MN Trip, Part 4

I know, I know...where have I been with the updates and new pictures? Well, you'll just have to wait until I finish off the MN trip!

Thursday (9/11)
Well, the morning started off quite rainy...torrential downpours to be exact. Danny showed Maya how to splash and frolic in the COLD rain! Let's just say Danny got more into it than Maya!

Danny was adventurous enough to "splash" while it was still raining! Really, really cold!

Maya tried that but didn't enjoy the temperature and instead waited until the raining was finished and enjoyed splashing in the dry weather. Dude...what is up with this face!?

After drying off and warming up we headed to Grandma Babe's for lunch, naps and games of 500. As a very unimportant side note Grandma and I ended one game nearly 1700 points in the hole!! That has to be a record!

We picked up Porter about 4pm and headed out to Pat and Barb's for a wonderful surprise and adventure--PONY RIDES!!! Well, the pictures say it all!

As proud as you can get!



Grandma Sandy explaining what a mane is to Maya.
By the end of the night Maya was asking (read demanding) that she be able to ride by herself. No one was allowed to touch the reins or the lead...Miss Independent wanted to do it her own way! So, since the ponies knew the way back home, Maya got her wish. Of course Grandma was walking right next to her...just not touching! :)

The Steinberg residence has a plethora of items to ride...and Maya tried most of them out! Check out the posture in this pic! :)


On the way home we stopped at A&W in Faribault! Yummy! The best exchange so far in Maya's life happened on that night. Porter wasn't too into sharing and Maya desperately wanted a drink of his float even though she had her very own. She asked politely, she jumped on the seat behind him, she laid on him, you name it-she tried it. All of this was to no avail, Porter would not, could not share. With all other options gone, Maya screams at the top of her lungs, "CAN I HAVE JUST ONE DRINK, PUUUUHHHHHH-LLLLLEAAAASEEEEEE!" It was at this point that Danny, Mom and I lost it. We had been doing so well, modeling good behaviors and keeping ourselves in line that at this point all hell broke loose! We laughed for a really long time and periodically holler, "Can I have just one drink please!"

No words needed...

Fin's 2 Month Appointment

Yesterday (9/24) was Fin's well-baby check. She is in fabulous health and was given 2 thumbs up and a see you at 4 month certificate! She was also given 4 shots (2 in each leg) which she tolerated about the same as Maya did with hers, although this time we were smart and gave Fin some Motrin just before the shots! She was pretty groggy and out of it until about 5am this morning and now she is back to her silly self!

Are you ready...for the stats!?! Seriously, Danny and I make wookie babies!
And for comparison I am including Maya's numbers.

Maya:
At birth: 8 pounds 2 ounces
At 2 months: 11 pounds 8 ounces
Total gain in 2 months: 3 pounds 6 ounces

She was 23 inches

Finley:
At birth: 9 pounds 2 ounces
At 2 months: 14 pounds 4 ounces
Total gain in 2 months: 5 pounds 2 ounces!!!!!! Seriously, the breastmilk must be amazing!

She was measured at 24 inches.

We don't have any new pictures...because...well, lets just say there will be pictures starting again on Friday!

Happy update!

MN Trip, Part 3

Wednesday (9/10)

Grandma Sandy pulled out her new tent and out we all went to figure out how to put it up--yes, everyone was involved in getting it put up! Maya and Porter got a bit distracted by the pond, the rocks, the wind blowing...you name it, they were distracted!

I'm not sure if Porter is scratching his butt or if the strong Wesely gene has infected his posture as well! :)

Seriously...what is wrong with these two? We tried to lock them in the tent...but they escaped!
After an attempt to nap in the tent was abandoned and a nap was enjoyed in the house we loaded up in the mini-van and headed down to Geneva to see Dad and Barb at the Geneva Bar and Grill!

Oh, the firsts...

Nursing in a bar...

Shooting guns...

Throwing darts...how someone didn't lose an eye is beyond me!

Fin got lots of love from Grandpa Jack and Grandma Barb. In fact, she slept most of the night in Grandma Barb's arms! She even managed to puke down Barb's cleavage! :)



We drove around Owatonna to make sure Maya was sound asleep and got to see how much Owatonna has grown since I was a kid! It's insane how the town has changed in 16 years!

I will save Thursday for it's own blog post because there are a billion pictures from our adventures that day!

Rough Couple of Days...

I know everyone is waiting with bated breath for the next installment of MN Vacation but I feel like I need to take some time to write about the "trying times" that have engulfed us since Friday.

Typically the morning routine includes Danny waking up early with Maya and those two hanging on the couch watching Backyardigans while Fin and I nurse ourselves awake. Typically both rooms are content...that is until the two rooms begin mixing. Maya gets really excited (I think) and just loses her mind when she gets in contact with Finley. We have generally stayed one step ahead of her...but I wasn't so lucky on Friday.

Maya came into the room and was really gentle and at ease hanging with Fin and I so Danny jumped in the shower. Fin was laying on the bed and Maya was snuggled next to her. I remember this because I thought, "I should get a picture of these two together". Then Maya sat up and started moving around fast and suddenly decided to lay back and start a tantrum which includes kicking her legs up and down. Well...I didn't get Fin out of the way fast enough and Maya's heel connected with the top of Fin's head. Fin was quiet for a second and then started screaming (which to be honest, I was glad to hear). I dragged Maya off to her room and hollered at Danny to get out of the shower all the while staring at Fin to see how she was doing.

Long story, short: she's fine. The nurse at the doctor's office reminded us that babies are like little soldiers and can take lots of bumps and bruises. I hope Fin is responsible fr her next bumps! (:

Saturday was pretty ok.

Sunday was hell. Anything and everything Maya could do to get in trouble she did, plus some things we wouldn't have thought of. It was AWFUL! Danny and I turn on each other so we don't go after Maya...but damn! I took Maya to the grocery store and to my office in two separate trips...leaving Fin with Danny. in both cases Maya was awesome! BUT as soon as we got home/the four of us together she would lose her shit! Seriously...it was insane. I remember looking at the clock at 10:30am and thinking "oh, crap, this is going to be a long day"...and boy, was it!!!

But we all survived and made it out the door this morning!

MN Trip, Part 2

Monday (9/8)
We arrived at Grandma Sandy's house at 6:00. Thankfully Grandma talked Maya in from Medford--Maya was close to a breakdown! Grandma Babe was there in between appointments and everyone hugged and kissed and quickly sat down for a home cooked meal.

After supper we headed off for a walk to see Jonathan, Teresa, Tyler and Porter. Grandma and Maya collected leaves and galloped.

Maya and Porter stared at each other for about 1.2 seconds and took off to play. There were guitars...


And ponies...


It was a pretty early night because everyone was pretty exhausted.

Tuesday (9/9)
After dishes


and baths


we took advantage of the weather by heading over to Waseca to tromp through Courthouse Park.

Maya taught Grandma Sandy how to ride a pony (are you sensing a theme in Maya's brain).


After taking a wrong turn in the woods we came out in a field and had to walk back to the park on a gravel road. Fin was a dream--just hanging out in the Moby--and Maya was a trooper hiking most of the way on her own. Until the very end when she decided to sit down and have a birthday party for her "puppy".


We stopped at DQ on the way home and Maya ate the biggest ice cream cone imaginable. And before you ask why we got her a giant ice cream cone...we didn't. Maya has taken to "trading" ice cream treats. So...if you are ever in a position to eat ice cream with Maya be prepared to hand over the goods...because in her mind trading does not require agreement!

After naps Grandma Babe came over to chat with Maya and snuggle with Fin!


We played 500, ate cookies and cheetos and enjoyed each others company!

MN Trip, Part 1

So, the first few days of our trip were spent in Fargo/Moorhead hanging with Mel, Britt and Odin! It was awesome to see their home and to see how big Odin has gotten in the past year.

Maya was concerned that Odin wouldn't have any toys to play with. Boy was she wrong! The adventures these two had together were fabulous!

First there was t-ball! Odin is a natural and Maya was not to be outdone...she was working to figure it all out. Little does she know that we have had a ball, glove and bat in the closet since she went to the Ems game with her school but with all our vacationing we haven't gotten it out. Perhaps this weekend!



Then off to the bath. I think Maya freaks Odin out a little bit...as you can see in this picture. He couldn't understand why Maya let me wash her hair under the faucet. Definitely part alien! :)


There were lots of bikes to ride. Maya burned the wheels off of most of them. We had a hard time making her understand you can't just ride the bike 12 houses down the sidewalk! (Yes, that really did happen.) Odin was a trooper and shared his toys with Maya!


Fin found lots of time to snuggle and snooze. The weekend in F/M was the start of her smiling habit which just continued to flourish over the course of our vacation. Here she is snuggling in dad's arms and looking perfect!


We took a trip to Concordia to show Danny our old stomping grounds. Here is the fam sitting outside of the theatre. Ah, many ciga...er, I mean memories were shared on those benches! When we got to Concordia Maya demanded that she get her suitcase/backpack out of the trunk to take with her. She beelined from the administration building across campus, under the bell tower and right to the theatre with little to no guidance. I guess we might have a future Cobber theatre folk in our house!


It was great to see the McThors and hang out. It was equally sad to say goodbye. If only we could live around the corner. Thanks again guys...you are fabulous!

On Monday (9/8)we drove down to Owatonna to begin a new set of adventures.