Life in the 'Dorf

Lena is 14 Months Old!

2012-02-10T19:49:00.003-05:00

At 14 months, Lena...

- Can blow her nose better and more effectively than most pre-schoolers

- Still nurses first thing in the morning and before bed at night and will continue to do so at least until we are through cold season (unless she'd suddenly self-wean before then).

- Loves to dance, dance, dance to any music that she hears

- Jumps up quicker in response to the word "outside" than the dogs

- Cuddles into your shoulder and pats your back if you are carrying her to her room for bedtime or a nap

- Is occasionally very verbal but will sometimes refuse to use any of 'her words' at all and will only sign and nod yes and no. Two examples of this...tonight she was sitting on the dog bed and started nodding yes enthusiastically. I asked, "Yes what?" because sometimes she nods when she wants something but does not verbalize what that something is. I then said, "You have to tell me what you want, you can't just nod your head." At that point she started pointing to her head with both hands and nodding yes and smiling. I just laughed and said, "Yes, that is your head." :-)

The other example was this morning. I brushed her hair and then let her brush mine. She did so and then smiled and said, "Pretty." So sweet!

- Will not touch meat of any form with a five-foot pole but eats any variety of vegetable or fruit. We steam her veggies and she eats either small pieces or will take bites from a larger piece.

- Has 16 teeth

- Has the most nimble tongue that I have ever seen. Mr. Gebely has an ugly fat tongue and can't do anything with it and I can roll mine but that is about it. Lena can literally do just about anything with hers, including flip it completely upside down.

- Walks up and down stairs completely by herself at school, holding onto a bannister for support

- Loves little kids

- Is as sweet as sweet can be!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Peekaboo

2012-02-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

I'm Nervous

2012-02-05T20:43:00.000-05:00

Yes, nervous to share what a great weekend we had. Last time I did that, I was taken down less than 24 hours later with a stomach bug that left me feeling weak and just not right all week long. Fortunately, that stomach bug hasn't come back for round two {yet} and although every other member of my family had a chance to experience it, Mr. Gebely has somehow come out unscathed.

Lena had fun this weekend too. We attended Strump's annual Super Bowl Party this evening, until bedtime at least, and Lena had a grand time.

She loves shaking hands right now and for you to say, "How do you do?"

Unfortunately, this is what most of my pictures look like these days. It is much, much harder to take pictures of a toddler than it ever was a baby. Months before we had our family photo shoot, I hoped so much that Lena could walk by the time the pictures were taken. Then, the day came and she of course was walking (and running) all over the place, exactly everywhere we didn't want her to go. Be careful what you wish for I suppose. :-P

This week is going to be a busy one, but hopefully I will still have some blogging opportunities! Have a great week everyone.

Happy Birthday Katy!

2012-02-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

Five years ago the Colts were busy winning the Super Bowl, Mr. Gebely and I were spending the weekend with his entire extended family as we celebrated Grandma Sampson, and somewhere near Gettysburg our Katy-girl was being born.

Despite how Katy ended the day (being dressed in Lena's birthday crown by Miss Lena herself), I would say that Katy had a good birthday. We spent a few hours at Ryan's parents today and she was able to run through the open fields with the wind in her face. No leashes, no fences, and small vermin to hunt everywhere...what is not to love. Of course just being at Poppa's house is treat enough for Katy any day.

This picture cracks me up. You can easily see that Lena is amused while Katy is feeling incredibly sorry for herself. It reminds me very much of the first time we put a collar on her and she acted as though her spirit had been completely broken.

Katy is a great dog and is more comfortable with Lena everyday. Last week I was in the corner of our kitchen at the pantry. I could hear Katy crunching on her food and Lena walking past her to get into the kitchen. Katy let out a noise and I rushed over thinking, geez is she getting upset just because Lena is walking past her?? Nope, Lena was down on the ground with one arm around Katy's neck giving her a bear hug and her head leaning on Katy's back giving an aye-aye. The other arm was hugging a doll. Katy put up with it until I removed Lena and explained {again} that we don't bother the dogs when they are eating.

Happy Birthday Katy! We love you so much!

Stomach Flu

2012-01-31T19:38:00.000-05:00

This is what just passed through our house. Well, actually mostly through me.

This weekend Lena had two diapers that I would classify as diarrhea. But, she was acting fine, didn't have a fever, and was still eating. I mentioned to Mr. Gebely on Sunday that I felt like she smelled sort of like spit-up, but I couldn't pinpoint where the smell was coming from. When we went to bed I checked on her and still smelled it, which baffled me even more because she had a bath and was in fresh pajamas.

Monday morning I woke up and initially felt fine. While I was getting ready I started feeling a little sick, but figured my stomach was empty and I needed to eat. I dropped Lena at daycare and the teacher asked me how she was doing because a stomach bug (vomiting + diarrhea) was going around. I left daycare and on the drive to work felt increasingly worse. I called Mr. Gebely and told him I wasn't sure I'd be able to work an entire day.

After being at work for only 30-45 minutes I realized I definitely needed to go home as I was feeling worse and worse. I called my boss to let her know, and also returned a few phone calls. Then I drove the 20 minutes home and spent the next five hours on our bathroom floor.

I cannot ever remember a time where I have been this sick. And just as quickly as it came, I'm feeling better (praise God)!!!! I managed to eat a piece of toast and some applesauce last night and had a rather restless night of sleep. But, this morning while I didn't feel 100% I felt much improved from yesterday.

All bedding, towels, afghans, etc. in our house have now been washed. Bathrooms have been disinfected with bleach. Everything else has been sprayed down with Lysol. I DO NOT want this coming back. I have heard such horror stories of stomach bugs that make multiple rounds on families.

I also found where the spit-up smell was coming from. When I took Lena's blankets out of her crib, I saw that she had thrown up on one of them. She must have done it Saturday night, either while she was sleeping or she woke up and threw up and went immediately back to sleep. I feel so bad that I didn't even know. :-(

My mom called me early this morning to let me know she had it too. And when I called her to check on her around noon, she told me that my brother Daniel (who we spent part of Sunday with) also had it. So far Mr. Gebely is feeling fine. Please keep your fingers crossed that the stomach bug is out of our house for good!

Weekend Wrap-Up

2012-01-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

This weekend was just what the doctor ordered, especially after the busy week that I just had. It was two days of perfection. We had our usual multiple-times-a-day outdoor romps, that included visiting the park and swinging and sliding.

Lena has a bit of a cold, but has amazed us once again because she showed us that she already knows how to blow her nose. Most kids can't blow their nose on demand until they are a little older, but all we have to do is put the tissue to her nose and ask her to blow. She's really good at it too!! Little stinker!

Today we got to try on our dresses for my brother's wedding. Lena is going to be the cutest flower girl. Want to see pictures?? You will, after July 28, 2012. Believe me, the wait will be worth it. :-)

Lena also took her monkey and doll on some walks today. Eventually she ditched the doll and just played with the monkey and her blankie. Cover him. Uncover him. Cover him. Uncover him. Her work is never done!

Miss Lena was also extremely chatty this weekend. Too bad we can't make out what the constant jibber-jabbering means. Hopefully I'll have some more pictures to share this week!

Sleep Mover

2012-01-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

Lena does not typically move much in her sleep. Most nights I lay her down awake and she flips over on her belly and scuttles to the top of the crib, all while clutching her blankie. I cover her with a light blanket and the next morning she is in the exact same spot.

Last night was an exception to this rule. When I looked in on Lena before I went to bed, she was in exactly the opposite position I had left her. In other words, her head was at the other end of the crib. I moved her blankie, duck, and sea horse to the other end of the crib so if she'd stir she have all of them (she likes to turn the sea horse on throughout the night).

It was a few minutes after 7 am and Lena still wasn't awake, but it was time to get her ready for school so I went in to wake her up. This is what I found. Silly girl cracks me up!

Callie is part of the morning wake up crew. Katy is so clearly NOT a part of this. She stays in bed until the last possible second.

Daddy was lucky enough to wake up to these pictures on his cell phone.

Callie is Bulimic

2012-01-24T21:05:00.000-05:00

On behalf of C-Dawg, I confess. Callie is bulimic. She fasts for days at a time and then purges on bowls of dog food (hers + Katy's). These bouts of overeating are often followed up with throwing the food back up because it was inhaled too quickly. Why does she do this...I don't know. Clearly our dog has issues.

Bowls of food often sit for over a day before they are touched. The only interaction Callie has with the kibble is to occasionally cover it with a toy. You know, for safe keeping.

And now my personal confession. In an effort to combat Callie's eating disorder, Mr. Gebely and I often resort to feeding her by hand. In the living room. On our sofa. Anything to get Callie to eat, right? We've found that if we can 'get her started,' she'll usually finish a bowl on her own.

Tonight Lena was a big help with the Make Callie Eat campaign.

Although at first there was resistance on the part of the afflicted, Lena was persistent.

Success!!

This was the second night in a row my little helper worked with Callie on her eating and both nights Callie ate all her food. Maybe we are onto something!

p.s. Mr. Gebely/Daddy, we miss you!!

Vacuum Buddies

2012-01-22T21:56:00.000-05:00

This weekend was nice (aren't they all??).

Last night we went to a spaghetti dinner at my church to raise funds for a local Marine who lost his legs in Afghanistan. They raised over $7,000! Mr. Gebely was there all afternoon and evening cooking up the pasta. My mom, Lena, and I just went for the spaghetti and baked goods. Lena was in her element. OH MY was she in her element. I have never seen her quite like that. Multiple people commented on how busy she was for only being 13 months old. If they only knew... She wasn't pleased when it was time to put her coat on and go home. Not at all!

Mr. Gebely left this afternoon and will be gone most of the week for work. Although I am looking forward to hogging the entire bed, I miss him already. Luckily he left me with a clean house. In fact, Lena helped him vacuum this morning. If only her vacuum would suck up the dirt too...

And for anyone wondering, Lena does not enjoy walking in the snow. She will be happy to see it all disappear with the rain that is in tomorrow's forecast!

Callie Was in Heaven Tonight

2012-01-20T20:58:00.000-05:00

And here is why:

Mr. Gebely told me that I am encouraging bad habits. But I beg to differ. You see, I explained that my girl is going to grow up to be whatever she wants. Maybe she will be a marine biologist and if that is the case, what better practice for feeding dolphins and seals than feeding Callie on a bar stool from her high chair.

Mr. Gebely pointed out that dolphins and seals are much more intelligent than Callie. He also seems to think that if Lena is going to show an interest in marine biology we ought to move down to the islands...you know, to give her every opportunity to grow her interest. That sounds pretty good right now.

I can hardly wait to see what sort of trouble these two can get into in the future. They are already quite a team!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T21:23:00.000-05:00

My Favorite Top Baby Registry Items

2012-01-16T21:39:00.001-05:00

During Lena's first year I had the goal of compiling a post of the best baby gear/toys/stuff that we used. If you've ever put a registry of any sort together, I'm sure you know it is tough work. Baby stores are overwhelming, especially for first-time moms!

I was lucky to have my friend Danielle go back through the store with me, as well as have multiple other people look at the registry and give me their feedback. I'd recommend that anyone setting up a registry do the same.

Keep in mind that this list is what worked for us and some of these items may not be a good fit for everyone. These are all things that we used through Lena's first year and many are toys that came after she was 6 months +. Still, I hope it helps some people out...I know I would have loved to have a list like this to reference!

Also, sorry, I tried to start in order from beginning to end but it all honesty it is very jumbled.

#1 Necessity - Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper
This thing is amazing. Based off of many reviews, I registered for it and got it as a shower gift. Lena slept in this thing for the first few months of her life, naps included. It is light, portable, safe, and fairly inexpensive. We loved it and recommend it to everyone.

I do want to note - we did not register for a Pack and Play. Our house doesn't have the space for it and it would not have been used, that is what the Rock and Play was for. I have no regrets with never having one.

#2 Necessity - The Miracle Blanket
Lena was a great sleeper as an infant and I contribute that to both the RNP and a good swaddle. We swaddled until she was about three months old and loved The Miracle Blanket. It is basically a dummy-proof swaddle. We liked it much better than Swaddle Sacks, though those were our back-ups.

#3 Necessity - Medela Pump in Style
If you are breastfeeding and planning to go back to work, do yourself a favor and buy a good breastpump. Skip anything manual or single-sided. There are quite a few to choose from, I did my homework and picked a Medela Pump-in-Style. It worked for me for an entire year and I could use it with a regular outlet, in my car, or with AA batteries. At one point it let me down, but Medela customer service came through in a big way and replaced it. I never had any problems with the new pump and know that if I ever need it again it will be able to withstand another entire year of use.

#4 Necessity - Aiden and Anais Muslin Swaddling Blankets and Blankies
Although we didn't use these blankets for any actual 'swaddling,' we used them every day that Lena was a newborn and still use them daily now. The fabric is light and breathable, and they are large enough to actually use them for a do-it-yourself swaddle. I felt safe using them in Lena's crib when she was fairly young because the fabric is so breathable. They were great when we took our Caribbean vacation too. Aiden and Anais makes a lot of great products. Even though it is pricey, it's worth it. Lena's blankie is also A&A and she is obsessed with it. I wasn't comfortable giving her a lovie that wasn't breathable because she slept with it from a young age. She sucks on the silk edging and would carry it everywhere with her (if we would let her).

#5 Necessity - Chicco 360 High Chair
It was tough registering for a high chair. We have a dining room, but eat most meals at our island in the kitchen. We registered for a FP Space Saver High Chair that gets great reviews and most people seem to really like. We didn't like it, Lena hated it. We found that it still took up too much space in the dining room and it was impossible to use in the kitchen. Lena hated sitting in it and would scream when we tried to put her there. I saw the Chicco chair listed on amazon and thought it sounded too good to be true. It attaches to our island or the dining room table. It comes with a detachable tray. The baby can sit facing any direction - perfect for when you are still feeding them. It is great - I love it and think that to myself every single day. I have never seen it in any stores but would not hesitate to buy it again online. Money very well spent!

Necessity #6 - Manhattan Winkle
I'm not exactly sure where I first heard about the Winkel (probably the bump), but this little thing-a-ma-jig was Lena's favorite toy for a long time. When she first started reaching for toys around 3 months or so, it was perfect for her. It is stimulating to look at, very light in weight, and easy to hold and handle because there are so many places to grab on. It might jingle too, I can't remember. We kept it in the car seat anytime we were on the go and the daycare workers fell in love with it so much that they had to buy one too. This is a great first toy and my favorite of all the Manhattan toys that we own.

Necessity #7 - Fisher Price Sing Along Stage
I first fell in love with this toy at Mrs. Neighbor's house. It had belonged to Morgan and now was Tyce's turn to play with it. He loved it and Lena was always intrigued. I made it my mission to find one on my own, but to my dismay they were no longer being sold anywhere! We got very lucky one day when my mom picked one up at a yard sale for a whopping $0.25! This toy was great for when Lena was first sitting unassisted (she loved to look at herself), when she would pull onto her knees, was the first thing she pulled herself to standing at, and it was from this toy that she let go and took her first steps into my arms. It has cute non-annoying songs, lights, and a mirror. And it is now sold again in stores!

Necessity #8 - A good stroller
We did lots of research into picking a stroller that would work for us. Eventually we settled on an Uppababy Vista. It is on the pricier side and I realize it isn't realistic for everyone but I really think spending a little more on a good stroller is worthwhile, especially if you use it as much as we use ours. Some things we wanted were big rubber coated tires, handle bars that could go either way, a big basket, easy steering and a stroller that can turn on a dime. We definitely got it all in our UBV!

It is also worth mentioning that having a good quality umbrella stroller is important, especially for quick trips and vacations as well. We have a Maclaren Triumph and it gets the job done. I would probably do more research on an umbrella stroller if I had the opportunity again, but for what it is worth we like the Maclaren and had no problems with it in the airport or while in St. John.

Necessity #9 - Gerber Prefolds
Although we do cloth diaper (and LOVE IT), we did not use these prefolds as diapers. Instead, they make great burp cloths, towels, bibs...whatever you need them for. I bought two packs and used them all the time. We still use them occasionally for baby-related things, and I am told by my Aunt Audrey that when they're retired they make the best dust cloths. :-)

Necessity #10 - Lansinoh Lanolin
If you plan on breastfeeding, get at least three tubes of this. One for upstairs, one for downstairs, and one for the diaper bag. Actually, maybe you should get four tubes...it is always nice to have a spare. TRUST ME!!!!! Lansinoh is the only company that makes pure lanolin, which is why it is superior to other brands.

Necessity #11 - BOOKS
We have a book obsession in this house. Lena has got quite a library and that is a great thing! Some of our favorite titles are Peek-a-Who, Where is Baby's Belly Button?, Brown Bear, Busy Beach, Heads, Baby Loves Peekaboo, Barnyard Dance, Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, Usborne books from the That's Not My.... series, and So Big (which has needed to be strategically hidden from Lena at daycare.

Necessity #12 - My Pal Violet (or Scout)
Violet was a huge hit in our house during Lena's first few months. She loved the songs and learned very early on how to press her paws to make her keep singing. Since she started playing with Violet at such an early age she seems to taking a liking to any sort of toy of this variety. At daycare they have 'Tad,' the frog. Her teachers always make a big deal about her knowing how to make every single button on Tad work but I think it has a lot to do with playing with Violet. She also now has two Laugh and Learn puppies and one Dance and Sing Puppy (Thanks to a December birthday and Christmas). All winners in our book!

Necessity #13 - A Wiffle Ball
Seriously, you can be as surprised as I was! Lena was given a wiffle ball in her daycare Easter basket and we got miles and miles out of that thing. I thought it was so silly when I unpacked the basket but as always, Lena showed me otherwise.

Necessity #14 - Fisher Price Piggy Bank
This is one of the few toys that Lena plays with right now. About 3/4 of her toys are from yard sales and this is one of them. She loves putting the coins in the bank and taking them out. She also loves to carry the coins around. I have a feeling this toy will be around for a long time.

Necessity #15 - Hide N Squeak Eggs
Originally these eggs were bought as a first birthday gift for Tyce. They had amazing reviews on Amazon and I was so excited to get them. When they came I was disappointed...it wasn't what I pictured at all. I bought Tyce something else and decided to keep the eggs for Lena and call it a loss (they cost less than $10). Turns out I was wrong - again! Lena LOVES these eggs. We took them with on vacation, got flagged at security because they thought we had a six-pack, and Lena plays with them every day. They will grow with her because although now she only takes them out and puts them back together, they also have faces that can be matched and need to be put in the correct slot in their container.

Necessity #16 - Fisher Price Take Along Tunes
This is another inexpensive lifesaver. Lena LOVES her take-along-tunes. She was able to play with it at a very early age and it went on every car trip with us. It was also amazing to have on the airplane and on vacation in general. I did have one panic attack on vacation because sand got jammed in it and it wasn't working, but once we cleaned it out everything was ok. Phew!

Necessity #17 - Sony Babycall Monitors
Mr. Gebely tried his darnedest to convince me to register for a video monitor, but we took the cheaper route and registered for these Sony monitors that come highly recommended. They have worked well for us and besides one night picking up a random television station, we've never dealt with interference.

Necessity #18 - Sound Machine
A sound machine is one of those things that my mom finds ridiculous, apparently they didn't have these when she had babies, but we love our sound machine and it helps Lena sleep SO well. We never had a clock in her room, so I picked a machine that could also be a clock and had an alarm. However, I know one of my friends downloaded white noise and uses her ipod radio so if you've got an ipod and dock to play it, that is a money friendly option!

Necessity #19 - Jumperoo
I registered for an exersaucer and received it as a shower gift. Although it is unnecessary to have both an exersaucer and a jumperoo, my boss offered me her jumperoo and I accepted it. We kept one upstairs and one downstairs. Now if I had to pick between the two hands down I would choose a jumperoo. Lena loved bouncing in it and we started using it on a daily basis around 3 months. Now, Lena was never the type of baby you could put in something like that and just let her go (I have friends whose babies would literally spend a good two hours combined in theirs each day), but it was nice to use while we were trying to get ready in the morning or making/eating dinner. As soon as Lena became mobile she wanted nothing to do with either, so they were put away sometime around 8 months. The specific jumperoo we had and liked was the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo.

Necessity #20 - California Baby Calendula Cream

For skin care we use all California Baby products. My favorite CB product is Calendula cream. As an infant any time Lena's skin seemed dry, I'd put a dab of the cream on and it would fix it instantly. It is also great for any scratches or brush burns and literally clears them up and heals them in 24 hours. We still use it on a daily basis on her cheeks, especially with the dryness of winter. I will say, it is on the pricey side but a little goes a long way and one tub will last for quite a while. I only recently bought a second large tub so that means my first container lasted nearly a year. You can buy CB products online or at Target and Babies R Us.

I would challenge you to read ingredient labels on any skincare products you use on your baby. The EWG website is a great place to start as far as learning how to read labels and they also have guides with what skincare products lead to the most toxic harm. Their Sunscreen Safety Guide is also great.

Some things you may notice that I haven't listed here are swings and bouncers. Lena had both and despised both. That is one of those things that some kids dig and others don't. If you can borrow a relative or a friends first to see if they work for you, do it. Nothing is worse than money wasted on a product your baby hates.

You will also not hear my raving about the Boppy. I know so many people swear by them, but I found the thing huge, awkward and rarely used it, even for propping. *If* there is a next time, I'll probably skip it entirely and just use pillows.

Another thing I decided not to write about is anything involving bottles and pacifiers. I think that preference really depends on the baby and the parent. We used Born Free Bottles and Sippy Cups and loved them. It is a lot of parts to wash, but Lena did well with them and that is all that matters. We never moved up a nipple size with bottles. My doctor told me it's a marketing thing created by bottle companies and that as long as Lena was still nursing to stick with stage 1. Not too sure about that, but we did stick with stage 1 and never had an issue. I know lots of parents like Tommy Tippee and others just like the Platex drop-in ones. Whatever works for you!

Despite my best efforts, Lena was not a pacifier baby. I know that in retrospect this is to our advantage. Still, there were many times that I wished she would take one to help with soothing and sleep. If you don't have a problem with your baby using a pacifier, be prepared to try lots of different types until they find one they like. And be prepared for a baby like mine who boldly rejects all attempts to be pacified!

Ok moms, what did I miss? What are some of your favorite must-have items?? Please help me add to this list!

Where did my baby go?

2012-01-15T20:14:00.000-05:00

I was going through pictures on my iphone this weekend and came across so many that I never posted on the blog. It is so amazing to flip through them and see just how much Lena has changed. There is hardly anything that screams 'baby' about her anymore. When I look at her now, I see a toddler. But in these pictures, she is still my sweet little rolly-polly baby. {sniff, sniff}

All of these are taken in between 8 and 9 months of age in the sweet days of summer.

Playing in the morning with her Katy-dog.

I imagine these pictures were taken when Lena felt the need to stand up on anything within her reach. A baby-size full length mirror...perfect!

Here is Lena playing out on the deck sometime this summer. I cannot wait for the warmer weather to come (I know, I know...we've got a long way to go). We are currently the only crazies in the 'Dorf still hanging outside multiple times a day. The cold weather doesn't deter Lena at all so we bundle up and go for walks out back and in the front for 15 minute increments.

Giving her pull puppy a kiss.

Napping with her butt in the air. I love it!

Friday was a big day for Lena at daycare. She began taking her naps on a 'nap mat' instead of in her crib. That is the last piece of the puzzle before moving to the young toddler room. Her teachers said that she has never been prouder of herself than she was upon waking up and seeing she was on a mat instead of in her crib. She sat up and looked around just smiling from ear-to-ear. I would have loved to see her face.

Recipe: Spinach Cake Muffins

2012-01-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

Tonight was one of those amazing nights where I felt like so much was accomplished. Mr. Gebely was at the Pennsylvania Farm Show for work so once Lena was in bed it was just me and the pups. I cleaned the bathrooms (including going through drawers and cabinets and purging), emptied the dishwasher, cleaned up from dinner, washed a load of diapers, put three loads of laundry away, and tried out a new recipe.

The recipe, for Spinach Cake Muffins, is one of those clever types of recipes where parents sneak veggies into their kids food. Lena actually loves her veggies and fruit and we have no trouble getting her to eat them. I'm not sure why I was drawn to this recipe, except that occasionally 'muffins' are on the menu at school and I've no doubt in my mind that they are loaded with all things terrible. If Lena likes the Spinach Muffins I will be able to send them to school as a substitute so she can eat something similar to her classmates on those days.

I won't know Lena's verdict until tomorrow, but I did try one tonight and thought it tasted good. I am sending two with her for breakfast so we shall see if she turns her nose up at them or gobbles them down.

Spinach Cake Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce (one single serving container)
1 Large Egg
2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Fresh Spinach, packed
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp. Vegetable or Canola Oil (I use canola)
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour - I used white bc reviewers said that wheat flour made the muffins too dense. I may try sifting wheat flour or using wheat pastry flour next time
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Place the first six ingredients in a food processor and puree.
3. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and combine.
4. Pour the spinach puree in a large mixing bowl.
5. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet until combined.
6. Scoop batter into a greased mini muffin pan, filling each cup 2/3 of the way.
7. Bake for 12 minutes.
8. Serve.

I made exactly 24 mini muffins but probably could have made about three more if I had so desired to dirty up another pan. I just ended up with a few muffins much bigger than others. If Lena does like the muffins I hope to freeze some and pull them out as she eats them.

source: Weelicious

Yes and No

2012-01-10T22:12:00.000-05:00

There are a couple things Lena does right now that I just cannot get enough of. First of all, sign language. There is just something that is absolutely adorable when those little fingers and hands get to work. I could watch her do her signs all day long. And of course the fact that it allows her to actually communicate with us is great too! ;-)

The other thing I can't get enough of is simply when she tells us "Yes" and "No." Lena started shaking "NO" around 8 or 9 months, but only recently completed mastered being able to nod her head up and down for "Yes." We could tell when she meant yes because typically her entire body would bounce, but now she definitely has the head motion down too. I think sometimes daycare asks her things just because they like to watch her respond...none of the other kiddos are into head shaking.

She also loves to use No to tease us...as in, "Lena, can I have a hug?" A question that is often met with lots and lots of head shaking. Anyway, I tried to get these on video tonight and did an ok job at capturing it. Of course she never performs exactly as I'd like her to in front of the camera. Please excuse the 'drunken sailor' swagger. We were about 20 minutes before bedtime when I shot the video and when she is only running on 30 minutes of sleep from the entire day her balance isn't the best.

Lena's Second Christmas

2012-01-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

Christmas this year was....busy. Too busy, in fact. We had a great time celebrating but something about all the hustle and bustle really brought me down this year. Maybe it was because no sooner had we celebrated Lena's birthday than we were prepping for Christmas. Or maybe something was missing? I don't know, but I do hope that next year treats us all better.

I was terrible with taking pictures but managed to steal almost all of these from my brother, Daniel. Glad someone was thinking! We spent Christmas Eve with the Gebelys (again, no pictures) and Christmas morning my immediate family came over for breakfast and to open presents. After they left we had the entire afternoon to recover before heading to my Aunt Adele's house for the annual Trumpy Christmas.

Everyone keeps wanting to know "how Lena liked Christmas." She liked it, but is just not into toys right now. She got so much new stuff and barely plays with anything. We've boxed up old toys and put other things away for later. Mr. Gebely and I gave her a few new books (still loves books, thankfully) and a baby Stella doll. That is all we bought for her and I am glad. Everywhere I go I am surrounded by parents who buy, buy, buy for their kids. I do not ever want to be that parent.

Our house looks insane, doesn't it? These were everyone's presents.

My brother Daniel and his fiancee, Becky, snuggled with Callie. Looks like he is set for house projects.

The green ball was a present from a daycare friend, and Lena also has an entire nursery of baby dolls now.

Michael gave Mr. Gebely a new fire pit. If times get tough, we know C-Dawg fits inside and will make a scrumptious hot dog.

Daniel and Becky had such a big year, I bought them the other personalized ornament from etsy. It turned out so cute and they loved it!

One of my aunts bought this teeter-totter for Lena at a yard sale and gave it to her for her birthday. She loves sitting in the middle and making it rock. She also insists on taking a few of her dolls for rides with her each and every time.

See....LOTS of babies!

Daniel and Becky gave Lena this neat stacking toy that you drop a ball into.

I may have had more fun playing with it than Lena did.

Another yard sale score....a new slide from my Mom was Lena's Christmas present. This is packed away in the basement until it gets warm outside. Mr. Gebely and I were tired of picking her up to slide again...again...again...

Daniel on the teeter-totter.

We gave the Anywhere Chair to Lena for her birthday and she loves climbing on it and sitting with her babies. She also loves when the dogs sit on it with her (they prefer to sit on it alone). The big soft baby she is holding in this picture was given to Lena for her first birthday by one of my volunteers. It is her absolute favorite doll!

I'm not too sure who got the flashlight but it ended up on Lena's head fairly quickly. You know, this girl and her head wear obsession!

Reading a new book with Daddy.

One of the few pictures from Adele's house....most of the Trump cousins. See my cousin Jacob towering over all of us? We definitely didn't end up with the tall gene!

Lena got another new chair at this Christmas celebration too.

Lena is also now the proud owner of two new tables. We spend time each day doing 'arts and crafts' at home (and do it multiple times a day on the weekend), so I really wanted a place for her to be able to sit. The neighbors have a table that is just Lena and Tyce's size and I really wanted just that, a teeny table for her to sit at now for crafts and to eat her snack. One of her new tables is exactly the right size for her now, and the other is larger and she will have to grow into in a few years. She loves sitting at her table and thinks she is big stuff! At school she uses markers and paint, we just stick with the washable crayons at home! :-)

Now that the dining room is back to normal, we have the perfect spot for the table in the corner of the room (where the stockings are in this picture). I'm so glad to have my house back to normal!!!

So that sums up Christmas...sort of. Sorry for the lack of pictures of everything. I need to get back into my groove and start taking pictures again, the camera has been collecting dust these last few weeks. :-P

A Lena Update

2012-01-08T22:28:00.001-05:00

I've got lots of catch-up blogging to do and I do not even know where to begin, that's what happens when I ignore the internet for too long. I still want to post some pictures from Christmas and the holidays in general, but thought I'd start with a post of what Miss Lena has been up to during my blogging hiatus.

1. Grammy took Lena shopping on Wednesday for some 'big girl' shoes. Up until now she has been wearing soft sole shoes with the exception of one pair of hard sole shoes. Since she is walking everywhere and spends so much time outside, I knew it was time for some real shoes. We wanted to take her somewhere reputable that knows how to measure kids feet and size them properly since it is important to have quality shoes when they are so little and still learning about balance, etc. I had a gift certificate for a local boutique-type store so off they went.

Unbeknownst to me, the gift certificate expired 5 days before we used it. Fortunately the store owner was willing to still honor it. That fortunately is bolded because these shoes cost a fortune. I'm not even going to type out what they cost because it may make some people throw up in their mouth a little bit just reading it. Let's just say the shoes should be gold...not silver! haha

Anyway, Lena loves her new shoes and is doing great, if not better, walking in them. They sang the "New Shoe Song" at daycare when she wore them the first time and she has had lots of fun showing them off!

2. Lena has been oh so demanding and persistent lately about everything. This girl knows how to get her way (and that scares me!). She drags her diaper bag to the door, grabs the knob and waves byebye as if that will magically make us go byebye. One of her teachers made the mistake of saying OUTSIDE last week and Lena was very angry when the word did not become a reality. Apparently it took quite a long time for them to distract her so she would let it go. Doesn't surprise me...

3. Speaking of daycare, the teachers told me on Friday that Lena is physically and developmentally ready to move to the next room (Young Toddlers). However, the earliest a transition usually happens is 15 months so that still leaves a little over two months until we would begin a transition. Additionally, there are still two children in the infant room who are older than Lena and in theory they would most likely transition first. I have sort of mixed feelings about all of this. Although I've been told that the switch between these two rooms is the most difficult to make, I do want it to happen sooner rather than later. I don't want Lena to be left behind with all babies, especially since she is clearly getting bored now.

4. Lena is all about Katy right now and constantly sits on the dog bed and insists that Katy be put on it with her. Katy isn't keen on this arrangement. Callie tolerates it much better but Lena pushes Callie off and points and whines for Katy. Puppy favoritism at its best.

5. When my Mom picked Lena up at daycare on Wednesday she was playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie with Tyce and Jackson...complete with the three of them holding hands, walking in a circle and falling to the floor together. I probably would have died from cuteness watching the three of them. :-)

6. We are starting to catch more and more words escaping from Lena's mouth on a regular basis now. She was saying "Scarf" one night last week when I picked her up from daycare so that the teacher would play peek-a-boo with her (with a silk scarf). Mr. Gebely wants to know when she will talk all the time...but follows it up with, "I don't want her to talk, she is growing up too fast!"

7. We've been spending a lot of time outside lately even though it is chilly. Spring cannot come soon enough!

8. All four first year molars are through, along with two of the canine teeth and the other two will come through any day now. That leaves just whatever molars are in the back and we are done with teething!!

The Gebely's Top Ten List of 2011

2012-01-01T20:42:00.003-05:00

For those who are part of our yearly card list, you know that traditionally we send out a Top Ten List with a photo card every year. Well, we try to anyway. Last year I sent the cards out in a rush the day before Lena was born and skipped the Top Ten List, especially knowing that the number one thing of the year had not yet happened... And this year I had the best of intentions of getting it out. So good were my intentions, in fact, that I went as far as writing the letter part of the list and coming up with all 10 things. But once again time got the best of me and I made the decision to send the cards rather than spend too much time (that I don't have) putting a letter together.

Since I did take the effort of putting the list together I thought I'd put it on the blog for our internet stalkers to read. Hopefully next year I will be able to get our both the card and letter out in a timely fashion. Although, I've seen many people who have similar style letters on Pinterest this year. It seems our style of letter has become somewhat of a trend so maybe we will come up with something brand new for next year!

So here it is...The Gebely's Top Ten List of 2011

Greetings friends! First, we must apologize for the absent Top Ten List of 2010. But as you already know, we had a very good excuse last December that came in the form of a chubby, sweet baby girl named Lena Georgiana. And somehow that chubby, sweet baby has become a busy body, active little toddler. Yes, 2011 has certainly been a year of change, joy, and delight for our little family! We feel time slipping through our fingers as Lena reaches each milestone but are sure to take time each day to savor every moment whether good, bad, or messy! We wish the best for you and yours in 2012 and hope to see you all in the coming year!

Here are the Top Ten Events of our year {in no specific order}:

1. Callie adjusted to life as not being the baby anymore. It has been a difficult at times for this little rat to not be the center of everyone's world, but she does love her baby and the food her baby drops too. :-)

2. We added on to our deck. We spent a few weekends at the beginning of the summer building a deck addition that gave us so much more room to play. It is a great use of space and we spent every afternoon during the spring, summer, and fall outside on the deck.

3. We took a family vacation to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lena's first vacation was indeed a memorable one that included her first airplane rides, visit to the beach, dip in the ocean, and many other big firsts. She was an angel the entire trip and we are so glad we took the opportunity to get away with our baby girl!

4. Andrea spent 12 weeks home with Lena in early 2011. They spent their days hanging with the neighbors and watching DVR'ed Jeopardy and Seinfeld before Andrea happily returned to a world full of stimulating adult interaction and Lena kicked off her early education at daycare.

5. Katy almost died after having her teeth cleaned! It may not be one of our best memories of the year, but it was certainly one of the most memorable. Thankfully whatever made her sick, which the vet still thinks was the antibiotic, is long gone and our Katers has been healthy again ever since!

6. Each holiday was extra special because for us because it was a FIRST for Lena. Getting to experience holidays through the eyes of Lena was so special this year and something we will look forward to each and every year.

7. We cancelled our cable! After many discussions of 'there is nothing on televison worth watching' we decided to cancel cable. Andrea never turns the TV on to begin with (YUP - NEVER!!), but Mr. Gebely may miss it a bit more. We shall see, but hopefully the lack of cable will help lead to lots more of these moments...

8. Andrea provided breast milk to Lena for one whole year!!! By never drinking so much as a drop of formula, not only did we save lots of money, but Lena was provided the very best which hopefully will serve both of them well the rest of their lives.

9. Mr. Gebely spent another year at Appeeling Fruit. Could this be a record for the longest time he has spent anywhere before itching for a change?? It was a big year for him and the company and he had many opportunities to travel including New Orleans, Atlanta, and throughout the northeast region.

10. We celebrated as Lena hit each new milestone. We learned very quickly as new parents that every milestone is worth celebrating....whether it is sleeping through the night, rolling over for the first time, sitting unassisted, crawling, and of course - walking! We try to enjoy each new skill before it becomes old news and it's time to move on to the next big thing!

So that is our 2011 wrap-up. We are looking forward to all that 2012 will bring for our family and may be sharing some very exciting news on this blog in the coming days. I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's Eve!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T23:34:00.000-05:00

In case you can't tell, I have decided to take a little bit of a blogging break for the holidays. We have so much going on and I don't want to spend my time with the computer. Instead, I am savoring every moment and having the best time making memories. It is safe to say this little lady was showered with lots of love this weekend and had a wonderful time with her momma, daddy, and as she would say, the 'dugs.'

And because I know you want to see a few more pictures....

I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself for catching this one. We won't talk about the 15 blurry ones I took before she stayed still long enough for me to click the camera.

My little spelunker on Christmas morning.

Look who paid us a visit today? Yes, it is a wild turkey. He was in our backyard, on our roof, the neighbor's roof, and then glided to the ground, crossed the street and eventually stood on the doorstep of Siani Pest Control. How ironic. Eventually Mr. Gebely chased him up the hill to the cemetery where some neighborhood children joined in until Mr. Gebely warned them it was still a wild animal that would claw their eyes out if they didn't leave it alone. Hopefully he found his way back to wherever he came from. Many mornings I pass a flock of turkeys on the way to daycare and I can't help but wonder if he doesn't belong with them....

I may blog this week and I may not. If not, I will see you all in 2012!

Because We Love Them

2011-12-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

For any friends, family, or crazy web stalkers out there - here is the link to see the rest of our family pictures. So glad we are getting a DVD with all of them, because we would NEVER be able to pick just a few to print. :-)

p.s. password is gebely

Family Pictures!

2011-12-19T10:41:00.001-05:00

This fall, with Lena's first birthday quickly approaching, we decided it was time to schedule some professional family pictures. As you can probably tell, the camera is almost always out in our house, but it is tough to get all of us in one shot and every now and then it is nice to have some pictures taken by, you know, real photographers.

The last time we had pictures taken was when Lena was only 1 month old...how things have changed since then. We scheduled a shoot with Tony and Amy Hoffer of Hoffer Photography. We met Tony a few years ago when he shot our Trash the Dress pictures and this was the first opportunity we had to meet his better half. :-) Simply put, they are amazing people and photographers. Even Lena was impressed by Tony! :-)

Last Wednesday afternoon they came to the 'Dorf to take some pictures inside our house as well as out and around town. Things started well with Lena being both sweet and a little sassy. It got tough once we got past Lena's naptime so while she went home to sleep (my mom was with her), Mr. Gebely and I continued to take some pictures. We are totally in love with the result and are so thankful we've got these pictures to treasure this very special time in our lives. I think they captured Miss Lena's personality perfectly.

To see a sampling of some of these great pictures, CLICK HERE!

Meeting Lily!

2011-12-18T19:36:00.000-05:00

Today Lena and I took the long drive {literally, since my GPS seems to enjoy sending me windy routes} to Danville, PA so we could visit my college roommate Kelsey and meet baby Lily. We have been waiting, waiting, waiting for this since August and Kelsey, her husband, and Lily are 'home' from Michigan for the holidays.

Lily is just the sweetest and most chill baby ever. Pretty much the opposite of what Lena was (well she was sweet, just not so chill - haha!). We had a wonderful visit and spending even that little amount of time with Kelsey made me realize even more just how much I miss her. :-(

The next time these girls get together they may both be running around!!

12 Months!

2011-12-17T14:06:00.001-05:00

Lena, you are now ONE year {and one week} old!

For years you were a dream that I carried quietly in my heart. For nine months you were an answer to prayer that I carried in my belly. And then, December 10, 2010, here you were! Every wish we ever had came true in a pink, chubby, 7 pound 8 ounce package. And now, in the blink of an eye, you are one!

I still feel like I need to pinch myself some days to convince myself that this is really my life. You are my daughter and I am your mommy. What a blessing that is!

One year ago we had no idea what we were in for - after all, nothing can really prepare you for parenthood. Would we have a daughter or a son? Who would they look like? What sort of personality would they have?

You are a firecracker, for sure. Your personality of unapologetic spunkiness and determination is something that I hope never changes. You are bold, independent, and without a doubt, know what you want and want to do all of the time. With the right guidance I know that all of these characteristics will serve you well for the rest of your life.

One of my favorite things to reflect on from your first few days is a memory from the hospital. One of the nurses remarked on how much she loved how alert and seemingly aware of your surroundings you were for being a newborn. She commented that when you woke up your dark little eyes would look around and drink in every detail of where you were before announcing to everyone what you wanted (in that case, to eat). This is one of my favorite memories because it is a trait of yours someone recognized when you were only a day or two old and it still holds so true! You don't miss a single, solitary detail and pick up on things so quickly.

I have so many hopes and dreams for you, baby girl. Everyday I pray for guidance to be the best mommy I can be. To talk to you in a way you will listen, and to listen in a way that you will talk. I don't know what the future holds but I cannot wait to find out what next year and all the years after that will bring.

We love you every single day of forever.

Now, lets move on to all the fun stuff that has happened this last month...

As I said in an earlier posts, we are done with bottles forever. It sure made me sad to pack all those bottles away! You do so well with eating regular food, especially veggies and fruit. You are not too much of a meat eater but we will continue to offer it and maybe one of these days you will eat it all up! You had no problem switching to cows milk, although you still nurse morning and night. I think those days are probably numbered but every time I see a study or read an article about all the benefits of breast milk I am encouraged to keep going!

We are starting to recognize more words in your constant chatter. I don't know if I mentioned it on here before, but you use sign language very consistently now and have for the last two months. You learned this at daycare but we sign with you at home too. You use 'more,' 'eat,' 'milk,' 'please,' and 'thank you.'

You are very good at walking and no longer crawl at all. You just got your first pair of hard sole shoes and you look so cute walking around in them. I love hearing their little click on the hardwood floor at home. :-)

Santa Claus came to school yesterday and you were not at all impressed by him. Mommy and Daddy aren't surprised. He did give you a present though - a new book - and you loved reading it with one of your teachers.

At your 12-month check-up this week you weighed 21 lbs. and were 30 inches long. You grew 11.5 inches in one year - wow!! You are in the 50% for weight and 75% for height.

Independence is the name of your game. You march to the beat of your own drum. This past week we had family pictures taken and you were not cooperative in the least. I am looking forward to seeing them next week and crossing my fingers for at least one or two good ones. You throw regular tantrums and it is very hard to redirect you because you just do not forget what it was that you originally wanted.

You love to go outside to play and regularly take us to your coat while pointing at it in hopes we will put it on you and go out back. You try to open all the doors but thankfully cannot yet reach the knobs entirely. You also now try to walk down steps and prefer this method over being carried or crawling down backwards. Sometimes it is safer to hold your hands and let you walk down because if we carry you all you do is kick and thrash to get down and walk.

You are an expert at making it look like a tornado has gone through our downstairs. Some days Daddy wants to know why we should bother cleaning when you will just make a mess again. We just gave a few of your toys to Rose to borrow. I was glad to get the space back and Rose is happy for your toys! It is kind of odd, but really there isn't one thing that you are crazy about playing with right now. You love your FP Piggy Bank and some books...everything else is kind of mehhh. You just like taking it all out and making a mess I suppose.

Last night after you and the neighbor children were in bed Mrs. Neighbor and I got together for cheesecake and tea. We talked about what we were doing last year and our memories of you and Tyce as little babies. It's just so hard to believe that an entire year as gone by! I don't know if I will continue to do monthly updates or just write posts as big things happen.

In any case, what a year it has been!!

Stay tuned for some hopefully great family pictures we should be getting to see on Monday!

Lena's 1st Birthday Party

2011-12-14T20:33:00.000-05:00

Ahhh the long awaited birthday post! Sorry for the delay, folks, we've had lots of big things happening this week. :-)

Since Lena's birthday fell on a Saturday this year we were able to have a party for her on her actual birthday. More than anything, I wanted to be able to celebrate her big day but also keep things low key. Lena has very little need for gifts, doesn't like crowds, and our house can't fit too many people either. For this reason just those nearest and dearest were invited. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and then our 'unofficial' family - the neighbors and of course my best bud Katie. I kept the decorations simple but wanted to make the dining room look festive too. Can you believe the size difference between Lena's coming home outfit and a current pair of pajamas?

FYI - These pictures are out of order but I'm too lazy to sort them.

Of course Lena had a special birthday crown to wear on Saturday. She has also been wearing it randomly since then...I love that she loves things on her head! :-)

After lunch we opened presents. Lena wasn't really into the whole present opening thing but luckily the neighbor girls were here to help.

My brother Michael gave her this bouncy ride on toy and she loves it. She sits on it and also pushes it around the entire downstairs.

Mr. Gebely and I got Lena a PB Anywhere chair for her birthday and she loves it. She has been climbing on it and sitting on it ever since Saturday. And oddly enough, the dogs haven't laid on it once!

Of course she feels the need to stand up and bounce too. We're working on that...

Instead of a cake we did cupcakes. Lena wasn't too impressed but she did eat some of it. Honestly, I think she would much rather eat a peach.

Tyce loved the cupcake though,

Tyce loved Lena's chair too.

Mr. Gebely and Uncle Michael had fun trying out Lena's new tea set.

After a refreshing afternoon nap Lena was ready to play with all her new toys. She is a very loved little girl!

And a very special thanks to Katie who came on Friday night and helped me clean and get everything ready for the big party. LOVE YOU!!

From Pinterest to Reality: Part Two

2011-12-11T21:58:00.001-05:00

You may remember a post from last week where I talked about trying to take some pictures to recreate something I saw on Pinterest a few weeks ago. I have been dying to try to take these pictures and today I finally had my chance.

Lena and I headed over to my friend Danielle's house and we set up her living room to try and take some pictures of our girls {we love getting to say 'our girls'}. Between the three girls there is a two year old, a one year old, and a three month old. We figured our attempt would either be wildly successful or the whole thing would be an epic fail. And really, I think the pictures turned out pretty good considering WOW IT IS DIFFICULT TO TAKE PICTURES OF MOVING CHILDREN!!! The sleeping dog was a much easier subject to photograph.

Mr. Gebely was mostly impressed with my pictures but told me I should have turned the ISO up as it got later in the afternoon and then I wouldn't have such an issue with blurring. To that I say, "Thanks for the tip dear but you weren't there to help me so BLAH!"

Anyway, here are some of the pictures. We'll try this again in about 5 years when our children are good listeners and sit still. Mostly, we enjoyed each others company and getting to spend the afternoon together!! Thanks Danielle!

You can blame that purple sippy cup on Lena. What a shame! But look at this big girl holding her head up! She was so pleasant all afternoon, I wish I could have spent the entire time talking and blowing raspberries with her. :-)

The only ones where she is really smiling? Yea, she has Kix in her mouth. Hahaha

LOVE this one

Emerson went and found this hat for the pictures herself. I think it made a great accessory!

This one is totally blurred, but I just had to share it because I love it. How I wish I could have caught it in focus!

Happy Birthday Lena!

2011-12-10T22:37:00.000-05:00

I can't wrap my mind around the fact that exactly one year ago we fell in love with the sweetest baby girl who already had her mind made up about everyone and everything. She was pink, squishy, oh-so-tiny, and depended on us for everything.

Now she is not-so-tiny, a running and dancing machine, still has her mind made up about everyone and everything, and wants to do it all herself.

How in one year can so many developments happen? Never has one year brought us such change and such joy! Tonight I was hoping for some extra snuggle time when I was putting Lena to sleep. Instead, she sat up on my lap with her blankie hanging out of her mouth and gestured toward the crib. I laid her down and she flipped to her belly and snuggled down for the night as I covered her and left the room. My baby is not a baby anymore! :-(

{for anyone who is looking for a birthday party post, hopefully it will happen soon. my brother took a lot of pictures today and I want to wait until he shares them, so I can use them too.}

Recipe: Whole Grain Waffles

2011-12-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

One of the best and worst thing about our daycare is that they provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks. When we first enrolled Lena we thought this would be the greatest thing ever. That is, until we started seeing the weekly menus.

Are the menus approved by a dietician? Of course they are - they have to be. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean much, especially because of things like pizza being considered a vegetable because of the sauce and cheese. Now I've got a lot of opinions about the way we do things with Lena so of course I have thoughts about what she eats. However, in this instance it is Mr. Gebely who has the super strong opinions. I suppose it is from all the years of serving boy scouts ~~cheap, salty, processed food~~ delicious dietician approved meals.

Anyway, we go over the daycare menu with a fine tooth comb every week and select what Lena may and may not eat. Anything we cross off we record and send in a replacement for that meal. There are times where she eats an entire meal that is provided and there are also times that she eats nothing provided. Pop tarts for breakfast? I don't think so!

When preparing her 'replacement food,' I often try to send something similar to what her classmates will be eating. Sometimes it is an easy fix, like sending wheat bread to replace the school's white bread. Mr. Gebely seems to find the most issue with the breakfast foods that are provided because he feels that frozen waffles, french toast, etc are especially unhealthy.

I have found a very easy fix to the frozen waffles with a great recipe. It doesn't take long to make and usually makes about 6 large waffles. I separate them by breaking apart the 4 sections and freeze them in sandwich bags. When Lena needs waffles for breakfast I simply take them to school and they reheat her waffle in the toaster. Because of the ingredients, these waffles are also more filling than your traditional waffle.

Whole Grain Waffles

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups skim milk (I use whole milk)
1/4 cup canola oil (I do use oil but you could substitute this with more applesauce)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I just use regular whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.
Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown.

Source: allrecipes

Christmas Village - Take Two

2011-12-04T23:03:00.002-05:00

Tonight we made our second trip this season to Koziar's Christmas Village. Funny thing that we live so close to a place that gets so many visitors every year that we hardly ever gave it a second thought until Lena came along! Mr. Gebely was all about going there back in November so we actually paid our first visit on opening day. Unfortunately, I had a mom fail and took the camera-that-was-missing-its-battery. It was still fun though!

A few weeks ago our friends Kristen and Adam asked if we'd be interested in visiting Christmas village with them. Since it's only 10 minutes from home, Lena liked it so much the first time, and it would give us a second shot to get some pictures we decided to go for it. We had a great night with them and hope to get to see them again soon minus Miss Lena.

The most magical part of Christmas Village is the WOW factor when you come over the hill and suddenly see it all before you. Because of where we live, we actually went in 'the back way,' but made sure to leave in the opposite direction so that Adam and Kristen could see it from the other side.

I love the story behind this place. I'm sure the website gives its history, but it was started some time in the 1940's and has grown more and more every year.

There is nothing quite like watching the eyes of your child experience something new and different. I loved seeing all of the lights glittering in her eyes as she looked from side to side in amazement.

When we went earlier in the year Lena was very happy to sit in her stroller the entire time and gaze at the lights with her mouth hanging open in awe. That was that was the plan for tonight too, but Lena had other plans.

When we were about halfway through the walking tour Lena started to cry in her stroller. I knew she wanted to get out, but I really had not planned on her not sitting in the stroller. Finally I caved and carried her because by that point she was almost screaming. Of course, being carried was also not what she had planned.

She squirmed, kicked her legs like crazy, and cried more until I gave in and let her walk the rest of the way. Of course she was in heaven...smiling, sticking her tongue out, chattering up a storm and screeching with delight. She looked pretty darn cute too.

There was a whole row of these little houses but Lena wouldn't stay still long enough to get a good picture.

She did insist on holding one finger {thank goodness} so I was able to keep a rein on her in one way.

She loved every second of it.

And showed everyone her true colors.

When we got to some of the end displays it was great because the window was down low enough that Lena could see inside.

Some are cute, some are cheesy, and some are just plain weird. It's all part of the experience I suppose.

We ran into someone I worked with (what luck!) at just the right time and he took a picture of the whole gang. Surprisingly Lena really wasn't scared of the giant characters (there was also a bear that she waved byebye too).

And of course Mr. Gebely and Adam had to have their picture taken with the cut outs too.

I bought Lena an antler headband last night at Target and she had a lot of fun wearing it today. She probably spent about half of her awake time in it. At one point I put the antlers on Tyce and he giggled and giggled like it was the silliest thing ever. Lena was not amused that someone else was wearing her headband though. I'll tell you...this kid and her head-wear!

I love this picture because she looks so grown-up...not like a baby at all.

It was a great weekend! I'm looking forward to lots of fun stuff this week at work and a BIG birthday that is fast approaching next weekend!

Closing the Chapters

2011-12-04T15:59:00.001-05:00

We closed two chapters in our house this weekend. It is both exciting and bittersweet, for sure.

First, I am DONE pumping!!!!! It is the strangest thing. For something I have loathed doing for the last nine months, it was really hard to stop. I don't really know how to explain how I feel so I will just leave it at that. After doing some rough math I figured out that I pumped approximately 6,000 ounces of milk since returning to work. Wow, right?? I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for sticking with it. It takes a lot more commitment when you work full time and need to plan your day around your pumping schedule. I have pumped in public restrooms, at a country club while attending an all-day meeting, my car, my office, miscellaneous nurse's offices while at high school blood drives, other people's offices, and the list goes on and on. Apart from the world of the nest and bump, I really don't know anyone in real life who has made it through one year of pumping besides my friend, Heather, who is getting closer and closer every day. When we had lunch a few weeks ago she mentioned how we deserved a party at 12 months and I agree. So Heather, when you finish up in April be ready because we will be doing something mighty special!

The second chapter relates to the end of pumping. As of Friday, Lena no longer takes bottles of any sort. I think I mentioned in my 11-month update that Lena has been taking her daytime feedings from only sippy cups for a while. We were still using a bottle at night and I was willing to continue doing that because it is just part of her nighttime routine. However, I knew that she didn't really need it and in the last week she was only drinking an ounce or so, pushing it away, and then turning herself over and snuggling into our shoulders to fall asleep. Rather than continue the bottle routine and risk her becoming hooked on them, we ditched the bottle and I have been nursing her at night instead. That helped me eliminate the last pumping session I was holding onto and also helped her eliminate the bottle.

The other big change that came in our house this weekend was the introduction of whole cows milk. I planned to wait until after Lena's birthday to introduce it, but Lena had other plans. I've got over 500 ounces of frozen milk and Lena decided that she doesn't care for the taste of it. She refused to drink any thawed breast milk so I introduced cows milk and that has been going well, she drinks it like it has always been the norm. I always pumped enough milk to provide fresh milk to daycare and froze the extra so we never had a need to use the freezer stash. I will most likely donate the remainder of my frozen milk like I did at the beginning of the summer.

So that is what has been going on in our house this weekend. Tonight we are heading to Christmas Village for the second time this year...hope it's not too crazy!!

From Pinterest To Reality: Part 1

2011-12-02T21:48:00.000-05:00

Katy was a somewhat unwilling participant in a photo session tonight. I was inspired by the twinkly light pictures that are now showing up on pinterest and wanted to give it a shot. I know that any time I want to try anything even somewhat complicated when it comes to photography, I need to test it out first before making an attempt with Lena. She doesn't have the patience for me to figure out backgrounds, camera settings, etc.

Once Lena was asleep tonight I set this up in our bedroom and since Katy happened to be already napping on the bed, she was the lucky one who got to be in the pictures. It wasn't too tough to figure out what I was doing, but this definitely needs to be daytime shoot with Lena. Natural light is very important and would have made things a ton easier for me this evening. I also think it will be worthwhile to invest in a second string of lights if I want to make it work well.

Otherwise, not bad for a first attempt. What do you think?

My Daughter is Giving Me Gray Hair

2011-11-30T23:06:00.000-05:00

It's moments like these where you turn your head to look at something and turn back to see your child doing something totally risky and suck your breath in and think, "AHHH she's going to hurt herself!" She balances for a minute, looks at you and laughs, and then promptly sits down on her butt. And then suddenly you remember to breathe.

Naughty little girl!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

2011-11-29T20:20:00.000-05:00

Practice Makes Perfect

2011-11-28T21:13:00.000-05:00

I don't know if it is like this for other babies too, but whenever Lena reaches some sort of physical milestone it seems like there is one super important component that helps her to master that skill and want to practice it more and more.

When she learned to crawl, it was being able to get into a sitting position after being flat on her belly. Until she could sit up again after crawling around she just got frustrated. Now that she is walking, I know that the important step is being able to stand up without using an object (such as a chair, table, person's leg) for support. Just this weekend I wondered when she would start to do that and all of a sudden she is doing it all of the time!

Tonight was fun because she weeble-wobbled around the whole downstairs...walking, going down, getting up...repeat...repeat... I am very happy about this development because even though she has been walking alone, so often she grabs my hand to pull me with her and I cannot get anything done. Since she is getting up and down herself she doesn't think she needs me anymore! And now when she pulls me there is an ulterior motive (she takes me to the door and tries to open the knob to go outside or takes me to the dogs' treat bag so she can feed them a snack - I think Callie trained her!

Anyway, here is a short video of our little walker. :-)

Thanksgiving {Weekend} Wrap-Up

2011-11-27T14:36:00.001-05:00

Holy moly Lena is wearing me out ~~today~~ this entire weekend! She is down for what I think will be a long afternoon nap so I finally have time to post pictures and write a little bit.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It is always fun to cook and have so many people come over. Our house was pretty much literally bursting at the seams with 18 people in attendance for dinner. Even with using the table's leaves we can only fit 14 at our dining room table so a second table was set up in the living room. Two turkeys were made...and two turkeys were eaten. Not many leftovers this year at all!

Thanksgiving morning we turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for Lena to watch. We don't keep our television turned on when she is awake so she rarely watches anything (except for a little Baby Einstein now and then). I thought she'd love it, but she was actually not at all impressed. She did, however, like the Dog Show that came on afterwards. :-)

Lena took a long nap on Thanksgiving and woke just in time to come downstairs and eat. And of course she had the best seat in the house at the head of the table. Her head wear is courtesy of school. :-)

What is wrong with this picture?

One thing that is different about Lena from a lot of babies is she LOVES to wear things on her head. The little feather hat stayed on all day and she wouldn't have it any other way. A coupDle times she would reach up to touch it and make sure it was still there. And, if it does happen to come off she hands it back to whoever is with her so they can put it back on. This girl knows that accessories are important!

We taught her how to chatter by putting her hand over her mouth and she does it randomly now for us as well as when we say, "Where is your mouth?" Here she is showing off for Uncle Daniel.

On Friday Daddy went to work so it was just me, Lena and the pups. We tried to keep ourselves occupied during the day.

This is the face that says. "I want you to read this one!!"

And this is the face that says, "STOP TAKING MY PICTURE AND READ TO ME!!!!!"

Eventually we headed over to Uncle Daniel's house to see fabric swatches. Lena's flower girl dress, and other wedding related things. Lena had very little interest in wedding related things, but she did have a lot of interest in practicing to walk everywhere. It seems every time we visit there she has a breakthrough of sorts. The day after our last visit she took her first steps, and after we got home on Friday she was literally walking everywhere, not crawling at all!

Lena found a pair of running shoes that she just had to have. She picked them both up with one hand and then promptly fell down from the weight of them. Silly girl.

On Saturday we headed to Mechanicsburg for Lena's first 5k - Lifting a Legacy. It is done every year in memory of my cousin, Emily. It was a beautiful day to be outside with family and Lena had a blast! The timing was also perfect that she slept in the car the entire ride there and back!!

Getting ready to practice the 100 yard dash with Daddy....Ready, Set, Go!

She also enjoyed the windows in the cafeteria after the 5k.

With my cousin Traci's little boy, Sammy.

One other thing Lena has been really big on these last few weeks is finding Callie's toys to try to play with her. It is cute and sometimes a little frustrating, because C-Dawg isn't always in the mood to play when Lena is.

Lena did a fabulous job making a mess of herself with dinner last night.

In case you can't tell, she is not very happy with me in this picture. I can't remember why though...

The house is almost completely decorated for Christmas! I talked Mr. Gebely into going and picking up our tree today. When I called the farm to order the execution of our tree and gave them our tag information and last name, the woman said, "Ohhhh, you are the ones with the blog who wrote about coming here!" Oh the wonder of site analytics. :-)

I hope everyone else had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I will post more pictures once we get our tree up. I am so excited for Christmas this year!!! :-)

Denial

2011-11-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

Mr. Gebely and I have been in denial that Thanksgiving is already tomorrow. We are having either 18 or 19 people. But really, once you hit 15 people there is really no difference as to how many come...the more the merrier!

We are just about ready now though. The turkeys have been purchased (yesterday) and one is prepped for charcoal cooking outside. The house is clean. The table is somewhat set. Benches borrowed from the neighbors. So bring on Thanksgiving, we're ready!

I promise I'll blog more over the long weekend. And here are some pictures of Lena, because I know that is what you all come here to see! :-)

Silly Goose

2011-11-17T21:15:00.001-05:00

These last few weeks have been such fun ones in our house. Lena has just been in the best mood each and every day. She is so funny {and knows it} and can also be incredibly laid back at times. Even daycare mentioned how much fun she has been lately.

And the craziest thing about her amazing moods is that in these last few weeks she has gotten two bottom MOLARS!! Yes, she already has molars and we had no idea they were coming in or even in. Isn't teething supposed to make babies grumpy?? One night while I was brushing her teeth I stuck my finger in her mouth to see if I felt any lumps and both teeth were already completely out! A few days later one of her teachers said to me, "Did you know Lena has molars?!?? I can't believe it." She still needs all four canine teeth as well as the top molars. I'm not surprised that she has gone out of order according to the "Teething Chart," this girl does nothing by the books!

Anyway, evenings are the best around here. After dinner we always let Lena run around without her diaper for a while. Yes, we may be nuts, but would you want to wear a diaper 24/7? Lena alternates between running around with her push toy and walking on her own. It is fun to see her walking more and more, I can't believe how much better she has gotten in just one week.

She loves to 'fall down' on the floor and act all silly.

As I said in my 11 month post, she is also extremely vocal now, especially when she is with just us or at daycare. Sometimes in public she sort of shuts down and is bashful, but that is never the case at home.

In this next picture she is singing to herself and having a grand old time!

Lookout Mom, I'm coming to get you!!

She is also a dare devil and climbs on everything. I have caught her completely standing on that little chair many times.

And the dogs are her favorite thing now more than every before. She loves to get Callie's toys and throw them to her (even if her throw is only about 12 inches).

She also loves to give the dogs pat-pats and aye-ayes. So sweet.

I wish I would have taken a picture of her full outfit today, it was so cute and she got so many compliments. It's much more fun to dress her than to dress myself!! :-)

Decking Lena's Second Tree {An Etsy Rave}

2011-11-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

It's no secret for those that have read this blog for a while - I LOVE me some etsy! My official join date was March 7, 2008, just a few months before my wedding. I made a few wedding related purchases, but mostly I have found gifts for others, decorations for our house, and of course lots and lots of cute things for Lena.

Sometimes I find things when I am doing a specific search for something and other times I just stumble upon a treasure. That is what happened with one of my most recent purchases, a personalized ornament for Lena. The seller, Becky, makes personalized pottery including ornaments, plates, mugs, and dog dishes. I ordered a personalized 2011 ornament for Lena and it arrived today - I'm in love!

I told the seller a couple 'events' that happened this year and she created the ornament just for us! Here are some pictures of how it turned out. The colors are not accurate at all, but you get the idea.

First, the beginning of 2011, Mr. Gebely and I with our new little pink bundle.

Halloween and our little chicken Lena. :-)

Lena's first family vacation in St. John!

And of course we can't forget every afternoon and evening spent on the deck playing with c&k in the spring, summer, and early fall.

I actually bought two ornaments, but the second one is a Christmas gift for someone so for now it remains a secret. Anyway, if you are looking for something personal either for yourself or for a gift for someone, check out Odd Frog Creations on etsy. I'm so glad I found her shop!

And completely unrelated to all things Christmas, here is a very short video of Lena from this evening. Amanda, when I watch this I think of your first birthday party video because you do the same thing when asked for it.

11 Months!

2011-11-12T22:12:00.001-05:00

Holy cow - I cannot believe that I am writing an eleventh month post. How did this happen?? In just one month, Lena, you will be one year old! No longer a baby, but a toddler. Wow {sniff, sniff!}

Lots of exciting things have been happening this month. Just a few days ago you took what we officially recorded as your first steps. There is nothing stopping you now! It is funny because about a week prior to you starting to walk unassisted I was really questioning the doctors prediction that you would be an early walker. And just like that you have proven my doubting wrong once again! It will be fun to watch you continue to work on your new skill in the weeks leading up to your first birthday!

This last month you also got to play in snow for the first time, participate in Halloween at daycare as a little chicken, and explore the fields of Strack's Tree Farm to tag a Christmas tree for the first time. Yesterday at daycare you also participated in your first election (ice cream or cookies for snack time - ice cream won!). Too bad you don't get to enjoy such treats yet. :-)

A few weeks ago at school you had an evaluation. While I think it is silly to 'evaluate' babies, it is reassuring to see that developmentally you are doing everything you should be. In fact, the report marked that you have 'mastered' every skill on the 6-12 month evaluation except for walking unassisted and standing up from squatting unassisted. My favorite part of the eval was the individual comment section. Here is a highlight of the comments:

"Lena is a very smart little girl. Lena knows how to assert herself. She knows how to get people do to things for her."

{Does anyone else think it sounds like Lena knows how to manipulate people?? hahaha}

More than anything you do know exactly what you want, though. You become very frustrated with us when we don't read you just the right book, lift you to see just the right toy/knick knack/picture on a shelf, or do what you want, when you want it. We are working on that. :-)

You nod your head yes and no and that is so funny to see. You do know what 'no' means, although you are selective in when you choose to listen. Often you walk by the dogs' water bowl, point to it, shake your head no and keep walking because you know you should not play in the water. Other times you dig in and splash around anyway. Last night while eating your peas you held up a pea to show me, gestured to the dogs on the ground, pointed at me and shook your head NO (good girl!), and then deliberately held your hand out over the floor and let the pea drop while making eye contact with me to gauge my reaction. Next you eagerly looked over the edge of your chair to watch the dogs inhale the fallen pea. Funny to watch and difficult not to laugh, but naughty Lena!

We let you feed the dogs their biscuits after coming in the house and you love to do that too. As soon as they go outside you bounce up and down and point to the treat bag. So far you are very nice about giving the biscuit and they are also very gingerly in accepting it. Of course we often need to coax you to release it to them instead of teasing them with it. Again, we're working on it. :-)

Last month I posted some frustration about getting you to eat more regular finger foods. Well, about a week and a half after I wrote that post you suddenly started eating anything we offered to you. For that reason you are pretty much off pureed food and eat what we are having most of the time. I do not give you syrup on waffles, pancakes or french toast - instead I add fruit puree on top and will continue to do that. Otherwise we eat a lot of the same things. Daycare probably thinks your parents are nuts because breakfast and lunch are provided there and we usually take an alternate meal for you. But, we want to make sure you are eating the best things and we don't always approve of their menu.

We've also made it through eleven months of all breast milk and NO formula. We're in the home stretch now and I'm so proud of never giving up, even though many days I wanted to. At daycare you are completely off of bottles and only drink your milk cold from a sippy cup. We still give you a bottle at bedtime but will start to eliminate that hopefully in the coming weeks. I am down to only pumping twice a day total (was 4 times a day when I first returned to work), and will hopefully drop the daytime session within the next week and the evening session by your first birthday. I have about 500 ounces of milk in the freezer so I have to decide whether to continue to give it to you until it is gone, or to donate it to another baby who needs it more.

You still love to wave hi and bye, have mastered blowing kisses by adding the hand motion in, and love to clap for the dogs and yourself. You always start clapping when you hear "Pat-a-Cake," "BINGO," and "If You're Happy and You Know It." While waving is adorable, I do believe that clapping is my favorite. You mimic many of the things we do and will pick up the cup I use to rinse your hair in the tub and try to dump water on yourself just like I do to you. Silly, silly girl! Today we played Ring Around the Rosie and you giggled at yourself every single time you fell down. These are the things that I never want to forget.

One final thing I want to add is how much more you are chitter-chattering right now. Although it isn't always recognizable, here are the words that we have heard you say a few times in the correct context - Mama, Daddy, Katy, baby, up, puppy, book, and duck.

So that's it until the big 12 month post. I just can't believe it...I really can't. Love you so much, baby girl!

I Think...

2011-11-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

....that the only thing better than a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg is a KING Size Reese's Peanut Butter Egg.

Did you even know such a wonderful thing existed!?!

Lena Walking!

2011-11-08T20:13:00.001-05:00

Here is a very brief video of Lena taking some steps tonight. I'm sorry it isn't the best, but I was home by myself and it was all I could manage! I wish I had kept backing up to see how far she would have actually gone...

And c&k have no idea what they are in for...hehe

One For the Books

2011-11-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

I've really been toying with when to record that Lena took her first steps. I know I have mentioned a few times that she has taken 2-3 steps from object to object, but it didn't really seem like that should count as her first steps. Especially because she usually seems very unaware when she does it.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at my brother's house and Miss Lena was in rare form. Not only was she chitchatting up a storm, but she was exploring everything, walking around and along furniture and also walked from one piece of furniture to another. Quite a few times she would stand up with someone while they were sitting down, turn herself around, grab their hands and give them a pull so they would take her 'walking.' We all discussed how long it would be before she would really start to walk...

Well today is the day we are officially marking in the baby book! When we came home this afternoon Lena was playing at her Sing-a-Long Stage and she let go and smoothly walked about 6 steps right into my arms - no stumbling at all! I couldn't wait for Mr. Gebely to get home so he could see her walk and she did not disappoint (although when he came home we did use puffs as a tool of bribery). We hope to get a video in the next few days to post but tonight we were just having too much fun with her to stop and get the camera.

She still has a long way to go before she completely has her balance and when walking will trump crawling, but it is still fun to reach another big milestone. She's growing up so fast!! :-)

These Two Crack Me Up

2011-11-06T22:03:00.000-05:00

Read This!

2011-11-06T19:50:00.000-05:00

Love, love, loved this article in our local paper today. How perfectly ironic that right before I read it I sat holding Lena tightly as she slept; inhaling her sweet baby smell, praying thanks for her, and wondering and dreaming about what all the rest of the days of her life will bring.

Harry Deitz: Welcome to our world, little one

Tree Tagging 2011

2011-11-05T15:09:00.001-04:00

When Mr. Gebely and I got married we started a tradition of tagging our Christmas tree in November. We always go to the same place, Strack's Tree Farm, and I was extra giddy about it this year because Lena would be included in the tradition. We had a few other items on our agenda for today and Mr. Gebely just came back from Boston, but we wanted to make sure to get there today because everyone knows the good trees get tagged the first day! :-P

As seems to always be the case (see 2010 here, and 2009 here), the first day of tagging was a beautiful day to be out walking among the trees. When the dogs saw Mr. Gebely break out the harnesses and collars they were dizzy with excitement. They were both on their best behavior all day and had a glorious time scampering through rows and rows of trees.

In fact, the only time we had to chase them down was when the owner came to officially 'tag' our tree. He drives an antique truck and it sounds almost like Poppa's tractor. Ok, A LOT like Poppa's tractor. As soon as they heard the chug, chug, chug of the engine they high tailed it for the truck to ask for a free ride.

We took these next few pictures at the end of our adventure. I'm sure you can tell from looking at Lena that she was done by that point. She really wanted to be walking around but the grass was too high and it just wasn't working out. I really hope the tree is big enough because we do intend to take some off the bottom. For some reason it just seems smaller than the trees we have gotten in past years...

Every day Lena's balance is getting a little better as she is learning to stand independently. She has also started taking 2 steps or so to get from object to object (or object to dog!) haha

The light was just gorgeous the entire time we were there.

Lena is wearing a handmade sweater and hat that she got for Christmas last year (and I'm rocking the Appeeling Fruit hat). :-)

Lena and I checking out the needles on our tree. It is the same variety we always choose - a Concolor Fir.

Ok, maybe it does look big enough after all. What do you think??

A few times Lena did point to specific trees. They didn't fit our strict specifications though.

Isn't it beautiful? Can you believe that exactly one week ago there was 12 inches of snow on the ground!?!

We finished just in the nick of time because Mr. Gebely was suddenly flooded with texts and phone calls about a work issue and that took him away from us for the rest of the afternoon. Now our only question is when to get the tree...before or after Lena's birthday party? We are having family pictures taken the week after Lena's party and are considering waiting to put the tree up with lights and decorations until the morning of the pictures to get a really great first reaction from her. Any thoughts?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:16:00.000-04:00

Halloween has always been a fun holiday for us since we started living in the 'Dorf. We get a couple hundred (yes, you read that correctly) trick-or-treaters and sit outside on the porch all evening handing out treats. This year was extra fun, though.

Extra fun because we got to celebrate Lena's first Halloween! The best part about Halloween with a baby is you get to decide what costume to put them in and they have no say about it. I'm sure I will only have this much control for another year so I am going to enjoy it while I can.

Lena was a chick. I'm {slightly} biased, but she was a super cute chick too. She is very lucky to have such a good Grammy who sewed her costume for her. Each of those feathers was attached with the love only a grandmother could have! :-)

Mr. Gebely and I both went to school this morning to watch their Annual Halloween parade. Usually they walk outside but because of the strange cold weather we have been experiencing they stayed in this year {thank goodness!} Her daycare has a gymnasium and multi-purpose room downstairs that are perfect for activities like this. I love that the kids have a place like this to play and get their energy out every day when they can't go on walks and head to their playground. Lena started the parade in a double stroller with one of her classmates.

It only took a few minutes before Lena let us know that she was not having any of this! She knew Mr. Gebely and I were there and did not want to sit still in the stroller...she wanted to WALK!

So I took her out and we walked and walked and walked. Seriously, I walked with her for about 25 minutes and Mr. Gebely had her for about 5. My back is killing me tonight.

She was so silly because she looked like she was almost marching at times. She had a serious and very focused face the entire time and I'm pretty sure she knew exactly what she was doing/supposed to be doing. She kept up with the big kids and I let her lead the way the entire time. We circled the gym twice before heading to the multi-purpose room, where we continued circling and also listened to Halloween music. Every time we tried to stop to take pictures she would pull at our hands to keep walking. Once the music was playing she also did some dancing too.

I love my blue eyed chick!

Finally, Daddy gave me and my back a break!

See? Same little smug expression the entire time!

Posing with one of her favorite kiddos ever - one of the neighbor girls.

Struggling to keep up with the big kids.

Family picture time!

And for your viewing pleasure...a short clip of Lena walking during the parade.

Lena loved seeing everyone dressed up in their costumes, both at school and at home this evening. I walked her in the stroller down to see Aunt Sally and Uncle Jack tonight but that was the extent of our trick-or-treating. One of my biggest pet peeves ever is people using a baby that clearly doesn't eat candy as a tool to get candy so I made a point of turning down everything that was offered while we walked through town. Ironically enough, along part of my walk there was a man in front of me with a 7-month old who was doing just that and kept saying, "Don't forget about baby Yoda." Greedy, greedy parents!! Ugh!

Snow in October!

2011-10-29T22:02:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe that I am posting snow pictures before Halloween pictures, but I'm sure crazier things have happened. This weekend we were hit by a big snowstorm and it is currently still snowing in the 'Dorf. We were expected to get 8-12 inches of snow and I'm sure we have hit at least 8 inches.

I know most people don't get excited to see white flakes falling from the sky, but I love it! Sure it messed up some plans (Lena and I were going to hang out with Rose and Heather today), but we loved all spending the day at home being snowed in together. We haven't lost power {yet}, we got to take Lena outside to play, and because the ground is still warm it'll all disappear in a few days. And bonus points that it came on a weekend when we didn't have to worry about getting to work or daycare being delayed/closed. So I say, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" The rest of you are party poopers! :-)

We took Lena out after her afternoon nap for a brief romp in the snow. She got to try out another one of Grammy's yard sale finds - a red sled. It was missing the rope to pull so we improvised with a dog leash and were on our way in no time!

She pretty much had the same blank expression on her face the entire time. It was pretty funny to watch her, but Lena is a very serious baby. When she experiences anything new she very rarely smiles because she is too busy taking everything in and not missing any minute detail.

Mr. Gebely formed a snowball to show her.

Again - no reaction!

We took her out of the sled and the only thing that showed us that she did enjoy her new ride was the fact that she turned herself around, pointed at the sled repeatedly and whined until we put her back in.

Lena's opinion on snow? Thoroughly unimpressed!

Or maybe she just didn't like the fact that she couldn't move. I'm sure we'll be outside for more play time tomorrow. I just hope the sidewalks will all be clear for Trick-or-Treating on Monday night!

Little Red Riding Hood, Blood Center Style

2011-10-28T23:15:00.000-04:00

Today my department participated in my company's annual Halloween contest. We always pick a theme that works for four people. The last time we participated we did the Wizard of Oz, and this year chose Little Red Riding Hood. We like to do a skit to go along with our costumes and this year we had so much fun!

Little Red Riding Hood started out at her grammy's house who was sick and in desperate need of some blood. Because they shared a compatible blood type, Red set off through the woods to donate for her grandmother. Not long into her journey she was accosted by a wolf from a certain other {cough} blood center. He tried to persuade her to follow him and he would drain a few pints from her in no time. Luckily a hero (the woodsman) from MKBC saved her and showed her the way to the donor center where she successfully donated and saved 3 lives! Woohoo! :-)

We created a forest with trees and plants from around the building, took leaves inside to add to the scene, and also built a brick house and wooden door for the Grammy. It was a good time...I love my coworkers!

Lots of Randomness

2011-10-25T22:07:00.000-04:00

1. Do you ever have a very specific idea of something you want to buy and can't find it? This seems to happen to me all the time with clothing, furniture, and other miscellaneous textiles. Half the time I think whatever it is I am after doesn't actually exist. The current bane of my existence is a new table I am {trying to} purchase for work. Hopefully tomorrow's search will be more fruitful.

2. Lena has been giving me major grief this week over everything {but it totally cracks me up}. She tells me "NO" all the time and is very assertive when she does this. She shakes her head no while saying, "noooooo!" to everything. I asked her to clap her hands for me tonight and you'd think I was asking for the moon with the look she shot me while denying my request.

3. Lena also gave Callie some major grief today. She has gotten very skilled at using her push toy and can basically run with it now, go backwards, and turn any which way. She was chasing C-Dawg down and caught her at the water bowl. She began to repeatedly run into the water dish with the toy, making water fly everywhere and also making Callie jump each time she hit it. Lena was amused, Callie not so much.

4. I can't believe it is almost November.

5. I'm more excited than I should be for my work's Halloween costume contest. We've got quite the storyline going this year.

6. We love fall!!!

What a Weekend!

2011-10-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

Wow, wow, wow...what an interesting weekend we have had. My best intentions were to blog last night but obviously that didn't happen so now you can get the whole story of what we've been up to these last two days.

Saturday started out exactly as I thought it should. Lena slept until 8 (it was lovely) and as I fed her yogurt Mr. Gebely worked on whipping up some french toast with a leftover loaf of homemade bread. Then I dropped a spoonful of banana yogurt on C-Dawg's head...and maybe that is where the day took a turn for the worse.

As we laughed about the sticky mess that was Callie's head, Katy started going nuts in the dining room. She was at the stairs looking out onto our deck. At first we thought Mr. Neighbor was outside because he almost always comes over through the yard, but then Mr. Gebely looked out and saw what was really upsetting Katers. It was Rocky the Raccoon. Ugh!!

For whatever reason, instead of going back where it came from it went under our deck. We were concerned about the fact that it was out during the day so we did call our local neighborhood police to seek advice (especially knowing that this past winter there was a rabid raccoon destroyed just a few blocks from our house). Because it was under the deck the police officer couldn't help us but he did give us some advice. Did you know raccoons like scrambled eggs? Apparently they love them! The source of this is the police officer who also used to own a pet raccoon...go figure.

Poppa dropped off some live traps and we also barricaded the deck so the dogs could still go outside. Unfortunately that worked to our disadvantage when the raccoon came out couldn't get away.

Eventually we removed the barricade and I also adjusted where the trap was. Early in the evening Katy used her spidey sense to alert us as Rocky once again ventured out and I watched him waddle to the back of the yard and scale the fence, thus becoming someone else's problem. The policeman seemed to think he was out hunting later than usual and became disoriented and lost. I'm not so sure but he is gone now and we are 99.9% positive he had never been under our deck before. It is now blocked off so there is no way he'll be back.

All of this being stuck in the house nonsense made Lena a little stir crazy. She was being silly, as usual.

We climbed the stairs over and over again...

She LOVES to go after the copper pumpkin and witch. They now live on the steps instead of the window sill - it's a much safer place to hunt them down that the sill.

Callie acted totally pathetic and Katy cried for almost 3 hours straight after Poppa abandoned her.

When Sunday morning came we were not surprised to see that our trap enabled us to capture something, even if it wasn't a raccoon.

Lena was miserable with a capital M and five exclamation points! We packed up and headed to my mom's house, which was just the right fix. We headed to two new playgrounds and she had so much fun. She is also completely gaga over slides now.

She was also completely amused by this merry-go-round.

Especially when Grammy pushed it round and round.

So that's it. Hopefully this week will be fun, go fast, and not involve anymore wildlife! Halloween is only a week away...I can't wait to show everyone pictures of Lena in her costume!!

Halloween Fun

2011-10-20T21:18:00.000-04:00

Lena got to attend her first parade when the 'Dorf's annual Halloween parade rolled through town this evening. I only got one picture but it's safe to say she enjoyed herself and had no problem staying up late, despite only getting a whopping 30 minutes of sleep the entire day.

Her teachers said she was a busy, busy bee today and I've got no doubt that is probably an understatement. :-P

Messiah's Homecoming

2011-10-15T22:25:00.001-04:00

We had such a fun, fun day today! It was my alma maters's Homecoming and this year it was time for the, {gasp}, five year reunion. When Katie originally asked me about going a few weeks ago I wasn't quite sure...Mr. Gebely is in Atlanta for work right now and that leaves a lot more on my plate at home. It didn't take much coaxing for me to say ok, though, and I'm so glad I did. My mom went along and ate lunch with us, then after a short walk and visit to the Oakes Museum she took Lena to meet my Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy (where I lived part of the time I was in college). This was a win-win because it gave me a chance for a kid-free visit and also was nice for my mom to spend some time with Tom and Cathy (and Lena has lots of new toys now too!).

The day started out great after Katie won one of the early bird raffles - a t-shirt!!! I took the picture to show the Kathryn Rictor '06 on the board, but unfortunately it is a little difficult to read her name.

First we ate a yummy lunch at the Union. Things have changed a lot. There is no longer a need for human interaction and you order all food from a touch screen. I probably would have loved this in college but we all found it a bit overwhelming. Noel says this is to cut down on work study students. :-P They no longer have a buffalo chicken salad or Strawberry Fields Forever Smoothie but there were some menu additions we found delightful. Also, I dropped my smoothie about two minutes after paying for it and the food services staff made me another one for free! It made me not feel like such a klutz. :-)

After lunch we went to the Oakes Museum of Natural History. Lena loved all of the large dead animals...particularly this brown bear and the baboon exhibit.

Noel caught Lena 'crawling to class.' I hate to break it to her, but I'm sure she wouldn't be interested in any class up that wing. I think the Boyer building is where she belongs. :-)

She was particularly impressed by Noel's shirt. Much more exciting than anything that her mommy wears.

We tried to have a group picture but my mom seriously sucks at using the iphone's camera (sorry mom but it's true).

So we settled for a picture without me. This display is something new - there were so many new things, no wonder they are always asking for our money...

We also caught Lena quite a few times trying to go back to the Oakes Museum. She really, really, really liked that bear!!

We visited Katie's old stomping grounds and checked out the construction for the new fine arts addition. She missed that one by only about 10 years.

While we were heading back to the car for my mom and Lena to leave, we passed a grassy area that was completely covered by beautiful red leaves. The leaves all over campus were gorgeous...seriously so much prettier than any foliage here in the 'Dorf. I put Lena in the leaves and she was in heaven. She loves to hold leaves, study them, crinkle them, tear them, and of course throw them too!

The leaves made me regretful of the decision not to drag our large camera along. I thought I only had the iphone (but of course found my point and shoot camera at the end of the day tucked safely in the diaper bag).

The day was also bittersweet. We missed you Kelsey and wish Michigan weren't so far away!!!

Anyway, it was a fantastic day! Gorgeous weather, wonderful friends, and campus looked particularly beautiful - the day was perfect. We had a blast walking around and looking at the different buildings and things that have changed. We shared memories of our first few days on campus and talked about all the funny things that happened while we were students and the fact that I never took out a book or really set foot in the library during all four years of college. Maybe we need to start going to Homecoming every year, what do you think??

Wicket and Cindel Reunited at Last

2011-10-13T20:12:00.000-04:00

Almost three years ago, I wrote a post about the likeness of C-Dawg and an Ewok. Pretty much every day since then Mr. Gebely has looked for an excuse for Callie to wear her Ewok garb. Holidays, after a bath, the release of Star Wars Blu Ray...

Well it is safe to say that today he finally had a good excuse. You see, these arrived for Lena in the mail this afternoon.

And after oohing and ahhing over the cuteness of our little lady in boots, we realized that they are a very important component of Cindel Towani's (Wicket's sidekick) wardrobe.

And furthermore, if Lena didn't already have the cutest Halloween costume in the world that her Grammy spent hours sewing (which she does), there would be no question what these two members of our household would be for Halloween.

But still, don't be surprised if you see them dressed up together very soon. For, as Cindel and Wicket would say,
"Goodbye. Goodbye."
"Goodbye. Not good."

10 Months!!

2011-10-10T22:23:00.010-04:00

You are now 10 months old Lena!!

We have had so much fun this past month! A big part of this fun was the fact that we went on our first family vacation. Lots of people thought your mommy and daddy were crazy for taking you to the Caribbean when you were only a little over 9 months old, but you were a fantastic traveler and we are so glad that we just went for it. You were an angel on all four plane rides and were pretty much perfect during our entire trip. You loved waving 'hi' and 'bye' to everyone we met and soaked in the new surroundings all day long. You got to have your toes in the white sand of St. John, float on a raft in the Caribbean Sea, and swim in a pool with an iguana! You also met some parrots at our resort and the one parrot was as fascinated with you as you were with him. No matter how many people were around the cage trying to talk to him, every time he saw you staring at him from your stroller he would use his beak to walk down to the bottom of the cage to be on your level and would say "Hola!" to you. Occasionally he also offered you a nutshell through the wires of the cage.

You know the other great part about our vacation? No bottles and no pump! That's right, for 5 straight days I only nursed you (of course you still ate your regular solid food too). Let me tell you, a break from pumping is a vacation in itself. No washing bottles or pump parts was awesome and I loved just nursing you - so convenient! I'm glad you have always been able to switch back and forth without a problem. And now that you are 10 months old we only have two months to go until we make it to a year. Who'd have thought we would ever get this far? You have now also completely mastered using a sippy cup so we should have no problem completely eliminating the bottle by 12 months, if not before. Right now you are offered water in your sippy cup throughout the day and pretty soon we'll probably start using that for your milk too.

Food is a bit of a frustration for me right now. I'm trying to give you more finger foods and sometimes you do great another other times refuse everything on your tray (even if it is something you ate before and completely loved). Your paper from daycare today said you looked at the diced carrots, shook your head "NO!" and refused to even touch them! Friends of ours who have a picky eater told us they felt that if they had worked with more stage 3 type of foods before moving to finger foods their daughter might have taken to the transition easier so that is what I am trying to do. Hopefully that'll click for us soon but in the meantime, some of your favorite finger foods are waffles with fruit puree, french toast, grilled cheese, bananas, and cheese crumbles.

This last month you have continued to work on new skills and master the ones already established. You continue to cruise around the furniture and easily switch from one thing to another as you zoom around. You love to walk, either by holding our hands or the push-to-walk toy I bought you at a consignment sale. Sometimes you make turns and back up on your own and other times you get frustrated and throw your hands up in the air and screech! You are also able to stand up without holding onto anything for a few seconds at a time. When you realize what you are doing, you smile and say "HA!!"

Daycare says you have no fear! For that reason, almost every other day it seems you have some type of new boo-boo from attempting something that your body isn't quite ready for yet. I even had to sign an incident report for you one day this past week! With all the cruising you are doing and your lack of hesitation to give anything physical a try, we are wondering if the doctor is right in her prediction that you'll be an early walker or if we still have a ways to go before we hit that milestone. Only time will tell! You love to climb too and go up all the steps at our house and at the neighbor's house. You also taught yourself how to go back down and know to turn around and go backwards. You also climb on your pink chair, your giraffe, and the chaise lounge outside.

You still love to read. There are a few books that you like more than others, including the book 'Heads.' Another favorite is 'Peek-A-Who?' and I am constantly searching for new books to throw into our rotation. I just bought a bunch that will be birthday and Christmas presents (although it is so hard to not give them to you right away). You are over most of your baby toys now so we're trying to introduce more things for you to play with that are age appropriate. One toy you really enjoy is a set of eggs that come apart and turn into chicks that peep. I ordered it online and was initially disappointed because I thought it seemed stupid but you have pretty much proved my initial thought wrong. We took them with on vacation and got flagged going through security because they thought we had a six-pack in our backpack. Whoops! You also enjoy playing with your ball popper.

It is starting to be time for cold weather clothing and this is the first time I am struggling a bit with sizes. You have always been pretty much true to size, but because of your cloth diapers being so bulky we now have to move up a size for pants. Shoes are also difficult to work with and we'll be going and having you fitted in a few weeks. Your feet are teeny tiny (just like mommy's) and you can wear shoes that are meant for 3-6 month olds. I want to make sure once you are walking that we buy some that are truly a perfect fit.

No new official words this month, but at times we think we have heard you say "puppy," "book," and "hi." You still say Mama and Dada and babababa all the time. You also jibber jabber to yourself quite often, which I love to hear. You also have screaming figured out perfectly.

One new thing that makes me a bit nervous is your lack of fear regarding the dogs. We have always worked on "gentle" and will say "pet, pet, pet," but a few times this month you have been a little too enthusiastic in your petting. Yesterday I was washing dishes and you were on the other side of the island with Callie. I couldn't hear either of you so I thought I'd taking a look, and you had poor C-Dawg by both of her ears. On another occasion I asked you to pet Callie and you grabbed her by the tail. Eek! We'll be watching you very closely with them from now on.

We are very much looking forward to your first Halloween in a few weeks. The 'Dorf's parade is in a week and a half and I think you'll love seeing the bands and other floats coming down our main street. I'm also pretty excited to see you in your Halloween costume that Grammy (that's my mom, she has a new name now lol) is sewing for you. I doubt we'll take you trick-or-treating but you do have a school Halloween parade and we may also walk around with the neighbor kiddos on trick-or-treat night or you can assist Daddy and I in handing out apples.

So there is the nine month wrap up! I wonder what exciting things I'll have to write about next month?

Sunday at the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-09T21:50:00.000-04:00

These last few weeks Poppa has been talking about taking Lena to the pumpkin patch. Last weekend the weather was terrible...cold, damp, and rainy. We decided to put it off another week and we're so glad we did because this weekend was beautiful!

Yesterday we hung out in the 'Dorf, but today we had some special visitors to go pumpkin hunting with. Mr. Gebely's grandparents came for the day from New Jersey and we made lunch for them at our house and then we left for Lena's great pumpkin picking adventure. We went to the same place Mr. Gebely hunted for pumpkins at when he was little. Here we are, waiting for the hayride to commence.

Lena was pretty serious the whole day...she always is when she is 'taking in' new sights and sounds. The tractor especially interested her.

I felt kind of bad that she was dressed for cooler weather and didn't have a hat since the sun was so bright. There was not a cloud in the sky which made for a beautiful day but didn't give us a break from the sun.

Mr. Gebely snuck a picture of his grandfather and a piece of straw - Farmer Gebely! :-)

Lena was funny once we were in the patch. She was looking around at everything and did point to a specific pumpkin so I set her down to inspect it.

Did you know that most pumpkin patches no longer grow most of the pumpkins for sale? They only grow a small amount and then place the rest in the patch for people to 'pick.' There are still long stems on them and everything so it is very convincing!

Poppa wanted Lena to sit on a pumpkin but she had other plans.

There were also small gourds growing in the field and we thought they were the perfect size for Lena. She was NOT a fan though. I don't think she liked how they felt and also seemed a little scared of them.

We did manage to get some good pictures although I don't think you can really tell how blue the sky was...it was so beautiful!

My favorite shot of the day!

And there goes Poppa with that sitting on the pumpkin thing again!

Not a fan of pumpkins, but a shoulder to sit on will do just fine!

And look, Mr. Gebely was there too!

We did finally settle on a chubby round pumpkin that makes a delightful noise when you tap it.

Yes, Lena lost her pants! Actually, she didn't lose them but did leak through them after chugging down a sippy cup full of water after she had her bottle. Someday the novelty of the sippy cup will wear off I'm sure...

All done! We'll take one pumpkin and one baby, please!

The Wonder Weeks

2011-10-08T22:09:00.001-04:00

For those out there who are moms, have you ever heard of the "wonder weeks?"

The Wonder Weeks are considered the first ten leaps that occur in the mental development of a baby, all within the first year of life. Mental development, as defined by the Wonder Weeks website, is:

By “mental development” and “leaps in mental development” we mean the natural growth of the brain and the entire nervous system from a few neurons making connections in the embryo, all the way to the fully functioning brain and nervous system of an adult.

These leaps are predictable and happen to every single baby - there is no way around it. Every baby deals with their 'leaps' differently and some leaps are harder to get through than others. For us, the most noticeable leap was Week 19. Since then leaps haven't been as noticeable but are definitely happening. It is amazing how one day Lena is unable to do something and within days she is doing something new and exciting like it's old business!

I first heard about this research (and book) a little before Lena turned 4 months old. I bought the book and read it religiously, amazed at how much it taught me of what was going through Lena's little brain. It explained so much of her moods, personality, and behavior. It has really been the only guide I have used as Lena grows.

During leaps babies are said to be clingy, have difficulty sleeping, cry more, are often not satisfied, etc. Most people tend to try to blame this behavior on one thing or another (such as teething) or will wonder what happened to their happy baby. Knowing and understanding what is going on in a baby's mental development is so helpful in dealing with them through the difficult time. The books gives great suggestions of what you can do as they work on and begin to master certain skills, as well as ideas for games, songs, and toys that are perfect for the stage of development that you are in.

Another thing I love about the book is the map of moods broken down week by week. It is predicted which weeks may be sunny, stormy, or somewhere in between. And for us it as always been spot on! Whenever Lena is going through a leap I reread the section a few times to figure out how I can best help her get through it.

This last week Lena has been a handful! She has been so clingy and at times just all around miserable as her mood swings from one extreme to the other. As I lamented to my mom about it last night on the phone, I said, "I'm not sure what is going on with her, but I think she may be in the midst of a wonder week." Well guess what! Low and behold, I opened my email this morning to find an message from The Wonder Weeks website entitled, "46 Weeks: Why Porridge Flies Through the Air."

We are now working on the seventh mental leap - the world of sequences. In the last week and a half I have already seen Lena working on some of these skills, such as mastering her stacking ring by taking it apart and putting it back together.

Hopefully this post is helpful to at least one other mom who at times wants to pull her hair out! Wonder weeks are challenging, but it always feels great to come out on the other side!! :-)

Lena's New Toy

2011-10-03T21:45:00.001-04:00

A new toy showed up in our house last week and it has been all the rage lately. In fact, Lena has shown such an obsession that we have to hide it at times. I've got to say though - she looks pretty cute walking back and forth all day long. When did my baby get so big??

p.s. If you listen closely at the end you can hear her hissy fit when things don't go exactly as she wants them to. :-)

Saturday Fun

2011-10-01T17:06:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things to do during the school year is go to my cousins' sporting events and cheer them on. In the fall I used to watch Amanda play soccer (that is no more, she's all grown up!) and also watch Amber and Tori play field hockey. Having a baby makes that much harder, especially since this season it seems all the games are night games that start at the same time Lena goes into her crib for the night. Today they had a Saturday game though so Lena and I headed out and she got to watch her first ever field hockey game. She was very good the entire time and enjoyed crawling and walking around the bleachers. Fall is definitely in the air!

I think she may be a bit of a good luck charm too because Amber scored her first ever goal when we arrived (she is a defender so the opportunities are a bit harder to come by).

The end score was 7-0 - Go Hamburg Hawkey!!

Not sure what we'll do tomorrow. Mr. Gebely is going to a Phillies play-off game but I chose not to go since 1) Too cold, 2) It will be over too late, 3) I just don't really care that much about the Phillies. I'm not sure who he is taking in my stead but hopefully they appreciate my willingness to turn away play-off tickets!

Boo Boos

2011-09-30T20:29:00.002-04:00

Sorry things have been slow on the blogging front lately - hopefully I'll get back into posting on a regular basis in the near future. Things have been go, go, go ever since we came home from vacation!

Today when I picked Lena up from daycare her teacher told me that she had a couple new boo-boos. She said we're not really sure what specific event they are from, but they might be from when she was trying to climb the rocking chair and then decided to crawl through it, when she was standing with the leg of the table and let go to try to walk without any assistance, when she was playing with the gate at the door and misjudged and took a nosedive, when she was crawling through the tunnel and one of the mats moved and she bumped herself...etc, etc.

Looks like Lena may be a little accident prone? Or a dare devil? The doctor told us at her 9 month check up on Tuesday that she will most likely be an early walker because she doesn't show any fear of anything (this was as she was walking along the chairs in the exam room and switched from a chair to a bead maze then on to another chair). I always take things like that with a grain of salt, but she's got some older boys to keep up with so we'll see what happens!

Good news is the boo-boos happened after her school pictures today! OH LENA! {edited to add - these are not her school pictures...those were actual pro pictures taken at school, classroom picture and all! these are just from hanging out at home tonight}

If you look very closely at this picture on the left side of her forehead you can see a red mark...it is also a nice little lump.

Still the sweetest girl I know! Can't wait to find out what other trouble we can get ourselves into this weekend!!!

Lena's First Vacation

2011-09-25T19:38:00.003-04:00

Well I must give credit where credit is due...Lena is an AMAZING traveler. A much better traveler than her mama, that's for sure.

We returned home from a great vacation in the wee hours of Saturday morning. It was Lena's first big trip, first plane ride, first ferry ride, first time in the ocean....lots and lots of firsts! We spent 4 wonderful days at the Westin in St. John USVI. It is our favorite place to visit and we were so happy to be able to share the wonder of the island with Lena.

I was incredibly stressed about traveling with Lena, especially for the plane rides. The trip there and coming home each consisted of two flights, one of which was 1.5 hours and the other being 3.5 hours. She did soooo well and always slept for the entire shorter flight and a bulk of the longer flight as well. We were lucky to have an entire row to ourselves for all but one flight so we had plenty of room to spread her toys out and play too. My backpack was full of books, toys, and puffs so there was plenty to keep her entertained. We also borrowed Mr. Gebely's dad's ipad and downloaded Tap, Tap Baby and Peek-a-boo Ocean so she had fun with that too. Any down time in the airport I let her crawl and walk along the seats to get her energy out. Once we arrived in St. Thomas we deviated from our normal routine of taking a taxi to the public ferry and instead decided to go with the Westin's ferry. While we hung out in the Westin's lounge Lena entertained and charmed all the other guests - she was in her element the entire time! All the playing wore her out and she slept the entire ferry ride to St. John.

We spent our days hanging out by the pool at the Westin, visiting different beaches, going for plenty of walks in the stroller, and eating lots of great food. As soon as Lena woke up each morning we packed up and headed out to find an adventure. She still takes two naps a day so we didn't want to miss any opportunity to 'play.'

Each and every day Lena was a total HAM. Everyone went nuts over our sweet blue eyed girl, especially when she would flash her smile and start waving to them. We actually had a bunch of people tell us on different occasions that seeing her 'made their entire day.' So yup, it was a great trip!!

We came home with over 500 pictures on our camera so instead of being choosy about which ones to post, I put a pile of them into a slideshow. Hope you enjoy looking at them!

Beach, Beach Baby

2011-09-23T22:25:00.001-04:00

Hopefully tomorrow I can post tons of pictures, but since we are sitting in the airport right now one from my phone will have to do. This week we turned Lena into an island baby and she loved it and charmed EVERYONE she met! This picture is from an early morning walk turned swim turned play session at Trunk Bay. And don't let her serious face fool you, she was in heaven and loved every second of it!

Cold Weather Panic

2011-09-11T20:49:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to freak out a little bit about the cold weather that will be headed our way soon. And why you ask? Lena pretty much needs to be outside for a period every day or she gets very grumpy. It could be a long, hard winter if we are cooped up inside. So for now, we are spending every second possible outdoors.

Lena started petting my college pet, Mr. Wellington, tonight. Aunt Katie will be so proud. ;-)

At least we have vacation to look forward to!

9 Months!!

2011-09-10T20:12:00.001-04:00

Lena,

You are now 9 months old!!! Your first birthday is going to be here before we know it!

I love this active and reactive age. You pick up new things so quickly and sometimes I can just see the little wheels in your head at work. Your language comprehension amazes me the most. We have been teaching you body parts and now if I ask, "where is my nose?" you reach out and grab it. You do the same with mouth and ears (although I am not teaching eyes yet because sometimes you grab a little too enthusiastically and we don't need anyone to get poked in the eye!). When we ask you where certain things are you get so excited and point to them. You know what upside down means and when we say it while we are holding you, you flip backwards so we'll swing you upside down like a little monkey. You love to wave "Hi" and "Bye" like it is your job and daycare swears that you also say "HI!" sometimes when you wave. I've only heard it twice so I won't be completely convinced until I start seeing it consistently. You also kiss books, babies, and inanimate objects on demand.

You are still babbling and jibberjabbering all of the time. You have recently started making a lot of new sounds, including Dada (Daddy is thrilled!!). You have been calling me Mama for a while so it is about time you show him some love. There are two chickens on top of the cabinets in the kitchen and when MomMom asked you what sound they make you made your buck-buck noise.

Speaking of talking, yesterday you said what we are counting as your first word. You said "KATY" as clear as day. You were playing with Katy at the love seat and said it, then said it again and again and again! Others heard it today so it is official. And here we thought your first word(s) would be "Callie - NO!" That will be the next thing I must get on tape!

New this month is also your love of books. You have become quite the little bookworm and sometimes we actually hide your books from you because you are very unhappy if we don't read them to you immediately. I'm pretty sure you would sit on our lap and let us read to you forever. The downside to your love of reading is the tantrum that comes at the end of the book. When we get to the last page you throw a major fit...the smile that lit up your face through the entire story becomes a red-faced, screaming, tears streaming down her face baby who hits her book until we a) read it again, b) find another book to read, c) distract you with something completely different. You know most of your books so well that before we even complete the story you get upset simply because you recognize the last page. I'm just so thankful that you are showing an interest in books so for now we will deal with the tantrums. Your favorite book is Brown Bear and any sort of Peekaboo book. You sometimes lean to the side to try and get a sneek peak at the next page in your story and it is the cutest thing to see.

Everything makes you so excited these days. You point at EVERYTHING at home and daycare until we take you to it and explain what it is. You love looking at pictures...whether in books, on the wall, or on the fridge. Pictures of babies are what excite you the most and you love to give them a big smooch. There is a calendar on the fridge at daycare that you also love to look at..it has pictures of puppies and kittens on each page. You love being at the park and watching older children play. If we see a dog while we are out walking you become beside yourself with excitement. You also love your baby dolls and give them aye-ayes and kisses all day long.

A not very happy thing that has been going on this month was your dislike of getting a bath. I don't know what happened...bathtime was once your favorite part of the day and for about two weeks I was lucky if there is just a single minute during the bath where you weren't crying. You still loved the pool so it didn't have anything to do with water. As soon as we would get into the bathroom at night you got upset and cried, then once out of the tub you were all smiles again. I tried giving you a bath in the big tub, the kitchen sink, and also having you take a shower. These were all big fails (the shower especially), but we trudged through and suddenly baths are lots of fun again.

You also demonstrate your opinion much more these days. Although I would say you never held back when it came to how you felt about something, it is always painfully obvious now. When you are happy, you are so happy. And when something does not go your way...well, watch out! You throw unbelievable tantrums and can have tears streaming down your red, angry little face in a matter of seconds. You become especially upset when I set you down at home and you want to still be held.

You are even more mobile this month. You crawl anywhere you can get to and stand up on anything within your reach. Your poor little knees are red from crawling all day. I guess that is why Tyce crab walks everywhere. You have started to heavily investigate the doggie door but it is a little bit too high for you to successfully make it outside {thank goodness}. You have also discovered that you can go up steps so now we need to be extra careful when you are free roaming through the dining room. You love to splash in the dogs' water dish so usually that is where you head whenever you decide to ditch your toys and look for an adventure.

You have become much more comfortable standing all of a sudden and have no problem letting go of whatever you are holding on to. You cruise along furniture, the bathtub, and the baby gate. You also switch back and forth between the coffee table and sofa in the living room by pivoting and taking a step back and forth between the two. You also love to stand up outside at the railing on the front porch and watch the world go by.

Daycare tells me you are quite the trooper these days. You let the boys in your class give you hugs and basically crawl all over you. Two of them especially are 'all boy' and love to rough house. The other day you were hanging out in the tunnel and didn't mind at all when everyone else crawled through. Next week the new baby starts and you'll no longer be the youngest in your class. He came for a visit this past week and you were happy to see him, but got a little jealous when your favorite teacher held him instead of you.

I'm going to start introducing more and more table foods this month and hopefully you will continue to do well. We have also reached my 9 month breastfeeding goal and I've got the confidence, we WILL make it to one year!!!! On Thursday this week I visited a friend in the hospital who just had a baby and stopped by to see the lactation consultant who helped me through the first few weeks of nursing and also helped me transition back to work with pumping. She was so glad to see me and hear that you are still nursing.

This month you have had a few new teeth make it through too! We are up to six now and number seven and eight will be cutting through your gums within the next three days. Teething goes remarkably well for you and the only reason I usually know that you are getting new teeth is that you continuously stick your fingers in your mouth. In fact, a new one snuck out on the bottom and I never even noticed, daycare told me about it! There are four teeth on the bottom, your top middle teeth, and the eye teeth are breaking through now on top. I hate seeing those little bumps because they look so painful, it is always a huge relief when they pop through.

We are going on our first family vacation in a few weeks and are SO excited. I have a feeling you are going to love every second of it, especially with how curious you have been about discovering new things these last few weeks. I've got my fingers crossed that the plane rides go better than anticipated too....

Well, that's it until next month, baby girl. I can hardly wait to see what I write about next. :-D

Rain, Rain, Rain

2011-09-08T20:59:00.000-04:00

We have had some CRAZY rain here in the 'Dorf over the last few days. So crazy, in fact, that it has caused lots of problems. Today the schools around here were closed and I got the call mid-morning that daycare was closing early. Mr. Neighbor was at home because his school was closed, but I decided not to throw an extra child at him because 4 kids is really too much for anybody!

It was a nice spending the afternoon with Lena. We took a nap, played inside, and after the rain stopped we went out for a walk. And yes, my child is wearing pajamas in the middle of the afternoon. I figured if we were both home we might as well be comfortable.

After our walk I let her splash in the water on the deck as well as the little stream coming down by the curb. She was in heaven and of course the clothes were soaked. So off came the jammies and next Lena watched the action in the street from the front porch.

What action? Well, our house is located on the block closest to the park and Tulpehocken creek. The creek royally flooded and everyone (but us and one of our neighbors) has a basement full of water. The firemen were going door-to-door to pump out everyone's basement. One poor family had water all the way up to their first floor. :-(

Once Mr. Gebely came home we head back outside to do some more splish-splashing. We also brought the grill out front to make burgers and hot dogs for all of the workers who gave up an entire day, night, and then some to help the basements of the 'Dorf dry out.

Mr. Gebely's parents have had a tough time with this storm too. He was there earlier today helping clear out the basement (that flooded). This is a picture he sent me on the cell phone. Those are Katers stomping grounds...

We are really, really hoping that the rain is now finished. I forgot to mention earlier, but our sewer plant is also under water so no water for us. Fun!

September Fourth in the 'Dorf

2011-09-05T21:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Mr. Gebely and I hosted our 'Fourth in the 'Dorf' party to commemorate Labor Day and the close of summer. We celebrated with an eclectic group of people....friends from college, family, the camp gang, some members of Lion's club and a few co-workers. It was a lot of fun (and a lot of work)!!

Although I had the best intentions of taking tons of pictures, that just did not happen. Between taking care of Lena, visiting with people, and trying to get the food out I just didn't have time. Fortunately the few I took combined with some from my brother and friend Heather fills in the gap on what all occurred. Well, what occurred from Lena's perspective anyway since most pictures are of her. :-)

Katie and Noel came early and I put them to work ~~taste testing the fruit~~ making fruit skewers.

Katie will tell you, I run a tight ship when it comes to aesthetics...whether it is bow tying or fruit skewer making. ;-) They did a great job though and not a skewer was left at the close of the night!

My friend Heather came with her baby girl, Rose. Little Rose is almost 4.5 months old and Lena loves her picture so I knew she'd be excited to meet the genuine thing! She was excited and did not man handle Rose too much (just lots of shaking her hand and pointing excitedly).

She even let me hold her!

And while she didn't man handle Rose, she did definitely make out with Rose's glow worm (sorry Heather!)

I love this picture of Heather and Rose with Rose's daddy reading the paper in the background.

Lena's other buddy, Grace, also came with her parents.

I don't think I could ever get tired of watching these two with each other. There is definitely a mutual affection between the two of them and I hope they grow up to be good friends.

Lena was so good all day letting other people hold her. I tried to sneak zoomed picture of her with Uncle Daniel but she saw me and got a little upset. :-(

One of Lena's big things right now is going upside down. All you have to do is say "Would you like to go upside down?" and she quickly throws her head backwards so that you flip her down. It is pretty much the only way I get to spy on the new teeth that keep popping out.

Here is Lena with her future Aunt Becky.

This face definitely comes from the Hartman/Trump side of the family!

Standing like a big girl with Great Aunt Amy. And as a side note, do you see me in the background with my hand on my hip? Lena has started doing that same pose all the time after me! haha

This picture would be so, so sweet except that it is my brother's dirty foot she is snuggling with. Gross Lena!

Becky, Lena, and Perkins' fluffy head.

Showing off her step climbing skills.

All right, that's a wrap! I guess the next party at our house will be for the big O-N-E!!!!!

Spilled Milk

2011-08-31T06:58:00.000-04:00

You know that saying, "There is no use crying over spilled milk?" Well, whoever came up with it was obviously not a breastfeeding mother. In the last few days I have lost over 10 ounces of milk...ick, I want to cry just typing that out.

On Sunday Lena refused a bottle so I nursed her instead (isn't it supposed to be the other way around??). I accidentally left the full bottle at my brother's house so we called him later and told him to just dump it. {tear!}

At daycare on Monday they were heating up Lena's cold milk in a mug of hot water. Usually they keep the milk in the bag to heat it, but for some reason transferred it to the glass bottle before warming it. Cold milk in a glass bottle doesn't do well when placed in hot, hot water. The bottle broke and 5 ounces were lost just like that. {tear!}

And then of course there are the times that Lena only drinks half of the bottle and pushes it out to let us know she is done. All those ounces I work so hard for go swirl, swirl, swirl...right down the drain. For a while Lena was having issues with spitting up at daycare but not at home. I told them that if she pushes the bottle away to stop offering it because obviously she is letting you know that she is finished. Of course that stopped the spitting up issue because it was simply a matter of overfeeding, but again, there go those hard-worked-for ounces down the drain.

I cannot imagine how I'd feel if supply was an issue...because then I might actually cry! Please keep your fingers crossed that we will never lose another full bottle!!

A Celebration of Births

2011-08-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

This weekend there was lots of celebrating to be done! It all happened on Saturday...

We celebrated Tyce, Tyce baby's first birthday. You know what? I guess he isn't such a baby anymore! At the last minute his parents realized that he didn't have a hat to wear for the traditional cake smashing. After running around to four different local stores, it was determined there were no hats to be had so his Daddy improvised and created this beauty for him. Tyce, unfortunately, was not a fan.

Once the hat came off his mood improved considerably and he had fun playing with his cake. Lena seemed very interested in his cake too. As you now know from my 'ice cream cone' post, our girl does not get anything that contains sugar so her first birthday should be fun!

The other really exciting birth that happened...well....Lily (Lena's bff!) is HERE!!! My dear friend and college roommate, Kelsey, and her husband Jordan welcomed Lily into the world on 8.27.11 at 12:32 am. Of course she is perfect and beautiful and everyone near and far is completely smitten with her. I am so sad that it will be quite a few months before we get to meet her. So for now, we must admire from afar!

I showed Lena her picture on my phone today. Lena LOVES looking at pictures of babies and loves to kiss them.

Yup, she is kissing Lily's picture. So sweet!

When you show her a picture of a baby she goes AHHHHHHH and flashes a huge smile, which is followed up by a kiss. Oh Lily, we love you! Kisses from the 'Dorf!

And here are two other pictures from the weekend....Katers and Lena with Daddy

And Lena ready for our evening walk in some of her fall clothing. I hate to think that these warm days will soon be behind us. :-(

Recipe: S'more Cookie Bars

2011-08-24T20:32:00.000-04:00

For family swim night, every family was asked to bring some type of covered dish. Of course our go-to covered dish is sliced apples, but I also wanted to make some type of dessert. I found this recipe on pinterest and the picture looked amazing. Well, the picture didn't even do the taste justice.

I ended up doubling the recipe so I could take some into my office as well and they were a hit at work so I knew they'd be loved that evening as well. They were...and all we took home was a dish full of crumbs. I promised Lena's teachers I would make more because the dish was empty by the time they went for dessert. The cookies were easy to make too and something I will definitely make again!

S'more Cookie Bars

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ cups flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper. (Because I used my silpat mat on one pan and used my Williams-Sonoma goldtone pan for the second batch, I didn't use any parchment paper.)

Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching). You may have to add or remove graham crackers according to how much dough you have. If you want your cookies thicker you will use more dough and less graham crackers.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed.

Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Place tablespoons of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. I averaged about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per graham cracker square. Press down slightly with fingertips.
Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. You can place as many pieces or as little as you want depending how much chocolate flavor you want.

Bake for 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool. For clean cutting make sure cookies are completely cool and cut with a sharp knife.

Enjoy!

Family Swim Night

2011-08-23T21:51:00.000-04:00

Last night Lena's daycare held a family swim night to celebrate the end of summer. We had such a fun time! I was a little worried about how Lena would do since the time that we headed back to school was the same time we normally start our bedtime routine. She was so happy and had so much fun though! That is, until we were in the car heading home (fortunately we only live two minutes away!). She was asleep in her crib within 15 minutes of walking in the door.

I think I have mentioned this before, but one of the many things we love about Lena's daycare is the fact that there is a pool on campus. The daycare gets to utilize it during the summer for splash days and the older kids also get lessons.

We ate dinner first and then hit the pool, starting with the baby pool.

Morgan hung out with us for a bit and gave us her cheesiest smile. Lena loves her and her big sister.

The big kids were having a blast going down the slide again and again and again.

Max always holds her nose when she goes into the water.

I took this picture of an unsuspecting Mrs. Neighbor. I'm sure she'll love me for it. :-)

There was a bit of a chill in the air, but Daddy and Lena still braved the big pool. She had so much fun and is such a dare devil. She loves to be thrown and pulled around in all different directions.

Baby girl and Daddy.

See all the corn fields in the background? Another thing that we love about daycare...the beautiful scenery around it. Our second choice daycare was on a semi-busy intersection near my work. This place beats it ten-fold.

After a while Lena let us know she was ready to climb out so we quickly dried her off and got her snuggled in her warm clothes again.

Tyce stayed dry all night. I can't believe he is going to be ONE tomorrow.

Neighbors and our babies (and Lena's baby too!)

Ring, Ring {Lily, it's for you!}

2011-08-22T20:32:00.000-04:00

Hey Mom, can you help me figure this thing out?

I'm trying to call Ypsi.

That's right, Ypsi, Michigan.

You see I'm trying to call Lily.

Oh, you mean I've got to push these buttons to make it work?

Yes, I finally made it through. Listen up Lily, it's Lena Gebely here. What's that? Oh I know, I have the weirdest last name ever!

Here is why I called...you know, you are officially late. I know your momma has created a nice and cozy place for you over these last 9 months or so, but she has got a nice and cozy room for you at home too. Arriving fashionably late is cool but we are so anxious to meet you. Your grandma especially. So seriously, don't keep everyone in suspense. The world is a pretty great place and the weather has been fabulous lately! You are going to love life on the outside and you've got lots of clothes and shoes waiting for you. What more could a girl want?

Sheesh, that was a lot of work, I hope she listens!

The Rest of Our Weekend

2011-08-21T21:33:00.000-04:00

I don't feel like typing much, but here are a few more pictures from the weekend...

yes, c-dawg is definitely trying to steal a nibble of mum-mum!

perfecting the crab walk (just like Tyce!)

she loves to go on daddy's shoulders and always holds on to his hair with both hands.

tonight's baking resulted in this (for family swim night tomorrow)

All right Monday, bring it on!

Lena and Gracie

2011-08-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we visited our friends Rob and Val and their daughter, Grace. Mr. Gebely and Rob left for a bit to do some manual labor and the girls all got to visit for a while. Gracie is very, very into babies and was in complete heaven that she got to love on Lena for a few hours. Sometimes she wanted to love a little bit too hard, but Lena was a trooper!

She was very good about bringing toys to Lena to play with.

Right now Lena tries to kiss just about anything that she can get her mouth on (in other words, everything!). She lunged at Grace quite a few times and we managed to get a picture towards the end of our visit. Lena also LOVES to snuggle her pink baby doll and then give it a kiss - so cute! I can't imagine what is going to happen when the new baby starts at daycare in a few weeks...

Grace also made some silly faces for us with her daddy before we went home.

It was a great visit, as always, and hopefully we'll still get a swim in with these guys before the summer comes to a close!

Anniversary Day

2011-08-19T21:50:00.000-04:00

Today was an exciting day at daycare...it was Anniversary Day! It isn't actually the anniversary of the daycare itself, but actually of the establishment that daycare calls home. This year is number 148...lots of history there! This is where Lena spends her days - isn't it gorgeous?

Lena and the other child in her classroom had a fun filled day. The festivities on campus started around noon but earlier in the morning they were out and about in their strollers inspecting the set up of activities. They snoozed for a bit, had lunch, then both took long naps and woke up just in time to watch the program that the school-age children put on. Lena LOVED watching the older kids perform!!

When I picked her up we headed home to get some grub and then took the 2 minute drive back to enjoy the festival. MomMom went along since Mr. Gebely was stuck at work with a 'huge giant emergency order." We ate dinner, checked out the crafts, and I even ran into three of my volunteers!

After dinner I bought my mom and I an ice cream cone. I was pushing the stroller while my mom carried Lena. At one point I turned around and they were about 20 steps back...and here is why:

That's right...MomMom introduced Lena to ice cream. I would have said "no!" but it was obviously a little too late for that. From now on I think we'll stick to her Yo Baby Organic Yogurt. It's pretty clear why MomMom even trumps me on Lena's favorite people list sometimes! Perhaps she is to blame for my sweet tooth too?? ;-)

Sending Kisses

2011-08-17T21:30:00.000-04:00

Mr. Gebely worked a loooong day today and didn't come home until after Lena went to bed. We missed him terribly though {of course!} so I sent him a video to share the love. All she needs is to throw in the hand motion and we'll be all set!

Take Me to St. John!

2011-08-15T21:45:00.000-04:00

One thing Mr. Gebely and I absolutely can't wait for is Lena's first trip to St. John U.S.V.I. We haven't been there since July 2009 when we stayed on the East End of the island at 'Little Cottage' {aka heaven!}

We discussed taking a trip this summer and haven't completely ruled out something for the calendar year. We go back and forth so much between wondering whether or not it is worth the hassle of traveling with a baby. I think Mr. Gebely would like to take a long weekend for just the two of us but this momma isn't ready for that yet!

Anyway, there is a local artist in St. John named Sloop Jones. His studio is also located on East End (on a hillside above where we stayed). He is most known for his wearable art. Even though Lena hasn't hit his shop on the island yet, she has already started to collect some of his apparel. My dad gave her a shirt as well as a romper (that is still a bit on the big side). She wore the shirt today and it was a huge hit at daycare.

For now she'll have to settle for just wearing it in our backyard paradise. Hopefully she'll meet the islands soon enough!

We also took a lovely stroll this afternoon and Lena totally cracked me up by propping her feet up during the entire walk. Nothing like lounging as we take in the sights of the 'Dorf!