The big trip East

After finally getting out of the house, and FINALLY finding parking in the long term lot, we actually breezed through security and had lots of time before our plane left. Steve got little S to sleep in the ergo until time to board. We learned that even though it seems like it would be safer to be wearing the baby, it's forbidden to have them strapped to you during take-off and landing.

The flights to Charlotte, NC and then Boston were fairly unremarkable. She didn't really nap or eat much because she wanted to see everything!So by the last leg of our journey she got pretty inconsolable towards the end. Steve managed to spare the rest of the plane by putting her in the ergo and bouncing her to sleep. It was a long day-11 hours of traveling until we were in a house again.

We started the visit with a great brunch with her Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, Grandma & Grandpa and great Grandpa!

Cousin S was VERY pleased to see his baby cousin again

After brunch we packed up again to head to New Hampshire. We got there just in time for the rehearsal dinner and then back down to Meredith to our very adorable little inn.

The next morning was a beautiful day for a wedding. There was a regatta on Lake Winnipesaukee across from our inn

No time to stop and watch. After a delicious late breakfast, we headed back up to Wonalancet for the wedding.

Sofia was completely fascinated by the fiddler before the wedding

The bride looked beautiful in a perfect setting

The reception was so kid-friendly. There was a 3 week old and kids thru teenagers.

(This isn't the best photo of me, but in the background is Erica Hill, anchor for CNN who is a cousin of the bride. She's swinging her adorable 2 year old, but don't tell TMZ, ok?)

 

 

 

We weren't quite prepared for how cold it would be (there were freeze warnings overnight) so we had to make do with as many clothes for the baby as we had, even though they didn't match. We also wrapped her in a blanket and people were holding her the whole time. She didn't complain, although if she knew how silly she looked to keep warm, she might not have been happy with us.

(Mom will be spending the weekend at garage sales stocking up on warm weather clothes for her)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve kept her warm by the campfire, which she also loved.  Can't wait until winter here to fire ours up and entertain her (it's an enclosed gas fireplace, don't worry)

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning we drove South and visited Great-Grandma Korpi. Little S is named after Grammie's mother, and we have no idea if these two will ever meet again. She might not have known who we were, but she lit up to see the baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We capped off our visit by watching a certain East Coast football team not emerge victorious at the end of game. But at least we had good food to eat. That night, we discovered Little S was sick, so I'll spare you the details of the grueling 14+ hours traveling home.

It was a nice visit and a gorgeous time of year to visit. We wish we would have had more time to spend with all of our relatives, but it wasn't in the cards this trip.

Wiggle worm

Changing diapers has gotten considerably more difficult since she perfected this maneuver

Back to belly in less than 3 seconds.

Not to mention her other various wigglings. Always having something in her hands, standing (held by the hands) and wiggling, sitting in her chair and squirming, writhing her way over every square inch of her crib.

Once she's up and running, she ain't gonna stop. Momma's gonna need a lot of running shoes to keep up with this one. And I couldn't be happier.

Baby Firsts

With a new addition to your life, there are many exciting "firsts".  Most are exciting only to the parents, others are major developmental markers.

These are neither.

Baby's first airplane flight

 

Which was accompanied by baby's first cold for the 6 hour flight from Philly to Portland. And no sleep would be had by her. I apologize to everyone seated around us.

There are lots of photos and our East Coast travelogue that will be shared in future posts. I just wanted to warn all relatives East of the Mississippi to get your webcams and Skype accounts because I don't want to get on a plane with her again until she's at least 12. Or maybe 27.

Summertime fun

Now that summer's finally here...in September. 90 degree days and no clouds in sight. That's just how we roll out here. Summer is July-September, and September usually has the most fabulous weather, yet cool nights so the house can cool down. You should all be insanely jealous, but don't tell anyone, we like to keep it our little Oregon secret. Or maybe it's a reward for 9 months of winter-an absolutely sublime summer.

It was too hot to cook, so fire up the grill! Jim and Lisa joined us, and now that the birch tree has mostly stopped dropping it's little seed things everywhere, we could enjoy a fabulous night on the deck.

 

Memo

To: Little S

From: Mom

Date: September 13, 2008

Subject: Notes for your department

1. Sleep

While I appreciate that it was a Saturday, I'd like to remind you that 5:00 a.m. is not within the agreed upon hours for being awake-any day of the week. Especially since bedtime was at 9:00 p.m. The resulting 8 hours of sleep is significantly less than the 10 1/2 - 11 hours you should be getting as outlined in the baby handbook, section 7, paragraph 3. Management agrees to help by not keeping you out at parties until 8:30 p.m. no matter how cute you're being.

2. Crib

We noted how excellently you put yourself to sleep in the crib this morning for a short nap. A note has been put in your file. I'm sure those skills will come in handy in the future.

3. The Park

Two areas of note from this morning's jog through the park.

-The football players you were so interested in are much too old for you. They were at least seven! or maybe even eight! As you should remember from previous meetings, Big S has detailed that you should not expect to date prior to having attained the age of 33 years.

-The little girls playing soccer that sounded so exciting? You'll note that your department head has clearly indicated she is not a good match for the role of soccer mom. We urge you to consider all of your activity options on the list of Approved Activities. We do value activity here at the Lorpi household though, so while we have seen your concerns, we don't think you have anything to worry about.

Your butt looks adorable, just like the rest of you!

Love-

Mom

Four Months

And every day is even more amazing than the last.

Little S is starting to laugh, including one yesterday that was the laugh of a little girl, not a baby!. It was an amazing glimpse into the future.

She's started rolling a little. From her belly to her back fairly well and twice she's ended up on her belly after being placed on her back. But, of course she isn't willing to actually so her skills for the camera yet.

And, she was prepared for the start of the NFL season by showing her team pride in her Patriots diaper and with her Patriots teddy bear

 

 

She missed the game in favor of a hike with Mom and our friend T and three dogs

It's her second hike in a week!

In other four month highlights:

Little S and furry S are fast becoming friends

 

Babies are tasty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Destruct-o baby stage has already started. I guess I didn't need that schedule after all

 

And, her 4 month birthday picture

Random Thursday Thoughts

Warning-no baby content and some possibly political comments. Read at your own risk.

 

The dog is finally remembering how to be my running partner. And learning to artfully dodge the stroller.

===============================

Quick-name someone who likes to run, didn't look pregnant for most of her pregnancy and has a kid about 4 months old.....

Ding! Ding! Ding!!! If you said me or Sarah Palin, you would be correct. The similarities end there though.

 

While we're on the topic of Palin's-Poor Bristol. As a 17 year old, you already hate your parents. As a pregnant 17 year old, you generally are embarrassed about it being pregnant. Of course with Mommy-dearest, you couldn't "have it taken care of". And now, you can't exactly hide out and wear big clothes and hope no one notices. Because as a pregnant 17 year old, about the only thing worse than the whole school knowing you're pregnant would be, I don't know,  the WHOLE WORLD knowing you're pregnant. And, I can imagine the conversation wherein the poor guy was told he WOULD be marrying the young lady in question, and I'm guessing it involved a firm grip on some short & curly's.

And, her baby brother is either named after a part of a gun, a famous horse, or an advanced math class. (Trig. Maybe she can name her kid Calc)

============================

Here's where I'm famous in my own mind. A mention on Black Hockey Jesus' blog.

 

I now return you to your regularly scheduled blog about babies, sunshine and rainbows.

First Hike

A very cool (temperature-wise) Labor Day seemed like the perfect day for a family hike. Just to Forest Park, but it was still exciting to be out again.

Because the most important thing on a hike is how you look in the woods, choosing the appropriate outdoor wear was key.

What, you've never worn pink from head to toe to go on a hike?  Your outdoor gear doesn't say "100 % Princess" and your hat doesn't have little hearts on it? You must be embarrassed to go in to the woods.

 

 

The views were what we take for granted that hopefully we'll learn to appreciate through new eyes as they take in her world. 

 

It technically was more of a "carry" than a "hike" for some members of the group.

 

Which later became a "nap" more than a "hike". (About the time Mom realized that somehow the hills had gotten steeper since she last hiked them while pregnant)

 

 

Little S filled her brain with new sights, sounds, and smells

 

 

 

Hi Mom!

 

 

 

 

 

And she got a close view of the trees from Daddy's shoulder.

 

So many hikes await the Princess S and we are so excited to share the outdoors world with her.

My vote for co-sleeping

I hadn't really thought about co-sleeping one way or another before Little S was born, it just turned out that's what we did. It was easier to get Little S to sleep and back to sleep, easier to feed on demand, and since getting enough food in her is a concern it just made the most sense. Occasionally I feel like I screwed up by not keeping her sleeping in the cradle when she was little and would still do it.

I've read all the books and know what I would need to do to get her sleeping in her crib, but the biggest message was that the methods won't work unless you're ready to make the change. I realized I wasn't. At this point, it's not a big deal for me. She sleeps well, I sleep well, why worry.

Last night cemented in my mind that I was doing the right thing. Sometime around 3:00, I woke to what sounded like her gasping and choking! I was immediately able to roll her on to her side and then pick her up and get her over my shoulder to pat her back. She was able to cough out whatever it was and go back to sleep pretty quickly. My mind took a little longer to rev back down thinking about what if she'd been in the other room...SIDS...how could I live with myself...I know that she probably would have coughed a few times and been okay-hopefully. But, What If? I know that I have a lifetime of What If's and second guesses ahead of me.

===============================================

Back to happy baby things.

I can see that baby clothing stores are going to be a problem. I went to one last week that's attached to a grown-up resale shop because Mommy needed some work clothes that would fit her squishy middle. We don't need any baby clothes, we have PLENTY for probably the first 6-9 months of he life, and I'm sure Christmas will restock her for the next year. But, I made the mistake of looking anyway. How could I not get this:

It's a swimsuit that says "My First Speedo". And with Olympic fever and Mommy ready to sign her up for swim lessons at the first opportunity, how could I resist. It is for 6-9 months, so hopefully it will last a while, but it's already pretty snug-as any good swimsuit should be.

We've been having a spate of "foot in mouth" disease lately, or maybe it's her yoga practice:

Show-off!!!

She's also getting pretty good at locomotion. She has spun herself 180 degrees in the crib and then back through wiggling. She also is rolling almost to her belly from her back.

She's had enough of Mommy blogging while she does her crib workout-time to wrap this up!

Dog Owners!

Be VERY careful with any dog toys you have, and I encourage you to think seriously before purchasing and Four Paws Dog Toys.

Read this poor guy's story:

The Chai Story

The Internet age

I got this email the other day:

From: Big S
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2008 12:58 PM
To: Various adoring family members

Subject: S's first email

Today, while I was on the computer and Little S showed a lot of interest in what I was doing. I could only assume that she wanted to send an email to all her family. So here, in it's unedited entirety, is what she wanted to type to all of you.

' m k                            cfFRDGTGGGGGGGGG                 N N N .ZM MGNM             nngvv t wercdb t hyssvfceh   hhhhhhhjkmn4    ,  nm,   i,h78[om     n mnbv nb tl.mk vf f4 vcfg   chcbbbbbbbbbbbgwa6r    cc78ed zxz6gncc     zswfr, ` bgvclo;p.l m,.le,hvc freslo    56frjuhyn89jhiunhb vf`

Kids today. When I was her age, I didn't even know what a computer was. I don't know if this is code, but I'm pretty sure "freslo" is espanol for happy, as in "Yo es muy freslo" What an amazing child. Unfortunately, we had to cut her diatribe short because she ended up drooling on the keyboard.

Big S and of course, Little S

The life of the (good-bye) party

You know that guy? Mr. life of the party? He's funny, drinks more than anyone else, and it's not really a party if he's not there? That guy was Rudy. But it seems that even Mr. life of the party gets tired of being that guy eventually, but no one will let you just retire from that role. You'll always be the party guy. So sometimes you have to pack up, move to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and go back to school for a different career in order to retire your party hat. Which means one last party to say"Good-bye."

No good-bye party for Rudy would be complete without a PBR fountain

And, we had to make sure his dorm room had decorations

When we all met, there weren't any of these on the scene

(Big and Little S sizing up Big Dutch Guy and Big Dutch baby. Evidently while showing off Little S's Pabst swilling abilities.)

I guess some of us have traded our party hats for Ergo carriers, while others move to Couer d'Alene. But while none of us are as young as we used to be, I'd like to point out the party was on a Wednesday night! We can still party on school nights on occasion.

So Mr. life of the party-

Here's hoping you'll occasionally want to dust off that hat and wear it around Portland again.

CHEERS!

lines. A brief rant

Queues, lines, whatever you call them, are an important part of orderly society.
At some point, most of us are taught not to cut in line. Clearly, that lesson didn't make it to Mr. Bike Commuter in the dress shirt.
There was a red light. There were two bikes stopped back at the solid white line. Does Mr. BC become the third bike in line? Nope. I'm sure he sized up "guy on the Mt. bike" and "girl on the fancy looking road bike with tri-handlebars on it who happened on this day to be in street clothes with a backpack and Merrell clogs instead of clipless bike shoes" and figured we would just be in his way when the light turned green.
I totally could have taken you Mr. D-bag Bike Commuter, but, I was being too polite to pass the guy in front of me just to avenge you, considering I had to turn in a few blocks.
Next time though? Oh, it's on.

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime

We've had some decidedly summer weather this week. A string of temps of 102, 100, 99 and Sunday in the 90's. Until today, there hasn't been much humidity, but today, it's positively dripping.

We've had a good week on my last full week with Sofia before heading back to work. We went to our friend Sunny's pool. She had a really hot poolboy that day:

Big S had a great time with Little S in the water

Here he works on her mad Olympic kicking skillz

On Friday, Little S and Mom were fortunate to be able to beat the heat back at Big Dutch Baby's place. We wore our coolest sun dress that day, compliments of Grandma W

and apres swim, we went topless to work on our tans with the more worldly Baby A.

She's two months older, so we hope to learn a lot about the way of the baby from her. And, how to laugh. Baby A is so adorable and just laughs, and laughs, and laughs. May Little S be as happy as Baby A, and may Baby A be that happy and love life that much every day!!

Not satisfied to just stay inside the air conditioning on the hot days, we topped off Saturday with a trip over to the Laurelhurst club for the wedding reception of friends Steve and Shannon from the Red Lizards . Reception because they actually got married in June at the top of Council Crest, which they ran to along with some hearty souls from the running club.

The bride looked beautiful and completely unfazed by the heat. It was great to see so many friends we hadn't seen in a while, and extra fun to see everyone all cleaned up and not in running clothes. Plus, lots of people got to see Little S who hadn't met her yet. There were pictures being taken, I'll try and add some once someone posts them.

We'll wrap up the great heat wave of '08 by spending some quality time in the A/C watching the Olympics.

Not a bad way to spend the last week before my time with Little S is curtailed by work.

On the road to MILF-dom

Okay, that may be a bit pretentious. (Me? Self-assured, a little arrogant? Never).  How about "Battling to Get the Pre-baby Body Back"? That sounds more accurate.

Day two of practice for Heather going back to work, started with Big S having an early work meeting. So Little S, furry S, and I headed out for a run. But, we now had extra time, so we got to be out for about an hour of jogging with some walking thrown in. Furry S was tired, and little S napped through the middle of it. I was happy to know I could survive it.

Continuing my triathlon day, I again biked to the pool and got my laps in. The good news about a public pool in summer is that you don't really have to bother with sunscreen, you can just absorb it from the sheen floating on the water. YUM! And yes, I am well aware that's not the grossest thing in a public pool, thankyouverymuch.

Every time I'm there, I just can't wait for the day little S starts her Olympic Training swim lessons. She's scheduled to have some fun pool time this week. I came home to this:

My heart swells seeing that scene. I'd take the picture to work with me, but it just makes me tear up-being so overwhelmed with love for my two S's.

3 month picture-o-rama

Anyone who knows me knows that I generally am late for everything. All for good reason, usually just too many things packed in too short of time. That's why it won't really come as a surprise that I'm a little late getting the 3 month pictures of her taken, let alone posted here. Again, with a good excuse. Big S was out of town. He's back, so here they are.

The three month shot of the family.

I like this one better, but she was wiggling. Not a big surprise. Photos of her are hard to get with all her wiggling. (and our slow camera.)

She was so adorable and cuddly in this sleep sack on a cool summer night. (Note that cute does not equal sleeping well, but I had high hopes)

Big S took this. Moments earlier she had been splayed out like a guy watching football on the pillow.

 

Thinking of just what to write in somebody's birthday card...

 

Hmmm... Oh yes. This is witty enough. Her first ever artwork!

(I really need to take the time to work on thought balloons for some of these. Oh well. It's not about me being witty, it's about sharing pictures of the kid.)

It's just like riding a bike!

What is? (you! mind out of the gutter-you know who you are!)

Riding a bike is! It's been almost a year since I last put foot to pedal on my trusty steed, because trust me, morning sickness and biking up hills don't mesh well.

Turns out you can pump up the tires, slap on a helmet and still remember what does the shifting when. I didn't go far, just to the pool and back (how very duathlete of me) and, it was the hottest day in a while (mid 90's), but it felt great. So. Very. Portland.

I loves me the biking. Just got to grow this little one some more so she can be on the bike, or pulled behind.

(not me, not my kids)

and then do her own pedaling. Or not!

(not my husband, still not my kid)

 

I hope this poor kid knows all the athletic endeavors expected of her. Of course back in my day, they were called "being a kid".

13 weeks tomorrow.

It must be summer

Because our weekends are full of parties and BBQ's. Saturday was full of adventures; the library, the farmer's market, and little L's 2 yr. old b'day party!

 

(birthday boy and cousin E, mid-jump in the crib!)

The good thing about really little kid b'day parties is that they're really more about the grown-ups, hence the wheelbarrow full of beer! Yum! The kids still have a good time and run around playing with other kids, eating cake and watermelon, but they haven't quite figured out it's supposed to be all about the birthday kid. As long as everyone has fun, that's all that really matters! I think Sofia had fun:

At least Christi is! (you're a natural- you should really consider joining the ranks of the breeders!)

 

Sunday was another BBQ. This time at running friend Pete's house. Ostensibly, it was to celebrate everyone who had done the Blue Lake triathlon earlier in the day. This year, it was only 2 friends, who both did awesome! Not that long ago, we all would have done it. Lives change. I'm still trying to figure out what mine will look like with this new addition.

Malea and Sofia, both sporting purple. Sofia's been pretty happy despite some sort of stomach bug, poor thing. Hope for a quick recovery before we get more shots this week!

Who knew?

Tonight, after a full and fun day, Sofia and I were solo on our nightly walk. The evening was cool, necessitating a jacket for me and a blanket over the baby. She was happy, making her litany of little sounds. I was happy after such a great day and this feeling washed over me. It was such extreme happiness, I felt it down to my core. It was so wonderful, it was hard to find the right word. Happiness? Euphoria?

Finally, I realized this little one has taught me the real definition of bliss. I didn't know it would be this amazing. Thank you amazing daughter.

A mid summer's night eve

Another exciting night out in Lorpi-land. This time my running club had their BBQ to cap off their fun-filled Tour de Goose event.

Even though mom isn't running anywhere right now, I haven't seen my running friends in a while, so it was nice to catch up with them. There were multiple strollers and while she was the youngest, she wasn't the only wee one there. Of course we had to put on our running shoes for the event

 

She's pretty much wearing as much as a collegiate Cross Country runner would wear, maybe more.

Okay, they probably aren't sporting any diapers. No room in those outfits. And their running shoes probably don't have flowers embroidered on them. 'tis a pity really.

 

On the way home, I had a shake my head moment.

This being a big city, I shouldn't really be surprised when people do stupid things. But when the car in front of me slammed on their brakes on a VERY busy 4 lane street and I saw a dog crossing, at first I was worried that the dog would get hit. Then I notice that this puppy is on a leash and it's street youth owner just made the decision to cross then and there. Yo top it off, the kid is yelling at the driver.

Really?? Put your own life in jeopardy, but don't involve another helpless living creature in your bad decisions.

Mom, don't watch this

Seriously. You have to be a dedicated and slightly crazy climber to take this route to get to your next climb.

My heart was actually racing watching this. You have been warned.

Ma! Pa! The crops, they're ... slightly damp!

This is Portland. Why on earth would I write about a few drops of rain? Doesn't it rain there all the time? Why no, dear reader, it doesn't. In fact it very rarely rains between July 4 and October 1. Hence, the excitement. A day off from watering. A chance to wear my super cute raincoat and bake some yummy treats.

In grandparent-worthy news:

Sofia was looking at her toy frog on her carseat and very intentionally grabbed for it. Repeatedly. Grabbing everything she sees can't be far away! Look out dog.

And why aren't there photos of either the cute raincoat or her new baby abilities? Because who has a camera when they need one?