State Fair 2011 - Part One

It is no secret that I am a little obsessed with the Minnesota State Fair. Or, as it is more appropriately (and lovingly) called, 'The Great Minnesota Get-Together." I can't put my finger on one thing exactly that makes it such a big deal to me. I love everything about it. The people watching, the animal watching, the rides, the food, the music, the experience! When I started going to ASU, I had to miss the fair 4 years in a row because school starts in Arizona at the end of August rather than after labor day like it does everywhere else. The fifth year, I actually skipped my first week of school so that I could go to the fair. Because I missed it that much. One of the many reasons I listed to move back to Minnesota is so that we could go to the State Fair every year. Just a little obsessed. So, needless to say, I am thrilled to be able to share this experience with my children. Proud to make it a tradition to go (at least) twice; once with my parents, and once with our friends N, D, A, and M.

So, part one is the trip with my parents, which we did yesterday. The weather was perfect fair weather, in my opinion. Mid-to-upper 70's and partly cloudy, with periods of clouds and sun. We got there early, as we always do, and stayed for about 5 hours. I think that's pretty good considering we were with a toddler and a 2.5 month old! Speaking of which, both kids did super well. Callen was a real champ, just taking in all the sights, smells, and sounds, and napping in between. Audia had a couple of minor meltdowns towards the end of the day, but in her defense, we had gotten up about 2 hours earlier than she's used to and she skipped her nap! Overall I would call the day a success.

So, here's a little photo journey of our trip with my parents. Stay tuned for Part Two, which will take place on Friday!

Gotta get our cream puffs!

When Audia saw the piglets nursing, she asked Chris "So, are those boobies?"

Audia loved petting all the animals!

Bacon on a stick! And it was goooooood.

Waiting to get on the Carousel

So excited for the ride to start!

Hooray! It's starting!

(one revolution later) Aaaand she's done!

Scared of the Carousel but loving the Big Slide!

Eating. It's what you do at the fair.

Callen at 2 months

Callen's 2 month appointment was a couple of days ago. At 15 lbs, 3 oz and 25 inches long, he is in the 97th percentile for weight and off the charts for height! It is crazy to think that at 2 months, he is the size of the average 5 month old!

Doctor S was very impressed with his neck control and ability to hold himself up/steady. He's definitely a strong little boy; when he's on his belly he is already able to push himself forward with his feet like a little rocket.

In other developments, we had to move Callen from the basinette into the crib because he reached the weight limit for the basinette we were using. The transition has been a little rough; The mattress on the crib is quite a bit more firm and apparently our little dude doesn't like firm mattresses. The first few days, he refused to sleep in it at all during the day and at night was waking up every hour to two hours. Thankfully he's now sleeping a little better at night, for 4 hours and then waking every 2-2.5. But he still will only sleep in it during the day some of the time. Thankfully he will snooze in the bouncy seat or the swing, unlike his sister who napped in my lap for a whole year.

Callen is also now not only smiling all the time but also babbling all the time. It is so funny to hear him "talk." Check him out below. Isn't he just the cutest??

A day without a toddler

I will be the first to admit that life with a newborn is hard. However, as of Thursday I am also willing to say that life with a toddler is (in some ways, at least) harder. Or at least more chaotic. Less productive, perhaps? I used to be so eloquent. I suppose I'll find the words I'm looking for at 3:24 am next Tuesday.
Anyhoo, my mom took Audia on Thursday in order to give me some time to get some stuff done around the apartment. It is not a common thing for me to spend a day without Audia. I honestly think that since she was born, I've had maybe a total of 7 days where the majority of the day was not spent with her. When I say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. But, as a stay at home mom, it also makes sense.
Point is, I got more done on Thursday than I've gotten done in most full weeks! I did four loads of laundry, one load of dishes in the dishwasher, 5 loads of dishes by hand (yes, five!!), washed all the counters/surfaces in the kitchen, vacuumed the living room and dining room, re-organized some of the stuff in our dining room, organized some of the random stuff that's accumulated in our bedroom since Callen was born, and rearranged the furniture in Audia's room. All while still tending to Callen's needs. And I even managed to watch an episode of Arrested Development and eat lunch, too! Needless to say, I was amazed at what I was able to accomplish. I've heard that "Good moms have sticky floors, dirty ovens, and happy kids." It might be too early to tell how well Audia is turning out, but I'd like to say that she is happy 98% of the time, and, for the record, if the floor is sticky, it does get cleaned. But after seeing how much I can get done when she's not here, I feel a little less guilty about what doesn't get done when she is. ;-)

Smiley Boy

A few weeks ago, right around the time Callen turned one month old, I noticed him smile at me while I was changing his diaper. It was a pretty quick thing, so I figured it was just gas or something along those lines. Then, a couple of days later, he smiled at me while I was playing with him in his bouncy chair. When I smiled back and cooed at him, he did it again. Since then, our little squeaker has been smiling up a storm! I can't even begin to put into words how heart-melting and exciting it is, even weeks later, every time I see that goofy, gummy grin of his. And I can't get over how quickly he's already growing up!