We are finally recovering from Violet’s first cold.  Anytime her nose would plug up, she would start screaming.  I guess that makes sense, but it is painful when she is sleeping next to you on a Saturday morning.  It’s like an alarm is going off.  Who is bombing us?  Then we’d bust out the big blue suction bulb.  That would work to suck out the snot, but it was like baby waterboarding.  We’d only use it whenever Violet was already turned up to 11.

Yesterday we took a trip with my parents to see the fall colors up in Taylors Falls.  It isn’t supposed to be 75 and sunny in the middle of October.  When I go to look at the folliage, I expect it to be 50 and overcast.  Sweater wearing weather.  Maybe even with a hot coffee in hand.  Instead, we were worrying about sunburn and staying hydrated.  It was still very fun.  As always, pictures are out on our Picasa site: http://picasaweb.google.com/derek.d.anderson

Yup, slackers here.  I’m sorry.  Here is an end of summer recap.  In random order.  

Violet LOVES the state fair.  One more generation hooked.  The sights, sounds, and smells intoxicated her.  

Violet is now in the 95th percentile for height, 90th percentile for weight, and 75th for head size.  This means she’s finally growing into her huge round head.  ”Thanks, Dad,” says Violet.

The summer was a blur.  Clair is back to work on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights.  We found out that a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night at home is in our backyard around the fire pit.  Violet gets to sleep in her own bed, and we get to relax out of the house.  If anyone needs to get rid of any burnable wood, we’ll take it.  Otherwise, there are a few firewood services I’ve looked into.  Firewood from the gas station is just so damn expensive.  

Oh yeah, the Packers just beat the Vikings for the 5th time in a row.  Good bye, Brett Favre.  Hello, Aaron Rodgers.  

Ninja and Violet are starting to interact.  Violet thinks that Ninja is the coolest thing in the world.  She giggles everytime he comes near.  She always wants to pet him.  Nowever, nuerotic Ninja is very much afraid of her.  He will lick her feet, but if she moves towards him, he runs away.  

Three weeks ago, Violet learned how to growl.  Two weeks ago, Violet learned how to shriek.  Last week, Violet learned how to make a noise like a cat trying to pass a furball.  All of these noises are made when she is happy, which is all the time.  This includes 2 am and 6 am.  Some nights are not fun for Clair and me. 

Wow, this summer is flying by.  In June, we had baby showers in both Iowa and Wisconsin.  Then, we took a week-long vacation in Villard, MN, just south of Alexandria.  Pictures of the events have been updated on the picture site: http://picasaweb.google.com/derek.d.anderson/

On the 4th of July, we went down to Wabasha for a Suilmann family reunion.  We stayed to watch the fireworks.  Normally, Clair and I sleep on the futon, but with Violet along, I got bumped down to the couch.  Mark and Sandy have a pretty comfortable couch.

Clair has started working on Monday nights, so we hired a baby sitter to cover the gap from when Clair leaves and I get home.  So far, so good.  She experienced a diaper blowout and didn’t quit.

Violet just keeps getting cuter.  She is over 13 lbs and 24 inches long.  Up there in the 95-97% for her age.  She’s quite healthy.  I think she is starting to laugh.  She loves flashing lights: tv, rainforest play area, flipping a light switch, the sun through the tree leaves.  She greats us every morning with a big smile and giggle.  It makes waking up a lot easier.

Violet and I have been watching movies together.  She usually falls asleep in her Boppy on the couch, so I turn on the subtitles and turn down the volume.  Last week, we watched Taxi Driver.  On Sunday, we watched The Incredibles.  I think that was more Violet’s speed.  I’ve got The Last Temptation of Christ sitting on the entertainment center.  I might have to wait until Violet falls asleep to watch that one.  I don’t want her thinking Willem Defoe is Jesus for the rest of her life.  He’s a good actor and from Wisconsin, but he was also the Green Goblin.  I could see how that would be confusing for a kid.  “Why is Jesus throwing exploding pumpkins at Spider Man?”  Good question, kid.

Well, it looks like a month slipped by without a post.  Sorry about that.  Violet is doing well.  Her big blue eyes are much more visible now, which is cool except for when they go crossed.  And she is getting spoiled.  I just hooked up the wipes warmer that Grandma LuAnn got her.  I have to use dry, thin paper from a roll.  Violet gets to use warmed, moist, strong wipes.  It isn’t fair.

A lot has happened in the last month.  Clair got to experience her first Mother’s Day.  Violet went to her first recital weekend up in Chisago.  I got my gallbladder removed.  I think I got the raw end of that deal.

Even though the blog hasn’t been updated much, we have been taking a bunch of pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/derek.d.anderson

Hello All,

We have updated our photo gallery with new pics from the last few days at home.

Highlights: Violet at her first bar; Ninja wanting to be held like a baby; Violet’s first bath

http://picasaweb.google.com/derek.d.anderson/FirstWeek

Hello all. Violet Elizabeth Anderson showed up on April 25, 2008 at 11:01 pm. She would have arrived on her due date of April 26th, but there was a mishap with the umbilical cord that caused her heart rate to drop, so Clair got swifted away for an emergency C Section. Violet was 9 lbs 6.1 oz and 21 inches long. She had a full head of dark hair and, oddly enough, full ears of dark hair. You’ll have to see it to know what I mean

Now, Clair, Violet, and I are back home. Ninja and Violet are getting along nicely. Clair and I have divvied up the tasks: Clair does the feeding, I change the diapers. I’m getting pretty good at it. Violet screams like the dickens, but we’re learning.

We have a bunch of pics from the weekend. Instead of posting them all hear, it was quicker to upload them to Picasa, Google’s photo service. This link will take you to our photo albums.

Clair and I met with the doctor yesterday.  It turns out that baby is in no hurry to come out.  She is slowly starting to drop, but nothing to get excited about.  I’m guessing that the due date of Apr 26 is going to come and go with no news.  The doc said that if she doesn’t come naturally by Apr 30, we will schedule the baby to be induced on May 2.  So at least we have a locked in go-live date now.

To try to kick starts things, Clair is eating spicy foods.  Yesterday she had curry from Pei Wei with her mom.  Also, Clair, Ninja, and I went for a nice long walk.  It was so nice out, we went down to the St Anthony Main riverfront (across the river from the Mill City Museum where we got married) and had a picnic.  Then we walked across the Stone Arch Bridge.  Ninja was loving it.  So many new smells.  Once we got to the other side, Clair had to duck into the Guthrie to use the facilities.  After that and a short break, we were able to get back to our car before sunset.  It was a damn nice night.

So, I’ve been a bit of a jerk and haven’t updated the blog in a while. Well, a lot has happened. Go buy a hat and hold onto it.

To start the month, Clair and I bought a new car: a 2002 Subaru Outback. All wheel drive, leather heated seats, 2 sun roofs, rides like a dream, and it is all Clair’s. I get to drive it on communal trips. It has recently started making a screeching noise from the windshield like letting air out of a pinched balloon. Clair is taking it in on Thursday. On most days, I drive the ’93 Civic with a busted muffler. It’s a sporty ride that gets me places cheaply that a bus won’t go, which brings me to my next point.

Our second economic-type crisis was averted last week. I started a new contracting gig at UnitedHealth Group in Plymouth. (The bus doesn’t go from NE Mpls to Plymouth according to metrotransit.org.) Medtronic decided to terminate my contract one month before Clair is due. That was fun news to get. I freaked out for a month, and then an opportunity came up at a place I worked before. After one week between jobs, I started back in the same role I left back in 2005, the only difference being that I am a contractor now instead of an employee. So far it has been one of the best starts to a job I’ve ever had. I recognize most of the people I’ve worked with in the past. They invited me out to a happy hour on Thursday. It has been a long time since I went to a work related happy hour.

My parents came up early in the month to help us organize the house a bit. Woody and I did odd stuff around the house while Clair and Mom organized all the gifts from Clair’s first baby shower. Woody and I put together the crib, a bookshelf, hung a bunch of shelves and pictures, rewired the baby’s room’s outlets and light switch, and installed a new light fixture. Clair and Mom washed and folded all of the baby clothes. We have too much baby clothing, so it took them a while. I’m just glad that we are seeing my parents more often.

A couple weeks later, Clair’s family friend Sandy came through with her wedding present. She cleaned our main floor completely: bathroom, kitchen, living room, family room, bedroom, and nursery. We heard she was disgusted by how much dog hair she vacuumed up. I can’t say I blame her. Ninja is a shedding machine. We definitely have to stay on top of that better.

Clair is getting pretty big. Less than 3 weeks to go. She has started going to the doctor on a weekly basis. In a short time, we’ll be in a new world. I’m anticipating that with an ignorant smile. I have no idea how drastically things are going to change, so I might as well greet it happily.

Ahhh….to be pregnant with friends!! This is from Katie LaPointe’s baby shower on March 30th. Yummy brunch and good conversation and cute baby gifts. Can you guess who’s due first!? We’re all one month apart according to our due dates, it’ll be fun to see what actually transpires. It was fun to talk heartburn, cravings, and small bladders(let the sleepless nights begin!) with gals going through it right along with you.