The leaves have been falling pretty consistently all through September.  Alas, now they are falling consistently, changing colors AND the weather is dropping.  I’m not really sad about the first two but the last component of this just makes me so so sad.   And its not even the fall weather, its what happens AFTER the fall weather.  And those of you who are reading this blog that have never lived in a seasonal environment, it should be known that Fall is not one quarter of the year–but more like one month.  Winter. WINTER.  The beast that I battle from November to May.  WINTER I LOATHE YOU. It doesn’t do much for me that we are dropping down to the mid 30s tonight.

So I’m trying to get over that winter is just around the corner and enjoy one of the best components of a seaonsal environment.  The harvest, the changing fall colors, using the word “autumn”, apple cider, football, pumpkins and comfort food, picking apples, ugg boots and putting Bjorn in adorable fleece onesies where all you see is his face.

Proof of Autumn. Don't be fooled by my t-shirt and Bjorn's uncapped head. We're just bad parents and horrible dressers.

Speaking of fall’s bounty–we’re off to the Upper Peninsula tomorrow to visit a place neither Lars or I have ever visited, the Porcupine Mountains.  Long have I heard of their beauty (from Lars…who has never been there), but finally (finally!) we will get to go there and Lars will get to take his picture of the lake in the clouds and we can let that issue rest.

I actually think it will be a really fun trip and I’m looking forward to seeing all the different colors.  Vacationing with Bjorn is actually a lot of fun, despite the fact that he won’t remember any of it…

What’s that?  You need more Bjorn in this post?  Well, let me oblige…

Garden Gnomes Gone Bjorn

Bjorn had his 2 months appointment yesterday.  He is now 9 lbs, 14 oz (10th percentile) and 23 1/4 inches (75th percentile).  He was a champ when getting his shots (three needles, one oral) and only yelped a little but then just went on sucking his bottle.  We drugged him up good on infant tylenol…but he probably liked it.  I mean cherry flavored goodness vs. breastmilk?  What do you think would win that battle?

Okay..and one more for luck.

Who are you and what are you doing in my room? And why am I levetating?

Lars updated our Bjorn page with some new photos.  My little boy is growing growing growing.  Soon he will be solving world problems, chewing gum, and walking.

Pardon me while I go melt from the cuteness.

EDIT: Our site went down last night after I posted this and the link was defunct–it is now working and you should be able to see new cutey patootie pictures of Bjorn. 

Listen up entitled jerks. I need you to realize I DO NOT WANT TO HIT YOU IN MY CAR but it may be inevitable if you jump out in front of me while talking on your cell phone and you’re not in a cross walk. Don’t look at me like I’m the jerk for wanting to drive through the intersection on a green light but you decided you could try to make it across the street evening though the hand was flashing red well before you got into the cross-walk.

Moral of the story–I don’t WANT to hit you in my car, but I will not be sorry if I do and you lose an appendage or two. In fact, you probably deserved it.

My patience with your reckless pedestrian ways was thin before I had a baby….now it is non-existent especially since if I stop my car, the baby cries. I blame you for this and am not above mowing you over as a result.

I thought walking along the ice shelf of Lake Superior was scary.  I also thought climbing mountains dangerous.  Well–you’ve never experienced scary and/or dangerous until you’ve gone on an elliptical machine while lactating.  Thank goodness for breast pads but I kept pulling my shirt out from under me (like I was airing it out because I was so hot—smart, right?) but it was really to check and make sure that there were not too big wet spots where my boobs go.  Sad, but true.  The upside of the story is that I am using the elliptical machine (twice now!). I was motivated by a conversation with Ginny wherein she told me we should do a 10K race before our 10 Mile race in April to make sure we can finish the 10 mile race in under 2 Hours and 30 Minutes.  Yikes.  Here’s a reality check for you…I don’t think I could run a mile period dot right now but we’re going to give this 10 miler in April thing the good old Jensen try.  Haha…joke’s on you because the Jensen’s don’t really try that hard.

We’ve been quite busy lately.  We went to a lovely little wedding in Hot Springs,  Arkansas for my college friend Leslie.   We were also thrilled to meet Bjorn’s doppleganger, Calvin…although if you put Calvin in the ring with puny Bjorn, I think Bjorn would have to make a run for it.  We’ll have to teach him to be scrappy because he’s a bit smaller than other kids his age (at least we think!).   Leslie got married in one of the most beautiful chapels I have ever seen–it was floor to ceiling windows in a nice A-frame shape.  Bjorn was very excited about it, too…so he decided to talk about it RIGHT AS THE WEDDING STARTED AND WE COULDN”T ESCAPE THE CHURCH.  Luckily we came prepared and Lars shoved the bottle in his mouth to keep him quiet and as soon as the bridal procession ended, he made a mad dash for the church.  The end result was Bjorn watching the wedding from afar….

Bjorn's seat at the wedding.

Hot Springs was a really awesome/quirky little town.  Bjorn summited his first “mountain” called Pinnacle Peak–which was a strenuous hike–but mainly because I must have gained 20 pounds from inhaling bugs and all that dead weight really brought me down.  For Bjorn, it was his first exposure to being strapped to his crazy father while he takes photos of pretty much anything/everything.

Young Grasshopper Learns the Ways of the Master

Bjorn was enthralled for the remainder of the hike.  I’m not going to lie–I was totally that he was in the Baby Bjorn and I was on my feet.

How Bjorn Rolls. In the Baby Bjorn. Obv.

You can see more “nature-y”(re: BORING) type photos of our trip here.

And in case you were wondering, Bjorn was a pretty awesome little flyer.  This is surprising mainly because he freaks out at a moment’s notice–but the white noise really seemed to help and he is all about the attachment parenting–so like…4 straight hours (when you count waiting at the airport) being held by either mom or dad has to have been pure bliss for the little guy.

He has been coo’ing and laughing a lot more.  Of course, when I try and videotape/photograph this, it turns into a precious commodity only to be used when the camera is put away.  Regarldess, I took this video which has the return of his elephants….he seems to like them an awful lot.  I hope he’s not turning into a Republican.

The Return of the Elephants from Megan Jensen on Vimeo.

Oscar-worthy, amiright?  He does give a rousing performance as the young baby just discovering his thumb but still a little too spazzy to put it in his mouth.

I had ambitions of a clean house while I was home with Bjorn…alas, this has not happened.  We’re not living in filth, but the kitchen sometimes takes one to two days before the dishes get put away and is never FULLY clean and there is near constantly a pile of unfolded laundry just sitting on the bean bag chair in our living room.  Also, I have all my maternity clothes (THAT I’M STILL WEARING.  UGH) stacked up on a chair in our bedroom just waiting for me to “do something with them”.   By “do something” I wish that could mean “burn them”. Dust just seems to be everywhere.   Food needs to be purged from the refrigerator.  All good intentions.

Well, yesterday morning I had it.  Apparently so did Bjorn because he took a hard nap at 12pm and woke up at 2pm when Lars came home for lunch.  In those two hours, though, I cleaned the kitchen, folded and put away all the laundry, straightened the living room, did another load of laundry and made the bed.   I feel like a champion…although, I really should have slept and let the house stay a mess since I, like a fool, stayed up WAY too late watching the Chargers game.  Sigh.  Oh football…how I love you and how I hate you for keeping me up way past my bedtime.  Anyway, the house isn’t spotless, but it feels breathable and I don’t have laundry staring at me making me feel guilty everytime I sit down in the living room.

Here’s a photo of my little Scandinavian taking his power nap to let me clean in his new travel swing I bought off of craigslist!   (On a sidenote—who wants to go into a business with me making classy-looking baby paraphanelia?)  Polka dots?   Solid colors?  Non-pastels?  No cartoon animals?  Really, do babies really need the type of patronizing they are subjected to in all the current baby products out there?

Snug as a bug in a "Swaddle Me" rug. Way to show off your head vein, Bjorn.

Football is off to a good start in the Jensen household with both of Bjorn’s teams kicking ass and taking names.   Michigan came up with a surprise win over Notre Dame (38-34) with our new QB from San Diego/Scripps Ranch, Tate Forcier.  A sweet victory for all the Michigan naysayers out there…the San Diego Chargers win was not so sweet.  They should have blown the Raiders out of the water but insted looked sloppy and frustrated.  Bjorn was pissed and kept yelling at the offensive line to get it together.

To celebrate football pride in the Jensen household…a Bjorn fashion show for his two favorite teams.  He only cried 18 times in order for me to take these photos.  Thank goodness for binkies.

Bjorn in his (a little too big but room to grow into) Michigan jersey from Aunt Kacey & Uncle Andy--the biggest "Go Blue" fans he knows!

San Diego Super Charger! Good thing Philip Rivers (no. 17) signed a 6 year extension with the Chargers because this Jersey is size 3T.

He certainly is a fashion icon in the making.  He also, apparently, has a signature pose.  Maybe that is his “good side”….

What does one buy for a child of Michigan in the winter?  Having grown up in Southern California–this is new and unchartered territory for me…and I’m no fashionista to begin with.

Can you believe its been 6 weeks since little Bjorn Laver Jensen entered this world?  Me neither.  I feel this weird momentum of in the here and now seeming long and endless…but this accelerated hindsight that makes me wonder where the time actually went?

Bjorn @ 6 Weeks. Rockin' His Blue Jeans.

We’ve taken a couple of photos to commemorate his mounting of the peak of fussiness (at least we’ve been TOLD its at 6 weeks).  We are so looking forward to the descent…although lately he has been quite the charmer.  We went to the 12 Oaks Mall the other day because I had to subject myself to the cruel and unusual punishment of dress shopping 6 weeks post partum.  Oy vey!  We did good, though…we went straight to Nordstroms and Bjorn only had one minor meltdown.  Going to Nordstroms was strategic, though..because you know at Nordstroms the bathrooms always have those plush sitting areas aka “Women’s Lounges”.   Yup–took advantage of that…gave B some food and he was good. to. go.  I will say that there is a subculture at the malls during the day that I was totally unaware of.  My friend Melissa gave me a head’s up before I made it there…but almost EVERYONE had a stroller and was toddling around with their baby.  I guess its just the thing to do.   I can’t wait to see what its like there in the winter!

Nonna (the artist formerly known as my mom) has been with us this past week and its been heaven having her here and having an extra set of hands around the house.  I used to not really understand the concept of having more than one set of hands.  Oh boy do I get it now.  Especially when I’m starving and living off a diet of PB & J/String Cheese/Morning Star Chik Nuggets/Bananas (ie, anything that you can eat with one hand).

Bjorn is Bigger that that Pink Flower @ 6 Weeks

As many of you can tell, he’s lost a big chunk of hair off the top of his head.  As many of you cannot tell because we’ve not subjected him to such unflattering photos, there is still quite a lot of hair on the back of his head.  He looks a little like George Costanza of Seinfeld fame.   We have been seeing some life of hair growth on his head…although Lars points out that he sees evidence of hair growth all the way down his forehead.  Hrmmm….

We have many family friends that have expressed great interest in Bjorn ever since we alerted people to us being pregnant.  One of Bjorn’s good friends that he has yet to meet are Tom & Sue who sent him a little pair of rompers from Central America.  He can’t yet fit into them but they’re too adorable and ethnic for my whitey white baby not to wear.  I mean, to be fair, we do live in Ann Arbor so if anyone ever saw him in these little rompers, they would think he was just starting a new trend and go along with it.  Too cute.

Bjorn in his Latin American romper with a special guest appearance by his Nonna visiting from San Diego.

I think it has to be mentioned that the ENTIRE ensemble consists of the following:  Latin American Romper (obviously), a Chargers onesie in which you cannot see the Chargers logo, and neon green argyle socks.  Oh, and lets not forget the Pampers Diapers (upgraded to size 1!).

Avante-Garde, no?

Love love love this baby boy.  He drives me bonkers and I have said sh*t a number of times at 3 am when I run into the same damn coffee table while and my contact falls out in the middle of breast feeding and I am like oy vey.  Regardless.  Love love love this little boy.

I was prepping dinner tonight in the kitchen when I felt some water fall on my foot.  I looked up towards the ceiling and was trying to discern if we had a leak in the unit above us.  I also thought maybe I just imagined the water falling from the ceiling and that it was from the counter or something—and I was just slowly going crazy.  But, nope, again I felt water  dripping down and also saw a couple of wet spots on my skirt that I had missed beforehand.

My second reaction was that I unknowingly peed on myself.  Awesome, Megan.

I called Lars over to the kitchen to check out the ceiling. He placed his hands on it and it was totally dry.  I was like “then where is this water coming from!?”.  Lars looks around the kitchen, stops, and then points at my left boob.  I guess I had forgotten to put a nursig pad in my bra after Bjorn’s last feeding and was totally drenched through my shirt.  Mystery solved;  sanity in tact;  pride hurt;  semi-disgusted.

Oh, the life of a moo-cow/breastfeeding mom…

And I can STILL only get like 2 oz max when I pump.  LAME.