7 months

I'm in a little bit of denial that our baby girl is now 7 months old (month sixth of her life was pretty crazy with the move and the unpacking) and am having a hard time moving her into her 6-9 month wardrobe. She is still cutting her first tooth and to put it nicely she is a bear (although I don't blame her, it looks painful). She has figured out that by rolling she can get anywhere she wants and she has no interest in sitting. She will now play contently for a few minutes by herself and loves to look at her brother. She giggles with delight when she sees him. I always wanted a baby that was a mommy's girl but now I am eating my words. Elizabeth is the most content when I am holding her and she refuses to fall asleep on her own. She can be perfectly happy playing by herself but if I walk into the room or she hears my voice she will start to cry. Tonight we tried to let her cry herself to sleep and after 30 minutes I picked her up. Matt commented today that it feels like we have a newborn still because she is up several times (as much as 6) times a night and will only take little 'catnaps' during the day. She still has the craziest hair and the biggest thighs and she loves to be tickled. Here's hoping to more sleep in month seven.

We found a nearby park and spent Sunday afternoon playing there. Here is a picture I took of Elizabeth at the park on her seven month birthday.

Jackisms

Since our house still looks like a bomb landed on it and we have half unpacked boxes everywhere, I won't be able to scrapbook for awhile. This post is so I can remember some of the funny things Jack has recently said so I can scrapbook them later.
1. "Mommy, did you see that patepillar"? (how he says caterpillar. Said on a walk around our circle)
2. "Daddy, I missed you at work" (said to Matt when he was still in MN working and Jack would talk to him on the phone)
3. "I'm not Matthew, I'm Jack Ryan" (said back to me when I called him his full name, Jack Matthew Ryan)
4. "That's my baby" (in reference to Elizabeth)
5. "Mommy, you didn't give me any tention (aka attention) today" (said after I spent a long day unpacking instead of playing with him, poor guy)
6. "Mommy, I want LOTS of syrup" (while he holds up two hands..10 fingers is LOTS!).
7. "Daddy, can I close the lid"? (said when Matt called to wish me happy anniversary the other day. I was in the shower and Jack got the cell phone off the counter and was talking to him and kept asking if he could close the "lid" of the phone. I asked Matt later that morning why he didn't call to wish me happy anniversary.)
8. "wake up Jeff" and then a giggle when we are trying to sleep. He got this from the Wiggles and it is so hard not to laugh when he does it. Of course, when I laugh it eggs him on and he keeps doing it.
9. "Oh Man Pickle". Said when something isn't going his way
10. "I think that is a great idea" "Mommy, don't you think that is a great idea?"
11. "Daddy, will you be a garbage truck driver with me?"

I should have written them down right away because I can't remember the other funny ones.

Finally done

I wanted to take a moment and say congratulations to Matt. After four years of medical school, three years of internal medicine residency and three years of Heme/Onc fellowship, he is finally done with his training and about to begin his first real job at the age of 35. It has been a long, long, long road (yes, three longs is correct--it's been LONG!), and he has never once complained (not even during his surgery rotation in medical school when he was at the hospital at 4 am, not during his Q3 and Q4 call months, and not during his BMT months). He genuinely loves his job and loves taking care of his patients. He has a passion for medicine and his patients are lucky to have him for a physician. He managed long hours at the hospital and still always had time for me and the kids. He often got up early in the morning with the kids so I could sleep in, even when he was post-call and needed sleep more than I did. He would take Jack to daycare when I was pregnant with Elizabeth so I could have a few minutes to myself in the morning to get ready. He added extra moonlighting shifts to his busy schedule so we could have extra money.
Matt, we love you and are so proud of you and can't wait for the next 6 weeks to have fun as a family.

Hard to say good bye

Hello everyone!
I finally got our internet hooked up today, after several calls to AT&T, and thought I would do a quick update. I don't have much patience for incompetent people and so far my experience with our new phone/internet provider hasn't been great. Although, it has been better than my experience with the garbage company (garbage service requested May 20 and I still do not have a garbage can). Have called the 'village' and garbage company countless times and no one seems to know what is going on. Anyway, enough of my venting on that...

I'm getting settled here (and I say I'm because Matt is still in Rochester). I didn't think it would be so hard to get everything unpacked. Elizabeth is teething and isn't cooperating with the unpacking process. My new strategy is to lower my expectations and to just unpack completely one box a day. I forgot how hard it is to move to a new city and not know anyone and drive around with a phone book map for when I get lost. I have to confess I'm quite lonely (and really miss all my Rochester friends) and the people in the grocery store probably think I'm nuts because I strike up an extended conversation as I check out. Matt is coming this weekend and I plan to go to the Sex and the City movie by myself and enjoy a giant tub of popcorn. I also miss SUPER Target. After my first grocery shopping experience at Wal-Mart, which I vowed never to return to, I did find Target, just not a Super Target. I guess my wallet will be fatter since I no longer live 3 minutes from my favorite store!


It was so hard to say good bye to our house in Rochester. When we left the last time, I stood in the entry way sobbing and tried to capture all our memories from the past six years. It was the first house Matt and I bought. I remembered Matt coming home from work his first day of residency a tired, young doctor learning the Mayo system. It was the first home Jack and Elizabeth lived in. As I stood in the entry way, I remembered the day I brought each of them through the door the first time. I could "see" Jack running to greet me when I came home from work each day. I could "hear" the blinds move in Jack's room as he peeked outside to see what was going on when he was supposed to be napping. It was so hard to lock and shut the door the final time and I cried all the way to our hotel as I said goodbye to our first home. I hope I will never forget those memories and am looking forward to making our new house our home.

In memory of Gus, March 2000- May 20, 2008

Yesterday was one of the most difficult days I can remember. I had to put my beloved Gus to sleep yesterday afternoon. He bit me quite badly on Sunday, when I was holding Elizabeth and helping Jack tie his shoe. It wasn't the first time he bit me, it was at least a monthly occurrence. We think he didn't have a good outlet for hunting and that I was his 'prey'. This bite was quite bad leaving puncture marks and bruising in the shape of his mouth on my arm. I took the advice of our veterinarian and decided that I couldn't in good faith take him to a shelter without telling of his biting history. The best thing for him was to be put to sleep.
It was the most difficult decision I have ever made, but I know I couldn't ever risk something like that happening to Jack and Elizabeth or any other kids visiting.
I have always been an animal lover and have shed countless tears over the loss of my childhood pets. I can't watch movies where a pet dies, I cried recently during the Kentucky Derby and I couldn't read Marley and Me without crying. Growing up my parents would only let me have outside cats. When I met Matt I told him that I would have indoor animals and if he didn't want that then we probably weren't a good match. Luckily, Matt is an animal lover as well. Eight years ago, as soon as we moved into an apartment that allowed animals, Matt and I got Gus. He was our first 'child' and boy, did we baby him.
Gus had such a personality and I never will open a jar of green olives without thinking of him (he loved green olives without pimentos and would come running from anywhere in the house when we opened the jar). He kept my feet warm at night when he slept between my legs. I didn't sleep well last night and I know I was waiting for him to meow and jump in our bed. Gus always found the best spot to nap, and his favorite was lying in the sun next to our patio door. I will always think of him on a sunny day and I hope that he found a sunny spot in heaven to nap.\

Tantrums

I was supposed to go with Matt this weekend to the wedding of his good friend from med school, but I decided at the last minute to stay home--figured I should be home at least one weekend before we move (I think it's 9 days from now...and not ready).

Anyway, it's been so long since Jack has had a full blown temper tantrum and of course, he would have to have one today when Matt is away for the weekend. I should have seen it coming since he was still awake 2 hours after I put him in bed last night, was up around 5am, and then we played outside this morning while Elizabeth was napping (was hoping I could run some of the energy out of him!). We took a quick trip to Target at 11 and I promised him if he was good we could get a cheeseburger for lunch (my super skinny kid now LOVES McDonald's and we are all for the mega calories he can eat in one meal). Anyway, it started when he ran away from me in the parking lot and continued when he wouldn't get in the cart. I did what any sane person would do and loaded both kids (sleeping Elizabeth and screaming Jack) in the car and came home with nothing off my list. And of course, no cheeseburger.
I know he was tired and I probably should have been more patient. He did end up taking a 3 hour nap this afternoon and I did cave in and go to McDonald's for dinner-after our 2nd trip to Target today. Here's to no tantrums tomorrow...

I've been tagged

Finally getting to this, Kristin! Lots of little known information about me...

Jobs I have had
Detassle corn (only in Iowa!!)
Lifeguard/swim lesson instructor
babysitting
lab assistant in swine nutrition lab at ISU
graduate student/teaching assistant at ISU
research assistant at U of I
sr research technologist at Mayo
mom



All the places I’ve lived
Independence, IA
Ames, IA
Iowa City, IA
Rochester, MN
and soon Green Bay, WI


4 Favorite Movies
I have seen only 1 movie in the last year and only a couple in the last 3 years so none are current movies..actually I can't even think of 4. But, I'm going to get NetFlix when we move to catch up on years of non-movie watching.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (I think I have it memorized)
Sixteen Candles


4 Favorite Foods
Anything Italian (probably Matt's lasagna is one of my top favorites)
Chicago Style Pizza
a good, juicy, tender steak with mushrooms and onions on top
chocolate and ice cream (chocolate ice cream of course!)



4 Weird Things you didn’t know about me
I don't eat/like chicken. I eat all other meat but I despise chicken.
I don't touch the railings on the escalator (have you ever seen anyone cleaning them?)
I'm afraid of library books-I buy all my books new with the rare exception of buying one at the used book store (but only when it looks really new and has no boogers in it!)
I love to vacuum-it's very therapeutic for me and a necessity with a dog and cat in the house


4 Favorite TV shows
Greys Anatomy
Divine Design
House Hunters
Oprah

4 Places I’d love to go
Italy
China
Africa
Alaska