happy leap day! i forgot it was leap day until i went to the bank and had to write the date on my deposit slip. seriously, i don't know what people do with birthdays on leap day...does anyone know anybody with a leap day birthday?
anywho. it's been a pretty nondescript couple of days here. today we had playdate, which went well. then we came home, had rest time, and then went out again to the bank and to pick up brian from borders to go to dinner (fazoli's) and hit the grocery store. i'd been procrastinating on the grocery store thing for 3 days, and the time had come. i think abby may have some kind of stomach problem...either something she ate or an incipient stomach flu, because she had some bathroom issues today and kept saying her "beebo" (belly button) hurt. i guess we'll see.
ian's getting to be much more involved in his environment. he's laughing a lot more now, and will hold a toy for a while and try to put it in his mouth. hard to believe he's getting so big. naps are still an issue, but i'm trying not to stress too much about it.
i had a major coup yesterday...i was perusing craigslist as i do about once a week, and one of the most recent entries was for a sit-n-stand stroller, which i've been wanting since ian was born. it's a stroller where it has the regular seat thing in the front, but then behind it is a platform for an older child to stand and a jump seat kind of thing for when they get tired of standing. it's an awesome thing. so, i was the first to respond to the ad, so we're picking it up in janesville tomorrow morning. woo!
29 February 2008
26 February 2008
back to the grind
thus ends the 2008 oscar weekend extravaganza. sigh. :)
saturday:
abby and brian left around 10:30 or so. ian and i hung out and did some last-minute stuff, and then kim showed up around noon. after feeding ian again, we left for state street. due to my stupidity, we didn't get to have our sushi for lunch...the place we were going to was somewhere else, and the other place was closed due to exhaust fan issues. :) so, we were both starving, so ended up at chautara, a nepalese/indian/tibetan place. i had samosas and kim had masala dosa, which was a gigantic burrito-looking thing. i also had chiya, a spiced tea with milk. everything was good, and ian slept the whole time. this was the only meal where he behaved himself. :) so then we moved the truck and went to fromagination on the capitol square. this was kind of a waste of time because it was really crowded and non-stroller-friendly. we also went to capitol kids while kim went to use the bathroom in the capitol, which was unfortunately closed. :) then we went to gail ambrosius chocolatier, which was AWESOME. we got a box of 6 chocolates: caramel with grey sea salt, bourbon, trois poivre (three pepper), curry, jasmine tea, and cinnamon-cayenne. all were very good, except i wasn't a huge fan of the curry one. after the chocolate place, we went back to state street for supper at kabul, an afghan restaurant. the food was good, but ian had had enough of being out, so we had to cut dinner kind of short and head home. we ate the rest of our food later...i had tunisian spinach stew, and kim had curried chicken. after ian went to bed, we watched vh1's "100 greatest songs of the 90's" and reminisced. :)
sunday:
woke up bright and early with ian. we headed for church around 9 or so, and practiced our duets. the service was VERY long, so we didn't get out of there till after 11:30 because i had to feed ian before we left. we headed back to state street and finally had our sushi at takara. ian had some problems again, so it wasn't the leisurely sushi lunch that we wanted, but whatever. i had a salmon roll and a negi hamachi (green onion and yellowtail) with green tea, and kim had a salmon roll and a tuna roll with green tea. it was very good. then we walked around the corner to paciugo gelato, and got gelato to go. i had tiramisu and fondente (extra dark chocolate), and kim just had the fondente. excellent stuff. we then planned to go to the laotian place to pick up our dinner and go home for the day, but when we got there, they weren't open until 5, and this was about 2. so, we stopped and just got chinese and took it home. i got imperial chicken with broccoli, and kim had hunan tofu, and we split an appetizer platter o' fried things: eggroll, crab rangoon, potstickers, and the like. the food was okay, just maybe not as flavorful as it could have been. the oscars were very enjoyable, and i won our pool. :) well, i won the one just between kim and me, and brian won the online one that we did. then we went to bed.
monday:
again, bright and early with ian. we had a leisurely morning, and then left around 9 or so to go to breakfast at marigold kitchen. i had a breakfast sandwich on ciabatta bread with bacon, cream cheese-ish sauce, tomato, a fried egg, and green onions with a decaf vanilla latte. it was excellent, but messy. kim had duck confit hash (!) with toast and coffee. she said it was good. after that we drove back to the chocolate place to get more. :) kim wanted some for matt, and i wanted more for brian and myself. then we parted ways, and oscar weekend was over for another year.
overall an enjoyable weekend, but certainly more stressful than usual with the inclusion of ian in the mix.
saturday:
abby and brian left around 10:30 or so. ian and i hung out and did some last-minute stuff, and then kim showed up around noon. after feeding ian again, we left for state street. due to my stupidity, we didn't get to have our sushi for lunch...the place we were going to was somewhere else, and the other place was closed due to exhaust fan issues. :) so, we were both starving, so ended up at chautara, a nepalese/indian/tibetan place. i had samosas and kim had masala dosa, which was a gigantic burrito-looking thing. i also had chiya, a spiced tea with milk. everything was good, and ian slept the whole time. this was the only meal where he behaved himself. :) so then we moved the truck and went to fromagination on the capitol square. this was kind of a waste of time because it was really crowded and non-stroller-friendly. we also went to capitol kids while kim went to use the bathroom in the capitol, which was unfortunately closed. :) then we went to gail ambrosius chocolatier, which was AWESOME. we got a box of 6 chocolates: caramel with grey sea salt, bourbon, trois poivre (three pepper), curry, jasmine tea, and cinnamon-cayenne. all were very good, except i wasn't a huge fan of the curry one. after the chocolate place, we went back to state street for supper at kabul, an afghan restaurant. the food was good, but ian had had enough of being out, so we had to cut dinner kind of short and head home. we ate the rest of our food later...i had tunisian spinach stew, and kim had curried chicken. after ian went to bed, we watched vh1's "100 greatest songs of the 90's" and reminisced. :)
sunday:
woke up bright and early with ian. we headed for church around 9 or so, and practiced our duets. the service was VERY long, so we didn't get out of there till after 11:30 because i had to feed ian before we left. we headed back to state street and finally had our sushi at takara. ian had some problems again, so it wasn't the leisurely sushi lunch that we wanted, but whatever. i had a salmon roll and a negi hamachi (green onion and yellowtail) with green tea, and kim had a salmon roll and a tuna roll with green tea. it was very good. then we walked around the corner to paciugo gelato, and got gelato to go. i had tiramisu and fondente (extra dark chocolate), and kim just had the fondente. excellent stuff. we then planned to go to the laotian place to pick up our dinner and go home for the day, but when we got there, they weren't open until 5, and this was about 2. so, we stopped and just got chinese and took it home. i got imperial chicken with broccoli, and kim had hunan tofu, and we split an appetizer platter o' fried things: eggroll, crab rangoon, potstickers, and the like. the food was okay, just maybe not as flavorful as it could have been. the oscars were very enjoyable, and i won our pool. :) well, i won the one just between kim and me, and brian won the online one that we did. then we went to bed.
monday:
again, bright and early with ian. we had a leisurely morning, and then left around 9 or so to go to breakfast at marigold kitchen. i had a breakfast sandwich on ciabatta bread with bacon, cream cheese-ish sauce, tomato, a fried egg, and green onions with a decaf vanilla latte. it was excellent, but messy. kim had duck confit hash (!) with toast and coffee. she said it was good. after that we drove back to the chocolate place to get more. :) kim wanted some for matt, and i wanted more for brian and myself. then we parted ways, and oscar weekend was over for another year.
overall an enjoyable weekend, but certainly more stressful than usual with the inclusion of ian in the mix.
21 February 2008
by the numbers
10--times we've listened to polyphonic spree's "reach for the sun" so far today.
15--times i've told abby to use "ninja feet" so she doesn't sound like a herd of buffalo running around today.
4--number of times ian's spit up since 9:00am. it is now 10am.
50 zillion--things i have to do that i'm procrastinating on.
6--pieces of pumpkin bread that i've eaten in the last 24 hours.
2--number of times i've been a moron on the phone in the past 24 hours.
transcript of conversation with abby this morning (i can't believe i'm actually putting this on here.):
(changing ian's diaper and clothes)
a: oh no! ian shouldn't be naked!
m: why not? he likes being naked.
a: i like being naked too. and you like being naked. and daddy likes being naked.
(pause)
a: and kishi likes being furry.
15--times i've told abby to use "ninja feet" so she doesn't sound like a herd of buffalo running around today.
4--number of times ian's spit up since 9:00am. it is now 10am.
50 zillion--things i have to do that i'm procrastinating on.
6--pieces of pumpkin bread that i've eaten in the last 24 hours.
2--number of times i've been a moron on the phone in the past 24 hours.
transcript of conversation with abby this morning (i can't believe i'm actually putting this on here.):
(changing ian's diaper and clothes)
a: oh no! ian shouldn't be naked!
m: why not? he likes being naked.
a: i like being naked too. and you like being naked. and daddy likes being naked.
(pause)
a: and kishi likes being furry.
18 February 2008
milestone baby
well, ian celebrated his 3-month birthday by rolling over for the first time! he rolled from tummy to back, and is currently working on going the other way. i'd say he'll accomplish that in a couple of weeks or so. he's having some major nap issues the past few days that i hope he'll get over very soon. he'll sleep for 20 minutes or so, and then wake up crying. i know he's not done sleeping, but he won't go back to sleep. but, i remember this stage with abby, and it does pass.
we had a big day today...the roads were good enough to run the errands that we needed to do, so brian went to the library just to pick up our holds, and then after abby's rest time, we went to target and then to sam's. then tomorrow morning we're headed down the street to the village hall to fulfill our civic duty and vote. we have much to do this week to get ready for kim coming this weekend, so it'll be a busy week.
we had a big day today...the roads were good enough to run the errands that we needed to do, so brian went to the library just to pick up our holds, and then after abby's rest time, we went to target and then to sam's. then tomorrow morning we're headed down the street to the village hall to fulfill our civic duty and vote. we have much to do this week to get ready for kim coming this weekend, so it'll be a busy week.
16 February 2008
this is only a test
so, if this works, this is a short movie that we took with our digital camera back around abby's first birthday. there's no sound, and the quality isn't great, but it's kind of fun to watch how she was over 2 years ago. enjoy!
double secret probation
ian is 3 months old today! to celebrate, he slept almost 12 hours last night! aww, ian, we didn't get YOU anything! :)
today also marks the start of the official countdown to oscar weekend. in 7 days, 2 hours, and 42 minutes, kim will arrive and our annual fest will begin. on tap this year: sushi, afghan and laotian food, and basically a foodie tour of madison, including gail ambrosius chocolatier, fromagination, paciugo gelato, and some others. and depending on how the weather is, possibly a trip to olbrich botanical gardens. this is undoubtedly a highlight of every year, and i'm excited that it's taking place here this year, since i've been to st. louis every year for the past 5 or 6, except for 2005. woooooooo!
well, we're headed off to the grocery store as soon as ian wakes up from his nap. we're supposed to get "wintry mix", which is meteorologist code for "crap falling from the sky", tonight, and then 7-11 inches of snow and sleet tomorrow. maybe i'll get a snow day from church.
14 February 2008
you go back up there and you GET BUSY BEE!
i figured since ian will be 3 months old on saturday, i should do a rundown of what he's been up to lately.
he's doing awesome, obviously, and we're having a blast.
oh, update on abby napping the other day: she didn't go to sleep that night until MIDNIGHT. no more naps for her, ever. it was not cool.
happy valentine's day!
- last night, had the longest stretch of sleep yet: 8:30pm-6:30am, then back to sleep till 8:30am. it was the awesome.
- is showing more interest in toys, but still has trouble holding on to them.
- likes: having his diaper changed (i'm trying to enjoy this one for as long as possible, because it won't be too much longer before he's struggling to get away from diaper changes and screaming his lungs out), when abby talks/sings to him, being swaddled, when you echo his little sounds ("guh" is the current fave), eating, watching other people eat.
- dislikes: having his nose sucked out or wiped, having his face wiped at all, spitting up, tummy time.
- is semi-close to rolling over. he can get onto his side comfortably and easily, and stay there indefinitely. doesn't seem to have the desire to go the rest of the way, though. sometime soon, i hope.
- is a happy boy 90% of the time. he smiles a LOT, and has started laughing, although most of the laugh isn't audible.
he's doing awesome, obviously, and we're having a blast.
oh, update on abby napping the other day: she didn't go to sleep that night until MIDNIGHT. no more naps for her, ever. it was not cool.
happy valentine's day!
10 February 2008
do you have something you'd like to share with the rest of us, amazing larry???
wow. abby NAPPED today. we had to WAKE HER UP at 3:30 when she'd been in there since 12:30. i don't think she slept that whole time, but still.
lots of good news this week! early in the week i received an email from google. many months ago, i applied for a job as an independent contractor with google as a local business consultant, and received an email back saying they were inundated with applications and that they'd contact me when they needed me. well, i promptly forgot about it, and then bam! i got an email this past week approving my application! basically the position entails going around to locally-based businesses, taking a photo of the exterior and getting the hours/payments accepted/basic information. then i upload the information to google and get paid! i get a set amount for every business verified, and then another set amount if the business sends back the confirmation postcard. so, i'm pretty excited since this is a job that i can easily do with the kids, especially when the weather gets better.
more good news: i filed our taxes last night and we're getting a gigantic refund! woo!
and even more: we unpacked 7 boxes today! yes, that's right, we still have boxes that are not unpacked. don't judge....we have a lot of stuff. :)
and lastly but not leastly: ian now puts himself to sleep for naps! he gets sleepy, i put him in his crib, and without any fussing he goes to sleep. i still nurse him to sleep at night, and likely will until he weans, but still. this makes my daytime SO much easier.
ahhhh. life is good.
lots of good news this week! early in the week i received an email from google. many months ago, i applied for a job as an independent contractor with google as a local business consultant, and received an email back saying they were inundated with applications and that they'd contact me when they needed me. well, i promptly forgot about it, and then bam! i got an email this past week approving my application! basically the position entails going around to locally-based businesses, taking a photo of the exterior and getting the hours/payments accepted/basic information. then i upload the information to google and get paid! i get a set amount for every business verified, and then another set amount if the business sends back the confirmation postcard. so, i'm pretty excited since this is a job that i can easily do with the kids, especially when the weather gets better.
more good news: i filed our taxes last night and we're getting a gigantic refund! woo!
and even more: we unpacked 7 boxes today! yes, that's right, we still have boxes that are not unpacked. don't judge....we have a lot of stuff. :)
and lastly but not leastly: ian now puts himself to sleep for naps! he gets sleepy, i put him in his crib, and without any fussing he goes to sleep. i still nurse him to sleep at night, and likely will until he weans, but still. this makes my daytime SO much easier.
ahhhh. life is good.
06 February 2008
...all right, we'll get one more.
greetings from the great white north! i should really take a picture of what it looks like outside right now, because you wouldn't believe it. almost a foot of snow we're supposed to get today...we've already gotten over half of that if you believe the weather channel. plus, windy. the snow has drifted a quarter of the way up our kitchen window off the roof. fun times. bonus: the ash wednesday service at church for tonight was canceled, so i don't have to leave the house till tomorrow night for choir! woo!
i've re-started the process of finding a preschool for abby. i'm determined not to procrastinate on it this year, and i'm determined that this year she WILL go. i've found a couple of good possibilities so far, so i'm encouraged by that. she definitely needs it.
ian has been doing great...starting to interact more with his environment, which is awesome. we're working on getting him to hold a toy, and he's able to roll over onto his side. rolling totally over isn't too far off, i don't think. when he turns 3 months, i'm going to try to start him on an actual napping schedule instead of letting him nurse to sleep whenever he wants. the night sleeping is still going well, he'll wake up once, and sometimes twice, but not usually more often than that. i'm scared for what'll happen once he has to sleep without being swaddled. although, he does fine without the swaddling during the day, so he may be okay.
i've re-started the process of finding a preschool for abby. i'm determined not to procrastinate on it this year, and i'm determined that this year she WILL go. i've found a couple of good possibilities so far, so i'm encouraged by that. she definitely needs it.
ian has been doing great...starting to interact more with his environment, which is awesome. we're working on getting him to hold a toy, and he's able to roll over onto his side. rolling totally over isn't too far off, i don't think. when he turns 3 months, i'm going to try to start him on an actual napping schedule instead of letting him nurse to sleep whenever he wants. the night sleeping is still going well, he'll wake up once, and sometimes twice, but not usually more often than that. i'm scared for what'll happen once he has to sleep without being swaddled. although, he does fine without the swaddling during the day, so he may be okay.
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