It all happens so quickly!

One day you're bringing him home from the hospital and the next he's a card shark who plays everyone else for all they're worth. I am sure that you can guess who staged and took this picture. Already 9 months old and ready to celebrate his first Thanksgiving. We won't be feeding him any lettuce to be sure after Dan tried that and he ended up with vomit on his shoulder.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

He's on the outside now

As Dan loves to point out Nathan will very soon be 9 months old which mean that he has been "outside" almost as long as I was pregnant with him. It's startling how quickly these past nine months have passed. It's been so long that we are now being asked when we'll have our next baby (not for a while).

Each day Nathan does something new and I can barely keep track of them all in his baby calendar. Just these past few weeks he has started to get to a standing position from crawling, closing his eyes when he smiles or laughs, getting into things he shouldn't, eating Cheerios like a champion and even getting a little cuddlier than he ever has been in the past. Still only two teeth have broken through which is frustrating for all of us because he's ready for table food. He's our beautiful baby boy and it's amazing how much joy he brings to our lives. He loves taking baths and here's a little proof.

Walking my legs off

Not only did I walk the entire Freedom Trail (2.5 miles) but I also walked the Black Freedom trail (1.5 miles) and all over both Beacon Hill and the North End. By the end of the night I had blisters on both feed and some pain in the front of both calves.

Besides walking I enjoyed some fabulous architecture in the Beacon Hill neighborhood and after asking a shop owner for a recommendation I ate a tasty lunch at a little diner called the Paramount. After meeting up with Ril we started the Freedom Trail, stopped briefly to meet up with Alex and Sebastian and then continued to visit historic sites throughout this great city. We got a treat and Mike's Pastries on the North End and then settled in for a scrumptious dinner of gnocchi at a little restaurant named Ristorante Lucia where according to Sebastian who speaks both Italian and Spanish the people were "authentic."

On tap for today is a visit to the spooky town of Salem, in October?! What could be better?

Boston

After being delayed out of Chicago due to a little snow and a whole lot of waiting around for the one deicing truck that they had for the entire terminal I was on my way to Boston where in contrast it was a balmy 70 degrees.

I braved two transfers on the T to get to my friend Rilda at Boston University where she works and goes to school. After a quick lunch I headed back downtown to Park Central for some sightseeing. I followed the Freedom Trail for quite a while, stopping to look at the plaques that tell you the story of the historic place. It felt a bit ridiculous to stop in the middle of the sidewalk but other people were doing it and I tried to be as unobstrusive as possible.

Then I met up with my friend and Ril's fiance Alex and he did an excellent job of showing me the Public Garden, Commenwealth Ave, China Town and a few other things that I can't remember because we were having such a good time talking. We stopped for dinner in China Town at a restaurant called Pho Pasteur which was excellent! Back to Ril's apartment to meet her lovely roommates Erin and Signe, a little Office and Grey's Anatomy watching and then off to bed for this tired gal. Did you know the Jeopardy is on at 7:30 at night here?!

No need for a VCR

My smartie husband has discovered something new (at least to us) out on the good ole Internet. If you go to CBS or ABC you can watch the latest episode of a select number of popular shows in full for FREE! No need to worry about setting your VCR at the right time and speed because you can merely go to the website and catch up.

Dan tells me that CBS even has a "Boss" button so should be interested in watching at work you can just press that button to immediately get you out of the show. Smart stuff, I like it!

He's Sick

For the first time since he was born Nathan is sick. His sickness doesn't include vomiting or a high fever - just a runny nose and lots of poopy diapers. The doctor told me this morning that he has Rotovirus. This is a virus that kids younger than him are currently being immunized for but he missed the boat. The only course of treatment is lots of fluid and to monitor his temp. I'd say we made it out easy because his temperment wasn't affected by it at all.

Death of a Landline

I think that we've made the decision to join the masses and do away with our landline. It means saving $23.04 a month or $276.48 a year but still it's a tough jump to make. Obviously, if we decide to do it people will no longer be able to call and get either one of us, instead they'll call to talk to one of us specifically. I've noticed this with other people that I know who only have a cell - I never talk to their kids, significant others or roommates. Then there's our cell phone bill to consider. Will we have to increase our minutes because we cancelled the landline and will that cost offset what we're saving on the landline? The jury is still out on this one.

Quite a Breakthrough!

Well, after much fussiness (which Aunt Susan got the brunt of while we were in Vegas) Nathan has his first visible tooth! It's on his lower jaw just right of center. I discovered it on Saturday morning while he was sucking on my finger and then confirmed it with the tap of a spoon up against his gums. May not seem like much to those of you readers without kids (do we have any readers?!) but this is big business to us.

He also had his 6 month check up this morning. During every portion of the visit he REFUSED to sit still which gave me a lot of work to do besides having to remember how many stool movements he's had in the past few days as well as the exact minute that he started eating solids (just kidding, she didn't get that specific). After starting life at a strong 9oth percentile in weight and height he has sunk to 32% in weight and 40% in height. Nothing to be concerned about just something to watch at his next few visits.

Squeezing in the Fair

After being abandoned by our guys for the holiday weekend Susan and I decided to go to the State Fair, after all it is the "Great Minnesota Get Together!" We enjoyed sitting in on an event put on by my favorite radio station, FM107 in Carousel Park and then we started the eating. I had a chocolate shake and a pretzel. Susan partook in the latest food introduction at the fair, "Hotdish on a Stick" (not for me). And then we shared some cheese curds and then some Sweet Martha cookies only because we HAD to eat a few cookies out of the bucket that dad requested so that we could shut the top.

In between all that eating we stopped into the Fine Arts Building (my favorite stop), the 4H building and the Lactation Station to change a diaper. Nathan was so well behaved during our time there and many people enjoyed his faces and little giggles. We ended the day with a trip on a bus driven by our very own Dad who announced that he had delayed the bus because he had had to "wait for some special people." What a good way to spend our spare time.

High Rollers?

We just returned from a sweltering trip out to Las Vegas where combined we bet a total of about $75 in the three days that we were there. High Rollers? I think not.

Besides the constant presence of gambling and cigarette smoke we definitely enjoyed seeing friends that we hadn't seen in a while and participating in Breth's wedding. Dan looked so cute in his tux that I just had to show him off at Wolfgang Puck's Bar and Grille. We tried to catch Bellagio's fountain show that same evening but the high winds caused them to cancel them all.

What else did we do? We took The Deuce downtown, walked around for twenty minutes, saw the poker winners on the wall at Binion's and did a lot of walking on the strip. All that sun and I am the very same shade of white that I was when I went down there.

Going to Beantown!

After much himming and hawing these last few years I have committed to a trip to Boston! I found an unbelieveable deal through AirTran for $210 for the second weekend in October. Dan and Nathan won't be going with me but I'll get a chance to catch up with my New Orleans roommates and friends and Maren's mom. I am so excited that I can hardly wait!

The Chicks are Coming!

Friday night I am going to the Dixie Chicks concert with my sister and parents and I couldn't be more excited. I have all four of their CD's so I brought them to work with me to today to "study" up on the songs just in case I may have forgotten some lyrics.

So this morning I was reminded of the hilarious "Goodbye Earl" video that came out several years back and smiled through the whole thing, even though it does bring up several serious issues including spousal abuse and murder. Eh, it's still a good video.

Yes, we are still alive

No, our blogging days aren't over, just temporarily put aside to attend a multitude of weddings, drive all over God's green earth and attend to the needs of our little man who is growing like a weed (6 months old tomorrow!).

While talking to my sister-in-law at a wedding last night she suggested that my throng of blog readers would be interested in hearing about things like a business trip that I took last week when I went down to Florida. It was a whirlwind trip to be sure. My manager and I left on Tuesday evening, arriving in Tampa at 11 PM, checked into the hotel and snoozed. We woke up the next morning, ate breakfast at a Bob Evan's, mmmm . . . buttered grits and headed off to our meeting with the grocer and my sales rep only to leave on our flight out at 7 PM and return home at midnight to a sleeping house. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet my contacts but the schedule that we kept was a little harrowing.

So, with that schedule in mind, what's the best remedy?! Well, I can tell you that it certainly is NOT to get a part time job and start it the evening after a business trip! I couldn't even sleep in on Saturday morning because I had to work, AGAIN. Finally, I have a day off today and I have taken the day tomorrow as well. I need to catch up on some errands like getting my slowly decaying car washed by some thorough professionals. A long post, but that's what you get when you don't post for two months.

Guilty as Charged

Last weekend my sister-in-law mentioned to me that her fourteen year old soon thought that I was addicted to chewing gum.

I can't deny it, I am serial gum chewer. My husband has made fun of me, my mom has warned that it will wear out my jaw and yet I continue to chew. Often I go through an entire pack in one day at work. I will take one piece out that's tired and lost its flavor only to replace it with a new piece immediately. I've even been caught chewing gum in church.

So, I am most certainly addicted, but what's the harm in it?! It doesn't cost much, doesn't have any addictive ingredients that I know of and I like it.

Back to the Corporate Life

Yikes, this day has come far too fast. Tomorrow I will return to work for the first time in twelve weeks (besides two visits). I am REALLY excited to get back into the swing of things and to return to a job that I really love but it'll be hard to leave my little man. He'll be in good hands to be sure - two doting grandmothers. I am bringing along the picture that accompanies this post to keep him in my sight throughout the day. I may slip up tomorrow and tell someone that they had a "good burp" or ask them if they are "hungry for a ba-ba." We'll see how that transition goes!

Fill Up On Some Carbohydrates

If you like Pesto Cavatappi like I do (Dan prefers the beef stroganoff) then you should go to www.noodles.com to get your FREE bowl by signing up for noodlegrams. They'll send you a coupon (via email) right away and then send it to you on your birthday, your noodlegram anniversary and other random times during the year.

I know that this is a free plug for a large chain that can handle their own advertising but I thought that I would share the wealth. You know how Dan likes to get things for free!

Signs of the Seasons

I guess that it's spring in Minnesota because Garage Sale signs have started to pop up all over town. Those must be the really ambitious people who just can't wait to get the junk out of their house.

Out and About and Bumping into Everyone!

The weather has gotten nicer and I've become more adept at showering and dressing before 4 PM so Nathan and I have been venturing out into the world to get chores done. The world looks so different when you aren't working. One day I ran into several different people that I knew on my errands around town and then there's daytime television! I've been watching so much television that I've seen the same people interviewed on different shows. What's not so interesting is that these celebrities tell the same stories where ever they go. Don't they realize that their audience is probably watching quite a bit of tv and wants to hear something new from them? I need to find something else to do while I am feeding/diapering/cleaning up after Nathan. Any ideas?

Livin the Dream!

Several months ago I posted about how comfortable I felt in workout wear and how I would wear it 24/7 if it were socially acceptable. Well . . . as a new mom (who hasn't quite shrunk back to her old size) who is currently on leave from work . . . ta da! I am in a situation where it is ok for me to wear my sweatpants/elastic waist/t-shirts/sweatshirts all the time! What's the use in dressing up? The outfit will just be spit up on anyway. Gotta go, the little man is hungry.

Welcome!!

Welcome to the world little man! 

Start 'em Early

As many of you know, we are having a baby. Don't know if it is a boy or a girl, but since I bought a new Twins outfit for a boy, it'll probably be a girl!

This will probably be one of our first public outings with our little one (April 11th vs. the A's). A repeat appearance will be made with Grandpa and Daddy the Sunday before Fathers Day (June 11th vs. the Orioles). I just hope that our little one won't have to suffer through as many games in the Metrodome that I have.

She's coming home!

Bright and early tomorrow morning Susan will arrive from California and she'll be a Minnesotan once again. As she likes to point out, she and I haven't lived in the same state in the last three years for more than a month. This will be a nice change of pace. Now that everyone has returned to Minnesota I'll have to have a conversation with the baby about it's arrival. I wouldn't want to keep people waiting! 

Less than a Month to go!!

 

Update from the Belly

If the baby could talk this is what it would say:

Things are going well here in the womb. I heard the doctor say on Thursday that my heartbeat is at about 150 which she said is very good. I resented her next comment that I was a "big baby," already weighing in at about eight pounds. Just because of that I think that I will stay in here a little longer or at least until my due date of February 8th. I haven't "dropped" at all and mommy isn't dilated so I think that Grandma Larson and Auntie Susan are happy since there isn't any chance of them missing the birth. Room is running out in here but it's warm and the meals are good so I can overlook the cramped quarters. I know that you're all anxious to see me but you'll just have to wait!

Things you should NEVER say to a pregnant woman:

-Man, when are you due? Because it seems like you've been pregnant forever!
-How are you feeling?
-Do you know what you're having?
-How are you feeling?
-Are you ready to have the baby?
-How are you feeling?
-I had a friend who was in labor for 48 hours and after all that work she ended up having a c-section!

It's a short list but I think that you get the idea. The comments that I have appreciated have been related to how good I look, how small they think I am and just general comments of good luck.

Another birthday past

I am 27th years old now, not a major milestone and I don't feel any different. Maybe it's part of the post holiday letdown or some expectation within myself, but birthdays are always a little sad. After eating out several times during the week and eating lots of holiday goodies Dan and I decided to eat some leftovers. My presents had already been given the day before so there was nothing to open and it felt like a pretty ho-hum day. I thought about making a birthday treat visit to Cold Stone Creamery but my doctor ruined that by telling me that I was borderline for gestastional diabetes so I had better watch my weight gain and the sweets. After dinner Dan and I popped in the unrated version of the "40 Year Old Virgin" which I had seen in the theater, giving me license to fall asleep. My birthday wasn't so bad at all, after all I have a wonderful husband, a loving and generous family and I am about to get the most amazing present of all, a little baby, I don't see anything at all to be sad about!

Nothing to look for . . .

Do you ever log on to the Internet only to stare blankly at the screen? I do this all the time. I'll log on, quickly check my email, what's on Oprah, the bank account activity and then I am left with nothing to do on the computer. I know other people (Brad) who can spend hours upon hours looking at articles, interesting factoids and other pages. That's probably the reason that his blog is better than ours. Feel free to give me some ideas one what I can search for on the web. In the meantime I will have to find something to do off the computer.

I Failed A Test

I am not used to failing tests so when I got the results of my glucose screen for gestational diabetes I was a little surprised to hear that I had failed. Your glucose number needs to be at 140 or below and I was SO CLOSE at 147! This means that I have to go into the doctor this morning, have my blood drawn a total of four times over the course of three hours. I haven't had anything to eat or drink since last night at ten PM, not even water to help my parched throat. This is not my idea of fun on my day off the Friday before Christmas but if it keeps me from having to push a big headed baby through my pelvis then I am all for it. To keep myself busy I am going to read the latest issue of Oprah, keep moving through my book club book "The Dive From Clausen's Pier" (set in Wisconsin and so far very good!) and maybe even fall asleep between blood letting. Is there any question of what I am going to do after this appointment?! -EAT!

General Busyness

It seems that the holiday season and everything that goes with it comes a little earlier each year. For instance, in October I remember seeing Christmas decorations for sale before they had even taken down their Halloween paraphenalia. Along with the retail craziness it seems that our lives have been jam packed. I can't remember the last time that we didn't have something to go to on the weekend. What this results in is a blurring of the lines between weekend and work week which leads to fatigue which is no good in my condition.

This sense of busyness is going to continue through the end of the year and what scares me is that VERY SOON after the new year comes BABY! All of the above mentioned activity is why I have chosen not to decorate our house for Christmas this year. This is something that I have received quite a bit of slack over but I counter that Christmas is really in your heart and actions (I know it's sappy) and not decorating will allow us to focus on what the season is really about and look ahead at the arrival of our little one!

What I am thankful for!

On this Thanksgiving day I thought that it would be appropriate to blog again though we haven't done so in almost a month! I am cooking the turkey today and all the fixings for Dan and my parents so it's going to be a laid back T-day, just what I was looking for all along.

Here are the things that I am thankful for:
- That someone else is cooking dinner for Susan and Brad after their turkey mishap last year.
- That my mom and dad are in good health and will be joining us for dinner.
- I am thankful that Mark and Annie, the college kids, made it home safely and can enjoy dinner with their family.
- Thanks for my mom who helped me prepare some of the dishes in advance so that today would be a little less stress.
- I am extremely thankful that I have had an easy pregnancy and that the baby continues to kick away to let us know that its healthy and vibrant.
- I am also thankful for the fact that those darn buns finally decided to raise! They're yummy!

Have a happy, safe and filling Thanksgiving everyone! If you would like to make someone else's Thanksgiving a little more filling you can go to emergencyfoodshelf.org and donate $22, which provides a full holiday meal to six people, it isn't too late!

Love and Peace to All!