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I've Got a Long Way To Go - Part Two

Dear Body,

Don't get used to those two cupcakes I gave you today.  Diet re-starts again tomorrow.  Damn you carrot cake cupcake!

Love, Tina

I've Got a Long Way To Go

Dear Body,

You are OUT OF SHAPE.  You should not be so sore after a mere 45-minute walk yesterday.  I know you've been spoiled in the last nine months with all sorts of sweets and fattening goodies and have done really nothing but lay around, but your time is over.  That sweet tooth of yours has left quite the spare tire around my waist and it needs to be gone, pronto.  You've got only three weeks before you need to be in your work pants, so I suggest you suck it up and get used to the fact that I will be punishing you daily.  No whining allowed.

Oh yeah, and those sweets?  Better like the taste of fruit, buddy, because that's all the sweet you'll be getting.  

Love, Tina

Gizmo's First Trip to MOA - Now With Pics!

I feel it is my responsibility as a mother to instill my daughter with core values: honesty, reliability, work ethic, compassion, and the ability to find a deal.  So, today Gramma Poke, Gizmo and I made our first trip to the Mall of America.  And boy, did we have fun!

Gizmo and I at the mecca of all shopping, Macys.

Of course, Gizmo spent most of the day asleep as Gramma and I pushed her around the mall, holding up outfits to see if they would look good on her.  (They all did.)  Purchased today was a cute blue flowered jumper, a new pair of jeans, some long-sleeved onesies, and baby's first little black dress.  (Everyone needs one, right?)  Her second cousin Katie, who met us at the mall for lunch and shopping, made quite possibly the cutest purchase for Gizmo - an orange tulle skirt, perfect for Illini football and basketball games.  

Today my biggest fear about having a girl became reality - I want to buy EVERYTHING for my little girl.  There are entirely too many cute girl clothes for babies, and it was nearly impossible to resist buying up all of the cute leggings, tunics, and jumpers that stores like Gymboree, Carters, The Children's Place, and Baby Gap have to offer.  it took literally all of my willpower to not buy her the most adorable leopard-print jumper trimmed in red.  Every baby needs that, don't they?  (I still might go back to buy it when it goes on sale.)  

My solution to this compulsion to buy up everything in her size?  To never go shopping again.  I'm literally going to have to NOT shop to avoid buying clothes nonstop for Gizmo.  I thought, "Maybe I'll just avoid the kids stores", but let's be honest, people - that will never work.  Those window displays are very effective.  

On a side note, Gizmo learned another valuable lesson today - when the girls go shopping, they don't ever show Daddy the receipts.  :)

Get These Bees Off Of My Feet!

"My Dad is the Best Dad": a Non-Gizmo, Chainsaw-Happy Post

With Pa Poke in the Northland, Mitch and I had made a "To-Do Wish List" to keep him busy in between snuggles with Gizmo.  He tackled our yard and landscaping, which had been neglected for years and needed some major cleaning-up and trimming.  Here is the fruits of our (OK, his) labor over the last two days.

The first task was to trim the trees in the front yard.  We have two beautiful maple trees and a not-so-pretty ash tree, and Pa was quick to climb up and start cutting.

I won't lie when I say I feared for his safety, and must have said a thousand times, "Are you OK?"  

Here you can see the two maple trees, and how much CRAP we cut off of them.  Two truckloads to the compost site later, and it was done.

Here's a before of the ash tree in the front yard:

-and an after picture.

It looks like a completely new yard.

The next task this morning was to tear out some ugly-ass bushes, as Mitch and I affectionately call them.  This picture is from when we bought the house a year ago (you can see all the extra limbs on the maple tree, too).

Here is the picture today right before they were ripped out - (again, notice how GREAT the maple tree looks!)

And after some chainsaw work and pulling of the roots, here is the finished product:

And in case you wanted to see the demo in action, here it is:

This trimming and removing of landscaping has completely transformed the look of our front yard and house, as it has opened it up and made it look about 20 years fresher.  We've lost some privacy, of course, but need to make a clean slate of sorts before we can start to rebuild the deck and shape the landscape into the way we want it.  

Thanks, Pa Poke!  There is no way we could have done it (both physically and as cheaply!) without you.

The Latest in Cute

I apologize for not posting pictures sooner, but surprisingly, babies take up a lot of time in your day.  Who knew?  :)  Here's a little of what we've been up to here at Fifty Below Zero - 

Gizmo is enjoying some "tummy time" on her Boppy, which she is getting quite good at.  Her head control for a little bitty is pretty impressive!

The next series of pictures were taken on Sunday.  Mitch got her dressed, and here's what she came down in:

We call that her "clamming" outfit - she's ready for a day of sand, surf, and crab-catching at the Cape.  Or is it "the Cod"?  I'll check on that.  

Gizmo likes the outfit without the hat, as you can see by the difference in expressions on her face...

And we're not quite sure what she's doing here, but it looks like she's had a bit too much fun at her day at the beach:

We'll need to stage an intervention soon, I fear.

Luckily, we have some "girly" outfits for Gizmo to wear, and here she is modeling her cute blue gingham dress:

And, in true parent fashion, here are pictures of Gizmo in the buff.  The child loves to lay naked on her changing table, and she makes the most animated faces while she enjoys her diaper and outfit changed:

She's also excited to see Gramma and Pa Poke and Aunt Winnie tomorrow, and thankful that Grandma Jersey Girl came over to play today!  (Mommy is thankful, too!)

"I'm So Confused...."

Becoming parents means learning a whole new set of habits:  sleeping habits, eating habits, showering habits...the list goes on and on.  I have adjusted to these new habits and routines fairly well and without much rough transition time.  Mitch on the other hand, is another story.  

Mitch has picked up a new habit that is quite interesting.  He has started to "sleep-think", as he calls it.  It's similar to sleep-walking, but he's not getting out of the bed.  He is convinced that the baby is in the bed with us at night, and tries to find it to take care of it.  For example, it was his turn to check on Gizmo as she was crying in the monitor.  Instead of getting out of bed, he started rubbing my bottom.  When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was "looking for the baby in the bed".  Laughter ensued, and he sleepily commented, "I'm so confused!"  He eventually got out of the bed to tend to Gizmo's needs.  

Another instance had Mitch sitting up in bed, searching for something.  When I asked what he was looking for, he said, "I'm looking for the pen!" (to write down her feeding in our log).  He was convinced that I had handed it to him, and that he had dropped it in the bed.  Keep in mind that the pen and log were in their normal spot in the nursery.  Again, he stated, "I'm so confused!", and fell back asleep.  

These types of incidents have not happened once, twice, or even three times.  It has happened many times since we brought Gizmo home.  And I'll have you know that we have never had her in the bed with us.  Ever.  So for him to think she's there is just pure comedy at 3am.  He remembers most of the episodes in the morning, believing that the crying in the monitor is triggering some sort of dream, and causing him to act them out in the bed.  

I wonder how long this habit will stay around.  While I enjoy the silliness in the wee hours of the morning, I think he really does panic that he's going to squish the baby!

Someday We'll Have to Discourage This Type of Behavior

In addition to her daily routine of sleeping, eating, and projectile bowel movements (we've already had to spot-shampoo the carpet in the bedroom - that girl is impressive!), Gizmo is certainly ruling the roost, and she doesn't just have control over Mommy and Daddy.  She enjoys exercising her power of authority on her defenseless stuffed animals.  See Exhibit #1 - Buddy the dog is creeping in on her territory, and she's having nothing to do with it.

Exhibit #2 shows Gizmo giving it to Mr. Quackers in the crib.  That duck better recognize!

Maybe this will turn into some sort of hobby - boxing, perhaps?  Karate?  Badass pageant queen?  Only time will tell.  

An Illini First

Today was Gizmo's first college football Saturday, and she was so excited she didn't sleep past 6:15 this morning.  She enjoyed breakfast while mommy and daddy woke up with coffee and muffins.  Too anxious to wait to get dressed until closer to gametime, she begged mommy to get her in her game outfit, provided by Aunt Katie - 

Yes, that's right - Gizmo already is the proud owner of an Illini cheerleading uniform.  And oh my, she couldn't be cuter!

Mommy and daddy really like the longer, old-school style of this ensemble, as not too much leg is revealed.

I really feel that the socks add something special.

Could she contain her excitement any more?

Mommy and Gizmo are practicing their cheers and singing "Illinois Loyalty".  What a great morning!

Unfortunately, she spit up on this outfit, and so we had to change her before the game into her Illinois onesie (which I didn't get a picture of, because she was cranky all day), which she spit up on, too.  This photo session was by far the highlight of the day, as the Illini really sucked it up this afternoon.  I think this expression says it all:

We'll try again next week!

We Finally Decided

Well, things here at Fifty Below Zero couldn't get much better.  As I type this, I just finished giving Gizmo a bottle after she had slept for 5 1/2 hours.  Yes, she is a champ.  And yes, after much discussion and discarding of names, we have decided on Gizmo as her blog name. 

I loved the "Gremlins" movies as a kid, but Mitch has never seen them.  (Tragic, I know.)  Gizmo is actually a play on her entire name, if you look closely.  This, however, does not mean that we are now obsessed with Gizmos, and that you need to run out and buy any sort of Gizmo paraphernalia for her.  If you do, please send a gift receipt.  :)

Cute Pics

For our loyal readers - be ready for this blog to be flooded with baby pictures.  We'll return to our regular writing someday, but for now, we just want to show the girl off.  Here's the latest batch of cute coming out of Minnesota.

Prayer Request

Please keep my family in your prayers, as my grandfather is not doing well.  He has been plagued with several ongoing health problems for the last few years, and the doctors believe that his time here left on earth isn't long.  Hospice has been called in, and they are keeping him comfortable at home, where he has requested to be.  He has most of his family surrounding him in these last few days.  

This is a very stressful and emotional time in my family's life, as we have gone from the high of a new baby to the low of preparing to lose a loved one.  Please keep my mom particularly in your prayers, as she is having the most difficult time with this.  It of course impacts my entire family, and I pray that we all are given strength and courage to deal with this as the end draws near.  

Usually I would not divulge such personal information on the blog, but feel that I need to get it out instead of keeping it bottled inside.  I feel like I can't help and support the way I need to being in Minnesota and not Illinois, and it's hard to keep my focus right now on myself, Mitch and Giana, where it needs to be.  

Thanks.