Pure Joy: 8 Weeks Later

Now that it's been 8 weeks since Anika was born, Alicia and I decided it's high time we get more active and start getting out the two of us. Thus, on Thursday night we hired out babysitters for more than an hour's time for the very first time (Grandma and Grandpa Freeman have pretty good rates, if you have a coupon), and we went to the new Vertical Endeavors in Minneapolis, to utilize our new memberships.

New Minneapolis VE--higher walls and just minutes from home

Alicia getting ready to climb again (looking pretty good for having given birth just 2 months ago!)

Given that the rock climbing wall at the University of Minnesota is where I first started to get to know Alicia (and became interested in climbing), there's something fitting about continuing to rock climb together in our post-Anika life. We even saw a climbing club of young kids while we were at VE, and were impressed with their skills. (Maybe that will be Anika one day!) Our lack of stamina was depressing, but wearing out after 3 or 4 routes was about right for our first time away from Anika together.

In other news: Anika has now weighs more than 10 pounds (soon to be 11); she will now use her eyes to track her leopard rattle from one side of her face to the other; and we think she may be on the brink of smiling for reasons other than gas or dreams of milk. Here are some of our favorites pictures from the last week.