3 Months!

We can't believe Allie is already three months old! We've loved every minute of the last few months. Well, almost every minute. The constipation, gas, and sleepless nights have sometimes left us dazed and confused, but overall Allie has been an easy going, fun loving baby who is really starting to show her personality. Happy three months Allie. We love you!

Daddy's Little Girl

Recently some of my out of town friends have been asking if Allie looks more like me or Dan. I decided that my next blog post would be an answer to that question. Not only does Allie look just like her dad, she is a total daddy's girl!

From day one, Allie loved being with daddy. Here they are when Allie was just one day old.

Allie is just as in love with her daddy as he is with her. She's hanging on every word!

Allie was so tired waiting up for daddy to come home from work. She couldn't stop yawning!

Allie and daddy on her first plane trip to Canada (at 6.5 weeks). She's an international jet setter already!

Daddy's much better at playing with Allie than mom is because his arms don't get nearly as tired!

Allie thought that maybe if she helped daddy with work, we could move to Canada sooner to all be together.

Here's one of daddy and both his girls. Bella is still our first child! :)

Lastly, this photo should sum it up. Allie looks much more like her dad than her mom. What do you think?

Mauer Power!

Allie's ready to cheer on Joe Mauer and the Twins tonight!!!

Bella is ready too!

Big Girl!

Allie is starting to be such a big girl. Each week she's learning and changing more and more. Dan and I are just trying to keep up!

Recently Allie has starting talking to us non stop. We love hearing all her thoughts. She says she's ready to move to Canada to be with daddy and wants the rest of this month to go by quickly.

In the last couple of weeks she has discovered her hands and seems to prefer them to her nuk. I've heard through the mommy grapevine that she'll discover her feet next. Who needs toys when baby body parts are so fun?

Big "sister" Bella is helping Allie with tummy time. Bella helps mommy too because she distracts Allie from remembering how much she hates tummy time!

Allie is learning to sit up like a big girl. She loves to look around and is a VERY curious little girl!

Sometimes after a long day, a girl just needs to hang with her puppy and relax!

Allie's first trip to Sanibel Island

Grandma bought me this hat and I kind of liked it!

Allie and I just got back from her first trip to Florida. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to get out of the cold weather for a week. The only thing missing was her dad. We can't wait til the whole family can make the trip!

Allie loved this bouncy chair that used to be her cousin Mercy's. She loved to sit out by the pool and kick and play in the chair for hours! She was exhausted after playing and kicking for hours!

My Gagu (grandma) bought me my very first bathing suit. Don't I look cute?

Allie loved hanging out with her Gagu and Gagu did a good job of spoiling her!

Allie also loved going for walks with Pappee. He took her on at least one a day and mom liked to go too!

Mom loved the view from the pool!

Previously to this trip, Allie wouldn't wear hats, but she seemed to really like the one her Gagu bought her!

Having fun in FL is exhausting. It's a good thing mom and Allie are back in Minneapolis for one more month before we move to Canada!

Oh Canada!

Dan, Allie, and I are in Canada this week looking for a house. We're moving to a city called Saskatoon, the biggest city in the province of Saskatchewan (about 250,000 people). Everything I've learned about the city seems to be great; it's one of the sunniest places in all of Canada, the economy is thriving and, according to our guide, it is the fastest growing city in Canada. It is very beautiful because it is on the South Saskatchewan river and the weather is not nearly as bad as I had prepared myself for. Overall, we are very excited for this new adventure.

As I've been out and about exploring this city I am very impressed with the Canadian people I've met. They are extremely friendly and very nice. They let you in when you are driving and they don't even honk their horns or make inappropriate hand gestures at you. They are very proud of their country and their city...just like us Minnesotans! They don't hate Americans like many other foreign countries. In fact, everyone I've met that I've told I'm moving from Minnesota tells me that Saskatoon won't be much different from home. We'll see if that's true. I've already tried to order a 1/2 pound of deli meat at the grocery store, only to realize that I'm going to need to learn the correct conversions in the metric system. Being slightly challenged in the numbers department, I think I'll need to carry a "cheat sheet" for awhile.

Moving to Canada and Allie's Arrival

I've decided to jump on the bandwagon, all be it a little late, and start a blog. I figure this will help us keep in touch with family and friends as we move to Canada and officially become Canucks!

Life in the Mauer household has been a bit chaotic recently. Not only are we adjusting to our lives being ruled by a 10 lb. six week old baby, we have listed our house and have had countless showings, inspections, and appraisals. Poor Allie had no idea what she was in store for when she made her appearance at the end of January! It will all be over soon, so I've decided to try to enjoy our last weeks in MN and see as many family and friends as possible.

Although life has been busy, these last six weeks have been the happiest of my life so far. Here are 10 things I've learned since Allie arrived on January 22nd.

1. You can NEVER be fully prepared for labor. To all my pregnant friends, just hang in there and know that once you meet your baby, it will all be worth it.

2. I can actually function, fairly well most days, on little to no sleep.

3. Your dog isn't completely ignored upon the arrival of a baby. Although things have changed a bit, we still love Bella just as much as before and she even gets about the same amount of attention from us. (For those of you that know her, know that she wouldn't let us ignore her for too long without forcing herself on our laps, licking our faces, or making her presence known somehow!)

4. You really do need help from family and friends after the arrival of a baby. So thanks family and friends, in particular my mom who did all of our grocery shopping and most of our cooking for the first few weeks.

5. Baby items seem so small at the time of purchase, but somehow infiltrate your house so they appear in every closet, on every surface, and in every room of the house.

6. Babies can burp and fart like sailors....and don't even get me started on the poop. Who knew such a small, cute body could produce so many dirty diapers a day!

7. Watching your husband take care of your baby will melt your heart every time you watch!

8. Getting ready to leave the house takes at least 20 minutes. My patience has been tested and tested again. I'm happy to report that most days I seem to handle the lack of efficiency quite well.

9. I do more laundry in one day than I used to do in a week. Allie has so many clothes and I never thought she would wear them all. She does, multiple times a week. See #6. All those poopy diapers have a tendency to leak!

10. I never knew love like this existed. Watching Allie change and grow in the last six weeks has been the most amazing experience.