Thursday, January 30, 2014
Snow Graffiti
Pinterest success! You know those Pinterest posts that make you feel like a bad parent because someone hand stitched their own cloth diapers with organic Egyptian cotton, built a toy box out of upcycled toilet paper rolls, and pureed a months worth of baby food in one day with heirloom root vegetables from their winter gardens? Well. This isn't one of those posts. This little project is cheap and kid tested to be 100% awesome sauce. Spray bottle + food coloring + water = hours of entertainment...if you can stay warm that long! I bought little squirt bottles from Tarjay for .97 because I thought they would be easier for H to handle. Of course you could use whatever you have around the house. Sadly, our snow is melting away today, but they're calling for more tonight. I'm crossing my fingers, because "spray" painting the grass isn't nearly as fun.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Snoooooow.
Hey now, ATL. SnowMageddon, CarMageddon, IceMageddon...whatever y'all are calling it...y'all are stuck! I am so glad that our family and friends in that area made it either home safely or at least had a warm place for the night. I just cannot imagine having to leave my child on a school bus! Hopefully, you didn't have to go anywhere today and you got to at least enjoy a little of the snow.
Speaking of snow. We still have some residual flakes sticking around from a system that pushed through a few days ago. On days like this, I like to take Henry to the Tot Gym at the Aztlan (try to pronounce that one. yeah.) Community Center in Old Town Fort Collins. He loves it. I love it. We're both happy campers when we go because he gets to learn how to share (not really his forte) and I get to talk to other adults about how bad our kids are at sharing. It makes me feel normal. Win-win.
I will tell you something that is not 'winning' though. Opening your sunroof on the way home because it's actually pretty nice outside and you think you'd like some fresh air, but you forgot that there's still four inches of snow on said sunroof. Yup. So as we're driving down the road singing Raffi songs and minding our own business, an avalanche of snow rudely barrels down into the car and onto our heads. I immediately start laughing, turn around to see Henry wiping snow out of his eyes and he says, "uh-oh". Yup. Uh-oh, indeed. Thank goodness we were close to home.
We were heading up the steps to the house when we had to make a pit-stop to play with chalk. And then snow. And Lightening McQueen. We're all about the pit-stops right now.
Speaking of snow. We still have some residual flakes sticking around from a system that pushed through a few days ago. On days like this, I like to take Henry to the Tot Gym at the Aztlan (try to pronounce that one. yeah.) Community Center in Old Town Fort Collins. He loves it. I love it. We're both happy campers when we go because he gets to learn how to share (not really his forte) and I get to talk to other adults about how bad our kids are at sharing. It makes me feel normal. Win-win.
I will tell you something that is not 'winning' though. Opening your sunroof on the way home because it's actually pretty nice outside and you think you'd like some fresh air, but you forgot that there's still four inches of snow on said sunroof. Yup. So as we're driving down the road singing Raffi songs and minding our own business, an avalanche of snow rudely barrels down into the car and onto our heads. I immediately start laughing, turn around to see Henry wiping snow out of his eyes and he says, "uh-oh". Yup. Uh-oh, indeed. Thank goodness we were close to home.
We were heading up the steps to the house when we had to make a pit-stop to play with chalk. And then snow. And Lightening McQueen. We're all about the pit-stops right now.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Here We Go
If the first month of the year is any indication of what the rest of this year has in store for my family, then we'd better hold on to our hats. It seems like the hurdles are coming closer together and higher with each jump. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right? Well, in my case it's also opened my eyes to the importance of slowing down, taking my time, and drinking in the blueness of my little boy's eyes.
Because what's important right now is the way Henry says "choo" for tractor and the way it took him nearly two years to call me Mom. Not Mommy, or Mama....noooo, we're way too sophisticated for that. It's Mom, with a long "m" on the end. Mommm. And the way he counts, "two, nine, two, nine!" Or the way he fake snores when he's pretending to sleep. Yep, that's happening right now.
These are some of the things that I hope to share with you by leaving Facebook behind and entering a world with more conversations and fewer status updates, less dilution and more concentration, and more love and less "liking". Kinda like those Home Depot commercials...More Saving. More Doing. Or something like that.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send me a message of support and encouragement. I'm blessed to call you my friends and I'm so excited about the conversations that I've had with some of you over the last 24 hours. I'm honored that you are coming on this journey with me.
I took these this morning while He Man enjoyed some of his birthday gifts. Enjoy.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Catching Up, Slowing Down
It's been a minute. It's been lots of minutes. Sorry about that. I'm pretty sure I warned you that I was not very good at keeping this here blog dusted off. But I'm back, for now, and hopefully this time it will stick a little longer.
It's my kiddo's 2nd birthday today. This day brings back so many memories of happiness and fear. If I close my eyes, I am right back in that birthing room. It was the longest and shortest 20 hours of my life. A complete blur. And when it was all over at 15:17mst, there was a baby boy. There was a 6lb 4oz, 19 inches long little boy. And there was his Dad with tears in his eyes. And there was me. And all of a sudden we were a family of three. This is my favorite day of the year because it's the day where all of my dreams came true.
In the days leading up to his birthday, I have been doing a lot of reflecting. Thinking about what to "get" him for his special day made me think about what he really needs. Christmas was just a few weeks ago and his grandparents did plenty of spoiling, so I was having trouble coming up with something that he either A. Didn't already have or B. Something that he really "needed". When my thoughts circled around "nothing", it hit me. He really doesn't need anything, except for me to be present. I will be his present. I will quit spending time on Facebook, I will quit playing games on my phone, and I will be more present for him. We can't get all of the time back to make them small again. We only have the now and I forever want to remember all of his tiny features and idiosyncrasies ...not what my high score is on Candy Crush.
So. For my buddy on his birthday, I am giving him the gift of time. I'll be quitting Facebook and starting up the 'ol blog again. Here, you can keep up with photos of Henry and follow his adventures. I'll be sure to keep this updated (while he naps!) so all of our friends and family can continue to watch him grow.
In the new year, it is also my goal to focus on my photography and grow my business. I will be keeping both personal and professional blogs, and I hope that you follow them both! Your support over the last year has been so encouraging, and I'm really looking forward to what 2014 has to offer.
See you on the flip.
It's my kiddo's 2nd birthday today. This day brings back so many memories of happiness and fear. If I close my eyes, I am right back in that birthing room. It was the longest and shortest 20 hours of my life. A complete blur. And when it was all over at 15:17mst, there was a baby boy. There was a 6lb 4oz, 19 inches long little boy. And there was his Dad with tears in his eyes. And there was me. And all of a sudden we were a family of three. This is my favorite day of the year because it's the day where all of my dreams came true.
In the days leading up to his birthday, I have been doing a lot of reflecting. Thinking about what to "get" him for his special day made me think about what he really needs. Christmas was just a few weeks ago and his grandparents did plenty of spoiling, so I was having trouble coming up with something that he either A. Didn't already have or B. Something that he really "needed". When my thoughts circled around "nothing", it hit me. He really doesn't need anything, except for me to be present. I will be his present. I will quit spending time on Facebook, I will quit playing games on my phone, and I will be more present for him. We can't get all of the time back to make them small again. We only have the now and I forever want to remember all of his tiny features and idiosyncrasies ...not what my high score is on Candy Crush.
So. For my buddy on his birthday, I am giving him the gift of time. I'll be quitting Facebook and starting up the 'ol blog again. Here, you can keep up with photos of Henry and follow his adventures. I'll be sure to keep this updated (while he naps!) so all of our friends and family can continue to watch him grow.
In the new year, it is also my goal to focus on my photography and grow my business. I will be keeping both personal and professional blogs, and I hope that you follow them both! Your support over the last year has been so encouraging, and I'm really looking forward to what 2014 has to offer.
See you on the flip.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Dear Henry,
Dear Henry,
I thought that I would sit down and write this letter to you on your one-month birthday. I thought that four weeks would give me time to gather my thoughts and articulate my feelings. You, however, had other plans...as you have had since you decided to make your grand entrance into this world. So, here you are now exactly twelve weeks, old and I can't remember what life was like without you. This is your birth story, sweet boy. I love you forever.
Your Dad and I were newlyweds on Father's Day, June 20th, 2011 when I broke the news to him that you had taken up residence in my belly. I told him that we needed to have a "family meeting", and with crossed arms and a blank stare he absorbed the news like any first time expectant father would...like a sack of bricks to the gut. We sat, shocked and in awe that we were starting our family. We cried. We laughed. I told him "Happy Father's Day", and then we watched the movie, Juno. For some reason, it felt appropriate.
At the beginning, you were our little secret. We wanted to make sure you were real, so I made a doctor's appointment. At seven weeks and one day, with your Dad holding my hand, we saw you for the first time. With one glimpse of your tiny beating heart, you had stolen ours. There was no looking back.
The next sixth months craaaawled by; as my belly grew bigger, our patience got smaller. Every week, we kept track of your progress by tearing off a link from a paper chain that we made with construction paper. And even though your Daddy (appropriately) nicknamed me 'Preggasaur', he did everything in his power to keep me happy...whether it was driving to Whole Foods for potato salad to satisfy a late night craving or purchasing every pillow, belly band, and nursing bra in the Motherhood Maternity store to make me comfortable. But most of all, he listened. He let me cry, he let me act like a crazy person, and he made me laugh every time he told me that I wasn't fat...I was pregnant. Well played, Edberg, well played.
By the time Christmas rolled around, I was practically doing the same. We visited your doctor and she decided that it would be best for me (and you) to take it easy for the next couple of months. I started my leave from work early and shortly after, turned my attention toward our house. After an unusual cleaning streak left the bathroom tub gleaming and the couch cushions crumb-less, your Dad said, "This kid is coming this week!". This will be the only written proof that your Dad ever has, but he was right.
The next night, I made lasagna for dinner. We sat down to watch the evening news, ate dinner, and proceeded to argue about something ridiculous. Hormone induced, I'm sure of it. Whatever it was, we decided to not to speak to one another and act like we were mad...I retired to our bedroom to read a book and your Dad stayed in the living room to play his "bang 'em up, shoot 'em up" video game. I wasn't in bed for five minutes when I had to get up and use the bathroom, for what must have been the 30th time that hour. When I sat down to relieve myself, I peed like I hadn't peed in months!! Man, it felt great! What a relief, I thought! And then it hit me. I bet that's what it feels like when your water breaks. (earmuffs) Oh, shit. I think my water just broke. No. Impossible. You weren't due for another month. (earmuffs) Shit. Now, I have to talk to your Dad.
Me: Babe!
Dad: What!? (I could hear his eyes rolling as if to say, "What could you possibly want now?)
Me: I think something's wrong.
Dad: What?
Me: I think my water just broke.
Dad: uuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
We jumped in the car and made the necessary phone calls on the way to the hospital. Our friend and neighbor, Annaliese, told us months before you were born that she would love to help us get through your labor. My best friend, and your 'Aunt' Tyler had the hospital's address programmed into her GPS long before your due date, and your Grandma Jeanne and Aunt Sarah were on the next flight from Tennessee. The calvary was coming.
After we were admitted, I changed into a comfy nightgown and socks to get settled in for the long haul. Since we lived so close, your Dad ran back to the house to grab some necessities. You weren't due for another month, so we hadn't exactly finished packing "the bag". And when I say, "we", I mean, "I". Your Dad frantically wrote down about 20 items as I rattled them off. Your Aunt Tyler met him at our house to help gather everything to bring back to the hospital. Good thing, too, 'cause your Dad lost the list.
For a few moments, I was alone. I felt awkward in my hospital bed all by myself, almost self conscious. I hadn't shaved my legs or washed my hair in days. I was hot...a hot mess. Then, in a moment of clarity, my vanity dissipated and I started to focus on the task at hand. It was the last time that it was just me with you still growing in my belly. I rubbed you and told you that I loved you. If you were ready to meet us, I trusted you and I was at peace.
The next 15 hours were, literally, a blur. I was dead-set against having an epidural...until I wasn't dead-set against it. Annaliese held my hand and I could feel the power of another woman, another mother, coursing its way from her body to mine. She was my strength for hours on end and the only reason that I labored for so long without any medicine. Your Dad and I were so grateful for her.
After 15 hours, I couldn't handle it anymore. Maybe I should say, I didn't want to handle it anymore. I wasn't prepared, and I was anxious to meet you. I caved. I had the epidural and four hours later, you were ready to meet us, too.
Your Grandma Jeanne and Aunt Sarah had arrived just in time for your arrival. Annaliese and your Aunt Tyler were with us to greet you as well. With your Dad by my side and after twenty minutes of pushing, you were here. You were perfect and you were here. Finally. They placed you on my chest and I fell in love. I fell in love with you, and I fell in love with your Dad all over again. We looked at each other and knew that you were the best thing that had ever happened to us and that our beautiful journey was only just beginning.
We love you so much, Henry Nathan Edberg. Happy (belated) Birthday, my boy.
All my love forever,
Mom
I thought that I would sit down and write this letter to you on your one-month birthday. I thought that four weeks would give me time to gather my thoughts and articulate my feelings. You, however, had other plans...as you have had since you decided to make your grand entrance into this world. So, here you are now exactly twelve weeks, old and I can't remember what life was like without you. This is your birth story, sweet boy. I love you forever.
Your Dad and I were newlyweds on Father's Day, June 20th, 2011 when I broke the news to him that you had taken up residence in my belly. I told him that we needed to have a "family meeting", and with crossed arms and a blank stare he absorbed the news like any first time expectant father would...like a sack of bricks to the gut. We sat, shocked and in awe that we were starting our family. We cried. We laughed. I told him "Happy Father's Day", and then we watched the movie, Juno. For some reason, it felt appropriate.
At the beginning, you were our little secret. We wanted to make sure you were real, so I made a doctor's appointment. At seven weeks and one day, with your Dad holding my hand, we saw you for the first time. With one glimpse of your tiny beating heart, you had stolen ours. There was no looking back.
The next sixth months craaaawled by; as my belly grew bigger, our patience got smaller. Every week, we kept track of your progress by tearing off a link from a paper chain that we made with construction paper. And even though your Daddy (appropriately) nicknamed me 'Preggasaur', he did everything in his power to keep me happy...whether it was driving to Whole Foods for potato salad to satisfy a late night craving or purchasing every pillow, belly band, and nursing bra in the Motherhood Maternity store to make me comfortable. But most of all, he listened. He let me cry, he let me act like a crazy person, and he made me laugh every time he told me that I wasn't fat...I was pregnant. Well played, Edberg, well played.
By the time Christmas rolled around, I was practically doing the same. We visited your doctor and she decided that it would be best for me (and you) to take it easy for the next couple of months. I started my leave from work early and shortly after, turned my attention toward our house. After an unusual cleaning streak left the bathroom tub gleaming and the couch cushions crumb-less, your Dad said, "This kid is coming this week!". This will be the only written proof that your Dad ever has, but he was right.
The next night, I made lasagna for dinner. We sat down to watch the evening news, ate dinner, and proceeded to argue about something ridiculous. Hormone induced, I'm sure of it. Whatever it was, we decided to not to speak to one another and act like we were mad...I retired to our bedroom to read a book and your Dad stayed in the living room to play his "bang 'em up, shoot 'em up" video game. I wasn't in bed for five minutes when I had to get up and use the bathroom, for what must have been the 30th time that hour. When I sat down to relieve myself, I peed like I hadn't peed in months!! Man, it felt great! What a relief, I thought! And then it hit me. I bet that's what it feels like when your water breaks. (earmuffs) Oh, shit. I think my water just broke. No. Impossible. You weren't due for another month. (earmuffs) Shit. Now, I have to talk to your Dad.
Me: Babe!
Dad: What!? (I could hear his eyes rolling as if to say, "What could you possibly want now?)
Me: I think something's wrong.
Dad: What?
Me: I think my water just broke.
Dad: uuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
We jumped in the car and made the necessary phone calls on the way to the hospital. Our friend and neighbor, Annaliese, told us months before you were born that she would love to help us get through your labor. My best friend, and your 'Aunt' Tyler had the hospital's address programmed into her GPS long before your due date, and your Grandma Jeanne and Aunt Sarah were on the next flight from Tennessee. The calvary was coming.
After we were admitted, I changed into a comfy nightgown and socks to get settled in for the long haul. Since we lived so close, your Dad ran back to the house to grab some necessities. You weren't due for another month, so we hadn't exactly finished packing "the bag". And when I say, "we", I mean, "I". Your Dad frantically wrote down about 20 items as I rattled them off. Your Aunt Tyler met him at our house to help gather everything to bring back to the hospital. Good thing, too, 'cause your Dad lost the list.
For a few moments, I was alone. I felt awkward in my hospital bed all by myself, almost self conscious. I hadn't shaved my legs or washed my hair in days. I was hot...a hot mess. Then, in a moment of clarity, my vanity dissipated and I started to focus on the task at hand. It was the last time that it was just me with you still growing in my belly. I rubbed you and told you that I loved you. If you were ready to meet us, I trusted you and I was at peace.
The next 15 hours were, literally, a blur. I was dead-set against having an epidural...until I wasn't dead-set against it. Annaliese held my hand and I could feel the power of another woman, another mother, coursing its way from her body to mine. She was my strength for hours on end and the only reason that I labored for so long without any medicine. Your Dad and I were so grateful for her.
After 15 hours, I couldn't handle it anymore. Maybe I should say, I didn't want to handle it anymore. I wasn't prepared, and I was anxious to meet you. I caved. I had the epidural and four hours later, you were ready to meet us, too.
Your Grandma Jeanne and Aunt Sarah had arrived just in time for your arrival. Annaliese and your Aunt Tyler were with us to greet you as well. With your Dad by my side and after twenty minutes of pushing, you were here. You were perfect and you were here. Finally. They placed you on my chest and I fell in love. I fell in love with you, and I fell in love with your Dad all over again. We looked at each other and knew that you were the best thing that had ever happened to us and that our beautiful journey was only just beginning.
We love you so much, Henry Nathan Edberg. Happy (belated) Birthday, my boy.
All my love forever,
Mom
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Homebrew Halloween
Homebrew, pumpkins, and 'maters...OH MY! I 'll keep this short and sweet with lots 'o pictures! A few weeks ago, Nathan bottled his first batch of homebrew and his Dad was here to help him bottle it. This time around, he needed an extra set of hands and I was the man, er, woman, er, only person available for the job! I've gotta say, the process is really interesting and I'm excited to be his helper the next time. It was pretty awesome. Since this batch was a pumpkin brew and they had black bottle caps I named this one Witch's Brew :)
  |
| The big glass jug is called a carboy. When the initial "cooking" process is finished, the goods are strained and placed into that guy. Then it ferments for, I dunno, a pretty long time in a cold, dark closet. Then, it's time to bottle! |
Bottle capping the beerskis!
Sterile bottle caps.
Dishwashers! They're not just for dishes anymore!
Happy Beer Boy
'Twas the night before Halloween and our poor round friends still had no faces! We waited until the last minute to get our carve-on because the damn squirrels eat the pumpkins out here!
So happy, right?
Not sure which is bigger...the jack-o-lanterns or my own pumpkin belly.
Me and Baby E!
Did I mention that we got another foot of snow this week?! Uh, yeah. Nearly two feet of snow in as many weeks. Nice to see Colorado winter has decided to give me a nice warm welcome. I love the snow...I'm just not a big fan of being cold. If we could just have the snow with 75 degrees, I would be a happy girl. I know, I know. But a girl can wish.
Since the snow kept me in the house for most of the day yesterday, I decided to be a little constructive. Nathan's colleague, Drew, gave us about a half a bushel of tomatoes from his little organic farm. They were close to going bad, so I blanched them and threw them in some jars yesterday! So pretty!
Weird to be thinking about garden fresh tomatoes when it looks like this outside!
And thank you to Nathan's Aunt Pat and Uncle Jim for the postcard from Peru! Sounds like you guys are having a blast!
Ta-ta for now! :)
Friday, October 28, 2011
I'm Baaaack!
Do you hate me yet? I know. It's been a while since my last post, but in all fairness I warned you from the beginning that I wasn't very good at this kind of thing. But, we're together again. So that's what matters! :)
Let's see where do I begin to get you caught up on everything. Initially, I stopped writing so frequently because I thought that I may spill the beans before I was supposed to, but we're out of the woods now so I suppose I can tell you that we're having a BABY!! What? You're not surprised? Oh, yeah. It's been so long since I've posted that you already knew that! Okay, so anyway. That's why I stopped posting. I wanted to wait until we hit the 12 week mark to make the big announcement and then 12 weeks got here, like, almost 12 weeks ago and, uh, I guess I got all shy and whatnot.
Bygones! Let me just show our little guy off to you and then you won't be mad at me anymore. :)
Let's see where do I begin to get you caught up on everything. Initially, I stopped writing so frequently because I thought that I may spill the beans before I was supposed to, but we're out of the woods now so I suppose I can tell you that we're having a BABY!! What? You're not surprised? Oh, yeah. It's been so long since I've posted that you already knew that! Okay, so anyway. That's why I stopped posting. I wanted to wait until we hit the 12 week mark to make the big announcement and then 12 weeks got here, like, almost 12 weeks ago and, uh, I guess I got all shy and whatnot.
Bygones! Let me just show our little guy off to you and then you won't be mad at me anymore. :)
Ain't he cute?
Super Scary Ghost Face Baby
That's his wittle hand throwing up a 'wesssstsssiiiide'!
His wittle footsie.
So yeah. Our lives will soon be flipped upsidedown and quite frankly, we couldn't be more excited!
Next!
Recently, we were lucky enough to have a visitor stay with us! Nathan's Dad, Dave, came to play in Colorado for 10 days! It was a lovely visit and while we weren't all working or eating, the boys were out duck hunting! I refrained. I prefer to shoot my ducks through a tv screen that I'm sitting way too close to with a grey plastic gun. The guys enjoyed themselves though, successfully killing, like, a gajillion ducks. No turkey on Thanksgiving for us this year. We're having Daffy!
Daffy's cousin. Donald.
I've never seen anyone so happy to be holding dead stuff. :)
Baby E enjoyed his first visit with Grandpa and next time he sees him, he'll be changing his diapers....#1 only! :)
Let's see. What else, what else?
Oh! We got our first snow storm of the season. The news had been hyping up the storm for a few days so I thought we may get an inch or two. Well, we got an inch or two plus 10! Almost 12 inches of snow! It's been a heavy, wet snow which has not boded well for our tall tree friends that still have their leaves. Lots and lots of branches and trees down, but it has been very pretty. Aside from the tree carnage, it looks like a Dr. Suess wonderland outside and it makes me very excited for the seasons to change.
My car, after about 8 inches.
Backyard
Backyard, smashed laundry line.
I suppose that's all for now. I promise I won't leave you hanging like that again. Okay. I don't promise, but I will do my very best! There. That's more realistic.
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