Grandma & Grandpa Apple

Ivy is blessed with two sets of grandparents who love her very, very much. We Skype with the Virginia Grandparents every Monday night and try to visit the Wisconsin Grandparents as often as possible.

We made the trek to the western WI earlier this month to partake of the annual Lyster Lutefisk Supper at Ivy's great-great grandparents' little white church in the valley. Ivy didn't eat any lutefisk (and neither did her mother), but she loved her first taste of lefse and meatballs.

Ivy read to Grandma B. on the drive back from the little white church in the valley. A good book helps everyone forget the aroma of lutefisk.

Ivy loves the apple trees in her WI grandparents' backyard. Because of this, she calls them "Grandma and Grandpa Apple." Last week her Apple Grandparents spent a few days with us and they took care of Ivy while Markie was out of town. Ivy is smitten with Grandpa Apple -- he plays his guitar on her command, feeds her all of his own breakfast, and doesn't seem to mind when she jumps on his belly while he's napping on the couch.

A summer visit

We spent a few vacation days at Grandma & Grandpa B's house. They have a very rare tree in their backyard in which Winnie the Pooh & friends have built a wee house at the base of the trunk. The first thing we do at each visit is check Pooh's tree for messages and special treasures.

After Ivy checked in on Winnie the Pooh she picked apples with her grandma and daddy:

Grandma made delicious apple pie and homemade applesauce moments after we picked these apples! We could still taste the late-summer sun.

Ivy's Aunt Kersten, Uncle Jim and cousin-friends, Finnian & Adalia, joined us for a scrumptious summertime dinner. And so did my very own cousin-friend, Jo. All the girl cousins had a great time together and Finnian entertained everyone with his hilarious pickle jokes.

The next day Ivy and Grandpa made some beautiful music together. Ivy loves to sit on my lap and practice her own style of picking and strumming while I play chords on my guitar, so she needed to show Grandpa all her new skills. She rocks our world.

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for a wonderful time!

From Virginia to Wisconsin

Ivy finally met Grandma Pauline, Grandpa Frank and Aunt Christine. Ivy's now richer by one red wagon, a child-size bench, water toys for the backyard and an ever-widening circle of love.

Here she is with Grandpa Frank on the first day of their visit:

Here she is with Aunt Christine at the World's Largest Brat(wurst) Fest:

And here's a touching moment with Grandma Pauline:

We're so glad that they made the trip to Wisconsin and we're very grateful for all the love they gave to Ivy. Thanks for everything, guys!

Happy Earth Day

The weather was beautiful on this Earth Day and we spent a lot of time outside. My favorite time of the day was after dinner, when the three of us went into the backyard and basked in the late afternoon sunshine.

Ivy explored the gardens and discovered all the new growth, budding trees and garden ornaments that survived the winter.

We sat on the deck with our own little Drop of Golden Sun. I gathered fallen wisteria seeds that I hope to germinate and transfer to the garden later this summer while Ivy and Kevin played with a slinky that I picked up at a meeting last week. It was a perfect, beautiful way to end the day.

I've always loved Earth Day and it holds a special, sacred place in my heart; my grandpa Ottmar passed away on Earth Day in 1988, which I think is fitting for a man who spent his life on the Mississippi River. I thought of him today and smiled when I realized how much he would have enjoyed his youngest great-grandchild. I think that they would have been very good friends.

(A special note to my knitter friends - in honor of Earth Day, Ivy is wearing a dress that I knitted for her! It's a little too big and I have some ideas for altering the pattern when I make it the next time.)

Sweet professions

When I grow up I want to be a:






First I'll hone my skills by playing pat-a-cake over & over with my Aunt Kersten:


Then my cousin and I will buy matching outfits and we'll devour cookbooks until we find the world's most perfect cupcake recipes:



But, until then, I'm going to spend lots of time hanging out in river town bakeries with my Grandma



and Grandpa.






(And I'll observe how an expert baker makes the magic happen by spending lots of time crawling around with my cousins on our grandma's spotless kitchen floor.)





And, speaking of professions and what we want to be when we grow up, I returned to work today after a 12-week family leave. The last few weeks have been difficult for me. I was quite sick in mid-February (which accounts for the lack of brilliant posts this month) and last week I grew sad every time I thought of all the special moments I would miss throughout the day when my family leave came to an end. But today was truly wonderful and the most difficult part of the day was walking out the door at 7:00 this morning. I've missed my friends at work, all of whom have been fiercely supportive of us over the past 9 months, and today they welcomed me back to the office with a lovely surprise breakfast of homemade quiches, muffins, sweet breads and fruit. I accomplished so much today and this long break has allowed me to step back and view my routines in a new light and change those that are ineffective or no longer working for me. I've returned to the office with a renewed sense of purpose and vigor and I'm looking forward to working on some special projects in the weeks ahead. Heartfelt thanks to all my working mom friends and to my loving mom & sister for letting me cry on their shoulders and for sharing their strength and wisdom.


Kevin is now on family leave for the next several weeks and knowing that the Loves of my life are spending their days together makes my heart swell. I returned home shortly before Ivy woke up from her afternoon nap and Kevin and I sat down with cups of tea and talked about our days before Ivy awoke - being home when she woke up and getting her out of her crib this afternoon was glorious. She smiled at and reached for me and I held her in my arms and inhaled her sweet baby sleepiness. I know that I'll be exhausted from time to time and I know that there will be days when I feel like I'm an unwilling participant in a juggling act, but I needed today to show me that I will be able to balance both parts of my life.

Grandma & Grandpa's visit

The weather warmed up last week and Grandma & Grandpa B. spent a few days with us in Madison. We always love it when my parents visit because Dad helps us with house projects and Mom leaves us with a well-stocked refrigerator. Ivy spent most her waking time on warm, snug laps and showed everyone that she is "sooooo big" and that she enjoys her mealtimes. Her grandpa installed a lightweight C-PVC bar over grates in the radiator cover/window seat in our living room and Ivy constantly uses it to practice standing and as the world's largest teething device. We had a great time and were sad to see them leave at the end of the week. We can't wait until our next visit!

Ivy's first Christmas

Ivy made her entire family's Christmas a happier one this year.  We traveled to my parents' house in Cochrane and Ivy spent her first night away from home at her grandparents' house on Christmas eve.  She was an angel and, even though I don't have any photos to document the memorable experience, she wore the red dress that I wore for Christmas when I was 0ne.  My mom made this special dress and my grandma tatted the beautiful lace trim that enhances the collar and cuffs.  I repeatedly broke into tears when I realized that Ivy was embraced by the creativity of her grandma and great-grandma.  We went to a sweet service at the Hope UCC church that Ivy's great-grandparents attended and she was met by all the love and support of my precious hometown.  Ivy spent most of her time over the holidays on her grandparents' laps and I kept slathering her cheeks with Markie's Amazing Beeswax & Olive Oil moisturizer every time she turned her sweet (and very dry!) face towards me.  This explains the wet-duckling look that she has in most of her photos from the past 48 hours.

This has been the happiest Christmas I've ever had.  Special thanks to my parents who ensured that my sister and I have pleasant memories of Christmas when we were children.  They've helped us be the best parents possible and I look forward to creating holiday traditions for our own little girl.

Family visit!

 

Grandma & Grandpa B. and Aunt Kersten came to visit us yesterday and they gave Ivy an amazing pink exersaucer!  She loves her new toy (and so do her parents) and she also fell in love with her Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie.  She did very well meeting everyone and she had no stranger anxiety or confusion.  She loved being held by her adoring relatives, but proved to everyone that she definitely recognizes that Kevin and I are her mommy and daddy.

She also showed everyone how well she's transitioning to Madison time as she took two afternoon naps and then stayed awake for a long time and went to bed shortly after 6 pm.  Every day brings us closer to more sleep and easier nighttime routines.  We are very proud of and amazed by our little girl and we're looking forward to introducing her to Grandpa Frank, Grandma Pauline and Aunt Christine.

Gratitude

How can I truly express my gratitude to Ivy's foster mother and foster father, the loving people who have cared for her for most of her 7 1/2 months?  We speak different languages and we've grown up on completely opposite curves of the globe, yet we're connected by our one baby girl.  Kevin and I are so grateful for this special couple and we hope that we've clearly told them, through translation, how we recognize that part of who Ivy grows up to be will be thanks to the loving care they provided during her early months.

Adoptive parents traditionally give gifts of thanks to their baby's foster parents when they travel to Korea to bring their child home.  Kevin and I want to make sure that our gifts are special and heartfelt.  And I cannot imagine more meaningful gifts than this gorgeous wooden bowl that my dad turned and this beautiful dresser scarf that my mother embroidered.  I recently listened to a podcast interview with Gary Snyder who said that every piece of art that we create is a gift for the entire world.  I think that this sentiment fittingly describes the art that my parents created for the loving people who have been caring for their granddaughter.  They created these pieces  in their home in western Wisconsin and are now sending their creations across the world.  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for sharing your talents with the dear people who love Ivy as much as we all do.  I imagine that these invaluable items will travel with us in our carry-on bags; not because I'm afraid that our checked luggage will be lost, but because I'll need them close to my heart during the long journey to Seoul.

Preschool photographer

Ivy's 3-year-old cousin took this photo and I absolutely love it.  Ivy's grandpa and 5-year-old cousin look so happy and this photo is one of my favorite family shots.