Up North

I love traveling. Even just a quick weekend trip to Iowa to visit family is something I look forward to. Dustin and I were on our way "up north" this weekend talking about how we love taking Jonah with us wherever we go. (It took us about 6 months to figure out where this up north was that everyone from Minneapolis goes to on the weekends... it's really just anywhere in northern MN in case you were wondering the same.) I like being the family that travels together and love that having a baby hasn't really slowed us down. Well besides me selling my motorcycle and all ;) We figured out in Jonah's 4.5 months on this earth he's been on FIVE little getaways! Three times to Iowa, once to Chicago and now the trip Up North.

A co-worker of mine had invited our little family to join his family in the fabulous VRBO home they had rented right on the North Shore of Lake Superior. We did a lot of hiking during the day at a few of the state parks nearby, and also enjoyed a camp fire under the brightest display of stars I've seen in a very long time.

can you see what's on my left ring finger....?
 MY WEDDING RINGS! They fit again!! :)

Thanks to one of my "pregnancy friends" as I call them... some very inspiring girls from an online post-partum group... I discovered the Ergo carrier. One thing Dustin and I learned in a very short time was the Baby Bjorn is only cool in "The Hangover" movie. In real life it puts all the baby's weight on your upper back and causes a great deal of discomfort and a few trips to the chiropractor. With Jonah in my Ergo I was able to hike for hours without anything more than an increased heart-rate. Jonah was such a trooper, sleeping most of the time we hiked. During one hike a bridge wasn't where it was supposed to be according to the map, so we ended up hiking twice as long as anticipated, and baby boy woke up hungry. He was rooting and happened to be at the right level, and since I dressed appropriately (a tank top under my shirt to allow for peek-a-boo free feeding sessions) I popped a boob into his mouth and low and behold we were hiking AND feeding at the same time! Damn I am one talented individual. My mom later said when I told her: "what a good mommy for bringing nutritious snacks" :D HA!

Jonah continues to make leaps and bounds in his development. He not only giggles but laughs-- really hard sometimes. It's absolutely the best sound in the world. He can also arch his back and lift up his little butt-- that comes in handy during diaper changes. Just this morning Dustin saw him roll over from his back to his stomach while trying to get comfortable in his crib! His first feeding moved to about 3am, which means more uninterrupted sleep for me...YIPPIE! He's typically up for the day around 5:30-6. I like my new smiley alarm clock ;) 

What I find so interesting is Jonah's fascination with technology... already! If he's fussy in the car, we just play "Despicable Me" on the iPad and he's mesmerized. We're planning to get a childproofing case soon so we can download all sorts of apps to keep him busy learning while protecting the device from baby bumps and drools. I'm excited for all the silly cartoons and movies we'll get to watch with him.

I've advertised my blog a bit more lately which has produced a few more followers. Curious as to what they might read, I went back in time re-reading several of my posts, both from this blog and the original. It reminded me of our struggles to get pregnant and just how emotionally exhausting that time was. A woman close to me is going through infertility treatments right now, and I really feel as if my experience has helped her feel hopeful about hers. She's one of the most beautiful women I know, she totally needs to reproduce... fill this world with good people!! One more week and we'll know if IUI #2 worked or not... please pray for her. It also reminded me just how blessed we are to have Jonah, to be able to breastfeed him (something that is really a struggle for many other moms), and to not have to worry about all those things that were a concern during our 20 week ultrasound. God is good.