Exersaucer

Now that Ryan can hold his head pretty steady and likes putting some weight on his feet, he can effectively play in his exersaucer. His toes barely reach the bottom, so grandma puts a pillow underneath his feet (she has the same one at her house). He loves to spin the big "T" shaped thing filled with little beads because it makes a lot of noise and he can pull on the purple/yellow Easter egg looking thing to try to chew on. His tolerance is at about 15 minutes right now, but it is nice to be able to put him somewhere  where he can entertain himself (and give that bald spot on the back of his head a little rest).

Black and White

The Curse

Yesterday I faced the quandary of what to do with 2.5hours of my time since I needed to be back in Hometown (where I work) for a show choir concert at 7:30pm…not really worth the drive home and back, but a lot of time to kill in a town of 2000 people. So, to make the best use of my time, I decided to knock a few things off my growing Walmart list by going to Sx C with my mom after work.

My mom claims that she is the magnet for bad luck when it comes to faulty products, cock-eyed shopping cart wheels, and slow moving checkout lanes and I’m beginning to believe it’s an inherited trait aka "the curse."  I get more than my fair share of products with dings, missing parts, or “drawers that don’t fit no matter how long you try to convince your husband that they HAVE to fit-you’re just not putting them in right”. It can’t be random.  You may have heard me tell a few Walmart stories before, mostly involving Wo-town Walmart, but let me just assure you the woes of visiting Walmarts are not limited to our neighbors to the North. Oh no, these stories are free for the taking right here in Sioux County.

I gathered everything on my list in a fair amount of time. Notice I said “everything on my list” not “everything I needed”. Somehow the very thing that triggered the idea of making a trip to Wm-Kleenex-failed to make it on the list. So typical. By the time I cruised to the checkouts, my mom was already through and waiting on a bench for me. I thought I’d breeze through, we’d be on our way, no problem, right? Well, that wouldn’t make much of a story, would it?

Besides the 4 “20 or less” lines-which I don’t think I’ve ever legitimately used since I tend to buy things in multiples of 2 or 5-there were 3 registers open. Three out of about 16, at 5:30 on a weekday. I chose the line that only had 2 people in it and the first person almost finished. I failed to look at what the remaining person in line had in her cart. Which was approximately 128 jars of baby food. To her credit, she was super organized and was lining all the jars up in squares of 16 and had the patience of an angel, but the cashier was taking forever to finish up the first person. I scanned the aisle to my right and after a few minutes, actually switched to that lane. Until there was a problem at that drawer which necessitated the manager being called over to assist. So I was back in the baby food line. The cashier was taking her sweet time unfolding all the “green” canvas bags baby food lady brought with her and then started ringing through the jars. One.At.A.Time. With breaks between every 2 to carefully place them in the bag, look around, evaluate the state of the economy and the unfortunate comeback of leggings at a time when the American obesity rate is at a its all time highest level (or whatever she was thinking about because it wasn’t about how to quickly scan and bag baby food), and then move on to the next 2 jars.  After what felt like at least 10 minutes DRUG by, my mom finally got my attention and signaled that the lone remaining lane that I hadn’t tried, 6 rows down, might be our only shot of getting out of that store before suppertime. I quickly became the 3^rdperson in Lane 5 and guess what…STILL made it out of the store before baby food lady.

So here’s to you, teenage Aisle 5 girl: you are a super-star compared to basically everyone else I’ve ever met who works the Walmart registers and you even figured out my coupon without calling over a manager. You didn’t waste my time or anyone else’s, and you worked with 3x the efficiency of the women 4x your age. You are my new hero.

Then the handle of my bag broke on the way to the parking lot.

Pants on the Ground

Ryan loves dancing to the American Idol hit audition "Pants on the Ground". Click here to watch the original clip from the show or view the video above to see this baby get DOWN.

Wind and Ice and Everything Not Nice

First of all, me and Dave Winslow's forecast are THROUGH! *mocking voice* "It's not going to be a blizzard-just a little snow with some strong winds, but not that bad."

THROUGH, I tell you.

Monday morning I took off with Ryan in the truck thinking that I should allow a few extra minutes to get to work since it was supposed to be windy and school was 2 hours late. An hour of white-knuckle-neck- straining-to-see-the-road-in-white-out-conditions later, I arrived at my mom's, knowing that I never should have come. By the time I got to work, school had been canceled and people were talking about how terrible their drive in had been.  But noon, the scuttle was increased to a dull roar, and by 2:00, people started taking off into the now full-blown blizzard. We received various road reports and none of it sounded good. Quite a few people in my department stuck around, hoping it would get better since we kept hearing the wind was going to die down. One of my co-workers was planning to go to her parents in Sheldon that night, but her dad took off from Sheldon, turned around and told her he couldn't make it going 10mph with four-wheel drive. So, at 5:00 she headed home with me to my parents. We were hoping it would be better out by 9:00pm so I could take Ryan home and drop her off on the way. It never got any better, so we all ended up staying the night with my parents. Of course I didn't have a thing packed, but we made do with my mom's clothes, washed everything up and wore the same thing to work today. We were very thankful for warm beds, good food, and extras like contact solution and toothbrushes after hearing about many people across the state who were stranded in convenience stores or even their cars throughout the night.  School was just late today and Ryan was supposed to be at daycare, so I ended up meeting Adam in Sheldon at 8:30 so he could bring him back to daycare before going to work.

It was nice to finally get home tonight and I decided to skip the basketball game (where Adam is announcing) to stay home, watch American Idol/Biggest Loser, give Ryan a bath and get him to bed on time. The computer has sucked me in as I try unsuccessfully to edit a video in iMovie. So, if I get it figured out, I'll post it for you but probably without the titles/text I was planning to add. Frankly I'm too tired to fix it and should really get some sleep.

I need to be up at 5:30am to hear Dave's first forecast of the day tomorrow...I hear there might be snow.

Baptism

Ryan was baptized at our church this morning and he did great! He didn't fuss through the baptism, fell asleep for the sermon (we'll have to kid Pastor G about that), loved listening to the little kids sing, and was all smiles when we greeted people afterwards.

Adam's dad conducted the baptism at our church (Thanks FRC, Hull for loaning him out this Sunday! My dad was the attending elder. It was so nice to have family involved and attending this special day.

My parents, sister and BIL, and 2 grandparents made the trip from Hometown for the service.

This is Adam's family (...dun, dun, dun, dun. *snap* *snap*). Sorry, I always wonder if people sing that in their head every time I say "Adam's family." Maybe I'm the only one!

And I have to include this picture because it has never been so obvious how short my family is (on the left). Please note I am wearing high heels and the tall kid in the back married into this height-challenged crew. Now you know why it is hard to get Adam in the picture sometimes we take family photos.

After church, we all headed to our house for brunch and cake. I think Ryan liked the cake, even though he didn't get to eat any.

Happy Baptism, Ryan!

Baptism Cake

We spent the day getting ready for Ryan's baptism. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how long it's been since our house was this clean. Thank goodness I have a very helpful husband (and that the weather wasn't good for ice fishing anyway.)  We are having brunch tomorrow after the service and among the three things I made this morning, I used 22 eggs. That's a lot of crack-a-lackin'. I made a breakfast casserole and the Peaches & Cream French Toast from Simple and Delicious. Hopefully they will turn out tomorrow in my timebake-impaired oven.

I also made a chocolate Midnight Cake from my favorite cookbook: Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor. This book has lots of recipes for layer cakes, bundt cakes, sheet cakes, cupcakes (you get the idea) and they all start with a cake mix! It also contains lots of frosting recipes and helpful tips. One tip I used today was that I placed the two layers in the freezer for about 15 minutes before frosting them and that helped cut down on the cake crumbs contaminating the white Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.

I decorated the cake using the Wilton Buttercream frosting recipe and based the design on the wrapping paper I used to cover the cake board. I have dabbled a little bit in cake decorating, teaching myself from the Wilton Decorating Cakes Book but man it takes so much time! Adam was unfortunately here to see the mess I create when I bake (I usually try to spare him) but he was a willing dishwasher anyway.

Ryan hardly slept at all yesterday and he sure made up for it by sleeping a lot today! He slept until 6:30am, ate, then went back to sleep until 10. He also took a long nap this afternoon and went down without a sound at 8 tonight. This was extremely helpful because contrary to any pictures of a helpful "baker" Ryan you may have seen recently, he is not really all that helpful with complicated recipes.

I'm just sayin'...we don't let him use the blender...yet.

Rubber Ducky, You're the One

Ryan continues to enjoy bathtime. It is fun watching his huge smile while he kicks away like a little frog. He is always so happy in the water and likes to scoot himself down until he's up to his neck-I think he likes the feeling of the water all around him. We started playing with his rubber duck too and he likes to stare at it on his chest, grab it with his hands, and try to eat it, just like his cousin Lincoln. I tried a few different things with my camera/Picasa so here are a few fun pics of Ryan in his favorite spot!

Swap Shop, You're on the Air

This morning I experienced an entirely different hour of local radio than usual. The reason I had this joy of listening is because first, I left for work an hour late due to the ice raining down on the tri-state area. I wanted to give the road crews some time to salt/gravel the highways (which they did, thankfully) and also waited for Adam's school to get called off so I could leave Ryan home with him instead of bringing him to my mom's over icy roads and with the threat of getting stuck overnight again. Second, since I was white-knuckling it going about 40 mph in an ice storm all the way to work, I didn't think it would be the best idea to switch out my audio book CDs.

Although the hour delay of my commute caused me to miss the daily funeral announcements, hog slaughter numbers, and the Two Cents from the lady on the Brownfield Radio Network, I did get to hear all the school closings (just say ALL SCHOOLS CLOSED), local commercials for heating and plumbing services read in monotone by the plumbers themselves, and the best part of all...SWAP SHOP!

I have a somewhat colorful past with Swap Shop. For those of you out-of-area, this is a free public service of the radio station where you can call in and tell them what you have for sale, to give away, or what you are looking for. You leave your number and interested parties get in touch with you, or nosy octogenarians scan the entire phone book for your phone number to see who could possibly be getting rid of a "peach pink prom dress, size 10." A lot of used furniture changes hands this way. In fact, Adam and I bought our kitchen table and chairs from an ad on Swap Shop. Our tip: if you want a decent table and chairs, don't drive all the way from OC to RV if they are only asking $50. It's worth half that.

Another fun story...once when we were quite little, my sisters and I heard an ad on Swap Shop for someone selling a tandem bicycle (you know, a bicycle built for 2). We decided this would be a PEFECT present for my mom's birthday, so we called the people, found out the price and the address, and then convinced my dad to go buy it. He did! We had a lot of fun on that bike but I think my mom was on to us getting her a birthday present that we could use!

Fast forward to today's edition. There were all the usual calls...washers, dryers, skidloaders, hay bales, extra large green peppers. Yes, I said EXTRA large green peppers...bring your own container. Then my favorite call of the day came. A lady called and said she had five empty round oatmeal containers to give away. The announcer asked her if they didn't still make round oatmeal containers and she said, "Well, they sure do, I just hate to throw them out! I think someone might like to use them for a craft, they are such nice containers!" He politely agreed and she gave her phone number. So, if you are in desperate need for empty oatmeal containers...this lady can save the day! The best thing is...they're free!

This can't-miss item made me wonder what other wonderful deals are being offered and here are a few of my favorites from this week:

• For Sale: Main Street Building in Boyden (Can you imagine that phone call, "Yea, sure, ah, how much you want for dat dare building?... Oh, well, I think that sounds fair. I think I'll take 'er."
• For Sale: Multi-Poo puppy. (Because one poo is never enough)
• Wanted (Monday AND Tuesday): Cake pan in the shape of a graduation hat (She really wants that pan, people. Help a stressed-out planning-graduation-four-months-in-advance mom out.)
• Wanted: Ride to Omaha or Pella. (Apparently this person just has cabin fever or can't decide which kid to visit and is letting a random stranger decide.)
• For Sale: 42" shower door (Someone' bath mats are getting wet. Actually...I'm surprised my dad didn't call this person...he would totally buy something like this, and actually needs one, except his buddies at coffee thinks he should just hang a curtain instead of replacing the door, but that is a whole different discussion.)
• For Sale: Hot Pink ipod nano (Bobby really appreciates you trying to be cool, grandma, but maybe pink ain't his thang. Or Suzy could really use some more liquid assets, like cash.)
• For Sale: Teal leather couch w/hide-a-bed (Let me break it down for you: surely, you are going to have to PAY someone to take that monstrosity out of the basement. And don't call me Shirley.)

Also, do not tell my husband there were several labs being given away (and one lost who has a missing toe on her back foot, so if you see a 4-toed, or is it 3-toed? dog running around, you know who to call.)  I am NOT going to get a dog on Swap Shop.

But I might get me some empty oatmeal containers.

3-1/2 Months

Vikings Rule, Cowboys Drool

(Okay, maybe this Vikings fan drools a little too.)

Little Helper

Saturday is always a big cooking/baking day for me, and this was no exception.  A double batch of chili, homemade caramel rolls (using Blue Bunny Cinnamon Ice Cream in the topping), cheesy potatoes for the freezer, potato/ham casserole ready to bake on Sunday, and some fresh chocolate chip cookies later, the kitchen was a mess, but was mostly put back together by the time Adam got home from ice fishing! It is best he doesn't see the "in process" mess, especially since he worked hard cleaning the kitchen on Friday night.

Inspired by my niece being a Big Helper to my sister, I decided maybe it was time for Ryan to start pulling his own weight in the kitchen. So, here's my Little Helper:

He's about as messy as his mommy!

Tickle Me Ryno

Daddy, do I have to be a math teacher when I grow up?

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall, Who's the Silliest Dude of All?

One of Ryan's latest favorites is looking at himself in the mirror. He likes to dance on top of the counter and smile at himself and at whoever else he can see in the mirror. Sometimes when he is fussy, we can just give him a little look-see and he's all smiles again. What a kid!

Highs and Lows (Warning TMI ahead)

High of the Day: Eating broccoli cheese soup at Panera Bread.

Low of the Day: Experiencing broccoli cheese soup in reverse.

Walmart sickness mixed with too much driving through slushy streets plus the sights and smells of Sioux City's finest dollar stores was too much for my soup and cinnamon crunch bagel-filled stomach to handle. Thanks for being there, Hardees (and Walgreens) restroom. If I wasn't going to puke before I came in, you helped seal the deal.  Here's to hoping that's the last time I see a perfectly julienned carrot come out my nose.

TMI?

...you were warned.

Team Conan

Just for the record:

Ever since college, when I was regularly awake/studying/snacking through Conan's entire 11:35-12:35 CST time slot, I have been a fan.  My friend D can do a perfect imitation of his head-tilting, neck-snapping, nostril-curling "Huh?" move. I call my son "Buddy Boiiii" in the same voice Conan uses. I love when Andy cracks him up or he genuinely laughs at his own jokes (I may have been been accused of doing the same once or twice).

Conan, I get you.

It's okay if 43% of Americans don't. 43% of Americans also:

• will be overweight or obese by 2018
• spend more than they earn each year
• pay No Federal Income Tax
• say that they think their household financial situations will stay the same as today
• thought it was a bad idea for Obama to travel to Copenhagen, Denmark to shill for Chicago to the IOC
• say they're on the fence about getting the swine flu vaccine
• work in private industry and don't have paid sick days
• would re-elect Obama if polls were held today

You don't want to be a part of that crowd, do you? Well, maybe the one about not paying Federal Income Tax. That I could deal with.  

Gotta go...Conan's on in 5.

Status Updates

With my extended absence from this blog, I decided to summarize my time away in the popular facebook status format. Start at the bottom if you want to read it in chronological order. Start at the top if you are:

1. psychic and already know what happened without reading the previous status
2. don't really care about what I've been up to the past 6 days and are just browsing for any new pictures of my adorable baby, which I don't have
3. like to live dangerously

Status Updates

Co Bo-Bo  apologizes for the boring post and lack of pictures but it's been a long winter week. Also, I will miss Conan at 10:30. Boo, NBC. Good night! about a minute ago

Co Bo-Bo is reluctant to wake a sleeping baby, but he's been out since 5:15, his one-eye-open-rolled-back-in-his-head is creeping me out, and it's time for a bath! Today at 8:11pm

Co Bo-Bo wonders where the weekend went?  Sun at 10:24pm

Co Bo-Bo would be okay with never seeing another cupcake again Sun at 5:27pm

Co Bo-Bo wonders why I couldn't have remembered to add the eggs to the cupcake batter BEFORE I poured it into 24 paper liners? Sun at 1:26pm

Co Bo-Bo snuck in some much-needed work on show choir. I have 15 pages to go but it's time to call it a night. Sat at 10:42pm

Co Bo-Bo has a roast in the crockpot and is off to Walmart in Wo-town, my least favorite chore. I think the double-return policy triggers my early onset WMS disease (WalMart Sickness) with screaming children and trainee clerks causing additional symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and extreme irritability.  Sat at 3:18pm

Co Bo-Bo is GLAD TO BE HOME! Roads weren't too bad but it is bitterly cold and getting colder! Never been more thankful for my electric blanket.  Friday at 6:21pm

Co Bo-Bo is thankful my mom's meeting was cancelled so I had someone to watch Ryan. (He was scheduled to be at daycare the last 2 days but daycare is 31 miles of ice and snow away). Glad Auntie Abbie, Uncle Wade, and cousin Milo came to play with Ryan this afternoon. Friday at 5:05pm

Co Bo-Bo is debating between sleeping in the same room as my noisy baby or sleeping on the waterproof sheets in the spare room my 3-year-old niece uses when she visits grandpa and grandma. Silence beats soft sheets. Thurs at 9:48pm

Co Bo-Bo is a little lonely...the only one left at work in my department since everyone else lives out of town. Wait, I live out of town too! What am I doing here? Oh yeah...crashing at the 'rents again. Thurs at 4:27pm

Co Bo-Bo made if off my parent's driveway this morning after Dad broke a path and busted through the drifts at noon. Thurs at 1:46pm

Co Bo-Bo is jealous all the schools are letting out early...looks like we'll be spending the night. Wed at 12:32pm

Co Bo-Bo enjoyed filled cupcakes from my co-worker because it was her dad (my old business teacher's) birthday. She made them with her mom (my 3rd grade teacher).  I used to eat these all the time with her sister (one of my bffs in HS). Last time she brought them it was her bro's b-day (we made him a card). I'm pretty sure I know their family tree as well as my own! Wed at 11:15am

Co Bo-Bo is watching the weather...looking suspicious. Guess I'll be packing a suitcase for me and the little dude  Wed at 11:15am

Hawkeyes are Electric!!

Slightly excited while watching the Orange Bowl. Go Hawks!

Bye Bye, Cookie Ryan

Remember all those Christmas cookies we made in early December? Here's a reminder of our fun cookie "family".

On Christmas Day, Adam and I finally broke down and ate "ourselves" as a special treat, but neither of us could bear to eat the last cookie left...baby Ryan. So, in our fridge he sat, lonely, cold, just chillin' on a plate. (haha)

Until tonight.

I took him out and sort of apologized before taking a healthy nibble on his leg.

Maybe we shouldn't have left him in the fridge so long.

Bye Bye, Cookie Ryan!

Vikings Win!

Ryan wore his Adrian Peterson jersey to church along with some tiny purple/gold socks that look like cleats. (They didn't stay on long enough to make it into the other picture, although judging from the success those socks are having at staying on, it probably would have been about the same difference.)  I had been wearing a purple sweater over this shirt, but a pre-service spit-up in the narthex caused me to end up wearing just this shirt. Good thing I didn't wear a tank top under the sweater as originally planned!  We tried to get Favre on the TV in the picture, but settled on a reminder of who the Vikings annihilated instead.

Bumbo!

Although a little anti-climactic since we didn't buy it until this weekend and didn't wrap it, we finally got Ryan a Christmas present. Actually, using a gift card from a shower, we got him half a Christmas present. A Bumbo! I thought he might be sick of just laying (lying?) on his back or reclining in his swing or bouncy, so we got him his own little seat. The white part is the base of the tray, but I didn't want the tray on in the picture because then you couldn't see the leg holes--notice how they narrow at the top? Guess who's legs get caught in there? Yep, his thighs are just a bit too big, but with a little maneuvering, he fits just fine.

Words, I Have None

Three Months Old!

Happy New Years! I am three months old today!

I had a busy month and am adapting well to all the changes in my schedule. Mom went back to work this month and I love spending time at grandma's-then I get to see mom at lunchtime if I am not taking a nap. Next week mom will be working 5 days/week again so I'll go to daycare 3x and grandma's twice. This month I started playing with my hands more. I can hold them together, hold and shake a rattle, and I really like drooling on my fist! I like to kick like a frog in the bath. I have found some new sounds to make with my voice and like talking and smiling at people when they hold me up. I can put some weight on my feet and like to "stand" up on people's laps. I like to hold my feet up in the air and then slam them on the ground. I am not rolling over yet, but when you roll me on my tummy, I can hold my head up and rest on my forearms.  I am quickly outgrowing some of my 3 month clothes and seem so big in my carseat compared to a month ago!

Look at me grow!

I need some help sitting up, but it won't be long until I can do it on my own. I am getting to be such a big boy and it's hard for mom and dad to believe how fast I change!