On Friday, Grandpa Jeff, Uncle Ben, and Auntie Becky flew in.  Aunt Hannah and Ayden also came up to our house for a big dinner.  As soon as everyone got there, we were talking and everyone wanted to hold me and see what kind of skills I had.  I wasn’t too shy, and let Grandpa Jeff hold me right away!  Pretty soon, Mom started to make dinner.  We had cheese and crackers while Mom grilled Copper River Salmon.  Then we also had corn on the cob.  Everyone was excited to see me and to be together.  It was a bit chaotic fitting 9 people around a 6 person table, but we all managed to fit. 

The next morning, we all got up and drove down to Tacoma.  I took a nap on the car ride so I would be ready to go.  We met for lunch at a Thai restaurant.  There were lots of yummy things to eat!  Jumping Squid and Tum Yum soup and spicy fish and chicken satay and rice and tea!!  So many new flavors!!  Mom thought that the fish would be too spicy, but Uncle Ben was sitting next to me and he didn’t get the message, so I ate a lot of it.  It was too spicy for mom (THREE stars!) but not for me!!  I’m just like Dad!

After lunch, we all went to the sites that Aunt Hannah was doing restoration work on.  We went to Gog Le Hi Te which is a marsh land.  It is 9.5 acres (if I remember correctly) where birds and other animals can have a nice habitat.  Hannah showed us which were invasive plants and everyone took a turn pulling some up.

Mom climbed down and looked at the marsh, while I did shoulder rides on the path.  It was turning into a nice sunny day, so people were getting warm.  We decided to move on to the next site, which was in the shade.

At this location, Aunt Hannah talked to us about the kinds of trees and how they change to ecosystem.  She said that her place (Citizens for a Healthy Bay) had just planted a bunch of coniferous trees which live 150 years on average, which is longer than deciduous trees which live 100 years.  The trees that the group planted will live for a long time and help change and shape the ecosystem where we visited.  

After the second site, we all rushed over to Aunt Hannah’s apartment to change into fancy clothes for the President’s reception.  It was a little meet and greet time to celebrate the graduates.  Aunt Hannah carried me around and showed me to her friends.  There was cheese and cookies and veggies and yummy sparkling lemonade.  After we had some food, we walked around the grounds and took some pictures.  Then we headed home because I was tired and ready for bed!

On Sunday, we all drove down to Tacoma again to meet for church.  Unfortunately, we were mistaken on the time, and church was over, so we went to Olive Garden instead.  I had lots of fun playing Peek-a-Boo with Grandma and Grandpa.

Then we went to the Tacoma Dome for the graduation ceremony!!  It was very nice, and Mom was excited to be on the other side for a PLU graduation.  We waited to watch Aunt Hannah graduate with her double major of German and Environmental Studies.  But, by the end of the ceremony, I was getting antsy, so Dad and Mom took me up to the balcony to walk around.  After the ceremony was done, we took a MILLION pictures and then Mom had to go to work.

It was a busy weekend of celebration, but it was very fun!!  Congratulations Aunt Hannah!!

Today I got a package in the mail from G&GT. It had an Easter Bunny toy, some chocolate bunnies and eggs with jelly beans. Mom read the card aloud and then opened a small bunny. She ate its head and then gave me the body. It was so yummy! I sucked on it and chewed it a bit but swallowed it after only a little while!

Also today I played with Dad and took two naps in my crib. I am getting better and only cried for about 6 minutes each nap. Dad and I went in a nice walk in the afternoon.

This afternoon we played Catan. Mom bought the game on Friday and we played it today with Aunt Hannah. The game seemed very confusing and I scowled at it for quite a while. I even took a nap in the middle of the game and was too confused.

Then we had lunch and went out to do errands.  We went shopping for Auntie Jess’s birthday presents, and then we went to Costco to get supplies for the St Patrick’s Day party Mom and Dad will have tomorrow. We got home by 4:30, so Mom thought she would just stay up until Dad got home and then she would go to bed.  Then she found out that Aunt Hannah was coming around 7 instead of midnight, so she wanted to see Aunt Hannah.

When Dad got home, he pushed my in my swing and Mom did some gardening to prepare for planting vegetables.  I was too tired, so I went to bed before Aunt Hannah got here, but I will see her in the morning.  Mom and Dad will stay up and eat dinner with Aunt Hannah, but I had an egg which I ate very fast.  Then Mom did my bedtime.

All the moms talked about their birth experiences, and the babies played on the floor.  Three of the moms there had c-sections, and one had a natural delivery which was what the class was geared towards.  There was a potluck lunch, and lots of visiting.  The babies played a bit together and looked at eachother, and the moms were talking.  Leo’s mom was talking about how he poops on the potty already, from something called elimination communication.  Mom had seen the book before and thought it sounded interesting, but kind of hokey.  But after hearing that Leo can poop on the potty, and see it happen at the reunion, she thinks we might give it a try!

After the reunion, Mom and I drove down to Tacoma to see Aunt Hannah.  Her boyfriend is visiting her, so Mom wanted to meet him.  His name is Ayden.  Right when we got there, we went on a short adventure related to Dad’s birthday, and Aunt Hannah helped with that.  Then everyone was hungry, so we went to Denny’s.  I liked Ayden’s hat and kept trying to eat it all night long!

After another long day filled with visiting and driving (we were out of the house from 10 am to 10:30 pm!) Mom and I went home and went to bed.

Then we went to the ruins. I slept in my backpack carrier and my head kept drooping down so Dad kept helping me put it up. The ruins are right by the ocean so we took some nice family photos I can show later.

Then we went to another hotel for lunch and swimming. I went in the pool with Mom and Dad. It was nice and cool on such a hot day after being in the warm sun! Then Mom went snorkeling with Aunt Hannah and Aunty Becky and I stayed on the lounge chairs with Dad.

It was the last one of the season.  Mom and Dad have enjoyed going almost every Saturday this summer, but now there aren’t many plants and it is getting cold and muddy at the market.  We bought plums, salsa, small potatoes that Mom is going to use in a soup, and celery.  It was also a costume contest for dogs, so there were dogs dressed up as all kinds of things.  We saw one with fairy wings, a turkey, a skeleton, and lots of other things.  

Then we came home and Aunt Hannah went back to Tacoma to go sailing.  Then we came back and Mom and Dad tried to get me to take a nap, but I only took a 20 minute nap and then they tried to get me to fall asleep again, but I cried and cried.  They are kind of abandoning sleep training for naps.  So Mom picked me up and put me in their bed and laid with me to get me to go to sleep, but I wasn’t tired and after I ate, I started playing with my toes.  Mom and Dad played with me for about an hour, and I was giggling SO MUCH!  Everything was funny!!  Then we all went to Fred Meyer to get Dad a bike helmet so we can go on family rides. I fell asleep in the Fred Meyer shopping cart, but only for a short time, so Mom and Dad knew I would be too tired for pumpkin carving.  They dressed me in my costume and took a million pictures.

When Aunt Hannah got home they all ate the soup Mom made, and then I was ready for bed.  I cried for about 30 seconds, and then fell asleep for the night.  I went to bed at 8, but then woke up at 9:30 while Mom, Dad, and Aunt Hannah were carving their pumpkins.  Mom thought they should wait 10 minutes before coming to get me, and I fell asleep again before the timer went off.  Then I slept all the way until 4:45 and just wanted to eat!  I woke up for real at 7:30.

Mom, Dad, and Aunt Hannah had fun carving the pumpkins.  They also carved one for me!  Each person carved one thing on mine.  Aunt Hannah did one eye, Dad did the nose, and Mom did the other eye and the mouth.  They drank gluwine while they were carving pumpkins, and it was yummy!

This morning, I rolled over for Aunt Hannah and Dad saw me roll from my tummy for the first time.  I rolled from my tummy yesterday for the first time for Mom.  She was glad she saw that first, and she hopes she will be around for my first steps!  Then Aunt Hannah had to go back to PLU, and we went to church.  Pretty soon, Mom is going to take a nap, and maybe I will join her!

Mom and Dad didn’t end up going to the beer fest. Kim had a high fever so they couldn’t go together. Mom said that they should still go on a date since Aunt Hannah was here. They went to brunch at a restaurant on the lake. Dad had crab eggs Benedict and Mom had a breakfast Monte Cristo sandwich. They both had Bloody Marys. There was a Bloody Mary bar where you could add all kinds of things to your drink, including bacon!

In the afternoon, Mom, Aunt Hannah and I went to the farmers market. We got there kind of late but we got a lot of deals. We got some eggplant to have for dinner tonight. Also, Mom got me a hat for October. It’s a pumpkin hat!

After the farmers market, I took my only real nap of the day. Now I am ready for bedtime at 8:20!!

The first thing we did was go to Dad’s favorite stand, “Totally Fried.”  They have all kinds of deep fried things, but Dad wanted to get the deep fried alligator.  He got that last year and the year before.  Aunt Hannah also wanted deep fried pickles.  When we got up to the stand, we saw that they had changed the whole menu!  They still had the deep fried pickles, but no more alligator.  So Mom and Dad opted for deep fried kool-aid instead.

Then we went in a big hall and all ate some real lunch.  Mom and Aunt Hannah had curry and Dad had salmon and chips and got some fried mushrooms for them to all share.  I was getting sleepy and overwhelmed by SO many people, so I took a nap while Mom, Dad, and Aunt Hannah looked at different things to buy.

Last year, Mom wanted to get a scone, but the line was so long every time they went to get one, and then they ran out of time because Aunt Hannah had to go to work.  So this year, as soon as she saw the first stand, Mom said, “We’re getting scones!”  Everybody had one scone (except me, I get one second hand), and Mom was so happy!  We found a nice picnic table to enjoy the scones at and then I had my diaper changed and we were ready to move on. 

Next we went to look at the animals.  We went in the Dairy Barn and got some milk samples.  There was chocolate milk and strawberry milk.  We saw lots and lots of cows.  Then we looked at lots of other animals.  We saw chickens, rabbits, ducks, geese, some other birds and fowl, goats, pigs, llamas, and alpacas.

When it was about dinner time, we headed back to Aunt Hannah’s apartment.  We stopped on the way to show her a cheap place that Mom used to get groceries, and buy some pizzas there.  Then they played the games that they bought, Sorry! and Clue.  The pizzas got burned because Aunt Hannah’s oven runs really hot!  They were supposed to cook for 25 minutes and were only in for 12 before they were smoking everywhere and had to come out!

It was a nice day and fun to see so many different animals.  Next year, I will probably have more fun looking at the animals, and I can have my own scone!

We got a package in the mail from Grandma Pam today.  It had some things of Mom’s from when she was a baby.  There were some dishes, and clothes.  There was also Dad’s iPod, which we forgot at G&GT’s house when we went for 4th of July.  He will be excited to be able to play all kinds of music on his car drive now.  One of the things from when Mom was a baby was a bonnet.  It is a little frilly for me, but it is fun to try on!

Since we could use the carpool lane, Mom and I got there first.  There was a big accident on the highway, so the drive ended up taking about an hour and 45 minutes when it usually takes one hour.  Mom didn’t know where the apartment was, so we planned to meet at a Walgreens.  I had been fussy the last part of the trip, so as soon as we got to Walgreens, Mom got me out of the carseat and fed me.  Just as she was finishing feeding me, she smelled a distinct odor.  It was the poop that Mom and Dad had been waiting FOUR days for!!!  And my first #3!

After Mom cleaned me all up, Aunt Hannah led the way to the apartments.  It is an old building, once the Pacific Lutheran Orphanage.  Mom thought it was SO cute.  All the floors are original and it has courtyards and beautiful foliage and paths.  It doesn’t even seem like you are in Parkland!  Mom and Aunt Hannah unpacked the cars and then did a bit of searching for a couch.  They found a free desk, but Aunt Hannah didn’t want one.  Before Mom and I went home, we helped Aunt Hannah get settled a bit, put some things away, and visited for a bit so we wouldn’t hit too much traffic.  We still got home pretty late, but Mom and I were glad to see where Aunt Hannah will live and see how cute and full of character it is.  She will have a nice time living there.  Mom and I want to take Dad down to see Aunt Hannah’s place soon.  Also, she forgot some things here, so we need to bring them to her.

  That afternoon, we all drove into Seattle.  It was my first trip into the city, from the outside.  We went to the Seattle Underground Tour.  It was very funny.  The guide kept making fun of Aunt Hannah because she was from Tacoma.  We learned all about the history of how the town was built and then burned down and then had to be rebuilt.  The second time that they built Seattle, they built it a story higher and then filled in the streets.  That was because there was such a steep hill that the toilets would explode when the tide was in!!  We walked around on the first sidewalks, that were one story underground.  Everyone thought that it was an interesting tour, and enjoyed the time.

On Tuesday, Mom and Grandma did some work in the yard.  They were pulling up weeds and taking out raised beds on the side of the driveway.  I stayed inside with the rest of the family.  Everyone else played games and Mom and Grandma played games too after they were done outside.  Then, they went to Rock Bottom Brewery for $2 Tuesday.  Remember I went there a couple weeks ago?  It was just as fun this time.  I was passed around the table, and between all my family, they tried every beer that was on the menu!  People were pretty tired that night, so we all went to bed a little early.

On Wednesday, We headed back to Seattle to go to Pike’s Place Market.  Mom and Dad hadn’t been in over a year, so they were pretty excited too.  G&GT were excited to see the first Starbucks. Aunty Becky was excited to see the gum wall.  When we first got there, we wandered around a little bit.  Grandpa got some salmon jerky, which everyone shared.  They said it was yummy!  Then we tried to watch them toss a fish, but it wasn’t too busy in the market.  We managed to see them toss a fish a couple times.  Then we headed to the gum wall, and then headed down the main part of the market.  Grandpa and Aunt Hannah got some Korean food, and Dad was headed to the Piroshky place.  Mom, Aunty Becky, and Uncle Ben got some Hum Bao, and Grandma stayed with Dad for a Piroshky.  Then I wanted my lunch so Mom and Dad took a little break while G&GT went across the street to look at the rest of the market.  The Aunts and Uncle Ben stayed near Mom and Dad and looked at some shops in the area.

After I was done eating, they all met up and went to a little Bavarian grocery.  They bought some things from when they lived in Germany, and were excited to eat käsespätzle that night along with copper river salmon (but when G&GT went to the store that afternoon, it was all gone, so they had regular salmon instead). Next, they all headed over to the original Starbucks.  It was pretty crowded, but they made it to the front eventually.  Everyone had Starbucks cards, so they payment method was a little silly!!  Then they went to a little park to enjoy their drinks before heading back home for the evening.

Thursday was a work day.  It started out with Mom asking everyone to move some rocks she had dug out last year from the back yard to the front yard to make a rock wall.  But that only took about 5 minutes.  She thought it would be a lot longer.  So then Grandpa noticed that the roof was very messy and started working on it.  Mom and Aunty Becky made the rock wall in the front yard, and Grandma started looking for potential plants to move to the front yard.  Pretty soon, everyone was working on projects in the yard.  They worked until about 1:30 and got a LOT done.  Mom and Dad were SUPER happy.

After lunch, Dad, Mom and Grandpa tried to see if they could get the old dishwasher out from under the cabinet.  About a year ago, the dishwasher broke and the door was in two pieces.  It was hard to open it without separating the pieces and then it took some careful work to put the door back together.  Mom and Dad hadn’t replaced it because until that day, they didn’t know that their counters were ADA accessible.  They were able to get the dishwasher out from under the cabinet, so Dad, Uncle Ben, and Grandpa went to go buy a new dishwasher.  They got the new dishwasher installed and washed the first load of dishes that night after dinner.  It was a very productive day!

The Thiemann family left early this morning at 4:30.  I woke up at 4:15 so I could say goodbye (actually it was to eat, but I was glad to say bye as well).  I will miss them, but I am looking forward to seeing them again in August for my baptism.  I hope I will get to visit them in California pretty soon.

The fluid level today was only up to 6.9, so the doctor asked Mom what she wanted to do.  Mom thought that was too much pressure! So the doctor recommended that unless Mom STRONGLY wanted to stay pregnant that I be born today.  So Mom and Dad were so excited that they would get to meet me today!!  They walked over to the Birth Center and then Mom got an IV and they just had to wait for their turn.

When it was our turn, we went to the OR and they got Mom all ready.  I could tell she was really nervous about the spinal, but after that was over, I could tell she was really excited!  They were getting really close to me, and the doctor said “OK!” Then they were pulling me out and they picked me up so I got to see Mom and Dad right away!

Then Dad came over and took pictures of me and held my hand for a while before they wrapped me up and I got to see Mom again.  We had to stay in the cold OR for a while so they could put Mom back together again, but then we went back to the room where it was nice and warm.  Then I got to eat some yummy milk for the first time, and then Dad gave me a bath.

After that, Grandma Jeannette, Grandpa Mike, Auntie Jess, and Aunt Hannah visited me and held me.  They were all so excited to meet me and I was happy to see them too!  I slept for a while and then ate some more and then Andrew and Kim visited me and Mom.  They will be my godparents.  Then Grandma Sue and Grandma Mike came back for a short visit and then we were ready for night time.  Mom was worn out, but I was hungry most of the night.

The next day Grandma Pam, Grandpa Jeff, Aunt Hannah, Uncle Ben, and Aunty Becky arrived to meet me.  They held me and were so excited to be with me. They stayed and visited most of the day and brought me some presents and some great cards from Grandma Pam’s first grade class.  Then we all took a nap in the afternoon and that night Mom’s main goal was to walk around and get trapped gas out.

The next day, we got to go home.  I met the cats that have been sitting on me for all these months, but now they don’t want to be so close to me.  They seem to be scared of me actually! I was held and loved by the Thiemann family for the rest of the day, and slept or ate mostly.  They are going home in the morning and I hope I will see them again soon.