Where is my hair?

People are starting to take notice that Sula has very little hair.  In fact, she has less than when she was born.  Will she be a blonde?  Will it be curly?  So many questions, we will just have to wait and see.  Meanwhile I will just keep planting sweet kisses on her bald head.  

Family bug

As a family we share everything, including colds, stomach viruses, thrush (that was way back in October).... the list goes on. 

Corey and I are trying to get our health back after a nasty bout with a stomach virus.  I never remember getting this sick so often before having Sula.  It seems my immune system needs a kick in the pants.  I have been taking probiotics with hope that will help.  However, the best medicine I know is more sleep.  Yeah right, like that is going to happen.  Maybe someday. 

Cheers to good health!  Without that we have nothing.  

FYI- new pics posted in the album Chill'n with Sula in January. 

Space-Time

It is just before 11PM on a Tuesday. Nila has a fever and Sula is sleeping. I am listening to a new Mountain Goats record, new to me anyway, it came out in February 2008, I didn't know. I spent about 40 minutes trying to determine if Black Francis (aka Frank Black) had released any new music but it seems he is hoarding it all for spring or some other time in the future. 

Target laid off 600 real people today and 400 imaginary ones. On nights like this all I want is some new music from my all time favorite artists a good story full of imaginary things and this picture of Sula. That is all I need to remind me that winter will end and things will be ok.

If there is one photo of Sula that tells me something about who she will become this is the one. You can almost see her kid looks beyond the baby face, she appears to have body control and is displaying a maturity that only comes in glimpses but is there. There is a hint of the clever girl that is hiding behind the body she can barely control and there is love and happiness in those eyes. She is everything that I ever wanted, it is an incredible challenge to manage but she is the only product of 2008 that is already yielding profits. Profits of the best kind, love, happiness, innocence and hope.

-Blizzy

Just practicing

Sula is almost 5 months old and will soon be trying her first taste of rice cereal.  Last weekend we got her a highchair so that she could get use to sitting up and watching us eat dinner.  

splish. splash. I was taking a bath

Sula loves bath time.  

After developing a stinky layer of "neck cheese" we say, "peww girl you need a bath."  Lucky for us, Sula is happy to let us give her a bath and renew that lovely sweet baby smell.  

The sink bath days are coming to an end quickly.  We have been using this plastic blue tub to give Sula a bath in the kitchen sink.  This has been a pleasant experience for everyone because we don't have awkwardly bend down over a bathtub.  She now likes to splash around, making the whole experience very wet for everyone.  I am thinking we are going to have to move the baby tub to the big tub so that she can enjoy more splashing.  

Baby lingo- NECK CHEESE:  Dried spit-up that settles in the creases of Sula's neck, give it a few days and it stinks, ewwww.  

A trip to the tropics - for an hour

    

This past Sunday we took Sula to the Como Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul.  We needed to escape this cold weather and just imagine for a brief moment that we were on a tropical family vacation.  As a bonus, Sula got to enjoy some heat and humidity, which provided a bit of relief from the cold she is battling.  

The last time I visited Como Park was back in 2002.  We all decided that it had been way too long.  They have made some impressive improvements, including a new rainforest exhibit.  This trip has motivated me to look in to volunteer opportunities at the Conservatory.  

Resisting sleep!

One night this week Sula just didn't want to go to bed.  So we made this video to tell her side of the story.  

Surviving sub-zero temperatures

Someone please remind me AGAIN- why do we live in Minnesota?  This morning it was a lovely -21 F with some crazy wind chill reading that is even more unimaginable.  So much for the dream to plant Zone 5 trees, I want to grow stone fruit!  As I was putting layers of warm clothes on Sula this morning, I took these photos.  This is why we call her "Sula Bear", so cute!  

Driving to work this week was terrifying due to all the black ice.   I did not know that it can get so cold that the exhaust from cars can produce spots of ice on the road.  Only in Minnesota.  It has certainly been a sharp learning curve for me, no accidents yet!  

It should be above zero this weekend, maybe even 31 degrees by Monday.  That will feel so nice. Let's break out the shorts, I am sure some crazy Minnesotan will.  

Craving Borsch

I was really craving some borsch this weekend, I usually make it once a year. This recipe is adapted from my grandma Kreidich. I have changed some things to save time but it is still delicious.

Nila's Borsch

Beef broth* (3 boxes)

Chicken broth* (1 box)

Or make homemade beef broth from a 3 lb chuck roast

1 bay leaf

1 large onion

3 celery stalks

6 large beets

1 medium potato

3 large carrots

2 lb cabbage

1 half can of tomato soup

1 tsp of sugar

olive oil

fresh dill

sour cream

Peel and chop beets and carrots into matchsticks (this is the most labor intensive part), shred cabbage, set aside in different bowls. Chop celery and onions, saute in olive oil for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add beets then the broth. Cook on medium heat for 3o minutes. Then add carrots, potato, and tomato soup. Simmer on low heat for 3o minutes. Take out potato, mash, then place back in soup. Add cabbage and bring soup to boil, then turn heat off. Add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve with sour cream and fresh dill.

Hints: This soup gets even better the second day. Soup can be pureed (very good if you do not want chunky veggies in your soup, then tend to get a little mushy). Serve with rye toast and enjoy!

*My favorite store-bought broth is Swanson's Organic.

More snow. Really?

I know there has to be some reason why we decided to move back to Minnesota.  I know that the weather is not one of them.  We are enduring the start of a very snowy, cold winter.  Last year at this time we were preparing to go on vacation to Tulum, Mexico.  That sounds so nice right now. 

First day of daycare and she spits on people

Sula survived her first day at Sandcastles daycare.  I survived as well but it was really hard to leave her there.  Somehow we have to resolve her "nipple napping" problem and get her to eat more than 2 oz in one feeding.  I think she is still getting use to drinking from a bottle.  

Her new thing of the week is this cute buzzing of the lips, which creates a nice spray of spit directed at ones face.  Apparently she was showing off that skill at daycare today.  Nice job honey.

I will try to capture this on video soon.

The stats on Sula

Sula had her four month check-up today, shots included.  I am proud to report she is in perfect health.  She is gaining weight at a good pace and is now 13 lb 10 oz and over 2' tall (67th  percentile).  Just as every parent has told me, and I believe- they grow up so fast! 

Now if she could only do her own laundry....

Hey, that's the breaks girl!

Corey teaching Sula about boys. 

Sula vs Spaz

Our cat Spaz is WAY too big! Check this out...

A message for GG Anderson

Sula would like to extend her thanks to her great grandparents for the lovely Christmas card.

Sula loves Cookie Monster