The Trifecta!

I'm pretty sure poor Lewis has piled on a growth spurt, teething, and a cold--all wrapped into one miserable package! We have administered tylenol and gas drops (for good measure)...sucked the snot, filled the humidifier, rubbed on Vick's BabyRub (which he is now trying to lick off his pajamas). He's refusing to nurse OR take the pacifier, probably due to the overage of snot. The swing has reemerged from the basement, and we can only hope it will help keep him inclined well enough to stay drained and asleep!!! It's almost 11pm, for goodness sake! Poor guy!

Monday and Tuesday [Boise]

Monday was our big babysitting adventure day! The timing of our trip was due to Juniper's daycare provider being on vacation this week, so we planned it so that Lewis and I would cover Monday, Emily was off Tuesday, and our parents would cover Wednesday through Friday.

Unfortunately, the ONE morning I needed to be up and at 'em on time, I slept in! I set my alarm for 6:45, but I accidentally slept until 7:15--Lewis woke me up throughout the night until I finally pulled him into bed with me around 6am (totally NOT expecting us both to fall back asleep for over an hour). I forgot that I'd set my phone to vibrate the night before in case Kevin called while I was trying to get Lewis to sleep, so I didn't hear my phone's alarm vibrating (which, duh, who would?). Double oops. Oh well--we jumped up, changed clothes, and made it to their house just 5 minutes later than planned.

Mama, we slept in!

We saw Emily off to work and spent the morning playing together on the floor. Juniper sang as she played and read a book to Lewis--she is such a happy girl. It seems like she is going to be a helpful, nurturing type. Lewis went down for his nap while Juniper and I worked on an art project I'd brought along. Then Lewis woke up right as Juniper was starting her lunch, so I gave L some alone time while I fed J lunch--then I put J down for her nap while L and I hung out. It was a pretty harmonious day.

Juniper scootching along the back of the couch, naturally

My sweet monkey

The next morning (Tuesday) was Emily's day off, so we took our time getting going that morning at our hotel. I let Lewis crawl around while I was packing our bags (we checked out of our hotel that morning and checked into my parents' hotel that night b/c they were supposed to get in around midnight before they had the whole stranded-for-the-night-in-Chicago ordeal). Anyway, Lewis ended up next to the mirrored closet doors and went from laughing at his 'friend' in the mirror to banging his head, trying to play with the friend.

Mama, you are not going to believe this kid!

Hello, friend. You're cute.

:)

After we packed up the car, we headed to Emily and Joe's house. We joined Emily and Juniper on their seemingly normal Tuesday 'off'...we walked to the bank, the library, an art gallery, and a kids' consignment store. Then we stopped by the neighborhood park on the way back for a little swinging and sliding, followed by a trip to the grocery for lunch supplies. It was a little bit hot, but it felt nice to be out and about with my Schwee.

Lewis at the grocery, gnawing on his toes.

The best part about our morning (for me, at least) was the art gallery...we found pieces by an Idaho artist, Judy Deam. Emily had gotten me a print of hers for Christmas (or was it my birthday?) a few years ago of Peter, and we had said how funny/neat it would be to find one of Hattie. Well, we did! I think it would look more like her if the painted dog had more ears showing, but still--that unmistakable wild terrier hair (and even the beard!) did it for me. I plan to get it framed to match Peter's, and then I'm going to do some rearranging to make them both hang in our dining room as a pair. [Don't mind the weird lighting/weird angles in the photos--I just took these this evening and was trying to battle lights reflecting off of the prints.]

Ode to Peter Dink

Ode to Hattie Lou

Juniper went down for a nap while Lewis protested his, if I remember correctly. Emily did The Itsy Bitsy Spider for him and sent him into major giggling fits.

Happy Boy

It's Pants-free Tuesday!

As the afternoon winded down, we decided to get out Juniper's walker for Lewis to try out. He has a Jumperoo that stays in one place, but nothing like this that moves! He didn't totally get the concept--he tried to jump in it, which only pushed him backwards a little. Juniper had fun pushing him around the living room in it until she decided that she, too, wanted to get inside it a few times.

This thing is pretty rad.

Lewis with his Uncle Joe (holding onto The Beard for a little extra support)

Juniper, half in/half out of the walker

Our cousin Julie got Emily and Joe a really neat baby bike seat that rides between the handlebars instead of behind the seat. Joe took Juniper with him down to the grocery store, and when they got back, Emily suggested that we let Lewis try it out. Joe just took him up and down their street a few times. I'm not sure how Lewis felt about it--he seemed a little tense and unsure of what was happening, but it seemed like he had a good time!

Safety first!

Look, Ma, no hands!

And that concludes our Boise trip! Emily took Lew and I to my parents' hotel to check in and get our room set-up for the night, and then Joe came to pick us up at 5:30am the next morning to head for home. Thanks to the Bergstroms for a great trip, great food, great beer (sorry, again, for drinking the last one!), for picking us up for the airport at 5:30am, for shuttling us to and from our hotel(s), for being our tour guides, and for the good company. We love you guys and can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Saturday and Sunday [Boise]

After our Friday evening arrival into Boise, I pretty much put Lewis straight to bed while Emily, Joe, and I stayed up watching TV and enjoying some pizza and beer. The plan was for Lewis and I to stay at their house during our stay--however, I quickly realized that the Eastern time zone baby (Lewis) and the Mountain time zone baby (Juniper) weren't going to jive well under the same roof. Lewis went to bed around 6:30pm Boise time--and he woke up a little bit after I put him down, then again at like 2 something and 4 something--then he was ready to wake up for the day at 4:45am Boise time (6:45am back home) while everyone else was still asleep. I pulled him into bed for an hour and a half, trying to keep him quiet and not wake up the rest of the house until the hour wasn't quite as obscene. Needless to say, it wasn't a restful night--we tried, but in the end we decided to book a hotel room for the rest of our trip.

Saturday morning, we headed out to Art in the Park--a huge art festival in downtown Boise. We saw a lot of great art and craft items, a lot of dogs, and the best corn dog of my life (a Pronto Pup). It was freshly dipped, fried, and slathered in mustard right before our eyes. Very good stuff. We walked around for a few hours, then onto the Farmer's Market. We didn't actually end up going into the market--we took a slight detour by some fountains where Juniper could splash around.

This is the greatest thing ever!

Lewis watching the bigger kids run around.

Later in the afternoon, we decided to go to Donnie Mac's, a favorite place to go whenever we visit Boise. They specialize in 'Trailer Park Cuisine'--fun foods like Spaghetti-Os with a side of Cheetos, Kool-Aid, Macaroni and Cheese with cut up hot dogs in it, a 'trashy' sauce (marshmallow fluff mixed with something unknown) to dip your sweet potato fries in, Ding Dong sundaes, etc. A fun place--the best part? They have 40s on the menu. Well, my Bud Light was technically only 32 oz., but nevertheless, fabulously trashy. :)

Thanks for the memories, Donnie Mac's.

Only the 2nd 40 of my life, both enjoyed at your quirky establishment.

Lewis and I checked into our hotel Saturday evening and had a MUCH better night--he still woke up 2 or 3 times, but I didn't have the oh-please-don't-wake-everyone-up-with-your-noises tension. Much better, all around.

What's up, Idaho?

The shirt and shorts, both from his Auntie Em and Uncle Joe.

We had plans to drive up to Idaho City on Sunday--first Juniper and Lewis had a little morning wrestling sesh.

They successfully wore each other out with the wrestling and both slept through most of our drive up to Idaho City.

On the way, Joe pulled off the road to see if he could spot the Kokanee Salmon running upstream--and he did! Emily and I ran over to see them, too--very cool. In the picture below, you can definitely see the orange spot in the left/center, and there were some lighter ones all around that area, too. Joe estimated that there were a few hundred of them.

Kokanee Salmon

:) Cousin Love :)

We first headed out to an area of gold mining tailings just outside of Idaho City--in this particular area, Joe said Chinese miners came in and moved all of these stones by hand from the riverbed as they were searching for gold. Among the stones, we found old metal cans, a spittoon can, and some pottery pieces. It was incredible to think about how much time and effort went into creating the landscape.

Lewis among the gold mining tailings

We had lunch at Trudy's, a great home-cooking restaurant. Famous for their reuben and pies. Delicious (and sadly none of us had room for their variety of mile-high cream pies). After lunch, we walked around Idaho City for a bit--saw the old jail, old buggies, the old fire station, shops, etc. A very historic little town.

After getting back to Boise, Emily and I decided to walk to the grocery with the babies--we used their bike trailer which also converts to a double stroller (a Chariot--they were all over Art in the Park, too)--Lew and Juni got along marvelously the whole time.

Away we go!

And as was the case during our entire trip, we borrowed Juni's eating supplies, so Lewis ended up wearing pink and/or flowery bibs at mealtime. Behold:

Drama Queen, indeed.

Rocking the pink.

So that was Saturday and Sunday...next, Monday and Tuesday!

Flying Solo, There and Back

Getting There

Friday was mainly a travel day for us. Lewis and I were supposed to fly from Louisville to Houston, Houston to Denver, and Denver to Boise--normally, I am opposed to 2 connections, but in this case, this was the best schedule to coordinate with Lewis's 'norm' and to be most convenient for Em/Joe to pick us up from the airport (and not have to leave work early, stay up late, etc.).

Walking to our gate in Louisville, we walked right by Sinbad!! What a great way to start the day, right? Wrong. Once we got to our gate, we saw that the incoming flight was going to be late, giving us only 22 minutes in Houston (instead of an hour). The very nice lady at the counter found us a later afternoon/evening flight (dropping one connection, too)...just as she was about to reissue us tickets, she got word that the incoming flight would be about 15 minutes earlier than planned. Soooo, we decided to go ahead and make a dash for it in Houston, and that we did.

We arrived in Houston with just enough time to change a diaper, power walk it to the tram to get to the next concourse, and get to the gate, where, of course, they were already boarding. Phew. To add to the stress, it was a jumbo jet, completely packed to the brim. Luckily Lewis and I were seated next to a friendly Irish woman who has spent the past 15 years living in Australia--Lewis was totally absorbed in her accent and thought she was the coolest. And she volunteered to hold him while I got situated in our seat, and she offered her tray table for me to put my drink (since my lap was otherwise occupied). Quite a pleasant ride, thanks to her.

We made it to Denver with enough time to locate a family restroom and completely commandeer it (changed Lewis, fed Lewis, used the restroom), grabbed some Starbucks and a sandwich (it was 4pm Kentucky time and I hadn't eaten since 8:30am), and boarded for Boise. This was a smaller plane but still completely full. We were seated next to an older gentleman whom I really didn't feel comfortable nursing next to, so we just relied on the pacifier to try to curb any ear pressure issues on takeoff and landing.

Coming Back

Coming back, we arrived at the airport an hour before our flight was to leave, which should have been plenty of time, given the small size of the Boise airport. However, security didn't open until 40 minutes before my flight, creating a nasty cluster-eff. Thankfully Lewis and I got to go through a special turnstyle because of the whole stroller/baby thing, so we saved 10-15 minutes of waiting with the rest of the crowd. We made it down to the gate where, OF COURSE, they were already boarding...I quickly changed his diaper and on we went.

I should say, the trip home was supposed to be better--only one connection, in Denver.

We had a fine flight and arrived in Denver on time. We had a 2 1/2 hour layover--plenty of time to grab breakfast (and coffee!) since I missed both of those things in Boise with the rush, feed Lewis some cereal, and relax a bit (especially compared to how quick and rushed every other connection had been).

About an hour into our wait, I decided to go commandeer the family restroom again to nurse Lewis. I was waiting, waiting, and waiting (and wondering if someone else had the same idea as me), and I looked up to see my mom and dad walking down the concourse! Their plane had mechanical issues the night before, causing them to be stranded in Chicago for the night--they were scheduled to land right as Lewis and I were departing for Louisville. However, they caught an earlier flight so that we could spend some time together at the airport! It was so great to see them--we got to visit for about an hour and we were all supposed to takeoff to our final destinations around the same time.

We said our goodbyes just as the gate attendant (at my gate) said that there was a mechanical issue. It sounded pretty minor--a 10 minute delay at first. That, of course, turned into another 15 minutes, then an hour, then an hour OR two, at the maximum. They had to replace a hydraulic pump of some sort, so we ended up taking off 2 1/2 hours later than planned. Loverly. That gave us time to walk around a lot, have lunch (which I was actually excited about because I'd had the best deli sandwich ever on the trip going out to Boise, so I was excited to have it a second time), and finally commandeer the family restroom one more time to get a good Lewis feed in.

We finally made it out of Denver and made it into Louisville around 5:30pm, about two hours later than planned. That flight was pretty good--Lewis slept through most of it and I even grabbed a little nap. By that point, we had been going since 4:45am, Boise time. It was good to be home.

Lessons Learned

• Family restrooms are my friend. It was great to be able to nurse freely and not stress about finding a place in a busy, bustling airport.
• Don't be afraid to take advantage of the Family with Small Children line at security. It rocks.
• Passenger, please don't wear such strong cologne.
• Passenger, please put on deodorant.
• Passenger, you are entitled to recline your seat, but know in doing so you choose the difference between getting kicked by Lewis or not. Upright, your chair is just out of reach. How much of a difference can that extra 12 degrees of lounging space really make?
• Passengers, please don't consume 4 mini bottles each of Skyy Vodka and proceed to share iPod earbuds and sing along and try to carry on a really loud conversation over the music.
• Flight attendant, please don't feel the need to give away 4 mini bottles each of vodka to passengers just because we had a 2 1/2 hour inconvenience. 2, maybe. Not 4. On second thought, at least share the love with all of us so we're all schnockered. :)

Handiest Travel Accessories

• Ergo Baby Carrier - I used this from the gate to our seat when boarding and from our seat to our stroller/the gate when deplaning. Absolutely necessary in order to be hands free and keep Lewis safely contained.
• Neck Pillow - It doubled as a mini Boppy when nursing and a toy to chew on and some support for under his legs when he napped or support under my arm when he became deadweight.
• Nursing Cover - Although, as the flights went on, I stopped even bothering with it and just nursed on the side closest to the window. Goodbye, modesty. Hello, practicality.
• Nursing Tank - I found that I was a lot more comfortable nursing with a tank under my t-shirt (helping me not reveal my stomach). Kept things more discreet.
• Pacifier and Pacifier Clip - This was true especially for the times when nursing wasn't as comfortable an option for me.
• Purse - As the flights went on, I prioritized what we would need (chew toy, nursing cover, pacifier, etc.) during the flight and put it in my purse. Everything else (wallet, keys, etc.) went into the backpack (diaper bag) and into the overhead bin. Too much 'togetherness' for me as it was--didn't need a backpack at my feet to make it even more crowded.
• Sippy Cup Strap - I used to tether Lewis's favorite teething toy (aka chew toy because I'm so used to dealing with the dogs) to my seatbelt so it was always within easy reach and never getting thrown to the floor.
• Stroller - An absolute duh. I can't tell you how many people I saw who were carrying around their baby through the airport. Either get a baby carrier or pack a freaking stroller, people. Why make it harder than it has to be?

So that's the nitty gritty on what I learned from my first solo trip with Lewis. Tomorrow, pictures!

The Highlight Reel [Boise]

I'm still trying to figure out how to break down our Boise trip into manageable, bloggable pieces--here are some highlight videos to get you started!

This first one was from Monday when I babysat Juniper and Lewis while Emily and Joe were at work--Juniper sang for us and read this book to Lew. Holy preciousness, Batman.

Also from our adventures in babysitting on Monday, this was Juniper playing with her favorite toy (the basket used to store her toys) and saying 'Hi, baby' to Lewis, over and over. (She gives us a grand finale towards the end.)

This was from Tuesday, Emily's day off. We took a big morning walk to the bank, library, consignment shop, art gallery, park, and grocery--here are the cousins swinging side-by-side on a beautiful Boise day.

Also Tuesday, we pulled out Juniper's walker for Lewis to try out. As you will see, Juniper also wanted to use it. :)

During Juniper's nap, Auntie Schwee did a little Itsy Bitsy Spider action for Lewis, to his absolute delight.

And, finally, this was how we spent the extra 2 1/2 hours we were delayed in Denver (for maintenance issues--they had to replace a hydraulic pump, I think?). In a serendipitous turn of events, my parents were ALSO delayed out of Indianapolis due to a maintenance problem out of O'Hare (en route to Boise), so they spent the night in Chicago and were able to catch an early flight out to Denver and meet up with us for an hour while we waited (before the delay...they had already landed in Boise as we were just leaving Denver). So, go, airport-delay-shittiness. At least the grandparents got some quality time with the Lew Monster.

This video is at about Hour 4 of our 5 hour layover...we were both ready.to.get.going (safely, of course).

So those are some highlights--pictures, next.

Seven Months Old!

Seven months is upon us--phew! We just got home last night from a fabulous long weekend in Boise with Emily, Joe, and Juniper (and Drina Weena). We're a little disjointed from the 2 hour time difference--luckily Lewis had some sleeping to catch up on, so he let me sleep in a little this morning (despite waking up 2 or 3 times last night--I lost track).

Seven Months Old

(and a little sleepy-looking)

His stats (from BabyCenter, again, as we don't go back to the doctor until 9 months):

Weight: 19.5 pounds (50th-75th percentile)

Length: 29.5 inches (above 95th percentile)

Head Size: 19 inches (above 95th percentile)

What he is doing this month:

• Belly crawling like a maniac! He has started to get up on his knees more and more and can make a few strides that way, but he still ends up on his belly. He is getting more efficient and faster every day. Some of his favorite things to go after are: the dogs, dog hair, electrical cords, and the bathroom trash can.
• Sort of related to crawling, he has started to look upward as he is exploring. Rather than just look down and at what is in front of him, he has started looking up and reaching up towards higher things (cabinet doors, entertainment center, shelves, etc.).
• He responds to his name. I notice this especially when he is crawling around the rooms/hallway--I say, "Lewis, where are you? Where are you going?" And he turns around and smiles and sometimes crawls back towards me. Or, more often, he heads straight for the trash can or the dogs.
• As for sleep, I'd rather not say. :) He was doing well before we left for our trip--only waking once a night. During the trip, he upped it to 2 or 3 times a night. It could be a growth spurt, teething, or, more likely, irregular naps and a drier climate (making him more thirsty??). Hopefully he'll get back into the groove within the next few days.
• Current Tooth Count: still 2.
• I feel like I have wrapped my head around the solid feeding recommendations on BabyCenter and have devised a plan for us--we are introducing new foods every 3 or 4 days and are gradually increasing the amount of cereal and/or vegetable/fruit weekly. The leader of the mom group we attended said solids should be more of a 'top off' until around 8 months, so we're going with that. I nurse him like normal all day, and we offer solids after the first feed of the day and after the sometime-around-dinnertime feed. And I abandoned the plan of mixing his cereal with breastmilk--it was depleting my frozen milk stash, so we're just mixing it with water. The iron from the cereal is what he needs at this point, and he's still getting the benefits of my milk throughout the day.
• He is sitting a little better each day! He won't be setting any records anytime soon, but he can stay in a sitting position for a minute, maybe? He inevitably ends up diving forward into a crawl because, apparently, crawling is more desirable. He does sit in his bathtub during bath time now and he has looked like he might actually sit himself up FROM a crawling position a few times. He's working on it. :)

A few outtakes:

Putting everything in his mouth, as per usual

:) Hello, there.

Kevin called saying he is taking a half day today (wahoo!), so I might get time this afternoon to post about our Boise trip. I took a bunch of pictures and video, so I'll try to get them up today or tomorrow.

Labor Day (and Little Treasures, too!)

Back-to-back long weekends! Wahoo! And it's chilly outside--I love this time of year. Bring it, fall. I'm ready for you.

Last Thursday, I headed out to the Little Treasures consignment sale with our friend Maria and her daughter, Clara. We finally left after 4 1/2 hours of successful shopping...however, I got home and felt I didn't look as thoroughly at the clothes as I wanted to, so I went back with Lewis the next morning. The return trip only took 2 1/2 hours, thankfully. :) There was so much to look through--it was really super overwhelming both days, but I'm very pleased with what I found. A Halloween costume (a frog), some clothes and sleepers, toys, a pair of leather Robeez shoes, a few books, and some random baby gear items.

Lewis and Clara--ready to shop!

It was fun to see them interact--I think they kept each other entertained through most of the morning. They were both pretty content, thankfully--otherwise we would have had to cut the shopping trip much shorter!

Saturday, Kevin had a fantasy draft in the evening, so we had a low-key day. Lunch and a Target trip are all I really remember. Sunday morning, we got up and headed out for New Castle to my parents' house to meet their new dog, Maggie Moo, and to see some family at the Labor Day picnic.

Something about Papaw's lap makes Lewis turn into a super cuddly boy.

(Also, you'll see one of the toys we got for Maggie, and the feet of another toy that she'd already destroyed by this point. She is a mighty strong chewer, that's for sure. By the end of the day, she had also ripped a hole in this pink dog and started pulling the stuffing out.)

Maggie and Lewis sharing Papaw's lap.

With Uncle Dave, whom he hasn't seen in months!

Very tall girl!

Peter and Hattie came with us, too...Peter and Maggie got along pretty well--they ran around a lot and played very similarly to how Charlie and Peter used to play. Hattie, on the other hand, was not a fan. At certain times, she didn't seem to mind Maggie as much, but most of the time, she growled and/or snapped when Maggie came too close. We traveled with their crates, though, so we gave all the dogs some 'alone' time at one point or another and/or gated them from the front of the house and the back of the house. Maybe next time Hattie will warm up to her a bit more. Maybe. :) Maggie seems like a very sweet dog.

Dietgard and her daughter, Mathilda, came over for the picnic, and it was so fun to see them interact! Mathilda is three weeks older than Lewis and can already pull up to a standing position! Such a strong girl! She and Lewis had a heck of a time crawling around together. They started both trying to get this water bottle and were crawling over one another--it was hilarious. Lewis was focused on the bottle and failed to notice/care when Mathilda grabbed his hair or ended up on top of him.

Take that, little buddy!

Hey, wait a second! Get back here!

Focused on the water bottle...

I can't wait to get them together again! The picnic was good--lots of good food (and drinks!--Em, Mom is making a mean margarita these days), ending with the standard poker game for the men and chatting for the ladies. It was great seeing everyone!

Lewis woke me at 2:30am, and I had trouble falling back to sleep--then he woke us again at 6:30 which ended up being for the day. It is certainly different a) sharing a room with him and b) being in a house with other people who are trying to sleep. At 6:30, we pulled him into bed just to keep him from waking up my parents and David, so it was me, Kevin, Lewis, Peter, and Hattie all in a queen bed for a little while. Nice and cozy...not. :) We finally got up and went out for some breakfast (at Stacks, Joe B.--your favorite!). Gina, Lauren, and Nick came by after his morning nap to see him, so that was great.

Chilling with Papaw

I was pretty tired all day, so we headed out in the early afternoon and made it back to Louisville around 5:30 or 6. Of course, right as we were getting off the exit, the Highlander started making a whirring noise that it had made that morning. Dad and Kevin had checked the power steering fluid, which was fine, and the noise went away, but it is back. Sooo, we had to switch the car seat to the Honda and take the Highlander into the shop. Lewis and I took Kevin to work this morning, and I'm still waiting for the shop to call--let's hope it isn't anything major. :/

Now my focus shifts to Lewis and I traveling to Boise--I need to do laundry and start packing because we leave on Friday! Ahhh! Can't wait to see Emily, Joe, Juniper, and Drina! Hope everyone had a nice long holiday weekend.