Road trip

The family. The lake.

A few years ago Anni and I took a week-long trip to Amsterdam (to see Bryan) and Brugge (to get engaged). We pride ourselves on our packing skills; we bring just enough clothing and keep the luggage light.
We were driving to the airport, discussing what was stowed in our bags.
"How many shirts did you bring?" Anni asked.
I thought about it for a moment.
"Uhm ... two," I said, immediately realizing that was too few, especially considering the unpredictable weather and that I didn't plan to do laundry while abroad.
My bag was light on that trip, but I had to borrow shirts from Bryan. And I got a nickname: Scotty Two-Shirt.

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There was no similar packing mishap last weekend when we took our first road trip with Elise. You don't underpack with a 4-month-old. It was almost embarrassing how much stuff we crammed into the truck, but we could not pinpoint anything that could be left behind: Gotta have lots of baby clothes; need a couple of toys; she has to sleep in something; she likes the bouncy chair and it gives us a break; bottles are necessary and so are blankets; etc...
We figured that Duluth was a good first-trip destination because it's a short trip, we hadn't been up there for a few months, Anni's grandparents hadn't seen Elise, staying at the Simmonds house is cheap and enjoyable and Lake Superior always is alluring.
We wondered how Elise would handle the car ride. She had little problem with it. She slept nearly the entire way to Duluth on Friday afternoon, waking just as we rolled into town.
Anni's Uncle Jay and Aunt Patrice offered to babysit Friday night while Michelle, Anni and I went out. We had a good time, even though Anni and I were fighting to stay awake past 10:30 p.m.

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On Saturday we went to the lake. Upon arrival, Elise seemed content with the fresh air and crashing waves on Superior's shore.

Elise surveying the lake. She approved.

We set her down on the rocks to get bundled up. Strangely, she liked it. In recent days she has taken to gnawing whatever she can get her hands on -- rocks included.

It's clean; we removed the zebra mussel before she gummed it.

Everyone should at least dip their toes in the lake, even a 4-month-old. The water was chilly, but she didn't mind her North Shore Baptism.

Elise did really well the entire weekend, including the 45 minutes or so that we were down at the lake, enjoying the scenery and goofing off.

She's cuter than the gulls that swarmed overhead,
but Anni had to watch for droppings from both baby and bird.

No stroller to relax in, just a rock recliner.

The ladies.

Who wouldn't want a lakeside nap?

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We also paid a visit Saturday to Anni's Gagne grandparents, so now Elise has met all five of her great-grandparents on both sides. (George will see her again next month.) She was very mellow during the visit, letting the great-grandparents hold her for a quite a while. She eventually napped and Anni's grandparents fed us some great rhubarb pie.

Great-Grandma Gagne

Great-Grandpa Gagne

We wrapped up Saturday by driving out to the Marsolek family cabin about a half-hour north of Duluth. Again, Elise did just fine, sleeping on the drive out and back and generally remaining content during our visit. Anni's Uncle Brian and Auntie Andrea were re-roofing the cabin. I should have brought work clothes; I was worthless in shorts and sandals. I didn't lay one shingle, but they fed us dinner anyway.
On Sunday, we packed all of our stuff -- a total of three bags, plus a portable crib, bouncer seat and stroller; yeah, a bit much -- and headed home.
Somebody insisted on taking her turn behind the wheel:


All in all, a smooth road trip with the little one. It was good prep for the next time we hit the road: Thanksgiving in Chicago.

The nondiagnosis

Question -- What do you get when you combine a baby with ear infection symptoms and a long wait at the local clinic?
Answer -- A tired baby who was cleared of anything beyond a case of the sniffles and parents who were relieved at the diagnosis (was there one if no illness was detected?) but chapped about having to wait an abnormally long time before the casual doctor came sauntering in, oblivious to our obvious frustration.
Today we made our second unplanned trip to the clinic for Elise (the first was for Gunk Eye when she was a week old).
Since the middle of last week she's been congested, on Friday and Saturday her breathing sounded like Keith Richards' raspy laugh and today she was unusually irritable. (For those wondering, the symptoms existed well before her Saturday swim in WARM water.)
Thinking there was a remote possibility of an ear infection, we went to the clinic this afternoon. After spending more time than necessary waiting for the "expert," the tardy doc came in, listened to her chest, waved a light on her eyes and found some fluid in her ears, but no infection. Elise just has some crud.
"About all you can do is give her some Tylenol and some extra tender, loving care," the doc said annoyingly.
The good news is that by this evening, she seemed to be getting a little better. That is to say we no longer are able to pull nasty gunk from her nose using the Booger Bulb. (Progress is measured in many ways.)
Other good news: The clinic visit gave us a chance to put that baby on the scale and get an updated weight. At nearly 4 months, she weighs 14 pounds 9 ounces.

A good day

A belated Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.
It was a nice first holiday on my end. The photo sums it up.

The baby bobber

Elise's first swim went swimmingly.
Since she is nearing 4 months, it seemed a good time to get her in the water. (Start 'em young, right?)
So on Saturday, Anni asked her dad to drop the temp in the hot tub so Miss Elise could take the plunge. The impetus for all of this was two-fold: It was roasty-toasty on Saturday, Anni's birthday, so it was an excuse for all three of us to get in some water, even if it was warm. Also, Anni bought Elise a bathing suit a few days ago and was itchin' to get her in it. (It has a monkey on it.)
If the 20-minute swim session was any indication, this little lady is fond of water. She seemed just fine as we took turns moving her around the tub like a baby bobber. Unlike her dad, she didn't flinch when a little water got in her eye, and either by accident or design she figured out how to splash.

She was having a good time. In fact, I think it was the parents who decided swim time was over, not the child. Typical, eh?
The good news for Anni and Elise is that there will be plenty of swimming opportunity this summer: Anni's birthday present was a small backyard pool.

The Wading Ladies

Wide brim = hidden eyes
No sun = farmer's tan

Advanced baby sign language

Cow (and baby) tipping

Elise has a stuffed cow (more on that interesting toy in a future post) and it's her preferred toy right now. Anyway, she was trying to eat it this morning and this happened:

A string bean shops for beans

Everything's a first for Elise, and on Sunday she made her maiden voyage to the St. Paul farmers' market. Sitting snug in the sling -- which looks much better on Anni than it would on me -- she was very content as we and Anni's cousin Michelle perused the early-season produce.
Not sure what Elise's highlights were, but I do know that she was not as excited as Dad was to see the guy selling rainbow trout again this year. Unemployment be damned, I'm buying fresh fish.
The trip was a success and we'll be back throughout the summer. Maybe in a few weeks, when there is a variety of produce, I'll set Elise in a vegetable and play Anne Geddes. Ugh.

Meet Chuckles

Elise started laughing yesterday when Anni was playing with her. And then she kept laughing. And then she laughed some more. I managed to record a little bit of it. Oh, and Anni wanted it known that what you hear on the video is not her normal laugh. Really?

Avoiding Mushdom

Zoned. Out.

You know how universities conduct studies of children who completely zone out in front of a television and are oblivious to their surroundings? Researchers determine that those children either end up with mush for brains or the inability to socialize later in life -- or both.
Miss Elise has discovered television, and she's destined for Mushdom if we don't nip this boob-tube fascination.
We're to blame, though it certainly is not intentional. When we feed her we'll often watch TV -- it's too hard to hold a book or magazine, and at 3 a.m. each of us needs some kind of entertainment to stay awake.
We first noticed this about a week ago. Elise was getting burped when she saw the TV ... and promptly zoned out. So for the past several days we have watched how she responds to the TV and can safely draw this conclusion: She's going to be hooked if we don't intervene.
You want evidence of this emerging problem? Here you go: I was watching a hockey game the other night and she was on the floor. I intentionally turned her so that she was facing away from the TV. No problem for her -- she simply craned her neck upward and unnaturally backward so that she could see the TV.
Impressive? Yeah. Funny? Kind of. A sign of troubled times ahead? Maybe.
But don't call in the researchers just yet.
To be continued...

Babies 101

Elise met Uncle Bryan back in mid-March, when she was a wee one and he was in town for a brief visit.
Well, he's back and she's bigger. A good time for a crash course in baby care, don't you think? We did.
Bryan came over Saturday afternoon/evening. Within minutes of his arrival, Anni had him changing a diaper -- a major accomplishment for someone with borderline Hughes-like cleanliness issues. He completed that task (It was a "wet" diaper; the real test will be a blowout.) and promptly washed his hands. We'll get rubber gloves for him next time.
Later, Bryan sat in for me during Elise's bath. His job involved constantly pouring bath water over Elise's belly and lankly legs. Oh, and removing toe jam. (Whodathunk babies get toe jam?)
Lastly, Bryan gave Elise a bottle and she was kind enough not to spew all over him.
Overall, he sailed through his crash course in baby care -- and in the process got a firsthand look at our exciting Saturday evenings.

Knit-picking about the weather

A knit hat in June? Yep. It's early summer, Minnesota-style.

We're busy translating this...

Photo drop

Random shots from the past week:

Anni was weeding. Elise was protecting a cherished item.

"Gardening is tough work. Now, where's my bottle?"

Ms. Doo-wop's looking for the nearest fountain diner.

This lady digs books. Actually, both of them do.

"They propped me up like a doll, so I'm plotting revenge.
Revenge is spelled b-l-o-w-o-u-t."

Chillin' in the new high chair.


"Tummy time" is not supposed to be nap time.


We're having a stare-off. Well, either that or she's
freaked out by the start of the unemployment beard.
If it's the latter, mother and daughter think alike.

When you're shorthanded

Anni recently realized there was an easy fix to the problem of having too many things to carry separately up the basement steps. Elise seemed OK with her temporary digs.

You're growing -- again?!

Somebody hit a growth spurt again the other day. (Here's a hint: It's the other awkwardly lanky member of the household.)
We suspect growth spurt because Elise decided to start eating every two hours during the day -- usually it's every three hours, like clockwork.
And with the exception of mornings, when she's just peachy, she has been unusually irritable the past few days. Just kind of fussy, which is not normal. She is not happy being held and is even less thrilled laying on a blanket.
One possible bright side: This growth spurt may be tiring for her because she has been sleeping through the night -- well, sort of -- for the past week or so. We'll put her down about 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. and she'll sleep until 4:30 a.m. or 5 a.m.
We'll see how this plays out the next few days.

More of these, please

The crouch

We call this position "Crouching Baby, Hidden Diaper." It makes it tough to change the diaper, but it's kinda funny.

Adjust those figures by 1

It appears I will be spending a bit more time at home with Anni and Elise. Actually, a lot more time.
That would be great news if it did not come with this minor addendum: I have no job.
Yep, laid off.
Add me to the growing list of victims of these floundering economic times. The explanation is simple enough, though no less disappointing: Like every other news organization, our company -- well, the company I used to work for -- is struggling with the economic downturn and, no doubt, a dip in advertising revenue. It's a time to trim costs, and a two-man Capitol bureau is, well, one man too many.
The company kept the bureau open, which is good, but let me go. It did not come as a complete surprise, and company folk did what they could to help me. That was appreciated.
There are a few interesting back stories to all of this, but here is one that surely is a candidate for the Cruelest Irony award: At work Thursday, I wrote a short item about the latest state unemployment figures. After a Friday morning meeting, those figures needed to be adjusted by one.
I'm disappointed for three reasons:
-- I have to find a new job. (I know, I know: Get in line.)
-- Given how poorly many media companies are run, I was working for a good one.
-- The job was great (it's tough to complain when your office is in the neatest building in the state) and full of opportunities that will be hard to top. (Not the least of which were two trips to Washington and a front-row seat for two of the craziest election cycles in recent memory.)
So, where am I going from here? Well, I'm taking suggestions because, quite frankly, I haven't a clue. I've already got a couple of job tips to pursue, but who knows where those will lead.
In the meantime, today, on my first full day of unemployment, I was awakened at 6:10 a.m. by a bright-eyed 11-week old who was ready to start the day.
So we did.

Snuggled in sling

Anni is trying out one of those baby slings. It went over well when she first tried it.

On cakes and needles

I was supposed to have carrot cake tonight -- doctor's order.
I'll explain.
We took Elise to her two-month checkup today, her second with the new pediatrician. At the first visit, when Elise was just six weeks old, the doctor threw us off by sitting down and asking, "So, what's her best trick?"
She was just making conversation, using a slightly unconventional approach to put us at ease. It caught us off guard at first, but we warmed to it.
"What do you do on your birthday?" the doc asked us today. Again, she caught us off guard, but by now we were hip to her plan. "What kind of cake do you like to eat?"
I told her I'd go with carrot cake.
Well, the doc said, I should go home and celebrate (with cake) the fact that Elise made it to two months. It's a milestone for a few reasons.
First, we were told, her immune system is far more advanced at two months than it was at two weeks -- that makes sense -- so she can fight off illness more effectively.
Also, two months is significant because that is when she can handle shots.
Lastly, and here is where it gets interesting, in some cultures a baby is not named until it is two months old because, well, many don't even live that long. We're a bit more advanced than that, of course, but that was a nice little sociology lesson.
Anyway, the doctor's point was that two months is significant because Elise has endured a somewhat risky phase and is on the right track.
That's a lot to take in during the first few minutes of an 8 a.m. appointment, but we got it.

....

Not only are Elise's arms and legs pushing the bounds of her clothing, but she set a new high on a growth chart the doctor provides. At 25 inches -- yes, we're talking keeper length -- she is off the length-for-age percentile chart. Line her up with 99 other 10-week-olds and she's longer than 99 of them. I know, charts, shmarts. They don't mean much, but it's funny to see that she's at the top of the chart for length-for-age and, at this point, is at the lower end of the weight-for-length chart because, well, she's a lanky bean.
I placed her on the scale, which is not unlike the scale used to weigh ground meat at the deli, and the numbers fluttered between 12 lbs. and 13 lbs., landing at 12 lbs. 13 oz. She's gained about two pounds in the past three weeks.
Everything else checked out OK -- ears, nose, eyes, throat, leg joints, back, etc.
It's nice to hear someone with a white robe and stethoscope declare your baby healthy.

....

It's not as nice to watch your baby get poked with needles. Elise needed four shots, three in the leg and one via a liquid mixture.
She got the liquid first, which was good for the nurse and us because Elise was in a giddy mood. She actually smiled after gulping the liquid.
But imagine her suprise when that liquid was followed by a stinging pain to the thigh. I understand why the liquid vaccination comes first, but it's still a bit deceptive.
"Hey, wasn't that liquid tasty? What's that? We just tricked you into relaxing and then we jabbed your leg, causing the most pain you've ever experienced? Yeah, sorry about that."
The first needle shot was quickly followed by two more, leaving Elise with the facial expression she would get with a piercing scream -- except she was so upset that she couldn't make noise.
Five minutes later, though, she was calm and resting. Ten minutes later she was zonked out in her car seat and we were headed for the door.
I had a content baby in my arm and carrot cake on my mind.