in a research study at the U of M. They wanted 4 month old volunteers for a visual perception study. It was kind of cool. They recorded her responses to different stimuli and used eye-tracking software to determine what she was looking at and for how long. Not sure what they are going to use it for, but it was pretty neat. The ladies in the lab said that she did great. (Not exactly sure what that means, but whatever).

In both firsts today, I am reminded at how social our little girl is already. She knows that when someone smiles or talks to her, that they like it when she smiles back. We might have our hands full with her... :)

Feels Like the First Time

Today I finally got off my lazy bum and went for a run. I have been yearning for a run (crazy, I know) for a while. But every time I thought about going on one, something would come up. Today I decided enough was enough and I went for a run. It is a beautiful day out there! I ended up running 2 miles. It felt pretty good until the last quarter mile or so. I did a route that would end in the woods by our house (I thought that sounded like a nice reward). But I forgot how hilly it is down there! Yikes! But I did it. In 23 1/2 minutes. Not bad for the first time out in ... well, probably about 36 weeks.

A Pair of Yellow Socks and a Pink Elephant

This past weekend we were off again. This time to Dallas, TX. Ben was going for a seminar. Adelyn and I decided to tag along. We felt that coming to Dallas was the perfect trip to see how it would be for us to come with Ben on business trips. Mainly because we have friends there so I wouldn't feel so alone. I don't think any of us were recovered yet from NYC, but what do you do?

The flight to Dallas was ok. For the first time, Adelyn wasn't her happy traveling self. She cried a bit before her in-flight nap. It was less than 5 minutes of crying, but seemed like forever to us since we do not want to be "those" parents with "that" baby.

Our first night was so much fun! We went to our friends, Val and Raul's house for dinner. Val made some killer lasagna. We had a great time hanging out with them. The rest of the trip Ben was pretty occupied with the seminar. Adelyn and I joined him for lunches and one dinner.

Friday morning I was getting Adelyn dressed when I realized that I only packed one pair of socks for her and they were yellow! (To my credit, she did have one yellow outfit). It was a good thing we were headed to Walmart to grab some breakfast food to have in our room.

On the way home, Adelyn cried a bit again when she was trying to get to sleep (still don't get how crying soothes them to sleep). But really, I think she did great all things considered. After we got off the plane I changed her diaper. Midway through changing it I realized that I left her pink elephant on the plane! I quickly finished up so that we could try and get it back. Luckily they did find it and the elephant was saved! (I'm not sure if she has a favorite toy or not, but the elephant has mighty tasty feet that she loves to chew on so we would have been sad if it was lost).

So now we're back home. Adelyn and I will be home for a while. Ben will be going to Vegas in another week or so for another conference.

NYC

This past weekend we took a trip to NYC to visit our friend Will. He let us stay with him and I have to say, he was a great host! Since Ben and I have been to NYC before and did the normal tourist stuff, this time it was a little more laid back. Will brought us to some of his favorite restaurants and hang out spots. We had a great time!

For the most part Adelyn was a trooper. She was near perfect on the plane rides (a little fussy prior to take off on one because I wasn't feeding her). She slept great at nights. The main issues were 1. too much going on so she didn't nap well (re: cranky pants in the evening) 2. by the time we would get our food (this includes travel, wait time, order time and deliver time) it would be time for her to eat again. This resulted in me eating a few lukewarm meals. But overall, I'm proud of how well she did.

We had a lot of Asian food while we were there. We had Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Thai. I think the Thai meal was my favorite. One of Will's friends joined us for that meal. She's Thai so we let her and Will handle the ordering. So good! Actually, for a lot of the meals we let Will order. He has great taste!

So now we're home. Trying to recover because we leave again for Dallas soon. :)

One Year Ago

One year ago on Saturday I found out that I was pregnant. It was also the day that I left for India for two weeks for work. The timing was perfect! Most importantly, I knew not to take my anti-malaria medication while I was there (does not mix well with developing babies). Also, when I started feeling sick midway through the trip, I knew that it was most likely morning sickness and nothing that I should take medication for (also does not mix well with developing babies). I also knew to be super extra careful about what I ate. But aside from my physical health, it was perfect timing for my mental and emotional well-being. The night before I left, I started to cry (hormones??). I was mad at myself for agreeing to be gone for two weeks. It was the longest I had been away from Ben. And the thought of being away from him was almost too much for me. So, the next morning, when I found out I was carrying Adelyn, it was such a comfort! I wasn't alone in India! And she was my little secret. When I was feeling lonely at night in the hotel, I would place my hand on my belly and talk to the wonderful being that was growing inside of me.

Thank you Adelyn, for coming with me to India. You helped me more than words can describe.

Sing a Song

A few days after my post about singing to Adelyn, I started up again (I caught a cold so I didn't start right away). The first day back to singing, I was singing "Arms of Love" by Amy Grant. Apparently, Adelyn does not like that song. She stopped eating, so I looked down at her and her lower lip was out and quivering! As soon as I changed songs, she smiled and went back to eating. Silly girl. And now sometimes she will stop eating to sing along with me. So, sometimes I cut the singing time short so she will get back to eating. Her current favorite is "GLYSDI" (God Loves You, So Do I). Tonight we sang that song several times AFTER she was done eating.

Girl's Weekend 2010

Last weekend was my annual Girl's Weekend. I really look forward to the time with my friends. Usually it's during the summer, but with having Adelyn, our tradition was thrown a bit. This past weekend was it! This year we went to Hastings. No particular reason other than it was close by, but far enough away from normal to make it feel like a get away.

We set out in the morning. It was a quick drive there. And pretty too. It was about peak for the trees. We walked around Main Street for a bit and got a lunch recommendation. We headed over to the Muddy Waters Cafe for lunch. After lunch we went to Elm Spa for facials and massages. The facial was great and the Chai tea was awesome. Instead of heading to an apple orchard like we had planned, we were all too relaxed to want to do much. So we checked into our hotel and talked about a dinner plan. We ended up at a Mexican place that kind of reminded me of El Loro. But you only get one basket of chips. What's up with that?? But dinner was good. Then it was hot tub time! Then we played games (Who, What, Where) and talked. And talked. The next morning we hit a cafe for breakfast and were on our way home.

I had a great time! It was so nice to be with my friends for more than just a quick chat. It was hard to be away from Adelyn though. Especially since she was on a hunger strike and didn't want to eat from a bottle (even though she has before). I am so thankful that Ben wanted me to have this time and that he made it work.

Reclaiming My Voice

From the very beginning, I have sang to Adelyn while feeding her. Not at all feedings, but at least two per day. The songs would range from Broadway hits, to the Oldies, to children songs to hymns. It was a way to pass the time, but also I think another way to bond. Then one day I stopped singing. My excuse was that we were at a lake cabin with friends and I was embarrassed to be overheard. So, I picked up my phone and used that to pass the time instead. I read emails, checked in on FaceBook, played games, you name it. After leaving the lake, that habit stayed. I looked forward to doing all those things while feeding Adelyn. Then this week, I realized that I hadn't been singing to my daughter for weeks! And this made me very sad. Instead of using the feedings to bond with her, I was bonding with my phone. I decided that this has got to stop.

So, I am working on kicking the phone habit. I told Ben about my conviction so that he could help keep me accountable. I have started to leave my phone other places so I won't be tempted to use it. And I am working on remembering all the songs I used to sing to her.

I love that I'm back to singing. I think Adelyn likes it too because sometimes she hums along while she eats. These are precious moments that I am trying to not take advantage of because all too soon they will be over. I'm just thankful I realized what was happening before it was too late.

Nine Wonderful Years

This past Wednesday Ben and I celebrated nine years of married life. He didn't have anything really going on at work, so at the last minute he decided to take the day off. We both had donuts on the brain, so the three of us went to Byerly's for breakfast. It was definitely a cheat day* for Ben, so we got a pizza for lunch. We watched Star Wars Episode 1. Then we got ready for our dinner out. My parents came over to babysit Adelyn. Then we were off to Ruth's Chris' for dinner. We totally took our time at dinner. We had some wonderful food and some great wine. This was a real treat for me since I haven't been able to have any for quite some time. We finished off our meal with free dessert. I haven't been so full in so long. And it was so worth it.

*Ben is on a diet. Most days he restricts his calories (the only real way to loose weight) but at least once a week he has a cheat day so his body doesn't get too used to his low calorie diet. Usually he's still really good on his cheat days. Not so much on Wednesday. But thankfully Mr. Scale wasn't too mean the next morning.

In the journal I'm keeping for Adelyn, I tried to find words to express how wonderful love is. I know I did not do it justice at all. I just hope and pray that Ben and I will be great examples of what love is. And someday she will have this type of love too. (I already am tearing up just thinking about her getting married!).

Mind Reader

Sometimes I swear that Zoey can read my mind. The other day I was thinking about asking Ben if we could go on a family walk. I hadn't done anything except think it and all of a sudden Zoey started to go crazy, racing towards the door and looking all excited. Then, a few days later I again thought about going on a walk. And wouldn't you know, Zoey knew what I was thinking again. I need to be careful about what I think!

Small World

A couple of weeks ago, there were two instances where I was reminded of how small our world is (or maybe just mine). One of my old coworkers from EB had a birthday. I wrote on his wall. Later that day I noticed that a guy that I met at Lake Minnetonka last year also wished him a happy birthday. Weird. That same week I had a friend have a scare (thought her military brother had been involved in a fatal crash in Alaska) I commented on her status. Also commenting on her status was a family friend of ours. Weird.

Things I Can Do

One handed, with my left hand, while holding a baby in my right:
Get a bowl and spoon out
Get oatmeal from the pantry
Measure out oatmeal and water and put into bowl
Microwave bowl of oatmeal
Add chocolate chips and dried cherries from sealed bags
Pour a glass of juice
Bring my breakfast to the table (two trips)

What I can't do: Eat with my left hand

Ben's Birthday

Last Saturday was Ben's birthday. I felt really bad because I wanted to plan something special, but I wasn't even able to get to the store and get his presents. But we had a great day. I let Ben plan out the whole day. We started off with some orange rolls. Then we went on a family walk. We went to Bhan Thai for eggs rolls and fried rice for lunch. We worked on some fish tank stuff. Then we had pizza for dinner and watched a movie. It was a fun filled day. It should be his birthday more often!

Night Time Conversations

The other night (well, ok 4:30 am) I had just come back into our bedroom to feed Adelyn and Ben asked me, "Where's dad?" I responded, "I don't know." But really, I was pretty sure he was still sleeping in "his" room. Then Ben mumbled something I couldn't make out, so I asked him to repeat his question. He responded with, "I can't breathe because of your sausages!" Ok, clearly he was sleeping/dreaming, so I just smiled and ignored him. Since our conversation was so humorous to me, I texted it to Ben so I wouldn't forget about it later. When we got up a few hours later, I told him to read the texts. He read it and said, "Yeah? Why were you eating sausage in our bedroom? It stunk up the whole room!"

Turns out... he wasn't talking in his sleep. He still thinks that I was eating sausage in our bedroom at 4 something in the morning.

Zoey vs. Carnitas

On Monday we picked up a tray of precooked carnitas for Ben and my brother to have for dinner. I cooked it up and got the rest of the meal ready and then headed off to book club. When I got home, Ben greeted me with a hug and a kiss. Then said, "It wasn't my fault." Uh-oh. Turns out the carnitas was left a little too close to the counter edge and Zoey helped herself to the rest of it (probably a pound +). *sigh* I wasn't upset, but now I had to come up with something for dinner on Tuesday.

We figured that her little system would be going crazy, so I worked from home on Tuesday. Good thing too. Shortly after lunch she started to need to go outside. She had several messes outside and then seemed fine. She stayed up with Ben while I went to bed. Good thing too. She ended up going out twice more and vomiting twice too. Poor little girl. They came to bed then I was up with her twice again. So, once again I am working from home to keep an eye on her. So far she seems fine, but I don't want to take any chances. Unfortunately, I don't think she will learn from this experience. Oh, well.

We Are Family

This past weekend was the August Schell's Family Reunion in New Ulm (150 years!). We drove down to spend Saturday there. It is amazing to think how many people I'm "related" to. I think the official RSVP count was 375 people. And the seventh generation is just getting started (Baby Roy will be in that generation).

It was a perfect day for an outdoor event. The sun was out, but it wasn't that hot. We got there around noon and had a lunch of brats, German potato salad, fruit, and chips. And all the beer or root beer you wanted. (Side note - the last time we had a reunion was in 1995 and I was too young to have beer. This time I was old enough but still couldn't have any. Oh, well. 1919 root beer is so yummy!!!).

I took a tour of the family "mansion." I put mansion in quotes because it's not that large of a house. But back in the day (1885) it was pretty nice sized, I guess. The tour was pretty cool. In each of the rooms a descendant was there to talk about the room. The guy in the kitchen is the grandson of the last people that lived there. He remembers visiting Grandpa and Grandma in the house. The front parlor guy remembers being chased out of that room by the aunts and uncles because kids weren't allowed in that room. It was neat to have first hand stories of that house. They are working on restoring it. That should be pretty cool.

This family event was so different than the Storm Lake trip. I think mainly because it is so big, but also the people there are mostly so far removed I didn't know hardly anyone. My two great aunts that are still around made it. And a few of their kids I know. And that was about it. So, I just soaked up the history of the place and the chance to hang with my family. All in all, not a bad way to spend the day.

Twist and Shout

Last night we had a huge line of storms come through Minnesota. It was a little crazy. The storms were as far south as just 20 miles north of the Iowa border and as far north as 3 hours north of the Twin Cities. The weather people were commenting on the size of the storm. The storm produced thunderstorms, hail and tornados. The amount of activity really kept the weather people busy! Thankfully, the TC was pretty much untouched by the activity. We got some rain, but that was about it.

Here's one story on the storms.

We're From Ioway

Last weekend we went to Iowa to help celebrate Ben's aunt and uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary. About an hour away from Storm Lake we realized we left our camera at home. :(

We got to the resort and checked in and then walked down the hallway to the suite that the family was hanging out in. Elenore (the aunt of the hour) was so completely surprised that we were there (we hadn't RSVP'ed since we didn't know until last minute that we were going to go down there). It was fun to be able to surprise everyone.

We hung out in the suite until everyone started to get ready for the dinner. We went and changed too and then headed out. Dinner was fun. We sat with one of Ben's cousins and her family. It's still a little strange to me that some Ben's cousins are closer in age to his parents than to us. The result is that their children are closer to our age. But anyway.

After dinner we went back to the suite. I was feeling pretty tired, but figured I could hang out for a little bit. Boy, am I glad that I did! We had so much fun! The family was busy swapping stories and everyone was laughing so hard. I thought maybe I would laugh the baby out. Thankfully that didn't happen, but I did have sore muscles for a few days.

Sunday morning we once again went to the suite and had breakfast and said our good byes. Then Rick took us on a tour of the town to show where he grew up. Up until then I always thought he grew up on a farm. Nope! In town. Then it was on the road again.

Amazing Life

A few months back we accidentally left the water on in our main fish tank. We didn't discover it until the next day. (Once again thankful that the tank isn't on our wood floors or carpets!). The tricky part is that since the fresh water was added slowly, you can't just remove water and add more salt as that will shock everything (re: possibly kill). So, you need to slowly adjust the salinity. We thought that the water would evaporate more quickly than it did, so we ended up waiting a week before intervening after about a week by slowly removing water and adding salt (over the course of another week or so). We were really scared that we would loose everything. Our poor little urchin give me a scare a time or two. Amazingly, we lost very little. We did loose our serpent stars and some of our coral. But the fish all made it. And some of our coral is making a comeback. I really was surprised at how much survived! Just goes to show how good life is at adapting to change. Life is a pretty amazing thing.

More Like Labor Day

No, not that kind of labor. :)

This past weekend was Memorial Day Weekend. Ben and I decided to try and make the most of 3 1/2 days off of work by getting some stuff done. Friday and Saturday we ran some errands. Saturday afternoon we went to a friend's 30 birthday party. Sunday we had a bunch of things we wanted to get done. But sometimes plans are just not meant to be. I think we were both discouraged about the lack of progress made. But then Monday rolled around.

Our one project was to build a retaining wall around the front "sand pit." This area has been on our list since we moved in. Monday we went to Menard's and found some great bricks that we both liked and also as important - allowed us to make 90 degree corners (most bricks for whatever reason aren't made that way). Poor Ben had to do all the lifting... all 2100 pounds. Twice (load and unload). But it worked out perfectly! We didn't have to cut any of the bricks. And it looks fantastic. And after all of that Ben mowed the lawn (that takes about 2 hours).

At the end, we were both happy about the progress that we made and the results. We are doing the lasagna method of gardening, so in a few weeks we should be able to plant some pretty flowers. So excited!

Tick

Saturday I had a first - I found a wood tick on my head! I was talking to my brother on the phone when I must have felt something because I went to brush my hair back, and I felt something. I went to the bathroom and there it was - my first tick. I hollered at Ben to come get it off of me (I don't think I was freaking out too much). He told me to get off the phone (sorry, Jake) and then he would help me. Luckily, it hadn't decided to latch on to me yet, so it was easy and painless.

Tuesday I found a tick on Zoey's neck. That is a tricky place to find one and remove one because her hair is so thick. And Zoey isn't sure what's going on, so she wants to get up. With me holding the hair back, Ben pulled it out.

Yesterday I found a tick on Zoey's ear. A little bit more of a sensitive spot than her neck, but she didn't react at all when Ben pulled it off.

Due to recent events, my morning routine now includes a clothes check, a full body check and a Zoey check. I've heard that this is a bad year for ticks, so I will probably run to the store and buy some stuff for Zoey.

Showers

A few months back I didn't have hot water for my shower. I checked the fuses. I went to check the pilot light (where I discovered we didn't have one). Then, it started to work. Strange. But whatever. Last week, no hot water. So I tried my magic again. It worked, but to a lesser degree - the hot water didn't last. I called the manufacturer and we figured out what the problem was (LED light pattern helped with this). Parts are still under warranty, so they sent the parts over next day. We got them on Saturday. I thought it was just a wire, turns out it was the gas harness. So, we decided this was a job for a professional. I called a random place (they were on the manufacturers website as a service provider). The guy was kind of grumpy. But the guy that actually showed up was awesome! He was super friendly. He was great with Zoey too (found out on the way to the utility room that he has a dog). And he was out in less than an hour. And we have hot water now! Woo hoo!

Tuesday night my girlfriends threw us a shower. I had such a great time. The food was great. The games were fun. And Baby Roy got a lot of cool things. The one game was for people to decorate onesies. It was fun to see their creativity show up on them. My book club friends made book themed ones. The dog lovers made ones with "Zoey was here" and "Zoey's girl" on them. I am so blessed to have such an awesome group of friends that I have met along my life's journey so far. Life is so much fun with them.

Twins!

(No not me).
On Tuesday night I had my first experience at the new Target Field to watch the Twins. The weather was 44 and cloudy, but thankfully the rain stopped before the game started. Still not sure why we didn't build the field with a retractable roof or something for when the weather isn't great. It's Minnesota, people! But anyway... I did like the field. Everything was nice and new. We were sitting in the Legends Club area (thanks to the General) and the seats were comfy and we had great views - just right of home plate.

We were there with three of Ben's teammates from India. They didn't really appreciate the weather. We offered them hats, gloves and blankets, but I guess they were too cool for that (hee hee). Hopefully they still had fun. One nice thing about the Legends Club is that there is a very nice enclosed area that is climate controlled. About half of the game the Indians were in there to stay warm.

One super cool thing is that Ben got a foul ball! Notice my words - got, not caught. It rolled down the stairs while people were trying to get it and landed at Ben's feet. He passed it on to one of the Indians. Would have been kind of cool to keep it, but don't really need a random baseball sitting around either. :)

Where has the time gone??

Can't believe that it has been so long since my last post. Someone might think I'm busy or something. :)

The weekend after the Omaha trip, my friend Cassie and I took a mini-road trip to New Ulm for a friend's wedding. It was a beautiful day for a drive. The wedding was nice. In between the wedding and reception we tried to visit my great-aunt. But she wasn't in her room (assisted living). Turns out she was down the hall playing cards. Oh, and I hadn't called ahead just in case it turned out not to work out. So, it wasn't her fault. And I'm glad she was having a fun day with friends. We did end up visiting Cassie's cousin. We visited for about 1/2 hour then back on the road for the reception (that was in Mankato). At the reception, we were just getting ready to leave when a slow song started. The best man came over and asked Cassie to dance. She said yes. I knew immediately that he didn't realize she was married. It was fun to tease her.

The next day I had a wonderful baby shower at the church I grew up in. A lot of cute pink and girly outfits! So excited to have someone to dress in them. :)

Then the following weekend Ben and I headed to Seattle to visit some friends. It was so much fun! We had a blast hanging with the Larson's. They have 5 kids, so at times it was a little crazy. But the kids were good kids. And they got along with each other so well. And they seemed to like us. Two of them when we were leaving asked when we were coming back. One suggested that we move closer so we could visit more often. How sweet!

This past weekend we had our baby classes. Better than I was expecting, but sitting all day for two days is not that great in my "condition." But it's over.

Omaha!

Last weekend my friend Heather and I took a road trip to Omaha. My cousin Ryan was getting married and her mom had invited her to a women's conference at church. Perfect! Months ago the plan was for our husbands to join us, but that didn't work out. For us it was not knowing for sure if we would even be going, so we didn't plan ahead. When we found out about the wedding we had no idea if I could or should make the 6+ hour car ride to Omaha. In the end it worked out great! Heather and I had a great ride there and back. We stopped in Des Moines to visit her dad and sister and her family. And once in Omaha we stayed with her mom. The whole weekend was fun. So glad that I decided to go.

The only "bad" thing was that my grandma wasn't able to make the trip. I was looking forward to seeing her as her health hasn't been the best (she's 94, so I think she is allowed to have health issues). But now I don't know when we will see her. I don't think another long road trip can happen for me until after Baby Roy comes. Hopefully it will work out to get a visit in.

Easter 2010

Apparently, last Sunday was when daylight savings time was supposed to happen. My clock changed the time on me so I was up an hour earlier than planned. But I used that time to clean the kitchen so I didn't have to do it later on.

After church, Ben and I beat my parents home. We let ourselves in with our key (yes, still have a key to the parent's house). Ben decided he wanted to play with his new camera outside, so we went out in the backyard. Didn't realize that by closing the door behind us, we were locking ourselves out. So we got to be outside longer than intended waiting for my parents to come home.

Mom was getting something out of the fridge and noticed that the light didn't go on. They have been having issues, so my mom figured it had died again. Good news - it wasn't dead. Bad news - the power was out. Good news - everything had finished cooking.

Other than that, we had a great Easter. It was nice to be with the family again. Those times will be treasured more since my sister and her hubby are moving to Chicago.

Wild Times

I guess there is a perk to being one of the last in the office on a Friday of a holiday weekend - I got 4 free tickets to the Wild game! I was so excited! I haven't been to a hockey game in forever. We had to ditch out on dinner with the in-laws, Malachi and my parents, but I think they will forgive us. The game was pretty good. We lost, but it was exciting up until the final buzzer.

After the game the four of us (Grant, Maddy, Ben, me) went to Wasabi sushi restaurant. So jealous. I couldn't eat what I usually do, so I had to stick to cooked options. They were tasty, don't get me wrong, but everyone else was raving about the salmon and yellow fin. A few more months....

We got home after midnight. Since we had guests we didn't want to disturb, we parked in the driveway. We were sure that Zoey would wake up the neighborhood. But no Zoey to greet us. Ben checked her kennel, but I figured she had gone up to bed. Sure enough, curled up on Ben's pillow fast asleep. I quietly called her name but she didn't even stir. So I put my hand on her side. She woke up with a start! I don't think I've ever seen her so startled.

DC

This past weekend we went to DC to hang out with Ben's brother. We left on Thursday (my birthday) and got back last night. John, Sara and Simon picked us up from the airport. We ended up taking a "detour" on the way to the hotel to stop at the Melting Pot for dessert. So thoughtful of Ben to think of that.

Friday we spent the day in DC. We had gotten on the list for a "tour" of the White House and of the Capitol building. Our WH tour was "scheduled" for 8:30 am. We got there around 7:45 and got the pleasure of waiting in the rain for over an hour to get in. And it turns out that it is a self-guided tour, so you were with a mass of people filing through the 6 or so open rooms. I was not impressed. The highlights were seeing secret service walk around with big guns and walking out the front door of the WH. But without anyone telling me why I should care that this room is green and that one is blue, I didn't find the tour all that useful.

The Capitol tour, on the other hand, was great! Our Congressman likes to make sure his peeps get a personal experience. So it was Ben and me and three others with one of his aides on the tour. It was great! She was funny, and knowledgeable. She shared with us the history of the building, rooms and art. We even witnessed a proposal in the old Senate room. So cool!

Saturday night we got together with our friend Chris that lives out that way. He took us to a great Thai place and to a movie (Hot Tub Time Machine). It was a wonderful way to spend the evening! We all laughed throughout the night. It was fun to be able to see Chris between cruises.

Other than that, we hung out with John, Sara and Simon. I thought Simon was super cute. And fun to be around. He's 6 weeks and doing great.

Get So Busy

I'm not sure who sings it, but there is a song that was on a tape that I used to listen to as a kid. The song goes,
Well, I know it sounds funny, but it's true
I get so busy, I forget I'm in love with you
And every now and then
We need to get away to get close again

It is so true! Ben and I were talking last night and we both can't really figure out what we've been doing with our time. Sometimes we are just in our separate worlds. We are making it a point to make sure to spend actual time together on a regular basis. And I love it.

Busy Weekend!

This week/weekend while Ben was away, I was able to keep myself pretty busy.

Thursday night I went to poker. Not to play. But to eat. It was at James' house last week and he always has great food. This time was no exception. He made Japanese Fried Noodles outside on his propane wok.

Saturday I helped my friend Andrea move. And don't worry - no heavy lifting for me. I helped pick up the moving truck, disassemble furniture, empty the fridge... The best part was to see her new house. It's is very nice. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's not as close to me as her old place was. Oh, well. I'm still happy for her.

Saturday night I went to my sister's place to celebrate her husband's and step-daughter's birthdays. It feels like I haven't seen them forever, so it was nice to spend some time with them. Before they move to Chicago. Yep, they're moving. Their house will go on the market next Monday. I'm excited for them, but also sad... this will be the first time in my life that we won't be in the Minneapolis area together.

Sunday, a group of us girls headed out to Red Wing to visit a friend that moved to a farm out there. The drive was beautiful. And the lunch and conversation were fabulous! I had so much fun.

And today, Ben comes home! So excited.

Someone's in the Kitchen

Oats - A few weeks back, I finally got around to remember to put some steel-cut oats in the crock pot before I headed to bed. I was expecting a different texture, but the different taste kind of surprised me. But amazing things happen when you add chocolate chips...

Polenta - I decided to give polenta a try. I had a recipe where you cooked it with water and then added milk and cheese to it. For the most part we liked it. The cheese didn't fully melt down, so Ben wasn't thrilled with the globs. I would try it again without the cheese.

Things That Make You Go Yum!

On Friday, I decided to make oatmeal for breakfast. Mainly because we were out of bread, so the usual eggs and toast or French toast was out. I made it on the stove with milk and strawberries. Before serving it, I pulled out some homemade whipped cream and put a dollop on top of the oatmeal. Yum!

Yesterday Ben and I caught the last half of "Everyday Food" on PBS. The one recipe looked pretty good and easy, so we went to the store to buy the ingredients. It was for Steak with Brussels Sprouts and Almonds. I will admit, this was the first time that I have made Brussels sprouts. Or eaten them. But the recipe was pretty good. **Note** Skirt steak may be folded in half. Check before you cook. - Yep, we didn't know. So we didn't check. So when Ben went to turn the steaks over, they fell into two pieces. Still worked just fine, but the cooking had to be changed up (shorter time, flip again to cook the uncooked exposed parts).

While putting the recipe card away for the above recipe, I came across Strawberry Shortcake. Hmmm... We have strawberries. We have some whipped cream leftover. Why not? But instead of following the recipe card, which calls for Bisquick, I found another one from scratch. Mainly because of our 1899 fetish, but also because we don't have any Bisquick on hand (because of our fetish). Ben was a little worried because he is very much attached to the way his mom makes shortcake. But it turned out great! He must have liked it since that's what he asked for for breakfast. :)

V Day, Then and Now

One of our first Valentine’s Days together there was really bad weather. When Ben was bringing me home we did a 180 on Highway 7 due to the ice on the road. That was pretty exciting. This Valentine’s Day the weather was bad again. On the way to dinner we saw an SUV on its side and several cars in the ditches. But unlike the days of old, we didn’t have any excitement in the car.

We started off the day making breakfast together. The plan was to make waffles with strawberries, whipped cream and some hash browns. Our waffle maker had other plans. The first waffle stuck so badly, that we couldn’t get it out to try again. So we made pancakes instead. Still very tasty.

Since it’s our last Valentine’s Day sans kids, we decided to go out. Ben wanted to try an organic or locally sourced place, so I picked out Brasa Rotisserie in Minneapolis. They happened to have a V-Day special so we went with that. We had guacamole with veggies and chips, shrimp and smoked trout for our appetizer. For our meats we picked pork and beef. Both were so tender and tasty. We both liked the pork the best. We got to pick three sides so we picked collard greens, fried plantains and rice and beans. I wasn’t crazy about the greens, but the other sides were fantastic. We ended our dining experience with dessert… raspberry cheesecake, truffles and lavender caramel. The caramel was interesting. Better than I would have thought. I would recommend Brasa!

All in all, it was a great day. I’m so thankful for my Valentine.

Recap

Wow. It's been a while since I posted anything. Quick recap in order of events: Ben came home, Zoey ate a stick of butter, we went to maternity leave Q&A at work, I'm an aunt again, we had our first appointment at the new clinic. Whew. And of course, those are just the things that popped into my head.

When Ben went to India he had asked if there was anything I wanted him to buy for me. Since I've been there several times myself, I couldn't really think of anything. He bought me something anyway. He is so sweet! He bought two cute outfits... a baby boy and a baby girl outfit. They are so cute! The little girl outfit even came with a little scarf. How cute is that?!

It still amazes me what Zoey can eat with no effect on her system. At least nothing obvious. The other day she had a stick of butter. I think if I ate a whole stick I would be sick. Not Zoey. Everything was normal. But, if you give her a taco from Taco Bell, that's another story. We'll be weighing her this weekend to see what her weight looks like.

The maternity Q&A was interesting. I got to find out how much paid time I get once our baby comes. Too bad it's only 6 weeks. I would LOVE for it to be longer. I'm trying to extend my leave. We'll see how that goes.

Yesterday, Simon James was born to John and Sara. He is so cute from the one picture Ben was sent of him. We're planning on going to visit the new little guy either the last weekend in March or first in April. We can't wait!

Yesterday was also our first appointment at the new clinic. The only thing I didn't like about it is that the elevators are SO SLOW!! And there aren't stairs, except for emergency stairs. But anyway. The clinic seemed very nice. It's a new building, so it wasn't very clinic feeling. And one of the reasons I picked it (aside from delivering at the new hospital) is that it not only has OB, but also pediatrics, so I won't have to find another clinic for the baby. The way they work is that for my appointments I can either see the WHNP every time (unless there are complications), pick a doctor to see, or rotate doctors (there are 4). The nice thing about being able to rotate is that then I will have at least met the doctor once that will deliver my baby. That's another reason why I picked this clinic versus a big one (because then it would be a random doctor to deliver). And unfortunately, they weren't able to get us in for an ultrasound until 2/22, so it's a bit longer before we can get a visual on our little person.

On My Own

Ben left Thursday for India. He'll be back next Sunday. So far, I have been keeping reasonably busy.
Thursday night I was going to poker (just to socialize, not play) but Zoey got sick again, so I decided to stay home.
Friday after work I took a nap and then went out to dinner with some friends. I had so much fun. And I laughed so much. We went to Pop restaurant in Minneapolis. The waiter brought us much amusement. When he came to the table he informed us that there was only one bowl of soup left and only one glass of a certain wine left. Ok. Seemed strange since it was still early for a Friday night, but whatever. After he took our order he came back a few minutes later to tell me that they only had one order of flautas left (I ordered two since it was an appetizer and he said it was small). So I changed my order to one order of flautas and one order of empanadas. A few minutes after that he came back to verify Heidi and Katie's orders. When the food arrived he discovered that he forgot to put Alyssa's order in. He told us he would treat us to dessert. I should also mention that he decided to speak Spanish to me... because I ordered Mexican food?!? Then he brought the dessert menus. We asked what he would recommend and he said the sampler. But since that was the most expensive dessert he told us he would chip in $5. Ok. I guess he didn't really mean that he was going to treat us to dessert. Whatever. But despite all that, we had a great time there. Actually, some of our laughs were around our waiter, so maybe without him it wouldn't have been so fun.
Saturday Zoey and I slept in until 7:30. We made some banana bread (ok, I made that) and I also cooked her some rice and chicken. Friday she only ate 1 cup of food instead of her normal 3 cups. When I got home from my dinner, she was more interested in sleeping than eating even though her stomach was growling like crazy. I figured maybe her stomach needed some easy food. She loved her breakfast. She kept asking for more. After that I met my mom at the mall to do some maternity shopping. I was only going to get a couple of pairs of work pants... but the sales lady and my mom got me to try on a whole bunch of stuff. I ended up with a bunch of clothes. But they should last until the baby comes. Hopefully Ben won't freak out too much when he sees the bill...
Sunday so far has been spent cleaning the kitchen. I washed dishes and cleaned off the counters. I washed all the cupboards, cleaned all the appliances and swept and mopped the floor. It looks nice. When I talked to Ben I told him he better be impressed. :) Now I'm trying to figure out what to eat this week so I can go to the grocery store.

Good Report

Zoey's vet appointment went well. Aside from the fact that she really did not want to be there. In the exam room she kept scratching at the door. Poor pup.

The vet we saw was super nice. I liked her a lot. She listened to Zoey's eating adventures as of late. Since the only thing "wrong" seems to be that Zoey is acting hungry, she suggested adding veggies to her food to help add more volume to her food without adding too many more calories. Everything else (ears, eyes, mouth, stomach, heart, lungs) was great. Her blood tests came back normal too.

The interesting thing is that apparently our little girl has been losing weight. Remarkable considering how much extra she has been getting lately. But surprising too since we weighed her just about two months ago and she hadn't lost anything. This didn't really click (timeline) when we were at the vet's so Ben and I will start to weigh her weekly and monitor her weight. If she continues to lose, we will call back into the vet to see what could be causing that. In the meantime, lucky girl gets veggies. :)

And the Doctor Said...

Friday night we went out to dinner with Grant and his current girl and David and Heather. We went to Loring Pasta Bar. It was the first time I had been there. I had been "craving" mac and cheese. I was so excited when it was on their menu. ( I put craving in quotes because this is a fairly common craving for me and has nothing to do with the little person inside of me). We had a great time at dinner.

Towards the end, I was getting very uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if I had to go to the bathroom, my pants were too tight or my body was tired of sitting. When we got home it hurt to walk. I wasn't too concerned and went to bed. The next morning I woke up and the pain was still there. I wasn't overly worried yet, but I decided I should tell Ben. He said I should call the doctor. Ok, fine. When I explained what I was feeling to the doctor, she said it sounded like just a pulled muscle and that unless it got worse, not to worry about it. So, instead of taking down the Christmas tree (yes, it's still up), I sat on the couch all day.

On Sunday Ben and I ran to the store together to buy some food for the big game. We made 1899 BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches, veggies and dip, chips and guacamole and brownies. Who knew that eating like it's 1899 could be so darn tasty? When we got home from the store I discovered an empty wrapper to a 300 gram (14 oz) chocolate bar in our bedroom. I called downstairs to Ben to see how much was actually left (I brought it home from my layover in Germany in the fall and he had slowly been eating the bars). He said there was a whole one. Yep, that's the wrapper I found.

After scolding Zoey, Ben ran down to the computer to see what we should do while I called the emergency vet. The vet said to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide. After she emptied her stomach we were to then bring her in to get some active charcoal (to help absorb the toxins). I hated the thought of giving her HP so I gave her an egg instead (that usually makes her puke). She ate it happily and didn't throw up. So, she got the HP anyway. Not a fun experience for any of us. But sure enough, a few minutes later she vomited outside. We didn't get the whole dose (2 oz) in her, so we decided to go ahead and finish the dose. She was expecting it and it was even more difficult to get any down her throat. After waiting 15 minutes with no results, we gave up and went upstairs.

Ben and I then debated if we should take her in. It wasn't a lethal dose. And I'm pretty sure the vet (who isn't our vet) wanted us to come in so we could pay them. As we were discussing what we should do, Zoey vomited again. This time a lot. On our carpet (on a side note - this is really gross, but it smelled like chocolate so for the first time in my life I didn't mind cleaning it up). We went to work cleaning it up. I think the carpet looks pretty good. Whew. I called our vet today (Zoey needs her annual check up anyway) and mentioned the chocolate episode. They did not seem worried about it based on her size and the size of the bar and that we were able to get her to vomit it back up. Poor little girl. But tomorrow at her appointment we will be talking about her eating habits.

Cruisin'

On January 8, Ben and I left for the annual Internet Marketers Cruise. Years ago we discovered the wisdom of arriving the day before a cruise in case of delays. Guess what? We were delayed. There was an issue with our main radio on the plane. The radio was fixed in not too long of time, but because of the delay, our flight crew would be over hours. So we got to deplane to wait for the new flight crew. In exchange we got $100 Delta vouchers, 2500 bonus miles, and we got to the hotel at 4 am instead of 11 pm of the night before. Oh, well.
Day 1: Cape Canaveral - It was cold! Temp was around 30. The line to get through security for the cruise ship is outside. We were all a little miserable. If I had known that it was going to be so cold, I would have brought my winter coat. Ben was sweet and tried to get me to skip ahead to get inside. But since you still can't really tell that I'm pregnant, I felt guilty because I know how much I hate line cutters. But we survived. Once we got on the boat we took a self-guided tour led by Tim. That night there was a social hour before dinner to connect with the other marketers. It was so nice to see friends from last year again. Sherry is super excited that I'm pregnant. After dinner, Tim and I went to the show. After that the put an inflatable laser tag arena on the stage. Somehow Chris talked me into playing. It was so much fun! And man! 5 minutes is a long time. I felt so out of shape. Ben and some others played after us (I surprised Ben by still being awake since I hardly slept the night before).
Day 2: At Sea - Cold and windy! It was funny to walk along the Lido deck and not see very many people. And what people were braving the elements were huddled in blankets. We watched an ice carving demonstration. Then went to part of the art auction. Ben had a meeting with the other marketers, so I sat in on some of the auction and poked around the ship.
Day 3: Cozumel - What's this I see? Could it be? The sun? But it was still super windy. Ben and I went for a run on the outdoor track. When you rounded the end of the ship you really had to push through the wind. But then once you headed the other way, you had to put on the breaks. It was a little strange. Due to this wonderful weather, we decided the beach was not the way to go. So we just went to downtown and window shopped. We did buy a necklace and earring set for me. :)
Day 4: Isla Roatan, Honduras - Slight drizzle. Fun. There was a beach party excursion only for the marketers. We hadn't signed up for it. Turns out a bunch hadn't. So those that didn't found our own transportation to the same beach. It was super cloudy - so cloudy I didn't get sunburned. But the temperature was in the upper 60's so it was comfortable. Our friend Max Action got his hair braided. Elisabeth and I worked on a sand sculpture of some fertility goddess (her idea). Overall it was a fun day.
Day 5: Belize - I was super excited to be in Belize. I have heard of the amazing diving and snorkeling. Unfortunately, no diving for me. So we decided to go snorkeling. We took a public water taxi to an island 45 minutes away from Belize City and walked through the quaint island to the public beach. The beach wasn't much of a beach. We sunscreened up and headed for the water. It was cold! We snorkeled across a channel and around some mangroves. I will admit that I freaked out. The visibility was pretty low. And so I started to imagine what else was in the water with us. I calmed down enough to somewhat enjoy the snorkel back to the beach, but we really didn't see much. We did see some rays and some barracuda, but that's about it. Once we got out of the water, we decided to call it a day. There looked to be a storm on the way. The water taxi is uncovered and neither one of us was interested in a rainy ride.
Day 6: Costa Maya, Mexico - Finally! A perfect day! Temps were in the 70's. The sky was clear and the sun was radiant! We got off the ship and headed to the taxis. We ended up running into our friend Joseph with a few of his buddies. They had the same plan as us - beach to snorkel. We shared a cab to the beach. A guy baited and hooked us with $20 per person for 1 hour of snorkeling and the lady goes free pitch. The snorkeling was fabulous! Not the best ever, but so cool! Saw tons of fish and other sea creatures. It was the perfect day.
Day 7: At Sea - Ben had meetings pretty much all day, so I was on my own. I did the 1 mile walk for breast cancer. It was windy on deck for this too. But it was fun. Had a nice chat about cruising with a lady from Canada.

This was a super short summary of our activities. Not listed are the antics at night with our friends. We had so much fun. A lot of fond memories to tide us over until next year!

Bread and Butter

I have no idea what is going on with our little girl. She used to be such an angel. But in the past few weeks, she has not been. But I'm not entirely sure it's her fault. Lately she seems to be hungry a lot. It used to be that she would eat when we fed her and if we forgot, no biggie. Now she is actually asking for food. And apparently she is getting hungry outside of meal time.

Before Christmas she ate a whole package of turtles (my fault - left the completely sealed package on the floor. Interestingly, she didn't touch the cashews). Thankfully the chocolate didn't make her sick.

The next week she managed to get into the pantry (the door was probably ajar) and ate a sleeve and a half of Saltine crackers and the rest of a bag of potato chips (we found an unopened sleeve of crackers in the spare bedroom - stash for later??).

Last night (while we were home) she managed to grab a new loaf of bread off the dining room table. Pretty much ate the entire thing. This morning I noticed that the butter dish was licked clean.

She has a vet appointment when we get back from vacation. I'll talk to the vet then about this. I'm just worried that we aren't feeding her enough. (But she hasn't been loosing weight). Poor girl!

It's [was] the Holiday Season!

I love Christmas! Ben is such a dear and willingly turns the radio on during Christmas (something that he usually does not do) just so I can have Christmas tunes following me everywhere.

It started off that we weren't hosting anything this season. But then, Christmas magic happened and we were hosting three events. One was cancelled due to weather. So we were down to two - Christmas morning and a family gathering that took place last weekend. We love to host and it is nice not have to go anywhere. And now the house is clean. :)

Aside from enjoying time off, family time and Christmas, I also completed my 2009 Resolutions. I have made two new recipes every month. I have run 100 miles. It felt great to have goals that stretched the whole year to keep me motivated and going. Now I'm trying to determine some for this year. I had thought about keeping these ones, but does it really count as a resolution if you have already done it? Still pondering that one.