Children's Museum

Much to Dylan's delight, Oma and Kelly are here for a visit for a few days!! We picked them up at the airport last night, and had a nice dinner together. Today we headed out to the Children's Museum. There was so much for Dylan to do, he was running from one display to the next.

The first exhibit we saw was the Amusement Park display. It shows how gravity and force works. Here Dylan got a little spin from Aunt Kelly.

Even Kelly found some fun things to play with...

Then Dylan got his turn to drive the truck.

Oh wow, they had a train table!! Dylan would have stayed at this exhibit all day if we had let him.

Dylan got to anchor the local Kids News!

And he learned about different ways to transport and move goods (such as red balls). You can use ramps, pulleys, trucks, rakes...

Here are Dylan and Oma testing out an exhibit.

After the excitement of the museum, we brought Dylan home for a nap. He slept a good three hours! Brian stayed home with him, and us girls headed out for some shopping. One of our department stores is having crazy deals on winter coats. I had to keep reminding myself they will have the same sale next year at this time. I really wanted to buy a nice new winter coat, but I would have had to guess as to whether or not it fit me correctly, and that just didn't make sense. So...next year perhaps. I did end up buying another pair of maternity pants. I know, stupid isn't it, with just (less than) four weeks to go?! But I'm down to one pair of jeans and one pair of black pants that fit comfortably, so I bought some khaki's, and they will work for casual wear, or for work.

Tomorrow, Kelly and I are going to get pedi's. I also have another doctor's appointment, another non-stress test. I'll be going twice a week until I have this little guy. I'm hoping my doctor will want to see if I'm dilated tomorrow. Maybe all these contractions are actually doing something!

Snowy Day

So far today the weather-casters say we've had 4.2" of snow! It's been a heavy snow, with huge snowflakes - very pretty! This morning our lawn was mostly melted snow and now we have a fresh layer of fluffy white.

I'm expecting a UPS delivery of baby stuff, and thought shoveling the sidewalk would be a perfect opportunity to get Dylan outside to play a bit. I dressed him up in his snow gear and out we went.

I started shoveling a path from the street to the front door, when our neighbor Bob offered to snow blow the driveway. I guess the sight of a pregnant woman shoveling brings out the chivalry in men! It was very nice of Bob, and I think he secretly was thrilled at the prospect of having another driveway to clear!

While Bob was snow blowing, I tried to convince Dylan to actually step into the snow. Up until this point he just stood in the garage saying 'no'. Then I had the brilliant idea of getting his slide out!

Let's just say putting Dylan on the slide turned out to be like that scene in A Christmas Story where the elf puts the kicking and screaming kid down the slide. Dylan was hollering and kicking - it's a good thing Bob's snow blower drowned out Dylan's noise! The picture above is his reaction to being forced down the slide into the snow. He was not very happy with me.

Once he managed to get up from the snow, Dylan hightailed it for the garage and tried to go into the house. He was just so pathetic I had to take a video of it!

Perhaps Baby #2 will be more of a snow lover!

My Doctor is a funny guy...

I was back at the Doctor's office today for another Non-Stress Test on the baby. The little guy was acting like his old self while I was hooked up to the fetal heartbeat monitor - very active! My doctor's response was "Wildly Reactive".

Then my Doctor looked at the contraction part of the strip, and said "You're having some good contractions, are they painful?" I told him not really. He said it's not un-common at this point in pregnancy for women to have contractions, but he was surprised by the frequency and strength of them.

We ended the appointment with him saying "If you're still pregnant, I'll see you on Monday."

Haha...funny. But seriously now, I suppose I should pack my hospital bag if my doctor is saying stuff like that?!!!

35 Weeks

35 weeks, and I'm looking forward to the day when I get to hold this little bugger in my arms. I think these last few weeks are going to go really fast, especially with this week and next being short work weeks (Wednesday and Thursday only, each week!!).

Had my 34 week appt last week, and I mentioned to my Dr. that the baby's movements have dramatically decreased. Up until last week he has been incredibly active, almost all day long. Then last week I noticed that there were only two or three times of day when he was active. Right away my Dr. did a quick ultrasound. The baby's heartbeat was good, we could see him breathing and he has plenty of amniotic fluid. I also sat for a non-stress test. I was hooked up to a fetal heartbeat monitor, and a contraction monitor for about 20 minutes. I was given a little handheld buzzer, and every time I perceived movement, I was to push the button. After 20 minutes my Dr. read the test, and thought everything looked good, but as a precaution, and because of the sudden shift in activity, wants me to return this week (normally would have been my last week without an appointment), and twice a week once I hit 36 weeks to do the non-stress tests. He just wants to monitor the baby's progress a bit more closely and make sure my belly is still the best place for him. So I'll be visiting the Dr.'s office more frequently than usual, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

The fun part of all this was just sitting in a recliner, listening to the baby's heartbeat. What a pleasure! I'm trying to remind myself to treasure moments like these. This could be my last pregnancy, and while there are definitely things I don't like about being pregnant, it's also pretty darn cool.

My Dr. also mentioned (and I could feel them) that the machine was recording contractions. I think I had four or five in the twenty minutes, but they certainly weren't increasing in intensity or duration. Those Braxton-Hicks contractions strike again! It was fun to tell Brian I was having contractions - and then explain what was going on. He thought for a moment he was going to have to meet me at the hospital!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

We've just arrived home from a few days in Galena at the cabin. Although not entirely finished, it is livable, and is a nice cozy place. If Grandma and Papa Luther have their way, the cabin will be entirely finished within the next few weeks and then it will really be ready for us!

Our drive over on Sunday morning was a bit of nail-biter at times. We drive on a two-lane highway through countryside, and there was quite a bit of drifting and blowing snow. It took us longer than usual, but we made it safely.

Once there, we settled in for a few days of relaxation. Dylan has his own special chair there. In this picture he was watching a Thomas Christmas dvd he received.

We made sure to bring Dylan's trains, and he enjoyed lots of time playing with his trains, building tracks, etc.

This morning we discovered that Santa Claus had visited!! The Luther family tradition is that Santa leaves stocking stuffers, and the other gifts are from mom and dad or grandma and grandpa. So Dylan was a good little helper and passed out everyone's stuffers.

He even helped us unwrap our gifts too.

At noon we had a nice Christmas dinner, and shortly after packed up the jeep and headed home. It's nice to be home to have time to unpack, do laundry and get settled in before we head back to work tomorrow. Only two days this week for me!

Here is a picture of Dylan with Grandma and Papa, enjoying a book.

Behold the sight of a golden Popover

For Christmas I received a popover pan from my sister. ��Tonight for dinner I made my first ever batch of popovers. Aren't they beautiful? They were delicious too!

Christmas Morning, Take 1

Santa Claus came to our house last night! He made an early delivery, because he knew Dylan would be in Galena on Christmas. Wow...what a delivery.

Dylan also opened a few gifts from family. His Auntie Kelly gave him a Thomas the Train outfit. He was quite excited about that.

Papa Gordy and Vava gave Dylan LOTS of Thomas equipment, including several more box cars, engines, coal cars, etc. This is the line-up, minus one or two trains.

And this is what the tree looks like now. Dylan ran out of steam (no pun intended), and just couldn't open any more gifts! Perhaps later today he'll finish up the rest of them, but for now he's happy to play with his vast train collection.

And here's a video of Dylan opening up the Tidmouth Shed. He was pretty excited!

The 9 Days of Christmas

Welcome to a little something we like to think of as "The 9 Days of Christmas."

This child is so loved, and it's obvious by the way we keep receiving packages on our doorstep. Being so close (right...will it ever get here?) to my due date, we knew we wouldn't be traveling to MN this year for Christmas, so we have received many packages for Dylan. I counted the pile, and as of Monday he had 20 gifts to open, plus another package on the way from Oma. We decided to let Dylan start opening presents one per day. He enjoys opening the present, and playing with it, so we figured it would take 20 hours to get through the gifts. By my calculations, that's more than the waking hours in a day.��

On Monday evening we started. Dylan's Great Uncle Wes sent HOT WHEELS!!! Dylan was so excited he immediately forgot about his trains. I didn't think this was remotely possible, good job Wes!��

We thought he forgot about the trains, but this looks suspiciously like a train doesn't it?

Tuesday we opened Wes' other gift, a racetrack with Cars cars. Get it? Cars from the movie Cars! Dylan was so excited he actually said "Whoa!"��

Last night we opened a package from my Great Aunt Nancy, so Dylan's Great Great Aunt Nancy (is that how it works?). It is a sound puzzle. When Dylan places the animals in the right spot, they make their noise.��

Tonight, who knows?! Maybe some clothes?!

And now, a few call-outs.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Yesterday, Happy Birthday Mom!

Also yesterday, my good friend Angie had her baby girl. Reese Lynn was born at 7:51 a.m. She's very cute and both she and Angie are doing well!

Surf's Up!

Here are some pictures of Dylan's big boy Surfing room! I'd like to find something to hang above the dresser (wall opposite the surfboard), but that will come in time. For now, it's painted, the valance is up, bedding is on, etc!

Brian did such a great job painting the surfboard stripe all the way around the room. It was very time consuming and required many exact measurements. He deserves lots of props!

Brian hung the surfboard tonight and Dylan can't stop staring at it. He thinks it's a pretty cool addition to his room. His name is on it which is extra special! If you click on the picture you can zoom in a bit.

Dylan's Grandma Luther quilted the bedspread and bed pillow, and sewed the bed skirt and valance. She did such a nice job copying our 'inspiration' picture!

There's even a little bit of surfing above the closet doors.

Now our next step is to phase Dylan out of the crib. He's enjoyed sitting on the bed reading books each night. I ordered a bed rail, which arrived on Friday evening...broken! So we have to send it back and get a new one. I had hoped to start Dylan's naps in the twin bed over the Christmas/New Year's time frame, as I'll be home quite a bit. We'll see how it goes!

Caution: Deep secret about to be revealed

I'm about to reveal a secret...it's very painful, but I think it's time to share...

I'm not a natural blonde. Well, not anymore. I used to be...really, I did! 

So, in thinking about my next hair appointment, which would fall approximately one and a half  weeks after my due date, I realized I might not make it right on track with the usual 8 week schedule. It might be more like 12 weeks before I get there. And by then surely I would be rather rooty (you know...I'd have roots?!). So I decided it would be best to go my natural color (whatever that is) for the time being. 

So that's what I told the stylist. Her name is Lizzie. I don't think Lizzie listens...

NO, I'm not in denial. This is SO NOT my natural color. What? Really, all I can think to say is...what? Any fool can see my hair is about fourteen shades darker than my eyebrows. And when you are standing under lights, looking in the mirror, it looks RED. What? Or as they'd say on my favorite show, Seriously?

Lizzie is just a temp. My real stylist is on maternity leave herself. Good thing because I don't think I'll let Lizzie touch my hair again. All I can do now is use some really cheap crappy shampoo and hope it fades fast into a more acceptable shade of brown. 

Raiders and the Frozen Tundra

Brian here. Before I start let me tell you how honored I am to write my first guest column in the Luther Family blog. If this turns out all right, maybe I will write a few columns to share my exciting adventures with everyone.  

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to obtain tickets to the Raider-Packer game in Green Bay. This was my first time at Lambeau. I went with Corey who I work with. I knew it would be a good time since I have heard nothing but great things about the football experience at this legendary place. 

It took about four hours of driving through freezing rain and some back tracking to get to Lambeau. Upon arrival we attended a tailgate party and in true Wisconsin fashion enjoyed a few frosty ones.

After the tailgate party we started the pilgrimage to the stadium with about 72,000 other fans.  I was actually surprised to see there were many other Raider fans in the crowd.

Even though I can't say I 'm a Packer fan there is nothing better than a good short bus conversion. You have to admire the attention to detail! 

Here is the view from our seats. They ended up being great seats. During the first half of the game the weather was great. The sun was out and no wind...it did not last. 

Here are Corey and I making some new friends. All the people around us were very cool, they did not even pick on me for being a Raider fan. The interesting thing was that none of them were from Green Bay. Many of the people we met were from different parts of the country. These folks were from North Dakota and there was a couple from California in front of us (they were not Raider fans though).  

Here is the view during the second half. The announcer said it was 18 degrees and with the wind it had to be colder. No one including us seemed to care though. I wish the Radiers would have played better and made it a close game, but it was just good being there. I have to hand it to the folks up north, they know how to have a good time and they love their Packer football. I'm ready to start planning my trip for next year.

Happy Holidays everyone, BL

Confessions of a Mommy...

I hate bath time. There, I said it. I hate it. The only enjoyable thing about it is the sweet smelling child when it's all over. Dylan refuses to sit down. He won't tip his head back. He'd rather stand and have you pour water over his head. It's a test of his willpower, and mine. And for safety reasons, I refuse to back down on this one. So we spend the entire time with me telling him to sit, or physically bending his legs for him, only for him to get back up and stand. Ahhhhhhh! And it always ends with me sopping wet trying to prevent Dylan from drinking the water he's just urinated in. Let me just say it one more time - I hate bath time.

32 Week Ultrasound

Last Friday we had our 32 week ultrasound. I had the appointment at their location near the hospital because that's where they have the 3-D machine. I had heard the wait was longer than usual at this clinic, but decided the wait would be worth it. We waited an hour.....and while I was standing on the scale (as if that weren't insulting enough), the ultrasound tech picked that moment to tell us the 3-D part of their machine had broken the afternoon before. Lovely. Just my luck. 

Baby looks great. As of Friday, he was estimated to weigh approximately 4 lbs, 1 oz. Unfortunately we didn't get many good pictures, but here are the two that were the most clear.

This first one is his profile. His head is on the right, facing up. His hands are on the left side of the picture, curled up in front of him. For most of the ultrasound his arms were criss-crossed in front of him, and he had his hands up near his face. I think this baby is going to like being wrapped up like a burrito!

And this was the other clear picture - yep, he's definitely a boy! This view is from the bottom, his feet and legs go off to the right, butt and boy parts on the left!

Occasionally I'll notice a round bump poking out near my right rib cage. I figured it was his butt, but it was fun to have it confirmed. His head is down (yay baby!!), butt is up near my right rib cage, and feet go across my belly towards my left rib cage. 

I was very glad to see he is in place and we don't have to worry about a breech baby. There's still time for him to move, but at this point it's pretty rare for babies to have enough room in there to change positions too much.

No name yet. The one name I liked, Brian has said he isn't thrilled with. SO...we're back to square one in that department.

Lastly in baby news, this baby's room is no longer being occupied by his big brother. Brian finished painting Dylan's room yesterday, and I moved Dylan back into his own room this morning. Brian did an AWESOME job with the painting and is off today enjoying a much deserved play day. He's at the Raiders-Packers game in Green Bay.

 I'll post some pics of Dylan's surf themed room next week after we've had a chance to put up the finishing touches. 

Potty Obsession

I think we're seeing the beginning stages of potty training readiness. Dylan is absolutely obsessed with the toilets lately. Actually has been for awhile. He likes to run upstairs and before one of us wonders where he is, he's already lifted the lid and swished his arm around inside the bowl. Once I even found him sitting IN the toilet bowl. Needless to say, we've gone through many many outfits lately.  But lately, instead of just wanting to play with the toilets, he seems to understand what it's for.

We've also added a new book to our collection, "Everyone Poops." The book talks about how animals and people poop, and shows a little boy using a potty chair. We'll encourage this curiosity in the toilet and what it's for, but I'm not sure where it will take us in the next few months. With the introduction of a new brother, and soon after that a big boy bed, I'm not sure potty training is going to follow immediately behind all those big changes. I guess time will tell!

For dinner tonight we had burritos. Historically Dylan has ripped apart his taco or burrito and eaten the pieces individually. Not tonight! He saw me eating a burrito and wanted one too. So I wrapped up his lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and meat inside a tortilla and he ate almost the entire thing! 

You can see his leftovers on his plate. I thought the tortilla with the bite mark in the middle of it was so cute.

Theirs: $35, Mine: $8

A few months ago in a Parents magazine, I saw an ad for a nursing cover called Hooter Hiders (yes, really). They also go by their more 'chic' name of Bebe au Lait. They are super cute, but also priced at $35. For a nursing cover? Surely they are not selling for that much on E-bay. Wrong! They are going for their full price on E-bay, plus shipping! So I decided to make one of my own. (P.S., who are these crazy people that will pay full price on E-bay, when you can get it for the same price from the company, AND have the ability to return it???).

With supplies, mine came to $8. I purchased enough supplies to make a second, but I need a break from sewing before making the second one. In retrospect, this project was pretty easy, but as I tend to do, I made it more difficult that it needed to be. So I spent almost 3 1/2 hours this afternoon cursing at my cute little nursing cover. :) Let me just say working with boning is frustrating.  And in case you are wondering, Dylan was asleep, so he didn't hear the cursing!

I want to test this one out before I decide if I want a second, or if I'll make the next one for a nursing girlfriend. It's always interesting when you learn something about yourself from a project. I've realized I am not a precision crafter. I much prefer projects that allow improvisation in both creativity and measurements!!

First Snow of the Season

We've had our first official snowfall of the 2007-2008 season. Yesterday about noon it started snowing. We only had about an inch total, but on top of that we had a few inches of sleet. Then this morning just as we were finishing up our playtime outside, it started sleeting again.

Dylan and I had originally planned to go to Iowa this weekend for Cookie Day, but I decided against it due to the weather forecast. Even as I cancelled I was wondering if the weather forecasters would be right this time. Now I'm glad we stayed home. Going up to Nicole's yesterday and coming home today would both have been unpleasant. Turns out, most of the other Luther ladies decided against it due to weather as well. Perhaps Cookie Day 2008 will work out.

This morning I needed to deliver an order from my jewelry party to a neighbor. I got Dylan all dressed up in his snowpants, boots, etc. and we walked down the street. Dylan loved hearing the crunch of the snow under his boots. 

At one point, Dylan stopped to taste the snow. It was pretty crunchy, not a delicious powdery snow that actually tastes good!