BhimiBlog

What do women want!?

2012-01-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

On my local, online forum for moms the question was asked casually, "What do you want?"

It got me thinking.

At first thought were various MATERIAL things, of course! Among those are:
-A different washer we're waiting on in exchange for the frustrating front loader we have.
-A more comfortable bed - haha! Our $300, 6year old queen with a foam topper is dying a slow death, and we're suffering right along with it!
-An OB/GYN who makes the effort to understand my body better.

My second thoughts bubble up more difficult things that simply can't be solved by money! Among those are:
-More 'family time' - TV, laptops, and phones off. Fire started and quality time talking, playing games, and just being together.
-More time with other moms & friends. I've carved out one night each week for myself finally, but can't seem to make the mom 'dates' happen consistently. Kids get sick, obligations get tin the way, and plans fall through.
-More energy, and time, to do the projects that need done before baby comes. (That list is a page long itself!)
-More support, the kind that in reality only family typically provides: meals made when you're sick, impromptu visits to simply connect after a long day and 'see how you're doing,' free babysitting that allows hubby and I to get away overnight once in a while.

Ah, but upon more reflection, arises what I realllllly want....GRATITUDE. True gratitude for the things I have and the people around me who do care, and the time, health, and wealth that we do have.

I covet only the ability to stop looking over at the grass on the other side and stop labeling it greener!!

Corinthians' Christmas

2011-12-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

A friend of my mom's gave this to us years ago. It's really quite special (and brief); so,

I thought I'd pass it along! Whether you're religious or not, I don't know.

But I assume if you're celebrating 'Christ'mas you won't be offended at my posting this!

If I decorate my home perfectly with bows, twinkling lights, and shiny balls,

but do not shine love to my neighbors,

am I not just another decorator?

If I slave away in the kitchen, bake dozens of cookies, prepare tasty meals,

and arrange a beautifully adorned table,

but do not show love to my family by spending time with them,

am I not just another cook?

If I trim the tree with shimmering angels and hand-crocheted snowflakes,

attend a myriad of parties, and sing carols for hours,

but do not focus on Jesus' birth,

have I not wholly missed the point?
And even if I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home,

and give all that I have to charity,

but do not show love to my enemies,

can I truly say I am loving?

LOVE...stops the cooking to hug the children.

LOVE...sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

LOVE...is kind, though weary at times.

LOVE...doesn't envy another's coordinated china and table linens.

LOVE...doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way,

but is thankful they are present to be in the way.

LOVE...doesn't delight in receiving just the right gifts,

but rejoices in giving to those who can never repay.

LOVE...bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, and endures all things.

LOVE NEVER FAILS.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust...

BUT GIVING THE GIFT OF LOVE ENDURES!

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Defining Christmas for my family...

2011-12-24T05:46:00.000-08:00

Having kids makes you literally rethink almost every decision and action you make - from what restaurants to go to and which cleaning products to use to how you celebrate the holidays. I've avoided it for 2 Thanksgivings and Christmases, but this year I knew I had to face it head on! Munchkin is old enough that I knew he'd hear about Santa, knew he'd see light displays at night and probably ask why they're done. Most influential is the fact that this year we will be celebrating Christmas at our home for the first time! So I had to come up with some answers fast. Unfortunately, the questions I would likely encounter piled up much faster than the answers.

-Why put up a tree? Lights? Wreaths?

-Who's Santa? (Ssetting aside for at least this year the question of whether he's real. Whew!)

-What's Advent?

-What's Christmas?

-Why DO I bake so many cookies!?

-How many presents should I give to him?

-Are traditions even important? Afterall, I didn't grow up with any...

So shortly after Thanksgiving, I started asking all my family and friends to share their traditions with me. Some were surprisingly meaningful, wonderfully thoughtful, and resonated with me, while others were rather goofy and didn't 'stick'. That said, the common theme was HOW the tradition was executed - either as a family or by "only mom and I," for example. Those relationships that were nurtured seemed to be what had the lasting impact. Also, underlying them was the fact that the child was made to feel special and/or part of a family unit! When trying to draw our our traditions from the suggestions given, we kept that in mind. We also tried to only start what we could maintain; after all, our children, (and we) will 'mature.' Although I hate to admit it, toddlers do indeed turn into teens with ideas of their own!

So here's the answers that we came up with and have explained to Muchkin, thus far:

1. "Santa is the nickname for Saint Nicolas. He was a real person long ago who gave gifts to needy kids. Some people say he still comes and gives gifts to kids, but no one really knows. It's a wonderful mystery!"

2. "Christmas is the day we celebrate when Jesus was born. He was a very special man who taught many people how to love eachother and to give openly to those in need."

3. "We remember him by doing things like decorating an evergreen tree and putting up evergreen wreaths. His love for all his creation is as constant as an evergreen tree's color. And also we remember him by singing hymns and carols about him." And so on...

4. "Advent is how we count the days from Thanksgiving, up to Christmas. We'll state each day what we're thankful for and how we can show our appreciation for it." (Specifics below.)

5. "And we are so thankful for daddy that we will write a special letter to him about how much we love him." (Come to find out, this is actually an old Italian tradition as well. They place it under the dad's plate on Christmas Eve!)

6. "On Christmas Eve, we will set up the Nativity scene of Jesus' birth and tell the story. Then, we'll give eachother 3 gifts like he received: Gold = one gift you want, Frankincense = one you need, and Myrrh = one that will help you grow. And maybe Santa will even bring you a stocking in the morning with some goodies in it". (Of course, he'll get one, which will serve to occupy him while I make a nice breakfast Christmas day.)

7. "I chose to bake cookies because I'm thankful for our neighbors, and friends, and firefighters, and others, and want to show them that we appreciate them."

8. We do ________ because we love eachother! (This will hopefully be the answer that explains any other tasks we perform or behaviors we exhibit - NOT to include pepper-spraying fellow shoppers!)

9. Repetitions of the above: Attend our town's Tree Lighting event, attend performances of the carols and the like.

10. Lights: "These don't really have anything to do with Christmas that I know of, Munchkin, but because it's wintertime. We celebrate the winter season by making warm fires, roasting marshmallows, putting up beautiful garlands and we light them on the longest day of the year: usually December 22." Adding in that "Some people like the lights and decorations SO much, they put them up reeeaaally early, Sweety!"

Advent calendar: Here's the list we came up with for this year. We were able to do about 1/2 of them this year, which I'd call success considering I started this endeavor the 5th and am pregnant! If the daily tasks get overwhelming as the kids are in school and have additional obligations, I could also see it being done on a weekly basis, focussing on one category each week. For instance, the first week being thankful for things we're given (and in return giving to those who don't have those things), the next week centered on community, the next week focus on family/friends. Then, the week leading to the 25th, focus on Jesus. Some people even continue these advents as counting toward the new year so as to avoid the anti-climax that happens on the 26th! (I formatted the list as: We're thankful for X, so let's do Y.) I intend to just print them out and cut them into little strips that I can fit into his Advent Tree drawers.

1. Blessings we have. Bless others in need

*Forhaving so many toys to play with. Because we have so many, let's sort throughour toys today and see how many we can share with other kids who need toys .(Or for older kids, video games and the like, or go out together to buy somenew ones to donate.)

*For healthy bodies and healthy food to eat the whole year round. So let's gogrocery shopping today, buying food for kids and families who don't have enoughfood today. (Or when kids are older let's go give blood to help someone who needs it.)

*For the gift of plenty of food to eat all year round. Many kids and families don't have enough to fill their bellies, and don't ever get to have treats like Chocolate, Candies, Popcorn, and Lollipops, so let's go to the grocery store today and buy those things to donate to kids.

*For the gift of God's love that never leaves us, just like the greenery of an evergreen tree! (Tree Decorating Day)

*For the gift nature and its beauty, smells, and sounds. So let's make some treats for the birds to enjoy outside this cold winter! Or we could gather pine cones and leaves and acorns to spray with glitter and decorate the house or some other nature craft.

*For the gift of having a beautiful home that keeps us safe from the winter weather. So let's decorate our home with fun paper chains and paper snowflakes today. Or when kids are older, let's give a donation to Habitat for Humanity.

*For the gift of wintertime when all things rest except the evergreen, which is like God's love. So let's decorate our house with evergreen garlands and wreaths today. We'll light them on the Longest Night of the year.

2. Community:

*For all the extra special 'treats' we get to enjoy in life like cookies and candies. So let's bake some cookies to share some treats with the people we appreciate the whole year round.

*For our local firefighters who protect us. So lets write them a note of thanks, and take some treats to them.

*For our neighbors. So let's deliver our treat bags we made them Candies, Cookies, an Ornament!?

*For our teachers who help us learn and grow. So let's give them their cookies/gift, and a note that lists all the things we've learned from them.

*For our mailcarrier, barber, doctor, and so on. So let's write them a note too.

*For our Mayor, Pastors, School Principle, and others. So let's write them each a note of thanks.

*For our local food bank workers. So let's write a note to the employees to thank them for their work.

*For the troops who protect us. So let's write and send them cards.

*For the sacrifices that the troops' families make. They have to stay behind and sometimes need our support. So let's show them our appreciation today by giving them something special!

3. Friends/Family:

*For our friends. So let's give them their cards/gifts/cookies.*For Mommy and all she does for us through the year. So today we'll do something special for mom (take her to dinner, make something special, or write her a letter telling her how much you love her.

*For dad working so hard all throughout the year. So today, let's write daddy a letter telling him how much we love him.

*For time spent together as a family. So let's go take a Night Drive to see all the beautiful light displays.

*For having Mom & Dad and Brothers/Sisters who love us. So let's enjoy each other's company tonight by watching a funny movie, playing games together, and laughing a lot!

"Date-specific" Activities:

*For the great community of people we are a part of, so let's go be with them to watch the town's Tree Lighting event!

*For Jesus' coming into the world as a baby long ago. So let's set up the Nativity Scene Christmas Eve.

*For the Longest Night of the year and how things will only get brighter after tonight! So let's have a fire (bonfire when they're older) and have Hot Dogs, Veggies, Smores, and Hot Cocoa

*For Jesus' Birth. So let's celebrate with a cake (or cupcake/muffin) and a lit candle.

*For beautiful music and the local fine arts. So let's attend a Messiah performance. (Or when kids are older have a “Silent Night” at home – turn off the cell phones, computers, and all technology that begins with the letter 'i' to play board games as a family, listen to some carols or holiday music, drink hot apple cider, and so on.

Other Activity Ideas:

*For living in the US and having the freedom to celebrate the change of season as we wish, so let's learn about ways other people chose to celebrate this special time of year: Kwanza, Hannukah, and so on.

*For our Heritage. So let's have a Christmas Curry Night and invite some friends over. (or go out to an Indian dinner with friends!) (You could fill in anything from something from your culture's customs).

*For our neighborhood. So let's go for a walk and pick up trash today.

*For our town having a great playpark for us to enjoy. So let's go to the park today, and if we see any trash lying around we'll pick it up.

*For our house and its fireplace that keeps us warm. So today, we'll give blankets to families/newborn babies in need, and create a fire tonight remembering that others are cold.

If you've read this far, then I'll add that I just discovered, last night, something called Advent Conspiracy. (Here's the Youtube video about it.) After viewing it, it's made me rethink *some* of what's above and you may just see a post around November 2012 containing some changes to the list above!

Merry Christmas to all!

A Brother it will be!

2011-11-28T17:13:00.001-08:00

The ultrasound this morning told us it shall be a boy. Munchkin will have a brother! I'm overwhelmed at the thought of a SECOND boy with his energy level, but maybe the second will be the art loving, book reading, boys-choir type ;-) Just teasing; because, even if they both have loads of energy they can at lease wrestle it out with EACHOTHER instead of with me :-P Most importantly though, is that the ultrasound showed him to be a healthy little guy, and very happy at about 9oz (18weeks along).

Just thought I'd share that happy news. Oh, and the kitchen is getting close to being done. Below is a pic of the original fixtures, and one where the kitchen stands right now. That is, it still needs the backsplash done, the flooring tackled, and painted. But as long as it's done before baby gets here, no worries. It was SUCH a joy to cook in over Thanksgiving! Reaffirmed for me one more reason we chose this house! Have a great week everyone :-)

2011-10-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

We have been BUSY! I mean busy like I've never experienced, and never would've intended! To tally it all: we've sold our house, bought a house(after 8mths of looking), remodeled the kitchen, made the move, and, oh yeah, I'm pregnant and seriously fatigued, but no morning sickness (thank heavens!).

And what timing we chose, because I planned on doing all the painting of the new house's kitchen cabinetry myself; however, once I knew I was preggers I couldn't. (That alone was a $4800 mistake!) Then all the appliances were backordered til November! So we had to choose different ones, which still ended up coming after we moved in. The kitchen ended up being almost a complete overhaul - not down to the studs exactly; but in total it will include the countertops, floors, walls, sink/plumbing, backsplash, appliances, painting those cabinets, the doors, trim, you name it! It all kinda sprang from my inability to embrace its original PINK countertops - can you blame me!? We only have the backsplash, floors and some painting still to complete. But with the the end is in sight, we're now able to relax a bit.

Overall, I'm equally excited and exhausted. It's a great house on 2 acres with a huge kitchen. We got a real deal on the house (meaning more than we lost on the old house), so we're grateful for that. We've been in about 3 weeks and are just now getting settled. Hope this finds each of you as healthy and happy as we all are :-) And I hope this explains (not justifies, but explains) why I've been such a poor friend, sister, daughter, wife, mom, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law - you name it - lately. Hugs to you all and I'll try to be better about updating Munchkin's albums, and keep in touch!

Here's the granite we chose: Khaki & caramel colored with rust and chocolate colored veins.

Here's the right side of the kitchen's cabinet boxes being sprayed.

Day after we moved in - no stove, no refrigerator, & non-functional dishwasher!

Here's the latest pic. The island's black walnut butcher block *should* get installed this week! And the backsplash we chose is on the far right side (by a sample color we chose for the walls).

Munchkin

2011-09-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Well it's been so long since I've written, so it will probably come as no surprise that there is nothing Munchkin can't say at this point! He still speaks in broken sentences like "Daddy, hab it, peas?" = Daddy, may I have it please!? Or Mommy, pay me peas!" = Mommy play with me please! And yes, he is that polite in almost all his requests - it's adorable. Some of my favorite phrases are "No tanks, Mommy" which he says a lot, even to tell me he doesn't need to go potty. Or he says it when he really seems to want to shout, "NO WAY!!!"

When he's really happy and 'rompy', he gallops around the house acting like a horse, or hops about like a kangaroo! Wish those bursts of joy lasted long enough to grab the video camera though so you all could see it! His favorite toys lately are construction vehicles (still...) and firemen and superheros, getting more into the pretend play - very cute to watch!

He's having an issue with playing too rough and sometimes outright hitting. It's super frustrating, but after a lot of unsuccessful "talking through it" with him, we have seen success with an immediate Time Away and Zero Tolerance policy.

The latest news is during a hard rain the other day, hubby had taken him to the toy store and saved a turtle from sure death on a 4 lane road. So munchkin has a new pet! We're gonna keep him long enough to get Munchkin over his fear of it, or let it go before winter so it can hibernate properly (whichever comes FIRST!) I like him fine enough, it just saddens me to see him in a little baby swimming pool, and not in nature...ya know!?

Well, there's not much else to tell about Munchkin, so thanks for reading and I'll add more photos to his albums (link found on the left side of the blog's home page).

He's talking!!!

2011-05-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

I mean talking a LOT! Just in the last 2 months, he's gone from around 20 words to two word sentences like "Dada walk!" and "El (Ellie) sit." It's so cool. But it happened so fast I didn't realize that I hadn't changed my methods with him accordingly! Today I was on a "mom forum" while my guys were napping, and found this post about how to teach a toddler to NOT do a behavior.

"My son is a 'young' 19 months-- I think he's a bit less mature than others his age. We've been disciplining by 1) just plum avoiding bad situations 2) distracting him and have slowly been working on teaching appropriate behavoirs.
This has been working really well for us-- I'm so proud that he now understand that you 'pat' little sister, that chalk can only go outside, that we say 'sshhh' quietly when sister is sleeping.
But I've never been successful at teaching him *not* to do something. the two main issues are hitting the power button on the tv, and going through the clothes baskets adn throwing everything on the floor... but it's getting worse. "

A very thoughtful mom responded with the following!!!!

"In my house with my own kids and my daycare kids, this is what I do. For the trivial things, like pulling clothes out or all the books on the bookshelves, taking out the movies, etc...I give it a couple weeks to see if they get it out of their system. Sometimes the novelty of it wears off during that time all on its own. If it doesn't, then I will say, "Uh oh, clothes stay in the basket, if you want to dump, lets find a toy" and then we will find something that addresses the same skill in a more appropriate forum. Even filling up a cardboard box with rags would be a great way to offer him a place he can play and an activity you can immediately redirect him.

The things you are describing your DS doing are all great skills for his age and he is learning cause and effect with the things he is doing. Fill and dump and on and off are both developmentally appropriate actions. As caregivers, it is our job to provide them with opportunities to practice these things in a safe space. I don't think you will have any success simply telling him what he can't do. A toddler's brain doesn't work like that. You can definitely show him the things he CAN do using the same skills and everyone will win."

I LOVED this, not only for its clear wisdom of focusing on WHY the child was dumping things and turning an item on/off. But for another reason entirely. It taught me something and I thought I'd share my 'discovery' with you all.

I responded to the wise woman's words with this:
WOW! My son (25mths) wasn't verbal until just about 2 mths ago. So since about 14-16mths when he started understanding the meaning of No, but couldn't say it yet, I had to find some way to get him to 'NOT' do certain things that were off limits like hit, nip/bite, etc. (Especially only for those cases, because I wanted my "No" to still hold weight as he gets older!) I was a fan of 'redirection' to other activities, but when it was any sort of aggression, I drew the line and felt I had to start using at least simple 2 word phrases like "No Bite," "No Kick," "No Throw" when throwing wasn't appropriate, and so on.

But reading your post today, I realized I'm STILL using those "No ____" phrases, even though he's recently started talking! That's so mindless of me I almost can't believe it. I will definitely start giving him the outlet for these skills, and the words to name them as they occur!

I guess that's another lesson for ME: Just because he couldn't understand something yesterday, doesn't me he can't today!! Address him at his level, BUT constantly re-assess where that level is!!!!

Happy Birthday Munchkin!!!

2011-04-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Wow....WOW! i'll say it again, wow, I can't believe he's 2! Where has the time gone!?

He's really growing and changing, but I'll post about all that later, I know you want the GOOD stuff -- pictures, so here ya go!

And I've created a NEW ALBUM of pics of him.

The link is on the left of the blog as always, now labelled: Munchkin (2yrs old)!!!!!!

To celebrate, we let him have everything he wanted --

LUNCH: cookies, french fries, and chocolate milkshake!

DINNER: Pizza and some soda!

GIFTS: Trip to the Zoo (his first), a Children's museum membership, a bucket of sand toys, some other toys, some MORE books! And last but not least, a visit to see his favorite people -- "GaGa" (grandma) and "PaPa" (grandpa's). We all took him out to dinner and returned to their house for cake. Pics below...

Climbin' up to the table

Wondering if that's for him, and if he's allowed to play with the flames!

Trying to blow the candles out, but missing the small flames!

He didn't miss the cake though!!

And as in Indian tradition, he fed his first

bite (well his first forkfull) to his favorite person, Mama!

A special pic of both of my special guys!!!

Such utter joy!!!

Bedtime Books

2011-03-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

Lots of my mom friends discuss what books we read to the kiddos at night, so I thought I'd share what his favorite books are thus far!

He seems to like routine (read "same books over and over and over!) and likes animals, so he really enjoys:

Poetic:

Good Morning, Good Night. (he likes to "tickle" each animal goodnight!)

The Going to Bed Book (new classic!)

Storylike:

So Many Bunnies (subliminally teaches ABCs and rhymes LOL)

That said, MY favorite books are the "I Love My Mommy Because..." book and it's counterpart "I Love My Daddy Because..."). I got it from the library when he was maybe 12mths old (?). They're just GREAT, and you can teach "baby" animal names like cub, chick, etc! We don't own them though :-( I keep saying to myself I need to get online and order them, but just haven't yet!

Oh, and how can I forget....my other favorite is "The Snuggliest Snuggle in the World." It was given to us by a friend for his first birthday! This book is AWESOME and the voices can be really fun to make! He really enjoys it and picks it out first if given a choice of which books to read!

Crib Tent, continued!

2011-03-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

So last night he slept through the night, and woke with a smile on his face :-)

And at naptime today he fussed ever so slightly and I said "Nigh, Nigh. I love you." I closed the door and he stopped! He's napping a long time so hopefully all our worries of "How will he deal with the crib tent" will be over! Here's hoping tonight goes well, and each night after that!!

Crib Tent, Shmib Tent (night 3)

2011-03-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

Well, last night didn't go as hoped -- he got up 3 times again, I think! It all started to blur together, but I don't *think* I took him out of his crib. What was weird though is that the tent wasn't even zipped, so I don't know what he was so fussed about -- MAYBE teeth!?

Anyway, the afternoon nap was fine, but again only half zipped. He did take a full-length nap, and was a bit edgy all day. So it may in fact be teething pains, as he seems to "sleep it off" instead of lose sleep like most toddlers.

However, tonight at bedtime we had a breakthrough. He was awake when I put him in the tent, and asked for (signed for) "more" songs for a 3rd time. So as I hummed, I managed to zip up the tent. He only fussed a bit, so I walked out of the room. Then he wailed in protest, but only for about 30-45 seconds. I haven't heard a thing since, so here's hoping tonight goes better than the previous 2!

Crib Tent, Shmib Tent (take 2)

2011-03-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I wouldn't wish last night on anyone! Normally, he sleeps through the night without a sound coming from his room. Last night, he got up 3 times and wailed. I was able to settle him easily the first time without removing him from the crib, but the second and third time, he was determined to "get outta Dodge" :-) The morning was a disaster...I thought maybe he'd get used to his tent if I put some books in with him. That only seemed to make him more angry about his plight!

This afternoon, however, I got off easy.He was SO tired, he fell asleep really quickly and deeply; so, I placed him in the crib and he didn't wake up when I zipped it. He didn't sleep as long (about half of his typical nap), but hopefully he'll be tired enough tonight to do the same!

On a lighter note, about 2 weeks back while singing his lullaby, I sang a bit too loud for his liking and he told me so, with a soft "Shhhh" and a tiny finger pressed to his pursed lips! I melted right then and there! (We've recently been working on Loud/Soft and apparently he wanted me to know he got it!)

Crib Tent, Shmib Tent!

2011-03-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

So Munchkin has climbed out of his crib, in fact, fallen out :-( Ouch!! So it's time to either convert his crib to a toddler bed, or strap on a crib tent to his crib...Which did we choose? Well I'd prefer Toddler Bed, but we also double purpose his room as the office, so it's not really baby-proof. So crib tent it is!

We just spent 5 days at Aunt Bonnie's house and Munchkin climbed out of the pack-n-play over 40 times (exhausting) so we tried to get him to nap in his cousin's crib (which had a tent), but he was totally freaked out by it. When we were leaving her house, she said she wanted to order a crib tent for us because "that way it would be there the DAY we needed it -- sitting in a box, read and waiting!" So, it arrived today! But since we're thinking of going on a mini family vacation, I thought now's as good of a time as any to introduce it to him. I asked around on Facebook for any other moms' advice and one friend had used one. She had a VERY helpful suggestion of allowing him to play with it, the zipper, the poles, the fabric, etc before I set it up. And then also letting him play in it as I raised the arches, etc...He LOVED it! Even when I zipped it up and gave him kisses through the mesh. Adorable! He was also mashing his nose against it, which looked QUITE funny!!

Then it was bedtime -- the real test! I delayed it by about 45minutes so he was REALLY tired. He drank his milk, we changed into PJs, brushed his teeth, read his books, sang his songs, and so on. Then, in the dark, I placed him in his crib, content and sleepy. But wait, I had to actually then ZZzzzzzziiiippppp up the tent.....As soon as I did ---> "Wahhhh!!!" I figured I'd give him a minute or two to stop crying and settle himself before going in; so, I went downstairs and put in a load of diapers. Meanwhile, hubby went in and unzipped the tent..(Grrr!) He told me we'd introduce it in "Baby Steps!" Of course, Munchkin immediately stopped crying and fell asleep, but we'll see tomorrow during his nap how he handles it in the light of day....

Munchkin @ 22months old

2011-01-31T15:42:00.000-08:00

Since my last blog post about him:

2 haircuts have come and gone (his hair grows at an amazing rate -- I wonder if all kids' does).

He's grown a clothes size and 2 shoes sizes.
Played in 6 total inches of snow!

He's figured out ways to throw almost all his toys over the deck railing...

He's learned that just because I put his socks and shoes on, that doesn't mean he has to keep them on!

He's learned he can climb anything and everything he wishes. Although he (THANK GOD) has not learned to push chairs over to the counters, or over to the ledge by the stairs, etc! But at the rate of discovery he's shown thus far, that feat is in the near future I'm sure :-(

But MOST EXCITING? He's almost talking! At this point, he can say probably about 30 words. He knows hundreds, but can't say them all just yet. Although he can say words, the cutest is when he climbs high on something and appears to be giving us a speech! He says long "sentences" and waits for a response from you, then continues, then waits! It's hilarious :-D By the way, I can't praise the LeapFrog "Letter Factory" video enough for helping him be able to sound out his letters! (Thank you Aunt Bonnie for telling us about it!) He can sound out 17 of the 26, and recognize almost as many! It's a little miracle for us. I was getting a bit concerned that his speech was delayed! Some of his most precious words are the ones that are "almost" right, like cars say "Bip, Bip," etc. His actions that delight me most (as a mom) are when he gestures to me asking for kisses and when he signs that he wants me to sing to him "MORE" at bedtime! I MELT into a puddle when he does that! He's at his silliest though, when he's wrestling, tackling, hiding, and generally rough-housing with hubby! I swear they act more like long-lost brothers than father/son! But it's the best entertainment in MY book!

Meal times are still my most "adventurous" with him still; I NEVER know what will happen. The other day, he didn't eat ANYTHING for lunch and then for dinner ate a full cup of broccoli. However, a few weeks ago, he would only eat orange and yellow items: eggs, oranges, lentils, carrots, peaches, corn, etc. Other days it's been only green things! Yet, from hearing the tales of other moms I know he's definitely a typical toddler!

His latest toy acquisitions came from their quarterly father/son trip to the toy store (so I could have an hour in a quite house). What did they bring home? 2 enormous dinosaurs -- like 24 inches long! He's played with them and dragged them all over the house for the past 2 weeks! You might remember that one of their previous excursions brought home a TRICYCLE which Munchkin couldn't even ride (still can't), so I was thrilled that this trip produced a more age appropriate set of toys! But some things never lose their appeal, namely the Thomas table Aunt Bonnie passed onto us before Christmas! That thing has been through 6 kids and will probably make it through 20 more! It's indestructible! Thanks again Aunt Bonnie!

Well, I can't believe I wrote so much about him, since I only wanted to simply catch you up on how he was doing before he's TWO!! But there's so many things that make him who he is that I couldn't help myself! Ultimately, he's our little Munchkin ,who's growing and learning at an incredible rate! Want proof? There's lots of current pics in his photo albums on the left side of the blog -- Enjoy!

Who am I? What are we!?

2011-01-12T22:55:00.000-08:00

Who are we really? Are we our experiences? Are we our struggles/triumphs? Does our consciousness/self continue to exist after our physical body dies? I just listened to this fabulous discussion between a neuroscientist who studies states of mind, a cardiologist who studies "clinical-dead" survivors, and a philosopher who bridges the gap between Western and Eastern philosophies about states of being: FOUND HERE. Listen and see what you think and if it challenges your thoughts about "who you really are" in any way!

That said, one of the guests spoke about real experiences of clinically dead people who have "come back." AMAZING! Along those lines, I'd like to share here with you about my grandfather's experience. Around 1980 he had heart-related near-death experience and had the EXACT same description of it, as the patients described in the stories. He described it as a wholly enveloping feeling of being unified, one with his family, and with all that he knew. Whatever words best describe it, it changed him ENTIRELY (so my mother and aunts/uncles tell me). That you'd never know him as the man they grew up with. Now, for HIM, this desire to understand what happened to him manifested in a earnest *religious* pursuit of what that experience was and what it meant. He came to believe the truth was Christianity. He said it was the feeling of his family's energy in the room emotionally (and forcefully) pulling him back to his physical body that "brought him back." But he said it was so tempting to want to stay "there" -- ONE! As if it were *their intentions* for him to return that brought him back. He is now deceased, but I am glad I was able to know him, and know him as the reborn person - wise, compassionate, and loving.

What Moms Really Want for Christmas....

2010-12-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

Ha, you're kidding right!? Nobody knows that, except her! No matter how long a woman's been a mom, there's no way to generalize and proclaim what all moms want. Although, many articles I've read recently online have certainly tried, naming the typical candles, perfume, jewelry, and such. Not that those things are "wrong" but you simply can't say that any one thing or "10 top things" will fit all moms. One article actually suggested tools & storage tubs in it's top ten! (No joke -- HERE it is!) Those items are certainly useful, but who would pass up a day at the spa for a set of wrenches!? One of my favorite (and completely unexpected) answers to this question came from a mom of older children HERE! And no, moms certainly don't want the proverbial kitchen sink thrown at them either, in hopes that one of many items pleases her. This method only shows just how little thought was put into her gift.

When my sisters and I were young I remember one Christmas we all got together to choose a "birthstone ring" for my mom that we thought was so special. But she probably just wanted a week off from doing her 3 teenage girls' laundry or a day to sleep in each week! I'm sure we asked her what she wanted, but received the usual response: "I don't need anything, girls. Don't waste your money on me." So we went with what the ad agencies told us: "Any mom would be happy with...." (insert candles, perfumes, soaps, etc). I've learned a lot since then. Now, I ask her each year, and she asks for a pair of earrings -- and that exactly what I get her!

That's my tried and true approach. Asking! Surprises are nice on Christmas morning, but what if the mom hates the item every other day of the year and it ends up in the box headed to Goodwill?!! Ultimately the only way to choose the perfect gift is by asking. (Although, you may have to add a threat that if she isn't honest, her gift will be set of wrenches!) Seriously, moms are women, and who is the only person who will really know what she wants? She will. (Well, most will!) So ask!

While it's true that you can't generalize about material gifts, it's also true that no mom would turn down some time away, with or without Mr. Right by her side! Time to do whatever her heart desires: maybe read a waste-of-time-and-money magazine, get a massage, read a book, or SLEEP! Just some "time off" :-)

**This comes with a caveat: General categories are not allowed.

You can't let her just say JEWELRY, for instance. Either let her select it or give her a gift card with a memo line stating what it's for! For instance, I would not be pleased if my husband bought me a watch simply because I said JEWELRY and he saw a "Jareds" commercial! I don't want a watch that's picked out by someone else, and he bought me one the first year we were together (selected by me) and I LOVED it and STILL love it. I wouldn't want a new one! Other women I know just don't wear necklaces, or don't like a certain style of jewelry, etc. So be specific moms and hopefully, you'll get exactly what you asked for!!

And for the record, that article linked above was way off:

DON'T get ANY mom ANYTHING on the following list

unless she ASKS for it specifically:

Tools, Appliances (large or small), "Junk-of-the-month Club" subscriptions, Knick-knacks (aka dust-collectors), nor anything that requires more work or maintenance on her part ;-)

It's Autumn -- Yay!

2010-11-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

So it's Autumn and I was SO in the mood for warm, hearty comfort foods specifically chicken and biscuits! I never actually remember eating this as a kid, but my mom used to make a French sauce I LOVED called "Veloute" for pouring over my chicken (or turkey). She actually made it especially for me, but called it simply "gravy" so I'd eat it. (But now that I think of it, I don't actually know that she knew she was really making a gourmet sauce!) Anyway, a favorite of mine as a kid was definitely chicken pot pie, so this seemed like a great compromise to avoid all that work :-)

Anyway, so here's the recipe I used to make it and it was SUPER easy -- like klutz-proof!! Actually it's SO klutz-proof that I used egg whites on accident instead of the egg yolks and it still turned out to be exactly as I had hoped!

I've seen recipes online where they just drop biscuit dough in the mixture and bake it in the oven so the biscuits still came out crispy, but I had biscuits in the freezer that needed used before their expiration. So that's what I used this time. HERE and HERE are the recipes for "dropped" chicken & biscuits. I hope you all enjoy it in this chilly fall weather and it warms your hearts and bellies! But if you need a truly NO fuss recipe, HERE's one from HomemadeWithLove's blog. It uses canned items, so don't add any salt!

So take 2 chicken breasts and simply cook over medium heat till done. Then dice into bite-size pieces. While that's cooking...prepare the Veloute sauce.

4 T. butter (unsalted or salted)
5 T. white flour (can't be whole wheat)
2 c. chicken broth/stock (homemade or canned)
2/3 c. whole milk
2 lg egg yolks (OR WHITES, haha!)
salt to taste
pepper to taste (white pepper if you have it!)
I also added a bit of onion powder, a pinch of paprika, and a bay leaf

1. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour til pasty. Whisk for one minute (don't brown this).
2.Pour in the stock and whisk till combined. Add the bay leaf if you'd like. Leave uncovered till sauce is creamy and smooth (about 2 min).
3. Add in the cream and whisk.
4. Beat egg in a small bowl and add 2 T. of the warm sauce to the eggs. Whisk.
5. Slowly drizzle the eggs mixture into the pan. Whisk.
6. Add salt and pepper. Taste. Adjust. Whisk for 2 min. Remove from heat.

Add the cooked chicken to 2 cups of fresh or thawed veggies and half of the Veloute sauce. (Freeze the rest for another night!) Add about a cup of water (according to how thick you want the sauce) and stir all together. Bake the biscuits according to the packaging and pour the hot Chicken mixture over the biscuits! Enjoy!

If you need a simple biscuit recipe, I'd use this one since it has some whole wheat! You'd just drop the dough over the "casserole" and bake for 10-13 min til they are browned.
Ingredients:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1 T. baking pwdr
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup oil
3/4 c. milk (2% preferred)

Baked French Toast

2010-11-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

This is the best creation I've come up with in years! You HAVE to try this!

For a kids Halloween party, I had made really cute cut-out cheese sandwiches for the kids to have a healthy snack. I used pumpernickel and wheat breads but COULD NOT throw out the crusts, so I saved them and wished I could make french toast (one of my favorite breakfasts) with them that weekend. So I did!

Come to find out, this is NOT new! There's MANY recipes online for this fabulous invention. (HERE's one that sounds especially tasty!) Below is the version I made up according to what I had in the house to use up! I was most happy that it had a lot of flavor, but only 3 tablespoons of sweetening ingredients for 4 adult servings!! Compare THAT with all the syrup put onto French toast! It took less than 10 min to mix up and 20 min to bake! Delicious! So here it is. Recipe serves 4 adults or 2 adults and 3 munchkins!

Oh, and just to mention 2 things, the pumpernickel was INCREDIBLE! I highly recommend using at least half pumpernickel! And the other thing I've found since then is that I can keep a bag in the freezer for bread "ends" and crusts, always having some bread read to make this dish whenever I wanna make it without using up the "good" slices! Enjoy! Let me know if you make it!

Must-haves:

about 3/4 - 1 loaf of sliced bread, cubed into chunks

(pumpernickel, whole grain, and/or whole wheat breads work best to not end up being soggy!)

1 c milk (at least 1% or 2%)

4-5 eggs (depending on how you normally like your french toast)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 Tbspn maple syrup (or brown sugar)

1 Tsp vanilla

Optional Add-ins:

1 cup fruit (diced apple, pumpkin, banana, pear, )

1/4 c coconut

1/2 c nuts

Toppings:

1/2 c Nuts

1 Tbspn brown sugar or honey

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 F. No need to grease your casserole dish.

Mix wet ingredients.

Pour over bread and stir only to combine. (don't let sit or end product will be soggy).

Bake in oven for 10 min.

Stir and top with nuts and sprinkle the brown sugar or honey over the top.

Bake for another 10 more min, or until the bread's no longer soggy!

** If you stir it more than once, it will mush up and be more like bread pudding, which may be desirable to you depending on your texture preferences.

Where have you BEEN!?

2010-10-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 2 months, I know. Well, a funny thing happened when I logged onto Blogger one day. They had come out with a new feature: STATS. It allows you to see how many people visit the site, how often, which posts were most popular, etc. While its intention is to encourage you and give you feedback to guide future posts, I was DIS-couraged at how many people actually visited the blog, so I stopped blogging. What was the point?

Unfortunately, since then, I've been much less creative. When I did make something (a recipe, a craft project, an apron, etc) I had no one to share it with; so it was terribly unsatisfying!! Amazingly enough, not blogging made me see that I NEED to be creative and expressive. It's therapeutic for me.

So, I'm BACK! As often as I'm able to post, I'll post, whether anyone reads or not! Posting what I've done gives me a way to organize my recipes, thoughts, and projects and to share them easily. It gives me a way to look back over any given time period, remember what I've accomplished, and be proud of my successes, which encourages me to do greater things and try NEW things!

Oh, and although I've not been posting, I've continued adding pictures to Munchkin's albums so go check out his most recent 18-24 moth one (link on the left-hand side of the page)!

Our little Monkey!

2010-09-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, where to start? I haven't updated you all on how Munchkin's doing in a LONG time. (This post may end up being reallllly long, so I'll jump right into it!) Below you'll see his new haircut (a trim really!) The curls were turning into a mullet and people were asking how old *she* is!!

Doesn't he look so cute with his tushie cheek peeking out!?

He was in a "sposie" cause he had a bit of a diaper rash that day :-(

So trust me when I say, he's such a monkey! I mean it. He climbs the kitchen chairs and table, and even over onto the bay window sill! He empties and climbs into the bottom kitchen drawer. When he became able to climb the couches and chairs we had to rearrange the living room, believe it or not! While in the kitchen he also enjoys emptying all the cloth napkin and handtowel baskets that he can before I sweep him off the floor and strap him down in his highchair! Don't think his menacing ways stop there though! He still does the throwing the food off his tray, or smashing it through his hair! Some forms of kitchen amusement never cease to deliver, namely kitchen utensils!! He LOVES opening that drawer and pulling out every single one, spreading them all over the kitchen floor, just to find one that appeals to him and drag it all over the house! (Yay, MORE dish washing for mommy!) tThen, recently, while my dad was visiting, he helped me add lattice to the deck railing so Munhckin can now go out on the balcony with us. Good intentions, but he thinks we did it so he could drop toys over the railing -- a habit which came from throwing toys over the ledge and gate in the living room so he could hear them crash down the stairs! I told you, he's a little rascal! We actually nicknamed him "Mowgli" like from the Jungle Book! Mostly, because he acts like a little animal (but also because he's so good at making many of the sounds!)

To be fair, I'll admit that most of his activities are less mischievous. He loves building block towers; he's able to stack 8 high on carpet! He loves his train STILL! He hides little toys in the seat and pushes it around. When I vacuum Munchkin gets his little Ikea roller toy and pushes it forward and backward just like mommy! He loves to be chased lately, and hides daily behind a spider back chair, just so I'll yell "Where's my baby?" In the past week, he has had a complete fascination with everyone's toothbrush but his own! And get this: when Barney, Dora, WonderPets, or Jack sing music, he rolls his fists and elbows to "dance" even though he looks more like he's punching a speed bag! Let it be said though, that this is a progression in his dancing. About a month ago, his idea of dancing was to press a button on one of his farm toys that plays "Farmer in the Dell" and Old McDonald, and spin in a circle till he fell down dizzy :-) Yes, I got that one on video!

One of the most precious things he does (and has been doing since he figured out what shoes are) is when we say "Let's go outside," he stops what he's doing immediately, goes to his room, retrieves two shoes (they used to not match, but now match) and brings them to the front door. He sits down, attempting to put them on himself, but waits for you to come help him put them! Once outdoors, nothing is as fun for him as having a stick in each hand toddling around the yard looking for something on which to tap them! It's quite amusing. He doesn't relinquish the sticks for anything, even to try to pick up a rock. You have to pry them out of his fingers while he throws a tantrum at the front door! But no trip outdoors is complete without a ride on his swing! He loves to just sit back and feel the cool breeze in his hair.

A few weekends ago, hubby got the desire to take Munchkin for his first trip to the toy store -- just he and baby (first sign of trouble!) He wanted to find Munchkin chunky legos, but came home with a TRICYCLE! Munchkin can't reach the pedals, but that hasn't stopped him from pushing it around and sitting in the seat for us to push him! Then, this morning we gave him a metal, mini red wagon to troll toys around the house, which he seems to really like. However, I don't think any toy could replace his love for books. All on his own, he will go pull a book out of his book tote and plop down on the floor to "read" it, or he brings it to us and climbs into our lap -- which is MY favorite part.

One of his sweetest abilities is to sign for "MORE" when he wants more of ANYthing, food, sweet juices, piggy back rides, chasing, tickles, rides on the swing. You name it, and it melts me every time he does it! Teaching it to him was really easy. It took about 5 minutes and 1/4 cup of sweet orange juice! He was so excited and proud of himself when he realized that all of a sudden he could communicate in a way I understood. As far as speaking goes, only this past week has he really started saying anything. He's said mama and dada since he was probably 6 or 8 months old and has made MANY animals sounds. Now, however, he's able to sound out some consonants finally that correspond to some words: "sh" for shoe, "bob-bob" for Pop Pop, "g-g" for Ga-Ga (our word for grandma), "st" for stick, and "ch" for truck. I'm told he's way behind "schedule" (if there is such a thing) for boys his age, but he's understands most of what I say to him, he just doesn't have much of a desire to sound it out back to me yet. So no big deal, we can wait it out till he does!

ALL these incredibly cute things he does actually make his toddler tantrums bearable. He only really has them when we take a toy from him or when he's teething. For the first, redirecting his attention to distract him when he gets fussy works well so far, since he doesn't understand yet that he's doing something negative. For the second, iced wet cloths, and teething tablets work wonders! I'm very grateful to say that, as a rule, we're lucky his teething doesn't interrupt his sleep!

What's strange to me is that my greatest source of frustration is not his tantrums, but his eating habits! Sounds stupid, I know, but he (like many toddlers, apparently) is so inconsistent with what he'll eat, and how much he'll eat. So many moms keep trying to reassure me that it's normal, but that doesn't make it any less worrisome that he's getting the nutrients he needs! He's not a picky eater, but he doesn't seem to like lentils for lunch ever, but LOVES them for dinner. And he does like steamed green beans and such, but sometimes will have NO part of them. What can I do about it? Not much for now, really. So I just try to stay calm when he throws things at me, and not react. I'll confess, it's challenging and I've lost my perspective that he just doesn't know better yet, and have had to just walk out of the room once or twice. All in all though, he is the sweetest, happiest little kid I know. He's almost always smiling or laughing, and 'flirting' with the ladies who stop to tell me how amazing his eyes are, or how cute his curls were, or how happy he seems!

Of all of his many daily activities, his nighttime routine is just about the most enjoyable for ME, and maybe him too! I get him changed, prepare him his milk, he drinks it himself, and then I brush his teeth. When back in his room and given the choice of which books to read, Goodnight Gorilla, Good Morning/Goodnight, and The Going to Bed Book are his absolute favorites! Then it's snuggle time after the lights go out! He flips over and climbs up me like a tree trunk and lays his head down to relax. And with a kiss, I lay him on his pillow and say "Nigh, Nigh Baby" knowing full well that he is not a baby anymore.

Thanks for reading (what has ended up being a short book!!)

Handknit Shorties (yay!)

2010-08-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

So thanks to a local mom on Craigslist.org, Munchkin is now sporting the cutest summer pajamas (handknit!) that I've seen yet! Don't you agree??

Since he's cloth diapered, every so often he pees more than his diaper can hold since he sleeps for 11-13 hours. Thus I started sewing the longies (HERE). Those first two pair are pretty thick, and are a bit warm for him now that the summer heat is relentless so I've stopped using them till winter. His other two pair (HERE & HERE) are cashmere or angora (lighter weights) so they're not quite as warm, but still absorbent! I had been using them, but was getting bored with only the two pair night after night! I felt I needed a couple more pairs and haven't had time to sit at the sewing machine lately.

S0,...while searching Craigslist on a whim one day, I spotted three amazing Handknit shorties for a steal! (:Lord knows, I haven't figured out how to knit yet so I didn't make them!) But they are basically handknit versions of my recycled felted, "knit sweater" longies as SHORTS! So cute! I didn't get to take a pic of the third pair, but they're teal, chocolate, and copper brown! I absolutely love each of them on him! They're even cuter in person than in the pics and he seems to really like how soft they are, as you can plainly see from his sweet smile!

Music Playlist for a Summer Night

2010-08-04T04:47:00.000-07:00

Just as pictures speak a thousand words, to me, music speaks VOLUMES!! So here's a special playlist for a warm summer evening with a glass of wine, perhaps. The mood may seem a tad somber or pensive, but nourishing to the soul just the same! I guess it was just what my heart needed to hear. Some of them are my most favorite songs. Simply CLICK HERE to listen to the entire playlist of the following pieces!

Op. 21, No. 7 by Rachmaninoff -- performed by Anna Netrebko

I Saw my Lady Weep by Dowland -- performed by Andreas Scholl

Sposa son disprezzata by Vivaldi -- performed by Cecilia Bartoli
Thy Hand, Belinda by Purcell -- performed by Sarah Connolly
Alleluia by Randall Thompson -- performed by Furman Singers
Trisagion Hymn ("Holy God, Holy Mighty, Immortal One") by M.Berezovsk -- performed by Women's Chamber Choir of Kiev

And for those who hate classical music and opera, I haven't forgotten you:
So Far Away by Carole King -- performed with James Taylor

Squirrelly Bottoms!!

2010-07-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

Muchkin needed another pair of Longies, and I didn't like that his pants didn't have shirts to match to make a "PJ Outfit" so I did what I do best -- went ahead and made it myself! Here's the result!

The top is embroidered with a happy squirrel with a bushy tail, eating his acorn!

And the pants were made from an angora sweater -- super soft.

I was actually able to get 2 pairs out of the sweater and gave the other pair away.

The waistband is leftovers from another wool sweater that was the perfect color!

Here's the second pair I made :-)

Fruits of My Labor & Family Traditions!

2010-07-30T11:13:00.001-07:00

Don't they look scrumptious!? They are! There is just nothing quite like a fresh warm blueberry right from the bush! It was a beautiful morning of picking with friends, old and new. I probably did more talking than picking, but came home with 5.25 lbs.! A respectable amount I'd say! It's certainly better than the handful I picked Tuesday when we got rained out of picking! I plan to freeze about 2 lbs., bake a few things (not sure what yet), and have some leftover to share with friends and neighbors.

While I'm on the subject of fruit, I have to mention that we have been eating so much fruit this year compared to previous years. Heck! In Cleveland I barely remember eating any sort of fruit other than watermelon and bananas. But here in NC, farmers markets abound, and along with all the local/regional produce that Whole Foods sells, I've found a renewed love for fresh fruit, for many reasons! Here's one cute reason: a mom mentioned to me this morning how, after multiple questions from her daughter as to why exactly grapes had stems, she was able to show her why fruits have stems, simply by their picking berries together! I love that!

My sisters and I as kids used to pick strawberries with my Italian grandfather and bring them home to my grammy for some serious jam making! And at the supermarket, grammy would somehow choose for us the sweetest plums I've ever eaten. I hadn't tasted a plum so sweet since then, until this past week when I bit into a Black Velvet plum form Whole Foods. of course, once Munchkin tried it, he wanted the res of it, but what I did get to try of it was DELICIOUS!! I think they were from Florida or SC, and they were fuzzy like a peach - best of both fruits! (But I hope it wasn't a type of "genetically modified" fruits!) Believe it or not, after 4yrs of living in NC, I just this year tasted a Georgia peach -- WOW! It was honestly hard to stop at just one! But the local NC peaches at the farmers market will do just fine, too!

Whether Jack Lalanne was just selling juicers or really meant it that fresh fruits are so much better for you than frozen, I'll never know; but, I DO know it's good for the SOUL to pick them with your own hands! For our family it seems to be somewhat of a tradition to pick fruits, on both sides of the family. Kudos to my mom for her success in growing her first plums this year! She planted them when I was pregnant, specifically so her grandchildren could come to "GaGa's" house and pick fruits straight from the trees, just as my sisters and I did from her parents' :-) It warms my heart to see Munchkin enjoy whole foods so much! What will make me equally as happy will be to know that he understands where his food comes from! I forgot for a while in my early twenties, but have been reminded by this wonderfully fruitful state of NC!

So have you picked or do you plan on picking some berries/fruits this year?

Birthday Apron

2010-07-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

So, I had a great idea of what my sister Jessie may need/want for her birthday, but didn't have the perfect cotton to do it with. So off to the thrift store I went, with Munchkin of course. I was looking for a lovely floral with enough fabric for the front of a reversible apron. And what did we find? This perfect blue floral skirt! The front of it became the solid side of the apron. The back became the pockets and the ties. A neighbor had generously given me the seersucker about a month ago. When I brought the skirt home and held it up to my other fabrics, the seersucker instantly caught my eye. They look perfect together, like it was meant to be! I love it when that happens! My favorite part of the apron is the feminine darts at the top! So, what do ya think!? My sister loved it :-)

Cute Critters!

2010-07-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

So I was looking back through some of my older posts recently, and can't believe I didn't share with all of you the amazing critters a dear friend of ours made for Munchkin shortly after he was born. After seeing how cute her turtle was (HERE), I commissioned them from her. The octopus is one of the only softies in his entire collection of soft toys that he enjoys! (Lord knows he doesn't like any of the ones I've made for him!) He used to have "Octi" in his car seat and would fall asleep sucking on his athletic sock before he got attatched to a silky blanket another friend gave him.

Aren't they amazingly cute!? I refused to believe they were her first attempts at knitting children's softy toys! You're amazing Candy. Thanks again!

Tea for you? Tea for ME!!

2010-07-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

In my sisters' and my childhood one of our aunts took us to experience high tea at formal tea parlors on numerous occasions. What an experience! We understood, even then, that it was something very special she was sharing with us. After meeting my hubby I've learned more about partaking in tea as a means to reconnect at the end of a long work day(both his and mine at home), but before all our evening tasks begin (i.e. preparing dinner, exercising, feeding/bathing Munchkin). It's time for us to be reminded that we're a team, that we are united! And I'm sure there's a bit of nostalgia that's part of it as well. For him: remembering his roots of growing up in India having tea daily. And for me: recalling fond memories of Russian caravan tea, artful china, real Devonshire cream, and the tastiest petit fours a young girl could ever imagine! Thanks Auntie!

Pic of our snacks we enjoy with our daily tea!

Mine: recently English Breakfast tea

His: always Homemade Indian Masala chai

Introducing: CeCe Monster!!

2010-07-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

I received an Evite from a friend for her daughter's one-year birthday party: a Monster Bash! What could I possibly make for her other than a monster!?

I've been wanting to make one of these recycled wool handheld softies but didn't have the opportunity till now! Munchkin did show a hint of interest in this toy, as opposed to totally ignoring ALL THESE TOYS I made him so far. So maybe I'll make him one of his very own.

Family Portrait...

2010-07-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

Apparently, family portraits, like by a real photographer, aren't our 'thing'...

So this one will have to do for now!

(taken on hubby's lunch break...haha!)

I've also added many photos to Munchkin's latest album on the left: (Munchkin 12-15mths). As a quick update, he is quickly becoming a 'little boy'. The changes have not been so much physical as developmental. He now fast-walks -- everywhere! He climbed the dining room chair and table yesterday for the first time as well. My heart was a bit nervous, but I knew it was big for him; so, I cheered which made him get more excited and stand on the table to dance! heehee

He's always been joyful, but lately he becomes outright thrilled when we applaud his little successes like when he figured out HE could stack blocks too, just like mom and dad! And he shares quite well for a babe his age -- unfortunately it's with the DOG -- and not only food, but also wooden toys and paper! They're hilarious together. I mean it. Poor Ellie has to put up with his roughhousing all day, and he can be quite rough with her at times. She's a trooper though, never responding in anger. She simply jumps up and gets outta Dodge! (But yes, he usually follows!)

So I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful weather and would love to hear some updates from all of you in the comments below on how you're doing! Take care!

New passion of mine...Aprons!

2010-06-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I NEVER have worn aprons, not once -- until I became a mom. Spit up and peas, and having to change my shirts every few hours made me much more open to frilly aprons that made me feel like a woman again. I made my first last year from a little girl's dress (pictured above, but don't look too closely at the stitching!) I loved it and have been thinking of making another ever since. Then, a friend of mine recently completed construction on her dream home, and had everything she could possibly need for it, so I was stuck for housewarming gift ideas. Then it dawned on me -- a feminine apron! Every mom needs one!

Making hers gave me the confidence to make one for myself as well (though it didn't give me the time I would've liked to do it...heehee!) And I typically try to recycle used clothing, but it's more difficult to find playful/colorful patterns. So when in Walmart, I randomly came upon a HUGE rack of bandannas. They weren't all your typical paisleys either! These two prints screamed, "Hey, I'd like to be an apron!" I agreed! What do ya think!?

This was SEW simple. I mean it! I just topstitched the 2 bandannas together, folded down the top corners into the inside of the apron, and added an ad-hoc, handmade binding (straight grain) for the waist ties. (Yes, I could've cut off those top corners, but I wanted greater absorbency since I use aprons as a hand towel quite often.) Seriously, these were just about as simple as sewing can get! And made in under 30min -- you CAN'T beat that :)

Good things come to those who...

2010-06-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Those who reach out their hands and grab, of course!

In Munchkin's case it's excusable since he can't speak yet -- heehee.

Probably "my bad" for placing them on the window sill within arm's reach.

At least they're made from whole wheat & oatmeal, right!?

Wild Black Rasberries!

2010-06-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last summer, Munchkin and I discoverd wild blackberry bushes while walking one of our city's greenways. I don't mean a couple of bushes, I mean hundreds!! He was very young, so I couldn't stay long and pick much, but I quickly (like within 15min) picked almost a quart!

So naturally, I put a reminder in my calendar to return again this year, and on Monday and Wednesday, in just two 20min pickings came home with 2 quarts of black raspberries! They're not HUGE like the Costco ones, or farmers market ones for that matter, but they are MUCH sweeter! And have that natural tang to them! They are delicious plain (how Munchkin likes them), but they are sublime with a dollop of whipped topping on them. I can barely stop eating them once I start! Free, organic, wild black raspberries -- DIVINE!

Longies Links

2010-06-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

I don't really use a pattern for making Munchkin's pants, but if you'd like to make your own, here are the best, free tutorials I've found online to pass along to you. Let me know if you make a pair -- I'd love to see pics!

Sleeve Longies: using the sleeve you kip 2 steps. Sewing the outside seams, and adding a cuff to the ankle.)

Sleeve Longies Photo Tutorial, using a simple elastic waistband

GreenKitchen's Phtoto Tutorial (in detail), using an elastic waistband

MakeBabyStuff's Photo Tutorial, using the sweater's own ribbing to create waistband (this is basically the method I used for Munchkin's longies HERE and the blue pair HERE)
Sewing Dork's Photo Tutorial, shows how to also work with a sweater that has sleeves that are too short.

Wool Applique:

HappyCrazyLife's: Photo Tuturial on cotton, but can be used for appliquéing onto wool (this is basically the method I used on the lollipop longies HERE)

FabricObsession's: Photo Tutorial on cotton. Similar to first tutorial, but when you machine appliqué onto WOOL however, or any stretchy material, you want to use a stabilizer/interfacing underneath the wool so that it doesn't shift.

Waistband:

Meg's Easy Waistband: Awesome Tutorial of the simplest waistband ever! It cuts out 2 steps: having to sew a casing first, and threading the elastic (annoying). Plus, it prevents the elastic band (if you use a wider width elastic) from rolling/twisting over time!!

Isn't life sweet!?

2010-06-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Sweet blueberry goodness. These were de-li-cious.
Sorry to tease, but I made these and just HAD to share them with you somehow --
even if it had to be through cyberspace.
Hope you're out there enjoying some treat for yourself that's just as wonderful!

I'm thirsty...stain me!

2010-06-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

BEFORE AFTER

Our beautiful outdoor, wicker dining set (which we got on Craigslist for a steal almost 4 yrs ago) has been crying out for a fresh stain for about a year now! I couldn't do it last summer cause I was post-partum. (Needless to say, I couldn't do much of anything then!) And those who know us, know my hubby is just not a DIYer. So I was gonna be the one to do it, and this was the time to do it.

Of course, all could not possibly go according to plan. That would be a miracle, so after the first chair, I accidently spilled almost the entire can of stain...GRrrr. But I managed to finish another last week, so I now have 2 chairs done, and 2 to go. I really hope I finish this project up this week, but with all the rain we're having, I'm not very optomistic.

What do you think of the results!?

Perfectly good shoes, except....

2010-06-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

So I found these great, new-looking pair of shoes last summer at the local Goodwill. Bought them. Ended up wearing them once. Why? They make my feet stink! I mean really STINK. It took me a year to think up the solution. But I finally did just in time for summer!

Problem: Stink-i-ficating Shoes Solution: Sticky-back Felt

Comments!?

Quick Longies!

2010-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

I made these 100% Cashmere longies for a friend's daughter who turned one year old. They're made from thrifted sweaters, of course, and are SOOO soft. They fit her perfectly, which was a near miracle considering I totally guessed how big they'd need to be! I used the same design of the striped longies blogged about HERE. My favorite thing about them is the lollipop appliqué! I thought it would be more difficult with wool, but it went well. I'll have to post a tutorial sometime.

They were SO soft, in fact, that I felt guilty not making a pair for my son as well (pictured below). Since Munchkin is cloth diapered I put a "butt-panel" (as I call it) into his pair. It's basically a V-shaped panel in back that gives more room for his well-padded bum! And I did the same fold-over waistband and cuff for his pair as well, so they'd last him longer in both height and width.

What do ya think!?

First Music Playlist!

2010-06-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Music...? Yes, I enjoy more than just sewing, and thought I'd share some of my favorites with you! I sang all through high school and majored in voice in college. Unfortunately, I don't sing much anymore, but I love to listen to some GREAT music. I've been thinking the blog has been a bit "sewing-heavy" lately and that it should be a better reflection of who I am, and what inspires me. So I'll try to post my favorites every so often for you to share a good listen with me! Simply CLICK HERE to listen to the entire playlist of the following!

Sheep May Safely Graze BWV 208 by Bach -- performed by Emma Kirby

O Mangum Mysterium by Lauridsen -- sung by one of the best choirs I've heard perform it!

Hamsadhvani Raja (for the Bansari flute) -- performed by Avi Adir

Single Ladies -- performed by Pomplamoose :-)

I'm Not Afraid -- performed by Flemming and John

Iolanta Aria by Tchaikovsky -- performed by Ghada Ghanem (not the best, but best video quality)

Some of the links are "serious" opera, which I thoroughly enjoy, but others are lighter stuff I enjoy as well. The last song is a little known piece (until Anna Netrebko recorded it) which I performed in college, now a true favorite of mine! Enjoy, everyone!!!

Have any favorites you'd like to share with me!?

Uni-tasking Mamas: Be Proud!

2010-05-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

After reading Now Discover your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham a while back, I proudly proclaim -- I'm simply NOT a multi-tasker! You give me a task (please just one) and it will be researched, thoroughly thought out, and then reported upon and/or accomplished. And done right the first time! It takes great effort for me to multi-task anything, and do it well. It's indeed not a weakness, it's just not one of my strengths.

Some women are naturally multi-taskers -- namely my sister Bonnie! 4 kids, 1 on the way, and she seems to do it with ease. She can filter out the noise and still focus. She can cook dinner while talking on the phone, receive a second call on the other line, and entertain an infant in the highchair, all at the same time. Meanwhile, do a load of laundry downstairs! In the end, the meal is perfect, the clothes are clean and dry, the people on the phone feel heard/valued, and the kids feels secure in their mom's love! (My husband wishes to add "She could also be...quite possibly...from another planet!!"

I am her exact opposite: a uni-tasker! You see, in the above scenario, my dinner would be burnt, I'd be pressing buttons on the phone accidentally and lose at least one of the calls (not really hearing anything the person was saying in the first place), and my son would be bored, probably feeding the dog his dinner! And oh yeah,...the clothes would be long-forgotten in the washer, not being dried til the next day when I remember them. No joke. I prefer to do the laundry while I'm sleeping or running errands, make dinner ahead of time while Munchkin sleeps (or do a crockpot meal), and maybe just talk on the phone while I feed him. Everything still gets done, but not all at once, which frazzles me.

I have become better at muti-tasking after I HAD TO, upon entering the "real world" post-college. I even had to 'white lie' through my first job interview or two for small jobs when asked about it, just to get the job! My husband contributes this valuable insight, as well: that your computer's processor is in fact called a "multi-processor' but it actually prioritizes and queues the many tasks you ask of it, then executes them one by one. This is exactly what I have come to do to work around not being a natural mutli-tasker! And now, I could 'pass' as a multi-tasker, but I prefer silence so I can focus and do it right.

And take these seriously successful people for example. 1) Tiger Woods -- known for his ability to focus and be "in the zone." 2) Steve Lescarbeau -- lesser known, but proclaimed a "Stock Market Wizard" as a very successful mutual fund trader who works alone in his thoughts, in his quiet, home-office, away from Wallstreet. So both UNI and MULTI tasking mamas can be proud! It doesn't really matter how we do what we do, just that it's done!

Who says multi-tasking is better than uni-tasking? When did possessing this strength equate to being a good mom? That's my question today for you -- and for myself!

My love affair with Bed Caddies!

2010-05-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

So I had made a bed caddy/pocket organizer a few year back in a serious hurry...didn't even go out to buy fabric for it, opting instead to simply use an old bedsheet. But it was before I knew ANYthing about sewing and was even more impatient to see it DONE than done well! Thus, I didn't take many measurements, and probably didn't backstitch or pin, etc. I'm still a "whip-it-up as fast as possible" type crafter, but that project backfired bigtime. It now has holes and ink stains from storing the pens upright instead of sideways, hangs a bit low to the floor, and is just plain worn out. No, I won't post a picture and make my sewing skills lose all their credibility! We'll just leave it by saying: "Many lessons learned!"

So I needed to make a new one. One that was more thought-through, and precisely measured and carefully sewn. I measure once, twice, and fit it before finally sewing it. I even had enough forethought to sew in dowels at the bottom to make them hang straight! No, I still didn't pin much at all, because I simply HATE pinning. And I rarely steam press anything, but I did inventory exactly what I wanted in it, and designed the caddy around that. Thus, the "his" side differs a bit from the "hers" side! And I just happened to have the perfect heavy-weight backing fabric I needed, which also coordinated with our bedding. To be honest, with the amount of fabric accumulating in my sewing room, that phrase occurrence is becoming less of a coincidence!!!

So here's the result; what do ya think!?

We LOVE IT!

They're so easy to make AND functional -- my favorite :-)

Want to make one yourself!? As a general rule, I don't put enough thought foresight into my projects to actually make tutorials, but you can find a very thorough tutorial HERE, if you're *sew* inclined to make one of these for yourself!

Ways WE'RE green.

2010-05-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

As a couple, we're at the point where we can't think of too many more ways to conveniently be green. So in the rainbow spectrum of eco-friendliness, we've gone from yellow to chartreuse, but want to become Kermit green! So the anal-retentive alien in me needed to do a tally of what we already do, hoping it will spark some more ideas! Growing up in a small town that didn't even have trash collection, my mom helped me form green habits unintentionally.
While we lived in Cleveland we did the following things:
Eat whole foods, not packaged/processed foods
Use cloth napkins
Short showers + wash hair every other day
Turn cars off. Don't idle longer than 10sec.
Do not buy "DryCleanOnly" clothes
Empty the dryer's lint-catcher
Don't let water run when brushing teeth
Use bath towels multiple times (our bodies are already clean, after all)
Turn lights/TV off when not in use
Don't hold the frig door open!! ("Yes, mother!")
Use rechargeable batteries when possible
Donate clothing, unless completely unusable
Water plants in the morning, not the heat of the day
Washing/drying full loads of laundry & dishes
Avoid unnecessary car trips
DoggieBag it to-go, and eat leftovers
Give plants instead of cut flowers as gifts
Pack our own food as snacks on trips

Then, when we moved to NC, we weren't all that passionate about being kind to the environment, but did eat about 30-40% organic for health reasons, not realizing it was also green! And our particular city made it super easy to recycle. In that, they basically accept everything all in one bin (except styrofoam and yogurt containers anyway)! But they even recycle aerosols!! Of course, at the curb they don't accept batteries, light bulbs, etc; but, they have a location available for you to drop them off. So after saving them in a labelled "dead batteries" bag all year, when I'm on that side of town, I'll take them along and drop them off. Our lightbulbs, which we inherited from the previous owners, are like the Energizer bunnies -- they've only burnt out a few times in 3 1/2 years! But they get dropped off to the same center as the batteries.

NC as a whole is so environmentally active that they banned aluminum cans and plastic bottles from their landfills. Our city also partnered with Goodwill to do an electronics recycling program! They accept all electronics even if they don't work! And since NC has made it so easy to be green, I started to be more receptive to the idea of being kind to the environment, and started learning more.
Since living in NC, we:
Stopped buying eggs in stryofoam (we eat a LOT of eggs)
Stopped drinking soda, unless it's for an occasional rum and coke!
We recycle everything possible
Stopped buying aerosols when possible
Bought a Civic and Corolla, which we plan to drive into the ground!
Use cruise control a LOT
Got our dog spayed
Don't use single-use water bottles (filtered tap water instead)
Switched to online bill-pay and "paperless" statements
Share lawn equipment/tools
Set thermostat low in winter (63), and high in summer (76)
Use sunlight instead of lights all the time
Buy as much "used" as possible: couches, tables, books, shoes, clothes
Rent instead of buy, i.e. library and Netflix
Email documents instead of print
Only use snail mail for thank-you cards
Listen to radio and music online instead of buying CDs, etc
Sweep off sidewalk/driveway instead of hosing down with water
Switch to compact fluorescent lights when ours burn out
Chose energy-saving appliances when they needed replaced
Use dimmer switches most of the time
Started buying local/artisan beers
Buying things that LAST longer when we have to buy new!

But the minute I found out I was pregnant, something kicked that IDEA of being green into reality. For instance, I found myself almost completely unable to reach for a paper towel. ?And when I started drinking coffee, I didn't buy a coffee maker (they eventually break) and instead used a french press that is kindof a family heirloiom, given to me.
Since pregnant, we started doing things like:
Only use cloth napkins
Use rags and microfiber towels for cleaning (unless it's egg/dog poop, etc!)
Not using ANY plastic utensils/cups/dishes
Use reusable cloth bags at grocery stores, retail stores, and farmer's markets
Not flush every time I went #1 (which was a LOT being pregnant!)
Refrigerator and Freezer are set as warm as possible
Clean the refrigerator's coil more often with the vacuum attachment
Hubby works from home more
Receive direct deposit checks (employer and IRS)
Wash all clothes/linens in cold water (diapers have to be done in hot)
Bought more in bulk when possible (at Costco)
Stopped using grocery lists altogether (keep a digital one on my phone)

Then when I actually gave birth to our little Munchkin, I understood that people really do mean it when they say the words "feel the need to leave a better world for their children." I also became more aware of chemicals that harm the environment, in addition to the material waste I was aware of previously.
Since having Munchkin in our lives, we:
Cloth Diaper + use cloth wipes

Breastfed him

Use handkerchiefs and burp cloths for him, not tissues/wipes

Kept the Corolla (No joke! Those SUVs are tempting though)

Use non-toxic and green products, brands like: SeventhGeneration, Jason, EcoSmart incectisides, among many other brands

Make my own cleaning products from vinegar, alcohol, baking soda, etc
Skip dryer sheets altogether
Use baking soda instead of deodorant -- don't knock it til ya try it -- it works better!
Use a reusable razor (Huh! I don't know why I didn't before...)
Make Munchkin's food at home
Avoid fast-food like the plague
Get take out much less than in Cleveland (maybe once a week)
Drink less store-bought, bottled juices -- drink a lot of plain water!
Reuse Munchkin's food jars/containers for craft supplies
(when we do buy packaged, pureed foods for him)
Eat less meat overall, and no fish -- yuck!
Buy local and organic as much as possible (probably eat 60% organic now)
Buy our gifts local/online, or give gift certificates when possible (saves gas driving to 5+ stores!)
Source most of my sewing materials from thrift shop, etc

Boy that's longer than I thought it would be. I guess things become habit and you start to accept them as a given. You'd alo think all that takes a heap of extra effort, but it really doesn't! Especially when you consider that we made the changes slowly, and in stages. I hope something in the list has peaked your interest.

Can you think of any additional ways? Please add them in the comments below! If you're inspired to create your own list, let me know.

Why sew!?

2010-05-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

I came across a delightful site today while gallivanting online. In a thought-provoking post (HERE) about why so many people are returning to the creative arts, especially sewing, knitting, and crochet, Deborah Moebes basically posed the questions: Why sew? Why now? How/why did you learn? So I thought I'd answer her here.

I learned to sew in home-ec class even though I could've learned at home since my mother and grandmother were super-talented, non-professional seamstresses. Gramdma made everything, mostly amazing quilts and rugs (on HUGE looms), but she also crochetted "granny" squares, fashioned paper-bead necklaces, and made us our very own PoundPuppies! Mom made mostly "functional" items: beautiful clothes, wedding dresses, Halloween costumes, birthday gifts, holiday gifts in large quantities, and other quick projects she could fit in as she found the time. We genXers thought of our home-ec classes as a sure "pass" grade, but wholely unnecessary to our "modern lives". Through high school and college I made maybe one item per year -- a straight stitched curtain here, a gift for a friend there. But it was incredibly frustrating to use my mom's machine and could never remember which way the bobbin thread needed to go, or how to judge seam allowances. It was certainly more frustrating than enjoyable, but it was a means to an end! THEN, we bought our first home, received a sewing machine as a Christmas gift, and within months seemingly every surface became adorned in fabric: curtains, box-pleated valances, upholstered headboard, accent pillows, etc). Although, for me, the all-out return to handmade came as part of pregnancy! It was really more of a boycott against plastic toys, and a protest against ridiculously expensive burp cloths, and such. "Designer" Burpcloths...Pa-lease!! The "I can make THAT" attitude resurfaced with nesting hormones as its propeller! What I make isn't always that stunningly beautiful or well-made, but the simple fact that I know how to sew/crochet/etc makes people ooh and aah!! As if they had never seen anything handmade before!

I agree with so much that was written in her post, and in the comments, but as to why women "stopped" crafting: I'd add that it's also a time consideration. Raising a kid and home-making in the distant past didn't involve as much "away-from-home time." Cars were invented so we (our mothers, really) traveled more in summer, and met up with friends for playdates, and "ran" to the grocery store, and chauffered kids to soccer, and could travel in winter thanks to 4-wheel drive. So they were no longer "stuck" at home trying to find things to do with their hands by the fire!

What's interesting to me is not why I learned to sew, but why I *continue* to sew, and that the reasons change each time I sit down at the machine. One day, it will be to "get away" from the rest of the house's chaios. Another day it will be to make a special gift for a friend's baby! And next week it may be less sentimental, say to learn/practice a skill I picked up online. But more and more, I'm sewing/embroidering, and working crochet as a way to fulfill the desire to master a craft, maybe to have some sort of tangible legacy after I'm gone. Yet, even I who LOVES to sew, crochet, embroider, etc simply don't always find/make time to do so. Believe you me, I have WAY more project ideas, than I have the time in which to create them. I have the space, most of the materials bought and ready to go...but I cannot justify time away from my little munchkin to craft. Afterall, that's why I'm a SAHM!! So, I do it when he goes to bed, IF I have the energy...

What about you -- why/how did you learn to sew!

Functional Sewing!!

2010-05-11T13:00:00.001-07:00

Functional Sewing is the best kind, but is great when the pieces are decorative as well

#1 Problem: MAIL EVERYWHERE!! Solution: Pocket Organizer

We have had a mail problem ever since we were married; but, in this house, which has no dining room, our unsorted mail has taken over our kitchen table time and again. So I finally just took a couple hours while munchkin slept and hubby watched basketball (BORING...) and made a mail organizer once and for all! For the mail itself, I probably only needed 3-4 pockets, but now I have pockets for magazines, bills, coupons, items "to be filed," items that "belong out in my car," and misc junk. I had never used bias tape so that was quite exciting, and EASY!! It made the project look so "finished" and store bought. I used leftover fabric from my window treatmenst in the living room. And since it's on the back of the front door (and I didn't want to do anything permanent like drilling holes, heehee) I used velcro.

#2 Problem: TOYS EVERYWHERE!!!! Solution: Toy Totes

And these "beauties" were an idea from the frugal mama inside me. But they were a bit of a flop due to haste! They could've been quite nice, but I couldn't find a good tutorial online and didn't want to ducktape ALL the seams, so I only used packing tape on some of the sides, skippin the corners. And well, I'll admit they're a bit flimsy. Yes, they were inexpensive to make, but if the fabric wasn't a steal, and had I actually bought the few rolls of ducktape, these wouldn't have been cost-effective to make. Oh well. they're done, and most of his toys fit in them which is really all the matters. What baffles me is how the mail sorter is nicer in person than the pic shows, but these boxes appear much nicer in their pic than they actually are in real life! Haha! His books will be moved eventually (they're too heavy for these flimsy totes), into a bookshelf similar to THIS ONE or THIS ONE (made by me of course)! But we'll leave that project "on the shelf" for now ;P

**Update 5/16/2010 : just found this little tutorial online for anyone who wants to try to make these. It's pretty much how I did them except I sewed them. I would suggest taping the entire way up and over the corners though.

Another Baby?!? Not me...not yet.

2010-04-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

So Munchkin isn't the only one learning new things lately! This past month brought a first for me as well -- babysitting! I was given the privilege to babysit a few friend's kids. Each of the experiences gave me a glimpse into the types of dilemmas a mom of two little ones feels: One baby crying, but the other needs a diaper change, one needs silence to sleep, but the other needs rocked, one hurts his finger, but the other's sleeping and you certainly don't want to disturb THAT one. Physically and logistically, babysitting for short spurts of time wasn't beyond my capabilities, but what about day in and day out! How do you go to the restroom, or take a shower, or cook or clean, or fold laundry with two kids? Yikes. The greatest challenge I'm sure would be emotionally -- the guilt of not being able to respong to the older one. All this, plus the multiple times per week I am asked "So, when will you try for your second," has led me to ponder, yet again, the issue of a second child.

Despite fielding this question quite frequently lately, I have not allowed myself to really think about it. I find that it positively overwhelms me to "go there" in my mind. My gut reaction to that question is "Woh, stop right there. Who said we're gonna have a second? I'm still just enjoying Munchkin and the whole experience of becoming a parent! Why would I throw another ball in the air intentionally?" It seems like most women, after going through it once, then feel ready to do it again with no problem! So many of the same deep, soul-searching questions arise in me with the idea of a second as arose when we considered conceiving in the first place. I didn't expect that. I thought once I had a baby, the desire to have a second would come to me naturally; but, the opposite has happened. I find myself thinking twice, and thrice (and in circles) about it. After going through pregnancy (quite pleasant), labor/delivery (way too long/difficult), and post-partum (awful), I personally have NO desire to volunteer for it again. Yes, Munchkin was a 100% planned pregnancy, but I didn't know all that it would entail ;-) You know...? Not that I would change anything, it's just that now that I've gone through the whole of maternity, it's not a delightful mystery it once was, and I don't see labor/delivery as some major rite of passage like many moms have proclaimed it to be. Not to be pessimistic, but for me, that's one BIG reason to consider adoption again. That's IF hubby can talk me into having a second.

So, to me, the possibility of having a second carries with it four BIG questions: Do I have the courage it would take to have a second, venturing into the uncertainty of pregnancy/delivery once again!? Do we have the support/resources around us to have a second, cause Lord knows I'd need a breaks from the kids more often than I carve them out for myself now! And do I have the selflessness it takes to have more than one child? And finally, will Hubby's desire for Munchkin to have a sibling (since he was an only-child) outway all the previous questions!? For now the answers are "NO. Surely not. Not yet." And "Lord knows!!!"

If anything changes, I'll be sure to let all of you know ;-)

My first of many Longies!!

2010-04-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

These projects could've easily appeared in my previous post about how productive I've been lately. However, these 2 projects have been a LONG time coming; so, I felt they deserved their own post. I've been brainstorming them for more than a year. No joke. Before he was born I researched how to make these, but had never really done much sewing where the pieces had to *fit.* In other words..."I don't DO clothing!" I made munchkin some pants for his Halloween pumpkin costume, but it was too cold for him to wear it, and so they're buried in a bag somewhere and he never wore them outside the house. But the pants below thrill me to see them on his little bum!! And, I didn't have the courage to cut up a wool sweater till now.

They're called "longies." If you're not familiar with them, they are wool pants which have been felted (shrunk so they can be easily washed in the washer) and can be lanolized to repell moisture if the diaper leaks at night. They're mostly worn on cloth diapered babies due to their anti-bactierial, and water-repelling properties. Short versions are called soakers. Because wool has the property of absorbing up to 30% its weight, if the baby wore fitted diapers they can us soakers as diaper covers. On non-cloth diapered babies they're worn because they're static-resistant, super soft, largely stain resistant, and do not need washed after every wear. The longies I made (below) are from thrifted wool sweaters nonetheless. "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" right!?

They are just the right warmth for nighttime PJs, even in summer!

Time flies when having fun!

2010-04-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

Boy, have I been busy in the past month without even realizing it! But, before I forget, there are new pics in his photo albums! So what have I been up to exactly? Gardening, Crafting, Sewing, Baking, you name it...Here's the tally!

1. Tag Blankie for a newborn baby in our family (plus a pair of booties I forgot to photograph, sorry)

I love when I ship thing to the recipient because I can finally post it to the blog for all to see it!

2. Pair of house slippers for munchkin.

I love how they crocheted up exactly the same, even though it was a variegated yarn.

3. About 10 onesies I altered into shirts so he can wear them with his cute, colored cloth diapers!

4. Pair of adorable pink slippers for a friend's little one! The pic doesn't even do them justice -- so cute!

5. About 5 really cute bibs from some old flannel receiving blankets!

Plus, a few simple cloth wipes/burp cloths from extra bib fabric.

The pattern is inspired by the bibs that my sister's best friend makes for her,

but instead of using snaps, I just use a baby diaper pin so it's

tight enough around his neck that food doesn't end up down his shirt!!

6. I even managed to bake an Amish Friendship Bread that was passed along to me at a jewelry party I managed to attend, sans bebe ;-) I only found one taker for the starters though. I hope she likes it! I had them all ready to go in pretty bags and everything :( Oh well!

7. And I CAN'T forget to mention this Buggy applique set for a friend's daughter who's turning one soon!

I had been planning out this outfit for her for months, hoping to do all the ladybug appliques by hand with a blanket stitch, but really wanted it to hold up in the wash better than handmade, so I machine appliqued all except the jean pocket. I had read lots of tutorials online, and had done appliques where you satin stitch your way around the raw edge, but this was just a simple straight stitch about 1/8 inch into the cutouts, leaving the raw edge exposed. The lady bugs were sourced from a fabric that I found at a goodwill. The little shorts with those cute buttons are definitely my favorite. On the back are 2 ladybugs: one sneaking out the side, and one really big one on the other "cheek!" I can't wait to see them on her!!

AH, and as far as my garden goes, I chose not to do quite as much as in past years. Not due to money or motivation, but more-so due to time. It takes a lot of time to plant and water all the front beds, deck flowers, and the backyard beds as well. Time I'd rather spend with munchkin! (I only get to garden during munchkin's morning nap due to the afternoon heat.) But the tasks I have chosen to do, have certainly kept me going these past few weeks. Transplanting and uprooting some *mistakes* were at the top of the to-do list. Then, I was able to transplant probably 40 iris and 30 daffadils, some spiderwort, and some spearmint. The clematis vine (below) was in full bloom last week with over 100 blooms on it! Yes, I counted them! The mistake I referred to was approx. 95 gladiolus bulbs that I tried to grow in partial sun, knowing full well they needed full sun. Lesson learned: don't think you know better than the planting instructions!! So, some are still in the ground still and some are in pots, but ALL 95+ are looking for a new home. I may end up posting them on our local freecycle site in the fall.

Pictured behind the clematis is munchkin's new swing (a gift), which he has thoroughly enjoyed swinging in daily! It's in a nicely shaded spot so he's able to swing even in the afternoon heat after he gets sick of playing inside. I hope you enjoy the new pics in his photo albums (linked on the left side of the blog) and have a GREAT week every one! Thanks for reading!

You've come a long way, Crochet!!

2010-04-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

A picture speaks a thousand words....

First slippers 3+ years ago:

And....a pair I recently made for hubby (which I've promised him for a year now!)

These use the puff stitch so they're realllly warm!!

I also made a similar pair (black and white) for my aunt who lives in chilly NH with a cute white button closure (which I simply left loose so she could knot it to adjust to her comfort).

I have read SO many craft blogs, patterns and tutorials since that first pair of "can't sleep in the middle of the night" stroke-of-genius slippers that ended up looking like eggplants! But my progress can also be attributed to trial and error with the many pairs of booties/slippers I've made (adult and munchkin size alike), and the many more pairs I ripped out and started over!! Practice make perfect!

Beaming with pride!!

2010-04-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well, we officially have a toddler in our house now!! That's right; Munchking is walking as of April 22 (12 1/2 months old). We're so proud of him! He also got to see his first BIG tractor (pics below) in the park last weekend!

And just as momentous, the same week Munchkin walked, Hubby tested for his black belt! It was a long test, challenging both his endurance and his focus, but he did quite well and I'm SO proud of him!

(Here he's playing with his new train (a gift),
even before eating his breakfast!
He LOVES this thing, and we can probably largely credit
it with his newfound ability to walk. No joke!)

In other news, I cut my hair!!! It was long overdue, and feels so good to have it off my neck now that the southern sun has been beating down on us!

And our Munchkin is ONE year old!!

2010-04-15T18:24:00.001-07:00

Wow...he's one year old! I honestly didn't think I'd be this emotional. But, I look at him and see what a little boy he's becoming, and the floodgates open up! I know it's a good thing that he's growing as he should, that he's healthy, happy, and is loving life as every little muchkin should. But that said, his turning one has made me face the fact that he'll turn 2, and ...3, and... 4, and he'll grow, and his shoulders will broaden, he'll play sports, and get hurt in sports, and grow taller than me, and so much more. I'm glad life comes in slow stages, day by day, or it would overwhelm me how beautiful it is. Hubby reminded me today of all the stages of life we've gone through just since we've known eachother: the free-as-a-bird in college, the decision to get married, where to work, where to settle down, when to have kids. It's breathtaking how fast life goes by. It's no wonder why we take it for granted sometimes. But I try to be mindful of the blessings it brings, and we truly celebrate it when we remember to, and hopefully that honors it enough.

Munchkin's first birthday was celebrated by my making him a homemade "smash cake" for him to enjoy the morning of his birthday (after his breakfast, of course)! And then we held a party in Pittsburgh with almost all of our family. For this I handmade the cupcake decorations. Thank you to all who made the trip to Pittsburgh to see him turn one! It really meant quite a lot to my hubby and I. Your generosity was touching, as well. He loves his books and when he's not playing with his walker/train, he's following his big red ball or swinging on his outdoor swing! For those of you who were unable to attend, here are a few highlights of the festivities!! And my sister has posted additional pictures on her site as well, HERE.

**Now that he is one year old, and sure to be more active, but have less milestones, we won't continue the monthly updates (nor send out the accompanying emails) but we'll still be posting to the website as the whole family does interesting new things, including a trip to the NC Zoo this summer. I may throw in an informative post or two about things like why/how we cloth diaper, about my craft projects, my garden, and our never-ending house projects! (Fortunately, I actually enjoy staining decks and painting, thanks to my Dad!!)

So go enjoy your spring and summer, but be sure to keep checking back with us as you're able :)

What a scare!!!!

2010-03-24T14:51:00.001-07:00

Thought we'd share a little story about Munchkin with you! Some of you know, we have been super careful and picky about what foods he was going to have introduced to him and when, and how! Well, last week was our week to introduce whole milk to him hoping for no milk allergies. Not that there is any allergy history for our family, but better safe than sorry. So we put half formula and half milk into his bottle, and to our delight, he seemed to have no problems! Yay!

About 2 hours later, however, Hubby was watching him in the kitchen and Munchkin was happily playing on the floor with his toys, when Hubby heard him making a smacking sound with his lips, as if he were eating something, but hubby hadn't given him any food. So, he looked down, and Munchkin looked up, still as a rock, with his mouth closed, and hubby thought all was well. Then a few moments later, he heard it again. When he looked down this time, he saw dark flecks strewn all over the floor and a sweet baby smacking his lips as he happily experienced the joy of my absolute favorite food: chocolate!! He had retrieved a bag of chocolate chips from the pantry bins, chewed his little mouse teeth through the bag, and who knows how many he had eaten! I was sincerely worried for an allergic reaction, but worse, how would I know what caused it, the milk or the chocolate! There's normally a 3-4 day waiting period for introducing a new food, and we hadn't planned on introducing chocolate until he was at least 18 months old! My mind ran away from me: "What if he has a bad reaction? "He'll never get to enjoy milk and cookies after school," and on and on my mind went. An hour or so later, he was mucousy, and snotty, and had awful gas; but alas, he has had no serious reactions from the incident. Boy, does he want it again though. As soon as we put him on the floor of the kitchen to play while I made dinner that night, he crawled straight to the same bin, found the same bag, and tried to extract some more for himself. What a little mouse! He certainly knows what he likes and goes after it! So in the end, despite all our carefully laid plans, our little mouse decided he wanted introduced to chocolate sooner rather than later! (Evidence that he takes after his mama.... I do love me some chocolate !! )

Speaking of which, as a little side note: A friend and I recently discovered that Godiva has a loyalty/rewards card like the grocery stores do and with it you can get a free specialty chocolate every month (no purchase necessary!) Thought I'd share the chocolate love with you all!

Munchkin is 11 months old!!

2010-03-08T13:25:00.001-08:00

So my baby is now 11 months old. When did this happen!?! I can still picture myself carefully adjusting his carseat to bring him home from the hospital. But he has grown more than in size alone, of course. He's on the go more than ever, and as a result, so am I. I'll submit the tardiness of this post as evidence ;) His personality has really started to emerge in the past 2 months and he's learning to do all kinds of little boy things like:

*he tries to wave to people (or the dog) when we say hello or good bye (most times)
*he 'walks' around the kitchen pushing a dining chair
*he picks up quickly on things from other people & kids (like sticking out his tongue, he mimics the sound of babies' crying, and he now mimics me when I sing my opera around the house, trying to hold notes as long, and as loudly, as he's able!!
*he feeds me his food from his tray when I say "Mama eat," to him! Melts me!
Unfortunately we haven't taken many pictures this month as I let the batteries in the camera die without having any backups in the house and bought the wrong type. However, that mistake was small compared to my phone slipping into my tea in the car, which actually brought me to a panic, then all out tears because all of Munchkin's dates were stored on it (first date he crawled, said mama, etc). The guilt of losing those whould never have left me, so I'm glad my husband is a miracle maker and got my phone working again! (Thank you, Hubby.) Enjoy the pics we were able to take...And my next post will be of him turning ONE!!

Greatgrandma came to visit him a few days ago.

She just loves his dark eyes!

Success...a picture where you can actually see his top teeth!!

They look a little scary here, but if you click on the picture to zoom in you can see them better! I can't tell you how many attempts I've made to get just this one picture!

What a nut!

He's thinking about going and splashing Elie's water --

And yes, since I had a camera in my hand, he indeed worked his way INTO Ellie's water!

What a cutie-pa-tutie!

During the past month I've been quite productive with my crochet! (Yes, I made the hat and mittens in the pic above.) Recently I've made a TarHeels hat for Munchkin (pictured below). After a failed attempt at felt superhero patches for my nephews, I made two cute hats for my nephews in the same style as his (one is yellow and black for Steelers pride; the other is green and black for the Green Lantern!) They're simple, but super cute! I also made a fun pair of slippers for a friend's birthday. They were pretty straightforward, but the flower made them more feminine! I've also made more booties than I can count, and given most of them away to various friends, but I managed to remembered to take pictures of some of those before giving them away. Enjoy!

Munchkin is 10 months old

2010-02-03T07:52:00.001-08:00

So many "firsts" to share this month:

*he climbs the stairs (while we follow, of course)

*cruises along the couch, tables, stools, you name it!

*tried cheese, eggs, bread, pasta, beans, corn, dates, ........... and now eats 3 solid meals a day!

*makes fishy faces/kissing noises -- so cute!

*makes the "B" sound

*makes the "F" sound (now that he has his top teeth)

*feeds himself all kinds of finger foods now!

*he's into everything -- I finally had to baby-proof the cabinets!!

His new favorites are:

*"wresling" with dad when he gets home from work

*playing with 2 wooden toys Aunt Jess gave him underneath his exersaucer!!

*daddy's hand-puppet shows

*bouncing/squatting/dancing up and down every chance he gets

*swatting at a toy Aunt Bonnie gave him for Christmas (a big ball that has a chime inside and makes noises)

Other new adventures for us have been going to a great little music class (sort of like Musikgarten), in addition to our library times called "BookBabies." He absolutely lights up at the first few notes of a song, and loves all things musical -- bells, whistles, chimes, drumming/tapping, singing, humming, and shaking rattles. What is NOT new, but never ceases to amaze me is that positively everything he can get his little munchkin hands on goes straight into his mouth (those chimes and bells included) and he can find the tiniest speck of lint on his pants or it of paper on the floor. And how he can discover something new and study it as if he were a scientist. One of my most proud moments was our trip to Charlotte's IKEA store with a friend of ours. We had a blast, and the kids were such good sports about the drive, and being in strollers for extended periods of time! I found a few clever wooden toys for him, which we'll save for his first birthday, and lots of hand-puppets that will entertain him for years to come! (Yes, it was hard for me to buy something I could sew myself, but these were so cute, and much less expensive than buying all the needed fabrics, thread, etc. Not to mention the time creating patterns, cutting the fabrics and being at the sewing machine.)

Since we're on the subject of my craft projects...the snow we received last weekend (which forced us inside for 4 days) was quite a help in my getting some crochet projects finally finished! In total, I finished 4 pairs of booties, one caterpillar, his lion (to complete the animal set from Christmas), a wool softy doll for my niece, and a cute wool cuddly for my sister's birthday! Whew...that's a lot! The redeeming quality of crochet (and knitting, which I don't do YET!) is it's portability...I can crochet while he is playing with his blocks, or while I watch TV, or while he is wrestling with Daddy, or while we're traveling to Grandmas! Excluding a few choice projects I've all but stopped sewing for now. At least till he's older and can entertain himself even better, and for longer periods of time, than he's able to right now.

Many more photos are in his web-albums (links can be found on the left side of the page).

So glad you read these silly updates. I love making them!

Christmas & New Years 2010

2010-01-04T04:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! We hope you had a glorious time with family and friends. We certainly had a wonderful first Christmas as a new family. As always we celebrated by enjoying quality family time together: playing games, reminiscing, making snowmen, cooking, crafting, and baking. Munchkin soaked up every minute with those big brown eyes, seeing his nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and grandparents! Here are some pictures of the highlights of our time together, as always there's more in the online photo albums on the left hand side of the page.

My niece Maria and I (and the nephews too) made a snowman!

Actually, she had the idea of decorating BOTH sides, so he was a human snowman on

this side and an alien snowman on the other (hence the alien horns and ears!)

So cute! Thanks Ben and Jake for finding the arms and teeth!

My 2 beautiful sisters!

We were all in Christmas colors so I said "Hey, sit down and we'll take a picture!"

Jess had strep throat and you can't even tell!

This is his great-grandmother! She loves his "black eyes,"

which was actually my mom's nickname for me when I was a little girl.

Aunt Bonnie calls Munchkin her "Chocolate Marshmallow"

Aunt Jessie wasn't allowed to hold him since she was sick :-(

And while we know presents and cookies certainly aren't the focus of the season, they are both a whole lot of fun, and my Christmas post wouldn't be complete without pics of the handmade items I've been working on in secret. I crocheted a set of soft wool animals for him to play with, a fleece blankie, and a silky tag blanket for nighttime. His gift to me was homemade: the sweet sound of "Mama!!" Many of the gifts we gave this season were handmade: wool sweater snakes (sewn), quirky monsters (crocheted), a monkey (crocheted), and a special wool hat, mittens, and scarf set (sewn). Next year I plan on doing even more handmade items, but will need to start MUCH earlier since December is a blur for me now! On the cookie menu were: 12 dzn peanut butter blossoms, 7 dzn crescent cookies (total flop!), 5 dzn cut-out sugar cookies, and 7 dzn peanut butter cookies. My favorite to bake (and eat) are the blossoms -- only 4 ingredients andanyone can make them. The cut-outs are beautiful and tasty, but they are SO much work, so next year I'll change how I do the sugar cookies. I'll make up the dough after Thanksgiving, bake them in early December, and then finally decorating them close to Christmas.

No, Munchkin isn't as fascinated by these as I thought he would be right now.

He seems to like toys he can tap, bang, shake, etc,

but someday he will love these! Right!?!

This set was for Maria (she's wearing them in the snowman pic!)

And she's so perceptive. She actually noticed on her own how wool doesn't absorb moisture from the snow like cotton does. She's so smart!

Ahhh...and these are the scary monsters for my youngest nephews Ben and Dan!

What a great idea for them, and they seemed to really enjoy them!

Ben, especially, seemed to enjoy playing with the monkey in back (the front one was Munchkin's).

The mouth-watering Christmas delights that are... "Peanut Butter Blossoms."

These are so easy to make I taught Maria how to make them quite easily!

And last but not least are the classic sugar cookies!

I just thawed some out today and they are just as good as the day I made them!

All in all, 2009 has been quite a full year to say the least. We have:

* celebrated our 5th anniversary (although we weren't able to get away for it)

* had a baby (AND I survived postpartum somehow!)

* traveled countless times to my mom's, dad's, sister's, cousin's, and grandparent's

* (I've) learned that Hubby is a better daddy to Munchkin than I could ever have drempt!

* met lots of new mom and baby friends. Munchkin and I thoroughly enjoy playdates/storytimes

* (I've) fallen in love with my house all over again -- for how it's accommodated a baby, all his stuff, my craft and sewing projects, and my growing fabric stash!

Our New Year, however, has been bittersweet. Some of you are aware that my brother-in-law, Mark, passed away early January 3rd quite unexpectedly. He was so young. Please keep my step-sister Debbie in your prayers as well as their young son David. (Here is a link to their blog.)

Thanks for reading. Thanks for caring. And thanks for being a part of each of our lives! Even if we can't travel to see all of you in person, it's nice to know we're able share bits of our life with you through our blog. And keep in touch -- we LOVE to hear from you!

Munchkin is now 8 months old!

2009-12-06T12:19:00.001-08:00

This past month has flown by so quickly it seems. The biggest news is that he can now crawl, and pull himself up to a standing position, and is almost "cruising" along the couch. He can't quite keep up with Ellie but he can certainly follow behind us as we walk around the house from room to room :-) He's also beginning to recognize words with their actions, like "Tap" and "Kick". Although he hasn't sprouted any more teeth (in the past 3 months), he continues to "eat" his toes from in a sitting position. (How a baby can be so cute is beyond me!!) The only task in my day requiring real patience is his eating of solid foods. Many days he is open (literally) to the idea of eating, but other days he positively refuses by turning his head or "spitting" out the food. Sweet fruits, however, go down with no struggles whatsoever!

Other than all that, I feel like there's no real news or issues that we're having: cloth diapering is going well, he is sleeping well, still takes at least 2 glorious naps per day, and plays contently with his toys or Ellie's tail. I feel as though we as a family have *finally* worked our way into a routine which works for us. We're all getting more sleep consistently which helps tremendously, and things have become rather predictable. Which has been positive and negative at times. On one hand, I have sought SOME semblance of a routine since he was born, but on the other hand, life can seem rather repetitious and non-spontaneous at times. We've also been spending more time, really MOST of our time indoors. Partially because Ol' Man Winter has decided to make himself at home here, but also because the flus (plural) are still pervasive in our city, especially among kids :( So it was a highlight of my month to go for a walk with my neighbor and her little ones and have a friend, and her sweet little daughter, over to the house for a crochet lesson! On a sidenote, my workouts have been consistent, but have slipped down to only twice per week since I've lost all the pregnancy weight!

To keep busy, I've been crocheting a little jungle-full of animals as one of Munchkin's Christmas presents! I've also made him a silky snugglie that's Christmas themed! (I promise I'll post pics of all these projects closer to Christmas.) As for decorating for the holidays, I've only managed to put up some lights and some garland, but it's all for the best; since he's still at that mouthing stage where anything which can fit in his mouth goes in his mouth!

Here are just some of the many pictures we've taken this month. And as always there's more pics of him in the online picture albums of him (including a series of shots that Hubby took with him inside a laundry basket -- hilarious!!! Those links can be found on the left of the blog. Hope you all enjoy your holidays with family and good friends, and stay warm by a cozy fire -- I know that's where I'll be ;-)

Quick Trip to Pittsburgh

2009-11-19T09:11:00.001-08:00

Munchkin seemed like he was missing his aunts, (admittedly, I was too) so we decided to take a quick trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend! We had a great time, of course! Aunt Bonnie and Aunt Jessie *fought* over who could hold him, put him to bed, who could change his clothes, and console him, but no one wanted to change his diaper; go figure!! We slept well and ate well, but most of all we had a great time visiting with eachother. We ate Panera bagels for breakfast, watched the kids jump on the trampoline, played Connect Four, and had campfires and s'mores when the sun went down! And we definitely got in a trip to the local thrift shops for my sisters addiction to kids clothes! It was such a quick trip though that we didn't get to go to the family farm and visit with my Aunt Dee or Grandmother, nor our friends Justin & Candy (We were so sad.) But we learned our lesson: to make our trips a day longer so we're able to fit it all in next time!

Hope this finds everyone healthy and happy! As far as pics go...we were so busy having fun, we took almost none..Here are 2 that turned out nicely of my two sisters and Uncle Tim with him! But Bonnie has posted some AMAZING pics of Munchkin on her log at www.theDeMotteSix.BlogSpot.com

Munchkin is 7mths old!!

2009-11-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

So I fully realize I'm starting to sound like a broken record when I state once again, "I can't believe he's 7 months old now...." But he IS, and now has TWO teeth as evidence (bottom, fronts). They truly drive home the fact that he is no longer a sweet little "baby" anymore, but a growing little boy! His attempts at crawling don't help preserve my baby image of him either! After a few playdates with some crawlers, he figured out how to turn from back to belly which led to turning around 360 degrees on his belly, and eventually scooting backward! So crawling may be just weeks away! He's also holding his bottle on his own almost the entire feeding! And very special to me is that he certainly knows who Rupesh and I are, making peek-a-boo much more fun these days! He's not yet vocalized a single "mama" or "dada" yet, but that isn't to say he doesn't tell us stories all day long! One of his SILLIEST discoveries is arching backward to look at things upside down -- us, Dora, Ellie, you name it! It's sooooo cute!

And boy is he growing, but no longer in width; he's finally lengthening out ;) No worries though; he still has those cute ham hocks! He's trying new foods all the time. Thus far, he's had oatmeal, rice, "multi-grains," prunes, bananas, lentils, sweet potato, pumpkin, white potatoes, sweet peas, and asparagus, his favorite! He's only reacted negatively to carrots and apples thus far. And he's tried a pinch of cinnamon in his pumpkin and loved it! I can't wait to see if he likes avocado and butternut squash this week!

This month has also ushered in for him one unfortunate first -- an annoying cold :( We had hosted a playdate at our house (kids were all seemingly healthy), but ultimately he woke the next morning with a stuffy nose. (So sad...) He didn't develop a fever, so I wasn't overly concerned for him; only one day he certainly not sem himself (irritable & sleepy, etc.) His cold didn't effect his sleep AT ALL, for which I am very thankful; because, he has been sleeping just like a baby should: long, and deep!

Now that we have a child, and more sleep, we've been going out to do more things to explore this fair city we call home: fall festivals, autumn drives, pumpkin patches, etc. Having a child makes Halloween festivities much more fun too! He was a little dinosaur since it was too cold for him to be a pumpkin, though we did not go trick-or-treating due to rain. We did attend a Halloween party and a "fall festival" that had a petting zoo. We also visited a big pumpkin patch. Both produced some incredible pictures of Munchkin!

After MANY photos were snapped...he was DONE being a dino :P

Poor Guy!

His cold brought on a first for me as well: cabin fever!! Since he's been sick, I can't go anywhere with him -- can't see our neighbor and her precious 7wk old son, can't go to "BookBabies" at the local libraries (which I enjoy almost as much as he does), can't go to Goodwills to kill some time (very sad about that one), and can't even go grocery shopping or run errands with him :( At the very least, I been able to leave the house to workout & grocery shop. This situation HAS led to more sewing and crocheting than usual! Some pics of those projects and others are below, as well as the reason you visit the blog -- more pics of Munchkin :)

And don't forget, there's always MANY MORE pics of him in the

"photo albums on the left side of the blog!

Here's a hat I made him in like 15 minutes!

And you can see his 2 front teeth a bit here (if you click on the photo).

Here's another hat I crocheted for him just this week!

Here's a simple single crochet blanket I mad for him recently.

He seems to really like the texture and softness of it!

I like how simple, but classic it is!

Here are 2 hats I had made for hubby's nieces before we went to see them in Denver.

This is actually a back-view of them; they have flowers on the front!!

And here is a whale and snake I made for Munchkin from an thrifted, felted wool sweater!

This is a hat and pants set that I made for him to wear with a pumpkin costume, but I quickly realized Halloween would be too cold for him to be a pumpkin, despite all my hard work :(

They were simple "T-Shirt pants" ;)

And if you've read THIS far, then you might be interested to know that my workouts are coming along quite well! I've now lost almost every pregnancy pound using the elliptical machines and the exercise ball, and getting back into doing my yoga routines again. I wouldn't have expected the exercise ball to be this effective for my abs, but am using the gym's machines for my arms and shoulder strength. A welcome change in appetite (decrease) has also occurred since weaning him, so I no longer feel hungry every 2 hours! All these efforts are paying off :) I have packed up ALL my maternity clothes, and now about 5 pairs of my old jeans fit! So I'm on track to meet my goals by the end of the year! Yay!

Trip to Denver 2009

2009-10-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a quick trip to Denver so hubby's cousin could meet Munchkin. We had such a nice time visiting, sight-seeing, and celebrating Diwali together. I think our nieces also liked spending time with us doing things like hide and go seek and making "American"banana milkshakes!

It was our first time flying with Munchkin and let me just say, it was a dream! He did SO well on the planes, not crying even once! Each of the 4 flights, he would just fall asleep with a full tummy during take off, wake an hour later, and then be content to play on our laps, or smile at the other passengers behind us until we landed! Initially, I was disappointed that we didn't get a non-stop flight, but it actually worked out better to have 2 shorter flights than a single long one, because we didn't have to change diapers, feed him, etc on the planes in their tiny bathrooms! On one flight which wasn't quite full, we actually were able to have a seat free in between us, which was much more comfortable for all!

Here he is sleeping on my lap in-flight, covered in my sweater to shade the bright sun!

For me the highlight of the trip was Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. At first, I was more interested in seeing the mountains. I wasn't excited about going to see the wildlife. I grew up in PA where animals seemed to be everywhere you looked! However, once I stepped out of the van I was swept me off my feet by the cool mountain air, the trees, the huge, snow-capped mountains, and yes, even the animals!! At one point we saw about 25 elk all gathered together in a open plain between the mountains! (Those pics are in the photo album on the left side of the blog called: Trip to Denver 2009.) The whole experience took me back to the summers of my childhood when we'd leave home in the morning to explore the woods, have lunch on my favorite large boulder, and then return home for dinner! I'm sure we only saw a slice of the park, but what we did see was grand and glorious. I'm so glad we went to the park! It was nice to be reminded that all of nature truly is beautiful, elk and bison included!

Hubby's cousin Indira, pictured above, was so generous, giving Munchkin and I each a gift! I received a beautiful churidar kameez that I absolutely LOVE! He received a special, traditional gold ring that's given to Indian boys when they're young. It slipped off his finger once, so we removed it. (Thus, it is on his finger in some pics, but not others.) Hubby received a gift of a different sort: homemade, gourmet Indian foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts day after day!! Haha! Peanut chutney, tomato pickle, dosas, idli, an okra fry, chapatis, dal curries, "yellow rice", pea/bean curry, and the list goes on, and on! Every meal was so yummmmy! One of the dishes was a beet root curry (possibly my new favorite!) Munchkin, on the other hand, continued to enjoy his normal pureed fare: bananas, sweet potatoes, prunes, rice, oatmeal, etc.

Anyway, thank you, Indira and Sreedhar for everything! We had a wonderful stay!

And of course we took WAY too many pictures of Munchkin, so here are just a few!

Enjoy, and don't forget to leave your comments at the bottom!

There's a lot more of him & the entire trip in the "Trip to Denver 2009"

album link on the left side of the blog)

Update on Workout and Quilt

2009-09-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've decided to join the gym. I blogged about it a few weeks ago , but was quite anxious to actually commit to a 2 year contract. I "took the leap" though, and I'm loving it so far. I thought I would take advantage of the classes more than the machines, but it turned out that the yoga class is not very cardiovascularly challenging. It's enjoyable, and well-done; but, it's much slower-paced than what I need to actually lose the remaining pregnancy weight. So thus far, I am doing the elliptical (50min) + Arms + Abs on M, W, F, and Steve Ross style yoga once a week before hubby goes to TKD!

Also, remember that baby quilt I made for Munchking, but never finished? Well, no, it's still not finished; but, I DID finally find and purchased the perfect fabric and batting that's perfect for it! One step closer to it being done!! (Being productive feels o-so-good.)

He is a half a year old. Yay!

2009-09-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

He is starting to look and act like such a little boy now! He's even eating solid foods now, pureed of course!

The latest tally is oatmeal, lentils, rice, barley/spelt, prunes, and even pumpkin! AND he's cut his first tooth already!! He's growing so fast.

More pics can be seen in his online web-albums,

by clicking on his new album on the left, called:

Munchkin (6-9mths)

And I'm so grateful to stay at home with him and not miss any of his new discoveries! Like how his voice can make all sorts of sounds: high, low, growl, gurgle, scream, and hum! Those moments are priceless, and knowing me, I'll soon forget most of them; unless, of course, I share those things with all of you by writing about them here. So, let's do the tally of all his latest and greatest achievements:

1. Sits up on his own very well

2. Turns himself around in his exersaucer

3. Can pull my hair pretty hard now :)

4. When he's had his fill of cereal, or prunes, or pumpkin, he can SPIT it out rather far!

5. He can hold his own bottle now, but doesn't know yet to raise it when it's almost empty :P

6.Plays with his own feet. In my mind, it doesn't get any more cute than that!

7. Pulls his socks off (result of #6). (If he can't get them off, he'll just lean forward and bite through his socks!)

But without a doubt his greatest achievement, for which I am MOST proud (because I had a small hand in it) is that he can NOT ONLY put himself to sleep, BUT ALSO soothe himself back to sleep if he wakes in the night. So this means he routinely sleeps from 9/9:30 to 7:30/8. Hallelujah! This is really, REALLY BIG for us. I'm so proud of him to be doing this at 6 months :) The small part that I had in this wonderful accomplishment? NOT picking him up! Haha! It was incredibly hard to let him cry. I would lie on the couch and repeat to myself: "He doesn't need me. He can do it. He's not hungry. He's just learning a new skill."

"I can't help him learn it. He needs to do it on his own!" It didn't take him so long though, 5-10 minutes of real crying. Then I'd go in to turn him on his side and give him his silky blankie. He'd absolutely scream cause I didn't pick him up, then after a few moments, he'd just fuss/cry out for 5-10 more minutes, and then be out like a light til morning.

Since this is truly a gift to me, may I make a short acceptance speech!?
"Thank you, dear Lord, for his incredible gift! Heartfelt thanks also goes to my sister Bonnie, whose vast experience (4 kids) made it all possible! I would NOT have believed it possible in the first place, if I didn't know her kids are good sleepers, and that her methods were born of much hard work. Thanks Bon!"

He is positively amazing to watch sometimes! Like when I see his eyes do a double take when his fingers feel a new texture for the first time, which happened when he felt the buttons on this remote for the first time. It melts my heart to see him smile upon hearing "Bah Bah Black Sheep" sung, or smile when he hears Dora's happy voice in the mornings! (Yes, I'll admit it. He watches Dora with Daddy.)

One of the lesser talked about developmental milestones is his pincher claw! (No pic! Must be experienced firsthand.) He pinches positively everything within his reach: my lips, my nose, my eyebrows, his chubby thighs, his belly, his belly button, his toes, toys, magazines, his clothes, my clothes, his silky sleep blankie -- EVERYTHING! And boy does it hurt. But no one seems to warn you about that little milestone :P

The story behind this pic is SO funny to me! We were *just* about to leave for the BookBabies class at a local library. I placed him on the couch outside the laundry room with a few toys while I switched a load of diapers. (What's that take? Like 2 minutes at most!) I returned to find him fast asleep with his toys in his lap! He didn't wake until we got to the library! Too funny!

Here's some more cute pics to entertain you,

and celebrate his big "half" Birthday!

"Dad, is Ellie allowed in the bed?"

Yep, you're seeing that right.

He's sitting and playing with his toys, all by himself, no supports!

Here's a hat that a friend of ours knitted for him when he

was a newborn that's fitting him perfectly now!

(This is one of my all time favorite pics of him. Thanks Barbara!)

"Come on, Mom. I'm only eating! What's the big deal!?"

"You're holding your own bottle now, big boy!"

Oh, and his latest nicknames are "Oboe the BoBo" and "Rajibo."

So there you have it: a rundown of our little Baladu (baby boy in Telugu).

Happy *half* Birthday Baby! Don't forget to leave your comments after reading the posts!

Our sweet daughter!

2009-09-06T17:32:00.001-07:00

Many people have asked how Ellie acts around Munchkin, so I thought I'd share our experience with you all.

Honestly, she seems to not care; it's been that way since the very beginning. That's not to say that her life hasn't changed since his arrival ;) While I was pregnant, we were super-preoccupied with how we were going to introduce them. The typical approach is to bring one of the baby's items home from the hospital for the dog to smell. But, it didn't work out that way for us, so this is how we ended up introducing them. Ellie was kept out on the deck, hungry! And when we walked in the door, I put baby in his crib and went to see Ellie out on the deck. Boy, did she miss me -- I haven't seen her tail wag like that since our week long trip to Denver 2 years ago. Anyway, we left her on the deck while I got settled in the rocking chair to feed Munchkin. Meanwhile, hubby prepared Ellie's food and sat it outside the nursery room door. He let Ellie inside the house and she waited for him to say his customary, "Ellie, Eat!" She gobbled up her food, then he had her sit and watch me feed baby for a few minutes. He allowed her to then walk over to my side and she smell his feet. She licked them, then walked to my other side, smelled his hair and licked it. And she was done; walked away, and lay down on the floor and slept! And the first time she heard him cry she was sleeping on her side; but, all she did was lift her head, perk her ears, look over at him, lowered her head and went back to sleep!

Here's a typical way that I find her "hanging out" in the house!

When I say her life has seen changes, I mean that she:

*used to be the center of our attention.

*used to be the first thing guest wanted to see when they came through the door

*used to have long walks or have her "playdates" with her other doggie friends

*used to have her food at noon and 9, like clockwork

*used to have peace & quiet in the house, except when she barked of course

*used to get a bath every 4-6 weeks.

Now she:

*is still loved, but not the center of our universe

*is still loved on by visitors, but only after they've seen the baby first

*is still exercised, but in the form of short sprints on our bike rides!

*is still fed, but somewhere between 11-3 and between 8-10!

*still barks, but at the MOST INOPPORTUNE times possible...Grrr!!

*still gets bathed, but it's more like every 8-10 weeks...Haha!

And as a result of her not being the first to receive "luvins" from visitors, she has started to "paw" at people! It's very cute, but very inappropriate so we've done our best to discourage it. Hopefully some of these things will improve as Munchkin has a more predictable schedule and we get some sleep!! HeeHee! But alas, she is still our "first kid" and baby's 'older sister', and we love her to pieces...Now if she'll just stop waking him with her barking...

This pic is for those of you who don't seem to believe me when I tell you just how much hair she sheds! That pile was of her third brushing after her bath! You could fill a pillowcase with how much she sheds! But boy is her coat shiny when I'm done!

Munchkin is 5mths old!

2009-09-05T03:13:00.000-07:00

More pictures can be seen in his online photo albums,

which can be found on the left side of the blog as Munchkin (4-6mths) etc.

Now, it may seem trite, but it really does feel like just last week that we brought him home from the hospital. And now he is actually using his arms to push his chest up when he's on the floor and "stands" in his exersaucer (which he thoroughly enjoys), and constantly makes *raspberries* with his lips, and with his food ;)

Speaking of food, as some of you know, he hasn't taken the bottle well in the past. So I was concerned that weaning him from the breast would not go well. We tried the new Breastflow bottles with the double nipple system. They were impossible to use, and he would gag cause the flow was so fast. So we had been using the Adiri nursers with some success, but just in the last 2 weeks my mom found a bottle that has worked very well for him ( NUK brand)! Thus far, he's successfully replaced one breast feeding with a bottle feeding! I'm so proud! I'm also proud of him that he's been a better sleeper lately, with some exceptions! The past 2 nights he has soothed himself when he woke in the middle of the night. For him, not needing to nurse to go back to sleep is a BIG achievement -- and one I welcome!

His latest, greatest feat is that he sits unsupported now! How incredible is that!? I think it's quite wonderful --particularly for the fact that he can now sit in a shopping cart, and I will no longer have to lift him out of the car (in his car seat) and up onto the cart. He's a heavy boy, mind you...18lbs + the car seat's weight!

Speaking of getting a workout -- I have decided to join a gym to do my workouts! Everyone (books, lactation consultants, doctors, friends, etc) had told me I'd lose the pregnancy weight quickly because I was breastfeeding. I feel that statement should've come with a warning: "But you'll be hungry ALL the time, so plan healthy snacks!" 20 of the 30 pounds that I had gained came off by my 6wk checkup -- I had been

walking at least twice a week, and doing my yoga routines once or twice a week. But I had been doing those as much for the "feel good" effects as the weight loss! Then the heat of the summer came and those activities came to a halt quickly ;P So those last 10lbs or so have been TERRIBLY difficult to lose.

What's worse is that it means I'm still having to wear my preggo clothes, which I'll admit hasn't helped my mood. (Hubby can attest to that!) My greatest challenge has been to coordinate my 50min yoga routine + a quick shower with his short naps & feedings. I had thought of doing a yoga class that's a great deal at only $5/class. But was limited to only twice a week (by their schedule and hubby's work schedule)

So my solution? To find a place that has yoga AND childcare! And hallelujah, I was able to find one *really* close to home! I'm hesitant to "leave" him with strangers, but they were recommended

by a fellow mommy friend who works out and takes her kids there, and I'll still be in the same facility, so I can check on him if I feel the need to :) I'm also hesitant to let him around other kids with it being flu season and H1N1. So we shall see how it all goes. Maybe hubby and I can coordinate my workouts so I won't even need the childcare! Here's hoping!

And I figure I'll be more disciplined if I post my goal here! So, "I want to strengthen my arms/shoulders and my core (abs/back/hips), lose about 15lbs (would put me almost back to my wedding weight),

and I want to reach my goals by the end of this year." Wish me luck!!

Update: We did work it out that I haven't needed the childcare since joining!!

In other news -- I've been more active with a local Meetup.com group for moms/dads. And I'll host an "UnderOnes" Playdate at my house at least once a month, which will be great for Munchkin to be around other kids in these "pre-preschool" years! Soon, I'll start to take him to the "BookBabies" time at the library since he's old enough now to enjoy being read to, and to watch other children play, etc. (I don't know why they call it by that name...they don't open one book, but instead they sing/dance/do hand motions to rhymes and songs.) I had taken him around 3 months, but he, nor I, got much out of it :P

So I'm looking forward to that!

And I have really been crafting up a storm lately! When I actually set out to take pics of it all it seems like I've been very productive; but, while I'm working on them I don't feel that way 'cause I'm thinking about the 15 other project ideas that I HAVEN'T gotten around to yet!! HeeHee! But in any case, here's the latest project pics for you all to enjoy.

I crocheted a bumble bee for Munchkin to play with!

He likes to suck on the bee's stinger (too funny).

I've also been working on a crocheted baby blanket for a friend who's having a boy. I think the colors will turn out beautifully. Check back soon and I'll have pictures of him sitting up for you all!

Snakes in the house...Eeek!

2009-08-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Have I been crafty lately or what!?! (That is, with the help of my kind husband watching baby, of course!)

I tried to finish MANY projects before Munchkin was born, (nursery bedding, his quilt, some toys, burp cloths, etc) but now, as he grows he's becoming more interested in bright toys and needs to teethe, he's developing so quickly that I can't seem to keep up! I prefer that he not play with many plastics (at least until the new CPSIA laws are put into effect in Feb 2010 requiring phthalate testing). So I've planned to make MANY different types of toys for him to play with.

Above you can see the snakes I made for him from a thrifted men's polo shirt (no joke!). And I've also made some more realistic snakes from a wool sweater that had a diamond pattern -- Hubby says they are TOO realistic for his comfort, LOL! And I will hopefully make Munchkin some 8-10 inch "chime" balls in time for him to want to play with them! But he is growing SO fast that I don't know if I can get to make all the things I want to and still have them be age appropriate!

Which leads me to this: I've been asked many times "How do I do it all: housework, laundry, errands, cook, blog, cloth diapers, sew, crochet, etc?" To be honest, I don't really know that I do manage it all WELL. It's been a struggle for me since he was born. I've had to change the way I do everything: clean, cook, vacuum, shower, garden (which has unfortunately been on the back burner since he can't be outside with me in the sun). I'm not used to doing things in short bursts of time. Normally, I clean the house top to bottom in one day, and don't think about it much the rest of the week. Now I have to find 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there -- I feel like a total scatterbrain! What's srange is that as I'm performing each individual task, I don't actually FEEL like I'm getting ANYTHING done! But then when I finish something concrete, like mopping, or sewing a toy, or cooking a meal, I know I'm on track...hahaha!! Pregnancy was naturally a great teacher of how to get things done little by little, what with being exhausted continuously and needing to take breaks often. But I do see a new routine SLOWLY emerging for us, and I love being a mother, whatever challenges it brings :) The latest challenge being: wishing I could be doing even MORE!! Like what, you ask!?! Namely meeting up with new moms/babies, posting more often to the blog, taking more pics/videos of him as he grows, exercising more, baking more, and finishing the other 40+ craft project ideas rolling around in my brain -- to name just a few off the top of my head!!

I feel I'm able to do the sewing tasks soley because he's not mobile yet ;) He cooperates for about 10-15 minutes in his Bumbo seat, playing with his toys/feet; but, then he gets bored and needs to change positions, which means either "tummy time" or "floor time." But again, in 10-15 minutes he's had enough of that as well, and is ready for some one-on-one interaction like reading books or singing songs. So I usually can do smaller tasks, like the planning/cutting of fabric in those spurts of time that he's occupying himself, and then actually sit and do the sewing when hubby's watching him for me. TV time after Munchkin goes to bed is the ideal time to do the crochet work, and/or finishing touches like hand-stitching, so I'm still able to be in the same room as hubby!

The constant shuffle of priorities is all worth it though! There's nothing quite like seeing him enjoy playing with toys that were made by ME, specifically for HIM!

Can you tell? -- I LOVE being a mom :-)

Munchkin is 4 1/2 months old!!!

2009-08-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

This post has a lot of pics, but believe it or not there's more in

his newest onine photo album on the left: Munchkin (4-6mths).

These past 2 weeks have been FULL of firsts...good and bad!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. He's rolling over now!

2. He had his first illness :(

3. He had his first food! Yay!

4. Jumped in his doorway jumper!

5. Started making raspberries with his lips--How CUTE is that!!?

(I really wish I could figure out how to get the videos off the camera in the

right format for all of you to see these adorable feats...Grr.

He did well swallowing when trying his first food: oatmeal, and in the end he had more in his belly than on his face. Success!! He slept from 10 to 8 the next morning. The next night didn't go so smoothly though :( He's had oatmeal every night since; getting better and better at swallowing each day, but he still loves breastmilk. The doc said he's now 18lbs exactly. We'll start him on avacados, sweet potatoes, rice, etc in these next two weeks--so cool!

The full story of him getting sick, is basically that he had developed a fever (102.4) on the 14th, but it went away quickly with some acetaminophen. But then on the 18th he woke with a rash on his arms, legs and belly, and was pretty fussy/sleepy throughout the morning, but he had no fever. So we called the nurses at our PED office and made an appt for that afternoon. The doc said it was a common cold or virus, about which we shouldn't be concerned, adding that the rash should go away in a few days. The next morning he was back to being his cheerful self and the rash had gone away, but he had some diarrhea :( My poor little guy...But on Thursday, after a few more naps and more frequent feedings to keep him hydrated

(and some of Grandma's lovins), he was AW BETTAW (translation "all better".)

See, such a precious, happy boy!

He's only rolled over a few times, but he's done it!! Yay, Baby :)

He loves his play blanket with all it's bright colors and patterns!

He seemed to love his Johny Jump-up when I put him in it yesterday for the first time!!

He's really sitting up well when he's "propped" up a little!

His T-shirt says "I'm in Charge!" LOL

Still, MORE more pics for you...

What a little "model" he is!!

He loves "holding" his hands; I think he'll find his feet SOON!!

Well, till next time--don't forget to leave me your comments!

Have toys, will travel :)

2009-08-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

So I THOUGHT I had posted all the pics of the play mat I keep talking about, but I just realized that I didn't!! So here's some pics. I wanted it to be colorful and lightweight so I chose to not add a middle layer of batting and quilt it, but...I actually now wish I would've! Cause I have a feeling that all of the use it's gonna get -- it probably needed more stability.

I made it from Red, Blue, Orange, Green and Yellow fabrics I had.

On one side I added a "rainbow" striped fabric

The best part about it is that I added tabs to create a
drawstring effect that allows it to become a toy sack for travel.
I love how something like this can be both cute AND functional!!

4 months old now!

2009-08-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Is Munchkin really 4 months old?? Wow!

Grandpa Kurt wished him happy birthday yesterday and I almost cried!

Here he is practically chewing on his first finger holding it like a hook in his mouth. So cute!

He had his Pediatrician appointment on Friday and is healthy as can be! He's 17lbs, 10ounces and 25inches now! His weight gain has "slowed down" since we've figured out he was taking in too much fore-milk. He's still sleeping well for us and is an extremely content baby as always! He has almost outgrown his Moses Basket (which he loves to kick against the bottom of) and will transition soon to being in his big-boy crib, but we'll still use his infant positioner, as he isn't rolling yet while he sleeps and seems to like to be on an incline.

During the days, he loves to sit in the kitchen with me while I'm cooking, cleaning, etc. He also enjoys these brief "tummy times" on his colorful play mat that I made for him. It has an "exposed drawstring" that gathers the mat into a sack to hold toys for traveling! He isn't quite rolling over yet -- (Hey, he's got a lot of "chub" to push over!!) But rolling over will happen pretty soon, since he is able to push himself up with his arms!

Even though, of course, he can't actually stand yet, nor sit up on his own, we HAVE tried putting him in his "exersaucer," stuffing towels in around him for support. As you can see, he enjoys reaching for the toys and looking at the bright colors. (He also loves to sit on the couch and watch TV with Daddy, but as cute as that is,...you won't ever see a pic of that on the blog -- I'm too "ashamed" of that to post a pic of it for the world to see. HaHaHa!!)

This past weekend, we went to my parents house! We got to go out on a "hot date" Friday night to a great Mexican restaurant and to see the movie, Julie and Julia (which was WONDERFUL).

Other than that, not too much is new in our household...I have been busy doing my sewing projects. We've stayed inside a lot this summer -- it's been hot and he shouldn't be in the sun too much; so, we've found things to do inside like go to the local bookstores, take our walks inside the mall, and try out new recipes in the kitchen! But I have also been getting out of the house more each week to socialize with some other mommies I've met. Soon, I'll even be hosting an "Under Ones" Playdate at my house each month, which should prove to be GREAT fun for him as he grows!

Well, that's all for now. We hope you have a wonderful summer.

Check back to the blog soon!