Snow bunnies

Winter-long snow a half-hour’s drive away tops the list of Albuquerque’s unexpected amenities. I love being able to access deep drifts and dreamily dusted forests without the everyday hassle of shoveling and slush. So this weekend we bundled up our snow bunnies and drove them up the mountain for some winter adventure.

Luke took to sledding immediately.

Erik didn’t mind it either.

Eleanor seemed entertained for her first few runs.

But then Bumble invaded her sledding space.

And on her next run, Daddy may have been less than respectful when the princess took a spill.

Thankfully, she pardoned Bumble for his misdemeanor and Erik’s mockery was nothing that stroller time with a bottle couldn’t fix. We just might have a little sledding team in the making!

{More pics here.}

Pajamas Monday

This weekend we enjoyed two dinners with friends, hosted a game night, hiked to Travertine Falls, attended Luke’s first soccer class, enjoyed an egg hunt + lunch held by Luke’s playgroup, did an Easter photo shoot at the botanic gardens, and of course went to church and Sunday School! Whew! So many fun family memories, and today’s lazy Monday schedule is the perfect way to finish it off. Erik is even taking a few hours of personal time that he still has available from Eleanor’s birth. Now that the kiddos are napping, here’s a little photo round-up.

Friday morning there was Luke’s first ‘Lil Kickers’ soccer class. Eleanor and I cheered from the sidelines. The universal toddler challenge faced by the instructor is to hold a child’s attention when there are so many interesting kiddos to watch!

Then Pre-Easter began with an afternoon photo shoot at the botanic gardens. Do you notice a trend in our sibling photos? Luke isn’t the most willing when it comes to baby holding. Eleanor already has him a little intimidated, I think!

Most Fridays, we call our neighbors once our kids are in bed. Then they grab their Dominion game and walk over to play it with us. What an ideal arrangement for housebound parents! This week they brought another couple as well.

Saturday morning, Luke hunted for Easter eggs for the first time with other kiddos. In typical first hunt fashion, he was frightened by the costumed bunny and wanted to open each egg (and eat its contents) as he found it. I realize that my egg hunt coaching may be in conflict with other instruction he receives from me. Compare: “just put it in your basket, Luke, and keep looking for more eggs!” and “you need to finish what’s on your plate before you get any more!” I can see why he was a little confused. I’m having another egg hunt here when our playgroup comes over on Thursday, so we’ll see if he seems to have caught on by then.

Luke playing with his friend M before Saturday dinner at our house. M’s parents brought a delicious Korean meal, amazingly homemade!

Sunday, we took an afternoon hike with friends to Travertine Falls (info here). We were quite the convoy, with four adults, five children, and only one of those children walked! Once all the pack mules had made it to the destination, the kiddos had a fabulous time playing in the mud, splashing in trickling water, and even swinging on a rope. Then we had dinner at a tasty pizza place. Of course we came home with plenty of photos, because no matter how many children there are to tote, Erik never leaves the camera behind! Here are L & E in their matching Street wear.

Oh, and a couple different landscaping guys came out to assess our grass. Our homeowners’ association has already sent us our first violation letter of the season, so we’re trying to revive the very sparse lawn in our front yard. Who knew growing grass could be so difficult?? Even our new ‘sugar tyme’ crabapple tree can’t counteract the stragglyness it seems.

The kiddos are awaking and I think we’re headed out for a relaxing walk to the playground. I hope you all had a lovely weekend too!

One month old!

Our little Eleanor turns one month old today! Already it’s hard to imagine our family without her sweet, cuddly self. As she grows and changes so quickly in these early months, I thought I’d write a little snapshot of her now.

Her likes/dislikes

Eleanor loves her carseat! We strap her in and cover the seat with its pink cover and it sends her into dreamland for hours on end. She also loves to be held and carried around. She does not enjoy being cold, making baths and diaper/clothing changes low on her list.

She isn’t especially fond of being swaddled either. Swaddling seems to help her sleep by preventing her from inadvertently swatting her face with her hands, but she does her best to wiggle her arms out and then spends several minutes stretching and arching her head back when she is finally freed.

Our favorite Eleanor moments

Smiles! She’s had a number of smiles that seem to be a response to our interaction with her. Of course it’s hard to be certain of their origin, but nonetheless we melt for each precious one. We also love to hold her and the sweet way she seems most content when cuddled close after being fed.

Sibling report

Eleanor remains peaceful amidst Luke’s boisterous play, even when it comes alarmingly close to her head (fortunately no injuries yet). Luke errs in the opposite direction, still a little spooked by her mild squawks and cries. But when she’s content he loves to give her kisses and check up on her. Sometimes his desire to ‘help’ by giving her the pacifier makes my heart race -- I need to find safer ways for him to enjoy helping!

Our routine

Almost immediately we established a great nighttime routine with Eleanor . We wake her up to eat one last time around 11 just before we go to bed. Then I feed her around 3 am (and usually help Luke settle down around then too since Eleanor’s slight sounds seem to rouse him) and Erik kindly gets up for the ~6 am feeding before starting work. This past week though, several times she’s eaten around 4 am and then slept in until 7 or later which has been terrific!

I sometimes feel a little guilty because Luke takes most of my attention when he’s awake, but Eleanor and I enjoy some precious snuggle time during Luke’s nap and Erik and I love to dote on her when Luke goes down for the night.

This month’s milestones

Lots of firsts already! First smiles; first trips to the zoo/aquarium/botanic gardens; and first mini hike at Tent Rocks National Monument. Hopefully we plan a little better for her second hike though… Eleanor stayed warm snuggled in the moby wrap, but the rest of us lacked sufficient layers for the chilly winds. Luke wouldn’t admit he was cold because he was so enthralled by all the big rocks, but his red nose and goosebumps wouldn’t deny it! Eleanor must know that it’s in her interest to toughen up fast and has filled out some these last few weeks. She already feels a little heftier to hold and seems stronger and more coordinated. We’re so thankful for the smooth transition into the world you’ve had, sweet girl!

Don’t honk at cattle

Twenty miles of washboard after a long empty paved road, we arrived. For miles the road had seemed to be slowly petering out and it completely disappeared after this house. Several cattleguards previous, any signs or road names had ceased, which explained the seller’s lack of address. We noticed several solar panels and a ring of rain barrels, and as I wondered about their purification system I made a mental note to avoid accepting a glass of water.

“You thought I grew up in the middle of nowhere, honey, what do you say now?'” Erik asked. I didn’t need to say anything to concede his point. We took Luke out of his car seat and I wondered once again what we would do if they demanded our money, our camera equipment, or worse. Would our precious boy be safer if I just stayed with him in the car, keys at the ready, or would he ensure our protection with his irresistible cuteness? I assured myself that they seemed nice on the phone, and we walked toward the house.

We were met by an older couple with friendly smiles and very tanned skin. They were very thoughtful and solicitous in asking about our drive, and their kindness put me at ease. When we entered their home, I was relieved to see the camera equipment set out for us, and typical kitchen and dining furnishings. The couple explained that they no longer used these types of lenses for their landscape artwork, which Luke and I enjoyed viewing while Erik inspected the equipment. They offered us terrific prices. It seemed their location may have somehow discouraged other Craigslist trollers from snapping up the deals.

We left with several upgraded lenses for hardly more than we would earn selling our current models on ebay. Erik was elated, and my patient and indulgent wife status was secured for many months to come. We also came away with some tips on humanure and this solemnly given advice – don’t honk your horn if a crowd of cattle collects in front of you on a dirt road. Evidently, the ranchers honk when they drive out to the cattle with truckloads of feed, so honking will cause the animals to mob your vehicle and significantly delay you. Instead, roll down your window, bang on the side of your car, and yell loudly. Getting to try out this tactic would have added to the story, but I didn’t mind that our journey back to civilization proceeded without incident.

Since this mid-October trip, it’s been fun to see the nicer pictures that our camera can produce. One of these was the winning shot for the (very small) Kiwi Industries photo competition. Wasn’t it worth the adventure to capture such cuteness!?

A week in Albuquerque

We are very excited to welcome my longtime friend, Ariel, and her precious little girl, Talia, as they arrive this week for a visit! Talia is just two months older than Luke and we are sure that they will be fast friends as well. As I’ve been thinking through what to do while they’re here, I thought I’d share my must-visit list with you all. Think of it as a virtual tour of Albuquerque or a little window into our favorite activities here.

DAY ONE:

Since ABQ is almost a mile high in elevation, it’s always nice to take it easy the first day so out-of-towners have a chance to adjust to the elevation gain. So we could have breakfast in our backyard and then go over to the sprayground (less than a mile from our house) to let the little ones run in and out of streams of water. Then back home for some lunch and naps, followed by dinner in Old Town Albuquerque. This quaint settlement dates back to 1706, and features a lovely old church, plenty of stucco, wood beams, and ristras (decorative bunches of drying chiles), and a pretty gazebo in a park-like plaza. Luke likes to try to climb on the old canons and chase pigeons. I like the relaxed atmosphere and the galleries with lovely turquoise jewelry and pretty paintings!

DAY TWO:

When asked about day two, my helpful husband suggested bungee-jumping, noting we should let the children try it first since they heal faster. I’ll just let you file that thought away and continue with my own itinerary here.

We could start the day at the Petroglyph National Monument. There’s a short, interesting trail here with thousands of ancient carvings in volcanic rock and a great city overlook. It’s located to the west of Albuquerque where it’s especially dry so you see more of a desert habitat but there’s little shade. So it’s best to come and go in the morning during the summer.

After naps and an early dinner, we could take advantage of the cooler evening temperatures with a stroll into the Sandia foothills from a nearby trailhead or a visit to a local park. If it seems too warm for either of those options, we could splash around with the little ones at a nearby Albuquerque City Pool. The wading pool there is shallow enough at the edges for Luke to walk in, but he tends to gravitate toward the center, dunking himself in the process!

DAY THREE:

The Albuquerque BioPark includes a zoo, botanic gardens, an aquarium, and a train. Thorough visits to all of these destinations might be a little much for one day, but fortunately they are fairly close together making it easy to pick and choose which parts to see. Plus we have a membership that allows us to take a guest for free and there’s no charge for kids 2 and under.  My favorite stops are the polar bears, the seals (feeding time is best), the baby orangutan, the shark tank (especially when a diver is in with them), the Japanese gardens, and the butterfly house. There’s so much to see that I actually haven’t bothered to take Luke on the train there yet, but I’m sure that would be fun too. We could take a break for lunch at the Flying Star, a kid-friendly diner with a varied menu located near the zoo.

DAY FOUR:

  Tent Rocks National Monument is probably our top-rated local hike. It’s only an hour away and the less than 3-mile hike features astounding rock formations, fantastic views, and a walk through a tall, narrow slot canyon. The skies are almost always a gorgeous blue behind the white and beige rocks, and the drive there passes by native american homes and farms. The monument is currently closed to pave the lunar-like dirt road that used to take you the final few miles to the trailhead. We can’t wait for it to reopen with a paved surface and hope that it does so in the next few days.

Tent Rocks is a detour off the highway that leads to Santa Fe, so after a visit there we could continue on to New Mexico’s capital city, hopefully with napping children on board. The Santa Fe Old Town is quite similar to Albuquerque’s, but it’s worth a visit to see the new NM state history museum which is located there. We like the guided tour it offers of the Palace of the Governors, which was originally built in 1610 and has been in continuous public use longer than any other structure in the US. We’re also amused by the eloquent letter to the governor signed William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid. After the museum and a stroll through Old Town, we’d have to stop for dinner at our favorite place for New Mexican food – Tomasita’s. Yum!

DAY FIVE:

The Sandia Tram, which takes passengers from the edge of Albuquerque up nearly 4000 miles in elevation to the top of the Sandia Mountains, seems the perfect finale to a visit to Albuquerque. The views into hidden canyons and forests as you ascend are stunning and once at the top you can take in the gorgeous vista by following a gently rolling trail along the crest. There’s also a ski lift near the tram’s crest station that you can ride in the summer to enjoy views in the opposite direction. We like to stay until sunset if possible to see the sun set along the horizon, casting seas of color through the skies and atop the mesa. Then the city lights twinkle magically as the tram whisks you back down to the base station.

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There are so many wonderful destinations that don’t fit in my 5-day itinerary. Albuquerque offers many more delightful children’s activities, including a science museum, a natural history museum, and a hot air balloon museum. Varied hiking opportunities abound in every direction. We especially love taking day trips to Georgia O’Keefe country, the Jemez Mountains, or Mt. Taylor for hikes. There are several terrific nearby sites for Native American ruins, including Bandelier National Monument (our favorite).

Overnight trips extend the possibilities exponentially. The mountains, streams, waterfalls and resort towns of Southern Colorado are only 4 hours away. Magnificent Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Monument are just a little further than that, but to the south. Whirlwind trips to the Grand Canyon or Sedona, AZ are doable in a long weekend. We love exploring the southwest!

Luke the tent-dweller

The final trip in our June travel series was a one-night campout in the Jemez Mountains. Since they’re just an hour and a half away, many ABQ-dwellers retreat to the cooler forests and streams of the Jemez in the summertime. It was so pretty there that I wouldn’t have minded staying two nights, especially considering all the work it takes to pack for camping, no matter how many nights you stay! But the damper on our fun was the rainstorm that settled in over our campsite around 5 pm and continued on until the early morning. The rest of our small group arrived in that time window and so we had to set up and eat dinner in the rain. Sadly we were banking on NM’s arid climate and failed to bring tarps or our table shelter to give us a dry space to hang out in together. So we all headed to bed in our tents on the early side to get out of the rain. Luke clearly didn’t get the extra sleeping memo though. He woke up around midnight and was so distressed by the sounds of wind and rain outside that he had to sleep in my arms for the rest of the night. Wait, I mean toss and turn and prevent me from sleeping or getting comfortable for the rest of the night! But it was sweet how being scared prompted him to hold me tight all night long, if I pulled my hand away from him, he would reach out to pull it back around himself once again. He usually isn’t so snuggly anymore, normally wiggling away if you hold him tight for more than a moment, so I must admit I enjoyed his sweetness for some of those late-night hours.

The lack of sleep must have made me a little loopier than normal, here you see me doing an impression of the snake that I spied peeking through our front storm door. Yes! I looked over and there was a snake head, peering into our house at me! He was just a garter snake or something similar, but I still didn’t think he needed to be scoping out our living room.

Here he is on the run, while Erik pursued with the camera…

But let’s close on the rain topic rather than reptiles. Yesterday we had a good rain here in Albuquerque, so I took Luke outside to explore it. Isn’t he cute in his Daddy’s hat, swishing around in the puddles with his stick?

Two quick trips

A few weeks ago Erik caught a plane to Portland for a giant physics conference while Auntie C, Luke, and I took a road trip to southern New Mexico. Check out the contrast in our 2 destinations:

In levels of urbanization, moisture, SPF ratings, and pocket protector prevalence they hailed from opposite ends of the spectrum. I’d love to go back to southern New Mexico sometime, our scenic route through the Valley of Fires was gorgeous and hiking in White Sands National Monument felt like a shimmering dream of a distant land.

But while I love the year-round drama of the Southwest landscape, it just doesn’t do spring like other parts of the country. Erik’s pics of Portland abloom have me thinking that next year we should take a family trip to a moist clime where we can soak up some real springtime pageantry. Luke loves all things green and outdoors so we think he would enjoy it too. Grandma Nielsen has already started teaching Luke how to gently touch flowers. He complies pretty well when it comes to flowers but is much less inclined to touch Mommy’s hair gently!

Bits of ABQ springtime: Luke and his Grandma beneath the pear tree in our backyard

Luke the travel guide

On our way back to Albuquerque from our whirlwind of winter travel, we counted up the number of plane take-offs that Luke has experienced in the past year. Not counting in utero travel, we came up with 18 takeoffs! (which, thankfully, were all followed by smooth landings.) The fact that Albuquerque doesn't have direct flights to most of our destinations really amplifies those take-off numbers, but nonetheless, we feel that we've come a long way toward becoming savvy baby air travelers since the apprehension of our first flight with the little man. This time we were showing other parents how to strap a car seat into the airplane seats and offering some of our well-packed baby snacks!

But the travel surely hasn't all been on our end. We also counted up the number of visitors that Luke has received from the east coast. Not counting kids, there are 20 people who visited us from the East since Luke was born, and several of them multiple times! It has been such a blessing to maintain those dear relationships despite the distance, and has also given us extra impetus for visiting the many gorgeous sights this area holds.

We were reminded of both blessings once again this past weekend when we enjoyed a fun visit with Emily, a sweet friend from Princeton. Despite the unusually cold weather, we drove up to Santa Fe and toured the new history museum there and then took a snowy walk up to the La Luz trailhead in ABQ. You can see below that we decided the stroller was the safest, warmest spot for Luke on the icy road. He didn't seem to mind!

leaping into cyberspace!

This past week has been filled with so many 'firsts' for Luke that I just can't put off setting up a way to formally chronicle them any longer! His baby book is already filled with fun memories from his first few months, so this recent spurt of development requires a new method of documentation. We decided to leap aboard the blogging bandwagon and journal Luke's stories this way.

To get caught up on all the recent Luke news without making this entry too long, I'll just give you a list...

- His widow's peak, a signature feature for a month or so, is becoming less distinct.
- He's been rolling both ways (front to back & back to front) for some time, but he just started rolling multiple times in a row a few days ago. We're not sure if he consciously does this for transportation, or if he just enjoys rolling and likes to do it successively!
- He can sit up for a few seconds at a time unsupported. But you have to keep in mind that this isn't prim and proper upright sitting but rather a slouched over toward his feet position. Being near his feet, he soon decides to reach for them in an effort to place them in his mouth, thus undermining his ability to sit!
- He's begun baby-talking to himself. For example, when he's awake and in a nice mood in the car, he'll babble away in the backseat trying out different sounds.
- Solid foods! We think he's quite an impressive eater, polishing off one jar of baby food over the course of 2 feedings in a day. At first solid food frustrated him because he didn't like the time between mouthfuls (in contrast to liquid food which offers continuous eating) but now he seems to be gaining patience and skill in eating from a spoon. In fact when he's in his high chair and he sees one of us coming toward him with his spoon and baby food, he gets excited!
- More snuggles. He more consistently plays a sweet game that he came up with a few weeks ago. When you look at him with a silly smile, he'll flash a big grin and then hide by tucking his head down. He soon looks back up at you and repeats the game.
- First camping trip! Last Friday we enjoyed a fun campout with Princeton friends, Erik & Andrea. We went to Montosa campground near the Magdalena mountains, about 2 hours SW of ABQ. We brought a travel baby bed but we were without the faithful 'shushing machine' which lulls the little boy off to dreamland each night. To our delight, Luke slept fine and didn't seem at all fazed by tent accommodations.
- Which brings us to another exciting change, sleeping through the night (sometimes)! The doctor told us he should be able to sleep from 10 pm to 6 am, and while we haven't had him go that far, we have begun putting him back to sleep without feeding him when he wakes up around 3 or 4 am. We always wake him up to feed him around midnight when we go to bed, and a few times he's slept through until 6 or 7 am. It's a wonderful feeling to get so many hours of zzz's in a row!

A blog also gives us a way to alert you when when we upload new pics to our photosite. Visit our recent pics tab to see many new photos and four videos all uploaded last night! Next post, I'll work on adding links to the photopages in the blog entry. I also thought it would be fun to try to include a favorite recent photo in each blog entry, so here you go... Luke enjoying carrots!