A Happy Halloween

A few of the 115 pumpkins on display in our neighbor's yard.

It was a very happy Halloween in our household this year. Anna is still suffering from the intestinal effects of her virus, and her teeth are making her a bit grumpy, but she is, for the most part, healthy. I consider this my Halloween treat.

Halloween fun differed this year from previous years. It was fun in a see-things-through-the-eyes-of-a-child kind of way. I imagine in coming years it will be even more so when she actually understands why we're stuffing her into a costume, ringing door bells, and chanting "trick-or-treat." We dressed Anna up in her Poky Little Puppy costume (in honor of her daddy and her love of dogs), and we paraded around Blake's office on Wednesday. We took her to a few of our neighbors' houses this evening. She was mesmerized by the costumes and seemed curious about the Poohs, Tiggers, and Cowardly Lions taking brightly colored packages from one basket and placing them in the orange pumpkins they grasped. She wasn't interested in taking candy from strangers yet. Soon enough.

It was the masses of pumpkins everywhere that MADE Anna's Halloween. We have neighbors who fill their yard with over 100 pumpkins each year. Most days this week Anna and I would walk down to see all the naa-moos (pumpkins) and the pumpkins' watch dog, Abby. Abby has since become one of Anna's new favorite words, of course.

Getting ready to visit Daddy at work. I love the tail!

A little confused??

A little kiss while getting ready for trick-or-treating.

Anna has developed a habit of opening her mouth to feel the cold wind on her gums. Hence, the wide open mouth.

Anna Update

Anna's fever is down, and she slept last night. She was due for Motrin at 8:30pm, but when I went in to her room to feel her forehead, she was only slightly warm. We chose not to wake her, and I continued to check on her throughout the night. Fortunately, she never felt feverish.

We're so relieved that she seems to be kicking this bug quickly and easily. Hopefully, this trend continues throughout the day and into tonight. She's napping now. Maybe I can finally squeeze in a shower!

Don't Panic

That's what I keep telling myself. There is a reason I don't watch the news. It's so I don't panic when things like this happen. It appears that Anna has the swine flu. I took her to the pediatrician this morning.

"It looks like she has a virus," he said.

"Swine Flu?" I asked expectantly. We were on an airplane on Monday. It would make sense.

"Probably," he replied calmly.

I was actually relieved by his almost dismissive response. Our pediatricians are not panicking about this; which helps me stay sane when Anna is spiking a fever of 104.3 degrees. Not that he made light of the swine flu, but he did say there is A LOT of media hype over the illness. And, I'm sure he knows me well enough to know the potential effects of an alarmist attitude on my health and sanity.

I'm trying to focus on the positive, even in the midst of feeling a bit scared and a little alone. I do feel good that we have an arsenal of products to help her through this. We're always giving Anna a high-quality probiotic. Nursing continues to provide her with immune support. My sister-in-law turned me on to Thieves Oil. And, today we tried echinacea, Hyland's Homeopathic Complete Flu Care for Kids, and honey, all of which our doctor suggested. Vitamin C and Vitamin D are also on the list of things to get. I don't know if any of it will help, but it can't hurt.

Last night she slept restlessly early in the night. Just as Blake and I were drifting off, she woke crying, and she was up for much of the night. She was burning up and was reaching for her throat. She would not let us lay her down. She is still not sleeping well unless we hold her. We moved a more comfortable chair into her room for tonight so she and we can sleep there if need be. Of course, I won't be sleeping much. I'll be checking on her every hour or two to see how the fever is doing, administering Motrin again, if need be.

This, to me, is the hardest part about being a mom...having a sick kid.

Vacation: Minor Miracles, Turbulence and Beauty

Last Wednesday morning we boarded an airplane with a toddler and headed west to visit our friends, Darcy and Dave, in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I've been thinking about how to sum up our week in one post, and I'm still trying to figure it out as I write. This was our first real vacation with Anna (we attempted a couple of other regional trips, which turned out to be less like vacation and more like a lot of work). This getaway was actually vacation-like and included minor miracles, a little turbulence and a lot of beauty.

D&D lived about one mile from us until December 2006, when they moved to Colorado. We spent A LOT of time together. Along with our friends, Alicia and Kevin, we drank a lot of wine, played a lot of cards, cooked a lot of food, and had a lot of laughs. D&D are in the process of adopting a baby from Ethiopia. When Darcy shared that she was having a baby shower on Sunday, October 25th, we decided we needed to be there. It had been way too long since we shared space and time with these amazing people.

The travel itself went smoothly, even with Anna. Three things that saved us while walking through the airport: the Ergo Baby Carrier, our Petunia Pickle Bottom backpack diaper bag and our new car seat backpack. With Anna on my front, the backpack on my back, and the car seat on Blake's back, we had two free hands for luggage. Anna traveled amazingly well. Thanks to Motrin, homeopathic teething tablets, nursing, and a minor miracle, Anna actually took a cat nap on the plane...both on the way there and on the way home! Sleep, plenty of snacks, an Elmo's World - Pets DVD, and new books made the ride more than tolerable. She even took another short nap in the rental car as we drove from the Denver airport to Manitou Springs.

The weather changed daily. It was warm and sunny AND cold and snowy, but it was always beautiful. We were greeted with snow and we said goodbye with snow, and in between, we pulled out short sleeves and burned our faces in the sunshine.

The view from their back door on Sunday.

Snow beginning to fall outside Darcy's mom's loft, which overlooks the town of Manitou.

Possibly my favorite picture of our entire trip. Notice the short sleeves and hat on Anna to protect her face from the sun.

Sleep while we were there was, at times, turbulent; however, I'm not sure it would have been any different at home. After cutting 5 teeth since mid-August, she appears to be working on a molar. Almost every night she woke several times, sometimes for an hour or two. One night she slept from 8:30 to 5:30, and I felt like a new person the next day. And, another minor miracle...she slept through dogs barking almost every day and night! The most difficult part, for me, about this vacation was being so exhausted when you have so much you want to do; but, being with our friends and keeping busy helped us forget about the sleep deprivation.

We kept busy walking into historic Manitou, drinking amazing wine and eating good food, playing cards, lazing around, hiking, and enjoying a few local events, including Darcy's shower.

Manitou Springs is full of character, and on this particular weekend, it was full of characters as well. The Emma Crawford Coffin Races, a festival of sorts, took place on Saturday, and the town's main street filled with masked men and women. Even with the masses of people, the town is quaint, beautiful, and it just FEELS good to be there. Our first morning in town we walked from D&D's house to Adam's Mountain Cafe for breakfast. It's a slow food inspired restaurant with the best Huevos Rancheros and Whole Grain Pancakes we've had. We browsed and bought wines at Swirl, a local wine shop whose proprietor's palate never disappoints our friends.

The view of the people-lined-streets at the coffin races. Taken from the rooftop of Darcy's mom's loft.

Darcy cooked delicious meals that we devoured with wines from wineries we visited together on our 2006 Napa Valley vacation. Bottles from Sullivan Vineyards and Arger Martucci Vineyards were emptied on multiple occasions. Of course, we had to have a few rematches of golf, a card game we played with enthusiasm over and over and over again in the past.

An evening of wine and golf.

The beauty of Colorado was literally steps from D&D's front door. We hiked trails with amazing views of Pike's Peak, the town of Manitou below, and Garden of the Gods in the distance.

The beginning of our first hike.

Anna loved riding on Blake's back in the Sherpani that Dave and Darcy received for their soon-to-arrive baby.

Darcy and me at "The Bench", where we ended our hike the first day.

Blake and Dave hiked Red Mountain later in the week and captured this view of Pike's Peak.

A canyon shot during their Red Mountain hike.

Garden of the Gods

Dave with Pike's Peak in the background.

We also lazed around with Dave, Darcy, Riley, and Wallace. Riley and Wallace are their two 90-pound Golden Retrievers. This was a rare opportunity for Anna to live with the furry, friendly animals for 5 days. Zokie, Darcy's mom's Boston Terrier, stayed with us, too. I've mentioned Anna's passion for dogs. To say she was excited the ENTIRE TIME is an understatement. Riley and Wallace didn't seem to mind Anna's chasing, poking, and petting, probably because she also fed them plenty of good food.

A bite for Anna and a bite for Wallace.

Built-in vacuum cleaners. I miss having someone to clean up her mess!

Last, and most importantly, we showered Darcy and Dave with gifts to celebrate the upcoming arrival of their baby. The shower was beautiful due to the beautiful people who planned it and came together for the occasion. I was so moved by the care and thought that went into this multi-cultural inspired event. We drank wine from various regions of the world, we signed an Ethiopian flag and put together a puzzle as keepsakes for their son, we gave books from our countries of origin, and we learned about Ethiopia and international adoption. I met some very amazing women.

I am still in awe of everything Darcy, Dave and their families have done to welcome their little one. They have immersed themselves in Ethiopian culture and geography. They have read books upon books about adoption. They have reached out to others who are going through this process and have created a network of support. I am inspired by their love, commitment, and passion. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to share a bit of this journey with them.

Darcy at her shower with Zokie and a new stuffed animal.

Interrupted

We returned last night from a week-long visit with our friends, Darcy and Dave, in Colorado. I've been itching to blog about our wonderful vacation, and I finally had some time to do it tonight after Anna fell asleep at 7:45pm. I was interrupted.

The time difference between Michigan and Colorado has been a non-issue given her lack of sleep schedule lately. Anna has been getting teeth like a teenager gets pimples, so she isn't resting well most nights. Last night she fell asleep at 7:45pm, and except for waking twice for short periods, she slept fairly well. Tonight, however, Anna's sleep was interrupted after 20 minutes, and she is still awake at 11:10pm. She's getting a molar. I don't know what to do for this little girl. We've tried everything. EVERYTHING.

My post about our trip will have to wait. Hopefully I will have more time and ability to focus on it tomorrow. And, more importantly, I hope Anna will feel better tomorrow.

Sunny Sunday

Today Blake had the rare opportunity to play golf at Oakland Hills Country Club, where a number of PGA major tournaments have been played. Needless to say, he was ecstatic. It was a beautiful day for golf and a beautiful day for Anna and me to play outside. The colors just on the other side of our front door were mesmerizing. I think I'd be happy to have days like this all year round.

This is the tree in front of our house. Trees like this line the entire street.

I don't know what Anna is doing here, but it's cute.

I LOVE these colors and the contrast between the blue sky and pink leaves.

Anna hid behind the tree for a little game of peek-a-boo.

Guilty Fun

This week has been an exhausting one. I knew I needed a break when Anna, for the gazillionth time, woke for 2 hours at 2am on Thursday night and shunned her daytime naps Friday. Actually, I needed sleep and exercise, but instead, my friend, Alicia, and I decided a girls' night out sounded therapeutic. We haven't had a true night out (read: a late night with drinks, dancing, and serious silliness) since before we were pregnant; our kids were born just 10 weeks apart in July and September of last year.

The dueling piano bar, just minutes from our houses, seemed like a great way to let off some steam on Friday night. It was. For just a little while, I forgot how tired I was. I remembered how much FUN it is to be silly, to sing, and to dance with my girlfriends. I remembered how much I love live music, even if it's just the local piano bar guys, who, by the way, are awesome.

Then the clock struck midnight and my chariot turned into a pumpkin. Blake called to tell me that Anna woke again and would not go back to sleep. Lately, with one tooth after another cutting through her swollen gums, she wants to nurse at night. And, I could not feed her. Enter guilt. And worry.

After multiple text messages and a phone call with instructions to go ahead and give her another dose of Motrin, even though 6 hours barely passed since the last dose, she still wouldn't sleep. Finally, as we pulled in the driveway at 1:45am, Blake texted me that she fell asleep, and as I walked in the door, I heard her cry. Blake comforted her again until she finally fell asleep 2:30am.

Even though I felt intensely guilty for not being there and for being unable to comfort her when she needed it, in retrospect, I can see that it was good for Blake and for Anna. In the end, they were both fine, and they worked through it together. Of course, it was so good for me to get out and play, too. Once the guilt dissipated, except for being very tired on Saturday, I felt good. And, I'm even looking forward to the next time.

Quinoa Salad

I LOVE this salad. My friend, Mandy, told me about a similar salad she had at a restaurant recently. Thanks, Mandy, for the inspiration!

2 3/4 cups cooked quinoa

2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz can

1 avocado, cut into bit size chunks

1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

2 green onions, chopped

2 Tbsp (packed) cilantro

Juice from 1 lime

Olive oil to taste (I probably used 3-4 Tbsp to coat salad)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! I chilled it before serving.

Should I Keep It?

I splurged on a Patagonia fleece for Anna last week, and it arrived yesterday. I'm trying to decide if I should return it. I bought a 24-month size, hoping she'd be able to wear it both this year and next. I'd really like her to get two years of wear out of it. It's HUGE on her now though, even with the sleeves rolled up. And, maybe it will be too small next winter when she's past 24 months old.

She looks like a big puff ball...a big, cute puff ball.

So, should I keep it?

This Afternoon

Anna woke up shortly after my morning post. After breakfast, we made the quinoa salad together; Anna helped in the sling. Then we packed the diaper bag, changed her diaper, had a quick snack, and headed out the door to music class. We didn't get very far. The spring on our garage door broke this morning, so we were stranded.

Anna and I were both disappointed, but we made the most of the extra time to play outside with the naa-mu's (pumpkins). It was cold and blustery, and after only a few days of constant furnace use, it felt so good to breath the chilly air. I'm loving the way Anna's nose and cheeks turn pink in this weather!

Going in for a taste of the pumpkin.

These pumpkins prompt repeated squeals of "naa-mu" throughout the day.

Anna loves flowers, too.

Anna quickly spotted the bright leaves on the ground and was eager to touch and eat them.

This Morning

It's 8:45am, and Anna is still sleeping. She barely napped yesterday. Between poop and teeth, she can't rest. Last night she was up at 9:10pm, 12:30am, and from 4:30-5:30am. No wonder she's tired.

For the first time EVER in Anna's life, I'm totally showered, dressed, and ready to go for the day before she wakes up. I have a huge To-Do-List to tackle, yet I'm a little stumped as to what to do at 8:45 in the morning without Anna!

I've checked on her to make sure she's breathing, and all seems to be well. I've checked my favorite blogs. I'm posting. We have our music class at 11:30am this morning. I usually get our lunch ready during her morning nap (which she won't be taking today) so that it's ready right when we get home from class. I think I'll be in the kitchen until she wakes up.

By the way, I'm making a salad that my friend, Mandy, described to me this weekend. If my toothless-toddler-friendly version turns out well, I'll post the pseudo-recipe. It will have quinoa, avocado, grape tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, lime, olive oil, and maybe some cheese.

The Boys and The Girls, Part 2

The Boys:

Photos weren't taken. I'm sure they were prohibited, so I have no evidence of the fun they had or trouble they got into! I do know that Blake had a GREAT time with the boys, and they made it home safely. The report I received lacked details, of course, but it mentioned a cold game of golf (good job, Papa Mox, on the win!), strong drinks in The Rathskeller at Heidelberg, and Bell's Pizza to finish off the night. It appears that Blake may still be recovering today. We are grateful to everyone for making Blake's 30th so memorable!

The Girls:

It's difficult for me to sum up our time together. Our gatherings are always full of engaging conversations that cover serious and silly topics. We always share amazing food and drinks. There's always laughter and, sometimes, there are tears. And, ALWAYS, many great memories are made. This time, although we were missing two of our out-of-state friends, and we added two little ones, the less-than-24-hour party was no different.

We discussed kids, husbands, aging, politics, old times, jobs, family, food, our Selves, and more. We dined on bacon wrapped dates, gouda, olives, fig tartines (minus the fig butter, plus garlic butter...long story!), Shrimp and Chorizo Pizza with Escarole and Manchego, chocolate fondue, French Toast with Pears, and fruit salad. We sipped hearty red wine, Autumn Sangria, and mimosas. We made memories.

I always leave our reunions feeling, at once, uplifted and a little sad; I feel so fortunate to have these women in my life, but I hate that we see each other so infrequently. I'm inspired by how we continue to come together, year after year, despite how different we all are and despite the physical distance between us. And, despite the differences and the distance, I'm amazed how much we still share in common. Ultimately, we're all strong, smart, spirited women who live conscious lives and love quality time with each other.

Betsy with her beautiful baby girl Hazel.

The drinking and snacking begins, while Anna is busy with car keys.

Amy and Anna read stories.

Mandy prepared this delicious french toast on Sunday morning.

Minutes Away...

The girls are just minutes away. The boys are playing golf, Anna just went down for a nap 30 minutes ago, and my mom left about 1 hour ago, after a whirlwind couple of days of cleaning up and cleaning out and running herself ragged. Thanks, mom, for all the work you did to make our space so comfortable and welcoming!

I'm so excited about these next 24 hours. I've been craving time with these girls!

Hmmm...sounds like Anna is waking already. Maybe she knows the girls are almost here.

The Boys and The Girls

It's been a busy week as Blake and I gear up for our respective weekends with The Boys and The Girls.

The Boys:

During our anniversary dinner at Eve, I asked Blake what his ideal 30th birthday celebration would look like, and he decided it looks like 17 guys on the golf course with lots of beer, cards, and some food. After golf they'll be showing the college kids how to party at the local pub.

The Girls:

Three of my girlfriends from college and one adorable baby girl, Hazel, will be joining Anna and me at our home for lots of good food and drinks on Saturday. Traditionally the six Sprite girls, so named after the house we lived in our senior year, get together once per year in the spring for a reunion that is ALWAYS too short. We decided to have a mini-reunion (minus two out-of-state girls) this year in the fall.

I doubt I'll find the time to post for the next few days, but I'll look forward to sharing our good times on Sunday or Monday!

Stats, Scary Bugs, the Vacuum, and Vocabulary

Anna had her 15-month doctor visit today. She's healthy and growing into a string bean.

Height: 32 inches

Weight: 19.5 pounds

Head Circumference: 19 inches

This means, on most sizing charts, she is in 18-24 month clothes for her height and 6-12 month clothes for her weight. No wonder I've had a hard time finding pants that fit properly.

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I hope it's just coincidence, but it seems Anna has developed a little fear of bugs. Maybe, hopefully, it's just the bugs in the new Halloween Bugs book that Grandma Debbie gave to Anna a couple weeks ago. It's one of those lift-the-flap-pop-up books, which she has read a number of times over the last week or two.

Anna on the run...away from the spider.

Today, as if something changed in the book or in her head, she began to shy away from the bugs that popped out of the book, the spider in particular. She whimpered and even cried out when she uncovered a bug. She even hid behind my back and reached around to lift a flap; when the bug popped out she quickly took cover again. I tried to put the book away a number of times, but she kept asking for it. It reminded me of my teenage horror movie years. I'd peek through my hands, wanting and not wanting Michael Myers or Jason or Freddie to jump out of the closet.

The offending spider.

I'm wondering if, because the bugs move when the flaps are opened, it's confusing to her. Are they alive? Are they pictures? Of course, she could be picking up on my bug phobia. I felt pretty confident that I managed my outward reaction last week when the Not-So-Itsy-Bitsy-Spider joined us for breakfast, but maybe I wasn't as composed as I thought. Gulp.

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Anna admiring the vacuum on her 1st birthday.

Anna LOVES the vacuum cleaner. She actually loves almost anything that has a plug or batteries, makes noise, and has an on/off button. I've been thinking she needs a toy vacuum for Christmas to push around, so a few months ago I did an online search for toy vacuums. I found a kid's Dyson, almost like the real thing we have; however, I was unable to find a retailer in the U.S. Last week I received the One Step Ahead catalogue, and there it was! I think this will be one of those purchases made well before Christmas.

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In the last two weeks or so, Anna's growing vocabulary has amazed us. Although she's often hard to understand, she is attempting word after word. New words these days include: pumpkin (na-mu); scarecrow (doh doh); beep (beep); mole (mow); no (NO); monitor (doh doh); bob (bob); avocado (doh doh); tomato (doh doh); belly button (boila boila). Believe it or not, I can tell subtle differences between "doh doh" as it refers to the baby monitor and "doh doh" as it refers to the scarecrow in our living room.

Love and Hate

Yummy love...Anna and Blake checking the stock simmering on the stove. I love that Anna appears to have a mohawk.

Our weekend has me feeling mixed emotions of love and hate. Although hate is a strong word that I rarely use, I had trouble coming up with another word that fit well, because...

I hate teething. I hate that it makes Anna so terribly uncomfortable, irritable, and unable to sleep. I hate that it keeps us up for hours at night and leaves us feeling exhausted during the day. I hate that teething requires us to give Motrin to Anna day after day. I hate that, after giving in and administering Motrin or Orajel, it doesn't always work, and she's clearly still uncomfortable. I hate that I try everything in my arsenal, from nursing her to letting her cry alone, but she still can't rest. I hate that Blake and I argue over what to do because we feel so tired and frustrated and sorry for Anna. I hate that this is only the beginning of the growing pains she'll have in her life.

On the other hand...

I love the smell of Thanksgiving that fills our house today; we roasted a whole chicken this morning so we'll have homemade chicken noodle soup tonight. I love that, after I cooked dinner all week, Blake happily took on making the soup, and he decided to simmer the bones and veggies so we have stock to freeze for the future. I love that we worked as a team last night; Blake grocery shopped while I put Anna to bed, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned out the fridge, washed diapers, and cleaned up toys. I love that Anna gave us her big open-mouth kisses this weekend, even in the midst of her new hitting phase. I love that we balanced work and play this weekend fairly successfully. I love that, even when Anna is hurting, she still smiles so much of the time, and even though Blake and I are exhausted, she makes us smile, too.

Personal Care Products

I was inspired to write this post by my recent search for new make-up. My current make-up is pretty old...I don't remember the last time I purchased new stuff, except for mascara. Generally speaking, we try to be mindful about what we put in and on our bodies, including the foods we consume and the products we use. We take into consideration the impact on our health, the environment, and subsequently, the health of others. Around the time we started trying to get pregnant, I did some research on the personal care and cleaning products we used. As a result of what I learned, we switched our cleaning supplies to either homemade potions like vinegar and baking soda or to brands like Seventh Generation, a company that discloses all of their ingredients. We also switched most of our personal care products such as toothpaste, soap, face and body lotion, sunscreen, and shampoo. Other than mascara, I have yet to trade in my make-up. I wanted to use everything up first, and that takes a while when you don't wear it that often anymore.

So, I've been back to combing the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website, which helped me determine what to buy when searching for shampoo, soap, etc. The EWG cosmetic safety database has extensive information about each of the ingredients in almost every product you can imagine. They conduct independent research and rate each product according to its potential hazard. The products in the photo above are rated at 2 or below, and I love them all. The other bonus: these products are much less expensive than my old 7-step facial system or the department store brands.

The website can be a bit overwhelming, and at times, I've found it difficult to narrow down what to try and buy. It does take some time, which is why I'm still on the hunt for new make-up. If I find something I totally love, I'll be sure to share it soon!