Baby Goes Boo

Last weekend we were able to go over to the zoo for the annual Zoo Goes Boo event! I love that we live so close (three blocks!) and it was fun to go for this 'preschoolers only' day. There were tons of super cute kiddos in costumes and of course, we love to see all the animals out and about.




Baby however, didn't enjoy getting into her costume. Oh little bug, you're so cute!











Hay mazes, trick or treating, musical guests...ok, so there was this one guy on a guitar. It sounded like there was a whole band, but it was just him. We kind of chuckled over that. Luckily, he was pretty decent.






"Look, Mama! A lion!"









"Can I go play with the lion? It looks cuddly."








"No? Ah gee."








I can't wait until next week when we get to cash in on all the real treats!

Diary of a Dinner

Um, hello, Mama? I'm waiting for my food, please. Let's go.











I am squishing your head with my teeny tiny fingers.












I'm singing! I'm in my highchair and I'm singing!












Bwaa-haa-ha-haa-haa-haaaaaa.....ahem.












Why!? Why is life so cruel? How can dinner be over already!? You people are evil!












What? Like it's my fault I'm so messy? Geez. Can't a girl get a washcloth around here?














Any other caption ideas? This kids' faces just crack me up.

g What?

We came home the other night to a sweet pile of diapers from a friend. Her son has grown out of them and we got to be the beneficiary of them.

The funny thing is that I was just thinking the other day that some of the diapers baby girl is currently in are not absorbent enough for her. These new ones are perfect and I can add soaker pads if I wanted to.

The best part was that part of the pile was a bag of gdiaper pads, liners and a sweet little cover. I've been curious to try gdiapers for a while now and after using them only a couple times I love them already!

We have been using disposables for nighttime, which is fine, but if I can get away from having to throw anything away, that would be fantastic.

These little guys have a flushable pad. That's right, it is completely flushable. You have to do a little swishing, but it's not a big deal with the little swisher stick. Also, they close in the back so when little fingers start trying to figure out how to undo their diaper, they should have a more difficult time.

I'm totally geeked that as we only need to use one a day, a package will last at least a month and though they are priced at a premium, it won't be as big a deal when I don't need that many. Plus, I can always buy them a little cheaper on ebay...

Hooray for the g!

Month Nine

Sheesh. Nine already? You're such a big girl! Yesterday you got a couple nine month shots and I'll be honest, I wasn't very happy with your doctor. The shots weren't so bad but he was a replacement for the fellow you usually see and he wasn't my favorite. I haven't been giving you every single one of the scheduled vaccines, not because I think the pharmaceutical companies are only out for money (which they probably are) and not that I'm not going to have you get most of them eventually, but because I just don't like the idea of your tiny little body getting such huge doses all at once. Just my preference. I guess I was just frustrated with him because he kept calling you a "he", which obviously meant he wasn't reading your chart, he was putting down the nurse who had just taken your size stats and then he was so sarcastic with me about "wanting to leave baby open to danger longer." Seems like he could have shared his concerns with me a bit more respectfully. Next time I'll take you back to the other doctor.


You love anything that involves being outside or with lots of people. The grocery store provides both tons of entertainment for you and lots of oohs & aahs from everyone around you. We walk outside almost every day. To the store, on the biking path, up the big hill (great for Mama's butt) or just around the neighborhood. Next to tubby time, I think it's your favorite.
I don't know what we're going to do this winter. We might have to hang out at the mall to get some exercise and socialization. Mama will just have to leave her purse in the car.






You are crawling all over the place and climbing up and cruising anything and everything. We can't just leave you in one place and walk away anymore--the house is getting more baby-proofed every day. I never before thought about whether or not our trash can had to have a lid on it. It is a good thing that all of our staircases have doors though. We don't need any tumbles on that noggin of yours. You knock it on enough things as it is...







The day that the kitty discovered you could get over to her was a sad day in her furry life. Now she has to sit up high on the furniture or hide in the basement from you. She doesn't mind it when you pet her, but she doesn't like being chased. You also learned to play Babyzilla with your Little People toys. Smash those people, baby girl!







You are finally back to sleeping through the night (mostly) which makes Mama & Daddy very happy indeed. Very. Happy. It is always so intriguing to me how your schedule changes so randomly. You just switched from a 7-7 nighttime to an 8pm-9am nighttime and it works out so much better for everyone! You won't have to go immediately to bed from church on Saturday nights, though Sunday morning will be coming super early for you this week.


You follow me around the house and all over the place. It's so hysterical to see your little personality come out as you want to be with us and help with whatever we're doing. I think Daddy has sent out several emails that you helped him to type.









You love all the food I make you. I've taken to putting pears or bananas into practically everything that I make. You eat your beans & peas & corn now with no fuss at all. Though the sweet potatoes and plain pears are still your #1 fav. It seems like you spend a lot of time every day in your high chair. You do love to eat! Somehow, you're still a 50% baby though, which I am thankful for. You fit all your clothes just when you are supposed to. Except for shoes, of course. Those tootsies of yours are tiny!


Books hold new interest for you. You used to only like the books that had fuzzy patches or something to touch or grab, but now you seem to really enjoy looking at the pictures and turning the pages and hearing the story. Good thing too...you won't run out of books for years!





This month you started clapping and giving fives and learning how to really work some of your toys. You love to play the bongos and shake the shakers and help Daddy strum his guitar. You want to talk on my phone and Basically, you're doing all kinds of stuff now. You have wants and not just needs. You have preferences, likes & dislikes. You are becoming a real little person.



Every day brings a new pile of cuteness. I can't stop kissing your sweet little cheek and holding your tiny little fingers. I love the times of day when I get to cuddle and feed you and just enjoy our quiet time together. I love you my sweet girl.

Apples and Tomatoes and Veggies, Oh My!

Last Sunday we went apple picking. Our first family apple picking event ever. I may have gone once as a kid myself, but I don't frankly remember. I've picked cherries and blueberries and strawberries and a few other things ending with -ies, but no apples.








Anyway, the past few days have been spent working on applesauce, freezing apples to make apple crisp (easier and, in my opinion, better than pie) as well as freezing a bunch of my veggies from our farm share.

I haven't been very good about eating all that we have gotten, but what we haven't eaten, I have been storing away. Kale for lasagna or spaghetti sauces or fruit smoothies, and this week tomatoes and onions and a few other good veggies.



Originally, I was thinking through canning, I have the jars and equipment. Except that after researching I have found a few places that say tomatoes taste better when frozen and frankly, the process is SO much easier I thought I would give it a try.

Ziploc bags full of tomatoes, chopped onions, carrots, broccoli & cauliflower. Not to mention tons of apples and apple sauce!

Soothing

Some nights are easier than others. It's hard to know when the problem is teething or when it is sleeplessness or when it is hunger. Or just plain anti-sleep baby.

The cry it out Ferber-type method makes some sense to me but doesn't work at all when the baby is crying while sitting up or standing in her crib. I don't think I really want to try. Besides, it usually seems to be possible to figure out what the problem is. Binkie fixes it most easily for restlessness. Orajel fixes it and it's teething. Last step is offering a late-night snack.



Honestly, there is nothing more soothing to ME than snuggling with my jammie-clad munchkin in the rocking chair while she falls back to sleep with her little head on my shoulder. Her soft little cheek against mine.

This morning she slept in though, so I guess I'm just hoping that it will be a repeat show.

Grown Up

Date night isn't really an established element of our household anymore. We spend plenty of quality time talking or working together (or at least in close proximity) so I don't feel at all as though we have neglected each other since the arrival of our joyous bundle (a bundle nearing nine months!).

Regardless, I felt a surprise night out with dinner and a concert was in order, especially since one of hubby's favorite bands was in town with cheap tickets. A yummy dinner with a coupon, checking out silly baby halloween costumes and then on to the show.

It was a fantastic show. Chill, casual and just the thing for enjoying company with your favorite man. But. We decided we have started feeling old.

The show was held at one of our local colleges and therefore attended by mostly students. Young students. Trendy students. Full of hopes and dreams. We giggled at some of them and watched as some chose to sit up front on the floor for two hours while we old fogies preferred our padded seats with backs.

It was a great night. Even though I'm not going to sit up late tonight and discuss either the philosophy of life or the cutest boy on campus (both topics I used to love chatting over) it was fun to remember being where they were. It is amazing how quickly life passes by so that when you turn around so much has changed without our even noticing.

8 years ago we didn't have digital cameras, ipods or camera phones. We didn't blog, tweet or text our friends every 2 minutes. It's just so interesting how much can change about culture so quickly.

What do you remember about college?

It's Going to Be Hard to Keep Up

Crawling from Anne on Vimeo.

Thirsty?

Harvested from the garden.








Washed and dried.








Mashed.








Simmering with a side of mashing.








Cooked for 15 minutes.








Pouring through cheesecloth.





















Straining overnight.










Chilling and straining.








Chilled and strained.








Ready.








Cheers!








After harvesting, washing, mashing, cooking and straining the grapes, I poured it into a wine glass with a splash of sparkling water.

Paired with a hot bowl of potato/corn/sausage/kale soup, I don't think I've ever had a more satisfying drink. It is thicker, richer and more grape-y than any other juice I've ever had. It is fantastic. It is thicker, richer and more grape-y than any other juice I've ever had. It is fantastic.


If you come over in the next couple days, I might let you have a sip. But you'll want to hurry.

Month Eight

Sweet girl, you have had a good month. Your little body has been growing and learning and stretching at every moment. You recognize your name and some of the names of people around you. While you haven't said "Mama", you know that that is who I am.









Finger foods are very manageable for you now. You've got the pincher grasp down and are so happy with a bowl of O's, baby puffs or bananas to snack on. You love your sweet tators and pears best of all, but will tolerate pretty much anything so long as it is paired with a bite of some rice cereal.




You like to spend as much time standing as you possibly can. Some days we have to force you to sit or lie down and work other muscles, otherwise you'd never get any other exercise. And the books say you have to, so we've got to follow the books, right? Work those abs, baby!










Whether it's at the coffee table, the couch, the tub or around the outside of the exer-saucer you are quite the little cruiser. Not that you seem to go very fast and you don't really appear to be in a hurry for any real walking, but you're darn cute pounding your little hands or toys on the table.









I knew you were teething lately, but I had no idea that you would turn out to be a tiny vampire. Apparently, I am going to have to start stocking up on red meat.






We've started your sewing lessons this month. Won't be long before you can start putting together your own home made clothes. It's just tricky keeping your fingers out from under the needle...










Every day we try to spend time outside. Either walking or playing in the yard or going to the park. You love feeling the breeze and watching the world go by. Everything holds so much interest and it's so fun to see you experience all the different things in life for the first time.





Your favorite toy this month was the spinners. Tops. Anything we could put on a hard surface and twirl. You'll crawl for them, stare at them, do your tummy time for them. Spin, spin, spin.









My little boppy girl. We had to put the rocker and a few of your other baby things away this month as you are starting to outgrow them. A little comparison maybe? To how tiny you were when you first were sleeping here?








Baby girl. Eight months seems so old! Sigh. Can't you just quit growing? Pretty please?

Ch-ch-ch-changes

My day as I had planned it:

Clean the house in the morning.
Burn CDs and print schedules.
Back to back afternoon meetings for new volunteers.
Home to shower and change.
Fabulous (free!) date night dinner out.

My day as it happened:

Wake up feeling yucky.
Lay on the bathroom floor.
Lay on the couch.
Lay on the bed.
Nap.
Lay on the bed.
Eat a couple crackers.
Lay on the bed.
Lay on the couch.
Drink some Sprite.
Go to bed.

Good thing hubby was home to be super dad all day.

Monday Morning Schedule

7:30 am Baby wakes up
Daddy goes down and plays with baby on the floor while Mama sleeps a little longer to offset the many wakings from the night.

9:30 am Baby takes a nap
Mama & Daddy take a nap too. It was a long weekend.

10:00 am Get up from nap and make breakfast and coffee.

11:00 am Baby wakes up from nap. Stay in jammies and lay on the floor to play with Baby.

1:15 pm Baby takes a nap. Mama decides to change out of her jammies.

2:00 pm Baby wakes up from nap and plays in the bathroom while Daddy takes a shower and Mama makes lunch. Thinks about doing the dishes and cleaning the house and putting away the piles of laundry. Puts it off for a little while longer.

Yep, it's still morning around here. Gotta love a Sabbath Monday. Especially after a very long week and a very busy weekend. Happy Monday, friends.

Please Do Not Disturb

Though I work in a very large facility, it can still be rather difficult to find a good spot during then day when I need to, um, "make baby food."

For a while I was using the nursery. It makes sense, that's where I feed her on the weekends anyway. However, the chairs in the nursing room are designed for nursing. Or so I surmise. The top of the chair is angled so that you MUST be looking down at your child at all times. Personally, I find this quite uncomfortable. Even more so when I am not actually holding a baby. So I went looking for a new place to sit.

Most of our classrooms have only kid-sized chairs. Many of the doors are only half-doors and therefore offer limited privacy.

The church has wifi and I tote my laptop with me to answer emails or work on my scheduling, planning or music stuff. After a bit of trial and error, I finally found a good room that is rarely used, has a full door, grown-up chairs to sit in and a table to set my laptop up.

All was going well until one fateful Tuesday.

There I am, minding my own business, typing and pumping away when the door opens. I keep my back to the door and all is safely covered, but nonetheless I was rather startled and hurriedly asked the older gentleman standing in the doorway,

"Can I help you?"

"We have a meeting in here at noon."

I look at my watch. It is 11:45.

"Ok," I say. "I'll be out in just a minute."

He leaves and I turn to quickly finish and start putting all of my equipment away. The door opens again. Ahhh!

"Can you please wait until I come out?" I ask as patiently as possible while being rather frustrated and quite discombobulated.

The door closes again.

As I leave, there are at least three older gentlemen now milling about in the hallway. I hear a rather huffy, "thanks," as I tucked my head down and hurried back to my office.

Honestly, I don't think any of them knew what I was doing in there. Most likely, they just thought I was on my computer taking up their meeting room.

Shortly thereafter, I approached our HR director and asked for a bit of advice. Firstly, there should be a posted sign outside the door for when the room is scheduled to be in use. If I had known of the meeting, I would have chosen another location to lactate.

Secondly, she recommended my making a little sign of my own to post on the door.

If you work with me, you already are aware that I have need of a bit of privacy a couple times a day. Hopefully, if my little sign is displayed it will detract anyone else from just popping in. Hopefully.

A Sigh of Epic Proportions

Every working mother knows the frustration and stress and worry of where to put her child in day care. I only work part time and a good half of those hours are spent during church services. My girl can happily play in the nursery with several fabulous and professional baby-holders while I go about my job.

After 7 months of having my dearest friend care for Randall during the one day a week I'm in the office, I faced the weighty task of finding someone new. Of course, this would also come smack dab in the middle of her starting the joy of separation anxiety!

For a couple weeks, she was going to a girl who I knew from church and who also watched another good friend's baby. Unfortunately, starting this week, she is full on the day I need a spot.

I had two other good leads of highly recommended caregivers, but one of them ended up being full and the other doesn't do single day positions.

A couple days later, I got a number of another girl whom I know and who nannies full-time but also takes on babysitting and might work out.

No dice. She had just picked up that "one more" child she could watch.

From one of my original leads, I was given the number and website of the local daycare organization. While I knew there were probably tons of great places on that list, the thought of going from taking my daughter to my best friend to taking her to someone I didn't know at all sent me to tears instantly. It still makes me tear up.

The stress was mounting in my heart. I knew that God had the right person in mind to take care of my princess, but I felt as though time was running out and I just didn't know what to do. Several friends and coworkers were praying diligently for me as we all knew it just isn't feasible for me to bring her to work on a regular basis.

We've brought her in a couple times and Andy carries on his morning meeting in the nursery while playing with blocks and balls, then I take the afternoon shift and try to do my work while she naps or plays in a jumper. It doesn't really make for the most productive of days, I'll be honest.

I called a couple other girlfriends and asked where they took their kids. If I could at least find somewhere that someone I knew was going, it would lighten my concerns considerably. One girl said that the Salvation Army, (where her husband works) has child care and both she and her son (as well as another family we know) love it. I took down the number and was immediately feeling more peaceful just knowing a good option was available.

Before I even got a chance to call them, my other girlfriend replied via Facebook to my message. She asked a couple questions and I got the impression that she might be interested. A little while later, she sent me a message saying she wanted to take on the job!

We have been in a couples' small group together for over five years. I've watched her raise her daughter and know her and her family very well. She's a teacher and loves kids. She quit last spring to raise her daughter and son (who is exactly one month older than Randall) and decided to help her family income with childcare.

We basically are answering each other's prayers.

I don't ever doubt that God will come through with my every need. But I still take all of the worry onto myself as if somehow I don't believe it. In the grand scheme, this isn't a monumental situation. In my heart though, it is enormous.

Tomorrow is her first day. Her bag is packed and her bottles are full. It's like the first day of school and I'll probably cry when I drop her off. Her little arms outstretched and her sad face as I leave. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she will be in loving hands. And that is worth all the stress and fear. I will work diligently tomorrow to pay for that childcare, but I won't worry about my girl at all.