Every Now and Then…….

Every now and then Sarah and I actually get to do things that don’t involve Alice.  Yesterday Sarah we went for a bike ride together – AT THE SAME TIME!  It was pretty rad. These two-wheeled babies finally got out of the basement and put in a few miles. The red and black bike is Sarah’s, and the orange Bob Jackson is mine.  It was actually a wedding gift from Laird. Gotta say, pretty fast gift.

If you have read any previous posts you already know that we have been doing some gardening. Flowers and even some “foods” (3 kinds of tomatoes and fancy broccoli).  The tomatoes are turning red and they are damn tasty. No real progress on the “Romanesco Italia Broccoli.”

Don’t think that we have been neglecting the Alice, or anything.  She is still quite demanding but loves having a good time.  We thought it was time she learned about water safety so we went to Targhetto and bought this awesome Baby Yacht!  It is tough to see in the pictures but her little legs are going crazy underwater. Grandma Sue has a pretty sweet pool at the apartment complex, always open and baby friendly. Yesterday was pretty fun. Hopefully this weekend will be a party too!

As Promised

Ok so there’s two videos. The first one is just funny – it’s got a sneeze, some drool, and a moment where she’s not quite sure what’s going on.

And here is her new trick. Strawberry – raspberry – phlerbert – farting – whatever you want to call it.

And she does that all day.

New Hobby (Obsession)

Nick and I have been spending a lot of time in our gardens this summer (I say plural because he’s tending to the vegetable garden and I to the flowers). I walk around holding Alice while I deadhead day lilies and pull random weeds. This means that the bottom of my retaining wall is weed-free most of the time. The top half – not so much. I talk to her about what I’d like to plant and discuss how the existing plants are doing. This way I don’t feel like I’m talking to myself. I’m educating her, see!

I have started taking notes for what’s working and what’s not. I visit various websites for tips and ideas. I search through sites devoted to Hostas to locate the exact names for each variety or cultivar I have. Mom has gotten me hooked for sure! I have lists in my phone so that if I’m out and about and come across a plant store (totally by accident, of course) I have a few ideas or names of plants to look for. I usually end up buying something totally different, but whatever.

My dilemma is that our house is pretty small and we know we can’t stay there forever, so what am I to do with all my plants that I’ve grown to love? We don’t have the space inside to take seedlings or whatever – and let’s be honest, that’s a lot of work for a new mom. I suppose we’ll just have to plan on moving when I can safely dig up the ones I want to keep. I wonder if anyone will notice the giant holes? Anyhoo – I think this blog might be a good place to add pictures or thoughts about my gardening hobby. I know it’s not as exciting as Alice quips, but I think it might help keep me grounded. I’ll try to include Alice in the pictures. Happy Monday!

So far; so good

Nick: The weather has been relatively nice in Omaha.  Alice has had a chance to hang out in the backyard quite a bit.  I have even been able to get out on my bicycle a couple of times this week.  Last night we went to see the Harry Potter movie while Alice was with the babysitter.  When we picked her up she had pink painted toe nails!  6 months old, way too young for makeup.  I think no makeup ever would be great!  And when you are this cute who needs it?

I think she has more hair in her eyelashes than I have on my head.  Seriously.

Sarah: Thank goodness for the world of digital photography, cell phone cameras, and webcams. Without them I would definitely be in rough shape. I have a digital picture frame on my desk that often steals my attention and Nick turns on the webcam a few times a week so I can see Alice play on her computer (a calculator). Cell phones take pretty good pictures these days, so I send them straight to Facebook and save the good closeups to my computer to change my Yahoo Instant Messenger (sarah_bikes) profile pic. It’s not the same thing, but it certainly helps. Love and drooliness.

Big Week

Pretty big week around the house. Alice got to meet Grandpa Bob for the first time.  It was really nice to see them together.  He did in fact make her cry, but lets face it, at this point everyone other than mom and dad make her cry.  She is crawling now, only in reverse.  There must be something very tricky about forward momentum.  The other day I left her on a blanket in the living room and went to do the dishes.  When I got done I couldn’t find her, she was under the coffee table chewing on one of Sarah’s shoes.  Time for baby gates.  This house will never be the same.

6 Month Check-up

According to our pediatrician, Alice is perfect. Well, duh!

75th percentile for height and weight, 50th percentile for the noggin.
16 lbs. 7 oz.  – she’s getting big!

The exciting thing, I think, is that we can feed her pretty much any food under the sun. No honey until she’s a year old (there’s not enough acid in her stomach to combat the bacteria that lives in honey, apparently) and I guess juice is poison, so we’ll skip that. But yogurt, fish, bananas, enchiladas, pad thai – it’s all good.

In addition, she loves sitting up by herself on the floor and in the grass. She sits up very straight so she can see more of the world and less of her feet. She flops onto her belly ocassionally, and this is where we see signs that our perfect posture baby will not remain on her little blanket for much longer. She gets up in push-up position on her hands and toes and stays there for a few seconds. If she moves anywhere, it’s usually backwards.

She’s getting very strong and confident and social. Uncle Ben no longer scares the crap out of her and she’ll pretty much let anyone hold her. She “talks” all the time and it now includes some consonants. I’ve heard what sounds like a Y, D, and maybe an N or an M. Just babble, but it’s still cool.

I would add pictures, but I’m at work and don’t have access to anything new (no Facebook or USB flash drives allowed). Yay for high school. Check back later for pictures.

Splash Party