2 for 1!

When the end of August was rolling around and I realized I still hadn't posted all about Allison's eighth month of life, I figured I might as well wait and do a two for one special! Hey, don't judge. It's been a busy summer. Month 7 and month 8 have been such a blast and it is hard to believe that our little girl is 9 months old. She had her 9 month check up a few days ago and she is developmentally right on track. Size wise, she is a bit of a peanut. She is up about two pounds from her last appointment weighing in at 17 pounds and 10 ounces (28th percentile), grew an inch to be up to 27 inches (37th percentile), and that head is at a staggering 45.4 cm (86th percentile). Since she started moving this month, the doctors were not too concerned about her weight. She doesn't exactly have it in her genes to be too big anyways.

With a little help of her daily calendar, here are 17 things about our little Allison from the past 2 months as she enters her 9th month!

1.) Travel Bug. This little girl sure has logged the miles on Delta. With 3 flights under her belt, she looks forward to another flight to Ohio this week and her first trip to California at the end of the month. Good thing she still flies for free!

2.) Mighty Mississippi. Allison took a boat ride down the Mississippi in August with Mom, Dad, and our good friends Brent and Brenda. She LOVED it! She even got a certificate to Dairy Queen from the sheriff for wearing her life vest. Since Ali is quite old enough for ice cream, Mom will happily take care of that one :)

3.) Water, water everywhere. Our little water baby not only loves the water to swim and bathe in, but she loves water from a water bottle. As soon as that cap comes off, her mouth opens and she reaches for the bottle. We've tried juice and she just gives us the sour face. What can I say, she's easy to please :)

4.)Chatter Box. Back in early July, Allison started up with "dadadadada" and "babababa". She doesn't associate those with anyone or anything yet, but she has definitely found her voice!

5.) And 5 make a mouthful. At the end of July, Allison's top teeth popped through. Not one, not two, but three. All. At. Once. It was a bit of a rough week, but she looks so cute with that little mouthful. It is so bittersweet. More teeth means eating is easier. Nursing, eh, sometimes it doesn't mix so well with those teeth.

6.) Puffs! Speaking of eating, Allison has mastered the art of the pincer grasp and picking up puffs. I can't say she always make it from the tray to her mouth. But hey, maybe she gets her hand-eye coordination from her mom.

7.) Sister. Sister. Babysitter. We have been super blessed with hitting a babysitter jackpot. A pair of sister (Sam and Syd) come to watch Allison when grandma and grandpa are out of town. They are awesome and Allison just loves them. Having a date night every now and then is amazing. We are so grateful to have found them!

8.)Pull ups. One day while we were packing for a trip and Allison was hanging out in her crib, she decided it would be the perfect time to pull herself up with the first time. We were so proud of her! And then immediately lowered the mattress in the crib. Which is a good thing because...

9.) Up everywhere! She is pulling herself up all day long now! The coffee tables, entertainment centers, and everything else within reach have been cleared off. If she can see it, she is determined to get it.

10.) Determination. Speaking of determination, this girl knows what she wants and how to get it. I find it so amazing that she can have all the toys in the world, and she wants keys, phones, electrical cords, remotes, hair brushes, etc. If she wants it, she'll get it. All of this has been made much easier with the new ability to...

11.) Crawl! It started with a face plant crawl. Which evolved into a full blown, fast paced, climb over anything crawl. It is so fun to see her explore and finally be able to get to where she wants to go. It keeps her busy and us even busier.

12.)Dancing Queen. Turn on some music and this girl starts to shake it. We love to dance around the house and when she hears a beat, she gets it going. It is so funny to watch that little girl try to dance. But then again, her parents dancing is pretty humorous as well.

13.)Stair climber. I think Allison is learning that when she is at her grandparent's, she can get away with just about anything. While at Eric's parents this past week, Allison decided to take up the art of climbing stairs. She hasn't quite mastered it yet, but good enough that gates have been purchased and will be set up soon.

14.) Food. Food. Food. We are still working on getting all sorts of foods in Allison. So far she has had sweet potatoes, avocados, butternut and acorn squash, pears, zucchini, apples, mangos, summer squash, pumpkin, blueberries, bananas (still hates those), peas, carrots, canteloupe, and most recently- chicken! We are on the path to a full blown Thanksgiving dinner.

15.) Now I get it. Allison has figured out some of her toys recently and she is just too proud of herself. She has a jack in the box that she just figured out how to open and a giraffe that makes noise when she puts the ball down the slide. She thinks she is just the most awesome little baby out there for figuring those out. But I suppose she is :)

16.)Bull face. Allison is quickly learning how to get her way. And when she wants something and doesn't get it, she scrunches up her little nose, pouts up those little lips and snorts like a bull. It is hilarious. She looks so stinkin' cute that she usually gets whatever it is she wasn't allowed. How does she have us figured out already??

17.) Book Worm. Allison has seemed to enjoy being read to from the beginning, but just recently she wants her books all to herself. She is so good at taking her books one by one and flipping the pages. It is almost as if she is studying each page and then flips it to the next one. Let's work on keeping up this habit.

Phew! If you made it all the way to here, you have the determination of Allison. Here are a couple videos of her and her most recent accomplishments! Pardon my voice in both :)

On a Healthy Lifestyle

As I was clearing out the DVR a few weeks ago, I came across the last episodes of the Oprah show. And as I was watching, I got to thinking about the things in my life that I truly value. Family and Friends came up first. And then faith. And, as a fan of alliteration (dork), fitness and food rounded out the top five. At first I felt guilty about those last two. As if my very pricey, er, important education should have made the cut. But seeing as though changing diapers, playing patty cake, making dinner, folding laundry, and dominating the elliptical do not require an RN, that education fell to an honorable mention #6. Sorry, SMC.

And though those first three are very near and dear to my heart, I wanted to focus a little about the last two. First things first, I am not a “health nut.” I try hard to live a healthy lifestyle, but I really enjoy beef burgers, all things sweet, and the occasional red bull (plus or minus the vodka) too much to ever think about giving them up completely. That being said, as we start to introduce “real food” to Allison, we want to create an environment in which healthy eating is the norm, every meal is well rounded, and each day consists of some form of heart rate raising physical activity.

When we were living in Phoenix, we had access to a great farmer’s market that I took advantage of regularly. Each dinner we ate soon consisted of at least 3 parts: a protein (usually meat or fish), a grain/starch/carb, and a veggie. This appealed to “I love buffets for the million different choices” side of me and it became engrained in us that each dinner should be like that. Now, if we do not have a vegetable with dinner, our meal does not seem complete. I want that to be passed on to Allison.

We have also been working at incorporating healthier staples into our meals. Swapping out beef for lean ground turkey in our burgers, potatoes for quinoa, and starting every dinner with a spinach salad. (Side note on that- I started to really crave raw spinach salads in place of regular lettuce when I was pregnant and we just never made the switch back.) Granted, we still eat greasy cheeseburgers and French fries when we want them, but everything in moderation, right? I have found the easiest way to make sure our diets are well rounded is to do a weekly meal plan. This allows me to look over what we will be eating that week and make adjustments accordingly. It is also really helpful in minimizing grocery store trips. Plus, I just really love making lists.

Eating right, though, really is only half of it. Fitness plays an important role in our life as a family. Most of the things that we enjoy doing together involve being outdoors and being active. When I grew up, it wasn’t “are you going to play a sport?” it was “which sport are you going to play?” And I think I tried them all. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy going to the gym and going out for a run. Treadmills and elliptical are fun for me. Eric, not so much. But, 3-4 days a week, he goes and plays pickup basketball. This does not sound fun to me, but he really enjoys it. Either way, we are both working up a sweat and keeping our bodies in shape. We feel so much better after a workout and can really take pride in how our bodies look and what they can accomplish. Some may not believe in a “runner’s high”, but to them I would say train for and then run a race. Any distance. That feeling of crossing the finish line is something that beyond words.

All in all, I think that we are doing pretty good in the “health” scheme of things. We could definitely improve some areas, but we are pleased with how things are right now. The key for us is to just keep things fresh. Changing up a workout and trying new recipes are two really easy ways to do that. Here are some of our favorite “healthier” recipes we’ve enjoyed lately. Give them a try!


Quinoa, Edamame, and Feta Salad
Green Monsters
Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers
Avocado, Tomato, and Arugula Salad
Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad
Cuban Black Beans <-- Add a jalepeno and green pepper and serve over brown rice. Yum!

Better Late Than Never!

Whoa! Where has July gone?? We have had such an eventful summer, I almost forgot to tell all about our little 7 month cutie. Allison's sixth month of life was an eventful one for sure! I still find it hard to believe how much she has grown over the past month. She looks like a giant baby next to her new buddy Mollie. Yet, put her next to her cousins and she is still my little peanut. No checkup this month (which also means no shots! yay!). I had to cheat a little and go back to her June calendar to make up our list of 7! So, even though a little delayed, here are 7 things for the record book for the month of June!

1.) Pool Babe. Little Miss Allison is a bona fide pool babe. She loves the water and loves the kids at the pool even more. It is hilarious to watch her splash water in her face and then react like "who did that??". Still not a huge fan of being dunked though...

2.) Toothies. At the beginning of June, Allison cut her first tooth. The day after the little lower left tooth cut, the lower right cut. This whole teething business is pretty much everything it was was cracked up to be. But with the help of Oragel, a mesh feeder with ice in it, and lots of snuggling, we grinded through. Those two little chompers look so stinkin' cute that it is hard to get mad at her when she bites...

3.)Foodie. Cereal marked the beginning of Allison's culinary crawl and it has been quite the adventure. Though she was not a huge fan of some foods at first, she found her favorite early on. This girl LOVES butternut squash. One thing she isn't a huge fan of (and by not a huge fan, I mean she took one bite and threw up everywhere) is bananas. We have since tried twice, even mixing it in with cereal or squash, and she cannot be fooled. At least we know she has a palate able to distinguish different taste. I think that is just a nice way of saying she may be picky :)

4.) Rolly Polly. At the beginning of June, Allison FINALLY rolled from her tummy to her back! She had been rolling from back to belly quite a bit, but was a little late to the belly to back game. After my brief celebration, I quickly realized that she can now get to anything she has her eye on by rolling and rolling to it. Time for gates??

5.) Belly Sleeper. Ever since she learned to roll from back to belly, Allison started to sleep on her side. But once she figured out the full 360, she is flat on her belly. It is a little unnerving to walk into her room to check on her and see her with her face smashed into the mattress, but she likes it. And if that allows her to sleep through the night, who am I to complain? So when do I start sleeping through the night??

6.) Sitting Pretty. Sometime in the middle of June, Allison mastered sitting on her own. She loves sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by her toys. She is my little big girl. Please stop growing so fast!

7.) Look A Like. From day one, everyone has said how much Allison and Eric look alike. So when I heard there was a Father/Child look alike contest going on, I knew I had to enter them. And they won! Though she probably did not enjoy the new Toro mower as much as her dad did, we like to think she was excited. It was her first Father's Day present to Eric. Big shoes to fill for next year :)

And June seems like a walk in the park compared to July! Can't wait to tell you all about our adventures we had this month! Until then, I'll leave you with a little video of Allison's first time eating avocados up in Ada, MN!

6 Month Sweetie

Has it really been 6 months already?? Since Allison was born, we heard "Don't blink because she will be graduating college before you know it" from a number of people. And looking at this little one on her half birthday, I completely understand what they meant. This past half year has flown by. Eric and I have probably learned more in the last 6 months than ever before. And in that time, we have experienced such awesome happiness and love, all stemming from 16 pound ball of giggles.

Allison had her 6 month check up on Wednesday and here are her stats:
Up 2 pound from last appointment, weighing in at 15 pounds 14 ounces (50th percentile)
Gained an inch in length at 26 inches (50th percentile)
Head circumference topping out at 437 cm (85th percentile- Thanks Dad!)

Allison also had to get 4 vaccines, three of which were shots in her perfectly chubby thighs. If all goes as planned though, the next check up is needle free!

And as Allison coasts into her 6 month of life, here are 6 things about our little peanut that have defined the past 30 days :)

1.) Roll over, roll over. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a rolling machine. It started on Mother's Day at bath time. As Allison was laying on her back getting ready for bath time, she spotted her lotion and was determined to get it. I called down to Eric and just as he came up and got the camera rolling, she succeeded! Now, it is all she wants to do. She still only rolls from back to belly, but when she gets to her belly she thinks she is just the coolest thing out there.

2.) "Hey, I know you!" There is no question as to whether or not Allison is a momma's girl. But when the two of us spend just about every second of her waking hours together, who can blame her? Over the past few weeks though, she is definitely recognizing her Dad. When he walks in the room, she gets so excited, kicking her legs and squealing nonstop. She follows him around the room with her eyes and smiles from ear to ear just looking at him. He's always been able to make her smile, but now that she seems to know who "Daddy" is, she loves it even more.

3.) Nature Lover. This is a little girl who loves to be outdoors. We have been breaking in our new jogging stroller and she could not be more content. She is also a huge fan of walks down to the water in the Baby Bjorn. I am not sure what it is about being outside, but it makes her happy. Which makes us happy.

4.) Boys are gross. Well, maybe not gross. But they do seem to scare her. Allison and I were out grocery shopping and she was in the Bjorn, happy as a clam. An old couple came up and the woman was talknig to Allison and Allison was just loving it. Her smiles quickly turned to a frown and even some tears, though, when the older man tried to say hello. I think it is the low voice. Whatever it is, let's hope she thinks boys are scarey for about 18 more years...

5.) Stand up, sit down. Allison has loved standing since her knees have been able to lock in place. I've mentioned before how she loves to stand in the bathtub, but now she is loving standing outside of the bathtub. She can hold on to the side and keep herself up. She is a strong little lady. She has also been sitting up on her own! She isn't 100% steady, but she can pretty much "tripod" on her own without any tumbles. Uh oh. I just realized that crawling will be next. Eek!




6.) Cereal! The time has come to join the ranks of the rest of the world and eat "real" food. We started Allison on rice cereal on Monday and she seems to really like it. She is only getting it at dinner right now, but we will move it to breakfast on Sunday and start other foods at dinner. So far we are planning on sweet potatoes, avocados, and squash. That should take up a couple weeks and we'll go from there. We can't wait until all of our garden veggies come in so she can eat those too!

Love you little Allison!



Just ignore my irritating voice :)

5 Months Old!

Our little Allison turned 5 months old this past week! Time has sure flown by. It seems like just yesterday we brought her home and the we spent the first night staring at her as we camped out in the living room. That first month was pretty tough, definitely tougher than we anticipated. Now, though, she is learning something new each day and interacting with us. She is, as her Dad describes her, "like a little real person."

Since there was no doctor's appointment this month, Allison joined mom on the scale at the gym. Fully clothed, the peanut weighed in over 15 pounds! I know those tiny jeans and her mini sweater account for some poundage, but our munchkin is definitely growing! We've got a big milestone next in June as the princess with be turning 6 months and will get to start real food. Until then, I leave you with our 5 most favorite things about Allison Claire this month!

1.) "What's my real name?" By now, you have probably realized that Allison goes by about 10 different names. Allison, Ali, Princess, Peanut, Munchkin, Pumpkin, Pretty, etc. When we call "Allison," she does not turn around. Call out for "Princess" though, and her eyes find you right away. We have created a monster.

2.)Tuesdays with Mommy and Wednesdays with Dad. Now that golf league has started, Allison gets a girl's night on Tuesday nights and her and Dad hang out alone on Wednesday nights. We love spending time as a family, but there is something special about that time at night we get to spend alone with her.

3.)Baby Hugs. Sure it may be one of those "safety reflexes," but when we pick up Allison and hold her against our chests, she will wrap her little arms around us. This little baby hug is one of the best feelings in the world. And she executes it to perfection.

4.)Standing Tall. We are so blessed that this little one is so pleasant. SHe has the best smile and always seems to be happy. One of her favorite times, though, is the time right before bath time. We "skin the bunny" (sidenote- are my parents the only parents who used this phrase? Eric had never heard of it and pointed out how horrible the phrase actually is lol) and stand that little peanut up in the bathrub. She thinks she is just the coolest kid out there. She will rest her hands on the side of the tub and squeal in delight. She does love "standing" all the time, but this is definitely her favorite.

5.) "Who's that cutie??" We recently put together Allison's Exersaucer and she loves it! She is constantly trying to eat the apple on it and loves hitting the different buttons to get them to light up and make noise. Our built in babysitter, though, is the mirror that sits on it at her eye level. She stares at herself (she hopefully outgrows this and the "Princess" phase by teen years) for the longest time. When she "sees" this other baby looking back at her, she squeals as if saying "Hi! Who are you?!?" It is pretty much the funniest thing ever.



And forgive the Christmas onesie. Someone (me) bought a 3-6 month onesie before she was born thinking it would fit. Ha!

We hope you are enjoying watching out peanut grow! She has brought such joy to our lives already and continues to do so everyday. Happy Spring everyone!

Who Knew??

Allison and I went to the gym this morning just like we do every morning. Except this morning was different. This morning, when I stepped on the scale, my weight read ONE POUND away from my prepregnancy weight. I almost cried I was so happy. My body is still not what I want it to be, but I feel so much better than I did 3 months ago when I was finally allowed back to the gym.

My question, though, is who knew it would be so hard to lose baby weight?? Everyone I talked to said the same thing "Oh, you're breastfeeding? The weight will come right off." Um, no. Though I chose to breastfeed for a hundred reasons besides weightloss, I was thinking that was a great perk. But did you know that when you breastfeed, you want to eat absolutely everything in sight? Or is that just me? I eat as much as, if not more than, Eric. And even if I wasn't as hungry as a horse at all times of the day, I don't believe dieting is in the best interest of someone who wants their child to actually grow and gain weight.

Losing these 10 pounds have been really hard. Harder than hard. And to mommas with more than one kiddo, I am amazed by you. Moms who work? You are super stars. I have been lucky enough to stay home with my peanut which allows for 2 hours at the gym everyday. Also, our gym allows babies to be on the gym floor so as long as she gets a good nursing in and I rock her to sleep, I can get at least 45 minutes of cardio in before she wakes up.

So this may be me gloating or tooting my own horn. But I haven't been this excited about the number on a scale since, well, forever. I wanted to shout it out in the locker room. But I guess I'll just blog about it for now :)

4 Months Old!

Today we headed over to Mayo with the little peanut for her 4 month well baby check up. She is healthy as can be! She tipped the scale just shy of 14 lbs, weighing in at 13 lbs and 15.5 ounces, and finally broke the 2 foot barrier at 25 inches. Her little (big) head was toward the top of the charts at 22.5 cm. But like her Uncle Tim said “Big heads run in the family. Need room for all of those brains." She also got 3 vaccinations while she was there, two of which were shots in her pudgy little thighs. I cried. She cried. It was no fun. She is good to go for another 2 months though!

This past month we hit a bit of a snafu. A little piece of disaster commonly known as RSV. RSV is a respiratory virus (Respiratory Syncytial Virus to be exact) that hits babies hard. I'm pretty sure everyone can get it but it seems to have an affinity toward the cute, chubby cheeked little ones. Who can blame it, though? Those cheeks are hard to resist. Anyways, Allison got RSV in early March. The sleeping through the night that we worked so hard to accomplish went out the window. The pack and play went back up next to our bed and the blue bulb suction was working overtime. A very long three weeks later, she was symptom free. This coincided perfectly with the arrival of Grandma and Grandpa Schorsten to Rochester and the departure of Eric and I to Vegas! Allison got to spend 4 days getting spoiled by them and Grandma Deutsch (lucky girl!) while her parents enjoyed some alone time, sunshine, and no dirty diapers (luckier us!). We had a blast seeing our good friends Shane and Rachael but missed the peanut terribly and were pretty excited to get home to her.

Since we have been home, we've had plenty of beautiful weather and are eager for spring and summer! The stroller has made it's debut outside (and not just as a means of getting in and out of the gym!) and we've started scoping out where we will hang her swing (Thanks Markey family!). So with one more month under our belt, I give you the 4 things that defined our princess this past March.

1.) TOES! Despite my complete disdain for it, Little Miss Deutsch is trying her hardest to be a thumb sucker. She thinks she is so crafty sometimes as she tries to hide it, even sticking it into her pacifier as she is falling asleep. Then, one night after her bath, she thought to herself "Mom may keep taking my thumb out of my mouth, but if I can reach my toes, maybe that will be ok..." And she did. And in the mouth they went. They have quickly become her favorite chew toys. Lay this little one on her back and as those legs come up, she grasps onto her calf with white knuckles and chomps away to her heart's content. And as I watch in amazement of her flexibility, I realize she is right. How can I take away those toes when she looks just too darn cute??

2.) DADDY! I spend all day, every day with Allison. She is my appendage, my accessory, my "if I don't have her, something doesn't feel right". I read her stories, feed her, change her diaper, and do everything I can think of to make her laugh. And then Eric walks in the room. And just by saying "Hi Allison!", he wins her over. She stares at him, wants to sit on his lap, watches him as he eats. He's the bee's knees. The shiniest toy on the shelf. The coolest kid on the block. Not that I am bitter or anything ;) It actually melts my heart to see her so mesmerized with him. Though I think she is just working on getting him wrapped around her finger for her teen years...

3.)SKYPE! Every couple of days, Allison and I hop on the computer and Skype with her cousins and Aunts. A lot of times, she is fixated on the light above the desk, but she is quickly learning that the people on the screen are talking to her. And she LOVES to talk back. She is making new and different noises every day. We hope that this helps her get to know her cousins and vice versa. We don't want to be "those one set of relatives that live out in Minnesota..what are their names??"

4.)READ! Allison loves books. We started to read her books right when we got home from the hospital and now she can't get enough of them. We have a bath book called "Water, Water Everywhere" and she is obsessed with it. When she is in her bath, she turns her head and stares at that book until you take it off the shelf and read it to her. Her eyes get really big and her arms and legs splash all around as you open it up. After we are done reading it, we place it back on the shelf and her head turns back to stare at the book and the process repeats itself until she is a wrinkly raisin. This is also a great trick for keep her happy in a restaurant. If there is a menu with pictures, she is one happy girl. Ergo, we are two happy parents :)

We have so much to look forward to this month as Easter is around the corner, swimming lessons start, the weather warms up and the golf course opens. We haven't decided how we are going to golf with her, but we'll make it work. Happy 4 months Allison!

3 Months Old!

Our little Allison is 3 months old and as cute as can be! We don’t have an appointment until 4 months so no stats for now. This little munchkin is definitely growing, though, as evidenced by the increasing number of outfits joining the newborn clothes in the “outgrown” box. This is such a bittersweet thing for me. I love that those chubby thighs, multiple chins, and big round belly remind me that she is eating well and growing. However, they are all also a reminder that she won’t be my little baby forever. I guess I’ll spend extra time cuddling her while she still lets me J

Our biggest event this month was Allison’s baptism! We were so lucky to be joined by her God Parents Melissa and Lang (and Declan!) from Pittsburgh, my parents and Allison’s Aunts Beth and Lisa from Ohio, Eric’s parents, Allison’s Uncle Tim from Minneapolis, and all of our other family and friends! She looked like such a doll in her white dress and couldn’t have been better. And, in true girl fashion, spent most of the brunch afterward squealing more than she ever has! Thanks again, Christie, for being her chatter buddy J

It is so hard to narrow it down to 3 things for this month, but here goes…

1.) Allison loves the mirror! We worry that we have a little diva on our hands already. If you want to see a little princess smile and squeal, plop this girl in front of a mirror. She thinks it is just the funniest thing!

2.) If we are out to eat, Allison doesn’t want to hang out in her car seat. She wants to sit on your lap! She is happy as can be sitting on anyone’s lap and looking around. She wants to be part of the action too.

3.) Allison’s neck is getting so strong and she will hopefully no longer be a bobble head! She spends part of each day on her tummy and sitting in her Bumbo to work on her neck muscles. She is really getting the hang of it!

We love you, our sweet girl, and can’t wait to see what the month of March holds for you!

Our little 2 month old!

Allison had her 2 month appointment last week and she is doing great! I cannot believe that he is already 2 months old. Where has the time gone?? She grew 3 inches since her last appointment (up to 23 inches!) and, weighing in at 11 pounds and 2 ounces, she gained almost a full 4 pounds! She also had to get her vaccinations which included 3 shots :( She was not too happy with those, but I think I cried more. She is so healthy, though, and that is more than we could ask for.

The past two months have definitely been an adjustment, but she has made it relatively easy on us. Starting around 1 month of age, Allison started sleeping 7 hours straight through the night! She has been a champion eater (and pooper!) and is getting into a very nice schedule. She even took her first plane ride to Ohio to visit my family. She slept from take off to touch down both there are back, so we were very pleased (as were all of the other passengers!).

She has discovered her hands and chomps on them all throughout the day. Another one of her favorite things is her activity mat. The lights and sounds just fascinate her. As silly as it may be, one of my proudest moments so far is when she reached out and snagged the rings on it. Yay Allison!

Stealing the idea from Kristin @ www.bkhagerman.blogspot.com , here are 2 things about our little 2 month old that make her, well, her.

1.) She loves her bathtime! During our visit to Ohio, Allison used her cousin Michael and Nicky's bathtub. We always used the sling in her bathtub at home, but since this one didn't have the sling, we made do. And she LOVED it! Needless to say, when we got home, we got rid of the sling and haven't looked back. She splashes and laughes the entire time. Her head turns as soon as she hears that water running.

2.) Little Miss Allison has a million expressions and sounds to match. She coo's, goo's, and smiles all day long but her newest favorite is squealing. This little lady is bound to be a chatter. She will "talk" to anyone who listens and talks back.

We just love our little peanut and feel so blessed to have her in our lives. Happy 2 months Princess!

Just Add Baby!

From the moment we opened up the envelope and found out that our little nugget would be a perfect little princess, we couldn't wait to get started on her room! We started off with a blank slate. The room had old pale blue carpet, white walls, and a hunter green wall paper trim. First thing to go was carpet. We went through Home Designs Studio in Rochester to have the new flooring put in. We thought about doing wainscoting in the room, but decided that since the flooring matched the baseboards already, we would stick with that.

After the floors went in, I steamed down the wall paper trim. We then spent a good 20 hours taping off the room and painting the walls green with white stripes. This is not an easy task to take on. If you ever plan on doing painting stripes in a room, let us know and we can give you so VERY helpful tips that would have saved us loads of time. In the end, though, the stripes turned out better than we could have hoped.

After the painting came reinstalling the baseboards. This is not as easy as it sounds. Think putting together a jigsaw puzzle that needs to fit perfectly. And the pieces are large and cumbersome. With nails. Eek! We survived though, and so did the walls.

Next came the ceiling fan. We wanted to install a dimmer and a ceiling fan, which would require a little rewiring. This task was left entirely to Eric and our go-to handy guy/good friend Brent. Together, they put in the fan (and it is still up!) and put the whole system on a dimmer. It could not have worked out better.

I made some wall art with canvas, mod podge, scrapbooking pages, and ribbon. We added her furniture, clothes, a rug, and hung everything on the walls. Now we are good to go! We just need to add baby, which will happen this week. We are going in for induction tomorrow night and we could not be more excited. Or more nervous! We cannot wait to meet our not so punctual princess. She will be the perfect last addition to the room that we are just so proud of :)

Grandpa's Bassinet

This past winter, being that it was my first spent in Minnesota, brought about a multitude of challenges. One such challenge that was almost a daily occurence was getting my car up the driveway and into the garage. This may be a simple task anywhere else in the world, but on a sloped ice covered driveway with a sharp turn into the garage, not so much. So when the image of me trying to haul Little Miss Deutsch and a diaper bag up from the bottom of an icy driveway that my car could not get up come mid January flashed in my head, we decided it was time to clean out the OTHER two car garage that is closer to the house and easier for me to pull into.

This, however, was no simple task. Like most garages, there was hardly any space to move in this one and there wasn't even a car parked in it. With an empty dumpster and a couple ladders, we got to work. Since the garage has been a storage space for Eric's parents since the 80's, you can only imagine what we found. Most of the items were tossed without hesitation (think boxes of moldy stuffed animals and comforters) but there were some pretty neat things that we came across as well. Amidst the several mice skeletons, we dusted off a box of Eric's parent's wedding invitations in perfect condition, a few pictures from the 1970's, and the bassinet that Eric's dad and his siblings slept in as babies.

The bassinet was in pretty rough shape but with a little one on the way, we got a little nostalgic. There is no amount of bleach that would justify putting a child to sleep in this thing, but we thought, cleaned up, it would make a perfect place for blankets and toys. And when Little Miss Deutsch is old enough, she might like the idea of having Grandpa's Bassinet as part of her room.

In order to salvage the bassinet, we had to have a plan of attack. First step- a soap bath. Using a plastic knife, a few wash clothes, and a bucket of suds, I cleaned this sucker down to every last nook and cranny. Since it was missing one of the wheels, we decided to pop off the remaining three and replace them with small wooden balls with some felt glued onto the bottom. Next, we sanded it down to the bare wood. This was not very easy. I have the blisters to prove it. Apparently, sanding was not something this bassinet has seen before. Instead, there were about 4 layers of paint in varying shades, one on top of the other. After the sanding, Eric rolled out the power washer (side note-super easy to get out of the garage now that it is so clean) and went to town on the bassinet. After a thorough bleaching, another light sanding to smooth out the rough spots and a few coats of white spray paint, it is complete. It is the first piece of furniture we have in the nursery so far and we love how it turned out. Hopefully it can stay in good enough shape that one day it can get passed down as Great Grandpa's Bassinet.

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The Start of Summer

With my summer break starting not too long ago, Eric and I had made some big plans for what we would do with my first couple of weeks off. We were so excited to have our good friends Shane and Rachael in town from Las Vegas for the first week off. Shane and Eric played in the member-guest golf tournament at the country club while Rachael and I relaxed and did typical girl things. It is always a blast seeing those two and hopefully we will see them again in September for a Notre Dame game!

Our 2 week summer vacation went into the next phase on Sunday soon after Shane and Rachael left for the airport. We had a nice father’s day brunch with Eric’s dad and then packed up our bags for our 3 city road trip. First stop: Geneva, Illinois. Eric had been invited by Brad, someone that Eric’s company does business with, to play in a charity golf tournament in Geneva. Geneva is about 1 hour west of Chicago is perhaps the cutest little town I have ever seen. We were lucky enough to go during their “Swedish Days” festival that is held every year. There were so many street vendors, bands, and little shops that could have kept me entertained for weeks on end. And the hotel we stayed at could not have been better. A quaint little balcony overlooking the river, a sitting area with a toasty fireplace, and warm cookies and perfectly cold milk brought to you before bedtime. Really, does it get any better??

We left Geneva on Tuesday to head up to Milwaukee for the Twins- Brewers game. I was a little disappointed that I could not enjoy one of Miller Park’s finest brews, but was so excited to see a new ballpark and cheer on the Twins. Eric did an awesome job with finding tickets online and our seats for right behind home plate! The Twins couldn’t pull off a victory, but we had a blast anyway.

Wednesday morning came a little early as we wanted to get on the road by 8 am to avoid Milwaukee traffic. The final leg of our trip was one we were looking forward to for a long time: 5 days up on Lake Millie Lacs with our friends Brent and Brenda. The trip was made even better since Brent had proposed to Brenda the day before!! We spent our time celebrating, fishing, and just enjoying some sunshine. I caught my first walleye and Eric filleted up our catches like a champ. We even went to a meat raffle! Eric and I didn’t win any meat, but leave it to the pregnant lady to win a free cocktail J. There were some perfect nights for fishing on the lake and you couldn’t have asked for a prettier sunset.

We are home in Rochester until we head to Pensacola Beach for Eric’s mom’s birthday next week. It will be nice to relax and get some household chores done. And I suppose Eric should go to work. Sidenote: Eric played in a Minnesota State Amateur golf qualifier on Tuesday and qualified!! The tournament is later on this month so I will keep you updated. Fingers crossed that he does well!

Forbidden Fruits & Satisfying Substitutes

When the word “baby” first made its way into our daily conversations at home, I started reading all of the “I’m going to be a new Mom so I am hoping to be dreadfully over prepared for my first doctor’s visit” books I could find. Besides the shock of the potential weight gain and the promise of little to no sleep that would be coming, I had to just drop my jaw at the list of foods and activities that I was now to avoid at all costs. For the most part, it has been pretty easy to stick to the list knowing that the little bundle of joy coming in November will be worth every missed bite of a medium rare steak and sip of a perfect margarita. However, when 24 weeks seems like 24 years, I turn to my now favorite substitutes to keep me happy and the little one healthy. Here are some that have become my pregnancy staples:

1.) Replace a Jimmy John’s #16 (oh-so-delicious) with a #6 with hot peppers. I love Jimmy John’s. And since we did not have one in Phoenix, it was still a delicacy to me once we got to Minnesota. But then Heidi Murkoff goes and tells me that lunch meat is not something one should consume if they are “Eating Well While You’re Expecting.” So when that aroma of fresh baked bread comes over me, I get the all veggie sandwich with hot peppers to add some spice. Really pretty tasty, even without the meat!

2.) Replace running hard with 30 minutes on the stair climber. Yes, I am one of those people that really enjoy running. I’ve never had coordination so running has always been something I could do and do well. When I get on the treadmill though, I want to test it to see how fast I can go and for how long. Turns out, the baby isn’t a huge fan of that. Having to keep my heart rate around 140, I turned to the escalator-looking contraptions at the gym. At first, I only lasted 8 minutes. These things really work your legs! Now, I just grab whatever book I am reading and set the timer for 30 minutes. My heart rate stays regulated and my thighs, calves, and tush get a workout like never before.

3.) Replace a tasty Cabernet with a wine glass of grape juice. Let’s be honest, there is no replacing a nice glass of red wine. My search for must have ‘mock’tails started with instructions on making a virgin dirty martini. It said “1.)Place two olives in glass. 2.) Enjoy).” It gave me a good laugh but made me realize that water doesn’t have to be the only beverage a pregnant lady consumes. Sometimes making pasta sauce at home just feels more relaxed with a little of Welch’s finest in some nice stemware. And though I tell Eric I would like a margarita brought to me after I deliver, there have been a few other favorites that make me feel a little less out of the loop when out with friends like the classic Arnold Palmer (iced tea and lemonade), a virgin Gary Miller Lite ( I think you need to live in Rochester to know about this one- Diet Tonic, a splash of cranberry juice, and a lime), and an O’Doul’s Amber.

4.) Replace sleeping on your back with a really comfy side pillow. Since sleeping on your back in pretty much forbidden after week 20, and I am strictly a back sleeper, I have started to prepare myself for an additional 20 weeks of side sleeping. The first couple weeks went really bad. But after going through all of the pillows in the house and finding the perfect match for me, I have mastered the side sleeping. Bring it on pregnant belly.

All that being said, we are so excited to be expecting the little one and thank you all for the well wishes! This is the latest picture of Baby Deutsch waving hello.

Sweet Surprise

Hi. My name is Deanna. And I am addicted to blogs. Friend’s blogs. Celebrity blogs. People I don’t know, but still love their blog blogs. I like to think that they are my version of Eric’s ESPN.com. One of my favorite type of blogs are ones that have new and creative recipes to try out. So you can imagine my delight when I came across www.bakerella.com. As I was scrolling through the posts, I “Ooh’d” and “Ahh’d” at just about everything. I wanted to immediately start baking for no other reason than to make something so perfectly cute and tasty. Now, I am not a huge baker. I much prefer cooking. However, one’s mind can easily be swayed to the sweet with confections like snickerdoodle cupcakes, mini pecan pies, fourteen layer cake, and, my personal favorite, cake lollipops.

These cake lollipops have to be the single cutest thing I have ever come across. I tried my hand at making them last night. Seeing as though I think I was born without the creative gene, I think they turned out surprisingly good. What do you think??

Mexican Night!

Ever since we moved from Arizona to Minnesota, we try to make Mexican food at least once a week. Maybe we miss the southwest or maybe we are just accustomed to culinary traditions of Phoenix. Either way, the smell of cilantro, jalapenos, and cumin in the kitchen immediately make our mouthes start to water. One of my all time favorite dishes to make on these nights is Tortilla Soup. The flavor is hard to beat and it surprisingly incredibly filling for a soup. Try making this one night to accompany your favorite Mexican entree. You won't be disappointed!

Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon canola oil (We've been using this a lot more recently with all the talk of Omega 3's)
1 medium size jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 medium size yellow pepper (or 1 small yellow one and 1 small orange one), diced
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 teaspoons cumin (depending on your taste preference)

*In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is heated, add the above ingredients and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occaisionally

1 tablespoon tomato paste
5-6 cups of low sodium chicken stock (We like to make big batches of chicken stock and store it in the freezer. So much better than the canned variety. But we still go to the canned stuff in a pinch :) )
~1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
~1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice

*Add tomato paste, stir well, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Next add the chicken stock and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat with the lid on. Add the raw chicken to the soup, stir well, and then cover. Cook for another 10-15 minutes on low heat. Add the cilantro and the lime juice, cover, and cook for about 3 more minutes.

You can stop there and it will be really good. But to send it over the top...

Top the soup with a small dollop of sour cream, some chopped avocado pieces, and some tortilla strips that you can cut and bake in the oven with a little bit of salt on top until crispy.

Mmmm..I think I'll go for a second bowl now...

My Nutrition Soap Box

Anyone that knows the two of us, knows that we LOVE to travel. And since there is nothing better on a plane than a good book, my library card is invaluable. Recently, my favorite topic to read about is nutrition. I love being in shape but hours at the gym are to no avail if we come home and have trans fat, empty calories, and a complete lack of nutrient rich food. The more I read though, the more I want to get on my soap box and preach about what I’ve learned. So I have come up with my top 5 things I think everyone should know when it comes to what we eat every day.

1.) I think we forgot what a serving size is. Sure, some people look at labels and say “Hey, it’s only so many calories per serving. That’s great.” It may be great, but eat 2-3 servings at one sitting and you are getting 2-3x those calories. For the most part, a serving size for meat is 3-4 ounces. That is about the size of a deck of cards! I know that we have a tough time keeping within those portion sizes. I think the main thing to really be careful with is serving sizes of soda, snacks, and carbs. Watch those and you’ll be good.

2.) Mutligrain bread is not necessarily Whole Grain Bread. Bread is a staple in most of our diets. And if you are going to be eating bread, the best bread to eat is whole grain bread. The recommended daily allowance of grains is 5-8, with a minimum of 3 of those being whole grains. However, be careful when you snag a loaf of bread off the shelf. The first ingredient listed should ALWAYS be “Whole Grain” in some form. Next time you are at the grocery store, check out the ingredient list on some loaves marked “multi grain.” I was surprised to see how many had a first ingredient of “Enriched Flour.”

3.) The myth that eating healthy is too expensive is just plain false. I think this can go hand in hand with serving size. Our diets should include way more fruits and vegetables than anything we can buy off a shelf. One of the best tips when grocery shopping is to stay on the perimeter. The middle aisles are most likely the processed foods that we don’t need (and if you look at the ingredient list, you really don’t want). Buy what’s in season and you’ll be spending less on the fruits and vegetables. If the ones in seasons are not ones that you are a fan of, stock up on the frozen varieties. Also, eating less will cost you less. Eating a 16 ounce pack of cookies that cost you $2.00 will pack on the pounds a lot faster than a pound of apples at 99 cents a pound.

4.) The food pyramid still exists. Remember that pyramid that we all learned about as kids? The government still has recommended daily allowances because research has shown that those servings are best for our health. The pyramid may have changed by minor details over the years, the main idea still exists. Get your whole grains in, your fruits and vegetables next, and then round off your day with proteins in dairy, meat, and other non meat proteins. That small tip of the pyramid that is made up of fats is a small portion for a reason. I think that we tend to forget that and our pyramid, and our bodies, quickly becomes out of shape.

5.) Vitamins that are added to food are not better than the foods with vitamins already in them. There is a line in a commercial that says that grapes are “the original grape flavored food.” So many processed foods are “vitamin fortified.” However, the foods sitting on the shelf are not healthier than the good old real thing hanging out in the produce aisle. There is something to be said about eating something natural; something that came from the earth, not a lab.

"I'm Gonna Write a Letter..."

About 7 years ago, I was spending my summers working as a waitress in a small, local restaurant. I learned real fast that if I was planning on making any money at that job, I would have to master the art of customer service. Since then, customer service has played a major role in my professional life. I often joked that being a nurse is comparable to being a glorified waitress. Sure, my nursing career requires an amount of knowledge exponentially greater than my waitressing days, but the principals of customer service are very similar. I believe that doing everything within my capabilities to ensure that the customer (or patient) is satisfied is a high priority. Finding answers, spending time just listening, and apologies can go a long way for a frustrated customer.

All that being said, my latest gripe is with Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. We just spent a few days in Vegas visiting friends, shopping, and cheering on our March Madness brackets. We stayed with our friends Shane and Rachael at their new place in Panorama Towers (check it out- Amazing!) but made reservations at Planet Hollywood since our room would be free and we would receive some resort credits for staying there. The rooms are very nice (we’ve stayed there before, but never actually went up to our room this time around) but the check in process is downright unforgivable. We waited well over a half an hour to get to the front of the line. The “basement level” check in was crowded and completely inefficient. The lack of signage almost prevented people from getting into the casino in the first place. The cake topper, though, was getting accosted by Planet Hollywood employees for “free” show tickets and other Vegas goodies for doing a 90 minute tour of their new tower. If you unknowingly chose to do the tour and did not choose to buy, you were deemed as ignorant for making such a poor decision.

We have to been to Las Vegas several times and will continue to go in the future. However, we won’t be heading toward the red lights of Planet Hollywood and would suggest others to follow suit.

Ice Fishing!

We headed up to Lake Millie Lacs this past weekend to experience ice fishing for the first time. We went with one of the guys Eric works with, Brent, and his oh-so-sweet girlfriend Brenda. We had such a blast! There really wasn't any fish to be caught, but it was fun nonetheless. Our little cabin on the ice was 8x20 so we definitely got cozy. On Saturday night, the ice was cracking because of the change in temperature and we could hear it all night. It is so scary to feel the whole cabin shake when that happens!

We also got to experience snowmobiling for the first time. It is pretty crazy how fast you can go on those! If you ever get the chance to go riding though, HOLD ON TIGHT! We went over a little snow mound and I went flying across the ice. Only minor injuries though.

We can't wait to head up to Millie Lacs with Brent and Brenda again! Only, next time, let's find showers :)

Maui Christmas and Happy New Year!

We were lucky enough to be able to spend the holidays this year in Maui with some great friends and Eric's family. We absolutely LOVE it in Maui. We went to a amazing Christmas day service at Saint Theresa's in Kihei. If you ever get the opportunity to head to Maui, really try to get to a service there. The priest was so engaging and the band (Yes, band!) made it the best mass we've ever been to. And with a combined 33 years of Catholic schooling under our belts, we've seen our share of masses. New Year's was spent at Mulligan's (more of that to come) in Wailea. We had a blast and we all stayed up to see the fireworks over Grand Wailea.

We were blessed this year with just perfect weather. 80's and sunny every day is definitely something we could get used to. We spent plenty of days laying on the beach (Big Beach and Little Beach in Makena are some favorites), lounging by the pool (the just beautiful Fairmont Kea Lani- Thanks Aunt Pam!), snorkeling (check out Four Winds Maui), golfing (the boys got to play Kapalua's Plantation course!), and eating and drinking to our heart's content.

Food might be one of my favorite things ever and great food is even better. So when I experience great food, I want to tell the world. Maui has some great restaurants and, with everything so fresh, it is hard to narrow it down to a handful of top spots. That being said, here are some places in South Maui I would not only recommend, but will go back again and again:

Four Season's Ferraro's- Right in the middle of Wailea, we didn't dine for dinner, but had a few really great lunches there. A little overpriced, but portions big enough to split. Best Ahi Tuna sashimi I've ever had.
Mulligan's on the Blue- A little Irish pub on Wailea's Blue golf course. Since the time change is 5 hours from the east coast, Mulligan's opens up at 8 am on Sundays for the football games. And, yes, we were there at 8 am.
LuLu's- Pretty cool bar/restaurant in Kihei. The food was ok (except the "It's Baja, Dude" wrap-that was so good!) but the happy hour was killer. You can't beat $3.00 Mai Tai's.
Cafe @ La Plage- This spot in Kihei is a very casual panini place that we found just this year. Small, personal, and just delicious sandwiches.

We are back in the cold now, but here are some pictures from our tropical paradise :)

Oh Christmas Tree

We got our Christmas tree the day we got back from Ada and we love it! It is just the perfect tree. We decorated it on Sunday while we celebrated Thanksgiving Round 2. Our ornaments are a little lacking, but we accumulate a few more every year. We don't have a tree topper yet. We can't decide if we should go with an angel, a star, or something else. Any thoughts??