Conversations with this woman

I try to impart knowledge to my friend. I have known him for seven years and his response can still occasionally surprise me.

Dorisa: “Did you know there used to be a species of Dragonfly with a three-foot wind span? Isn't that terrifying?”

Dan: “That would be awesome. I’d harness them and make a sky chariot.”

Dorisa: “That is the wrong answer.”

While confirming my knowledge of this creature I also learned that there was an eight foot tall sea scorpion with an eighteen inch long claw. Not cool. I love to learn. If I can’t get a job in architecture I would like to learn things. Can anyone pay me to learn things? This week I thought it would be crazy fun to flip houses for a living. I also thought about how impossible that would be with absolutely no money.

It has been an amazingly glorious week. We have gone on many walks to enjoy the sunshine and we have also been in search of a baby swing at a playground. Our four mile walk on Friday included three parks. None had a baby swing. I found this annoying. I figure someone sued someone and now they have gone the way of the merry-go-round and the teeter totter. I thought about saying something about natural selection and the stupidity of some people, but decided that it was too crass and insensitive. I found it pretty neat that there were so many parks so close to our house though.

There is a park that has a slide coming out of a polar bear’s mouth that we went by on Saturday just to see where it was. We were kind of by it after picking up something from the hospital so I thought it was worth a shot.  It doesn't seem like it’s in a very good neighborhood. Or rather, it seems like it’s in a terrible neighborhood. This needs further investigation before I decide if we go there to play or not. I hate to judge a book by its cover, but covers are supposed to give an indication of the content so it can’t be dismissed all together.

In fact, a huge part of marketing books is fitting the cover to the content and drawing people in because the cover looks so good. Rarely does an actual book cover look bad and that is often what the saying is telling us. I don’t think I've ever heard “That looks awesome!” “Well you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.” What a pessimistic person that would be. So since this neighborhood had nothing making it look good, maybe I’m judging it by its guts. Sorry if no one followed that. It made sense to me, but then again I am very tired. To sum up, I don't think that phrase is good anymore.

Another saying that I can actually educate you all on is the phrase, “That person is not worth their salt.” Many of you may know that salt used to be as valuable as gold. At one point, people were actually paid for their work in salt, which is where the word ‘salary’ comes from now.

As we near the end of our time in Alaska, I have been trying to tidy things up so that when Dan leaves he doesn't have to spend five days cleaning. I have a lot left that I want to do, mainly the shower door.

Dan: “The only thing I’m worried about is the shower door. Luckily it’s frosted so it’s probably worse than it looks.”

Dorisa: “What?”

Dan: “The glass is frosted.”

Dorisa: “No it’s not.”

Dan: “Crap.”

It may not be frosted, but it is bumpy. I don’t understand why they make shower glass bumpy. If you don’t want to be seen in the shower, then don’t let people into the bathroom while you’re showering. It seems no one gave any consideration to the impossible task of cleaning these stupid doors. Plus, I do not find them aesthetically pleasing. Not to sound like a rain cloud, but this is what one would call a lose-lose situation.

Ice out on our tiny lake-pond occurred Friday, May 24. That was stupid late.

I had a crazy idea the other day that it would be fun to grow some wheat and make a loaf of bread truly from scratch. This morphed into also growing peppers, tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, and onions, and also making my own pasta noodles from scratch. I would buy eggs for the noodles. I don’t want chickens. I just think it would be fun to see how much work it is. I would also like to churn some butter. Anyone got a cow?

Dan: “So is that going to be your summer project?”

Dorisa: “No, I won’t be able to get the wheat in on time… Wow. That is something I never thought I would say.”

Dan: "Somewhere you ancestors just smiled and they don't know why."

Oskar is on a disturbing trend. He seems to want to be awake when the sun is up. This would be fine in decent places, but we aren't in decent places are we, precious? I’m joking, Alaska is very decent, I just wanted to use that line and the sun up here is messed up. Today the official sunrise time was 4:46 AM and sunset will be at 11:09 PM but it is light-ish before and after those times. It is incredibly disorienting and wakes up my baby. As much fun as it is to get up and play at 4:45, I think I’ll pass.

I heard a funny line yesterday. “Summer in Alaska is beautiful. It’s a bummer if you have to work that weekend.”

Sometimes Dan talks to me about preaching. Sometimes I have nothing to say in response to him so I change the subject.

Dan: “Lose at seminary gives the advice that if you have to preach on the Holy Trinity, don’t. It’s too hard to explain.

Dorisa: “Did you know that traditional jelly beans are all the same on the inside?”

Dan: “What?!?”

Dorisa: “Yea, all the flavoring is in the coating. Three layers worth.”

Dan: “My mind is blown!”

It's fairly simple to get someone with ADD to change the subject.

In other news, I watched a Modern Marvels marathon that included Salt, Milk and Wheat and an episode of Factory Made that talked about jelly beans. Could you tell? Modern Marvels is a good show, but sometimes the title throws me off. I understand that Modern Marvels is about modern applications of various things, but hearing “Today on Modern Marvels: Dirt” sounds a bit oxymoronic to me. It was good for a chuckle though.

The many expressions of Oskar

 It is May 19. It snowed on Friday. With accumulation. This is wrong.

We were invited over to dinner at a congregation member's house on Friday and she made delicious enchiladas. We also went to a small going away shindig for the former pastor's wife yesterday where we ate delicious burgers. Overall the week was a win as far as food and company goes.

Before walk

The church had a garage sale a couple weeks ago and the strollers didn't sell so we got one for a small donation. I'm pretty excited about this because it means I can take a walk with Oskar and not continue breaking my broken back. The stroller is a little broken, but it's good enough for the month we have left up here. Hmm. Seems things are broken up here.

After walk.

Oskar's eczema continues to improve, but sometimes we still catch him scratching at it so then he looses left arm privileges. This involves swaddling one arm. He doesn't seem to mind too much. He really only scratches at it now when he's really sleepy. I think it's because he will be rubbing his eyes and his hand will brush by his cheek and he will be reminded that his skin itches.

Very sleepy, lost arm privilege.

Oskar continues to be one of the most expressive babies I have ever seen, although I haven't interacted much with many other babies, so he's probably just normal. We have now tried carrots, squash, peas, and green beans. He likes them all, or at least eats them all. I dislike the smell of the peas. They smell really bad. Usually when Oskar eats now we just take off all his clothes. It's easier this way.

We are not amused.

I have not been sleeping well. It was annoying enough before I had a baby, but now I do and he doesn't care very much and demands the same from me regardless of my lack of sleep. Not fair. He learned to cough on purpose recently. This is really annoying because a coughing baby is typically a sick or choking baby. No, my kid just smiles and coughs. Weirdo. He also does this super cute whimpering thing while falling asleep. It is so funny. 

Natural mohawk.

Dan and I had a conversation the other day:

Dan: "Oskar sounds like a sad seagull."

Me: "There are no sad seagulls. There are hungry seagulls and dead seagulls." 

He found this amusing and wanted me to share it with you all. Enjoy this movie of my little man singing and chomping on his feet:

Many pictures and a small commercial commentary

Every community has its interesting commercials. Before I talk about ones in Anchorage I need everyone to be aware of Chuck Testa. This is old news I know, but everyone needs to know. Anchorage seems to have a disproportional amount interesting commercials. I have mentioned some before. Mattress Ranch always has some gems. And although this isn't the Excalibur Sports commercial we saw on TV, this gives you a taste of what they are like. Dan and I have really come around on Worthington Ford and if we needed to buy a car up here, we would go get a "four before" (4x4) from him. There is also a Roto Rooter commercial that couldn't be newer than 1985 and a car mechanic who claims that you wouldn't let you health insurance pick your doctor so why let your car insurance dictate where you take your car? Oh wait, health insurance almost always has some say in where you go to the doctor.

There is one commercial for an RV place that says "RV Trek" and actually uses the names Captain Kirk and Spock. Now, I don’t know much about copyright law, but I think that is pushing it a bit. A couple days ago I posted on Facebook that the rest of the country doesn't pay enough attention to things that happen in Alaska, but maybe that’s why they can get away with things like that commercial. Also, it bothers me how some people up here say the “lower 48.” Aren't all the other states lower than Alaska? Maybe I missed something. I do enjoy how when they leave Alaska they say they are going outside. That is humerous.

Like all of you in Minnesota, we are apparently having a slow spring. Dan and I have no frame of reference, but that is what the folk are saying.  We had a goopy snow on May 4 but none of it stuck. It has been nice for a few days now and today it is absolutely gorgeous.

Oskar is five months old. He can kind of sit (see pictures below for what happened next) and he can roll over both ways. Athough he has only done from back to front once and figured out front to back the next day and does that all the time. Call me selfish for no longer nursing Oskar, but I am so much happier now. Oskar didn't even seem to care that we were done. I think he noticed that something was different for a couple days, but he’s totally fine now. Devouring rice and oatmeal cereal has become a beloved past time of his, as has eating naked. We have bibs, but he just chomps on them while eating so they get a bit in the way. He does enjoy having both hands in his mouth while eating and when I finally pry them away he rubs them all over his belly. Meal time has gotten significantly messier.

I celebrated my Alaska birthday last Friday with a delicious steak. Some of my wonderful friends called me and sang happy birthday to me and Dan let me sleep in. It was a pretty good day. As a present we decided to take some of our tax return and buy me a fancy camera. I absolutely love it but it makes me feel like an idiot. I just need to remember everything I learned in my photography class over ten years ago and I will be good to go.

 

Fist bump?

Last weekend I had significant issues with either my blood pressure or blood sugar. I have no idea what that was about but it seems to be better now. It was dangerous enough getting light headed while pregnant, but when it happens suddenly while I’m holding Oskar I find it especially uncool.

If only I would have had my fancy camera...

Saw another moose the other day just chilling in someone’s yard. It laid down for about half an hour and just sat. It was very weird watching a moose lay down. They are more graceful than one would think.

I can't come up with a clever title

Oh, what to talk about. Honestly, not much is happening. Some of you may know that when a move is coming up I tend to get started with the process a little early. I started on working on clearing out the condiments in the fridge probably in January. Not throwing them away of course, but planning meals that use them up so they don't go to waste. I've also started putting together items to send home so we can kind of start gauging how much that is going to cost and how many boxes that will be. Also it helps me feel like I'm getting something done.

Dan thought it was important that you all know that he isn't always happy.

Weaning a baby makes a mother feel bad, especially when he is only about five months old. It just seems that we are all happier when he has formula. It keeps him fuller longer and he eats quicker. Whenever he spits up lately- and it's not often- it's always breast milk. I don't really understand that, but I take it as a sign to keep doing what we're doing.

Oskar is so loud. I know I've said it before, but he's getting bigger so he's getting louder. I already had bad hearing and this is going to make me deaf. Sometimes when I sing the alphabet he quiets down, but I'm getting so sick of singing it (and Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). It's also difficult to sing one thing and type another, not impossible, but it definitely slows down the process. Note for moms to be: refresh your lullaby/nursery rhyme knowledge. It does not just stick around from childhood. Also, do some bicep curls.

He is mostly happy though.

My final week up here is all planned and the reservations are made. Yay. It includes two glaciers, an aquarium, a brewery, horseback riding in the mountains and kayaking in the ocean. Sounds like a win. It also includes staying in a facility with no running water, but we're trying not to focus on that. There are communal bathrooms and stuff, so we'll make it. Sixty-five dollars a night works a lot better for us than $190. And the $190 is the cheapest we could get. It seems that Seward is full up.

Saw some moose on our walk yesterday. The baby is pretty easy to see.  To the left of the big cluster of trees you can kinda see a big butt. That is the momma.

In other news, I can't figure out how the camera on my computer works. I even tried using the internet to help me. No dice. Of course I skipped the tutorial when I got the computer because I thought it would be easy to go back and find it. I was wrong. I'll try again when Oskar is sleeping. Oh wow, I may have just found it accidentally, still going to work on it later.

You will all be thrilled to know that after the stroller fiasco of last weekend, I now have two, including the one I originally wanted. I will be returning the more expensive one. Whew, glad that's settled.

Holy moly did we have a morning

Sometimes Oskar is so good and sometimes it's like I have never met the kid before in my life. Super frustrating. Ahhh babies. I'm also frustrated because I tried to order an umbrella stroller today and it was no longer available. If it is no longer available stop advertising it on your home page! You should be told it is unavailable before having to type in all your info and payment. It's been a long day, I just didn't need that on it as well. 

After much discussion at the church, Dan will be returning to our fair city in early July. Dan says, “We will return to you comrades and the glorious motherland. Pour the fine ale! Sacrifice a loon!” There has been some confusing communication regarding this issue and we've had our ups and downs, but it all ends with Dan not having to spend so long away from his little boy, so that is stellar. There might be an opportunity for him to do some work in SW MN too, so if I can’t find a job that will give us a little paycheck in the meantime.

I went with a friend and her baby to the baby expo yesterday. My baby stayed home with his father because I needed a break. I think the expo was a little smaller than either of us expected, but it was a glorious sunny day so we walked around outside and then went to a bar. Good beer and good conversation were included. All in all, very good “baby expo.”

Oskar has realized he has the power to scratch the eczema on his face. This is not fun and leads to some bleeding. Because of this I am trying to be more diligent about putting lotion on his face and it is improving, just very slowly. We’re doing the best we can.

We are making plans for our outings at the end of the year and I’m excited because as of now we are going back to Seward. We did the Kenai Fjords cruise last time and while that was awesome, we didn't get to see much of the city because our time was limited. Now hopefully we can go to the aquarium, get up close to a couple glaciers, and go kayaking. Also, we will need to go back to the place with the excellent beer cheese soup. I made a calendar/schedule on our little white board. It is very organized and makes me happy. Now I just need to make all the reservations.

OMG! I could get a plum explorer for only $1800!

That's right. I could have a new old plum Explorer. It is taking everything I have not to think about it. If there is any part of me that thought it would make the drive back to Minnesota it would be mine. Also, the interior is red. That was a bad idea I think. Some would call my old Explorer crappy and slightly dangerous. I don't care, I miss that thing.

This post is mostly for videos if you are interested. There have been recent developments in our timeline up here, but more on that on Sunday when we will hopefully have it all figured out.

First solid food:

I like to yell all the time, except when I know I'm on camera:

The sun returns... with a vengeance...

Our little guy is very healthy. Twenty-six inches long and 15 pounds 8 ounces. We both thought he would be heavier based on belly size and the fact that we’re the ones holding him all the time. Fiftieth percentile in everything except length where he is 85^th. He has a bit of eczema that comes and goes on his cheek, but this is normal. Good to go.

Oskar has officially had his first soupy solids. It went as well as one could hope. He’s been interested in watching us eat for about a month now and on the day we started him on solids I was eating while nursing him and every time I took a bite he would stop and look up at me and seemed way more interested in what I was doing than what he was doing. I took that as a sign, but we were going to start anyway, so whatever. We are adjusting to two bottles a day now and finally moved up to the bigger bottle and nipple size- a little late, but I forgot about it. Oskar seems fine, so I think it’s okay. He is still usually kicking and punching me while he nurses except in the night and the first one of the day. One cute thing he does though is he’ll look at me with a giant smile and giggle a bit and then start eating again, as if to say, “I’m having a great time, thanks mom.” He’ll do that like five times in a row. It’s adorable.

Dan was in Seattle most of last week. There were plenty of people I could have called for help if I needed it, but I was interested to see if I could do it on my own. Well, we made it, but I had semi-convinced myself that it would seem more like three days instead of four because he was only away two nights. Well, we dropped him off at the airport at 5:30 AM Monday and picked him up at 2:00 AM Friday. It was a LONG four days. Plus, considering Oskar actually sleeps most of the night, those were not ideal airport times at all.

I bought our plane tickets. Oskar and I will be returning on June 19. That’s only two months away! Barb will be coming up for a while and then helping me come home with Oskar and then Rusty will be coming up in July, going to Denali with Dan and then helping him finish everything up and moving the rest of the stuff home. I was thinking about going to Denali, but with Oskar and me being out of shape it didn't seem like it was worth the money for me to go. All I really wanted to do was see McKinley and I can do that from here anyway. This way Dan can do some of the longer more wildernessy hikes and possibly camp if Rusty is interested. I was looking forward to the train ride up there because the scenery is supposed to be beautiful, but really the scenery everywhere up here is beautiful so I won’t miss out on too much. I have a coupon for horseback riding just outside of town here up in the mountains so I plan on doing that and I am PUMPED.

It's good to fold your hands and feet. Don't mind my toe lint.

I found another giant spider (my definition of giant, not a normal person’s). I put it in tea cup jail to think about what it had done and to die a slow death since Dan was out of town. I know I see more spiders in a room than most people do- my eyes are just drawn to them I guess, but I know that I still only see a fraction of what is there. This makes me angry and sad.

The sunlight is already being awesome up here. Official sunrise is 6:40 AM and sunset is 9:21 PM, but it is light-ish before and after those times, so it’s really throwing us off. Especially when we want to call or text our parents and we figure that since it is still light out, it’s still early enough to do that. That may have been true in December when it was dark at three, but not so much anymore and we have a lot more light to gain yet. It is very weird and very hard to adjust to such quick changes in daylight.

Anyone else’s kid look at you and smile as they are pooping? This is very weird. I know you can’t tell, but I just took a break from writing this to feed Oskar. I don’t understand how one ounce can be the difference between, “How dare you stop feeding me to burp me! I’m still hungry and I’m going to scream at you until you fix it! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!” and “I’m so full and happy I think I’ll fall asleep now until it’s time to poo.” So dramatic.