Thanksgiving December 3, 2009

These pics are from Thanksgiving weekend. Of course Anna has to be making silly faces or not even looking at the camara-but I wanted to give some updated pics.

We had a great thanksgiving with Ryan’s family. We were out of the house and busy most days and Anna held up well for a 20 month old. We spent the entire day Friday downtown Portland, shopping, eating, walking the city. Saw the Xmas tree in Pioneer Square. Went to Powell’s bookstore which is an absolute must for anyone ever visiting Portland. We had lunch a the Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl. Walked around the pearl, had a cup cake. Shopped some more and then made it home and ate left overs.

Saturday we ventured down to wine country which is in Dundee, OR / The Willamette Valley. We only made it to 2 vineyards-mostly due to Anna. She did well, but a 20 month old can only behave in adult settings for so long.

Sunday, we went to church, then breakfast. After Anna’s nap we went for a hike up above the Portland Rose Garden and then to dinner at Nostrana. It was a lovely weekend. Exhausting but fun. Ryan and I feel so lucky to have such great families that we love and enjoy spending time with. Family is family and does come with the usual family stressors/arguments etc. We miss them already and wish we were closer.

on a side note… I am 15 weeks pregnant today. Feeling good. No more nausea!

only one word today: exhausted. November 30, 2009

recipe suggestions? November 21, 2009

I have hit a culinary/dietary road block. After that bought of nausea, during the first trimester of this pregnancy, I never really rebounded back to my normal self. Thinking and planning things to eat has become torture and almost impossible to me. I am sick of eating all the “usual” stand byes. I need help. Sort of the problem is that I have been a vegetarian for like 10 years. Not a totally strict one, but I really don’t eat meat except on rare occasions. My husband is a very strict vegetarian. With this pregnancy my cravings have changed and I am actually craving meat at times. The problem is I don’t really know how to prepare meat entrée’s etc and even if I did, I’d be wasting money because my husband would never eat it.  I need some new recipes and menu recommendations. If anyone out there feels like sending some helpful info, recipes etc on my way, I’d appreciate it.

33 yrs old and 13 weeks prego November 20, 2009

I turned 33 yesterday. Sort of non-monumental but a good day nonetheless. It is interesting how in some ways birthdays have less of the sparkle and greatness as they did when we were kids, yet they do seem to mean a lot more as we grow older each year. I guess it is all relative and how one wants to view it and life itself. 33 is simply 33 to me. Not much more. I do feel older I guess but I think that has more to do with being parent and having greater responsibilities rather than chronological age.

Anna greeted me first thing in the morning and said, ” birthday mamma”. Too cute.

Our friends Butch and Julia came over and watched Anna while Ryan and I went out to this terrific sushi restaurant in SE Portland called Bamboo. A must do. It the first and only sustainable/green/environmental friendly sushi restaurant in the world. They support only sustainable and earth friendly fishing seafood products. It was great and just what I wanted. Of course, being pregnant I couldn’t eat any of the raw stuff.

3 months pregnant. November 14, 2009

Wow those 3 months went fast. And thankfully so, because there were some pretty rough weeks in there. I think I am finally feeling almost normal (minus the fatigue but I know that isnt going away). I seem to be able to eat just about anything now without wanting to vomit. It is so nice to be able to enjoy food again. Ah, the simple things we take for granted.  I do believe that when things are tough that is when we have to pay attention the most. Things do happen for a reason and are meant to teach us something. Hard times do make us stronger. That was definitely true with the 10.5 weeks I spent on bed rest.!

Ryan and I went out and enjoyed our first concert together in like 2 years. We went out with our friends Jon and Betsy to see Built to Spill at the Wonderball Room in Portland and it was great. It was the latest I have stayed out in like 2 years. Thankfully, little Anna slept in for the first time the following morning. She slept until 8:30 am which is just nuts because she usually is awake at 6:30 am sharp.

She is getting to be soo big. It is so fun watching her every day learn new things. Especially new words. I swear she learns like 4 new words a day. Her favorite thing right now is the Happy Birthday song. She walks around all day saying, ” birthday, birthday, birthday”. She is able to understands directions and concepts and it is simply amazing. I know it sounds crazy and especially for those who haven’t had kids yet. But I say.. just you wait. You will see. Everyday with your kiddo is amazing as they continue to learn and teach you things in the process. Parenthood is tough at times but it is the greatest gift as well.

the chicken November 5, 2009

We took a lot of pictures of Anna on Halloween but not many turned out that great She was always looking the other direction or running away. As you can see from the photo, she was a chicken. That is her friend Ray sitting behind her.

I am now 11 weeks pregnant and thankfully starting to feel a bit better. THANK GOD- I was starting to lose my mind. The nausea is 10 times better and I am so happy. I really had not cooked dinner in like 3-4 weeks and Ryan was not picking up the slack on that one. ( Sorry babe but it is true). I actually went to the grocery store today and enjoyed it. I am starting to have a bit of an early prego looking tummy -although I’m probably only one that would notice.

Tomorrow night I am going out for “girls night” with some friends–all of which are moms. It is something that we don’t get to do enough and I cannot wait. It is much needed. I only wish I could have a cocktail.

Starting to think that with this baby coming along this year and the fact that I will soon be a mother of TWO kids ( crazy), that Ryan and I are in need of some time away. Say a little vacation. I don’t want to call it a babymoon because I hate the sound of that. Just a vacation would be nice. Even just one night away. Actually to this day, I have never spent the night away from Anna. The only problem is we don’t have any family near by to rely on and I am not sure I could realistically ask my friends.

random October 23, 2009

Just watched Anna fall asleep in her high chair eating an egg salad sandwich. She looked so darm cute.

pizza October 9, 2009

i just went out and got both Anna and I a slice of pizza, she fell a sleep and I ate both of the slices. I am a pig.

parenting October 9, 2009

Being a parent can be hard at times. For those out there who say how easy it is for them, I think they are full of shit. I’m not saying it is always hard but there are tough times. I love my daughter, but at times it is the most challenging aspect of my life. Of course, it is also the most rewarding. I know it is an ever changing process. Just when you think you’ve escaped the tough times of no sleep with an infant and you are finally getting into a groove,  you are suddenly propelled into toddler-hood and it is a whole new ball game. For us, the past few months (ages 14mos-17 mos) were difficult. I think it is because Anna so badly wants to be verbal and express herself but doesn’t have the full vocabulary to back it up yet. It leaves her feeling frustrated.  ( as my mother in law would say, that was my one of my husbands first words: “I”M FRUSTRATED”. Now that more and more words are coming it is helping a bit.

What has been more embarrassing is when Anna attacks another kid at the play ground. The other day she literally thought the entire play ground was hers and only hers and she was ready to challenge any kid, no matter how big or small to it. To screamed at a 12 mos old, she jabbed her finger into a 3 year old’s eye and scratched another little boy. It was awful. We ended up having to leave with our tails between our legs and all the other parents were giving us dirty looks. As if I am the one that taught her that.  please. She is 18 mos old, give me a break.

It is getting a little better, but I know the terrible two’s are even worse. Being a parent, at least a good parent means being selfless. It is having to put many of your ideas, wants, wishes, plans on hold and fully giving your self to another human being. Now, you should still have some ” me” time and other interests because those outside the family interests will make you a better parent as well. I think Ryan and I recently have been having a hard time with juggling some of that. We are starting to get a little cabin fever because we are confined to our house, most nights of the week.  Often times it is one of us going out alone for the evening while the other one stays home.  Thankfully, tonight we are getting a well over due date night. Our friends Jon and Bestsy have volunteered to watch Anna for a few hours so we can go out together to dinner. THANK YOU. We do get baby sitters some times, but it gets pricey. I think that too is what makes it hard to be away from family.  Ryan and I are very lucky because we both have families that would love to watch Anna in a heart beat. Too bad we are 1500 miles away from them.

Summer vacations, road trips, National Parks October 3, 2009

What are we doing this weekend?

Today in Portland it is a bit overcast and chilly at 50 degrees. ( for those from MN be quite). We are going to take little Anna and our dog Max for are usual run around the neighborhood. Come home, have snacks, shower and then head out to Greek Fest!

Later, we are heading over to some friends for dinner.

Last night we did nothing. Well, I shouldn’t say nothing, we watched the Ken Burns series on PBS–National Parks. Oh how I love National Parks. I have only been to a hand full of them but then ones I’ve been to I’ve loved from first sight. My favorites are Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. I look forward to the day when we as a family all pile into the family automobile and road trip it out to a glorious week of camping, sight seeing, singing and fighting in the car, marsh-mellows by the fire etc. I have many a fond memory of the summer road trips from my childhood. We mostly went to various places in Minnesota and North and South Dakota. The iron range in Minnesota ( home of Bobby Dylan). The badlands of South Dakota and Mt. Rushmore.

I remember Wall Drug vividly. The cars, the souvineers, the crap. I was probably in about 6th grade when we went out there.  My sister was in 5th grade and my little brother in 2nd grade. At the time, George Bush Sr was the President and Dana Carvey from SNL was doing these great impressions of George Bush. The entire way out there I was imitating those impressions.  “Not in this juncture, wouldn’t be prudent”.  I also got in major trouble when I stole some rock, I think it was an agate, from a souvineer store. We were about 50 miles from the store when my dad caught on to my theft. Luckily for me, we were too far away to turn around and make me go return my stolen item. He still brings that incident up to this day.

I am glad there are these places called national parks that are set away to be preserved from development. The most beautiful places in America.

Anyways, as for tomorrow, I think we are going to head out towards Hood River, OR to what is called the fruit loop.  It is a loop of various farms, stores etc that sell fresh apples, pumpkins, cherries, pears, apple pie, apple cider, flowers etc.   Check it out:  http://www.hoodriverfruitloop.com/index.html

discipline? September 25, 2009

So, the other day I was at a babyboot camp class and during the entire class Anna was upset and screaming her head off. This wasn’t just crying, it was full blown screaming/shrieking. I was trying to give her snacks, water, toys, ignoring her, anything to get her to stop so I could continue the class. This other mom and baby boot camp participate then came up and asked if she could help. At first I was taken back, maybe a little hurt and defensive. I felt like she was stepping on my toes a little, but then I decided no, she is offering help and if it is going to benefit either me or Anna in some way…then I am all ears. Lets here it lady. So, she did a few techniques that I am not going to mention in detail. None the less, Anna was so worked up it didn’t help. But then she went on to offer that she teaches parenting classes/discipline classes in the Portland area. I don’t have her info, otherwise I would post it here. Anyway, I haven’t taken one of the classes yet, however she mentioned one of the books that she teaches from and I picked it up and have been totally in to it ever since.

It is called: Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by Becky Bailey, PhD. It is very interesting and I see that it is going to be very beneficial to us now as well as down the road.  I am going to recommend it to all of my friends with kids. She points things out from a developmental stand point on how we as parents so often do things wrong and how it is sometimes our parenting techniques that only make matters worse. She pretty much talks about how we first have to change some of our behaviors as adults/parents before we can even begin to expect our kiddos to be able to do the same. Anyway, for anyone with kids, I highly recommend it. I know there are a lot of different books, styles, opinions etc but this one I have found to be very helpful.

The Blog is back??? September 16, 2009

Not sure exactly if the blog is back. Just checked back in on my blog page since it had been awhile. There have been over 10,000 people who have viewed it….that is amazing. Just been thinking that maybe I would start posting some things again from time to time. Don’t really have a plan.  This blog was started actually by my husband Ryan for me when I was first placed on bed rest in the winter of 2008. I spent 5.5 weeks at St. Vincent’s Hospital and another 5 weeks home in bed at my house anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first child. I had all the time in the world then to write things and posting funny video clips. I stopped writing several months ago as the demands of motherhood caught up with me and frankly I didn’t have much I wanted to say or post anymore. Am I still busy?? YES of course, I have a high energy, free spirited, 18 month old on my hands. I am busy. I am not a full-time stay at home mom either, I do work a professional job 26 hours a week. It is perfect blend of time at home and yet time away being able to be a grown up. It helps me to be a better mom and makes me appreciate my time at home so much more. Only trouble is I don’t “love” what I do for work– which is sort of sad because I devoted so much energy and time and money into obtaining my goal of grad school. In the end, it doesn’t leave me total full-filled. None the less, it is a means to an end. It allows me to work part-time, still bring home a decent salary, and have awesome benefits including phenomenal health insurance. I feel very lucky to have all that.

So, I thought for this post I would share something that I learned at a recent Pediatric dept meeting. Do you know that the guidelines for when a child can be in a forward/front facing car seat (age of 12 mos and weight of 20 pounds) was sort of arbitrarily picked more for convenience ( an easy way to remember) rather than being based on actual scientific data?? I found that to be so crazy. It is actually recommended to keep your kiddos facing in a rear facing car seat for AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!!! The swedes are actually the ones to study regarding this. Apparently, they are the ones who practically invented car seats and believe it or not, over there they keep their kids facing backwards until…get this… age 4!!!!!   Yes, you read that correctly, I said FOUR. And do you know what else??? They have one of lowest rate of infant and child mortality due to MVA ( motor vehicle accidents).  DO you know that the #1 cause of deaths to infants/children are motor vehicle accidents??  It isn’t cancer, It isn’t drowning, it isn’t from illness such as the flu or from vaccinating your child. It is from MVA. And apparently we are all doing it wrong. Now some kids prefer to face the front, but really –if they have never done it–do they really know the difference?? Some parents claim well their legs seem all bunched up and they don’t have any leg room. Doesn’t matter. It is still safer for your kid to face back wards in his car seat than to face forward.

I have to say that we turned Anna around to face forward in my car around age 15 months. She has been facing forward since. I think we are going to try and turn her back around at least in my car.  The car seat in Ryan’s car cannot be rear facing. Hoping she will tolerate it. In the end, it is what seems to be the safest……

Check out this video, watch it several times and then form your own opinion about front facing vs rear facing…..

Don’t mean to scare…just giving some info I found interesting.

the end? March 9, 2009

So, I am thinking about ending this blog or at least going on a temporary break. One reason is that I hardly have time to write anything or even think of anything to write or post. Second, is that as Anna is getting older I am beginning to become more careful about what I am posting about her etc.

Early on this blog was a great way to communicate with family and friends when I was on bedrest and had A LOT of time on my hands. After that,  it sort-of turned into a blog about being a new mom and posting things I thought other new moms found interesting.

Now, with a one year old on my hands, it seems I have less time to write anything and frankly I am just not feeling like I have anything I want to say right now. Boring yes.

It has been over a year since this blog started and I am happy to be able to re-read my posts from then and remember the past. I have had over 8,000 people reading this blog since then. Not a lot of people, but more than just my family and friends. I hope maybe I have helped some other people in a positive way because of this blog.

Maybe, I’ll start writing more when she has a little sibling on the way……..stay tuned on that one. It isn’t happening yet.

So, check back periodically, maybe there will be more posts down the road. As for now…. adios.

hiking February 22, 2009

Went hiking today in the Columbia Gorge, one of my favorite places. It is beautiful to say the least. It was a cold and  windy day but well worth it. We put Anna into this backpack. It was the first time we used it and she loved it. Can’t you tell from the photo???

To move or not to move that is our question? January 19, 2009

I know I have written about our whole dilemma whether to move or not quite a few times on here. We are still in great debate about it. More so,  we seem to be split 50:50 in our opinions about whether to move to the Midwest or stay here in Portland. For many of you from the pacific NW, the answer would seem obvious and the question almost comical. Most people who live in the Pacific NW feel it is one of the most live-able places. And we do to. It is just we have this gut feeling, deep inside that something is missing…and that something is closeness to family. Now, I know we could make it work out here. We would just have to travel a bit more back home to visit and our family would have to mount up and get out here more often then they do. We could do that and maybe it would work out well. Or maybe it would get quite expensive in all the money spent traveling to these places, and we would hardly have time or money for “fun” vacations because most of our time would be spent traveling back there. Also, spending time with people for 1 week here and there is great–but that doesn’t compare to a grandparent being able to stop by after work to watch your child’s baseball game–or attend the dance recital. Or to be there easily on many of their birthdays, or to see them learn to ride a bike, or just to be able to eat Sunday dinner together. You cannot recreate those moments in quick week long vacations. It is just too hectic. I am not saying isn’t good–just not the same.

The problem is we LOVE Portland. And I mean love it. We love the city, the recreation, the people, even the rain. It is truly one of the best places to live in our minds and it would be VERY hard to say good-bye to this place that means so much to us. It would also be hard to say good-bye to some of the best people in my life. Friends that I adore and enjoy spending time with. Friends who have been there with us since we were 18 yrs old and have watched us grow and mature. We have been there for one another and saying goodbye to that would be very hard.

However, at some point we all have to move on. People get called to new places and things for various reasons: Love, jobs, divorce, money, lifestyle etc. We all have to say good-bye sometimes to things that mean a lot to us. It is called change and to me change is an important thing. If nothing ever changed, then life would be boring. Things would just be predictable and the same. Change challenges you and helps you develop depth as a person. The thing about change is it usually isn’t easy. It is always easier to chose not to change rather then to leap into change. Some people avoid change at all costs and run from it their entire lives.  I do not wish do that.  I don’t want to be afraid of change and I do not want to be afraid of making a mistakes. Life takes risks and you never know if you will succeed until you try. Maybe all this is just a bunch of cliches. If so, whatever……it what I believe.

I am proud of the life I have lived thus far.  I have taken some risks and so far haven’t made too many mistakes. I have left the comforts of my hometown and tried new places. I am sure there are many people out there that have lived far more extravagant lives and been to much more exotic places than I. However, I am thankful for the experiences I have had.

I am thankful for the years I spent in Missoula, a small college town in the rockies.  I have many fond memories of that place, and when I left it was hard to do–but change was needed. I met some of my best friends there. I remember the “oval” on campus in the fall; full of students reading or napping in the sun or playing frisbee. I will never forget the cold wind whipping through hellgate canyon, or the way Mount Jumbo looked when the sun was setting.  I used to love taking long walks with my dog Luna up in Paytee Canyon and I can still remember the way a ponderosa pine smells on a hot summer day.  I will always remember the way the mountains looked with the first snowfall of the year and the child like quality adults took on when it happened. I am thankful for the all the mornings spent being lazy with friends, nursing a powerful hang-over ( we all need a good hangover from time to time). Or better yet, waking early and driving up to the mountain with coffee and bagel in hand for a full day of skiing. I will never forget meeting my husband there and the fun we had early on in our relationship. And I’ll always remember the day I packed up my car and moved out of town, having completed that chapter in my life.

As for Portland the things I will miss if we leave will be: the way the earth smells after a good rain.  The way the city comes alive on that first spring day with sunshine. The road trips to the beach with friends, the fish and chips and brew pubs. I’ll miss driving in the Columbia Gorge, one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on ( next to Glacier National Park). I’ll miss forest park and the Willemette River. I’ll miss walking around in the mist and fog with a cup of coffee in hand.  I’ll miss the “greenness” in both the scenery and the people. I’ll always remember the trips to the mountain snowboarding and to Smith Rock to go rock climbing. I’ll miss walking down to Butch’s house and going out to breakfast on Sundays. Most of all I will miss my friends.

All of these memories are important to me and have helped shape me into who I am today. I will never forget the way these places feel or smell and what they mean to me.  And while it all sounds so sad to be missing these things, it really doesn’t have to be sad. It is more just a part of life. It is apart of growing up. I guess our big debate has been –what is more important?–the place in which you live or the people in it?? I think we are lucky in that we have such a great family that we enjoy being with and want to be apart of our daughters life. To me, that is priceless. You cannot buy a luxury like that. You are blessed with it. Not everyone has what we have and we are very lucky.  At some point you have to stop and ask yourself–what is best for my kids? Not just what do I want, or what matters just to me–but what kind of life do I want for them? Do they care about all my friends or will they care more about being near their grandparents and aunts/uncles. Will it mean more to them to be able to live in a cool city that mom and dad picked, or to grow up with a strong supportive family?