I'm so lucky.

Playtime with mommy

It's hard to know where to start when I've not written anything in so long! My excuse for not writing is that Linnea's naps have been so short during the day that I feel like I barely have time to go to the bathroom and she's awake again (it's 11:00 and she's already on her second nap of the day.) She's becoming so aware of the world around her that I think she doesn't want to miss anything by sleeping the day away. She DOES sleep well at night though so I can't complain.

All cozy in her carseat for a snooze.

Alice, Mad Hatter and White Rabbit at a Halloween Party

The cutest rascally rabbit I've ever seen!

Happy girl playing with her hands (her favorite toy right now!)

I kept thinking I would write every time we had something planned but time is just flying by so fast. Since I wrote we've done lots of things: been visited by Angela from California, dressed up for Linnaea's first Halloween, gone canvassing for a local Congressman, played with other babies at our mom's group, gone out to eat with friends, and taken walks everyday. I am so excited for the next few weeks and months because we have so many fun things planned but then I worry that time will go by even more quickly. Debbie is visiting from Phoenix next week and Ben's family will be here for Thanksgiving and we'll be in California for Christmas before we know it.

Angela holds Linnaea making Linnaea appear even more gigantic than she already is.

Linnaea chats with her first boyfriend Gavin. "So, do you come here often?"

Christmas will be bittersweet this year because I know I'll have to go back to work as soon as we get back to Michigan in January. But I was rationalizing the whole thing recently by thinking that I might not be as appreciative of this time with Linnaea if it wasn't for a limited amount of time. I am not taking it for granted because I realize how special this time is. Basically, I will do anything to see that big gummy smile of hers. Both Ben and I will "goo" and "gaa" like idiots to get a reaction out of her because it is just like magic to see her face light up. At least once a day I still think to myself how amazing it is that she is real and she is mine, like it's still sinking in. I do often get caught up in the day to day stuff too but in quiet moments when I'm just staring at her it still feels so new and miraculous that she is here. Yep, I'm lucky.

Daddy and Linnaea have fun in the morning before he has to leave for school.

Time Flies or Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Hangin' out with Daddy i.e. Ben plays with  Linnaea like a puppet.

 I'm feeling nostalgic and Linnaea is not even three months yet! I am excited to see her grow and change but I don't want her to get older either because I am enjoying her babyhood so darn much. I just put away her 0-3 month clothes and got out the 3-6 monthers. I had to make myself do it even though I didn't want to. I realized that there was no real point to squeezing her into things that barely fit, even if she had only worn them once before. That's what I get for having a baby in the 95% for weight and height. My parents think we should start looking into volley ball scholarships now.

I can sit up now...with some help.

Hand + Toy = Yum

 Other changes in the last two weeks include reaching for the toys that hang from her activity mat, holding toys that are put into her hand, holding her head up when supported in a sitting position, and having a nap time instead of conking out randomly.

Brooke and Ben smile because Linnaea is not old enough to beg for pony rides, hay rides, or bounce house admission!

 We made a trip to the local pumpkin patch with a few other families, using it as a great excuse to dress Linnaea in a ridiculously cute Halloween outfit. Since it was a hand-me-down I felt less guilty parading her around as a pumpkin. I figured we might as well use it before she grows out of it in a week.

Cuteness Overload!!!

  These last two pictures are from last Sunday when we went to church. Linnaea isn't going to be baptized but I did join the Unitarian Church this weekend so I thought it would be a good chance for Linnaea to wear my christening gown. A family friend made it for me when I was three months old (my mom said I was also barely able to squeeze into it because I was big girl too.) It was fun to dress my daughter in the same dress because I also have vivid memories of putting this outfit on my dolls as a little girl. I guess I have a little better understanding of how my mom must feel. If I'm worried that my time with Linnaea is flying by already I can only guess how my parents must feel seeing their baby with a baby! I guess sometimes change is not such a bad thing.

Look out world, here we come!

So, we found out last weekend that Linnaea is a great little traveler! I know it will become more complicated once she crawls, then walks, then runs...but for now it's very do-able. We drove all the way up to the Upper Penninsula to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and it was a complete success. Ben and I looked a little worse for wear from the outset since I had re-chipped my front tooth and he had just gotten a black eye playing hockey, but Linnaea was perfect and happy as a clam. She actually slept through almost every interesting part of the trip: driving, boat trip, and most of our hike, but this made it a lot easier for Ben and me. We even camped all three nights and she was a champion outdoors-woman. I was mainly concerned about keeping her warm enough. We bundled her up in many layers of fleece and it must have done the trick because she slept as well as she does at home and stayed toasty warm. The only cold one was me, having to wake up and feed her in the night was a chilly experience.

All bundled up like a baby burrito!

One sleepy little camper getting ready for bed.

Looking oddly pregnant again with Linnaea stuffed under my sweatshirt.

We saw the beautiful cliffs of Pictured Rocks from Lake Superior on our boat ride. The wind was cold though so Linnaea got to ride in the Ergo Carrier all covered up. She is the lump on my chest in the pictures.










Our ten mile hike around the Chapel Falls loop was amazing. It was gorgeous to see the fall colors and we had a bright sunny day too. Linnaea was our drill sergeant and kept us going at a quick pace because whenever we would stop she was start to fuss and cry. We narrated her squeals: No stopping, you don't have to eat, no water for you, hurry up slow poke, no bathroom breaks sissy - get yourself a diaper!!!

Starting off toward Chapel Falls

Diaper change with a view!

Done with lunch and ready to go!

Linnaea and Ben admire the views around every corner.

As you can see, we had a great time. Thanks to all the friends that encouraged us to make the trip up to Pictured Rocks. It was well worth it. It is great to know that our traveling days are not over just a little more interesting.

This beach is fantastic! I want to see the Pacific next!!!

Fall is here!

I am in denial that fall has arrived. I feel like I've been outside of time since Linnaea's was born, like the rest of the world should just stop while I soak up every minute with her. I was still writing July as the date at the end of August and I think I've continued to be about a month behind reality ever since. Linnaea will be two months old later this week and I don't know how that much time has passed! I want her to stay little and at the same time I'm excited by every new thing she does. I guess I can't have it both ways. She is making more and more sounds and I think she's on the verge of laughing. She's still sticking mostly with coos and aahs for now but she also does this funny in and out breath that sounds like a little chuckle. She is interested in toys sometimes too. She was completely fascinated by this black and white rattle the other day. She looked at it as though she had discovered the meaning of life.

I can't avoid fall any longer now that the weather has gotten colder. We are planning for our first big trip this next weekend and need to break out the winter clothes. We are going to the U.P. (Upper Penninsula) to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore to go camping and hiking. Yes, we are camping with a two month old, but I will have the address of a backup hotel just in case things don't work out. Here is a picture of Linnaea modeling her Cal Poly hat in preparation. Don't worry about her being cold, Linnaea will be wrapped in many layers of pink fleece.

Thanks for the hat Nancy! I'm a Cal Poly Girl!

Another sure sign of fall is the annual trip to the apple orchard. Jenna, Ben, Linnaea, and  I went last weekend. It turned out to be Ben's first apple orchard visit in Michigan too!  We got lots of yummy apples which have already been baked with butter, rum, and sugar and also turned into apple sauce. Maybe next year Linnaea will be awake for part of our visit to the apple orchard, she slept the whole time this year.

Wasem's Fruit Farm is the best!

Linnaea can sleep just about anywhere. In fact she is sleeping as I type this entry!

Typing, sleeping, and looking for squirrels

My Baby the Parakeet

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the cutest of them all...

Linnaea is reminding me of a parakeet lately because she has discovered her reflection in the mirror. Just like the budgie we had growing up, Tweety Mcgee, she is enthralled by that other beautiful baby in the mirror. It's lots of fun to watch her coo and smile at her own face. Although eventually she usually ends up watching that other baby grimace and cry when she gets tired or her paci falls out.It's also great because she can keep herself entertained for longer stretches of time.  I rigged up a mirror on her bouncy seat yesterday and got a very peaceful shower out of the deal! Ben says it finally shows that she's smarter than our dog Julie, because Julie can't recognize her reflection at all. We have high hopes that Linnaea will continue to out-do the dog as she develops...sorry Julie, we still love you!

Having some tummy time with her friend in the mirror

Baby Care 101

How to recognize a hungry baby: clenched fists waving, red face squished up, gummy mouth screaming, and crying like a goat.

How to recognize a full baby: squeaks and coos, sleeps through loud noises, snuggles against you, and is very, very cute!

Thankfully, Linnaea is moving beyond this growth spurt I think, and getting back to a normal eating schedule. We are getting some more happy-awake time instead of just alternating between sleeping and screaming. Her favorite spot for happy awake-time is her changing table. I pretty much make a fool of myself making faces, singing, and talking in a high pitched voice just for the joy of getting a reaction out of her. I'm sure you are disappointed that I only have a picture of Linnaea looking cute and none of me acting like a goof ball!

An example of happy-awake time on the changing table.

She is enjoying her pacifier again, as well as jamming her entire hand into her mouth. It's actually quite impressive! She always looks like she concentrating really hard on it forcing as much of her hand as possible in at the same time.  She hasn't mastered sucking on the thumb yet. It usually ends up between her gums and upper lip which doesn't look very satisfying. Keep trying kid!

Hmmm...how does this go again?

Feeding Frenzy

Eat hard, sleep hard: the motto of a baby in a growth spurt.

It feels like a shark attack around here lately, but Linnaea is the shark and I am the food! She seems to be hungry almost the entire time she is awake and the pacifier, which was my best friend last week, has now turned against me and does not live up to its name. At no time is is safe to say, "Well, I just fed her so she can't be crying because she's hungry..." because she is ALWAYS hungry! 

On the positive side, she is still sleeping a ton. So, in her case, sleeping like a baby really is a good thing. Just like her daddy, Linnaea loves to sleep. She is sleeping in her crib at night all swaddled up like a baby burrito.  We had to kick her out of our room earlier than expected because she is such a noise sleeper. I had no idea that newborns made so many grunts, squeaks, and moans in their sleep! As I write this she is cozied up in her Ergo carrier on my chest chirping away in her sleep. I could listen to this all day.