My brother Robbie (he prefers Rob, of course) came to visit us last weekend! It was really nice to see him and show him around a bit. He was in WA for work and managed to stay a couple extra days with us. He won this sweet pair of dice for Simon at the Fun Forest.


We visited Pike Place Market, Seattle Center (Space Needle, Fun Forest), Kinnear Park (nice park in Queen Anne, but I meant to take him to Kerry Park), Kelly Park (stellar views), The Fremont Troll (always a crowd pleaser), Ballard Locks (I love the locks - we saw salmon in the fish ladder and a huge vessel headed to Alaska), Bick's (where the meat and seafood lovers go, Erik and I had yummy veggie appetizers while Rob enjoyed a steak), and Green Lake (for a picnic)! ( More photos this way... )

On Sunday we volunteered to work the Diaper Free Baby booth at the Baby Expo. It was interesting. It was a gorgeous day, so there wasn't a huge crowd, but we did talk to a bunch of people about Elimination Communication. Sometimes I felt a little weird talking to people about it because "Diaper Free" doesn't really describe what we do. We practice EC part time at home, but we are not diaper free. Sometimes Simon does enjoy some diaper free time, but mostly we potty him when we're changing his diaper and sometimes we catch a pee. We are most successful in catching his morning poo though, which is VERY exciting! So I definitely know a lot more about it than the average person, but it still felt a little odd to be representing, you know? Bah! I'm thinking about this way too much. It was fun, I'm glad we could do it, and I sure hope we inspired at least one person to just try it. It doesn't have to be all or nothing and that I think is a very good reason why we were the perfect people to volunteer. One less diaper to wash or put in the land fill is something indeed.

In other news, we just joined a CSA, Helsing Junction Farm and picked up our first bounty today. YUMMY! I think I ate a pint of delicious strawberries already. So awesome. I really want to make some freezer jam this year, but I think this first batch will be just for enjoying now.

This past weekend was so much fun! Erik took Simon and I on a Mystery Date to the Squid and Ink for brunch and then to Seward Park for a bit of hiking in the old growth forest and walking along the lake. Then we had gelato at Sweet On You - a new sweet shop in our 'hood. All my favorite date components - good food, fresh air, beautiful scenery, hooray! On Sunday divarenee took us to the Museum of Flight to see their Style in the Aisle exhibit - all about fashion in the air. It was spectacular! Did you know Pucci designed some uniforms too? Amazing! I think I might need something along those lines for Halloween...or just for everyday wear.

Anywho, here's a picture of the family at the Museum of Flight a week before Simon was born:


And here's one from this weekend:


I guess that plane is out to get us!

So, I'm assuming since Erik left me a whole box of cookies that they are all mine, right? I mean, he would have taken some to work if he wanted any, right?

This past weekend was great. We went out to brunch with friends on Saturday and then spent the afternoon lounging in the grass at Volunteer Park. Simon was 1/2 naked and loving it! We did a bit of the EC outside too. We managed to "catch" a few pees and "miss" one pee - and it was pretty funny. He was laying on the blanket and peed - so imagine a nice ark of pee from the center of the blanket onto the grass. It was so nice to just sit outside and relax (especially since 'lil Mister hasn't been sleeping so great and consequently neither have I). It was also 94 degrees outside. Iced tea weather - yum! Sunday was mellow and stressful (largely because of the sleep deprived state I was in), but I got my chores done.

We planned on going to the Tulip Festival today, which is about an hour drive north on a good day. One million other people decided to go too. So after ditching them to have a picnic lunch (the first one of the year - yay!) at a park in Mount Vernon, we decided to get back in line. I think it took 30 minutes to drive 5 blocks. So we ditched them again and went to Camano Island State Park instead. I love tulips, but not that much. The beach was so much more fun! I nursed Simon while we watched clams spit water up in the air - hilarious! It was so nice and relaxing. This was our first adventure with Simon - so we brought a bunch of diapers, spare outfits, and a relaxed "agenda" and it was a success!

( Isn't he cute? )

This past weekend was nice and mellow. On Friday Simon and I had a date with thesynergizer and her son Ben - we went to Chocolati (yummy peppermint patti hot cocoa!), walked part way around Green Lake, took a break at the community center to nurse Simon, and then on our way back, it was HAILING! Like the size of small peas! Luckily I actually dressed us semi-appropriately so Simon was in a warm fleece outfit and I had my rain jacket on. I was wearing him in the mei tai and we both had hoods on, but of course he was getting pelted in the face by the hail. He cried all the long way back to the car. Despite the hail, I had a great time and I'm glad we could all get together!

Erik turned 32 on Saturday and it was the quietest birthday we've ever celebrated together. We took Simon to the mall for some 3 month photos (the cuteness was unbearable so naturally we spent a ton of money) and also so Erik could pick out his birthday present - a cast iron skillet! We were there for a few hours and I ended up nursing Simon at JC Penney and Nordstrom. I should make a map or a list or something and keep track of all the places we've nursed...anyway, we had pizza and cupcakes for dinner and watched some House (season one). Normally we would go out to dinner with friends, or go bowling, or do something, but Erik just didn't seem to be into it this year and I really didn't bug him too much.

On Sunday we were thinking about going to the tulip festival, but it was snowing when we woke up. So the thought of driving north, with snow, for an hour, to look at tulips just didn't seem like a good idea anymore. I hope we can go next weekend. Erik made delicious tofu scramble in his new skillet! Then the day turned sunny! So we went for a walk around the neighborhood and Simon actually fell asleep in the mei tai. And then, later in the evening, it started to rain! Crazy spring weather weekend! And to think it was actually 80 last weekend!

In other news I've started to think about Simon's sleep (and mine too, of course). I just started to read The No-Cry Sleep Solution and I'm in the process of noting his sleeping and napping habits. So far I've learned he needs more sleep! He should be getting about 15 hours a day and I think he's getting closer to 12-13. We've been sleeping in as long as possible depending on my whim and I would like to be able to get up earlier. He also naps at his whim, so I was thinking a semblance of a plan or schedule or even like a sleep goal would help us all out.

And in hormone news: I actually started crying at the mere mention of "cry it out" in the book. We also had to skip an episode of House because it was about babies. I cried in the intro. Seriously. I'm not anywhere near as stoic as I used to be.

I picked up a cold and it sucks, let me tell you. It's hard enough getting enough regular sleep much less any extra. We're flying out to Chicago next weekend, so I really hope my cold is gone and the magical power of the boob force field prevents Simon from picking it up! I got my hair cut yesterday and my Stylist said her daughter was sleeping through the night at 3 months. I told her I'd settle for a 3 or 4 hour block! And that's just what happened last night! For the first time ever, Simon went to bed with us and slept for 3 hours, nursed for 15 minutes, and slept for 3 more hours! It was glorious!! Lately he's been sleeping for 2 hours at the most and nursing for a long time when he wakes up. This could not have come at a better time, what with my cold and all. I hope this is his new thing and not just a fluke. Oh yeah, and he's over that predicable 2 hour nap thing, which is a bummer.

My Mom requested more Simon photos, here you go:

Simon gettin' funky! Yeah! Just pretend I took out the background and put him on a dance floor, or perhaps he's holding a guitar? Your choice.

gifninja.com Create custom animated gifs at gifninja.com!

Here is a video from that same photo shoot:

This weekend was both sad and satisfying. On Saturday we brought our cat Pekoe to the Humane Society. Wow. I've lived with him for 11 years and he's been a jerk-bastard at times, but it was still hard. I hope someone kind adopts him soon. That same day I bought some jeans - non-maternity jeans - hooray! I only have about 20 pounds to lose before I can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans... I also won an ipod shuffle from Safeway! Can you believe that? I just happened to be in the right place at the right time I guess. Or maybe that's a consolation prize for bringing my cat to the Humane Society? Then it was time for Celise's birthday party! We ate cake, played Rock Band and took turns holding Simon - it was great! Here is the cake I made (vanilla cake with raspberry preserves inside and vanilla frosting, the cake is vegan, but I'm not sure if the gummy candy is).



And a shot of the gummy frogs on the side:



Sunday was Mystery Date day! Erik took Simon and I to VegFest where we sampled tons of delicious vegetarian food (while Simon slept), it was a fun and yummy date. I also participated in a notecard swap! So here are the cards I made:



Wow, I guess it was a pretty busy weekend! But it actually felt relaxing.

Sue and Yvonne were here to visit this past weekend. It was really fun - they oohed and ahhed over cute baby Simon and generally basked in his sweetness. We went to the Arboretum, Pike Place Market, and the Space Needle in between hanging out and playing card games. It was such a nice visit and I'm very glad they could come!

Simon and I nursing at the Space Needle!


( More photos this way... )

My weekend was AWESOME. I got everything done on my list. Everything. That hasn't happened to me in a long time. I even had to make my list on a piece of notebook paper, normally a small notepad will suffice. I made 3 Christmas gifts, 4 Sugabeats orders, went to the Chiropractor, ran errands, finished watching Dr. Who, did some freelance work, made a baby shower gift, found an awesome gift for my uncle, went to 2 craft events: I Heart Rummage and the Fremont Market, started reading one of my library books: Apartment Therapy, shipped out the Christmas gifts, baby shower gift, and the Sugabeats orders, and got rid of 3 big bags of stuff I won't ever use from the workshop (which is looking MUCH better, but still not how I want it to be).
I'm really into the Apartment Therapy book right now. I'm so inspired to get rid of all the stuff I don't need/use/want - it's too much, it's suffocating. This morning my mantra was "It's okay to throw shit away that I will never use" - I was singing this all morning (both out loud and in my head). I even went through a drawer of bathroom stuff after I got out of the shower. A hair brush I haven't used in 7 years? Yeah. This has been a long time coming. I also went through a bunch of books last night with the idea of if I could have one box of books, which books would it contain? Certainly not the books I collected in college in the late 1990's. I haven't looked at them since, and I don't anticipate looking at them again any time soon. Wow! I am so excited to get rid of all this stuff. So I'm going to post a list soon of things I want to get rid of, just in case anyone is interested.

My horoscope today from here:
You have arrived at a high-energy phase and you can feel that things will continue to improve. The Moon in Aries personalizes interactions with others, giving you reason to take charge and make something happen. Your key planet Uranus is activated by loving Venus, but it may feel like the opportunity won't last long enough to make it worthwhile. Whatever you've been dreaming about, initiate deliberate action now before it's too late.

I'm on it!

This weekend was bizarre. I had such high hopes of creating many lovely things and that just didn't happen. I did manage to get some supplies I need for a few gifts, but overall my energy was pretty low.

On Saturday, Erik and I walked to our local library's grand opening celebration and had the pleasure of enjoying a performance by the Ballard Sedentary Sousa Band! Yup. A sit-down marching band. Let me tell you, if I wasn't pregnant, I would be signing up for clarinet lessons so that I could one day be good enough to play with this band. I'm serious. It was so awesome! The music reminded me a bit of the marching band music from The Prisoner. It was just so fun! We also picked out our real live Christmas tree and it's beautiful!

On Sunday, Erik and I had a four hour family meeting to discuss Christmas! Our family meetings are normally very short, but this one kept getting interrupted by long distance phone calls from family and friends. So consequently I didn't accomplish much at all, and it took us 4 hours to basically make a short list. We went on a walk and ended our weekend with Chris and Sharon, playing Guitar Hero, Wii, and just hanging out and having fun!

I seriously considered calling in to work today. I really really need a day at home to work on a few projects with deadlines that are fast approaching. I can't seem to get them done during the week or weekend, so I need a free day. sigh.

Anyway, here's my weekend in review (and maybe the reason I can't get any "work" done is because fun is so much more important right now). ( Rambling on... )

This past weekend was great. I guess the only bad parts are I didn't get enough sleep, exercise, or fresh air (and it was gorgeous ALL weekend)! I hardly left the apartment. BUT! Erik and I made some serious organizational progress on the workshop and that made it all worthwhile to me. I will post before and after pictures soon so the sheer pleasure of actually being able to walk into the room won't be lost on you.

I inadvertently tested out some potential Thanksgiving recipes too! One was supposed to be a brunch casserole, but it tasted a lot like stuffing to me and I loved it. The other was a pear tart, which was pretty easy and very yummy.