Monday, July 28, 2008
A Swing and A Smile
Guess who can swing in a bucket swing at the playground now? If you guessed Olivia, you're right! (If you guessed me or Sean, you are clearly having yourself a good chuckle right now.) There is a playground just down the street from our home with one of those cute little baby swings. Last week I put her in it, just to see what would happen. Lo and behold, it's a fit! Mama loves taking her to the park now for some fresh air and big smiles as she careens wildly back and forth - okay, okay, maybe not careen per se, but I do love the images such language evokes! Papa has taken to swing time in the evenings after work. This feels like such a summer ritual, a real milestone to have arrived at!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Daddy Day!
Olivia is soaking up lots of Daddy love today! I am going to a restorative workshop for a couple of hours this afternoon, taking some time for myself - which feels great! Sean woke up with Olivia first thing this morning, they are at church together now, and they get to hang out while I am at my workshop later. Too, too fun! Have fun, you two; can't wait to hear about your adventures!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Big Girl = Big Mess!!!
Bring on the solid food! Olivia stepped into the world of food this weekend (more than the little tastes that Daddy has been giving her for the last month or so). We are officially starting her on solids. Since little Miss Boo has shown a fairly sensitive tummy thus far in her life, we are taking it slowly to start. The common wisdom is to buy "special yum yum good baby rice cereal", processed with love (?) in a huge factory, packed with nutritious preservatives, and fortified with the nutrients that are removed in the processing. Ummmmm, no. Not for our baby! Remember, there is an awfully good chance that she was conceived in Hell's Backbone Grill (sorry Blake and Jen!! :)!!The picture above is from Saturday night. We made our own rice cereal with fair trade organic jasmine rice, bought from the awesome Willy St. Co-op bulk section, cooked it, ran it through the food mill, and added some breast milk. Lee and I both agree that it was pretty bland, and so did Olivia! She wanted nothing to do with it when we tried to spoon feed her, so after consulting our books, we decided to let her try to feed herself. Well, you can see the results were adorable and hilarious, but I wouldn't say "successful"! The milled jasmine rice was the coolest sticky mass of starch, it has definite possibilities for some creative kitchen use.
Sunday night (after a great day at the Franparents!), Momma went to her Yoga class and got her tushy kicked, and Daddy decided to try cooking the last of our brown rice and see how it milled down. I could tell right away that this was going to work better. With the addition of some "boob juice" (a term borrowed from Ryan, heh heh) we had a nice consistency, and I gotta say, it was really pretty good stuff! Nice and sweet, a little bit nutty.
Olivia looked at me with a bit of suspicion as I moved the spoon to her face, so I had some, and told just how yummy it was. She opened her mouth, deciding to give it another shot, gave her usual look of concern, smooshed it around in her mouth, and swallowed! She actually seemed to like it! I got her laughing with some antics, and she continued to eat what I offered her, probably a couple tea spoons or so! She has always had a very sensitive gag reflex, and that is proving to be a bit of a challenge. She gagged and coughed, and had a mini melt down, and that was it for solid food for the night. She finished off her bottle, and hit the sack!
Oh, by the way, thanks again Jane, for the "Snug Tub Deluxe"!! It makes bath time much easier, and as Olivia starts feeding herself, that will be very convenient!
And one more aside, we have yet to see (er, smell) a real solid food poop, but it is definately looming large in our near future! Oh how I will miss the benign breast milk only poops of yore!
Here is a video of Saturday night dinner time escapades, sorry there is no sound. ENJOY!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Snug in Her Tub!
Now that Olivia is six months old and such a big girl, we have graduated to the Snug-Tub for bath time, courtesy of O's fairy Godmother. Tooooooooo cute!!!
I have to tell the story of Olivia's antics at our playgroup this Thursday. We showed up a bit late because O was taking a good, long morning nap. The carpet wasn't completely occupied by play mats, fortunately, so we set up our blanket between Oscar and Iris. Boo-Boo was very happy and docile to start, having just awoken. She sat between my legs and played with her bug for awhile.
I allowed myself to get engrossed in the mamas' stories as we went around the circle. The next thing I knew, Olivia was not in my lap anymore! I looked out, and there she was on Oscar's blanket. (Oscar is probably the most chill baby boy I have ever seen in my life! He has a thick head of hair that runs wild and makes me giggle.) She commandeered his teething ring and promptly started chomping away on it. That saucy little crawler!
I set up a stack of cups on the opposite side of our blanket to bribe her back over. She wowed the other moms by crawling back over to our mat, knocking down the tower, and continuing along on her journey. Next stop: Iris' station! (Iris is another cutie, a day younger than Olivia, and I think equally as saucy!) Iris was playing on her tummy. Olivia crawled over to her and started batting her forehead, playfully squealing all the while.
I think we'll be looking at graduating to the next playgroup soon (6-12 mos.). But maybe we'll hang out on Tuesdays for just a couple more weeks so Olivia can rule as queen of the blanket kingdom...
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
We are in SO much trouble, and we LOVE it!
Well, it’s official... Olivia is mobile! She is crawling and loving it!!!
She is still pretty wobbly, and occasionally she does this hilarious peg-leg move with her left leg (channeling Tucker Dog yet again, the little side winder!), but she has such joy in her eyes and on her face when she looks across the sheet we spread out on the living room rug at her tower of stackable cups and motors across to knock it over! We don’t yet have video of this, but we will make that a priority and get it on the blog asap.
Also, we had Olivia’s 6 month check up with Dr. K on Monday. Our little darling is in the 90th percentile of weight gain, at a whopping 18 lbs. 4 oz.! She measured out at 26 1/4 inches long, which is right on track, and her head measurement is right on track as well. She got her next round of immunizations. And again, the Nurse’s mad mad skills left this Daddy pretty wowed! Three shots in, like, 20 seconds! Baby O’ had her usual intake of breath in preparation of a big holler, let it fly, and the nurse was done. Momma scooped her up, and soothed her, and it wasn’t long before she was smiling and cooing.
Monday night was kind of wild, Olivia had some side effect’s from the shots (nothing bad, just grumpy and sad), and she ran a bit of a fever most of the day Tuesday. This didn’t stop my intrepid girls from heading over to Happy Bambino for a little Mom to Mom support and Baby fun, but I will let Momma Hayes relate this adventure to you.
Tonight (Wednesday the 9th, happy 6 month birthday, baby girl!!) I am going to put the crib together. We are still using the co-sleeper, and it is working well, but it is getting kind of small for our big girl. I think it will be an interesting transition for all of us as Olivia moves into her own room at night. I also need to get Olivia’s new “Big Girl” car seat installed, as the carrier style infant seat in getting close to it’s recommended weight limit, and hauling around 18 pounds in that thing is just not that easy, especially compared to hauling the little Boo on your hip!
Work is still going well. We are still in the slow season, but I continue to form good friendships with my coworkers, and am always so grateful (especially in times like these!) to have a job that allows us to live the way we do. The base ball game last weekend with Spark and coworkers was a good time, and a great game! And I am looking forward to the company party this Friday, especially my Beloved’s scheduled rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” with the band!
Well, that is enough for now, I suppose. I will be posting some video’s on the blog today, so stay tuned. And check back soon for crawling footage!
She is still pretty wobbly, and occasionally she does this hilarious peg-leg move with her left leg (channeling Tucker Dog yet again, the little side winder!), but she has such joy in her eyes and on her face when she looks across the sheet we spread out on the living room rug at her tower of stackable cups and motors across to knock it over! We don’t yet have video of this, but we will make that a priority and get it on the blog asap.
Also, we had Olivia’s 6 month check up with Dr. K on Monday. Our little darling is in the 90th percentile of weight gain, at a whopping 18 lbs. 4 oz.! She measured out at 26 1/4 inches long, which is right on track, and her head measurement is right on track as well. She got her next round of immunizations. And again, the Nurse’s mad mad skills left this Daddy pretty wowed! Three shots in, like, 20 seconds! Baby O’ had her usual intake of breath in preparation of a big holler, let it fly, and the nurse was done. Momma scooped her up, and soothed her, and it wasn’t long before she was smiling and cooing.
Monday night was kind of wild, Olivia had some side effect’s from the shots (nothing bad, just grumpy and sad), and she ran a bit of a fever most of the day Tuesday. This didn’t stop my intrepid girls from heading over to Happy Bambino for a little Mom to Mom support and Baby fun, but I will let Momma Hayes relate this adventure to you.
Tonight (Wednesday the 9th, happy 6 month birthday, baby girl!!) I am going to put the crib together. We are still using the co-sleeper, and it is working well, but it is getting kind of small for our big girl. I think it will be an interesting transition for all of us as Olivia moves into her own room at night. I also need to get Olivia’s new “Big Girl” car seat installed, as the carrier style infant seat in getting close to it’s recommended weight limit, and hauling around 18 pounds in that thing is just not that easy, especially compared to hauling the little Boo on your hip!
Work is still going well. We are still in the slow season, but I continue to form good friendships with my coworkers, and am always so grateful (especially in times like these!) to have a job that allows us to live the way we do. The base ball game last weekend with Spark and coworkers was a good time, and a great game! And I am looking forward to the company party this Friday, especially my Beloved’s scheduled rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” with the band!
Well, that is enough for now, I suppose. I will be posting some video’s on the blog today, so stay tuned. And check back soon for crawling footage!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Sunshine and Roses and Berries, Oh My!
It was a beyooootiful day here in Madison. Sunny skies, a cool breeze, with a high around 70 degrees. I hope this continues through the holiday weekend. I loaded Olivia into her REI Piggyback carrier, strapped her on my back and we headed out to Olbrich Gardens: in particular, the rose garden.
Everything was in full bloom, and it could not have smelled sweeter. The air was crisp, yet somehow dense with the delicate perfumes of dozens of varieties of roses. Olivia cooed and babbled to the pinks, reds, whites, yellows and roses-of-many-colors. We took a leisurely stroll up one path and down another, up the steps to the observation deck, then down and around towards the fountain pavilion.
On the way home, we stopped at a blackberry bush just off the bike trail. I treated myself to a light snack, then purpled my fingers by picking the ripe ones, cupping my free hand to hold the precious offering. Olivia fell asleep on my back as we finished our walk, and I smiled at passers-by, proudly and carefully holding the berries in front of me so that they appeared to be guiding us home.
Everything was in full bloom, and it could not have smelled sweeter. The air was crisp, yet somehow dense with the delicate perfumes of dozens of varieties of roses. Olivia cooed and babbled to the pinks, reds, whites, yellows and roses-of-many-colors. We took a leisurely stroll up one path and down another, up the steps to the observation deck, then down and around towards the fountain pavilion.
On the way home, we stopped at a blackberry bush just off the bike trail. I treated myself to a light snack, then purpled my fingers by picking the ripe ones, cupping my free hand to hold the precious offering. Olivia fell asleep on my back as we finished our walk, and I smiled at passers-by, proudly and carefully holding the berries in front of me so that they appeared to be guiding us home.
Pappa's World
Well, it's been a while...
I have so much to write about! It has been an amazing, and very busy month or so!
As Mama wrote, we have moved and had alot of fun things going on. Work has been kind of slow, which has been nice. It has allowed me to help out a bit with our crazy schedule. But, the really important part of this post is to talk about all the fun stuff I have been doing with our sweet baby girl!
On the morning of July 14th, Olivia and I went to "Daddy Bootcamp", which is a class for expecting fathers at the hospital where O' was born. She was in very good spirits, and was a great model for all the daddie's to be. She had her diaper changed by a couple of strange men (with Daddy hovering about, of course!), took a nap, showed off her latest tricks, and was adored by all.
The next week was busy, Momma had VBS going Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so we got to play alot. Wednesday was Baby Spa night. Olivia got a massage, then a good soak and splish-splash in the tub, and then fell asleep at the bottle, which was the perfect opportunity to trim her finger nails. Later in the week, Lee was busy with Auntie Sal, so Friday and Saturday night were good Daddy-Daughter times as well.
On the Solstice (June 21st), Lee went out with Sal, and Boo-boo and I loaded up the REI Pigy Back and hoofed it over to Olbrich Park for the neighborhoods Solstice Celebration. This was a fun spirited Hippie-Dippie event, with kites, local art, and some live Irish Folk Music. Olivia was a hit dancing to the music, and she wore herself right out. She fell asleep in the kid pack on the walk home, and I got the chance to try out a restaurant in the 'hood that I'd had my eye on called "Bunky's". I got a yummy Greek salad to go, and was totally happy about it!
Last week, Lee got the chance to go see a play with her Mama, and Olivia had a play date with her Fairy God Mother so I could go to the small group I have joined at church. She had a blast with Jane (as always!), and it was good for me to catch up with the B.Boys.
On Saturday, I finally got the chance to try out some Midwestern Fly Fishing! Peter's good friend BJ met up with me west of town about an hour, in what is known as the "Driftless Area". This refers to the fact that the Ice Age glaciers that formed the Great Lakes did not cover this portion of Wisconsin, so the geography is quite different. It is a beautiful area of rolling hills, lush green valleys, farmland and streams. Unfortunately, the flooding of a month or so ago wreaked some serious havoc on the trout streams, stripping away all the aquatic plants, which removes the insect's food, which is what the trout like to eat! Soooo, we didn't really have any luck to speak of, but we had an absolute blast, and it was just good to be outside, casting a line!
Well, we have a busy month ahead of us. Lot's of family birthday's: Uncle Spark's was the first, Cousin Julie's the 2nd, Uncle Ryan's is the 5th, Aunt Katie's the 16th, Cousin Elias and Gramma Lori's the 24th, and I think that covers it! This Sunday, I am taking Spark to a Brewer's Game in Milwaukee with some co-workers. The 11th is my company summer party (karaoke!!), the 19th we are floating the Wisconsin River (again with co-workers). There are a few other things that I know I am forgetting about, but that is most of it!
I have so much to write about! It has been an amazing, and very busy month or so!
As Mama wrote, we have moved and had alot of fun things going on. Work has been kind of slow, which has been nice. It has allowed me to help out a bit with our crazy schedule. But, the really important part of this post is to talk about all the fun stuff I have been doing with our sweet baby girl!
On the morning of July 14th, Olivia and I went to "Daddy Bootcamp", which is a class for expecting fathers at the hospital where O' was born. She was in very good spirits, and was a great model for all the daddie's to be. She had her diaper changed by a couple of strange men (with Daddy hovering about, of course!), took a nap, showed off her latest tricks, and was adored by all.
The next week was busy, Momma had VBS going Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so we got to play alot. Wednesday was Baby Spa night. Olivia got a massage, then a good soak and splish-splash in the tub, and then fell asleep at the bottle, which was the perfect opportunity to trim her finger nails. Later in the week, Lee was busy with Auntie Sal, so Friday and Saturday night were good Daddy-Daughter times as well.
On the Solstice (June 21st), Lee went out with Sal, and Boo-boo and I loaded up the REI Pigy Back and hoofed it over to Olbrich Park for the neighborhoods Solstice Celebration. This was a fun spirited Hippie-Dippie event, with kites, local art, and some live Irish Folk Music. Olivia was a hit dancing to the music, and she wore herself right out. She fell asleep in the kid pack on the walk home, and I got the chance to try out a restaurant in the 'hood that I'd had my eye on called "Bunky's". I got a yummy Greek salad to go, and was totally happy about it!
Last week, Lee got the chance to go see a play with her Mama, and Olivia had a play date with her Fairy God Mother so I could go to the small group I have joined at church. She had a blast with Jane (as always!), and it was good for me to catch up with the B.Boys.
On Saturday, I finally got the chance to try out some Midwestern Fly Fishing! Peter's good friend BJ met up with me west of town about an hour, in what is known as the "Driftless Area". This refers to the fact that the Ice Age glaciers that formed the Great Lakes did not cover this portion of Wisconsin, so the geography is quite different. It is a beautiful area of rolling hills, lush green valleys, farmland and streams. Unfortunately, the flooding of a month or so ago wreaked some serious havoc on the trout streams, stripping away all the aquatic plants, which removes the insect's food, which is what the trout like to eat! Soooo, we didn't really have any luck to speak of, but we had an absolute blast, and it was just good to be outside, casting a line!
Well, we have a busy month ahead of us. Lot's of family birthday's: Uncle Spark's was the first, Cousin Julie's the 2nd, Uncle Ryan's is the 5th, Aunt Katie's the 16th, Cousin Elias and Gramma Lori's the 24th, and I think that covers it! This Sunday, I am taking Spark to a Brewer's Game in Milwaukee with some co-workers. The 11th is my company summer party (karaoke!!), the 19th we are floating the Wisconsin River (again with co-workers). There are a few other things that I know I am forgetting about, but that is most of it!
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