trip part IV: 10319.

NPR has a term for stories they air that rivet their readers: "driveway moments." We had our very own driveway moments during our MN trip.

We also had some good living room floor moments, too.

My mom also found a secondhand stroller that we took for a spin -- we're still not quite sure what Lorelei thought of the walk to Kelly Park, but we certainly enjoyed it!

trip part III: friends.

Lorelei got to meet several new friends on her trip to MN.

She took a trip to Chapel Hills UCC, where she was met by an adoring crowd of fans! Just over Courtney's shoulder in this picture you can see Marilynn Krekelberg, who was the "chef" behind this amazing cake filled with all kinds of baby supplies:

Later in the week, Marge Miller came by for a quick snuggle with Lorelei.

And Beth came for a visit, too. She also featured Lorelei on her photo blog!

trip part II: the greats.

One special part of our trip to MN was that Lorelei got to meet 4 very important people in her life.

On her 3-month birthday, Lorelei, Courtney, and Gramma B drove out to Keystone and spent some time with Great-Gram, Great-Granddad, and Great-Grandma. She was a very good little girl and they thought she was a doll (Granddad kept saying, "What a big girl!")

And we also got to spend time with Great-Aunt Julie, who thought Lorelei was very sweet and kissable:

We feel very blessed that Lorelei had the opportunity to meet these people who have been so important to her parents -- it was definitely the highlight of our trip!

trip part I: riding in the car.

The scariest part (for Mom and Dad!) about taking Lorelei to MN was the car ride. Previously, she had only ever been in the car for 10 minutes at a stretch, because DeKalb is not a very big place. We had planned to take a day trip in to Chicago to see Uncle Ross and practice our car riding abilities the weekend that we ended up leaving, so it became trial by fire.

Lorelei tried very, very hard to be a good little baby during the 7 hours between DeKalb and Bloomington. However, her current short napping habits meant that she would fall asleep fairly quickly after being placed in the car, but she would wake up 30-40 minutes later and then be awake until we got out of the car and then put her back in. Since those little tiny naps weren't very restorative, by about hour 5 she was really having a tough time.

We tried to take lots of breaks to feed her and stretch her little baby legs.. Being out in the fresh air felt good!

Mom was relegated to the back seat to try to keep Lorelei in good spirits, so Dad took over during rest stops.

As far as those notorious car seat blowouts are concerned, she only wrecked two outfits. :)

Will we take a long car trip again any time soon? Not likely. But we are proud of our little traveler for only having two major meltdowns and being such a trooper!

how was Lorelei's first big trip?

What did Lorelei do during her trip to MN, you ask? Well...

She laughed.

She cried.

She slept.

And also didn't.

And she always managed to look cool doing it, too.

...and that was just while we were in the car!

We have lots of stories to tell and pictures to post of our trip up to MN and will be getting those online soon!

where is Lorelei?

Our blog is on hiatus at the moment because we had to make an unexpected trip up to MN. Jason's aunt is back in the hospital and we felt it was important to be here with family. It's been a little hectic, and Lorelei has been having a hard time adjusting to the changes in her schedule and environment, but we're doing the best we can under the circumstances. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers for our family.

We'll have lots of pictures and updates to post once we're safely back in DeKalb (and have some time to recover from the trip -- we definitely need a few days of downtime after all of this!). Here's a picture courtesy my good friend Beth (you'll remember she won our baby pool!) of Lorelei this week.

"you are very attractive."

These are the words Lorelei's doctor said to her this morning at her appointment. Did he mean her appearance? Her personality? In comparison to the screaming child next door who delayed our appointment by half an hour? Whatever the case, we'll take it as a compliment.

at the park.

Met doula/friend Kim and her daughter Lucy at Hopkins Park today for a little outing. So nice to reconnect -- and Lucy was very sweet with Lorelei, despite the fact that Lorelei is only 6 pounds lighter than she is and looks like she might eat her if Lucy isn't careful. :)

already worrying.

Since becoming a mother, I spend an inordinate amount of time each day worrying about ridiculous things. I have always been the calmer one in our marriage, so it is disconcerting to find myself near tears (who am I kidding -- in tears) telling Jason about my most recent fear related to Lorelei. (I blame the never-ending sleep deprivation.)

Jason, ever the worrier, continues to fret too. But whereas I am worried that she'll contract a rare disease or that something I've done has caused her to be ruined for life, Jason worries about...other things. Here's a conversation we had last night after I showed Jason this website in an attempt to get him to laugh:

Jason: Oh no. Oh no. I'm already worried about this.
Courtney: What? Why?
Jason: If she ruins our stuff I am going to be so angry with her. I don't think I can handle it.
Courtney: Jason, she's not going to ruin our stuff.
Jason: If she pulls apart the couch cushions [as in this entry], I will lose it.
Courtney: She's not going to do that.
Jason: If she does, I think I'll just tell her, "Fine, that's it. This is the couch you have to live with now." And we won't get another one until she's in college.
Courtney: I think we'd suffer more than she would...
Jason: Nope. She'll want to invite her friends over, and they'll ask, "What's wrong with your couch?" and she'll have to tell them that she ruined it.
Courtney: Jason, she doesn't even know she has hands. I wouldn't worry too much about it yet.

all dressed up and nowhere to go.

Lorelei was expecting a visit from her friend Beth today -- alas, it was not to be. She was looking awfully cute in her Sunday best so Mom determined a photo shoot was in order.

We had planned on using this opportunity to present Beth with her prize for being the closest to picking Lorelei's birthday. If we wait much longer, it will be too late in the season to use it! So, Beth, this will be coming to you in the mail this week.

Lorelei thought you'd like it because she enjoys going to her own personal "pumphouse creamery" 7 or 8 times a day. ;)

enjoying the sunshine!

something to say.

Today is the Packers first pre-season game. Lorelei is very glad that the conflict between the players and owners was resolved and she wants to wish the Packers good luck on their season, which is why she is wearing her special "Curly Lambeau" onesie (thanks, Daddy!). Here she is in her own words:

daddy-daughter nursing time.

 I had to go to several doctor's appointments this week (2 down, 1 to go -- so far, I'm in good health!), so I had to get some bottles of milk ready for Lorelei when I was out of the house. Jason did a great job feeding her!

On another note, I decided to try Lorelei's pacifier and I'm just not seeing the appeal.

too cool for school.

collegiate.

Lorelei's ready for college! (No direct pressure to attend our alma mater, baby -- just subtle manipulation on our part.)

(wardrobe courtesy Tim Spurgin!)