thank you

to my honey for being super daddy today and giving me the teensy me-break i really needed. it worked out beautifully that on my day to do things for me it was also a delicious 85 degrees. long walk with baxter. "long" run by myself (almost 2 miles kids, woo woo!). stretching and yogurt on the patio. then the biggest treat was a girls on the run volunteer appreciation party. such a good day. now tonight i will renew cuddling my little bug of a boy, tickling his toes, kissing his cheeks, singing my made-up songs to lullaby tunes to which i do not know the words, teaching him things he can't possibly understand and logging it all in my memory so that when he is running circles around me soon i will remember these early, cuddly days. daddy is at a work function so we get the whole evening to play to our hearts content!
-photo by daddy-

un-glamorous

so, while most of my banter is all about how i totally love love LOVE being a mom and its all hearts and candy and angels and wonderfulness (and it is)....there are some humorous, less than glamorous aspects of it that make it a little more "reality-tv" sometimes than my posts let on (and I do love all these aspects too....they just seem to get filtered out).....

-that secret spew of baby-puke that happened while i was burping my petey, all down my back but i didn't notice it until a few minutes later when it cooled off and soaked into my shirt. gotta love THAT feeling, right?

-that "oh-my-gosh-i-don't-know-why-you-are-so-mad" feeling you get when the bambino is crying his face off and nothing you do helps so you just give up, cuddle him in tight, do the mommy-bounce, fanny-pat and "shushhhhh" thing over and over and over and let him cling to you so he knows it'll be alright. and you wish he could talk and just TELL you what the problem is.
five bucks on teething, right here.
note: i know i'll eat my words when he CAN talk someday soon and doesn't STOP telling me what the problem is. :) i'm trying to focus on cherishing each stage....

-that feeling of panic when you're out in public and its about time for the petey-poo to have a lunch break but you're in the middle of checking out at the grocery store and you suddenly feel that tingly/creepy feeling like your body knows its time to feed the kiddo and you can't ignore it any longer......and the sometimes embarassing display of your magical abilities to feed your child without him even being involved. lovely. grab a loaf of bread and finish your shopping with it strategically placed in the nook of your arm.

-i think my biggest struggle at the moment is wanting to run. and run. and run.....but petey is too little to ride in a jogger yet (especially one that I don't own yet) and he's certainly too little to babysit himself yet (and i'm pretty sure baxter babysitting is not an option since he threw up yesterday and ate his own vomit - after rei stepped in it while getting ready for work-, that's not exactly someone you want caring for your infant)....and reid works hard and looong......so for now i get to walk.
and next week when the dreaded day comes that i go back to work and leave my petey with our friend emily during the days, the one silver lining i am clinging to is that i'll be able to run and run and run on my lunch break. hopefully my lungs and legs will be able to keep up with my soul's longing to just RUN. a smile is creeping across my face just thinking about it.

our first journey: part II

petey was a peach on the plane.
he got to meet his second set of great grandparents in Rockford
and his aunts and uncles and cousins on the "other" side of the family
and saw snow for the first time - LOTS of snow....
and rode Grandma Simpson's rocking horse
and watched Grandpa Simpson play with his slot cars - which he set up for Petey's visit (so what if he may not care about them until he's two).....

we're looking forward to going back when its warmer and we can play outside!

a bit late

going on strike

ok. not sure why it took me this long to figure it out.
i'm going on strike from using snapfish.
forever.

walgreens.com allows you to download photos to your computer for free.
snapfish.com CHARGES you money to download photos to your computer.
even if they are your photos that you put on snapfish in the first place.

so.
from now on, walgreens.com it is!
free = better.

growing so fast

our first journey: part I

what a wonderful trip so far!

a first plane ride (that was very sleepy and cuddly, thank you petey!)

playing and wiggling and cooing with grandma and grandpa nannen

meeting aunt bethany, aj, maddie and heaps and heaps of loving, wonderful great-aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time - not to mention meeting BOTH sets of great grandparents!

lego tinkering, plane flying and general romping in the yard with aj.

twittering and fritting about the house, dancing around in elegant nightgowns and loving on baby petey by maddie.

a red velvet cake-baking project with the kiddos.

watching 'cousin joel' play hockey in pekin

a wonderful valentines day/welcome petey party put on by grandma and grandpa nannen

a hilarious memory of reid-the-valiant-mouse-warrior made in the middle of the

night

lots of cuddling on the couch with aunt briana

aunt ellyn giving petey a bottle and meeting uncle mattie for the first time

a few trips to rockford memorial to play in great grandma jan's room. she enjoyed lots of entertainment from petey-poo to pass the time! and petey got to meet great (great?) grandma lula too. :)

and now we're here parked at grandma simpson's house for a fun part II of the trip!

grandpa simpson is already trying to teach petey how to perfect his morning dove call. its amusing....

more on Valentines Day

this is a GREAT idea.....a must do. Will have to see if we can:
a) locate some supplies (we're going to Hopedale, this could be tricky)
b) get AJ and Maddie in on it
but more on this later, for now its time to grab up my little man and hop in the car. :) off to the airport!

here we go

we're off to IL tomorrow.....hoping to see lots of you in the next week!
petey is not so sure how he feels about a day of traveling...
he's ready for the cold weather though! (even if he does look like Randy from The Christmas Story in his super-duper big warm outfit!)

tummy time

i love how he balances on his buddha belly with his arms and legs waggling all around. :)
wouldn't be surprised if he was rolling over soon! (this video was last week)

ready, set, go!

~my tummy is topsy turvy over the thought of moving...excitement and nauseous all at the same time! we haven't decided for sure, but found a cutsie little place we're considering.
~my heart is jumping over hopping on a plane and landing in the middle of the state we call home.
~my tiny boy is squeeling as he watches his mobile float round above his head
his legs kick and his arms wave as he watches the magic of it happen.
~our favorite sweaters and cold weather gear are gathering in a pile on the bed, ready for packing.
~my pup is watching nervously from the couch, never moving his head but catching every single move of mine as his eyes follow me and his ears twitch...he knows a big trip is in the making.
~my soul is overflowing, so very grateful that we get to spend the next TEN days surrounded by those that we love - and so very glad that all those people will be loving on my little man around the clock.

our day

wakeup/feeding petey
meeting with San Diego Girls on the Run about volunteering
petey vaccination appointment
almost died from seeing my boy cry real tears for the first time - and felt the pit of my stomach rotting for the next 30 minutes for putting him through that.
its for the best.
but still.....
kissed reid goodbye as we walked in the door and he headed out the door for work
lots of feeding and changing and cuddling the petey-poo post-vaccinations which included a major blow-out all over the kitchen rug. truly amazing.
first Girls on the Run event at 4S Ranch - 18 amazing young girls. so great.
figuring out if we're moving to a new/bigger/cheaper place or not. i want to and don't. blah.
more feeding and cuddling and talking to petey. he has a teensy bit of a fever. yet he still finds the ability to coo and smile at me as he's falling asleep. i mean, really smile at ME....and melts my heart.

productive.
but more importantly.
a new level of oh-i-am-so-smitten-i-would-do-anything-for-this-boy was reached today.
so this is what it feels like to be a mother.

THIS is blustery.

indeed, in southern california, i just ran outside in a frenzy with whatever shoes were closest to rescue my patio table umbrella after seeing my neighbors go flying across her yard. it is windy. it is cold. it is rainy.
this is making it much easier to live our little socal "paradise" on thursday to head to illinois, knowing we're not leaving behind lovely weather. problem is, we're following THIS weather to the east, so we'll probably see it again. blech!
we've been so spoiled here, forgive me - all of you who live where it is like this or worse for months on end. here's a picture from our trip to hawaii earlier this year - makes me feel a tiny bit warmer remembering that lovely getaway we shared.

much love and see you soon in the midwest!

so in love with:

this baby...
yes, for sure this baby.












THIS store - lululemon (something in it is my 'reward' for finishing my 10K in June)...

this movie: and everyone in it. LOVE.

this man...and his yummy leather jacket with furry collar.

this crafty lady/fabulous momma and her blog and her handmade goods
(from whom i just bought a super cute diaper clutch because everyone needs one of them to keep their diapers tidy when traveling)

this new blog (and the new york lady turned ranch hand behind it) - hilarious/inspiring/informative/and just the right amount of teensy bit naughty sometimes! (read the love story of how she met her hubby...aka: marlboro man - he is C.U.T.E!)



this recipe for red velvet cake. can't wait for valentine's day which i refuse to celebrate but will bend the rules and bake a red cake on that day this year. i have to teach petey a few lessons in romance...just in case he meets a gal someday who DOES believe in valentine's day.

what are your plans for that day of lovey dovey goodness?

from "back in the day"

airline insanity

so, not only are airlines raising prices for you to bring luggage on a plane. they are raising prices for pet travel as well. when we got baxter 3 years ago it was $50 each way for your pet to ride in cabin with you UNDER the seat in front of you. he is not taking up more space than a carry on bag, mind you. the flight attendant does not bring him water. he does not get little aviator wings from the pilot or get to see the cockpit. he doesn't use a pillow and blanket nor does he ever visit the bathroom on the plane. and i thought $50 each way was a total crime. but i paid it as it was cheaper than boarding, i didn't have to bother my friends to take care of him - and frankly, i like bringing him along.

well, they've raised the prices for a dog to sit under the seat in front of you to $175. each way. so, if you total that insane sum of money, that is more than MY ticket cost. so, to United Airlines, I have 2 things to say:
1) so NOT cool.
2) i better get some aviator wings.
so now i am bothering my san diego friends to watch my pup again. good thing he's a loveable little ball of goodness.

thank heavens

i am going to illinois next week.
in illinois it is about 20 degrees right now.
on a warm day.
i had no pants....that fit me
....until now!
today i found the greatest trousers in the post-petey era.
and i am in love.
for twenty dollars.
so next week if you see me in illinois and i am wearing pants
(i know, imagine the alternative!),
you can thank the anthropolgie store's sidewalk sale.

play mat from greg and shannon - he loves it!

chicken wraps with parsley and arugula aioli

i made this super simple little rolled chicken sandwich with parsley and arugula aioli and it was quite awesome. you'll have to try it....mom, this means you. no more cereal for dinner when dad is traveling! and it passed the 'reid loves it' litmus test so you know its a-ok. i did leave out the lemon though. and i used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery. viola!

and just as a general announcement, today is a big day...
first, its Baxter's third birthday. woo woo!!! what a wonderful friend he is.

second, its the first day i went running since we had petey. but replace the word running with jogging. or maybe even yogging with a soft "j". it probably appeared to be something more of a trudge with great effort. but in my mind i was much more graceful and bouncy than a trudge. its good to have a goal when you describe your running as such. mine is a 5K race in 2 months, exactly. no sweat.
well, maybe a little....

was this really 6 weeks ago?

my oh my how he is growing before my very eyes. our photographer who took some amazing newborn pictures for us when petey was 1 week old just had a baby and is editing the rest of our shots...here's one she sent along today as a teaser. how precious this baby truly is.

she captured some great moments, if you are in san diego and are interested, i'd be happy to provide her contact info!

greek taco dip recipe - the happenings on our superbowl sunday

a trip to the dog park with our fabulous neighbor ron and his dog marley.












a breakfast of fresh (out of the freezer from the fall when they were baked) doughnut muffins...so good!














a trip to brian and rebel's place to enjoy the superbowl.










a plate full of delicious 'greek taco dip' from aunt kathy's fabulous appetizer recipe stash. a-mazing.


small container onion and chive cream cheese

container of garlic hummus

diced tomatoes

diced cucumber

diced black olives

crumbled feta cheese

some green onion (just the green stuff, she says!)

**serve on pita chips! stacy's are amazing, or make your own!

petey's new best friend

one of my best gals had a baby boy yesterday! he is amazing. i'm so happy for greg and shan to experience the magic that is welcoming a baby into their family! and so proud of their strength and so happy that these two wonderful, amazing and loving people will be all those things and more to this new baby boy. welcome, tommy conklin!