 |
| Picture taken about 1.5 seconds before this turned into STANDING on the dinosaur! |
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Wordless Wednesday: Unauthorized Climbing!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Wildly Thankful
What a great weekend! So much to be thankful for! I am, of course, beyond thankful for my amazing husband, daughter, and puppy. And for all our extended family - most of whom we got to see over the last few days. And for our wonderful friends, who add fun, love, and support to our lives everyday.But we are also thankful for an incredibly fun holiday weekend. Thursday saw me in the kitchen - cooking! I love to cook and miss really taking the time to make a special meal once and a while. Our hectic weekly schedule has us throwing together healthy, but quick, meals on a daily basis. It was so fun to really get to dig in and do something besides chicken and sloppy joes! Thanks to Mom, Dad, and Emmy for joining us. And Dad V - we thought of you all day and wished you could have been there. I'm refraining from yelling at you via my blog about your ribs and hunting ... but you know what I'm thinking! ;-)
We rounded out Friday with a trip to downtown to watch the Holidazzle parade's opening night. We may need to make this an annual tradition. I've always loved this parade and Fiona was amazed by it. She happily sat in Mike's arms and oohed and aahed the whole time. She even made it through the fireworks without too much concern.
We'll complete the weekend by being very thankful to have a quiet day at home to recover from all this fun!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Global Parenting
You haven't read any Fiona updates in the last week - because I was on the other side of the world. Last Saturday, I headed off for a "simple" adventure to the Philippines for work and Mike readied himself for a week of single parenting.
The trip did not start off well. My flight was three hours delayed out of Minneapolis, which meant that we missed our connection in Tokyo. (No, Dad, I didn't have a turd in my pocket. Thank goodness, I was traveling with a co-worker.) So we arrived in Tokyo around 9:00 pm, were re-booked on Japan Airlines for the morning, and shuttled to a Radisson about 20 minutes away.
My room had two twin beds (I didn't know there were still hotel rooms with twin beds!). I waited until 10:00 pm (7:00 am Sunday in MN) to use my free 3 minute international phone call to let Mike know where I was in the world. And then I tried to pretend I was tired. I wasn't. But it was fun to see Japan on the way back to the airport in the morning. Usually we just pass through the airport.
Monday morning, we had an uneventful flight to Manila and arrived around 2 pm ... just in time to go to work! We headed into the office, worked until around midnight, and then went back to the hotel. I fell asleep easily, but my eyes popped open at 7:00 am. The nice thing about being an early riser was that it was 5 pm back home ... so I got to have a video chat via Skype with Mike and Fiona. And then I hit the outdoor pool to enjoy the warm weather and get a little exercise. We pretty much followed that routine the entire week. Not a lot of sleep (averaged about 4 hours/night), but a productive trip.
The flight home was uneventful and on-time - my two favorite things with flights. We all say thank goodness for Skype and hooray for Fiona - who had a great week with Dad! It's really fun to see how close they've become ... and I didn't mind all the hugs and kisses she gave when I got home.
We learned that technology can definitely make this global parenting a little easier ... but are in no hurry to employ it again for a while. I think I'll just stay home with my favorites ... and try to adjust back to this time zone!
And because I know most of you visit to see pictures of Fiona, here is my "helper" as we folded all the laundry from the last week and a cute shot of her and Daddy.
The trip did not start off well. My flight was three hours delayed out of Minneapolis, which meant that we missed our connection in Tokyo. (No, Dad, I didn't have a turd in my pocket. Thank goodness, I was traveling with a co-worker.) So we arrived in Tokyo around 9:00 pm, were re-booked on Japan Airlines for the morning, and shuttled to a Radisson about 20 minutes away.
My room had two twin beds (I didn't know there were still hotel rooms with twin beds!). I waited until 10:00 pm (7:00 am Sunday in MN) to use my free 3 minute international phone call to let Mike know where I was in the world. And then I tried to pretend I was tired. I wasn't. But it was fun to see Japan on the way back to the airport in the morning. Usually we just pass through the airport.
Monday morning, we had an uneventful flight to Manila and arrived around 2 pm ... just in time to go to work! We headed into the office, worked until around midnight, and then went back to the hotel. I fell asleep easily, but my eyes popped open at 7:00 am. The nice thing about being an early riser was that it was 5 pm back home ... so I got to have a video chat via Skype with Mike and Fiona. And then I hit the outdoor pool to enjoy the warm weather and get a little exercise. We pretty much followed that routine the entire week. Not a lot of sleep (averaged about 4 hours/night), but a productive trip.
The flight home was uneventful and on-time - my two favorite things with flights. We all say thank goodness for Skype and hooray for Fiona - who had a great week with Dad! It's really fun to see how close they've become ... and I didn't mind all the hugs and kisses she gave when I got home.
We learned that technology can definitely make this global parenting a little easier ... but are in no hurry to employ it again for a while. I think I'll just stay home with my favorites ... and try to adjust back to this time zone!
And because I know most of you visit to see pictures of Fiona, here is my "helper" as we folded all the laundry from the last week and a cute shot of her and Daddy.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Super Girl!
We are so proud and excited! We met with Fiona's physical therapist today, who recommended that she NOT wear her braces anymore. She felt that the braces are now hindering her natural development. Official speak for what Mike and I already thought - they are just plain in her way!
She may still need braces going forward, but for now, the Bug is flying on her own power. And judging by the attempts to stand on her own tonight, she is thrilled to be free!
She may still need braces going forward, but for now, the Bug is flying on her own power. And judging by the attempts to stand on her own tonight, she is thrilled to be free!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Bug Tales
Fiona has personality to spare. She is our favorite source of entertainment and never ceases to amaze us with all the things she is learning ... and her sense of humor. She knows she's a riot! So I wanted to share these fun anecdotes so you can get a glimpse into the cool little girl who shares her smile with us!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last week, we went to Target - a pretty standard weekly trip. We headed toward the baby section to get some new washcloths. I grabbed a pack of pink ones. She gave me an "oooooo" of approval. Mike asked if we should get another pack. I said "sure, we'll use them," so he picked a pack of yellow ones. He showed them to Fiona and was met with a scowl and a loud, emphatic "NO" as she batted them away. We were so shocked that we put them back and were at the checkout lane before realizing that we could have just bought two packs of the pink ones.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the same Target trip, we went to the toddler PJs section because she needed some winter jammies. I grabbed a few, and since I like to involve her, held up a pink pair and a purple pair and asked her which one she wanted. She chose pink (sensing a theme?). So I then held up two different pink pairs and asked again. She said, clear as a bell, "both." This kid is going to be expensive! ;-)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday, Fiona and I were playing with her toy kitchen. I asked her if she wanted to bake something. She got really excited and crawled around the living room gathering supplies. Into the toy oven went her socks and my cell phone. Then she shut the oven door, looked at me, and said "cake." Maybe chef is not a good vocational choice for her ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This morning, Bugs and Daddy were playing in the living room before day care. She saw a cow on TV and said "puppy." Mike corrected her and told her it was a cow. She looked at him and said "mooooo."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last week, we went to Target - a pretty standard weekly trip. We headed toward the baby section to get some new washcloths. I grabbed a pack of pink ones. She gave me an "oooooo" of approval. Mike asked if we should get another pack. I said "sure, we'll use them," so he picked a pack of yellow ones. He showed them to Fiona and was met with a scowl and a loud, emphatic "NO" as she batted them away. We were so shocked that we put them back and were at the checkout lane before realizing that we could have just bought two packs of the pink ones.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the same Target trip, we went to the toddler PJs section because she needed some winter jammies. I grabbed a few, and since I like to involve her, held up a pink pair and a purple pair and asked her which one she wanted. She chose pink (sensing a theme?). So I then held up two different pink pairs and asked again. She said, clear as a bell, "both." This kid is going to be expensive! ;-)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday, Fiona and I were playing with her toy kitchen. I asked her if she wanted to bake something. She got really excited and crawled around the living room gathering supplies. Into the toy oven went her socks and my cell phone. Then she shut the oven door, looked at me, and said "cake." Maybe chef is not a good vocational choice for her ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This morning, Bugs and Daddy were playing in the living room before day care. She saw a cow on TV and said "puppy." Mike corrected her and told her it was a cow. She looked at him and said "mooooo."
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The Wheels on the Bus
Because of her spina bifida, Fiona qualifies for assistance and therapy through the school district. We love the teacher and physical therapist who come (Miss A and Miss N) - so are thrilled to see them each month. Last week when they were visiting, we were discussing Fiona's quest to walk and how her current walker toy was just a little too fast for her. We mentioned that we were considering trying to find a new one that we could weigh down.
They told us to save our money (did I mention we LOVE them!?!?). They had several - with cool stuffed animals weights - and could loan us one! So yesterday, a borrowed Barney school bus arrived at our house. While Fiona did not feel like testing it out when her friends brought it, by the end of the evening, she was cruising all over the place.
Check out our girl walking! We are SO proud!! (and check out poor Yogi, who is slow to embrace each milestone in Fiona's mobility because it means she can attack him faster)
They told us to save our money (did I mention we LOVE them!?!?). They had several - with cool stuffed animals weights - and could loan us one! So yesterday, a borrowed Barney school bus arrived at our house. While Fiona did not feel like testing it out when her friends brought it, by the end of the evening, she was cruising all over the place.
Check out our girl walking! We are SO proud!! (and check out poor Yogi, who is slow to embrace each milestone in Fiona's mobility because it means she can attack him faster)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)