transponster

facebook's fault

2011-12-05T04:25:00.002-07:00

i feel awful that i've abandoned my blog. i hardly posted anything, and now i post nothing. and i blame facebook. i can just post something cute and fast that the boys said or did, and everyone can see it. it isn't as hard to write as a blog entry. but i'm trying to do better. at least for mason's sake. i've written quite a few posts about vaughn, and i don't want mason to think i didn't take the time to write his story, too. especially when my sister rachel can find the time and she has two children as well. so my faithful followers, if any still remain. i resolve to post more often. know i just have to have the follow through.

a month of firsts

2011-02-24T18:09:00.004-07:00

it's hard for me to believe that mason's eight months old today, and that i'm actually getting the post written the same day is even more unbelievable. mason's really started to crawl this month. he's actually managed to get his tummy up off the floor before he moves his arms and legs. this has led to turning over during diaper changes and getting dressed making both tasks difficult without something to put in his hands to distract him. with this new movement, he's also become more of a nuisance to vaughn. he wants to do everything vaughn is doing, much to vaughn's outrage. vaughn will take a toy, book, or whatever mason is chewing on, and say 'mason doesn't chew on that!' because this results in screaming, we've been working on toy trading, and i was glad this evening when vaughn managed an adequate trade with mason.

it seems that mason has finally gotten into more of a sleep routine. he usually takes two naps, and if we're very lucky, one will be at the same time as vaughn's. he will drink his bottle, and then turn on his side, or fuss until i put him on my chest to tell me he's ready for sleep. he is sleeping fairly well through the night, waking up usually once or not at all for a mid-night bottle. we've had to start giving him some ibuprofen since he's finally gotten some teeth. the bottom two came in a few weeks ago, and he's working on the top two now.

now he's working on standing up and trying to walk like the rest of us. often we'll find him in his crib standing at the railing and crying for someone to come and rescue him. he also raises his arms to be picked up, then wiggles around to my hip so he has a better view of the world.

all about vaughn

2011-01-13T03:22:00.006-07:00

i've chosen the title in reference to 'all about eve' since this post will detail the cunning of my 'eve.' also i've been posting about mason lately, and don't want to leave vaughn out. vaughn says something new and hilarious almost every day. it's funny to hear words and phrases that josh and i use come out of his mouth. when he says things like 'you don't spank me, that not nice!' it's almost impossible not to laugh. he's also adopted our facial expressions which find a little scary that he can imitate us so perfectly. we've moved toward time outs and away from spankings, because he'd just take a quick spank and get on with whatever he was doing. he finds sitting on his bed by himself much more irritating. we make him apologize for what he did wrong and give a hug before he can get up, which is probably a mistake since now he thinks a quick 'sorry' and a big hug fixes everything.

he's still attached to his blue pillow and brings it with him into our room in the wee hours of the morning. he was doing really well at staying in his bed all night. but has regressed to coming in almost every morning. i must confess i have mixed feelings about this pattern. i do think he should stay in his bed during the night for fear i'll soon have a teenager snuggling next to me. but i know that this time is precious and all too soon he won't love me most anymore, so i'm willing to put up with the size 10 feet in my back or sleeping on the very edge of the bed because he's sleeping parallel to the headboard. i like to think he likes sleeping with us, but i think he just prefers our bed. when we try to put him down for a nap, he fights a lot in his bed, but when we concede to put him in our bed, he has no problems (well, he's better about) falling asleep.

he continues to get along really well with mason. he always wants to include him in his activities whether it's watching george, or playing trains. he's also very attentive when mason cries. he will still sometimes climb into mason's crib or tell me 'i get mason, mommy.'

his logic and reasoning have also much improved. he knows i'm a sucker and will almost always give in when he asks for one more story or for me to scratch his back or another cup of milk. josh has started making a little bed on the floor in mason's room so they can all sleep together at naptime. josh and mason will fall asleep in the recliner, and vaughn on the floor.

mason's six month check

2011-01-13T02:29:00.004-07:00

mason is now six months old! well, he's a little older since i'm always late on these postings. he's 18 lbs and 28 inches long. i actually expected him to be heavier, since he eats like a hog. he loves his solid foods. peaches still seem to be his favorite, although he scarfs down just about everything except peas and green beans. we've added yogurt to his diet and he loves that, too. josh has been loading him up with food before bed and he's extended mason's sleeping to six hours at a stretch. he's also getting better at napping. he'll usually sleep for an hour twice a day, instead of the usual ten minutes. he hasn't started crawling yet, but he's been trying. he'll lie on the floor and lift his arms and legs up in the air. he's gotten so good at rolling over he does it when we are trying to change his diaper, much to his parents' annoyance.

mason continues to be a very happy baby. he's almost always smiling or laughing. he especially finds vaughn particularly entertaining. he giggles at just about everything vaughn does, and vaughn is more than willing to perform for mason. no teeth yet, which is surprising since he's been chewing like mad on everything for several months now. he can sit up by himself for longer, too. i still make a mini-barricade behind him since he does fall back occasionally. he's interested in just about everything now. he loves to grab and chew on books, toys, fingers, and my necklace. he's also an expert hair puller. not only mine, but vaughn's as well. and its difficult to get his little fingers out of vaughn's hair.

security pillow

2010-11-27T10:14:00.002-07:00

last christmas mom gave vaughn a really cute stuffed cat, and vaughn really loved it. he'd snuggle with it almost every night and even carry it around after he got up from his nap. josh has started to let him sleep with one of our 'soft' pillows, and vaughn has become extremely attached to it. two of the three soft pillows are in yellow cases, and vaughn's is in a blue one. he won't sleep without his 'blue pill.' when he gets out of bed at night he carries the pillow down the hall to out bed with him. he also gets upset when mason is on his pillow, although he's become more lax about that. when we went to alabama for a wedding i took it with me, and vaughn had a huge smile on his face when he saw it in the car, and exclaimed, 'blue pill!'

being the selfish mommy i am, i wanted my soft pillow back in my bed. i ordered two pillows from company store and put them both on his bed. he wasn't fooled. so i put the blue pillow case on one of them. he knew it wasn't the same pillow, but he accepted it anyway. i had a spare blue pillow case that i put on the original pillow and but it back in our bed under the blanket. vaughn took a nap in there one day and pulled back the covers to discover it. 'blue pill! where was it?' i don't know how he knew that it was his original pillow even without feeling it. now all the soft pillows on my bed have yellow pillowcases on them, and vaughn is content with his fake.

five month old

2010-11-24T22:00:00.005-07:00

it's hard to believe that it's only been five months since mason was born. it usually seems like a lot longer. he's started to roll over from tummy to back, and i expect him to go from back to tummy very soon. he's been on solids for a month now, and he likes everything i've given him except peas and green beans. i can't say i blame him. i like both those vegetables, but the smell of the baby food versions make me want to gag. he's still chewing on everything he can get in his mouth, with fingers and mortimer the moose being his favorite. vaughn never really liked that moose, so i'm glad mason is getting some use out of those giant antlers.

when mason is tired and i'm feeding him a bottle, he'll spit it out and turn his body toward me so he's in his usual sleep position. he seems like he's instantly sleeping and ready for a nap at the drop of a hat. but i think he's like that with all his demands. 'i'm hungry, now! i need a new diaper, now!' so sometimes it's difficult to anticipate his next requirement. he is getting better at sitting up by himself. i think that his bumpo has helped with that. josh likes to fly him around in the air while singing the superman theme. mason loves it so much that he smiles and giggles in anticipation when ever josh starts singing the song. mason loves vaughn, and everything vaughn does, too. sometimes if mason wakes up from a nap and vaughn is still sleeping, he will cry until he wakes vaughn up. he's still sleeping only three to four hours at a strech at night. his naps are still short, sometimes only consisting of a cat nap during a bottle. just when josh it getting ready to pull the bottle out of mason's mouth and put him in the crib, he pops his eyes open and is awake for hours.

even with his apparent lack of sleep his is still a very happy baby. he only cries if he's hungry, needs a new diaper, or sleepy. sometimes his cry is more like a shriek that i find very disturbing, but i suppose that's the intent. he makes that noise when i'm feeding him solids, since he can't wait for me to reload the spoon in between bites.

i'm a real dragon!

2010-10-31T21:23:00.006-06:00

vaughn has been really interested in dragons since mom took him to see 'how to train your dragon' earlier this year. he loves the dragon part in shrek and has to watch it at least three times whenever we watch it. and he's asked to watch hiccup almost everyday. so i thought the perfect costumes for the boys would be a dragon and a knight. we found the dragon costume online and mom volunteered to make the knight costume for mason. i found a velveteen hooded sweat suit at once upon a child, and got some red fabric for a tunic which mom painted a gold dragon on the front. we were planning on making a shield, but thought since mason has started to move his hands a lot more we would skip them. i think they look great!

josh and i had a small party on saturday. catherine and mom were a tremendous help with the preparation. catherine make her signature cheese mummy, but was forbidden from making her paper crafts (stupid rachel). but i think even without mice the house looked pretty creepy. josh hung spider webs all over, including over half the front doorway. vaughn even helped put fake spiders in the webs. catherine made leaf filled ghosts that josh hung from the trees. i think the party went well. it was cold enough to really enjoy the bonfire and i bought the giant marshmallows to make s'mores.

after the party it was off to bed in their striped jammies!

3 months and 3 days of mason

2010-09-27T18:11:00.003-06:00

mason is already three months old. he's started to smile a lot more and even laugh when we make silly faces at him. he still clutches at fingers, but has started to include my necklace, shirts, and even the dreaded tiny hairs on the back of my neck. we've had to put away all of his three month clothes since he's been growing like crazy. he still eats about every three hours and drinks six ounces at almost every feeding. he was sleeping through the night, but now he needs a late night/early morning snack during the night. he's also started sitting up, but we still have the boppy or pillows around him for support.

trip to DC

2010-09-16T21:02:00.003-06:00

it's only been three weeks since our trip to washington, dc to see josh's cousin mike and my cousin abby. so i thought i should write a post about it. mamsis watched the boys so josh could pack up the car and we left directly after work on thursday. thank goodness we have the sub, because it was pretty full. both boys were asleep when we left, and didn't wake up until we were almost in ohio. they were both pretty good on the first leg of the trip. we brought the laptop so vaughn could watch movies. he really like watching shrek, and wanted to watch the 'dagon' part over and over again. it also led to him saying this during the gingerbread man part:

"where that cookie? it bad cookie, throw in trashcan."

vaughn and josh went swimming at the hotel, but i don't think vaughn liked it very much. here he is in his new spiderman swimsuit.

we borrowed my father-in-law's tomtom, and that got us to mike's apartment without incident friday afternoon. we pretty much vegged the rest of the day. on saturday we went to the national zoo. there were no giraffes, which was of course what vaughn really wanted to see, and the 'underts' were no where to be found either. we did see an alligator which vaughn loved, and a cheetah. but the best was the panda. the keeper was throwing pears to him, so he was really close to us. vaughn was so excited he kept touching the arm of a girl next to him and pointing out the panda to her. i did get to hear a woman quizzing the keeper all about panda reproduction if anyone wants to learn too, just let me know.

sunday we walked around to see all the monuments. i didn't bring milk for vaughn, and he was pretty cranky for most of the day. every time we asked if he wanted to do something, he would reply, 'no, i don't.' we saw the capital building, where mike worked, the white house, and both the lincoln, and washington monuments. the distance between those monuments is a lot longer than it seems on tv, especially with a crabby two-year-old.

abby was out of town for the weekend, but she was willing to come over sunday night for some pizza. it was nice to see her, i just wish we'd had a longer visit. on the way back home, we surprised aunt carol with a visit, only giving her a half an hour warning. we had to sleep on un-pressed sheets as a result of it, so i suppose i should have given her more more advanced notice ;). she was an excellent hostess, even for the short time we were there, and i think vaughn enjoyed playing with his cousin robert. we'll just have to plan a longer trip to see her.

tuesday morning giggling

2010-09-07T08:01:00.003-06:00

this is the first time that mason has laughed, and we were lucky enough to capture it on film. and yes, he's wearing a baby hoodie.

duck wrangler

2010-08-08T19:49:00.002-06:00

since mom has an over abundance of duck eggs, we we're going to try to sell some ducks at the sale next week. i was only getting four eggs from seven ducks, so josh and vaughn quarantined a few to see which ones weren't laying. today, however, we got six eggs! i think they know that they might be headed for the chop and have increased production. vaughn was helping to move them around today.

philadelphia

2010-08-04T17:58:00.006-06:00

mason has been with us for six weeks now, and i'm really surprised how well vaughn has reacted to him. the other day the boys were in my bed, and i made mason a bottle and put it on the bed. then vaughn wanted milk, too, so i went to get that. i heard mason start to cry, and then stop. i ran in expecting a pillow over his face. vaughn had put the bottle in mason's mouth, and told me, 'vaughn help mason, not crying.' vaughn makes sure i know when mason is crying, saying, 'poor mason, not happy.' or 'mason need pas-ire.' he's even figured out how to climb into mason's crib and put the pacifier in mason's mouth, or put more blankets on when, 'put covers on mason.' (that one really scared me!) but vaughn also says, 'aw, mason cute,' and 'i wuv mason.' so i don't think he was trying to smother his brother.

and she almost trips...

2010-08-03T05:50:00.005-06:00

the garden has been growing (mostly the weeds) like crazy. i decided to plant watermelon and pumpkins this year, but i really should have followed the planting guides in regards to spacing. the pumpkins invaded the gourds, sweetcorn, and even through the fence and into the beans. we've already had quite a few that are ready, and many more that are coming. mom and i are going to freeze the puree so we can make pies. tell me which 'punkin' (as vaughn says) looks like two children sleeping under a blanket?

past his primes

2010-07-09T09:42:00.004-06:00

vaughn can count to all the way to twelve, but he always skips five, seven, and eleven. seems like he doesn't like prime numbers. he also can say the alphabet to f, but skips d and e. he still loves trains. often stealing cars and engines from mom's house and sharing his dinner with them. he knows the difference between steam and diesel engines, and most of the names of the thomas the tank trains (percy and james are his favorites).

vaughn's vocab and grammar are getting better, too. he has starting using pronouns. when vaughn pretends to be a baby elephant and mom will grab his the bottom of his shirt, vaughn will say 'let go my tail.' we went blueberry picking the other day, but vaughn did most of his picking out of everyone else's buckets. when dad protested, vaughn replied, 'let me have those berries.' i fear we didn't pick enough since vaughn has to have berries almost every day.

mason is two weeks old now. he's a pretty good baby, only fussing when he's hungry. he even sleeps in four and five hour stretches at night. it's surprising how well he sleeps during the day since vaughn is always talking loudly or trying to kiss him. he can already hold his head up for a little bit, and i've had to clip his fingernails a second time.

nakes!

2010-07-08T19:37:00.003-06:00

josh and i got some sidewalk chalk for vaughn a few months ago, and he really liked drawing with it. so much in fact that he's drawn on doors and a rug of mom's with it. when aunt carol came to visit last week, she thoughtfully brought vaughn a present of sidewalk chalk. not only did he love it because it was chalk, he also loved the 'wittle box' in which it came. it was small and light enough for him to carry and even had a handle. vaughn has inherited his mother's (sadly not his grandmother's) talent for drawing. after i draw something for him, usually elephants and cows, he draws the only thing he can on top of it. after mom drew a picture of mason, vaughn covered it in 'nakes.' thank you for the chalk aunt carol, vaughn insists almost everyday that we, 'draw vaughn chalk.' and thank you and aunt beth for the delicious coffee cake that was delivered early yesterday morning by fed ex. there's nothing like having breakfast waiting for you on the doorstep at 8 am.

boys in hats

2010-07-02T04:08:00.003-06:00

vaughn continues to be very attentive to mason. yesterday he insisted that mason needed to wear a hat. so he got one out of the drawer, and while i was putting it on mason, vaughn got another one (the exact same kind from when he was in the hospital) and had me help him put it on. he then exclaimed 'one two boys in hats.' i was really surprised that it still sort-of fit him.

catherine and rachel sent us a package yesterday, and it was filled with handmade gifts for mason. catherine made him a baby quilt with a flannel backing. it's so soft and warm, i may have to steal it from him. and rachel made him an adorable winnie the pooh and christopher robin birth announcement.

little bad wolf

2010-07-02T04:03:00.002-06:00

vaughn has been watching the three little pigs. now when asked what the big, bad wolf says, he responds with this:

mason cole

2010-06-28T21:01:00.004-06:00

mason was born on thursday afternoon, only a day overdue. i must admit that i thought he would never come, considering vaughn was so early. even though he was a day late, he made up for lost time by being born, cord cut, and dried off before the doctor came in the room. i felt bad for the nurse, apparently she'd never had a woman go from 7 to 10cm in only 15 minutes. and she was the one who told me i could start pushing. it was pretty amazing to see how quickly five more nurses came into the room after they realized the baby was ready to be born.

he weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz, and is 21 inches long. and had several visitors over the two days we were in the hospital. we were at the new st. e, which was pretty nice. they let you stay in the same room from check-in until check-out, so you can unpack and not worry about changing rooms in a few hours.

so far vaughn seems to really like his brother. each time he'd come into the room, he'd ask, "where mason be?" he wants to hold him most of the time, and is pretty gentle when he's touching him, plus he got to spend several days being spoiled by josh's parents. this is the second night we've all been in the house together, and so far so good. although i think vaughn is starting to realize that mommy has to spend more time with little brother and less time with him. luckily mom is next door and more than willing to play with vaughn or hold mason for me, so i can spend some time with vaughn. vaughn has been regressing back to baby-hood though, sucking on the pacifier and stealing the boppy when i'm trying to use it. he also tries to climb in the infant car seat. he looks enormous compared to mason, and it's hard to believe that vaughn was ever that small.

walls of insanity

2010-05-11T14:25:00.006-06:00

i wanted to paint the walls of the nursery gingham, but the paint just looked like checks on the wall. josh and i stupidly decided to paint plaid on the wall. josh came up with the pattern and i helped him and mom chalk, tape, and paint. after about two weeks of having our house in a shambles, staring at all of the mistakes, and then deciding that sleep and sanity were more important that having the lines completely straight, we finally finished the walls and got the furniture moved in and all the pictures hung on the wall. josh, orrin, and dad even made a new door.

si-as and em

2010-05-09T10:05:00.003-06:00

bridget and her family came down for a visit and vaughn has really attached himself to silas. every morning he asks to go to grandma's house to see 'si-as and em.' emmet and vaughn are now frenemies, complete with take downs and groin kicks. they've gotten along pretty well, though, sometimes coming over to our house to play or going over to mom's for trains. here's a picture of all three getting along.

pet, bay calf

2010-05-02T18:13:00.005-06:00

this year's calving season started out a little discouraging. one of the cows showed signs of being close to calving even though she was a month early. we managed to get her in the barn and watch her for a day before we went out to discover a dead calf.
last week dad called me at work to tell me that another cow had finally calved, both of them doing well.
we, with no help from the cow, had a hard time making sure that the calves stayed out of trouble. josh even had to fish one of them out of the cold, ditch water. but they now seem to be doing well, and are staying close to their mamma.
we tried some new breeds this year, one being a murray grey from australia. dad called me at work again on friday night to tell me that another calf had been born. vaughn could hardly wait to 'check cows' the next day and 'pet, bay calf.' it was a little tricky to get this picture since the mother was pretty protective.
number four was born tonight. josh called me and mom on the radio shortly after we had left to pick up the pizza, saying that one of the heifers was calving. dad, josh and bill (who was helping josh paint) managed to get the cow up into the barn by the time we got home. after a bit of a struggle pulling, the calf finally came out. for being a mini-hereford, he was rather large, but luckily alive.

i'm driving the hell out of this garden tractor

2010-04-12T17:35:00.002-06:00

vaughn has spring fever, just like his dad and grandpa. so he decided that the garden needed to be tilled again today. maybe we'll plant some sweet corn tomorrow.

sunday suprise (chicks and a post!)

2010-03-28T14:56:00.005-06:00

mom and dad got a call this morning from the lafayette post office saying that the chicks were here and they'd be delivered today. luckily, mom had cleaned out the coop last week, and we put out the heat lamps, feeders, and waterers yesterday. however, we didn't have chick feed or bedding, because we'd forgotten to get any the previous week. dad and josh went to town and the chicks came while they were gone.

we did manage to keep vaughn from 'dump'-ing the chicks out of the box, so we could dip all the beaks in water. vaughn liked the chicks, and really liked to squeeze them. he even snuggled with them, (at least they were mostly clean).

vaughn also helped build the raised bed for the strawberries. josh got some old railroad ties from his dad, and we filled it with peatmoss, manure, and freshly tilled dirt. although vaughn was sleeping during the actual planting, he did help prepare the bed and make it smooth with his rake.

vaughn to english dictionary

2009-12-08T06:48:00.005-07:00

when we went to the doctor for vaughn's 18 month check-up, the doctor asked how many words he could say. i foolishly answered 10-15. when we really got to thinking about it, he can say a lot more (31 at the time of the appointment). this is the complete list as of today. so if you're going to spend some time with vaughn, this translation should help.

ah-apple
bawl-ball
BANG!-banging two objects together (mostly goat heads)
bane-bank
ba-bath
bean-bean or any small hard object like candy
beh-bed
bee-bee
beedle-beetle
by-bite
boo-blue
boot-boot
ba-bottle
bra-brush
but-button
bye-bye
ease-cheese
chock-chocolate
co-coat
bine-combine
kow-cow
rar-cracker, or the sound a bear and alligator make
da-dad
down-down
eh-egg
ire-fire
gate-gate
gi-get it
go-goat or go
geen-green
pa-grandpa
haa- hat
hi-hi
hep-help
eye- ice or eye
joo- juice
ki-kitty
nigh-knife
me-me (or someone to take him somewhere)
ma-milk
mine-mine
mum-mom
moon-moon
mo-more
night-night
oh-open
owt-out
ow-owl
pla-please
coot-scoot to zelda
wheat-sesame street
boo-shampoo
who-shoe
saw-socks
pie-spider
poon-spoon
ick-stick
t-tea
chi-three
do-two
uh-up
wa er- water
weeeener- wiener
wee ah-white out
pooh-winnie the pooh
yeah-yeah
lellow-yellow
z-zelda

vaughn's also been getting lots of teeth. the bottom left molar erupted on the 17th, with that canine and the bottom right molar coming in on the 25th . andyesterday, i saw the little points of his top canines poking through. looks like we'll have to get some more ibuprofen.
vaughn also loves to take the ornaments off the christmas tree and moving them all over the house.

a happy halloween you have!

2009-11-01T08:22:00.004-07:00

i know this is a day late, but hopefully the pictures make up for it. mom made the costume, and vaughn (even though he usually hates hats) wore it most of the evening.

here he is trimming his grandma's tree with his light saber:

dancing king

2009-10-21T16:12:00.002-06:00

vaughn has really gotten into dancing, and will sometimes start boogeying to random music on the tv or in restaurants.

he's learned to use the sleep and snooze button on this radio, so he can turn it on and off at will.

rhinos, and dolphins, and bears, oh my!

2009-10-10T18:01:00.006-06:00

there was also one lion, and one tiger, and lots of other animals, but those were vaughn's favorites. today we went to the indianapolis zoo with josh's parents. vaughn would not nap on the way down, and fell asleep when we pulled into the parking lot. but he woke up as we were walking in, so he didn't miss any animals. i was afraid that most of the animals would be inside due to the cold weather, but i think the only things that weren't out were the australian animals because they were constructing the cheetah enclosure (opening memorial day 2010) right next to them. it was kind of hard for vaughn to see an animal unless it was moving. the first three: deer, red panda, and tiger were all sleeping.

vaughn absolutely loved the bears (he has a resin brown bear that he sometimes carries around) and kept making growling noises at them. luckily, they weren't threatened.

he really like the rhinos (also a resin replica), and wanted to go and see them again after we walked past them a second time.

there was a really cute baby giraffe and two adorable baby elephants, and vaughn was very upset that he couldn't take a bath with the elephants.

(josh just told vaughn that grandma was taking a baby elephant home with her)

the dolphin exhibit has and underwater glass gazebo and you can watch the dolphins swim over you. after spending quite some time with the dolphins, we left. and then vaughn started making the 'more' sign and we went back for a second visit. the last stop was the ocean exhibit, where you can pet dog sharks as long as you follow a few rules. use two fingers, put your hand in after their heads have swum by, and don't touch their fins. vaughn had the cutest smile on his face(away from the camera of course) after he touched the first shark. here he is breaking the rules on his second shark:

a month of harvesting

2009-10-05T17:36:00.006-06:00

so i've been too busy (lazy really) to post recently. with all the food harvesting and vacationing and vaccinating, it has really been a busy couple of months. and although i'm not taking nearly as many pictures of vaughn as i should, i did manage to get these taken. vaughn was very helpful in the garden this year:

washing and freezing carrots
picking peaches in michigan

harvesting potatoes

eating apples from a local orchard

picking sweet corn
(and feeding the husks to the cows)

carrots wait for no one

2009-08-05T20:45:00.003-06:00

that's why vaughn eats them now.

this carrot was plucked out of the ground, washed, and eaten. i was surprised how big and straight this grew, especially since mom said they would come out gnarled and stringy. this was our first attempt at carrots, and i consider it a success. we also planted a second batch in sand to see if they would grow any straighter (these carrots are in the black tubs behind vaughn). vaughn ate quite a bit of it though, and i thought it had a pretty good flavor. i'll have more garden reports as more things ripen.

synchronized cows?

2009-07-21T21:01:00.006-06:00

our bull died last year, and instead of replacing him, we decided to synchronize the cows. we injected them with gnrh, breed whatever comes into heat. then 7 days later we inject them with lutelase; breed what comes into heat, then breed everything after a second gnrh injection. we ordered some new straws from montana (murray grey and waygu), so i was worried that we'd have a lot of cows that didn't come into heat. but i think we only had 1 cow that may not have been in actual heat. mom had to breed 10 cows in one day, but only 6 at one time. i think it worked really well, but i guess we'll have to wait 9 months to know for sure.
vaughn has learned some animal noises, and one of them is a cow. we brought him out while we were working the cattle, and he'd moo at them while they were in the chute. he liked to pat the cows at long as they were confined in the head gate. he would also play peek-a-boo with them while he was confined in his playpen.

here he is trying to herd the cows out of the barn. he found that making a scary face made them move faster.

pin pricks and pin heads

2009-06-23T19:49:00.003-06:00

mom says i don't put enough of myself in my posts. that they are more like news reports and less like a journal. so as a special treat for mom, i will recount my day at the immunization class.
i drove down early this morning to learn how to be an immunizer. the class was half pharmacists and half new grads, waiting to take their exams. i couldn't believe how annoying the new grads were and that they were soon going to be my fellow pharmacists. i fully expected these things to come out of their mouths:
'when i become licensed i'm going to be the smartest, most specialized, helpful pharmacist ever!'
'i have the same awful haircut as two other girls in the room, but luckily i know how to use bobby pins to make it even more awful with a bump in the front'
'because i'm thin, i like to wear shirts that are so tight, they show off my bra straps'
yes, they were pretty horrible, and one of them (the first example) kept asking these stupid questions to try to show off what she knew, which didn't work because it just made it obvious that she didn't read the class packet beforehand. the class was informative, and the actual vaccinating was easier than i would have thought. i have to go to cpr (yuck) class tomorrow, but at least it gets me out of going to work.

to ikea

2009-06-10T21:07:00.004-06:00

mom, vaughn, and i went to visit rachel this weekend. my nephew ellis turned three this past weekend. we went to the park to celebrate with bug cakes and hummus.

in addition to going to eli's third birthday, we went to ikea. (which is what ellis kept repeating the WHOLE trip there) i wanted to get vaughn a table and chairs and some storage units for his toys. while we were at ikea, vaughn needed a nap. rachel made a makeshift bed out of kitty pillows and a blanket and vaughn slept about half an hour in the cart. ellis decided that he too needed a cart bed, so we stuffed his cart with pillows too.

i had a hard time of it trying to choose something juvenile, useful, and something josh might like. i decided on this.
josh helped me put the bookshelves together, and dad and vaughn put the table together this morning. vaughn had juice and a biscuit at the table and was pretty proud of his little dining area.

monday we helped rachel pack up some of her things for the move to vermont. since she's hiring a moving company, there wasn't a lot for us to do, so after ra and trey took us to dinner, we drove home.

oooink

2009-06-03T10:27:00.002-06:00

on monday vaughn got two more birthday presents. aunt carol got him some puzzles and bridget sent him this:

thanks to his aunts for such thoughtful gifts.

happy 1st birthday vaughn!

2009-05-26T19:32:00.005-06:00

on monday, my sweet son turned one. but since i had to work, we celebrated on sunday. rachel and her family and catherine came home for the holiday weekend, so i had lots of help preparing. we decided on a race theme, so we got checkered material and rachel and trey made tablecloths and a banner out of it. mom got a race car pinata and we used grandpa's indy 500 glasses. trey was nice enough to grill the chicken. and mom, catherine, rachel and i made potato salad, beans, bi-layer jello, four layer dip, and cream cheese dip.
josh swept the shop and after dinner they had a race on the plasma cars. ellis has spent a lot of time on the cars, but instead of using his arms to propel the car, he uses his feet. we thought that a father/son race would be fun, but ellis wanted to steer AND put his feet down, which wasn't possible with trey on the car. so halfway through the race ellis starting crying and screaming, but the still managed to win. brian and ben (josh's cousins) had car trouble and no pit crew, so they sadly came in last.
afterwards, we had cake and ice cream. mom made this awesome race track cake, but it was too windy for the candle to light, so we had to pretend. vaughn probably would have put his hand on it anyway, since he grabbed it off the cake.

all of vaughn's guest were very generous. he got books (pigs in hiding, scarlet monster lives here, and a wrinkle in time) from aunt catherine, lego blocks and a stacking wooden train from mom, an inflatable pool (we put him in it and he splashed around, but it was a little cold) and little swimmers from rachel, and clothes from grandma deb. he also got a swing, flashlight, shape sorter, and a zebra bouncer. we got him a puzzle and a hammering bench which he has already dented. vaughn got so many toys, we are seriously going to have to reconsider his play area setup.
the rest of the pictures are on the web album. thanks to everyone that helped with preparation and clean up, and we missed those that couldn't come. hopefully we'll see you during his second lap!

rapunvaughn

2009-05-09T20:33:00.004-06:00

a few weeks ago, mom decided that vaughn needed a learning tower. so mom and dad got some plywood, and we started to make a pattern. since our kitchen is smaller than mom's, we made a single-wide of 18". we were trying to decide how to paint it, and josh suggested a castle. mom said if we found a picture of what we wanted, she'd do it. vaughn likes it so far. here he is testing out the durability of the counter top:

birds and bees

2009-05-07T09:55:00.004-06:00

josh and i got some bird feeders about a month ago, and have since been seeing all kinds of birds coming to the feeders.
mostly finches, doves, and sparrows, but we've also had a pair of cardinals
and an unknown blue bird (i've been told it's a blue finch).

the bees have been going crazy on all the blossoms. when i was walking past the crab apple tree i could hear them buzzing. this one has her pollen baskets full.

yesterday josh found these by the playground. i think there are 8, but are hard to count. they are cute now, but i know they will just grow up to eat my raspberries. josh thinks we should let the barn cats find them.

one of these things is not like the other

2009-04-09T08:48:00.004-06:00

aunt emily came for a visit last weekend and while she was here, she took a walk around the farm to see the animals. she helped feed the cows and gather eggs, and saw our very pregnant goats. we were hoping that they would kid before she had to leave, but they waited until the day after she left. josh called me at work to tell me that kiora had 3 kids, but only one survived. when i got home at 10:30, i saw that rosalie had also had 3 kids. this year we've decided to quarentine the kids at night and re-unite them after morning milking. luckily the singleton is the only male, so it's easier to match them up with their moms. can you tell which one is different?

let me show you why they call me the velour fog

2009-04-03T19:03:00.005-06:00

vaughn has been making all kinds of developments. the other day he mananged to slide down off our bed and open the door to find us after his nap. today josh saw that vaughn has also been doing this to his crib:
and when i got home from work, he was doing this:

death to the pyrogens

2009-03-25T19:44:00.003-06:00

poor little baby vaughn is getting another tooth. that makes four on top and two on the bottom. we've been letting him sleep with us for the last two nights since he doesn't want to sleep in his crib. last night he woke up covered in sweat so we changed his pjs and brought him in bed with us. this afternoon he felt very hot (fever of 101) and spent most of the evening snuggling with his grandma. looks like he'll probably be sleeping with us again tonight. at least he has a new haircut to make him a little cooler.
mom and i went to town today and got some flowers and shrubs to plant around the house. it looks a lot better since it went from dead weeds and roofing material to this:
we planted boxwood, burning bushes (not pictured), roses, blue bells, hyacinth, mint and rosemary. when it warms up a little we'll plant some flower seeds. vaughn even helped with a tiny rake and shovel, although it was mostly by directing us from his wagon. when everything is blooming, i'll post more pictures

can you come back later? we're trying to escape

2009-03-15T19:36:00.004-06:00

mom got vaughn some foam rubber mats for christmas so we could have a play area for vaughn. josh decided that it needed to be enclosed so he could put vaughn in there while he was doing something productive. usually vaughn would play quietly with his multitude of toys, but sometimes he would stand at the make-shift fence and cry. this led to the cardboard tunnel so vaughn could escape whenever he liked, but also go in when he wanted to play:

unfortunately, it also led to this:

one day a few weeks ago when i came home from work, i asked josh what he had done, and all he said was, "i built a fort." vaughn loves it and it's big enough for an adult to get in just in case vaughn gets stuck. that's only happened once though. here he's made in out.

Each more identical than the last

2009-03-07T07:50:00.004-07:00

after 8 months of floating, i finally have a store! and it's the one i really wanted, too. vaughn has been crawling around like a little spider. and he's been practicing standing without any support and walking with help from me or josh. his 9 month check-up showed that he's in the 90th percentile in height and weight. as a result, we had to finally retire the infant seat and get a bigger one for him. we also had to get him some new clothes last weekend. he's eating just about everything now, even tasting some forbidden peanut butter. and if he gets very hungry, he helps himself:

wham! ka-pow!

2009-03-02T16:42:00.001-07:00

i know that this hardly counts as a post, but here's a picture from the day:

drover eli

2009-02-03T18:03:00.003-07:00

two weeks ago we went up to michigan to see rachel for an early birthday celebration. we went to ikea and i was overwhelmed by all the stuff. afterward we had a delicious dinner of lamb and potatoes and cake and ice cream for dessert. on sunday dad, trey and eli went to the hardware store while the girls watched clatterford. here is the outfit ellis wore to the store:

after we got back i finally got carol's christmas/birthday present finished and shipped to her. and i've already started on the next one.

2nd period

2009-01-04T08:16:00.001-07:00

this will be a standard battle to the death

2009-01-03T13:14:00.001-07:00

mom and eli played a lot of table hockey this week, and here's some of the action caught on tape. ellis thought that a hockey puck was called a hockey pocket for the first day. maybe he'll watch some games with trey now.

goodbye gallbladder

2009-01-03T08:35:00.002-07:00

about a month ago i had really bad stomach pain, and when i went to the doctor, he thought it was an ulcer, a bacteria or virus, or food poisoning and gave me some pills for it. it still hurt a week later, and when i went back, he gave me antibiotics for a uti. four days later i had an ultrasound, and they finally determined that it was gallstones.
so last monday, i had my gallbladder taken out. i was scared and nervous about it, but an hour and a half later i was awake and in recovery. they gave me pictures of the surgery, and it was infected and about three times the size it should have been. my incisions still hurt and i can't pick up vaughn yet. josh and my family have been nice enough to feed, dress, and change him, and put him to sleep, to give me time to rest and recover.

merry christmas to all!

2008-12-23T16:00:00.003-07:00

vaughn is getting ready to cut down mom's christmas tree

a room of vaughn's own

2008-12-07T12:17:00.006-07:00

i meant to post pictures of the nursery right after it was finished, but clearly i didn't. now instead of having to share a bed with his parents, he has his own crib. which is better for everyone. he can use his favorite blanket and i'm not squished against the wall from him scooting over to be right next to me. he's getting a tooth, and so he hasn't been sleeping very well. but we keep giving him frozen bananas, ibuprofen, and chilled teething rings. he had a 6 month check-up last week and is growing well, and got four shots in his legs.

halloween in ann arbor

2008-11-05T09:37:00.006-07:00

this past weekend josh, vaughn and i drove up to ann arbor to surprise rachel for her halloween party. it turned out not to be much of a surprise since eli and trey both gave it away. the house was spookily decorated (with ghosts, mice, bats, spiders, and snakes)when i got there, so all that was really left to do was help a little with food preparation. even though i was originally assigned the cheese mummy, catherine stole it from me while i was feeding vaughn. so the only thing that i really helped with was the carmel fountain, the boo bugs, and the lanterns (which mom told me were not meant to have candles in them, just twinkle lights). so i guess we were lucky not to have them melt on rachel's driveway. we played halloween pictionary and decorated sugar skulls. you can see more pictures of the party on rachel's web album.

if you give a vaughn a cookie

2008-11-05T09:27:00.002-07:00

he will put it in his mouth

off to ohio

2008-10-04T09:55:00.002-06:00

last weekend, vaughn and i went to visit catherine. i left friday afternoon, and for the most part, vaughn was really well behaved. then after i decided to stop for dinner, he decided he was going to scream for 45 minutes straight. nothing would calm him down, not singing, music or being rocked in the car seat. when he finally did stop crying i thought he was dead. but we finally got to catherine's and i put him to sleep.
saturday we went to lehman's. i was really excited to go there, and had to contain myself from buying one of everything. i got a few toys for christmas presents and a cake pan, but there was several other things that i really wanted. after that we went to the amish table for lunch and tried some peanut butter whip (marshmallow topping and peanut butter) which tastes like scotch-a-roos. we watched some poirot mysteries and i got some stitching done, and took some cute pictures of vaughn with his aunt catherine.

sad face

2008-10-01T09:54:00.002-06:00

this picture was taken this past weekend when vaughn and i went to visit catherine. i'm not sure why he was upset.

a solid start

2008-09-21T17:04:00.002-06:00

so it's been over a month since i've posted, and i should be better since i can just post pictures and that counts according to catherine. last week i decided that vaughn was old enough to start solids, so we gave him some rice in formula. he did really well, and since then he's had oatmeal, peaches, bananas, applesauce, sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas. he seems to like peaches a lot. but doesn't have any dislikes yet. i thought that he'd sleep longer during the night, but we are still getting up in the wee hours to feed him.

sir smiles-a-lot

2008-08-08T10:11:00.003-06:00

vaughn has been smiling a lot lately, and even been letting me capture it on camera:

2 month update

2008-07-30T18:59:00.007-06:00

last week vaughn turned two months old. we took him to the doctor and he got some immunizations (which he hated), but at least he's protected from whooping cough. he's up to 12 lbs, 4 oz and is 22 inches long. he rolls over from tummy to back when he's propped up on his arms, and is smiling a lot more.

i went back to work last week, and i'm getting back into the hang of it. i hate leaving vaughn everyday, i feel like i'm abandoning him. i know that josh takes good care of him while i'm gone, but it still makes me sad.

fun with pants

2008-07-20T08:26:00.002-06:00

pope silas and sister mary ellis

racing snails

2008-07-17T04:57:00.003-06:00

silas turned three yesterday, and bridget gave him, emmet, and vaughn little wooden snails to race. since the babies couldn't really use them, josh and silas made sure that they all worked properly:

silas put in a full day yesterday. he helped bridget weed around the house and pruned some trees with me. he even helped mom and dad rake and bale hay.

smiling baby

2008-07-16T18:50:00.003-06:00

last week mom got vaughn to smile (a real smile) for the first time! although this morning he was smiling the same way without any encouragement, so i'm not sure if it wasn't just a coincidence.

inna cack

2008-07-13T09:39:00.002-06:00

when catherine went to michigan a few weekends ago she introduced eli to a new phrase. he threw his diaper in the space between the bed and wall, and catherine said, 'oh no, you threw it in the crack.' he thought this was hilarious and now tries to get in any small space he can and then yells, 'inna cack'. i saw this first hand at the reunion:

even more family

2008-07-12T15:34:00.003-06:00

last weekend mom, vaughn, and i packed up the blazer and drove to pennsylvania for our first family reunion at my great aunt carol's farm. it was overcast, but the rain didn't start until we picked up catherine in ohio. i stupidly offered to drive the last leg of the trip. it instantly turned dark and the skies opened and pelted us with rain. catherine shared a bed with me and vaughn and she even made his 3 am bottle.

eli came into our room to play with catherine and vaughn the next morning. orrin and trey set up a tent so the little boys could go 'camping'.

mom and silas played lawn dice and drew with sidewalk chalk. my aunts emily and anne helped me with vaughn for most of the weekend, (emily and catherine even woke up at four in the morning to see if i needed any help) though with five little boys, if i wasn't holding vaughn there was another baby to play with. catherine, aunt emily, lindy and i drove to carol's neighbor's to watch the fireworks. it wasn't very windy so the fireworks were going off in the smoke. it was strange, but also interesting because it felt like watching a battle with cannons firing.

a whole lotta family

2008-07-08T19:06:00.003-06:00

sunday after we moved home, we went to logansport so josh's family could meet vaughn. he met his great-grandparents and great uncle tom and aunt rena.

wednesday he met his uncle billy and soon-to-be aunt melanie

on thursday we left for the reunion in PA, but first we went to aunt deidre's to show off vaughn

the reunion post is coming soon!

back home again in indiana

2008-07-07T17:43:00.003-06:00

sorry for the lack of posts lately, we've been preoccupied with the move. josh's parents came out and managed to load almost all of our stuff in dad's trailer (the grill was left behind). we stayed in a hotel thursday night and left early on friday. we made it to omaha in ten hours after several stops to feed and change vaughn. he was very good, falling asleep in his car seat and only crying when he really needed something. on saturday we made even better time and in eleven hours we made it to the farm. vaughn met his other grandfather, and we just unpacked the essentials that night.

sunday we semi-unpacked the trailer with josh's family and dad used the forklift to move our clothes and other boxes upstairs. we have our "deluxe apartment" set up upstairs and have continued our house hunting.

mother (and baby) care package

2008-06-10T13:59:00.002-06:00

yesterday when i picked up the mail, there was a package from my thoughtful sister catherine!
she had sent me all my favorite things. frappuccinos (since i couldn't have them when i was pregnant), milkduds for when josh and i went to the movies, mags to read when i had the time, indy jones 1 and 3 (the good ones), a big bag of mars mini candy bars, and jungle onsies for vaughn. he was very excited and may even put on a fashion show later. thanks for all the goodies, trink!
mom left on sunday morning, and although we all miss her, i think we've been managing alright without her. vaughn missing her singing, i miss her company, and josh missing her cooking and cleaning (now he has to do both). today we packed three whole boxes! it's slow going, especially since one of us is usually holding vaughn, but i think we should be done by moving day.

vaughn's first bath

2008-06-06T20:42:00.005-06:00

we decided that vaughn needed a bath today, so we got some soft towels and washed him in the kitchen sink. we filmed the event, but he cried the whole time, so we thought it best not to post it. but here's a picture of josh combing his hair afterward. in addition to the bath he had a very busy day. we went to get his birth certificate, and out to his very first restaurant. he even went on his first shopping trip to the mall. we took this picture outside the health department building. there are also pictures of me, josh, and vaughn, but we are getting them developed now, so i'll probably post them tomorrow.

belly button premonition

2008-06-04T17:16:00.007-06:00

yesteday morning when josh woke up, he said "i had a dream that vaughn's umbilical cord was bleeding." then when we changed his diaper, it fell off! mom also told us that she had a similar dream. not me, i don't know what i dreamt. but here is the new button:

we went to a lactation class yesterday, although i think i was the only person that actually needed any help. the other women just weighed their babies, nursed them, weighed them again, then left. i thought it would be more like a class and they would teach us different nursing positions and give us tips and other information to make nursing easier. the nurse that was helping me was quite annoying, but at least i did get some free stuff out of it.

after that we went to the spice shop and got some chai mix, tomato powder, and onyx cocoa powder to make 'black-out cake,' along with some other spices that make the apartment smell like the spice islands. mom is only here for two more days, and i will really miss her when she's gone. josh and i have been very spoiled by her. not only is she a nanny and house keeper, she is also a part-time photographer.

for more baby pictures (i know that's why most of you check this blog now), please visit the web album. (link on top right)

new nanny, new pics

2008-06-01T17:26:00.006-06:00

mamsis flew in on friday, and we all went to the airport to pick her up. she instantly fell in love with vaughn. since her arrival, she's been cleaning, cooking, and making sure vaughn is taken care of.

mom and vaughn

thinking baby (for catherine)

the grandparents cometh

2008-05-28T20:18:00.004-06:00

bill and deb (josh's parents) flew in last night to see vaughn. this freed us up to take naps, do some laundry, and get the dog ready for her trip to indiana. but since now i am allowed to just post pictures, here they are (and even a long awaited mommy and baby pic):

snugling with mom

doing yoga

getting a diaper change from dad

home again, home again

2008-05-27T14:50:00.003-06:00

we came home to our messy apartment last night and tried to get everything situated for the baby. we were just changing him on the beds, and it was working pretty well until 1:30 this morning when he shot pee all over the comforter. that lead to the construction of a changing table out of two plastic totes and two blankets. it looks pretty good, and works even better. it's higher than a counter, so it's easier to change him without bending over. the dog isn't quite sure what to make of him. she's been growling when she hears people outside on the stairs, and is quick to check on him when he cries. we went to the pediatrician this morning; he did not like his exam, but is just as he should be. he's sleeping better too, and even has a snuggle buddy.

announcing baby Vaughn Charles!

2008-05-25T21:20:00.008-06:00

my water broke last night about midnight. i decided to try to go back to sleep, but woke up about every half an hour with contractions. at 7 we started timing them, then called the doctor at 8.

unfortunately, since we weren't expecting him so soon, we didn't have any bags packed. so that delayed us getting to the hospital a little, but we arrived around 9:15 and in three hours he was born. he weighed 7lb 6 oz, 19 3/4 inches long and has a full head of hair.

what i've been working on the last six months

2008-05-19T18:13:00.003-06:00

it's only taken six months to finish it, but here it is, susan's rug sqaure:

in other news, i went to the doctor last friday. weight gain is good, blood pressure perfect, strep negative, and the baby's dropped a little. but i don't think he'll be here soon.

another day of incubation

2008-05-14T18:46:00.003-06:00

i went to the doctor last week and things are moving right along. my doctor is out of town for the next two weeks, so i have to hold him in until then (doctor's orders). i seem to be hungry all the time now, and standing all day at work is getting harder too. but josh takes care of the dog and does the dishes and brings me chocolate and other food that i want, so it's not all bad. i go to the doctor again on friday, so i'll try to post updates.

everyone likes sugar and fat

2008-05-08T20:29:00.002-06:00

today after my doctor's appointment i decided that i wanted pie. so i made a sugar cream pie. josh had never had it before so i gave him a slice when he got home from work. after finishing the first piece, he imitated silas and eli and said 'mo? but a bigger piece this time?' i guess it was a hit.

One month to go!

2008-05-05T23:03:00.003-06:00

today is the eight month mark. only thirty days left if he comes on his due date (7% chance of happening).

april showers (part two)

2008-05-03T10:16:00.007-06:00

two weeks ago, my work pals threw a baby shower for me. we played 'guess the nursery rhyme' and baby gift bingo, and which melted candy bar is in the diaper (i scored perfectly on this one). some of the guests would smell the diapers which was really funny to see. we had chocolate cake with whipped cream icing and little rattle shaped candies.

after the party, josh and i packed up the dog and drove to lusk, wyoming on the way to mount rushmore. we had an easy drive up there, and got there early sunday morning. it wasn't crowded, so we did get some pictures with just us and the giant heads. the heads seemed small from the ground, but not when you remember that they are 60 feet tall. the brochure that they gave us told us all about the workers (no deaths during construction), the construction (it took 14 years), and why each of the presidents were chosen. washington represents the birth of the nation, jefferson represents expansion, roosevelt represents development, and lincoln represents preservation.

this baby is getting on my nerve

2008-04-24T19:59:00.002-06:00

so i think i've been pretty good about not complaining or being annoying pregnant (some may disagree). but for the past week, the baby has been sitting on my left sciatic nerve and it hurts to walk. sometimes he scoots to the other side, so the right side hurts instead. i think he's laughing at me in there.

april showers (part one)

2008-04-20T18:51:00.006-06:00

i went home two weeks ago to see the family, go house hunting, and have a baby shower thrown for me. my mother and sisters and aunt did a fantastic job. everything was beautifully decorated and the food was de-licious! i didn't take any pictures of the party, and my designated photographer didn't get any of the food or decorations. here's one of eli wearing the laundry basket that josh's cousin gave us. i really enjoyed seeing all my friends and relatives. josh and i thought that we would leave most of the stuff at home since we'd just have to move it back at the end of june. it was hard to decide what the baby would need during the first couple of weeks, but i think that we did a pretty good job.

the rest of the visit was pretty uneventful. we looked at a few houses, but i was pretty discouraged. i want something cute and interesting, but everything is boring and boxy. it was fun to spend time with my family. we moved the chickens outside into the crv. and eli practiced his chicken wrangling. here rachel is trying to give the chickens watermelon, and this is right before eli gets his foot stuck in the railing and falls on his head. it was so sad.

but helping mom make french fries cheered him up.

bright copper kettles

2008-03-27T12:53:00.006-06:00

my friend courtney came out to see me last week and the one thing she wanted to see was the coors brewery. so we drove to golden and took the tour. it was a little confusing because the tour wasn't in order from start to finish, but they had helpful pictures to remind you which step you were looking at. the brew kettles were my favorite because they were so big and shiny. this is a picture of the malting barley. we learned that keystone is not the spilled beer that's mopped up and squeezed into cans, it just uses less hops, which accounts for its cost coors light and keystone light are the most popular beers and make up 95% of sales. at the end of the tour we got to see the packaging, but laverne and shirley were no where to be found. courtney still sang the song.

then came the sampling! we were each allowed three beers, and although courtney could have had six, she only had two. i'm sure beers drinkers everywhere are disappointed.

happy anniversary to me!

2008-03-23T16:13:00.003-06:00

last tuesday was my second year anniversary. thanks to mamsis, trink, rachel, bridget, carol, bill and deb, paps and naws and grandpa p for all the cards and e-mails. i had to work but afterwards we went to dinner at landry's. here's a picture of the flowers josh got me:

from ireland to colorado

2008-03-13T16:46:00.002-06:00

with a short stay in minnesota. this arrived today (the booties came earlier) in the mail:

for those of you on the edge of your seats, i don't have gestational diabetes. i guess that means i can have all the sugar i want!!

fakin' it

2008-03-06T14:17:00.003-07:00

i've been craving cappuccino blasts from baskin robbins, and although it's a short 10 minute drive to the closest one, i can't justify the gas or the $3 for something i can make at home. it was pretty good for a first attempt, and i even finished it with whipped cream and cinnamon on top. perhaps i'll use my days off to perfect it. as a side note for catherine, they've 'improved' the daiquiri ice, and it's terrible. like a lime popsicle. i suppose i need to start trying to duplicate that as well.
in other food related news, i made chocolate chip cookies the other day, and josh and i have almost finished them. probably not the smartest thing to do before my glucose tolerance test, but oh well. i'm hoping everything is fine not just because i don't want gestational diabetes, but so i don't have to drink anymore nasty orange glucola.

curse of the phone book

2008-02-23T19:15:00.003-07:00

we get a lot of phone books on our doorstep. we don't even use them so today we took the four that we had in the apartment, plus the one that's been sitting outside for the past month and a half down to be recycled. this was about 10 am. when josh left for work at 12:30, what was sitting outside our door? TWO PHONE BOOKS!!! how did they know we just got rid of 5? we'll just leave this one outside so they know we don't need anymore.

roundhouse kick to the face

2008-02-21T08:36:00.002-07:00

i was reading online that someone can hear the baby's heartbeat now by putting their ear to the tummy in a quiet room. last night i was telling josh this, and asked if he wanted to try. he asked me "what if i get kicked?" and i told him that the baby doesn't kick at night. turns out he does, and josh got kicked in the face. but he did hear the heartbeat, so i guess it was worth it.

after two failed deliveries, i finally went and picked up my clothes from ups. only two things don't fit and i can take them back to the store, instead of having to ship them back. looks like i'll be going shopping tomorrow.

four months and closing

2008-02-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

i finally broke out the maternity clothes to mark the five month mark. bridget sent me some clothes and mom got me some pants for christmas. i even used the gift cards my mother-in-law gave me for some more stuff. depending on how well everything fits, there may be a fashion show!

packages galore

2008-01-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

yesterday i got three packages! one was from my mother-in-law that had a sweatshirt, jerky and baby clothes. and my sister bridget sent me maternity clothes, baby clothes, hand knit booties, work out videos and even a burned CD from Silas! i'm listening to it right now, and am impressed with his computer skills. the 'bideos' must be helping. looking at all the baby clothes got me really excited to dress him up, but thinking about how long i really makes me realize how impatient i am. come on june!

workout buddy

2008-01-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

i started working out (this morning makes five days in a row) since it's supposed to be good for me. today i realized that the baby is kicking me almost the whole time i'm on the treadmill, like he's running with me. at least he doesn't kick me when i'm sleeping.

a morning at the stock show

2008-01-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

on friday we went to the national western stock show. we went mostly to see the miniature herefords, but we also saw some stock dogs, yaks, and bison. since it was almost the end of the show, there weren't a lot of animals left in the stock yard. there is a catwalk that you can see down into all the pens, instead of just walking through. the stock dog competition was neat to see. although josh thought it was slow going, and we had to try to figure out where the cattle were supposed to go. i'm sure it would be easier with a larger herd and more dogs. three to one was slow. one of the dogs got stepped on and had to stop.
after we walked through the stockyards for a little while, we accidentally went into the staging area of the barns. we were mostly in the way since we were trying to look at the animals, and everyone else was trying to get their animals ready for the show. so we went to the stadium and found seats. i discovered that i would be a bad stock judge. all the calves i liked best usually placed third or fourth. i guess that's because i liked the stocky, dark ones, and the judge liked the thinner ones with a more feminine gait. it felt more like 4-h since the judge had to explain how he placed each calf. the exhibitors came in all ages and dress: some kids and some adults, some in jeans and button down shirts, one girl in a down vest and long sleeved tee. it was strange i thought. but the calves were cute, probably because they were so small.
after i got bored (and irritated with the judge) we walked around the booths and stalls. most were crafts and food stuffs, but i did pick up some brochures for some head gates and feeders and a crew cab semi truck to share with dad next time i see him.

Spoiler Alert!!!

2008-01-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

i was supposed to have an ultrasound this morning at my doctor's office, but they called yesterday to say the machine was broken and wouldn't be fixed for a few days. so i could wait until it was fixed, or go down the street to the hospital to have it done. after six phone calls and a trip to the doctor to get a permission slip, i finally got my ultrasound done. everything looks good, and my due date is still june 5th.
here's the arm:

and the feet:

and the penis:

giant painting, giant barn

2008-01-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

yesterday, i convinced josh to drive me to the sunflower state. i was mostly motivated to check kansas off my states to visit, but i did want to see this giant reproduction of van gogh's sunflowers. the easel is 80 feet high, and that's a tiny me in the lower right corner. we also went to the prairie museum of art and history. the museum itself was a little hodge-podge. there was a giant doll collection (giant as in many dolls, not large dolls), stamps, toys, and glass. it was donated by a local couple. we also got to see a sod house, a one room school house, and the largest barn in kansas. the inside was all wooden stalls, and the upstairs was used for dances.

in more personal news, i felt the baby kick the other day at work, which was exciting. i can feel it about twice a day, if i really think about it. my pants are getting tighter, so i may have to break down and start wearing materniny pants. i got some clothes from mamsis and i need to go shopping for some more. when i was making dinner, i was halving the recipe since it's just the two of us. the recipe called for 1 egg yolk, so i just figured i'd throw the whole thing in. but when i cracked the egg, it was a double yolker! a lame story, i know, but that's pretty much what's going on around here.

diabetic coma

2007-12-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

there was a note in our mailbox monday that said we had a package in the office. unfortunately, the office was closed when i got home. and since the next day was christmas, and i forgot about it wednesday, we didn't get the package until thursday. we actually got two packages: one from my aunt carol, and one from josh's aunt filled with prezzies. guess which one josh opened first?

At the zoo (and later the farm)

2007-12-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

in addition to shopping and baking, we went to the zoo. this was quite a feat since the babies took up most of the seats in the sub. mamsis got us all shakes (egg nog for me, yummy) so the trip was made easier by consuming sugar and fat. unfortunately, the elephants and rhinosaurs don't like snow, so we only got to see ocean and desert animals. when we were entering the aquarium, there was a sign that said "shark petting tip: use two fingers." what a weird sign we all thought. turns out there was a pool with dog sharks that you could "pet." i think silas touched one or two, but eli was a little more reluctant and his arms were a little too short. we also saw seahorses in cylindrical tanks and penguins swimming under the floor between the tanks.
the dolphin exhibit had also been remodeled so you could walk underneath the pool and look up. it was like being in an underwater greenhouse with 6 in glass walls. we also went to the desert exhibit which had a really neat meerkat enclosure. there were pipes with cut-out and underground windows so you could see them in the tunnels. the snakes were next and you can see mom and silas imitating them.
besides giving me a cold. the babies were a lot of help around the farm. they helped feed the goats and calves every day and then helped collect eggs. when we'd come inside silas would insist on washing the eggs.
eli even helped dad and mom feed the cows.
they also helped decorate the christmas tree. ellis helped by breaking and ornament over the living room and silas arranged eight ornaments on three branches. these were about the only branches he could reach, so it wasn't bad for a first try. for more cute pictures see the web album.

he's so cute, except for his giant wiener

2007-12-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

i flew home last week to attend my grandmother's funeral. it was nice to see everyone, although it was a solemn occasion. unfortunately we didn't get a lot of time to visit due to the weather.
i did get to spend a week at the farm baby wrangling (which resulted in a cold) and baking cookies. rachel got some 3-d rudolph the reindeer cookie cutters so we tried making those. most of them came out really well, although some of the legs (and a head) broke before we could put them together. (this is where the title comes from) bridget just kept talking about wieners after rachel put together sam the snowman. can you guess which one mom decorated?
i went to the doctor yesterday. bp is good and i've only gained four pounds. (which i was told isn't a lot) and heard the heart beat, though the baby kept kicking the machine.

maternity hotel

2007-12-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

yesterday morning josh and i went on a birth center tour of the nearby hospital. the hospital is only four years old so everything is still relatively new and shiny. the maternity center is really nice. there are locked doors and you have to be buzzed in, which reminds me of the psych ward at home hospital. all the giant rooms have mountain views, a recliner, and a pull out sofa for people to spend the night (one room even has it's own jacuzzi, and there is a second one for everyone else). there is also a 'baby care station' in each room so the baby never has to leave the room except for pediatrician visits. and mom, dad, and baby are all tagged and baby has a security tag that goes off if he gets too close to the doors or the regular tags are tampered with. there is also operating rooms in the center so you don't have to go all the way down to the regular OR for a c-section. a chef prepares the meals and you can order them pretty much whenever you like! i was really impressed with this place, even though the tour seemed a little like a commercial. plus they have player piano, which i think may be the deciding factor.

my subconscious is working on it

2007-11-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

about a month ago, catherine and i were trying to find a book that she had when she was little. we couldn't remember what it was called, just what the cover looked like and the plot. there's no database we could find that would let you search by plot. (well there is one, but it's not helpful at all). somehow, i remembered what it was called and i felt very proud of myself.
today, we were trying to remember the title of a book about a monster that moves to a new neighborhood, but none of her neighbors will come and visit her. we searched monster, neighbors, and anything else we could think of that would be key words. finally i told catherine that i'd call her when i remembered it. and about 15 minutes later, i remembered three of the four title words. it's nice to know that your brain works on recovering that information even when you are thinking about something completely different or nothing at all. so good job brain! does anyone else (besides catherine) know what the title is?

Hunger pains will go away on happy turkey day

2007-11-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

i spent most of the afternoon baking and cooking our thanksgiving feast. we had the usual fare: turkey with a honey bbq glaze, stuffing, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and cinnamon rolls. we were going to have cranberry sauce, but i forgot it in the fridge, like always. i'll just have some with my turkey sandwich tonight. we haven't had our pie yet, but we'll have that as soon as there's room in our tummies. everything was really good, and since i made a schedule everything was done at the same time. josh helped with most of it, but commented that the rolls needed more cinnamon sugar. next year he can make them. hopefully everyone had a nice holiday with good food and good company.

finally, a post!

2007-11-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

i do realize that it's been a looooong time since i've posted, but i do have a good reason. i've been feeling sick and sleepy all day every day for almost two months now, and suprisingly neither of these things made me want to post. as you may have guessed, i'm pregnant! i'm due on june 5th, which is also eli's birthday so mom might be lucky and have two grandkids with the same birthday. we're also planning on moving back to indiana after the baby is born so most of the family won't have to travel so far to see us.

snow in october

2007-10-21T17:40:00.000-06:00

this is what i woke up to this morning:

it is supposed to be 74 on wednesday, so i have to enjoy it while i can. my plan for the rest of the day? hot chocolate and movies.

balloon fiesta or bust?

2007-10-09T08:19:00.000-06:00

bust. sunday morning we left at 5 am to drive 6 hours to new mexico for the hot air balloon festival. i had done some research that said they were launching some balloons at 7 am, and i knew we weren't going to make that. but we'd be able to walk around, go to the museum and see the balloons up close. (they let you walk through the launching field when the balloons and grounded.)
we got there a little after 11am to find that the parking lots were almost completely empty and people were leaving the park. not only were the entry gates closed, but there was not one balloon in the sky. i couldn't believe that they are closed during lunchtime. you'd think that the vendors would sell the most when people were waiting for launches. or that they'd have balloons in the sky all day to draw more of a crowd. so i was very upset to have driven all that way for nothing, and wasting a perfectly good sunday. needless to say i will not be going back. we should have gone to roswell instead. the aliens are probably available all day.

how stupid can one person be?

2007-10-08T22:56:00.000-06:00

i've had some very frustrating days at work lately. people are impatient and we have a lot of new staff so it takes longer to fill a script than it really should. luckily there are some ridiculous people to make me laugh at my job, and a blog on which i can vent. here's some highlights:

(on the phone)
me: may i help you?
man: the viagra you gave me doesn't work. it is possible you gave me fakes or ones from mexico?
me: no, we get them from pfizer
man: who?
me: the manufacturer
man: the samples from my doctor always work, is there anyway you can test them?
me: no sir, we don't have the equipment for that. (here ends the conversation)

(lady in the store)
me: can i help you?
lady: yes, i need some crutches
me: we have some for sale, but we don't rent them (i pre-empt with this because most people don't want to buy them). they are just around the corner
lady: i want to rent some (what did i just say?)
me: sorry, we only rent them

we had an intern(she was in her last year of school on rotations) a few weeks ago, and she didn't know how to spell some of the drugs. on the left is what she wrote, the right the correct drug.
superdox=ciprodex
voltram=ultram or voltaren (we had to call the md)
methylin=medrol
atavert=antivert
once we ordered panera for lunch and she accidentally ate someone else's sandwich. she didn't realize it until it was completely eaten. the sandwich she ate: turkey. what she ordered: tuna salad.

we once had a lady pull up to the drive-thru to buy a cane. clearly this will not fit through the chute. people think they can get their pictures through the drive thru, too. and sadly, i've had people ask me how to use rectal suppositories (one guy was going to swallow it, i'm sure). perhaps i am being a little mean, (and i know i probably shouldn't have gone into retail) but sometimes i can't help it. and it makes me giggle, but it may only be funny to me.

I'm going (I went) to Jackson

2007-10-02T22:12:00.000-06:00

my aunt susan was kind enough to host me for the weekend in jackson, wy. (which means i have another pin to add to my collection, in addition to the pittsburg one carol sent me) but more importantly, i got to see susan! the (eight hour) trip was long, but uneventful. i even managed to shave 1/2 and hour off the estimated drive time. it's amazing how few cars there are on the road at 4 am. we spent friday afternoon doing a little shopping in downtown jackson. after a yummy chicken pesto pizza, we went to see the bison up close.
saturday we got up early and drove to yellowstone. there were some elk near the road, and we got to hear the creepy bugling. it looked as though two were going to fight, so susan and i chanted 'fight, fight, fight' but to no avail (we didn't really chant). we tried to see old faithful, but there was this slow poke rv in front of us so we just saw the end of it. but we went to west thumb (in the park) and saw some beautiful geyser pools. the steam was rolling off the water, and the fishing cone was at a full boil. the legend says that you can catch a fish in the lake, and turn and cook it in the 'fishing cone'. this is the abyss pool, the deepest of them.
sunday we played with the wii. we played a cooking game, which was very frustrating because i kept smashing the eggs, burning the meat, and breaking the custard. in all fairness, the directions weren't all that great, susan and i burned about 4 dishes before we realized we were supposed to take it off the heat. then we played some sports. the tennis was my favorite the armless, legless mii's would jump around and roll on the court.

death to the vcr

2007-09-27T08:07:00.001-06:00

i tried to tape the season premier of 'avatar' on friday since i wasn't going to be here. i even had to get out the manual to figure out how to set the timer. i was more than disappointed to find that it didn't work. the stupid vcr taped some weird show that i had never even heard of (which is surprising given how much tv i watch). i may just have to give in and buy a tivo, although i hear those have some recording problems as well.