Playing in Hawaii June 14, 2008

So we’ve been in Hawaii for a week and having a great time! River has enjoyed his swimming and playing time with Camden, Mija and Nikko, even though his ear infection (I think?) has returned. He is not as happy as he usually is and I’ve started him on another round of antibiotics. Ick. I think it came from the cold that both he and I got on the plane over.

Thankfully Kyle arrived yesterday. He was thrilled to see River and RIver was thrilled to see him. When we got back to the condo we went straight to the pool and joined Matt in a little water play time. We decided to stay in last night and relax since the night before we went to River’s 3rd luau (Yes, 3rd! Before he is even 1 year old!) So he got some good sleep. Hopefully this kicks whatever it is that is bugging my little guy….

River Worried about Daddy May 29, 2008

I just had to write and let you know the most recent cute thing River did- Last night we went to our friends, Ben and Lindsay’s house for dinner. They have a small half pipe in their backyard and so Kyle got his old skateboarding skills out of the closet and had a ball seeing what he could still do.  After a little while RIver and I went outside to watch him and saw him do some fun tricks, and then saw him fall. When he  fell River freaked!  As soon as Kyle was on the ground River let out a cry like he was in so much pain! It was so cute how worried he was about his daddy! This happened the rest of the night, so soon I just had to bring River inside so he would stop freaking out.

I think he’s got a little Telaak in him (my mom’s family)-  since they can be a bunch of worriers- this said with so much love!!!

Memorial Weekend fun! May 27, 2008

What a fun and exciting weekend!

Kyle, River and I flew into Colorado Friday evening to get to Boulder for an engagement party for River’s Uncle Colin and Aunt Beth.

We had a great time together, and River - not surprisingly - stayed up for quite sometime to enjoy the party- He’s my party boy!

The next day we walked around Boulder and enjoyed Pearl Street, the Creek Festival, Farmers market and the Bolder Boulder Expo. During that time we found some “killer tulips” - or at least that i what River must of thought because they were bigger than him and he got totally freaked out by them!

(Although you can’t tell that by this picture!)

We then got to visit Aunt Katie up in her new mountain home in Evergreen- mommy was very jealous!

Sunday we went to church and River was very good- when Pastor Mark told the congregation to pray for people in their hearts or out loud- River loudly exclaimed, “Mama!” Although he had no idea what he was doing it was mighty cute, and made his mama feel pretty good.

After church we went and had a great breakfast, and we realized how incredibly tired River was because he fell asleep in my arms. That NEVER happens anymore!

On Monday we woke up bright and early to enjoy Memorial Day and the Bolder Boulder. It was River and Kyle’s first Bolder Boulder and I think they both had a lot of fun!

After just starting the 10K walk with River on our back, Kyle, River and I got stopped by a 9 news reporter. They asked us if we could do an interview, so we spent a little of our Bolder Boulder time getting interviewed on TV! Some of the actual interview is on the link below- just click on the video link on the left…

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=92465

It was a cold day, but we still had a wonderful time walking with Grammy and family! Pap ran ahead but we met up with him at the end with Colin and Beth. River and I were happy to be there that day to say happy Anniversary to Grammy and Pap since they have been married for 35 years! What an exciting day!

Although we had a great time with the Laughery family, River did wish that Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Dave could have joined him in the Bolder Boulder as well… hopefully next year!

Bumps and Bruises May 20, 2008

Well, the last few days, well, weeks actually, River has become black and blue. I honestly feel like a bad mother, but I know that this is just one step towards independence. He’s getting really good at “speed crawling” and walking around various objects. He pulls up on everything taller than himself which makes for a constant stream of falls. Everyday he’s got a new bump or scrape somewhere on his body…

Otherwise River is talking up a storm. He says mama quite often, especially at dinner time which makes me think that he is saying “more more”. He is also finally staying up pretty consistently past 7pm which has been a nice treat. We like having our baby around! He is slowly going through all the frozen breastmilk that I have stored with a little bit of foumula here and there, but is eating a ton of solid food. His favorite room right now is the kitchen, especially when the dog food is on the floor. His favorite game is taking all the dog food and putting it into Inu’s water dish, then proceed to splash out all of the water, and food, that is in there. He has become quite a little personality!

Our last nursing session… May 14, 2008

I knew it had to come to a close someday, and that day sadly came yesterday.

I NEVER thought I would be this sad over getting my body back, but here I am wondering if I had made the right decision on doing it this week, that day, that morning.

We had been on the “once a day” thing for the last couple of weeks. I stopped being able to let down easily in the afternoon so River kept getting angry every time I put him to the breast at that time. In the early morning was great though, he and I being both half asleep he could suckle until I finally give him the nourishment that he needs and  we would have special cuddle time in the wee hours. I loved that time.

So yesterday morning came along and it was so wonderful. It look awhile for me to let down but River didn’t mind so we had a long time to cuddle. He ate both sides fully and then went back to sleep in my arms- it was perfect. Just like I want to remember it.

So with that I made the decision to stop. It had to come soon because I am going to China in less than a month and Colorado in a week and a half (and I’d rather not lug around more “milk” weight during the Boulder Bolder) so I knew it had to be soon. I’m going to miss it more than I ever imagined, but am forever grateful for all the wonders that my body created- a baby and all of his food for such a long time. 10 1/2 months- I can live with that.

So this morning I woke River up and gave him a bottle of formula. Funny that with nursing he is so comfortable that be basically sleeps the whole way through. But today when he was done with the bottle he was awake and wanting to play. Humph. So I guess that our early morning sessions of cuddling are done - nursing being the source of relaxation and closeness. We will find other cuddly times I’m sure of it, but I’ll never forget that bond we have because of this time we had together.

Love ya babe- thanks for being such a patient, loving and amazing baby. I’m so lucky.

Happy Mothers Day May 11, 2008

What a great day.

Waking up to a wonderful breakfast made by my my dear husband, and having my baby sleep in till 8:30 (we DID keep him up until 9pm) helped the day start off great. It was a great first new mommy’s day! We hung around while Kyle worked outside and I did my paper and River crawled all over me. This evening we enjoyed mothers day dinner at Chino Latino in Minneapolis… I couldn’t ask for anything more!

10 months old! May 4, 2008

River is 10 months old today! It’s hard to imagine that he was in my arms as a newborn baby 10 months ago this very second. People say that time passes faster once you have children- boy are they right!

Well, lately we have been enjoying the world of technology! We discovered ichat and have been having fun talking to family long distance. This past thursday was pretty fun because grandma pat, grandpa dick, aunt barbie and debbie were all at my parents house. When doing ichat there was a point where everyone was singing itsy bitsy spider. Pretty amusing. 

Otherwise Grandma Sandy is in town again to take care of River when I am off at class. River and her have been having fun playing, shopping and napping! So nice to have some family around! (Even if for just a short while!)

All types of medicine May 2, 2008

So the ear infection returned…. no fun! River woke up this past Monday miserable and fussy- which is not like my little boy! I felt so awful because this ear thing has been going on for a month. So Monday afternoon (after he got kicked out of day care with a 103 fever AGAIN) I took him to the doctor and low and behold he had a double ear infection after being off of the last drugs for 2 days. So, we are trying a different drug and turning to alternative medicine.

I have been told by many friends that chiropractors help babies ear infections so Tuesday morning that is where we headed. We found a nice pediatric chiropractor in Apple Valley and she did some magic. Now it could be the new drugs, but I would like to think that the non-drug(s) did the trick because River is back to his old self! After I found out it was covered under insurance, I headed back to her myself- something every new mom should do…

Enjoying the outside April 23, 2008

Finally, it’s spring! We can go outside without a blanket, it’s sunny, and rainy. It’s my favorite time of year. River is enjoying it too! Walks, and time outside seem to actually keep him up later which is nice. I like playing with my baby instead of putting him to bed at 5:30!

Otherwise, we went to the Doctor today and his ears are good. Hopefully they stay that way! He is back crawling around, playing with his toys and eating dog food. Gotta love it!

 

Ear Infections April 19, 2008

Well, this is one thing Kyle and I were not prepared for- ear infections. These last 2 weeks we have been battling with an ear infection now in both of River’s ears. With the infection he has had high temps and difficult nights. Let alone both of us have had to take off work to stay home with him! All of you that have family around you are very lucky! It’s hard to do  this all on your own especially when you have to leave work so often.

He is getting better- now on a higher dose of drugs, his ears seem to be clearing up. But because of this we are going to take another approach to healing. I have been told my many people that chiropractors and more holistic medicine can wok wonders for children, so that is our next step. Pumping our little 19lb baby full of drugs is NOT what I want to do, so we are finding alternatives!

Below is a picture of our stove (since our fridge is not magnetized). It was a great idea we got from Jenia and Eric, especially since all our family is so far away! Plus it’s River’s favorite place to pull up and play, so he gets to see his family’s faces every day!