Elsa and the Lair of the Bear

I have been going to the Lair of the Bear - Camp Blue Week 7 for many many years and was very excited to introduce Elsa to the Lair and all our Lair friends to Elsa. This year it was not certain that we could go, what with Elsa being born late by unplanned C-Section. However, on Monday morning we got the all clear at Elsa's two week pediatrician visit so we headed off to the mountains.



Instead of a full week, we planned on staying Monday till Friday. We arrived around 3 PM on Monday and after a nap, headed out to explore. Arne spent a lot of time holding Elsa.



She liked hanging out in the crook of his arm.



On Tuesday night we headed down to one of the pre-dinner cocktail parties...there were people playing guitars and lots of drinks for all. It was Elsa's first cocktail party.



One of the great things about the Lair is that all your meals are provided. At the dining hall it was nice that Mom was there and could hold Elsa while we ate. One of the things we did best this year was attend meals. I was always hungry.



On Wednesday Arne's brother Erik joined us. It was fun having even more family around. He brought his camera and many of these pictures were taken by him.



Elsa looked very cute at several of the meals.



At night we would hang out at the Lodge and do puzzles, eat ice cream and show off Elsa.



The big adventure of the week was early Wednesday morning when the staff came to our cabin door asking us to evacuate because a water pipe had burst and a flood was headed towards our cabin. Fortunately the water was diverted around the cabin and the pipe was quickly fixed.



I enjoyed resting in the hammock.



Arne was more active than me (I am not allowed to exercise for 6 weeks) and he played a lot of volleyball. Everyone loved having him on their team.



Camp Blue was led once again by Mike White. He is so cool.



Erik had a great visit and got to spend some quality time with Elsa.



On the last day, Arne and I took Elsa to the real creek and got her feet wet. I am sure she will get wet at the creek for many years to come.



It was a wonderful vacation - Elsa's first!

Handmade Blankets for Elsa

Elsa is a very loved baby girl. Many people have made her blankets - knit, crocheted, quilted, and sewn. We did a photo shoot with Elsa and all her handmade blankets.



This blanket was made 36 years ago for Arne when he was a baby by a family friend Helen. For his birthday, Arne's mom found it for our baby to be. It is wonderful to wrap Elsa in Arne's baby blanket.



This blanket was knit by Arne's mom. It has a crocheted edge with holes just the right size for little thumbs, just like the blanket Arne's grandmother knit for him when he was a baby.



My friend Julia knit this blue stroller blanket.



Arne's coworker Terry crocheted this blanket for Elsa.



My coworker Cathy sewed this blanket.



Our friend Ellen from Camp Blue sewed this blanket.

Elsa has many lovely blankets to enjoy and that will keep her warm and covered for years to come.

Elsa Marie Nisewaner

On Monday, July 12, 2010 at 1:06 PM, Arne and I welcomed Elsa Marie Nisewaner into the world! At 9 pounds, 9 ounces and 22 inches long, she started out as a very big girl. She joined us 9 days after her due date by an unplanned Cesarean, due to stress on her system during the push, potentially caused by the cord being wrapped around her foot.



Her first night was in the NICU to clear her lungs of gunk and give her extra oxygen.




After 24 hours the oxygen tube was out and she was moved to the Packard Special Care Nursery (Intermediate Care), where she still had a lot of monitors.



She spent 4 days there (one more day then Mom in the hospital) being cared for by a number of great nurses.



We could see her whenever we wanted and that was nice. I think she has her dad's eyes.



We brought her home on Saturday, July 17th. It was nice to cuddle without the wires.



We spent the weekend introducing her to her home, the dogs,



her dad's garden, and the cradle grandpa built her.



At her one week appointment, we learned she is in the 99th percentile for length, 81st for weight, and 61st for head circumference, and overall very healthy.





We spend a lot of time sleeping with Elsa during the day. This is good, because we also spend a lot of time awake at odd hours. We are just so happy to have her join our family!

All Set for Baby

Arne's dad built us a beautiful cradle for the baby. It is now all set in our room, ready for the baby to join us. He created a picture gallery of the process of making the cradle...it is really quite impressive.



The rest of the baby's room is all set, with a crib, changing table, and lots of cute little clothes.





It is nice to have everything ready as we get set to go to the hospital. In the next few days a little boy or girl will join our family.

Getting Bigger and Older

It is the 4th of July and we are still waiting to find out the birthday of our first child. Clearly it will not be the July 3rd due date. This is the time of birthdays in Arne's family, and soon there will be one more birthday to celebrate. Last weekend, his dad turned 70, and there was a big party. Arne put together an amazing video of the event.

Bob's 70th from Arne Stokstad on Vimeo.

We hope that baby joins us soon, but until then, Arne is having a great time working on his garden. The corn really did grow "knee high by 4th of July" and all the plants seem to thrive under his care.



I am also thriving, and continue to get bigger. On due date, we went over to a friends house and I got to play soccer with her daughter. Look at how my belly shows as I say "Goooooaaaaaal!"

The Little Farm

"And then spring became the summer..." from Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond keeps running through my head now. I think this is in part because of everything we are growing for the summer: the baby to be, plants in our yard, and plants out at the little farm.

The little farm is our community garden plot at Eleanor Pardee Garden - plot G60. After a year on the wait list, the week after our wedding, the coordinator called us up and offered us a plot.



The plot started out filled with weeds...it was not looking good, but still had a lot of potential. Arne worked over Memorial weekend to clear the garden, while I bought plants.



Finally it was all cleared!



Now Arne has filled the garden with lots of plants. We have a row of blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, sunflowers, and lots of seeds.



The seeds are amazing. In only a week there are shoots of watermelon,



beans,



and corn!



Arne tells me the heat and the good soil that retains moisture is helping our garden really take off.

I am looking forward to all the good foods we will have from the little farm. Until then, it is nice to walk over with the dogs and meet up with Arne and just enjoy seeing everything get bigger, even my belly with baby to be!

The Big Adventure: Getting Married

On May 15th, Arne and I started on one of life's bigger adventures - marriage. We created a magical day to share the love we have for each other with family and friends. Many family members and friends joined us at the Mountain Terrace for a day in the sun.



The ceremony was at noon, officiated by one of my college friends, Lance Savitsky, who put together a lovely ceremony. My sister was my attendant, Arne's friend Justin was his, and our niece Erika was the flower girl. Our mom's did readings, we listened to the Pathetique Adagio in remembrance of those who were not there, and then after the vows, we got to KISS!



It was great to see all our friends and their kids. One of my favorite pictures from my friends is me with Tracy's daughter Sage:



The reception was like a garden party, with a host of fun kid activities (my favorite was the bouncy house), yummy food, and then cupcakes for dessert. Our first dance was, "Can't help falling in love." It was a wonderful day, the only mild issue was that when we came home our dog Bogey was sick, and we had to do a wedding night trip to the vet. For those who are wondering, we are both keeping our names the same.

Arne's dad took a lot of great pictures of the day - Arne's Dad's Pictures. Our pictures from the wedding photographer are also posted - Christina Shook Photos.



The following weekend, we headed up to the Russian River Valley and had a mini-moon, staying at the Farmhouse Inn. It was a lovely and relaxing time to explore the area, pamper ourselves, and just enjoy each other. In February, we did the real big honeymoon to New Zealand. Why do the honeymoon early? Well, we have done quite a few things backwards, and if you look closely at the wedding pictures, yes, I do look a little big, and that is because we are expecting our first baby July 3rd (sex to be learned when baby is born)!