Things That Kept Me Sane in 2011 (Parenting Edition)

1.  Exercise Ball (75 cm size)

This ball helped me get back to my six-pack abs weeks after having Henry--and it was super easy!  Just kidding. I won't be in my midriff-baring shirts and cut-offs until at least May.  No, you'll find either Erik or me on this ball every day, and neither of us are that into ab exercises.  My mom alerted us to this baby soothing trick and we won't leave home without it (or a guaranteed rental ball) while we have a newborn. 

2. Graeter's Chocolate Coconut Almond Chocolate Chip


This is my other secret to keeping these rock hard abs.  What's not to love? Chocolate, coconut, almonds, and chocolate chips that could stand on their own. And I'm a chocolate snob. No one wants to bite into waxy, freezing cold chocolate.  If you don't have Graeter's ice cream where you live, have some flown to you.

3.  The NoseFrida


My friend Lexi did me the favor of telling me about Nosefrida and I will never go back, even though it involves you indirectly sucking items (using your mouth) from your child's nose.
While in concept this snot sucker is hard to stomach (I gag 80% of the times I use it), most parents don't have the luxury of being picky when their child has something in their nose that needs to be removed.  I most recently used this when Daphne lodged a pea so far up her nose that we were contemplating surgery.  Enter the NoseFrida. Now Daphne tells me "you don't stick the pea up the nose!" every time I serve her peas, but hindsight is 20/20.  

4. Fisher-Price Rock n' Play Sleeper


I don't personally own a Rock n' Play, but Jennie, Henry's babysitter does.  It's magical--I transfer Henry from his carseat to the sleeper and he's asleep within minutes.  The magic may be more the result of Jennie's baby whispering ways--all I know is that it works.  I've held off on buying one for our house because Henry's current weight gain trajectory threatens to render the sleeper obsolete in mere months. 

5.  The iPhone


I lost my phone for 12 hours this week and it made me realize my dependence on it.  I read books from the Toledo library on the Overdrive app, I send Instagram pictures and videos to grandparents incessantly, and I hand it to Daphne when she's fussy (her favorites are watching any videos of herself, Tozzle, Peekabo Barn/Wild/Forest, and watching really annoying YouTube clips).  I use the flashlight app to find Henry in the middle of the night and of course, I use it to play games, check Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and email.  Perhaps the greatest discovery, however, is iMessage. Free text messaging to my fellow iPhone users has been liberating.


While this list implies that I have in fact remained sane while raising at newborn, only time will tell if that sanity will remain intact.  

Before Henry

During the months between my September blog post and Henry's birth, we all did a lot of growing.  Daphne continued her rapid ascent from a baby to a little girl, Erik's hair is a reflection of his personality (I'll let everyone interpret that how they will), and I went from having a baby bump to experiencing what I imagine carrying twins would be like.  

We ended September with a visit from Erik's parents, who joined us on a road trip to Traverse City, Michigan.  By the time we spent a weekend there, we resolved to one day have a vacation home in the area, or at least to return there for future vacations. It's on Lake Michigan, so it feels like a beach town, but it's close to forests and even sand dunes.  We loved visiting all of the local shops in downtown traverse city, and driving to (and climbing) the huge sand dunes nearby.  We stumbled upon the Cherry Republic, where everything on the menu incorporates cherries in some form.  In a word: stupendous.  Having four extra hands to entertain Daphne and two neutral referees to weigh in on mine and Erik's "discussions," was wonderful.

The bump begins to get unruly, as does Erik's hair. 

I don't let a thing like pregnancy prevent me from climbing a huge mountain of sand.

Daphne decided she didn't like sand, so she was content as long as she had a human island  on which to avoid it.

In October, we returned to the Gust Brothers Pumpkin farm and tried out MacQueen's Orchard.  Daphne loved all of the animals and got to pick out her own mini pumpkin. 

Sheeeeeep!

We always try to coordinate our ensembles.

For Halloween, Daphne was the animal she's always had a fondness for: a kitty cat.  She never has to be convinced to wear a "swimsuit" and we convinced her to wear her tail for the 20 minutes she walked around collecting candy.

Daphne has Erik's signature picture pose down.

Erik arrived home just in time to stay dressed as a doctor and to take Daphne to the neighborhood houses. 

I'm not going to make any radical statements about my plans to blog more, so this will at least serve as a record that we had a family trip, visits to the pumpkin farm, and Halloween.

Henry

Henry David Peterson entered the world two weeks early on November 17, 2011. Those of you privy to my Facebook complaints status updates know that it wasn't a moment too soon.  I'd begun an unsustainable growth trend at 32 weeks pregnant, which resulted in my measuring eight weeks ahead (45 weeks pregnant?) when they last measured me at 37 weeks. 


Throughout his birth day, Henry seemed to be reluctant to leave his spacious accommodations. After awakening to painful contractions in the middle of the night, and summoning our on-call angel (Beth) to watch Daphne, we arrived at the hospital at 4 am, only to receive the disappointing news that I hadn't progressed far enough to convince anyone that I was truly in labor.  I continued in that state until making rapid progress between the hours of 7 and 8 a.m., at which point I demanded to see the nearest available anesthesiologist.   


Despite the nurses' predictions that he'd be there "before noon," "no later than 5 p.m.," and "within the hour," Henry was not born until 6:50 p.m., albeit after only about 15 minutes of pushing, during which I confirmed that apparently epidurals do not work for me during the final (and the most crucial) portion of the process.  The nurses were also unfortunately incorrect in their predictions that Henry's head would be cone-shaped to accommodate the birth process.  He was born with a rather large, perfectly round head, which makes for better post-birth pictures, but does nothing for my body.  He weighed a hefty 9 pounds, 2 ounces, which was vindicating, given that my OB not so subtly suggested that my rapid weight gain during my third trimester could be due to my over-consumption of juice or ice cream.  Don't worry, it didn't slow me down.


Henry has been a squeaky, squirmy, sweet little man to have around. Daphne has not only accepted that he's here to stay, but also says a loud "HI BABY!" every time she enters the room he's in and gives him rather passionate kisses on the head.  We're coming out of a month long of blissful visits from both my mom and Erik's parents, so now the real test begins. 

Grandparents

I haven't yet been able to nail down why we can't get anyone to move out to Toledo to be with us, but we're doing our best to lure the grandparents here, using Daphne as bait.  I was fortunate to grow up next door to one set of grandparents and five minutes away from my other set, so these biannual visits are just not going to meet my expectations.

We tried to pack in as much fun as we could into our short time with "Nanna" and "Bompa."  We started off with Daphne's first visit to the zoo.  If I had known how happy seeing animals would make her, we'd have been there every day for the past six months:

My mom is famous for being able to "whip" anything up without a pattern and it's always totally fashion forward.  I had premeditated this trip's project: curtains for our dining room and living room.  In mere hours she'd magically transformed a stack of fabric into modern drapes.

(I'll post finished pics once we repaint).

We took many walks, most to the neighborhood playground where Daphne tirelessly swung on swings and slid down slides.  I'm not sure how he does it, but my Dad can effortlessly entertain Daphne for hours on end--and he did. 

My parents gave us some false hope when they picked out a house to buy across the street--the same house that Erik and I have been eying since we moved into the neighborhood.  Sadly, the house is not for sale, but with the amount of time Erik spends watching people from our living room window, we'll know the second it's on the market.
We miss my parents dearly, but luckily I have figured out that all I have to do to get my parents to visit is to routinely endure the pains of childbirth to produce more and more grandchildren.  It's the least I can do.  See you again in November!

Things that Bothered Me About My Trip to Nebraska with the In-laws

Daphne and I just returned from a trip to Wahoo, Nebraska, where we met up with Erik's parents, four sisters, one brother in law, and many nieces and nephews, ages 10 and under--all while Erik lived the bachelor life in Chicago.  So, as you can imagine, I have all sorts of complaints attendant to spending five days with my in-laws. 

1.  Every time I turned around, a sister or my mother-in-law were asking to take Daphne!  One time they took her to the park and I was forced to lie on a couch and read for like two hours. So rude!  Every morning my mother-in-law took Daphne on walks while I got ready for the day.  Who did she think would dump out my make-up bag if Daphne wasn't there? 

(pictured: me, left, with my "vacation pigtails" and Erik, right, in his lucky tank top)

2.  They chose a hotel within easy walking distance to Dairy Queen.  It's not hard to see the designs behind this plot.  Yeah, no one held a gun to my head and forced me to buy refreshing ice cream treats on a whim, but they made it too easy.  You'd think they'd be satisfied with my starting out a foot taller and 75 pounds significantly heavier than all of Erik's sisters. 

3.  Making me visit Wahoo made me homesick.  Daphne waved and blew kisses at a total stranger in a cowboy hat, assuming it was my dad driving by (she's never been very discriminate with her displays of affection).  The 4-H animals at the county fair took me right back to the good old days.   The only saving grace was the sole stoplight in town.  Let's hope Castle Dale never becomes that kind of metropolis. 

4.  For some, it might be flattering to have a group of kids argue about who got to ride in our car with Daphne, but sometimes we get sick of being adored.  James wouldn't stop kissing her.  Zach wouldn't stop packing her wherever she wanted to go.  Emilie never tired of picking up Daphne's binky for her.  Ella provided endless entertainment for her in the car.  Charlotte shared all sorts of treats with her.  Set some limits on your kids, guys! 


Despite all of that, Daphne and I had a wonderful time in Nebraska and hope to return with Erik someday.   Now that Daphne's without petting zoos, huge kid-friendly swimming pools, and cousins, we don't know what to do with ourselves.  Please send help. 

Things Making our Summer Better

1.  Inflatable swimming pool

When Daphne's not spending hours in the ice cold  [hose] waters of her swimming pool, she's looking longingly out of her bedroom window asking if she can swim.  It's the best $7 I've spent in a long time.  Sadly, a recent wrinkle in the excitement is her inexplicable aversion to swimsuits.  Skinny dipping it is.


2. Piano.

Although Daphne flips out whenever I play, the purchase was worth it just to be treated to Erik's playing nearly every chance he gets. It's a marital bonus that I wasn't fully aware of until after I had committed to Erik. 



3. Cozy Cruiser. 

An early "incident" (wherein I turned around to find the car tipped over on top of Daphne and her chubby little legs kicking out from underneath it) soon after Nona sent Daphne her personal car hasn't deterred her from wanting to drive it whenever she's not in her pool. She only operates the car in reverse, a skill that will serve her well if it continues through adulthood.

4. Rain gutter covers.

After a visit from Dave confirmed (repeatedly) that we had to get a handle on our gutter situation, I called up the Gutter Doctor (it seemed appropriate) and we have forever said goodbye to risking a ladder/leaf-related injury every fall and spring.

5. Central Air
Seriously, how did we go this long without it?  Those are the stories I'll tell my grandkids about life in the early 2000s. 


6. Homemade Ice Cream
We don't make it very often because we know how shamelessly fast we'll devour it, but Kathy's burnt almond fudge recipe is unrivaled.  If you're coming for a visit, twist our arm and we'll make it for you (and hide the second half of the double batch in the back of our freezer for later). 

*The swimsuit modeled above is by Circo, a special delivery from Aunt Jessica.

Oh Boy.

While in Utah among her many cousins, Daphne developed a coping technique.  The process began simply with Daphne tightly shutting her eyes whenever she wanted to shut out her surroundings, leaving me with a little Helen Keller on my hands.  In fact, on our shuttle ride to the Detroit airport, she implemented the technique in response to strangers smiling at her while I was feeding her fruit snacks.  The result was not unlike the water pump scene as I imagine it took place between Helen and Anne.  Daphne later upped the ante by sticking her fingers in her ears to shut out any offending sounds, which in Utah included such noises as yelling/crying cousins, any amateur singing, and heavy farm equipment.

It’s a technique that will suit her well in the impending months, particularly in November, when she will be joined by a baby brother.  Many of you have had questions about this new development.  Unfortunately, due to the volume of questions and comments we receive on a daily basis, it’s simply not possible to respond to each one individually, but as responsive, caring bloggers, we’ve tried to include a representative sample.

How do you feel about having a boy baby?

We were ecstatic to learn this baby would be a boy. While I have some misgivings about switching gears (so to speak) from the girl-world, we’re excited to enter this new territory.  Also, given that Erik is the only boy in his family, I’m happy to be the Jane Seymour in this scenario rather than the Anne Boleyn.

What will you name him?

If the tenseness surrounding choosing the baby’s in-utero name is any indication, it will be a fight to the end.  I’ve been deferential to Erik’s names in the past (if you recall, Daphne’s in-utero name was Hannah), but calling this baby “Little Larry” is a blasphemous way to start this young life. 

How does Daphne feel about having a baby brother?

She hasn’t seemed to grasp the concept yet, but she does love babies.  By love, I mean, she forcefully shares/[shoves] heavy objects with/[at] them or points at/[in] their eyes. 

How are you feeling?

Thank you for asking! I've been smart enough during this go-around to fully enjoy the solace of the second trimester.  The complaints of the first trimester are in the distant past and I'm sure the third trimester will bring with it plenty of new complaints.  Right now I just want to nap. And eat. 

Well, folks, that's all we have time for now.  Some potential future posts I have bouncing around my head are 1) the highlights of my Communication Skillz for Women seminar; 2) our two visits to Utah; 3) our upcoming visit to Nebraska (because I'm realistic about how long it takes me to write about things after they happen). Stay tuned.  

Chicago

[For the record, when I wrote this it was only a month late.]

In yet another attempt to escape Toledo's gray skies (in April), we decided to venture even deeper into the midwest to Chicago, Illinois. After the fact, I'd be hard-pressed to explain my logic in assuming that we'd be escaping dreary weather, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Some things we accomplished in the Windy City:

1. Braved conditions similar to that of the Chilean miners each night after 6:30 pm when Daphne fell asleep in our [tiny] hotel room.  It was dark, we had limited food access, and the only escape was through a narrow corridor (between the wall and the pack n' play). So we were practically Chilean, minus all of the fame after our ordeal. 

2. Visited the Shedd Acquarium. Daphne was initially enthralled by the huge fish tank near the entrance to the aquarium. She would shriek loudly at the fish and point as they swam by. Conditions later deteriorated during a 4-D showing of Happy Feet. Apparently the fourth dimension is fear that one will be eaten by a killer whale, complete with rumbling seats, a 3-D/life-sized whale coming at you from the screen, and loud shrieks everywhere. 

3. Visited the Art Institute of Chicago. Daphne predictably slept through this one, but it left a bad taste in our [collective] mouths when later in the trip when a fully supervised Daphne was banned from the stairs by a museum employee "due to safety reasons."

4.  Were beaned by the Bean. Apologies to Daphne, who will later realize that her mom's first reaction to her injury was laughter.

5. Shopped 'til we dropped.  We came away from the Penguin store emptyhanded, but it wasn't due to lack of effort. We were more successful at Nordstrom Rack and Baby Gap. 

6. Enjoyed the views from the top of the Sear's/Willis Tower. By "enjoyed" I mean that Daphne and I hung out for extended periods of time in the glass ledges while Erik hugged the inner perimeter of the building, saying "I'll be right here when you come to your senses."  Our fearlessness was aided by the 0% visibility, so at least Daphne was under the impression that we were just hanging out in the fog, perfectly safe. 

Arizona

After living in Ohio for nearly five years, we have learned how to survive the interminable winters here: we leave. 
This year our sunshine tour began in Glendale, Arizona.  It was a whirlwind trip and it made me want to buddy-up with some blue-hairs to join their annual migration to the Grand Canyon state.  Here's a breakdown of some of the things Daphne and I did.

1. Celebrated four birthdays, including my mom's, sister Jessica's (although she was absent), my dad's and my own.  I think we were all thankful for some help blowing out the candles on our joint cake. (I realize the pic of Daphne is unrelated, but I don't have a picture of the birthday festivities without me making some obscene facial expression).


2. Shopped til we dropped.  You really have to witness it firsthand to fully appreciate what occurs when you get my mom, sisters and me in a mall with a time deadline.  I went from frumpy to fashion-forward in a matter of minutes...and having the opinion of those closest to you when trying on clothes is priceless.  Who else can tell you when a cardigan makes you look like a linebacker or that you need to take a step back from your ruffle obsession? If my mom were available, I'd hire her out at an hourly rate reflecting how invaluable she is. Thankfully, no one tried to stand in the way of me buying more heels--and I came home with four new pair, much to Erik's dismay.  
I was accompanied by the inimitable Krista for round two of shopping at Last Chance.  She knows the ropes and we didn't let the three kids following us around the store (they were ours) keep us from scoring some amazing deals on shoes. 

3.  Attended Baby N.'s baby blessing.  Maybe I should have put this first, since it was, ostensibly, the reason for our trip to Arizona.  We instantly fell in love Baby N. and his tinyness/portability. I'm also proud to point out that I'm 11 of 14 for Johansen grandchildren baby blessings. 


4. Dined with the glamorous Brennans.  While we were absent a key member (Erik), Jonny, Krista, and I enjoyed a child-free night reminiscent of the many hours we spent in Toledo practicing Guitar Hero. Now I'm desperate to rid the Brennans of their anti-Toledo attitudes so we can once again live in the same town (since heaven knows we'll never leave).  It's hard to believe that we've gone from Erik saying "we'll have to do this again sometime" after our first "date" with the Brennans, to them moving across the country just to be somewhere a little warmer...and economically sound.  I've now turned my efforts to convincing Erik that he can in fact handle the bugs and reptiles of Arizona.   Apologies in advance for violating Jonny's privacy policy by posting his likeness on a public blog.  Also, please email me if you'd like his home address, SSN, or credit card number.

5.  Went swimming and played with cousins.  It's completely bizarre to go from freezing, snowy weather to a swimming pool with a sandy beach, but Daphne and I did our best to keep our glowing skin from blinding the natives. Also, while Daphne had taken her first steps prior to our trip, watching her cousins' mobility gave her the motivation she needed to start walking/running like a [drunk] adult.  We are completely jealous of their dedicated play-room and we also loved having a Grandpa around who was always willing to take the kids to the park to run around.  G-man even allowed me some games on the iPad at a 5 G-man turns to 1 Lyndsay turn ratio. 

6.  Went for a photo shoot.  Proving that there's no creative talent she doesn't, possess, Michelle has an amazing eye as a photographer.  Daphne was not particularly happy with me, but you wouldn't know it based on how well the pictures turned out. Here's a sampling:

It's been nearly two months since we returned from our trip and we're already itching to see our favorite Arizonians again.  While we can't promise anyone good weather or entertainment, we are hoping to lure anyone and everyone here before we leave.  You only have four more years, so book your tickets NOW.

One.

Some things that you should know about baby Daphne at one year(ish)


nicknames: The Daphster, Doozer, Daphne Doo, Baby Daphne


palate: loves pizza, peas, bananas and about anything else we feed her. When she's done eating, she'll let us know by rapidly sweeping all remaining food off of her tray. She has a sensitive palate when it comes to dairy, which made weaning her a month-long process (boo!). And don't try to give her the cheap yogurt. 


vocabulary: rawr! (lion), rrrwr (bear), wow!, mama/ma, dadda/dadee, mao (chinese leader/cat sound), kitty.  Despite her obviously knowing who we are, she refuses to address us directly in any form. 


hobbies: reading without assistance, climbing dangerously situated stairs, climbing, dancing, emptying (drawers, bags, refrigerators), pointing, sumo stomps in the bathtub, self-applause


social development:  typical behaviors include pointing, pointing into kids' foreheads with her finger, and long soliloquies upon meeting someone new.   


favorite songs to dance to: Mack the Knife (performed by Kevin Spacey), Summertime Blues, Peanuts theme, Clumsy (Fergie), Baby (Justin Beiber)--she loves a good beat.