And then there were four...

Singer/song writer?

2012-01-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

I was in the kitchen washing dishes when I heard India get out her guitar. A few minutes later, I heard this song.

I love you Hadley
I love you Hadley
You are the sweetest baby
You are the sweetest baby me, mommy and daddy ever had
You are the sweetest baby

I thought about trying to sneak in and record her singing on my phone, but by the time I grabbed it for this crappy picture she was done singing.

India's eye appointment-so so news.

2011-11-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

Day of eye surgery, just 5 months old.

Since India’s eye surgery back in February 2008 andgetting her glasses in February 2009, we have been making a visit to the ophthalmologist’soffice every 6 months, and every time we hear the same thing. Her eyes are doing what they are supposedwhen she wears her glasses. I expectedto hear the same thing today, but sadly, this was not the case. Her left eye is starting to get what iscalled Dissociated Vertical Deviation (DVD). From http://www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/44 “DVD is a condition in which one eye driftsupward. The eye may drift upward only occasionally or be deviated almostconstantly. The amount of drifting may even vary during the course of the day.Often, DVD is only seen in one eye by a parent, while testing by anophthalmologist may reveal the problem is actually present in both eyes.” She is making up for this by leaning her headto the right. Jeff and I never noticedthis until they pointed it out to us today. It is just a slight lean, but enough that it is totally obvious to menow.

The good news is that her eyes want to work together, if they were not her left eye would be drifting around all the time not just occasionally. The bad news is that she will more thanlikely need another surgery. I hadreally hoped that she would never need another, so I am pretty sad to hear thatit might still be an option. We have togo back in and have her looked at again in three months and see if anything haschanged, and possibly change her prescription, get a patch or schedule asurgery.

I know that there are so many worse things that could happen to yourkid, but hearing your child will probably need surgery is still something, noparent wants to hear. I will post moreafter our next appointment.

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The Apple Picking Gang

2011-10-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

I heard a couple of families at preschool talking aboutapple picking, and I realized that I have never picked apples. I looked at the weather forecast and toldJeff I thought it would be a fun family event, and he agreed. What I probably should have looked at was howfar away the place was! It took us aboutan hour and a half, which seems a little far for apples to me but I decided tolook at it as an adventure instead.

When we got to the place, it was packed. They were doing their yearly Edelweiss event. If just seeing the word Edelweiss doesn’t getyou singing the song from “Sound of Music” I don’t know what is wrong withyou!

Most people seemed to be just getting apples out of bins,and I freaked out for a second thinking that maybe there wasn’t any u-pickinggoing on. While we roamed the orchard,we saw a hayride go by so we jumped on. The ride made a stop to see a few animals that live on the orchard. There was a giant steer and a 44-year oldhorse. I had no idea horses lived thatlong. India feed the steer a pear, and I hoped that none of my family wouldhave their eyes gouged out by its horn.

We finally figured out the u-pick situation, and headed outto the orchard. We ended up with 11pounds of various apples for $11. Prettygood deal in my mind. Hadley doesn’thave a huge vocabulary at this point, but she did learn to say “apple” whilewalking the through the rows of apples.

We had a great time, and I will add this on to our things todo again in fall list. What must do fallthings are on your list?

Hanging out with Hadley

2011-10-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

30 day challenge, my take on it.

2011-09-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

I was just reading a post on Activewomom.com about going coffee free for 30days, and I shuttered at the thought. Ilove the smell of coffee, and I love drinking coffee. However, for all the love of coffee I have, Idrink less than two cups a day and rarely do I have coffee after lunchtime. The article got me thinking of something thatI could give up for 30 days, and the answer was nothing! But it did get me thinking about what I couldadd to my life for 30 days and in turn become more of a way of life(hopefully). I am not a glass half-fullkind of a girl, but I thought it would be easier to focus on the positive forme.

Here is my list of things to add to my life.

Run 3 times a week.
Workout 5 times a week.
Eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal.
Have one healthy snack a day that is primarily a fruit or vegetable.
Have a healthy meal for dinner 5 times a week.
And the tough one, drink 8 glasses of water.
Get up by 6:30 on the weekdays so I can add a half hour ofstress free mornings to my life.

This picture has nothing to do with the post, but it was to cute not to share.

Anyone care to join me?

Fall TV is back

2011-09-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Another sign that fall is just around the corner; my DVRfinally has more than one program to record! That’s not quite true, but knowing that Breaking Bad (AMC) only hasthree more episodes this season is sad, so it will be nice to have to fillersuntil Mad Men (AMC) comes back in winter. Oh, how I have missed Don Draper and crew; l have made sure to keep updrinking though in honor of the show.

Looking through my scheduled to be recorded shows, nothingis really calling my name but here is what my DVR is looking like for thisweek.

Tuesday

Glee (Fox)
New Girl (Fox)-I have mixed feelings on this show, but I like the lead Zooey Deschanel so I am giving it a try
Raising Hope (Fox)

Wednesday

Up All Night (NBC)-the pilot was funny, but it went from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. so the humor might change. Modern Family (ABC)

Thursday

Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo)
Community (NBC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
Person of Interest (CBS)

What shows are you looking forward to returning or areexcited to see for the first time? Comment below.

A quick video of the girls at the park

2011-09-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Didn't summer just start?

2011-09-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Even the though the calendar doesn’t say it is fall yet, school started this week and I made a pot of soup, so in my mind summer is officially over. Or like my friend Chloe said, she had to switch to from white wine to red this week! It seems like summer went by in the blink of the eye, so sad. I would probably rank fall as my second favorite season after summer, I love the brisk mornings and warm afternoons, the wearing of boots and apple cider. I try to forget that fall leads into a rainy and gray winter, which the last couple of years have been incredibly long. I probably owe a post about the summer, and now that India is back in school, I will try to get to it.

India did a few months of preschool after we moved to Portland earlier this year, but this week marked her first fall day of preschool. She had some separation issues last year, but had a blast her first day. After not wanting Hadley and me to go at first, once some play dough caught her attention, we were like chopped liver to her. She didn’t want to come home after class and asked that night if she could go back the next day. This is a far cry from the little girl that was hugging my legs last year begging me not to go.

What a cutie!

I hope that fall brings lots of beautiful fall leaves and changes to wear my boots without them getting wet. I tried on a pair of red pumps that I hadn’t worn in months, and my poor feet forgot how to even wear them! I guess that it what just wearing flip-flops and sneakers will do to a person!

Suri's Burn Book

2011-08-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fun snarky read? Check out this blog Suri's Burn Book.

We did it!

2011-06-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

I couldn’t have imagined a year ago that I would be able to say that I have run a half-marathon, but here I am a few days after and feeling great. The whole running thing started last June when my stroller strides group started a running club. You could train for a 5 or 10k, and even though the most I had ever run was a 5k, I decided to try for the 10k. I remember at one point Hilary (the instructor) saying, “you aren’t going to try, you are going to do it.” I ran the race with my friend Kelly in early September and we kind of joked about doing a half-marathon the next year. We were having dinner with some friend’s right before we moved to Portland, and the husband and I were talking about running and on a whim decided to do the half. Jeff later told me he would be interested as well.

I signed us up in November, and we started our training in spring. The training called for 3-4 days of running, with a long run each Sunday. With both of training we knew this would be a bit of a problem since we have the girls to think about. I don’t know if we ever ran four days a week, and I probably missed a quarter of the long runs. Jeff on the other hand did something to both of his ankles and essentially had to quit running in May. He was determined to run the race though, even if we had to immediately go to the hospital and have his legs amputated!

On our way to the starting line.

The day of the race, we had to get up around 4 a.m. and I was anything but excited to get out of bed. I had been very nervous the day before (hell, pretty much anytime I thought about it) but when we got up, I felt okay. We had moved up our estimated finish time to 2:10 and I felt that it was doable, as I had been pacing myself in training to run around a 9:55-minute mile. Even though Jeff and I were starting together, we agreed not to try to run it together as we were not at the same pace at this point. I was pretty worried about Jeff, so when we saw each other at the water station at mile two I was pretty happy knowing that he had made it that far and timing wise wasn’t that far behind me. Although I had seen a video of what the course was, I wasn’t expecting the hill at mile four to be so long or how steep the hill at mile nine would be. I don’t like heights, and bridges freak me out, so I had been a little worried about the end of the race where you running on a overpass but what I hadn’t thought about was my hatred of driving through tunnels and now I had to run through one. It was over a half-mile in the tunnel I believe, and there wasn’t a lot of air and it was very hot. I was so excited to see the end, and definitely picked up the pace to get out of there!

I had read in my training book that mile nine should really be considered the half-way point, but that the excitement of reaching the finish line would carry your through the last few miles. I can’t say that this happened for me. It took everything I had at the last mile not to walk it in, but I knew that if I kept going I would meet my goal of 2:10, which is what I did. My legs felt like jello, but I kept moving after the finish line so I wouldn’t cramp up. My friend Kelly was already done and found me right after, and I was so proud of her for doing the race in under two hours. We went to get our bags and wait for Jeff to cross the finish line. We kept waiting and waiting, and finally I went to see if he was our other meet up spot in case I had missed him. I was so happy when I saw him standing there. He had come in 13 minutes after me, so I must have missed him while I was getting our things.

Kelly and I after the race.

Here is what I have learned:

I am a lot stronger that I thought I was.
That it is important to stick with your training, and your plan. I was running with a friend for a while during the race and I realized that I was running faster than I had trained for. I had to wish her good luck and go back to my pace.
Recovery is a lot quicker if you listen to your body.
Even though there wasn’t anybody cheering me on, reading other people’s signs of encouragement would not only give me chills but kept me going. Same thing could be said for any little girls I saw cheering on their mamas.
Seeing a lot of American flags and people wearing blue shirts in remembrance of fallen soldiers will bring a tear to my eye.

Jeff and I in the beer garden after the race.

Jeff and I are both on board to do the race again next year, and our plan is to continue to keep a good running base in the “off season” and work towards finishing faster. We are doing an 8k in August and I have a 10k scheduled for September, so running isn’t finished for the year by any means but the level of intensity has dropped off. I go for my first post half run tonight and I am looking forward to it.

Let’s talk “The Voice”

2011-06-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

I haven’t blogged in forever, so a post about a TV show might seem a little odd but it is what it is. When NBC started promoting the crap out of this show, I thought blah another American Idol, just what we need. However, one afternoon the girls were napping, and I had a pile of laundry bigger than my SUV to fold so I watched the first show through on demand and really liked it. Even when India woke up, we continued to watch it and dance.

I liked how they did blind auditions with the coaches (judges) having their back to the singer so that they would basis their decision based on their singing vs. their looks. After that round was the battle round where two singers on the same team had to sing the same song together and the coach had to pick the best singer to move on to the next stage of the competition. I can’t say I agreed with all the choices they made, but that’s fine.

This week was the first “live” show, and of the four singers on each team, only two will move on to the next round. The two teams to perform were Blake Shelton’s and Christina Aguilera’s. I had thought that Adam Levine had the team to beat but I am not sure now. I really liked the two videos below and really hope that these girls move on to the next round. We ended up downloading Dia and Kenye’s version of this song (we already had The Fray version) and played them back to back. We liked the remakes a lot more. I like Xenia’s voice, but I feel bad for her since she is so shy. I don’t see her ever performing in front of a large audience but I bet she would rock a small venue.

Several years ago, I had seen a VH1 show about Christina and thought she seemed okay, but on this show, she is just horrible. Besides her very nasty outfits (they are all about two sizes to small), the input she gives has nothing to do with the singing. I find her incredibly rude, and honestly, whenever she talks I kind of want to punch her in the face. I don’t listen to country music, so I don’t know a Blake Sheldon song to save my life, but I really like him on this show. You can tell he really cares about his team, and wants them all to do well.

I am looking forward to next week’s show to see who moves on and to see the other judge’s performance. Who are you looking forward to seeing or want to move on to the next round? Comment below.

Weekend fun!

2011-04-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

We had a nice weekend, and the weather give us a glimpse of hope that spring might actually happen…

Friday-The girls and I started the weekend off with our typical Friday morning, Stroller Strides and music class. Afterwards we spent the afternoon in the backyard enjoying the sunshine. We toured Jeff’s new office and picked up our race packets for the next day downtown and headed to The Spaghetti Factory to carb up.

Saturday-Race day! Jeff and I ran a 10k and India ran her first race and did awesome! I beat my previous 10k time by almost three minutes, but missed by goal of under an hour (one hour even). We quickly went home and got ready to throw my dad a surprise birthday party. It went off without a hitch, although my dad did ended a little late as they were stuck in traffic. He had no idea, and his first reaction was to walk right back out the door.

Running with Grandma

Practice round of "surprise"

Sunday-My sister hosted Easter brunch and an egg hunt for the little ones. India really enjoyed and Hadley could have cared less, one-year-olds, what are you going to do? India fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I quickly hid some eggs around the house. She ended up just being freaked out about the whole thing. She was still pretty groggy, so I don’t think she was able to really enjoy it.

Ari and India during the 1st round of the egg hunt

Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party? Or do you secretly hope someone will?

Pizza face

2011-04-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

India was very excited when she got her Highlights High Five magazine a few months back and saw a recipe for “pizza faces”. We have had it a couple of times, and it is an easy and fun meal for toddlers to help out with. Here is our version:

English muffins (1 per kid, and 1-2 for adults depending on hunger level)
Red pepper
Broccoli
Sliced olives
Spaghetti sauce (jarred or homemade)
Cheese (we use what we have on hand)

Adult work
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Cut pepper into thin slices
3. Separate broccoli into little pieces
4. Split English muffins and place on a baking pan
5. Spread sauce over entire muffin (kids could do this, but it’s a little messy for India in my opinion)

Kid work
1. Put cheese on muffin
2. Put eyes (olives) on
3. Put nose (broccoli) on
4. Put mouth (red pepper) on
5. Have an adult put them in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts
6. Enjoy!

I am trying to come up with how I could do this with fruits as more of a morning meal but haven't come up with all the ingredients yet. Anyone have any ideas? Comment below if you do.

Maybe the glass is just too small

2011-04-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

As I am sure everyone has, there are days when I am just so annoyed and every little thing sets me off. I can’t lie, this typically coincides with days that my three-year-old is being a handful. You can only hear so many tantrums before you start to feel like having one yourself. Or what about the days when you are already running late and frazzled and realize that you forgot this or that and now you are even more late. It’s easy to think what a crappy day you are having and have a little pity party, I know I have attended more than one. However, looking at the whole picture, I have to attempt I have it pretty good.

What you might be saying, is Erin being optimistic? I am a self-proclaimed glass half empty kind of girl (I said this yesterday and a friend said “no” in a mocking tone). Right now I know two different families that are going through such heartbreak that it makes my “bad days” look like a joke. Family number one is dealing with a nasty tumor that is offering an average lifespan of 8 years. I can’t imagine being given those numbers and this family has three little ones under four. The second family has a little boy less than two weeks old who stopped breathing last week and has been in the hospital ever since. He isn’t able to breathe on his own for long and there doesn’t look like there is much that can be done for him. He doesn’t seem to be in pain and his family can hold him, but tears spring to my eyes just typing about him. It makes my morning of children screaming because they just want me to spend time with them look like a walk in the park not the nightmare I had made it out to be in my head. I guess all it takes is just a little change in perspective…

Half-marathon training week one

2011-04-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday ended our first week of half-marathon training and overall is just went okay. I ended up with bad allergies the end of the week, and running did not seem like a great idea.

Sunday-3.5 miles at least I think that is about what I did. The battery died on my Garmin, so I had to guess where I thought a quarter mile was at one point in the run. I have since done the route and I would say it was pretty close. B+

Wednesday-3 miles before coffee, yikes not something I would normally enjoy but actually it felt good to get my run in before the day started. A

Thursday-4 miles didn’t happen. I woke up with a sore throat, and a crazy bad headache. F

Saturday-3 miles but it felt like 30. Again, my head was hurting and my nose was all stuffed up. I hadn’t even gone a mile and I was ready to quit. I was able to do the whole thing, but didn’t enjoy it. C-

Total miles run=9.5

I really want a pair of Nike Free Run shoes, has anyone tried them?

Running, running, running

2011-04-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

That is going to be Jeff and I starting today. We officially start our half-marathon training this afternoon with a 3.5 mile run. We are doing the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon at the end of June. It freaks me out to think about running 13.1 miles, but it the thought of running 6 miles last year seemed crazy too and I did that no problem. Any running or motivational tips? Comment below.

After the 10k last September

Maybe spring is right around the corner...

2011-03-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

The girls and I headed outside for a little sun this afternoon and I was so surprised that it was actually warm!

This is how we do spring break

2011-03-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Cabo, tequila shots, random hookups… Damn, that was something on TV; our spring break was nothing like that.

Monday-The girls and I had a lazy day as I realized we didn’t have to be anywhere, so why get out of pajamas before noon? When Jeff got home from work, I went for a run while he took the girls to the park. We traded off when I was finished and came home for dinner. \

Tuesday-Headed to Stroller Strides, and then home from lunch and naps. India had ballet and back home we went. Doesn’t get crazier than that.

Wednesday-Back to Stroller Strides, and playing at the mall afterwards. India had a great time, and didn’t want to leave but poor Hadley was practically asleep in the stroller. In the afternoon we head to Home Depot to meet the electrician to pick out a range hood. Wow, thank god I am not driving while typing this or I might fall asleep at the wheel.

Thursday-Once again Stroller Strides, I am starting to see a pattern here. After lunch both girls were relaxing (or sleeping in Hadley’s case) so I decided to relax for a while and watch something on Netflix. It was nice for the 45 minutes it lasted.

Friday-Off to another day of Stroller Strides, followed by indoor play at the mall. Afterwards five moms with double strollers invaded Swirl Frozen Yogurt. We had never been before, but it was really good. You pay by the ounce and there are about 12 different flavors and a ton of toppings to pick from. We split a strawberry/blueberry mix with granola, crushed almonds and marshmallows. Minus the marshmallows, it was pretty yummy. Later that evening we hit up Laughing Planet for burrito and chips. We tried to buy margarita fixing’s but the stupid liquor store closes at 7 p.m. I guess the people in the Woodstock area are better prepared for Friday evenings than we are!

Saturday-We decided that we would do a little retail therapy, and once again went to the mall. Jeff got some work things, and India and I also grabbed a few things. Sorry Hadley, you will have to wait for the hand-me-downs in a few years. We got lunch at The Ram followed by more frozen yogurt at Swirl. We also decided to get a new Wii as they were on sale at Fred Meyer. India was very excited to get a pink controller. We spent the evening making lasagna and playing Wii.

Sunday-Both Jeff and I went to get our haircuts as our hairdresser is moving to San Diego. Bummer, we both really like her and she was crazy affordable. Oh well, easy come, easy go I guess. Afterwards we hit up Starbucks for coffee and a cookie. Hadley dazzled us with her new skill, using a straw. We spent the rest of the hanging out and relaxing.

Our spring break wasn’t exciting at all, but it was a nice break from the normal weekly running around.

What did you do for spring break?

Mom, why did the bad guys take our computer?

2011-03-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

This is a common question now in our house after it was broken into last week. We weren’t home and everyone is fine, but the whole thing is unsettling. The girls and I came home from Stroller Strides last Tuesday, and I ran Hadley up to her room as she was exhausted. I came downstairs and walked into the kitchen and noticed the laptop was gone. I briefly questioned if I had been using the computer in the living room (not a typical place for it) and looked over and saw the back window was open. I yelled to India to put on her shoes, grabbed Hadley and my purse and headed to the car. I realized while sitting in the car that when I had unlocked the house it didn’t seem like I had to turn the key much. The police came and checked out the area, and told us that there have been quite a few break-ins in the area, with laptops and jewelry being the prime target. The thief or bad guy only took our laptop and the Wii and all the games and controllers. We had quite a few other items of worth sitting out right next to the computer but I guess they weren’t interested in them. They were very clean about it, and I don’t even think they went up stairs; they just grabbed what they wanted and headed out the front door.

The whole experience has left me feeling both violated and heartbroken. I had thousands of pictures on the laptop, and was going to back them up on an external hard drive the same morning this happened, but had decided to do it after lunch while the girls were napping. Quite a few of the pictures are online, but I hadn’t uploaded nearly as many over the last year, so more pictures than I care to think about of Hadley are gone. I find myself jumping over any movement in the backyard, robins being the main culprit. I know that it could have been worse, but I wish the whole thing won’t have happened in the first place…

Happy Birthday Hadley!

2011-03-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

I don’t know how this happened, but my baby is one already. Hadley turned one on Sunday and we celebrated with a family party. In attendance were one and a half sets of grandparents, three aunts, an uncle and four cousins plus her immediate family and a friend of her aunts. The house was full to say the least. India had to take a couple of breaks from all the action as it was a little overwhelming for her. Hadley wasn’t really interested in opening her presents, but luckily she has an older sister that was all over that.

My sister made a beautiful cake and cupcakes, and Hadley enjoyed the frosting quite a bit. On Hadley’s actual birthday we went out and got ice cream, and later made cupcakes at home. You can’t celebrate a birthday enough around here!

On a totally different note, Jeff and I ran a 5k on Sunday morning as part of our work up to a half-marathon in June. The course had more hills than we were expecting, but we felt pretty good all in all. The biggest downside to it was the weather. It rained the entire time we were there, so by the time we got home several hours later both of us were just freezing. I think I am still cold today…

The house of illness

2011-03-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

I don't know what is going on with our health since moving to Oregon, but I swear one of us is sick with a cold or worse pretty much every week. This week’s hardest hit victim is India who has just a cold, but it is knocking all the life out of her. She pretty much wanted to snuggle all day yesterday, or to nap which is the complete opposite of the kid that just likes to move around all the time. She woke up seeming better today, so she went to preschool and her teacher even came over for an hour after lunch and she played very hard. After the visit, we made cookies and the crankiness returned. After telling her to go take a nap and to stop getting near the hot cookie sheet she went into the living room to snuggle with her blanket. After not hearing her for a few minutes, I found her wrapped up in a blanket sound asleep on the couch. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, I would join her but I need to get ready to go running. I think I know who got the better end of that deal.

Mom, can I borrow the car?

2011-02-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

India took yet another step towards independence and not needing her parents anymore, she started preschool. She has been so excited about being a “preschooler” and what a big kid she will be. She showed me her stomach this morning after eating breakfast as evidence of her bigness. When we got to school she was a little shy, and hanging on my legs but after about 10 minutes she could have cared less that Hadley and I were taking off. She will be going two days a week for three hours, and then we can stick around and eat lunch if we want to. It is a co-op preschool, so I will be working there every 6-7 weeks while Jeff works for home and takes care of Hadley.

While I am excited to be involved in her school, I almost wish that we were starting a few weeks later as we now need to solicit donations for a fundraising auction. This is so not me or Jeff for that matter. It would probably help if we knew the area better or frequented an establishment all the time, but that just isn’t the case. If you have anything you want to donate, let me know!

Yikes, Hadley is turning one already next month. I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by. She still isn’t showing any interest in walking, which is okay. Her new favorite game is peek-a-boo; she just laughs and laughs when she hides under her clothes.

What is wrong with fire alarm designers?

2011-02-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Stupid fire alarm is all I can say! I woke up a little before 3 a.m. to Hadley whimpering, and a loud beep. I figured I must imaging things as I was here when the brand new alarms were installed a month ago. I stood in the hallway for a few seconds and turned back into our room only to hear the beep again. Jeff too was awake (this will tell you how loud it was as he is a deep sleeper) and said it must be the battery. He got out of bed and we tried to figure out which alarm it was, not easy when there are five of them within 10 feet of each other. Jeff determined it must be the one in the hallway above the stairs, great only that is probably up the wall 16 feet. Not a problem if you have a ladder, but we are renters, our ladder is at the old house. We learn by taking down a different alarm that the beeping isn’t the battery but a malfunction. Jeff tries to reset it by using a curtain rod (bonus points for creativity) but all it does it run the test alarm (all bonus points lost). The test alarm is not at all quiet or quick, and did I mention this is at 3 in the morning! Hadley is completely awake at this point, and India soon follows. As luck would have it, the alarm that was malfunctioning was actually in Hadley’s room (no wonder she was whimpering) so Jeff took it down, and we all tried to get back to sleep. I still heard India playing in her room at 4, but that didn’t keep her from getting up at her normal 7 a.m. schedule. I really wonder if the people that design fire alarms are just horrible people, or just enjoy getting up in the middle of the night. It’s going to be a long day…

Hadley enjoying an afternoon snack

India has taken to picking out her own outfits lately...

A new place to call home

2011-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

After crashing at my parents for almost two months, we are living in Portland now. Besides enjoying having a place of our own, it is so great to have Jeff home at a normal time. He was driving to a park-n-ride about 50 minutes away, and getting on a bus to downtown Portland which would take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on traffic (where are the HOV lanes in this state I wonder?). We are just renting at this point, and will be renting out our house in Bothell.

We had thought when we first talked about moving to Portland, that we would end up in the Beaverton area and Jeff would take the Max line (light rail) to work. But my mom mentioned that Sellwood was an area that people liked, and for kicks we drove through the area. We ended up really loving it, and kept our eyes open for a house on Craigslist. We found what was listed as a "newer" home, and by newer they meant built in 1980! I don't know why each house we live in keeps getting older, but it seems to be the trend with us. The house really sticks out as the majority of the homes around it were built in the '30's. India really likes that her room has a little storage area in addition to the closet that she can play in. I can barely stand at the tall end of it, so it is perfect for a little girl and all of her toys.

We are still getting settled in, with lots of boxes still to unpack. I can't believe how much junk we own, seriously there were close to 300 boxes or items that the movers brought in. With that being said, they did count the legs of tables as an item. Luckily the house has a ton of storage, and we have decided that as we unpack we will start getting rid of things. Most people would probably do that before they moved, but Jeff's work paid for the house to be packed for us, so what was the point! I am hoping by next weekend we will have unearthed all the things we really need, and can deal with the rest whenever.

If you are in the Portland area, let us know.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty laid back Thanksgiving this year at my parents, and the best part of it was no traveling! The same should go for Christmas this year, so that makes me so happy. I can't stand spending hours sitting on I-5, yuck what a boring drive. All of my siblings, and their families were there as well. Hadley enjoyed her first Thanksgiving by rolling and doing her army crawl all over the living room floor.

Besides not driving, the best part of the holiday was Just Dance 2 on the Wii. If you don’t have this game, run, don’t walk to get it (actually just order it on Amazon today (12/01) for a good deal).

Not a great photo, but you can see some family rocking out.

We had a blast playing it, and at one point everyone 3 and older, with the exception of my brother-in-law who was recording us, bogged down to Rasputin. It was so funny, and a good work out, my sister needed a “sweat towel” on more than one occasion. I can’t wait for Christmas and more dancing fun.

Cali 2010

2010-11-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

I owe an update on about a hundred other things, but I thought I would quickly post something about our recent trip to California while India naps and Hadley snacks on some Mum-Mums. For the third year in a row, we went to Palm Springs for a week of family vacation. Typically it is my parents and our family, but this year was a little different as my dad was away in Wisconsin hunting and my sister and her family as well as my brother came on the trip. We were a little cramped for space, but I think it all turned out okay.

We went a little earlier in the year than normal, and lucked out with very hot weather, I think it was in the high 90’s for the first couple of days. We just lounged about the pool for the most part, and relaxed. We would normally get in a couple of hikes, but it was just too hot and our family has been so busy lately we were happy to just do nothing but soak in the pool and drink mojitos.

We did go to the main hotel for drinks and sushi one night and my brother-in-law spotted Kevin from The Office and his entourage. We also did the little boat ride around the lake with the kiddos and my niece even got to steer it and India honked the horn.

We flew in and out of Long Beach, and after leaving Palm Springs we visited the aquarium there. We had gone through it two years ago, but figured that India would enjoy it a lot more this time. She really had fun, although it took a little bit to relax as there was a movie playing when we first got there and the noise was too much for her. She touched a few sharks in the shark pool (not the Jaws kind) and thought that was pretty cool. This is a big step for a kid that not that long ago was afraid of dogs.

Before we flew out we had an hour to burn so we walked around the Long Beach marina. It was a nice ending to a very relaxing vacation.

Feeling the love

2010-08-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here is an e-mail I got from Jeff this week.

Hey Baby. Happy Monday.

India and I were going around the room at breakfast asking if we liked things.

Do you like oatmeal

Do you like books

Etc.

I asked India if she liked Mommy and Daddy, she said "No, I love Mommy and Daddy!"

That just melts my heart, which is probably hard to do as my own mother said I am cold-hearted the other day! She said that in the nicest possible fashion though, and it's border line true...

Hadley three-month update

2010-07-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Now that Hadley is a week away from her four-month birthday, I thought I would do her three-month update! I am not sure when this happened, but Hadley is just huge now. That is probably not a nice thing to say about your super sweet daughter, but since she can’t read and doesn’t know how to use the internet (at this point), I will say it again, she is huge! I don’t remember when we moved India into 3-6 month clothes, but Hadley seems ready to move on to 6-9 month any day now. She has her four-month check up in a couple of weeks, so it will be fun to see where she is on the charts. The other option would be to get on the scale with her, but that would require me also weighing myself, so no thanks.

Besides being a roly-poly baby, Hadley is very good natured and a genuinely happy baby. She will give you the most awesome smile you ever saw, and as a friend said the other day; she has nothing to gain by giving it to you. I frequently hear people say what a happy baby she is, so it’s not just her overly proud mother speaking. She is also very good about just putting herself to sleep by sucking her thumb. It is really cute, but a habit I hope she drops without any fuss.

Hadley did fine in our first road trip to Oregon as a foursome; in fact you would hardly know she was there. I tend to judge everything she does against India, and when it comes to being in the car they are as different as day and night. I remember driving to Jeff’s grandma’s house and having India cry almost the entire hour plus drive when India was this age. India doesn’t seem to mind the car now, instead it is me that wants to scream and cry after a few hours. A person can only discuss India’s trip to get her haircut so many times.

Speaking of India, she continues to be a good big sister. It is not uncommon for her to look at Hadley and make a sweet I love my sister kind of noise. She is doing well with potty training, and I hope that we will only have one kid in diapers in the near future. She is pretty funny about the whole thing, she makes you stand around and cheer for her after she has used the toilet. Whatever works I say. She is a pretty funny kid in general, I don’t know where she comes up with half the stuff she says or does, but is keeps us amused. Like last night when I asked her if she knew how to do a jumping jack, and then she proceeded to show me that she did, only her version involved putting one leg in the air and kind of spinning around.

Well summer is finally here in Seattle, and just in time for me to go back to work in a week or so. I can’t say that I am really looking forward to it. It’s not so much the job, it’s that I am really enjoying the time with the girls and mommy things I have been doing. Besides trying to do Stroller Strides in the mornings, we have a recurring play date with friends and other activities which fill the day. I guess I can’t really complain since I only work three days a week, but if I didn’t complain I won’t be me!

Jeff and I are each training for a first right now. Jeff is training to climb Mt. Rainier in a few weeks with some members of his family, and I am training to run a 10k (6.2 miles) in September. I am not a runner by any stretch of the imagination, but will be happy if I can finish the race in less than an hour and a half. Jeff did a pre-climb climb on Saturday, and feels pretty good about the actual summit.

Before I was a mom...

2010-06-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Before I was a mom…my life was a lot simpler. I could leave the house whenever I wanted; I could do happy hour after work without a second thought; I wouldn’t need to worry if I remembered to bring water, snacks and diapers for every little errand. There are still times that I find myself about to say to Jeff that “we should go run some errand after India is asleep”, but then realize that I can’t just up and leave, I need to be there for my child.

Before I was a mom…I was more patient. Or was it that I never had to ask someone to stop yelling at me that they need milk? If the car in front of me was a little slow making that turn, I didn’t care, but now throw in two crying children into the mix and I am doing everything I can not to start yelling profanity at them. I keep reminding India that you only need to ask for something once, not 50 times.

Before I was a mom…I used to sleep. Now it’s more like I take naps since I am lucky to get 5 hours of sleep in a row before someone needs to be feed or needs “night night” socks. For most of my adult life the only reason I would be sleeping on the floor would be due to a night of drinking more then I should have, but now its par for the course with a toddler that loves to hold your hand while she falls asleep.

Before I was a mom…I never had mom’s night out. I have met the most wonderful group of mommy friends, and I am so grateful for them. It’s nice to have people understand the ups and downs of having little ones.

Before I was a mom…Jeff wasn’t a dad. Jeff is such a great dad, the girls are so lucky to have him. He is never to tired to play with India when he walks in the door. And he spends countless hours bouncing Hadley on a yoga ball. He might be outnumbered but he loves “his girls” so it all works out.

Before I was a mom…India was just a country. Now India means my sweet little toddler who I love to pieces. I love everything about her, and every day she gets more and more fun to be around. She says the craziest things, and Jeff and I just look at each other and laugh. She love to ask me if “we can talk”, which is typically going over every minute of our day.

Before I was a mom….I had never met anyone named Hadley before. Now she is the first thing I see when I wake up, and who brightens my day with her big gummy smile. She is just a good little baby, and I can’t wait to watch her grow. I am waiting for the day that she says “mama”, I have a while but it will be worth the wait.

Before I was a mom I was just me, but now I am mommy.

Mini Fashion Friday

2010-06-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

A few blogs I read from time to time, such as le musings of moi and northwest noshings, there is Fashion Friday entry. Here is my version, with what the girls are wearing today. India is at the point that she likes to pick out her own outfits, such as the choice today.

Glasses-MiraFlex

Necklace-craft gift from a friend

Shirt-Carter's

Pants-Kohl's

Shirt-OshKosh B'gosh

Pants-Carter's

Hadley two-month update

2010-05-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

Yikes, how did my little baby get to be two-months old already? And how am I now half way through my maternity leave, sad. Enough about me and my lounging about while other people are slaving away at work, and back to what is important, Hadley! She continues to be an easy going baby, and has made having two kids under three-years old easier I think. Easy is not the word I use though when trying to get both of them ready and out the door on time; I won’t use any of the words that typically go through my head when trying to get them ready as I am trying to keep this blog rated PG.

There is not a whole lot to report on a two-month old, her day pretty much consists of sleeping, eating and getting her diaper changed. Throw in a lot of smiles and some tears, and that sums it all up. She did start smiling earlier then India did, and now I am just waiting for when she starts to laugh which should be any time in the next couple of months. Luckily India says funny things that keep us laughing while we wait. Her term of endearment towards her sister is “sweetie pie” only when India pronounces it, it comes out “sweaty pie” which makes me laugh every time.

Hadley had her checkup last week, and everything looks good. She came in weighing 11 pounds 14 ounces, and was 23 inches long. Still up from where India was at this age. She is starting to outgrow her 0-3 month’s clothes already which is kind of sad, but at the same time I can’t wait to get it out all out of the house. You can only have baby clothes hanging around your house for so long.

Hadley will be making her first trip to Oregon soon, and I am crossing my fingers that it is a painless trip. For the most part she is pretty easy going in the car, and the only person that puts up a fuss is India if she doesn’t get to hear her music. We have had to go to taking turns with songs so that Jeff and I can get a break from kid’s music for a couple of minutes.

The haircut

2010-05-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Not liking to rush into anything, India got her first haircut this weekend. She went into the idea pretty excited, calling the salon “the haircut store” but once she got on the chair her attitude changed. She was very upset and started crying quite hard.

It took a lollipop and watching the Elmo DVD she had selected to calm her down.

Once the whole thing was done she was very proud though of her haircut, and we have had to reenact the experience many times for fun.

Hadley one-month update

2010-04-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Instead of e-mailing friends and family about Hadley monthly, I am going to try to use this blog to keep people informed. I haven’t done a great job historically on the blog, so wish me luck.

Hadley had her one month birthday earlier this week, and we celebrated by having strawberry shortcake (with India we had carrot cake). So far, Hadley has been a pretty easy baby, knock on wood. She is a little cranky at night, but nothing compared to India. The last few nights we have been able to have her completely calm and ready for bed by 11ish. She wakes up about every three hours to eat, too bad India has been waking up as well most nights and they don’t have their wakeup times coordinated. This makes for rather tired parents.

We had Hadley’s one-month checkup yesterday, and she now weighs 9 pounds 14 ounces, and is 21 inches long. For comparison, India was 8 pounds 11 ounces, and 22 inches long at this point. It will be interesting to see how different the girls are in size from month to month; India was born three weeks early vs. Hadley being two weeks early, so I imagine that Hadley will continue to outweigh India for a while.

We have had a pretty busy month, with me trying to entertain a toddler along with care for an infant. India had a rough go the first couple of weeks with Hadley but now is doing really well, and always wants to check on Hadley. I did my first outing with both girls on my own when Hadley wasn’t quite three weeks old, and it went just fine. I was expecting India to run off, but she actually stayed by me when I had to feed Hadley, it might have helped that it was spring break and the children’s museum we were at was packed. I think the most challenging part of having two is trying to get out the door in prompt fashion.

Quite a few visitors have come to meet Hadley. My youngest sister will be coming through the area next month, and will hopefully stop by. My brother was trying to make it up as well, but hurt his knee snowboarding, so that will probably set him back in travels. Below is a list of who has stopped by:

Jeff’s mom and stepdad
Jeff’s sister and her sons
Jeff’s dad and stepmom
Jeff’s stepsister and her husband
Erin’s sister and her family
Erin’s mom and dad
Jeff’s grandpa
Various friends

My name is India, and I am a ham

2010-02-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

In November I entered a contest to win a photo session with La Luz Photography, and I ended up winning. We did maternity/family photos this weekend. India normally takes a while to warm up to people she has never met or hasn't seen in a while. It appears the exception to this is if the person has a camera. We first saw this during our family photo session in November, but it was even worse this time. She totally poses in front of the camera, grabbing props and looking for different places to have her picture taken.

Check out the little ham yourself http://laluzphotography.com/blog/?p=872

I don't know, why?

2010-01-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

It started before Christmas, the dreaded “why?” response to everything you say to India. I try to embrace that she is just wants to know more, but it is now out of control.
Conversation from last week at 5:30 a.m.
Me: Mommy needs to sleep now.
India: Why?
Me: Because I am tired.
India: Why?
Me: Because I worked all day yesterday, and you decided to get up an hour early.
India: Why?
Me: I have no idea; you should go back to bed.
India: Why?
And on, and on it goes.

Her other response to most questions is “I don’t know” which is then typically followed by the real answer 5 seconds later.
Me: What did you do today?
India: I don’t know…go to daycare.
Me: Did you play outside?
India: I don’t know…no raining.
Me: Did you have fun?
India: Why?
The cycle starts again.

Video: India playing

2009-10-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

When did that happen?

2009-10-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I looking at a website, and noticed that a band I like is playing next month. I checked the date, and saw it is the evening that we return from Palm Springs. I thought that’s doable, but after about one second I realized we can’t do that with a two-year, and it hit me, I have a two-year old, how did that happen? It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital, and in other ways I can’t even remember what is was like before she was in our lives.

That was then...

This is now.

Summer reading list.

2009-06-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

My book club (that sounds like I own it, I don’t) is meeting next weekend, and our book this month was choose your own and tell the group about it. I wasn’t sure what I was going to read, and on Memorial Day, I stocked up at Halfprice Books in the clearance section. Below is the list of what I got, broke down by if I have read it or not.

Read:

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell-So so book. She mentions the filming of Sex and the City, which I find a little tacky since she wrote the book the series is based on.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld-I really enjoyed this book. It is inspired by a first lady (Laura Bush) and you got totally see the president being George W. The author also wrote Prep which was a really good book as well.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett-I have seen this book in stores for years, and had tried reading something by the author before and hated the writing style. This book is about a group of terrorist and hostages and how they interact while stuck in a house in South America. If you like, books with many characters, you will like this book I know that I did.

To Read:

Until I Find You by John Irving-I used to read a lot of his stuff, but have not in many years. (Good old John is to old school to have a website I guess)

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult-Again an author I have read a lot of.

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart-Memoir of a lady that was one of the first saleswoman at Tiffany’s in New York.

Babyville by Jane Green-Easy chic-lit.

Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin-You guessed it, a book about Jane Austin’s life.

Currently I am reading The Given Day by Dennis Lahane which is so far doing nothing for me.

What is on your summer reading list?

Wedding memories

2009-06-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the radio tonight, and Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson came on and I was reminded of our wedding, which will be four years this August. We had talked about just going to Vegas and getting married, but at somewhat the last minute (3 months to plan); we had a small wedding at my parents. The whole thing was homemade, and would be perfect in a recession. It was perfect than as well.

My mom made most of the food which is the one thing I thing I think we would do different as it was to much to do at the last minute. All of my family and a good portion of Jeff’s family spent the day before and the day of the wedding getting everything ready. Jeff and I made our own wedding cd and Bubble Toes was on the playlist. We lucked out and had a beautiful evening wedding, with the weather staying warm late into the evening, which was good as we were all outside. The next day it just poured, so we were so happy we had gotten married the day before. It was a great wedding and I am so happy to be married to my best friend.

I love you Jeff.

Training for a 5k

2009-06-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

We bought a treadmill last week, and I decided to use The Couch-to-5K Running Plan to get back into running. I am not a runner at all, and am totally out of shape since quitting the gym back when I was pregnant with India. Jeff had asked me if I was planning to do a 5k after my training. I hadn’t thought of it, and told him no, but after thinking about it I have decided to do one on the 4^th of July. There is a race in Carnation where Jeff’s mom lives and where we spent the 4^th last year. I have only done one other 5k that was back in 2006 and I was in good shape. To bad on that race, I had no idea what the course was and a good chunk of it was uphill. According to the race website, the race I plan on doing is flat! I don’t really think I will be able to run the whole thing since I will not be up through the training plan, but I will give it my best.

I love you meemo

2009-06-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we had some friends over, and they asked if India had a favorite toy, and Jeff said, "No she likes all of her toys." Well that was then, and this is now. Meemo* has taken over the number one spot in India's heart. It is sad; I think he ranks higher than Jeff or I. When she gets up in the morning 9 times out of 10 she is hugging Meemo or putting a blanket around him. This morning I helped her wrap a blanket around him and then off she went patting his back and whispering into his ear.

It turns out though that Meemo is a bit of a troublemaker. The other day I caught India pouring water all over the furniture and then wiping it up with a rag. When I asked her what she was up to she said "Meemo." Way to throw a friend under the bus. Meemo also is a kind of a mess when it comes to eating. Just the other day he and India were sharing a bowl of frozen fruit (because he has to sit with India when she eats) and he got blackberries all over him. I guess they don't teach you manners at stuffed money school.

*I have decided to change the spelling of India's stuffed monkey from Memo to Meemo. It sounds like Nemo with an "M" but when I write it out, it appears that India needs a memo wrote up.

Walking with the monkey

2009-05-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

We picked up one of those monkey backpack/lash things for India when we were doing some travel in late 2008. At the time, it was really to big for India, and she hated it. I broke it out again last weekend, with mixed results. I figure if I start using it more often, India will feel more comfortable and start letting me put it on her for longer periods. Yesterday, we took a walk about the neighborhood and she wore it the whole time. She did try to take it off a few times, but all it all it went pretty well. The best thing of all though, is when we got home and took the monkey off her back; she decided to take it for a walk. She has been dragging the little monkey backpack all around the house this morning. She can’t say monkey yet but her version of it is something like “memo”. I can just hear her walking around saying “memo, memo”.

India and her glasses

2009-05-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

As a friend of mine Kate mentioned, I never really posted anything about India's eyes and glasses. We had a follow-up appointment in late March, and the glasses are doing the trick of keeping India's eyes from crossing. The Dr. said that most children are born farsighted, and for India, this causes her eyes to cross if she is really tired or focusing on something quite close up. He believes that she will just grow out of this and will not need a second surgery. This is great news; because I was really dreading that she might need another one. The bad news is that it could take 6 or 7 years for her to grow out of this! I guess it is different with every kid, so we have to go back every 6 months and see how her eyes are developing. It could get quite expensive if we have to keep getting her new glasses as her head grows. Oh well, it's worth it.

Career choices for India?

2009-05-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Based on India’s recent activities, she might have found some career opportunities.

· Escape artist
· Stripper (yes, you read that right)
· Mathematician

Escape artist-Last week at the babysitters, India somehow climbed out of her playpen that she sleeps in, and climbed up a flight of stairs without drawing any attention to her. The playpen side probably came up over her waist, so I am not sure how she did it without falling and getting hurt.

Stripper-Being the considerate daughter that India is, she woke up about 5:45 a.m. on Saturday and was just playing in her crib. She did that for about 45 minutes, when she got bored and started to cry. Jeff went to go and get her, and when he did her found that she had taken off her pj’s and was just hanging out in her diaper. I found her the next morning in the middle of trying to take off her top. I hope that this trend of being bored does not lead to taking off her clothes.

Mathematician-The only career choice that sounds promising. We frequently count to three and have India jump, run, or whatever, and in the last couple of weeks, she will say “two” during the countdown. Last night Jeff and India were hanging out counting (yes, our social life is that exciting) and here is how it went:

Jeff-One
India-Two
Jeff-Three
India-Four
Jeff-Five
India-Six
Jeff-Seven
India-Nine

Ok, she might not be ready to blow away the counting world yet but she is on her way.

I am such a slacker

2009-03-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

I really do need t be better about updating this, oh well such is the life of a mom. I thought I would do a recap posting of what India has been up to lately.

• Bye bye game-Earlier this week, India and I were hanging out in her room playing. At some point India went to her door and walked out shutting the door behind her. Less than one second later she opened the door and yelled/laughed while running into my arms. She probably did this 10 times and thought it was funnier each time. Later that night Jeff even caught her doing it with her stuffed animals. She will still play the game with me, but it is not quite as fun for her as the first time.
• Jackey-India loves to go places, and if you even mention that, you might be leaving to go somewhere or say the word “go” she starts yelling jackey (jacket) and shoes until you put them on her. This is fine if you are actually planning to go somewhere in the near future, but typically we have just said “go.” Last week I actually had to hide one of her jackets from her as she was so upset that I would not put it on her and throwing herself on the floor. I would get her calmed down, but as soon as she saw the coat again she was back to having a fit.
• Glasses-We have our appointment next week to find out if the glasses are doing the trick or if she will need a second surgery. Cross your fingers that the glasses are working.

Interview with India

2009-02-20T07:27:00.001-08:00

Glasses girl

2009-02-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

I have been quite the slacker with blogging lately, oh well. In late November, early December Jeff and I noticed that India’s eyes were crossing from time to time. It seemed to be just when she was really tired or trying to focus on something close up. We made an appointment to see the Dr. in late January. We were not able to see her normal Dr. but his partner who thought that we should try glasses on India before jumping in to another surgery. When she had the surgery last year they did tell us that on average people had to have 2.1 surgeries to correct the cross eyes. Her eyes had been looking great at all over her appointments up to this point, so we were more than happy to try glasses.

I took India to a local children’s eye care center to be fitted for her new look. She cried and screamed the entire time, so when they called me a week later to say that the glasses were ready to be picked up I thought I was going to be in for a fight. India provided me wrong once again, and just loved wearing them. I think it helped that there was a ton of people in the place that kept saying how cute she looked. She has had the glasses for a little over a week now, and while she is good about wearing them there are times when it is a struggle to keep them on. She likes to hang out in our bedroom and when she sees herself in the mirror 9 times out of 10 she will rip the glasses off her head. However, she is good about when I ask her where they are to bring them to me.

House of sickness

2008-12-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Jeff has the flu and India has pinkeye and an ear infection. Wow, what fun times. This is India's first time with any real sickness.

Knock please!

2008-12-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

So it has happened, India is now a "keep my door shut" kind of a girl. She spent most of the afternoon in her room and every time I tried to keep the door open, she would quickly shut it. There is not a door knob on her door yet, so I was able to watch her through the hole in the door. She was just playing, but it was cute that she wanted the door shut to do so.

Baby it's cold outside

2008-12-14T16:07:00.000-08:00

It is even colder when you have just returned from a week of being in Palm Springs. We made our second trip to California with India. The plane rides get better and better each time, but there is still a lot of high pitched screaming. The people in front of us on the way home said that they thought that she could be a soprano singer. Although we had a great time on the trip, India's sleeping habits were horrible. She would wake up for at least an hour and a half each night before going back to sleep. After a few nights I realized that she had some teeth coming in.

India got to play in the pool a couple of times. She really enjoys the water. The second time we took her in she did a sweet face plant right into the water. Oops, Jeff grabbed her right away, but it was scary and funny all at the same time. I was able to catch the whole thing on tape though.

We went hiking a couple of times, and had India on Jeff's back. She slept for the most part but when she was awake did seem to enjoy being outdoors. I felt bad that we were having to take her back to the land of rain and gray.

She really took to my parents. She hadn't seen them in a couple of months, so I wasn't sure if she would take a while to warm up. By the end of the week I think she would have rather gone home with them than us. But being the mean parents we are; we took her home to Washington.

Eat your vegetables!

2008-12-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

We always try to have India eat some vegetable before the rest of her dinner. The easiest and quickest way is just to cook up some organic frozen vegetables, you know the ones carrots, peas, corn and green beans. India eats it all, but it's the way she does that is so funny. She has to eat them by color.

Carrots
Corn
Peas and green beans

Every time, it's the same thing. So cute.

The best little mommy

2008-11-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

India got her first baby for her birthday from our friends Tom, Chloe and baby Parker. India has taken to being a mommy very quickly. She walks around and pats her baby's back and lays it down on pillows to rest. We got her a second baby a couple of weeks ago, and she seems to love it just as much. It is just so cute to watch her take care of them. We have made a little bed for them out of a wicker basket, and I put a little blanket over them which India quickly pulls off. I guess her babies are able to keep warm on their own. If she is playing with something else and then spots them you will her say "baby" and run off to grab one of them.

India checking out her walker

2008-09-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Look mom, no hands

2008-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking that one of these days I am going to come home and find that India is walking. She is pretty steady now just standing. She looks so proud when she does it. So cute. A couple of times she has taken a little step, but stops at that point. I guess when you are a champion crawler, why bother learning to walk? I can't wait to hear her running through the house though.

Not a fan of water

2008-05-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

We lucked out this weekend in the Seattle area, the sun was out and it was in the 90's on Saturday! Let's more of this weather is on the way. India enjoyed the sunshine, but like everyone else was very hot. We thought it would be fun to take her down to Lake Washington and dip her feet in, she thought otherwise. She just hated it. Later we bought her a baby pool thinking she would like that, she likes normal bathes. Nope, hated that too. Hopefully she will learn to like being in the water on a hot day.

Our girl is growing up

2008-03-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Little miss India is growing up quicker then I can blog. She now has two teeth, which are quite sharp. It's pretty funny, she used to chew on her own hands, but with her razor sharp teeth she only wants to chew on Jeff or I. Last night she attacked my elbow, and to be honest I was surprised that she didn't draw blood.

She is on the verge of crawling. She gets up on her knees and elbows and kind of throws herself forward which is fun to watch. She gets around though, between rolling and her version of crawling she can move from one end of the living room to the other. While we are excited to see her moving, this means that we need to start childproofing the house.

We have started feeding her vegetables, and she is still on the fence about them. So far she has tried the following items:

Squash. Has tried 3 times, liked it once
Carrots.
Avocado. She really seems to like this, so I will probably start mixing other vegetables into it, and see how she likes that.

Damien Rice Fan

2008-03-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

India is such a huge Damien Rice fan it makes me laugh. Whenever we have his CD's on, she gets a big smile on her face. What good taste she has. When she gets old enough to talk, I will have to censor a couple of his songs though!

Post-op appointment

2008-03-04T17:26:00.001-08:00

India had her post-op appointment today. The Dr. said that everything looks good so far. She has to keep getting eye drops for the rest of the week, which she is not a huge fan of. We have our next appointment at the end of the month to make sure everything is on track with her little eyes.

Recovery

2008-03-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

India's recovery time from her surgery has been crazy quick. Except for looking a little bloodshot in the corner of her eyes, you would never know that the kid just had eye surgery. She has a post-op Dr. appointment tomorrow, but from everything Jeff and I can see she seems to be doing fine. It's odd to look at her and have both her eyes looking back at you.

Why not

2008-02-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

Blogs are the in thing, so why not one for India. She is coming up on her 5 month birthday, so it's time for her to get on board with the digital lifestyle.
India has recently started eating rice cereal, and some eating sessions are better then others for sure. Tonight she decided that she just wanted to play with the food instead of eating it. Her bib was just full of cereal which was really quite gross. I think that she just enjoyed trying to eat the spoon. Oh well, we will try it again tomorrow. Maybe I would have better luck if I soaked by shirts in them since she is always trying to eat my clothes.