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Friday, December 28, 2007

Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas! Spent some time with my family. Bethany came home again. We also celebrated my grandma's 80th birthday. Ivy is always the highlight and focus of the group--everyone adores this sweet girl.

We got her ears pierced on Dec 16 up in Alexandria. She cried her poor head off, but will have no memories of it later. And she's about as cute as girls come.

Jeremy's mom came up for Christmas. We went to the service at church. I love Candlelight Services and Christmas Carols and Hot Apple Cider.

We opened presents on Christmas Eve. I couldn't wait any longer. Ivy was happy to play with ribbons and her new toys. She got lots of new clothes, too. It's so fun. My new favorite website is www.hannaandersson.com. Great clothes and toys!!

Hey, I won Fantasy Football. With the prize moola, I purchased a 25-DVD set of Baby Einstein movies. It was my first eBay purchase. I hope the guy ships them soon. He had all good feedback, so luck is on my side.

I think I'm going to post new pictures now.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Hallelujah!

We went to Handel's Messiah at the Basilica last night. It was amazing, but I will admit, it wasn't as majestic as I thought it'd be. I pictured louder music and something more awe-inspiring. Nonetheless, it was really great.

We left Ivy with my aunt Lea Ann and cousin Luke. She was great the whole night (at least that's what they told me). It was too long to leave her without taking the pump along, and I got lonely about half way through. But I'm glad to know we can leave her with a sitter. I don't know when we will next, but I know she'll be okay.

My greatest joy this week is that Ivy does indeed like the Hot Sling. She fussed for many tries at the beginning so I had kind of given up on it. I tried it out again this week, and she seems to like it. She's sleeping in it right now and doing great!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Growing and growing

Ivy has started rolling from her tummy to her back this week. The first time she was very startled. Now, not so much. She doesn't do it often, probably because she's not on her tummy all that much, but it's getting more consistent.

She is also finding her giggle. Just a little. It's super cute.

Yesterday on her tummy, she was trying very hard to get on her knees.

We got a video camera last week, so maybe I'll capture some of this on film.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

A merry Christmas

We've started celebrating already! I surprised Jeremy last night with a "present." It's not really a present because we'll both pay for it, but it was fun to do! And he said he'd have never done it, so it's kind of a present.

I traded in the two motorcycles for one better, brand new one. The dealership came to the house to inspect the old bikes and then delivered the new one. It was sitting on Jeremy's side of the garage when he got home last night. I wasn't sure if I wanted to give it to him last night, so I shoveled the drive way to cover up all the tire tracks. Then I figured he would see the purchase on the credit card statement online and I'd better give it to him before that shocker.

I kept calling him throughout the day to find out when he was coming home and how close he was. When I saw him pull in the driveway, I peeked out into the garage from the house to see the look on his face. He opened the garage door and dropped his jaw! "Whoa!" He was so amazed and stunned. He is very excited and was even more surprised. The only bum thing is that he can't ride it until spring. But he will be raring to go on our first warm day.

The new bike is a 2007 Suzuki GSX750F Katana. It's red with ZERO miles on it!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

The end of baking and other nonsense

I made 11 dozen roll out sugar cookies. My family frosted them with me over the weekend. I didn't take a picture and now they're all boxed up. They are by far my favorites, probably because this is the only time of year I think of making sugar cookies.

I have not been very dedicated about going to ECFE, which makes me unsure if I should sign up for the spring. I definitely enjoy it, so I don't know why I never make it to class. I think we've been four times. I guess I've missed half so far. YUCK! I do not really enjoy MOPS though and will not sign up for that again next year. I hate the idea that I have to work in the nursery. I know it' s only one morning, but it's one more than I want to do.

We got about 6-8 inches of snow in the last few days. My sweet honey has been out shoveling a couple time. We're trying to buy a snow blower, but they're all out. I checked Menards, Fleet Farm, Sears and even cruddy ol' Home Depot. It sounds like we have to order one and wait for it to come in. I might just check online instead of going into the store.

I'm reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." It's a glorified "cry it out" book. I'm hoping there is good information toward the end (when it's broken into age groups). The only helpful bit of information so far is that babies can usually only stay awake for two hours at a time. I don't know when that ends. Ivy likes to be awake more than that. In the last few days, she seems very tired, but I do not want to let her cry for hours on end until she falls asleep. She's happy when she's awake, but she sure looks tired. I would like to start getting her to sleep in her crib, so I'm trying to put her in it when she sleeps during the day. I see no point in doing it at night, because I like to nurse her in bed. Anyway, all that to say that this book is okay, but not all that great.

I am pretty much done Christmas shopping. Just a couple more gifts to get. I'm done with Jeremy though. I can't wait to open presents!!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

More Christmas Baking and Thanksgiving

I started writing this once already and then Firefox freaked out ... or else my computer needs the Microsoft Break and a restart. And I'm a bit tired and trying to get this done before Ivy wakes up.

We spent Thanksgiving with my family, and it was great. Bethany surprised us all and came home. We wish she lived closer but are excited about a trip to see her after tax season.

Here is the next round of baking. I am not impressed with the Dot Cookies. They taste like a bad sugar cookie.

Dot Cookies

Molasses Cookies

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Cold Morning Ramblings

Our dear sweet girl has her first cold. I don't know how or when or from whom she got it, but she's pretty sad. She's congested and coughing and sleeping a lot. I'm just trying to keep her comfy and upright so she doesn't choke when she coughs. We tried to have her sleep in her swing last night so she wouldn't choke so much, but it was a no-go. She did not like being in there when Mommy was two feet away in a nice cozy bed.

We might have to reschedule 3-month pictures if she's too cranky tomorrow.  We decided on JC Penney's. We really liked the newborn photographer, but it was so expensive. I can't justify spending $500 on pictures every couple months. I got many recommendations for Penney's and because they're a Lifetouch studio, I know it's good work (and I know where to go if it's not).

On another note, I've picked out 10 recipes for Christmas cookies and may brave the freezing cold today with my sick baby to run to the grocery store for supplies. If only I had a big freezer, I could start baking now and just save it all for later. I'm pretty stoked about trying out all new recipes this year--except for the fudge.  That's always the same. Maybe I'll take pictures of the finished product and post them here to show off my skills. Unless I burn them all to smithereens, which could very well happen.

Yesterday, I was making chili for dinner. I like to start it in the morning so the flavors get good and mixed in. Anyway, the hamburger was frozen in round plastic tubes like Jimmy Dean sausage. To thaw them quicker, I put them (plastic and all) in a skillet on the stove on low. I thought, "I'll let them sit there for a couple minutes just so I can get the package off." Three hours later, after Ivy had woken up, eaten, did a bit of tummy time, sang some songs, vacuumed and eaten again, I remembered the hamburger on the stove. It was almost totally cooked through...in the package.  This was not detrimental to our dinner last night, but it doesn't bode well for any cookies I will be making in the next couple weeks.

When I won't be baking before Christmas, I will be putting together Ivy's scrap book. I got a book for a shower gift, picked up some darling stickers and paper, and am eagerly awaiting the photographs. I have all my scrap booking stuff set up in the spare room so I can sneak in a page or two while Ivy naps.  It seems like it's been so long since I've done any scrap booking; I have itchy fingers to get back at it.

On still another note, I'm pretty frustrated already with the excess baby weight and the plain old excess weight. It's hard to stick with working out when it seems like it's not helping at all. Maybe I'm already bored with the video I've been doing. Who knows? I just would like this new belly to disappear. I saw a picture of me at Ben & Becky's wedding. Holy mackerel. I was hot then :) Not so much now, but I do have a fab daughter to show for it.

Ashley, Bethany, Levi and I are going to Pompeii at the Science Museum in December (smm.org).  First of all, I think the exhibit is going to be fascinating. Second of all, a day with the sibs will be a lot of fun. I can't remember the last time, if ever, the four of us did something together.

I think that's all for now. Ivy is sleeping so I should take advantage and hit the shower.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Making of a star

I am going to be famous. :)

1. Jeremy bought Guitar Hero 3, and I rock!! Watch out American Idol, here I come! Oh, wait, they don't take awesome git-box players. Hmmm. Maybe I'll check out Who Wants to be a Country Star. :)

Here's the real scoop: I'm not that great, but I'm really having fun!

2. I applied to be on Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader? I hope I am.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Are mothers a bit emotional?

I cried tonight while Ivy was in the bath. Just in the last few days she's going 3-4 hours between feedings. Then in the tub she was grinning that sweet baby smile at me and waving her arms and legs. It really hit me that she's not going to be this small for very long and pretty soon I might not even remember her cute babyness. And she loves the tub. I just put in a couple inches of water and let her splash until the water gets cold and then she's still mad about getting out.
I need to start taking more pictures. And I hope we can get a video camera soon.

I never knew I'd be so overwhelmed with good sweet loving for this girl. I knew I'd love our baby, but I didn't know it'd be like this.

The doctor suggested we start Ivy on rice cereal at 4 months if she seems ready. That is coming right up and, in light of my emotional state today, that will be the cause for a minor breakdown.

Friday, October 26, 2007

A Day Off

My darling hubby took a day off today, so I could have a day off. I went out for five hours alone--I picked up some stuffed animals and clothes at Target, the Baby Signs program at Babies R Us, browsed through Eddie Bauer and Old Navy, and went out to lunch at Benihanna with Becky.

I never have thought that it's a lot of work to take Ivy out. It's no big deal to grab the car seat, diaper bag, and stroller to head out on the town for the afternoon. However, it was so easy to be out and about without her. I didn't realize how different it is running errands with her.

I love taking her out and watching her watch everything around us, but man, there is something to say for shopping alone. :)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Challenges

My biggest challenge during the day is to get some exercising in, get outside to enjoy the weather, and figure out some way to get our girl to sleep.

I should be happy that she sleeps in her swing well. There is something in my head telling me that she has to sleep in her crib. I try to lay her in there every so often, but she immediately wakes up and cries. Then there is no hope of her sleeping until the next feeding. She really likes to nurse to sleep. And I think she likes to be around where life happens in the house; she doesn't want to be stuck up in her room.

I think I'm going to meet the challenges today by going for a walk (outside) and hope she'll nap while we're strolling around the loop.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Pictures We Like

Check out our gallery. I made lots of changes, so hopefully it's easier to look at the pictures.

Two Months Old

Ivy was two-months old on Thursday. She is growing and changing so much! She holds her head up for a long time if we hold her in a sitting position, although she does not like Tummy Time. And she smiles at everyone who talks to her.

She loves sleeping with mom & dad. She has her daddy's sleep habits: she likes to be up late and sleep in. And she stretches like he does. Nice long stretches while she's trying to wake up. She raises her arms up over her head, arches her back, and groans a little bit.  This goes on for about 20 minutes before she ever opens her eyes.

She met her Grandma Claire, Aunt Amy, and cousin Dylan last week. Jeremy's family flew up for a baby shower in Osakis. Seeing them with her made me miss Jim and wish he could have met our girl.

I think we've hit the last of the breast feeding hurdles. I'm recovering from a bout of mastitis. There is nothing left that can make us quit breast feeding; I think we've hit all the big problems. I hope next time around is easier! I don't know if I'll have the will power to do it like this again.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

school

Ivy started school today. That's right. She's going to an ECFE class every Wednesday. Granted, I go along, and most of the time there is moms talking about parenting. But she did learn several new songs today and got to meet seven other Prior Lake babies. I guess if no one moves, these kids will be in pre-school and kindergarten with her.

Last night we went to a Le Leche meeting in Shakopee. I was amazed at the vast difference between the two groups and encouraged to know that I fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

  • Unlike LLL, I am not interested in The Family Bed or nursing until she's three.

  • Unlike ECFE, I am not interested in "programming" my child to sleep in her crib or eat when I want her to.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Our growing girl

We took Ivy in to get weighed and measured this morning. Jeremy was sure she's about 10 pounds, and I was convinced she's only about 9. He was right! She's 9 lbs, 10 oz. and 22 inches long. Over all, she's gained 2 pounds, 2 oz and 1 inch since she was born.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Happiest Mommy on the Block

We are keeping Ivy up in the afternoon, so she sleeps better at night. She still wakes up to eat, but she does sleep from 10 pm to 8 am. I love sleeping at night!

Now we have to get her to nap in the morning, so she's not completely miserable all afternoon and evening.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Friends

Ivy has a new little friend: Maia Lynn Ark was born yesterday morning. We're going up to see her this afternoon.

It's fun for us to see how different couples go through pregnancy and labor and the birth and now the beginnings of parenting. We're going to have a great time watching our friends and their kids ... as much fun as they have watching us.

I hope Ivy and Maia really do get along well and love playing together.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Growth Spurt

Le Leche has suggested that Ivy is having a little growth spurt and that's why all she's wanted to do the last couple days is eat and NOT sleep. There is really nothing to do about her wanting to be held except to 1. Hold her; or 2. Let her cry it out.  Maybe I'll try the sling again today.

I'm still sore and cracked, but hopefully things are on the mend. I might pump on the right side for a day or two to let that heal up. Then I think all the wounds will be closed. We have conquered thrush! If I can get rid of these open wounds, I think our breast feeding problems will be solved.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

One Month Birthday

Today, Ivy is one-month old. She celebrated by staying awake all day. We nursed and rocked for most of the day. She is so cuddly and sweet smelling. I just love holding her.

Jeremy went back to work this week. I was fully expecting to have multiple breakdowns, but it's been good. We miss having Daddy at home, but I'm glad we can do it on our own. I'm trying to get out of the house during the day, so I don't get bored or stir crazy. I've scheduled lunch with a couple girlfriends and went to a women's Bible study tonight. I also joined the MOPS program at church, am thinking about going to a Wednesday afternoon craft group in Prior Lake, and am planning to go to Le Leche.

We are waiting for friends to be born. Becky is ready to pop any day now. Christina is due in a week or so, and Heather only has a month left.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Ah, the joys of midnight mothering (and fathering)

It is 1 am, and we are both wide awake with Ivy, who is also wide awake. She's been up since 8:30 and has no apparent interest in sleeping. She's been fed about a zillion times; her diaper is freshly changed; she's warm and snuggly. It'd be great if she would be awake during the day and sleep at night--at least when Jeremy goes back to work next week. Right now, it's no big deal because we're both home all day.

Ivy now weighs 7 lbs 12 ounces. She's gained almost a whole pound since her newborn appointment.

She slept in her bed today--twice--for a total of four hours. I was hoping she'd sleep in it tonight, but I have a feeling she'll be right with Mommy tonight.  She doesn't seem to like the swing anymore. I don't know when that happened, but it's nearly impossible to get her to sit in it calmly. She'll cry in it for at least 10 minutes--that's as long as I've let her go.

She won't take a pacifier from me. She'll take the boob and my finger, but no pacifier. Thankfully, she'll take the paci from Jeremy sometimes. Not when she's angry or really worked up though.

We're signed up for the Child Dedication at church in December. We're trying to figure out if we should have godparents and who they should be.

I also need to set up an appointment with the lawyer to write a will, and we need to set up the college fund. The "To Do List" is never ending.

Enough of the scatterbrained mumbo jumbo. It's time to get this girlie off to bed whether she wants to sleep or not.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Welcome to the Solt Family blog!

Now that we are officially a family instead of a couple, we have a blog to keep people informed with our new exciting life.

The first exciting thing is that we have a baby! She's completely perfect and wonderful. She loves to snuggle on Mommy and Daddy's chests to sleep, and it melts our hearts when she curls her tiny fingers around ours.

We just learned that she loves the Baby Bjorn carrier, so I've been wearing her for two days now.