Magic

Tonight someone left a basket of incredible gifts on our porch. Seriously, the person (people?) must know us pretty well. Boxes of our favorite cereal, a Hello Kitty item for Piper, beautiful notebooks that made Jesse gasp because they had graph paper inside, a generous gift card. I have my suspicions of who might have left it but I'm not sure. I guess I'll just have to publicly thank them here:
Thank you so much. The gesture made me cry, I think, because it made me feel a lot of things at once. It made me feel like a kid again, it was magical. It made me feel loved. It made me think more deeply about why I believe we are on this earth, to help other people with what we have, to lift the hands that hang down, to strengthen the feeble knees...

Thank you for making our Christmas even merrier.

Dance Recital!

If this isn't the cutest thing ever, your heart might be two sizes too small!

My Piper

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Originally uploaded by eliwhitneyhouston

Yesterday was my Tiny's third birthday. How did this happen? My tiny (9lb 10oz) baby has miraculously and seemingly overnight turned into a walking, talking, joking, sassing, verrry independent 3 year old. She was born on a Monday. I was induced at 42 weeks and 2 days. I did my hair before going to the hospital so that when I finally met her she wouldn't think I was a scrub. After 10 hours of pitocin induced craziness and 30 minutes vein popping pushing, I lifted the most beautiful person I have ever seen to my face and I was instantly smitten. I have since fallen more in love and more in love and more in love. Everything she does is some kind of wonderful. She is light and brightness and peace and hope. Despite my trying, I doubt I will ever be able to tell her just how complete she made my world. I love you, Piper. I'm so glad you picked me.

St. Nikolaus Tag

Yep, Germany, we still love you. To prove it we are carrying on one of the traditions we learned during our time there. Last night we put our shoes outside and during the night a kind soul left us a little treat.

Favorites

This is Piper and my new favorite website, she calls it the fairy dust picture, I call it pure magic with color and fabric and a sewing machine. WOW! Maybe Santa will bring me one?

Yes, Please!

Piper watched this trailer with me but doesn't like it because the babies are being mean to each other.

Tiny Dancer

Piper started taking dance (ballet/tap) in september from a sweet woman who lives a bit east of us. She LOVES it and we do a lot of rehearsing everyday. Her first recital will be on December 12th and I can't wait.

Chaos Fairy

Looks like the chaos fairy has visited again! Actually I now know from a conversation I had with Piper today, that she prefers to be called the "armpit fairy" (named for the gorgeous sleeveless dresses she wears of course)

This picture pretty much sums up most of my days:)

Incognito

What do you get when you buy a $3 dollar wig and pick up some glasses out of your Dad's junk drawer? Loads of fun of course!
We took these when my parents were visiting for Hallowe'en.

thanks!

to my amazingly talented and beautiful friend, Olya, for capturing this special moment.

6 Months

It flies when you're having fun.

Craft Time

I'm constantly looking for things to occupy Piper, this week we tried sewing.
It was an instant hit.
Note the bittersweet colored carpet in our house. The life of a med student ain't glamorous, folks.

Happy Halloween

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Piiiiiiper

Stats: 90th percentile for height & weight

Likes: Horses
Fairies
running
dancing
trains (cheeky little engines)
being the mom

Dislikes:
warm clothing

Aliases:
Tiny
Chicken Little
Mom

Quotes:
"you know and I don't know" (when she wants you to find something that you don't know where is)
"No, I'm the mom." (especially insistent when she wants to cross the street alone or nurse (?!) the screaming hungry baby
"mmmmm... not bad" (heard when sampling something new)
"I'm really sorry you fell" "I love you, don't forget" (because she is the sweetest little girl ever)
"i wish someday I could have a moving dog" (moving= real)
"little girly" (to girls she meets at the park when she doesn't know their name)

A Little Christmas Hint

I'm putting these on my wish list!

Meet Miles

Stats:
90th percentile for height
75th for weight
75th for head circumference
100th percentile for hair length
Likes:
Mom
Piper from a respectable distance
hangin' out (dipe free)
Being in a wrap
Dislikes:
the car
Being held by Jesse if Mom's in clear sight
toys that don't fit in his mouth the right way
Aliases:
Chunky Cheese
Muffin Top
Beefsteak
Scrunch
Mile (Piper calls him this)
Fave Food: Gulks (Piper's name for nursing)

For my mother

Yes, Mom, I wanted someone to acknowledge and validate my babywearing post. thank you.
These were taken the first week of October. I love the picture of Miles, that's not a face we see very often, he's usually so smiley. He was upset because he thought he should be able tosuck on the camera a bit.

Traditional Swedish Babywearing

Here is a piece of art depicting a traditionally dressed Swedish couple with baby in a sling. I like to think my ancestors wore their babies this way.
For more info on traditional babywearing in Europe click here.

Where have I been?

If you follow this blog and never told me, shame on you. This is some seriously funny stuff. I may or may not have stayed up until 2am reading this, and I didn't even regret it in the morning when Piper woke up before 6!

One of my favorite wraps!

Just in time for fall!

A Sad Day

Garden

Summer

I don't post too many pictures of myself- especially post partum;) but here is a gem that my friend Olya took of us at the end of July.

A New Project

In an effort to hasten winter's arrival I picked up my needles and knit these longies for Miles to match the peace robeez that are being handed down from Piper. I LOVE these colors together so much, we actually have these shoes in 2 sizes...

Ocean Vacation

And Don't Come Back...

...until you can speak Finnish (so probably like 2 years?)

Summer Walk

Miles Smiles

Matisyahu

I love him, awful...

Whaaa?

It pretty much figures that I would post about how excited I was about my long awaited return back to running and then something like this would happen-- that's life I guess:)





ps. for the uninitiated, It's BROKEN!

I've Got Fat but I'm not a Father

I'm gettin' my boo-tay back to its pre-baby seksie shape after an almost 7 month workout hiatus. I did walk a bit when pregnant but I couldn't run like I love to do for obvious reasons. This week marks 6 weeks post partum (wow, that went fast!) and my coming out of retirement as it were. I have run 4 days this week and it feels pretty good albeit a bit "loose". The first day I thought my uterus might fall out( it didn't) and it was also a bit odd squeezing into a sportsbra that magically (!) seems two sizes smaller. But, I am all the happier for it, this has been much anticipated, even fantasized about:)
and just because I love this:

Just a couple things I really love about my sister

1. She is my first best friend.
2. My mom used to put her in charge when we were left alone (she is two years younger than me)
3. She calls me most days and I call her the other days
4. She makes me really truly laugh
5. Her comfort food is pasta with basil pesto and chik'n nuggets (fake chicken) mixed in. Somehow creamy poppyseed dressing plays a role but honestly I'm not sure how.
6. She has a cool "boj" I mean job
7. She assigned her boo-tay a name and a personality
8. She once cut her ponytail off with knife and then tossed it off the hoover dam
9. Annoying her in the backseat of the car while driving 12 hours to Preston every summer is one of my favorite memories
10. She let me sleep in her room whenever I wanted (even after I came home from my mission and I was weird and not used to sleeping in a room by myself)
11. jingle BALLS (that made me giggle just typing it)
12. She is loyal
13. She has beautiful ideas and translates them into beautiful things
14. She has several seasons of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's reality show on DVD
15. Her middle name is Hellion
16. We think the same things are funny
17. She makes me feel important
18. She loves scrabble
19. She also loves Babs (that's Ms. Streisand to the uninitiated)
20. She teaches Relief Society and does a really great job

Garden Party

We are already starting to reap the rewards of planting a garden. We have enjoyed fresh strawberries and salad greens all June!

Peace