Our Thanksgiving Weekend

What a lovely time we had in Seattle! A few things...it was very mellow. We spent the day cooking and then eating and reading to Una. Grandpa and Grandma brought Una a bonnet from the Amish country of Minnesota, so Una was decked out in a slightly pilgrim/laura ingalls look, very fitting...and very cute. Her daddy was decked out in harvest colors including orange and brown stripy pants and a shirt with a cornucopia theme. When he pointed out his unassuming orange and brown stripy socks that matched his pants, his mom replied, "Yes Darling, you are a symphony."

The next day, we were treated by a cloudless sunny day, rare in these parts at this time of year. So we made the most of it, and went for a long walk at the Olympic Sculpture Park which i hadn't seen yet. To be honest, the landscape was way more impressive than the art, except i really liked Richard Serra's piece. It has a gorgeous rusty color that contrasts with the blue sky, and sensual curves that slice through that sky. Its scale is large enough to give you the feeling that you are in some sort of canyon...the urban canyon of seattle. Also, the other thing that was way cool was how people were interacting with the art. Due to the time of day, the light was perfect for casting shadows on those rusty walls, and i had fun watching groups of people taking turns spelling out words with their arms or making other kinds of fun shadows. To me, that makes the art even more successful...when it serves as a blank canvas for the viewer.

Besides sitting in a high chair for the first time (which she loved by the way because she got to be at the table with everyone else and we were all able to eat at the same time while she quietly played with her toys), Una finally got her first tooth! For the past week i kept thinking maybe something was there, but yesterday i could definitely feel it and see it briefly when Una gave me a chance. It's on the bottom slightly to her right...and it's a sharp little thing!

Lastly, we want to thank Aunt Jude for hosting us this weekend and getting all the baby necessities we needed. You made our stay just lovely, and your house is so comfortable! We really enjoyed ourselves. Big kisses!

Tomorrow is for Turkey

It's the day before Thanksgiving. I have a warm cup of coffee in my hand, the sun is shining, and my baby is sleeping. Could it get any better than this? We leave this evening for Seattle, Una's first train ride! Aunt Jude lives there and Ted's parents (Tim and Sally) took the train into Seattle from Minneapolis so we can all celebrate together. I am gaining a bigger appreciation for the "Food Holiday". Mostly because i've been cooking more lately. Guess i've been inspired by my sister whose been cooking up a storm the past couple of years. Last weekend, i made my first quiche (seen above) for Ivy. She came home from the hospital on friday and is doing very well considering all she's been through. Her mom is here through the holidays, but we all descended upon her like locusts last saturday to squeeze her...and bring her dinner. I made a nice pear and parsnip soup to go with the quiche. She said both were fantastic! 

What i've noticed most about cooking is that you really start to form a more intimate relationship with food. You find yourself craving fresh foods over the processed or quick fix foods. It also gives you a sense of empowerment...that you are able to feed yourself well. A "duh" concept, but one of those things you just don't pay attention to, especially because i grew up during the feminist movement, where common household chores like cooking, cleaning and sewing where looked at as a way to imprison a fine lady who is being robbed of a career. And that certainly was true in many cases, but i'm glad that as a mom of the millenio's, we can see the value in these skills along with a new respect and appreciation for women who are either in the work place or fortunate enough to stay at home with their kids. That's just what's been rolling around in my head lately.

P.S. i'm not taking my computer to seattle in order to cut down on crap that i have to drag with us...but will post photos when we get back on sunday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and especially to my family back east. I miss u!

Help Laurie Go Gold!

A tech-hip sports fan from Portland goes for blog gold at the Winter Olympics

By Margie Boule, The Oregonian

November 24, 2009, 12:42AM

Call her a long shot. Or a dark horse. Use any sports metaphor you like. 

Laurie Matthews won't mind. She loves sports. 

She also loves to write. And she loves to travel. 

That's why this contest is perfect for her, Laurie's friends tell her. She has a blog. She loves sports. She's a photographer. 

It may be fate. If Laurie wins this contest -- and as of this week she's one of five semifinalists -- she'll become a blogger behind the scenes at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., in February. 

The contest is sponsored by Microsoft; the winner gets an all-expenses-paid trip to the Olympics and a press pass. 

Laurie found out about the contest from a friend, who encouraged her to enter. 

It's a contest for people who love sports and who write blogs, have Flickr photo accounts and send "tweets" via Twitter. Laurie fit the bill on all accounts. 

She's plugged into all this high-tech communication because she wanted to keep in touch with friends across the country, she says. 

"I grew up in Portland, but I've moved around a lot," she says. Most recently she lived in Boston, where she worked for the National Park Service at the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. Laurie is a landscape architect who specializes in historic preservation. 

After moving back to Oregon two years ago, she thought it would be hard to keep in touch with everybody in Boston. "What you'd usually talk about over beer at a Red Sox game" wouldn't necessarily get discussed in a long-distance call. 

"We're 3,000 miles away now. I had to find a new way to share things." 

A friend had recently gone to Chile on a fellowship; she'd started a blog that Laurie followed. "On a daily basis I could see what she was doing. It was a great way to stay connected." 

So, when she moved back to Portland, Laurie started a blog (http://laurie-thelongwayaround.blogspot.com). Since she has a day job, she wrote her blog on the side. "It was going to be a one-year experiment," she says, to talk about the transition between cities. 

"Moving back to Portland after 10 years, things had changed a lot. I had a unique perspective to see how Portland had changed, how it's better." 

She's still writing, after two years. 

She also started a photo experiment with a friend in Boston at Flickr.com. Almost every day Laurie and her friend take one photo in their respective cities and post them together in an account they call westeast1245. "Twelve is the number of my favorite Red Sox player," Laurie says, "and 45 is the number of her favorite." 

She joined Twitter to keep that same kind of daily communication going with others. "If they aren't in your daily life, friends can fade away. Friends are really important to me. I don't want that to happen." 

When a Portland friend told Laurie about the Microsoft Olympics blogging contest, Laurie had all the qualifications. 

She entered the contest. 

"I thought, gosh, what are the chances? One in a million? And then I got a call: 'You're a semi-finalist.' " 

Laurie has checked out the competition. "I've been intrigued to read the blogs of the other semifinalists. It's great to see how people express themselves." 

She also realized that several of her competitors are professional bloggers. Many have a wide following, whereas Laurie's blog readers have been limited to friends. 

She could use some votes. 

"I think I could give another perspective," she says. She loves all sports -- some of her competitors follow only one sport -- and has followed the Olympics for years. 

When she worked in advertising years ago, the agency specialized in kayaking. She got to know Olympic kayakers who spent years living in trailers. "They lived to train. They gave everything to their sport. 

"Every four years they would represent our country and do amazing things and everyone would cheer for them. But it was the three years in between that was intriguing to me." 

In a similar vein, Laurie says that if she should win, she would blog about what the Olympic experience is like behind the scenes. "The back story: What people are eating. What are the hot tickets? What will you not see through the eyes of the major networks? What's it like living and breathing amongst the athletes and the people supporting them?" 

To vote for Laurie, go to www.officewintergames.com. 

"So few people ever have access to behind-the-scenes at the Olympics," Laurie says. "I know I can communicate what it feels like to people. And give to people who can't go the opportunity to feel the excitement and the intrigue that goes along with being at an international event." 

-- Margie Boulé
 

Finally Getting it Down

Well, after months of pulling out my hair, i finally feel like we got a good routine down with Una. And it feels good! Her naps still need a little work, but she's doing much better at taking them, and she is pretty rock solid on going to bed by 8pm and getting up at 6am...and i am super thankful for this. i actually slept from 10pm until 5:30am for a few nights now without waking up at all...not even for a couple of seconds to look at the clock which i usually do 3 or more times a night. 

Above are photos of Una reading her favorite book with daddy before bedtime. It's called I Love Animals, and i think she really likes all the animal sounds we add in. Her Grandma Gloria would be proud since she has about 8 billion animals of her own.

Love for Ivy

Nine years ago today, Ted and I met and started dating thanks to our mutual friend Laurie, seen above on the left. Last year on this day, i was having surgery to remove an ovarian cyst and was 15 weeks pregnant with Una. Today, my lovely friend Ivy, seen on the right, is having major surgery at the exact same hospital. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a little less than a month ago. If you know Ivy, or even if you don't, please send her a little prayer, positive thoughts, and love as she goes through this challenge. She is an amazing friend, person and woman and we love her lots and lots!

Busy Weekend

My parents tuckered me out this weekend with lots of social engagements. But we sure had fun! Nolan and i visited the Portland Art Museum for the China Design Now exhibit on sunday and had fun riding around in his mom's car.

Check Up

Una (seen here sucking on her big toe...don't you wish we could all be this flexible?) went to her 6 month well visit on wednesday. She is now 14 pounds 15 oz. (almost 15!) and 27" long. So she's 72 percentile for height and 13 percentile for weight...oh and her head circumference is also 72 percentile. The doctor said she is doing just great and he was super happy with her health and development. Yea! and then we had to give her the vaccines (3 shots in her chunky little thighs) and she wasn't so happy anymore. She turns completely crimson and wails. Poor baby. she never cries like that. it's hard on a mommy...and a daddy.

For Aunt Jude

Aunt Jude is sad today, so we thought we would post some sunshine and tell her a funny short but sweet story to cheer her up. I'll let Una tell it:

After my morning nap (which my mommy was really thankful for) i had lunch, and then i was hanging out in my bouncy chair while mommy was eating her lunch just the way daddy doesn't like it, i.e. standing up and at the computer. I was making lots of funny noises in order to get her attention and belting out a shriek or two every now and again. It's really, really effective. So mommy started hunching over all caveman-like, rocking back and forth and singing, "Poopies, poopies, poopies" faster and faster until she could put her nose to my nose and i was just besides myself. She thought she was pretty funny, and she is, but mostly i was like, "Yeah, exactly, i have poopies! Poopies, mommy, poopies!" But she doesn't get it and just goes back to what she was doing...over there...at the computer...all like Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, LA! because she's working on getting plane tickets to go east for christmas. Eventually she picks me up and figures it out, but it takes her long enough. Jeez.

I'm kinda misunderstood right now. that's just the way things are at the moment. i was complaining about it on my facebook page, and all my other friends said they totally feel the same way. my momma calls me Young Frankenstein because most of my vocabulary consists of, "Mmmmmmmmmm," and I'm particularly misunderstood at nap time which is uber frustrating. she puts me in my crib and i'm like, "Wait! i was going to make espresso!" But to no avail. That damn door still closes.

Light Bright

Just a few days ago, Una did not have enough hand-eye coordination to grasp the dangling light switch, but as you can see, she's quickly improving. Soon, she's going to be making us dinner.

Baby Einstein

Una looking like she's trapped inside a giant plastic venus fly trap...and also looking a lot like Aunt Belle in this photo!

I found a used older model of the Baby Einstein jumper on craig's list for $35 which is pretty sweet. A couple of our friends have this toy for their babies and they love it, so we decided to follow suit, mostly because Una has been wanting to bounce all the time anyways and i think this toy will help her build some strength and fine motor skills.  However, as you might know, Ted and i are NOT big fans of bright plastic battery operated noisy toys that tend to be over stimulating. So, just in case you are wondering, we don't need any more of them!  One is certainly enough. (i just wanted to put our disclaimer out there with christmas on it's way!) 

Snuggling

It's dark and rainy today and we are doing our best to stay warm and cozy...afghan, jazz station, hot tea, and baby smiles. hope your november is treating you well!

Rolling...the Footage

Here's Una's 3rd rolling feat. her first one was actually the best because she got both her hands out in front of her and had her head up...and a big smile like, "Wow! Mom, did you see that?" and i certainly did! Anyways, she'll be perfecting this little act and in the mean time, she's also working on sitting up by herself. We are thinking by Turkey Day she ought to be pretty good at it.

Day of the Dead

Visiting with Nana Sally and Grandpa Tim via Skype. Remembering our friends and family...click here for info on Day of the Dead.