July 28th, 2010
1) Crawl. He’s been doing this sort of army-drag-myself-on-my-stomach thing for the past two months. While we were in Hawaii, however, he moved on to full-fledged crawling. This was development was very welcome because along with the stomach dragging came this grunting sound that Brandon and I were not very fond of.
2) Cruising. Another thing that happened while we were away was that Soren decided he was going to pull himself up to his feet and move around. This has opened up another world for Soren and whenever he does it, he looks absolutely surprised by himself. Like, he just can’t believe his strength. When I go into his nursery to get him up from sleeping, I just sit in the rocking chair and talk to him while stands, sits down, stands, sits down. He really enjoys showing off his new moves.
3) Grow teeth. He now has two teeth on the bottom and two on the top. I also noticed today, that two more are peeking out on the top. The teething experience has a lot gotten easier and he hasn’t been a total grump this time around.
4) Swim! I took Soren to his first official “starfish” swim lesson yesterday at the local community center. Now when I say “swim,” I say it with a grain of salt. The lessons mainly consist of me and seven other parent/tot duos just holding our babies while in the pool and letting them sort of kick. But I did dunk him totally under water. Twice. And he was brave.
5) Turn nine months old. This hasn’t really happened yet, but in a week, Soren will have officially been with us for three-fourths of a year. Everyone said it would go fast, but WHOA. As Aaron Rabideau says, “You’re totally in the baby time warp.” Truer words have never been spoken.
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May 7th, 2010
Soren is six months old. Weird. He now weighs in at 21 pounds and measures 29 inches in length. He has two teeth on the bottom now and I think he’s working on some top ones too.
His main mode of transportation is rolling. Ever since he was born, he’s been able to flip himself from his tummy to back, but in the recent weeks, he has mastered the back-to-front flip as well. Watching him learn new things is better than watching TV. I never thought I would feel that way. It’s hard to hold a candle to the Young and the Restless.
Since the weather has gotten nicer, we’ve been trying to take him to the Farmer’s Market every Sunday. If we’re really feeling brave, we bring the dogs too. A couple of weeks ago, Roxy was such a fierce super model and she made it in the paper!
I just love him more and more every day. I can’t wait to see the person he’s going to become but at the same time, I never want him to change. I’m so glad I had him.
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May 1st, 2010
While I was growing up, my parents tried their hardest to teach me little life lessons whenever they had the chance. You know, bits of information that make it so you become a good person and don’t accidentally die in the process. Like. . . don’t run with scissors or. . . don’t vote republican. Well now, when I think about the things I will teach Soren, I keep hearing the voices of my parents and I realize that one of the reasons I am who I am today, is because I actually listened to them. And believed them. And I can only hope that one day Soren will think I’m as cool and smart as I think Gary and Marcia are. Oh, Gary and Marcia are my parents. Sometimes I use their first names because I’m weird.
Being the amazingly generous person that I am, I will now share some of these words of wisdom.
1) Always has at least half a tank of gas in your car. Gas = freedom.
2) Never leave the house without mascara. You never know who you’ll run into at the grocery store (So this one doesn’t really apply to Soren, but it is SAGE advice for blonds).
3) While driving, assume that everyone else is an idiot.
4) When you go to church, you can leave immediately after communion. Because after you have communion, “it counts.”
5) As long as you have enough food and booze, a party will always be a success.
6) Always pay off your credit card every month. FULL DISCLOSURE: I don’t actually succeed at doing this every month, but I would certainly like to.
7) Never make another mess until you’ve cleaned up the first one you made.
You need to know how to shoot a basketball, play catch, throw a football and pack a mean punch.
I know that I will come up with some of my own as I journey through parenthood, but I really think these eight will get Soren off to a great start.
Oh! I just thought of some other things I should add. But this is a list of things that my dad told me that ended up being total bull shit. And most of them I actually believed until I was 17 or so.
1) If you drink the bathtub water, you will get polio.
2) If you put a piece of pastrami on your skin, it will eventually fuse to your body.
3) If you cross your eyes for too long, they will get stuck that way.
4) (This one takes some explaining. . .) When I was learning to talk, Gary decided that it would be a good idea to tell me the wrong words for things. Like he would call a tree a duck. Or call a cat a walrus. I blame my low verbal SAT score on this charade.
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April 23rd, 2010
I’ve been thinking about this post for a long time. And realistically, I think it will turn into a series of posts, because one alone will not cover it. As most of you know, Brandon and I are very, how should I say, involved in music. We met in the Choir of the West while we were attending PLU. I teach middle school choir. I conduct a church choir, Brandon sings in it. My dad is a professional jazz drummer. My mom was a music education major in college. Both Brandon and I play a variety of instruments. Almost all of our friends are musical in one way or another. And generally, I give correct responses to all the music-related clues on Jeopardy.
So what will Soren’s relationship with music be like?
I hope that he loves it. I hope that he participates in it, in some capacity. I know that I cannot expect these things. All I can do is expose him to what I consider to be “good” music and hope that he finds as much enjoyment in it as Brandon and I do.
So what music will Soren be listening to? First of all, not the Wiggles. Or Raffi. However, I will subject him to the music that I find amazing and inspiring. At least until he’s old enough to tell me to turn it off.
This post will focus on jazz. Here is a list (in no particular order) of the top five most influential albums in my life:
John Coltrane and Jonny Hartman
This album changed me. I never knew that a vocalist and instrumentalist could perform in such a collaborative way. There are times when I’m listening that I forget to notice when the sax solo ends and the vocals begin.
Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley
Again, a prime example of a perfect relationship between vocalist and instrumentalist. Wilson’s voice is smooth as silk and yet aggressive and totally in control. Adderley alto is like the icing on the cake.
Sinatra at the Sands
This album is the perfect introduction to the genius that is Frank. It just doesn’t get any cooler than this. I get such a kick out of all of his quippy dialogue in between songs and Basie’s orchestra is swingin’.
Both Sides Now – Joni Mitchell
Now some people might not consider this a “jazz” album, but I don’t care. First of all, it’s Joni Mitchell and I am in love with her. And you should be too. Secondly, a majority of the tracks on the CD are straight from the great American songbook. Third, Wayne Shorter. And his solo on “Both Sides Now.” Holy crap.
Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
So I kind of feel like a sell-out putting this one on the list, but I just can’t bring myself to leave it off. Is it my favorite CD to listen to? No. Do I think that it is essential in exposing Soren to some of the most important contributions to jazz? Absolutely.
So there you go. I have to say that honorable mentions go to the albums Getz/Gilberto – Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto and Bitches Brew – Miles Davis. I am anxious to hear your opinions. . .
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February 1st, 2010
As I was driving to school this morning, I realized that I never announced the winner of the baby predicting. So, after reviewing everyone’s guesses the winner is. . .
KELLY BRISTOL! This isn’t at all surprising to me because Kelly is the only person on the planet who likes to win prizes more than I do. I pray that you never witness both of us at baby shower or bachelorette party where games with prizes are involved. We take winning very seriously and have sometimes been known to cheat. Well, at least I’ve been known to.
She predicted Soren would be born November 4th (though she was a FEW hours off). His stats? 8 pounds 2 ounces, 20.5 inches. Amazingly, she was spot on with the length and only two ounces over the weight. So Kelly, now you have to pick your prize. As previously stated, your choices are:
1) $15 Starbucks gift card
2) a round of golf at Fairway Village
3) a generous assortment of the finest pharmaceutical company swag
4) a very nice bottle of wine from Brandon’s cellar
Personally, I’m really hoping she picks the round of golf because that would be funny. However, considering the fact that golf is actually a game with the potential of winning, she might just go Annika Sorenstam on Brandon’s ass.
P.S. Honorable mention goes out to Bekah Robinson who predicted November 4th, 4:22 AM, 8 pounds 4 ounces, 20.5 inches. It was a very close call.
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January 22nd, 2010
A few weeks ago I took Soren over to my friend Lisa’s house to hang out for a bit. Her kids, Evan and Arabelle were both very excited to meet the new baby. When it came time for Soren to eat, Evan politely asked if he could feed him the bottle. We got him set up on the couch and a lot of cuteness commenced:
As Even was watching Soren hork it down, he shared this behavioral observation, “Boy, Soren sure is a heavy drinker!” Evan, we couldn’t agree more.
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January 21st, 2010
So it turns out that having a baby totally consumes your life. . . who knew?! All of the sudden January is coming to a close and I haven’t posted anything since November. That is pathetic. So let me attempt to give you the Reader’s Digest version of the last couple of months.
I got to spend all of November and December at home with Soren. Which is good because Homeboy liked to wake up every two hours, every night. I know, I know, that’s just how babies are, but whatever. I was still very tired. He also wanted to sleep only on my arm. Come to think of it, he only wanted to be awake on my arm. He was really into my arm. After a while he liked to be on the floor because he had some very imortant kicking to do. This pleased Roxy, who really wanted to be in on the action:
We spent our days watching The Price is Right and The Young and The Restless. It was a magical time of sleep deprivation and quality television.
At Soren’s two-week doctor’s appointment we were please to find that he was back up to his birth weight of eight pounds. Apparently, that is the goal. We weren’t too worried because Soren really liked to eat. A lot. So much in fact that at his two-month doctor’s appointment he discovered that he had gained six pounds in six weeks. He weighed in at 14 pounds and was in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. I think that he must have been preparing for his heavyweight Ultimate Fighting Championship match in The Octogon.
These days Soren enjoys smiling, looking at anything with a face and eating his fingers. We’re trying to teach him about our local sports teams, but he his clearly not impressed with the Seahawks last season:
Now Soren begged me not to share this last picture because he’s a little embarassed that he’s not appropriately dressed. But I just can’t help myself because it showcases a) his chubby, chubby cheeks and b) his kick-ass Elvis impersonation:
With that I bid you adieu. Hopefully I’ll post a few more entries before Soren starts pre-school.
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November 14th, 2009
I think that all of you know by now that Brandon and I are parents! On November 4, at 10:55 PM, Soren Lauridsen Vrosh was born. He weighed 8 pounds and was 20.5 inches long. What some of you might not know is that there were some other complications. I just wanted to give you all a quick run-down of the story, in case you’ve been getting bits of information second hand and don’t really know what happened.
On the morning of November 4, I started feeling some contractions. I was going to attempt to give birth without the use of medications or interventions, so I labored at home that morning and afternoon. Around 5:00 PM when then contractions were strong and pretty close together, we loaded up the car and headed to the hospital. Once we were admitted, we found out that I was already 10 centimeters dilated, so as soon as my doctor arrived, I began to push. We were all really excited because this meant I had made it through quite a bit of labor without pain meds. But then, Soren decided to get his head stuck. So I pushed for four hours, making no progress, and finally had to get an epidural. By this point, I was so miserable and we thought that if I wasn’t in so much pain, my body could continue to try to move Soren further in the birth canal. But then that didn’t seem to be happening at all, so after all of that, he was delivered c-section. Which is fine. Because he’s beautiful.
So Brandon, Soren and I were recovering in the Family Birth Center at SW Washington Medical Center for the next few days. On Saturday afternoon, a few hours before we were scheduled to be discharged, I started to feel some weird pains under my right-side ribs. We asked about it and the doctors and nurses said that with c-sections, there are often times little pockets of gas in your abdomen which can cause some discomfort. So that evening, around 9 PM, we went home.
Overnight, my pains started to get worse. The next day, the entire right side of my abdomen started cramping up and seizing every five minutes or so. Luckily, my mom was staying with us, so we had help taking care of Soren, as I was completely unable to do anything at times. By that evening, Brandon was so concerned that he said it was time to go to the ER. Because I was breast feeding, we had to bring Soren with us, which was scary because of how germy the hospitals are, especially in the ER. I was admitted quickly, but the doctors were having a hard time diagnosing what wrong. First they thought it was gall stones, but an ultrasound didn’t back that up. Then I had a CT scan and they noticed a large build-up of fluid in the area of where a postpartum mother’s appendix would be, however they couldn’t see it to determine whether or not it was inflamed. We made the decision that Soren should be switched to formula, so my mom took him home and cared for him there. I went immediately into surgery. My appendix ended up looking fine once the surgeon removed it, but he also noticed that a large amount of infectious fluid had collected above my liver. I came out of surgery and spent the next three days recovering in the hospital. The surgeon, my doctor, and the obstetrician who performed my c-section all concluded that nothing really went “wrong” with my c-cection. I just happened to be very unlucky and developed an infection of the peritoneum.
ANYWAY, I’m home now and am feeling much better. It’s kind of a slow recovery, but I’m up and around and trying to figure out how to be a mom to Soren. Throughout this entire ordeal, Brandon has been absolutely amazing and I cannot tell you how much I love him. Also, our parents have been so supportive and generous. We are so, SO lucky to have all of them living close by. Most importantly, however, is that Brandon and I have a healthy, beautiful, baby boy and that is more than we could ever ask for.
I apologize for not being more communicative during the past ten days, but now that I’m feeling better, I promise that will change : ) Hope you are all well.
Love,
Britta, Brandon & Soren
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November 5th, 2009
Soren Lauridsen Vrosh! The little guy was born on November 4 at 11:30 (ish. . . . I can’t remember exactly right now) PM via cesarean section. He weighs in at 8 pounds on the nose and is 20.5 inches long. So off the top of my head, I know three people’s predictions were very close to correct: Kelly, Bekah and Rachel. I’ll have to make my final ruling once I’m a little more grounded.
I have the entire story of his arrival to post, but again, that will have to wait for a bit. Until then, here’s a little sneak peak at our FAMILY!
Love.
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November 2nd, 2009
Well, it’s finally finished. And our good friend Aaron was kind enough to come over and take some pictures of Soren’s newly completed nursery. Now before you look at these photos and ask yourself, “Why did Britta and Brandon want Soren to think he was sleeping in a log cabin?” I have some explaining to do.
Almost two years ago, we purchased a house that was built in 1960. The woman we bought the home from was the original owner and had built the house herself along with her husband and father. It was quite the time capsule. In addition to that, the house was sort of having an identity crisis. It kind of yearned to be a pimpy, atomic ranch but at the same time couldn’t let go of it’s rural roots. So there were things like an awesome Sputnik light fixture just inside the front door, as well as a chandelier made out of a wagon wheel hanging in the dining room. Whoa. So we did some remodeling and now we love the house so much. Anyway, the guest bedroom, which would become Soren’s nursery was made to look like a log cabin. So we just sort of went with it. We are loving the end result and hope you do too. . .
39 weeks (four days ’till “due date”)
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