Good Eats

Lucia has gotten a bigger belly since arriving in Norway. Nina has been great to try 67 things in a row for Miss Picky Eater. Witness her belly.

Adventures

Here we are waiting for the bus before a trip downtown today. Brrrr.

Ahem

Look what habit we've picked up in Norway. I think it's the dry air...

Walking in Da Snow

We ventured out on Christmas day for a walk through Gamle Bergen, which translates to Old Bergen. There were a lot of people out, actually. Little Miss did not like getting her hands cold, which apparently changed yesterday when she ate tons of snow. At any rate, here's a quick video of Pete and Lucia walking. Also, there's new pictures at the album link below (previous post). Enjoy!

Fun with a Spoon!

Nina has taught Lucia how to eat with a spoon!

Merry Christmas!

Hope yours is Merry and bright.

Day 4 in Review

Day 4 was good! Well, it didn't start that great: I've had terrible insomnia, so I was up from 3-7 a.m. Norway time (6-10 p.m. PST) just hanging out, unable to sleep despite feeling exhausted. I finally fell asleep, and the next thing I knew, Nina was waking us and letting us know it was 12:30 p.m. Whoopsies.

Today's plan was to meet Pete's friend at the mall around lunchtime; since that didn't pan out, we decided to head to the mall anyway, but pick up Pete's brother on the way. There's been a bit of snow here, maybe 6 inches? And Pete -- believe it or not -- had never driven on snow like this, since when he lived here he didn't own a car. So here's a video we shot while we were waiting for his brother to come out.




And then here's the shot of what the next almost two hours held:



Oooof. Apparently everyone had been stuck at home with the snow and wanted to get out too. Hard to believe in NORWAY, but the town reminds me of Annapolis -- teeny roads in the main town, and once you're snowed in, you're basically stuck.

So anyway. The mall was good. I managed to order coffee in Norwegian, and find a toilet that was free. SCORE. Little Miss had a rough time falling asleep tonight, so we let her stay up a bit later and entertain us with her hat.




We have more taken from tonight, but we gotta get to bed. Cross your fingers that I can actually sleep. :)

Pictures

Check out our pictures here.

Pictures of the Day! And Happy News!

My suitcase has been found and should be here momentarily. Hooray!

Here are some pictures from this morning; we thought it was going to be relatively nice day, but um, watch the video and you can see why we decided to stay in. Brrrrrr!

Testing Video

I have a new camera -- THANKS SANTA!! -- and we're testing to see if it imports video OK. Here goes.

Phew!

We found more of this at the pharmacy today -- PHEW!

Having Fun!

First Night

Lucia with Nina and Mormor

We're Here

And we learned some lessons along the way:

1. When you get print tickets for your infant traveler only, put them with your passports immediately so you won't have a mad dash at 11 p.m. the night before your trip trying to remember where they are.
2. If you happen to call the airline to ask for assistance in this particular case, DO NOT trust them when they say it's no problem that you don't have them, as long as you have the booking code you're good to go.
3. When you wake up late and think, whew we've got another hour to get ready, USE THAT HOUR WISELY. i.e. not on Facebook.
   
4. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES fly into JFK. Just don't. DON'T. If you do, you have to LEAVE SECURITY AND WALK OUTSIDE in 20 degree weather WITHOUT YOUR COATS (even on the baby!!) to take a decrepit train and then proceed through security all over again.
   
5. DO NOT forget to change the baby's diaper regularly, even if baby seems perfectly comfortable and fine. Set timers, whatever you gotta do, just get that done regularly.
   
6. DO NOT pack any less than 7 diapers. There's a good chance you'll get poo or pee on you.
   
7. Do not pack any less than THREE backup outfits, cause you'll have to recycle previously peed on outfits when #2 bites it, you can't find the socks, and oh yeah, there's poop on the blanket.
   
8. DO NOT pack all of your clothes and the baby's clothes and for crying out loud, the baby's formula all in one suitcase. Because if you happened to not listen to Rule #4, you will be SO shitouttaluck when that suitcase doesn't arrive.
   

The good news: Christmas gifts, all my stuff for showering, etc. made it, and we didn't lose the baby in NY. It could have been worse, although I'm not sure we'll do a two-stop trip again to try to find out.

Say a prayer my suitcase makes it.

Making Our Lists and Well, You know...

We're plotting the last-minute details for our trip to Norway. We're taking the train, then taking the subway to the airport, since parking is now $15 a day. OOF.

Our to-do lists are insane, and they start with getting us feeling better. Lucia and I both shared the distinguished honor of having chest x-rays today (hers was clear, mine we're waiting to hear back from).

Hers

This cold has snowballed into bronchitis for me and then snowballed further into asthma problems. Yikes. We've pulled out the big guns and hope to have me turned around and feeling like my old self again by Thursday, understanding that the trip will be tiring. I plan on sleeping a lot when we get there. Like, a LOT.

We celebrated Christmas with my parents tonight; well really we just opened the gifts from them. They were super lovely, and we can't wait to use some of them. :) Hooray.

Pete and I celebrated (har har) a very long day spanning three hospitals with make-your-own pizza night, complete with delicious prosciutto and fresh basil. We were low on mozzarella, but our friend parmesan stepped up and we were impressed.

More to come as we are counting down...

Redwood City festivites

Christmas parade start

Last night we went to see the festivities that took place in Redwood City. There was hot dog stands, live music, somebody had even brought in snow for kids to play in! There was a small train, and a carousel, and then there was the parade and the fireworks. A fun night, and good break from all the drama at home!

Little miss pukey barfs again

Third night i a row now. What a joy. Tonight was the worst I think because she threw up all over Heather, the rocking chair, and later also on the carpet. They were both soaked and naturally they both took a bath together for the first time. Which looked like a lot of fun actually. Needless to say, laundry is high on the list these days.

Mornin!

New dance moves

Twirl from Pete Hansen on Vimeo.

New rubber, more fruit

Went to Costco yesterday to install the new tires we got from Heathers parents for Christmas. What a difference! We haven't had rain yet, but they make the car feel very different, much smoother and quieter. Tusen takk!
I also picked up more fruit. Lucia will eat this $9 tray in a 2-3 days:

A fun table

Who knew a table could be so much fun?

So cold!

It has been really cold here lately.

Thanks!

It's Thanksgiving! I'm so thankful for a lot of things this year:

• our health, which isn't a small feat given the flu season and you-know-who being in daycare.
• my job and financial security.
• our new apartment, and the loveliness that comes with living in a real neighborhood and feeling a sense of community.
• our friends and family. You know who you are, peeps.
  
• healthcare. Nuff said.
• A precious dog that continues to provide unconditional love despite playing second fiddle to you-know-who.
  
• a great marriage to my best friend. The man is my rock.
  
• You-know-who, who astounds me everyday with more and more love and wonder.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Spoiled!

Fun with Mimi and (Big) Papa! My parents are in town, and OF COURSE we have an insane schedule planned. I tried really really hard to dial it back to manageable, and it's getting crazy anyway.

Yesterday, our first task was to fix my sewing machine. It keeps jamming, which turns a basic 30-minute job into a six-hour event which usually ends with me cussing a lot. Right. So we adjusted the tension on the bobbin, then took it to a store to have it fixed. He adjusted the tension even more, and VOILA, we think it's working again. Finally, we can hem our bedroom curtains, and I can get crackin on my Christmas presents.

THEN, mom and I set out yesterday to find musical toys that 1. weren't babyish and 2. had multiple components to be interesting, since Lucia lights up and continues to dance at the mere hint of music. Pete and I are also trying to limit the amount of plastic China crap we buy, so there was that consideration too. We settled on three toys that had songs, one includes a table (pictures to come). Now she dances and wiggles even more, if that was possible.

THEN we went to have manicures and pedicures. And then Pete and I went out for an outstanding birthday dinner for me. It was so fun and delicious.

Tonight we're having a nice dinner with Josh, tomorrow night Mom and I are going to my sewing class, Thursday night they're having dinner with Josh and his boss, Friday day I'm off work and Mom and I are going shoe shopping (!), Friday night we're going to see our awesome friends Chris and Mandy, Saturday we're tentatively planning a picnic, and Sunday they go home.

In between all that, we're trying to enjoy Little Miss as much as we can. She's just such a ball of love and grins.

Babble Babble Babble

Lucia is very very into a few things lately:

• Babbling. It goes like this: Babble Babble Babble. Pause. Babble Babble Babble. Pause. She likes to say some things (uninteligable) with lots of emphasis and volume, like SHE REALLY MEANS IT.
• Reading books. She wakes up and likes to finish her *milk, then heads to her bookshelf to select a book. We read that one. Then another. Then another. Then another. Then repeat the first one. Then we go in and wake up Daddy and she wants him to read her more. She holds out a book and says: BEEEE BEEEEEEED. We're interpeting that as READ! *milk = formula
  
• Combing her hair. I taught her how to do this a few weeks ago; now she gets a certain proud look on her face when she does it. It's hilarious, since most of the time she's just moving the handle across her head.
  

In other news:

• Lucia has a cold, which means she's super stuffy and unfortunately for Pete, super cranky all day. OOOF. We're hoping she's on the mend soon, and we're REALLY hoping, we don't get it.
  
• Related: she'll be starting daycare 2 days a week next week. Pete is basically over the moon at this news. It's great; she's adjusting to Stacey and now doesn't have a problem being dropped off. Hooray!
  
• I turn 36 Friday, and I can tell you 100% certainty this has been the longest year of my life. Really.
  
• My parents arrive Sunday! FUN! We're really excited to hang with them and for them to babysit see Lucia. ;)
  

Even More Halloween Pictures

Cause we know you can't get enough. They start on p2 -- we went to a friend's baby shower.

Halloween!

I had no idea, but this was Pete's first year celebrating a traditional Halloween in the US. Traditional = trick-or-treating and carving a pumpkin. We carved our pumpkin Friday night -- well I should say Pete carved it. I showed him the general idea, and he did it in no time flat. I remembered pumpkins taking FOREVER when we were little. Guess it's like most things when you grow up -- time goes really fast. Anyway, our jack-o-lantern looks awesome!

On Saturday we had two parties to attend: one was a party/baby shower for friends of friends who wanted us to meet so we could know other people nearby with babies. I made them an awesome baby blanket (if I do say so myself!).

Both parties called for costumes on the babies (thankfully not us, as we agreed we are TERRIBLE at coming up with costumes). We dressed little Miss in her costume, which was a flower. We were thrilled to get a bee goody bag from friends for Lucia's birthday (by coincidence!), and her ensemble was complete. I was nervous she wouldn't tolerate the hat/hood, but she seemed to do great. We put her in a long-sleeve onesie, just in case it was cold. She refused to wear the matching booties, so fine, we let her wear her polka dot shoes. They actually looked adorable with the rest of it.

See? At the second party we went trick-or-treating, and it was great fun. Lucia is just thrilled to walk down the sidewalk by herself; I think she would have been perfectly happy if we just did that all night. But we taught her to walk up to houses, to ring the doorbell or knock, and say "Trick Or Treat!" and of course, Thank You after getting candy. Towards the end, she just wanted to go into each house and explore (uh, no Lucia). We didn't let her eat any of her candy (allergies, and well, who NEEDS to eat candy?), but I ate 2 Reese's Peanut Butter cups for old time's sake. Dangit those things are still good. Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Privacy Settings

I opened the blog back up for a day just in case people didn't get a chance to email Pete to ask for permission, as some of you have mentioned. You can email me (Heather) at runhlrun@gmail.com or Pete at drazdiak@sbcglobal.net to get into it. From there, either use a google account OR sign in as a guest to view the blog.

More pictures from Halloween to come...

Trick or Treat!

TrickOrTreat

Test Driving Looks for Norway

We're going to Norway for Christmas and getting geared up to endure the cold. How's this for a look? She looks like she's being tortured in this picture; we assure you she was smiling 5 seconds before this.

Could Moonwalking Be Far Off?

In the past few days Lucia has learned to walk backwards, and is very excited to demonstrate it at any time. We're working on getting video...

In other developmental milestones, Lucia is "talking" more and more. If you ask her if she wants to go somewhere, she runs to the door and the pitch and rate of her jabbering really picks up. She points to her shoes, and is clearly ready to go wherever you're going. Even if it's just around the block with the dog. I accompanied Pete and Mrs. B on their jaunt last night and held Lucia's hand tightly as she walked on the sidewalk. I think just going around the block was exhausting for her, but she seemed excited to not be carried.

Her feet are growing, and we purchased some new shoes today for her to wear this winter (please let them last until then!).

Run Lucia Run

Today was such a beautiful day, warm but not too warm, perfect for a walk in the park.

Lions share of fun

Lucia and the lion

Day care loaction

This picture is pretty long and wide, you may have to click on it to see the details. It shows where we live on the left and where Lucia's day care is located on the right. Not very far at all!

Sigh

As you know we've been sick. Lucia coughed twice yesterday morning, and it didn't sound great. We called day care and they said don't worry, and bring her over. So we did. I called at 3 to check in and ask about her cough; our day care provider said she had only heard her cough 1-2 times.

When I picked her up at 5 though, I noticed she was really congested, and when I got her home and sat with her, when she coughed I noticed she wheezed when she breathed out. I have asthma. My family unfortunately has a very bad track record with asthma (read: highly dangerous). But I didn't think it was asthma last night; I was freaked out at the prospect of having the H1N1 flu. Or really any flu. Because of her allergy to egg, she can't have flu shots.

The good news is that since getting her up 2 hours ago, she hasn't coughed once and her congestion appears to be gone. Hmmmm. Then I remembered that our daycare provider said she just loved playing in the hay in the backyard (Stacey has her backyard all decorated festive for Halloween/Fall). I'm highly allergic to hay. I didn't put it together until this morning.

She's likely highly allergic to hay. The symptoms that resulted out of this allergic reaction are upsetting; she might have asthma in the future. :(

Sick, Party of 3

We've all been sick this week. It started with Lucia running a fever Saturday, and Sunday. I felt bad Monday and went downhill. Yesterday I felt like I got hit by a bus. I'm better today, but now Pete feels like he got hit by a bus. Then Lucia started running a fever again tonight. Good lord.

After two days at home, I'm headed back to work tomorrow. I hope Pete and Lucia are on the mend soon.

Early rain this year

We expected at least a few more weeks before the rain arrived, but here it is. All of it, it seems. Fortunately no leaks except outside over the grill. A clogged drain probably.
Heather has been home from work today and in bed almost all day having flu-like symptoms. Don't think its the flu though.

Secret Speakeasy Blog

Due to several concerns we have decided to make the blog more exclusive. It will be on an invitation only basis from tomorrow on.

Please contact me on email for an invitation:

drazdiak@sbcglobal.net

RC Fire Dept. pays a visit.

How scary, how stupid. A few days ago I was cooking rice and I thought I burned it just a little bit. I checked it and it looked fine apart from being a little smelly, but Mrs. Baylee doesn't mind that Im sure. That's when I notice all the smoke in the apartment. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from the rice was still boiling when I checked it. I look outside to see if smoke is coming from the garage or laundry room. Nope, Heather says get the baby out of the house. I say no its probably just the rice that burned. Heather is calling 911. The fire department arrives 90 seconds later. There was some worry that it could have come from the guy downstairs which smokes but nope, it was me.

What probably happened was too high heat. I had just boiled chicken and while I had taken those out and was reusing the boiling water and had added more fresh water, I didn't adjust the temperature.

I would like to look at this experience as a very useful dry run or fire drill, no pun intended. We noticed that none of the smoke detectors went off, which is bad. I tested all of them and replaced their batteries regardless. The living room has no detector, while there's one out in the hallway I don't think its enough if there's smoke all the way over in the living room, so I am going to pick up a new detector and mount in the living room.

I also realize we need to prepare our emergency kit, (quake kit) and we also need at least two fire extinguisher inside the apartment. No use in having one in the garage when the stress makes you forget to bring the keys to the garage let alone have time go go all the way down there when the heat is on.

Liz's Birthday

We went to celebrate Liz's birthday last weekend and had a really good time. First stop was at this interesting teahouse in Noe Valley where they serve old style foods and lots of tea, the place may also looks like your great great grandmothers apartment. Second stop was a special home brewery bar; The Elizabeth Street Brewery. I liked this part the most. This guy Richard had his garage fixed by the show While You Were Out on TLC (the TV channel) and they turned it into a bar where he brew his own beer and have guests. Pretty awesome night. There was cake too.

Doctor visit

A routine checkup shows Lucia is tall and skinny for her age.

A walk in the park

Lucia, Mrs. B and I went to a park today to enjoy the nice weather. Unfortunately Lucia fell kind of hard on her nose so she bled a little, I didn't realize this until later because she didn't cry over it.
If you click on the image you can see she has a little red dot.

New Pom Pom Sweater

BRRR. It's cold here!

More birthday pictures

Lucia was running low on fuel by the time we brought out her cup cake. She didn't like it. She quickly ate the raspberry off the top and didn't really know what to do next.

A Few Pics from Amy T...

She's 1

She's 1, her party was a hit, we're exhausted, and we'll post pictures as soon as we can.

We can't believe it's been a year. Then again, man it's been a long year in some respects.

New duties

Lucia cleans. God knows she didn't learn it from me (Heather). :)

A trip to the allergist

We went to an allergist today to find out what Lucia may be allergic to. Since she obviously is allergic to all dairy products, we thought she may also be allergic to other foods.
It turns out she is also allergic to egg, much more allergic, so we have to buy her an emergency shot we can give her if needed.

Oh Sure She LOOKS Cute...

Don't get us wrong, we're madly in love with her, but dang, the kid has been challenging. It started with my trip back East to see my family. I'm not sure why, but she was all out of sorts and unsure about sleeping, so naptime became battle time, which you know is always a blast. She'd settle down and sleep if I was holding her tight on my bed, but as soon as I'd put her in the pack n play, there was hell to pay.

Side note: she was absolutely adorable otherwise, and charmed the pants off the family (again). Even the dog is smitten.

So we got home Monday afternoon; she was terribly jetlagged and went to bed at 4:30 p.m. You read that right. We woke her up around 10 and gave her a big bottle, and hoped for the best. It doesn't hurt to be optimistic, but it sure didn't get us much that night: she was up at 2:30, 4:30, 5 and 6.

So Tuesday we vowed to try to get her back on track. Her morning nap went OK, but in the afternoon, again poor Pete had Battle Royale to try to get her to go down. That night she went to bed at 5:30. Making progress...

Yesterday was her first day at daycare, and we prepared our provider for the worst. Don't worry, she said. I called at lunch and as predicted, Little Miss threw a fit for her morning nap. I picked her up after work, and our provider said the afternoon was even worse. FUN!! We put her down at 7 p.m.

Today: same story. Fine on her morning nap, then absolutely tantrum for the afternoon nap. Good god. I came home and Pete was practically hanging from the ceiling.

Dear Little Girl, please get back on your schedule. You're driving Daddy crazy. Thanks!

First Swim

The first trip to the swimming pool actually happened at the old place in Mountain View, but it was not really a real swimming trip as Lucia started screaming bloody murder by the time the cold water reached her knees. (See small photo)

This time was a success, she didn't cry or freak out, but it will be a while before she does laps.

She seemed a little hesitant about the water itself, so we took it slow and let her get used to the water on her own terms. We are all excited to go back!