Happy Birthday Tyler

I really love Netflicks. Like, a lot. Abby was at my house today and we turned Oprah on, but it was the first time I had watched real live TV in a while. I love the instant play through our Wii. I think I've mentioned this in a previous post, but that's how much I dig it. Although I despise Denis Leary, I really love Rescue Me, which in turn sorta makes me love Denis Leary. He's got some crazy long legs.

I went out of town this weekend for my friend's bachelorette party in Madison. We all had a pretty great time. I was so glad that I got to meet Krista in Eau Claire and drive the rest of the way together. No distractions or kids to chase around, just some good old BFF time. All the ladies got dressed up and we took a very nice limo bus around the area barhopping, then ate all the leftovers and some pizza at Court's after the party.

Amelie and I also met Brenda, Linc and Sully at the beach in Maple Plain last week. I think the kids had tons of fun and Brenda and I got to have a nice chat while we were chasing the kids around. I wish I could've gotten some cute pics of her boys.



Yesterday was Tyler's birthday. He's 28, which means I am almost 2 years his elder. We had a really awesome day. He came home from work early and I had some surprises waiting for him. I baked a cake and we rode our bikes up to Pizza Biga on Chicago for dinner. We got home and watched Amelie run in circles in the backyard for a while and then put her to bed.

She is able to communicate with us more and more every day. When she is tired she will go into her room and put her hand on her chest and then point to her crib, telling us she wants to go to sleep. She also answers some yes or no questions. They way she runs, it makes me laugh every time. She never sits still, ever. Proof:


Saying bye to daddy on his way to work.


We have got so much stuff going on in August. We are going to 2 weddings (one of which I am in), I have more prenatal meetings for my doula stuff, we have a triathalon and a duathalon, my Grandpa is turning 80, my cousins baby shower, and then just regular 'ol life stuff. We'll be keeping busy in August!

Not so lazy Sunday.

I'm sitting in the dining room trying to type and listening to Aqueous Transmission by Incubus, but all I can hear is Tyler reading Amelie 10 in the Bed as he is getting her ready for bed.

I got to sleep in until 10am this morning which was pretty great. We went to the worst place on earth, Babies R Us, to get some diapers and wipes. I wish I could find a place closer and less lame that carried the 7th Generation wipes and diapers we use. Dumb Target only carries the diapers. Anyways, I hate Babies R Us.

We also stopped at Goodwill and I found a book I wanted for $2.99, and Tyler got a couple of shirts for work and an awesome new hat. Pretty productive trip.

Yesterday, after a pretty rough start to the day, we went downtown to the Dakota Jazz Fest. Since it was pretty ominous out and it had just finished raining a bit there weren't too many people there. We each had a beer, got some free Tuna Salad from Starkist and danced around in the street. Then we went and had dinner at Buster's.

Oooooh, our fruit and vegetables are starting to produce. There is something eating the leaves off of my pepper plants so we have to keep moving them around, but we got a couple of Jalapenos already. We also picked the 2 ripe Zucchini's and a hand full of tomatoes. The banana peppers will be ready any day and we are about to get bombarded with tomatoes. It's so satisfying.

Tyler made some hummus tonight with the jalapenos. He's pretty proud of himself. I haven't tried it yet but I'm sure it's great.

We finally made it down to the St. Paul Farmers Market today. It was less crowded than the MPLS one...although the weather was pretty leery this morning. We got some Swiss Chard and Collard Greens. I'm not quite sure what to do with them yet but I'll report back when I figure something out.

I also got another doula client. Yay! I bought my domain name for my website and ordered some business cards. I'm all booked up for September, so hopefully I will be able to find some clients for October and beyond.

Have I mentioned that I love the Hipstamatic App? Here is Ami and Sammy while I was watching Sam on Friday.


I'm super hungry so now I'm going to make dinner. Peace.

Yay for poo.

Today Amelie woke up from her nap laughing. It was so funny to hear that. I said to Tyler before I went in there, "She's probably laughing because she's playing with her own poop."

Turns out I was right.

She was pretty clean, but somehow she got her diaper off and pooped while it was off. It was pretty messy, although it could have been worse. She wasn't eating it and it was not on the walls so thats good.

She has not napped today either so she fell asleep eating a snack in her high chair. It's been a long day for her.

We went to visit the Skrtic's in Eau Claire last week. We toured the local farmers market and the kids played while we chased them around. Krista and I even got to go have a couple of drinks and when Ami and Carter went to bed...thanks Jason!

My friend Beth was in town last week also. Me and my lady friends took the light rail downtown for dinner and drinks, then had a nice bonfire. It's about time we were all back together!

This morning I went to the Minnehaha Watershed District Cleanup with DanMark. Like Mark said, it's funny because thats how Danish people pronounce Denmark and our names are Dan and Mark. I mostly rode my bike and pointed to garbage for them.

I broke down and got Amelie the fancy baby sunglasses. Old Navy has really great ones, different colors and sizes, plus aviators. She actually wore them on Thursday when we went to the Nicollet Mall Farmers Market. She's owning them.



This is what she is doing these days. She likes to jump at you and yell BOO! She is starting to communicate so much using baby sign language, grunting and words. She ate a whole cucumber today (a small cuke). She has been eating like a large man lately. She could eat a whole package of raspberries or strawberries in one sitting if I let her. She loves running and hiding under the kitchen table. She reaches for my hand when we cross the street and when she is going up and down the stairs. The best, is that she likes to give out kisses and grabs my face to plant a big one on me. And, as we learned today, she knows how to remove her own diaper.

Baby naps are sweet.

I'm not a big fan of kids watching TV. Sometimes you need a minute though. It can be a good distraction. Through some kind of magical sorcery, we can watch our Netflicks instant play movies through our Wii on our TV. (Thank you Netflicks). So we have access to all sorts of shows, including kids stuff. The point is, I played The Backyardigans yesterday and Amelie dropped what she was doing (climbing up the kitchen chairs) and started dancing to the theme song. It was pretty damn cute. So, she doesn't actually sit and watch the show, but it will keep her distracted long enough for me to finish a task.

Well I finished updating my iPhone and I dare say that it once again revolutionized my life. I sort of wish I never would have gotten an iPhone in the first place, because I just don't think I can ever have any other phone. I'm weak like that.

My first doula meeting went well. All things are a go. We have another meeting again in a few weeks and I can't wait to go to my first birth. I made myself a website. It is still under construction, but I'll share.

It's nice out and Amelie is napping so I'm going to read a book.

Ok, let's see here...

I feel like I'm being pressured to blog but I don't want to disappoint anyone...

So we have been back to the cabin again. Much nicer weather. Even got a tan and rode around on the 4 wheelers. There was some pretty wicked weather and of course the best day was the day we left.

I had a pretty good little Saturday. I got my hair cut, got an amazing facial from my friend Amber, and then I didn't have to go to work and got to have a night on the town. It was pretty sweet how it all magically happened all in a row.

My tooth doesn't hurt anymore. I went to the dentist who told me to put clove oil on it and the pain magically disappeared after a few days.

We biked up to the pool, she really enjoyed herself. She ate almost an entire apple, plus half the core.


I found some teeny tiny rainboots for her little feet.



So far she only sits on this toy and makes a vroom vroom sound while jerking the handles around. Can you imagine when her legs are long enough to make it scoot. She's going to drag it up her little slide and ride it down, I just know it.


My phone was somehow misplaced last week when Abby and I were at the pool, but someone called to return it to me shortly after. I was soooo hoping that would happen. I feel like karma was paying me back for all the times I have called other peoples' lost phones. Anyhow, I'll keep closer track on my phone now. I'm updating it with the new iPhone software. It's got me all jazzed up.

And lastly, I have 2 meetings with pregnant couples who are interested in hiring me as their doula. Nice.

My jaw has a heartbeat.

My mom, Amelie and I all went up to the cabin last weekend. We went for a walk down the driveway and Amelie the whole time. Except for when she was sitting in the sand dumping it all over herself. It was nice for her to be able to run and run and run and not have to worry about getting into traffic or falling into something dangerous.







We drove Amelie into Akeley and Nevis trying to induce sleep. Instead we ended up playing at the park and taking photos at the Nevis Muskie and Paul Bunyon.


Today Ty, Ami and I rode our bikes all around the city (well, Ami rode in the Burley). We rode along the Light Rail to the Greenway. We rode up to Lake Calhun and had a little snack at the Tin Fish. We cruised up Lake Harriet and back home via Minnehaha Parkway. We stopped at Linhurst Park and played for a bit, and besides a few protests Amelie had a great time. She even took a little snooze.

I have a wisdom tooth coming in. It didn't bother be for a long time. I mean, it's like halfway through my gums already and it just started hurting this weekend. I'm having some problems opening my mouth to eat. I guess I'll be going to the dentist tomorrow. This actually happened to me once already when I was in college. The exact same thing. They just look a look, numbed my face, and pulled it right out.

I just feel like laying down now, so...later.

Blah.

Our Internet us down and I can't figure out why. That's why I haven't been posting. I was on hold today for 15 minutes until I talked to a tech who is sending out another tech in 9 days. Thanks a lot.

Some interesting things have happened.

Amelie had e coli. Yeah, I know. I was freaked out. She's ok and never had to be hospitalized.

Her and I went to the cabin this weekend. We didn't get to swim but it was still fun. Ami didn't nap the whole time, but slept almost the whole way home.

I started observing a Lamaze class for my doula training. It's pretty sweet.

We did a bunch of landscaping and planted a bunch if flowers and plants.

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.

Stop raining!

Look what Tyler found! An old school Little Tikes kitchen. There were 2 and they were only six bucks each! Amelie and Sam both got one and they looooove them! We had the same one when we were kids.



Sam stood in the conversation and "talked and laughed" on the phone for a really long time.


I love the rain, but it is keeping us trapped inside. We have gone to the zoo, the coffee shop, the store, the chiropractor, another store, Trader Joe's.... I wanna go outside, to the park, for a bike ride, to the lake or the backyard.

Looks like I need to get Amelie a baby doll. At the chiropractor today she was giving some love to the dolls there. She put on a show.


Amelie is also a Samurai.

Mini Kitchen Makeover!

We had a nice Mother's Day. First I woke up early and went to my moms. My sister, mom and I...along with a bunch of our family members, did the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer walk at the MOA. Then we had lunch at her house and played in the backyard with the kiddos.

Later, Tyler, Ami and I all took short naps before we biked up to the Sea Salt for dinner. We met Tyler's mom there. It was beautiful out and the food was delicious. While Amelie and I were waiting at the table, she played with my sunglasses.




Today Ami and I met Nicole, Evi and Frank at coffee shop, we made a trip to Target, and later while Ami napped, I did some kitchen cleaning and remodeling.

We are doing our own mini-"remodel" on the kitchen. It is small and there is a lack of counter top space...so we are making some.

Saturday, Tyler's dad came over and helped in install our new dishwasher. (Part 1 of my Mother's Day gift). Even though it took up the space of 1 cupboard and 2 drawers, the room it clears of dirty dishes is so worth it. I just cleaned out a couple of other cupboards, got rid of some crap and reorganized to make it work.


I got a magnetic knife holder at IKEA. Now I can open the silverware drawer.


I repurposed some baskets we had hanging over the sink in our old house, and hung them over the sink for misc items. They are currently holding plants that need replanting.


We used the bar the afore mentioned baskets used to hang from, to hang our pots and pans.


Also, we are using a book shelf my dad made as a kitchen island. We found some wooden butcher blocks at IKEA for $10 each. We got 2 to fit the top of the book shelf and they makes a nice "counter-top." We still have to take the plastic off of them and attach them to the shelf, but I think its going to work out pretty nicely. I used some Command Strips to hang our measuring spoons and cups to the side of the shelf for easy cooking access.



Our TV broke. The living room TV. The one the Wii is connected too. First we (Amelie) lost the DVD remote, the we (Amelie) broke the TV remote. Now we just can't watch TV in the living room. I don't care during the day because we don't watch it until after Tyler gets home. Hopefully it's still under warranty.

Oh, and ever since watching Food Inc I have only bought organic or locally grown food. It's strange how it has made a difference in our lives in such a short time. We feel better, our digestive systems work more efficiently, and I seem to eat less because I feel full longer.

And I discovered a "new" Trader Joe's in St.Paul. I'm really stoked about it. It's about 3 miles from my house so it is totally bike-able. Plus it is a very ethical grocery store that doesn't sell milk products with any growth hormones, locally grown..yadda yadda. They sell these little dark chocolate morsels called Powerberries. They are so good. Next time I go I'm getting several bags.

Oh, and the 2nd half to my Mother's Day gift was 100 Tulip bulbs. 50 early blooming and 50 late blooming that we can plant in the fall. Nice work Tyler.