Packers vs Vikings

He does have a Vikings suit too. A gift. We'll see which uniform he's wearing tonight after the game! Grampie on the Farm and Grandpa in the Woods may have to compete for his face-painting, cheesehead or braids and horn wearing loyalty!

Not so secretly I think he's a Packer fan through and through. Ingrit however, she likes the dolphins and the bears best. And the eagles, the rams, the bengals, the seahawks, the lions, the jaguars, and the panthers best. I have to admit an animal name is a lot more fun for a 2 year old than a "packer". I thought he norwegian heritage might win out, but she always roots for the animal team.

Bath time and life in FW's crib

 Ingrit likes to turn on Finley's mobile for him. And cover and uncover him and take off his socks and smother-I--mean-hug him! She seems to be okay with sharing her room with him so far. We'll see when he starts to spend the night in there.

 He's starting to enjoy bath time, but he has officially outgrown the hospital basin we were sent home with. Next step is the sink.

 I just had to get some diaper baby shots. Sorry little man, but at least they're not of your bare bum cakes! Wow there will be day when he's embarrassed to have his mom talk about his bum cakes...sad!

Cake Tradition

Ingrit and Mama are developing a tradition of holiday baking for every holiday. Yesterday we made Halloween cupcakes. MMMMMM. (We used the "How to Boil Water" recipe--love that cookbook for simple done well for novices--no shortcuts, but plenty of good tips) Ingrit dons an apron and stands on a chair and we do mostly hand over hand baking where I hold her hand as she whisks, beats, creams, stirs, pours and measures. She's getting good at cracking the eggs! We are still working on not squeezing them once cracked...She is awesome at wanting to wash her hands a'plenty, so no fears about eating this kid's delectables. For Thanksgiving we're planning on a turkey cake.

First Smiles on October 19th! and October Festivus (Octoberfest built for new mamas and babies without so much the party but with so much the October!)

Smiles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And why are they so hard to photograph? My timing was terrible, but here's a preview of what you'll see when Finley Wheat gives you a grin.

 Finley digs the sling! We spent the whole day doctoring for me yesterday and he was such a good boy. Just calm and cool and collected in his sling. We both feel safe when he's in there I guess and I can smell his little head and kiss him as much as I want. I am cleared to go back to work by the midwives. I do have a strange lump with giant bruise on my upper thigh and so I had to go to the hospital for an ultra sound just to check it out. Nothing scary showed up though. The day took so long because at the clinic some poor guy passed out in the lab and I had to wait for him to be off the floor before my own blood could get drawn. He looked really embarrassed. Then at the hospital I had to wait in this special room with a special bat phone for a call from my midwife and the radiologist to discuss my results (which we all presumed would be blessedly dull). I waited and waited. Turns out the radiologist had been side tracked by a cancer center patient who needed to be seen immediately. So, though my day was long and full of waiting around I'm glad not to be the passed out guy and also any time I get bumped by someone needing urgent attention from the cancer center I will just focus on how great it is that my own problems are so un-urgent. Also I'm no longer anemic! Yay!

 We bought a crib for FW at Ikea. He's using it a bit for naps. Ingrit and Finn are sharing a room eventually. He's still sleeping with me for the most part. He starts out his nights in his bassinet from about 9ish until 12ish. Last night he slept in the bassinet again from 12:40-3:40. Yay, Finley!! I love sleeping cuddled up next to him, but he makes these little puppy sounds all night and they keep me awake even when he's sleeping soundly.

 This beautiful fall has found us geocaching at local parks and even a cemetery.

 Another beautiful October day saw Ingrit and Daddy on the closed beach after a morning of geocaching. They barley got their feet wet, but note that it's the middle of October!

 Como Zoo.

 Finley is getting SO BIG! He's in 3-6 months clothes and with his fluffy cloth diaper bum, they're tight in the seat sometimes.

 I actually finished this crochet project! Wow, my first thing that isn't a dish cloth that I actually finished! It's a sweater for Finn. I went to an attachment parenting knitting group last week and while enjoying a yummy wheat beer I got inspired to complete this. I started another project too, a watermelon top and hat for the Ingers. She picked it out and now every day she says she wants to wear the "watermelon suit a Ingers!" Guess I better get going on that.

 And here's the biggest anouncement of all....Finley is SMILING!! He started smiling huge toothy (if he had teeth) grins for reals on Tuesday night when I was changing his diaper. That's such a great time for baby and mama. I can't believe how adorable his smile is. I took these trying to get a good smile photo on Wednesday out at my folks. The kids and I brought homemade soup out to GG Harold and spent the day entertaining him. Okay, by entertaining I probably mean interrupting his naps, but he did seem to enjoy our company. Mimi is in Norway with Auntie Kathy and Grampie was working, but we saw him briefly when he got home from work.

onemonthold

Too fast! Little guy is getting so big and so strong. He's really good at holding up his head for a one month old and likes tummy time. He loves being snuggled and winds down in my various wraps/carriers well. Ingrit's giving him all sorts of the love still too.

I caught one! 93 degrees on October 8th?! Swimming?!

Ingrit really liked playing in Green Lake at Aunt Penny's cabin after a long day of being super cute and visiting Great Grandpa Harold at the nursing home in Wilmar where he's been recovering from pneumonia but will be getting released soon to move in with Mimi and Grampie at the farm. (holy run on sentence, Katers! But the point of the day being long and what all we did seems to have been made). Uncle Mark, Cousin Justin, Aunt Penny and my folks were all there for a care conference to figure out where GG Harold should go. At 92 he's beenliving alone on his own, but it seems like now's a good time to live a bit more communally and enjoy the company and support of others. Moving in with Mimi and Grampie will be a huge change for all of them. He'll be much closer to his family at the farm than he is out in Wilmar.

We left the house at 7:30, stopped at the farm to feed Finn and stretch our legs and then drove out to Wilmar to see Harold. 92 year old Harold who is recovering played his harmonica for all of the residents in the afternoon during the social hour. Ingrit was given too many cookies by the activity ladies there. Everyone loved seeing FW. An aide carried him around to show all of the residents. Ingrit danced for everyone and was basically the most adorable bestest kid in the whole world.

It's fun to think how for how many years kids in our family have been playing on that same beach on Green Lake. My grandma grew up swimming there and so of course did my dad. Then Kyle and I played there when we'd visit Harold and Ethel and now Aunt Penny owns it and her own grandchildren (Ing and Finn's 2nd cousins) all come up and play there. The two cabins next door are still in the family too---owned by grandma's brothers' families. I guess that's a fun piece of history.

 Flowers are SO pretty!

 More self portraits, Ingrit really likes these

 Finn with a baby grandchild of my mom's friend-- two weeks older than Finley. They're both so round!

A Maze N Farmyard

need pictures!

The family went with Mimi to the A Maze N Farmyard on 10-2. Super fun! Good value too. Pony ride, tons of goats runnning around to feed and pet-mini donkeys too and puppies, kittens, camel, wallabys, chickens, ducks, bunnies too. A really hard maze that we didn't finish, but Ingrit loved. She would shout, "follow me!" and lead us down a new path. She laughed really hard at each dead end we encountered. After our day we had yummy dinner at the farm with Grampie joining us. That evening we played taboo and Grampie and Momma kicked Daddy and Mimi's bums.

Oh yeah, and Dave's afraid of goats and possibly mini donkeys.

Finn's zipped into my jacket.

Stuff we're up to on my maternity leave (AKA I DON'T want to go back to work so soon!)

The kids and I have been taking advantage of everyday I'm off from work. I don't want to go back! We've been spending a great deal of time out at the farm with Mimi and Grampie. One day we went on Mimi's annual shopping trip to the outlet mall with a couple of her old friends and grandchildren. Ingrit enjoyed playing with the kids. She's such a good girl! And little Finn is the easiest going baby in the WORLD.

Finn does indeed have moments neediness where I can't quite figure out what's troubling him, but they're not everyday and they're not for all that long. Usually holding and cuddling him can calm him. There have been times when I'd have liked to set him down for awhile, but I'm getting really good at my various slings/wraps/carriers! Wearing Finn almost always settles him. He's just a snuggle bottom baby who wants to be close to his loved ones. Sweet sweet little man.

We've also been going to the park and to the Eagle's Nest. The weather's been so beautiful! 60-75 everyday! yes! I love not being cooped up. I also love feeling capable--I can get a LOT done even with both kids. Yay! And Ingrit's a great helper. She loves being involved in every activity from picking up toys, putting laundry away, putting dishes away, dusting, etc...

 Mimi and Ing

 At Water Tower Park, on our block of 33rd Ave NE

 At Como Zoo

 Finn in booties from Auntie Karen Watkins

 We dress for dinner in our house!

 Mother Daughter IKEA breakfast and shopping trip

 Kissy lips!

 Packer fan!

 An attwmpt to get a self portrait of me and FW in the sling, turns out I had to take 2 shots to get us both.

That all said, yesterday the three of us spent the day at the farm making apple sauce and I was not much help. For some reason Finn needed to be held outside of a sling for most of the morning. He did then take a beautiful nap in the afternoon--pictured below. I guess babies just have days like that some times. Ingrit entertained herself and Mimi and me by dancing some great new dance steps and singing. She sings all the time when she's playing by herself. It's really sweet and I think she's quite melodic.