Minneapolis Part 1

     Our trip to Minnesota will take a couple of posts.  It's a little overwhelming because I feel like there's a lot to write. On Friday night I finished Eric's wreath.  One project down, 2343223 to go! Matt got a picture of the finished project that I'll have to get later but here it is, almost finished:

     Basically the only difference is that I made the gray berries stick out, instead of following the curve of the wreath.  The colors don't look right in this picture.  The dark flowers are violet and the other ones are gray, off white and a lighter purple.  Honestly I think I would have liked it better if I did a gray yarn wreath instead of the grapevine but I thought it would be too homespun for Eric.  Oh well, I'm pleased with it for the most part.

     Also, on Friday we bought Adrian a new car seat.  We used it in Matt's car for the trip but it will normally be in my car.  I picked one out for Matt's car but I have to order it online. Here's Adrian on the way back from buying his new car seat, which took my place in the front seat.

     We left early in the morning but were a little late because I had trouble putting Adrian's car seat in.  This was after I read the instructions and thought "wow, why are 3 out of 4 car seats installed incorrectly?  How hard is it?" It was frustrating to say the least.

New seat

     We had an uneventful trip up.  Adrian slept most of the way and was pretty happy.  When we got to the hotel, we freshened up and then went to Eric's house.  We promptly wondered what drugs his roommate was on.  She asked if she could "boop" Adrian's nose.  It was weird, but at least she asked.  He lives in a house that was made into apartments.  It was nice, and it's always fun to see old houses.  

     We took a public bus from there.  While we were waiting for the bus, I was holding Adrian and he was wearing his cuffed jeans with plaid on the cuff, that white shirt with the tie and glasses printed on, and his white sweater with the ears.  This woman stopped for the light and I saw her pointing Adrian out to her passenger.  They rolled down the window and exclaimed that he was adorable and "good job mama!"  Adrian literally stops traffic.  I'm so proud.  This was Minneapolis, I'm sure those people see tons of babies right?

     So we got to the pub and Adrian needed a nap.  I was all liberal with my nursing in public and he promptly fell asleep.  I tried brown gravy for the first time in a while and didn't hate it.  I do prefer white gravy though. My dad suggested that mom and I go to Macy's by ourselves to shop while the men stayed to drink.  I didn't feel all that safe, so I said no.  It turns out Matt was nervous the whole time because he felt protective of me and Adrian.  He said he would be fine by himself, but was in protective mode with us there.  Not that I think Minneapolis is a cesspool, I'm just not used to such a big place and I did see a lot of skeezy people. I also saw a lot of homeless people, which made me sad.                                                                                          When we were finished I wanted to see the downtown Target because it's two stories and has a shopping cart escalator.  Who doesn't want to see that?  So we nonchalantly hung out around the escalator so we could watch one go up or down.  How "small town" of us.  We went to Macy's because Eric works there and we met a couple of his co workers.  They wanted to see Adrian.  Mom wanted to look at shoes but they were closing, which sucked.  We took the bus back and went swimming at the hotel.  It was Adrian's first time in a big pool so I wish I got a picture.  The water was kind of cold but he did so well and loved it!  I got him a baby float, but he was apathetic about it.  When I took him out he was kicking and smiling.  I always loved the water, maybe he'll take after me.

     Adrian always takes to Eric pretty quickly and I was glad he got to spend time with his uncle.  Stay tuned for part two!  

Catching up on the weekend

     I had a nice Mother's day.  We went to my parent's house and Michelle and I made dinner and she made dessert.  I am seriously the slowest cook ever.  I'm not sure what takes me so long.  I also take forever to eat, and Adrian takes after me.

My messy eater and a hopeful beggar.

       As discovered at our wedding, Matt and I have opposite tastes in flowers.  For example Matt likes calla lilies, while I would prefer begonias. I knew Matt would do a great job with a garden because he has an artistic eye.  I feel like he is better at seeing the bigger picture, whereas I would just pick what I thought was pretty and all the flowers would be the same height and wouldn't look put together. We decided he will plant the garden by the back porch and I would do a couple of pots in front.  I picked some fuchsia impatiens for the front door. I'm afraid they clash with my bright spring wreath but I doubt anyone cares.

New toy from Auntie Cheryl

     Adrian is crawling!  He also is able to get into a sitting position by himself, and his two little bottom front teeth are coming in.  He changes so quickly.  We swear he said "dada" the other day while looking at Matt.  He has been sleeping in his pack n play for at least 6 hours every night.  He'll be moving to his crib soon.  I've been trying to take him outside as much as I can and he loves to just sit and play on his blanket.  We go on walks when Matt is home and it's so nice to enjoy the fresh air.  I'm excited to have a summer that's pregnancy free.  I don't feel like I'm dying every time I get into a hot car, my ankles are a normal size, and I don't get tired after walking for 5 minutes.  In fact, if we have another baby I'm going to avoid being big during the hottest part of the summer.

     As Adrian gets bigger and his clothes and baby equipment get stored, I'm feeling more of a need to get rid of things.  Our storage room is out of control.  It feels like such a waste to have a bunch of crap sitting there that never gets used.  I'm a recovering hoarder and even though I want to get rid of things, it's still hard for me.  I have to be in just the right mood.  Though I must say, I've never regretted tossing anything.  This weekend our goal is to clean the storage room out, so wish me luck.  

It's the 90s again!

     Last weekend we went to a new Pier One that opened and had lunch at Subway.  We also had to go to Nebraska Furniture Mart to get Matt a new couch for his man cave.  The one he ordered wouldn't fit past the front door because there is a closet right in front of it that takes up a lot of space. He was disappointed but he found a new set he likes just as much.

      Somehow I've either gotten rid of most of my clothes or they just don't fit anymore.  I ended up with more work clothes than anything else.  I needed tank tops and shorts and we decided to look at Gordmans.  I'm not sure what's going on with fashion these days but apparently no one thinks you should need to wear a bra. Also it is nearly impossible to find anything with  a shape. There are lots of sheer tops or lace tops that require a camisole or bandeau bra underneath; I don't want to wear layers when it's 95 degrees out.  When I found a solid shirt it would be all lace or sheer material on the back or at least at the shoulders.  Then there are crop tops.  It's the 90s again! I say that, not with excitement, but with pure rage and disgust.  Alright, rage is an exaggeration. Obviously, I already lived in the 90s and they weren't that long ago.  We wore some ugly shit.  I have no desire to relive it. I got very frustrated when I couldn't even find anything to try on.  As for shorts,  they no longer carry the dress shorts I like to wear.  I don't want anything too short or tight against my huge-ass thighs.

     I tried the missy section and found exactly 3 tank tops; none were my style.  I left empty handed and pissed off.  This week I tried Kohls and had better luck.  This is because I gave up.  I found a t-shirt with a lace front that I can wear a cami underneath, a really cute dress, a 3/4 sleeved gingham button down, and a dark mint green purse.  These became my Mother's day gifts.  I tried on several lacey and sheer tops that did not look good on me.  I found some tank tops but they were all tent-like and/or sheer.  Whatever I'm looking for doesn't exist anymore.  There are a lot of sleeveless shirts shaped like this instead:

     In the end, I gave into the damn sheer trend; but I did it my way.  I bought three 60s inspired tops from Modcloth:

     Are they shapeless still?  Yes.  However I won't be getting flashbacks from the days when I wore leggings with straps on the feet and a huge sweatshirt with a giant smiley face in the middle.  If you love the 90s, more power to you.  Perhaps you will pull the look off better than me.

     Have a great weekend and a happy Mother's Day!

9 Months

   
Nine months sounds so old but here we are!  Adrian has changed so much in just a month.  I'm a week late writing this and he has gotten a couple of new milestones since then, but I'm counting everything he was able to do as of May 2nd. So here is what Adrian was like at exactly 9 months:

9 Month Stats:
Height: 29 3/4 inches (91%)

Weight: 19lbs 3oz (28%)

Milestones:

• Crawled backwards
• Put his hands and feet flat on the ground
• Grew out of his baby swing
• Moved all over by rolling, pivoting, scooting and crawling backward
• His two bottom teeth are peeking through

Likes:

• The sound of his voice. Just like his mom.
• Screaming; but not angry screaming.  I call it his war cry.  He just yells really loud, shakes his arms a little and then babbles.  He already has his yell down for Taekwondo! 
• Ignoring the toys he is surrounded by to go for something he can't play with
• When his dad makes funny voices
• Going for walks

I've fallen behind

I owe you Adrian's 9 month post, so I'll be doing that tomorrow.  I also have a rant about clothing to share.  I've had a fever for the past couple of days and I haven't felt like writing.  Here is a picture for the meantime!

Adrian sleeping like Matt, with his lower lip sticking out.