"No, I don't want to!"
"I'm thinking about it."
"Cheese!"Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
All in a day's work . . .
Playtime
Naptime
BathtimeAlong with all that fun comes a pretty big appetite.
Just look at those chubby cheeks!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Fun Finds
Just thought you would enjoy hearing about a few "tastes from home" we've discovered recently.
- Cookie dough ice cream - it's not exactly that, but it comes close enough for our deprived taste buds.
- Snyder's pretzels - they don't have the really big, hard ones like Mark and his dad love, but it's pretty cool to find something from Mark's home state of PA around. What we found were honey mustard, cheddar cheese, and hot buffalo wings flavors. Mark actually doesn't like any of them, but I think they're great!
- Saltine-like crackers - they come in two flavors - tomato and olive. We prefer the tomato ones.
- Nesquick chocolate syrup - it's not Hershey's but it's a lot closer than the knock-off brand we can buy here normally.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Choices, choices . . .
Because we share a vehicle with 2 other families we have to get a little creative when it comes to getting around town sometimes. It wasn't really a big deal before Nathan came along, but now getting out of the house requires quite a bit of planning and sometimes A LOT of sweat!
We have good public transportation here. There are buses, taxis, 5 person taxi things. And for us, since we live in a small city and our apartment is not too far from downtown, there's the option to walk. I used to walk everywhere! And if I didn't feel like walking all the way downtown I would hop into one of the 5 person taxis and go. Then just about the time Nathan was born we discovered that we really like the buses (the bus stop is closer to our house than any other mode of transportation).
For the first few weeks of Nathan's life I pretty much went nowhere without Mark. So it didn't matter how we traveled - car, bus, taxi, etc. (and there was no walking because I was still recovering). He took care of getting Nathan, the car seat and/or stroller in and out of whatever situation we found ourselves in. Well, now that I'm getting out mostly by myself I've been experimenting with various modes of transportation. Earlier in the week I decided to carry Nathan in the snugli front carrier and take a bus . . . great in theory but after sitting on an unairconditioned bus, walking around in 90 something degree temps for a couple of hours, and riding another unairconditioned bus home I decided I would try to avoid doing that again this summer. Today I decided to walk . . . again great in theory. If you could only see the hills I pushed the stroller up and down today! This morning it took 30 minutes walking into town (Mark was pushing the stroller) and coming home took 45 minutes (just Nathan and me). Not only are there lots of steep hills, the sidewalks here are a nightmare! I don't even know where to begin trying to describe them! Anyway . . . I have decided that making walking downtown and back a regular thing may be too much until the weather cools off.
So what options am I left with??? Taking the stroller on the bus . . . possible, but definitely would need someone else to hold the baby while I lug that heavy thing onto the bus and often there's no one else getting on or off at our stop. Taking the stroller in the 5 person taxi . . . might work if I always get on at the beginning point and always get out at the stopping point. I might try it next week. Carrying Nathan in the snugli and riding a 5 person taxi . . . but sometimes you have to crawl over people to get to the back seat. I wonder if they would give up a front seat so I could avoid dumping Nathan into the floor? No to mention I'd still be carrying him around in the heat like that - yuck! A regular taxi is too expensive. I could just hold him the whole time, but how would I get any errands done?
Anyway . . . I never dreamed that one of the biggest choices I would have to make daily would be whether or not to use the snugli or stroller and whether or not I wanted to walk or take a bus/taxi. At the end of the day I might return home exhausted, hot, and soaking wet with sweat, but just think of the adventures and opportunities I'd be missing if I simply stayed at home!
Here's wishing you a day full of traveling adventures . . .
We have good public transportation here. There are buses, taxis, 5 person taxi things. And for us, since we live in a small city and our apartment is not too far from downtown, there's the option to walk. I used to walk everywhere! And if I didn't feel like walking all the way downtown I would hop into one of the 5 person taxis and go. Then just about the time Nathan was born we discovered that we really like the buses (the bus stop is closer to our house than any other mode of transportation).
For the first few weeks of Nathan's life I pretty much went nowhere without Mark. So it didn't matter how we traveled - car, bus, taxi, etc. (and there was no walking because I was still recovering). He took care of getting Nathan, the car seat and/or stroller in and out of whatever situation we found ourselves in. Well, now that I'm getting out mostly by myself I've been experimenting with various modes of transportation. Earlier in the week I decided to carry Nathan in the snugli front carrier and take a bus . . . great in theory but after sitting on an unairconditioned bus, walking around in 90 something degree temps for a couple of hours, and riding another unairconditioned bus home I decided I would try to avoid doing that again this summer. Today I decided to walk . . . again great in theory. If you could only see the hills I pushed the stroller up and down today! This morning it took 30 minutes walking into town (Mark was pushing the stroller) and coming home took 45 minutes (just Nathan and me). Not only are there lots of steep hills, the sidewalks here are a nightmare! I don't even know where to begin trying to describe them! Anyway . . . I have decided that making walking downtown and back a regular thing may be too much until the weather cools off.
So what options am I left with??? Taking the stroller on the bus . . . possible, but definitely would need someone else to hold the baby while I lug that heavy thing onto the bus and often there's no one else getting on or off at our stop. Taking the stroller in the 5 person taxi . . . might work if I always get on at the beginning point and always get out at the stopping point. I might try it next week. Carrying Nathan in the snugli and riding a 5 person taxi . . . but sometimes you have to crawl over people to get to the back seat. I wonder if they would give up a front seat so I could avoid dumping Nathan into the floor? No to mention I'd still be carrying him around in the heat like that - yuck! A regular taxi is too expensive. I could just hold him the whole time, but how would I get any errands done?
Anyway . . . I never dreamed that one of the biggest choices I would have to make daily would be whether or not to use the snugli or stroller and whether or not I wanted to walk or take a bus/taxi. At the end of the day I might return home exhausted, hot, and soaking wet with sweat, but just think of the adventures and opportunities I'd be missing if I simply stayed at home!
Here's wishing you a day full of traveling adventures . . .
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Recommendation
I just wanted to share with you something that we ordered to use with Nathan that has been a life-saver - a portable sleeping tent. If you are having a baby or know someone who is, this is a GREAT purchase/gift (especially if you/they travel a lot)!
Our nighttime schedule gets interrupted at least once a week - we either stay late at someone's house or have guests at our house, and we seem to travel overnight quite a bit. If we're at someone else's house, we take the tent (which collapses easily and fits in a carry-over-the-shoulder bag) and set it up in a room not being used. If we have guests at our house, we often set it up in our bedroom (because Nathan's room is right next to our living room). And we've used it in a hotel, too.
It's lightweight (MUCH lighter and easier to carry than a pack 'n play). It comes with an inflatable mattress. And it helps baby feel like he/she has their own place to sleep if their crib is not available. Plus, with the flaps closed, it blocks out extra light, if necessary. There are mesh screens on each end so that air can circulate even when the side flaps are closed.
Anyway . . . we LOVE it!!! And since we've been using it, Nathan sleeps beautifully, even away from home! What more could a parent ask for?!
Our nighttime schedule gets interrupted at least once a week - we either stay late at someone's house or have guests at our house, and we seem to travel overnight quite a bit. If we're at someone else's house, we take the tent (which collapses easily and fits in a carry-over-the-shoulder bag) and set it up in a room not being used. If we have guests at our house, we often set it up in our bedroom (because Nathan's room is right next to our living room). And we've used it in a hotel, too.
It's lightweight (MUCH lighter and easier to carry than a pack 'n play). It comes with an inflatable mattress. And it helps baby feel like he/she has their own place to sleep if their crib is not available. Plus, with the flaps closed, it blocks out extra light, if necessary. There are mesh screens on each end so that air can circulate even when the side flaps are closed.
Anyway . . . we LOVE it!!! And since we've been using it, Nathan sleeps beautifully, even away from home! What more could a parent ask for?!
Titus' Twin
While traveling last weekend we met this dog . . . don't you think he looks like Titus???
Our Titus even sits in this position all the time!
We call it the Sphinx pose.
Our Titus
Street-dog Titus
Our Titus even sits in this position all the time!We call it the Sphinx pose.
Nathan's new friend
Now that Nathan is becoming more and more aware of his surroundings we've started actually playing with a few toys. Nothing fancy, just things he can hang onto and/or put in his mouth. This little giraffe has been sitting on the shelf in his room waiting to be loved on, and we got it out yesterday to see what he would do with it. Have a look . . .
First he just hugged it.
Then he realized that one of the horns is just the right size for sucking.
When we took it away from him, that horn was soaking wet. It kind of reminded us of a tennis ball after Titus has chewed on it awhile - a little bit wet and slimy!
First he just hugged it.
Then he realized that one of the horns is just the right size for sucking.
When we took it away from him, that horn was soaking wet. It kind of reminded us of a tennis ball after Titus has chewed on it awhile - a little bit wet and slimy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)