Lamont & Mead Family Blog

Mole!

2011-09-20T11:21:00.002-05:00

Cereal!

2011-05-10T14:02:00.001-05:00

Emmett ate cereal in his high chair today!

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Spring catch-up

2011-05-07T16:39:00.004-05:00

Same shirt! (They're boys, and Linden now picks out his own clothes. It's my one opportunity to dress them up like dolls with their cooperation.)

Emmett is doing what he does most of the day: watching Linden.
Grandma Ellie visited last week. Linden is playing his new favorite game: Steal your nose.

Uncle Brad joined us, too.
Yard update:
We've used up most of the mulch. Unfortunately, Blair Co delivered the wrong amount, so we still have some flower beds that aren't mulched.

Here's our new shed, porch, and sandbox.

New flower bed in the corner by the fence and house. The Magnolia tree is in full bloom. I finished the window boxes, too.
Our other new flower bed. The bird bath is from Aunt Lori, Grandpa Suds, and Aunt Lynn in honor of my dad.

Overheard

2011-05-05T17:11:00.001-05:00

Overheard: "own sandbox!!"

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Same!

2011-04-17T07:38:00.003-05:00

Linden loves to wear the same clothes as Emmett:

Emmett fell asleep in a funny position, with one hand on the swing's upright bar and one hand on his cow:

Linden's birthday weekend

2011-04-11T20:26:00.008-05:00

Happy 2nd birthday, Linden!

Linden is getting so grown up!

We had a wonderful party for Linden with a lot of special guests!
Grandma Ellie and Uncle Brad:

Grandma Jean and Grandpa Mike (with Linden, Emmett, and Jackson):

Great-Grandpa Suds, Great-Grandma Mead, and Great-Grandpa Mead:

We hosted a party at the Goodman Community Center for Linden's friends and neighbors.
GCC provided the toys, bikes, and bouncy house:

We had cupcakes, juice, and coffee while the kids played:

Dadda and Linden:

Momma, Emmett, Uncle Brad, Grandma Ellie:
Grandma Jean, Grandpa Mike, Great-Grandma Mead, Ken, Shaun, Liz, Olive, Linden, Samantha:
Matt and his family came all the way from MN and Dave came from Milwaukee:

Great day to vote

2011-04-05T14:01:00.001-05:00

Linden, Emmett, and I just voted!

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More pictures

2011-03-31T13:10:00.007-05:00

Dadda and Emmett:

Linden and Emmett both sucking on hands and wearing doggie PJs. ("Jamas" as Linden would say.)

Spring has sprung!

I was trying to get Linden to smile for the picture by tickling him, but I didn't tickle Emmett. Linden is asking why Emmett doesn't laugh yet.

Driving to drop off Linden with Grandma

2011-03-17T16:58:00.001-05:00

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Tractor-cade

2011-03-12T17:34:00.001-06:00

The protests continue in Madison. Today rural farmers wanted to make sure their voices were heard. Fifty permits were allowed, but rumor has it that several hundred showed up at the Allient Center's staging area.

We watched the protesters from the forth floor of the Historical Museum.

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2011-03-02T13:34:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we had a chance to catch up with family in Green Bay. Grandpa Suds and Emmett meet for the first time:

Grandpa and Grandma Mead also get to meet Emmett, who clearly is quite relaxed in their arms:

More smiled

2011-02-20T15:50:00.001-06:00

Emmett likes the hanging toys!

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Driving home

2011-02-20T11:50:00.001-06:00

We're driving back from Green Bay in a snow storm. Emmett is currently asleep. Linden is entertaining himself.

Coca is squeezed between the seats. (Her life was much better without brothers...)

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Smile!

2011-02-11T07:47:00.003-06:00

Linden reading to Emmett--they're preparing for the Super Bowl by reviewing football strategies.
Emmett holding Linden's hand:
Emmett has started smiling in response to your smiles. It just melts your heart!

Grandma Jean & Aunt Lori visit

2011-01-29T08:39:00.002-06:00

Grandma Jean and Aunt Lori visited us this week.
On our way out to lunch on Thursday, Linden fell off a toy stroller and split open his lip. It wouldn't stop bleeding, and we thought we might need stitches. The ER doctor said that he would stitch an older person's lip, but we'd have to sedate Linden to put in and take out the stitches. We decided it wasn't worth the risk. Linden was a calm patient, and it was definitely more difficult for me.

December catch-up

2011-01-26T08:25:00.004-06:00

We were a little busy at the end of December with a stomach flu and new baby... we never posted pictures from Chris and Jen's holiday party.
Here we are opening presents:
Grandma Jean, Grandpa Mike, Jackson, and Linden:

Grandma Jean and Linden playing with water in our kitchen sink:

Play-date with Mari, William, and Samantha:

Play time

2011-01-26T08:15:00.002-06:00

Taking my favorite toys for a walk...
Linden reading to Baby Em:

1st Month

2011-01-23T14:34:00.005-06:00

Happy 1st month birthday, Emmett!

We went to the Milwaukee Aquarium and Science Museum:

Linden playing with his boots:

Emmett had his first bottle this week:

Solomon, Cece, Lizzy, Zion, and Cynthia came over for dinner last night. The kids had a great time playing together:

Go Pack, Go!!

Our play-group is meeting in a new location, rather than at people's houses. We're renting a church basement that is fully stocked with toys and climbing equipment.

Dancing

2011-01-22T10:13:00.001-06:00

A video of Linden playing with his music book from Aunt Lynn:

YouTube Video

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More Pictures

2011-01-11T17:53:00.005-06:00

Here's Grandma Jean cuddling with Emmett and Coca while we slept:

Grandma Ellie had a lot of fun with Linden. Here they are baking cookies, with Linden caught sampling the goodies:

Uncle Brad drove Uncle Jeff up from O'Hare airport. It was great to see them!

Linden still loves the Spring book from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Simone:

Dadda and his boys:
Emmett enjoyed his first real bath. Linden wanted to get in with him:

Linden loves cuddling with Emmett!

Fun with a box

2011-01-11T10:02:00.001-06:00

Here is a video of Linden playing with the blocks bucket.

YouTube Video

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New stroller

2011-01-07T19:20:00.001-06:00

We bought a used Sit-n-Stand stroller from Craig's list. Linden has been having a lot of fun with it! He can get on and off it, or he can lean in and say hello to Emmett.

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Emmett's first week

2011-01-03T12:30:00.005-06:00

Happy one-week birthday, Emmett James Mead!

Here's Linden, Emmett, and Mommy at the hospital:

Dadda and Emmett:

Grandma Ellie and Emmett:
Grandma Jean, Grandpa Mike, cousin Jackson, Linden and Emmett:

The four of us:

I think Emmett looks a lot like my dad in this photo:

Dad's shoes

2010-12-24T09:13:00.001-06:00

Cute video of Linden wearing Dad's shoes.

YouTube Video

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Nothing new yet

2010-12-23T17:34:00.001-06:00

Three days post-due date now... No news on baby #2 yet. We had a checkup on Tuesday, and everything looks great. We'll wait for labor to start on its own.
We're getting a lot done while we wait. For example, the basement is much neater and Linden got a new haircut:

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Stuck!

2010-12-15T15:06:00.001-06:00

Linden's favorite new word is "stuck". Sometimes he locks a gate or puts a toy into an unlovable position just so he can say "Stuck!"

YouTube Video

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Demolition of the old garage

2010-12-09T08:07:00.006-06:00

The garage for our house was built in 1929. This summer we found the original building permit while we were cleaning the basement. It was issued to F.K. Shuttleworth, a Madison lawyer who built our house and our neighbor's. The garage has gradually become structurally unsound, so we had a garden shed built to replace it. The old garage was demolished yesterday.

Someone in particular enjoyed the Bobcat that was used to remove the concrete

All done!

Olbrich trains

2010-12-08T12:44:00.001-06:00

Linden and I stopped at Olbrich gardens to see their holiday train exhibit. Linden loved it! They change the trains daily, so we'll be back.

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First snow

2010-12-05T20:46:00.001-06:00

Coca and Linden enjoyed the first snow this weekend!

Thanksgiving pics

2010-12-03T14:46:00.004-06:00

Ken and Barb were gracious enough to host Thanksgiving for everyone this year, and everything turned out great.
Keri, Mike, Ken:
Barb:

Of course the grandparents got a chance to spend time with Linden.

Jen and Jackson look very cute:
Linden had a tough time waking up from a late afternoon nap:
Hanging with Dad:

Budding hydrologist

2010-11-28T11:37:00.002-06:00

At the childrens museum

Having fun at music class:

Linden's new toy

2010-11-17T20:37:00.001-06:00

Linden loves pushing toys!

YouTube Video

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Last weekend in GB

2010-11-14T08:21:00.004-06:00

In addition to helping the Pack humiliate the Cowboys, Scott and Linden got a chance to see grandma, grandpa, Chris, Jen, and Jackson.

Here we are at the Wildlife Sanctuary.
And here's grandma juggling her two grandchildren.

Dawes at the Majestic

2010-11-12T23:23:00.001-06:00

Dawes from the balcony of the Majestic (nite out with LL).

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Taking turns

2010-11-05T14:06:00.002-05:00

Linden loves pushing toys around, especially when there is a friend in it. I hope this is a preview of how he will play with his new brother/sister...

William and Linden:
Audrey and Linden:
Samantha, Jack, Kate, William, and Linden:

Zoo

2010-11-04T17:00:00.001-05:00

Linden had fun at the zoo with Mari yesterday!

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Halloween

2010-10-31T19:52:00.008-05:00

We had lots of special events this week to celebrate Halloween.
First, we went to the Children's museum:

Amy hosted a special costume party for playgroup this week: (Sunny, my Mom, Linden, Jack-o-lantern, Lib-bee)

Courtney and Sophie invited us over to carve pumpkins:
We went to the zoo:

Our neighborhood had a parade:
Francis (bee), Linden, Kelsey (elephant), Sophie (dog):

Grandmas are the best

2010-10-31T19:50:00.004-05:00

Grandma Jean visited us this week. Here's a very cute picture with Jeanine, Jackson, and Linden.

Grandma Ellie also visited us this week:
Linden in a laundry basket:

2010-10-27T09:54:00.001-05:00

Construction on the new shed began today. Linden enjoyed watching the Bobcat prepare the area.

Linden thought Monkey would like to watch, too, while he drank his milk. (Linden set this up with no help from me.)

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Playing with friends

2010-10-24T13:08:00.004-05:00

Linden has had lots of fun play dates lately!
We had Scott, Aimee, and Guthrie over for brunch last weekend:

We played with our pals at Madtown Twisters:

We had fun with Francis and Sophie in the tub:

Scott also had a fun time with Dave, Dusty, and Eric watching Wisconsin beat #1 ranked Ohio State:

My mom visited this weekend, too. I didn't take any pictures of us for some reason. Here's a great one from September of Linden, Elena, and Grandma Ellie:

Linden's playgroup friends bought a plaque at Olbrich Gardens to honor my dad, and Olbrich just recently installed the new batch of plaques. My mom and I enjoyed reflecting on my dad on a beautiful day.

Inspired by the very kind gesture, we bought a plaque for Jen Mead's Grandparents (and Barb's parents), Robert and Marcia, who passed away this summer. Grandma Jackie is not to be forgotten, and we need to find a similar place in Green Bay.

As my dad's ashes were scattered, this is the only marker of his passing. I'm so happy that it's a short bike ride from our house. My dad loved taking care of his lawn and gardens. He'd be honored to be remembered in such a glorious spot.

Refinancing our home loan

2010-10-15T08:46:00.001-05:00

Linden making some important calls at the title agency.

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mid-October catch up

2010-10-12T21:36:00.010-05:00

Cute pictures of Linden around town:
-at the Madison Children's Museum
-at the fire truck parade on the Capital Square:
-at Eugster's farm:

-playing at Yahara park:
-at Willie St Fair with Rob, Tony, and Chance:

Scott surprised me with a wonderful trip to Vancouver last weekend! We hiked, biked, strolled through a museum, and ate at some wonderful restaurants.
I can't believe that I am already 30 weeks pregnant with baby #2...

Meanwhile, while we were out of town, Grandma Jean and Grandpa Mike had a lot of fun with Linden:
-at the Homecoming Parade
-at Ken and Barb's Homecoming Party (Linden is hugging his cousin Jackson)
-at Apple Berry Farm

More yardwork help

2010-10-01T18:41:00.002-05:00

We are putting some plants in the new beds. Linden thought he should be planted instead, possibly so he could start growing up faster.

Sunday morning at Morrison park

2010-09-26T11:12:00.001-05:00

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Location:Morrison St,Madison,United States

Helping dad with the lawn

2010-09-14T18:51:00.001-05:00

Linden decided to help dad with the lawn, which made this chore much more fun, if not faster.

Apple picking

2010-09-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

We took a field trip to Door Creek Apple Farm with our play group.

Emma (& Amy), Sunny, Libby (& Shelly), William, Audrey, Linden, Oliver (behind Linden), Jackson

Linden did a great job of taking the apples off the trees. He took apple selection very seriously, sometimes even tasting before removing.

Linden enjoyed running up and down the hills in his new shoes.

YouTube Video

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Location:Cottage Grove, WI

Kelly Lake

2010-08-26T20:26:00.006-05:00

We had the opportunity to visit Kelly Lake this past weekend, probably the last chance of the summer.

What was most remarkable was that the entire family, grandkids and granddogs included, were able to make it for this beautiful weekend.

Family update

2010-08-12T17:03:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Linden, Scott, and Coca in our yard:

Linden loves helping cook in the new kitchen:

We had a follow-up ultrasound at St. Mary's hospital today. They had some trouble getting good images last week because of the baby's position and very (VERY!) high level of activity. The baby is perfectly normal and healthy. The imaging equipment there is amazing. Here's a 3-D image of the baby's face an right arm. The two legs are a little out of focus.

Baby #2

2010-08-04T11:38:00.004-05:00

We had the 20-week ultrasound yesterday for baby #2. He or she is quite active!

Here's his/her profile:

and his/her feet pushing on my bladder:

Jackson Christopher Mead

2010-07-31T09:59:00.004-05:00

Chris and Jen welcomed Jackson Christopher Mead to their family yesterday afternoon!
The new grandmothers are very excited.

Jeanine with her two grandsons

Scott with his mom, son, and nephew.

All done!

2010-07-31T09:47:00.003-05:00

Well, almost all done... Everything is in place, but there are a few finishing touches left for next week. I am loading up the dishwasher for the first time!

Stay-cation

2010-07-22T10:31:00.004-05:00

We had a great vacation in the Madison-area. We enjoyed BB Clark beach, which is walking distance from our house on Lake Monona.

On Tuesday we had a blast at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison. We rode our bikes and chariot on a perfect afternoon, and we started with a picnic at Vilas park.

Linden is very interested in identifying body parts these days. He pointed out the gorilla's nose.

After identifying these drawings as "cats", he showed us their noses too.

Linden is craning his neck around the bars and trying to see the animals in this area.

After the zoo, we biked to The Terrace for ice cream or beer. I don't remember what Linden is pointing out from this perch high above the crowd.

On Wednesday we hiked at Devil's Lake. Literally, hiked... I was expecting an easy walk around the lake on paved paths. No, no. Scott led us up to the top of cliffs with Linden in the Ergo on his back.
After a picnic, we swam in Devil's Lake. Linden walked in up to his elbows and blew bubbles with us. He's still not very excited about going under water. The highlight for me was a root-beer float.

Week at Kelly Lake

2010-07-09T21:48:00.004-05:00

The week-long vacation started with a bear sighting about 1 mile from Kelly Lake. The corn is about mid-thigh high, so that was a big bear.
We stopped by to see the Mead grandparents while we were in Green Bay. As an added treat, we got to see Todd and Sammy.

We had fish fry with Grandpa Suds, Aunt Lori, Grandpa Mike, Grandma Jean, and Uncle Shaun.

Jeanine was a huge help all week! We cannot thank her enough. She even had Linden's crib in her room so that we could sleep all night.
Coca had a wonderful vacation, too. She loved playing fetch in the beach.
Shaun and Liz adopted an adorable Golden Retriever and named him Scotch. Once Linden had his 5 am snack, we'd often hear Scotch request an early morning walk. It's a good thing babies and puppies are cute; they sure are a lot of work.

house update

2010-07-09T21:23:00.006-05:00

End of Week 3: The kitchen flooring wasn't able to be salvaged, so we had new red oak flooring installed. It was stained to match the refinished dining room floor. The walls were painted and texturized.

End of Week 4: The cabinets were installed, and they look great.

Next week appliances will arrive and measurements for the counter-tops will be taken.

Lisa's Exhibit at Overture

2010-06-25T20:52:00.005-05:00

Our very talented friend, Lisa, has an exhibit that opened tonight at the Overture Center.

Linden enjoyed his first art show.

He especially liked running around in the open hallways.

Play-group

2010-06-25T20:38:00.003-05:00

Playgoup was at Amy and Emma's house a few weeks ago.

Audrey and Emma are in the pool, Sunny is enjoying the slide, and Linden is pondering his next move with the ladies.

Alicia hosted this week. Jess is reading to her daughter Abbie and Linden.

William, Emma, and Linden really had fun with the water-table.

End of Week 2

2010-06-25T20:24:00.004-05:00

End of week 2: The sheet-rock on the walls and ceilings are finished. Part 1 of plumbing and electrical are completed. Spice cabinet is gone. The new door to the porch is installed (not shown in image.)

Old stairway to the kitchen is removed

New stairway to the basement is complete. (That brown part on the top right-side of the photo is the main beam of the house. It use to run all the way to the pink wall.)

Our make-shift kitchen:

2010-06-25T10:16:00.001-05:00

Linden's new favorite thing is to walk Coca. He led her around three-fourths of the square block. Coca was very cooperative, too.

YouTube Video

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Visit to Lisle

2010-06-25T10:12:00.003-05:00

We had a great time with Gramdma Ellie at the park!

We got to meet Susie and Keith's beautiful new baby Amelie!

We also got to see old friends Karen and Clare! Clare was kind enough to share her wagon with Linden on a trip to the park.

Father's day

2010-06-20T12:18:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day!

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Demolition

2010-06-15T19:24:00.003-05:00

Nothing like demolition to make you realize you are actually remodeling the kitchen.

Recent Photos

2010-06-12T20:29:00.002-05:00

Linden and Grandma Ellie had a great time playing together!

Linden is so proud of himself for climbing the first step of the big ladder. We stopped him as he was getting up the courage to go to the second step.
Linden is very helpful in the garden!

2010-06-12T11:18:00.001-05:00

Linden loves his new carseat!

YouTube Video

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Hugs

2010-06-05T10:54:00.001-05:00

Linden loves giving Bailey hugs. Bailey just likes the attention.

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Rhododendren

2010-06-04T10:20:00.001-05:00

My dad would have really enjoyed this beautiful blooming bush.

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More cute Linden photos

2010-06-01T10:38:00.001-05:00

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Linden is cute

2010-05-28T12:56:00.001-05:00

Linden is adorable.

Elena is very cute too!

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Happiness

2010-05-22T17:46:00.001-05:00

In these difficult times, Linden brings everyone a lot of joy.

YouTube Video

Location:Lisle, IL

Catching up

2010-05-14T19:58:00.004-05:00

First haircut

2010-04-20T11:13:00.001-05:00

Linden got a haircut today.

All done!

Post From My iPhone

Biking to music class

2010-04-19T11:06:00.001-05:00

We biked to music class today. Linden fell asleep in the Chariot, and he is still asleep. Class started already. No way am I going to wake him...

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Happy Bambino parking lot

Dawn and Matt's wedding

2010-04-12T21:06:00.002-05:00

We traveled to Arizona for Dawn and Matt's wedding last weekend. Thanks to Jeanine for watching Linden!

Relaxing at The Farm for lunch.

Enjoying the Botanical Gardens:

Grabbing a drink between the ceremony and the reception:

Dawn and Matt arrive at the zoo:

They make a beautiful couple!

Play-group

2010-04-12T21:03:00.001-05:00

These cuties love their carrots!

1st ride

2010-04-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

Yay for spring!

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Linden's 1st birthday party

2010-03-29T10:12:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Linden's birthday this weekend with the Lamonts, Meads, and Weisners.

Frances' first birthday party

2010-03-21T21:50:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Frances' first birthday today. Frances was Linden's first friend; we met at Happy Bambino's Nursing Resource Station when Linden was less than a week old.

The birthday girl is wearing purple in the foreground, and Kelsey is about to crawl into the tube.
Linden had fun going through the tube, too.
By far, though, Linden's favorite part of the day was pushing the tricycle around. Here he is giving Illiana a ride! They were pretty much on their own, but occasionally I would nudge the handlebars to prevent an accident.
Here are Frances and Kelsey in their birthday hats.

Spring is finally here!

2010-03-15T11:10:00.000-05:00

It's gorgeous here in Madison today. Maybe spring is finally here?

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Home whilst mom parties

2010-03-13T12:46:00.001-06:00

Linden and I are hanging out in Madison while mom enjoys the California sun. We did a lot of errands this morning, then got take out from tex Tubbs, which he clearly enjoyed.

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Santa Barbara

2010-03-13T08:53:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Dawn's upcoming wedding in Santa Barbara, CA. Her friends found an amazing house on the beach. Supposedly George Lucas recently threw his daughter's 25th birthday here. Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life) stayed here.

The house is gorgeous. You can see the ocean and the mountains.

Dawn and her friends are a lot of fun too!

There is a hot tub on the roof, with a great view of the ocean.We could barely see a nude beach with the binoculars.

Dawn's cousin Kasey loaded up the dumb waiter with supplies:
Dawn and Colleen emptied out the dumb waiter in the basement:

The basement had a wine cellar, cigar room, bar, and classic car.

Location:Santa Barbara, CA

Linden pics

2010-03-01T08:23:00.005-06:00

Our thoughts go out to Great-Grandma Suds, and we hope she feels better! Here are some cute pictures of Linden to lift everyone's spirits.

We moved Linden's toy box down stairs, and he enjoyed playing in it.

Our neighbors Rob and Tony recently welcomed Chance to their family.
We had our first of many play-dates last week!

We have a social group composed of neighbors that meets about once or twice a month to have drinks at one couple's house. It started out being called Rutledge Rocks, but it's changed to Rutledge on the Rocks. Perhaps our new play group will be called Rutledge Rocks Cradles?!

movies

2010-02-25T15:16:00.008-06:00

Sometimes, any push-cart will do when you need to get around. In the first movie, Linden is pushing his heavy car seat.

In the second movie, Linden is pushing Mom around on a rolling office chair.

In the third movie, Linden bops to his favorite toy.

Best of all: Linden takes two steps by self!

10 month Catch-Up

2010-02-14T18:42:00.009-06:00

Linden had a low fever on and off for about a week, and then he had a higher fever (over 104') for a few days. We're all recovered and back to sleeping relatively well! Here is a brief catch-up of the last three weeks:

Linden and I met Susie in Milwaukee. Susie looks so cute 20 weeks pregnant. Linden loved going down the slide at the Children's Museum again and again.

Mom's Night Out: Monica organized a trip to Cafe Continental, and we all had a great time!
Alix, Alyson, Alicia
Shelley, Amy, Monica, Jessica, Amy, Rachel, Katherine

We traveled to Illinois to visit my parents and to see my cousin Judd who was in town for business.

My dad enjoyed showing Linden his train set. Linden had fun watching the trains and turning the dials to control the trains' speeds.
My mom gave Linden a bath in the kitchen sink.
Jeanine visited and helped out last week too.

Jeanine and I took Linden to the YMCA's indoor water park. Linden felt apprehensive at first, but he liked watching the other kids play in the water. Eventually, Linden had a great time going down the slide again and again and again...

9.5 months

2010-01-27T13:49:00.003-06:00

Jeanine came to help out last week. We all really enjoyed her visit!

Linden is on the move, and we're slowly baby-proofing the house. Linden thinks the gates are fun to open and close.

Look at the trouble he can find! Linden climbed up the side of the desk, across the foot rest and was rocking back-and-forth on the car seat.

Linden is standing by himself for longer periods of time, especially when he needs both hands to play with a toy. No walking yet to report, but he's leaning and falling without moving his feet.

Linden reproducibly says, "Caa!" whenever he sees or hears Coca. He's signing "more" relatively often while eating. One has to sneak the baby food in between hand fulls of food.

More Cheerios!

2010-01-21T07:28:00.005-06:00

We've been using a few signs with Linden. He understands some of them when he sees us gesturing, but he doesn't use them himself.

Here's a video where it seems like he's asking for "more" cheerios. For the formal version of the sign, one taps pursed hands together. Babies often approximate the signs with a simpler gesture. Judge for yourself--it seems like Linden has a notion and tries to use his hands to express it.

Sunny's first birthday party

2010-01-21T06:46:00.004-06:00

Sunny turned one year old last weekend. Sunny's Mom and Grandmas hosted a very nice princess-themed party.

Lots of Linden's little friends came to celebrate:
Sunny (in the dress and shall), Linden (behind Sunny's Grandma's arm), Jackson (in lap), Abbie (in green pants), Emma (in the blue dress), Audrey (in the striped sweater)

Oliver (in the red vest)

Even if it's a crown, Linden doesn't like hats!

Emma crawled on top of Linden's lap, but neither kid seemed to notice.

Lisa's Exhibit

2010-01-15T17:05:00.004-06:00

Our very talented friend Lisa has a show, flux, at the gallery in the Union. It's all about how light and glass interact to produce visual effects. To incorporate Lisa's science background, some of the glass pieces look like charge distributions on space-filling models of molecules. Best of all, Lisa gave us explanations of the process of how she made the pieces, and what they mean to her.

We had a great turn-out to view the show last night. Claire just gave birth to Daschel four days ago, and Erin is due in about three weeks.

On the Move (part 2)

2010-01-14T09:28:00.001-06:00

Linden is trying very hard to stand on his own. Here's a video of him pushing his cart around and then briefly standing.

Gramma Jean came to help out earlier this week. We loved having her here!

On the move!

2010-01-05T07:33:00.003-06:00

Linden is fully mobile now. He can efficiently crawl anywhere he wants, and it's usually towards trouble. Linden is also starting to try to push himself up to a straddle position without the aid of a couch. He still falls over without actually standing up.

Christmas in Green bay

2009-12-28T19:35:00.008-06:00

We arrived in Green Bay on Christmas Eve night and celebrated with the Suidzinski side of the family. (clockwise: Casey, Lynn, Linden, Lisa, Landon, Mike S, Mike M, Dan, Al, Andrea, Kyle, Jeff, Lori, Coca)

Grandpa and Grandma Suds with Landon and Linden

Casey, Mary, Haley, Jen, Chris

Grandpa Mike, Linden, Andrea

Grandma Jean:

Liz, Jen, and Coca

Relaxing on Christmas Day with Chris and Shaun
The Mead side of the family came over for a delicious assortment of soups and homemade breads.
Grandma Mead helps Linden open presents

Jen, Coca, Kristi, Grandma Mead

Grandpa Mead, Tim, and Linden

Four generations of Mead men (high resolution file)

Anne and Linden

Grandpa Mike reads with Linden

Grandma Jean helps Linden bathe

Early gift

2009-12-20T16:43:00.003-06:00

Rebecca sent Linden an early Christmas gift. Stereotypically, Linden loved the box that the gifts came in. He probably spent 30 minutes happily in there.

Linden also likes the outfit and book, and I appreciate the stamp and stationary.

More Cruising

2009-12-15T11:26:00.004-06:00

Grandma Ellie and Grandad gave Linden a wonderful holiday gift!

We had a great visit.

We enjoyed Olbrich's holiday model train and gingerbread house exhibit.

Latest trick

2009-12-13T22:39:00.002-06:00

Here is a video of Linden's newest trick:

Momma Group

2009-12-13T22:11:00.004-06:00

I have been very lucky to find a nice group of mommas with whom I have a lot in common. The kids are all within a few months of the same age, and the mommas are all smart, educated, interesting people. They are a great source of advice, and the kids are each adorable.

back row: Libby, Emma, Jackson
front row: Abbie, Mason, William, Oliver, Samantha, Linden

(not pictured: Sunny & Audrey)

Washington, DC

2009-12-07T10:01:00.008-06:00

We traveled to Washington, DC last week and visited Uncle Larry and Aunt Yvette. Linden cried a little bit on take-off and landing, but he played and slept during the flight.

On Thrusday, we ran to the National Mall. It was above 60'F and gorgeous! Larry and Yvette's home is in Georgetown and about two miles from the Capital. It's a really neat space that is a converted loft-style apartment.

We also walked around Georgetown that afternoon.

Linden fell asleep in Scott's arms on the way home.

Uncle Larry took Friday off of work, and we walked around the embassy area and zoo.

Linden really enjoyed looking at the animals. He's checking out a monkey in this photo, but the flash obscures the monkey.

We had dinner with Bereket and Hami at their beautiful new home. It's a long movie, but Linden is very giggly and cute. He's so over-tired that he rubs his eyes every time he stops laughing.

On Saturday, we met Brian and Leondra for brunch, and they checked out Aunt Yvette's new store. We also went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.
We met Brad and Stephanie for dinner. Uncle Larry and Aunt Yvette kindly watched Linden.

We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation! Linden didn't sleep well... but he's back on track now that we're home.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-06T19:30:00.007-06:00

Thanksgiving with the Lamonts and Hausners

First, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Illinois. Here is Grandad feeding Linden:

Grandma Ellie playing with Linden:

Uncle Brad giving Linden a squeeze:

In addition, we attended the Wisconsin vs. Northwestern game. We started with an alumni tail-gate:

We had excellent seats at the game:
Thanksgiving with the Meads
Chris and Jen hosted thanksgiving dinner at their house, and we made homemade pizza on Friday.

"Dog"???

2009-11-15T20:40:00.002-06:00

Brought to you by the letter D

Linden's language is developing as he focuses on one consonant at a time. Right now it's the letter "D". It seems like he says "da" when daddy is near by and "doe" when Coca is close. He also says "dee" when he's playing.

Meal time!

2009-11-15T13:54:00.002-06:00

Linden enjoys eating steel-cut oats and vegetables 2-3 times a day now. Here is a video of Linden devouring some sweet potatoes:

Music Together

2009-11-10T11:50:00.003-06:00

Linden and I enjoy attending our music group. Linden loves all the stimulation from sound of the music, the feel (and taste!) of the instruments, and seeing his friends.

Yard update

2009-11-06T14:12:00.002-06:00

We recently finished a few projects around the yard. First, we had a new front walk installed. We marked Linden's footprints while the cement was still wet.

Second, we installed a fence along the back, side, and front of the yard. Coca loves her new-found freedom! Linden will appreciate it when he's toddling around.

Go Pack!

2009-11-01T15:19:00.002-06:00

Packers play the Vikings today. Grandma Jean bought Linden a Packers jersey to cheer on the home team!