tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38438444090714349962024-03-05T20:01:32.566-08:00The Dandelion ChroniclesI am wife to a scientist & mama to sweet boy Carter and the cutest dog in the world. I do marketing for a winery and have been a nonprofit event planner, volunteer coordinator, PR/marketing/social media guru. I am passionate, organized, creative and detail-oriented and everything in my life is color coded-and I have an amazing ability to ruin almost everything I try to bake. I am far from perfect, but at least God can see the beauty (and humor) in who I am and what happens in my life. Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-29610517329080634832014-09-05T06:49:00.000-07:002014-09-05T06:49:00.094-07:00Welcome back!Hello, little blog of mine! It’s been a while since I’ve posted in this space. Life got away from me and my blog fell away from my priorities. I was working two full-time positions for seven months while my department was down a person, breastfeeding/pumping full time, running a household (with Dave’s help, of course), raising an infant, volunteering at church, volunteering to be an advisor for a collegiate chapter of my sorority, and was asked to head a fundraising committee for a new non-profit organization in town. Did I mention that the majority of our families both live in another state and therefore weren’t easily accessible to come help or watch Carter for a little while so I could catch up on everything.<br><br>Stressed doesn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling.<br><br>I raised the white flag and sadly backed away from as many commitments as I could. First the nonprofit, then my sorority and finally church (mostly). I was still drowning in tasks at work with no help, even when I asked for it. I was doing as much as I could but spending the evenings engaged with my family (and an infant who thinks my laptop is a toy and would scream at me if I left the play area) and fulfilling my household duties left the wee hours of the morning for additional work time.<br><br>I burnt out quickly. <br><br>Even with the addition of a new staff member in June I had a lot to catch up on. And then with some additional staffing changes at work I inherited more responsibilities and the requirement to attend evening and weekend events – keeping me from my family even more. All with no financial compensation or additional time off. It was killing me that was spending so much time away from home while my baby is growing so fast. <br><br>But there’s a happy ending to this story!<br><br>Long story short, Dave’s postdoctoral position was coming to an end and he was offered a permanent position at the company which came with the awesome job title of “Laser Physicist” (how cool is that!) and a very nice raise.<br><br>This allowed us to finally take the steps to achieve one of our long-time goals…<br><br><img title="Quit Job2" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Quit Job2" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wv8E8a837Pg/VAldrytEZVI/AAAAAAAAKsU/9vQBa0rWAMY/Quit%252520Job2%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="404" height="404"><br>I get to stay at home with Carter!<br><br>I officially quit my job this week and my last day will be either September 19 or 25 (they asked me to stay for a while to help wrap up projects but I also want a solid finish date so things don’t drag out). Either way, I’ll soon get to focus on playing, reading books, and going on field trips with my little guy, plus better supporting Dave in his new position and taking care of our home… and blogging more! I am beyond excited to have this opportunity and so grateful that I have a husband who supports me staying home.<br><br>Praise God for answered prayers!<br><br>I’m looking forward to this new stage of life and hope you’ll enjoy following along, too. Cheers!<br><br><a href="http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/firebug501/media/Signature.png.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt=" photo Signature.png" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-77369344431876372422014-02-17T22:49:00.001-08:002014-02-17T22:55:55.166-08:00Day at the museumHello family and friends! It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I hate that! Work has been crazy for me lately and, unfortunately, blogging is one of the first things on the list of things I don’t have the time for. Hopefully I’ll get around to retroactively posting a few things here soon.<br />
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Anyway, today is President’s Day and both Dave and I had the day off of work. We slept in (after an early wake-up from the little guy, but eventually got him back to sleep), had a delicious brunch, hug out around the house for a while and then went to the Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose. We weren’t sure how Carter would do, but we read online that there were exhibits for younger kiddos so we figured it was worth trying out. Turns out, Carter had the time of his life! <br />
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<img alt="IMG_7426" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jaYA1at7FOQ/UwMCT6NjndI/AAAAAAAAHjw/1VFRFOJ5dBU/IMG_7426%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7426" width="504" /><br />
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We started in the “Wonder Closet” which is designed for kids ages four and under. In the baby room Carter had fun shaking tubes and dancing along while an employee played songs, crawling up wavy stairs, banging on a xylophone, seeing himself in a three-sided mirror area and watching lights dance around the room in a giant kaleidoscope. <br />
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<img alt="IMG_7443" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XSQ2P5pwHQI/UwMCUZgQ9KI/AAAAAAAAHj4/htxhoGSN2TE/IMG_7443%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="421" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7443" width="504" /><br />
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<img alt="IMG_7435" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gSUXdTTPJTk/UwMCU5o5VxI/AAAAAAAAHkA/OQWtiy-sZXk/IMG_7435%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7435" width="504" /><br />
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<img alt="IMG_7498" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Vb1kxOXCiIU/UwMCVkCbYxI/AAAAAAAAHkI/rrGt8-r6598/IMG_7498%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7498" width="504" /><br />
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<img alt="IMG_7479" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7jnnPVObf4s/UwMCWJCHUxI/AAAAAAAAHkQ/1lioOt__Br4/IMG_7479%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="406" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7479" width="504" /><br />
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<img alt="IMG_7513" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JSH0LkEULCg/UwMCWuLl-_I/AAAAAAAAHkU/pXiYkIifzlw/IMG_7513%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="385" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7513" width="504" /><br />
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After that we went to the water play area. We knew he would love this because he loves to splash around in the bath tub and play with the water. <br />
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<img alt="IMG_7538" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YHtIyurQR5M/UwMCXJn2fYI/AAAAAAAAHkg/bE50RL-IN-A/IMG_7538%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7538" width="352" /><br />
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It was so cute that they had “waterproof” smocks for the kiddos to wear. Too bad it wasn’t very effective – C would sink his whole arm in the water and the water would pool in the sleeve and then when he raised his arms up the water gushed out the arm and onto his clothes. Oh well, he still had a blast!<br />
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<img alt="IMG_7542" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-itcTmaHUV8w/UwMCXmYX8bI/AAAAAAAAHko/SOfZBBO8Aeg/IMG_7542%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7542" width="337" /><br />
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<img alt="IMG_7539" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-S9inKhr5R_E/UwMCYao-1XI/AAAAAAAAHkw/YH4hEH5P1rI/IMG_7539%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7539" width="504" /><br />
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Finally, we went to the bubble area to see how he would react. Let’s just say, this may have been his favorite part of the day…<br />
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Oh, that laugh! I’ll never get enough of it! There was a machine making bubbles and letting them float to the floor – that’s what we were “popping”. So fun. And then there was a tube blowing air that we dipped in bubble solution to make a big bubble and Carter loved popping those, too. He was already soaked from the water area so a little bubble goo on top of that was no big deal.<br />
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<img alt="IMG_7562" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vG-bc34DioA/UwMCY9WojUI/AAAAAAAAHk4/GLr0-BabH7g/IMG_7562%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7562" width="504" /><br />
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<img alt="IMG_7563" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NYBvt1gEFVU/UwMCZlSimOI/AAAAAAAAHk8/kY7tGUnSpFc/IMG_7563%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="504" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7563" width="504" /><br />
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Carter had so much fun that he fell asleep on the way home with a half-finished bottle in one hand and a little shaker toy/rain stick that Daddy bought for him in the other. Sweet kid.<br />
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It was a wonderful day! We loved watching Carter experience new things and learn and play in a new environment. We hope to have many more family days like this in the future!<br />
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Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-22088136079300733552013-12-31T15:51:00.000-08:002013-12-31T15:51:12.353-08:00A resolution for 2014: Support my fellow parentWhile browsing Facebook the other night I came across the post below from a friend from high school:<br />
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My knee-jerk reaction was "yeah, some people just aren't cut out for this parenting thing"... and then I caught myself...<br />
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You see, I've been <i>THAT MOM</i> in Target where everything was going along fine and then out of nowhere my infant son starts screaming at the top of his lungs. I quickly did a sniff test of the diaper which came back clean, nothing was pinching or hurting him, taking him out of the car seat and holding him didn't help, he ate just 45 minutes ago but even so, offering the spare bottle I brought wasn't cutting it. Nothing from my bag of tricks was working. So there I was, trying to walk and bounce my one-month old son in the middle of Target while softly singing his favorite songs, desperately trying to grab the items I needed so I could make my quick exit. Onlookers scowled at me, others watched with pity as I struggled to balance my screaming baby, push the cart, and grab the items I needed. But nobody offered help. I'm sure judgement was passed on me but what those people didn't know is that nobody wanted my son to stop crying more than I did. What they didn't know was that I was out of diapers and wipes and some essential food items and I figured that Target could be my one-stop-shop to get everything I needed and go back home as quickly as possible. What they didn't know was that it took me three days to muster up the courage to leave the house with my baby who needed constant attention from me for fear of this situation happening. What they didn't know was that it took me <i>all day</i> to try to schedule his feeding and nap times around showering, gathering items for the diaper bag, and loading the car. What they didn't know is that I was crying on the inside wishing that this trip would just end.<br />
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Even though the parent mentioned int he Facebook comment should have been giving more attention to the fact that their child was in a potentially dangerous situation, I quickly had a change of heart about my friend's post. All of a sudden I was fired up and angry at how quickly they passed judgement on this parent, and I was ashamed I had initially done the same.<br />
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When you see a parent struggling you don't know if they have had a rough day/week/month/year and their kid's behavior has left them challenged, frazzled, overwhelmed, frustrated or exhausted. Kids can be energetic and loud and are great at testing their boundaries - especially in public. And we have to take them out in public to apply the behavioral lessons learned at home. Not doing so is like assuming your degree alone will get you a job and real-life experience doesn't count. And Lord knows that you can't really control children, only teach them as they grow. My goodness, if we could so easily control our children this parenting thing would be a breeze! And let's not forget that if the child has a learning or developmental disability (autism, anyone?) then there is sometimes little the parent can do to predict, advert, or manage their child's actions.<br />
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I've seen it time and time again on social media, blogs and in real life. Observing a person's one action leads to judgement of their entire life. "<i>That mom is letting their child throw a tantrum in the middle of the grocery store. They're a bad parent!</i>" How unfair and how selfish of us to assume we know everything about a person in just a moment of observation. How awful of us to stand there and watch parents struggle and not offer assistance. I was ready to take action!<br />
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In my frustration I wrote this response to the Facebook post:<br />
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While there is no excuse for letting a toddler loose in a parking lot, the parent was probably overwhelmed and exhausted trying to wrangle a high energy toddler all day and probably could have used your helping hand to guide their child back near the car. Instead, you stood idly by and now mock them on Facebook. Good for you.</blockquote>
But I didn't hit post. It's not really my thing to get into discussions or arguments on Facebook and I wasn't looking to start an argument. Plus, I didn't want to come off all high and mighty because I am certainly not winning any parent-of-the-year awards over here. But I have re-channeled my frustration and resolve to make a change in 2014: I want to be an example of Jesus' love for us, and follow his calling for us <b>to love one another</b>. And I think I'll start with parents.<br />
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I believe that we all do our best and that we operate with the best of intentions. Some people only see a blip of our lives and that blip certainly doesn't tell the whole story... where some see a moment of weakness or oversight, God sees the whole picture of who we are. While others may look at a dandelion and see a weed, God looks at the same dandelion and sees a flower blooming. I want to see the flowers, too.<br />
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It's time we supported each other in this parenting journey, even if you don't have kids. We're all in this together. Everyone's children will inherit the world we leave them, so why not make it a better place to be?<br />
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So next time I see a parent struggling with a tantrum-throwing toddler in the store, a back-talking pre-teen at Starbucks, or a child running loose in a parking lot I will do what I can to be a help and support, not be just an observer. Whether it be a smile and nod letting them know "I feel your pain, hang in there" or physically helping a child make their way back to their parent, I want to be genuinely helpful (and hopefully not creepy).<br />
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Maybe you'll join me, maybe you won't. But in all sincerity, if you have some ways that I (or anyone) can be a help and support to other parents in a non-creepy way leave your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to hear them.<br />
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Here's to a great 2014 and to making our community a better place for parents & kids, and all who encounter them along the way. Cheers!<br />
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Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-40602467461212597252013-12-27T23:12:00.000-08:002013-12-29T11:14:08.000-08:00Christmas as a family of three<p>Christmas this year was very special for our family - it was our first time celebrating with Carter! We have been looking forward to sharing Christmas with our children for years and it was so wonderful for it to finally happen. And if that wasn’t enough we were also privileged to have my Aunt Pat and Uncle Tim come and visit us from Santa Barbara to celebrate the holiday! They are like a second set of parents to me and a third set of grandparents for Carter and we were honored to have them here!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="20131224_183139" border="0" alt="20131224_183139" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LdEc7sC6hQE/UsB0Ztd3pRI/AAAAAAAADaI/BtDnyosRM6Y/20131224_183139%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="416"> </p> <p>Pat and Tim arrived on Christmas Eve. We went to church for the Christmas Eve service and then headed out to P.F. Chang’s for a yummy dinner. Carter did well at the restaurant and even enjoyed some cuddle time with Aunt Pat after dinner.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_20131224_200229" border="0" alt="IMG_20131224_200229" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_dGvG4JsI2Y/UsB0aY6ydmI/AAAAAAAADaQ/gf-lZM0zXL8/IMG_20131224_200229%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="355"> </p> <p>Before bedtime Carter set out some egg nog and cookies and wrote a letter to Santa… well, I wrote the letter but I’m sure it was what Carter would have written, if he could write.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0415" border="0" alt="IMG_0415" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_uoNhr4tx9g/UsB0axmu95I/AAAAAAAADaU/0s6gB6_JTeQ/IMG_0415%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="392"> </p> <p>After what felt to be a short night we woke up to find that indeed Santa visited our house! </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0423" border="0" alt="IMG_0423" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vB8GqDH_w7g/UsB0b_x2VSI/AAAAAAAADag/V-cuEQENG2I/IMG_0423%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="552"> </p> <p>We caught Carter’s trip from his bedroom to the living room on video (a long-standing family tradition on my side of the family). Checking out the shoes seemed to be more exciting initially, but I’m sure that was because he didn’t know what was in store for him in the living room…</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:17e35aeb-a118-4f15-a85b-b6ce5022dde6" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="7ef7850c-959d-48aa-8e0d-33b5d391f859" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q-NIPV9N5A" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YDHrVgsAk0E/UsB0cTS5AhI/AAAAAAAADak/XYVpdhBzAEw/videoe3e0553715e0%25255B21%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('7ef7850c-959d-48aa-8e0d-33b5d391f859'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/-q-NIPV9N5A&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/-q-NIPV9N5A&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>Then the fun began as we showed Carter how to check out all of the loot from Santa in and below his stocking (that my mom, aka Grammy, made for him)! </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:4e61f785-b3f8-4f01-ae92-112827687a5d" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="2557ec02-7104-4018-8f48-90c53130048a" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwjwpaogr90" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WaiRO7A_H3E/UsB0c7VfDzI/AAAAAAAADas/YUB4j47X9vk/video33599beb66a1%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('2557ec02-7104-4018-8f48-90c53130048a'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/jwjwpaogr90&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/jwjwpaogr90&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>After this we headed into the family room where our Christmas tree was to open gifts under the tree from family and friends. The tree was certainly packed for only having five people’s gifts under it. What a blessing!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0425" border="0" alt="IMG_0425" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LLluUVQSEnk/UsB0dfuisOI/AAAAAAAADa0/eSDLiSIIZsY/IMG_0425%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="565"> </p> <p>It was really fun teaching the little guy how to open presents and he caught on pretty fast! He’ll be a gift-opening pro in no time!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0429" border="0" alt="IMG_0429" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_p5XRD3rgFk/UsB0dzTLP8I/AAAAAAAADbA/Z7UceuxTiLY/IMG_0429%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="531"> </p> <p>After opening the gifts under the tree we ate brunch, hung out, did some video calls to family, made dinner, ate dinner, and hung out some more - a pretty wonderful way to spend the day if I do say so myself!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_0442" border="0" alt="IMG_0442" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-sryLQYOYbTQ/UsB0eh-dazI/AAAAAAAADbE/ILAIF9oN1Z0/IMG_0442%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="362"> </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="PhotoGrid_1388342567740" border="0" alt="PhotoGrid_1388342567740" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SaeeAAakOls/UsB0fI2QyeI/AAAAAAAADbQ/5RFTRU9MVVc/PhotoGrid_1388342567740%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="504" height="504"> </p> <p>We had a wonderful first Christmas as a family of three and we’re so glad we got to share it with Aunt Pat and Uncle Tim! We hope your holiday was wonderful, too! Merry Christmas!</p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-31781447912641345262013-11-23T17:39:00.001-08:002013-11-23T17:39:27.214-08:00Work from home day<div style="text-align: left;">
On Wednesday our daycare provider was called to jury duty so I got the rare privilege of staying with Carter while working from home. </div>
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It wasn’t ideal to actually try and work from home since I couldn’t give all of my attention to Carter and I also couldn’t really accomplish too much while wrangling my busy baby, but it was still more time than I usually get with him so I was glad to have it.</div>
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While I was working on my laptop Carter was playing on his own just talking away and banging things together. When he wasn't paying attention to me I caught a little of his play time on video - until I was caught!<br />
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I was so glad for a day with my little love! I hope we can do it again soon...</div>
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Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-40695487974596095122013-11-13T23:17:00.001-08:002013-11-13T23:17:00.978-08:00Weekend trip to Santa Cruz<p>This past weekend we took a little family trip to Santa Cruz just to get away for a little while. It was nice to step out of our routine and spend some fun time together! </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20131109_152549" border="0" alt="20131109_152549" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WdsfE2N1_a8/UoR4zlGFWJI/AAAAAAAADXc/pnlHk2qkCgw/20131109_152549%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="349"> </p> <p>We headed out Saturday after lunch and started the fun at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. We walked around for a little bit to get the lay of the land and Carter enjoyed cruising in his stroller while sipping on a bottle - arguably the coolest baby ever.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_9651" border="0" alt="IMG_9651" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ahUPxiIoLTA/UoR40X7xhOI/AAAAAAAADXg/bGZujXEsFnM/IMG_9651%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="564"> </p> <p>Dave and I decided to take turns going on the roller coaster (The Giant Dipper) since we couldn’t take Carter on the ride. Amusement parks are certainly a little different now that we have a little one! While Dave was taking his turn on the roller coaster Carter and I (OK, just me) sampled some fried Oreos and enjoyed a beautiful ocean view. I have never had a fried Oreo before so I wasn’t sure what to expect - but it was tasty! </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="PhotoGrid_1384407632719" border="0" alt="PhotoGrid_1384407632719" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ih6ne8wATmI/UoR407pHPTI/AAAAAAAADXs/hSUXSR6K-Pc/PhotoGrid_1384407632719%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="504" height="504"> </p> <p>After the roller coaster rides we headed over to the carousel to share Carter’s very first carousel ride with him. The fun began even before the ride did! After I put Carter on a horse he just started squealing! It was so funny and we caught some of it on video:</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:5955bd90-ab35-4da8-b05f-e33959f416d7" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="137fce55-1c5a-431f-ba10-3a1fd30031d4" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy3NkC-UCu0" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_mYrM1Kkdeg/UoR41oGFFEI/AAAAAAAADXw/g3PF1_S7k3E/video4155202b2307%25255B26%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('137fce55-1c5a-431f-ba10-3a1fd30031d4'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/Yy3NkC-UCu0&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/Yy3NkC-UCu0&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>And THEN the ride started. He wasn’t really sure what to think at first and I wasn’t sure if he was excited, scared, or ready to throw up. </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:d47f356b-1366-416d-8681-4b27c98fff7a" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="f3e74cfb-b137-4baa-8e63-bd5d2d29dd18" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCKz5Qs6TBo" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sXUTh44d1ao/UoR42I7ulGI/AAAAAAAADX4/cYGS4WKXWg0/videoff4a11625016%25255B25%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('f3e74cfb-b137-4baa-8e63-bd5d2d29dd18'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/HCKz5Qs6TBo&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/HCKz5Qs6TBo&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>We made it through the ride with no crying or throw up so I call it a success! It is such a joy to be able to share Carter’s firsts with him!</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_9722" border="0" alt="IMG_9722" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WgN8UUjIwj8/UoR42vW6qUI/AAAAAAAADYA/hmD0FdP80TU/IMG_9722%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="323"></p> <p>On Sunday we went to the <a href="https://www.mysteryspot.com/" target="_blank">Mystery Spot</a> which is a gravitational anomaly where this cabin slid down a hill and because of its placement there are a lot of optical illusions where you experience variations of gravity, perspective, and height. </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9733" border="0" alt="IMG_9733" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1AFpEI8zEOM/UoR43Fn_fOI/AAAAAAAADYI/rRrq2sWDJc8/IMG_9733%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="338"> </p> <p>They claim the area “defies physics” but the optical physicist I brought with me has a different opinion ;-) At any rate, we had a fun time and took some interesting photos.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9738" border="0" alt="IMG_9738" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xx7X9OuQvfY/UoR43nK7-YI/AAAAAAAADYQ/7tvISVwGNCI/IMG_9738%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="505"> </p> <p>For the record, it was hard to keep my balance walking on a sloped floor and it was even harder doing it with a 20+ pound baby strapped to my chest!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9736" border="0" alt="IMG_9736" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-bZUz_vIPeIw/UoR44Md_hkI/AAAAAAAADYc/RiP0S-q4ec4/IMG_9736%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="604"> </p> <p> </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9737" border="0" alt="IMG_9737" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-RmKBXzi10b0/UoR4487X07I/AAAAAAAADYk/2-40eaEI5UA/IMG_9737%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="492"> </p> <p>After our Mystery Spot tour we headed to Capitola for lunch and some sightseeing. Carter enjoyed a bottle on the pier while Dave took a few fun photos.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9863" border="0" alt="IMG_9863" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HBWGf3Ny1CI/UoR45YcMFkI/AAAAAAAADYo/HfC10of-KgA/IMG_9863%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="369"> </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9889" border="0" alt="IMG_9889" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--O1pLuPA0xI/UoR45-wbrAI/AAAAAAAADY0/uql6YsM2nlY/IMG_9889%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="309"> </p> <p>This photo cracks me up. It’s like the seagull is daring anyone to clean their fish. Ha! </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9883" border="0" alt="IMG_9883" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-A7ljjm_sGP8/UoR46a08-sI/AAAAAAAADY4/_CIUbyvPcpc/IMG_9883%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="323"> </p> <p>It was time to head home and back to reality but not before Dave was able to show Carter the ocean.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9899" border="0" alt="IMG_9899" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CID79RabLp8/UoR4683dlSI/AAAAAAAADZA/9HLVWLaxESg/IMG_9899%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="370"> </p> <p>We had a wonderful weekend away and we were sad to see it end. But we are definitely looking forward to when we can get away again soon!</p> <div style="text-align: center; clear: both" class="separator"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="hhttp://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-86645129861499479282013-11-08T10:47:00.000-08:002013-11-08T10:47:00.817-08:00He's standing! (with a little help)<p>The other night Carter pulled himself up to a standing position while holding onto my hands. It was so cute because he was SO proud of himself! He was just beaming and couldn't stop laughing and smiling and Dave was quick to capture it on video. Enjoy!</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:9ad29e83-1bac-4d13-a2d3-f35afc16eee4" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="88322d61-d111-4c1d-9207-04da94e91ccd" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux0tANkqTaE" target="_new"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-aCVZczLxp2s/UnnmO5nI4UI/AAAAAAAADXA/-zQkAxfsAzA/video3f5339641fb7%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('88322d61-d111-4c1d-9207-04da94e91ccd'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/ux0tANkqTaE&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/ux0tANkqTaE&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a></p> <div></div> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-90947447528083697032013-11-05T08:16:00.000-08:002013-11-05T08:16:00.297-08:00Baby babble<p>Carter has been “talking” to us more and more lately and it is soooo cute! He can say dada (well, make the sound but not associate it with Dave yet) but hasn’t quite got the mama sound down despite my <strike>constant</strike> subtle <strike>pushing</strike> encouraging. The other night I caught him on video babbling away as he was trying to climb all over us. Enjoy!</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:018d0a0e-6cb3-427a-8aa2-4f9351cda84e" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="3df7f03b-d7d1-4021-b22b-6af0f34b8998" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3d_sDgrLvw" target="_new"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Enc2Dmln7Yk/UnWH-ZQXjhI/AAAAAAAADWk/NqMBrcnHmCM/videoa95be8849090%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('3df7f03b-d7d1-4021-b22b-6af0f34b8998'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/m3d_sDgrLvw&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/m3d_sDgrLvw&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a></p> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-66756030781609877392013-11-02T15:47:00.001-07:002013-11-02T15:47:46.564-07:00Halloween<p>Happy Halloween! We had a great time celebrating Carter’s 1st Halloween with him! We started off the week carving a pumpkin for our front porch. Carter wasn’t too sure what to think about it, but I’m pretty sure he had fun watching Daddy.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9971" border="0" alt="IMG_9971" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-m6ddFC9ctyM/UnWBBX9VSoI/AAAAAAAADVk/t0w_OE5r3h8/IMG_9971%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="374"> </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9999" border="0" alt="IMG_9999" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vlyOnceO9SI/UnWBBw7psXI/AAAAAAAADVo/aZfhD0X8Yzs/IMG_9999%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="359"> </p> <p>For the last few years I have helped to plan the Fall Festival at our church and so I was already committed to working the event on Halloween night. Luckily I got an hour off of my duty time so I could spend time with Carter and Dave at the event. I also had to dress as a busy bee so I would match the other committee members and Carter and Dave had a cute costume theme going without me. They were pretty cute, no?</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9552" border="0" alt="IMG_9552" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zl6ujB0YHcQ/UnWBCQrBkbI/AAAAAAAADV0/_Qg20SkFNFI/IMG_9552%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="604"> </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9566" border="0" alt="IMG_9566" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gkdmT4_9mrY/UnWBCzhZPiI/AAAAAAAADV4/zbmeyN3Uboc/IMG_9566%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="504"> </p> <p>It’s not every day you see a banana holding a monkey! </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9555" border="0" alt="IMG_9555" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Sz_xfh2RBz4/UnWBDY_vcYI/AAAAAAAADWA/BIsRwsb8m1E/IMG_9555%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="404"> </p> <p>Carter was too little to really play any of the carnival games but we had him try to fish for candy, go through the maze, and enter the costume contest with Dave. It was so much fun!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9563" border="0" alt="IMG_9563" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_rsJkTeDt_Y/UnWBD6nYc5I/AAAAAAAADWI/xlLhRFlmSJg/IMG_9563%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="406"> </p> <p>Next year I will not be helping with the Fall Festival so I can spend more time with Carter and I look forward to that! We hope you had a great Halloween!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9571" border="0" alt="IMG_9571" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7FlXsRo_JhM/UnWBEf4P1oI/AAAAAAAADWQ/xPCyUjZwYLs/IMG_9571%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="504"> </p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-17140728946370169762013-10-29T19:03:00.000-07:002013-11-02T14:44:46.366-07:00Carter - 7 months<p>Carter James, you are seven months old! I’ve been trying to write your heartfelt post all morning but you keep crawling into my lap and trying to play with the computer, pull on my hair, and give me hugs and “kisses” (you open your mouth and move towards my cheek or nose with your drooly smile) - all which make it very difficult to type. But this is typical of life lately! You crawl all over the place and are into everything - you barely sit still! We had to baby proof this month and even switched our living room and family room spaces in order to give you a larger, safer place to play and explore. You seem to love to have the freedom to roam around and play with your toys and we love having the room to get on the floor and play with you (and let you crawl all over us). <p>You are getting better and better at eating solid foods and we can already start to see which foods you do and do not like. You LOVE oatmeal, rice cereal, and your veggies (peas, green beans, broccoli, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes) but you are not a fan of bananas, unless they are mixed with something else. Go figure. We’re excited to continue to introduce new things and see your reaction! <p>You still like going to Carrie’s house and reach out to her when we drop you off in the morning and even when you see her at church. It breaks my heart a little to see you so comfortable with someone else, but I’m glad that you are so comfortable with your caregiver when I have to work. I’d much rather have you reach out to her than cry! Carrie takes very good care of you and we are so lucky that we have her! <p>Carter, you are so amazing to us with everything you are learning and doing. To think that this time last year you were just a little guy inside my tummy blows our minds. You have won over our hearts and we can’t imagine life without you! We love you, Bug! <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9598" border="0" alt="IMG_9598" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RYKJx26jRQk/UnVyQuAQRfI/AAAAAAAADU0/h9GUAZi856Q/IMG_9598%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="504"> <br><b><br></b><b>Weight:</b> 20 pounds, 4 ounces <p><b>Length:</b> 28 1/2 inches </p><br> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:a07541d8-82a4-433d-b384-ab397a5d5965" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="ee4a4627-1115-4d13-861a-ea4c1eac7891" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUnaWyDrfx8" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OqT21qMSkCQ/UnVyRVMAGFI/AAAAAAAADU8/yQ2o3weSYdA/video1fccd094e480%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('ee4a4627-1115-4d13-861a-ea4c1eac7891'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/oUnaWyDrfx8&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/oUnaWyDrfx8&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p><b>Clothes size:</b> You just barely still fit in size 9 month or 6-12 month clothes and I’m sure we’ll have to move you to your 12 month clothes in a couple of weeks or less. <p><b>Diaper size:</b> Size 3 <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9898_edit" border="0" alt="IMG_9898_edit" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Nbp_u2hsnHI/UnVyRxfG_dI/AAAAAAAADVA/a8d5arnvh-c/IMG_9898_edit%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"> <p><b>Sleep</b>: At night you go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. You sleep in no consistent pattern but can usually be resettled easily without having to nurse. I usually end up nursing at your first wakeup between 1:00-3:00 a.m. and then again around 5:30-6:00 a.m., but that is it. If you wake up at any other point then we snuggle, rock and sing you back to sleep. Some nights you are a rock star sleeper and other nights you wake up frequently - and I’m sure teething isn’t helping you. You still end up in bed with us by the end of the night because nursing is easier that way, but I also love snuggling with you and waking up next to your sweet, smiling face. <p><b>Eating:</b> You are still a distracted nurser and breastfeed for 5-15 minutes on each side… unless you are really hungry, then you get to business right away. You have 3 100mL bottles of expressed milk along with 2 oz of solid food at Carrie's house and we still breastfeed any time Mama is not working. You have gotten the hang of eating solid foods and very much enjoy meal time! So far you have had rice cereal, oatmeal, puffs, pumpkin, avocado, sweet potato, green beans, broccoli, peas, peaches, pears, and bananas. We are still introducing a new food every 4 days to make sure you aren’t allergic to anything we are giving you and we’re still making all of your food with organic produce. <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="20131021_192118" border="0" alt="20131021_192118" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-waIzz1lRF1Q/UnVySpNxfFI/AAAAAAAADVI/_lfNmJT6rlc/20131021_192118%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="417"> <p><b>Likes:</b> Playing with your toys (favorites are your remote, helicopter, musical monkey, and giraffe), sucking on your binky, being held, army crawling, watching Gromit, listening to music, trying to play with our cell phones and TV remotes, going to public places and taking in all of your surroundings, and playing in your Baby Einstein Activity Jumper. Favorite songs right now are Going to the Zoo, Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, You are My Sunshine, the theme song to “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”, and the special song Grammy made up for you. <p><b>Dislikes:</b> Being hungry, being bored, having a dirty diaper, and being overly hot. <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_20131019_183038" border="0" alt="IMG_20131019_183038" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hsP13z5PyR4/UnVySw8MXrI/AAAAAAAADVQ/ogRD38Sqre4/IMG_20131019_183038%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="404"> <p><b>Milestones this month:</b> Still army crawling, crawling to us when you want to play or be picked up, crawling to chase Gromit, going from the crawl position into a sitting position, grabbing things with your thumb and pointer-finger, getting your first tooth, ever-improving motor skills, and “talking” more and more. <p><b>Memorable moments:</b> Going to the farm and doing the corn maze and taking pictures in the pumpkin patch, meeting the Upsilon ZTA girls, riding in the shopping cart at the grocery store, and Grammy visiting and watching you for a few days. <p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-80524478919703159022013-10-19T10:11:00.001-07:002013-10-19T10:15:23.917-07:00First tooth<div dir="ltr">
It has been a big week at our house. Dave has been off and on with work on account of the government shutdown, but I am happy to report that he is back to work on his regular schedule! He only lost two 2014 holidays as a result of the shutdown but we will gladly take that over losing his pay. Let's just hope this fiasco doesn't repeat itself in January/February. </div>
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But in bigger news this week, Carter got his first tooth!</div>
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His gums have been swollen for a while but that first tooth (his bottom left) finally popped through. It been a rough week of being fussy and presumably some mouth pain but we got through it.</div>
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It looks like the other bottom front tooth may poke through soon and then I think the top ones may be next. The next few weeks and month will be interesting! </div>
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<br />Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-20009753780128874642013-10-14T19:29:00.000-07:002013-10-15T08:01:24.061-07:00Furloughed<p>Happy Easter! </p> <p>OK, that might confuse you, but today Dave was granted his (2014) Easter holiday from work because otherwise he wouldn’t be getting paid. Let me explain…</p> <p>Dave works for a research lab that is mostly funded by the government, and the government is currently shut down, so funding for the lab has stopped. The lab has worked hard to make sure its 6,000+ employees can continue to be paid for as long as possible so they have been using reserve funds to pay their employees through this past Friday. Now, they are in their last bit of reserve funding and have pulled out a few last tricks to keep everyone paid while the government sorts out their problems. Today the employees were given their 2014 Easter Holiday early, they will be able to work to wrap up current projects on Tuesday and Wednesday and then on Thursday and Friday they get two more of their 2014 holidays (President’s Day and New Year’s Eve, if you were curious). </p> <p>While we’re super grateful that the lab has worked it out to keep paying Dave, they cannot pay anyone starting Monday, October 21. If the government is still shut down on Monday then Dave and everyone else at the lab will be furloughed without pay. And because he works for a lab funded by the government but is not a federal employee then even if the bill passes to back pay federal workers, he won’t be included. </p> <p>So if the government doesn’t get their act together soon we will join the ranks of the thousands of furloughed workers in this country. It’s a shame that the leaders of this nation seem to be too stubborn to really see how their decisions, or lack thereof, are impacting real people. And I’m not just talking about closing some national parks and memorials. </p> <p>Our local economy will take a hit. With 6,000+ local workers in a smaller community losing their pay even for a short time, local businesses will see reduced spending and reduced revenue. Some families we know will lose their only source of income (and we would lose 2/3 of ours). And it’s not like these furloughed workers can apply for unemployment or just go get a new job. Technically they all still have jobs, they just can’t work at them. And as soon as the government gets going again they will all go back to work. It’s just this crummy time of unknowns that is causing a lot of worry and frustration. And the worst part is there is (almost) nothing that we as individuals can do to make any difference or move things along faster. </p> <p>Please pray for our leaders to come to an agreement on our national budget and get all of the furloughed workers back to work ASAP. Regardless what your political beliefs are, I think we can all agree that keeping hard-working people from their paychecks isn’t a good thing.</p> <p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a></p> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-68592631852184304192013-09-29T19:03:00.000-07:002013-10-06T23:57:42.609-07:00Carter - 6 months<p>Carter James, you are six months old! How has half a year already passed us by? I was looking through photos from the past six months and pulled together your one, three, and six month photos. You have changed so much! You went from being so uncertain about us and your surroundings to the giggly, cuddly, bouncy boy we know today. </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="Carter 136 month" border="0" alt="Carter 136 month" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lld6Bhppiso/UlJbWcdqCZI/AAAAAAAADQ8/Gsk7xswAlLI/Carter%252520136%252520month%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="219"></p> <p>You have started to army crawl across the floor and we know we’ll have to start baby-proofing soon. I’m not quite ready for you to be so mobile but I think if you had it your way you would get up and walk. It’s just a matter of time! You started sleeping in your crib in your room across the hall this month… well, you start out there (while I keep a close eye on you from the video monitor) and after your first or second wakeup I put you in the pack n’ play in our bedroom before you eventually end up in bed with us. I don’t sleep as well when you are in our bed, but you just love snuggling up next to me and I can’t complain about how easy it is to nurse you back to sleep when you wake up. You started eating solid food this month, just a week before your six month “birthday”. You’re still not too sure about what I am putting in your mouth but you love to play with the empty spoons. I can’t wait to see which food you do and do not like as we start to introduce new things to you.</p> <p>You are such a joy to be around! We love that you reach out to us when you see us and that we can make you smile and laugh. We love that you still want to snuggle with us when you’re tired and fall into our arms when you’re excited. We love sharing life with you and we love you, Bug!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="Blog 1" border="0" alt="Blog 1" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kbTuc1vD7kc/UlJbXK8yzFI/AAAAAAAADRE/50l3bGQgt-M/Blog%2525201%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="504"> <br><b><br></b><b>Weight:</b> 19 pounds, 6 ounces</p> <p><b>Length:</b> 27 inches</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="20130911_222428" border="0" alt="20130911_222428" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JP2U7C6kgxE/UlJbXvjnwJI/AAAAAAAADRM/Z_7baR44c_E/20130911_222428%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="285"> </p> <p><b>Clothes size:</b> You are wearing size 9 month or 6-12 month clothes and we are currently buying some 12 month items in preparation for your next growth spurt.</p> <p><b>Diaper size:</b> Size 3</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9683" border="0" alt="IMG_9683" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3yvnV_1j96w/UlJbYA886BI/AAAAAAAADRU/c0h9lFPZNRA/IMG_9683%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="395"> </p> <p><b>Sleep</b>: At night you go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. You usually sleep until 11:30-12:00 and then wake up every 1.5-3 hours in no consistent pattern. You most often wake up during the night because you are unsettled and start rolling around in your bed. I try to settle you back down before nursing and sometimes that works, while other times nursing is the only thing that will comfort you back to sleep. Often times you wake back up when I try to put you back in your crib or pack n’ play so you end up in bed with us (usually starting between 2-4 a.m.) but that makes it easier for us to "side nurse" which lets both of us get more sleep and seems to keep you settled for longer periods of time. Because of this I now have a kiddie rail installed on the side of the bed to keep you from rolling out. Safety first!</p> <p><b>Eating:</b> You are such a distracted eater and breastfeed for 5-15 minutes on each side and often stop eating to talk me or pop up to check out what is going on around you. You now have 2 100mL bottles of expressed milk at Carrie's house and we still breastfeed every 2-4 hours any time Mama is not working. You started solid foods one week before you turned six months old. I’m so glad that we were able to exclusively breastfeed for so long before starting solid food. You are still getting the hang of “chewing” and swallowing but you are getting better every day! So far you have had rice cereal, pumpkin and avocado. You have had pumpkin for lunch at Carrie’s house and rice cereal and pumpkin or avocado for dinner at night. We are introducing a new food every 4 days to make sure you aren’t allergic to anything we are giving you and we’re looking forward to expanding your pallet.</p> <p> <img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="20130926_190135" border="0" alt="20130926_190135" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-L70lESo51oE/UlJbYtipkBI/AAAAAAAADRc/d3H2wjrQsqg/20130926_190135%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="547"> </p> <p><b>Likes:</b> Playing with your toys, sucking on your binky, being held, army crawling, watching Gromit, listening to music, taking baths and splashing, going to public places and taking in all of your surroundings, and playing in your Baby Einstein Activity Jumper (which you LOVE!). Favorite songs right now are Going to the Zoo, Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, You are My Sunshine, the theme song to “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”, and the special song Grammy made up for you.</p> <p><b>Dislikes:</b> Being hungry, being bored, having a dirty diaper, waking up on your tummy, and being overly hot.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="20130920_192548" border="0" alt="20130920_192548" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EOFcf2AhoeQ/UlJbZCHPODI/AAAAAAAADRk/jaC5a6Uh4OY/20130920_192548%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="504"> </p> <p><b>Milestones this month:</b> Army crawling around the floor and getting faster every day, pushing up on your hands and knees, starting solid foods, sitting up by yourself, reaching for (and moving towards) things you want or drop, reaching for us when you want to be picked up, recognizing who we are, ever-improving motor skills, and “talking” more and more.</p> <p><b>Memorable moments:</b> First airplane ride, first campout (we didn’t spend the night though), first trip to the park, meeting more extended family members, and riding in your front-facing stroller.</p> <p></p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-70754340704022618812013-09-27T18:34:00.000-07:002013-09-27T18:34:00.332-07:00Making Baby FoodNow that Carter has started eating solid foods I have been in full-on-type-A-personality-control-freak planning mode with menus (I designed my own weekly menu in excel) and schedules of when to introduce new foods (I made a Google Calendar specifically for which foods to introduce on which days) and acquiring all of the tools and gadgets necessary to make my own organic baby food. Typical Sarah.<br />
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On Tuesday night Dave and I took our first stab at making baby food. We made peaches, pears and sweet potatoes. Mmmmmm!<br />
<img alt="PhotoGrid_1380175864564" border="0" height="504" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iSROBOhtsiI/UkUVYFbuK_I/AAAAAAAADQE/0acWojsXinQ/PhotoGrid_1380175864564%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="PhotoGrid_1380175864564" width="504" /> <br />
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We really didn’t see the point in buying “specialized” baby food making gadgets so we are keeping the process simple by using tools we already had in our kitchen to puree the food including the blender, magic bullet and food processor. It’s working great!<br />
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<img alt="PhotoGrid_1380176982985" border="0" height="504" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vRbuC3LvN1o/UkUVYt_6bTI/AAAAAAAADQM/kFbqIie2fLE/PhotoGrid_1380176982985%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="PhotoGrid_1380176982985" width="504" /> <br />
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Besides, I would rather spend money on the <a href="http://www.mumiandbubi.com/" target="_blank">cool freezer trays</a> that freeze the pureed food into perfect little 1oz half circles. So cute! And so practical! (and I found them for 1/2 off!) I also downloaded an organic purees recipe book to my kindle and to top it off I stocked up on bibs and little bowls and spoons. We are certainly all set for solids!<br />
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<img alt="PhotoGrid_1380177104045" border="0" height="504" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wKvv-SwnElI/UkUVZDB4XmI/AAAAAAAADQU/0Y08X73Hvk0/PhotoGrid_1380177104045%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="PhotoGrid_1380177104045" width="504" /> <br />
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After a night in the freezer I was able to pop out the half circles and place into a freezer bags so the trays would be ready to use again.<br />
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<img alt="PhotoGrid_1380177062414" border="0" height="504" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3eu9xGRKCks/UkUVZ13-26I/AAAAAAAADQc/5YtIRIkLtmo/PhotoGrid_1380177062414%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="PhotoGrid_1380177062414" width="504" /> <br />
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I’m really enjoying making Carter’s baby food and I’m looking forward to making even more things with my cool freezer trays. And, of course, I’m looking forward to watching my little boy enjoy his food made with love by Mama and Daddy. <br />
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<a href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" /></a> <br />
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Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-80655335049365929682013-09-25T22:30:00.000-07:002013-09-25T22:52:32.393-07:00Trip to the park<p>This has been a big week of firsts for Mr. Carter! He had his first tastes of solid foods (rice cereal and pumpkin puree), rode in a shopping cart for the first time, and tonight we took our first family trip to the park!</p> <p> <img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="2013-09-25 22.43.28" border="0" alt="2013-09-25 22.43.28" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XcbeWo2lY-E/UkPLlFr4WvI/AAAAAAAADPU/KdfDiKgqvVU/2013-09-25%25252022.43.28%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="404" height="537"> </p> <p>Carter wasn’t too amused with the slides…</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_9597" border="0" alt="IMG_9597" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Sr03F2dqM6I/UkPLlsuSbBI/AAAAAAAADPc/Gih6amti4wQ/IMG_95973.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="362"> </p> <p>Or the swing…</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_9593" border="0" alt="IMG_9593" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nFe5d9O2g50/UkPLmRXgthI/AAAAAAAADPk/tqV14pGzfjA/IMG_95933.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="564"> </p> <p>Mostly he was just content sitting in my lap. You would think he could have at least cracked a smile on the way down the slide.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_9600" border="0" alt="IMG_9600" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ML9SahTifKU/UkPLm-yIjUI/AAAAAAAADPs/4MvBiQVkzb0/IMG_96003.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="338"> </p> <p>I’m sure that eventually he’ll be more excited about trips to the park. We’re just glad he didn’t cry :-)</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_9589" border="0" alt="IMG_9589" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ROLk5kDG6MU/UkPLnpHOAlI/AAAAAAAADP0/NU2o89b51E8/IMG_95893.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="564"> </p> <p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a></p> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-82101841504572932852013-09-20T21:47:00.001-07:002013-09-20T21:47:25.040-07:00First solid food<p>Tonight was the night - Carter had his first taste of solid food! On the menu this evening was Gerber Rice Cereal mixed with breast milk. Yum! How did he like it? See for yourself:</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:6d4fb726-9cdb-4f23-9b04-5fcbc82db57f" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="b1aa1165-42de-48e1-b761-219a001c40f9" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjYhnYCs9wk&feature=youtu.be" target="_new"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-r8FEiRpWoXE/Uj0k1BnxBzI/AAAAAAAADO8/fWjtoLFKwx4/videob347ba82f129%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('b1aa1165-42de-48e1-b761-219a001c40f9'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/mjYhnYCs9wk&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/mjYhnYCs9wk&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>He had the mouth opening motion down (we’ve been practicing with empty spoons), but he wasn’t too sure about the new taste on his tongue. The good news is that he ate more than ended up on his bib, so all in all I guess that counts as a success!</p> <p>We’re going to stick to trying milky rice cereal once a day for a week or so before introducing pureed fruits and veggies one at a time. That should be an adventure!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9569" border="0" alt="IMG_9569" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GtYpFhVecwA/Uj0k2E74-DI/AAAAAAAADPE/M8PsfsFwrco/IMG_9569%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="338"> </p> <p>Although I’m excited for this next phase, I’m also a little sad to say goodbye to being his sole source of nutrition. I have fought so hard to breastfeed and I am so glad that I have been able to exclusively give him breast milk for the first six months of his life. It will be weird to see him start to eat food that is not from me. At any rate, we’ll continue breastfeeding until (hopefully) Carter is one, so fingers crossed that we can keep it up!</p> <p>That’s all for now. Hooray for solid foods!</p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-52282612467859899672013-08-29T19:03:00.000-07:002013-09-06T11:02:07.964-07:00Carter - 5 monthsCarter James, you are five months old! We can't believe how much you have grown in just a month! You are so much more aware of your surroundings and you are ready to interact with everything you see. You are becoming more expressive and we love watching you smile at us and the things you like and your laugh just makes our days! You are excited to reach for things that you want to hold and put in your mouth and you love to bang on tables, arms, hands, and anything else within your reach. You have started to enjoy tummy time as long as there are toys or Mama and Daddy around to entertain you while you're on your stomach. You also love to watch Gromit and track him across the room anytime he walks by. When you have had enough tummy time you fuss and then pout by putting your head down on your hands on the floor. It's funny to watch and we can't help but laugh a little when you do it.<br />
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You seem to be enjoying going to Carrie's house (daycare) and all of the little boys there love to help take care of you. I love the big smile on your face when I come to pick you up - it's like you know that I am Mama and I'm there to come and snuggle you up and take you home. I love it! We know you are in loving hands there and are so glad you are so well taken care of while we work.<br />
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You continue to amaze us with your growth and development and we just love that God made you a part of our family. We love you, Bug! <br />
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<b>Weight:</b> 18.3 pounds <br />
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<b>Length:</b> 27 inches <br />
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<b>Clothes size:</b> You are wearing size 6 month or 6-9 month clothes, both which are already getting tight on you and seem like they just barely fit you. You grew out of a whole size in just a month! Mama is not ready for such a big boy!<br />
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<b>Diaper size:</b> Size 3 <br />
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<b>Sleep</b>: At night you go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. You usually sleep until 11:30-12:00 and then wake up every 2-4 hours in no consistent pattern. You most often wake up during the night because you are unsettled and start rolling around in your bed. I try to settle you back down before nursing and sometimes that works, while other times nursing is the only thing that will comfort you back to sleep. Often times you end up in bed with us so we can "side nurse" which lets both of us get more sleep and seems to keep you settled for longer periods of time.<br />
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<b>Eating:</b> You are such an efficient eater and eat for 8-15 minutes on each side and often like to stop eating to talk me or pop up to check out what is going on around you. If Daddy is making noise somewhere nearby then you have to check out what is going on. You usually have 3 3oz - 100mL bottles of expressed milk at Carrie's house and we still breastfeed every 2-4 hours any time Mama is not working. We are still not having any issues with going back and forth between the breast and bottle. Hallelujah!<br />
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<img alt="20130813_192651" border="0" height="285" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kGAdIXk2XI4/UiCiwrHderI/AAAAAAAADNQ/Y6e80UDzBJY/20130813_192651%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="20130813_192651" width="504" /> <br />
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<b>Likes:</b> Playing with your toys, sucking on your binky, being held, taking baths and splashing, playing on the floor, looking at lights and ceiling fans, going to public places and taking in all of your surroundings, and playing in your Baby Einstein Activity Jumper (which you LOVE!). Favorite songs right now are Going to the Zoo, Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, You are My Sunshine and the special song Grammy made up for you. <br />
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<b>Dislikes:</b> Being hungry, being bored, waking up on your tummy, and being overly hot. <br />
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<img alt="IMG_9379" border="0" height="504" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-quxyNIZXRpk/UiCiw4KAnVI/AAAAAAAADNY/WKf-E8BAncA/IMG_9379%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_9379" width="504" /> <br />
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<b>Milestones this month:</b> Rolling from your back to your tummy, scooching around on the floor by yourself moving mostly in circles, sitting up with less help, reaching for things you want or drop, reaching for us when you want to be picked up, recognizing who we are, ever-improving motor skills, and “talking” more and more.<br />
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<b>Memorable moments:</b> Meeting Grandma and Grandpa, meeting extended family members, going to your first birthday party, getting your first cold, and going to the farmer's market.<br />
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<br />Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-57856310638806002632013-08-28T17:15:00.000-07:002013-08-28T17:15:00.203-07:00My new Mommy-mobile!<div dir="ltr">
I loved my Volkswagen Beetle (which we called the bug) and always felt it was the perfect car for me. Cute, fun, powerful and bright yellow. You couldn't help but smile looking at it. Plus it was super funny to watch people punch each other when I drove by.</div>
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But the time came for my cute little bug to be replaced.</div>
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It was 11 years old, had 140,000 miles, had some quirks with the electrical system, needed new brakes, next year's registration was due soon, and it recently had some work done on it which made us fearful that it was just the tip of the iceberg of needed maintenance and repairs. Plus getting the infant carrier in and out of the back seat was no easy task and to make it fit we had to slide the passenger seat waaaay forward leaving little leg room for any additional passenger. And when Carter moves up to a bigger, stationery car seat soon, it would have been really difficult to get him in and out of the tiny back seat. My back would not have survived. So it was time to look for a new car.<br />
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We thought about getting a minivan but decided that it was too expensive to pay for seating and extra space that wouldn't be used very often. So we changed our focus to full-size sedans and small SUVs. After a lot of research we had a short list of cars we liked and local dealers that were offering incentives on used cars and 2013 model clearances. </div>
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After many unnecessary hours at the dealership we we offered a great deal and traded in my beloved bug and drove off with a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan! Hello, new Mommy-mobile!<br />
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This car, while not top-of-the-line, is super fancy to me. I still have a turbo engine (which I had gotten used to with my bug and LOVE), airbags everywhere, power locks and windows, and air conditioning. But I upgraded to a huge sunroof that goes all the way behind the second row of seats, plenty of trunk room, an electronic display for things like mpg calculations, tire pressure monitoring, etc., and its set up for bluetooth connectivity to my phone (so I can make phone calls or listen to music through the car speakers) which is a HUGE upgrade from my former car that still had a cassette deck. Now I just need to find a way to attach my flowers to the dashboard...<br />
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Although I miss my cute little bug, I'm happy with the upgrade to a more grown-up vehicle. And if you see me driving down the road feel free to (lightly) punch the person next to you - I may not be in the bug anymore, but since I owned one before, it still counts!<br />
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Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-39134643430162557872013-08-20T23:45:00.001-07:002013-08-20T23:45:37.768-07:00Grandma and Grandpa meet Carter!<p>A couple of weekends ago Carter's Grandma and Grandpa (Sue and Rick who are Dave's parents) came out from Colorado to visit and meet Carter! We were SO excited that they were able to come!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9345" border="0" alt="IMG_9345" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Epb0XIgGocQ/UhRh-t-h9FI/AAAAAAAADKY/Tg4uyjcCFQQ/IMG_9345%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="356"></p> <p>Even Gromit was excited to see them. See the smile on his face?</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9301" border="0" alt="IMG_9301" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LSHgb847bqo/UhRh_E3qp_I/AAAAAAAADKg/Tb6s85eqRDY/IMG_9301%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="571"></p> <p>It was so special to see Carter be so comfortable with his grandparents right away. It’s like he just knew that they were family!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9298" border="0" alt="IMG_9298" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xTrk5IYZi9Y/UhRiAJTXkUI/AAAAAAAADKo/aURDRMvOZzE/IMG_9298%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="504"></p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9304" border="0" alt="IMG_9304" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fnDpT69lAXg/UhRiA4MjHXI/AAAAAAAADKw/nLCxl7oBnyw/IMG_9304%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="454"></p> <p>I swear Carter doesn’t always have his hands in his mouth, but most of these pictures don’t seem to support that statement… </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9323" border="0" alt="IMG_9323" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SMw2OjUMIBw/UhRiBlgjJ1I/AAAAAAAADK4/XidE-xyS6V4/IMG_9323%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="524"></p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9339" border="0" alt="IMG_9339" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-t_T9lM34zGo/UhRiCHl_7eI/AAAAAAAADLA/UKb1qyWut4Q/IMG_9339%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="526"></p> <p>Anyway, we had a pretty low-key weekend just hanging out and playing with Carter. We managed to get out a bit to show our guests our little town including where we both work. We even stopped to have lunch on the property where I work overlooking a beautiful golf course. Of course, we didn’t take any pictures while we were there - oops!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9328" border="0" alt="IMG_9328" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rGXgCiDrazI/UhRiCgiFl1I/AAAAAAAADLI/QV99Mpkccyc/IMG_9328%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="444"></p> <p>We also got a special visit from Sue’s aunt and cousins who live in other parts of California - Dorothy, Deb, Rob and Dwight. It was fun to be able to meet them and to introduce them to Carter. They only stayed for a little bit, but they will certainly have to stay longer next time they are in town! Below from left to right is Dorothy, Deb, Sue and Carter.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tgofUuWPJoY/UhRiDW4lRoI/AAAAAAAADLM/oAvc7WwgNXM/DotDebSueCa1%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="420"> </p> <p> It was a very special weekend for us and we are so glad that everyone was able to come and visit. We can’t wait until Grandma and Grandpa can come back again! We love you! </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9354" border="0" alt="IMG_9354" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4bkSB5VlbYA/UhRiD_-9p8I/AAAAAAAADLU/BP9c9HaugGM/IMG_9354%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="318"></p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-66535872599418286922013-08-06T07:09:00.001-07:002013-08-06T07:09:06.457-07:00New Carter tricks<p>Hi all! It’s been a while since I’ve posted and Carter has learned to do a few new things that I wanted to share with you. We aren’t always able to capture things in pictures or on video (since Carter is more interested in staring at the camera/phone than performing for it) but we do our best. </p> <p>First new Carter trick: he can scoot backwards (with help from Daddy)! </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:c89251af-dc5b-4e31-8810-2154089c5cd3" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="731981e4-1881-4155-adc2-45f3cc03d76b" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D85ncGCDmFU" target="_new"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-P6xqDAtQPoo/UgEDdnxij8I/AAAAAAAADIM/NV1JhQHCKzE/video97d75a6f0bdd%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('731981e4-1881-4155-adc2-45f3cc03d76b'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/D85ncGCDmFU&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/D85ncGCDmFU&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>Second new Carter trick: he can put his binky in his mouth by himself! Please excuse the background noise in this video, we were near a power generator… it’s a long story.</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:2f340a85-f4b3-4a70-96c3-7a7771f88f25" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="90abda5a-6637-406a-b8e5-d0ee710b63ab" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZh_1CRtymw" target="_new"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OfXOS_hQOLU/UgEDeKLsTdI/AAAAAAAADIU/KM8hG2UuZ3I/video1b18852a24f9%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('90abda5a-6637-406a-b8e5-d0ee710b63ab'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/cZh_1CRtymw&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/cZh_1CRtymw&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p></p> <p>Third new Carter trick: He can almost sit up!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="2013-08-06 06.33.11" border="0" alt="2013-08-06 06.33.11" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XhmEi_U6rsw/UgEDe64Zh3I/AAAAAAAADIc/32lGmezZC3o/2013-08-06%25252006.33.11%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="404" height="402"> </p> <p>Fourth new Carter trick: He found his toes! And he “talks” to Mama a little bit too.</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:d70cbcb1-8437-4598-837c-9ff19f8e1b8d" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="76144f93-e322-43c9-a170-608558c4df7d" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok4ZMzK1YQQ&feature=youtu.be" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6kbLBE8VyQ4/UgEDfnNwUnI/AAAAAAAADIk/uvzZw6hCKmk/videoc928ebca85d4%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('76144f93-e322-43c9-a170-608558c4df7d'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/ok4ZMzK1YQQ&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/ok4ZMzK1YQQ&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>Fifth, and last, new Carter trick: he can roll over from his back to his tummy!</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:daa29dfb-c700-4713-bdf5-3708ec5f11b3" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="b1edb7ab-2609-4270-9e5e-87aa2adf00eb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9qC-Ted5gM" target="_new"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bHxTlA_HIiU/UgEDgAu8TpI/AAAAAAAADIs/m44HV8dTYOk/videoa129a761080e%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('b1edb7ab-2609-4270-9e5e-87aa2adf00eb'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/i9qC-Ted5gM&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/i9qC-Ted5gM&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>Well, thanks for humoring me. I hope you enjoyed the new Carter tricks and we’ll be back with more updates soon!</p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-82545888825867185422013-07-29T19:03:00.000-07:002013-07-29T22:03:30.697-07:00Carter - 4 months<p>Carter James, you are four months old! You have gotten so much bigger this month - both physically and developmentally! I almost cried when I had to put away the 3 month size clothes because I can’t believe you have gotten so big. You have pretty much mastered taking your binky out of your mouth and putting it back in all by yourself. You only have difficulty after you lose your grip on it and can’t get it back in your mouth at the correct angle. Whenever you are awake you love to sit up and be entertained with toys, books or talking to us. You love playing with all of your toys and love being able to aim at what you want and be able to grab it. You like sitting up on the couch and in your boppy with just a bit of support from Mama or Daddy. You are really enjoying your new Baby Einstein Activity Jumper and you think the musical part of the toy is really cool. You will listen to the songs and watch the different shapes light up and you have the most serious look on your face when you do it. It’s like you are studying it as best as you can. You started liking being in the Ergo carrier when we go out which is a lot easier to carry you in because your increasing weight is better distributed on Mama and Daddy. You are becoming a drool machine so we know it is just a matter of time before you get your first tooth. We love you so much and are enjoying each stage of your development. It is so fun to watch you see, learn and grow! We love you, Bug! <p><b><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_9276" border="0" alt="IMG_9276" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XUhRXP16l4g/UfdJGST4hhI/AAAAAAAADHc/S-YXU96Hv7A/IMG_9276%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="518"> </b> <p><b>Weight:</b> 16 pounds <p><b>Length:</b> 25 and 3/4 inches <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="2013-07-15 18.14.40" border="0" alt="2013-07-15 18.14.40" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-aUIDnzXJ6ok/UfdJG5mIltI/AAAAAAAADHk/3sjXEskBCdw/2013-07-15%25252018.14.40%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="537"> <p><b>Clothes size:</b> You are wearing size 3-6 month or size 6 month clothes. Yikes! You are growing so fast! <p><b>Diaper size:</b> We just opened the box of size 3 today <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="20130728_181824" border="0" alt="20130728_181824" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zPSeLfbw7dA/UfdJHSt7hFI/AAAAAAAADHs/WjBI76stNtE/20130728_181824%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="537"> <p><b>Sleep</b>: At night you go to bed between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. and then it’s a free-for-all. You wake up every 2-4 hours in no consistent pattern, which makes Mama very tired. You are taking some good naps at daycare, so it seems that you just want to spend more time with us when you are home - even if that means waking up throughout the night. Hopefully you will get used to our new routine in a couple more weeks so we can all get some much needed rest. <p><b>Eating:</b> You have become a much more efficient eater and eat for 8-15 minutes on each side and often like to stop eating to talk me or to check out what is going on around you. You usually have 3-4 3oz bottles of expressed milk during the day now that Mama has gone back to work and we still breastfeed any time Mama is not working. We are still not having any issues with going back and forth between the breast and bottle. <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="2013-07-16 11.03.47" border="0" alt="2013-07-16 11.03.47" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eqg46I-i9PQ/UfdJH-Fa8DI/AAAAAAAADH0/Liw0Uo2_eEc/2013-07-16%25252011.03.47%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"> <p><b>Likes:</b> Eating, sucking on your binky, taking baths and splashing, playing on your play mat and aiming for and hitting the dangling toys, looking at lights and ceiling fans, going to public places and taking in all of your surroundings and playing in your Baby Einstein Activity Jumper (which you LOVE!). Favorite songs right now are Going to the Zoo, Wheels on the Bus, Patty Cake, Jesus Loves Me, You are My Sunshine and the special song Grammy made up for you. <p><b>Dislikes:</b> Being hungry, being bored and being overly hot. <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="2013-07-26 17.56.50" border="0" alt="2013-07-26 17.56.50" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6IasVhuRB90/UfdJIZ02OYI/AAAAAAAADH4/BRCIaqOIHF4/2013-07-26%25252017.56.50%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"> <p><b>Milestones this month:</b> Rolling to your sides (and still from your tummy to your back), sitting up with help, finding and playing with your toes, getting your binky in your mouth by yourself, moving from sleeping in the rock n’ play to sleeping in the pack n’ play, ever-improving motor skills, “talking” more and more and starting daycare. <p><b>Memorable moments:</b> First day of daycare, having Aunt Erin babysit you during the day, celebrated Independence Day and saw fireworks for the first time and going to a friend babysitter for the first time. <p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-50871733149402591692013-07-23T08:24:00.001-07:002013-07-23T08:24:56.670-07:00First day of daycare<p>Yesterday was Carter’s first day of daycare.To say I was an emotional wreck would be an understatement. At least Carter looked cute for the occasion.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="First Day Small" border="0" alt="First Day Small" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zswIuwkhoec/Ue6gRVF1l9I/AAAAAAAADHE/8yFvHfSwL1Q/First%252520Day%252520Small%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="612"> </p> <p>Being the planner that I am I had his diaper bag packed and ready to go Sunday night. I made sure to pack plenty of diapers and wipes, two changes of clothes, gas drops, a blanket that smells like home, an extra binky and the magical sling. And, of course, plenty of breastmillk. But I may have gone a little crazy on the labeling of his things… maybe. At least his clothes already have his name in them! Ha! (Get it? Carter has clothes from Carter’s… haha! Ok, bad joke.)</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="2013-07-23 07.20.40" border="0" alt="2013-07-23 07.20.40" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nLBZGiPKv40/Ue6gR5WPtOI/AAAAAAAADHM/1-pqxWvpLg8/2013-07-23%25252007.20.40%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="350"> </p> <p>I know Carter is in good hands with our care provider, Carrie. She goes to our church and has been running her own (licensed) daycare facility out of her home for over 20 years. Carter is the only infant there right now so he gets lots of attention. The kids who were there yesterday were already very interested in him. </p> <p>Overall his first day went well. He took all four of his bottles and was only fussy for an hour in the afternoon even though he didn’t really nap during the day. Carrie said he enjoyed watching the older kids play. When I came to pick him up he was playing on the floor and gave me the biggest smile when he saw me. That was the best feeling!</p> <p>I always knew this would be a difficult transition, but never knew just how hard it would be until it was happening. Even though we like Carrie and totally trust her with Carter I don’t think it will ever be easy to leave him with someone else for the day. All I know is 5:00 will never come soon enough! Here’s praying that we all can adjust to this new schedule. </p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-1318148986307163852013-07-21T16:58:00.001-07:002013-07-21T16:58:13.160-07:00Visit from Aunt Erin<p>Aunt Erin (my youngest sister) came to visit this week! We had a gap in child care so Erin was nice enough to watch Carter for us during the week days and then she even let Dave and me go out on a date Saturday night to celebrate our anniversary! </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_8932" border="0" alt="IMG_8932" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2gaDE640210/Uex1jw9H2AI/AAAAAAAADGk/iWQVpaGsIRI/IMG_8932%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="604"> </p> <p>When she wasn’t watching Carter for us we went to a Counting Crows concert at my work, watched The Hunger Games at a free community movie and took a trip to our downtown area for lunch and ice cream. We all had a great time! </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_20130721_165151" border="0" alt="IMG_20130721_165151" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-b9_57YzcSK4/Uex1kb1ZW6I/AAAAAAAADGs/XdVJ26SBUBI/IMG_20130721_165151%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="537"> </p> <p>Carter had a great time getting to know his Aunt Erin better and I’m pretty sure she enjoyed getting to know her nephew as well. </p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_8925" border="0" alt="IMG_8925" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-i3CtEZu6plQ/Uex1k5zlvCI/AAAAAAAADG0/h2Bfh9SVMDY/IMG_8925%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="338"> </p> <p>Thanks so much for all of your help this week, Erin. We couldn’t have done it without you!</p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-43159650167547956512013-07-14T11:12:00.001-07:002013-07-14T11:12:41.763-07:00Happy 6th Anniversary!<p>Happy 6th Anniversary to the love of my life! I can’t believe it has already been six years!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="02112832L" border="0" alt="02112832L" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CyVnycWo-B4/UeLqEzTYXfI/AAAAAAAADGE/qSRWnWHCYlY/02112832L%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="338"> <br>Dave - The last six years have been full of amazing adventures and I’m so lucky to have shared them with you. From date nights, camping trips, hikes, vacations, moving, growing our family to everyday mundane happenings, everything is so much better because you are with me.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="04124238L" border="0" alt="04124238L" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eJe-SQH7AeU/UeLqFZCN9WI/AAAAAAAADGM/Qw23Im4hncE/04124238L%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="604"> </p> <p>I’m so glad our family grew this past year and that I can finally fulfill this part of my wedding vows:<br>“As we are blessed of God with children, I will strive to bring them up in the love and wisdom of God, as Jesus Christ is the most important person in our lives, because He gave us life.”</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="Alessi04042013_005" border="0" alt="Alessi04042013_005" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qD1KUPFsSZc/UeLqF5umwtI/AAAAAAAADGU/PzhU3uoaygA/Alessi04042013_005%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="604"> </p> <p>Happy Anniversary, Dave! Here’s to many, many more! I love you!</p> <p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a></p> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3843844409071434996.post-55718809442260574272013-07-04T23:35:00.001-07:002013-07-04T23:35:53.107-07:00Happy 4th of July!<p>Happy 4th of July, my favorite holiday! We had a great day spending time together as a family since Dave is still on paternity leave and I had the day off of work! We started our morning with some patriotic pancakes. I’m a sucker for themed food on holidays!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_20130704_095012" border="0" alt="IMG_20130704_095012" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-l9xk-68StgM/UdZpQOQvJ2I/AAAAAAAADEE/L0mpk3FzSrs/IMG_20130704_095012%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="404"> </p> <p>I then tried to make some patriotic cake pops but failed horribly. Seriously, baking and I don’t get along. Some day I will master making cake pops, but today wasn’t that day. It was so bad that I didn’t even take pictures. </p> <p>Later in the afternoon we went to a friend’s house for a BBQ dinner and we had a great time! After dinner we were sitting around chatting and I gave Carter a bottle. All of a sudden he started laughing at me! Then if I pretended to laugh it made him laugh even more! It was the most we have ever heard him laugh and it was so cute! Everyone at the BBQ was laughing at how funny and cute he was. Luckily Dave was able to catch the tail end of the laughing streak on video. Check it out:</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; width: 425px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:28d726fc-191c-4968-9380-37e19be69936" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="790c0db6-f3db-4ac4-b3ac-e082c6c19372" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QJDwAWnxvI" target="_new"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1e6xnghU2FM/UdZpQxsqh0I/AAAAAAAADEM/5u8IaJVTqvU/video99764ecd4d1f%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('790c0db6-f3db-4ac4-b3ac-e082c6c19372'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/3QJDwAWnxvI&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/3QJDwAWnxvI&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> <p>After chatting we headed out to watch our city’s fireworks. Well, sort of. Our city shoots them off at a local college and charges $20 per carload to view them up close, so being the cheap-os we are we found a nearby spot to park and watch for free. Ha! ‘Merica! Carter seemed to be watching the fireworks and enjoyed them. It was nice that they were further away so the booms and bangs weren’t loud enough to scare him.</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_7205" border="0" alt="IMG_7205" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-UouZFbYnKyE/UdZpROj6tfI/AAAAAAAADEU/z7vgXj30DNs/IMG_7205%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="366"> </p> <p>It was a great day and I’m so glad we got to spend it with friends. Happy Independence Day!</p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="IMG_7206" border="0" alt="IMG_7206" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-B8N6ACWeWzI/UdZpR7gc8XI/AAAAAAAADEc/eUwf0PbzVtA/IMG_7206%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="354" height="518"> </p><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; clear: left; margin-right: 1em" href="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n482/firebug501/Signature.png"></a> <div></div> Sarah @ Dandelion Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18328870430373771912noreply@blogger.com0