A Christmas Treat

In in the off chance that I have any readers left (please come back, please please!), I have a Christmas gift for you!

Everyone needs a good laugh at least once a day, so my gift to you is a good daily chuckle: www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com

The gal that writes this blog finds and has pictures sent to her daily of horrible cakes...terrible decor, misunderstood words, and just plain bad ideas. It is sometimes a bit crude, but the stuff she finds cracks me up on a daily basis.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, Merry Christmas!

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

Dare I say, I think I am 99% ready for Christmas! Most of the presents are wrapped, the house is decorated, our tree is still upright (Aiden has been a good boy about not attacking it), and I just have some yummy rosemary foccacia bread to bake for Christmas Eve dinner. Saying some prayers that things continue to go smoothly!!

I have to say, this year’s week before Christmas is 110% better than last year. Last year at this time, there was 2 inches of ice on top of a foot of snow outside, and absolutely no hope of Andy being home for Christmas, as 400,000 PGE customers were without power. I was also 7 months pregnant, uncomfortable, and on emotional/hormonal overload. This year is the complete opposite… I have an amazing little boy (sometimes a maniac) crawling around, a husband who is home, and a weather forecast that calls for clear weather through Christmas, YAHOO!!! I am extremely grateful to say the least!

I was just reading an article on family traditions, and I am really enjoying expanding the Christmas (and other) traditions Andy and I had started, with Aiden. When I was growing up we had lots of traditions, especially this time of the year, and continuing them with Aiden is, so far (even though he doesn’t really get it yet), a blast, and I know it will only get better. Our newest tradition is leaving snacks for Santa’s reindeer. A couple Saturdays ago I got a wild hair and decided I was going to string popcorn to put on the tree. Well, I started in the afternoon, and by 9 that night, with 5 strings made and tired fingers, I realized I still needed about 5 more to keep the tree from looking ridiculous. So, those strings of popcorn originally destined for the tree, magically became snacks for the reindeer and are nicely on our mantle! Great tradition for Aiden? I think so!!

So, from the Schaechers, we wish all of you (any of you left??), a wonderful Christmas celebration! May you stockings, and your tummies, be stuffed!

P.S...my New Year's resolution is to blog more often, I promise!!

I Still Think It's May...

If I could capture time in a bottle I would...I bet I could sell it for some good money! Aiden is 1 week away from his 8 month birthday, and I swear we just brought that kid home from the hospital. Long gone are the days of him contently sitting in his bouncer looking around and dozing off every hour or so...I wish I knew how true the words would be when everybody said you will wish these days were back when he is crawling. Well, damn you people, you were all right!! Aiden has been 5th gear crawling for the past month, and as much as I chase him around, you think I would have lost 10 pounds. I have started wearing a pedometer (the most accurate I could find on Amazon.com), and on an average day that I am home with him, I take about 7,000 steps, as I am constantly walking/running to get him out of something he shouldn't be in. The cords behind the t.v., the cords behind the end table, the hutch, the garbage in the bathroom, the garbage in his room, you name it, the kid has some sort of magnet for everything he is not supposed to be in to! I think he has knocked the fake tree in our office over about 37 times in the last 2 weeks. I wish Catholics had a word like Jewish folk have Oiy...I would use it, A LOT!! Complaining I am not, drinking I could do a lot more of, thankful I am very. I guess this is just the territory that comes along with having a boy. Yes, I know, you all told me so.

For your viewing pleasure, we had Aiden's first professional pictures taken today. And, if you ask me, those lovely teenie-boppers at the picture place in the mall could use a lesson or two in how to make a kid laugh...but that's a whole separate blog post, as is those teenie-boppers seeing two suckers named Andy and Liz walking through the door.

Yikes

Andy watched Aiden on Friday afternoon so I could run errands and get a pedicure. When I left, Aiden was asleep in his carseat, as putting him in it and then in his stroller is sometimes the only way he will take a nap. Andy left the room to do some work on the laptop, and he heard some noise and went to check on the kiddo and this is what he saw...

Homeboy had climed out of his carseat, and he doesn't even crawl or walk yet!!
I think we are in for it...

Aiden's First Hike...A Photo Essay

This last weekend to escape the heat, Aiden and I went to the beach with my mom and dad on Wednesday night...oh, it was so much cooler over there!! At their house in Waldport, to the west is the ocean, and to the east, between their house and highway 101, are a bunch of little lakes, with a trail that runs along side them. I use the word "trail" very loosly, as this path doesn't see much traffic, or much trimming. Instead, the only people it sees are my parents, who vow to take a weed eater and chainsaw to it very, very soon! So, on Thursday, with Aiden in his baby bjorn with my dad, followed by my mom and I, we blazed the trail!

On our way...We saw some wildlife...

A snail on the trail...

In the puckerbrush...

He really wanted to eat the plants!

Yes, Aiden was still strapped to my dad

An old redwood

Let's do it again!

I can't wait for this coming weekend when we head to the beach again and Andy can scale logs with Aiden! Cheers!

Baby Food

Today I made my first attempt at making homemade baby food! After doing a little research, I decided that I am not too keen on all the stuff besides food that is in the jarred stuff from the store, so I am going to try and make my own! Even though Aiden isn't quite to the solid (if you want to call it that) food stage, I wanted to take advantage of the fresh vegetables we have now, and get a head start. So, today with some green beans from my parent's garden, I got started! And, thanks to two handy appliances, the rice cooker and my 3rd love, my Cuisinart food processor (after Andy and Aiden of course), it was pretty slick!

And wallah, I now have 16 servings of green beans in the freezer! And Aiden can work on eating his vegetables instead of his fingers and plants!

Life in Fast Forward

Incase anyone out there still has faith in my blogging promise, I am finally getting back to writing! It has almost been 4 months since Aiden was born, and this evening, as I found some time to look through some pictures from this last winter and just after Aiden's arrival, it really hit home how fast the time has gone and how different everything is...

This picture was taken about 1 week before I was due...these from scratch brownies had peanut butter ganache and chocolate ganache in them (stinking good recipe, email me and I will send it too you), and they probably took me close to 2 hours of prep time (no baking time in there) to make them. I think about that now and laugh...the closest I have come to brownies since then is straight out of a box made like a frantic maniac between Aiden eating and pooping!!

About 1 month ago I went back to work 3 days a week...it was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Thankfully, we are blessed with 2 grandmas and and 2 aunties to watch Aiden, we couldn't be luckier to have people watching him that practically love him more than we do. I remember the first day that I was home with Aiden by myself I thought, how am I going to survive these 3 months, I am going to be so bored...how quickly that though changed, and the time went by so much faster than I could have ever imagined, or appreciated. Being able to watch him grow and change in just 3 months was miraculous, and the love that I have for him is overwhelming.

Now, just 6 days short of his 4 month birthday, Aiden, to me, is no longer a baby, but already a little boy. He has such a curious personality (definitely dad), but also a stubborn streak (definitely mom). He has really started to chat and giggle a lot in the last few weeks, and we are close to being able to roll over from back to front! I can't believe that in just a couple of months he could be crawling and will be eating "real" food.

Amazing what can change in the span of a year...last year at this time we didn't even know that I was pregnant, and now we are parents to a little miracle.

Shameless Plug...

A quick, friendly reminder, that this weekend is the Oregon AgFest!!

This is a fantastic, 2-day event to teach kids (and adults too!) all about

Oregon Agriculture!!

Did you know that the majority of Oregonians are 4 generations removed from the farm? For me, that is hard to imagine, but I am always amazed

(and dumbfounded) how many people don't know that everything that they eat, and almost everything that they wear, comes from a farm!

So, if you are looking for a fun, educational, and FREE (for kids under 12) adventure this weekend, come to AgFest!!

www.oragfest.com

Happy Almost 2 Month Birthday!

I could not have ever ever ever imagined how fast the time with Aiden is going!! Next Thursday, he will be 2 months old already, and I think if I blink too long, he will be in kindergarten! He is growing so stinking fast- on Easter Sunday Grandpa Pat did an "unofficial" weighing...you know, get on the scale with Aiden and then on without him, and we think he weighs about 11 pounds, what a little porker!! Kind of nice though, because at least he fits into some of his clothes now!! In the last couple of weeks he has started to smile a ton more (besides the smiles he was giving us while farting!), and has found his toungue and his voice!! It is very, very cute, and Andy and I are so excited to see him grow and change, even though it is bittersweet as the time is flying by!

A few weeks ago Andy and I did manage to get out all by ourselves for a few hours!! My mom and dad (Grammy and Papa) called on a sunday and said they would come over and babysit so we could go on a date! So, we went to lunch at this nifty little restaurant at the Salem Airport, and then went for a nice, "sunday drive". It was so weird to not have Aiden with us, but relaxing at the same time. This coming weekend I will be busy with AgFest, and will be away from Aiden for 2 full days while setting up...wish me luck!

If anyone has any tips on getting kiddos to sleep longer at night, I would welcome them with open arms...and possibly cash!! We seemed to be maxed out at about 3 hour stretches at night, and although I am used to it, 4 or 5 or 6 hour stretches would be glorious!!

Hope everyone enjoys the beautiful weekend!

I'm Five Weeks Old Already!

Guest Blogger Aiden here...mom is taking a quick cat nap, so I thought I would fill in and let you know what I've been up to. The last 5 weeks have been quite eventful for me, I'll give you the David Letterman Top 10 since February 23rd...

10. I've already been to the beach 2 times!!

9. Mom swaddles me super tight at night...since then my 2 hour insomnia has increased to 4 and 5 hours!

8. Dad makes me hang out on my tummy when he gets home...did you know I rolled over twice yesterday??

7. We got to church on Saturday nights...I humor Mom and Dad by sleeping until right after communion, and then I start squaking!

6. I can pee right over the top of my head, and sometimes I can even hose off the window! (hee hee)

5. Aunt Kelly and Uncle Ben are going to be my godparents! I overheard Grammy saying something about them dunking me at church in May...

4. I like it when Dad reads me Curious George books...I want to be Curious George for Halloween!

3. I stretch a lot!!!

2. I sat in my Bumbo for the first time today, and can almost hold my head without any help!

1. I am growing like a weed!!

Well, I think it's time I eat and poop again! So this is Aiden, signing off until next time!

While He's Sleeping...

Well, it's about time I got back at it and updated my blog!! I'm sure that by now, you all know that our once nameless, happy little uterus renter is here! On February 23rd at 11:36 am, Aiden Henry Schaecher was born! Andy and I could never have imagined what an incredible blessing he has already been to us in the first 10 days of his life, he truly is amazing and beautiful. I also could never fathom how true the words "your life will never be the same" could have possibly been. THANK YOU to all of you who came to see us in the hospital, have brought us dinner, and have come to visit since we have been home, Aiden is a very lucky little guy to be surrounded by such great family and friends.

I thought for the official record, I would relive the adventure of his birth, you know, for historical purposes!

On Sunday, the 22nd (my actual due date), Andy and I got up to go to church at the Abbey at 9. Obviously anxious, I was on high alert for any possible sign of labor. While in church, I started having pretty bad cramp pain, but it wasn't making the rest of my stomach tight like a braxton hicks contraction, and they weren't regular at all, so I assumed I had bad gas :), and pretty much ignored them. We went about our day of a costco trip, tidying up the house, and making dinner, and I had those pains on and off, but continued to ignore them. About 7 or so, I flopped down on the couch after making dinner, and unintentionally started paying attention to these "gas" pains I kept having, and noticed that they were getting more painful, and seemingly closer together. I called my mom and asked her what she thought, and she thought they might be contractions, but probably my body was just getting ready, so not to worry. So, I was going to do that, but they kept getting worse! Andy decided to start timing them and they were happening about every 7 minutes or so, and lasting about 40ish seconds, and he said "I think these have to be contractions!" (holy smokes, reality check, this could actually be happening!!) Still slightly in denial, we made sure that everything was packed and ready to go, and taking advise from my friend Leah, I hopped in the shower, because she said "who knows when you'll get a shower again" once you head to the hospital! And once in the shower, I decided that this had to be false labor, because the contractions seemed to be less painful, and I didn't notice them as much. But, once out of the shower, they started coming more often (about 3 minutes apart), but only lasted about 20 seconds. We were SO confused!!! So, Andy decided to call the hospital to get their opinion, and they thought this probably was early labor, and to see if I could sleep through them..if not, come on in! Well, they got WAY worse, so we loaded up and headed to the hospital!!

(Me as we left for the hospital...)

So, we zoomed to the hospital and it was so surreal...you wait and wait and wait for all these months, and you think you won't ever get to this point, and then it actually happens, and it just doesn't seem real...it still doesn't seem real!! We got to the hospital a little after midnight, and it still strikes me as funny that when we walked in, the receptionist looked at us kind of funny, and said "What can I help you with?"...and I distinctly remember thinking "what do you think we are for lady??? Dinner reservations??" I mean, not to be a pill, but why else do pregnant ladies and their husbands show up in the birthing center at midnight?? Anyway...

We checked into the triage room, and the nice nurse detirmined that I was dialated to 3 cm, and that was good, but she needed to make sure that I was progressing, so Andy and I got to walk around the hospital for an hour doing the can-can, lunges, and trying to distract myself through contractions that we getting significantly worse. So, an hour later, I was at a 4, and that was good enough to check us in for good! (Thankfully, because at that point there was no way I was going home without a fight!).

At about 2:30 or 3, we got accquainted with what would be our home away from home for the next 3 days, and gave the parents and sisters a jingle to let them know what was going on. They of course, all showed up rather quickly! When we were in the triage room, the nurse asked me what my pain management plan was, and I promptly told her an epidural, and she recommended that I try and get to 5 cm before getting one. So, at 3 am, and 4 cm dialated, I thought I could definitely make it to a 5 no problemo, and that I would hold out until atleast 5 am. Well...the contractions got insanely worse...I tried the bouncy ball thing, the jacuzzi tub, and nothing worked to ease any pain or stop my from shaking (huge props and kudos to those of you who gave birth with no pain meds...amazing). I really had no idea that progressing 1 cm would be anything like it was. Well, 5 am finally rolled around and the nurse came in, and I told her I was ready for my epidural. And finally, at 6:30, I got it, and all was good in the world again! No more shaking, no more pain, and my rear end felt like it was about 10 feet wide! Somebody told me that if I got an epidural, that I would want visitors and would want to chat, and I never believed them until I actually got it, and sure enough, I wanted our families to come in and chat for a bit, and was sending text updates on our progress to a few people! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that things would have turned from so unbearable to so social!! Andy and I were able to sleep on and off until about 9 or 9:30 in the morning (much needed for sure), and when we woke up, I was 10 cm dialated and ready to go! So, we waited for the doctor to come, and he did about an hour later...and I pushed for a guess about an hour, and at 11:36 am on February 23rd, Aiden Henry was born!!

Patience Grasshopper...

I don't mean to state the obvious here, but Baby Sheck has not shown up yet. I have told him over and over that his green card has expired and he needs to vacate, but he doesn't seem to be listening...

I had another appointment on Tuesday, but there was really not much progress from last week. I am still 1 cm dialated, but he is no longer "floating", I think the correct medical terminology for that is that he is "engaged". So, I am officially a woman on a mission....trying every suggestion in the book to speed up this process! :) On Wednesday, I think I may have gone a little overboard on the treadmill, and topped it off with "Pollo de el Diablo" aka "Chicken of the Devil" at Ixtapa, because I was quite sure I was going into labor. But, I think I was just suffering from overused back muscles, and a digestive tract that didn't enjoy the devil's chicken. However, the bright side of that was that all the laundry got done, the house is clean, the plants are watered, and Andy knows the signs of labor backwards and forwards! Maybe we'll have a Valentine's Baby...or maybe we'll have a March 1st Baby!

Andy and I are very excited to have received a wonderful gift from Grammy & Grandpa Rava and Nanny and Grandpa Schaecher (the grandpa's need to work on their names!), the nifty Bob Revoloution Stroller that we had been eyeing! I think this is our favorite baby gadget yet!!

Now...if we just had someone to push around in this! I think Andy wants to use it so bad he is close to filling it up with canned food and pushing it down the street!!

One Problem Solved, but One More Question!

What would we do without Amazon.com?? I think I just might die! We have boughten so much stuff on their lately that I am sure we are in the running for Customer of the Month!! I managed to answer my own question from my previous blog about where to find bassinet bedding, by just going to Amazon! Did you know you can get a bassinett set that has the mattress, pad, and sheets, all in one?? I didn't! Amazing! Everyone reading this is probably laughing and shaking their heads, but I am still excited that I found all of this in the exact size I needed!

So, I have another question, but this one is a little more rhetorical...

How can a person, who will weigh significantly less than an average sized watermelon, and who's daily activities will involve primarily sleeping, eating, pooping, and crying (you'll notice I put those in order of time spent, hoping that the crying won't be going on too much) POSSIBLY NEED SO MUCH STUFF????!!! Or maybe they really don't, and Andy and I are just giant marketing ploy suckers?? (don't answer that one out loud!) We hopefully made our last big trip to Babys R Us on Wednesday...poor Andy, all he has to do is come within 1 mile of that store and he morphs into this sad sad man who knows he has been defeated by the marketing executives of the likes of Carters, Graco, Avent, Huggies, and Gymboree, just to name a few. Please pray that in the next days, weeks, months and years, that Andy and I will have the strength to withstand the force of the evil baby product empire!! :)

...shoot, does he have enough onsies and socks? Maybe the music on that bouncer isn't soothing enough and we should have an alternate just incase??

37 1/2 Weeks...

and the little bugger hasn't reared his head yet (no pun intended...well not totally anyway!)! Last Tuesday I started going to the doctor weekly, and was 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced. I was so excited and ready to head straight to the hospital, but apparently that's not quite 'in gear' enough to check into the baby hotel! So, yesterday when I went for my appointment, I was hoping for atleast another centimeter (or more), but no such luck, just a little more effaced, and that's about the size of it, literally. Geez, what's with all my funny play-on-words today??!! Hopefully at my appointment next week I will be a little further progressed. So, I guess we are in the "hurry up and wait" mode! Thank you for waiting with me!!

Also, I have an almost-new mom question! I am using the bassinet that my parents used with my sisters and I, and the mattress that it came with is apparently not the same size as the mattresses now (assumption, since I can't find one to save my soul!), thus, the sheets and pads that I ordered for it are way too big! Any suggestions on where to find a new mattress or any nifty retro-fitting ideas??

34 Weeks and Counting!

I am officially at 34 weeks! So, according to my doctor, in 4 more weeks, we better to be ready to rock n' roll at a moment's notice! Yikes!! I had an appointment last Tuesday, and the kiddo is officially head down, and she says he will be staying put...so Andy can cross "nag Liz about her posture" off of his list. Quick explanation on that one...he read somewhere that if the mom makes sure she has really good posture for the last couple months of pregnancy that you have a better chance of avoiding a breach birth, so he has been nagging me like a maniac about my posture!

I would say we are in full "nesting" mode. We got a ton of stuff crossed off our list this last weekend, including picking out a name!! Yahoo!! Sorry, you will have to wait to meet "Tiny" to find out his name...it's a secret! :) The nursery is 99% done, we just need to put up some nifty alphabet cards, and wait for the name block letters to arrive so we can put those up too. (well, I guess the name isn't a total secret...Andy, myself, and the nice lady at Goodnight Room in Bridgeport who ordered the letters know the name...sorry if I have insulted any of you!)

I am still feeling really great (knock on wood), and my complaints so far are that I can only wear my engagement ring and not my wedding band because my fingers are a little sausagy, and that I am tired of going to the bathroom 80 times a day!! I am feeling very fortunate though, because I know things could be much more uncomfortable!!

Andy and I were able to get away for a "One Last Hurrah" trip up to Seattle over New Years! After the long week he was gone working, it was much needed! We spent 4 days up there, catching up with Andy's college roommate Derek, his wife Bonnie, and their adorable baby girl, Madeline! We did some baby shopping (they have the best stores up there!!), went to the Space Needle, walked around Pikes Market Place, did the Underground City Tour, and just hungout, relaxed, ate yummy food, and the boys drank lots of microbrews! It was really nice to just get away for a few days and not worry about all things waiting for us at home!

I have another doctor appointment on the 27th, and from then on they will be weekly, and I am going to assume be much more eventful than the previous! I promise to keep you updated!!

Cheers to a fabulous and blessed 2009!!

All About Andy

I saw this on my friend Mary's blog and thought it was nifty change from regular blogs. The idea is to list 10 things about your significant other, so here goes!

1. Andy is the only guy I know who would take off a day from work to stay home and trap the mouse that I saw running around. Mice, Beware!!

2. He has a new love affair with Peanut Butter M&Ms...the guy could eat a 2 pound bag without even taking a breath...truly amazing!

3. Andy is a nostalgia nut! At ever home OSU football game we attend, we must arrive at least 6 hours prior to the game so that he can go in every building he ever had a college class, walk around the entire campus, point out old places he lived, and go to the bookstore at least twice. Oh, and he refuses to sell his first car, a 1992 full-sized Blazer (which, I only curse during the summer because it comes in handy in the in winter with the 4 wheel drive).

4. He is going to be the best dad ever!! (Even if he does get unbelievably frustrated while registering for baby gear because he doesn't have enough information to make an educated choice between an orthodontic and non-orthodontic pacifier. :) )

5. He is a stock market fanatic! If he had his way, he would research stocks 24 hours a day. Today he spent an hour on the phone with the distributor of a product he owns stock in, and is getting a load of product to trial!

6. If a product isn't up to his expectations, he will let the manufacturer know! When he was in college, he bought a box of Nestle Crunch Ice Cream Bars. Well, those bars didn't crunch quite like he thought they should. So, he called up Nestle to report this grievous error, and guess who got 2 boxes of free crunch bars? You guessed it, Andy! I think this same scenario may have been repeated with Coke and Gillette Razor Blades.

7. With the exception of June, July, and August, or days over 65 degrees, he wears at least 1 pair of long underwear at all times, sometimes pushing the space allotment between his wranglers and skin by adding up to 3 "base layers"...the guy hates being cold!!

8. He is an efficiency nut! In his mind, things can always be done better and faster! Take for instance the time we were putting plant cuttings into 4 inch pots. If there was a way to cut 1/2 second off the potting time for each pot, he was going to find it. Needless to say, he almost accidentally got hit over the with a shovel by his lovely wife, and he doesn't try to make me more efficient much anymore! :)

9. He is a great relaxer! Most guys on vacation have to be going going going all the time. Andy is perfectly content to sit and read the paper or lay by the pool for hours and just zone out. In fact, I think he actually prefers this to constant vacation activity.

10. He was the only guy in our birth class to take notes...and he literally took 10 pages. Do you suppose he will bring those with us in the delivery room? Ten bucks says Yes!

It is true, he is a tough guy not to love!!