Four things we'll miss

Four things we'll miss about Vancouver are:

1. Glassy sky scrapers that reflect the light beautifully in the evening
2. Swings on the beach
3. Being able to walk everywhere, all the time, for everything we need
4. A backdrop that includes mountains AND ocean

There will be more, after we move.

And there are a bunch of things we miss about Chicago too.

Now we'll know exactly what to do and where to go when we visit in the future. I guess that's the neat thing about living somewhere for a year.

Happy First

It seems like Luke enjoyed his first birthday, but then again, it doesn't take much to make him happy.

The day started out rainy so I took him to the local indoor pool. It was his third time in a pool, though the first two times were over 7 months ago so it was definitely new to him. He was timid at first, with a death grip on my neck, but was splashing around and laughing after about ten minutes.

During the day he "saw" both sets of Grandparents on Skype (and enjoyed a long "Happy Birthday" serenade from Grandma Brigitte's singing and dancing stuffed bear - one in her collection of singing toys that makes us all laugh uncontrollably).

And he talked on the phone with his Aunt Kim and cousins Kian, Declan and Burke, whose early-years birthdays I can remember well, and now their voices are changing and stuff. I feel old.

Keith got home pretty early so we walked to the swings at Kits beach and out for an early dinner. And then it was time for Luke's very first bucket of sugar... I mean, cupcake!

When we first set it on his tray, he couldn't have been less interested. It was the first time--ever!--that we put something in front of him and he didn't immediately shove it in his mouth!

After like three minutes of coaxing him to try it, he discovered that it was sweet (especially the 4-inch mound of frosting on top) and started digging in. We had to remove the frosting mound in an attempt to dampen the forthcoming sugar rush a bit. Though he was obviously enjoying it, he wasn't showing any sign of excitement or pleasure (see photos). He wasn't even doing his "yum, num, yum" thing. Strange.

The excitement came about five minutes later when, stripped from his frosting-covered clothes down to just a diaper, he started stomping around the living room with his arms up like a zombie, blabbing on and on and laughing. Somehow I didn't capture that part on video.

After opening a few gifts (thanks to all!), the little guy was exhausted and crashed in bed right around the time that he actually came into the world one year ago.

The Story of Luke's Birth Day

Every year on my birthday my Mom calls to say "did I ever tell you about the day you were born?" I haven't gotten sick of hearing it yet, so I think I will start the tradition of telling Luke the story of June 7, 2009.

Not that it's all that exciting. For instance, I didn't debate whether to wear panty hose to the hospital like my Mom did. But I do remember feeling nervous. Well, in addition to feeling waves of extreme pain and even worse nausea of course.

I was nervous during the whole pregnancy, actually. Nervous about whether he would be healthy and whether I was doing a good job preparing him in there. For the last trimester I COULDN'T WAIT for him to arrive. And I had a very smooth and easy pregnancy, so it's not that I couldn't wait to stop being pregnant. I just wanted to see what he looked like, what he felt like, how he smelled, and to make sure he was ok. Oh, and mostly, I wanted him to arrive with enough time to get his birth certificate so we could get him into Canada when we moved, which was less than three weeks after his due date! I lost a lot of sleep stressing about that, and about the move in general. Ask Keith.

Since we were a little time-crunched and everything seemed ready to go, my doctor thought it would be fine to induce me on June 5th - the day before my due date. We went to the hospital (Rush, in Chicago) at 6 am morning (it was a Friday), all excited and prepared and playing jazz in the car to relax us. We had a bag of magazines, games and music on the iPod. I blow-dried my hair nice and straight, since I knew there would be photos. Huh, I guess that's akin to my Mom debating the panty hose...

Anyway, the OB resident started me on Pitocin to get the contractions going, but apparently (no offense to residents in general) she/the team there skipped the important first step of giving me a drug to soften the cervix... the step that my doctor had prescribed. So, for that reason, in addition to the fact that it just wasn't time, the induction didn't work. So, after being pumped full of Pitocin for 12 hours, we packed up and went home.

Oh, and my poor parents -- eager for the arrival of their first grandchild-- had been waiting in the Rush lobby all day. They said they had a blast watching the circus that goes on there, but it was surely a long day for them as well.

The next day I felt awful, no doubt because of the beating I'd taken on Friday.

And on Sunday morning, June 7th at 4 am, I woke up to contractions. By 11 am, when they became more frequent and unbearable, I told Keith it was time to go in. No jazz this time. No bag of entertainment. No blow-dried hair. Just us heading to Rush, feeling more certain that this was it.

The same OB resident was there and she seemed to take a little pity on me. She predicted that the baby would be here by 9 pm. It was only noon at that time, and I thought I was dying, so that seemed very unreasonable!

What went on that afternoon was the standard labor torture and lots of slow laps up and down the hall with Keith holding me up. But by 5 pm the epidural was on board and all was fine. I really don't know how people have natural child birth. They are much stronger than I!

In the meantime, my parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary that day. They had brunch, followed by sangria at what had become their favorite place - a tapas bar near our house in Lincoln Park. Having experienced the long and uneventful wait in the waiting room on Friday, we told them Keith would call when it was time. So, what could they do except sip sangria and tell everyone in the bar that their first grand child was on his way. I hear they got lots of congratulations, high fives, and some free desserts.

And back at Rush, the clock ticked away and I was crossing my fingers that the baby would come before midnight. I really wanted to have him on my parents' 40th anniversary. At 8 pm it was time to get started and I got really nervous about the baby making it out ok. There were several tense moments when the baby's hear rate dropped and I felt very helpless watching the doctors' faces and their sense of urgency. Apparently the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck, AND he was grasping it with his hand. Now that makes sense - he has always had a vice-like grip. So, after 20 minutes of pushing (it felt like a long time to me, but I hear that's nothing), at 9:19 pm Central Time, Luke arrived. I just remember Keith jumping up and down, kissing me, and rushing over to watch the nurses check him out. What seems like forever later, they put him on my chest and I saw my baby boy for the first time. After spending all of those months wondering what he'd look like, feeling him kicking and punching from the inside, it was very surreal to see our son.

Since everything started happening quickly at the end, Keith had to squeeze in a call to my parents, telling them it was time. They rushed over and weren't waiting long before Keith went to let them know that their grandson was here. They were able to come into the delivery room to meet Luke shortly after he arrived. My Mom fondly remembers Keith walking into the waiting room smiling, and she has said she'll never forget entering my room and seeing me holding Luke. And my Dad is still amazed that Luke, a mere 40 minutes old, squeezed his finger.

And that was it. He has been making us smile ever since.

I felt like I should get all the details down, since I might not remember everything over time.

But I think I'll have to come up with an abbreviated version to tell Luke every year.

So, that's my story about June 7, 2009.

Oh, I almost forgot. Three days later, as a result of charming a nice woman in the Chicago Vital Records office at City Hall, we managed to get Luke's birth certificate fast-tracked and picked it up a couple of days later. That was 11-15 weeks quicker than other Chicago-born babies receive their certificates :-) So I could FINALLY relax and start packing for Vancouver.

Pre-birthday hike

For Luke's First Birthday Eve we went for a hike in North Vancouver.

We crossed a high flying suspension bridge (a few times; the trail was a figure eight) and pointed out the moss and ferns and lush scenery to Luke, explaining that his new home town won't look anything like that.

Then we had lunch in downtown Vancouver, in the shadow of the cruise ship terminal, where we'll leave for our Alaska trip in just a few weeks. Luke gobbled up yam fries and guacamole and --as usual-- tried to grab the forks, knives, water glasses and everything else that hit the table.

And on the way home, the exhausted little guy fell asleep in his car seat... facing front!

Utah Quiz

Here is the long awaited Utah quiz.

Scroll down for the answers... but at least try to answer first :-)

1. When did Utah become a state?
2. Where did Utah's name come from?
3. What is Utah's nickname?
4. What is Utah's tagline/ claim to fame?
5. How many National Parks are located in Utah? Bonus: name them.
6. Utah is considered to be a semi-arid to arid climate. What are the average highs and lows in the summer and winter?

And onto the popular religion, two points on the Mormon thing...

First, the proper term for the religion/ followers of the religion is LDS (short for Latter-day Saints, which is short for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Second, we know lots of wonderful and kind people who are LDS. But, it is a curious and obvious topic when it comes to Utah, so I couldn't resist throwing in a few related questions...

7. What percentage of the Utah population is Mormon (LDS)?

8. What town has the highest Mormon population?

9. Brigham Young, (long-time president of the church, founder of SLC, first governor of UT) is the the most popular/ beloved figure in the church. How many wives did Brigham Young have?

10. What is the target number of children for LDS families?

Fun Facts!

Utah consumes more Jell-o per capita than any other state in the US. Mormons love sweets! Milk shakes and ice cream are also big sellers. But chocolate is generally forbidden, as it contains caffeine - a Mormon no-no.

Utah has the highest literacy rate in the nation. As Keith said, "if you can't read the Book of Mormon, how can you spread the word?"

Answers:

1. The United States acquired the region in 1848, which, at that time belonged to Mexico. The people of the region named the area the state of Deseret. On January 4, 1896, it was officially established as the state of Utah by the United States government.

2. The name Utah comes from the Native American Ute tribe and means people of the mountains.

3. Beehive State. The beehive symbolizes thrift and perseverance.

4. Greatest Snow on Earth. Sounds like a boastful superlative, I know. But, it's a fact that the snow that falls in the Wasatch Range in Utah is often very light and dry because of the desert climate and lake effect from the Great Salt Lake. The Wasatch also consistently receives significant quantities of snow, making it a reliable place to plan a ski trip. In particular, Alta always ranks in the top 5 snowiest resorts in the world with an average of 547 inches / year.

Keith thinks that everyone loves skiing as much as he does and insisted that readers would want to know the other resorts in the to 10. Their ranking varies year by year, according to snow totals, but here's the general list:

• Mt. Baker, Washington State
• Niseko, Japan
• Alta, Utah (Little Cottonwood Canyon, to be specific)
• Alyeska, Alaska
• Kirkwood, California
• Stevens Pass, Washington State
• Sugar Bowl, California
• Grand Targhee, Wyoming
• Snowbird, Utah (Alta's neighbor in Little Cottonwood)
• Mt. Hood, Oregon

5. Five National Parks -- Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef

It also has seven national monuments, two national recreation areas and six national forests. If you've never been to Utah, particularly Southern Utah, you really shouldn't miss it.

6. In the summer, the average high ranges from 85 to 100, while the average low is 61. Though very hot during summer days, the low humidity and high elevation typically result in cool nights. Utah is also very sunny (good spot for a dermatologist!) Salt Lake City averages 125 clear sunny days and 101 partly cloudy days per year.

In the winter, the average high is 40, while the average low is 22, though it is typically at least 10 degrees colder in the mountains.

7. 62% of the Utah population are followers of the LDS church. That's for the whole state. In Salt Lake City, less than 50% of residents are LDS. And the percentage of Mormons at Alta on a Sunday (where we'll be hanging out) - 0%.

8. Provo, site of Brigham Young University. And lots of ice cream / milk shake shops.

9. Brigham Young had 55 wives. Also, he was born in Vermont, as was Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What is it about Vermont?

10. The more children the better! But you aren't required to tithe (10% of your income is standard) if you have more than 6 children. Many families do anyway because they are good and faithful followers.

Thanks for playing!

Birthday weekend flashback

It's Luke's birthday weekend extravaganza!

We're not actually doing anything extravaganza-worthy except being really nice to Luke and enjoying the beautiful weather. I just think "birthday weekend extravaganza" sounds funny, especially since I declared one for myself when my birthday fell on a Saturday this year and I informed Keith that he should plan some activities :-)

But we are planning a nice day for The Monk on Monday including lots of time at the swings, a play date, turning his car seat to face front, a cupcake, balloons and a few gifts (including those that have been arriving from family...thank you!). And if the weather is nice we may have a dinner picnic at the beach.

Not bad for a first birthday, given that we don't have family or close friends around. And given that he's only one and won't remember it anyway!

So, in preparation for the big day (which is also my Parents' 41st wedding anniversary!), here are a few of our favorite photos from Luke's first day, starting with the very first time I held him:

Yum yum

Over the weekend Luke started saying "yum, yum, yum" when he's eating. I'm not sure if we've said that to him, or if it's just a sound he's making, but either way, it's pretty cute.

He was enjoying an orange in his mesh bag thingy today and started saying it so I grabbed the camera.

At that point he got very giggly and--of course--didn't say it again.

But I know the last laughing video was a big it, so I figured I'd post this one too.

Gear

Luke just graduated to his toddler car seat and when he turns 1 next week, he'll finally get to ride facing forward.

His first car seat (a gift from Auntie Carol & Uncle Armand) has certainly served him well. It has taken him through 11 states and all over one Canadian province. And carried him for miles and miles of walks while snapped into the BOB (our beloved stroller). It has hosted him for many a nap and for a few whole nights. And the poor old thing has seen its fair share of stuff spewing from Luke's top and bottom.

Here's a picture of Luke in his first car seat at four days old. So, two thoughts:

1. When exactly did he get so big?

2. Oh boy, we're going to go through a ton of baby/ kid gear over the coming years!

Victoria

This past weekend we continued working down our list of everything we want to do in the Northwest before moving, with a trip to Victoria. Located on Vancouver Island, B.C.'s capitol city definitely has a British feel. That's partially thanks to the rainy weather, the numerous options for high tea, the castle looking buildings--including the Parliament complex--and the Union Jacks everywhere. Oh, and the whale watching tourist boat called the "Prince of Whales"...so cheesy but how could they resist choosing that name.

We visited the Royal BC Museum, where Luke enjoyed the life-size wooly mammoth exhibit (and almost set the alarm off as he tried to climb up on the rocks... we received a stern warning from a guard). And we had dinner with some friends in the very formal dining room at the Fairmont Empress hotel, where Luke behaved exceptionally well. We also went to Butchart Gardens, a beautifully landscaped park with several different themed gardens.

It was a really nice weekend.

Houdini

This is how I found Luke when I went to get him up from a nap today. I laughed, trying to imagine how much effort it took to get out of the sleeve. Then it reminded me that we used to call him Houdini when he was born because he could get out of a tight swaddle in like 3 seconds. He never liked having his arms and legs all wrapped up and would Houdini his way out of anything.

So, ever the Houdini, now that I know that he can --at least partly-- undress himself, I'll be expecting him to get ready for bed on his own very soon. Hahahaha.

Portland

This past weekend was a long holiday weekend in British Columbia so we road tripped to Portland, OR, one of our favorite towns. It seems that other BCers had the same idea because we kept running into them -- at the border, where we waited an hour... on the streets, where we kept hearing "eh"... and sitting in a restaurant, where our table neighbors were a woman who is a patient at Keith's clinic and a nice couple that lives around the corner from us.

We stayed in a funky hotel downtown called The Nines, which was really cool. If you're ever in Portland, stay there.

It has a huge atrium with a restaurant, bar and lots of seating areas that looks like this:

We spent both Saturday and Sunday evenings there letting Luke explore while we had drinks and met some nice couples, including a fun couple from Chicago who were doing the same thing with their little guy. See the white chairs near the center of the room? That was our post. Luke was the mayor of the place, wandering up to anyone who paid him a little attention and charming them silly.

We love all of the unique Portland neighborhoods and spent time wandering around them, getting ideas for our new house in the furniture & lighting shops, and eating in some great local restaurants. Plus, it's the best town on the planet for local microbrew beer and pinot noir, which we love, so we tried our best to take advantage of that while remaining responsible parents. I think we did a good job :-)

The weather was typical Portland (cool and rainy with moments of extreme downpour), but you just stop being bummed out by that when you live in the northwest, so it was fine.

Luke was a trooper the whole weekend, from the long drive, to staying up a little too late, to trekking around town hidden under his stroller rain cover. In fact, he seemed to have a great time.

Here is a cute photo of Keith and Luke in our room, which was big on turquoise velvet. I wouldn't choose it for my house, but it worked here.

Progress

As we approach Luke's first birthday, I'm starting to reflect on how much he has grown and developed in just 11 1/2 months. I know, every kid grows and develops this much in the first year, but since it's our first time we're amazed.

I was watching some old videos of Luke, including the one below, which was taken on his first day at home - June 9, 2009. (Can you tell we were first-timers? We were inside a perfectly warm house but look at the blankets on the kid!)

Compare this video with the one I posted the other day... it's cool to see how much he has progressed in his brief time here.

And at this time next year I'm sure we'll be blown away by the changes between one and two years old. Actually, I'm sure he'll continue to amaze us for as long as we're around to watch him.

PS - since I didn't have the blog when he was born I'll be posting more old content, starting on his birthday. This one's just a teaser :-)

The Babe

Late last week Keith came home from work and asked what was new and exciting. I responded -- not much, except that Luke pooped in the tub -- first time.

So Keith looks at me with a bit of pity and says "oh, he finally Baby Ruthed." I thought about it for a minute and then started laughing... and laughing. I hadn't thought about that term for a long, long time. But then again, why would I have? You don't really think about a kid Baby Ruthing in the tub when you don't have a baby and your life is as neat and clean and hygienic as you choose it to be.

For the rest of that evening I would just think about Keith saying it and laugh to myself a little. That happens sometimes. Keith will say something that I then remember later and can't stop laughing about. It's true. I still sometimes laugh about things he said in 1999. I guess we just have the same sense of humor. It is shared only with my BFF Christina, who also thinks these things are hysterically funny.

Anyway...

I guess I had Baby Ruth on the mind, because today I was in our local video rental shop with Luke when we saw a tiny dog. Luke has recently discovered dogs and giggles/gasps in delight when he sees them. Most dog owners appreciate this and stop for a moment for Luke's enjoyment. This cranky old lady dog owner just abruptly said "Come-on Doodoo* let's go," as she dragged him out of the store.

I just chalked it up to cranky old lady who couldn't find a movie to rent.

So we're checking out with our movie when I smell something hot and steamy** (in a bad way). I instinctively take a sniff of Luke's bum, since that's a reasonable source, though it was much stinkier than his usual job.

Nothing.

So, I look around and sure enough, there's what must be dog poop on the floor. Right in video shop!

Ah ha! That's why cranky old lady rushed out!

I immediately think to myself "holy [Baby Ruth] that dog just Baby Ruthed on the floor in the video shop!"

Followed by thinking "how rude!"

I quickly consider telling the check out girl that a dog Baby Ruthed on their floor, but settled for "I think that dog just had an accident in here."

Thinking back, why did I say "I think..." it was quite obvious that he DID have an accident!

Check out girl then rolls her eyes and suggests that the guy working next to her should clean it up. There didn't seem to be too much of a rush.

Let me tell you, when Luke Baby Ruthed in the tub I was in a big hurry to clean it up! Then again, these video shop people were just kids... they won't be masters at quick poop clean up for many years.

Footnotes:

*Name changed for dog's privacy

**Keith refers to a bad Luke diaper as "hot and steamy" ...which, obviously, makes me laugh a lot

Foreign language speaker?

Over a week without a post... unacceptable!

To make it up to you I shot a new video of Luke "talking" today. I think it sounds a little like a foreign language; maybe he'll have an aptitude for languages, unlike myself. I wish I did.

Gracias por leer (that means "thanks for reading" in Spanish. I had to look up the Spanish word for read... even though I took Spanish in high school and one semester in college. Unacceptable, again.)

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day and we had a really nice day. The weather was beautiful all weekend (don't tell anyone but it doesn't actually rain in Vancouver ALL the time!) Keith got up to take care of Luke's morning routine. Then we went on a long bike ride with Luke along in the trailer. I rode behind the guys and could hear Luke "talking" the whole time. I think he was either saying "go faster Daddy!" or possibly "watch the potholes Daddy!"

We walked around our neighborhood for a while and had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.

I vividly remember Mother's Day last year, with the anticipation of the soon-to-arrive baby. I COULDN'T WAIT to meet our baby! So, this year I feel very lucky that he is a healthy, happy, fun little guy who has enriched our lives so much.

The sweet sound of laughter

Luke had a prize winning, unprecedented giggle fit today. Lucky for you I caught it on camera.

And you should have seen him get going again when we watched the playback!

Bottomless pit

Now that Luke can feed himself you'd think I would have all sorts of free time. Well, now instead of spoon feeding him I spend his mealtimes saying "what, you finished all of that already?" and chopping up more food for our bottomless pit of a child. And I think we're very lucky that he will eat ANYTHING we put in front of him. Today he gobbled up steamed swiss chard and kale mixed into hummus, and was begging for more when it was gone. And he loves limes -- I mean, he'll lick a fresh cut lime all day long without wincing -- which I think must be weird for a toddler, right?

Since he's the child of two formerly very picky eaters, this easygoing eater thing can't possibly last. But then again, you never know.

Toddling Canucks fan

We've been practicing.

And since the Canucks are playing the Blackhawks (our two favorite NHL teams) in the playoffs tonight, Luke wanted to get in the spirit with his new jersey. The faux gold medal is from one of Keith's patients, who returned for a post-surgical follow up yesterday and thought he did a "gold medal job". He has actually received quite a few gifts and thank you notes from patients this year. Canadians are so nice. Good thing we're easing back into American society in also-quite-nice Utah. A move to somewhere rude (New York?) would be a rough transition!

New York

We're just back from a wonderful, whirlwind trip to New York. I loved being back in the city, though it was a bit different this time with Luke in tow. There was no leisurely shopping or late night cocktails. And maneuvering the BOB (our kick-ass stroller; have I never mentioned him?!) around the clogged sidewalks was at times challenging, but still worth it with all of the obstacles! Oh, and we were unfortunately in the thick of the Times Square car bomb scare, which happened on the street outside our hotel. Since the whole area was evacuated, we had to shack up with some friends in the East Village, and they were actually happy to see us -- even when we showed up on their doorstep at 1 am and immediately asked for one of their son's diapers.

Here are the highlights: Luke saw Rockefeller Center, tasted Patsy's Pizza, got Central Park dirt under his fingernails, played with a handful of new little friends, dined/ fell asleep in two nice restaurants in Midtown and Greenwich Village. And most importantly, he met--for the first time!-- his Uncle Bill and Aunt Jeanne, Cousin William, Scout, Aunt Barbara and Unkie Al. And he hung out with his Grandma and Grandpa Duffy. And he visited the Grimes crew, where he marveled at the older boys playing.

And he was a really good trooper the whole way.

Here are a few pics from our trip:

Todd

We almost have a toddler on our hands!