Month: August 2009

Naomi was watching Alex for a few hours today and I finished my real work very quickly. That left me with a couple of hours to tackle house projects. I painted the bathroom door and then started to work on the sunroom storm windows. They currently have screens, but Wade is going to convert them to glass. I removed the screens and paint. My good friend the belt sander even got to come out for this project! (I was also using the 1/4 sheet sander, but having three sanders in one picture might be a little much.)

Wade spent the evening on projects too. He got the floor down in the bathroom (at this point I am just going to post pictures when the entire bathroom is done), met with a man about tiling the shower (should be done while we are on vacation), and finished Alex’s high chair. We had always planned to refinish an old wooden high chair for Alex. It turns out both my mom and Wade’s parents had old wooden ones to offer and they happened to be the same one. We took the one from my mom’s house and Wade went to work stripping all the old stain:

Then he painted it using the compressor and spray gun:

Alex gave it a test run:

Wade and I tried a new church today and were pleasantly surprised. Transformation City Church reminded us of Catalyst (our church from South Carolina). Today’s church meets in a theater (just like Catalyst) and is definitely small and intimate. We sang praise songs and hyms. Wade and I both left feeling energized and refreshed. The following is a quote from their website about the Sunday message and scripture, “We always ask two relevant questions: What did this mean then? and What does this mean for us today?” Now that very much reminds me of Andy Stanley and North Point.
I have to admit that some of the similarities to Catalyst – especially being a start-up church and having a small congregation – make us a little nervous. We learned a lot from our experience with Catalyst and what to look for and expect in a church. We also learned a little too much about church politics. That being said, we have looked for a church with the kind of passion we found all over the South in contemporary churches. Today was only the second time we’ve seen it in Milwaukee.
On a side note: The preacher mentioned tacos in his sermon and Wade was determined we were going to Habanero’s for lunch. We even made two trips because they didn’t open till noon.

Wade and I had a date night tonight!  We didn’t really start planning the date unitl Amy, our babysitter, arrived.  First Wade had to shower and get ready after working on the bathroom.  I decided a picture was needed of Alex and I in our matching outfits.  (Don’t worry.  I won’t do this when he is older.):

Wade loves pizza. I used to love pizza. I didn’t get sick on it while pregnant, but after Alex was born I never want it anymore. However, a calzone did sound good. Wade visited Yelp and found a great pizza (and calzone) place – Classic Slice.


Since Classic Slice is located in Bay View, we decided to drive around and check it out. We found a cool park on the water and got out to walk around. It turns out there were gnats everywhere so we quickly returned to our car.
We were again aimlessly driving when we realized we were near our favorite pool place – Romines High Pockets. They card everyone at the door. My ID got a second look. I couldn’t figure out while until they guy laughed and told me he had been betting I was an ’88er. I guess that means barely 21. Wade and I got a laugh out of it. After a few games of pool we decided dessert was in order.
It turns out Leon’s Frozen Custard was not too far away. While checking out the reviews on Yelp, we ran across a review from Amy. She gave it a thumbs up so off we went:

We made a few errand type stops and then headed home for a little Battlestar Galactica.

It was a rainy yucky day (for most of the day) so I pulled out Wade’s camera and had a little fun.  Alex might not have had fun, but he did cooperate (for the most part). Due to our cool temperatures, Alex wore his first pair of jeans today:

Alex is fascinated with Madison and has started to reach for her if she is in sight. Poor Madison won’t have a chance once Alex is moving. Thank goodness she seems okay with it.

Alex is also showing interest in toys – particularly ones he can easily grab:

Today we added bananas to Alex’s list of likes. Peas are all alone in the “Will Not Eat” List:

I am excited about two random facts I learned recently.

The first is that gmail doesn’t recognize a dot in the username portion of your email address. Therefore Jane.Smith@gmail.com is the same as JaneSmith@gmail.com. It’s like getting two email addresses for the price of one. Especially for those of us who chose the JaneSmith version and later wished they had the Jane.Smith. It only took me a couple of years to figure this out.

The second is that I found baby Bowtie pasta in the grocery store. It turns out Barilla is making all kinds of mini pastas. I’m particularly excited because I usually cut the pasta in my Chicken Pasta Salad in half. This will make the prep time much quicker and neater.

My Mom loves antiques. When I was hunting for Wade’s card catalogs I tried to visit every antique store in Milwaukee. I didn’t quite make it to all of them (nor did I find the card catalogs), but I did find an awesome store – Blackhawk Antiques. We tried to go yesterday but it turns out they are by appointment only on Tuesday. We went today and had a great time walking around. I found a fantastic 1800s wardrobe, but sadly I have no room for it in my house.
The next stop on our list was The Domes. Ever since my last trip, I have wanted to take Mom. I knew she would love all of the blooming flowers. It turns out I was right – not to mention we got some great pictures too:

After a full day of playing and shopping, it was time bedtime for Alex. Mom was more than happy to take care of the bedtime routine. First we had a bath:

On a side note, Alex now enjoys his baths. There is even playing, until it is time to get out:

Next we had a little soccer ball practice (for Wade’s benefit):

Lastly, there is always a book (or two or three) before bed:

Happy Birthday Kate!

Alex and I had a hectic day before Mom got in to town. Pat came to clean for me one last time (she is moving to Illinois). Alex and I made a quick trip to the Y. Then Naomi came to watch Alex while I got a bit of work done. Everything was clean and calm by the time mom arrived. Alex and I even got to the train station early enough to go inside and meet her. We decided to spend the evening in playing with Alex. Mom always seems to have goodies for Alex. She brought a few outfits and a new hat (handmade by Leigh):

Then we did a little cooking while Alex played nearby:

Wade is leaving this evening for another round of research. He’s gone the entire week – thank goodness my Mom is coming tomorrow! We were busy all day trying to get small things done before he left. Alex entertained himself this morning talking to his new horse:

I managed to mow the lawn, remove the exterior extension cords, and pull a few weeds while Alex napped. Wade put another first coat of paint on the high chair, moved building supplies from the upstairs hallway to the basement, fix the electric fence, and watch Alex while I took a nap. It was a crazy busy day, but we got a lot done:

Wade, Alex, and I were initially planning to spend the afternoon at the lake. The lake trip was cancelled due to yucky weather so Wade planned a day of projects. I decided we should do something new and fun to start the day – off to the Original Pancake House we went for breakfast. Wade had wonderful French Toast and I had chocolate chip pancakes:

Somewhere along the way we invited Nate and Amy for dinner. That meant I needed a trip to the grocery. Alex managed to get himself into some funny positions in the cart but was otherwise a good shopper:

I got dinner cooked and Alex ready for bed before our guests arrived. Wade kept Alex entertained and happy so he could say stay up till Nate and Amy arrived:

Amy and Nate visited with Alex for a few minutes before Wade took him up to bed (Nate went along to get some pointers):

We ended up having a huge amount of dessert. I had make a chocolate chip cinnamon cake and my neighbor had brought over some birthday cake (very yummy birthday cake). We all ended up having a little of both. Check out our plates in the picture below:

Today was a day full of errands. Alex handled the shopping at Babies ‘R Us pretty well:

He did even better in the stroller at the mall (note the cool wooden rattle):

Then we spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with new toys.

We’re a little late in getting Alex a mirror of his own, but he still seemed enthralled:

Alex has never “discovered” his toes. This is the closest I have seen:

At 7:30 pm tonight, Wade was stripping my old high chair for Alex to use (it’s been painted once, but the paint bubbled):

Madison was trying to dig to China:

I was making baby food:

Alex was not sleeping:

so I put him in charge of folding diapers (he didn’t do very well):

Wade came home from work super excited to see Alex. Wade couldn’t wait to show Alex his first soccer ball (a mini-soccer ball):

Sadly, Alex seem more interested in the bag:

Wade says Alex just needs to sleep with the ball and it will all work itself out. I left Wade in charge of putting Alex (and the soccer ball) to bed:

Today was playgroup at Brwynn’s. We had yummy food and general chaos. The big kids tried out the pool. I attempted to put Alex in, but he was having none of it.

Alex slept most of the day away with a 2.5 hour nap and then another hour one. I have a big project at work so that worked great with me. Alex was happy to supervise (when awake) while I worked:

I remembered Alex’s doctor appointment just in time. The nurses took all his measurements and declared him “average”. He is 26 3/4 inches long (60 percentile) and 17 lb and 10 oz (55 percentile). Alex had quite a wait between the doctor and his shots. He found the paper on the table very entertaining – for a while:

Last night while carrying Alex up the stairs, I tripped and fell. Alex hit the landing pretty hard and immediately had a huge goose egg on his forehead. We gave him some Tylenol and put ice on it. He took a bottle and went right to bed. Poor Alex woke up this morning with a slightly bruised forehead. If you look closely in the pictures above you can see it (it’s on his right). I know he’ll get lots of bumps and bruises, but most of the time he’ll get them on his own – without mom’s help! I did mention it to the doctor and she didn’t seem concerned. She pointed out that at least it didn’t break the skin – then it would have been messy.

Happy Birthday Jerry!

We had a scrumptious breakfast at the Bed and Breakfast before heading out for the day. We did a little shopping and then drove to one of our main destinations of the trip – Red, Hot, and Blue.

When I lived in DC, Wade came to visit about once a month and we always ate at this Memphis styled BBQ restaurant – one of the few that meets with Wade’s approval. Also one of two restaurants in DC that serves sweet tea (the other being Chick-fil-A).

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping in Alexandria. I now have Mom’s birthday present and a fun surprise for Matt and Krista when we go visit (picked out by Wade). We made the drive to Baltimore and got in the rental car return line. The nice man receiving cars at Enterprise took one look at us and offered to have someone drop us off at the terminal. What a blessing! Taking the bus was a chore when we picked up the car. Alex did great as we waited for our flight:

He slept during take-off (again) and I chatted with the lady next to us. She has a two year old at home and is four months pregnant – needless to say she was very understanding of Alex. The minute Wade stood up, we took advantage of his seat:

We arrived safely in Milwaukee with enough time to pick Madison up at the kennel. Alex went straight to bed. I tried to watch an episode of Battlestar Galactica (our new tv show to watch together) with Wade and only made it 22 minutes into a 43 minute show. It was only 9:30 pm, but off to bed I went!
Happy Birthday Lissy!

Alex woke up once at 4:45 am; took a bottle; and then slept till 8. We all woke up well rested and ready to go. We decided to see what Alex thought of the pool. He did pretty well, but Wade and I wished the water was warmer:

Then we packed up and decided on a stop in Annapolis. As we were driving we turned right onto the interstate on-ramp and ran into a line of cars exiting the interstate. We aren’t quite sure what happened, but evidently there was quite a back-up and they decided to come up the on-ramp to get to an alternate route. We finally made it to Annapolis and walked the area before having lunch at the Federal House.

Alex slept for the drive to DC and was wide awake when we arrived at The Inn at Dupont Circle, our Bed and Breakfast. Lemonade and cookies were waiting in the dining room so we had a little snack while Alex entertained us:

We love the brownstone and especially our suite. Alex quickly decided he was king of the king bed:

We got everything unloaded and the pack-n-play set up before we headed out for a walk and dinner. The walk took us to the actual Dupont Circle and Alex seemed to enjoy the fountain:

Dinner was an old favorite – Lauriol Plaza. We even got special treatment in an elevator ride to the terrace so that Alex could stay asleep in his stroller. He woke up half way through the meal, but we still thoroughly enjoyed the food and drinks. We walked a little more to a Yelp reccomendation – Larry’s Ice Cream. Conveniently they also had yummy cupcakes!
Then it was time for bed for Alex. Now we just have to get him in his crib.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today I found Alex’s favorite part of the hotel:

Heather, Tyler, and Katrina drove to Baltimore and we walked around outside before entering the aquarium. I thought the aquarium’s policy of no strollers made for a much easier walk through. They provide a stroller check and front or back carriers free of charge.

After the aquarium we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Alex got a little fussy but did pretty well watching us eat lunch and share dessert:

Heather, Tyler, and Katrina had to get back in time for Tyler’s football practice. That left Alex and I with a little time before Wade got home from work. Alex enjoyed his new book from Tyler and Katrina:

After a nap for everyone, we headed out for a seafood dinner. We ended up at L.P. Steamers and had an awesome dinner. The wonderful staff served fantastic crab cakes and steamed shrimp. They even offered to run down the street and get Wade a Mountain Dew when they didn’t have one.

Wade had to work today so Alex and I took a trip to Virginia to see Heather, Tyler, and Katrina. We spent most of the time talking while Alex was entertained:

Then we went out to lunch and stopped by a park:

Then it was back to Heather’s house for some more pictures:

It’s been three or four years since I was last in DC. I can’t believe how much Tyler and Katrina have grown! Sadly I didn’t get to see Aunt Gayle and Uncle Bob, but maybe on the next trip. Now it’s early to bed for Alex who didn’t get a good nap today. Tomorrow we get to see the cousins again!!
I almost forgot – Wade got me Chick-fil-a for dinner – yum! And of course he brought me a milkshake too!

Today was the big day – Alex’s first plane ride. I spent all morning trying to get the three of us packed. It turns out babies require quite a bit of stuff for a five day trip (the pack-n-play is in the big bag):

We got to the airport with a little extra time – we weren’t sure if babies required longer. It turns out we got to skip to the front of the security line. It also turns out our flight was delayed for two hours. Alex did really well while we waited and played with his toys:

He also decided a nap wouldn’t hurt:

We had a nice surprise in first class seats so we loaded early and had a little time to get Alex settled. He proceeded to sleep in my arms (and he is NOT a cuddler) through take-off and then did some playing and laughing while in the air:

He had a few minutes of fussiness as we started our descent, but Wade worked his magic. All in all, it wasn’t a bad trip.

Our days seem to be crazy and full of activity. We made our daily trip to the Y and then got ready for PlayGroup. Amber hosted and served lunch. Alex watched the other kids and the moms did quite a bit of talking. I got to hold Nola, the youngest at 8 weeks. I can’t believe how small she is compared to Alex!

Alex had a nice nap and I got a little work done before we headed out for dinner and minigolf with the Young Couples. We met at Louise’s. Nate and Amy quickly grabbed the babies (which is great for us):

Alex and Emelia seemed to at least notice each other on their third (or fourth) date. The next stop was minigolf. Alex had been working on his swing, but he looked too tired to play. Instead he got carried around by dad:

Wade had no trouble keeping Alex entertained while we paid, picked ball colors, and got our clubs:

Then it was onto the course. We broke up into two groups – boys and girls:

In the beginning we were going to give extra consideration to Wade and Carissa for having to play with babies attached, but Carissa was beating us all one-handed.

The boys posed themselves for this one and it was too cheesy not to post:

Now we are all worn out and leaving for Baltimore tomorrow. I think packing will have to wait till tomorrow morning!

Alex and I start every morning (except Sunday) with a trip to the YMCA. I always see funny things and have stories to tell about my hour a day at the Y. Today I was waiting and waiting for this large black man to finish with the leg press. I finally noticed that his towel was gone and half of the weights. (I have a big pet peeve with people not re-racking their weights.) I walked over and started removing the remaining weights. The man comes running over and I thought maybe he wasn’t done. I asked and he laughed and said he was done. He apologized for leaving the weights on there and said he assumed anyone using it would at least need that much. I smiled and told him he was really going to laugh because I was doing one leg at a time and not using any weight.
I also decided today Alex needed to learn to make cookies. He seemed more interested in his rings, but I think he’ll get it eventually:

Tonight I had book club. My friend Amy started us out and I am loving it. We not only read a book each month, but we talk and eat and have a good time. It also means Wade has to babysit and get Alex to bed. I think they are getting better and better at it. When I left they were having a good time and Alex was asleep when I got home.

Alex decided to start the day early. Even Wade’s magic didn’t get him back to bed at 6. I got him ready for church and then he seemed content to sit beside me while I read:

We went to church and decided on lunch at Chili’s. Alex slept through the appetizer, but wanted to participate in table conversation during the entrees:

I spent the rest of the day reading my book (book club meets tomorrow night) while Alex napped. The sky was dark and gloomy and we got some good rain, but not the big thunderstorms I was hoping for. The weather obviously had Madison in a lazy mood too. She joined me on the couch for most of the afternoon:

Wade spent the morning working on the bathroom. I’m not sure what Alex and I did. Mostly played I guess:

We decided the day wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the fair.

Fair food is always an adventure. We had heard about chocolate covered bacon, but we didn’t find it. (Turns out Amy and Nate did.) Instead I had a turtle-on-a-stick and a funnel cake (Did I mention that was dinner?). Wade enjoyed a lemonade and a corndog. (More about Wade and his corndogs here).

We introduced Alex to all of the cute baby animals – his favorite was definitely the goats (hint, hint Jerry):

We love to people watch at these events and thoroughly enjoyed some of the competitions (strangest vegetable and largest):

We stayed for a couple of hours and had a lot of fun. Alex got a lot of attention with his hat and took a nice nap without anyone knowing. Then we headed home to put our tired boy to bed:

Today Wade and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary, but that part comes later in the day.
This morning Alex worked on his acrobatics:

Then we had a date at the park with a new friend from the YMCA and her two daughters (Elisabeth is Alex’s age):

Then the really fun part. The babysitter arrived right as Alex went down for a nap (around 5:30 pm). Wade and I were dressed up and ready for dinner at Carnevor:

Wade and I both appreciate a good steak. In honor of our anniversary we decided to order something we normally wouldn’t – the sampler platter with a petite filet; an American Kobe filet; and an imported Kobe filet. We both liked the American Kobe filet the best (thank goodness for the wallet). Carnevor helped us celebrate our anniversary with a complimentary bottle of champagne and dessert. The dessert wasn’t quiet enough (or chocolatey enough) so we then had dessert at Cheesecake Factory. Next stop was the drive-in at Miller Park. We saw the last 30 minutes of the first movie and the first 30 minutes of the second. At that point Wade woke me up and said it was time to go home. We had a great time and it turns out Alex was a good baby for Amy.