This past weekend was a lot of fun. It was Aaron's Friday off, so we had a lovely 4-day weekend together. We got to go shopping for a birthday gift at the Mall of America. We even started on our christmas shopping. It's a good year to get it all done way ahead of time.
Saturday, he took me to a pick-your-own apple orchard. We got to pick some raspberries (it's the end of that season) and some apples (the very beginning of apple season). We brought home 2 pints of raspberries and 10 pounds of Zestar apples. It's a new kind developed by the University of Minnesota, and they are wonderful. I intend to make a pie and a crisp, if we don't eat them all first. Aaron also showed me how yummy apples are when you slice them really thin. I am normally allergic to apples, but pregnancy does weird things to allergies, and so now, at least for a few months, I can eat apples. This makes me very happy since they are one of my very favorite fruits, and I haven't really been able to eat them since we got married.
We also worked on the baby's room. We took all of the extra furniture and electronics out (they're currently sitting in the hall, looking for a new place to sit in our apartment) and arranged the crib, changing table, and chair the way we want them in the room. Aaron also started making cardboard cutouts of the decorations he intends to make once we obtain the contact paper we want. The room is going to be Mario, and it is super cute.
Today it has been rainy. A nice day to get some knitting done. :) Well, I'm off to enjoy another apple. I hope you all have a lovely day!
I've been wanting to try the zestar apples. I need to go to an orchard soon. Glad to hear you can eat them again. When I was pregnant with Audrey I didn't have allergies for a good year even after the pregnancy. Maybe it will be the same for you. The baby room sounds very cute.
it'll be really neat if it ends up that your allergy to apples is still gone after the pregnancy! We planted a Honeycrisp and Empire apple tree this year (OK, Vince did it all by himself) and we'll have to be patient cuz will be several years till we will get any decent apples from it. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night. I hear the final guest speaker is REALLY HOT!! I think I may just take him home with me afterward!! giggle
Do you want to go to the Bayfield apple festival with us? We go every year and would love to share with you. Lot's of people and we always hit the Herbster Orchards and drive the peninsula with the top down. mmmmm honey crisp. My personal favorite!
That sounds like so much fun! Dominic and I are going to have to go pick some apples. I've always wanted to have an apple tree in my backyard so I can just go out and pick an apple right off the tree! :-)
You're allergic to apples too?! I've never met anyone else! I am also allergic to peaches, pears, cherries, adn other such tree friuts with skins. I have heard that it is more an allergy to the pollen than to the fruit itself. Cooking these things, like in a pie, cobbler or other dessert, takes care of the problem, but I don't really like the texture of mushy, cooked fruit. When I do eat these things my ears itch (on the inside), my throat tickles and I get blisters on my lips, giving me a wonderful "Angelina Jolie" look--except it hurts.
I bought books to teach myself some baby signs and Lydia picked up on a few. She made her first sign at 10 months. At 12 months she was up to four signs. I introduced her to Signing Time and that week she doubled to 8 signs. At 14 months she was up to 20 and at 15 months she knew over 60. I think seeing the kids doing the signs made more of an impression than I did. And of course I was learning them too and could use them around the house.
Signing Time airs on some PBS stations and many libraries have them. We have bought many of ours.
Now she is only limited by my lack of knowledge and lack of money to expose her to more.
I really like the BABY Signing Time. Volumes 1-3 of the regular Signing Time are a little dull. But Starting with Volume 4 they are much better. The songs are fun, the kids are cute, and they seem to be educational too.
I came over here to let you know how much we appreciated the time we had together with you and Aaron on Sunday and was glad to read your mom's comment. We had hoped that would work out!
Mr. FedEx just delivered the crib, mattress, and changing table for the baby. He even brought them inside and leaned them against the wall in the baby's room so that I wouldn't injure myself. It's nice that I didn't have to wait all day for the delivery. I hate it when that happens.
For you Dave Ramsey fans, he is having a $10 sale that starts today and ends on September 2nd. If you've been waiting to buy books because they were too expensive, now is your opportunity. If you've never heard of him, it's a great time to introduce yourself. www.daveramsey.com
Aaron and I are going up to Duluth this evening to spend the weekend with my parents. We get to celebrate one 50th birthday, which will be fun. Not much else going on. Have a great weekend!
Make sure you give Mom and Pa a hug from me, and then ask them to give you, Aaron and baby a hug from me - i.e. - hugs all around! Wish we could be there! I'm sure there will be much game playing!
When you get your room set up, we need to see pictures! :)
we'll miss you guys on Sunday..hey, splitrock and her husband are coming to IGH and worshipping with us on 9/21 AM, and have asked that we go for lunch and that you and Aaron (and the teeny one of course) come too. So can we plan on that. We'll provide lunch at our place and I'll try to have something you guys can stomach. (giggle/sorry) It would be so cool if your Mom and Dad could come down too and be there with us too.
In May, the same week we were trying to move to our new apartment, I had to have a boat-load of tests done so that it could be determined that I have migraines brought on by this pregnancy. The same week, Health Partners (our insurance company) sent us a survey asking what kinds of other insurance we have. However, since we were moving, it got forwarded and we didn't receive it in time to complete and return it by the 15 days allotted by them. So, I just didn't fill it out, thinking it was optional. It turns out it was not optional. They promptly rejected the claims from the testing that I had done, and I was billed $7,000. I called them up and took the survey over the phone, and everything was fine. They said that the claims would be re-processed and I wouldn't have to pay $7,000. Today I received a bill from the people who did the blood work, saying that I had a 30 day over due balance of $3,500 to pay them. I called the insurance company, who promptly did a conference call with me and the billing department. In 15 minutes, it was all resolved, and all I have to pay is the $40 copay. WOOHOO! Health Partners might be annoying sometimes, but they certainly can be very helpful when I need them.
Aaron got a book at the library called Getting Things Done. It looks interesting. I am looking forward to reading it.
Today, UPS says my diapers will be delivered. Friday, FedEx will deliver my crib, mattress, and changing table. YAY! I'm so glad I have a strong man to carry them up the stairs for me. Also, today is my Pa's 50th birthday. If you haven't done it yet, please go wish him a happy day.
It annoys me so much that I have to tell our insurance every time that I do not have a secondary insurance or they won't pay. I always find myself thinking, "What business is it of yours? You still have to pay what you have agreed to!" Oh well, I guess it's just one of those things.
Whew! I guess I better pay closer attention to surveys we get in the mail. SO glad it worked out to $40!! You've saved $6,960 so tell Aaron you should celebrate by taking a cruise. (stupid logic strikes again)
I've been bad about updating lately. Every time I think about it, my brain gets all mushy and I have nothing to say. I figured I'd just update anyway, and if it's incoherent, please forgive me.
The baby is waving at you right now. He must approve of Pleonast. Last week I saw a flock of geese flying South for the winter. I think they should give it a few more weeks before they give up on warm weather. This summer hasn't been around all that long yet, so I'm hoping we don't have another early winter. I've been walking most mornings, and enjoying it very much. This week I ordered the Fuzzi Bunz for the boy, since they were super on sale. They shipped out this morning, so I hope to get them next week. :) We also ordered our crib, so the room will look more like a baby room and less like a office/guest room/storage area. Aaron took me to a Babies R Us yesterday. I had never been to one before. It was very impressive. Now I'm excited about registering. I've been working a lot on knitting my blanket, especially since the Olympics have been on. We sit and watch swimming, volleyball, and gymnastics, and I get to knit during all of the down time they show. I went to Target a few days ago and was wandering around in their $1 section when I found one of those magnetic Today I Feel... charts that has Mr. Men and Little Miss on it. It now brightens up my refrigerator, and Aaron and I take turns deciding if we're Mr. Strong or Miss Splendid. In a little over a week, we will start our maternity classes, which I am really looking forward to.
Our trip to California was wonderful. I got to see another ocean, and it was actually cooler there than it was here in MN. There was also a shocking lack of bugs, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We got to spend a little time with Amanda and Jeremy, something that I had been looking forward to for a very long time. The wedding was gorgeous. I just need to finish up my roll of film so that I can see the pictures I took there.
This morning, Aaron sewed a button on a pair of pants. I was mighty impressed. He is so fancy.
My sister loves Babies-R-Us and she should know, with three kids she has been there often...it was really good to see you when you came out for the wedding :)
Don't you think they should have one of those emotion charts just for expecting moms - with a range of I feel "emotional" I feel Really Emotional I feel VERY emotional. WILL YOU PLEASE LEAVE!!!!!!!!!
