life @ the blad pad

again, i know better

2011-05-01T14:04:00.006-05:00

BUT ... when stuck in the car for long periods of time with a screaming toddler. You do what you gotta do.

Were chocolate covered pretzels the snack of choice at that moment? No. They were all I had. She had already devoured the bunny crackers and other various snacks I had brought. All that remained was the snack I had packed for me ... but it went to much better use.

It made for one happy toddler.

xoxo, the blad pad

may day ... may day

2011-05-01T14:01:00.006-05:00

A distress call indeed.

May 1st. And we had snow flakes falling. SNOW. And yes, this *is* Minnesota for all of those that like to point that out. But come on, let's all admit that seeing snow on May 1st isn't usual. It's just down right torture. Especially after that long, horrible winter we had. So much snow. So much cold. We are just aching for some down right decent weather in this house .... as I know most of our family and friends are too. I am not asking for much - just some dry weather that don't require winter jackets.

Please hear my distress call Mother Nature. Between the continued freeze in the north and the horrible heartache of storms in the south, we all need a break. And it seems to me that you have been quite busy yourself creating all this nastiness, so it would be a win-win situation. You get a break and we get a break. Deal?

On a side note .... every year we get this really adorable May Day basket that a kindergartner makes at a nearby elementary school (you know, the one we could SKIP to but we can't get in!). I have always felt it is really sweet thing for the school to bring them to our neighborhood even though we live on the wrong side of the tracks ... or should I say county line (boy am I grumpy today. I blame the weather). But it is truly a fun surprise to see the bright, beautiful basket hanging on the door .... So, to the kindergartner who made and delivered the flowers to our home, Happy May Day right back to you!

xoxo, the blad pad

mirror, mirror on the wall

2011-04-26T13:34:00.001-05:00

easter awesomeness

2011-04-26T12:50:00.029-05:00

What a great Easter ... it was a jam-packed day starting at 5am when we heard Bergen attempting to wake up Annika to "go look for eggs". After JUMPING (well, Lars did) out of bed to stop the egg hunt from happening before the sunrise, Bergen was ever so patient and waited almost 2 hours (!) until his little sisters woke up.

Then was church ... followed by brunch at the Kenfields (Lars' aunt and uncles) .... followed by a nap. Well, a nap for me. GP offered to take the Bigs for the afternoon so Lars and I could bring Ingrid home for a nap. Except Ingrid didn't nap so that meant only one of us could .... and Lars' Easter gift to me was allowing me to nap.

Here are a few pics from the 200 that we took on Easter .....

Okay, that was waaaay more then a few pics. I guess it is just representative of the many, many joys we had on Easter. So blessed!

xoxo, the blad pad

happy birthday to you

2011-04-20T20:16:00.005-05:00

happy birthday to you...

happy birthday dear ingrid ...

i can't believe you're TWO!!!

my runner/my self

2011-04-18T20:04:00.011-05:00

Well, I completed my second race of the season and it wasn't pretty. It was the first annual Goldy's 5k at the U of M. After completing the 7k and feeling sooo good during and after, I thought I had this one in the bag. And just when you think you have things figured out, life teaches you a few things, right?

This is what I learned: Start at the BACK of the line. Instead I ran with my super-star friend Cara who kicks butt at running ... and we started at the FRONT of the line. I believe our toes were touching the start line. When we started running I tried keeping pace for about .25 of a mile with the people around me before realizing that I was trying to keep up with hard core runners (you know, the ones that start at the front!) that I could not possibly keep pace with. So I took my pace down a notch (or two... or three... ) and then watched 1,500+ people pass me by. Ouch. It was a spirit killer to say the least.

And after starting too strong I was tired. I apparently missed every sign telling me how far I had run (really? Me not read directions/signs? Huh, go figure) so I had no idea how far I had gone ... or more importantly how far I had to go. Another spirit killer when already feeling tired and not sure how much longer I could keep running.

But as you can see I ended up running to the finish with a smile on my face. Or was that because I realized after running into the stadium that I was going to be on the big screen so I had better smile? Yeah, pretty sure it was because of the big screen. But I did finish in 31 minutes which is about what I had hoped to do (clock reads 10 minutes fast which is clocking the 10m run that started 10 minutes before the 5k).

Up next is a 10k at the end of the month. Less then two weeks away. I am really hitting the Hal Higdons half marathon training schedule so I *think* I will be fairly prepared for that one. Plus, my boys will be running!

Bergen will be running his FIRST EVER RACE with Lars the same day! Since I started running Bergen has been begging to run with me. Now that the snow is melted and we can run outside together we got him his own pair of running shoes! We took our first run and he ran (the entire time!) 1.8k. Lars and Bergen will be running a 2k in the same race I will be doing my 10k.

I am really wishing I could run the race with him. However, I will be well into my 6.2 miles before their race even starts. There will be plenty of other races for us to enjoy together (that is if he continues to stay interested in running!). Plus, it will be a great father/son activity.

xoxo, the blad pad

oh, my dutiful first born

2011-04-08T16:28:00.010-05:00

"Hey Mom, can I play the Wii when I get home?

Oh wait, I have homework in my backpack.

Maybe I should do that first.

Yeah, I should do that first....

Hey Mom, after I do my homework can I play the Wii?"

To which I said "you bet". But even if I had told him he could play the Wii *before* homework he would have given me a look of concern. Of unease. No, homework would come first. He is so much like his Dad.

I can't help but wonder if his sisters will have his strong [home]work ethic. Maybe they will take after me ... who would have happily played the Wii before homework. Neither way is right or wrong. It is just how we operate.

But what I really want to know is where did this homework loving boy learn to flash the peace sign every time I take his picture now??

xoxo, the blad pad

i know better

2011-04-08T13:09:00.014-05:00

then to bring the girls with when Bergen gets a hair cut. But we had the time and his hair was badly in need of a cut. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do .... even against better judgement.

Ingrid picking hair off the floor ...

and then often trying to put it in her mouth (yuck!)

Ingrid going for the lollipops for the 100th time

Ingrid being told "no" for the 100th time

Ingrid checking out the coffee supplies

Having a water cooler chat with sister ...

with cup #7 after throwing away the first 6 no matter how quickly I tried to save them (grrrr)

And no, based on the pictures it doesn't seem so bad. But between takes I was running after one girl or the other, keeping hands away from hot irons, trying to keep bottles of shampoo on the shelf, making sure the water stayed in the water cooler or in a cup, picking up goldfish off the floor .... oy!

I always say "never again" but as 'they' say ... never say never.

xoxo ... the blad bad

good-bye comfort zone

2011-04-07T13:13:00.024-05:00

and hellooooo Atlanta!

This past weekend I was given the opportunity to visit Lars' mom Peg in HOT-lanta with my sister-in-law Megan. When we planned the trip way back in January it seemed like the first weekend in April was impossibly far away ... but low and behold it came upon us ... and fast. So fast that most people didn't know I was going until I updated Facebook that I was there. Maybe that is because I don't plan that far into the future - I am less of a "what is going on in the next week/month and how can I prepare and plan for that?" but more of a "what is happening tomorrow and what needs to happen tonight before I fall on the sofa and don't get up again?" kind of a girl.

Or maybe I was living a bit in denial that I was going. Not because I didn't want to go (heaven knows I needed a weekend away ... especially a girls weekend in warm weather!), but that I had to get on an airplane. I strongly dislike flying. I start having nightmares and panic attacks at least a month before boarding a plane. I can't even think about the trip itself and the fun that I will have on said trip - my mind merely fixates on the fact I have to get on an airplane. It depresses me how much just the thought of flying deters me from wanting to travel. In fact, while flying back home I think I told Megan that I "am never, ever, ever going to fly anywhere ever, ever again". Now, deep down I know that isn't true. But I really wish I could get over the paralyzing anxiety. Flying puts me way out of my comfort zone.

As does being away from my kiddos. It didn't help that I was at the clinic with Ingrid the day before with a 105-degree temp. I have no clue what that was all about ... and neither did the Doc. But even with no major health crisis happening I was glad to be boarding the plane knowing that she was going to be home with her dad and that help was very close by....

I know how incredibly important being away from the kids is and I look forward to that time with great anticipation ... until the time actually comes. Then I freak out and worry like crazy and try to convince myself that I really don't need the time away and think I should just stay home (just a wee bit neurotic?!?). I have the most amazing ability to think of and fixate on worst case scenarios. If it were a game show, I would be the Ken Jennings of that show. Being away from the kids doesn't come easy for me ... a couple hours I can handle. But two days and a plane ride away? Definitely out of the comfort zone.

But, on to the actual fabulous trip itself. Which is what is was - fabulous. I got to do a lot of this ...

and this ....

and I even got to cross something off the bucket list (how cool is that?)! Lars and I are huge Top Chef fans and have always wanted to eat at a restaurant of one of the top chef contestants or judges (in fact, some day we hope to take a top chef tour in a city with a bunch of restaurants from the top chefs and just eat ourselves silly). Richard Blais, one of our all time favorites, recently won top chef all-stars and though he doesn't own Flip Burger Boutique, he is the creative director of the menu. I highly suggest eating there if you are ever in Atlanta ... especially the fried pickles and Nutella + Burnt Marshmallow milkshake. Yummmmy! Here is a pic of the booths in the restaurant. Get it ... Flip?? So cool!

It was a blockbuster kind of a trip - tons of action piled into a quick two days. We really enjoyed some nice, quality time together ... resting, shopping and eating.... went to the theater and saw an incredible play called Traveling Black .... and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Plus we got to have lunch with Dave Horn (who married Lars and me almost 11 years ago!) who was visiting Atlanta for work.

And after a very long 10 hour day of travel back home, I was greeted by a welcome home sign and a sweet message from my sweeties ....

All my stressing out was just that - stressing out. For nothing. The weekend couldn't have gone any better and I really, truly enjoyed myself (as did everyone else). "They" say it is good to get out of the comfort zone and as a person that struggles with it I have to agree. So much that I just might have to do it again. Soon. And I am not saying that next time I won't stress, because I know I will. But at least I will be a bit more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Thank you Lars, Dan and Barbara for taking such good care of my babies. Thank you Megan for being such a great sister and enduring my constant (and I mean constant) asking of "is that normal?" while on all 4 of our flights. And thank you Peg so, so much for your wonderful hospitality and helping me take a trip that I didn't know how much I needed! I am so lucky!

xoxo, the blad pad

ingrid leafblad's house of curl

2011-03-30T20:13:00.014-05:00

I gave Ingrid her first hair cut tonight ... an inch off the bottom to give her more of a 'bob' cut. Actually I probably didn't even cut off enough for an inch, but being that I have zero hair cutting skills I thought I'd better play it safe.

It, however, got me reminiscing about when her siblings had their first hair cuts and I couldn't help but notice the vast differences between parenting a first ... or a second ... or a third child ....

Take the first hair cut for example:

Child #1: was taken to a *real* barber. In fact, the one that cut Lars' hair all growing up. It was a big to-do and so exciting. Every second was documented. Heck, we probably took him out for ice cream afterwards.

Child #2: quite a bit less pomp and circumstance. To our defense, she really didn't have much hair at the time so it didn't seem necessary to pay someone to cut her hair. Nonetheless, her first hair cut was thought out and planned for. Had both parents there to document and experience the first hair cut. It was a family event ... and photos were taken.

Child #3: I made a rash decision after bath tonight that it might look kind of cute to cut her hair in the back. Only AFTER cutting did I realize that not one single picture was taken to document this first hair cut. And NO, it wasn't a *huge* hair cut by any means, but cutting those first locks of hair is a big deal. A milestone. And I felt, and feel, horrible. Not so much about the hair cutting itself, but more about the vast differences of being child number three compared to child number one (perhaps a blog post in the future?!) .... At least I remembered to keep a few locks to put into her baby book. *sigh*

So, back to her hair cut.... I started to panic a bit while cutting her hair wondering if I was going to be cutting the curl out. (Like I said, it was a rash decision and not well thought out.) I continue to be shocked and amazed that we have a child with curly hair. I wondered if her curls were merely the curly hair that babies can have that eventually straighten out as they age ... or it gets cut out. But based on the amount of curl she has I am banking she will continue to have curly hair no matter how many hair cuts I give her ... right??

And my other panic tonight about Ingrid's hair is her "bald spot". Remember how we had to give up the pacifier because she was developing a bald spot due to wrapping her hair around the pacifier and YANKING it out? Well, her hair is still noticeably thinner on top and I can still see the hair follicles of where hair should be growing, but isn't.

Not a pure bald spot, but definitely thin hair. She was pulling her hair out for just a few months so I can't imagine that would have caused permanent hair damage, but I am no expert. However if you are reading this and are in fact an expert, I'd love to hear you say, "don't worry about it. Her hair will grow back".

But only if you really mean it.

xoxo, the blad pad

run, maren, run!

2011-03-29T14:24:00.000-05:00

Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows.

From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!

Forrest Gump

Recently I ran in my first race. It was the Get Lucky 7k and it was my first time running outside. Sound crazy? Up until the race I had been a 100% treadmill girl. I started running towards the end of October so by the time I started it was too cold to run outside ... hopefully I will be able to lay some tracks outside soon. That is if it ever does warm up.

I ran the race with a couple of friends - Cara who has participated in a bunch of races and Shawn who was also running her first race. We were looking forward to a beautiful, sunny 45-degree morning which ended up being a beautiful, sunny 25-degree morning. Yikes. It was freezing. Once we were running it was okay. But waiting for that start was a killer. My goals were to run the entirety of the course and to finish between 45-50 minutes. I succeeded at both!

This was the first race of a few that I am doing this spring. I have a few 5k's and a 10k ... all to get ready for running Grandma's half marathon in June which I will be running with my marathoner sister-in-law Kate! I have a panic attack just thinking about running 13.1 miles, but there is plenty of time to train. At least that is what people tell me.

me ... shawn ... cara

The half marathon will be almost 1 year to the day of when I signed up for my gym membership ... when I couldn't have run a mile, or a block for that matter, without wanting to give up. It was my first time joining a gym and I went into it thinking it would be nothing but a waste of money. Never in a million years when I started at the gym did I think I would be at this point. No, it's not climbing Mount Everest or competing in the Iron Man. But I *believed* I couldn't do it. All I kept thinking when I was running in the race was "wow, I am really doing this!" It's a great feeling to be proud of yourself.

Up next ... Goldy's 5k with Cara!!

xoxo, the blad pad

like grandpa, like granddaughter

2011-03-28T20:27:00.008-05:00

Think Ingrid has just a little of that Leafblad laugh in her?

You be the judge....

fearless

2011-03-28T19:16:00.014-05:00

New family winter activity: swimming.

We are very lucky that Lars' gym has a heated pool. They crank the heat starting Friday afternoon so it will be nice and toasty for swimming lessons come Saturday morning (... and after those are over they turn the heat back down). We try to hit the pool late Saturday when it is still really warm, but no matter the temp of the pool it is a great place to forget about winter, put on a suit and play in the water.

Thankfully we have had fairly cautious kids around the water. There was never a huge threat of one of them jumping into the pool before they were ready or someone was ready to catch them. They have been able to wait for mom or dad. Wear water wings or life jackets.... That's not saying we don't exercise caution around water, we just have had kids we could keep under control around the water.

Until now.

Like everything else, Ingrid is a free spirit around the water. She is fearless. This past week we had Aunt Megan join us at the pool and I was so grateful because we needed one-on-one coverage with her. The more Ingrid is around water, the more adventurous and uninhibited she becomes. By the end we were literally chasing her between the hot tub and the pool trying to grab onto her teeny-tiny little arms before she could get the opportunity to fling herself into the water. Because she would. And man, does she have quick little legs.

After about an hour of making sure my kids' heads stay above water my nerves hit their limit and I am ready to head out... which is usually about the same time the kids are tired and ready to eat. It has been a great winter activity for us being that I am not a great winter mom. But anytime I can bring some warm weather activity into the winter for the kids .... I'm there!

xoxo, the blad pad

lunch date

2011-03-24T13:05:00.001-05:00

Annika's lunch date today

messages

2011-03-23T21:01:00.006-05:00

Bergen: Mom! Mom! Come and look what I wrote for you!

Me: Mad... mama...?

Bergen: Yeah, you are one mad mama. Isn't that cool?

I had two 'messages' from Bergen last week. The first message was sent via Cheez-it crackers. The Scrabble Cheez-it's to be exact. The kiddos are o.b.s.e.s.s.e.d. with them. Ingrid because she *loves* Cheez-its. Annika because she is at that stage where language is exploding and is beginning to connect the dots between letters and words. And Bergen because he loves to take a bunch of letters to see what he can spell... (more of a Boggle then a Scrabble, but anyway....). But as soon as I saw "madmama" I panicked.

Oh boy, he wrote 'mad'. I immediately thought about all the times I have failed as a mom and acted out of a place of anger when I should have acted out of a place of understanding/patience/compassion. I started to wonder if that is how my kids viewed me and if they felt like all I was, was MAD. Deep down I knew Bergen wouldn't write a message telling me that .... and I told myself I was being crazy for thinking more of it then it really was. But I felt like it was a sign. Those orange Cheez-its felt as if they were an orange DANGER sign. Spelling out for me that my worst fear was, in fact, coming true... I was failing as a mom.

The second message was in response to a note I left for Bergen on a rare, rare day when I was not there for the kids when they woke. One morning last week I had a 7am dentist appointment and wasn't too sure I would be back in time to hug Bergen before school so I wrote him a message (and a good thing I did because I didn't get home before he left) ...

and got the sweetest message back. Only days after I had received the first one. And instead of feeling that panic I felt with the first one, I felt so proud to be his (and Annika's and Ingrid's....) mom.

So I decided to interpret "madmama" as the urban dictionary would:

mad: "a lot " or "extremely"
mom (mama): The woman who loves you unconditionally, the one who puts her kids before herself and the one who you can always count on above everyone else

So, that is right. I AM one mad mama. Thank you Bergen for pointing that out.

xoxo, the blad pad

took the night off

2011-03-23T19:53:00.011-05:00

and gave bedtime reading duties to Little Miss. She did an amazing job. She stayed on course even though her reading buddy couldn't quite sit still through a book .... or a page for that matter. Annika was so proud to be the one to read to Ingrid and I loved hearing her create stories as she would page through the various books.

Over the last few months Annika seems to have really grown in leaps and bounds. She has really started to take on much more of a loving, patient, supportive role to her little sister .... 95% of the time! The other 5% of the time is nothing more then I would expect of a big sister being annoyed with her little sister. And now that I think of it, is this perhaps the best it is going to get? Guessing when Annika hits 14 and Ingrid is 12, she will be annoyed more like 50% of the time? Or maybe not. Only time will tell.

...

All I know is that I enjoyed every second of watching her read to her little sister. Anyone know how to freeze time?? Seriously. Will give my left arm.

xoxo, the blad pad

lucky

2011-03-17T11:19:00.016-05:00

Today is St Patricks Day. The kids dressed up. We all wore green. We had fun decorations at dinner and St Patty's Day cookies for dessert. But we, however, are not very Irish. Maybe there is a sliver in the heritage pie, but St. Lucia's Day would definitely win over St Patrick's day in the blad pad.

But even though we aren't very Irish (that never stopped my mom from making corned beef and cabbage every year!) ... it got me thinking about the "luck of the Irish" and there are so many things I feel lucky for ....

For a husband that truly understands the meaning of for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish.
For a kindergarten boy who has a heart of gold. Solid gold.
For a preschool girl who teaches me about patience. Daily. And loves nothing more then a dress and tights.
For a beyond busy toddler who I can't take my eyes off. Not for one second. And while she might turn my hair grey, I could eat her up she is so dang adorable.
For family who has truly shown us what unconditional love is. For all the support they have given to Lars and me ... and all the support they give to the kids. We would seriously be lost without our family. Truly.
For friends. I feel really lucky to have amazing friends. Friends who come over at the drop of a pin. Friends who ask how I am and really care to hear the answer to their question. Friends who offer to take the kids when the going gets rough. Friends who I lunch with. Friends who I am in book club with. Friends that I go on very much needed "girls night out" with. You girls know who you are. I am sooo lucky.
For my house. Yes, I may complain a bit (or a lot at times) that I wish we could move .... and often send house listings to my dear husband who doesn't want to move. But I am lucky to have a house for my kids... our family ... to call home.
For spring. Enough said.
For my gym and how much life that has brought to me. I love that I can go there and see a friendly face every single time.
For skype. It is hard having family that lives so far away. (And we don't have a lot of family that lives far away... so you know who you are!) I love being able to talk face to face. We don't use it nearly enough but, man, technology this 'day and age' is an amazing thing. We are really lucky for that.
For Caribou Coffee. Seriously. I can't believe how much a cup of coffee can bring me peace during the storm. How I love thee white pumpkin mocha, skim milk, decaf ... it is my zen in a cup.
For babysitters. I am a bit neurotic about leaving my kids with anyone but we have been really lucky to find some AMAZING sitters at a nearby college.
For Facebook. I know, kind of a super lame thing to feel lucky about. But a job of a stay-at-home mom can be a really lonely one (which is actually another blog post in and of itself) and Facebook, for good or bad, helps me feel less alone.
For the DVR. I don't know how I lived without it.
For our van. I never ever ever ever ever thought I would ever ever ever ever own a minivan. But I love it. I love the automatic doors. I love the DVD player (that is right. call me a bad mom if you will, but man, that has saved me from some nasty headaches having the ability for the kids to watch movies). I love all the extra space. And the extra seats of being able to drive other kids. I love having a van.
For take-out. I am a horrible cook. I feel lucky that we live by some great restaurants that have awesome food. To go.
And right now, at this exact moment.... for sleeping kids, a full DVR, and a hubby to hang out with.

There you have it. St Patricks Day. March 17th and 17 reasons why I feel lucky. Or maybe I should say blessed. And as we celebrate the most commonly recognized patron of saints of Ireland, I am going to guess he would be okay with me feeling that way today.

Blessed.

xoxo, the blad pad

happy birthday to dad

2011-03-16T12:46:00.005-05:00

It was Lars' birthday this past week ... March 11th to be exact. It was at the end of what was a *really* busy week for Lars and at the beginning of a weekend away for the family. And since we weren't going to be home on his actual birthday, the kids had their hearts set on throwing him a birthday dinner the night before. But Lars ended up having to work the night before so I suggested we throw Lars a birthday breakfast (i.e. cake for breakfast) and the kids quickly got over their birthday dinner disappointment and happily (and easily) went to bed the night before. (Which made me think we should have cake for breakfast more often .....)

After our cake breakfast and Lars put in a half day at work, we drove to D-town to drop the kids off with Nana and Papa while we got some much needed time away. We had a great 2-night stay at a lovely B&B. It was peaceful and quiet ... a perfect birthday gift for Lars!

xoxo, the blad pad

big girl hair

2011-03-10T19:57:00.009-06:00

This has been the year of the pony tail with Annika. Last year was the year of the hats. She would wear one all.the.time. But now that she is a big girl she likes to have big girl hair ... aka. a pony tail. It is the first thing she asks for in the morning ("can you fix my pony?"), the last thing before bed and about one hundred times in between. The big question of the day is if she wants one, two, or three pony tails. Big time decisions for such a little girl.

Ingrid has beautiful curly locks (much to my surprise. Never thought I would have a child with curly hair!) and it is now long enough in the back for a pony. Annika has been wanting Ingrid to have pony tails too ... so they can "match". This morning we tried a few styles on Ingrid - the one pony and the two pony. I have to say both were super cute, but as you can see on her face Ingrid wasn't super excited about the whole idea. Poor Ingrid kept saying "ow, ow, ow, ow hair ... ow, ow, ow, ow hair ....".

They didn't last long, but boy, they were cute while they lasted.

xoxo, the blad pad

new stage

2011-03-10T13:14:00.004-06:00

Bergen has started to watch BASKETBALL instead of his usual kid programming. We have been DVRing various college basketball games and he loves watching them. I am amazed at how much he understands of the game and the rules - he gets more then I do.

One afternoon Lars and Bergen were only able watch the first half of a Gophers game so at 6am the next day, Bergen was up and watching the second half while the rest of us slept. He RAN into the bedroom yelling "We won! The Gophers won!" He was over the moon excited.

I love seeing him take such a huge interest in this ... and have tried to find some sort of basketball activity, but was out of luck. Either too young or too late. Next year I will be more on the ball (ha!) .....

xoxo, the blad pad

hero

2011-03-10T09:11:00.007-06:00

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.

Marc Brown

xoxo, the blad pad

time flies

2011-03-07T15:52:00.010-06:00

Today Annika had her early education screening. When I was explaining the testing to her I called it a "kindergarten readiness test" to which Annika about jumped to the moon she was so excited. She thought that meant she was going to start kindergarten. Today.

So after those tears were dried and a little more explaining was done (being very careful NOT to use the word kindergarten again) she was excited to go to her screening. And so was I.

I remember taking Bergen to his like it was yesterday and having a loooong drawn out conversation with the screener (the same screener we saw today!) on whether we should send Bergen to kindergarten at 5 or 6. Now that our decision is over and done, I look back at all those conversations I had with various people along the way on how to make the right decision. And we did make the right one. Holding him was the best thing we could have ever done for him... But Annika is a summer baby too and we will need to make a decision for her as well.

The nice thing this time around is that I don't feel the pressure to figure it out like I did with Bergen. I think I started stressing about this when he was three. Probably after his early education screening to be exact. But now that I have all this wisdom (right?) I know when the time comes for Annika we will know what to do ... and there is plenty of time before the time comes.

So, back to Little Miss. She rocked the tests which is no surprise. She, however, didn't rock the hearing screening which too was no surprise. We have had a question in our minds for quite some time about her hearing so guess it is time to have it checked out.

I just can't believe she is at this stage already. Preschool. Kindergarten readiness. What is next? College? Sure seems like it.

Man, time flies.

xoxo, the blad pad

ROAR

2011-03-07T14:21:00.006-06:00

march came in like a lion for the blad pad this year.

5 out of the last 8 days i have been to our clinic's after hours care (aka urgent care) or the minute clinic for either ingrid or myself. and the visits went a little something like this:

visit one: "nope. while ingrid's lungs sound like she is struggling to breath, they are moving air quite nicely. she does, however, have an ear infection".

visit two: (this is when i was thinking ingrid might have a uti or bladder infection after being on antibiotics that were really tough on her little system) "ummm, there is over a 2 hour wait so unless this can't wait until tomorrow then i suggest coming back" ... "okay, then can i schedule an appointment for tomorrow" .... "ummm, yeah. we are all booked for tomorrow. but if you call at 7am you *might* be able to get in with our on-call DR".

visit three part 1: "oh man, your throat does look really painful and your lymph nodes are really, really swollen. but no, you don't have strep. however, you might want me to take a look at your daughters' eyes while she is here. they are looking pretty bad"

visit three part 2: "yup, looks like she has conjunctivas in both eyes. not sure if bacterial or viral. wait a couple of days and if it doesn't get better then start her on these (prescription given) drops"

visit four: (after ingrid's little blue eyes were looking much, much worse 12 hrs later) "while her eyes do look like they are infected are not. the redness and swelling should go down in a couple of days"

visit five: "while i can completely understand why you feel like your head is going to explode as you have fluid build up (ok, sorry, tmi) everywhere, you in fact don't and are just plain miserable. take a couple of these (mucinex) and you should feel better somewhat shortly".

so, all in all, i don't have much to complain about other then spending a lot of time in the waiting room at one clinic or another. i am really thankful for nothing major. but man we have had a lot of misery.

march came in like a lion and i surely feel like one when i am sick. however, sweet pea doesn't let sickness stand in the way of her and a smile.

she is our little lamb...

xoxo, the blad pad

just cause

2011-03-04T14:17:00.006-06:00

since i wasn't blogging this christmas (or the one before for that matter... ) i wanted to share just a couple of our sweet pea... just cause.

my name is annika

2011-03-04T14:07:00.003-06:00

today while little miss and i were playing some board games i called her "anni" .... which just so happens to be our most common name we call her around the house. and then we went on to have a little convo that went something like this:

A: mom, they call me annika at school

M: would you like us to call you annika at home?

A: yes

M: no anni? no anni-banni?

A: no. my name is annika.

you got it big girl. you are my annika.

xoxo, the blad pad

i heart annika's preschool

2011-03-01T16:44:00.008-06:00

they do the most amazing study units at her preschool. so far they have studied the body, the peaceful planet, the 5 senses, award winning authors/books, the 7 continents .... and now they are doing a unit on the rainforest. i can't get over how they decorated her classroom. doesn't it make you want to learn about the rainforest all over again?

explorer hats and paper binoculars (sooooooo adorable)

ingrid taking the big red car for a spin

annika checking out the vegetation they studied today

xoxo, the blad pad

a girl and her balloons

2011-02-28T14:52:00.005-06:00

annika's preschool had a really sweet valentine's day party and at the end each student received a heart shaped balloon. as soon as ingrid saw annika's balloon she grabbed it and wouldn't let go. in order for annika to let ingrid have that balloon (and stop ingrid from shrieking every time annika tried to reclaim her balloon!), i told her we could go to the store and she could pick out her very own balloon the next day.

it just so happens i had all three kids the next day when we went to the store. they all got a new 99-cent heart shaped balloon and i thought "good job mom, now each kid has their own special balloon they picked out from the store and there would be no more screaming". and boy was i wrong.

ingrid continued to SCREAM unless she was holding each and every balloon. even if she had 2 of the 4 balloons she would SHRIEK until the bigs would give in and let her hold theirs. i am not sure if it was out of the goodness of their hearts or because they too couldn't take the screaming anymore, but the bigs finally caved and just let their baby sister hold all the balloons.

i am going to believe it was out of the goodness of their hearts.

xoxo, the blad pad

inside, inside and more inside

2011-02-28T14:35:00.011-06:00

i feel bad for my kids during winter. they missed out on having a FUN outdoor winter mom. i am not a winter person. i strongly dislike winter. and this winter i particularly dislike. it has been long and brutal. so we have had a lot of this ....

and this ....

and this ...

and every now and then we (and by "we" i mean lars and the kids) break out the outdoor stuff .....

xoxo, the blad pad

happy new year! uh, i mean, happy march!

2011-02-27T14:27:00.005-06:00

one of my new years goals was to start blogging again. my first was supposed to be jan 1 of this year. blogging has been on my mind and in my heart for quite some time. i would often tell myself to just START, but would be distracted by something (or should i say little someones) and would push it off to later. and when later finally came, i couldn't remember my password. it took about 500 tries and a month for me to remember! and now march is upon us. i am two months behind my goal. but then again, i feel that way with much of my life as of late. so many good intentions and always taking too long to follow through. so as ingrid is napping and kids are snacking i thought this would be a perfect moment to just go for it.

so ... HI!!!

it feels good to be back. there is been quite a bit of growing since my last post which was about, ummm, 18 months ago. i am not going to go into a loooong recap of where the kids are at. i am just going to dive right in and begin where we are at today. and the big news of today is that we took away ingrid's pacifiers on friday. she had gotten into this really horrible habit of twirling her hair around the paci and then YANKING it out with all her might. a horrible sight to see ... and sound to hear. after learning that continual pulling of the hair *might* cause permanent hair loss i immediately walked around the house and threw out all her pacifiers. there is no good time like the present to quit a bad habit, right?

the first night (friday) was torture. she cried for about 1.5 hours screaming for her "gookie". she finally did fall asleep after much rocking and woke up a few times during the night. yesterday (saturday) she kept walking around the house looking for one in all the usual hiding spots. took an okay nap and then fell asleep on her own at night (surprise to me!). she was, however, up every 2 HOURS during the night. we took turns rocking her back to sleep which luckily didn't take long each time. between her being sick (cold) and huge transition without her paci i am giving her a few nights before we make her "cry it out" ... but all in all she is handling the transition like the star that she is!

and now she is up from her nap and the kids are done with their snack so i am signing off. promise it won't be 18 months until i write again .....

xoxo, the blad pad

it's AUGUST?

2009-08-11T08:20:00.005-05:00

How did that happen and where did the summer go? Oh yeah, we have been insanely busy. Between playdates, soccer two nights a week, t-ball, speech, and OT. . . we have been running non-stop. Plus we were sick (and I mean SICK) which was a very hard start to the summer for us. And then add a newborn on top of that. . . it has been eventful. Now that it is August it is s-l-o-w-i-n-g down a bit and I am beyond thankful for that!

Here are a couple recent videos of the Leaflets. . . enjoy!

it's been a while

2009-08-10T00:05:00.016-05:00

so thought I would ease back into it with a picture post . . .

fun in the rain

2009-06-16T18:19:00.012-05:00

We are finally getting some much needed rain and the kids couldn't help but head outside to splash in the puddles. . . and after they splashed in a nice, warm bath!

fun in the sun

2009-06-13T16:01:00.005-05:00

Grandma Peg took the big Leaflets for the morning to give Lars and I some much needed down time (well, technically we still had littlest, but she doesn't do much yet so we were still able to relax! ;) . The kids had so much fun playing with GP and they had the most fun at the lake! This was Annika's first time playing in the sand and water and she had a blast. . . and as you can see so did Bergen!

Thanks GP!!!!

some video

2009-06-11T22:23:00.000-05:00

a photo progression

2009-06-11T21:30:00.010-05:00

I was trying to snap a few photos of Ingrid today when Annika wanted to join in the fun. . .and then Bergen. As you can see, Ingrid started to feel a bit overwhelmed by her siblings (note adorable frown!) and I got her out just in time as Bergen and Annika started to wrestle!

just can't get enough of these

2009-06-11T08:10:00.001-05:00

potd

2009-06-10T16:26:00.003-05:00

the graduate

2009-06-08T15:02:00.015-05:00

Well, sorta kinda. Bergen graduated from the preschool he has been attending for the past two years. . . he technically isn't a preschool graduate since he has one more year before he starts kindergarten, but next year he will be at a different preschool. We have really enjoyed these years and have grown to know and love the other kids/families. It will certainly be weird next year when we start the new program and don't know anyone. I think it will be harder for me then Bergen! As you can see in the pics below - Bergen was very proud to be graduating!

first soccer game

2009-06-08T14:56:00.009-05:00

Bergen's first soccer game was LAST Monday, but better late then never! He had a BLAST playing and the Yellow Rattlesnakes did GREAT!

45 life lessons

2009-06-08T14:54:00.000-05:00

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. Its OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles. (in golf rely on them)
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift." (practice thanksgiving)

where the wild things are

2009-06-05T14:48:00.008-05:00

At the Walker when the kidlets have a fun morning with GP! Needless to say they have a blast. . .

how was this NINE years ago?

2009-06-03T14:20:00.001-05:00

smile!

2009-06-03T13:50:00.004-05:00

and another one bites the dust

2009-06-03T13:48:00.004-05:00

Tooth #2. . . Bergen unfortunately swallowed it while eating, but the tooth fairy still made the visit!!

out with the old, in with the new(er)

2009-05-29T20:19:00.019-05:00

We decided it was time to replace our metal swing set, a.k.a. Old Rusty. He was a good swing set, but my fear of a child getting cut on the rust jagged edges of the slide were increasing so I started to frequent Craigslist to see if we could score a newer, better swing set - and we did! Our "new" swing set is almost 10 years old, but in great condition. It needed a little TLC and still needs work (we are saving that for when Papa comes to town! :), but it is working great! We even found someone who was looking for a metal swing set on Craigslist - they came, took it apart, and took it away.

The only thing it is missing is a nickname. . . I am thinking Big Red.

Tear down

Lars getting his instructions on what to fix
before putting the swing set back together

Old Rusty

The kids' last swing on Rusty

SO SAD! The kids didn't really know what was going on
and why there were strange people in our yard
taking away their swing set. They just sat and watched.

Our yard looked very empty without a swing set

The start of the rebuild

Bergen's first slide!

Our best helper

Smile. . . almost done!

The first swing!

Happy Dads to be done with the project!!

All done!

smiles

2009-05-29T20:02:00.008-05:00

Ugh. I am so far behind in posts. It is always on the to-do list, but sleep (or relaxation) seems to always score higher on the priority list. So in case my two fans of the blog are mad it has been so long since my last post, here are some smiles that will hopefully make the peace (I mean, how can you be mad when you see this beautiful face!)

This video is pretty funny at the end. . . with the older Leaflets running after each other. But I was able to catch some good smiles from Ingrid on video!

the start of soccer season

2009-05-16T09:38:00.007-05:00

Bergen is in a "soccer league" this summer which means he will be playing two nights a week - one for practice and the other a game. I am feeling a bit like "what on earth were we thinking signing him up for something so time intensive?!" (especially since soccer doesn't start until 7pm which is normally his bedtime. . . AND we have a newborn!) but he LOVES soccer so I am am trying to let go some of my schedule protectiveness for the summer.

Lars took him to his first practice this past week and Bergen, of course, had a blast. I am looking forward to watching a soccer game with 5 and 6 year olds. . . I am guessing there will be a lot of confusion on the field!

potd

2009-05-15T13:57:00.006-05:00

potd

2009-05-13T08:36:00.005-05:00

Annika has hit the "do it myself" stage and here she is after putting her pants on by herself. . . upside down.

potd

2009-05-11T13:49:00.005-05:00

Whenever Little Miss is at GPs house she always plays with Gracie's cage. Whether she is stuffing toys (or herself!) in the cage, she just LOVES it!

potd

2009-05-08T18:55:00.003-05:00

potd

2009-05-07T21:32:00.003-05:00

potd

2009-05-06T17:59:00.005-05:00

Since I am finding it difficult these days to have time to update the blog, I thought I would start doing a Picture Of The Day (what I will call potd). So to start, a couple of favorite sibling shots:

the biggest boy

2009-05-03T15:00:00.005-05:00

Bergen had a loose tooth for well over a month and it finally popped out last week while he was at the park with GP (aka Grandma Peg). Bergen was pretty scared about the whole idea of losing teeth - ever since he discovered his tooth was loose he wouldn't let me come near his mouth. . . he wouldn't even let me see how wiggly it was. We got him a few books at the library to help ease his fears, but he just couldn't get over the fact his teeth were coming loose.

He lost his tooth when he fell on the slide and bonked his head - it was THE PERFECT way for him to lose it - it was fast and he had no clue it was happening. In fact, he had no clue it even happened until GP saw a little blood in his mouth and asked him if his tooth came out. They weren't able to find the actual tooth (not sure if he swallowed it or if they just couldn't find it) but they found a tiny rock that looked just like a tooth - perfect his tooth fairy pillow! That night the tooth fairy brought him a dollar (we were going to do fifty cents until one of the books we got for him said it was a dollar!) which he now has safely tucked into his bank.

Such a big thing for our little boy!

she's here!

2009-05-03T14:23:00.037-05:00

Ingrid Elise
April 20 2009
7lb 9oz
21" long

These pics are loooong overdue, but adjusting to life with three has been quite busy! Since pictures are worth a thousand words I thought I would spare you from reading a few thousand and just post a bunch of my favorites from the hospital. . .

She is a beauty, isn't she?

one week later

2009-04-10T15:35:00.002-05:00

And no change. Everything looked good at the DR apt today and things are right on track. . . with this baby no closer to coming out any time soon. Looks like I am in it for the long haul - again. I gave my DR the "please have mercy on my eyes" and asked if she could sweep my membranes today (again, sorry if too TMI for the blog!) which put me into labor with Annika but she said NOPE! Not even 38 weeks yet and won't even consider until 39. It is what I expected to hear. . . and why I love my OB's. As much as I want this baby out, I know waiting until the body/baby is ready it the right thing to do and I am thankful I go to a practice that believes in that as well.

Go back again in a week.

annika's first "real" haircut

2009-04-10T05:45:00.009-05:00

Annika still doesn't have much hair other then a mullet. . . and while she used to let me trim it up, she now SHRIEKS whenever I come near her with a pair of scissors. She would thrash around so much I started to worry I would poke her eye out! So I decided it was time to take her to get a real hair cut. I thought watching Bergen get his hair cut might make her want to get her hair cut (being that she wants to do everything he does!). . . but I was wrong.

We went to Fantastic Sams and Annika got to watch for a bit as Bergen got his hair cut. So then it was Annika's turn. After I got Annika settled in the chair and checked in with Bergen for 2 seconds, I turned around to find that Annika's stylist decided it would be okay to give her not only 1 but 2 suckers (one for each hand!) to help Annika feel better about getting her hair cut. She is only 19 months. I don't give her hard candy yet. . . so I head over to Annika, watch her bite down and see the entire sucker breaks off. I immediately swipe out the large chucks of chokeables from her mouth. . . while the stylist continues to gab MORE suckers for Annika to chew on. Not sure what about me swiping her mouth she wasn't getting that I didn't want her to have *more* suckers . . . so now not only was Annika MAD about getting her hair cut, she was MAD at me for taking away her new candy adventure.

I substituted the suckers for a more age appropriate candy and that seemed to calm her down a bit. . . but she still did NOT like getting her hair cut. Bergen finished before Annika did and he was a super star trying to cheer her up. He would tell her "it's okay Annika. . . it's okay Annika. . . it won't hurt. . . it's okay". He is such a sweet brother.

It took about 30 seconds for her to actually cut Annika's mullet - basically a bang trim but in the back. When checking out I was a little surprised to be charge the full amount of a hair cut ($20 for the two of them). I guess I shouldn't have been, but when it take about 3 snips and 30 seconds to cut a kids hair, a bang trim price would have been nice. But as a friend told me. . . better to pay for a full hair cut then to poke out her eye out at home. True, true.

i don't mean to complain

2009-04-10T05:35:00.002-05:00

But I am going to for one second.

I know babies are supposed to stay "cooking" for as long as possible for 40 weeks. That is why due dates are calculated as such. . . but sometimes it just feels like E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E. goes before their due date but ME. And I am not saying that I want to deliver EXTREMELY early, but I am over 37 weeks now. The baby is in the "safe zone" being full term. Why can't I for once be the one that gets to go early? I know two women who were also due when we are - one shared my due date and the other was the day after me. Both are now happy new moms adjusting to life with a newborn. . . OUTSIDE of their bodies. And I hate to complain because being pregnant is such a gift, but #3 has been really hard on me physically. Normally I have been happy as a clam to stay pregnant (well maybe not THAT happy, but much more content then I am now) knowing that life is going to change drastically after the baby comes. But I am VERY, VERY ready for the pregnancy stage to be over and life of a family of five to begin. And people tell me all the time less then 20 days to go. . . which I know doesn't sound long, but when you are at this stage of the game, it seems very, very long.

Okay. Thanks for listening. Done complaining.

"i will never. . . ."

2009-04-10T05:30:00.003-05:00

Going into parenthood one will often say "I will never. . . (insert whatever preconceived notion you think you won't do as a parent)" and then when you become a parent you realize a lot of those "I will never. . ." statements actually make your life easier.

Here is one in action for me . . . "I will never let my kids watch TV in the car while I am just driving around town/running errands". Well, now that we have our MV with a DVD player I have completely and totally put my foot in my mouth. It makes my life soooo much easier when I have to run a bunch of errands. . .

our little fairy

2009-04-05T22:14:00.004-05:00

numbers

2009-04-05T22:02:00.002-05:00

Okay. It is officially the "final stretch". I will be 37weeks tomorrow and 21 days out from D-day. Not too much longer now. . . thank goodness! On Friday at 36w4d I had my first of the weekly visits that happen the last month of pregnancy and progress is being made - which made me feel good. Not to get too TMI, but I am starting to dilate (2cm and 70% effaced) which doesn't mean I will go into labor any time soon. . . it just means my body has to do less work when I *do* go into labor. Might as well get as much done as possible before the pain starts, right?!

In other numbers I am up a total of 30 lbs, which is about 20-25 less then I have gained with the other 2 kids. I didn't do anything different this time around. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted, and how much I wanted. . . who knows. The body does what it needs to do.

I also found out that I am slightly anemic so I was told to up the iron intake. . . which to me just screams "great excuse to eat lots of good steak!" Which I did this weekend! :) Hopefully that will help boost the number a bit before delivery.

So, now we just wait. . . and wait. . . and wait. Have another appointment this Friday and every Friday until my due date. I am very ready to meet this little girl!

the month of extremes

2009-03-31T15:32:00.019-05:00

Usually we start out the month playing in the snow and by the end we are playing in the street. . . and while the warm weather hasn't really come yet we have had a couple of nice days. Here are some photos of us enjoying the Minnesota outdoors this past month. . . .

oh the love

2009-03-31T15:27:00.004-05:00

One morning as the kids sat on the sofa watching a little TV, Bergen decided to put his head on Annika's lap and they sat there for about 20 minutes. It was one of the sweetest moments I have seen between the two of them!

But I have to say. . . here is a more typical photo of when the kids are "playing" together!

marveling at the differences

2009-03-31T15:10:00.011-05:00

Lars and I are always commenting about how different our kids are - not in a harsh competitive way, but in amazement and awe at their individual differences. As we watch Annika grow more into her own self, we try to remember what Bergen was like at 19 months and man alive it is impossible to remember back that far. You think as a parent you will never forget, but sadly you do. (Thank goodness for video!)

At any rate. . . Annika seems to possess a little more of a quirkiness then her brother had at her age. She is constantly dressing up, hording/hiding small objects, playing with outlets, drawing on walls. . . .

Here are some pics of Annika being her normal silly self that bring a huge smile to my face!

man oh man have i been m.i.a.

2009-03-31T14:49:00.006-05:00

I blinked and the month is now over - which I have to say I am happy about. March is never a wonderful month here in Minnesota. Today is the last day in March we are still seeing snowflakes falling. Not good - especially on the spirit that has been trapped inside all winter. This is truly the winter that would never die.

We are now 27 days away from our due date with Leaflet #3. I go back and forth between wishing this last month away to wanting it to last forever. I am starting to grieve the current relationships I have with my kids knowing that adding another child will change us all forever. Yes, in a good way, but it will be different. I remember really mourning my alone time with Bergen when I was pregnant with Annika and now I am mourning the fact that Annika won't be our baby anymore. Such a roller coaster or thoughts and emotions. . . which hormones and sleep deprivation probably contribute quite a bit to. I go in on Friday to see the DR for the first of the final round of weekly visits. I am very ready to have Ingrid here with us. . . safe and sound.

The kids have been sharing a room for pretty much the whole month now. It took us a couple weeks to figure out the new routine, but I am happy to say I think we are now all adjusted and the kids are enjoying rooming together. I was expecting something so much worse and really the transition went quite smoothly.

Here we are reading books together. . . although the 3 (should I say 4?) of us no longer fit in the rocking chair together! We now have to read on the sofa!

Here we are at bedtime. . . Auntie Megan was babysitting so Lars and I could get out for a dinner and we can home during bedtime routine. The kids were both in Annika's crib while Megan was reading to them! They were snuggled in together - it was VERY sweet! Annika LOVE when I rub her belly - so that is what I am doing in the video!

Here are the kids playing underneath Bergen's bed. . . they LOVE to build a fort and then will play in there for an hour or so together. . . which in Mom time is like 4 hours!

the final countdown

2009-03-04T14:15:00.005-06:00

Bergen and I made a calendar so we can watch the days quickly (or slowly depending on how I am feeling that day!) count down to Ingrid's arrival! Bergen gets to tear off a new sheet every day. . . something we both look forward to!

the room is set. . . and we're ready to go

2009-03-04T13:57:00.008-06:00

Well, I don't know if you can ever truly be *ready*, but Bergen's room is now ready to become Bergen and Annika's room. We were lucky enough to have some friends (thank you Nealys!) who aren't using their crib right now so they have loaned us their crib until 1. Annika doesn't need one anymore or 2. they need it for a new baby. (But I am guessing Cara would say #1 will happen before #2. . . or maybe not?!)

Annika is actually taking her very first nap in the new room as I type. So far so good. I think I am going to start sleeping her in there full time on Sunday. It all depends on how the rest of the week goes with the naps. All I know is that Bergen is VERY excited to share a room with his sister. I am still concerned that they will wake/keep each other up (especially now with my insomnia in the mornings and I hear Annika up at 5:30 pretty much every morning!) But as a friend told me who has kids sharing a room . . . put a lock on the door, let them get up, let them play and then let them out at 7am!

Wish us luck!

exactly

2009-03-03T09:00:00.003-06:00

This mom wrote a great little post about scare tactics and parenthood. . . which highlights so much of why I struggle with anxiety over raising my kids!

No More Scare Tactics

this one is for you megan

2009-03-03T00:04:00.004-06:00

Annika. . . meet Nora. . .

2009-02-16T15:49:00.006-06:00

How lucky are we to live in the age of technology. . . when we live far from our loved ones, but are able to keep in touch through so many online tools. Nora (Chris and Kate) may not be near, but they are never far from our thoughts! Keep the videos coming guys . . . (and there are these things called blogs that are really cool, easy to use and free. . . hint, hint!)

oh annika, you're a clever one

2009-02-13T16:12:00.011-06:00

Annika LOVES reading books. . . especially at bedtime. When asked to start book time after bath, she happily goes to her room, shuts the door and promptly pulls every (and I mean *every*) book off the bookshelf only stopping to read whatever book catches her eye.

Now however, she realizes that book time = bed time and will do everything in her power to NOT sit on my lap while we read. I think she feels that if we aren't reading in the rocking chair, it means it isn't really bedtime. . . or at least bedtime doesn't start until after we read books in the rocking chair together. So she will read her books on the floor, sit in the rocking chair withOUT me, or she will drag her chair into her room and sit there while I read to her (note pics).

I, however, continue with the 3-5 book plan and after I am done reading those, whether she has sat on my lap or not, I turn out the light. And normally she is NOT sitting on my lap, but is on the opposite side of the room so she will come running to me, sit on my lap and ask to read books. When I say no, she gets just a tad mad acting like we never got to read any books that night. Oh Annika, I am sooooo onto your scheme!

her future is so bright

2009-02-13T15:44:00.002-06:00

she has to wear shade!

i would die for that

2009-02-13T15:35:00.005-06:00

I am not going to go into the story of it all, but if you know our journey to parenthood you will know why I posted this. I found this song extremely touching. My thoughts and prayers are never far from those traveling the hard, lonely and painful road to parenthood.

feed me seymour

2009-01-29T13:34:00.001-06:00

Annika was apparently quite hungry before dinner last evening as she proceeded to drape herself over the table until it was ready! As of late she has taken to crawling over the table from the bench to the highchair - which I don't condone but have a hard time stopping our little monkey once she has her mind set on doing something!

these boots were made for walkin'

2009-01-25T09:18:00.008-06:00

case in point

2009-01-25T08:22:00.003-06:00

Here is a little taste of what it is like to vacuum at the Blad Pad. This video was taken Friday last week. . . day 6 of us being stuck inside the house because of illness. Both kids were on treatments for colds/asthma so we spent the ENTIRE week indoors other then getting out for a doctor appointment or two. It was a VERY.LONG.WEEK. And by the end of the week the house was quite messy, so I decided to try to clean up a bit before the weekend. . . which is always easier said then done.

new definitions

2009-01-23T15:17:00.001-06:00

The week I returned to work after having Bergen I remember a co-worker complaining of being "sooooooooooooo tired" because her dog kept her awake during a thunder storm the night before. I tried not to give her hate stares from across the room as I sipped my third (or was it fifth?) cup of coffee. I hadn't slept much not only the night before but pretty much every night since Bergen's birth 10 weeks earlier. He was a horrific sleeper his first 4 months. And yes, horrific IS a strong word, but we struggled like something fierce to get that child to sleep. We alternated between the bouncy seat, the swing, the rocking chair, the sofa, our arms. . . *anything* that would give us maybe a 3 hour stretch. It was a rough start to parenthood for us. . . and a whole new definition of tired.

As we journey through life, each stage brings about a new set of definitions. As of lately I have been thinking about how parenthood has changed my definitions for various things. My kids are little right now, but as they grow I know the definitions will change. And when they leave the house (which, by the way, I can't even think about without crying) I know they will change once more.

Here are a few examples. . .

Date Night: Ahhhh. . . yes, date night. The second that Bergen sees me without my usual "uniform" (i.e. a pair of sweatpants/jeans with a sweatshirt) and with a splash of mascara, he gets this quizative look and says "Mom, are you going out tonight?" Date night for us is now a rare occasion that has to be planned out far in advance. No more fancy restaurants and expensive drinks, because that money is instead put towards a babysitter. Our dates almost always involve a quick run to Target, grocery store or Home Depot, because heaven knows it is much easier to go there kidless . . not real romantic, but practical. And every now and again, date night is trumped by a kid who inevitably throws up 30 minutes before the babysitter arrives. Then I get back into my "uniform" to prepare for a long night with a sick little one, but I always keep the mascara on.

Vacation: Long gone are relaxing, leisurely vacations. Vacations are now centered around kid schedules, kid food, and kid activities. I am not saying that is a bad thing, it is just different. Lars and I used to see who could read more books while on vacation (yes, Lars always won) and now we feel lucky if we can get through one book and maybe, just maybe, we can skim through a couple magazines that are most likely over 6 months old. I miss the days of laying by the pool listening to my portable CD player (yes, vacations were THAT long ago for us!) without any cares or worries in the world. But vacation is basically the same stress of parenting and getting through the day, but without the comforts of your own home and with over-tired/crabby kids from travelling and not sleeping.

Reading: I read every day, but not the books I stare longingly at on the bookshelves. I can recite Dr. Seuss and Curious George like no ones business, but to actually get time to sit and read a book that *I* want to read is a rarity. I used to get through a book now and then before we had Annika, but now it is really hard for me to do any reading at all. Lars being the crazy night owl he is can get some reading done in the wee hours of the night, but my brain doesn't function much past 9pm (and that is on a good day). My energy level is too low (see definition of tired below) to even read a chapter or two before bed. Sad? Yes, but true.

Sleeping In: I think this one changed the most for Lars since waking up early used to mean 10am for him! For anyone raising children sleeping in is a rarity - if not mythical. And by sleeping in I don't mean 9am - a good day is if I don't hear the kids before 7am. The funny thing is that I am a morning person and I still tend to wake early on the very rare occasion when I can sleep in, it is just plain harder to get the body and brain moving when the day starts with a child screaming "MOM! GET UP!" and then having to watch the DVR'd Christmas Day Parade for the millionth time in a row.

Clean: Gaining whole new definition, or standard, of clean has helped my sanity immensely over the past 4 years. I know Lars struggles with the chaos of the toys scattered all over the floor and I can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy when I am in a house that doesn't have a toy in every corner, but I have learned to let it go and let it be. The times I do feel overwhelmed with the mess or become frustrated with tripping over toys in the dark, I remember this quote: Cleaning the house before the kids are grown is like shoveling the walk before it is done snowing. So true. I can pick up the same toy 10 times a day to turn around and see Annika throw it across the room again. Trying to do the laundry, put clothes away, wash the dishes. . . all with an 18-month old tugging at my leg or crying because she wants to help makes it really challenging to get anything done at all. I guess that is what the weekends are for. . . . which brings me to. . . .

Weekend: Oh how weekends have changed. On Saturday and Sunday mornings Lars and I always look forward to reading the Facebook status updates of our friends with either no children or grown children. Most of those updates involve a cup of coffee (either leisurely at home or at some chic neighborhood cafe) and a crisp newspaper. But for us, weekend mornings are not a morning off from the daily grind of the week. Weekends are no longer 48 hour stretches to plan movies, dinner with friends, or enjoy long breakfasts at Original Pancake House (we may still go out for breakfast, it just isn't as peaceful or relaxing as it once was). Instead it is filled with errands, to-do lists, and maybe a trip to somewhere like the Mall of America to keep the kids entertained. That is right, we have become one of THOSE families I used to see at the mall (that is before I had kids and actually had time to shop) who would just walk around for free entertainment. I didn't get it then, but I do now.

Relaxation: Another term I could have used for this is Free Time. Either way, there is very little of both . . . to which I am not complaining. That is life with kids and we signed up for it. But what I think is interesting is how differently I think about relaxing in my free time. Long gone are the 3-hour hair appointments, shopping excursions, week night movies, 1-hour massages. . . now it is the simple pleasures in life that I look forward to. Reading a book, watching a movie without interruption, having coffee with a friend, taking a nap. . . all these things I used to be able to do without a thought is really exciting and important to me now. And for that I am thankful. Nothing like enjoying the small pleasures in life.

Worry: There are various levels to worry and if you know me, you know I worry. But when it comes to my kids it is more then worry. It is a gut-wrenching, heart-aching worry that stops me in my tracks. Parenting can give you the highest of highs, but also the lowest of lows (like when Bergen was hospitalized). There is so much to worry about as a parent these days that it isn't even worth me writing all the fears and concerns that we and so many of our friends share when it comes to our kids. . . plus it would probably just make me worry even more. But the fierce worry and protection I have for my kids (and Lars) is unlike anything else.

Tired: Where to even begin. . . It isn't even so much the loss of sleep (although that plays a major part), it is trifecta of energy that goes into raising children. The mental, physical, and emotional energy to get from A (waking) to B (sleeping) every day is incalculable. Some days are easier then others, but at the end of most days 99.9% of my energy has been all used up. If only I were able to plug myself into the wall for an hour to recharge. . . I guess that is why God created coffee.

Unconditional Love: I sat at my keyboard for a long time to figure out how to define the love I feel for these beautiful, amazing children of ours. And really, there just are no words.

time to shave

2009-01-21T10:50:00.006-06:00

Bath time fun with shaving creme!!!

fears do come true

2009-01-20T15:19:00.008-06:00

I am sad to report that we are now 2 for 2 on kids with breathing/asthma issues. Annika's nose started running on Saturday afternoon and about 24 hours later the wheezing started. . . just like it always does with Bergen when he gets a cold/virus.

I had posted about my fear on Annika also having reactive airway in my i should have knocked on wood post and how happy I was that she surpassed the time of Bergen's onset, but it seems as if we aren't going to escape unscratched (and I DID knock on wood!).

I was feeling pretty darn good after she had pneumonia with absolutely no wheezing. I was thinking we just might be in the clear. . . but as I was watching her play Sunday afternoon I could see her little chest was working too hard to breathe. And after listening to her wheeze for about 3 seconds, I sent her to Urgent Care with Lars. After a few nebulizer treatments she was feeling much better and her lungs started to open. They did take an x-ray to make sure all the pneumonia had cleared up - which thankfully it had!

So, now we are treating her just as we have treated Mr B so many times before and having been down this road we are much more calm this time around. I have her 18-month appointment next week and will be anxious to talk with her pediatrician about what the next step is. I think I am also going to schedule an appointment with Bergen's asthma doctor. . . might as well get the ball rolling. And yes, this *could* be a one time thing, but as our asthma doctor told us, Lars and I have certain factors that make us high risk for having children with asthma (which my mom brain isn't recalling at the moment). I am fully preparing myself for another long road of breathing issues with our Little Miss. . . and only time will tell what will happen with our Sweet Pea joining our little asthmatic family in April.

one week later. . . update on dad

2009-01-20T14:15:00.017-06:00

It has been a week since my last update on Dad and while the last thing I wrote was about Dad going home. . . it hasn't happened yet. Our Iron Man become our Mystery Man this week as Dad encountered more and more ailments each day. . . NOT related to his heart. There may be a few question marks in the air still, but I am thrilled to say that he is becoming less of a mystery and is doing better now that the doctors have a much clearer idea of what they are treating. . .

Last Tuesday Dan started to spike a fever and after 24 hours they decided to run some blood tests only to discover bacteria in Dad's blood. While they still aren't certain as to *why* he has/had bacteria in his blood, either the antibiotics seemed to take care of it or there were contaminants in the initial blood tests as the latest cultures are showing no bacteria growth. Very good news!

Last Wednesday Dad started to have horrible right shoulder pain. . . . which spread to pretty much every joint in his body. By Saturday, when Lars and I were able to visit him (kidless thanks to Grandma Peg!), he was in quite a bit of pain - swollen hands/feet and unable to move on his own. It was very hard for us kids to see our normally unable to sit still Dad with such limited mobility. After baffling the doctors, an autoimmune specialist was finally able to diagnose Dad yesterday with what they think is Gout. Once they started to treat the Gout, Dad started to to turn the corner quite quickly. While he doesn't have full movement back, he is doing a lot better! Thank you steroids!!

Other road blocks this week were some fluid in his lungs (from laying down so much after procedures) . . . horrible migraines (as Dad is unable to take his usual migraine medication now due to his heart). . . but thankfully all tests of his heart and ICD are coming back stellar.

Now that the road blocks of our Mystery Man are ever so slowly moving out of the way, the cardiac rehab specialists can begin their work with Dad again on getting him up and out of the hospital. We are hoping he can come home Friday. . . but if not at least we know our Iron Man is back on his road to recovery! Thanks for your love, support, and prayers!

Here is another video from Aunt Megan of Dad yesterday. . . looking MUCH better! He is wearing a "back-up defibrillator" that their wonderful friend Tim Mogck made for him! As you can see Dad still has his wonderful sense of humor! :)

update on dad

2009-01-13T12:40:00.009-06:00

Dad is our new Iron Man! He's the new host of a Medtronic ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) that was implanted yesterday.

After reviewing the chain of events which occurred Saturday night, they opted to NOT do the electrical testing yesterday. They felt that the test would have been inconclusive and didn't feel it was right to put him through such a rigorous test feeling it would yield no concrete results. Plus, the symptoms that Dad had didn't align with a true electrical problem.

So today the doctors are now exploring a possible non-electrical cause of his cardiac arrest. They are conducting another angiogram with an intravascular ultrasound to look at a specific spot on his heart where there might have been some blockage. Depending on what they find, they might elect to insert a stint, which would hopefully prevent another blockage from occurring.

He is still at North Memorial Hospital and will most likely be released tomorrow. He has welcomed many visitors over the past few days, including Bergen and Annika this morning.

Dan, and all of us Leafs, are beyond grateful for your love, prayers, and support. Keep on praying!

Video courtesy of Aunt Megan and her Mac today during our visit!

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

QUICK UPDATE: They did NOT find any sign of blockage during the angiogram this afternoon. Dad's heart looks very healthy - which is great news. No heart disease, no damage. All signs point to HOME tomorrow.

prayer request

2009-01-11T17:51:00.004-06:00

Our wonderful dad Dan Leafblad suffered a heart arrhythmia last night and is in the critical care unit at North Memorial Cardiac Unit (the hospital where he has practiced for 20 years.).

He started having symptoms of a heart attack about 4p.m., took some aspirin, and had Barbara take him the ER. They have determined it was not a heart attack, there is not blockage, etc. and that he may need a pace maker or something like that.

Lars was able to join Dan and Barbara at the hospital. In no time Dan was, of course, making jokes, but it is serious and a team of the best experts around will hopefully diagnose him on Monday to see what his options are.

We are BEYOND GRATEFUL that he listened to the warning signs. Had he not - he would not be with us today. We would appreciate your prayers for Dan to continue to grow stronger and that we get some answers as to WHY this happened tomorrow and what to do next.

Blessings,
Maren, Lars, Kids and Entire Leafblad Family

24 weeks

2009-01-10T16:13:00.005-06:00

24weeks along and everything is looking great! At our DR apt this week, Ingird's heart rate was 150, my belly measured right at 24cm (it is cm, right?) and I gained, um, 7 lbs this past month. So that puts me up a total of 11. The DR said that is right where I want to be at this point in time and with the holidays in there preggos like me tend to gain a little more. So far I am feeling fine about the weight gain, but I would like to avoid the usual 55lbs (did I just admit that to the entire cyber-world?!) I gained with my previous pregnancies.

Bergen and Annika joined me for the DR visit and this morning Bergen said that his favorite thing all week was when he got to hear the baby in mommy's belly. So sweet!

Here is a pic that Bergen took of me last Sunday. . . please excuse the toy bomb that went off in the living room. . . I have definitely "popped"!

when the day is done

2009-01-10T10:56:00.011-06:00

At the end of the day, we are ALL excited for Dad to come home! The second they hear the garage door going up, the kids will run and hide in the bathroom right off the kitchen so they can run out and "surprise" Dad. And even though the kids have done that a thousand times, Dad *always* seems to be surprised!

Here are a couple little clips of us waiting for Dad to come downstairs after he gets home. . . and then Dad having to get right in on the action the moment the kids see him. Not much down time for either of us these days. . .

The kids LOVE to watch out the window for Dad and the moment they see his car they run to their hiding spot. I tried to get a good clip of them coming out of the bathroom to surprise him, but it seems when the camera is rolling kids never seem to do what you want them to do. Below is the best clip I could get of them "surprising" Dad!

time for a song

2009-01-10T09:31:00.003-06:00

room wars

2009-01-10T08:52:00.008-06:00

In anticipation of our little Leaflets arrival I thought it was time to flip Bergen's bed over to start preparing him for sharing a room with Annika. We bought this great Ikea bed that serves as a loft - so Bergen can sleep on the top and we can put a mattress underneath for Annika.

The plan is for Bergen and Annika to share until the baby is old enough to be sleeping through the night and then we will room the girls together. But that will be probably at least 18 months from now because our kids don't sleep through the night until after their first year. I am nervous for the kids to start sharing a room - I worry about them waking each other up at night, I wonder if they will play at night instead of falling asleep, and I can probably kiss any possibility of sleeping in good-bye (and by sleeping in I mean until 7am!). I know millions of families have kids that share rooms and as they have all adjusted, we will also adjust.

My only question that remains is WHEN do we want to adjust. Annika is no where ready to move to a "big girl bed". The baby will be sleeping in our room for probably the first 4 months (at least that is what we did with B and A) so that puts Annika at just turning 2 when the baby will be ready for her own crib. I think this is one of those things I need to think less about and just let happen. It will work itself out in time and I will know when the timing is right. Probably not until after the baby comes. . . because if there is sleep to be lost, it might as well be lost when we already won't be sleeping with a newborn in the house, right?

nye and christmas celebration #4

2009-01-10T08:31:00.015-06:00

About 4 years ago we started a great tradition with Lars' mom Peg to celebrate Christmas together on New Years Eve. Not only is it nice not trying to squeeze in one more event during the actual Christmas holiday, but it gives us something to look forward to after the Christmas craziness is over and allows us to have a nice, leisurely day together. A great way for us to end the year together!

christmas celebration #3 and d-town

2009-01-10T07:51:00.029-06:00

After our leisurely Christmas morning, we took the minivan for its first long distance road trip to D-Town. It was GREAT! So much room and the kids watched a movie the whole way. Plus the dual-side heat control made arguments about turning the heat up (me) or down (Lars) non-existent.

We had a great Christmas dinner with Great Gma Betty, Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Dick and Aunt Peggy. The kids were pretty fried by the end of the day - their little brains can handle only so much excitement. But we had a WONDERFUL Christmas Day!!

We spent the rest of the weekend "up north" with Nana and Papa. . . and as usual had a lot of fun! We also got a visit with Great Gamma D and Great Gma and Gpa Birk. It was a wonderful Christmas weekend!

merry christmas!

2009-01-06T15:01:00.012-06:00

Our Little Miss was apparently quite excited for Christmas as she was up at 5am Christmas morn. . . a little too early if you were to ask Santa's helpers. But it was all worth it when I was up to see the excitement in Bergen's face when he came out to see that Santa "didn't forget" to come to our house. I could seriously see tears in his eyes he was so excited. Lars and I ate up every second of our little ones opening their gifts. . . everything brought them so much joy and excitement. And as cheesy as it may sound, that is THE best gift Lars and I could ever ask for on Christmas.

christmas celebration #2

2008-12-30T15:59:00.011-06:00

Christmas Eve brunch at the Kenfields! It was a wonderful, relaxing morning of good food, fun gifts, and great family! Great Grandma and Grandpa Birk were able to be there with us to celebrate thanks to Aunt Marianne making the trip to D-Town to pick them up! Annika enjoyed following the dogs around - especially Birkie who is just the right size for her! (If I were to make a guess I might think she is going to be a vet based on how much she adores animals!) We had a great morning! The rest of Christmas Eve was very calm and quiet for us - which was really nice! We went to the 5pm family friendly church service, put on our Christmas PJ's, ate a fish sticks dinner and went to bed in hopes that Santa would come!

christmas celebration #1

2008-12-30T15:27:00.015-06:00

A few pics from our Christmas celebration with the Leafs. . . it was our pizza and presents party that Bergen had been looking forward to and talking non-stop about for the past 3 weeks. It was also the same day we took our Little Miss into the ER for pneumonia so we were a little fearful depending on how that visit went what was going to happen to the party. All I knew was that Bergen was going to explode if he didn't attend some sort of pizza party that night . . . but luckily all turned out well and as 'they' say "the show went on"! We had a GREAT celebration - a perfect relaxing and fun-filled night which is what we needed after a not so great start to our day!

surprise! we're having a. . . .

2008-12-30T14:56:00.004-06:00

Confession time: we lied.

We found out what Leaflet #3 is the day we had our ultrasound almost a month ago, but we (okay I) decided to surprise family at Christmas so we said the baby's legs were crossed. But they weren't as SHE was spread eagle. That is right. . . another baby girl!

We are thrilled to be expecting Ingrid Elise!!

We told family by wrapping a stocking with her name on it and a tag that said "It's a girl"! It took the moms/grandmas a couple seconds to process what we were telling them, but once they figured it out everyone was very surprised and excited. It will be a lot of fun for our girls to have a sister to grow up with - especially so close in age. Now we just wait until she joins the family in April!

lets make a deal

2008-12-22T12:24:00.003-06:00

I gave Annika an english muffin for breakfast this morning and being the extremely picky eater she is, I was both shocked and thrilled to find that it was totally gone when I went back to the table! That is until I noticed something that looked suspiciously like an english muffin sticking out of an old purse of mine that Annika has taken as her own. It is the perfect size for her to carry around the house . . . and all day long she is putting things in the purse, zipping it up and then taking them out. She loves it. . . and it keeps her busy so I love it too!

It had been a while since I last cleaned the purse out of the various treasures Annika hides in there. . . and I couldn't help but laugh as I pulled the treats, toys and trinkets out this morning. The game Lets Make a Deal came to mind - you know the one where the game show host asks contestants for random things in their purses? I think Annika would have won the grand prize!

i should have knocked on wood

2008-12-22T07:56:00.008-06:00

Saturday night I was thinking about my next blog post - it was going to be about reaching a milestone of sorts with Annika. She had surpassed the time of Bergen's onset of his reactive airway/asthma. He was just shy of 16 months when we made our first ER visit with our struggling to breathe baby boy. . . and little did we know that was just the beginning of many more trips to come. Every time Annika has had a cold I have held my breath in fear that she too will develop reactive airway. And on Saturday night I was thinking about how thankful I was that while she has fallen victim to numerous colds, we hadn't been to the ER with her.

THAT is when I should have knocked on wood.

Annika went with me to the clinic this past week as she had developed a cough and at that time her lungs sounded good. Yes, she had a cough, but air was moving through her lungs. I asked what I should look for and the doctor said "should she become lethargic or develop a fever bring her in". And Sunday morning that is exactly what happened. Our usual spit-fire of a little girl was running a temp, could barely sit on her own, and my worst fear - her breathing was shallow. My first thought - pneumonia. So in we went in for our first trip to the ER with our Little Miss.

We were able to drop Bergen off at a friends (THANK YOU JOEL AND KATE!!!!) so we could avoid Bergen coming into contact with the plethora of germs that is an ER. And we made it before the morning rush - we walked in to an empty lobby and walked out to one with standing room only.

At first Annika checked out perfect other then having her first ear infection and we thought she just had a nasty bug. But to be on the safe side (and we all know how I like to be on the safe side!) the doctor ordered a lung x-ray. Sure enough she has pneumonia. When the doctor came back to tell us, I answered so affirmatively that she asked if someone had already told us. No, it is from acutely listening to my son's every breath for the past 3 years. I could tell her lungs weren't working properly. We are treating her with a strong antibiotic and Tylenol/Motrin as needed.

Today she is back to her usual spit-fire self and while she may have made her first trip to the ER, to me she still has reached a milestone. So far no reactive airway and for that I am beyond thankful.

Going to knock on wood now.

oh-oh, it's too quiet

2008-12-19T15:27:00.002-06:00

I remember Aunt Marianne telling me forever ago after we had Bergen that it is the quiet moments you have to watch out for as a parent. So true. When I can hear the kids playing their various activities throughout the house, I know where they are and what they are doing. This is the reason why I don't mind noise toys - unlike so many parents I know (including my hubby!)

So the other day as I sat working on Christmas cards with Bergen on the sofa, I realized it had become very quiet all the sudden. Oh-oh, not good.

And where should I find my precious little daughter? Playing in the toilet, of course. But that wasn't even the best part. She was playing in a non-flushed toilet last used by my darling little boy. Lovely.

When I asked him why, oh why, did you not flush the toilet?

He just looked at me and said with this ever-so-annoyed tone, "it was only a #1, Mom".

Yes. Thank goodness it was only a #1.

so long goodnight moon

2008-12-18T16:51:00.003-06:00

And Hello National Geographic!! Annika and Dad enjoying some reading time together. . .

vroom, vroom

2008-12-18T16:33:00.007-06:00

Bergen and Lars have a fun nightly ritual of playing racing games together on Lars' old play station from his college days. Bergen is now shockingly good at racing and can almost keep up with Lars (but Lars, being the great Dad he is, never wins!) But the most amazing thing to us is that Bergen can set the video game up by himself - which is about a 10 step process of wading through various menus and options to choose from. Bergen can also work our fairly confusing TV remote and now knows how to use the DVR and ON DEMAND options. It just goes to show he is watching *everything* we do and his little brain is memorizing it all.

Here are the boys getting ready to play a racing game: