Obsession

Last night we went to ShopKo to pick up a couple of things and check the price of diapers. We'd been cooped up in the house all day and wanted to get out but couldn't spend a lot of money. So since we needed a few things anyway we went "out" to ShopKo. I know, the things we do in a small town for fun on Saturday nights. Anyway, we browsed a bit after we'd picked up what we went there for, and somehow ended up in the game aisle. We saw a game we'd played and enjoyed with Lorin and Katrina over Christmas, Blokus Trigon, and the next thing I know it's in the cart. It's not like Jason to make impulsive purchases, so I looked up, surprised. It was on clearance for $8. We'd looked online for it before and couldn't find it for under $25. So we bought it. That meant that all day today we played Blokus Trigon. During Kayla's afternoon nap Jason and I played a couple of times and then we decided to try and fit every single piece on the board. Here he is trying to get the last few pieces on. I'd already given up. It is quite difficult!

It's....Green!

Today Kayla had her first taste of veggies. We started her on rice cereal at the beginning of the month, and now it's time to move on to vegetables. The first one we decided to try was peas. She made a couple of funny faces (as can be expected) but she came back for more and ate almost all of the bowl we'd prepared. I'm excited about trying new veggies with her every week now. Not sure what we'll do next; maybe squash?

Halfway There

It's crazy to realize that we've had Kayla in our lives for half a year now. She turned six months old today; here's her six-month photo with the teddy bear. Every month we take a picture of her with this bear and eventually I'll make a collage of her first year, month-by-month, of the pictures with the teddy bear. She's so adorable. And I'm, uh, not biased at all...

Blue or Yellow?

We tried a new recipe tonight: Broccoli and Potato Soup. It was a creamy soup that used blue cheese instead of just cream or sour cream. TASTY!!! We'd never cooked with a full brick of blue cheese before, though; it was wrapped in paper and then in a layer of yellow wax. Weird stuff, but it broke right off. Kind of fun to do, actually. Here's what the soup looked like before we blended it (note that the blue cheese was crumbled into the pot):

Buddies

We spent the afternoon and evening at Jake and Merrie Beth's house today. Their daughter, Chloe, is one day older than Kayla. I like this picture because it accentuates the beautiful colour of both of their eyes. I really wanted a picture of them looking at each other, but every time they did it and I'd pull out the camera they'd get more interested in me than each other. So I gave up. They get along okay so long as they aren't pulling on the same toy. And Chloe tends to be way more tolerant of Kayla than Kayla is of Chloe. Kayla is rather greedy and whiny. I hope this doesn't continue into their toddler years...


FYI - Kayla is on the right.

A First Time for Everything

Tonight Jason and I got to experience what it's like watching after a toddler and an infant. It could definitely come in handy for the future, and it was pretty fun! Our friends Rachel and Charley, who have babysat Kayla for us a few times so we could have date night, wanted to go to Rachel's office Christmas party (yes, in late January) without their 21-month-old son. It was at a fancy restaurant and though they would've taken him, it was more enjoyable without having to worry about him, I'm sure. So we agreed to watch him and decided to go over to their house where all of Levi's toys are, and be in his element. Kayla doesn't care where we are; Mommy and Daddy ARE her element right now. So we packed up and headed over there, bringing a frozen pizza with us for dinner. For a little over two hours we read multiple books (some all the way through several times, others a few pages at a time), learned what sounds different animals make, rode on the bouncy horse, and hid from the stuffed doggy around the corner. Levi is a great little kid and was easy to watch. Kayla just sat there and chewed on things and watched. The only challenge of the evening was when Levi needed his diaper changed. I've never changed a boy diaper. But I was successful (I think!). All in all, not a bad night!

A Rebuttal

In response to my supposition that Kayla would be a percussionist (see yesterday's post), Jason took this picture of her preparing to become a woodwind player. She obligingly drooled down the length of his clarinet. But she'd be the cutest clarinetist ever, right?

An Early Start

The university's orchestra and choir put on a concert for the visiting academy students tonight. They are here for our biennial choral and orchestra festival, during which they have 3 intense days full of rehearsals culminating in a Saturday afternoon concert. The students come from around the northwest and it's always very popular and enjoyable. Before the concert tonight (which was a, "Here's what you can be a part of if you come here for college" concert) Kayla and I had fun playing with some congas we found sitting by one of the pews. I showed her how they worked, and she actually tried it out on her own a few minutes later. A budding percussionist, I tell you!

Baby Steps

This was Kayla's first attempt at taking a picture of Daddy. She grabbed the camera while I was holding it, so I put her hands up to help her take a picture. This was the result. She thought the front part that stuck out would be easier to hold onto. At least Daddy is in the picture. Her second attempt was only slightly better:

Jilted

Today I had a date with a former colleague of mine to catch up, network, chat, have fun, whatever you want to call it. We were scheduled to meet at 9:30 this morning at the patisserie downtown. I got there about 10 minutes late, but she wasn't there yet. I ordered, slowly enjoyed my gelato and spiced cider, and then left. Come to find out her boss' best friend had died of cancer that morning, throwing the whole office for a loop. My friend simply forgot in the hubbub that ensued. I, of course, forgave her, and admittedly still very much enjoyed my pineapple gelato, coupled with grapefruit vanilla gelato and hot spiced cider. Even while admitting that getting a hot drink with ice cream makes me weird.

Nerd Modeling Show

Jason's pants have had holes in them for a while. I tried mending them, but the pockets are pulling away from the rest of the denim and it's difficult for my novice attempts to fix them. So they just got bigger and bigger until I told him he couldn't wear them in public anymore because it was indecent. So he decided they'd be work pants. He fixed them up as such and modeled them for me in the living room tonight. Lovely, Jason. You're still not wearing them in public.

Bloody Weather...

Today it couldn't make up its mind. Here the sun emerges from the fog...after it rained all night. And this is out the back door. Out the living room window it was grey and dreary...and still foggy. I was so confused! Not long after this the sun went away and the wind picked up. It blew the fog away, but it's been windy ever since.

Independence

Kayla is really doing well sitting up on her own. This morning she hung out in our bed while we got ready for church. She had fun grabbing at and trying to eat the covers.

This afternoon after church she waited for lunch with us by patiently playing with her toys on the sofa. She's also getting quite good at entertaining herself. And of course being adorable, as usual. But that doesn't take much effort.

"Say Cheese!"

Kayla got the idea...Auntie Britt came somewhat close. But at least she's recognizable...I'm not sure many pictures exist of her making a face different than this. Alex and Brittany joined us for a haystack dinner tonight, along with Joe and Toni, who were in town for a baby shower some friends are throwing for them. It's tomorrow evening and I'm excited about seeing what Toni will get. Between dinner and dessert, Britt decided to get on the floor and play with Kayla. Kayla thought it was a grand idea.

Possession

Staking a claim while sleeping, the newest native to the St. Clair household was spotted today napping in the car - pacifier in one hand, favourite toy in the other. Witnesses claimed she was "gosh-darned cute" and "the most adorable thing" they'd ever seen. "She really is a sweet little thing," says Becky St. Clair, the maternal member of the clan. "Especially so when she is sleeping."

Overdone

Tonight Jason and I went on a much-needed date night. We are trying to save money, so Jason packed a "picnic" lunch (sandwiches, crackers, fruit) and we went to Starbucks to eat. We used a gift card from Christmas to order hot chocolate with our oh so fancy dinner and enjoyed our indoor picnic in a Starbucks all to ourselves. (Really!) Afterward we went to Applebee's and ordered fries and a monster cookie sundae, totaling $8.48. We didn't leave a tip because the service was terrible (that was the first time I'd ever done that), so our entire date cost us under $8.50!!! How cool is that?!? Afterward, however, I decided a hot apple cider (and a smaller size) would've been a better choice for a dinner beverage, because the chocolate got to me after we left Applebee's. I need some water just thinking about it. But this picture is of the monster cookie sundae: Giant chocolate-chip cookie, double scoops of vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookie chunks, and hot fudge drizzle. Oh man. Not as delicious as I'd hoped, but perhaps if I'd not had hot chocolate prior to the dessert it would've been better. Still VERY yummy. Date nights are fun, but they tend to be a bit more creative in the winter months. It's difficult to do cheap dates in the winter here, when it's cold outside and it gets dark before I get off work. But tonight was fun! I love spending time with Jason and having a conversation that lasts longer than thirty seconds without interruption.

Reflections

I know, I know, original blog title. I'm not ALWAYS creative. This afternoon (this was around 4:30) when I left my office to go sign a paper at the bank, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful colour of the air around me. Things were glowing. And everything was wet. I hadn't known it was raining. It had cleared and was no longer raining, but as the sun settled into the horizon it was casting a beautiful array of golds, pinks and yellows over the campus. This was the view from the front steps of my office building. There was even a rainbow for a short amount of time - a full arc!

Daddy's Turn

Jason got to try his hand at feeding Kayla this evening. We're going to alternate feeding her, just like we're alternating putting her to bed. We don't want one of us to be preferred over the other for either task, just for those rare occasions in the future when one of us isn't available. So far it's worked well. And Kayla still loves her rice cereal. (She even wants to help us feed her!)

Pretty in Pink

We had Summer and Michael over for lunch and games this afternoon, and while we were enjoying a card game I got out some chocolates we'd gotten in a gift exchange over Christmas. They were all packaged fancy and looked delicious so I figured offering them to guests was an opportune time to try them out. Part of the packaging was a bright pink bow around the top. Summer took it off and tied it around Raina's neck. She looked so purty! (And the chocolates weren't very good, by the way.)

White Elephant

Oh yeah, Chris and his golden locks of...mullet. LOL! This is my coworker Chris at our office post-Christmas and New Year's party tonight. After a soup and bread dinner we played Pictionary and then did a white elephant gift exchange. This mullet wig showed up last year at our Christmas party, and the person who got it brought it back this year. It was passed around about four times tonight - everyone loves it. And just in case you don't know Chris - he sports a cue ball head. So this mullet is perhaps more funny on him than anyone else in the office. Though it looked pretty ridiculous on everyone who tried it. I'm sure it will be back next year. Here's what Jason ended up with:

And yes - those are milk chocolate miniature high heels. So awesome. Just about too awesome to eat. And just super manly, don't'cha think?

"Be With Mommy, and Daddy, and..."

Not sure what Kayla was actually doing, but she was tired and squirmy waiting for feeding time so she could eat and go to bed. She ended up kneeling next to Daddy and looking completely adorable acting all snuggly, so I grabbed my phone and was able to snap a couple of quick shots. This one is my absolute favourite; it looks like she's praying with Daddy! So cute...and now that she's fed and in bed she's crying because she doesn't want to fall asleep on her own. They're tired cries, though. She'll be asleep soon...

Moving On...

Kayla tried her first "solid" foods tonight. She had baby rice cereal. She has been ready to eat big people food for a few weeks now, and I finally got to the store for some rice cereal. For baby's first cereal you're supposed to use a tablespoon of rice cereal (I have the Gerber pre-cooked kind) and mix it with 3-4 tablespoons of warm water or breast milk. I used water. I fished out some little plastic bowls Kayla's Grandma Sevison had gotten for her over the summer, and some hand-me-down Gerber baby spoons we'd gotten from Jason's cousins (they are so wonderful! They sent us so much helpful stuff - including the amazing breast pump), and prepared to introduce her to "real" food. At first, she was more interested in the fun (huge!) plastic bib around her neck than she was in what I had. But then she saw the spoon and quickly got excited about it. I had a hard time keeping her from grabbing at the spoon before I could get it in her mouth. She took several "bites" and then got frustrated/tired/annoyed so we called it quits for the first time. It was fun, though...and we'll be doing it every evening now, gradually thickening the cereal. For now, it's basically getting her used to eating from a spoon instead of sucking on something. And she's doing quite well! She also had her first drinks from a real cup today, too. At lunch her gums were hurting her too much to suck, and my supply was rather low, so I put some pumped milk in a mug (all I had at the office) and gave her about half an ounce that way. She loved it! Watching human development is one of the most amazing parts of being a parent.

A Vast Improvement

Ever since we moved into our house (September 2007), the toilet paper dispenser in the downstairs bathroom has annoyed me. First of all, it's on the same wall as the toilet so you have to twist around backwards to get any. But that' can't be helped unless you put the roll on one of the free-standing stand thingies. And that just gets in the way. But the other thing was that it was loose from the wall. We tightened the screws (didn't help) and redrilled the holes (making it not level), and finally gave up. A couple of weeks ago Jason pulled the whole thing off the wall and decided he was going to fix it. For good. So he used the stud-finder my dad bought him this summer and pulled his tool box into the bathroom and got to work. After deciding how to fix it, the above photo shows what he had left in the bathroom. The white board is a painted piece of plywood (that's all I did to contribute to the project: painted). And...the completed project:

Level and secure and everything! It's beautiful. My husband rocks!

Me Too! Me Too!

Tonight Jason decided if Kayla did it all day long, it must be super fun. So he attempted to stuff the rattle/toy in his mouth and banged it on his leg and shook it...he's not so sure about the fun part. But it made me laugh.

WHEW!!!

I had a dream - a nightmare more accurately - a few nights back that I had been careless and had gotten pregnant again, but didn't know it and had continued to take my oral contraceptives and the baby was deformed and sick. Though I "knew" it was a dream, I continued getting more and more freaked out about it. So to make myself feel better, I stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home tonight and picked up a pregnancy test. The above photo is proof that I have no reason to be freaked out anymore, so I'm saving it for constant reference. Picking up the test, though, was no easy thing. I did NOT want anyone I knew to see me with it. I knew the teasing would be inevitable and pretty soon the rumour would abound that we were pregnant again. Before I even took the test! And as anyone who knows WW (or another small town) knows, it's very difficult to go to a store such as Wal-Mart and NOT see someone you know. To make matters worse, the "sex stuff" (pregnancy tests, condoms, pleasure jelly, etc.) is all in the aisle people form a line in for the pharmacy. So, since the WM pharmacy is extremely busy and slow, that aisle is always full of people. Embarrassed, I decided the only thing to do would be to stand in the line and wait until I was up next to the pregnancy tests, then snatch one off the shelf and make a dash for it. It was then I remembered that I had a refill of my oral contraceptives to pick up at the pharmacy. Convenient! And quite ironic, actually. So anyway, I got home, took the test, and felt TONS better. It was just a dream. Thank GOODNESS!

NOTE: I read up on it, and continuing to take my oral contraceptives after getting pregnant wouldn't hurt a fetus. Just for future reference.

Motivated

This morning I got up and said I wanted to get things done today. So I made a list of about two dozen things I wanted to accomplish over the course of the day. We got close to half, if not more, of them done. Which is impressive, I think. My biggest chore: Cleaning the stove. But look how shiny and clean it is! Halfway through it dawned on me I should've taken a "before" picture to compare with an "After" shot. Oops. Just know that the burner hole covers were all BLACK and there was dried food and drips and drops of who knows what on the stovetop from the last couple of days. We're messy people, it's true. But we usually don't let it get that bad. It's usually cleaned off every day or so. But it hadn't had a real thorough cleaning in months, so I got serious and scrubbed hard! I was pleased with the results. Ta-dah!

She's Super Freaky

This is what Kayla did throughout the church service today. She was sleeping. But her eyes were cracked open, as though she wanted to make sure no one played any tricks on her. Kind of creepy, actually...

Caught in the Act

Wow. Without even trying I caught a single droplet of water comng off that icicle. And it looks so perfectly round! It's beautiful! I'm just so surprised! Anyway, today it rained and then the sun came out and the temperature in the sun soared to close to 60, melting all the snow and ice we accumulated over the last 3 days or so. So all the trees and buildings were dripping, making it look like it was raining outside. Here's another picture to demonstrate: