Christmas!

Sorry I'm writing this so late- things are pretty hectic and crazy for us right now. Christmas this year was great! Jesse finally had a few days off to enjoy with us. He took Maximus snowboarding and helped me around the house. I have adapted my mothers Christmas Eve enchilada tradition and we ate those that evening. They were delicious!


Here's Maximus stoked about snowboarding.


It was Elf's last visit with us. We really enjoyed having him around. See you next year, Elf!


This is after Santa visited while Maximus was asleep.


He was so excited!


Maximus fell down the basement stairs that night. His nightly chore is to go down to the basement for me and turn off all the lights, and he loves doing it, but on Christmas Eve he was excited and slipped down all the stairs. Poor little buddy!


I made some cookies for Santa that I've never made before. Maximus was taking a nap and as I started to make them, I realized I was out of some ingredients. I substituted a few things and these turned out delicious! I wrote down the recipe and will definitely be making them again!


Santa was at Keystone Resort this year. With his reindeer. This guy was SO cool.

All Things Homemade

Lately I've been obsessed with making little unborn Ingrid things. Jesse knit her a hat, I've crocheted her one and crocheted a soft blanket. I have to rest a lot and since we don't watch much tv, I crochet or knit instead. Today I made this in just a couple hours! I'm really not a fan of those oversized bows or flowers people attach to their daughter's head, so I might take this gigantic flower off.

Best Buds

Maximus and Parker. They met in speech therapy at preschool and thrive together. They are each others first true friend, are highly competitive, absolutely nuts, somehow work wonders in therapy together and hug whenever they see each other- at school, the gym, around town. They are adorable!

We've been spending more time with Parker as his mom, my friend, goes through chemotherapy and tests. It's a hard time for all of us, Parker the most, but we love seeing him act crazy with his bud. I love picking him up for school and seeing how stoked he is to see Maximus. If we do move from this wonderful place up here in the Rocky Mountains back to Salt Lake City, leaving his close buddy will be hard for them both. Sort of breaks my heart...but at least I know we won't move our son again.

Chef Maximus

The chef is in charge of making dinner tonight!

Thanksgiving and the Elf on the Shelf

We were thrilled to have my parents visit us during Thanksgiving. The weather was great, they saw Maximus snowboard at his best, my dad and Jesse went into the woods to cut down a Christmas tree, my mom and I shopped, my parents and I made a meal that was amazing and it was a great time.

Here's Maximus scarfing down breakfast at Amazing Grace Eatery in Breckenridge. That tiny restuarant might be my favorite place to eat. Two women own it and make everything from scratch. Most of the food is grown locally in Colorado in organic farms. You can literally taste the difference. Jesse had the best breakfast burrito of his life there! My parents, Maximus and I ate there before heading to the gondola for Breckenridge resort.

Now when I say that Maximus likes to read, that doesn't express how much he loves to read. Jesse and I read to him every single night as he falls asleep. It might be our favorite part of the day! Since it's been really cold, Jackie joins us in Maximus' bed to snuggle in. Here's my mom reading to him one night.

After Thanksgiving, The Elf on the Shelf appeared. (Google it) Maximus first named him Santa, but now he calls him Elf. Elf returns to Santa each night after we go to bed to tell him if Maximus was a good boy or not. Then, he flies back (maybe through the chimney or doggie door?) and finds a new place to sit for the day. Today he's sitting on a loaf of bread on top of the fridge. Yesterday is was about 13 ft off the ground in a window. Some days he sits on the fireplace, the hanging lamps, hanging fruit basket, even the Christmas tree. The above picture is my dad and Maximus searching for Elf the first day of his arrival.

Found him!

Elf!

The Elf on the Shelf has been moving! Yesterday my dad and I saw him above the fireplace and this morning he was spotted in the tree!

FOOD

Okay, I know I've posted blogs about how much this kid eats, but I'm pregnant and HE OUT EATS ME! He ate a large bowl of Cheerios this morning. He went to swimming lessons. I brought him home and make him a breakfast sandwich- 3 eggs, 2 slices of black forest ham on a whole wheat English muffin. He polished that off and said, "I'm still hungwy". He then ate a large banana dipped in Grape Nuts cereal and a gigantic cup of milk! He's a quarter of Jesse's size and eats almost as much! I've known this kid for three and a half years and I still can't get used to this.

On a different note...guess what?! I FEEL GREAT! I've had three days with minimal morning sickness and a bit of increased energy. I still don't feel 100%, but at least I'm not trying to get through the day feeling 15%. I can function better as a mom and a partner. I don't know if I'm out of the woods yet, but if I can have 3 days of feeling better, I would be sick the rest of the pregnancy because it's worth it. I don't think anyone besides Jesse truly understands how sick I've been. Some days I couldn't even stand. I suffered stroke symptoms. I have hyperemesis gravidarum- a form of extreme morning sickness that 2% of pregnant women suffer from. It's been hell. I can't describe how elating it is to feel somewhat normal again.

"Drinking"

Maximus got me out of the kitchen today and told me he had a nice surprise in his room. He was so proud of all his animals drinking! He loves doing things like this.

Rawr!

I was enjoying my morning coffee alone upstairs when this jumped out and scared me!

Halloween Parties for Maximus!

Last night Maximus' friend Bryon had a Halloween party, so he and his buddies got dressed up and played games. Today, he had a class party st school and all the kids dressed up. So cute and fun! And tomorrow we are having an adult and kid friendly party at our home for our friends and their kids. Fun times!

Sad Shape

Okay, I've been sick. So sick. Sicker than I've ever been in my life. Last night I vomited countless times and today I have been to hell and back. It took me an hour and a half just to stand in the shower, get dressed and pull my hair back. Pathetic, I know.

I had to go to the doctors office because they were worried about my hydration levels. (And I drink almost 2 gallons of water a day.) I got an IV put in my arm for over and hour and on my way home, I stopped at our health food store for miso soup. While I shopped, Maximus fell asleep in the cart. Suddenly, I had to barf. Uh oh. I pulled him out of the cart and put him on the changing table in the restroom (because I wasn't going to leave him in the cart out in the store or lay him on the bathroom floor, and I always obey the signs that say not to bring carts into the bathroom). I did my business and he slept, like a poor ghetto child, on the dirty changing table. I could have left him there for hours.

Lily Pad Lake

Another Friday hike in the woods with my borrowed buddy, Deni.

I'm my Father

When I was growing up, I used to roll my eyes when my father would plan his hiking trips. He would meticulously plan and lay everything out- from his maps, to his gear, to his food, to his hydration. He would take me along but I never appreciated it as much as him and would end up complaining most of the way.

Today, I spent the entire afternoon planning for a hike of my own. Since Fridays are Maximus' only full day in school, I have the time to spend hiking alone. And it's something I want to do! This Friday I'm going on a hike that will take me between 5 and 6 hours and I'm going to a couple of falls that are located between the 2 mountains we see from all our windows in our home. I mean, we are fortunate to live on the Gore Range in the Rocky Mountains...I'd be stupid NOT to do this. It's also an emotional weekend for me- the marathon I trained so hard for is Sunday and I can't run it. Most people reading this are like, "shut up, be happy you're pregnant and quit being selfish" unless they have trained for something themselves. When I found out I could no longer train, my dad called me and truly understood how I felt. He's run several himself. Being told I couldn't run was more depressing than I expected. Jesse didn't even know how much of an impact it would be. And it took me months to accept it. I made this little hike a goal to do while I was pregnant and around the time of the marathon, just to prove something to myself. I have to have a goal to work toward. I feel like I'm just going through life unless I'm working for a personal goal.

Today I drove to a few trail heads, researched maps and talked to the Dillon Ranger Station about my plans. I've spoken to a few experienced hikers who are my friends as well. My plan is to drop Maximus off at school Friday morning, drive to the Willow Creek trail head and head up the mountain. I will of course, carry my phone, a camera, first aid, food, water, flashlight, rain gear, matches, ID, my glucose shot, maps and a gun for protection. I decided to bring my dog because I know she would enjoy it. I am SO excited for this. It took me 30 years, but I truly understand and appreciate my father's ways. Thanks dad.

Week 15

I thought I'd give an update about my pregnancy. I'm in my 15th week, still very sick, but enjoying life. Since I can't run, I enjoy this crisp fall by riding my bike, hiking and being in the woods. Getting out is just so peaceful. I have to do it. (My hikes alone in the woods freak my mother out, but I have to for my sanity)

Last Friday I had a doctor's appointment. I had lost 2 pounds, my electrolytes are pretty imbalanced and my doctor discovered I'm hypoglycemic. But, everything else looked good and the heartbeat was strong! I've been given a syringe to carry with me at all times and to eat every hour. EVERY HOUR. That's much harder than you'd think. I carry the syringe because it'll help me if I am about to pass out from low blood sugar. My level was 24, and my doctor said she has never seen anyone with a level below 52 who was conscious. Her words were, "I can't imagine how sick you must feel". Oh I can! Anyway, I'm glad that was settled and I hope I feel better soon.

This pregnancy is SO different than the one with Maximus. With him, I ate and ate and ate. I was sick like, twice. I never exercised either. This pregnancy I am so sick, but I feel better emotionally. I'm excited for Maximus to be a big brother and he is too! I'm excited to meet this child who has made me emotional, sick, increased my love for the outdoors and drives me to walk alone in the woods and appreciate what's around me. Of course I was paranoid with everything with my first pregnancy, but this one I feel less controlling. We definitely live a healthy lifestyle and of course, that will continue with any children we have, but I've learned with my dear Maximus that head bumps, falls and swallowing buttons happens! I am SO excited to meet this little one in March. Maximus still has wonderfully creative names picked out...

October 21st at 11am is when we will find out if this is a boy or girl. Yeah!

Maximus and I went for another hike today. We hiked to a lake, had a picnic lunch, hiked and explored in the woods and enjoyed our afternoon. Look at the beauty that surrounds us here!

Epic Names

Me: Hey, what should we name your brother or sister?

Maximus: Um..Thor Maximus. Thor a good brubber (brother) name.

Me: Cool. What about Thor Odin? What about a sister?

Maximus: Um...Truck.

Me: I don't know about that one. What about Ingrid Gladys or Adelyn Gladys?

Maximus: No, Truck Poopface.

Cuddly Spot

Friday night. Jesse is in the basement teaching me how to build my beautiful mountain bike that I've waited for all summer. Maximus has been busy filling tires, spinning wheels, having fun. He suddenly gets tired and lays on Jesse's legs as he knelt. Sweetest thing.

Last Race of the Season

Jesse's last mountain race was today. It was a beautiful, crisp, cool fall feeling day and we spent it in Breckenridge cheering him on.

Next is the most entertaining racing of all- cross! (Cyclocross) Hopefully my doctor will give me the okay to do a couple races this fall.

Maximus and I went to a tiny cafe after Jesse started his race this morning. I was feeling sick like usual and together Maximus and I had the best breakfast ever! I found a place in Breckenridge that is little, specialized and extremely cozy. Maximus had a whole wheat blueberry scone with a blueberry flax smoothie and shared my eggs with tomatoes and spinach, homemade whole wheat toast and chicken sausage. Our entire breakfast was not only organic, but everything was made from scratch. We sat at a small table with the sun coming in and warming us up, with views of the mountains. What a great little date.

We spent the rest of the time laying in the grass waiting for Jesse to come across the finish line. It was a really enjoyable day.

Handsome New Cut

Yesterday Maximus had his hair cut...three inches! He's so handsome!

Kayaking in Lake Dillon

I must say that I'm grateful to be in a relationship with a guy who loves getting out and doing things, like me. Luckily, Maximus isn't the type of kid to stay home either. We went kayaking in our beautiful Lake Dillon on Monday. We had planned to Sunday, but all the kayaks were booked, so we went to the Vail Farmer's Market and also enjoyed the "Gourmet on Gore" in Vail that day. What a busy, perfect weekend!

I had been kayaking before with my dad in Huntington Beach and Newport back bay. Such a fun thing to do with your kids, fyi. I'll never forget those memories. We rented a kayak for myself, and a double for Maximus and Jesse.

Lake Dillon has dozens of little forest islands in it. We stopped at a few and ate lunch on one. We told Maximus it was our new home, the kayaks were our new cars and the bathrooms were bushes. He took it so...seriously.

I mean, come on...look at our view. And it's not like we have to drive anywhere for a good view, all the views from our house are this great!

See that little speck to the left of the above picture? That's Jesse and Maximus in their boat.


I love my little family.