More Pumpkin-ing

Here are some photos of us pumpkining and gourding and such at our usual produce stand, and at a brand new pumpkin patch which just opened in our town. I'm so grateful to the random lady who happened to tell us about this place. It's part of a small, family-owned farm, and they have a really nice and very accessible pumpkin patch for little ones, a fantastic playground, a sandbox (minus the sand and plus dried corn kernels...pretty nifty), a petting zoo (always a crowd pleaser with this little girl) and all sorts of animals running around, not to mention all kinds of varieties of pumpkins and gourds, wild corn, and fall plants and herbs...and super cool wagons to put all your stuff and your kiddies in while you're there. Awesome! As usual, Freyja was having fun and enjoying the beautiful weather!

Lemon Pistachio Biscotti

I recently tried out a new biscotti recipe, and they were dangerously good. It came from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, but there is an identical recipe here. I am a huge, HUGE fan of both pistachio nuts and lemons, so this particular biscotti had me yelling with happiness.

A Zoo Review

If you haven't figured it out yet, Freyja is crazy about animals, hence the plethora of photos featuring her checking out some creature and/or playing with the cat. She also likes to point out every animal possible in books, pictures, etc. and yells in excitement when she sees one in public. Future veterinarian? I suppose it's possible. Or, maybe all little kiddies are pumped about animals.

Regardless...

At the end of September we took Freyja to the zoo. Obviously, given her animal fascination, she loved it. I forgot to post the photos at the time, so here you have it...

This first photo cracks me up because these little guys are looking straight at her!


Our local zoo is the middle of a huge park with a large pavilion, a lake with paddle boats, a miniature golf course, and an immense playground, among other things. Since it was a ridiculously hot day, we took her to the fountain park, which is also a part of the whole complex. I don’t know how to describe this place, except to say that it’s a big concrete pad with sprinklers and fountains sticking up out of the pavement for kids to run through and get sprayed by when it’s hot outside. At first I was just going to let her walk around the edge and get her feet wet, so we both took our shoes and socks off and I rolled up my pants and walked her over, but she seemed completely happy and wanting to go in further, so I figured, “Why not?” and we just walked all the way in and got completely soaking wet in all of our clothes. We were laughing hysterically by the time I finally picked her up and carried her out. It was so much fun. All of the other parents looked at me like I was crazy. I wanted to scream, “Hey, lighten up!” but figured it wasn’t worth it.

So, I guess we did have another hot day after all!

Feet

Freyja is now officially walking. She's been taking two and three steps here and there on her own before sitting down and crawling the rest of the way to wherever she wanted to go...but today, she finally got up the courage and started walking all by herself. Yay!

Tanner's Orchard

On the 6th we took a family trip to Tanner's Orchard to celebrate the beginning of the Harvest season. In the past, we would have gone to the local orchard, The Apple Barn, but it closed some years back and now it takes nearly an hour to reach one. Last year Freyja was pretty tiny and most likely wouldn't have enjoyed the experience much, so we decided to buy apples and pumpkins and other seasonal things at a farm produce stand in town instead, but this year we thought she would like it, so we took the trip. We'd actually never been to Tanner's Orchard, and it was nice! There were all kinds of things to do. They had covered wagon rides into the apple orchard for people who wanted to pick their own fruit, and lots of children's activities....a corn maze, a huge playground, a petting zoo, and lots of cute displays using pumpkins and gourds to recreate popular cartoon and book characters (such as a Wizard of Oz scene with Dorothy, the Tin Man, the CowardlyLion, and the Scarecrow...all with pumpkin heads....pretty hilarious!) They also had a nice market which sold apple products made from the fruit of their own orchard, as well as other farm-prepared foods, harvest decorations, and a huge selection of pumpkins and seasonal flowers, mostly different varieties of mums.

Freyja seemed to enjoy herself! She spent a lot of time walking around in the huge field of pumpkins, touching them, leaning, and climbing on them. One of her new words is "ball", and she kept yelling it every time she pointed at a pumpkin. What can I say? It looks like a ball! I also took her on the wagon tide into the orchard, and at one point we got out and walked across one row together while she held my hand. She's not quite walking by herself, but almost! She carefully walked from one tree to another, touching the fruit and saying "apple!"...also one of her new favorite words. I think she picked that up from all the applesauce and apple slices she eats! But, it was cute to see that she understood what was hanging from those little trees. We also had a chance to see some animals, and she was totally psyched (although I think a little freaked out too!) about the Emu, which she'd never seen before.

Although Tanner's had some great pumpkins, we decided to stick with apples and farm goods from the orchard and buy our pumpkins locally. But, we did come home with a lot of goodies and spent some really nice time outside in the fresh autumn air!

15 Month Check-Up

Last month I took Freyja in to see the doctor for her 15 month check-up. Due to some random insanity with our appointment, we had to see a different doctor instead of the pediatrician she's had since birth, so we had to wait a bit longer so he could squeeze us into his schedule. She was all over the place, trying to play with all the interesting instruments on the wall behind the examining table, walking back and forth and listening to her feet crackle the paper on top, and yelling so she could hear her little voice echo in the room. It was pretty hilarious. I was laughing to myself, thinking that all I needed was for this guy who has never met us to walk into the room while Freyja is tangled up his blood pressure cuff. Oh well, I guess he's probably used to this kind of thing!

The result of our trip was finding out that Freyja is super healthy and quite the little smarty pants. Both nice things, but what I'm most pleased with is that she's happy, which from the massive amounts of giggling she's been doing lately, I'd say mission accomplished!

During the course of the appointment, he asked whether Freyja had allergies to medications, or had seemed to show allergies towards any specific foods so far. I said that it didn't appear so at this point.

He then asked me about myself, and I mentioned that I had a severe allergy to the drug Phenergan, and as all physicians do when I say this, he asked me what happens to me when I take it. I told him about the hallucinations I was reported to have had has a child from taking it (I don't remember this, but I've been told), and then about the hallucinations, paranoia, and manic behavior I had when taking it as a teenager, despite telling the nursing staff at the hospital that I couldn't take it (nice, huh?).

I said that this allergy has been a real bummer for me during pregnancy because I suffer from Hyperemesis Gravidarum during my first trimester and beyond. Two of the most common medications for the treatment of this are Compazine and Phenergan, and I can take neither, since Compazine contains the same active ingredient which I have an allergy to. This left the medication Zofran, which is often given to cancer patients to relieve the nausea and vomiting experienced during chemotherapy. It was absolutely unaffordable, and out of the question, even with insurance. So, I turned to other options. I tried changing my diet, and using certain foods to combat the problem. I tried herbal remedies. I even tried a doxylamine and vitamin B6 therapy, which has been reported to give some women relief. Nothing I tried worked, and thus I had to spend the first half of my pregnancy feeling pretty horrible. So horrible, in fact, that despite the fact that I really, really want to have more children, the thought of going through that kind of spine-wrenching pain and discomfort all over again had me wondering if I could actually do it.

I mean, the nausea, fatigue, and constant vomiting was far worse than having Freyja. Can you imagine?

So, when the doctor non-chalantly told me that the pharmaceutical company had lowered the cost of Zofran, and specifically mentioned how much, I wanted to jump up, run over to him, and give him a kiss.

If it's in the cards someday to have another child, I'm definitely going to spend some time researching other ways to deal with the very real possibility that I'll have Hyperemesis again, without having to turn to Zofran. I don't certainly don't want to take a prescription medication every day during my pregnancy! But the fact that I can take it if I can find no other relief takes some serious fear and doubt away, which feels so good.

Yum Yum

I like to call this photo "Whose Snack is This, Anyway?"...Ha!

I'm so glad that these two are buddies. Sometimes they hang out and play together, and other times Peanut lingers around Freyja like she's actually her kitten, and needs protection. She even snuggles up next to her while she naps. It's the cutest.

The Last Day of Summer...

Two weeks ago it occured to me that if Freyja was going to enjoy her backyard swimming pool, I'd better get it out and let her use it, before the summer weather was finally over and there were no more chances. She looks so cute in her little swimsuit! Sure enough, just a couple of says later the warm, sunny days were gone, and there's no chance we'll have any more days in the pool. Ah, but there's still indoor baby swim to look forward to! Here are some photos from our last day of summer...

Twenty-Nine...

Is almost 30! I'm not sure if I like that.

When I was a kid, birthdays were a huge deal. Presents, cake, a special meal of my choice made at home or dinner out, and the super-awesome party for all my friends, which took many forms. One year it was a roller-skating party, another year we went bowling, once I was allowed to bring a couple of close friends to an amusement park, and there were numerous sleepovers, miniature golf, and visits to the pool thrown in there, just to name a few. I would be mentally transfixed on my birthday, counting down the days and reminding everyone how long we had until that magical moment. It was super exciting, and I'm sure I was just a tad irritating. Ha!

Now it's a bit different. Since I'm not in college and not into the whole random, out of control, insane partying thing on my birthday anymore, it's literally just become a nice day with family.

This year I was just so happy to be able to have a nice lunch with my mom and Freyja and do a bit of shopping together. After all, neither of us would have existed without our parents, so birthdays are just as much about appreciation.

I have some things in the works to make 30 pretty spectacular, too.

Craft Store Laughs

I saw this the other day in our local craft store and laughed out loud. I couldn't help myself...I just had to grab my camera out of the diaper bag and snap a photo. Apparently Christianity has experienced a decrease in popularity!

The Hills Are Alive...

This is Freyja's little vintage German girl dress. I absolutely love it, and when I see it I think of little girls with head scarves collecting flowers in a basket while strolling in a meadow somewhere a la Heidi, singing Von Trapp children, and little boys in lederhosen. When she wore it last all the little old ladies thought she was just adorable. Unfortunately, she wasn't being very adorable when I was trying to take her picture in it. She was frowning at me, making unpleasant faces, and furiously rubbing her eyes. This one is the happiest of all the shots I took. Apparently my desire to take photos wasn't nearly as pressing as her need to take a nap. Oh well, maybe next time...

Freyja Update

Freyja is growing up to be quite the little lady. She turned 14 months old on the 8th, and I just can't believe it's already been that long! I thought I'd give a little update on what's happening in her little world.

Shortly after her 1st birthday, she finally started to crawl, which I honestly thought she was going to skip completely. A week later, she started pulling up to stand, and then only a few days after that, she was cruising around the room, holding on to the furniture. Now she can walk by herself while holding your hand, or move across the room alone, standing behind her walker. I'm sure it won't be any time at all before she's walking all by herself, but who knows? These things take time...

We've also moved completely to table foods, cut into small pieces. This was a development that took place while we were on vacation in Virginia with Heidi. Freyja really is a good eater, and so far has eaten whatever I've given her without a fuss and with a lot of interest and "mmmmm!" sounds. The only food she seems to have an issue with right now is pineapple, but I'm still working on it. Ha!

Freyja cut her fifth tooth (this one is on the bottom) at the beginning of the month, and it looks like there's another one making it's way to the surface on the top!

Right now she also seems to be mastering some serious language skills. There are still just a few words she says...mama, baba, cat, hat, duck, hot, on, off, hi...but there are so many more that I can see she understands. I'll be saying a word during the course of a conversation, or I'll ask her where something is, and she'll point right to it. It's awesome! This applies to nose, ear, lips, teeth, foot, toes, belly button, hair, cat, dog, horse, duck, mama, grandma, grandpa, baba, shoe, sock, dress, hat, and diaper, just to name a few. She makes puppy panting noises when she sees a dog. She waves "hi" and "bye". She shakes her finger at you when you say "no". She claps and plays patty cake. It's so cute. It's amazing to watch her learn these things...

She loves to play with every toy she has, but right now she's particularly into her stacking rings and her shape sorting box. For a long time she could get the rings off (well, basically since she first used it at 6 months), but now she can skillfully place them back on the rod and put the shapes right into the hole. Amazing stuff. She also really likes music, and dances around while seated and standing when she hears some. She's even starting to "sing" a bit. Well, it's more like random melodic yelling, but you know what I mean!

What can I say? I love her bunches, and it's just been so great to see her grow and change. There is just so much I could mention, but I think this gives a good picture of what's been happening with the little one.

A Picture From the Past

I love this photo.

It was taken about a month after I moved to Minneapolis, in the Fall of 2003. I had just finished up my graduate coursework in Chicago and had decided to take a leap of faith and move up north because I was in love. I had only been to Minneapolis (and the state of Minnesota, for that matter) twice, and had no way of knowing if things would truly work out. What I did know was that if I didn't find out, I was sure I would regret it.

Well, things didn't work out exactly the way I had hoped. The person I planned to be with didn't turn out to be the right one for me, and after a few months I ended up on my own with a broken heart in a place that was pretty foreign, and quite lonely for me. But, after I learned to embrace my life as a single woman, I really enjoyed where I was. I began to see the city I lived in as my home, and not just a place I temporarily lived in as a student. I fell in love with Minneapolis and all the things I discovered about it. There were so many places to go and things to do. I made a point of exploring and setting up comfortable routines in this place I'd found myself living. I made it "mine." During my time there, I worked some interesting jobs, met some unforgettable people, and turned this city, which began as just a random place to begin a dream, into my personal paradise. But, most of all, I learned a lot about myself.

This photo reminds me that it's important to take chances. We might not know exactly what lies ahead, but if we always take the safe route, we might just be missing out on some beautiful and unexptected things.

I think I found it at just the right time. As I embrace my life as a single mother and figure out what lies ahead for the two of us, I need to remember to take take a slow, steady breath and take a leap or two sometimes. All I can hope is that I've learned enough along the way to make it with a bit more wisdom.

Just a Bit OCD

Let me first say that I'm in no way making a value judgment about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and whether it is or isn't a legitimate problem that some people suffer from. But, I do think that everyone has a few items that might go on their own personal OCD list. I know I have a few.

For a while I've been obsessing about the formatting of this blog. I like the last template I used. It had colors I enjoyed and the layout was nice, but it had a little style problem that drove me up the wall. For some reason, there was no space or dividing line between each post, and it made everything run together and look totally haphazzard. Every time I looked at my blog it made me crazy. So, I switched back to my original template.

Do I need help? Maybe. But at least my blog looks better, at least to me.

The First 1000 Days

I just bought this journal, which I love. I've been looking at it over and over online and considering purchasing it for about a year, and I'm so glad I finally did. It has absolutely beautiful woodcut images of mothers and babies throughout the pages, and prompts to inspire writing about the first couple of years and experiences of your child's life. Although I know it's going to be challenging to look back, especially at the earliest months, and recall some things, I think it will be a great experience to re-live some of those moments again and capture them in writing for Freyja to read someday...

I already began the journaling process today, and put down many of the details of Freyja's birth.

It brought back some wonderful memories and overwhelming emotions...

Perhaps, as I go, I'll share some of those memories here. Or, maybe I'll just keep them for myself. We'll have to see...