Canines

Ivy has been sleeping like 14 hours at night and then napping for 2 hours in the afternoon. I will admit that part of me has thought she's having some reaction to the shots she got at her 15-month appt a few weeks ago. But she's happy during the day, and she's mostly eating well. I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, so it never dawned on me to see if she's getting teeth. This morning she was lying on the couch with her head in my lap, and sure enough all four of her canine teeth have popped through the gums already. She'll have all her teeth!!

Tag

Okay, so I've been tagged by Miss! Here are the rules: You must go to your documents folder (or wherever you store your photos) and go to your 6th picture folder, then go to the 6th picture in that folder and post it on your blog. Tell us a story about that picture.



Story: I don't know what the story is with this pic. It was taken by Jeremy on his phone out in the yard. Ivy's playing with a stick and loving it!

I love Miss' idea of tagging specific people so here is who I am tagging: anyone who reads this. :) Can't wait to see your pictures!

Yay!

Minnie Driver's birth story

If we have a third ...

We're having a home birth. Welcome Home Baby.

Need a cake?

A friend from the Prior Lake Moms group makes cakes, and they are GORGEOUS!! If you need one for anything, check out her site:  Ooh La La Cakes.

you're it

If you are reading this and you have a blog - you have been tagged! It's your turn to list the 31 things...

1. Where is your cell phone? Ivy's got it
2. Where is your significant other? work--heading to the chiropractor
3. Your hair color? reddish-blonde
4. Your mother? home schooler
5. Your father? accountant
6. Your favorite thing? chocolate and coffee
7. Your dream last night? something about being the leader of two Asian gangs. We watched War the other night.
8. Your dream/goal? be a rock star
9. The room you're in? the Office
10. Your hobby? Scrapbooking and stitching
11. Your fear? heights
12. Where do you want to be in six years? in that new VW Routan
13. Where were you last night? in bed early
14. What you’re not? short
15. One of your wish list items? a crib mattress
16. Where you grew up? Virginia
17. The last thing you did? ate some honey  nut cheerios
18. What are you wearing? jeans and a sweater and woolie crocs
19. Your TV? is on. Cosby Show is on, and I'm vegging with my girl
20. Your pet? none
21. Your computer? Can't live without it
22. Your mood? Tired
23. Missing someone? Not really
24. Your car? Hyundai Santa Fe
25. Something you’re not wearing? coat--I'm inside, silly
26. Favorite store? Babies R Us
27. Your summer? good times
28. Love someone? yes
29. Your favorite color? blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? a little bit ago
31. Last time you cried? when a woman won $1 million on Wheel of Fortune last week

The Economic Crisis

So far, the economic crisis is only beneficial for us. I love paying 30 cents less per gallon of gas. The investments and house value will rebound, but low gas prices ... ah, what a dream!

The 'Middle Wife'

The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher

 I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

 She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

 'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts swaying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

 'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)

 'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

 'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there.' 

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.

Minnesota Harvest

We went to Minnesota Harvest yesterday. It's an apple orchard with a petting zoo, corn maze, apple picking, pony rides, horse rides, a big store and bakery, and a BBQ.

It was the biggest disappointment. It looked like a ghost town. Run down, empty, dirty in the way that doesn't  scream nature, but shoddy care.

We had to find an employee who could unlock the petting zoo for us (not worth the $3 each to get in--worth $1 each--maybe).  It was just a big fenced-in area with the animals running loose. There was a sign that warning us that animals are unpredictable and we're entering at our own risk. I didn't put Ivy down at all, as the ground was covered with animal droppings.

I imagined a place with a carnival-type atmosphere. Hey, it's fall, and we love it! Let's have some fun! Instead, we drove 20 miles for a gross petting zoo and not much else.

Two thoughts

First of all, I had a little belly pop this week. I noticed it at the State Fair on Thursday. Jeremy noticed it sometime and thought I had gained a bunch of weight. That's not true at all. I haven't gained any. I don't know how that works, but I'm pretty happy about it.

The other thing is that Ivy is only nursing once a day--just in the morning as soon as she wakes up. That is a very sweet cuddly time. I'm a little glad that the evening nursing has stopped. It was getting painful. But I am not excited for her to stop nursing entirely.

Dr. Phil is a home birthing menace

I would like to bring your attention to the link below and would ask you to write to Dr. Phil with your story.

He appears to be asking for midwife horror stories.  I want to swamp him with stories about great experiences and for the midwives to write and tell their stories.  I think it would really help for them to see how people really feel.

I am very annoyed that he has specifically asked for the bad stories.  I'd really like then to hear about the bad hospital births!  But it is Doctor Phil after all!

Please send your story in.  It may not do any good, but we can only try.  To be silent will help no one.

http://www.drphil.com/plugger/respond/?plugID=12524

First Birthday

We celebrated Ivy's first birthday TWICE this week. First on Monday, the actual day, with my family. We went to Cascade Bay water park in Eagan. Lots and lots of fun! Ivy loves the water. And she sure loved cake! Second, we had a few friends over today to re-celebrate. She got lots and lots of toys, a few outfits, and a couple books. She's so big!

A good read

Remember that game we used to play as kids? The one where the participants sit in a long line, the first person whispers something in her neighbor’s ear, and then that person, and each subsequent person, is tasked to repeat what they heard, on down the line. Perhaps that’s what happened here. Except this is online, copy-and-pasting, no whispering needed.

Here’s what I know: BBC, via a poll, voting and a television show, determined the 100 best reads in the UK. Here’s the telephone-game aspect, though: There are at least two versions of the list floating around; logically, only one of them conforms to the BBC list.

I’ve decided I will complete this list starting with the official BBC list.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you love.
4) Strike out the books you have no intention of ever reading, or were forced to read at school and hated.
5) Reprint this list on your own blog.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s [Sorcerer's in USA] Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love in The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls in Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie

I count 38 titles above that I’ve read and marked as bold.

 

I am totally unmotivated to do anything productive. After a great morning of playing dress up with Ivy and making sesame noodles, I put her down for a nap, took a shower, and have been on the computer. I should get some painting done, but I think I'll go lie on the couch until she wakes up.

Then we're off for a fun day of shopping for baby gifts for Bailey and Evelyn. We're also going to try out the Soft Play area at the EP mall again. She didn't like it last time.

We're going to spend the evening with the Johnsons who have their sweet girl home finally.

I wish this bathroom would paint itself. And I kind of hope it rains on Saturday, so I don't have to go to the Lakefront Days Parade.

Writing

Every morning when I open Outlook, I am sad when no one has updated their blog.

Here's our latest: Ivy is walking a lot. She's learning to go down the stairs. She talks to herself all day long.

I'm trying to scrap book a bit when she sleeps. Or paint a little here and there. Lately, anytime I say anything, I can hear Dr. Seuss reciting lines to me. "Here and there, funny things are everywhere." That's what we've been reading lately.

Eating Woes

Last night, we were at Applebee's. Ivy had grilled cheese and broccoli. She was close to being full, but I was trying one more bite of broccoli with her. Evidently, she WAS done. In an effort to get the broccoli out of her mouth, she puked.

Eating all week has been a challenge. We figured out what the problem is. She won't eat from me. She will only accept food from Daddy. I can give her a spoonful of whatever. She just scrunches up her face. Give that exact spoon to Jeremy, and she's starving.

Stepping Up

Ivy is venturing out on her own and taking steps. Last night, she did about three in the living room. Two separate times at ECFE this morning, she did 4-5 steps. We've been saying it for a long time, but I really do think she's on the cusp of walking.

It's a miracle

Seeing as how I've been so exhausted the last few weeks, we decided to night wean Ivy. I planned to sleep in the basement, so Daddy could listen to her cry when I didn't go in to nurse her at 1 am.

Ha ha ha!!

No need. She's slept through the night all week. That's right! 7 pm - 7 am. Straight!!

Changes

We are having a baby!! Number Two is set to arrive at the end of February. We talked and talked about trying for another home birth but ended up with the midwives at St. Francis. I haven't felt sick a bit yet, although a little tiredness is setting in late in the afternoons.

Nothing else much is going on. I spent most of last week in Osakis hanging out with my fam. Ivy & I finally went to Fairy Lake. It's nice, but not really any  nicer than any other beach we've been to. And we saw all the cousins at Stu's on Friday. New Little Ryne is adorable!!

Our friends Amy & Jeremy welcomed Bailey this week, too. She's 9 weeks early, but doing very well. Just needs to get some growing done. She's sweet and precious.

Whew! We have been busy: we've painted the entire basement and had carpeting installed. That project has taken up all of my time for the last couple weeks. Now I'm excited to do the rest of the house. We picked a really light green for the walls. All the trim is white. And the carpet is tan. It looks really great!

Ivy is getting 5 teeth--all four tops and one bottom. She's been cranky here and there. Sleep is a little weird. Overall, it's not too bad, but I hope it doesn't last too long. She seems like she's in some pain, and there's not much I can do about it. I do not want her to live on Motrin for the duration.

We've been doing quite a bit of biking and walking now that summer has arrived. I ended up putting the burley on my road bike. It's way easier to manage the hills with the light bike and the clip-in shoes. Ivy loves the park--swinging and the slide. And now the kiddie pool. We tried it out for the first time today. Although the water is pretty chilly, she had a great time.

We are prepping for a visit from Jeremy's sister and her kiddos. I have lots of fun activities planned for next week. Jeremy's taking the whole week off, so even though we'll be at home, it will feel like vacation for us, too.

Off to move furniture back to the basement!

Ah, the old life

I'm a little sad that I have no idea what movies are currently out or coming out. And I have no hope of going to the movie, even if I did know.

Uh-oh

I read this article in Mothering magazine this month and felt a brief spark of inspiration. Am I to eat all my words? The Never-at-Home Homeschoolers

The Liar's Clock

A man died and went to heaven. As he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him.

He asked, "What are all those clocks?"  St. Peter answered, "Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie, the hands on your clock will move."

"Oh," said the man, "whose clock is that?"

"That's Mother Teresa's.  The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie."

"Incredible," said the man.  "And whose clock is that one?" St. Peter responded, "That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abe told only two lies in his entire life."

"Where's Bush's clock?" asked the man.

"Bush's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan."

A trip and another milestone

Ivy & I spent five days with my sister Bethany in Richmond. We visited the National Zoo in DC where Ivy liked all the attention from everyone. She sat in the grass for the first time! It rained in Richmond Sunday and Monday, so we did inside things: shopping and swimming. We ate dinner at Dott's Back In, which I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Definitely a dive. It was great food, but smoky. I'd go back, but NOT with Ivy. Tuesday, we drove down Monument Ave and walked around Maymont Park. The gardens were gorgeous and peaceful. We toured the house, too.

We got home Wednesday afternoon to a fabulous 75 degree sunny day. We went biking with Jeremy for almost two hours. Ivy was a little angry about the Burley, but eventually fell asleep.

The milestone we hit: Ivy can stand up really well along furniture and people, and in her crib. We've had to lower the mattress again. And she's crawling.

Developmental Milestones

The other night, Ivy woke up around 11 pm. I went in to rock her and found her leaning over the edge of the crib with her arms wrapped around the rail. She can go from lying down to sitting up all on her own! Even though it was the middle of the night and I don't like turning the lights on, etc. I had Jeremy come up to lower the crib mattress. I did not want her to flip out on her first night!

And she has started crawling backwards! It's pretty cute. She got herself wedged under the couch on Saturday. :)

Ouch

After several years of trying to get rid of that growdee (how in the world do you really spell that?) nail fungus, I had my right-footed big toe nail removed today. And no matter what the dr. says, it hurts like a mother. I'm in the process of soaking it so I can get the blood-caked bandage off it. The only good news is that it only takes a month to heal completely, and I will be able to walk around barefoot again without being self conscious.

Here's how it went: the dr. sprayed my toe with "instant freeze" spray and then shot me up with Novocaine. A few minutes later he returned and used a mini crow bar to pry my nail off. Then he treated the nail bed with some chemical to kill it so my nail will never grow back. The whole thing took about 15 minutes. I am eternally grateful I had Ivy along to distract me. I almost fainted twice.

Tonight, I made Jeremy take off the bandage. Again, almost passed out. I will not post or even take a picture. It's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. I might puke putting a new band-aid on it.

A Baby Journal

I think I should be doing a better job of writing down all the amusing things Ivy does. The problem is: I can't find any time to do it. She's awake a lot. And when she's awake, she really wants my full attention. We read books, practice crawling. I move her arms and legs for her so she gets used to the movement. I don't think it's really helping, but she is frustrated that she can't move. I know this because she cries any time I leave the room. I don't necessarily think it's separation anxiety, because she's fine if someone else is in the room. I think she just likes being around people. She has been talking alot lately. She has discovered screeching--it's still an adorable high-pitch "ba ba ba ba ba." High pitch and loud. The other thing is that she's drinking out of a sippy cup. I have to hold it for her, but she is very proud of herself. We've started swimming lessons, which she loves.  My five minutes of peace have passed. She's awake.

It's a beautiful day

For those of you who live further south than Le Centre, this may seem funny.

It's gorgeous out today, so Ivy & I took advantage of the spring and went for our first bike ride. We picked up a new bike for me and a Burley Lady Bug for Ivy over the weekend. At the bike shop, we took the rig for a test ride. She wasn't too sure about it. She didn't cry, but she did look scared. This afternoon, we rode around our 1.5 mile loop. Had I had mittens on, we would've ridden it twice but my hands were turning purple. All I have to say is that riding with a Burley behind is a lot tougher than plain old biking. I mean that has to add 40 pounds to the whole experience. I know I'm out of shape, but woo, that was tough.  Again, no crying from the backseat, but she did look really happy to get out of there. We have yet to figure out how tight/short the straps have to be. She looks like she's going to fall off the seat. Her little yellow helmet is adorable though.

Too bad snow is in the forecast for tomorrow.

Updating?

So I got called out for not updating my blog or the Monthly News in so long. I've joined Facebook and am totally addicted.

I read this story this morning and just had to share:

Punk'd 

But, I don't wanna eat.

I was feeding Ivy some oatmeal cereal and apples yesterday morning. She was happy and chatty, but uninterested in eating. I didn't realize how uninterested until I tried to get a spoon in her mouth. She was sucking BOTH of her thumbs. I tried to get a picture, but I missed that magic moment.

Moving on up

Ivy got on her hands and knees today! Before that, she was doing little baby pushups and scooting all over the floor at ECFE. She spins in circles on her tummy. In the midst of all this moving and rolling, she got up on her knees. Crawling, here we come!

Where are you going?

I think Ivy has a bit of separation anxiety. She doesn't like if I leave the room these days. She wants to be near me all the time. Thankfully, (knock on wood), this hasn't affected her night sleeping. She's not napping so well, but that might be due to teething. Anyway, she likes to be in the same room with me all the time. She's a social little bug.

The cutest part is that she puts her arms out to me so I know she wants me to pick her up. It's adorable. Heartwarming, even.

A Little Chef

I am mastering the art of making baby food. It's the top of my culinary skills. It's almost impossible to ruin baby food. Steam it, puree it, freeze it. Can't get any easier. I've made apples, pears, avacado, squash, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas. Ivy loves all the different food!

Pearly Whites

Now we know why Ivy's been a little bear this week. She was awake most of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. She's been less than happy, but it's so sweet that she wants to cuddle all the time. And then Viola! her two bottom teeth popped through today. Soon and very soon she's going to have teeth!

Wrong Team

The Giants beat the Packers tonight. I wasn't supposed to be cheering for New York, but I forgot. I'm so used to cheering against Green Bay. So, Yeah Eli!! Now he just has to beat stinky gross Tom Brady.

There's a first for everything

Jeremy was giving Ivy a bath tonight, and she pooped! Right in the water. I think he grabbed her out of there real quickly, and I washed out the tub.

The Langes just asked us if she had ever done that, and I couldn't imagine how gross that would be. It wasn't as icky as I thought it'd be. I'm glad I wasn't in the tub with her!