Lydia's First Christmas Tree

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Can you tell we're related?

Uncle Markus and Lydia Go to the Park

My brother Markus flew in Wednesday from Las Vegas and has been staying with us. He was a huge help on Thursday and made it possible for Robin and I to put together Thanksgiving dinner while he played with Lydia, and we have really enjoyed his stay. Lydia loves her Uncle Markus!

Happy Thanksgiving

We ate
and ate...and ate...and ate.Aidan tasted his first T-giving turkey and reveled in the joy of stair-climbing while his parents (who had run a 5-mile race that morning) dutifully spotted him.
Lydia teased us with her near-mobility.
We had large-group Skype sessions with family in Minnesota and North Dakota (there are nine people in that photo... just so you know),


And fun was had by all.

The Little Things

Today we are hosting Thanksgiving for our family, my brother Markus, cousins Andrew and Kristin, and Kristin's brother Andrew #2, and our good friends Jessica and Aaron and their son Aidan. We have so much to be thankful for. A healthy, spunky little girl who makes us smile every day, family and friends that continue to offer us love and support from near and far, and so many other things.

During the past year, we have been thankful for so much. I could go on about the serious things--the things that, at the end of the day, carry so much meaning, but hopefully that has been represented in many of the other entries here. So instead, here is a tribute to the little things--the things that fall into the we-could-have-lived-without-them-but-thank-god-they-were-there category.

The Little Things
A Series of Haikus

Recording our shows
To be viewed through sleepless nights
We love DVR

Cute Sweaters For Less
Anthropologie Sale Rack
You saved my wardrobe

Books and Videos
Austin Public Library
Saved lots of money

Opening of the
New P. Terry's on Lamar
Chicken Burgers Yeah

Family next door
You saved us from bankruptcy
Thank the good sweet lord.

Choc-o-noooooo!!!!!!!

On Sunday evening, we went to a friend's 60th birthday party. Robin has worked with Jimmy at Land Design Studio for the past few years, and we really enjoy him. His party was a laid back affair with some delicious chocolate cake. As most of the people at the party were closer in age to Jimmy than to us, Lydia was quite the hit. I hardly held her at all, and she put on a great show being passed around.

Now back to the cake. Doesn't it look amazing? Earlier in the weekend, I had been telling someone at our yoga studio how proud I am of Lydia's healthy diet--that I don't plan on giving her junk food until someone else introduces it to her, maybe at a birthday party or a friend's house. At the very least, I wanted her first taste of sweets to be given to her by me at her first birthday party. I pushed her out, I get the joy of watching her eat cake for the first time at her birthday party...

...or at Jimmy's birthday party, across the patio while she was being held by a very kind woman. At the tender age of 8 months and 1 week, our darling Lydia had her first taste of chocolate cake, given to her by the woman next to the kind woman holding her. It was one of those moments that left me not knowing whether to just shut my mouth and watch or speak up, since well, she's our baby, and we have very strong opinions on what she eats. I went with the former, accompanied by a smile that hopefully masked my clenched jaw. Here is Lydia, right after the Choc-o-noooooo incident. You can see the icing on her chin. I'm sure you'll be shocked to know that she absolutely loved the cake.

I'm the Proud New Owner...

...of a Canon Rebel XS!! I've been dreaming of one for a long time after having serious camera-envy of some of my blogging buddies. I am in love, and what a cute subject I have had to practice on...

Trick of the Week

Pulling up! (It's hard to tell in the picture, but she's standing.) She learned it at home on Thursday and was going crazy the next day at daycare showing off her mad pulling up skillz. The best part is when she stands up, she gets really excited and starts babbling!! She has also mastered waving hello, but we have yet to catch it on film.

Chicago

We safely returned from Chicago on Sunday evening had a really great trip. Lydia traveled like a champ. She cried during two of the four descents. Take-offs were fine, and she fussed for about 2 minutes during one flight while she was trying to get comfortable to go to sleep. During the five days on the road, Lydia met her Aunt Elise, hung out in Wisconsin with Grandma Mree and Grandpa Dale, kicked it in Chicago with Auntie Britty and Uncle Mike (aka Padrino), and spent an evening with Grandma Jeanette and Great Aunt Phyllis. To say she was absolutely perfect would be stretching it--all of the new faces and places paired with teething tired her out, but I am pretty proud of how well she fared. She's such a good, resilient little girl.

So here are a handful of photos of our trip.

Lydia with Grandpa Dale
Lydia with Grandma Mree
Robin and I all gussied up after the wedding. (Please note the REAL bowtie that Robin learned how to tie.)
The Newlyweds! Doesn't she look fantastic?!?!
Lydia hanging at Beans and Bagels in ChicagoDanced up a storm with Auntie Brittany and El Padrino aka Uncle Mikey (at not one, but TWO wedding dances.)

And reunited with good friends.

Travelin' Gal

Tomorrow Lydia and Robin leave for Madison. I will meet up with them on Thursday in Chicago, where we will stay until Sunday. This marks two big firsts: Lydia's first plane ride and my first night away from her. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am nervous about the breastmilk issue, and setting aside the ounces for her while I'm gone has made me a little sick to my stomach, but I'm confident that it will all be okay. I will also admit that the thought of getting just myself ready in a quiet house, going to yoga, and having some time to myself tomorrow night makes me giddy. I don't remember the last time I had more than two hours to myself. Seriously.

While we are gone, Lydia will spend time with her Ganser grandparents, meet her Aunt Elise, hang out in Chicago with her Godparents, and spend an evening with Grandma Jeanette and some of her Laqua great-aunts. It should be a fun time!

For those interested, we used this article as our guide to packing.

Lydia the Sock Monkey!!!

On a Date with Dax

My friend Angela and I chaperoned Lydia and Dax on a coffee date today. They were hesitant to be photographed, though--privacy issues and everything.

Swinging at the Park!

She needed a little encouragement, but she loved it by the end! I love how her wispy hair blows in the wind!

Race for the Cure

Lydia and I walked in the Race for the Cure last Saturday. Here she is sporting her pink!

Down a Pound

Lydia had her flu shot yesterday. (Not her swine flu shot; that is only available to babies 2 and up.) They weighed and measured her, and we discovered that she has grown 2 inches and lost 1 pound since her 6 month check up. The hilarious thing is that even though she is nearly 2 months older and 1 pound lighter, she is still in the 99th percentile. Her height and weight now match. While we weren't specifically putting her on a diet, it is nice to know that she's not quite as far off the chart as she was before.

We also learned that her needs for breastmilk are lower than I thought, which brought relief since I have been struggling to produce enough milk for her. It seems my work environment is not conducive for me and my body to produce milk; the stress really gets to me, I have a hard time finding time between meetings during my off-periods, and I forget to drink water when the kids are in my room. On top of that, today I spilled some of my pumped milk. Spilling milk is one of those things I didn't understand until I was working and pumping and trying to breastfeed. I almost cried. Yes, I almost cried over spilled milk. I am not ready to give up nursing, but the past week or so has been stressful, and I nearly have a panic attack thinking about all of the milk Robin will have to take with him when he brings her to Wisconsin next week and I am away from her off-and-on for a few days. I have rationed out the frozen milk supply to the ounce-per-week for the remainder of Lydia's first year, and I know there is no way I will be able to compensate for all of the milk Robin needs to take with him by pumping. I can't even think about it. I thought the first mother-child overnight separation was supposed to be about abandonment issues, but if it weren't for this intense anxiety about stupid breastmilk, I would be jumping for joy at the prospect of a full evening of alone time in my house.

I'll try to counter this with some of our sock monkey pictures soon. :)

An Open Letter to Daylight Savings Time

Dear DST,
I am completely over you. During previous times, you won my heart by offering me an extra hour of light in the morning or evening, by making it feel like I was "sleeping in" when I woke up at 5:30 and realized I had another hour, even when it started to get dark earlier here in toasty Texas and I felt a little more at home. (Remember, I grew up in the Nordic tundra, where it gets dark at 4:00 during the winter.) Now, DST, I know differently.

You have played a cruel joke on my family and me. You have made the hour before bedtime a stressful, whiny mess, and you have stolen away my 6:30 wake-up time and replaced it with screaming and crying coming from the nursery at 4:45. Yes, perhaps we can blame teething for some of this, but until I am sure, I will be blaming you. Just so you know, I had FINALLY gotten Lydia to sleep until 6:45, and then you came along. Thanks.

For now, I will channel all of my exhausted, sleep-deprived rage at you, even if some of it is caused by other things, such as stress and frustration at school and a dog who has decided that he is going to trot around our bedroom at 4 in the morning while shaking his tags and thumping the ground while he scratches his back. I will still blame you, DST, until you replace the demon child that replaces Lydia at 6:00 PM and sneaks out at 6:00 AM after I feed her and she goes back to sleep. I will blame you.

Bite me,
Laurie

A Little Taste - Halloween

More photos to come, but here is a quick one of Lydia, Robin, and I at the coolest kids' Halloween party around. Thanks for the photo and the invite, Jessica!