So I made it to Montreal. So far, the city and my hotel seem very nice. I am here with my friends Heather and Valentina who are in the lab next to mine. We explored tonight in the Old City and it was very cool....obviously I've never been to Europe but it seemed very European. And I knew this was a very French place, but it's even more French than I imagined....I'm a little intimidated, but certainly I'll get used to it in the next week.
HOWEVER.....
I am very sorry to report that I forgot the cord to hook up my camera to my computer. I guess at this point it doesn't matter because it also seems wifi might be harder to come by than I expected. I just assumed there would be free wifi at the hotel, but there is not. Right now we caved and paid $15 for 24 hours of internet...and I'm not sure what will happen after that. I'm just praying the convention center has wifi and somehow I can make that work. Also it seems I'm not smart enough to make the wifi work on my phone....these are the drawbacks of letting your more tech-savvy husband take care of such details.
ANYWAY.....
If I have time and have the internet and have anything worth posting without pictures, I'll be back. If not, I'll be sure to put the picture highlights up next week.
Wish me luck!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Taking Pictures Ain't Easy
This Saturday, I decided to try to take some pictures of Gus that could be potential 'first birthday' pictures, simply because there weren't a lot to choose from after the family photo shoot over the 4th of July weekend. But a few other pictures first.....
Gus and Jackie playing with sunglasses
Gus loves Tunes the Tiger (and his dada)
Gus loves to sit on the couch and play with the curtains. Here he was actually sitting on Satchel and bouncing up and down.....very funny.
Ok, now for my attempt at being a photographer. Gus and I went to the botanical gardens looking for photo opportunities.....
But this is what most things ended up looking like.....
Here are a few of the cuter ones.......
So I'm not sure if I'll just go with the best one the photographer had? Or go with the one three above this one (cropped as a portrait)? What do you think? Yea, probably the photographer's.....
I leave for Montreal Friday morning. I'm very nervous about leaving Gus for so long, especially when I won't be able to call or text anytime (it's very expensive to call 'internationally'!!!). But thankfully my iPhone is working again thanks to parts from my boss's old phone.....so hopefully I can skype for free or something.....wish me luck. And wish Kevin luck, he'll probably need it....
Gus and Jackie playing with sunglasses
Gus loves Tunes the Tiger (and his dada)
Gus loves to sit on the couch and play with the curtains. Here he was actually sitting on Satchel and bouncing up and down.....very funny.
Ok, now for my attempt at being a photographer. Gus and I went to the botanical gardens looking for photo opportunities.....
But this is what most things ended up looking like.....
Here are a few of the cuter ones.......
So I'm not sure if I'll just go with the best one the photographer had? Or go with the one three above this one (cropped as a portrait)? What do you think? Yea, probably the photographer's.....
I leave for Montreal Friday morning. I'm very nervous about leaving Gus for so long, especially when I won't be able to call or text anytime (it's very expensive to call 'internationally'!!!). But thankfully my iPhone is working again thanks to parts from my boss's old phone.....so hopefully I can skype for free or something.....wish me luck. And wish Kevin luck, he'll probably need it....
Friday, July 23, 2010
I Forgot......
I am not sure what is up with this stupid blog that it won't let me upload videos anymore. I haven't yet tried with my new computer, so maybe it is hardware related? Something to try this weekend I guess.
Anyway, I forgot to include Gus's stats from his one year checkup in my last post. He was 24 lb 7 oz which was the 75th percentile, and he was 30 inches tall (which I think they measured wrong because he was squirmy) which is the 50th percentile.
I also forgot to mention that Gus is walking! Kind of, at least. He took his first steps at day care the day after his birthday. When I got there to pick him up, he was standing at a table playing. He turned and stood there and you could tell he was really thinking about it, and then he took about 8 steps! So since then he's walking a bit here and there.....but I only finally got it on video yesterday!
Here's the youtube link to a short bit of him walking....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCxKbSAxsek
and here's one of him using an empty wrapping paper roll as a horn (a trick his dad taught him).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U08VruPmOI8
Anyway, I forgot to include Gus's stats from his one year checkup in my last post. He was 24 lb 7 oz which was the 75th percentile, and he was 30 inches tall (which I think they measured wrong because he was squirmy) which is the 50th percentile.
I also forgot to mention that Gus is walking! Kind of, at least. He took his first steps at day care the day after his birthday. When I got there to pick him up, he was standing at a table playing. He turned and stood there and you could tell he was really thinking about it, and then he took about 8 steps! So since then he's walking a bit here and there.....but I only finally got it on video yesterday!
Here's the youtube link to a short bit of him walking....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCxKbSAxsek
and here's one of him using an empty wrapping paper roll as a horn (a trick his dad taught him).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U08VruPmOI8
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Busy, Busy, Busy
Wow, there has been A LOT going on. I swear to you, for the past 3 weeks I have had maybe two free evenings. Anyway, I'll try to catch you up.
Gus finally got to try out his birthday swing set a couple days after his birthday. He doesn't look too enthused.
My wonderful friend Emily turned 30! For her birthday, we went to Fast Eddie's - a famous bar and grill place in Alton that I had yet to experience so I was very excited!
The girls at Fast Eddie's. I enjoyed many of 'the coldest beers in town' and a 1/2 lb Fat Eddie Burger. Yum!
Then, Gus had another birthday party. Here he is while people are singing to him.
He had more fun playing with the plate....although he ate plenty of cake and icing too!
Sitting in daddy's old rocking chair
Waiting for dad to get one of his new toys out of the box!
Then, last week was spent playing LOTS of softball catch-up, making up some rained-out games. Two more to make up then we finally start the playoffs. Friday I went to Lilith Fair with a good number of my good friends. It was brutally hot and sunny, but there was a breeze that saved us. We saw lots of fabulous artists, including Ingrid Michaelson and Sarah McLachlan. I LOVED Ingrid and can't wait to see her again.....sadly she almost never plays in STL. And so I wait.....
THEN, the Eyrich's have been in town! On Saturday they came over to play for awhile. Spencer enjoyed playing with Gus's new Legos.
Emma did not enjoy Lucy's company.
Gus went crazy when Spencer went outside and they laughed at each other through the glass.
Saturday was also Kevin and my sixth wedding anniversary. Grandma June came to take Gus for the night, and we went to Onesto for dinner. It was wonderful! We thought we might go see a movie, but after a bottle of wine with dinner we were less interested in a movie. Instead, we went downtown to check out the City Gardens at night.....I had heard the lighting was really interesting. Indeed, it was nice.
Sunday I spent an hour picking green beans. My back and legs still hurt today from this. So if you want some beans, I can hook you up! We are also knee-deep in eggplant, cucumbers, and the green peppers and tomatoes are just getting started.
Meanwhile, my blessed iPhone stopped working. I guess it's probably related to when I washed it however long ago - maybe some moisture inside slowly corroded a connection or something? But as of right now I'm using Kevin's old Razor.....so sad. I can tell when I have voicemail, but at the moment I can't figure out how to listen to it.....such fun. BUT, I have a new laptop! So that is exciting. Now I just need to figure out how to skype with Jenny and John.....
Gus finally got to try out his birthday swing set a couple days after his birthday. He doesn't look too enthused.
My wonderful friend Emily turned 30! For her birthday, we went to Fast Eddie's - a famous bar and grill place in Alton that I had yet to experience so I was very excited!
The girls at Fast Eddie's. I enjoyed many of 'the coldest beers in town' and a 1/2 lb Fat Eddie Burger. Yum!
Then, Gus had another birthday party. Here he is while people are singing to him.
He had more fun playing with the plate....although he ate plenty of cake and icing too!
Sitting in daddy's old rocking chair
Waiting for dad to get one of his new toys out of the box!
Then, last week was spent playing LOTS of softball catch-up, making up some rained-out games. Two more to make up then we finally start the playoffs. Friday I went to Lilith Fair with a good number of my good friends. It was brutally hot and sunny, but there was a breeze that saved us. We saw lots of fabulous artists, including Ingrid Michaelson and Sarah McLachlan. I LOVED Ingrid and can't wait to see her again.....sadly she almost never plays in STL. And so I wait.....
THEN, the Eyrich's have been in town! On Saturday they came over to play for awhile. Spencer enjoyed playing with Gus's new Legos.
Emma did not enjoy Lucy's company.
Gus went crazy when Spencer went outside and they laughed at each other through the glass.
Saturday was also Kevin and my sixth wedding anniversary. Grandma June came to take Gus for the night, and we went to Onesto for dinner. It was wonderful! We thought we might go see a movie, but after a bottle of wine with dinner we were less interested in a movie. Instead, we went downtown to check out the City Gardens at night.....I had heard the lighting was really interesting. Indeed, it was nice.
Sunday I spent an hour picking green beans. My back and legs still hurt today from this. So if you want some beans, I can hook you up! We are also knee-deep in eggplant, cucumbers, and the green peppers and tomatoes are just getting started.
Meanwhile, my blessed iPhone stopped working. I guess it's probably related to when I washed it however long ago - maybe some moisture inside slowly corroded a connection or something? But as of right now I'm using Kevin's old Razor.....so sad. I can tell when I have voicemail, but at the moment I can't figure out how to listen to it.....such fun. BUT, I have a new laptop! So that is exciting. Now I just need to figure out how to skype with Jenny and John.....
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Mr. Gus is ONE!
One year ago (yesterday), August John Thole decided he was coming, scheduled or not. I had a C-section scheduled for the afternoon of July 7th, but little Gus decided he wanted to be born a little earlier than that.... My water broke in the morning and my C-section ended up being about an hour or so early (I think? It's crazy how you forget these things). And now, a year later, my sweet little boy is a year old.
This weekend was crazy busy. Jenny and her family were home to celebrate for Jessica's bridal shower, Gus's first birthday, and otherwise take advantage of the holiday weekend. Saturday evening, after Jess's shower was over, everyone came to St. Louis for Gus's birthday party. Kevin made two recipes of BBQ ribs for the festivities.....I think he did this so people could taste both and vote for their favorites, since I like a different recipe than he likes. So I guess he got more votes for his favorite recipe, which means mine might be out of the rotation. So sad.....
Despite the heat, we sat outside....sadly I don't have room in my little house for 15 people. But I think everyone survived. Here's one table of our guests:
And here's the other table. Of course Kevin isn't looking at the camera.....just as well, since his eyes would have been closed.
Even though Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Plocher couldn't make it to the party, Great Grandma still made Gus's birthday cake! It was perfect, and Gus loved it! This was while we were singing Happy Birthday.
On top of the cake was a clown, which became Gus's personal cake. I'm not sure how much cake he actually ate (he mostly ate the icing) but he seemed to enjoy it.
Then it was time to open presents. Here is Gus's first present from Aunt Jess, some Mega Legos with firetruck related pieces. He loves it!
Aunt Jackie got Gussie a pair of sunglasses. I think he's taking them off in this picture....they certainly didn't stay on long. We'll work on that.
Mr. Gus got all kinds of great presents, but showing you pictures of all of them would be very boring. Our house is still a bit of a mess from them all. Gus did great at the party though. I put him to bed around 9pm, and he fell asleep while taking his bottle like he usually does. But as soon as I laid him down, he popped right back up and was jumping up and down in his crib. TOO MUCH SUGAR!!!
We are so grateful that everyone could make Gus's first birthday so special!
This is just a random picture from this weekend of Gus playing the piano. He recently discovered it and likes it very much.
Sunday Kevin wanted to go to the air show downtown. Considering Kevin doesn't usually like to go places, I was glad to go with him. It was pretty nice out - a perfect breeze! Gus enjoyed being outside and seeing all the people.
The afternoon of July 4th we went to Janeice's parents for some pool time. Gus had been swimming before with Aunt Jess, but I had never taken him. He seemed to like splashing in the water. You can see my awesome sunburn from the airshow. I'll need to work on that before Jess's wedding and the strapless bridesmaid dress.....
Gus loves the noodles!
One of the best parts of the weekend was Gus getting to spend time with his cousin John. The last time John was here, Gus was barely mobile. So now it was nice to see them interact a little more. Here I think John is explaining to Gus how the sink works in the fake kitchen.
There are fire trucks galore at grandma's house, and the boys were taking turns/fighting over which ones to play with. Here's one that makes a lot of noise.
We had a very exciting and exhausting weekend! But it was so nice to spend time with the family, and especially to see Jenny and Charlie and John. Thankfully they'll be back in less than two months for Jess's wedding!
Since yesterday was Gus's actual birthday, we had to give him a present. Here he is climbing on it before he realizes he's supposed to open it.
Almost there......
It took Dad 5 minutes to get it out of the box, but then it was time to play! Gus claps in approval of his new toy.
We (and by we I mean Kevin) also got Gus a swing set. I wanted to take pictures of him with it yesterday but forgot. Gus took cupcakes to day care for his birthday. Then last night we went to the gardens to celebrate with Grandma June, and my friends Jen, Sarah, and Keith. Gus had yet another cupcake! It was a fabulous first birthday for Gus!
And one more celebration to go......
This weekend was crazy busy. Jenny and her family were home to celebrate for Jessica's bridal shower, Gus's first birthday, and otherwise take advantage of the holiday weekend. Saturday evening, after Jess's shower was over, everyone came to St. Louis for Gus's birthday party. Kevin made two recipes of BBQ ribs for the festivities.....I think he did this so people could taste both and vote for their favorites, since I like a different recipe than he likes. So I guess he got more votes for his favorite recipe, which means mine might be out of the rotation. So sad.....
Despite the heat, we sat outside....sadly I don't have room in my little house for 15 people. But I think everyone survived. Here's one table of our guests:
And here's the other table. Of course Kevin isn't looking at the camera.....just as well, since his eyes would have been closed.
Even though Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Plocher couldn't make it to the party, Great Grandma still made Gus's birthday cake! It was perfect, and Gus loved it! This was while we were singing Happy Birthday.
On top of the cake was a clown, which became Gus's personal cake. I'm not sure how much cake he actually ate (he mostly ate the icing) but he seemed to enjoy it.
Then it was time to open presents. Here is Gus's first present from Aunt Jess, some Mega Legos with firetruck related pieces. He loves it!
Aunt Jackie got Gussie a pair of sunglasses. I think he's taking them off in this picture....they certainly didn't stay on long. We'll work on that.
Mr. Gus got all kinds of great presents, but showing you pictures of all of them would be very boring. Our house is still a bit of a mess from them all. Gus did great at the party though. I put him to bed around 9pm, and he fell asleep while taking his bottle like he usually does. But as soon as I laid him down, he popped right back up and was jumping up and down in his crib. TOO MUCH SUGAR!!!
We are so grateful that everyone could make Gus's first birthday so special!
This is just a random picture from this weekend of Gus playing the piano. He recently discovered it and likes it very much.
Sunday Kevin wanted to go to the air show downtown. Considering Kevin doesn't usually like to go places, I was glad to go with him. It was pretty nice out - a perfect breeze! Gus enjoyed being outside and seeing all the people.
The afternoon of July 4th we went to Janeice's parents for some pool time. Gus had been swimming before with Aunt Jess, but I had never taken him. He seemed to like splashing in the water. You can see my awesome sunburn from the airshow. I'll need to work on that before Jess's wedding and the strapless bridesmaid dress.....
Gus loves the noodles!
One of the best parts of the weekend was Gus getting to spend time with his cousin John. The last time John was here, Gus was barely mobile. So now it was nice to see them interact a little more. Here I think John is explaining to Gus how the sink works in the fake kitchen.
There are fire trucks galore at grandma's house, and the boys were taking turns/fighting over which ones to play with. Here's one that makes a lot of noise.
We had a very exciting and exhausting weekend! But it was so nice to spend time with the family, and especially to see Jenny and Charlie and John. Thankfully they'll be back in less than two months for Jess's wedding!
Since yesterday was Gus's actual birthday, we had to give him a present. Here he is climbing on it before he realizes he's supposed to open it.
Almost there......
It took Dad 5 minutes to get it out of the box, but then it was time to play! Gus claps in approval of his new toy.
We (and by we I mean Kevin) also got Gus a swing set. I wanted to take pictures of him with it yesterday but forgot. Gus took cupcakes to day care for his birthday. Then last night we went to the gardens to celebrate with Grandma June, and my friends Jen, Sarah, and Keith. Gus had yet another cupcake! It was a fabulous first birthday for Gus!
And one more celebration to go......
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