Whenever I’m on the phone, Taylor always seems to be at her loudest. I understand why - She’s totally competing for my attention. As if I’m EVER going to forget about her. And just in case I might, she’s going to jump up and down and scream to remind me that she’s two-feet away from me. I keep telling everyone, Yes, she’s a very happy baby. As long as you’re within an arm’s length and giving her your undivided attention. Heaven forbid I leave her long enough to do something selfish like go to the bathroom or brush my teeth.
So the other day I’m on the phone with my Mom and Taylor's being her usual loud-self and my Mom’s all, Listen to her! What is she doing? So I hang-up the phone and grab the camera so I could record exactly what she’s missing being 832 miles away.
And, of course, this is only a fraction of the action I usually get. But she decided to get all shy once the camera was on. Because she had my full and total attention. What a diva.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Family, friends and sunsets
Alright. The suitcases are empty, fridge is full and house is sparkling. Normalcy has been restored and I can now calmly reflect on our fabulous vacation. Other than the fact that Taylor has been fussing non-stop since we got home. Correction, since the flight from hell of which I’m still unwinding from. Please Lord, let her fussing be because she’s coming down off a vacation-high. Do NOT start teething now. If I have to deal with a teething baby AND healing a hyperactive lab back to health, I’m pretty sure I’ll start having tequila with my oatmeal every morning. This could get ugly.
Back to our wonderful vacation. It was heaven for all of us. Taylor was devoured by her grandparents, Chris was able to fish with his brother and drink his weight’s worth in Michelob Golden, and I was able to get a tan and read a book without interruptions. Before this trip, I would guess that I had only spent a mere 12 hours away from my newborn in the past 4 ½ months. So with Greg and Sue wanting some alone time with their granddaughter, I was able to boat, swim and hot tub to my heart’s content. Chris and I were even able to go see a bluegrass show, drink adult beverages and stay out until 1.00 in the morning. Yeah, that’s right. We can still shake it.
It was great to see all of our extended Amys and Majeski families and introduce them to Taylor. Greg and Sue hosted a get-together of just aunts, uncles and cousins, and even though we were missing a bunch there were still about 50 people there. So I guess you could say we eased Taylor into the family. And apart from one major come-apart, she really seemed to enjoy being around everyone. Angel, Seth and their seriously cute kiddos came by for a visit later in the week, and it was nice to spend some quiet time with them and marvel how fast Aaron and Brynn are growing.
We were also lucky to have Chris’s best friend and college roommate, Ryan Larsen, and his wife, Rachel, come up from Minneapolis on Saturday. Chris and Larsen have been like peas and carrots since grade school, and in the nine years that I’ve known him he’s always been a good time. And last weekend was no exception. He and Rachel just celebrated their first wedding anniversary this month, and Chris and I have promised him that we’ll wait another 10 years before telling her all the really embarrassing stories he accumulated in college. Trust me, we have a few. But because we really, REALLY like Rachel and want her to stick around, all hilariousness will have to wait.
So it was a blast, and we're all really sad it's over. And while we're already missing our family and friends, we're also missing the fantastic sunsets. Nothing beats a sunset over the lake. All the intense colors reflecting off the glass-like water. We had amazing sunsets every night we were there. Crazy, postcard beautiful sunsets.
Pretty heavenly, huh?
Back to our wonderful vacation. It was heaven for all of us. Taylor was devoured by her grandparents, Chris was able to fish with his brother and drink his weight’s worth in Michelob Golden, and I was able to get a tan and read a book without interruptions. Before this trip, I would guess that I had only spent a mere 12 hours away from my newborn in the past 4 ½ months. So with Greg and Sue wanting some alone time with their granddaughter, I was able to boat, swim and hot tub to my heart’s content. Chris and I were even able to go see a bluegrass show, drink adult beverages and stay out until 1.00 in the morning. Yeah, that’s right. We can still shake it.
It was great to see all of our extended Amys and Majeski families and introduce them to Taylor. Greg and Sue hosted a get-together of just aunts, uncles and cousins, and even though we were missing a bunch there were still about 50 people there. So I guess you could say we eased Taylor into the family. And apart from one major come-apart, she really seemed to enjoy being around everyone. Angel, Seth and their seriously cute kiddos came by for a visit later in the week, and it was nice to spend some quiet time with them and marvel how fast Aaron and Brynn are growing.
We were also lucky to have Chris’s best friend and college roommate, Ryan Larsen, and his wife, Rachel, come up from Minneapolis on Saturday. Chris and Larsen have been like peas and carrots since grade school, and in the nine years that I’ve known him he’s always been a good time. And last weekend was no exception. He and Rachel just celebrated their first wedding anniversary this month, and Chris and I have promised him that we’ll wait another 10 years before telling her all the really embarrassing stories he accumulated in college. Trust me, we have a few. But because we really, REALLY like Rachel and want her to stick around, all hilariousness will have to wait.
So it was a blast, and we're all really sad it's over. And while we're already missing our family and friends, we're also missing the fantastic sunsets. Nothing beats a sunset over the lake. All the intense colors reflecting off the glass-like water. We had amazing sunsets every night we were there. Crazy, postcard beautiful sunsets.
Pretty heavenly, huh?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Regrouping
Well, we got back into Asheville last night and I can clearly say that we will NOT be taking Taylor on an airplane again for a while. Like a few years. And I don’t think anyone at Northwest Airlines will refute that. And for all of you out there that said she’d do a good job on the flight, Go lock yourselves in a closet with a screaming baby. Because it was that awful. And I think I set a new world record for how fast I drank my first beer after I put Taylor to bed when we got home.
However, I am very happy to announce that other than the last two hours of the trip, our vacation was absolutely splendid. Serious fun. Here’s a picture to prove it.
And before I can share all of the details of our adventure, I need to spend today unpacking and getting our lives back in order. Because I will walk around with a nervous twitch until the suitcases are empty, the fridge is stocked and the house is clean.
However, I am very happy to announce that other than the last two hours of the trip, our vacation was absolutely splendid. Serious fun. Here’s a picture to prove it.
And before I can share all of the details of our adventure, I need to spend today unpacking and getting our lives back in order. Because I will walk around with a nervous twitch until the suitcases are empty, the fridge is stocked and the house is clean.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Attention Cheeseheads
The Famous Amys traveling band will be making it’s way up to the motherland this week. All the way up to Northern Wisconsin. That’s right, bloggers, we are taking our first official family vacation since Taylor-tot was born. We will be flying into Duluth tomorrow morning and staying until the following Monday. A whole week at the lake. Hallelujah! We have been looking forward to this trip for months, and are super excited to introduce our Taylor-cakes to all of her extended Amys relatives.
So, bloggers, while many of you will be in Okoboji for the Doxtad-Vollmar throw-down, we will be skiing, hot tubing, drinking Leinenkugels and eating cheese. I can’t wait to hear stories from the Galva-Holstein wedding of the year, and you know I’ll be sharing our adventures when we get back. Until then, adieu.
So, bloggers, while many of you will be in Okoboji for the Doxtad-Vollmar throw-down, we will be skiing, hot tubing, drinking Leinenkugels and eating cheese. I can’t wait to hear stories from the Galva-Holstein wedding of the year, and you know I’ll be sharing our adventures when we get back. Until then, adieu.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The ADD-saucer
Taylor and I had a play-date with my good friend Kristyn and her daughters, Campbell and Tanner, this past Friday. Kristyn is my first-ever friend that I met in Asheville, and it has been an absolute joy to have her, her husband, Matt, and their beautiful girls in our life. And even though they are Bears fans, we love them dearly. They have been so generous in passing down oodles and oodles of baby stuff for Taylor. In fact, I would say that at least 75% of our baby gear has passed through the Dickelman house. And as Taylor and I left on Friday, Kristyn filled my car with bags of 6-9 month clothes and our new favorite toy, the ExerSaucer.
Are you familiar with the ExerSaucer? The only way I could describe it to my Mom was that it was a bunch of rattles and thingamajigs that surround a swivel chair. It’s seriously the most over-stimulating baby toy I have ever encountered. Taylor didn’t know what to do in it, she was in toy-shock.
So, first thing she did was puke. She was pretty excited.
And then she found this elongated rattle that she could spin.
And then she saw this cat that rang like a bell.
And then she remembered there was a rattle.
And then back to the cat. And this whole process lasted for about fifteen minutes, until she couldn’t make up her mind what she wanted to play with and just got mad.
It was overwhelming and exhausting, but after a five minute break she wanted to get back in it. So whoever invented the ExerSaucer knew what they were doing. But I'm pretty sure they should have included a prescription for Ritalin with it.
Are you familiar with the ExerSaucer? The only way I could describe it to my Mom was that it was a bunch of rattles and thingamajigs that surround a swivel chair. It’s seriously the most over-stimulating baby toy I have ever encountered. Taylor didn’t know what to do in it, she was in toy-shock.
So, first thing she did was puke. She was pretty excited.
And then she found this elongated rattle that she could spin.
And then she saw this cat that rang like a bell.
And then she remembered there was a rattle.
And then back to the cat. And this whole process lasted for about fifteen minutes, until she couldn’t make up her mind what she wanted to play with and just got mad.
It was overwhelming and exhausting, but after a five minute break she wanted to get back in it. So whoever invented the ExerSaucer knew what they were doing. But I'm pretty sure they should have included a prescription for Ritalin with it.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Future bionic dog
Chris took Ruby for a consultation with Dr Crouch yesterday, and before the appointment we received some info on him that I thought could work to our advantage. Other than being well known for his mad dog-healing skills, this doctor received his veterinary degree from Iowa State. So I thought it would be a good plan that as soon as Chris walked into the guy’s office he should start spouting off about how Iowa is the best state in the world. Period. And then see if it would be possible for us loyal Iowans to pay him for this procedure via barter-style with golf lessons and homemade guacamole. And if he said No, I wanted Chris to punch him in the stomach and say, Typical Cyclone. Hawkeyes rule!
Well, big surprise, Chris didn’t take my advice. Cyclone or not, he was super impressed with Dr Crouch. He’s apparently the Michael Phelps of canine orthopedic surgeons, and has done 1400 of these ACL procedures. And of that number, only nine haven’t taken. And of those nine, six were chocolate labs. Because chocolate labs are what they call High Energy dogs. Oh really? We hadn’t noticed. We thought all dogs did hot-laps around the living room when they heard the word Walk.
The big challenge with this whole drama is going to be the healing process. From what I understand, in two weeks Dr Crouch is going to put a metal hinge in Ruby’s knee, and for six weeks - SIX WEEKS! - after the surgery she is not allowed to do any sort of activity. No climbing on the furniture. No running up the stairs. Nothing. And after she makes it through six weeks of immobility, then only leash-walks for an additional six weeks. I can’t even explain to you how hard this is going to be, and I’m pretty sure the only way we’ll make it through the next three months is with a crate and lots of doggie tranquilizers.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the cost of this whole thing is like a running kick in the shin. But there isn’t an alternative. If we don’t do it, she’ll be an official tripod-dog in less than a year. And she’s only five years old, and we LOVE her. Oh, and far as the Iowa loyalty discount goes, it’s not going to happen because he’s not even from the great corn state. He’s from Illinois. Which means he’s both a Cyclone AND a Bear’s fan. Typical.
Well, big surprise, Chris didn’t take my advice. Cyclone or not, he was super impressed with Dr Crouch. He’s apparently the Michael Phelps of canine orthopedic surgeons, and has done 1400 of these ACL procedures. And of that number, only nine haven’t taken. And of those nine, six were chocolate labs. Because chocolate labs are what they call High Energy dogs. Oh really? We hadn’t noticed. We thought all dogs did hot-laps around the living room when they heard the word Walk.
The big challenge with this whole drama is going to be the healing process. From what I understand, in two weeks Dr Crouch is going to put a metal hinge in Ruby’s knee, and for six weeks - SIX WEEKS! - after the surgery she is not allowed to do any sort of activity. No climbing on the furniture. No running up the stairs. Nothing. And after she makes it through six weeks of immobility, then only leash-walks for an additional six weeks. I can’t even explain to you how hard this is going to be, and I’m pretty sure the only way we’ll make it through the next three months is with a crate and lots of doggie tranquilizers.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the cost of this whole thing is like a running kick in the shin. But there isn’t an alternative. If we don’t do it, she’ll be an official tripod-dog in less than a year. And she’s only five years old, and we LOVE her. Oh, and far as the Iowa loyalty discount goes, it’s not going to happen because he’s not even from the great corn state. He’s from Illinois. Which means he’s both a Cyclone AND a Bear’s fan. Typical.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
95th percentile
Taylor had her four month check-up this morning, and I’m happy to say that she’s perfect. Perfect and well-fed. Her updated stats are 16 lbs, 4 oz and 25 ¾ inches. Dr Childers said she now ranks in the 95th percentile of four month olds for weight and height, and 99.9th percentile for cuteness. Alright, I made that last one up. But he did say she was a good looking baby. Duh.
After going through my laundry list of paranoid concerns - Is her head too flat? Is it normal to drool that much? She sneezed twice yesterday, is that alright? - we talked about introducing food into her diet. Since she’s obviously getting enough to eat, he said that we can wait another month before letting her try rice cereal and that by six months she’ll be ready for green beans, peas and other veggies. And I don’t know why I’m so excited to feed her real food, but I’m ready to bust out the Cuisinart and start pureeing sweet potatoes right now.
And along with the four month check-up came the four month shots. Boo. And once again her little face turned bright red and the tears streamed down her cheeks, all while she looked at me like, Really? I thought you loved me, Mom. How could you let them do this to me again?
So I anticipate the rest of our day being a flurry of naps and crabbiness. But luckily I managed to get a few snapshots of our fabulous four month old while she was still high on her infant Tylenol buzz.
After going through my laundry list of paranoid concerns - Is her head too flat? Is it normal to drool that much? She sneezed twice yesterday, is that alright? - we talked about introducing food into her diet. Since she’s obviously getting enough to eat, he said that we can wait another month before letting her try rice cereal and that by six months she’ll be ready for green beans, peas and other veggies. And I don’t know why I’m so excited to feed her real food, but I’m ready to bust out the Cuisinart and start pureeing sweet potatoes right now.
And along with the four month check-up came the four month shots. Boo. And once again her little face turned bright red and the tears streamed down her cheeks, all while she looked at me like, Really? I thought you loved me, Mom. How could you let them do this to me again?
So I anticipate the rest of our day being a flurry of naps and crabbiness. But luckily I managed to get a few snapshots of our fabulous four month old while she was still high on her infant Tylenol buzz.
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