The Bolla Family

Fall

2011-10-22T17:19:00.010-05:00

I can't believe how long Wyatt's eyelashes look. I'm so jealous!

This is Chloe being cute after her hair cut a couple of weekends ago.

Here is Chloe starting to throw a fit and hiding behind a column.

Please. Tell us how you really feel Chloe.
You aren't so sneaky. We figured out how to find you.

Busted!

Here is Wyatt chillin' looking super cute in his pumpkin outfit.

101 Market

This was our second trip to the 101 Market this year. I'll have to post the other pictures someone soon. It was a great day. We hit the train, pedal cars and corn pit.
Chloe saw the sign for the haunted house and said, "Looks like they are open for business!"
Indeed they were open. They said that it was kid friendly, so Chloe and I both had our first haunted house experience. Seriously. I've never gone through a haunted house before. Because they are designed to scare you. Why would I want to do that to myself?! Well, today I did it for Chloe. It was light, no one jumped out at us and there were barely any special effect sounds, so we both managed pretty well. I can't imagine going through at night with people dressed up trying to scare you. No thank you. I'll still pass on that.

After all this fun, someone we know came up to say hello (what are the chances?!). The H Family was there too! Chloe was so excited. It's all she could talk about this afternoon.

We got some good pictures for Grandma Jan and Grandpa Dave.

It was a nice surprise to see them there!

Banana split

2011-09-18T21:51:00.004-05:00

I don't think this zero to six month costume is going to work for Wyatt this year. It's been returned to the store because of how hard it was to stuff him in there just to take these picture! :). That's just good parenting, right? Costume too small for your ginormous baby? Just take it back after you get funny pictures!

Maybe we should sue for emotional distress. The tag said it would fit babies from 0 to 6 months. He is three months for the love! We would drive the changing of infant Halloween costume sizes just like the person who made adult tags read "one size fits MOST".

Just look how distressed he is!

Chloe quotes

2011-09-18T21:47:00.003-05:00

Chloe says some fun things here are some of her latest and most memorable Chloe-isms

What in the world?!
That's like four bucks! (Super expensive=$4)
I want to be a princess zombie! (For Halloween)
We haven't been to McDonalds in like fifteen years! (Chloe you haven't been around for that long) What about five-teen?
Its not funny!
Oh my goodness!

Be quiet, I'm trying to concentrate!

Two Weeks In

2011-09-18T21:28:00.004-05:00

The first week back to work went fine. Work was fine, the kids were great. Though to be away from them and really nice to come home at the end of the day. There were a few people who asked "Are you glad to be back?!"

What am I supposed to say to that? If I say yes, it sounds like I don't want to stay at home, that it was a horrible time and that I just can't get enough of my job. If I say no, then I'm an emotional wreck who is looking for sympathy and isn't ready to 'be back in the swing of things. I don't ever love going to work, and if I could, I'd love to skip the working thing all together (who wouldn't, right?!). I walked back into a bit of a mess with changing expectations and some on going challenges. Even if I weren't gone for three months, being at work wouldn't be fun. You add interrupted sleep and a complete change in schedule at home and it's a recipe for some stress. I made it through the first week back without tears and got most of what I wanted to get done at work and at home, so I'll call it a good week.

I guess I will continue to give my non-answer to those who ask, "Since I have to work somewhere, it might as well be here!". Those people who have heard me say it seem satisfied with that explanation. I'm not sure what it even means, but I'm going to running with it!

Last week before my return to work

2011-09-07T21:17:00.007-05:00

On Monday, I have to return to work. I'm doing my best to soak in all of the fun and goodness of being at home. While I miss my friends, it's going to be very hard to go back. Until then, here is some fun that we are squeezing in while I avoid thinking about next week.

Deep thoughts

Grandma Jan getting Wyatt to smile, talk and coo!
Head of the table.
Funny story... it was the first day of school in our neighborhood, and we watched 10+ kids get on the bus in front of our house in the morning. Chloe said that she missed her friends (she plays with two of the older neighbor girls) and when they got home from school, she informed me that she was going to wait in the deck for them so they could play. I tried to tell her that they weren't going to be outside for a while, and she told me that she would sit on the blanket and wait for them. I thought it got pretty quiet, so I peak outside and here's what I see:

When she woke up she was very upset because she thought she missed her friends playing. Also, she didn't know how she got inside. :)

"Look mommy, I'm a worm!"
We went to the Mall of America today, which was pleasantly empty with all the kids back in school. Chloe enjoyed the rides, looking around and she even got to eat her favorite - McDonald's! We knew she was reaching her limit when she got frustrated in the bumper cars and ended up just sitting there crying. It was so sad. I think we've all been there after a bad day or horrible commute. She really needed a nap. In fact, we told her that if she could stay awake all of the way home we would buy her a pony.
Good thing she didn't make it, because I don't think our neighbors would appreciate a horse in our back yard.

This evening, Wyatt also crashed early and without being swaddled (which has rarely happened, unless he is in his car seat).

Now it's my turn to get some sleep!

Updates including the State Fair

2011-08-26T23:12:00.009-05:00

We've enjoyed the beautiful weather with afternoon trips to the pool. I actually have a bit of a tan (tan for me, which means I'm not completely glow in the dark)

Chloe enjoys playing in her water table on the deck, driveway or yard. On this particular day, she asked why she couldn't swim in it and asked me if I could help her float on her back in it.

Wyatt is still growing, we just moved him into size 3 diapers. Technically he is still within the weight range of size 2's, but the number of complete blowouts is quite ridiculous and he is a the low end of the range for size threes - so I just went for it. So far it has saved me a lot of scrubbing of clothes...so I like it. He's outgrown most of the 3 month clothing he has, can make 3-6 month clothing work, is fitting into mostly 6 month outfits and just today rocked a 6-9 month pair of pants (which were long but still cute).

We went to the stare fair on opening day and had a great time. Chloe did great walking most of the day, being a good listener and no major melt downs. It was Thrifty Thursday, so we were able to let her ride on quite a few rides. She wasn't the biggest fan of the bumper boats until she got out of her boat. I'm a horrible parent because as she sat there spinning, and spinning and spinning in circles by herself, I just couldn't stop laughing. Wyatt did great too, he stayed on schedule with eating and only got a little fussy when he got a little warm at one point. We found shade and it worked out just fine

When we got home after the fair, we though Chloe would crash, but we met our neighbors in the driveway and Chloe played with the three little girls for quite some time. She did sleep like a rock, but I think I needed the sleep more than her!

I am trying to prep a little for work by trying to fed Wyatt formula. I have fed him a bottle for his last feeding in the evening, Which has worked well. On the second night he slept SEVEN hours (of course I didn't go to bed when he did, so I missed that sleeping opportunity!). With seven hours of sleeping, I thought formula was a magic potion! It hasn't worked out like that every night, but he is stretching out his keeping at night, so I'm feeling pretty lucky. Like two nights ago, I got six SOLID hours of sleep... Ahhhh sleep.

We made a trip to Ikea for some boxes for Wyatt's room, under his changing table. Turns out I don't have a picture of that right now, but we also found some really cute lights that look perfect in Chloe's room. They give a white and pink glow at night.

The countdown to my return to work is in the back of my mind. I miss the people, but not the actually working part. It's nice to spend time at home with my family! I guess I better go buy some lottery tickets.

Wyatt Pictures

2011-08-13T21:48:00.002-05:00

They love each other (for now)

2011-08-13T21:42:00.003-05:00

Good Americans

2011-08-13T21:36:00.003-05:00

MOA

2011-08-13T21:06:00.008-05:00

We got brave a couple of weeks ago and ventured to the Mall of America on a "Toddler Tuesday". I don't know that we took advantage of all of the deals, but there were a ton of toddlers around!

Chloe was very brave for the rides. She didn't care all that much if we were around to go on a ride with her, and she made new friends of the workers and other kids in every line she stood in.

The kiddie bumper cars and the Fly Boat rides were her hands down favorites.

At grandma camp Chloe told my dad that she knew how to drive the kid's jeep at their house because she learned it at the "Mall of America". Maybe we'll save money on drivers ed in a few years using the same approach!

Chloe really enjoyed meeting the characters and was on the look out for Alicia the whole trip (from Dora? Diego? Both?) Unfortunately Alicia was taking a nap while we were there, so we weren't able to meet her.

She even got some ink to remember the good time she had.

Wyatt was really good on the trip. His favorite ride was his stroller. He ate for free. We didn't have to get him inked to remember his trip... he slept through most of it anyway.

Wyatt's two week doctor appointment update

2011-07-13T16:56:00.006-05:00

At two and a half weeks Wyatt got in for THREE doctors appointments in one day. The first was an ultrasound on his kidneys. He did well, just some squirming. Funny thing about this appointment is they instructed me that they required him to show up with a full bladder. Ummm... I'm not sure how to accomplish that..."Wyatt. I demand that you don't pee."? So we went anyways and were forgiven for not having control over a newborn's bladder.

The radiologist said that his kidneys looked good, with no extra fluid on either kidney. (yeah!)

His next appointment was his two week well child visit. After leaving the hospital at 8 pounds 8 ounces, he was a whopping 9 pounds 15.4 ounces. He gained .25 inches in length and his head got bigger too! He's a healthy boy! (good job growing and eating like crazy Wyatt!!!). It wad a bit too early to talk about his dry skin issue and we'll talk about that at his two month check up. We started with a new pediatrician at the Fairvriew Maple Grove Clinic which we ended up liking. We saw her partner when we were in the hospital, and while she was fine, was lacking a personality. When we called for our appointment, and that doctor was on vacation, I decided to throw caution to the wind and set up the appointment without knowing anything about this other doctor. We ended up liking her and will be going back. She said we were doing a good job and was patient, thorough and nice to Chloe...works for us!

His last appointment was with the pediatric urologist. She reviewed the ultrasound (and so did a med student who looked like he was 12! I felt old.) and said that Wyatt's Hydroneohrosis is still there but a level 1( from 0 to 5, 0 being less severe). We just need to keep an eye out for a high fever as a sign of an infection. A follow up in the next year was recommended. We'll be back before the end of the year, since we've already met our deductible (sorry to other's on the HDHP that I'm adding to the cost of coverage!). The thought is that Wyatt may out grow this issue - here's hoping!

Zoo trip

2011-07-13T16:44:00.006-05:00

Bear-y fun

Chloe wanted to feel the water.

Totally messy, but super adorable and refreshing.

Wyatt went wild for the trip

It was mostly cloudy and in the high 70's for a good portion of our visit. We found the nursing/family rooms a few times and we were able to close out the park. It was great to be able to take our time, not battle weekend crowds, not get a horrible sun burn and not sweat like crazy! On the flip side Chloe somehow got run over on a slide and got bruises on her face (from another kids foot!) so there are some trade offs. :)

Here are some cute pictures from our time at my parents.

Adjusting and enjoying. (Catching up)

2011-07-13T16:31:00.008-05:00

Chloe trying to beat the heat.

Wyatt doing his best, too.

Chloe was invited to use our neighbor's trampoline (as long as she follows the rules). She loves it!

We are doing our best to adjust to having two kids and a very different schedule ( really not being in control of our schedule and being at the whim of wyatt's eating/pooping/gas/awake time). I'm enjoying my tine away from work, even tough I miss seeing my friends there.

I think people should be able to take 12 week paid vacations all if the time. That's where my "winning the lottery" plan will come in handy. That is if we could buy lottery tickets in Minnesota (stupid government shutdown).

Officially Welcoming Wyatt David Bolla

2011-07-13T16:12:00.014-05:00

Wyatt David Bolla joined our family June 17, 2011 at 11:41am. He weighed 9 pounds and was 21 inches long.

The doctor said it was good that he wasn't in there for another week (until his due date) or he would have been a 10 pounder!

Chloe couldn't wait to meet her brother and show him how much she loves him. She had been asking when she can teach him to walk and has been trying to get him to say "momma" and " dadda". No luck with him talking yet, but she's working hard at it! She has really enjoying telling me what Wyatt needs when he is crying... He needs milk mommy!!!" or "He doesn't want his pacifier!". Okay.

Recovery for me is going well. After Chloe was born I had the weight loss benefit of being sick from gallstones and lost weight ultra super fast. Breast feeding is helping me along this time (and at this point going okay) and I'm back to 3 pounds less than my pre pregnancy weight ( I had gained about 12 pounds) I was on Slimgenics before we got pregnant, so overall I'm down about 30 pounds from my heaviest. I'll be headed back to the program sometime soon, but I'm working on getting a shower in every (other) day, so getting to the center three times a week seems a bit unrealistic to me.

Chloe is as cute as ever, too.

Tick tock

2011-06-11T21:11:00.003-05:00

Time is slowly ticking by, and yet I can't believe that by the end of the week I'll be done with work and in the hospital to have our baby! I'm excited and probably completely unprepared for what is to come for recovery and beginning our lives as a family of four.

At the last ultrasound on Tuesday, they did measurements (which I wasn't expecting as they just check for movements and breathing and other fun things at most of them). The doctor requested it because based on the last measurements she was concerned about the potentially very large size. Well, not that it's tiny, but the estimate was 7 pounds 9 ounces. With over a week to go at that point she just said that she was gauranteeing over an 8 pounder, but based on what she saw from the previous measurements it was much better than the 10 pounder she would have estimated at that point. Cross your fingers for a healthy perfect size baby and for a speedy recovery for all of us!

Unless we are surprised, my last day of work will be on Thursday, my mom will come in that night to watch Chloe...and to the hospital we will go on Friday!! Rob and I finally were able to make it to the hospital tour this week so we know where we will be. I'm glad I wont have to go thru labor but those rooms are as awesome as they get. The Maple grove Hospital is very nice and very close so we are excited to deliver in the Emerald City.

Fuzzy Garage Dumptruck Tree

2011-05-17T19:46:00.006-05:00

Weekly doctor's appointments and ultrasounds have filled our calendars and have been good reminders that even though the day by day stuff may seem to drag on that we are quickly moving closer to an addition to our family! Some generous gifts from good friends set the wheels in motion about actually getting stuff ready for the baby. A visit to the Hudrlik boutique for some additional shopping and then doing several loads of laundry have me feeling alike we may actually be ready for the little one's arrival (I think we we at this point preparing for Chloe's arrival at about 20 weeks, I may be might be more laid back this time!)

One thing was clear, this kid is consistency measuring "quite large". A coupe of weeks ago he was in about the 88th percentile overall. I'm grateful that this will be a planned c-section because he apparently has a large head (compliments of my genetics!). It was more like in the 95th percentile.

We are getting so much attention and such frequent updates due to the results of some observations made early on. One of my levels was indicating that there may be a risk of growth restriction of the baby (obviously not a problem as it turns out!), then they found a slight renal tube dilation which they were monitoring (and hasn't resolved itself as they were hoping) and the fact that I am high risk anyway because of gestational diabetes. We had an appointment with a pediatric urologist to find out more about the whole kidney thing. The good news is that we probably don't have to do anything and we'll just have to go back for a follow up appointment after he makes his big appearance.

We've set a date for a our c-section! Baby Boy Bolla will be here is on June 17th! I'll be working up through the 16th, unless something changes, so I'll be able to be off work for my full 12 weeks of job protection! I've managed to be able to get paid the whole time between my short term disability and paid time off! :)

The baby's name? I'll just say that if you ask Chloe, she'll tell you her baby brother's name will be Fuzzy Garage (sometimes followed by Dumptruck Tree). This information cannot be confirmed by independent sources.

Preparing for the Easter Bunny

2011-04-22T21:50:00.004-05:00

Chloe's favorite egg:

Baby Bolla

2011-03-28T20:52:00.004-05:00

Big news to finally share! We are expecting another addition to our family. Baby Bolla is due June 24.

I've made it weeks 8-20 of pregnancy which was so very exciting for me! I avoided the expensive anti-nausea medication (Zofran) that I took with Chloe, on pure determination... and concern of the out of pocket expenses on my High Deductible Health Plan. (Someone should really do something about that consumer drive health plan!) I was very excited to hit twenty weeks and be done with morning sickness.

I'm about 27 weeks along and have some cool ultrasound pictures.
Here is one of the best 3D pictures so far. (Hand in front of face)
Baby sucking thumb. Another time, we got to see a yawn!
I was borderline sharing the next pictures, but it's too cool to pass up! You can see parts of both of the baby's legs, and actually see a stream of pee!
It's also proof that we are expecting a baby boy! We are so thrilled! Chloe has felt him move around and has been telling a lot of people that there is a baby in my tummy. For now, she's very excited to be a big sister.

Family fun

2011-03-28T20:45:00.003-05:00

My mom and dad were in town a couple of weekends ago. My mom brought Jack over so he and Chloe could play. They played, they slept, they ate and they played some more. Hailey joined us following her other prearranged social commitments and MORE fun was had by all (even though I don't have pictures proving that phase of merriment).

For those of you who may notice from the pictures, we also have moved into a house. We cut my commute in half and absolutely LOVE our new place.

No, I'm not.

2011-03-28T20:37:00.002-05:00

It was too quiet in the backseat, so making an educated guess, I asked Chloe, "Chloe are you putting your drink in your hair?"

"No, I'm not." She says. She was pretty convincing despite the evidence.

Awesome!

2011-03-28T20:17:00.003-05:00

I was talking to Hope on the phone (because even though we work together, we rarely get a chance to talk) about one of Chloe's "complete epic meltdowns" from the other night and I told her that it was "Awesome!"

Chloe was listening and interjected, "It was NOT awesome! It was not awesome, Mommy!"

Thank you Chloe, I couldn't agree more. Good thing you are cute (most of the time.)

Christmas pictures and other merriment

2011-01-08T22:11:00.002-06:00

Christmas evening. How cute?!
The capes Hope made for the kids were a HUGE hit. Chloe didn't want to take it off!
Chloe could use some tips from her cousin about opening gifts. Jack's a natural (as you can see in the background)...maybe she's just patient? Delicate?

The "shooters" (as Chloe calls them) were also a hit with the kids. I wonder if these bullets are still on Hope and Chad's front window?
So she could defend herself, we armed Chloe with her own "shooter". (Note the cape... She said she is a superhero and when she "runs real fast" she can fly. )
General cuteness. She said that she wants to share her toys with her baby sister. When asked if she would share her toys if she had a baby brother, she responded, "Brothers don't need toys."

Modeling her ridiculously cute new jacket and hat.
We were talking the other day and we were teasing Chloe that we were going to give her a mohawk. She went along with it like she knew what we were talking about. So we asked, "Chloe do you know what a mohawk is?!" Chloe confidently replied, "Yes!" Curious about how in the world she would know this information we asked, "Really? What is a mohawk?" She said, as if we were asking the silliest question ever, "It's a bird." Schooled.

Catching up

2010-12-14T20:27:00.007-06:00

Where does the time go? I can't believe that is has been so long since I've posted. Like everyone else, so much has been going it's a challenge for me to keep up! Unlike everyone else, I'm going to break the "one holiday" rule and update back to Halloween! Sorry, I'm such a rebel.

Chloe had her three year check up. She was in the 80th percentile for height (37 inches), 40th for weight (~29lbs) and 7th for her BMI. So she's generally pretty tall and skinny, as we already knew. She's so adorably cute and saying the craziest things. As soon as the halloween stuff was out at Target, we were trying to prepare her with all things Halloween so she wouldn't be scared when it came time to go to the H house. Well, we did a little bit too much preparing, so to this day she tells us about the witch and ghost at Target and that they aren't there anymore and they aren't scary and.. and... and... It's been quite the shift to get her to talk about and get excited for Christmas.

We took a couple of trips to 101 market to jump in the corn, go on a train ride and enjoy the general merriment.

We made a few trips to my parents where Chloe just plays until she crashes (she always has such a wonderful time!)

She also likes playing with her cousins.

We are also preparing for another addition to the Bolla Family since we are pregnant with a due date at the end of June! It's both exciting and exhausting. Up until this point everything has been pretty much the same as when we were expecting Chloe. I have been struggling with morning (who are we kidding all day) sickness. My doctor gave me some medication, but it's not as effective as the good (and VERY, VERY expensive) stuff I took last time. She said she would change me over if it wasn't effective, and I was trying to avoid some of the side effects of the other anti-nausea medication. Right now those side effects would be well worth some relief. I will be calling her soon to get the strong stuff! I decided to change doctors and I have been happy with our interactions and her approach so far. With this new doctor, we are also planning on delivering at the new Maple Grove Hospital, which will be different this time around.

We already had one ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. We got a good look at a perfectly forming little baby. The heart rate was at 144 beats per minute. We were able to point out the baby on the big screen in the room and told Chloe, "Look, there's a baby!" Chloe asked, "Is it me?!"

Thanks for your patience as I've neglected the blog. I promise to try to be better!

Now I'm going to go to bed, I'm so exhausted I can barely stand it!

Range of Emotions

2010-09-04T15:03:00.002-05:00

I love them all!

Happy 4th!

2010-07-09T22:36:00.001-05:00

Chloe and I went to my parents for a couple days over the weekend. I think it's safe to say everyone had a great time! Happy Birthday Mom!

Naps

2010-05-10T22:31:00.004-05:00

Guess which days Chloe didn't have a nap. All pictures were taken at roughly the same time in the evening.

Mainly a picture update

2010-03-23T21:59:00.005-05:00

I know that I've neglected our blog, so instead of fretting about it and avoiding any longer, I thought I would throw some pictures out there to tell the story of what has been going on with Chloe.

She love headsets (even when they aren't plugged in)

Chloe's first train ride. We went downtown to drop some stuff off at my job, she liked watching out the windows and holding her "tickets" which were the dollar coins we got in change.

Cute look, don't you think? I do - but not something that was easy to maintain (Rob still can't do pony tails) so this length didn't last very long.
Cute picture of a pony tail
We picked up the table and chairs from Ikea, she jumped right into entertaining her friends!
Here she is working away on Daddy's computer
This is "Grandma's sweater". Grandma made it for Chloe - it's adorable and she loves it!
The last couple of weeks have been a bit rough as she's had bad cold. On Sunday, she picked this out of her closet to wear, threw a fit about wanting to wear it and very clearly wanted nothing to do with the pants that went with the top. She won - and wore this for most of the day.
But - Hey. She was happy.
This is Hailey's jacket - super cute!
This hug followed a wonderful declaration, "Jake is my best friend!"
I don't believe that Jake would agree.

Chloe is quite the chatter box and continues to say some adorable things. She has so many words and expressions, it's amazing. For example "I love you", "Jake's my best friend", "He likes you!" (referring to any dog), "It goes in my tummy and then my butt" (mac & cheese), "Change my diaper", "No, I went poop in the potty" (when her diaper is full of fun - oh did you Chloe? Cause I would love to know what I'm wiping off of your butt!), "Lay down, Mommy", "Jake popped my balloon", "Ben Ben's following me", "Come here Ben Ben!!" (This is a sign for the puppies to run for their life!), "That's Mommy's train", "Mommy went to work", "Daddy's at the grocery store"....

The real killers are, "No, I don't take a nap anymore!" or "No, I don't go to bed anymore" or "I don't like it, turn it off!" when the 'wrong' song is on the radio.

And all of those things go out the window when she sees Jack, Hailey, Hope, Chad, Grandma or Grandpa. Then all they get to hear is, "I'm Chloe!" over and over and over....

Some assembly required - and more cute pictures!

2009-12-27T22:21:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas! (Chloe's day in pictures)

2009-12-27T21:59:00.004-06:00

"Princess Dress"

2009-12-27T21:41:00.003-06:00

Chloe wasn't happy when I decided to put her Christmas Dress on for a bit of a fashion show/attempt to get some cute pictures. But, she was overcome with the spirit of Christmas (or the 'twirl' factor of the dress, I'm not sure which) and was dancing around in circles and calling the dress "Chloe's princess dress".

It was so sad when it was time to take it off! Tears were flowing and words were being said between sobs, something like, "No!.... Mine!.... Princess...Dress... Chloe's!" Maybe someday she'll forgive me!

The night before Christmas

2009-12-27T21:30:00.003-06:00

Michigan

2009-12-27T21:01:00.004-06:00

The second week of December we were able to make the trip to Michigan to visit the Bolla Family. We left before the first round of major weather and as luck would have it, the highways were cleared by the time we drove home.

It was a nice visit - Chloe was very good. She was only shy for a minute or two and then everyone got to experience her chatter and constant movement.

Until she crashed. Hardcore.

Thanks for the nice visit!

Nice weekend

2009-11-22T22:00:00.004-06:00

After a very long week last week, I had a busy, but nice, weekend. My mom, Chloe and I went to the Mall of America Saturday morning to experience a book signing. My mom started following a blog called Pioneer Woman. She got the link from one of Hope's friend's blogs. She has a cook book out and when my mom found out she was coming to Minneapolis, she said that only the worst snow storm in 200 years would keep her from meeting her. (That's some serious commitment!)

So, we got in line at 10ish, I ran to get a book since you couldn't get a bracelet to get in line unless you already had a book, the signing started at 1, and we got to the front of the line at 2. We met some very nice people (and a couple of annoying people who were not Minnesota nice about making room for us in the line. Come on people, if you don't want to get kicked in the head by a two year old, you best inch up to that empty space in front of you in line!!! Okay... I'm over it).

We walked around a little bit, got a bite to eat and headed home. Chloe was wonderful the whole time (totally lucked out), although she didn't sleep until we drove back home. She loved spending time with Grandma! In fact, Rob said that in the evening all she could say was "Mommy" and "Grandma". I guess she even said, "Grandma, where are you?!". Too cute.

Here is what we were waiting for! This is Ree

Of course, I wasn't home to hear the cuteness and then the not-at-all cuteness that followed. I guess it was a very rough evening. Chloe was tired, crabby and did not want to go to bed. I guess we used up all of Chloe's patience and happiness earlier in the day. (Sorry about the Rob!)

I was with a bunch of friends to watch "Twilight" in preparation of going to the theater and watching "New Moon". Oh my goodness, the second movie is about 100+ times better than the first. Plus, there were a lot of "that's hot" moments. Sorry to Katie for ruining the first movie by saying things like, "Did you know they are vampires?" or "Katie, that's foreshadowing!". There certainly was a good debate going about Team Edward or Team Jacob. I'm going to stick to my Switzerland status for now, but I'm seeing a strong argument for team Jacob at this point. Of course, now I'm feeling compelled to read New Moon again. Let's hope I can do it without neglecting my family! :) (Emily. ) (lol jk)

Today, I didn't get anything accomplished. Unless you count taking a nap when Chloe was sleeping. (And letting her take a long nap!) It is so nice to not feel completely exhausted!

Thanks for the nice weekend everyone!

Dancing and looking at pictures

2009-11-15T21:52:00.006-06:00

When I get home from work, I have been bringing Chloe upstairs so we can play music from my computer and either look at pictures or dance (Chloe does most of the dancing). Lately she's been running up to the computer and saying either "Dancin'!" or "Pictures". We've been naming everyone in the pictures (Every once in a while someone gets a "It's so cute!" from her, too).

Chloe favors music like Britney or Justin - the quality stuff that she can really get into dancing. Last week, I played a slower song and she said, "It's so sad." Yeah, I won't be doing that again! Here's my favorite pictures of us hanging out.

Showing off my/her bracelet. (Never mind the hair in her eyes!)

I think she was shocked by some Halloween pictures

I also wanted to add some more really cute pictures that were captured on the weekend we were up at my parent's for dock out/Chloe's birthday.

I thought this last one was great of all three of the grandkids together!

Happy Birthday!

2009-11-15T21:35:00.002-06:00

Can you believe that Chloe is already two?! Here she is celebrating her first birthday

Here she is celebrating her second birthday!

(She sure looks serious is this last one.)

Halloween

2009-11-15T21:07:00.003-06:00

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2009

As we do every year, we went to Hope and Chad's for Halloween. It was such a good time. They brought the festivities to a whole new level by have a trail around their house. I tried my best to add fun (and fright to the appropriate age groups) to the night. I have to say that having a two year old dressed as a bumble bee screaming "Hi Grandma!!!" to the creatures in the back yard may have take the edge off!

We took Chloe around to a few houses. She said trick or treat most of the time and was only distracted by saying "Hi puppy!" at the houses where she thought the animals were more fun than the candy.

Once again, in no particular order...

2009-10-11T21:19:00.003-05:00

I don't know if it's just me, but re-ordering pictures is nearly impossible once I have them here, so I'm going with the flow...

Here is Chloe thinking that she's Jay-Z (she down like that)

Admiring her choice of pumpkins. She now says "Bye bye pumpkin!" every time we leave the house. (so cute)
She enjoyed "bouncin'"

Don't worry this these were taken a few weeks ago, long before it decided to snow.
This was at Hailey's candy stand when Mary Ann and Gary were in town (Hi guys! Sorry for the lack of posting)
Chloe took my dad for a walk around Hope and Chad's back yard.
Jack reflected on the day...
...by getting away from everyone for some peace and quiet.

We had a relaxing weekend. It ground was very pretty when I got up on Saturday, but wasn't mentally ready for the switch directly from summer to winter with only two days of fall. I better adjust quickly, based on the forecast for more snow tomorrow!

Just a few of the words I know - by Chloe

2009-08-17T21:18:00.003-05:00

DORA!!

Cow or Moo
Piggie
Water (more like wa-wa)
Swimmin'

Tonight's photo-shoot

2009-08-14T23:32:00.003-05:00

Isn't she just adorable?!

In no particular order

2009-08-10T21:22:00.004-05:00

For some reason I have been having trouble rearranging photos once they are loaded onto my blog, so today I'm just going to let the pictures land however they are loaded. SO, in no particular order:

Chloe looking tall and grown up
She continues to hold her "baby"s by their feet and suck her thumb when she's tired. She only sucks her thumb when she has one of her "babies!". Here she is chillin' on the couch.
Here she is thinking about contemplating her next step in tormenting the dogs. Notice how Ben doesn't have a collar on? Yeah, she pulled it off his head.
Here's Chloe waving at the people in the Lumber Jack Days parade in Stillwater. She also was saying "Hi" to everyone who would listen. Thankfully she wasn't too concerned about the candy flying our direction. She would have had to throw some elbows to get to it, there were SO many kids around.
Her eye color hasn't changed that much recently, she still has pretty blue eyes!
This was 20 minutes after she left my mom and dad's yesterday. She was awake at 8:00 am, didn't have a nap and was very good all day. She woke up for a minute or two when we got home, but she went right to bed, which was very nice for me since I was pretty tired too!

She enjoyed a boat ride...

and making ice cream with Grandpa and Grandma
She even was able to listen to some tunes before driving up to Grandma and Grandpa's!
This was from the other night when the storms interrupted her sleep. I laid down with her on the bed in her room and when I was going to put her back in her crib for the rest of the night, I couldn't resist taking a picture of how she was curled up sleeping (With TWO babies and a "blankie", of course.)
Have a good night!

Who's #1?!

2009-07-12T21:55:00.004-05:00

This was at my parents during the weekend of the 4th.

The water was pretty comfortable and Chloe really enjoyed floating in this toy.

This is my mom's new jeep that she let Hailey drive and Chloe ride in. She sat very well in it and only suffered minor whiplash due to the sudden starts and stops. :D

We picked up a small pool for Chloe this weekend, since she loves the water so much. We had her out early in the evening yesterday, to avoid the mid day sun.

It's just her size!

We also picked up an extra special seat for her to get used to.

I don't have any illusions of her using it for quite a long time, but she knew just where it went. When it was on the toilet she kept on saying "Up!" She would sit for a few seconds, then wanted to get down to check things out. She got quite upset when we had to leave the bathroom.

Having fun outside (for the most part)

2009-06-26T22:12:00.002-05:00

Let's just say that she wasn't in a "playing at the park" mood.

Chloe and I were relaxing outside tonight.

She really wanted to play in the neighbor's pool.

Stairs

2009-06-15T21:57:00.018-05:00

Copper Falls in Mellen, Wisconsin

Half of the stairs to get to the trail, leading us to the highly recommended lookout tower:

The other half of the stairs

Somehow, I let go of the railing to hold Chloe for this picture. I don't know how I made it up here in the first place, being scared of heights. I won't lie. I don't think I moved my feet after I made it up the stairs. Six stories in the air is about five stories higher than what I'm comfortable with. The views were wonderful!

Don't look down!

A refreshing dip in the river.

Then more stairs

First down the stairs to an observation deck.

Beautiful!

And then, back up the stairs

A reward for all of the hard work!
What a perfect day. Wonderful weather, no bugs, a lot of walking and the sights were fabulous. Chloe did a lot of walking and slept like a baby!!!

Amazing Saturday at the Park

2009-06-15T21:49:00.003-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-07T22:31:00.005-05:00

Cute pictures from Memorial Day Weekend and a video from today.

The Inevitable

2009-05-17T22:04:00.009-05:00

We love Chloe's hair, the way it curls in the back after a bath, how cute it is with a barrette keeping it out of her face. I finally accepted the fact that Chloe doesn't keep the barrettes in her hair so it ends up hanging in her face:

And after one nap or a good night's sleep, there is very little curl to the length in the back:

So off we went today to give into the the inevitable - bangs:

Short and sweet in the back:

This weekend has been full of moments that show us that she is growing up quickly. She now has a hair style. She was wonderful getting her hair cut, saying hello and goodbye to everyone. She sat and played in her new little chair - getting in and out of it without help. She runs away from me when I say that it's bed time. She's saying many new words. She is hugging the dogs and patting her doll's back. It was such a short time ago she was just a little fuzz head. (March 2008)

But she's still pretty stinkin' cute!

King of the World

2009-05-17T21:36:00.004-05:00

My trip to California with the girls.

Always talking....

First walk in sand.

Chilling with the teddy bear in Teddy Bear Park

Confidently walking away (who needs parental supervision, anyway?!)

5/16/09

Compare to 7/27/08 at the same parkI love this boat

Hello?!

I am the king of the world!

Finally keeping up!

2009-04-15T20:14:00.003-05:00

I've been so impressed with other people's blog templates, I went on a search last week for something new and different. I found a lot of really cool templates, but I threw my hands up in frustration when I would add the template and the preview would show 6 pages of HTML language instead of the pretty template I so carefully selected. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong and now I can be one of the cool kids! Yeah!

I should be packing right now, preparing for an awesome girls weekend. We are headed off to Orange County (The Real OC minus the house wives) for a chill'axing (that's chilling and relaxing) long weekend. Chloe is going to Grandma and Grandpa's for a spring grandma camp and we are all ready for a bit of a vacation!

Thoughts on the new format? Thoughts on me being away from work for 3 days and not having my laptop? :D

This and that

2009-04-12T21:25:00.004-05:00

Chloe visited a resort called Chase on the Lake to celebrate Mom and Dad's anniversary (7 years!). She got to swim...

Kick her heals upAnd relax...

Not to mention run around and be free!

After kicking both dogs off the pillows she arranged a lounging area for her and her baby. (She was also trying to watch tv).

With the nice weather, Chloe was able to venture outside a bit on Friday after work. She LOVES being outside.

Saturday she enjoyed the Minnesota Zoo where she did a lot of pointing at animals (I think she thought every thing was just an odd looking dog)
Here she spotted the grizzly bears...
She was very brave when she encountered the most exotic, photographed animal at the zoo this weekend!

Chloe was even more excited to see her good friend Ben. She was handing out hugs and kisses to him, remembering what a good friend he was the last time they saw eachother. (Perhaps she was remembering that he also gave her cup cakes...)

Sunday, after Chloe helped clean the house (and by helped, I mean she took a great nap), we ventured to a new off leash dog park. She was so excited. She loved all the dogs, flirted with everyone there and tried very hard to spend the whole time walking. The dogs were really good, too. Ben actually played with one dog, chasing after it at full speed (well, full speed for him anyways). Jake interacted with other dogs and followed us around when we walked the perimeter of the park. They were almost real dogs for the whole visit.

This video from Friday is just so darn cute.

Some words she's been using: choo choo, car, ball, dada, Jake, hi, bye, hello, wazdat (as in what's that?!) and "Oh NO!"

It's been a big month

2009-03-14T21:09:00.010-05:00

It really has been a big month! I have been working on a big project at work and was lucky enough to have my mom and dad watch Chloe so I could work all day and most of the evening.

She wasn't exactly looking presentable, so she decided that she was going to have the craziest night! First she made a mess out an outfit before dinner, so I just put her in a white onsie and pajama bottoms to hold us over until her bath, then she decided a wet t-shirt contest was in order.

(Classy, huh?!)

Then, just to make sure that the moment was documented for the rest of her life, she decided that she would give walking a try. Finally! A walking Chloe! She's been walking around a lot holding onto everything, I have worn a path in the carpet holding her hand for the dining room/living room circle she loves, but every time she's not hanging onto something, she get's very excited, flops down and crawls. She finally decided to give something else a try. (more than just the one stumbling step she's accomplished before). I have it on video, but still haven't figured out how to get video to my computer.

Now that my work project is "live" I haven't been working every single evening and all weekend long. (Yeah!) Rob and I took Chloe to Edinborough Park. Here we are, on our way (she's using her new "baby" as a pillow - this is a replacement baby for the other babies which were much loved, but couldn't keep it together for us):

It was nice, though very busy. Chloe decided to to use her walking skills, which made the 1000 wild kids a bit overwhelming for mom and dad. She had a great time watching all of the kids, staring at the kids in the inflatable bouncy thing and only had one or two minor falls/run ins with other kids.

Chloe did much better than us while we were there, someone walked away with her diaper bag. They must have though it was a purse and decided they needed the contents more than we did. We tried to not let that ruin our trip. We made one more stop on the way home.

We thought we should do something about Chloe's hair. It's been in her eyes and has been difficult to keep nice, so we stopped at Snip Its in Maple Grove. We got right in with almost no waiting and before we knew it Chloe was strapped in and ready for her first hair cut!

The hardest part of the whole event was the fact Rob and I weren't convinced that we wanted her to have bangs and her hair in back as a bit of curl and it would be horrible to cut it off when it's so cute! Chloe's "stylist" suggested that she just clean up the "baby" ends and if we weren't convinced with the whole bang thing, we don't cut them since once they are cut, you have to keep cutting them.

Chloe did great and was distracted for all 3 minutes or so of the big event. She even behaved for a ribbon to be put in her hair. (not sure how that worked since she will barely keep a clip in her hair for me!)

The spring weather this weekend was amazing. I'm very excited for continued nice weather so we can all spend some time adventuring outside. Now all Chloe has to do is be stubborn enough not to flop down and crawl! :D

Enjoy!

2009-02-17T20:23:00.002-06:00

Getting over it!

2009-01-05T21:14:00.001-06:00

I'm starting to accept the fact that I'm not going to "catch up" with past posts and what's been going on like a good blogger. It stinks, I don't like it, but enough is enough - it's time I post something, don't you think? I'll start with posting some pictures! Chloe's birthday through before Christmas:

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-21T22:40:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Chloe!

We'll be celebrating at Grandma and Grandpa's soon!

October

2008-10-21T22:22:00.002-05:00

The Pumpkin Show in Circleville Ohio.

The parade was "Kids and their pets". She was very excited to see the dogs!

On our way to Apple Fest in Bayfield, Wisconsin. (Different events, same super cute outfit - it's just too perfect not to wear to EVERY fall festival)

Waiting for the parade (it was the marching band day!)

Who can resist dancing and waving?

September

2008-10-21T22:06:00.004-05:00

How adorable!
Ben maked Chloe laugh all of the time and he loves being close to her when she isn't attacking him.

Grown up food!

The Minnesota Zoo

The stand off.
:-)

August

2008-10-21T21:37:00.007-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa's at the end of August

Her first trip to the Minnesota State Fair

Chillin' at the park

The day she discovered she could shrug her shoulders.

Another trip to the park

Chloe LOVES swinging

Name that tune

2008-08-10T21:36:00.005-05:00

Despite Britney's ups and downs, Chloe remains a loyal fan. She's enjoying her hit song "Gimme More".

What a cutie!

Here's a shout out to Jeanne for posting a comment on an earlier blog. Thanks for letting me know you're checking up on us (I've been keeping up on Brody's sporting events thanks to your fabulous blog!). No pressure on the rest of you - but if you ever want to be my favorite (like Jeanne), you're going to have a post a comment soon. Just sayin'... :-)

A Forth Full of Firsts

2008-07-27T23:05:00.012-05:00

July 4th was spent at my mom and dad's. Tons of fun had by all.

Just a-swingan'

Free refills?

Race you to the deep end!

If you are lucky, I'll show you my prison tats.

Take me to your leader.

High tide.

First boat ride.

Continued on next post...

Trifecta

2008-07-27T21:33:00.013-05:00

We took at trip to the Ann Arbor Art Fair, which doesn't sounds as impressive as it actually was. The number of artists was amazing and there were booths as far as the eye could see. Thousands of people were wandering around trying to take it all in. We experienced quite a bit, including taking a break in a very trendy coffee shop to get out of the heat.

In one of the booths, we saw the most realistic looking sculptures I've ever seen. 30+ people were standing around the booth trying to figure out if these were just artists posing, or if they were sculpture.

This weekend, we headed out to Lumber Jack days in Stillwater. We were able to find free parking and stopped on our way down the hill at Teddy Bear Park. Chloe loved this motorcycle(doesn't she look like a pro?!)

I wonder where the park got the name?

We actually were able to catch some lumber jack displays. We had front row seats for the dog jumping competition. This dog set the new distance to beat with a jump over 22 feet.

Rob and I are now looking for a mini donut booth on ebay. (unless someone would like to take that idea on for a first birthday gift?)

You thought 94 West was bad on Friday afternoon, check out this mess:

Rob and I couldn't decide on one caption for this picture. Here's a few we are going to throw out there:
1. Ummm....what?!

2. What's wrong with picture?

3. At least the Pringles are safe.

4. Anyone looking for a day care provider?

5. My guess they gave the baby a fishing pole.

6. Maybe it's just a conversation piece?

7. Not only did the baby fall out of the boat, they didn't even care it was getting a sun burn.

Any other ideas for captions? Feel free to comment.

Jack's not the only one with the biggest rubber ducky in the world!

Today, we went to Canterbury Park for "Family Fun Day". They had pony rides and a petting zoo.

Where are the mini donuts?!

Chloe was making our picks (she's done the research). Hey, does this come with crayons?!

SPF 45

2008-06-29T22:47:00.009-05:00

I had a couple of days away from work (19th and 20th), so on Friday we hit up Lord Fletchers and Lake Minnetonka. The weather was wonderful, the deck wasn't busy, but there was good people watching. A day off on the lake... it was nice.

On the way back, we went into a park that has beautiful gardens and view of Lake Minnetonka.

On Friday, we went up to check out Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake.

On Saturday we relaxed... later in the day I went to a baby shower and Sunday I got together with a couple of my girl friends... I enjoyed my nice four day weekend.

Back to reality Monday, and this weekend we ran around, spent a lot of money at Target on fun stuff like formula, diapers, baby food and groceries. Today, I didn't get out of the house. We opened up the windows and cleaned the house. I was aiming to get the windows washed, but I only tackled the two in our bedroom. We dusted and got the bathrooms back in shape and got down and scrubbed the floor, even got a couple of spots in the carpet cleaned up (treats left by Chloe when she rolls off her blanket before spitting up squash!). It's nice to have everything so sparkling clean!

Take this to the appeals committee :)

2008-06-07T21:15:00.015-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T07:25:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers and mothers to be! It's my first Mother's Day, and Rob and Chloe impressed me. I had a special delivery to work on Friday. A beautiful edible arrangement. It was pretty and tasty. I happen to have a potluck, too - so that worked out well because there was more than enough to share.

Here is a link to their site for examples of what they have to offer http://www.ediblearrangements.com/

It was a very nice surprise - thank you Rob and Chloe!

Firsts, Weighing in, and Thinking Spring

2008-04-26T15:54:00.004-05:00

Last Friday, I went to change clothes after work and left Chloe on the floor laying like this...

And found her like this!

Lately, Chloe has really enjoyed watching the dogs walk around. She thinks it's SO funny to try to grab them and loves to feel Ben's soft fur. Rob captured these pictures on Friday. I don't think Ben minds the attention!

Rob said Chloe had a great time being at eye level with them. They love getting close to her, too, but I'll save those pictures for another time!

On Tuesday, we tried some cereal. It went pretty well. She leaned forward to get the spoon in her mouth, but wasn't positive what to do with the food in her mouth. She did eat quite a bit, and it has gone better every day since.

What a doll!

We had Chloe's six month well child visit on Thursday. She was 18.5 pounds!!! No wonder why she looks so big! She was in the 88th percentile for weight, 93rd for head size and 99th for length! I thought she looked big, but who knew?! She's crazy big! We are so thankful that's she's a healthy growing girl!!!

Even with the bad weather today, we were thinking spring. What better time for a spring fashion show to lift our spirits!

This one says, "I'm ready for sun and the 4th of July..."

"Oooo, look at my fashionable hat!"

"This outfit really gives me energy - see how happy it makes me?!"

Just Pictures :-)

2008-04-20T21:10:00.006-05:00

Get in my belly!

2008-04-13T19:11:00.002-05:00

I went over to my friend Anna's house today. I met Anna freshman year in college, lived with her Sophomore year and was in her wedding the September after we graduated. We drifted apart but she recently reached out to me - and we got together today. It was so nice to see her! When we were emailing, we found out that we had our babies only 5 days apart! Her daughter is five days older. I hadn't realized how big Chloe was until today, I wouldn't have guess they were so close in age. I couldn't believe how much her daughter could do, she was sitting up on her own very well and she was even crawling! Crazy! Chloe is barely rolling over and needs to sit up against something or in her bumbo seat. Chloe seemed to be a little more smiley and perhaps a little more vocal - and if spitting up were a "contest" she would be the hands down champion! Okay - I would like to give up that award, but I'm hoping when we start with solid foods next week that will slow down a bit.

Here's adorable pictures of the two staring each other down. They also both went for each other's pacifiers! :)

They decided to be friends and hold hands...

The pictures don't do justice to their size difference - E was born in the five pound range and is on the smaller side and Chloe is obviously on the bigger side. Craziness!

Picture this...

2008-04-12T21:14:00.005-05:00

We brought in a couple of items to be reframed a couple of weeks ago. They are special pieces... my mom stiched them and they used to hang in my room in New Hope. We decided to get the items reframed and hang them in Chloe's room. We still need to hang them up, but I think they turned out very nice.

Chewy

2008-04-12T09:48:00.007-05:00

I started my new job this week and so far it's going very well! I didn't take time off between jobs, which is something I guess I should have done - but I was very excited to get started. I'm going to have to schedule a vacation this summer! I've met a lot of great people and have already been given quite a few tasks.

It is pretty funny to see the people who are trying to scope me out...I told the team where I used to work and someone asked if I knew Hope and Emily. "Yes, I did used to work with Hope and Emily." I responded. Yes, I failed to mention that I lived with Emily and Hope's my sister. It will all come out soon enough how I "know" each of them. One person I was introduced to mentioned that I looked really familiar but couldn't quite figure out why. I just kept my mouth shut and let him think he was crazy... "Gee I can't figure out why I may look familiar to you - could it be that you have worked with my sister for almost three years? Could that be it?!" hehe...

So next week is pretty busy with work - I fly to Denver (on the corporate jet) on Tuesday for the day where I get to meeting my director and one of our vendors, Wednesday evening there is a dinner I have to attend, and Thursday all day there is an all HR meeting and I'm sure I'll be ready to get some sleep on Friday. :)

In Chloe news: Chloe is cutting two bottom teeth. She has been a little crabby - particularly Tuesday of this week. It was a very long day for Rob and he was sure ready for me to get home!Chloe has been giggling a lot more and suddenly she pulling everything to her mouth and is drolling like crazy - here come the teeth! She has been waking up very early and I'm trying to make a minor adjustment in her schedule. This week she was ready to fall asleep by 6:45 and was waking up around 4:45 - 5:00. It's a little early for me. Thursday I pushed bed time to about 7:15 and last night she was up until 7:45, so she didn't wake up until 6 this morning. That certainly a little more reasonable, don't you think?

Most recent Chloe pics:

Sleeping beauty

Happy girl!

Post bath lounging - :)

Hello Ohio!

2008-03-30T19:33:00.003-05:00

Goodnight to Grandma and Grandpa M, who are headed to Ohio. Drive safe, have a good time and say hello to everyone for us!

Chloe is still doing well, she's still not eating as much as she was before but she's as happy as ever.

Avoiding the Nasty-gram

2008-03-29T15:53:00.006-05:00

I know that I'm about to get a nasty gram from one or two people if I don't post! A lot has been going on in our house. First, I am changing jobs after almost 8 years at Allina. I am taking advantage of a wonderful opportunity and will be moving to Xcel Energy in the HR Operations department. It was a very difficult decision to leave Allina - there are so many great people and I have had good opportunities, but this presented itself as a once in a life time chance... I just couldn't let it pass me by. I have one week let at Allina... it could be a very difficult week.

I couldn't seem to avoid the bug that hit the H house over Easter weekend - even though we tried to by not going over there on Easter. It hit me Monday night, I missed work on Tuesday and Thursday. Not something that I would wish on my worst enemy. I was feeling a little bt better, but hit a bit of a set back today. One good thing - it's a great jump start on a weight loss plan! Chloe has been hit a little bit, too. She is in good spirits, but isn't eating her whole bottle, has been spitting up different than normal and changing her diaper is not the most fun thing... I'm sure she'll be over it shortly.

Here are pictures of Chloe on Easter.

(Okay - I'll let the cat out of the bag - she was in this outfit maybe an hour. She spit up over the whole thing and was changed twice before grandma and grandpa left!!!)

Notes by Chloe

2008-03-13T22:15:00.009-05:00

I'm such a happy baby!

I'm starting to look like a redhead!

The last couple of weeks have been huge! I found out that I can grab my feet and that I can make funny noises with my lips!

Playing sure is tiring work...

I can't believe you let me sleep like that for 45 minutes! Now I have finger prints on my head!

To appease her public...

2008-03-01T20:39:00.010-06:00

Check out the chubby legs!!! :)

We took the rest of these pictures today.

Shout out to Ben for diggin' our blog - here's a non-crying video for you!

Four month well check

2008-02-29T21:16:00.000-06:00

Half of Maple Grove was without power this morning when we brought Chloe to the clinic for her well check. Luckily they were up and running when we came in for our appointment.

Here's the run down -
Weight: 14 lbs 15 1/2 oz (73 percentile)
Head Circumference: 16 3/4 inches (84 percentile)
Length: 26 1/2 inches (98 percentile!!)

I realize that Chloe had grown quite a bit, but wow! I am surprised how long she is. No wonder why I feel like it's starting to be a little work out lifting her up and holding her. :) Chloe was very good for the whole appointment and really let everyone know how much she opposes shots. When we walked out of the room, a patient, her daughter and the doctor said all looked at us and the doctor said, "Well, there she is. I was just saying someone must be getting shots." It's good to know the whole clinic could hear her screaming... I'm pretty sure the sound could have shattered glass!

I was trying out our video camera today, instead of just using the video option on our digital camera. I got a very cute video. For some reason it won't post so sum it up:
1. Chloe jumping in her jumper
2. Still jumping, going crazy
3. Still going crazy (lots of music being played by the jumper because it plays when she moves)
4. Cut to Chloe sleeping in her jumper, waking up, looking at the camera and falling back to sleep... all in her jumper.

Wasn't that adorable?!

Congratulations to my coworker and friend Michelle! She not only is starting a new adventure on Monday at her new job with a different company - she has been roped into the world of blogging. She set up her site, but needs to make her first post. Her little guy was born a few weeks before Chloe so it has been fun to exchange stories and get a preview of things to come for me! I need to check with her about sharing her link - so I'll keep you posted...
I just think it's so much fun to read people's blogs. It's nice to stay updated and feel like I'm in the loop (I think some people call that stalking - but whatever!). When other blogs haven't been updated, I turn to celebrity gossip websites to do fun reading. So, let your conscience be your guide... Do you want me reading your blog, or so you want me reading crap about celebrity twins, someone saving the whales, best and worst dressed actors and looking at people's mug shots? No pressure, people, no pressure. :-)

The cool kids

2008-02-19T19:09:00.004-06:00

I'm not happy or anything...

Or cute...

or adorable...

or stylin'...

(It should be noted that Chloe is sporting a Christmas gift from Grandma Jan and Grandpa Dave.)

Since Rob's butt wouldn't fit in the seat, he had to be a little creative to demonstrate to Chloe how cool the seat could be. As you can see, all of the cool kids are using it!

Catch up

2008-02-17T22:03:00.009-06:00

So cute...

I love looking directly at the camera

Here you can see the stylin' boots from Katie - how trendy! :)

Hello!
This outfit is from Emily - I can't believe that it already fits. (She did have socks on, but she was getting ready for bed and I didn't want to miss the photo opp!)

Ben pretty much leaves Chloe alone, but to show his love on Saturday he kept on almost sitting on her (after a thorough sniff down)

And not to be outdone, Jake had to see how close he could get to her face without touching her.

She really doesn't mind the dogs at all. She will watch them while they are walking around the room, but is pretty disinterested when they are close to her.

Don't call me shorty

2008-02-10T00:04:00.000-06:00

Lounging on the coach... with cute cubby cheeks

Showing off her new shoes (aren't they cute!)

I laid her down in her crib before getting her pjs on tonight. Do you think she was a little tired?

She has been rubbing her head when she's tired... a lot of times she gets one hand on her head and another covering her eyes.
Like this...Rob picked out the cute outfit - I'm thinking she needs the pink pacifier with this one. :-)

and the Oscar goes to...

2008-02-07T20:47:00.000-06:00

Chloe in her not 1st dramatic role:

Strike a pose

2008-01-29T19:54:00.000-06:00

It's my second week back to work. Everyone was very nice to me last week, letting me get back into the swing of things. Now, they are assuming I've had enough time and the work is starting to really pile on! The good news is that it sounds like people did miss having me around either for my charming personality or the work I do. At this point, let's hope it's because of my work, because with my lack of sleep my personality may not be as charming as it once was! :)

I do have cute pictures! Chloe and I were at the H House on Sunday for some quality cousin, grandma and grandpa time.

Jack and Chloe are pals...

Hailey and Chloe chillin'...

Post bath couture...

Pretty eyes and chubby cheeks...

Caution partially naked baby picture ahead!

Days of Our Lives

2008-01-22T22:10:00.000-06:00

The first day back to work was nice, people stopped by all day to say hello and I didn't actually have to work too much. Today was more of the same, but I was able to get some work done. I woke up with a cold which didn't really help my motivation level. Overall, it wasn't bad leaving Rob and Chloe home, just a little disappointing that I miss out on the fun awake time with Chloe.

Rob and Chloe are doing great during the day. He informed me that there is only one issue. Chloe is into As the World Turns and he's more into General Hospital. I hope they are able to work out their differences.

Deep Thoughts by Chloe

2008-01-20T19:26:00.000-06:00

I love my hands. I have discovered that I can use them for entertainment and they make a great pacifier!

What do you mean mom is going back to work tomorrow?!

Oh! I get to hang with Dad? I have him wrapped around my little finger... I just give him this look -

I'm ready for bed... all fresh and clean after my bath.

Blue Steel

2008-01-19T19:34:00.000-06:00

I go back to work on Monday. I do miss the people and some of the work but it will be difficult to be away from Chloe during the day. She is just so darn cute!!! She has been such a chatterbox.

Some cute pictures:

Have you seen Zoolander? This is Chloe's 'Blue Steel' look-

I think she looks SO much like Rob (but with my nose) -

Her hair is starting to look more like mine -

Everyone was down for an afternoon nap (Ben was also sleeping but wants less to do with Chloe so he was sleeping away from the group)

We were able to get at a couple of things that we would never attempt on just a weekend. We reorganized our master bedroom closet. We moved the shelves to a different wall, and put my work clothes apart from my weekend/casual clothes. It looks amazing. I sorted through ALL of my clothes, even the stuff in the dresser drawers I have ignored for a few years (I mean - really. I'm not sure why I was keeping size 8 jeans around. If I'm ever that size again, I think shopping for a new pair of jeans won't break the bank!) We brought a few stacks of clothes to Goodwill and now all of the clothes I have, I actually can wear. I was inspired by having everything clean and sorted, so I ironed EVERYTHING that would need to be ironed. Everything. I can now go into my closet and pick something to wear without having to wonder if it fits and if I want to bother with it because I don't want to iron. I'm hoping this will ease my transition back to work.

Being that it's so freezing cold we didn't leave the house today. The closet was the cleanest part of the house (how does everything get so messy?!), so we cleaned our house from top to bottom. We still had our Christmas stuff up (it was so past time to take it down) so that was put back in bins in the process. It was another thing nice to have done before I get back to work!

A Day with Grandma and Grandpa

2008-01-16T08:47:00.000-06:00

I have been enjoying the last few days home before I have to go back to work. I guess my plan of winning the lottery would work better if I actually bought Powerball tickets. That would be great, if both Rob and I could be home all of the time. We would have to win big, we've discovered how good we are at spending money! Since I do have to go back to work, I am lucky that I get to go back to a job that I like with a great, fun boss and coworkers! Those paychecks will address Chloe's prediction in this picture!

I've been trying to get more pictures taken. This adorable outfit is from Sarah and Deb. Chloe looks so cute in it! We think her brown hair is getting more red.

Chloe spent more time looking at Rob then looking at the book, but she was a big fan of being read a book.

We took a trip to my parents yesterday. Kathy came down to visit us (really more to visit Chloe). Kathy was able to get in some quality grandma practice time and she's going to need it. She'll be a grandma in August. Congrats!!!

Chloe was very chatty and happy all day and I think the grandmas had a great time, too.

As you see, Chloe barely got any attention... :-) She had such a great day. She fell asleep in the car for the drive home (at around 7:30) and didn't wake up until 3am!!! She was chatting away in her crib at 3:30, she talked herself back to sleep at some point and didn't wake up again until 7:30! It was nice to be able to get some solid sleep for us, too.

She is also maintaining the championship for best dressed person in our family. Here you can see she's taking it to the next level by the best dressed napper!

Chloe would like to thank Deb for the fabulous Christmas gift!

Figuring out the formula

2008-01-09T09:23:00.000-06:00

We have been impressed with Chloe's sleeping over the last week or so. She has been falling asleep around 6:30 or so at night and sleeping until about 11, waking up to eat and falling asleep right away. Then, the next two feeding are at about 3 to 4 1/2 hours intervals. It's worked for us pretty well, and I'm thinking that once I go back to work it will work for us to start our day with 5-6 ish wake up call. I never thought I would say that 5am or 6 would be an okay time to start my day. Crazy huh?! I'd like for her schedule to shift a little bit so she falls asleep later in the evening - giving us her biggest block of sleep while we can been sleeping too. I know I can't be too demanding at this point and that things will continue to change - at her choosing, not mine!

The beginning of this week was a bit rough on all of us. Chloe wasn't feeling well. Sunday was well documented with pictures but Monday and Tuesday was difficult. She had a bit of a temp (nothing horrible), and when she wasn't eating or sleeping she just cried and cried. I felt so bad for her. Yesterday and today was much better.

Late last week we were working on switching the formula we have been supplementing with from the regular stuff to soy. She had been SO gassy and a queen of spitting up, her doctor said that it might make a difference. With her not feeling well, probably from her vaccinations, we're not sure how much of a difference it has made. We'll give it a bit longer to see.

You can see from the background on a couple of pictures, that the soy formula we were using tends to leave some stains... and man it stinks! We picked up a different brand to see if there is any difference.

PICTURE TIME!

Zzzzzz...

Do you think I'm happy?!

My cute outfit

Soy tastes great!

Put 'em up

My vaccinations kicked in!

I wish we didn't have burp rags and bibs in almost every picture, but she would be soaking wet without them...

Rinse and Repeat

2008-01-06T22:01:00.000-06:00

"Does this look make me look chubby?!"

Chloe had her check up last week. She's really been packing on the pounds, she's up to 10 pounds 10 ounces. Yeah! I forget the other measurements off the top of my head, but she was in the 35th percentile for weight, 85th for length and 54th for head size.

We a good deal on a jumpy seat for her, which she didn't mind all that much. She really liked looking at the bright colors and was facinated by the spinning toy, but she wasn't feeling well after her shots from her appointment, so she let us know when she had enough. She'll have to grow into it a little bit!

Today was a mixture of a really great and fun day with her and absolutely horrible. She was very happy and cute with awesome smiles, she was very interested in the sights and sounds (especially her dad!) and then a she would be over all of it and cry and cry (and cry...) She'd settle down and fall asleep for 15 minutes or so and we'd start all over.

Here's the cycle in pictures:

(cute in her crib where she enjoyed her mobile for quite some time)

(posing for pictures)

(and then...)

(and finally)

Thanks Mom and Happy New Year Part II

2008-01-01T00:32:00.000-06:00

My mom came down to watch Chloe today and Rob brought me in for surgery. I took the nurses advice and told everyone that came to my bed (if they cared or not) that I had severe vomiting with anaesthetic so they gave me the good stuff and I avoided the ususal unpleasantness of waking up sick. Everything went well, and I was home around 3:45, minus one gall bladder and plus some pain killers. :-) Mom left a while later, we had a bite to eat and we were watching a marthon of Jon and Kate Plus Eight (the couple who has 2-6 year olds and 6 -2 year olds - how in the world do they do it) we all fell asleep watching the show!

We woke up around 11, watched the ball drop, came upstairs to go to bed. Chloe decided she needed to cry a little bit before we laid down, so I'm taking advantage of some sitting time to keep everyone updated. We are such wild and crazy kids, aren't we?!?

Happy New Year it's time to get some sleep!

Happy New Year

2007-12-30T23:52:00.000-06:00

Quick update for New Year's! My mom is coming down in the morning, and Rob is taking me into Mercy to have my gall bladder removed tomorrow morning.

It's been rush of doctor's appointments the last couple of weeks! I was in to a doctor in Elk River for my gall bladder attacks and I was sent for an ultrasound. I was the grandprize winner of my very own gallstones! The Elk River doctor then requested I come back for updated lab work after a couple of weeks based on those results. I scheduled that appointment a couple of weeks out. In the mean time, I went in for my postpartum check and when I told this information to my OB, she said "Let's get you in to a general surgeon, so they can just take it out. We don't want to start having attacks" HA! I showed her! I already have had attacks! So I canceled the appointment in Elk River for the new lab work and sat down with the scheduler at Maple Grove (LOVE her!) who said, 'you're going to need surgery after your consultation - do you want it done by the end of the year since you've already met your deductible?'

'Yes, thank you!' I responded.

So, she picked up her phone and worked her magic. She even pulled the "one of our Allina co-workers" card to who ever she talked to on the phone so they would get me in. I guess working in health care had to work to my advantage sometime!

I went in for my postpartum glucose check at Maple Grove on Thursday morning (everything is fine) and then I had my surgery consultation on Thursday afternoon - Yeah Micki at Allina Medical Clinic Maple Grove! Funny thing - while I was at my consultation, the hospital called to get me registered for surgery...so the consultation really was just formality in the form of a $20 copay.

At that consultation, I was informed that I needed a pre-op physical prior to Monday or they could not go forward with the surgery. Pam at Maple Grove then worked her magic and got me in on Friday for a physical (just have to mention that this "exam" is a joke...but whatever...another $20 formality)

Long story short - I'm really liking the wonderful employees at AMC Maple Grove and I'm having surgery in the morning!

One more thing great about Maple Grove - Elk River said we couldn't get Chloe in for her two month check up until Jan. 7th. When I tried to move it up they said they could get her in on Jan. 9th (I'm not great with dates, but I did let them know that would not actually be moving up the appointment). When I asked to be transfered to nurse triage to see if they could get me in because it would mess up her vacination schedule, they transferred me to a busy line. I hung up with them and called Maple Grove. They got Chloe in on Wednesday without issue! Way to go Pat! :D

Merry Christmas

2007-12-30T23:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas pictures by Chloe

Before we left

I couldn't hold still for this picture!

Are we ready to go yet?!

Do you like my shoes? How about my tights?! My skinny little legs didn't fill out the size 0 to 12 month tights my mom and dad found me...

My cousin Hailey is very good at holding me and gives me nice kisses on my head.

At Hope and Chad's house on Christmas everyone saw a guy walking in the back yard with this cool red tailed hawk on his arm. I hid in the living room while she came to the back door to give us a close up. I didn't want him to think I was a snack! Luckily we had ham for Christmas, or he would have seen we were eating his cousin for dinner.

Smilin' and Stylin'

2007-12-08T01:05:00.000-06:00

As expected, Chloe has started giving us some "real" smiles. The closest we've come to capturing a photo of the event is when Grandma Jan stopped by to visit us - as you can see below. She is really good at giving smiles as she drifts off to sleep - but those don't count! :-) I wish they did! Also, 3 or 4 times now she has giggled very clearly in her sleep. It's so darn cute! They must be good dreams.

We went to Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America this week. Rob was there with the Bollas last week, said that it was pretty cool. I realized that I have never been there so we took the leap and took a family trip down to Bloomington. (Really, it's a trip from Elk River, don't you think?) This is Chloe evaluating the situation. She was very alert the whole time and really liked looking at the water (probably the lights and the water).

And now we find Miss Chloe sporting the newest in newborn fashion - a beautiful long sleeved onsie homemade by Sharon. I can't believe that it fits - it looked so long in the drawer! See how much Chloe likes it? She smiling and everything! Thanks Sharon!

Showing how advanced and ahead of the times she already is, Chloe is being sought out by college recruiters. The admissions office at the University of Minnesota, Morris is sending her gear, though it may be a bit early for her to commit to their campus she certainly appreciates the gift! (I'm sure the gift has nothing to do with my friend Andy working in the admissions office. Go UMM!)

Seeing her in this hat, it really struck me about how things have changed. I met Andy early in college (freshman year I think) and really got to know Shannon a lot junior year when Emily and I would load up our blender in a backpack to go to Shannon's house (to study, of course). Now our kids will only be about 3 months apart in age! Crazy!

Busy week

2007-12-02T02:20:00.000-06:00

Chloe had a weight check on Wednesday, she was 8 pounds 6.4 ounces. We didn't talk to the doctor so I'm not sure if it's what he was expecting, but I'm feeling pretty good about the gain.

The Bollas were able to come out to visit the newest member of the family. They stayed from Monday to Friday. We visited Cabellas and the Mall of America and they were able to get a little time in at the water park of the hotel where they stayed. I think the Chloe was still the biggest hit! :-) They were able to leave before the storm hit - I'm glad they had good weather for the ride home.

Chloe and her cousin Tyler

Chloe and Grandma Bolla

And for fun - What you lookin' at?! :-)

I also was into the doctor. I have had a few attacks of pain in my abdomen and back (with a side of vomiting) which couldn't be ignored. All signs are pointing to gall bladder issues. I had blood work done and the doctor sent me for an ultrasound of my gall bladder and liver on Thursday. It was odd to have an ultrasound and not see something really cool - like a baby! I was in the same room with the same ultrasound tech that I had for two of my ultrasounds for Chloe. It was a little odd.

The ultrasound showed that I have gallstones and I got a message from the doctor that a couple of my liver enzyme levels were elevated, so he was going to request a couple more tests. We should hear more early next week.

Chloe had decided she can sleep now - so I'm off to bed too!

Guess who's tired?!

2007-11-25T21:03:00.000-06:00

Okay, that's a trick question because we all are tired - but today Chloe was up for a long time and slept hard when she fell asleep.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

We were able to dust vacuum and put out our Christmas stuff downstairs today. It was an all day project - but it was good to get done and it looks so pretty!!!

Thanksgiving was very nice. It was Chloe's first trip up to Grandma and Grandpa's house and she had a great time and loved getting so much attention from her grandparents. When we were about to leave I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures... next trip up there I'll have to make up for that!

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T23:30:00.000-06:00

Things are going well. We haven't been back in for a weight check, but Chloe's eating like crazy and doing great. We are getting used to our new "schedule" (really it's not a schedule but more of a ready for anything status) and for the most part getting enough sleep and getting stuff done that needs to be done.

Tuesday we drove down to Slayton to join the rest of my family to say goodbye to my Grandma Mangledorf. Her funeral was very nice and it felt good to see all of the people who came to offer their support. All of her great grandchildren did well during the service and the trip down. We were relieved that she did so good in the trip down and back. She slept all of the way home and was only upset when we walked in the door. A diaper change and a bottle and she was content again.

We are headed up to my Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving. I'm really looking forward to it.

Guess what we're thankful for...

(Didn't want the dogs to feel left out!)

Timing

2007-11-14T15:44:00.000-06:00

Chloe had another weight check on Monday. She was up 3 ounces over the weekend. So, she's not quite back up to her birth weight, but headed in the right direction. She was 7 pounds 9 ounces. So, now I'm pumping to figure out how much milk I'm producing and still supplementing with formula, as needed. She seems to really like the bottle, but I guess it is to be expected as most babies do - it's easier to eat. I think even though I'm making enough milk, she isn't getting all if it when she breast feeds. We go back tomorrow for another check and to see if she still is packing on the lbs (okay, ounces). I guess it would be good and she would be back on track if she would gain about an ounce a day.

Rob and I wanted to get out of the house - and we were doing really well. We had Chloe fed and changed, I was able to shower and everything. We went out to eat made a Target run. Things were going fine, but I guess I miss judged when she would be hungry again, because she starting crying very hard at Target. Good thing I brought a bottle with us - I was able to feed her in her car seat on the way home and all was right with the world! I'm sure the diaper blow out also helped her feel better. Here is the cute outfit we put her in post-Target blowout.

And an adorable onsie that her dad really appreciates! (Doesn't she look long and skinny?!)

Chloe was holding Rob's finger and had a really good grip on it... well he had to go make us something to eat - so he called in a sub. She held this bottle for quite sometime. How cute!

I should have checked my email!

2007-11-11T09:27:00.001-06:00

Bekah sent some of the pictures she took when she visited the other day. Oh my goodness - great pictures of a cute subject. Thanks Bekah!

Working our way into the 8 lb weight class

2007-11-11T08:31:00.000-06:00

Chloe had her weigh in on Friday. While she did move from 7.6 to 7.64 pounds, it really wasn't the weight gain that we were looking for. We were sent home with premixed formula samples, so after I feed her I can "top her off" with some formula. So far she generally just has an ounce of formula, but a couple times, she has taken a full two ounces on top of whatever she's getting from me. It certainly puts her to sleep with a full belly. One thing I've learned is that formula spit up is not as harmless as the other variety. I hope that we don't have to continue too long with the formula, but if it's going to work - we'll roll with it. We are going in on Monday for another weight check - cross your fingers.

Yesterday I ventured out on my own with Chloe for a treck down to Shakopee for Chloe to meet a couple of older boys - Emily and Sarah's boys. The trip went well - she slept all of the way down and back. It was nice to see the girls - and it was a very nice lunch!

Between outfits

2007-11-05T22:55:00.000-06:00

We had her two week check with her doctor today, everything is going well. She has not made it back up to her birth weight yet, so we are going back on Friday for a weight check. She was very sleeping during the whole visit and didn't wake up for the doctor at all. They did check her bilirubin again - we should have results in the morning. The doctor said that she is looking fine, but it could be one of the reasons why she isn't packing on the pounds, so he just wanted to confirm the numbers. So now she has another mark on her cute little feet.

One potential contributing factor to her weight could be that Chloe has decided to start spitting up. She isn't fussy or uncomfortable, and she still has wet and dirty diapers so the doctor said he wasn't too worried about it right now. Cross your fingers for her to put on some weight so I don't have to worry about everything!

Here are a couple of pictures of Chloe between outfits - she missed the cloth and got her outfit super wet... made for cute pictures at least! :-)

And all fancied up...