Spring?

Today it was roughly 85 degrees and humid.  I'm pretty sure we are just going to skip right over spring, and head right into summer.  I'm 30 weeks pregnant today, and hate humidity more than ever.


Enough complaining, here are some of the adventures of Amelie in the last couple of weeks.

She has been diligently picking all of the dandelions out of the back yard.  There are so many.  She piles them into her net, then either dumps them out into a pile, or shoves them through the fence into the neighbors yard.  Don't worry, no one lives there right now.

I braided her hair into pigtails.  That lasted less than 5 minutes.  It was so cute though.

I skipped my Thurs night yoga class last week so we could go eat at Pepito's for Cinco de Mayo.  She was pretty well behaved at the restaurant, however, did not each much of her mexican pizza.  

I had a major hankering for ice cream a couple of days ago, and I let her have an ice cream cone before dinner.  Yeah, so she didn't really eat much for dinner after that.  She enjoyed the hell out of that cone too.  Savored it for a good 45 minutes.

My tulips started peeking up through the snow before it was even melted.  Then I thought spring was here, until it snowed again, re-covering my beloved tulips.  Then there were a few warm days, and they shot right up...

Check 'em out now in all their glory.  Go tulips!

I'm so proud.

And now for a couple coveted photos of the progress upstairs...

Andy started tiling this week.  He has most of the floor finished and will move onto the shower walls and floor tomorrow.  We splurged for the heated floors as well, I think the long cold winter talked us into it.  

Here we have the shower, pre water proofing and tile.

And at another angle.

And here is the floor tile, the toilet will go where the white circle is, and the vanity across from it.  Some kind of storage will go along the wall with the outlet.

I'm going to fill this place up with foliage, and also take a really really long shower the minute we move up there.  

Lastly, my cousin Maren got married this on Friday.  It was the perfect day for a wedding, not too hot, but warm and sunny.  They hired Studio Laguna to do their photos (as did Abby and I), and I cannot wait to see the pictures when they are done.  

Me and Tyler.

They had a short but sweet ceremony (the BEST kind!) and some pretty awesome speeches at dinner.  I laughed and I cried.  I only stayed until 9:45pm, but I was borderline broken from standing for so long and was sore for the rest of the weekend.  It was worth it though.  Plus I had a chance to wear my favorite maternity dress ever.  

Monday May 24th 2010, for lack of a more original title.

My sister told me today that I needed to update my blog. So, here you go. It's been nice out, I've been busy....

Firstly, I just took a shower and have to say that Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap is the best. Especially the Peppermint flavor. We just ran out of the Lavender flavor and Tyler made it very clear that he preferred the Peppermint. The thing is, one bottle lasts for months and months. The Peppermint leaves your skin feeling cool and deliciously minty. Also, Dr Bronner's can be used for pretty much anything. Toothpaste, shampoo, floor cleaner ect...

We had a visit today with Abby, Sammy and Grandma Mike. We walked up to the Nokomis Beach Cafe and had lunch, then played in the pool in the backyard.

We recently found on of these Little Tyke cubes with a slide for her to play on. $10 on Craigslist. Plus they threw in a bike with training wheels and a trike. She totally loves it. Even after falling down the slide.

Last weekend I attended a Doula Training Seminar. It was pretty sweet. I met some pretty great people, and it really fired me up. Oh, I don't know if I've mentioned on here before, but I am working to become a certified birth doula. Having a baby? I'll do it for free.

Not too much else has been happening. Walks, zoo visits, park dates, grocery shopping, work ect... I cleaned the house like a crazy person. Took my first bath in a year. It was glorious.

Our TV is broken. It's been broken for a few weeks now. It's not that bad. I get outside more, sit around less. I just want to be able to play some Wii.

OOOohhhh, we got our wedding photos back. Here are some.





That's all for tonight. I'm going to go watch the Fantastic Mr. Fox.

We celebrated all day long!

OMG it's all over. Its a relief and a bummer at the same time.

We had our wedding reception last Saturday at Gluek's. I think it went great. Tons of people showed up, the decorations looked awesome, the food was great, we went through lots of beer and wine, our photo booth guest book is filled to the max...

Tyler's parents threw a nice groom's dinner at Hell's Kitchen on Friday. It was nice that we got to spend some time with our families before the big day.

Before the reception started, Katrina from Studio Laguna Photography came over to take some shots of us and the rest of our family. She is the best. She knew exactly what she was doing. She can think on her feet, was in a great mood the whole time, and had some great ideas for photos. Her husband John and her both shot my sister Abby's wedding. They were so impressive that I didn't even look at any other photographers.

Here are 3 mini photos that she took, check out her blog for 5 others that she posted. Also, she has tons of great advice and cool photos.




We had The Traveling Photo Booth for some fun photos, I planted grass in recycled baby food jars and cans and my mom picked up a couple of mixed flower bouquets to put in old jars, we had some coloring books and crayons for the kids, and The Root City Band played. I had a great time, danced a lot, ate only a little, and mingled a lot.

I do wish that I had been able to talk to more people. The first half of the reception was difficult because Amelie was a bit tired and overwhelmed so she only wanted me to hold her...which made it difficult to socialize. We hired a great nanny through a friend so when she came to pick Ami up we were able to relax a little and have a beer.

It was pretty cool to have most of our family and friends in the same spot having a good time. I didn't take any photos myself, but once I get my hands on some, I will post and share. I do have a pic of cute little Amelie in her reception day dress...

Some wedding photos!

Dude, I changed my last name on Facebook today to my married name. It was a weird thing to do. I guess I never sat down and thought about what my new name would be. It's like a whole new identity, and it sounds very strange in my ears.

Anyways, here are some of my fav wedding pics.






and more...





My, my sister and my friend Kristin had a baby play date today. It's so great to see 3 kids, with 3 different personalities interact. Turns out my daughter is the bully. I'm exhausted from keeping up with them. Amelie basically sprinkled Cheerios all over the house for me to clean up. I'm teaching her how to nap in her crib too. Yeah, she has napped in her swing for the past 11 months, but it's like her Kryptonite. Those 2 hour morning naps are key to my mental health. So far, she has slept for about 30 minutes each crib nap. It's only been 2 days though. NBD. She'll learn. Right?

Also, on a totally unrelated note, I think Parker Posey is hilarious. I love Best in Show. I just watched her and Jimmy Fallon have a dance off on his show. I wish I was friends with her, and him.

And...my friend is in labor right now. I'm UBER excited for her and wish her the best! I can't wait to meet her new little man!

Hooray Marriage!

Surprise, we eloped!

We have been married for 5 whole days now!! It's super awesome...but not really different at all.

It was a long long day of travel, we flew from Mpls to Salt Lake City, to Reno, then took a bus to South Lake Tahoe. 14 hours total. Jeepers. We dropped Amelie off at my parents and she went right to sleep. That made it soooo much easier to leave.

We were exhausted by the time we got there, but like Matthew Wilder sang, "can't nobody break my (our) stride". We unpacked and headed down to Fire and Ice, the restaurant at our hotel. We met a nice guy, James, and chatted it up while we had some beers.

The best part about our hotel was the heated outdoor pool and hot tubs. We enjoyed both that evening.

Anyways, to the good part.

We got married Wednesday the 3rd, I had an appointment to get my hair done at 10am and Tyler went and got his beard trimmed. We met back at the hotel and had some mimosas and got ready.

As soon as I got my dress on, I was certain I was going to ralph. I felt ill. I thought it was because my dress or undergarments were too tight, but I was wrong. I guess I was just nervous. Tyler got some choice photos of me sitting by the window trying to get some fresh air.

When our limo arrived we took some photos in the hotel by the fireplace and I thought I was going to have to run outside and barf, but I didn't. I felt better once we got into the limo and rolled out to our wedding site. The folks that married us were pretty funny/crazy. Just our style.

The ceremony was short and sweet. We were supposed to get married at Emerald Bay, but since it was practically blizzarding, we had to go to a back up site. It was really cool getting married in the snow, we loved it.

Since we got married during the week, we were able to go and get our certified marriage certificates right away, then we went back to our hotel. We cooked a pizza, had some champagne that our lovely friends Cassie, Beth, and Amber sent us. Yes, pizza and champagne. Oh, and PBR's.

Then we went out on the town. We had dinner at a Steak/Seafood place. I literally had the BEST sushi I have ever eaten. (I have eaten a LOT of sushi too). Everyone was clapping and cheering and buying us drinks all night long. It was a lot of fun.





I'm uploading the photos as I type and will post them soon. For now, here are some pics we took on our phones. I can't wait to celebrate with our friends and family at the reception!

Here is a real gem. We bought the most awesome sweatshirts we could find, then wore them on our travels home. Awesome.

A Super Sweet Weekend.

I had a super fun weekend.  My BFF Krista got married!  

I drove down on Friday morning and we all got our hair done and had mimosas and bagels at the salon.   Our bridesmaids dresses were pretty sweet.  Black, strapless and they had pockets.  The ceremony was short and sweet, I laughed and cried and their son Carter was adorable.  Jason surprised everyone by having his friend officiate the wedding, I thought that was a nice touch.  I also really liked how the wedding and the ceremony were all in the same place.  

Krista looked beautiful.  Her hair was great, her friend Brianne loaned her a really cool headband/tiara that looked great too.  

I loved dancing and hanging out with everyone.  I have been really lucky to see my friend Courtney several times this summer.  Her sister Britta was hilarious as usual.  Jourdan and Jana busted out some sweet dance moves.  I even got to see Housten juggle some limes.  

Oh, and it was also my birthday.  I turned 29.  Tyler got me a new iPhone and gave it to me earlier in the week.  I had to manually re-enter all my contacts which was annoying but it's done now.   And I have a bunch of really awesome new Apps too.   My mom had dinner for me at her house on Thurs, here is grandpa with the babes. 

I really missed Amelie while I was gone.  When I got home I held her for a while and tried giving her to Tyler so I could get ready for work (because I had to work Saturday night), and she turned back towards me and grabbed onto my shirt locking herself onto me.  It was so cute and the first time she has done something like that.  It was really hard to go to work.  Look at her laughing.

The whole weekend left me exhausted.  I came home from work on Saturday night and slept, we went for a walk today with our friend who lives nearby, then me, Tyler and Ami all took a 3 hour nap.  

One of many things to do tonight.

First of all, here I am with Ami and Sammy.  They both look a little stunned here.

I am getting worse and worse at updating this blog.  I've just been busy/lazy/sick/tired.  I pretty much feel 100% now but had a cold for a few days.  All thats left now is a crusty dry nose.  Ew.  Amelie only got a mini version of my cold.  Hooray for breastfeeding.  

I am feeling like I have several things to finish tonight so I am going to go list style again.

1.  Tyler and I went to my friend John's wedding on Saturday.  It was at St. Kates (where his bride went to college).  It was beautiful and so was the reception.  We had a great time.  Grammy Tracy watched Amelie again, thanks to her we have been able to make it to all the weddings, showers, and bach parties that weddings bring.

2.  I went to another "Just Between Friends" consignment sale with Nicole.  I got a bunch more super cute clothes.  Jeans, some cute sweatshirt/pant sets, winter gear, and my fav...a flannel shirt.  I'm pretty sure Nicole and her husband Dan are Tyler and I in an alternate universe.  We are all so similar it's eery.  

I realize the photos are sideways and it is easy to change...but I just don't feel like it.  Plus, the clothes are SO much cuter in person.

3.  My birthday is on Friday and Tyler got me a brand spanking new iPhone.   LOVE IT!  I can now share videos, take better photos and I already got some sweet apps.  I even bought a screen cover for it, while I was laying in bed, with my eBay app.  Check out her cuteness.

4.  We are purchasing a new heating/cooling system for our home.  It's gonna be rad.  We got a few bids and we need to get this $%8t in the works because it is currently a balmy 61 degrees in our home.  You should see what Amelie is wearing for PJ's.  

5.  I am working on a really awesome art project but I can't disclose too much information about it yet.  Photos to follow.

6.  My BFF Krista's wedding is this weekend.  I am super pumped about it.  I am leaving Friday morning and can't wait for the festivities.  Thanks again to Grammy Tracy for babysitting.  She's going to win Grandma of the year.  It still feels a little weird calling her grandma.

7.  While it has been really difficult to get Amelie to sleep (and she wakes up a lot the first couple of hours)  but she slept 7.5 hours on Monday night and 5 hours straight last night.  I am sure she senses me writing this and will rebel immediately, but I really do hope this is becoming a real thing, that is, her sleeping "through the night."

8.  I finally joined the YMCA.  I can't wait to blast myself into reality.

9.  I made some great chili the other night.  Easiest chili ever.  I called Abby because I needed a reminder of the recipe and she had just finished making the same chili.  Here it is.  I added green peppers, cheese and sour cream.

The End.

I'm lazy.

Still not getting much (anything) done at home.  Just the regular old stuff...laundry, dishes ect...

We went over to Abby's and went to the Uptown Market.  I got some lotions and a bag and a bundle of carrots to make Amelie's first baby puree.  Her and Sammy played together.  There was this cut out at the market.  You know how I love those things.

Trying to get Sam's attention.

She tried out Sammy's car

She even tried a little of his squash.  She sniped the spoon right out of my hand and shoved it into her mouth.  I think it was a little thick for her yet.  

We walked up to the bakery and got a cookie to share and stopped at a garage sale on the way home.  I got Ami this vintage hat and sweater for $1.  Abby got Sam a really cool vintage snowsuit.

I made the carrot puree tonight.  I froze 2 ice cube trays of it.  While I was finishing up Amelie pooped on Tyler's legs and pants.  She was just wearing a diaper and blasted right though it.

Saturday I went to Krista's bach party.  It was a lot of fun.  Her wedding is on Oct 2nd (also my birthday).  I'm really excited to be in her wedding (bridesmaid).  I'm also glad she chose cute dresses.  This weekend we are going to my friend John's wedding.  This will be wedding #2 this month.  

We are trying to get Amelie on a better sleep schedule.  I don't want to talk crazy but I think it's working.  I mean, she's woken up twice in the last 2 hours, but we have gotten her back to sleep without nursing her within 5 minutes...in her crib.  Plus, she slept in her crib all night last night.  

She's going to start crawling soon.  I'm terrified of her mobility and impending independence.  She has all the components of crawling, she just has to learn how to put them together.  I'll keep you posted.

Cloth Diapers

First of all, let me explain Pumpkin Butt in two words. Cloth diapers.


Our 9 week 4 day old daughter Amelie (Ah-muh-lee), has a big ole booty in her cloth diapers. It's super cute. Most people don't understand why we would go to the "trouble" of using clothies (as we call them). Here is why...

1. They are cute as hell.
2. We like to save the earth however we can.
3. It reduces her exposure to harmful chemicals found in disposable diapers
4. It's cheaper, you only have to buy the diapers once.
5. They are cute as hell.

To be perfectly honest, we do use disposables sometimes, but only when we are going to be out and about for a while, and it has been happening less and less.

Little Amelie, (or just "Little," as her auntie Abby coined her today) is a spitter-upper, so we already have 1-2 mandatory loads of laundry to do per day, so adding one more load of clothies is no big deal (or, NBD) for us. By the way, "us" is Tyler and I.

We are fiances' of 5 months, yet to set a date for our wedding. NBD. It seems like he is in a bigger hurry to make it official than I am. To be fair, I totally want to marry him, just not with the extra 25 lbs of baby weight that I have yet to lose. I prefer to look back at our wedding photos and think to myself, damn I looked good. (ie: my sister Abby in her wedding photos, see MN Bride Spring/Summer2009


















It probably doesn't help that as I write this I am eating Tostitos and Salsa con Queso (thanks mom.)

And I digress...

Tyler and I are having the time of our life with "little" Amelie. I really consider myself a "stay at home mom" since I really only work about 2 nights per week, and spend most of my time with her. I think I get the best of both worlds, being at home all day, and working some nights.

Amelie is sooo lucky that she has her cousin Samuel (Abby's son) to grow up with. He was born 3 weeks and 1 day before her. This is Sammy visiting Ami in the hospital.
This is Sam and Amelie today...
I will update this blog to keep family and friends in the loop of what is happening in the lives of Amelie and Sam, and on a lesser note...us.

That's all for tonight though. Me and Grandma Tracy took Amelie to the Mall of America tonight to find some summer clothes that actually fit me and Amelie pretty much cried the whole time so I am worn out.

We'll try this again tomorrow.