Apple Picking

I was inspired by my sister's trip to the apple orchard, so last Saturday, we also took a trip out to Kiyokawa Orchard in the Mount Hood Fruit Loop. It was about an hour away, but well worth the trip. The orchard is right near Mount Hood and has a beautiful view of the snow-capped mountain.

It was the most affordable apple-picking I've ever done. Every place I've gone to on the East Coast cost close to $20 a bag. But after SK and I had picked two large bags of apples (Jonagold & Honey Crisp! Yum) and threw some Bartlett pears into the mix, the total only came out to $12! I was shocked. That means, our fruity bounty was cheaper than our local grocery store!

Still Sick
It was nice to get out of the city and into nature for some apple-picking. But both E and I were sick and slept most of the time in the car. And just when I thought I was getting better, my cold took another turn for the worse yesterday. On top of the congestion, runny nose and headaches, I have a tendency to get cold sores when I am worn down. So, I have the worse sores under my nose. And because I've been blowing my nose so much lately, they have turned into lovely scabs. I look terrible.

E on the other hand is having a hard time eating and sleeping. We are trying to suction those boogers out, but she hates the aspirator and evades us. Any ideas on how to unclog an infant's nose?

Busy-Body Baby
So far, E is enjoying her classes. On Tuesday, we go to Music Together classes, which she really enjoys. She loves the music, but also loves staring at all the other babies and at the instructor. Her favorite part of the class is the synchronized baby dances like baby square dancing. Have you ever tried to Do-Si-Do with your baby? Lots of fun! Thursdays are swim lessons day, which she also seems to enjoy. And recently, I just signed her up for Baby Gym classes.

After I clicked the confirmation button for the online registration, I wondered if I was overloading her schedule. She's only a baby after all. Am I turning into one of those crazy, obsessive mom's already? I want E to be a happy child, not an over-scheduled one.

When I was in grade school, I did all sorts of activities. Swimming, gymnastics, art, piano, violin... Now that I think about it, maybe keeping a busy schedule is just second nature for me? And while, I'm very appreciative of all the efforts my own mother took to stimulate me as a child, after awhile, I felt overburdened and sometimes just was going through the motions.

I know E can't express herself now, but I hope she lets me know what she does or doesn't like to do. And that I'll be perceptive enough to pick up on it if, even if she doesn't.