Our Toddler

We told V that she would earn the name "toddler" once she started to walk, and that day has arrived! She took her first steps back in November, and all through December she practiced with a couple steps here and there. But it really took off ... literally ... while we were in Arizona. I think watching Juliet inspired her. By last weekend, she was walking in short bursts all over the house. In fact, last week I thought I would teach her what "stand up" meant. I said it once ... "staannnd up!" and it turns out she already knew it! She looked at me, pushed her butt up in the air, and lifted her arms up off the ground. Like I've said before, it amazes us how much she takes in. Half the time we're not even aware of all she knows!

An incomplete list of words she recognizes includes ... Mommy, Daddy, Piper, Hannah, Grandma, Grandpa, lay down, sit down, stand up, walk, kick, clap, wave bye-bye, high five. When she approaches stairs or wants to get off furniture, she listens when we tell her "leg first" so she can safely go down backwards. She can identify her tummy, head, and foot. She will find her blankie when asked (around the 1 year mark she started LOVING her blankie, pulling it out of her crib and snuggling into it), drink water when we suggest it, and definitely knows iphone. One day she was playing with my iphone in the bedroom while I was making breakfast. She crawled out to the kitchen, leaving the iphone in the bedroom. I told her, "hey, where's Mommy's iphone? You should bring it to me." I was jaw-droppingly surprised when she looked at me, thought for a moment, crawled back to the bedroom, then came out with iphone in hand (clunking it on the floor as she crawled), and handed it to me. If we say "hello?" she will put the iphone, or her toy phone (or if neither is handy, just her hand will do) to her ear, tilting her head to one side so she can "talk" on the phone like all the adults she sees. She is fascinated with the world around her and will often point at things so that Mommy and Daddy will name them for her.

She got her Christmas wish ... two bottom teeth started poking through on December 23. We thought for sure it would be the top teeth, as they had looked swollen and sore for weeks. But the top teeth followed a few weeks later, with the fourth tooth appearing the first day we arrived in Arizona. Seeing teeth when she smiles definitely makes her seem like a big girl.

She "hugs" people by simply tucking her head against their chest or shoulder ... and it's so darn cute. If I give her pen and paper, or crayon and paper, she will pretend to write, holding crayon with tip to the paper ... I imagine she watches lots of kids at day care with their crayons. She hasn't quite realized yet that those crayons will actually leave marks on the paper, so any scribbles are accidental. For some reason, she loves having a pen and checkbook and will lay on the floor pretending to write checks.

Victoria loves our puppies. Every day she tries to play with them ... throwing the ball, or playing tug. I always feel a little broken hearted if one of the dogs doesn't feel like playing ... she tries so hard! Thankfully, Piper is almost always in the mood for a game of fetch. And if Piper isn't available? She is pretty happy to throw a ball to a human too. I sure wish I could have seen this -- last Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa babysat. While they were playing catch with Victoria, she leaned over and picked up her ball in her mouth, just like the puppies. I guess she even shook it side to side at one point! Oh, silly girl! It made me think of a recent story my friend Nina told me about her 15-month-old, Juliet ... Juliet saw their dog lick Mommy's legs when she stepped out of the shower, so Juliet had to try the same thing! Their imitation cracks me up.

Some days she is a really good eater, either in quantity (like when she needed to eat two bananas for breakfast, or gobbled four slices of cheese like it was sent from heaven) or quality (chicken tikka masala and bruschetta with prosciutto, figs, and brie are two recent meals). Those good days seem equally offset by her moments of pickiness. She is starting to learn what her food preferences are, which usually doesn't include vegetables (much to Mommy's dismay). Like Daddy, she can consume huge amounts of cheese. With the arrival of teeth, she has also learned to take bites. This is a huge step forward from her old method of just shoving, say, a whole cupcake in her mouth. Now we can hand her a graham cracker, banana, or french fry just like the big people eat them.

Here are some more photos of her 1-year photo session. I couldn't choose just a few!

She really loved this chair. Just sitting in it made her smile.
We brought it to the house after the photo session so she could sit in it some more!

Love those imploring eyes!

She couldn't wait to crawl up into the chair!

We gave her a toy bell to play with ... not that you can see much of it!

Piper is asking Hannah, "how long do you think we have to stay here?"

Good girls!

This last picture reminds me of a final note...when her bottom teeth were coming in, she would stick her tongue in and out, in and out, so fast I started saying she had a "lizard tongue." It became so funny that she learned what "lizard tongue" meant -- Matt rolls his eyes, and I laugh when we realize I teach her silly things like lizard tongue and he teaches her practical skills like going down stairs. It's totally worth it, though, when I realize she thinks it's funny too ... quite often when I say "lizard tongue" she'll stick her tongue in and out, and then "hug" me as if to say, "I love when you're silly, Mommy!"

how to make picking up dog poop fun

1. Invite a canine cousin over to play.
2. Put the e-collars on your dogs and let all dogs outside to run, chase, and romp in the snow.
3. Bundle the baby girl up (or let her bundle herself, as in the case of Victoria, who got her own jacket, handed me her hat and mittens, piled her blankets inside the sled, and climbed in herself) and put her in the sled.
4. Pull baby girl on sled while you walk around the yard with dog poop bucket.
   
5. Take frequent "breaks" to make the sled go fast down the driveway.
6. Take more breaks to watch and laugh at the puppies.
7. If a frozen gourd is available, throw it down the driveway for an impromptu game of fetch.
8. When poop bucket is full and needs to be hauled out to the woods, take dogs and baby girl for a hike across the field.

It takes a lot longer than simply picking it up myself, but is a lot more fun this way!

Our very first mother-daughter trip

Last Friday, V and I embarked on a big adventure. I was pretty nervous about it as the time for our departure grew near, but kept telling myself that all adventures have their difficult points on the journey ... this adventure was me taking a 1-year-old on a plane by myself, and I knew I would have challenges. We were leaving at bedtime, after all, and V had the worst cough. I would have a squirmy baby, but only a tiny space on my lap. Plus, I hate flying and get nervous at any bit of turbulence. But I also knew that the destination was worth it: Arizona, to visit the Chunglunds!

I need to explain how important the Chunglunds are. Back when I worked at SRF, Nina was one of my co-workers. We bonded over things like knitting and dogs, and when she left SRF, we stayed in touch. A short time later, we found out that both of us had applied for a planner position in Duluth. I moved to Duluth first. About the time Matt and I were packing to move north, Nina and her husband Gus had just adopted little Carlton Rover (aka Carl). I was thrilled when I later found out that Nina had also accepted a position with the City -- how lucky that I would get to work with this awesome friend again! On her first day with the City, Nina announced that she was pregnant. And within a matter of weeks, I found out that I was pregnant too ... other than Matt (of course), Nina was the first to hear of my news, and I clearly remember our whispered excitement that day in my office where she reassured me that no, my pregnancy test was NOT wrong. Our due dates were two months apart, and as it turned out, we both had baby girls. I do not know how I would have made it through the misery and uncertainty of pregnancy without Nina by my side. Working in the same office, we were able to share our daily stories of back pain and morning sickness. When Juliet was born, Matt and I watched Carl for the weekend. When Victoria was born, I was texting Nina at 5:40 in the morning to tell her the news. Here is a picture of Nina and I with our girls at Super Bowl last year (so Victoria was about two months and Juliet about four months).


This pic was also taken right before the Chunglunds moved to Arizona. Despite the allure of the frozen tundra, Nina had an offer she couldn't resist. I wanted to cry every day for a week when she told me the news, and I swore we'd remain friends despite the distance.

Here we are with our kiddos today:


They are so big, right?

We flew out on Friday night. V was great on the plane (several other passengers even commented to me about it). She only cried for about ten minutes or so right before falling asleep, then slept for about half the flight. We arrived in Phoenix, and there was Nina right at the airport waiting for us! She had even saved their infant car seat for us to use on the trip. At their apartment, I settled V into the pack and play in Juliet's room, where we were sleeping for the weekend. She had woken up enough where she tried really hard to get Mommy to play with her, but finally fell asleep ... to be honest, I was amazed she was that happy to fall asleep in a strange place. Juliet was sleeping when we arrived, and it was hilarious to see the bewildered look on her face the next morning when I emerged from her bedroom ... and, a short while later, when V woke up and a strange baby came out of her room! She called V "baby" the whole weekend, which was quite cute. These two hit it off from the start. Victoria actually played with Juliet more than I had seen her interact with any other kid. Sure, there was the occasional argument over a favorite toy, and the occasional jealousy over mommy (V would push Juliet's hand away if she put it on my leg), but overall these two had a great time together. Victoria would get excited every time Juliet came into the room. We have quite a few pictures of them in their "matching" red polka dot pajamas. Here they are playing tug-of-war with Victoria's blanket, and giggling over it:


And a few more:




The last morning there, they sat at Juliet's table together:


This is a nice action shot of them playing with blocks:


And this photo just shows V, but I love how focused she is on placing the blocks precisely where she wants them. We have the same blocks at home, and her favorite are the single blocks -- she loves to create big stacks of them.


I think my favorite moment with these two was when I was packing to leave. I gave Victoria a cup of puffs to keep her happily occupied, and she sat against the wall in the hallway. Soon Juliet wandered down the hallway with her own cup of snacks, studied Victoria, then sat right next to her up against the wall. When her mom grabbed the camera, Juliet started getting up, but right before this shot was taken they were sitting nearly shoulder-to-shoulder enjoying their snacks.


I wish I had taken a picture of Carl. He too has gotten so big, and he is such a good dog putting up with these little ones!

(no, this is not Carl)

On Saturday, we took the girls to the zoo. Victoria didn't seem as enamored with the big animals as I thought she'd be (I, however, loved them) ... her favorite was the prairie dogs (you can see a couple of them in the right of this photo).


At the savanna exhibit, Gus took this photo of me and V in front of the ostrich. He has his head down, silly bird.


There was a petting zoo. V liked the goats and thought they were funny ... but more than anything, just wanted to crawl in the dirt.


I think my favorite part of the zoo was seeing V's face light up during the carousel ride.


Both girls were exhausted after such a busy morning. Not only did they fall asleep in the car, but stayed asleep after we carried them into a restaurant for lunch! Here is V sacked out in my arms. I couldn't resist waking her when our order of bruschetta came, though. Postino is one of my favorite restaurants and I really wanted to share the experience with her.


On Sunday, we went to the Olive Mill. They make delicious olive oils, and I loved not only learning about the process, but also eating lunch at picnic tables outside under the olive trees. I confess ... on this trip I ate a lot of A) bruschetta and B) gelato and frozen yogurt. This lunch was no exception. The highlight here was strawberry balsamic gelato topped with chocolate olive oil. Nummy!



After lunch we drove to Fountain Hills, a town on the outskirts of Phoenix, and walked around a pond with the (second) largest fountain in the world. We also played at the park and stopped for coffee -- totally my kind of afternoon.


The rest of the weekend involved lots of play time, good conversation with Nina and Gus, great food both at amazing restaurants and Nina's homemade breakfasts, and even a brief outdoor swim on Monday morning.

And more bruschetta. And more gelato.

And all of it was shared with my lovely daughter. I loved spending every moment of this trip with her, sharing new foods and even simply walking around enjoying the sights and the sun. On this trip she really practiced her walking skills, encouraged I think by watching Juliet toddle around. She would stand and take 4-5 steps, and loved walking alongside me, holding onto my hand. (Also on this trip, her fourth tooth popped through.)

On Monday we were back at the airport, ready to travel back to Minnesota. The Mesa airport is awesome because it has a large outdoor area after you go through security. It was so much more peaceful to sit outside rather than by the gate ... V and I ate snacks, played (I even got to read a magazine, she was so happily entertained playing outside), and she practiced her walking by pushing her stroller along the sidewalk.



We were lucky enough to have a spare seat next to us on the return flight, and Victoria loved looking out the window ... she saw luggage being loaded, looked down on snow-covered mountains, and admired city lights as the sky turned dark.


V was such a trooper on the whole trip, going with the flow and living in the moment even when she was exhausted. Thank you, Victoria, for being such an awesome travel companion -- I know you won't remember this trip, but Mommy's memories will last her a lifetime. And many thanks to all the Chunglunds for hosting us and providing such wonderful company. You are dear friends, and it was such a treat to see how much Juliet has grown and changed -- she is a sweetheart! I look forward to watching both of these girls grow up.

a murder of crows

Whoever came up with the term “murder of crows” really gave these birds a bad rap. Despite all the times I’ve told Matt, “it’s just a stupid crow” after thinking it may be some other (more exciting) bird, there is something about crows that signify the north woods of my childhood. I hear crows calling, and something in my soul pays attention, thinking of late winter/early spring days, when the temperatures would warm just enough to start the snow melting and to entice me outside. Last Sunday morning, after a big breakfast, we gathered in the living room. Victoria played with catalogs and magazines while Matt and I watched out the window. We were amazed at the huge “murder” of crows gathering in the trees just outside our windows. I counted nearly twenty of them. Why were they gathered nearby? Was there a buffet waiting for them somewhere along the river? Or was this just where they all happened to meet up for the day? Hearing the cawing and watching them chase each other around was enough for me to sink deeper into my chair, relaxing at feeling a little more connected to the wild around us.

Other birds outside seemed pretty happy, too. Chickadees flitted back and forth from our feeder, and in the crabapple trees, pine grosbeaks enjoyed a mid-winter snack.


It was a wonderful Sunday morning all around ... happy birds, happy dogs (who were watching the birds), happy baby girl entertaining herself while Mommy and Daddy relaxed and watched the world go by.

Those moments of relaxation were very needed given how busy the rest of the weekend was. Saturday was spent at the Duluth Bridal Show, where Moses Photography had a booth. Matt put a lot of hard work and detailed thought into preparing for the show. I went for a few hours to help answer questions and allow Matt to take a break. I loved it. Wedding stuff is so much fun, and there was such a great energy floating around. I loved every minute of meeting brides, friends, moms, and grandmas, and hearing about their wedding plans.


Sunday evening, we first took V to water babies (always fun ... she is getting the hang of "jumping" off the side of the pool, then came home just in time to feed her dinner before Matt and I went bowling. On Monday, we had the day off, and Matt spent the morning putting insulation in our basement bathroom. V and I hung out with him to keep him company and watch the progress. We learned that little pieces of foam insulation make great toys...


and apparently are useful in the dog kennels too.


Victoria played for about two hours with various pieces of insulation, moving them from pile to pile, up and down the steps, and in and out of the dogs' kennels.

With the house project done, we decided to get out of the house. We loaded up the whole family (pups too) for a drive up the North Shore. We stopped at the Rustic Inn for a delicious lunch.


Warning: do not pretend you are going to take those baby cheetos away from Miss V. I may or may not have tried to do that myself. Don't say I didn't warn you.

After lunch we walked back out to the car only to discover Piper was sleeping ... where? Oh I had to laugh ... the dog who is obsessed with trying to find the most comfortable place to sleep had curled up in V's car seat to nap. Hannah, of course, was in the driver's seat, riveted to the door of the restaurant as if her life depended on us returning for her. They got a brief walk at Gooseberry before we headed home, enjoying the glow of the setting sun on the lake.

Traveling

A week ago at this time, Matt and I were packing suitcases. Hannah paced anxiously – she is one smart pup, and learned long ago what suitcases meant. I tried telling her, “Hannah, you’ll get to go with me on this trip, I promise!” but I don’t think she believed me. I imagine that when V and I left on Tuesday morning in one packed car, and Matt left shortly after in another packed car, she was pretty worried indeed.

I also sarcastically advised Hannah, “it’s a reaallllyyy long drive. Think you can handle it?” Well, of course she could handle it … this drive is one she does all the time! While Matt was headed to Madison, WI, to photograph the cyclocross national championships, the girls and I were headed for a several days’ stay at my parents’ house. Halfway through the day on Tuesday, my parents went to our house to pick up the pups for their “trip.”

My parents invited us when they learned I had one night meeting (they were babysitting V that night), and because when Matt travels they help take care of the dogs – either spending time each day at our house or bringing the dogs back to their house to give them a break from ten-hour stints in the kennels. Our house is far enough away that the drive is an inconvenience for both of us. Our dogs are sooo spoiled (as am I), but I don’t think they fully realize it (I however, do). Staying at my parents’ meant homecooked dinners, adult company, and help getting V ready in the morning. It was very weird not staying at our house, especially when I went mid-week to check on things, when the lonely house reminded me that I have never been there completely by myself before. But I was very thankful to be at my parents’ when I got a touch of the stomach flu. And on Friday night when I fell asleep with my dad rubbing my feet on the couch. V enjoyed grandparent time too. On Wednesday when my dad went with me to get her from daycare, she wanted grandpa instead of mommy.

To keep Matt updated, I sent him the following report on Thursday morning:

This is the daily Moses Girls Report for January 5, 2012.

Jenn reports being able to keep down toast and a renewed interest in coffee ... which means she is definitely feeling better. Her boss is back in the office, and she is hard at work scheduling an upcoming public meeting. She is really looking forward to an afternoon walk in the sunshine and pancakes or waffles for dinner tonight.

Piper slept all night curled up on the bed, jumping off and running to the door every time someone got up in the middle of the night. She is committed to continuing her normal workday routine even while at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After a run outside and a hearty breakfast, she promptly went to work ... snoozing on the couch. She was pretty tired after wrestling with Grandpa Doug last night, after all. She did try to convince Mom to take her somewhere fun, but that request was denied.

Hannah is reportedly spending the day patrolling the kitchen. She is stationed to the spot on the rug under the dining room table, vigilantly on duty. She would like Dad to know that she and Piper proudly guarded the house from the newspaper boy at 0400 hours.

Victoria reported to duty early -- 0612, to be exact -- waking the other girls too. She drank all her bottle and helped Grandma get her dressed, but failed at the attempt to steal some of mommy's toast. She promised to play hard at day care today.

This is the end of the Moses Girls Report for January 5, 2012.

Saturday morning, the girls and I went home. It took me the whole weekend simply to unpack suitcases, do laundry, and grocery shop for the upcoming week. Sunday afternoon, V and I, joined by Uncle Adam, went to swimming lessons. It was fun to watch her launch herself off the pool wall into the water without any hesitation or fear.

I think my favorite moment of the weekend was Sunday morning. V woke up and I went in to get her. When she saw me, though, she did a 180 and flopped down on her crib mattress crying. I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t want me to pick her up. After I fixed her a bottle I brought her into our bedroom and laid her in the middle of the bed. She looked at me and then started patting daddy’s pillow. I said, “yes, that’s daddy’s pillow,” and when I said “daddy” her eyes grew bright and she scanned the room. I’m sure she missed her daddy.

Over five race days in Madison, Matt took 8940 photos and walked 36 miles. Here he is hard at work. All his pictures can be seen on his blog.

I’ll speak for Matt when I say I think the whole Moses family is happy to be home!

Hello, 2012

2011 was a great year. About as good a year as any can get. Sure, there were low points ... my delayed postpartum, post-breastfeeding several-months-long depression being one of them. But even a struggle like that merely sits in the shadows when you get to spend a year watching a cute little baby grow into a cute little toddler.

I don't have much for resolutions this year. Last year, I made none -- I figured all I had to do in 2011 was be a mom. On New Year's Eve this year, the first thing that popped into my mind is "I want to spend time outside tomorrow." I don't get to be outside enough, and I figured it was a great way to spend the New Year. Plus, an easy "resolution" to meet! So we all bundled up on Sunday morning. V got to try out her new sled. I got to wear my new winter coat -- I've always wanted a good coat for outdoor activities, and finally have one thanks to my husband! Piper got to run and chase after a frozen gourd. Hannah got to hunt mice. And Matt got to follow us all around the yard and field, capturing it all in photos.







I also thought I'd share two more Victoria photos ... they aren't related to New Year's, but show a couple of her recent favorite things.

At the beginning of December, she learned (finally!) to go down the stairs the right way -- i.e. NOT face first. Matt worked with her for months on this, and now she is pretty proud of this new skill. She will often go up and down the stairs repeatedly just for the fun of it.


For her birthday, we gave her a toy four wheeler. At first she wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but in the last week or so it has caught on, and she will climb on all by herself showing off this big goofy grin. She can push herself backwards, but not forwards yet. However, she loves it when Mommy or Daddy push her around the house. We always make "rrrrrrr" noises when we push her. The other day I brought her in the kitchen and said "rrrrrr" to her, and she looked around until she found the four wheeler, then scurried over and climbed on!


If 2012 is half as great as 2011, I will be a very lucky woman!