These Days September 29, 2009

September has been one of the busiest months I remember having in my life.  In between taking care of the baby (2 yr old…still a baby?  Yes, yes she is.), I’ve been working quite a few 12-14 hour days.  Not my cup of tea.  Husband keeps trying to get me to take breaks, but it’s hard, knowing there’s no one else there to pick up the slack (self-employment is great, but has some down-sides).

This business God has given me (because truly, I never went looking for it; I really feel that He’s pushed me through one open door after another) has been blessed beyond what I could have imagined, and I owe it all to him.  That said, it has come with its stresses.

Other things I’ve been able to squeeze into September:

• A haircut (nothing exciting, just a much-needed trim)
• Bible study
• A MOPS meeting
• A visit to an apple orchard
• An overnight visit from an old friend and her baby girl
• A meal out with friends at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try
• A couple morning trips to the zoo with Anja, which she loved

Today I took the day off from processing photos and cleaned up the house and did some Autumn decorating.  I told Husband that even though cleaning is not really a break, it seemed like one, so that counts, right?

So far I’ve gained about the same amount of pregnancy weight as I did with Anja (which was more than I wanted to gain, but still in healthy range).  I can’t imagine the weight gain will slow down with my typical menu of hearty soups, yummy breads and fall baked goods coming up, followed by the holiday season.  Yikes!  But friends have reassured me that it is oh so cozy to have a big belly keeping you warm in January, unlike in August where you just wish you could remove it and get the swelling in your legs to go down…

October will likely be less busy with photo shoots (though I have four this coming weekend), but more busy with client orders.  Can’t promise I’ll be around a lot, but I’d love to hear what you’re up to this fall!

“Baby Eating the Mommy?” September 21, 2009

That was Anja’s question when she saw a picture of a baby breastfeeding in a book Husband read to her tonight.  Ha ha!  He quickly explained that, no, the baby was getting milk from the mommy, not eating her.  Oh, little minds!

And that will probably be my post of the week.

Sunday Sunshine 09.13.09 September 13, 2009

Contrary to last time, This Is Why You’re Thin.  Thanks, tranabanana, for the link!

The mother in me cries when I read these posts, but the Christ-lover in me acts.  There are so many great organizations out there who help these sweet, needy children.  Are you supporting one?

5 Grammar Mistakes That Make You Sound Like A Chimp – I’m sure I’m guilty of some of these!

Drug-related Violence September 11, 2009

This one made me laugh so hard…I had to post it.  It’s so “classic cat fight.”

The Birthday Party

September is quietly one-third over, and I, knee-deep in other processing duties, haven’t had time to touch my daughter’s birthday photos until today.

We kept it simple again this year, a light meal shared with family.  Her theme was Circles, since she’s very into shapes right now.  We planned most of the food and decorations around this theme: meat and cheese buns (homemade by Grandma!), grapes and banana slices, veggies and dip, chips, and cupcakes.

Circle decorations, for the most part: lanterns, balloons, flowers, a new “Happy Birthday Anja” birthday banner (thanks, Daddy, for all your time meticulously cutting out letters!).

Anja was spoiled rotten (again!) with all her gifts.  The last one she opened was a little play kitchen.  She immediately started cooking and astounds me with her continued talent for it.  She must pay much closer attention to Mama when she cooks/bakes than I realized!  Another favorite is her vacuum cleaner.  I know this passion for cleaning and cooking probably won’t last into her pre-teens, but I intend to take advantage of it while I can!  :)

Hope you enjoy being two, dearie!

More Fair Pics September 10, 2009

Contrary to what it sounded like, we did actually do some things at the Fair besides eat.

Anja gawked at some rides on the Midway.  She loves anything that spins and goes up high.

She also got to experience her first ride at a fair: the carousel. She chose a very rickety goat.  I don’t think I’d ever ridden a carousel A) while pregnant or B) standing and facing outward.  Round-and-round rides don’t usually bother me; I got queasy this time.

Once Anja realized she could actually ride the rides and not just watch, however, she became assertive, asking if she could go on everything we passed. Thankfully she was pacified with promises of “next time,” even though that concept doesn’t sit well with her age group.

At one point, we actually got her to fall asleep, and we used the better part of an hour to peruse the art submissions, which are always a treat.

I also spent a little of the time being a dork.

The bands in the afternoon parade woke her, and we continued on with our eating, animal-viewing, and people-watching. A day well-spent.

Spanish is… September 9, 2009

I asked Anja what she wanted for snack tonight.  She started strongly and then trailed off, “Cereal, Spanish, cupcakes…”

She has used “Spanish” to describe things before, and I’ve never understood where she picked up the word or what it means to her.  I inquired, “Anja, what does ‘Spanish’ mean?”

“Spanish mean…counting…on your fingers,” was the enthusiastic reply.  But she wasn’t finished.  ”Spanish mean…confirmation.”  She then repeated that last line a few times, as if trying to convince herself.

Now I have two mysteries on my mind: where she learned about Spanish, and how on earth she learned to correctly pronounce confirmation!

There’s a Baby in There!

We had our ultrasound yesterday.  So fun to see Baby P #2 kicking around in there.  Actually, he/she (no, we didn’t find out) did a whole lot of transverse lying and relaxing, legs crossed, sucking a thumb. This explains why I’ve been feeling so W I D E this pregnancy!  We couldn’t get him/her to budge from that spot.  But we got some cute pictures, anyway (which I’m too lazy to scan in right now).

Anja did pretty well at first, but since my placenta is anterior (in the front), it took a little longer to get clear shots of the baby, and she grew impatient.  Daddy would say, “Look at the baby on the TV!” and she would grab his face with both hands and say, “No!  Look at Anja!”  Hope this isn’t a preview of things to come…

Speaking of Baby #2, does anyone have any good recommendations for a double stroller?  Brands, types (side-by-side or tandem, jogger or non)?  I’m in the market.  :)

I got an hour and a half to myself this morning (Anja was at half-day daycare today since they were closed on Monday).  I read a book.  I’ve really been enjoying Bryson’s stuff this summer (this is the third I’ve read; also these two), even though he occasionally branches into the bizarre or lewd.  His descriptions of Midwesterners in The Lost Continent made me howl with laughter because they are so accurate.

We’re enjoying rather mild weather, and I’m loving it.  I had sunshine for all three of my photo shoots this past weekend, which was an amazing blessing.  It’s supposed to rain this weekend, but hopefully we won’t be rained out of senior pictures.

I’ve been contacted twice by a lady nicely asking me to link to this website and inform you about this buying local initiative.  I haven’t had a chance to read through it all, so hopefully it’s something I agree with!  Here’s an article that tells more about it.  And I happen to know a fantastic little photography business you can support if you’re wanting some treasures to put on your walls or in a keepsake album!  ;)

Oh, and it’s 09/09/09.  I just HAD to post today.

Getting Metaphysical (and sassy) September 8, 2009

Two recent Anja quotes:

1) “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder why you are…”

2)  While brushing teeth, sees Daddy still supervising her from just outside the bathroom door.  ”Go ‘way, Daddy!”

Our baby is growing up!

Labor Day September 7, 2009

And I will be spending it laboring, just like yesterday and the day before.  Thankfully, it’s labor I love…

However, this morning I got to take a “break” to go to a local flea market and pick up our new dining table* (pictures to come soon?  we’ll see…), and help Husband carry it up our 16 stairs and over the top of the baby gate (did I mention it’s solid wood and 40″ x 80″?).  So your prayers for the safety of my unborn child are appreciated.  Though I still lift weights at the gym on a regular basis, I don’t usually quite strain myself to this degree.  :)

Then we pulled together a yummy lunch of grilled T-bone steaks, the best corn on the cob ever (we have a place near our home that grows and sells their own), and roasted potatoes.  I’m hoping to find time to make some zucchini bread later.  I’m not ready for summer to be over!!!

*If anyone local (Twin Cities area) is interested in buying our old dining table, here’s a picture.  Make an offer!  It extends from 68″ to 104″ with the leaves, seating 12 comfortably and 14 if you squeeze.  It’s made of solid pecan (rare), from the 1960s, and still in great condition.  It has served us very well, but is just not our “style”.  We’ll throw in 4 chairs and the pads for protecting the top for free!