Friday: weeks 45-47

Isaac is still growing!  It's harder to get pictures of him some weeks...he moves too much.

week 45:

week 46:

week 47 (pajama day!  It meant he couldn't take off his socks, although he still tried a few times.)

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  It has been a week of reflection for me...and feel amazingly blessed by God.

Today we had dinner with Ben's family.  As always, Isaac was amazing.  He completely missed a nap but stayed very happy.  He seems to enjoy being around people.  (Although he was thrown off a little bit at night due to a late nap.)

Isaac thoroughly enjoyed Thanksgiving food, especially the fruit.  I went back for seconds three times!  Where does he put it all?  He also had a little bit of turkey, some mashed potatoes, and a roll.  He tried sharing his roll with his cousin, but since he had already put the piece in his mouth we discouraged it.  We'll have to work on what is appropriate to share.

With Great-grandma

Trying out his basketball moves.  Ben did a quick let go a few times and Isaac hung on to the hoop by himself. :)

Tuesday and Wednesday: quilts and stairs

I made a quilt for Grandma and we delivered it yesterday.  :)  I'm hoping it'll help cheer up her room for a little bit.

Today Isaac crawled all the way up the stairs (twice)!  I guess something just clicked because last week stairs didn't work for him at all.  Today he just scooted on up...he was chasing a can of black bean soup that I kept moving one stair higher.  

Monday: Ben and Isaac

First we have a video of Ben and Isaac doing random things.


Then today Isaac was watching Ben practice drums for quite a while.  (Also, do you know how hard it is to get a non-blurry picture of a baby and a drummer???)

Sunday: ramblings

Today was a pretty normal Sunday for us.  We went to church.  The last several weeks have been about social injustice.  The reality of how much we have, take for granted, and think we need has really hit home.

After that we bought some new shoes.  No, the irony of sitting through a church service talking about how much we have and then buying new shoes was not lost on me.  (Is irony the correct word?)  (We also made Christmas lists tonight.  I've been thinking of things all year and trying to do a better job of writing them down when I thought of them so I felt like we had longer lists (i.e., more to choose from) for once...but again, here was a list of things that I would like when I don't need any of it.)

Isaac and I took naps, Ben and I played darts, we all played together...fun times.

Saturday: water buffalos

Last week I picked up a "Silly Songs with Larry" (VeggieTales) DVD from the library.  The songs are still regularly coming back to Ben and me, including "Everybody has a water buffalo."

Today Ben sang, "Everybody has a water bottle-o" as Isaac was playing with a water bottle.  Isn't he funny. :D

Friday: happy baby

This morning I went to a little quilting thing.  There were several people there that were going to take classes or quilt all day, but with Isaac I decided just to go to the short opening meeting.

The ladies from the quilt shop held him for most of the meeting and wouldn't give him back. :)  I went up to get him once and came away empty handed.  But Isaac stayed happy and enjoyed the attention.

Thursday: racquetball

Tonight Ben and I started a three day trial at a local gym.  The only other place besides Hope that has racquetball courts.  It was really nice.  They have really nice amenities and classes.  And child care.

But they're more expensive than Hope.  And at Hope Isaac would get to see Dad and Ben more. It might be a difficult decision.

What a rough life we have. :p

Wednesday: sleep

Ah, more sleep stories from our household.

Isaac slept until almost 8am this morning.  It meant that I woke up all cheery and proceeded to talk Ben's ear off.  First we talked about my elbow that I had really banged on the door frame last night while going to check on Isaac.  It didn't bruise, but it hurts enough to feel like it should have.  Then I told him about my dream about saving a short (~2foot) person from drowning in a sink.  And this random person that thought I should be wearing more make-up.  She said she spent 45 minutes to 4 hours getting ready.  I thought that was hilarious, but she proceeded to cake on her make-up.  Then she painted her ankles with makeup.  It was with a clever paint roller that managed to get paint smoothed on even with all the bumps in ankles.

Then Isaac took a 2.5 hour nap.  He woke up after a half hour and so I had to go help. :(  We ended up napping on the couch for the rest of the time.  The couch is really comfy for sleeping with a baby.  It fits just right.

Of course, he had a hard time getting to sleep too.

Tuesday: first snow

Last night was our first snow!  There wasn't much this morning, only a dusting, but it was still the first.  I was really happy because the weather forecast didn't have any precipitation in it for the next ten day and I was sad I'd have to wait for snow.

Monday: groceries

Do you have a bored Isaac?  Give him some groceries to play with.

(This was from a month ago.)

(This was from today.  He pretty much ignored me for a half hour, even when I got down to play with him at one point.  Unless I started to put the tea bags back in the box.  Then he paid a lot of attention to me.  But I was just trying to help him so he could take them out again!)

Sunday: Bagger Daves

Today we went to Bagger Daves for lunch as it is a new burger place in town.  We figured it might take a little longer than normal because it's only been open for a few weeks, but it ended up being ridiculous.

We waited for about forty minutes, after being told it would be 20-25 minutes.  They took forever to get our order.  They took forever to bring our food.  They took forever to bring the bill.  We ended up leaving two hours after we got there.  (As always, Isaac did amazing though...he was very hungry when we sat down overdue for a nap but wasn't too cranky ever.)

But...the food was good.  Not two hours good, but still good.  We filed a complaint on the website and might go back if they're nice to us.  Once the opening rush slows down.

Saturday: racquetball

We played racquetball again today with Dad.  I took some pictures of Isaac at the gym so that if he does decide to go to Hope he can have pictures of himself there as a baby wearing his Hope socks.  I'm sure he'll care.  Maybe it'll at least be a conversation starter.

Friday: Dad's so funny II

Ben and Isaac watched the following gif last night.  http://www.quick-break.net/c/2012/09/26/Water_balloon_pops_on_squirrel.gif  (If you don't watch it, it's just a squirrel breaking a water balloon.)

Then Ben started narrating it.


I said the same thing today a few times and got the same reaction.  Apparently it was really funny.

Thursday: ahh

Yesterday it felt like for every step I took forward, I took one step backwards.

*I got dressed!  And realized that I needed to do some wash.  But I didn't do any wash.
*I laid down for a nap!  But was sleeping with Isaac because he had a little cold so didn't sleep very well.
*I got groceries!  But forgot to get the prescription at the same store.
*I made dinner!  But then the kitchen was a disaster.
*I made Isaac's dinner!  But found out that the new cottage cheese I got wasn't sealed properly.

Today was much better.  Things got accomplished.  The kitchen is cleaner.  The wash has been started.  I returned the cottage cheese only to find that the new one I got has the same problem.  I'm annoyed, but I suppose I'll survive.  It'll just be added to the errand list tomorrow. :)

Wednesday: rball

Today we got back on the racquetball courts.  Dad played with us, so whomever wasn't playing could watch  Isaac.

It was good exercise.  The first two games I played weren't very close (scorewise), but then the third one was 15-17.  I almost won.

Tuesday: election day

Isaac and I proudly displayed our "I voted" stickers.

...until Isaac tried to eat them.

Monday: a matter of perspective

Is the cat trapped behind the door?

Or are the kids held back by the door?

I think they watched each other for about five minutes...an eternity in kid time.

We also had our annual ham and squash, which for some reason I always take a picture of.

Sunday: time change

Well, we've survived one day of the time change.  Isaac slept until 7 (woo-hoo) and we ended up going to the early service at church because every was awake.  He was fighting sleep on the way home and was turning pages in his book with his eyes closed.  It was cute.

He went to sleep earlier than normal (but later than normal if the time change is taken into account).  Aunt C was babysitting him and said he did pretty well until 7pm.  We were home shortly thereafter and put him to bed.  I know...exciting news.

We also put up the dart board.  Ben and I each won a match.

Saturday: sleep

So, this morning Isaac ended up sleeping in until 8:00am (with one feeding)!  Hooray!  He's often been taking only two naps instead of three and I'm wondering if that is helping.

We are trying to slowly change Isaac's sleep schedule since Daylight Savings Ends tomorrow.  The last few days he's stayed up about fifteen minutes later and we were going to try for a half hour tonight.  Except that Isaac pretty much had a meltdown.  Ben and I have never seen him like that before...usually if we pick him up and/or do something with him he'll calm down.  But not tonight.  We skipped the bath and ended up back at his normal bedtime.

Tomorrow will be fun. :(

Friday: 44 weeks

I said last week that the heart was Isaac's favorite toy, but this week it was these jingle balls.  Originally marketed as cat toys, Flurry wanted nothing to do with them.    Isaac loves them.  It's nice because we can hear were he is and there are six of them, so they've spread through the house.  But if you give Isaac three of them he's entertained for a while since he only has two hands and keeps dropping one to pick up the third.

Trying a new pose...I'm not really a fan, but we didn't get many pictures that turned out this week.

And cuteness in a box.  Why are kids and pets so cute when they're in boxes?

Thursday: sleeping in

Today was a lovely day.  Isaac slept in until 7:17.  I think it's funny that I now consider 7:17 to be sleeping in.

Wednesday: Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Isaac learned a new trick...standing in his crib.  Needless to say, it's hard to sleep when you're standing.

We visited Dad so we could show off the shirt with more physics books and a physicist.

This shot is a bit random, but a few weeks ago a big black spider suddenly dropped down in front of my sewing machine.  (Although not as big as the one shown.)  It freaked me out a bit.

Isaac went to visit all the great-grandparents in his Halloween costume.  I forgot to get one of him by himself. Maybe tomorrow.

Tuesday: 10 months and waves

Today Isaac turned 10 months!

Here is a video of Isaac talking.  Ben played it for Isaac a few times and he would talk back to himself. :)  But I'm not sure it'll be interesting for anyone but Ben and me.


We also drove to the beach to see the waves from Hurricane Sandy.  There were tons of people that had the same idea.  The waves were large, but possibly not large enough to have warranted a trip.  The wind was cold, so we took some shelter in the lee of a little building.

Sunday: naps

One reason I love the weekends are because Ben lets me take long naps.  Yesterday it felt like I slept the morning away with a 2.5 hours nap.  (Although before hand I did get groceries and put them away.)  Today's wasn't quite as long, but still about two hours.

I've been taking my naps in the morning if possible lately.  That way if something happens in the afternoon and I don't get it, I've still taken my nap for the day.  (Or, periodically, if Isaac doesn't sleep long during his first nap there is still a chance for a second nap.)  It often feels weird going back to sleep around 8:45am, but I'm just going with it.

I often feel like I might be napping too much, but if I compare how much sleep I got pre-Isaac and post-Isaac I'm still not getting less now.  Which is fine...it helps justify all the naps that I take. :)

Saturday: basement

Weird happenings in the basement today.

1) We were getting a few more things arranged and unpacked, and we were deciding were to put the dart board.  We decide the ideal location and start measuring.  Then we notice a bunch of random holes in the wall...apparently we weren't the first to think it was a good place for a dart board.  (We'll be putting cork behind it though.)

2) Ashlyn brought over some puzzles for Isaac to play with and one of them makes sounds when you put the correct piece in the hole.  Neat.  Ben and I played with that one a while trying to figure out if we could make the wrong pieces still cause a sound.  Isaac played with it a little longer, leaving some of the pieces out.  As we were leaving the ambulance went off.  Weird.  Then Ben came out into the basement room.  As he left I turned the light out again and the ambulance went off.  And again.  And again.  Apparently one of them is extra sensitive and likes to make noise.

Friday: Weeks 41-43

Week 41:

Week 41.5, taken by Cheryl

Week 42

Week 43, the hardest week to get pictures yet.

Thursday: Isaac

Today we have a random collection of things about Isaac...and a lot of pictures.

Yesterday I got together with Betsy.  We dressed up our kids again. :)  They're pretty nice to put up with us.

Isaac does a lot of crawling in the basement.

It was a beautiful day today so I raked a few leaves.  Isaac did not seem to enjoy the leaf pile nearly as much as I thought he would.  I don't think I got one smile out of him, and usually he seems to enjoy leaves.  Maybe there were too many.

People often ask what his favorite toy is.  While he plays with lots, I think the red heart from the puzzle my dad made is the favorite.  I watched him move from thing to thing to thing this morning, but the red heart stayed in his hand the whole time.

(And an artistic shot...on accident, otherwise he would have had two eyes at least.)

He also really likes Flurry.  Flurry is not as fond of Isaac, but sometimes lets him get surprisingly close.

Books are a new favorite too.  And I can semi-confidently say that he won't put them in his mouth.  He still will once in a while, but for the most part he'll just turn the pages.

Today he started pulling himself up on the dishwasher and playing with the clean plastic spoons.  So we stayed here for about 20 minutes while he went up and down and up and down.  When the silverware was dirty he threw a fit because I wouldn't let him play with it.  He seems to be doing that more often.  Is 10 months too early for little tantrums?  At least he is still easily distracted.

Wednesday: a blast from the past

In eighth grade, we had to keep a daily journal for our English class.  I've kept some sort of journal/blog on and off since then, but once in a while end up pulling them out.  I found them again as I was unpacking this week.

Oct 24, 1995  [Eighth grade]
It was cold today!  Really cold!  We had English the 1st two hours because Miss Bouws went with her homeroom to the power plant.  In gym we watched a short video about lacrosse and then played for about 15 minutes and I had a short sleeved shirt on.  It was freezing out!!  Everybody thought so!  In math we used a spreadsheet to find some answers, and it was really neat!  Band was boring  but we got fitted for our uniforms.  I think the scale is about 5 lbs off, or I gained 5 lbs in the last month   I had piano tonight and it went OK.  Also - there was an announcement today: "There will be no depantsing people."

Oct 24, 1996
No school today!! Mom was gone also.  Nathan and I (or at least me) had a bunch of chores to do.  In the end it wasn't that bad, though.

(The rest of the years managed to skip the 24th.  But I notice that I had an exclamation point problem.)

Tuesday: rain

Oh, it rained a lot this afternoon.  Down pour.  And then a heavier down pour.  It was awesome.

Monday: boolean

Ben: arg.  My  hair seems to have a mind of its own.  It often doesn't cooperate.  (or something like that...the transition to the next statement should have worked better, but I can't remember the exact wording.)
Amanda: Like a yes/no switch.
Ben: Yeah, a Boolean.  I have Boolean hair.
Amanda: Better watch out!  Flurry really likes bouillon.
Ben: Maybe that's what the wealthy style their hair with.

Sunday: Flurry or Isaac?

As a follow up to Friday's post, where I talked about waking up afraid Isaac was about to get hurt, I have a story from last night.

I was semi-awake and think I even petted Flurry a few times.  She decided that it was time to get down off the bed.  I rapidly sat up and tried to hold her on the bed so she wouldn't fall off, all the while trying to figure out why Isaac was so slippery.

Saturday: hmm...

I bought the Warcraft expansion and started playing today.  There were just too many white kittens that wanted me back.  I didn't do any leveling, but I did engage in a lot of pet battles. :)

I have a seven day trial...we'll see if I want to continue playing after that.  There are just so many fun things to do in life and not enough time to do them!

Friday: by some numbers...

...to show how crazy I am.

0: The number of times Isaac has slept with Ben and me in our bed.
0: The number of times Isaac has slept with just me in our bed.
2: The number of times Isaac has slept with me in a different bed.
84: The approximate number of times I've startled awake, realized that Isaac wasn't sleeping next to me, and almost freaked out because I thought he was about to suffocate from the sheets/fall off the bed/be squished by an adult.

Thursday: birthday

Today we celebrated Ashlyn's birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese.  It was Isaac's first time there and he had a lot of fun looking at things (and pretending to play the games).  Ben and I had a lot of fun too.

He's missing a sock because he took it off in the car and then dropped it in a puddle when I opened the door.  The restrooms didn't have the blow driers.

I got so dizzy in this ride.  Isaac seemed unaffected.  If there had been an emergency stop button, I would have pushed it.

Tuesday: migrating

The last several days have brought tons of geese (and one swan) to our lake.  This is what it looked like this morning...probably at least fifty geese (or more) (and one swan).  (Seriously, I think the swan thinks it's a goose.) (I swept after I took the pictures.) (Parentheses are pretty fun.)

In honor of migrating day, I moved all the chairs from the deck into the garage for winter.  I also let the turtles on the deck come inside to winter, since Mom always let them come inside and they didn't get a tough skin.

Monday: today

Today I felt like I needed to have a productive day; the to-do list has been piling up.  The end result was ok...I managed to accomplish things, but there's still a lot on the list.  Guess it means I need to have more productive days in the near future.

Vacuuming was done, laundry was started (although I managed to partially melt the mattress pad), the kitchen remained clean, I had a dentist appointment, the freezer was cleaned, dinner was made, and some emails were sent.  And took a nap and took care of Isaac.  But those aren't really chores.