Izzy's kind of a big deal...

Our daughter is famous. Well, maybe not FAMOUS famous. But she was on t.v. tonight. Ok, maybe it was just the local news. But t.v. nonetheless!!!

This weekend is the Indianapolis 500 race...if you live anywhere near Indiana, you'd know it's kind of a big deal. So today Izzy's daycare held a race honoring the event: the annual "Kindy 500." Today was a beautiful day to host this outdoor event - 70 degrees and sunny! All the (able) kids decorated a cardboard box (some were quite elaborate) and raced by foot to the finish line wearing their "race cars." The teachers didn't want to leave the infants out of this activity (as they are not quite up to the running, or walking, caliber yet), so they loaded the infants by twos into cribs and raced the cribs. I know what you are thinking, "That couldn't be safe!?" I thought the same thing, initially. The teachers are older, so I doubt they were being thrown about...or going at a fast enough pace to cause any harm. My worries quickly subsided when I saw it ON THE LOCAL EVENING NEWS!!! Plain as day, Izzy is sitting up in the crib being pushed by her beloved teachers (sporting her NUK and sitting in the middle of a Boppy pillow for support, of course)!! She even had a close-up!!! Thank goodness for a good hair day and cute outfit :) Of course, only we could recognize her. But we FO SHO dvr'd the entire hour of news tonight to document it. It was such a small segment (they also showed about 30 seconds of the kids wearing their cars while racing - and crashing) that I couldn't even find it on the news' website. But if I DO find it, you better believe I'll post it :) In the meantime, if you want to see her 5 seconds of fame...swing on by and we'll be happy to share it.

Autographs are $1.00. And you might not be able to get one from her for a few years. Girl is just learning to wave...

Save a life...

Did you know you can save up to 3 people's lives by donating blood just one time?

Last week I donated blood for the first time (voluntarily) in many years.

During the initial screening, they took my vitals and reviewed my health history. There was a moment when they didn't think I would be able to donate, as I was 1 pound away from their cut-off. The volunteer had to ask his supervisor if they could go ahead with my blood draw...I was instantly nervous and saddened that I may not be able to save lives. However, they decided not to turn me away...but to simply draw significantly less blood from me.

I used to donate every other month when I lived in Minneapolis, as Target had blood drives all the time & it was a way to get out of working for an hour. This time I donated for reasons far more important than skipping out on work.

First, a young pregnant woman got shot during a bank robbery very near my office last month and lost both of her babies. My girlfriend, Karen Zurcher (who donates blood on a regular basis), told me when she donated a few weeks ago she learned this young woman's story through others donating. This gal went through fertility to get pregnant with these twins. She wanted these babies so much that she used the miracle of science to help make them. Devastating that the lives of her twins were taken from her unexpectedly. This mother needed several blood transfusions to survive.

Secondly, we have several friends whose sisters have given birth very prematurely to their babies in the last few months. Long hospital stays. Intensive critical care. One mother unexpectedly lost her baby shortly before she was to be discharged. Devastating.

Finally, through the miracle of cyberspace, I have discovered many stories of premature births & rare genetic disorders (see my sidebar for blogs that tug at my heart). Several of these babies have survived and several have not. I follow these stories on a daily basis, as I now feel like they are a part of my life. I cry reading these stories & often wonder how I could help. Last week I found out how I could...

While my blood was pumping into this small bag, the nurse asked if I was ok...I must have been wearing my disappointment on my sleeve, literally. I told her I was sad I wasn't going to save 3 people's lives today b/c of my smaller donation. She smiled and said, "No honey, but you will be saving a baby's life today." Instant tears flowed. I couldn't stop them from coming. All I could think about were the twins. My girlfriend's sisters. The blogger babies.

I helped save a baby.

My cup runneth over.

Meg's graduation party...

The doctor :)
Oscar - he gets more handsome each time I see him!

The budding artist
Debbie & Max
Mike & Matthew...and their plaid shorts! These two guys went to high school together, so it was neat to see them with their babies - who are only 3 days apart!

Mom & Iz
Fin & Ali
This weekend we celebrated Megan's graduation/completion of her PhD!!! She has been working towards this goal for many years & can now call herself DOCTOR!!! Woo hoo!! We are all very proud of Meg and her accomplishment. She is currently a Professor at IUPUI and pregnant with her 2nd child (a GIRL!). So lots of fun things happening in the Moosbrugger house.



I'm sorry that I didn't take any group pics, family pics, or simply MORE pics...as there were lots of fun people in attendance. It was so much fun to catch up with everyone...and the most beautiful day to celebrate Meg. We love you!

No, no, no...

Today we took Izzy to the pediatrician...and it was confirmed that she has yet another ear infection. This being said, Izzy has been a little fussy lately around bedtime. She has needed some extra TLC and snuggling, so I didn't want to let her "cry it out" like we used to for bedtime (she hasn't fought nighttime sleep in months). Anyway, tonight I went to her in her crib and simply brought her back down to calm her (similar to what we did on Mother's Day). It was an hour past her bedtime and she decided to show off her new trick: shaking her head back and forth. We were laughing so hard...and finally decided to get the camera. I think she made herself dizzy, as she ends up spitting up at the end of this clip. She's too stinking cute!

Izzy's first boat ride...

Playing with her toys
Checking out the water
Parking the boat is fun
Hanging out on the deck
Found the tag on the toy, of course

She loved the bath in the sink

Looking at the lake with Grandma

Eating a pretzel rod (her new fave) along with cheerios and strawberries. Like the towel we used as a bib? Forgot the bibs at home - whoops!

We spent this last weekend at Mike's mom's lake in northern Indiana. It was one of the most relaxing trips there I've ever had. Something about adding a happy baby to the mix really makes everyday life and trips so much fun!

Izzy had her first boat ride & I don't really think she even noticed we weren't on land anymore. She continued to play with her toys (grandma brought the exersaucer on the boat!!) like normal. We even showed her the water over the side of the boat and she still didn't register than anything was out of the ordinary. Maybe she's just really comfortable with the water like her daddy!

We spent most of the day on Saturday outside (with the exception of the 3 hour nap!) in the sun. That evening Izzy girl took a bath in the sink, sans baby tub, & Iz thought it was so much fun. Either that, or she was just excited to have all eyes on her.

Izzy has taken to enjoying gnawing on pretzel rods the past few weeks. Still no teeth, but loves to gum pretty much anything. Grandma had some cheerios, so we offered those to her as well. She was able to get them in her hands and then in her mouth, but even after sucking on them, she didn't swallow any. She did, however, love the strawberries daddy gave her. So much fun to watch her experience new foods & textures.

Looking forward to the next trip to the lake in June!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

My very first Mother's Day was so much fun! Mike, Izzy & I spent the weekend at the lake relaxing (pictures to come soon). My very first gift from Izzy: a framed finger painting. I literally cried my eyes out when I unwrapped it. Her daycare does some special things for us - this one took the cake. It is going on my desk and I will look at if for days/weeks/years to come! Mike gave me a gift certificate for an hour-long massage...perfect!

After a long weekend up north, we came home around Izzy's bedtime (6pm) and immediately fed her and put her to bed. She talked for a long time in her crib (usually she goes right to sleep) and we ended up getting her back up. Turns out she was extra hungry (growth spurt?) for another bottle. From 8 to 9 tonight we snuggled with our very cuddly daughter. She did lots of smiling, snuggling & talking; her new words (and only words) are "ma ma" and "ba ba." Izzy has also started waving and shaking her head back and forth (it's cute now, but once she knows what "no" means, it won't be so cute anymore). Lots of laughing and loving. Maybe Izzy knew I wanted more time with her tonight. The sweetest way to end Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day to all our moms: Linda, Cathy, Anna & Laura. Also, happy Mother's Day to my sister, Kim. And finally, happy Mother's Day to all my girlfriends. I have learned from all of you and am constantly reminded of how fortunate I am to have you moms out there to draw knowledge from. Here's to motherhood & all the joy it brings us! Love you!!

Tag, I'm it...

My girlfriend "tagged" me via bloggerspace. So I'm sharing several random things about myself:

What I was doing 10 yrs ago: early May 1998...I KNOW I had just finished my Junior year at IU and moved to Minneapolis for the summer for my internship at Target HQ. One of my roommates from that summer is still one of my best friends - Krazy Karen Kay. That was one crazy summer...partying in Madison!!! It's also the summer I met Deanna Murphy for the first time partying in Chicago one night (but I didn't remember meeting her-go figure- and we didn't become friends until a few years ago reconnecting at Banana Republic)!!!

Five things on my to do list for today: It's the end of the day. But I still have some things to do. 1. Real estate work to get done - counter offers and such. 2. Clean Izzy's bottles. 3. Clean the kitchen. 4. Pack for the weekend at the lake. 5. Clean carrot stain out of Izzy's outfit.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off mortgage. Buy my mom a house. Quit all jobs. Travel. Have more bambinos...those petri dish kids are expensive!

Five places I have lived: Flint, MI. Hammond, LA. Hoffman Estates, IL. Bloomington, IN. Minneapolis, MN.

Five jobs I have had: Cashier @ Garibaldi's. Cashier @ Menards. Lifeguard. Cheerleading camp instructor. Clothes folder @ Banana Republic :)

I now tag Courtney, Katie, and Kristina. Have fun!!!