2 months old!

Justin is 2 months old today! It seems like he's always been a part of our family, but it's only been 8 short weeks since he joined us. He's growing and changing so much that it's hard to keep up with him. His head control is very good, and he is always moving some part of his body (and usually bonking himself on the head). He smiles most of the time and Matt even got a little chuckle out of him a few days ago! He enjoys time in his car seat, stroller, and bathtub, and is fascinated by peek-a-boo. His personality is very different from Malaina. He's quite laid back, and not much bothers him, not even a dirty diaper. He gets upset when it's time to go to bed at night, and when he needs to be burped - and that's about it. He's a very solid little boy & I can't wait to find out how much he weighs (I'm guessing 12 lbs.). Justin, we love you and are so glad you've joined our family! In other news: went to the Valley Junction Farmer's Market with our friend the Mons' family. This time of year, it was less a farmer's market and more of an open air food & craft fest. Very cute, and TONS of yummy looking food. It would be a great place for a date night (I can't wait to go back and try the Greek food).

Suggestions?

We're (translation: I am) planning a family trip to Chicago in June. It will only be a long weekend, but I am so excited about this. First, I heart Chicago. It's a super fun city with generally friendly people. There's a ton to do, and of course, the food is great. The last few trips I've made to Chicago were for business, so I was limited to the hotel, the convention center, and the occasional dinner out. Now that I'm going for pleasure, I'm not sure what to do! With a 4 year old, a 3 month old, and a husband who doesn't like to contribute to the planning process (but who will pout like nobody's business if he doesn't like what's going on), I'm a little overwhelmed at trying to plan for 2 1/2 days in Chi-town. I'm thinking Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier (ferris wheel, Children's Museum), maybe American Girl Place, a visit to H & M if I can sneak it in ..... and I'm a little stumped at what else. Any suggestions? I don't need to have every minute planned out, but a general idea & a few options are always good to have in one's pocket. (oh, and of course I have a cupcake shop on my list: Molly's Cupcakes, as found on the "No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner: blog). What do YOU like to do in Chicago?

Tulip Time in Pella

I loaded up the Jetta on Saturday and took the kids to Pella for the Tulip Festival. Pella is the home of - you guessed it - Pella Windows & Doors. It was founded by Dutch immigrants about 150 years ago, and there is a strong connection to Dutch heritage there. Being 1/4 Dutch myself, I decided it was time to get in touch with my roots & see what it was all about. I sort of expected there to be fields of tulips near or in the town itself, but the tulips seemed to be limited to beautiful displays planted throughout the town square. Many of the businesses on the main streets had a Dutch flavor to them, selling costumes, baked goods, craftware, etc. Fun fact: The town also has the largest working windmill in the U.S., which still grinds flour using only wind power. Although it was fun to see, most of the activity seemed centered around the parades that occur twice a day. With two little ones, I wasn't going to try and hang around until the afternoon parade - not to mention that we were not one of the people who decided to stake out a place on the sidewalk 9 hours in advance. There was some good street food, and I discovered that Malaina truly is her father's daughter, as she does not like funnel cake. I wasn't surprised by much of the food. After going to the Iowa State Fair this summer, I expected the dutch letters, giant turkey legs, pork chop on a stick, brats, pulled pork sandwiches, etc. I WAS surprised by a Pella specialty: the Dutch Taco. Consisting of a flour tortilla, lettuce, cheese, hot sauce, and BOLOGNA. Now, I know that Oscar Meyer has a way with b-o-l-o-g-n-a, but apparently so does Pella. People were lining up for these bad boys, and they seemed to be a special favorite of the Asian tourists who were out in full force. I have to admit that I didn't try this special little torture, as I have been missing West Coast Mexican food, and the thought of a bologna taco just seemed like an abomination. Malaina had a good time looking at all the flowers, but was disappointed that she couldn't pick them. She also fixated on the windmill, and told Matt that she wanted to take her Grandma & Grandpa back there so they could go up to the top, but Justin, Mama and Daddy would have to wait at the bottom.


Picture of Justin on Saturday after we got up from our nap. Look at those cheeks! We've had to retire some of his pj's already, as he's bursting out of them. I can't wait for more consistently warm weather so we can use some of the 3-6 months size short outfits for him. He's almost ready for the larger size!

Rollin' in style

I've wanted a jogging stroller since I had Malaina, but we have a great Maclaren, and I never could justify the cost of a 2nd stroller. I've coveted the BOB since I found out they make a version with a swivel front wheel, and I was stoked to discover that the Revolution was one of the options in my American Express rewards program. I've been hoarding my Amex points, and finally ordered it a few weeks ago. I think it was delivered Friday, but the office didn't call until yesterday to let me know. Matt got home too late to pick it up, and it was torture to wait until the office opened this morning. We broke it in with a family walk today (Malaina rode her bike, of course), and Justin seemed to really enjoy it. With the addition of the BOB, I guess I really have no more excuses for not exercising. If the weather would cooperate, I'd be all set (supposed to be 82 tomorrow, then 65 on Thursday).

Thought for the Week - #30

Organization = Liberty. Real innovation in design, or any other field, happens in context. That context is usually some form of cooperatively managed enterprise. Frank Gehry, for instance, is only able to realize Bilbao because his studio can deliver it on budget. The myth of a split between "creatives" and "suits" is what Leonard Cohen calls a "shining artifact of the past".

My house is getting too clutter-y for my taste. Those who know me well are probably laughing hysterically at this, but I'm really not quite the clutter bug I used to be. Yes, I still have more things than I really need (don't we all!?), but it's the detrius of daily life that is dragging me down right now. Malaina's artwork, the profusion of toys, the piles of semi-important mail.... it's just getting to be too much. I can usually handle most of the house, but I've had a hard time since Justin was born. My time is more valuable than ever, and it's hard to get motivated to do a massive clean-up when I'd rather take a nap. Regardless of my fatigue level, I know that being surrounded by clutter is also mentally exhausting. Being disorganized at home makes me feel scattered and vaguely uneasy. I can see a Spring Cleaning in my future.

Wii are giant dorks

We are now the proud owners of a Wii system. We've been debating for months about this, and finally decided to make a concerted effort to find a system (they're still hard to come by, at least in Des Moines). I know, we're nothing special - there have been 6 million Wii's sold world-wide, and for good reason - It's Awesome! We currently only have the standard Sports game (tennis, baseball, golf, bowling, boxing), but even this has been super fun. Malaina proceeded to school me in golf, and Daddy is quite the boxer. Bowling seems to be more my speed right now. I like that there are games for everyone in the family (I'm sure Malaina will flip when she discovers there are Barbie and Princess games), and I like that it's something we can do besides sitting on the couch watching TV. My arms are already sore from boxing and batting! I'm also intrigued by the Wii Fit, which comes out in May. It's a mix of fitness activities (strength training, yoga), and fun stuff like hula hooping and slalom skiing. No, the games aren't cheap, but there are options like ebay and used game stores. I feel a little guilty, as this is a totally luxurious indulgence for a family of starving students, but I have no regret. Ya gotta spoil yourself sometimes, and when it's something for the whole family, it's much easier to justify.

In other news: Malaina has a new bike! The weather has been much nicer in the last few weeks, and she has been begging for a bike. In the interest of motivating her towards family walks, we decided to get her a bike. She's between the sizes for the 2 smallest bikes, and we went with the smaller, as we can raise the seat & make it last a bit longer. She loves riding it on the trail behind the apartment, and I'll bet the training wheels come off by next year.

Justin news: He is outgrowing his 'newborn' size clothing already. I put on a onesie the other day & had to stretch it to make it snap closed. I don't know how long or heavy he is, but he is certainly growing. It must be those recessive giant genes on Matt's side. Malaina took months to fit in to her 0-3 month clothes, so I can only wonder what we have to look forward to with Justin. Thus far, he has been different from her in almost every way. He is now 6 weeks old, and has started smiling at us. He likes to hear Malaina sing to him, and he is a little ticklish. He also slept for almost 5 hours last night!

Help yourself?

A bit of background: A few months ago I was at the Wal-Mart deli counter waiting for my cold cuts, when one of the bakery ladies gestured Malaina over, dipped into a Tupperware container of cookies at the edge of the bakery case, and gave it to her. We thanked her and I didn't think much more about it. I've seen the container a number of times since, but we haven't been offered a cookie again. No big deal.

I was at Wally's today, again waiting for my deli order, when a woman pushing a double stroller marched up to the bakery counter, grabbed a sheet of tissue, and popped the lid off the cookie container. She proceeds to grab 6 cookies (no exaggeration - I counted) and toss one to the toddler in the stroller. Her husband walks up behind me with another toddler, and she gives the other child a cookie.

Does anyone else think this is OK? I guess it's not technically stealing, as she wasn't swarmed by security in the middle of the first bite. I suppose it was really just a case of bad manners. I personally don't think I'd have the guts to stroll up and help myself to Mr. Walton's cookies. And what kind of example does it set for your own children, or other people's children? Finally, not only was she rude, she was greedy. 6 cookies for 2 toddlers is a bit much. If your planning skills are so poor that you drag the entire family to Wal-Mart at dinner time without a snack in hand, hit aisle #7, and crack open a box of granola bars.

PS -I made some pretty delicious cupcakes today. I doctored up a Red Velvet box mix, and made some chocolate buttercream frosting from a new recipe I found. The cake didn't taste like much, but the texture was light and slightly moist. The frosting was lightly chocolate-y with a fluffy texture. YUM!

PPS - I'd like to add this cookbook to my collection: Hello Cupcake! Some of the designs look a bit silly (corn on the cob, anyone?), but if they have a turtle design, I'm sold! (sorry, I can't figure out how to embed the link in the title of the book, so I'm leaving it out of the post)