of the family, just before the consumption of birthday cake. more to come!
Monday, June 30, 2008
still no pictures, but looky: a list!
happy monday morning! i'm back in the office after a lovely - though short - weekend adventure with the rest of the posse.
saturday we packed up the car and headed up north for my good friend's wedding. the morning was a little insane with packing, trips to the dump, dropping cabot off at his overnight accomodations, and an intensely cranky little miss. oh yes, and the arrival of 16 baby chickens, that we are minding over the next week while our friends are on vacation. more on the chickens later.
by noon, we were on our way. we made it up to stowe (where we were staying) in a timely fashion, all things considered. we checked into our hotel (kind of a crappy place, considering how much it cost...we won't be staying there again), got dressed, and headed up to hyde park for the wedding.
which was lovely, despite the downpour in the middle of the (outdoor) ceremony. very laid back, on a really neat farm on the top of a hill. the reception (and second half of the ceremony) took place in a big barn with stained glass windows. neat, eh? the food was good, the band was great, and there was a cool windmill outside the barn that aubrey was fascinated with. we had to leave before dessert and dancing (it was late and missy needed to go to bed) but had fun, nonetheless.
the next day we had breakfast at a favorite little b&b and then spent the better part of the day exploring the stowe bike path, shopping along the way. we had fun at the farmer's market...aubrey loved the live music, and crawling around in the grass. she also discovered the joys of a bendy straw. : )
we made our way back to town and had a late lunch at the "malt shoppe" before heading back home.
so anyhoo, on to the list...
seeing as how aubrey is a year old, i thought it might be nifty (and perhaps useful) to compile a list of things/products that have been invaluable over the last twelve months. so, in no particular order, here are a few things that have made life a bit more pleasant over the last year:
seventh generation diapers and wipes - cloth diapering wasn't really an option with aubrey (although i am definitely contemplating it for # 2, now that we have a house with a washer and dryer and plenty of space) and these disposables really rock. you can purchase them on the cheap through amazon.com.
medela harmony hand pump - i LOVE this little hand pump. i kept the electric guns at work and used this one at home, and i have to say...though it was a bit slower than the electric pump, it sure was a lot more comfortable. and really easy to use. can't recommend enough.
the hooter hider - i love the whimsical prints of these simple but useful gizmos. i always kept mine in my purse for those occasions where i simply had to breastfeed aubrey RIGHT NOW no matter where we were. i have one in this print. so fun.
my fantastic baby carriers - i have already sung the praises of my ergo baby carrier, but i have to give a shout out to the baby bjorn...which was beyond helpful for the first 5 months. when aubrey wouldn't nap for me, carrying her around in the bjorn bought me some relief from her colicy crying.
zutano fleece booties - these babies were the only thing that kept socks on my little girl's feet all winter long. they are easy to put on and they stay on. plus, they are cute and warm. i think i want some adult sized ones. really.
the bundle me - can you tell that i live in a place where it gets freaky cold during the winter? this thing rocked...it kept missy warm and snuggly in her car seat, and eliminated the need for bulky snowsuits and layering when traveling to and fro.
all things haba - i think pete and i like the haba toys more than aubrey does, but seriously, what's not to like? cute, colorful, and nontoxic. we especially like these soft blocks.
wooden spoons and plastic cups - sometimes we drag out our box of tupperware and just let aubrey pull out whatever cups or containers she wants. then we give her a wooden spoon, and voila: we have a happy, entertained baby.
the skip hop diaper bag - i love skip hop. i love this bag. i love that pete isn't skiddish about carrying it around. 'nuf said.
tubby time - not really a product, but definitely deserving of a mention. aubrey has, from the very beginning, always loved bath time. it never fails in relaxing her. so we give her a bath almost every night...even if we don't scrub her, we let her splash around a play with her toys. i am a big fan of tubby time.
those plain old pre-fold cloth diapers - which you can use for just about a million different purposes. i always have a stack ready juuuuuuuust in case.
weleda diaper cream - this stuff is wonderful...it has a non-offensive odor and a reassuring list of ingredients. we are fortunate that we can buy it at a great price though our little cooperative buying club.
california baby everything - we love the lotion, cream, shampoo and body wash and natural bug repellant. love love love their products. great for sensitive skin! and we can get it cheap through the cooperative.
the putamayo kids collections - aubrey loves music, and we love these CDs, which are appropriate for children, but tolerable to adult ears. we have the world playground collection, the reggae playground collection, and the latin playground collection. good stuff. we keep at least one CD in the car to pop in when aubrey is fussy and bored. usually it works like a charm.
bagels - good for cranky, hungry teethers. i give aubrey a hunk of bagel (usually plain...sometimes cinnamon raisin) when we are grocery shopping and she is happy as a clam.
hand-me-downs - we have been lucky to receive heaps of hand-me-down toys, gadgets and clothing. in fact, we have a large tupperware bin filled with yet unseen/unused toys that i think i must raid tonight, to swap out a few toys that have been hanging around for a while. i am a big fan of recycling.
i may have to add more to this list, as i think of more things, which i am sure i will.
and i WILL post those pictures soon.
saturday we packed up the car and headed up north for my good friend's wedding. the morning was a little insane with packing, trips to the dump, dropping cabot off at his overnight accomodations, and an intensely cranky little miss. oh yes, and the arrival of 16 baby chickens, that we are minding over the next week while our friends are on vacation. more on the chickens later.
by noon, we were on our way. we made it up to stowe (where we were staying) in a timely fashion, all things considered. we checked into our hotel (kind of a crappy place, considering how much it cost...we won't be staying there again), got dressed, and headed up to hyde park for the wedding.
which was lovely, despite the downpour in the middle of the (outdoor) ceremony. very laid back, on a really neat farm on the top of a hill. the reception (and second half of the ceremony) took place in a big barn with stained glass windows. neat, eh? the food was good, the band was great, and there was a cool windmill outside the barn that aubrey was fascinated with. we had to leave before dessert and dancing (it was late and missy needed to go to bed) but had fun, nonetheless.
the next day we had breakfast at a favorite little b&b and then spent the better part of the day exploring the stowe bike path, shopping along the way. we had fun at the farmer's market...aubrey loved the live music, and crawling around in the grass. she also discovered the joys of a bendy straw. : )
we made our way back to town and had a late lunch at the "malt shoppe" before heading back home.
so anyhoo, on to the list...
seeing as how aubrey is a year old, i thought it might be nifty (and perhaps useful) to compile a list of things/products that have been invaluable over the last twelve months. so, in no particular order, here are a few things that have made life a bit more pleasant over the last year:
seventh generation diapers and wipes - cloth diapering wasn't really an option with aubrey (although i am definitely contemplating it for # 2, now that we have a house with a washer and dryer and plenty of space) and these disposables really rock. you can purchase them on the cheap through amazon.com.
medela harmony hand pump - i LOVE this little hand pump. i kept the electric guns at work and used this one at home, and i have to say...though it was a bit slower than the electric pump, it sure was a lot more comfortable. and really easy to use. can't recommend enough.
the hooter hider - i love the whimsical prints of these simple but useful gizmos. i always kept mine in my purse for those occasions where i simply had to breastfeed aubrey RIGHT NOW no matter where we were. i have one in this print. so fun.
my fantastic baby carriers - i have already sung the praises of my ergo baby carrier, but i have to give a shout out to the baby bjorn...which was beyond helpful for the first 5 months. when aubrey wouldn't nap for me, carrying her around in the bjorn bought me some relief from her colicy crying.
zutano fleece booties - these babies were the only thing that kept socks on my little girl's feet all winter long. they are easy to put on and they stay on. plus, they are cute and warm. i think i want some adult sized ones. really.
the bundle me - can you tell that i live in a place where it gets freaky cold during the winter? this thing rocked...it kept missy warm and snuggly in her car seat, and eliminated the need for bulky snowsuits and layering when traveling to and fro.
all things haba - i think pete and i like the haba toys more than aubrey does, but seriously, what's not to like? cute, colorful, and nontoxic. we especially like these soft blocks.
wooden spoons and plastic cups - sometimes we drag out our box of tupperware and just let aubrey pull out whatever cups or containers she wants. then we give her a wooden spoon, and voila: we have a happy, entertained baby.
the skip hop diaper bag - i love skip hop. i love this bag. i love that pete isn't skiddish about carrying it around. 'nuf said.
tubby time - not really a product, but definitely deserving of a mention. aubrey has, from the very beginning, always loved bath time. it never fails in relaxing her. so we give her a bath almost every night...even if we don't scrub her, we let her splash around a play with her toys. i am a big fan of tubby time.
those plain old pre-fold cloth diapers - which you can use for just about a million different purposes. i always have a stack ready juuuuuuuust in case.
weleda diaper cream - this stuff is wonderful...it has a non-offensive odor and a reassuring list of ingredients. we are fortunate that we can buy it at a great price though our little cooperative buying club.
california baby everything - we love the lotion, cream, shampoo and body wash and natural bug repellant. love love love their products. great for sensitive skin! and we can get it cheap through the cooperative.
the putamayo kids collections - aubrey loves music, and we love these CDs, which are appropriate for children, but tolerable to adult ears. we have the world playground collection, the reggae playground collection, and the latin playground collection. good stuff. we keep at least one CD in the car to pop in when aubrey is fussy and bored. usually it works like a charm.
bagels - good for cranky, hungry teethers. i give aubrey a hunk of bagel (usually plain...sometimes cinnamon raisin) when we are grocery shopping and she is happy as a clam.
hand-me-downs - we have been lucky to receive heaps of hand-me-down toys, gadgets and clothing. in fact, we have a large tupperware bin filled with yet unseen/unused toys that i think i must raid tonight, to swap out a few toys that have been hanging around for a while. i am a big fan of recycling.
i may have to add more to this list, as i think of more things, which i am sure i will.
and i WILL post those pictures soon.
Friday, June 27, 2008
i know...
...i promised pictures and posting and it's been a while and nada. we did finally download pictures from miss booper's party, but they are pretty big files and i'm in the process of dumbing them down to post/email/etc.
it took us a while to get over the sicky. i don't think i have had a stomach flu like that since i was a kid. it sucked. i am mostly over it now, though bits have lingered longer than i'd like. pete and missy seem to be on the mend, though. except now missy seems to have a cold. aaaaaaaack! this morning she was coughing continuously from about 4:00 am until 5:15, at which point she started to cry and we brought her downstairs for a nurse (yes i am still nursing aubrey in the mornings and i keep saying that i will stop but i haven't yet...). so we all started our day off a bit early and a bit cranky. and today i have my first court hearing, so i had to get gussied up in a suit. hopefully i'll make it through the day with minimal coffee consumption.
this weekend we are headed up north for a dear friend's wedding. should be fun, though we will be running around tonite and tomorrow morning getting everything ready. (travelling with a baby makes things kind of complicated.)
what else? it has been pretty wet over the past week, which has meant that we haven't had to water the garden. it also has hampered my goals of eliminating weeds and planting more greens (i finally found arugula seeds! horray!) the tomatoes, basil, cukes and squash are doing splendidly. we should be harvesting lettuce very soon. something is munching on the broccoli, but i haven't identified the offending critter yet.
i WILL post pictures and such soon. really. i will.
it took us a while to get over the sicky. i don't think i have had a stomach flu like that since i was a kid. it sucked. i am mostly over it now, though bits have lingered longer than i'd like. pete and missy seem to be on the mend, though. except now missy seems to have a cold. aaaaaaaack! this morning she was coughing continuously from about 4:00 am until 5:15, at which point she started to cry and we brought her downstairs for a nurse (yes i am still nursing aubrey in the mornings and i keep saying that i will stop but i haven't yet...). so we all started our day off a bit early and a bit cranky. and today i have my first court hearing, so i had to get gussied up in a suit. hopefully i'll make it through the day with minimal coffee consumption.
this weekend we are headed up north for a dear friend's wedding. should be fun, though we will be running around tonite and tomorrow morning getting everything ready. (travelling with a baby makes things kind of complicated.)
what else? it has been pretty wet over the past week, which has meant that we haven't had to water the garden. it also has hampered my goals of eliminating weeds and planting more greens (i finally found arugula seeds! horray!) the tomatoes, basil, cukes and squash are doing splendidly. we should be harvesting lettuce very soon. something is munching on the broccoli, but i haven't identified the offending critter yet.
i WILL post pictures and such soon. really. i will.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
a whole lot of sicky
yes, i am delinquent on posting. yes, i have about 50 pictures from aubrey's birthday party which i need to download and post.
unfortunately, the whole family has come down with a stomach bug. it started monday morning, when we discovered aubrey sitting in her crib covered in vomit. (distinctly the color and texture of birthday cake. poor bugga.) and diarrhea. we took her to the doctors for her 1 year checkup and then kept her home for the day.
then tuesday i came down with the bug. i am STILL not feeling that great. (no more fever, so well enough to work, but not well enough to eat like a normal human.) wednesday pete came down with it. we're all feeling - quite literally - pukey and poopey. blah.
oh yes, did i mention that over the weekend cabot ate 24 plastic electrical outlet covers?! well, he did. so he's been feeling a little pukey and poopey too. grrrrrr.
so, hopefully tonite we will get around to posting some pictures. in the meantime, aubrey's one year stats:
21 lbs.
29.5 "
and aside from a tummy bug completely healthy.
more later.
unfortunately, the whole family has come down with a stomach bug. it started monday morning, when we discovered aubrey sitting in her crib covered in vomit. (distinctly the color and texture of birthday cake. poor bugga.) and diarrhea. we took her to the doctors for her 1 year checkup and then kept her home for the day.
then tuesday i came down with the bug. i am STILL not feeling that great. (no more fever, so well enough to work, but not well enough to eat like a normal human.) wednesday pete came down with it. we're all feeling - quite literally - pukey and poopey. blah.
oh yes, did i mention that over the weekend cabot ate 24 plastic electrical outlet covers?! well, he did. so he's been feeling a little pukey and poopey too. grrrrrr.
so, hopefully tonite we will get around to posting some pictures. in the meantime, aubrey's one year stats:
21 lbs.
29.5 "
and aside from a tummy bug completely healthy.
more later.
Friday, June 13, 2008
gearing up for the weekend
hello, friday! what a busy week! last night i decorated 40 + lady bug cupcakes. pete and i have been scurrying around prepping for company this weekend (my sister is arriving this afternoon, and my parents are coming on saturday). the house is moderately clean, the garden is doing well, and happily, our rose bush and peonies have decided to flower...just in time for aubrey's birthday, yay!
miss a has been a little under the weather this week. she has been very stuffy, and has a little cough. it's been a few weeks now. we're starting to wonder if she has allergies, since none of her classmates are sick. she has an appointment monday so we'll see what the pediatrician says. also...she is teething like crazy. we often find her whole hand crammed in her mouth. poor little boopers. thankfully, last night she slept well, with no fussing. and the temperature has been much more bearable for the past few days, which really helps.
so the summer edition of knitty just came out and i really really love this and this. so cute! now i just have to finish the sweater i have been working on FOREVER (only! two! more! rows! left!) and then the secret project and then maybe i'll have the time. after i make aubrey's lil' blankie. and some more baby hats.
incidentally, to make the day go by faster, i've been listening to these while drafting motions. hilarious. (um, yes, i have the sense of humor of a 13-year-old-boy.)
miss a has been a little under the weather this week. she has been very stuffy, and has a little cough. it's been a few weeks now. we're starting to wonder if she has allergies, since none of her classmates are sick. she has an appointment monday so we'll see what the pediatrician says. also...she is teething like crazy. we often find her whole hand crammed in her mouth. poor little boopers. thankfully, last night she slept well, with no fussing. and the temperature has been much more bearable for the past few days, which really helps.
so the summer edition of knitty just came out and i really really love this and this. so cute! now i just have to finish the sweater i have been working on FOREVER (only! two! more! rows! left!) and then the secret project and then maybe i'll have the time. after i make aubrey's lil' blankie. and some more baby hats.
incidentally, to make the day go by faster, i've been listening to these while drafting motions. hilarious. (um, yes, i have the sense of humor of a 13-year-old-boy.)
Monday, June 9, 2008
heatwave!
dude, we are in the middle of a killah heatwave right now! temps have been hovering around 90 for the past three days. the high temps, in combination with the humidity, have been a bit overwhelming. none of us slept very well last night, on account of the heat. oh, and boopers has just cut tooth # 6...they are coming at rapid fire speed these days!
in spite of the hot weather, we had a productive gardening weekend. we got all of our veggies planted, and also some flowers. yippee! there is only one small section of the garden that hasn't been planted. in that space i am hoping to direct sow some chard, and maybe some arugula or possibly beets. i am pretty impressed with the number of plants we've been able to squeeze into our garden. so far we have:
10 tomato plants, a mixture of celebrities, cherries, and some variety called "jet star"
3 pepper plants, of the sweet variety
6 zucchini plants
5 cucumber plants
4 broccoli plants
10 basil plants
two massive clumps of chives
one italian parsley plant
one row of mixed lettuce greens
i really must take a picture of it...it looks so neat and tidy! we'll see what it looks like when everything is full grown...it might be a bit of a jungle!
it is going to a very busy week...sunday is aubrey's FIRST BIRTHDAY! YIPPEE YAHOOEEE! we are planning to celebrate with a cookout in the back yard, complete with ladybug ice cream cake. yum! my family is coming up to join us, and some friends will be helping us celebrate as well. anyhoo, this week - in addition to all of the cleaning i must accomplish - i am going to be busy making cupcakes and salads for the party. pete is going to construct the ice cream cake, which i will decorate. (gotta put my art degree to use somehow, eh?) oh yes. and wrapping prezzies.
i realize that i have been extremely lax on posting pictures. here's the thing: my slow little laptop has pretty much zero hard drive space, so downloading pictures has been a bit of a chore. i promise i will do so soon soon soon!
in spite of the hot weather, we had a productive gardening weekend. we got all of our veggies planted, and also some flowers. yippee! there is only one small section of the garden that hasn't been planted. in that space i am hoping to direct sow some chard, and maybe some arugula or possibly beets. i am pretty impressed with the number of plants we've been able to squeeze into our garden. so far we have:
10 tomato plants, a mixture of celebrities, cherries, and some variety called "jet star"
3 pepper plants, of the sweet variety
6 zucchini plants
5 cucumber plants
4 broccoli plants
10 basil plants
two massive clumps of chives
one italian parsley plant
one row of mixed lettuce greens
i really must take a picture of it...it looks so neat and tidy! we'll see what it looks like when everything is full grown...it might be a bit of a jungle!
it is going to a very busy week...sunday is aubrey's FIRST BIRTHDAY! YIPPEE YAHOOEEE! we are planning to celebrate with a cookout in the back yard, complete with ladybug ice cream cake. yum! my family is coming up to join us, and some friends will be helping us celebrate as well. anyhoo, this week - in addition to all of the cleaning i must accomplish - i am going to be busy making cupcakes and salads for the party. pete is going to construct the ice cream cake, which i will decorate. (gotta put my art degree to use somehow, eh?) oh yes. and wrapping prezzies.
i realize that i have been extremely lax on posting pictures. here's the thing: my slow little laptop has pretty much zero hard drive space, so downloading pictures has been a bit of a chore. i promise i will do so soon soon soon!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
busy times, busy baby
howdy. things have been busy around these parts, and i haven't had much time to post. and i have been so preoccupied with work, secret knitting projects, gardening, etc. that i haven't had much inspiration these days.
nonetheless, here are some quick stats on the little miss:
1. current number of teeth: FIVE. her top two front teeth have broken through, and she has a third tooth on the top, in addition to her bottom two front teeth. life has been all about teething these days.
2. mobility update: no walking yet, but she sure is getting to be a fast little crawler! gone are the days when we would plunk her down on the floor, give her a few toys, and she would sit contentedly for ten or fifteen minutes. nope. now it's all about exploring.
3. we are working on words a lot these days. she is starting to say "da da" and "ma ma" and actually associate those words with us. she consistently says "baby," and occasionally says "uh oh" and "pup pup." we are making some progress saying "duck" (she says "DUH!" but doesn't always get the "ck" out...), and "fan" (she points up and makes the "ffffffff" sound. we're gettin' there).
4. we have mastered the wave and are getting quite good at blowing kisses.
5. we have mastered drinking water out of the sippy cup.
6. boopers is really getting into music, and when music is playing, she likes to "dance."
our garden survived the cold snap last week, with minimal damage. (I lost one morning glory plant, and some squash leaves withered up, but luckily there's new growth.) I planted most of our basil the other day, and cukes and broccoli are more than ready to go into the ground. it's been rainy for the past few days so i probably won't get any planting done until the weekend.
alrighty, back to my work!
nonetheless, here are some quick stats on the little miss:
1. current number of teeth: FIVE. her top two front teeth have broken through, and she has a third tooth on the top, in addition to her bottom two front teeth. life has been all about teething these days.
2. mobility update: no walking yet, but she sure is getting to be a fast little crawler! gone are the days when we would plunk her down on the floor, give her a few toys, and she would sit contentedly for ten or fifteen minutes. nope. now it's all about exploring.
3. we are working on words a lot these days. she is starting to say "da da" and "ma ma" and actually associate those words with us. she consistently says "baby," and occasionally says "uh oh" and "pup pup." we are making some progress saying "duck" (she says "DUH!" but doesn't always get the "ck" out...), and "fan" (she points up and makes the "ffffffff" sound. we're gettin' there).
4. we have mastered the wave and are getting quite good at blowing kisses.
5. we have mastered drinking water out of the sippy cup.
6. boopers is really getting into music, and when music is playing, she likes to "dance."
our garden survived the cold snap last week, with minimal damage. (I lost one morning glory plant, and some squash leaves withered up, but luckily there's new growth.) I planted most of our basil the other day, and cukes and broccoli are more than ready to go into the ground. it's been rainy for the past few days so i probably won't get any planting done until the weekend.
alrighty, back to my work!
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