It Happened

I knew it was coming. 

This no morning nap business was bound to get the best of him. 

Falling asleep at lunch mid bite..

Classic toddler. 

And of course, I captured this milestone on camera. 

Classic Mom.

Boy Meets Sink

Cal has been obsessed with climbing the two step foot stool in our kitchen. Up, down, up, down, repeat. This weekend, Jakob pushed the stool over to the sink for a little fun. Just as expected, it was an instant hit.

Soaked kitchen.

Soaked kid.

And we should have seen this one coming..

 Instant regret.

Quick Fix

I don't think our new fix is going to solve the real problem here..

"Fleece cover? No thanks. 

Don't worry, I'll get through this layer in a matter of days. 

Kudos for trying!"

Under the Weather

**WARNING- whiny, annoying "woe is me" post coming your way.

In hindsight, being sick in the past was a vacation. I'd sprawl out on the couch for a few days, watch endless trash TV and expect Jakob to wait on me hand and foot and keep up with my unreasonable demands (to which he would so sweetly comply). Seriously, a vacation. Sure I still felt like crap and my idea of a vacation doesn't typically include days of throwing up that isn't alcohol induced but still, it wasn't half bad.

Being sick with a kid sucks. Being sick with a sick kid is a whole different ball game. Not only could Calvin care less about my needs (rude!), but he would also like to demand more of my patience love than ever before! Needless to say, it's been a rough few weeks in the Ondrey house.

While Jakob and I are finally feeling better (thank you NyQuil for some much needed sleep), Calvin is rounding week two with this lovely winter cold he is experiencing. This is what I get after bragging about how we made it all the way to Cal's first birthday without a single sick visit to the pediatrician. I should have kept my mouth shut! 

It's gone a little something like this..

Runny nose, congestion, fever, sad baby, sad mama.

Seeming better!!, happy baby, happy mama. 

Repeat from the top. 

Except our second go round has included a double ear infection, higher fever, and nasty cough. 

Ugh.

(He was so proud of this "brave patient" sticker from the doctor's office. 

I pulled a rookie mom move and forgot to take it off before throwing his jammies in the wash. 

Sticker jammies = ruined jammies. Lesson learned.)

Today we find ourselves in the sad baby/sad mama phase again. I am hoping this will pass quickly. I miss my happy baby and can only take the constant whining and endless snot for so long before I join Calvin is his whining and have a royal hissy fit on the floor in front of anyone who will watch.

There you have it, my "Dear Diary, I need to bitch to anyone reading," moment. Now that it's out, I'm going to turn my self pitying frown upside down and move on with the week. It's only Monday, there's plenty of time to turn this week around, right?

Seriously?

The other morning I scooped Cal up from his crib and noticed these odd white specks all over his face and hands. I spent the day wiping away these little specks and didn't think much of it until I put him to bed that night..

I don't see the appeal.

Roger vs. Cal

Okay, I know this is a bit offensive but this is my blog and I can do with it what I want. So there.

But let's be honest, my baby's goofy grin looks a lot like Roger Ebert these days..          

And only I can say that.

Because I am Mom.

And I love my mini Roger.

Tie Chair

The perfect solution to our bar height dining room table problems. Introducing... 

the Tie Chair

After trying out three different high chairs and booster seats we have finally settled for simplicity. It's genius really. Sure, we are literally just tying our baby to the dining room chair but it works great! Cal will still be rocking the red high chair for most of his meals but he now has the option to sit at the high table with us big kids when we are in the mood for a fancy five o'clock dinner of puffs and bananas. Cheers to the beginning of many family dinners around the table!

Sitting Down

After an unbelievably busy few weeks I am finally sitting down watching the Olympics and wondering why male gymnasts are too cool for music when they tumble around during their floor routine. Life is good. Quiet is good.

I am hoping to be back this week with several new posts including Calvin's much anticipated 7 month post (humor me and pretend like you can't stop checking in for it :), Cal's dedication, and a little number about the adventures of making baby food. Can you even remember what I used to blog about before Calvin? Neither can I.

I'll leave you with a sweet pic of my boys from our visit to NY last weekend.

Busy Busy

For those of you who follow this little family blog, you may have noticed that we have been a bit absent lately. After our busy week in MN, we gave in to the heat this past weekend and enjoyed a day at the beach with our friends followed by an evening BBQ with Jakob's lab mates (lab buddies? coworkers?.. eh.. you get the idea!).

While we have been up to all sorts of fun, we have also been unbelievably busy with work and travel- with no end in sight. We are currently running around like lunatics cleaning, packing and preparing for our road-trip to NY this weekend! Thankfully, Calvin takes his responsibilities around the house very seriously and was nice enough to assist me with a little packing and Jakob with a little homework this evening. 

Summer fun is a family effort around here!

FYI: I'm Cool

Meet my new BFF...

Photo courtesy of Starbucks

Looks like a plain boring cup of coffee, right? Exactly.

Let me explain, I have always wanted to like coffee. Throughout high school and college it seemed like the "cool" thing to do. I went to a college full of Swedes- coffee was a way of life and something that was consumed 24/7. And yet, I really hated it. I figured coffee was like beer and in time what I once thought was totally disgusting would suddenly transform into something I loved. But it didn't. At 27 years old, I had pretty much given up on being the cool coffee drinker I had always sought out to be. And then came Calvin. Blame it on the hormones or the sleepless nights but I decided to give coffee one last chance. And then it happened, the realization that COFFEE IS FREAKIN' AMAZING! I am now one of "those people". The people that are out getting coffee early in the morning and chugging decaf in the evenings. Gone are the days of chai tea and apple ciders, I'll have a coffee- black- because I'm cool and hardcore like that.

(I know this post is probably the most ridiculous thing I have even written but I just had to let the world know that I am finally cool, even if I am coming into my coolness 10 years too late.)

Nerd BBQ 2011

This past weekend I ventured out to Wheaton with Jakob for his lab group's annual summer Nerd BBQ (I say "nerd" as an endearing term I promise). While I was looking forward to meeting the small group of people that Jakob spends 50+ hours a week with, I feared the evening would be spent decoding nerd lingo while listening to the group tearfully discuss Harry Potter's final adventure. My fears were soon realized as we walked into the BBQ during a very intense conversation over (dramatic pause) PIPETTE TIPS! It was going to be a long night.

Turns out the night was actually.. dare I say it.. enjoyable! Conversation drifted from all things science-y to more Jessica relatable topics such as Paula Dean's love for butter and Steve Carrel's depearture from The Office. There was even a ritual watermelon smashing, pinata style. Love it. I fit right in with the nerds. Can't say I'm all that surprised.

I must say that my favorite parts of the evening came as a bit of a shock to me. They were spent watching Jakob and the others light up with excitement while talking about squids and DNA and other unpronounceable thingamabobs. He was right at home and fit in perfectly with this nerdy (and humorous I must add) little family. Although slightly jealous of the amount of time they get to spend with Jakob on a regular basis, I began to grow quite thankful for this tight knit little family he will be spending the next 4-5 years with. Thankful that he has friends/colleagues who know and actually understand what he loves to talk about... for hours and hours on end. Friends who can pronounce thingamabob correctly and don't have to fake their excitement when that one little gene does the perfect little mutation at the exact moment you were hoping for. (I know, I know.. I have NO IDEA what I'm talking about.) I am happy that he is happy, and so thrilled that he has found something he loves just as much as I love nursing. My love for nursing can come in a different post someday.

I will leave you with a photo of our contribution to Nerd BBQ 2011- carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese and caramel icing. Drool.

OMG I can't keep my hands off the sugar. Dangerous I'm telling ya.

The Perfect Lazy Night

Taco Tuesday

+ A little Glee action

+ One adorable couch buddy

= the perfect lazy night.

Junk Mail Woes

Jakob's annoyed.
Just the other day we got THREE pieces of junk mail from the SAME place. What a waste.

Jakob's junk mail solution.

Step 1. Shred junk mail.

Step 2. Fill prepaid envelope with shredded junk mail.

Step 3. Write a sweet love letter to the junk senders.

Dear Junk Mail Headquarters,

You send me junk. I send you junk. Please take me off your junk mail list.

Sincerely,

Junk Mail Hater Jakob

Step 4. Mail junk senders some lovely junk mail.

Will this make any difference in the amount of junk mail we get? Doubtful. Does it feel good to send the letter back to them? Absolutely!

On a side note, don't ya just love the word junk? I don't think it's used enough. Junk junkity junk junk junk. There, I feel better!

A Formal Introduction

I would like to introduce you to the love of my life.

Meet Mr. Kleenex.

Isn't he sexy? Oh hell yeah. We have really bonded over the past few days and I think this relationship is going to last a while.

Yes that's right. Worst cold of the season.. and it's one day shy of April! What the?!

It's really been a rough few weeks in the Ondrey home. Jakob and I (and everyone else we know and love) were hit HARD with the flu a few weeks ago. I'm talking can't-crawl-out-of-bed-because-it's-the-end-of-the-world flu. Thankfully, we have wonderful family and friends who were there to baby us since we were too sick to "ohh pookie honey bunny are you okay?" each other back to health.

And now a doozy of a cold. Uncontrollable sneezing.. check. Watery eyes that make it look like you have been watching Titanic all day.. check. Red chapped nose.. check. I have officially become quite the facial tissue connoisseur over the past few days. I'm talking three ply lotion infused tissue or bust!

The only great perk of a nasty cold? Endless hours on the couch watching How I Met Your Mother reruns. I really can't complain. Barney and the gang are my new best friends (along with the love of my life Mr. Kleenex of course) and I am happy to embrace them!

Now if I only had stock in Kleenex*, that would really perk this lousy week right up.

*Because the internet gods are so lame I must let you know that I was NOT paid by Kleenex to brag about their amazing facial tissue with lotiony goodness. I'm just a tissue snob, simple as that. I am also a sucker for a good dessert and can not pass up a box that looks like a piece of cake... with a chocolate covered strawberry... I mean common!!