The Perfect Storm

So I hear that out east this week, that “perfect storm” of hurricane meets winter is happening.  Many prayers and good thoughts to those enduring said storm… while we have our share of weird and wacky weather in the Midwest (growing up) and in Colorado, I really can’t imagine having to deal with a winter storm AND a hurricane at the same time.  Well, I can imagine having to deal with a hurricane, period.

That being said, we’re experiencing our own perfect storm in our house here in Colorado.  While I don’t want to complain, at the same time I use this blog as a means to capture the happenings in our lives, and pretty much, this blog is my kids’ baby book (the horror!!!), and therefore this post is more for me than anyone else and I’ll “cry if I want to”.

It seems that in the last week, we’ve hit a number of “milestones” with Anna that have turned into a roadblock of sorts. 

For one, Anna’s second tooth has made its appearance (yay, and ugh!).  She isn’t terrible with teething, but one can tell it bothers her.  Second, I’ve been producing less and less milk requiring us to supplement with formula more and more.  Last week we switched brands… and it appears that BabyZilla has come to visit just in time for Halloween.  We’re switching back in hopes that it helps.  And, of course, the more she grows and learns, the harder it is to keep her asleep for long stretches at night as she learns to move around her crib and get stuck, bang her hand, bang her feet, etc.

I know that it’s a season and it too shall pass.  I am enjoying the extra cuddles and the occasional baby giggles.  However, I’m simply not sleeping well.  At all.  Today I worked from home because I got so little sleep that I couldn’t function this morning.  It’s not bad when it’s a night here and there, but due to work and Anna, I’ve had one good night of sleep in the last three weeks.  And, Anna came home from daycare today because she was so ornery they couldn’t figure out what to do with her.  Honestly.  They wondered if she was sick or something because she wouldn’t eat (she has come to detest the bottle again now that the formula switch has taken place) and she couldn’t be put down.  So, I’m hoping that one of these “issues” of hers shakes out soon… hopefully the switch back to the original formula helps… or something.

Here is where I would put a picture of her two teeth – which I think we managed to get a picture of this last weekend – but we were a big camera trigger happy this weekend and there is a lot to cull through to find a good one… here’s hoping for some time to blog pictures later this week!

Happy Monday!

Erin

While the cat's away...

... the chipmunks will play?



Adam sent me this picture of him and the girls while I sat in the Charlotte airport tonight. Ha!

Anna B

Anna posed for a few pictures yesterday before our anniversary dinner.  In the second one, you can see her tooth!

Our Anniversaries

This year is our 10th Wedding Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary, Adam! (Our 10th Anniversary was on Friday, October 19, 2012.)

Each year we try to go out on a date and eat a different ethnic food.  Most years we’ve managed to go without our kids – we weren’t able to do that this year, but we’ll still hit up a new restaurant – after all, we figured out that it would actually be cheaper to TAKE the kids and feed them instead of find a babysitter.

Please note, I said cheaper NOT easier.

So… here’s the list, that we spent a week and a half ago trying to remember and decided we better get it written down…

1st: Greek – The Vernon Inn, Cedar Rapids, IA

2nd: Czech – Zindrick’s Czech Restaurant, Cedar Rapids, IA

3rd: German – Hessen Haus, Des Moines, IA
(Side note: This is the year we celebrated with Adam’s parents, who were in town – their anniversary is October 12.  We decided this fall in 2005 to purchase their passports for Christmas and take them with us to Germany the following year.)

4th: Chinese – P.F. Chang’s, Des Moines, IA
(Side note: I still have my fortune cookie fortune from this dinner – “Soon you’ll hear the pitter patter of little feet.” We found out two weeks later that we were expecting, only to miscarry in December.  BUT, Julia soon followed on that baby’s heels!)

5th: Italian – Tursi’s Latin King, Des Moines, IA

6th: Thai – Restaurant in Des Moines, IA

7th: Hawaiian – Alohana Hawaiian Grill, Des Moines, IA
(Side note: We went out for this dinner only TWO DAYS after I had my gall bladder out when Adam’s mom was visiting having helped us with the surgery and was more than willing to watch the kids.)

8th: English – Royal Mile, Des Moines, IA

9th: Pizza – The Bucket, Arvada, CO
(Side note: Okay, kind of a sad “ethnic food”, but we went out for dinner ON OUR ANNIVESARY with some new friends we had made and their kids.)

THIS YEAR… the 10th:  Landry’s Seafood House, Englewood, CO (Time to get our seafood on!)

We called and made reservations (though we wouldn’t have needed to), and when we arrived, we saw this on our menus:

That was pretty cool!

Though the food wasn’t spectacular, it was still tasty, and the girls were really good (and mommy and daddy were able to enjoy dessert in relative peace thanks to contraband – read: markers – that mommy had brought along for the night. Landry’s, sorry about your table cloth!).

On Thursday Adam surprised me with these:

So very cool!  He ordered Signature M&M’s for me in our wedding colors (though he couldn’t quite get dark enough turquoise for those of you wondering).  Red and silver… and as you can see in the second picture, they say, “Adam & Erin”, “10 years!”, hearts, roses… he’s so sweet!  I still haven’t dug into them… kinda wondering if there is some way we can preserve any of them.

Hope you all have a beautiful Sunday!

erin

Baby Buns

Adam took this picture of Julia at ballet yesterday with the two buns that her daycare lady put in her hair. Ballet was the reason Julia finally allowed us to start putting her hair up again. Otherwise she is keenly intent on it reaching her backside at some point.







My heart aches daily at the sweetness of this girl's soul and the "baby buns" (as she calls them) speak to the nature of her heart. Kids grow up so fast but pictures like this will help me to remember her today and to remember that she is still a child... our child... and I am so thankful to have her in our lives and to be witness to her growing and learning.

There is nothing in this world like being a parent. Nothing. And I am so blessed to be able to call Julia my child.

5 Months

Today Anna is FIVE MONTHS OLD!

(These are the best pictures I could get of her today, as she wouldn’t let me put her down and I’m a solo mom tonight while Adam goes to the Switchfoot concert with a friend from church, Justin.)

Anna…

… has a tooth.

… eats oatmeal with gusto.

… drinks about 20 ounces of milk… during the day at daycare.  (Mommy can no longer keep up.)

… has started waking up multiple times a night to nurse again… because she is constantly hungry.  (Must start feeding her more solids.  So far bananas are a no go.)

… is still wearing 9 month clothes.  Though she’s threatening those with her length.

… still sleeps swaddled.

… has stopped rolling from front to back, but rolls from back to front all the time.  And then cries because she forgot how to flip back over.

… has a smile that melts my heart, even at 4 in the morning.  Or 2.  Or at midnight.

… laughs at her sisters. (And is still greatly loved by her sisters.  Raven even sneaks into her room at night to “check on Banana” when she is asleep.)

… is the perfect fifth member of our family.  We are so blessed to have her in our lives!

Three Seasons

The previous owners, with the help of the neighbors, did a really great job planning a three season garden in the front of the house – in other words, there is ALWAYS something blooming.  (This is even true in the “jungle” of the backyard – I wish I would have been smart and marked flowers and plants as they bloomed because many of them are back to the “can’t tell the difference between a plant and a week” state.)

I saw this little beauty as I ran across the front lawn dodging rain drops the other day and stopped for a quick picture.

Solids!

After the doctor suggested I start before her six month appointment… and after popping a tooth this last week… and after sleeping HORRIBLE for three nights where Anna needed to be held her nursed consistently from 11:30 pm – 5 am the next morning… I decided we needed to finally start on solids.

She started the earliest of the three and did the best of the three.  She ate about half of what I made before she protested and demanded she be nursed.

Yes, I held her.  I still haven’t put her highchair together.  She did really well, though, and only “raspberried” me once.  I told her that if she does well this week, next week I might just try her on avocado.  It’s a-waiting in the freezer!

erin

Happy Birthday!

It’s my sister’s birthday today!  Happy Birthday, Lis! 

I found this picture from the baby shower we had for her when she was pregnant with Dante… almost two years ago!

Hope you had a great day, honey!

Our Tree

We have this tree in our front yard… I am so thankful that the previous owners chose to plant this tree because it is gorgeous three out of four seasons of the year.  I didn’t get pictures of it turning last year before the first snowfall pained the tree, so I decided to get out there this year and capture some pictures as it began to turn.  Hopefully it’ll still be in good enough shape in a few days to take more pictures.

Banana

Anna officially has a nickname – we call her Banana.  Not Anna Banana (though we say that too), but simply Banana.  I call her this so much that both older girls have taken to calling Banana.  I think she will hate me someday. 

First Snow–October 5, 2012

Last year we had our first snow of the season on October 9, 2011, and we received 8 inches.

Today we had our first snow of the season and as you can see, it was a smattering.  Regardless, pictures were a must.  We are hoping for more tonight!

Taco, Taco, Taco!

Happy First Birthday to our darling niece, Ivy!

I confess I haven’t sent a gift yet, but Ivy’s Mom & Dad, you have to admit, a serenade of “Taco, Taco, Taco!” is a close second. 

Love you all!

erin

ps. We went to a Mexican restaurant in Morrison this last weekend with dear friends Angela and Dan, and I kid you not, this was on the menu.  Adam and I about died laughing.  Poor Angela and Dan were quite perplexed.  Of course, I had to take a picture.

pps. Best Mexican we’ve found so far in the Denver Metro area.

Anna has a tooth!

Ten days shy of five months old, Little Miss Anna (aka, Banana) has a tooth.

WOWSERS!!!

She was fussy tonight and grabbed my hand to gnaw on it and I felt something sharp – and sure enough, upon further inspection, I realize a tooth had broken through!

Don’t expect pictures anytime soon – trying to get her to open her mouth right now is pretty hard.

WOW!

erin