We Survived the Fair, 2008!

Fun eating ice cream in 90 degree heat.


The highlight of the day for annika - nasty puddle with poop residue in the goat barn.

Highlight of the day for Saben - $3 for 5 minutes of fun running through this big play structure.

Unfortunately they only let him go through it once and Mommy wouldn't shell out $3 more for another go. Did I say "survived the fair"? I meant BARELY survived the fair.

Daycamp

Saben has been going to "daycamp" for the last two weeks at the Bellingham Preschool of the Arts. Last week their focus was cooking/fun with food and this week it is "Movin & Groovin" which is music and dance. Each morning I drop him off and then usually Annika falls asleep in the car and I get 1.5-3 hours all to myself. It is awesome. In fact, I only signed him up for one week but got so addicted to my free time that I decided paying for another week was defnitely worth it.

Saben loves the preschool too. I could actually totally see sending him there in the fall if I hadn't already signed him up somewhere else. They've done a great job drawing him out and getting him to try new things. Last week he ate english muffin pizzas, which is nothing too exciting except that he was really reluctant at first, then finally tried one and ended up eating four of them. He has also resisted dancing in the past so I was nervous about whether he would actually be movin and groovin or just sitting like a lump. Apparently he's really getting into it, so maybe there's hope for him yet. The only dancing he's ever really been into is running his feet in place really fast or "push" dancing which is basically exactly like being in a mosh pit. He loves running around pushing kids, and I blame it all on his cousin Nathan who taught him that neat trick at Shauna's wedding. : )

Anyways, hurray for preschool! Real preschool starts in less than a month. yikes!

Snippets

Annika is officially weaned - she hasn't nursed for over a week now. I can't believe it actually, I keep expecting to somehow need to do it again, but I think that is obviously not going to happen. I have dreaded weaning Annika since Saben was born. I remember nursing him and thinking how awful it was going to be to wean our final child. But... After nursing for 2 1/2 years of my life, I guess enough is enough and quitting wasn't as painful as I had thought. And it was actually easier/less emotional than weaning Saben.

The craziest part is that I have been averaging 1-2 books read a week because I nursed 1-2 hours a day. Suddenly I have a huge stack of books that I haven't even looked at. My advice to new moms - use your nursing time to read everything you've always wanted to have time for. Make a list before the baby is born! For a while I kept running out of book ideas. Then I got hooked on Travel/Cooking/Living abroad biographies/memoirs and probably read 20 of them. (somewhat light reading was the best because its an exhausting time of life.) So now random food facts and European culture are a couple of my specialties. (most of the travel/living abroad books also included food - so they were mostly in France & Italy)

And for those of you who have been to our house in the last year - yes, the pillows are finally gone from my nursing corner of the couch, but no, my huge pile of books & magazines is still there. And my "footrest" box is on its way to recycling as soon as I get around to it.

A few more funny things about Annika

• Annika does not like Kyle's bare chest. He often takes his shirt off when he gets home and tries to pick her up and she pushes herself as far from it as possible and looks disgusted. Definitely won't give him any hugs until he puts his shirt back on. It is really funny actually.

• When she's really excited, Annika sticks her tongue out all the way out & down with her mouth open wide. It is really funny & cute. (you could see it in the water pictures I posted last week) She sometimes sticks out her tongue when she is crying & angry too.


• Annika really likes animals, especially dogs and cats. (more than Saben did) She likes to pat Roxxy and poke at animals faces.


• Annika also likes stuffed animals a lot, especially playing games where you sort of tickle her with it.

I've learned from experience that updating my blog and cooking bacon should probably be two mutually exclusive activities.

The Stats

Saben - Annika
Birth Weight: 9lbs 4 oz, 21 1/2 inches - 9lbs .39 oz, 22 1/2 inches

2 weeks: 9lbs 10oz, 22" - 9lbs 6oz, 22 1/2"

2 months: 14lbs 11oz, 23 1/2" - 12lbs 3oz, 23 1/2"

4 months: 18lbs 3oz, 27" - 14lbs 5oz, 26"

6 months: 19lbs 6oz, 28 1/2" - 16lbs 3oz, 27 3/4"

12 months: 24lbs, 30 1/2" - 25lbs 5 oz, 31 1/2"

I know these stats are not at all exciting for most of you, but please notice that suddenly my petite little Annika surpassed her brother in both height and weight. Somewhere around here I have her 9 month stats and it is driving me nuts that I can't find them. I am fairly certain that she was 19lbs and 30 1/2" at that appointment so she gained 6lbs in 3 months. phew.

It was so funny at the doctor today, someone brought in a 6 month old baby girl to the waiting room and Annika would not stop staring and trying to touch her. I was trying to figure out if Annika has really ever seen someone younger than herself before. Or maybe it was because the baby was in a carseat. She ignored an infant boy who was newborn that I tried to point out. She was poking at the 6 month old in the same way she pokes at dogs & cats and would not leave her alone even though I carried her across the room several times. I think the mom was Russian or Ukranian. Maybe Annika prefers Ukranian babies. Very strange.

We also had to wait 40 minutes to see the doctor, right when Annika & Saben should have been napping, which is always fun. Then a drive home in the hot (wonderful) weather, except we're driving Kyle's car which does not have air conditioning and every time I opened the windows, Annika started shrieking because the wind was in her face. So we broiled our way home.

And lastly, she has a big nasty looking molar coming in. poor girl.

"Adventures with Corn"

"They are not always photogenic"

Potty Time

Kari for Governor

Governor (Partisan Office)
Candidate: Kari Young (independent mish mash)

Candidate Statement:

I am on a mission to assert Washington State leadership for other States joining for positive changes.

I believe the number one issue in the 2008 Governor election should be the illegal and unethical election practices used by former Washington State Attorney General/current Washington State Governor Christine “The Cover-Up Queen” Gregoire.

Fact: McKay, Even and Reed cancelled the entire 2004 Washington State Primary Voters’ Pamphlet just to censor Kari Young.

Our governor must convene a Climate Emergency session of the legislature now to enact emergency World War II-type laws:
• Divert Boeing to manufacture of solar and wind power equipment
• Outlaw Single Occupancy Vehicles
• Protect Washington trees as ‘common good,’ critically aiding our climate.

Because I feel Washington State should be leading the Nation in promoting a Spiritual Civilization based on holistic medicine, alternative energy, affordable housing, relevant education, a dynamic economy, bio-diversity, world development and meaningful access to justice, I respectfully propose my “FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS” PLAN OF ACTION.

FREEDOM FROM HUNGER, DESERTS AND WORLD MISERY: Thanks to ethical trade, the doubling of exports, tree planting, vineyards, organic agriculture, health restaurants and the distribution of “superfoods” (including but not limited to amazing dopamine-producing raw vegan chocolate mousses), we would find solutions to world hunger and deserts would flower.

Does anyone else look forward to reading the voters pamphlet each year because it makes them laugh out loud and roll on the ground with glee? (updated: I compiled my statement from the most outrageous sections of our governor candidate's statements. I couldn't make this stuff up.)