Silver Linings

The last week or so has seemed very long. But Sofia is getting through her cold and Chris's deadline is just twenty-four hours away which means that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. (I won't mention the hours that he has been working or someone reading this might schedule an intervention.)

There have been many silver linings over the last few days: Our darling children have been sleeping through the night! This is a lifesaving event in my life. And Sunday (after sleeping through the night and well into the morning) we had a great lunch at Athens Pizza followed by frozen yogurt at Menchies. You should see the masterpieces Lucas creates at the "frozen yogurt shop," as he calls it. Chocolate and vanilla swirl topped with sprinkles, yogurt covered animal crackers, a brownie bite and every type of gummy candy imaginable (I know - ew!) I limit it to just 1-3 pieces of each but other than that he has free reign.

But the biggest silver lining for Lucas was playing water cannons with Daddy Sunday evening. Uncle Jon knows how to buy gifts and these he bestowed to us at Papa's 65th birthday party (waiting for pics so I can post something about this fabulous party which was yet another silver lining.)

*In the process of writing this post there was another one. Lucas and I both woke up very early - me, too early to be legal, and he, around 6am with a nightmare about a large ant. That allowed us to sneak out onto the back deck and eat breakfast in the fresh morning air and among the trees. And now, a game of Uno!

Lucas's signature "shot in the popka."
He tells everyone about this thinking that they know what popka means :)

Lucas calls this the "Rocket Shoot."

Belly laughs lasted for an hour!

Son Petite Appetite

Our little girl eats to live. Sofia plays and works, challenging herself physically and mentally for long spans of time. Then she gobbles up most things offered her in a somewhat distracted frenzy. The "all done" ritual ganers big toothy grins and more of her attention than the meal does. But soon she's diving out of her Bumbo and into her work with renewed vigor.

Some things excite her more than others. Her (and my) favorite baby meal so far has to be the pureed chicken soup. A few pots back I realized how benign the ingredients were and threw them in the food processor. Soft carrots, a handful of noodles, plenty of healthy broth and a bit of chicken... The noodles (egg - I decided it was in small enough quantity to be introduced early) stay slightly chunky, but she loves the taste. While she's been sick, I've been giving her clear broth made from boneless skinless thighs I had in the freezer, carrot, celery, garlic, onion, a little dead sea salt and a bay leaf. She slurps it down and it truly seems to make her feel better.

We've also been bold (stupid?) enough to give her our pizza crusts to gnaw on. We didn't hear a peep out of her during that whole meal. And she's a big fan of the "baby kong." (A contraption by Nuby that allows her to eat chunks of food without the hazard of choking.)

Chicken Soup Mustache

Frozen Banana in the Baby Kong

State of the Household Update

Sofia is a pretty good sleeper when nothing is bothering her. From time to time she even sleeps through the night. And when she doesn't, she's in her crib for about thirteen hours with one or two breaks for a ten minute nursing. Some might say she could/should be sleeping through the night consistently at this point, but there are several reasons why I'm not attempting to change things.

One, Lucas at the age of seven months was falling asleep around midnight and waking up at least five times a night. Sleeping two hours straight was a rarity. So he set the bar pretty low. Two, she is a nighttime thumb sucker and I want to give that little thumb some competition so that it isn't her only go to in times of need. Three, I'm used to it. I've entered a new realm of insanity that disguises itself as normal and only when I start sleeping through the night more frequently will I realize its depth. But I am fine with camping here for a while.

Of course since Sofia sleeps so well in the crib, she'd rather explore and "chat" than snuggle on the rare occasions I pull her into bed with me. Which means that when she is under the weather it's up and down for me all night. Last night she finally fell into a deeper slumber at around 2am after some Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon. After that she slept in 1.5 - 2 hr increments. I suspect she was waking up when she tried to suck her thumb but couldn't breathe. Enter Nose Frida, the best invention since sliced bread. She goes from being totally unable to breathe or nurse to breathing without any restriction.

Thankfully Lucas slept through the night. And I got a good handful of hours. (Perhaps more than Chris did since he was at the office til about 5am - on a roll I guess!) And my wake rhythms kicked in nicely this morning with the adrenaline rush from an ant invasion in the kitchen sink area followed by a rich brew of half caf from the French press (Organic Decaf Italian Dark Roast and Sumatra.)

Time for Mommy-Lukey time while Sofia naps during the few moments that she can breathe!

State of the Household

Tonight is going to be a doozy. It took about three hours for Sofia to fall asleep. Nursing, lying down, picking up, rocking, singing, nursing, playing, reading, nursing, watching tv, more nursing and ultimately some half-hearted crying in her crib... Poor baby has a runny nose and, it seems, an upset tummy.

Chris is working late and Mom couldn't make it, but my little tornado really stepped it up in the patience department. When I had to bathe Sofia and prepare her pureed chicken soup, Lucas occupied himself by pushing cars on my yoga mat. And he didn't complain when I had to be alone with her in her room, nursing her again and again. Apart from a couple of subtle and silent snarls he was a total angel. (The king of facial expressions has a new one - he wrinkles up one side of his nose and upper lip. If his eyes are on you, watch out. But if his eyes remain flat and focused on what he's doing it's just mild rebellion.)

I love my babies.

For Ginger

This is a temporary post. But while you are here, check out the drawing by Maria! Isn't it awesome? More on Sofia's room to come. Ginger, here you go!

A visit from the Peggers

One reunion streamed into another. We returned from Colorado to my family from Winnipeg, who had driven all the way down to see us. This time the clan consisted of Uncle Henry, Cheryl, Alexa, Liam, and our beloved Oma.

Uncle Henry is my mom's brother, the youngest of 4 and the last to have kids which means more fun cousins for Lucas and Sofia! He was a volleyball player for the Canadian national team and I used to be notorious for bragging about this. But boo ya, my uncle's the bomb.

Oma is my Grandma. Also the bomb. She came bearing many knitted gifts (truly a knitter/crocheter extraordinaire.) There are few things that please me more than watching how Lucas gravitates to her. He always wants to sit next to her and show her things.

We did the usual summer things. We went to the pool and to Fernbank (where Lucas saw his first movie in a theater, Tornado Alley at the IMAX.) We played frisbee, watched movies, and ordered Thai food at 10pm. And the new attraction - Menchie's by the ounce frozen yogurt!

Large feet run in the family. Thankfully they are often attached to tall bodies!

Frisbee!

Love this pic!

My dad and Uncle Henry hadn't seen each other for many years before this visit.

"The Marias," Sasha's girlfriend and Oma.

Party time!

I just think Sash looks cute in this picture.

Bussey/Weiner Family Reunion

Near the end of June, we met many of Chris's family members (on his mother's side) in Colorado for a family reunion. Aunt Judy came up with the idea of joining together at The YMCA Camp of the Rockies and there was no way we were going to miss an opportunity to see everyone and spend a week in the fresh mountain air.

Eight out of ten cousins were there, five of us bringing a rugrat or two. And The missing two had good reason (Emily was just married and Jason's wife Erica was very pregnant with number four, Graham Colt.) I wish I could post pictures of everyone and document all the fun times but that would be impossible.

The highlights for me were:
-Our hike with Jacob, Matthew and their 'rents followed by lunch at a small brewery
-Naps and reading with Sofia in the room
-Hanging out in Larry and Judy's room (they can make even a hotel room warm and inviting)
-Seeing all the little ones: Micah, Ian, Melanie, and Jesse James
-Jacob (at the top of my list of cool kids) trying to sneak cocktail weenies out of the cafeteria for me in a napkin.

Lucas would say the high points were:
-SNOW!
-Swinging in playgrounds
-Mini-golf
-Root beer with his cousins at their own table on a restaurant patio (he fakes liking root beer now because it is so cool)
-Throwing rocks into creeks
-Potty jokes and running wild with cousin Matthew (his age) and Lego's with Jacob (8 yrs old. and VERY tolerant and gracious with the two 4-yr-old crazies)

Arts and crafts

24/7

A room with a view
(of the playground, a typical ranch scene, and trees ravaged by the Pine Beetle.)

Swangin'

Hiking just outside Rocky Mountain National Park

Kids table (lunch after the hike)

That smile is convincing, but the cup was about that full when we left.

Pic-nicking with the Weiners

The grand finale - a family bonfire (I was sleeping with Sofia)

Lucas and Matthew built a "fire" of their own.
This is probably his 37th marshmallow.

Smiling with Gigi