I Found It Interesting...Plus One

Leo - One Month

2012-02-02T21:22:00.006-05:00

It so doesn't seem like Leo has been here for a month already! This might be because he still sleeps a lot during the day and while I don't actually forget he's there, the attention tends to go to his louder, older brother rather than to the sweet sleeping baby. Although he still sleeps for much of the day, we do have short periods of awake time each day. He looks around and takes everything in - especially lights, shadows and ceiling fans. Also, the other day he smiled at me for the first time! Intentional first smiles are one of those super special baby things that I love and his were so fun to witness - all coy and lovey.

The life of the second child is vastly different than the firstborn. Leo has been carted around to playgrounds, numerous trips to the library and to various recreation classes. Sometimes I wear him in the sling or Moby wrap and sometimes he hangs out in his stroller. He prefers to be worn. If in the car seat carrier, we must keep moving or he can begin to get a little fussy. As busy as he is though, Leo also gets the benefit of having a more experienced set of parents. We are much more confident in our baby handling and care. Plus, Leo gets Milo! The other day when we dipped Leo in Milo's tub and called it a bath (see second born and not getting elaborate baths in the kitchen sink), Leo was crying and without our asking, Milo reached over and held his hand.

When I think of Leo, the word sweet comes to mind. He is just a sweet a little bundle of baby. I steal moments of cuddle time with him first thing in the morning and before bed. Sometimes I let Milo watch one more episode of Thomas than is probably wise so that I can spend more cuddle time on the couch with Leo. In these cuddly moments, I get a deep sense of Leo's sweet personality and wise ways. Maybe that's why it seems like he has been here for longer than a month, in some ways I think I have known him all my life.

A few random things about Leo:

He has the sweetest little lips. They are often pursed in a little kissy pout that is hard to resist.
At this point, he wakes about 2 or 3 times per night to eat. He is still sleeping in a pack and play in our room.
At his two-week check up he had gained 13 ounces for the previous week. The doctor took this to mean breastfeeding is going well. Actually, though I think he has some latch issues which we are working to correct.
He has outgrown some of his newborn clothes and is mostly wearing 3 month outfits.
His right is the side he prefers to look to, but he can be coerced to look the other direction.

Sam the Cat

2012-01-31T09:16:00.004-05:00

When I was a junior in high school, two friends and I went shopping for costumes to wear for an upcoming play. Next door to the discount store happened to be an animal shelter so we stopped in to visit the cats. There I met the sweetest white with a gray tipped tail cat. He meowed at me and upon being taken out of his cage, put either paw on the side of my neck and gave me a huge cat hug. The next day I returned to the cat shelter with my Mom. Sam the cat returned with us to our house.

Over the years, Sam worked his way into all of our hearts with his quircky cat ways. Never the smartest cat, he was, however, sweet and gentle and funny. The first days he lived with us, he would follow me around (even jumping on my back when I would lean over to put my contacts in). Years later, after I left for college and then eventually moved out of my parents house, Sam became less my cat and more theirs. When I would return home to feed him while they were on vacations, Sam would yell at me and lead me to their room as if to say "they are not here - where have then gone and when are they coming home to me".

Last week, Sam's continued decline (he wasn't eating, couldn't jump onto furniture and was just looking miserable) led my Mom to make the tough decision to call the vet and have him put to sleep. Clearly, we were all very sad about this. As soon as I heard the news though, I was worried about Milo. Milo and Sam, although having a rough beginning, had struck a truce and developed a close friendship (if somewhat one sided). Milo often talked about Sam and would bring toys to show him. Sam tolerated the pets and hugs and chases around the house.

When Milo asked about seeing Sam this week, we had to say he was dead. The word sounded so harsh - dead, died, gone, not coming back. It's no wonder adults cling to the nicer ways of talking about death - passed away, moved on, resting. The finality of the words we chose to use with Milo are tough to swallow. He was quite upset about and had a lot of questions about where Sam went and why. We didn't have great answers.

The First Two Weeks

2012-01-17T19:29:00.002-05:00

I just put up my 2012 calendar. It seems the last two weeks have been a little busy around here. I'm old-fashioned in that I like a hard copy of a calendar with pretty pictures to uncover each month.

Much has happened in these first days of 2012. I turned 34. I gave birth. Leo entered the world. Milo became a big brother. Chris moved up to number 1 in Milo's eyes. Milo and Leo held hands for the first time. I managed to get all three of us out of the house. I forgot how much time is spent nursing a newborn and then remembered how perfectly that little body settles into my arms. I have laughed, cried and smiled. I tried dancing in the kitchen. I've insisted on more hugs from my boys than I usually would. Milo got a haircut. Leo went to the park for the first time thanks to some unseasonably warm temperatures. It seems like we have always been a family of four. It seems like everything is brand new.

Some of these milestones will earn a scribble on the calendar. Most won't, but I will write those others on my heart.

Leo is Here!

2012-01-10T15:33:00.004-05:00

Our new little guy is one week old today! He is currently sleeping in the bouncer (that big brother Milo so loved as an infant) in the middle of the kitchen floor while I sit typing this at the kitchen table. Chris is upstairs putting Milo down for a nap. Tomorrow Chris goes back to work and I need to learn to handle life with two little boys. So before we ratchet up the crazy times, I wanted to take a moment to sit down and record Leo's birth story.

Last Monday was the holiday after New Year's Day. Chris was home and we met some friends at a bounce place. After a few false starts there, Milo had a great time and was worn out when we got home. We all had a nice nap and I was feeling mostly fine. Later that night we went to the grocery store for dinner and to do a big stock up trip. I was starting to feel a little crampy with all the walking around the store, but otherwise fine. After heading to bed, I woke up with slight contractions around midnight. I was able to stay in bed for most of these, but around 2 a.m. I headed downstairs and popped on Facebook since I couldn't sleep anyway. I noticed my brother was on messenger, so I sent him a message saying to keep his phone on that night because my contractions were getting stronger. After that, I woke Chris up to tell him I thought I was in labor.

We stayed upstairs for a few hours before moving down to the living room and eventually calling the doula around 4 a.m. She came over and helped me through the contractions I was having. She also suggested some positioning moves (lunges mostly) to help the baby move from resting on my right side (which if he would have stayed there would have meant a posterior baby). After working through these exercises, we noticed the baby had moved which was a relief. Around 6 a.m. I decided to head to the hospital. I didn't want to be home when Milo woke up and I was certain I was in active labor and wanted to get the show on the road.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I was admitted and found to be at 5 or 6 centimeters dilated. After the paperwork and getting the IV in place (ouch), I moved to the tub and labored there for about an hour. The water at first really helped the pain of the contractions, but then it stopped having such an effect. After deciding to get out of the tub and finding I was 7 centimeters dilated, I opted for an epidural. I was in pain and tired and just wanted to rest.

After the epidural I fell asleep for an hour or so. Thankfully, my body kept contracting and the baby was happy. A resident came in a broke my water, after which I quickly progressed to the complete 10 centimeters. At this point, I was wondering if the epidural could be turned down a bit. It seems my body responds a bit too well to this medication because I couldn't feel a thing. The answer was no, it couldn't really be turned down.

I started pushing around 3:30. My doctor came in and said the baby's head was coming out crooked and it would be tough to deliver him. He suggested using the vacuum. I opted to keep pushing for a bit, but ultimately agreed to the intervention. With that help, Leo was delivered at 4:28 p.m. He came out screaming and squirmy. I was able to immediately hold him for quite a long time.

Overall, this birth experience was 100% better than Milo's. I felt more in control, more respected and more at ease the entire time. Are there things I would go back and change if I could? Sure, but since the outcome was so positive, I am just thrilled with how it all went. The recovery, both emotionally and physically, has been so much easier this time around.

Why the differences? Being a second time Mom probably had a lot to do with it. This wasn't all brand new to me. My birth team definitely had something to do with. Choosing a Dr who was supportive of VBAC was key. Changing hospital environments also seemed to have an impact. Hiring a doula to be a supportive influence was also a dramatic change for the better. And finally, I think having a stronger yoga practice helped me be more aware of my body and my ground.

Little Leo is a joy. Well, I think he is a joy. At this point he mostly sleeps. And eats. Milo, as expected, is a loving and sweet big brother. We are all enjoying bonding and getting to know our little lion.

New Year!

2012-01-01T15:13:00.002-05:00

When I look back over this last year, it seems like a blur. Spending most of it pregnant and with a very busy two-year-old made for a really busy time. Add in the yoga training and I spent a lot of time trying to fit things in and just make it through days. This doesn't mean it was a bad year at all - in fact it was overall a really positive year, but it did seem rushed.

With these overall ideas in mind, I've come up with a few goals for 2012. Some of them will seem familiar from past years!

Rededicate myself to my personal yoga practice. By the end of training, I was a little burned out (plus I was 8 months pregnant) and my yoga practice has been rather non-existent as of late. Bottom line is I like myself more and feel way better when I practice regularly so I am going to get back into it. Also, my own personal practice will lead me into who I will become as a teacher.
Give myself more time when leaving the house. We are constantly rushing around and hurrying to get out the door - and are still often late for outings, play dates and appointments. This causes stress and much more yelling than I would like. It's going to be even harder with a baby. So on mornings when I know we need to be somewhere, I am going to streamline, stay positive and make it happen.
Speak more positively to the people in my life. Yell and snip less. They are worth it.
Blog more. I miss having the record of what is going on in our lives and I'm going to blog more so I have that account of everyday happenings and my thoughts.
Continue to cut down on clutter. We are all so much more peaceful when we have a clear living space.

Big Boy

2011-12-29T21:01:00.003-05:00

Milo is currently getting tucked into his big boy room for the first time tonight. I realize the parenting "experts" say this important step should have been done months before the new baby's arrival and not, as in our case, weeks or perhaps days. Still we are feeling a huge sense of accomplishment in that the room is ready and the baby is still in my belly. Now we just have to hope the adjustment goes well. He is very excited about the big boy room and bed (a twin sized one which he looks adorably itty bitty in), so I am crossing my fingers that it will go well.

In celebration of the big boy room, I wanted to jot down a few quick notes about our big boy before our little guy makes his appearance.

He's a lover that one. A friend told me today that yesterday at a play date, he stopped playing and told her he was just going to go check on a baby in the group. He went and stood at the baby's bassinet, said hello and returned to playing. Likewise, he has been very protective and sweet of me lately. I was taking a rest yesterday and he came up to check on how I was doing, he petted my arm and said feel better Mommy.
He talks quite well now. I can almost always understand him and others are starting to not have a tough time with it either. Of course pronouns and verb tenses sometimes trip up. I often hear do instead of does / my instead and I and vice versa. One of my favorite language mess ups I hear is that he always says "I love you too" even when he initiates the phrase.
Milo, for all his sweetness, is also stubborn. There are times when it is far, far easier to just give in rather than battle with his strong will. There are also times when his stubbornness is quite amazing to watch. We have a ladder that leads to our attic. He loves to go up, but is scared to come down. One night, we watched as proved to himself he could climb back down that ladder. Even if he was crying and fighting us the whole way, he was going to do it. And he did.
The stubbornness also means that potty training is commencing on his own terms. If he decides when and where he sits on the potty, things go quite well. If we suggest it, there is quickly a fight. So he's about a quarter of the way potty trained. We've had some great moments and some not so great moments. I'm not pushing it too much as I know there is likely to be regression once the baby is born.
Milo's favorite toys right now are Thomas the Train items. He loves the books, DVDs and all variety of trains. He often races around the house pretending to be Belle the fire engine train and will assign us train roles as well. I know more about the Island of Sodor than I ever thought I would.
He is also very much into Buzz Lightyear and to a lesser degree Toy Story. His Buzz jammies remain his favorite. In fact, we just bought the next size up because the first pair had not only seen better days, but also was getting too small. He's wearing these new jammies in his new room tonight.

I am so excited to see Milo take on the role of big brother. He has so much love and a keen sense of adventure to share with the little one. Each morning, Milo comes into my bed for a little cuddle. He will often say "so Mommy what we do today" and if I don't have an answer, he will have a suggestion. And that's just one more thing I love about him.

Another Christmas on the Books

2011-12-25T20:58:00.003-05:00

I've said before that I often get a holiday hangover of sorts following the big Christmas celebration. This year, the feeling that I somehow messed up Christmas crept up on me before Christmas day even transpired. I was up late on Christmas Eve night, not putting together toys or finishing up details for breakfast the next morning, but ordering jammies. Matching pajamas for next year. For all of us. At 11:30 on Christmas Eve. While putting Milo to bed, I realized I never bought the requisite winter / Christmas pajamas for Christmas morning and it bothered me.

It also bothered me that we didn't put up a tree until the afternoon of Christmas Eve. And even then the tree didn't get ornaments - just lights and a star. It did the job, sure, but it was missing the magic.

I think the magic, is what I was missing last night on Christmas Eve. Of course, the magic wasn't missing for Milo. He was still excited to spend lots of time with us, Pa, GG and his uncles. He excitedly opened presents and played with new toys (big on Cars, Toy Story and Thomas the Train this year). For both nap and bedtime he requested bringing new toys to bed with him and I know he feels like one lucky and loved little boy (he so is).

Being two weeks away from having a baby on Christmas is exhausting. I couldn't do as much as I wanted to. We moved the Christmas day celebration from our house back to my parents. I'm glad we were still able to spend the day together, but I missed taking the burden off of them for a day.

We're still en flux figuring out our own holiday traditions - where do we go, who do we go with, where is Santa in all this, what about the reason for the season. Each year I feel like we put the puzzle pieces together a bit more. Some things have to go, but the really important parts stay.

Next year will be all different all over again. We'll have two kiddos to share the excitement and love with. And matching jammies for our family.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you and yours felt the magic and enjoyed your time together.

Christmas Thoughts

2011-12-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

I have mentioned before how I am a little ambivalent about the whole Christmas thing. I mean I like the lights and holiday specials on television, but the overall consumerist nightmare gets to me. Plus, while I am vaguely religious, Chris really isn't anymore. So it doesn't even make sense in our house to focus on the birth of Jesus as the reason for the season. If anything, I can get down with the Solstice - celebrating the return of light over darkness, yes, please (and this thought of course can be carried over into the nativity story). Santa is a whole different issue. I don't feel right about totally ignoring him - he's everywhere, but we're not into the whole naughty and nice thing either.

Milo has seemed to pick up on all these mixed emotions and messages. Thinking it would be a good segue into Christmas, I bought an Elf on the Shelf book and figurine. At first Milo was excited about it, but as we started reading the book together his face got darker and darker until he ripped the book out of Chris' hands and threw it. What was I thinking? Milo doesn't like Santa and here we were reading him a book about an Elf who was going to live with us and spy on him in order to report back to Santa. It's messed up.

Today another Christmas hang up happened. We were grocery shopping when Milo saw a train set. Ensue 35 minutes of crying his eyes about wanting the train. I tried to patiently explain we weren't getting it. He would hopefully cry that maybe we would get it next time. And then the cashier said maybe he would get it on Christmas if he was good. Seriously?

So now Christmas is all about getting presents and according to Milo it is also when Buzz Lightyear comes. So, yep, I think that pretty covers my thoughts on the matter.

Stationery card

2011-12-08T15:29:00.002-05:00

Extra Sweet Tidings Holiday Card

Create custom Christmas cards this holiday at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

This is one of the three holiday cards I designed (and will maybe send out) this year. I love online cards and found this one to be especially "sweet" with Milo's little face showing how proud he was of making the gingerbread house.

Catching Up

2011-11-27T15:59:00.002-05:00

It seems like this fall has flown right by. There are a couple of reasons for that:

I am pregnant (right now 34 weeks so). I had forgotten how pregnancy is a kind of time warp of keeping track of weeks, frequent doctor's appointments and lots of glorious naps. We're (baby and I) both doing well. Baby is measuring right on target and has been head down for the last several appointments. I might be in a little bit of denial about just HOW pregnant I am. For the longest time and still occasionally I keep thinking, but I'm not all that far along. Now, I'm that far along - we only have six weeks to go!
During this time I completed my yoga training. This has long been a goal of mine and I am so proud of myself for finishing it. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow as a teacher, but the first major step is done. The year-long training experience was amazing - a wonderful opportunity for personal growth and reflection. I had moments of doubt throughout, but I am so glad I did it.
We have done several really fun family things this fall - hiking in southeast Ohio, pumpkin picking, apple picking, days at various parks and fall festivals. Milo is such a joy right now. He's easy going and fun. He can communicate and reason. It's been a great season together.

So that has been our fall - it's been a beautiful season in both the literal sense and the this time of our life sense.

A Real Mom

2011-10-04T15:53:00.003-04:00

Despite my rather pregnant belly and my daily workout of chasing a two-year-old, there are still times I don't feel like a real mom. I sometimes say the wrong thing, I forget to remind the kiddo to wash his hands, I don't care if his clothes are stained and we stopped for chicken nuggets and fries on the way home from the zoo today. I suspect a real mom would always know just the right thing to say and would be prepared with antibac for hands, a change of clothes and a packed nutritious lunch.

Then today Milo came running out of his room at nap time with a stricken look on his face and his most favorite friend Baby Bunny in his hand. In his other hand was Bunny's ear. I tried to stay calm, but in my head I was screaming OMG Baby Bunny is DEAD. I gently took Milo's hand and got him back in bed. I told him I would take good care of Bunny while he slept and Bunny would be all fixed when he woke up.

Being the only person home, it was up to me to perform the Bunny surgery. Even though I briefly thought of taking Bunny to my own Mom and having her do the stitching, I knew I was the one who would find the needle, thread it and make Bunny as good as new. Milo was trusting me to make everything better because that's what moms do.

The stitches are neither small nor even, but the ear is back on and Bunny looks almost back to normal. When Milo wakes up from his nap, he'll have his best buddy back to cuddle with. And I'll have the realization that maybe I am more of a real mom than I thought.

Busy? Yep.

2011-10-03T21:57:00.003-04:00

As I am listening to the sounds of very silly and very happy laughter waft down from before bed stories (it's 10 p.m. - go to sleep already!), I am reflecting on how crazy our lives are, but how much fun too.

I am also designing either Halloween or Thanksgiving cards on Snapfish. I can't decide between the two holidays. On the one hand, we have much to celebrate and be thankful for and Thanksgiving seems the more momentous of holidays. On the other hand, I love Halloween and it seems the more lighthearted of the holidays. We are certainly lighthearted.

Summer has come and gone in a blur and Autumn promises to be just as busy. By the time Christmas rolls around, we'll be ready to welcome our new addition. It all seems so fast and yet there are so many sweet moments making up our days. Hugs and kisses and tickles and giggles. Sometimes I want to freeze time and other times I want to speed it up. And sometimes I just want to take a nap.

Labor Day Thoughts

2011-09-05T16:30:00.003-04:00

This Labor Day has dawned cool and cloudy, which is a big change from just Saturday where we were happily splashing in the water on a 90+ degree day. I guess summer really is giving up her fight and moving on out. I usually love Autumn - the cool days, fun activities and sweet tastes are right up my alley. This year, however, I feel myself holding on a little more to summer and not quite ready for it to end.

We've had a great season of vacation and play dates in the park. Of family walks in the evening and ice cream cones on the playground. We've blown bubbles and played in the sand and just enjoyed the time spent together.

I know summer will come again and we'll find new delights, but this is the end of this summer, this season marked by just one toddler boy. I'm not totally sure what our life next summer will look like - we'll have a three-year old getting ready for preschool and an infant just learning to sit up. I'm sure it will be sweet, but it won't be quite the same.

So tonight, we'll pull our camp chairs around the backyard fire pit and talk about our favorite things of this summer and what we're looking forward to doing in the next season.

Boys, Boys, Boys

2011-08-29T16:55:00.003-04:00

Last week's (actually, two weeks ago, eesh time is speeding by) ultrasound revealed there is a healthy, flexible and quite possibly stubborn little boy growing in my belly. My little yoga baby was curled up with legs crossed in lotus position facing my back and unwilling to move around. We couldn't see much other than his spine, but at one point the technician could get a clear indication that the baby was a boy. Next month will be another ultrasound to just make sure everything we couldn't see (heart, brain) is looking good. We'll get confirmation of the boy parts then, but I am not expecting it to change.

I wasn't surprised to hear the baby is a boy, but it still threw me for a loop. On some level, I thought since I already have a boy that I would just naturally have a girl next. It clearly doesn't work that way. I'm also not disappointed to be having a boy. I love being a boy mama to Milo and can't wait for this little guy to join in on our adventures. And I have a feeling there are going to be plenty of adventures waiting for my little men and me to discover.

A Lost Balloon

2011-08-10T15:08:00.002-04:00

I have found that good days often follow bad days. Yesterday was a tough day. It had me Googleing search terms such as "2.5 year old doesn't listen" while Chris put Milo to bed. My searches suggested this is a totally normal phase and setting clear boundaries should help. I went to bed after reading that.

The extra sleep must have helped because today was much better. We visited a new park, had lunch out and Milo even did great getting a haircut. Then on the way out of the car to go in the house, Milo let of the string to the balloon he got at the haircut place. We watched it float away into the sky and then the tears started. Real, wet, large tears streaming down his face. Accompanied by screaming that he needed his haircut balloon back. We held hands as we set off down the street to look for the balloon. I, of course, knew it was gone, but Milo held onto hope that we would find it. At that moment, I would have given him 100 white balloons with blue ribbons, but he only wanted his one and it was gone.

I'm sure there are all types of metaphors I can draw on for the lost balloon: freedom, innocence, childhood itself. But sometimes a lost balloon is just a lost balloon. And sometimes it reminds you that good and bad days happen, but ultimately everything just floats away.

Things I Have Been Neglecting to Blog About

2011-08-05T14:03:00.003-04:00

The baby I'll be having in January.
The small amount of uneasiness I am feeling about most likely finding out the gender of this baby in two weeks.
What a super (and busy) summer we are having.
The (sorry) state of our garden this year.
How my yoga training program is going.
Books I have read.
Things I have cooked.

Now that I have a list to work off of, I'll try to get back in the blogging game.

Milo Month 28 Update

2011-07-21T16:02:00.002-04:00

Milo right now is a bundle of little guy sweetness in a package of skinned knees and farmer's tanned arms. He is getting to be a bigger and busier boy each and every day, but he still has time to cuddle and hug.

Since returning from vacation, he's talking more and more in relatively complete sentences and with thoughtful ideas. I find it intriguing that he understands the concept of a synonym. If I don't understand what he is saying phonetically, he will sometimes repeat it using other words. I love this. Over lunch each day we talk about what we have done and have actual conversations.

In other growing up news, Milo has ceased using the binky in the car. Now it is only confined to sleep times. I'm proud of him for the car step and won't be pushing him to stop using his "ba" to sleep anytime soon.

Lately, each evening we have been spending some time outside getting nice and sweaty playing ball before heading in for bath time. This is a great way to burn off some energy at the end of the day. While it is great Milo is so curious and has so much energy, this sometimes means he is darting off when he's not supposed to be. I'm trying to find more appropriate ways for him to redirect this energy. It is keeping us busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Back to Reality

2011-07-12T21:08:00.005-04:00

We spent all last week in Florida where we swam in the ocean, dug in the sand and laughed ourselves silly. Part of the reason for getting the mini-van was in preparation for the 18 hour trip to southwest Florida. The ease that it made traveling totally made up for any angst Milo and I felt making the switch. We were able to spread out, watch DVDs and enjoy a quiet ride. It made two days each way in the car with a two-year-old not so bad.

Once at our location, we had a simply lovely time. I was really hesitant to travel with Milo last year, but this year went quite smoothly and we all had a great time. It probably helped that he is a year older and a bit more flexible with his routine, but I think the key was having reinforcements with us. Some of Milo's favorite people (and mine too) were on the trip with us and between the five of us there was always someone to entertain and or keep Milo from walking off the end of the pier.

Some random things about our trip:

Have you seen a baby sea turtle? I love them. I almost turtle napped one from the aquarium we visited. Poor little guys only have a 1 in 1000 chance of survival.
Toddlers can evidently live on fries alone. And ketchup too of course.
Milo started really talking during the trip. He picked up tons of new words and was less shy about using them. There was so much to see and do and so many people around to talk with that he just got right down to it.
Part of this meant he wanted to order his own dinner when we go out at a night. FRIES please.
At one restaurant, he so charmed the people around us that whole tables would wave and tell him goodbye upon leaving.
The Gulf of Mexico is one of my favorite bodies of water. Milo jumped right in and would happily proclaim himself to be FLOATING while splashing around with his swimmies on.
We had a breakthrough in sleeping arrangements on this trip. Milo has never when traveling wanted to sleep anywhere but with me, but this time he slept on his own little cot and was quite pleased about it.
I already miss the beach and all of our family time spent together.

Changes

2011-06-24T18:31:00.002-04:00

We bought a new car last night. Not just a new car, but a new type of car. We are now a mini-van driving family. It's a big change and it is taking a bit of getting used to. On the one hand, it's just a vehicle. A roomier way to get us to the park. On the other hand, mini-vans have become a symbol of the suburban family running from soccer practice to martial arts. I'm not ready to say I am a card carrying member of that group yet.

Still the new car is nice and I welcome the change. My two-year-old though isn't so sure. He thoroughly enjoyed the car shopping experience. There were toys and one dealership even had a swank built in play center! He didn't seem to quite grasp that our car wasn't going to be coming home with us though and when that became clear there were big fat tears. He wanted the green car back. I can't blame him really. The green car was the only car he has ever known. We took him home from the hospital in it. I almost yelled deal off, buckled him in his seat and took off, but I blinked back my tears and explained it's okay to be sad about the things we are used to when they are gone, but change is good too.

I understood his reaction. I often say I like change, but the truth is I like change about two months after the fact. In my head I might say change is good, change is positive, all we have is the present moment and that is constantly en flux. But in my heart, I am closer to a crying two-year-old who likes what he knows and isn't ready for a change.

We're both much better today. And we'll be totally on-board with the plan in two months. Change is all we have.

Summer, Summer, Summer

2011-06-16T16:04:00.001-04:00

Although it's not technically summer yet, we have been so enjoying some of the best the season has to offer. An early heat wave brought plenty of opportunity for wet fun. We visited fountains and played in the sprinkles. Some of Milo's buddies came over for a fun morning of baby pools and Popsicles.

We've also been riding our bikes quite a bit this summer. We finally decided on and bought a bike seat to attach to Chris' bike and Milo has been enjoying our rides. Last Sunday was such a nice day that we kept riding past our usual park destination and rode downtown for a trip to the Santa Maria and lunch at Tip Top. Totally unplanned fun!

I just realized today is the 16th! So here are some quick Milo things:

Milo adores both of our phones. He plays some counting games on them as well as the light saber app. I also often find him pretending to talk to people on the phone - usually Pa. He will say Hallo. How you today? Good. Bye.
Our radio listening in the car is typically NPR news. So Milo wanders around saying: Milo with NPR news. I kind of love this.
Although Milo is for the most part a pretty adventorous eater, he did tell me "no eat kohlrabi, it yucky" the other day. His favorite food continues to be French fries. Preferably from Wendy's. Oye.

Gender Bender

2011-05-26T17:56:00.003-04:00

Probably due to this couple who are trying to raise their 5 month old as genderless, I have been thinking about gender a lot lately. While I want to be sympathetic to the parents of this child, I think rather than making it not about gender, they are making it ALL about gender by withholding the information of whether their baby is a boy or girl.

I agree there is so much more to know about a person rather than boy or girl and as a society we are too focused on boy or girl behaviors, but by not telling people what the baby is it makes it all about the gender issue. When you a meet a baby you typically know the gender either by name or dress or other parental clue-in and once that is out of the way, then you have the opportunity to learn their favorite toy, how they like to be held and whether or not they like applesauce. By withholding that gender identity, the focus is totally on boy or girl because as humans we like to compartmentalize.

With Milo we've tried to walk a middle line in the gender issue. We didn't find out his gender before birth so for the first several months of his life he wore a lot of green and yellow, but he is now rocking out golf shirts and little boy shorts. He is allowed to pick out his toys and activities. So blocks, cooking things, tea sets all get a thumbs up from him. Cars, trucks and army men not so much. Recently at a store with a giant display of backyard play balls, he picked out pink as the one he wanted to take home. I hesitated briefly and then went with it. We now also have a purple ball. Both are typically girl colors, but a boy toy. Regardless, we have plenty of fun chasing then around the grass.

It's sometimes a tightrope walk this bringing up a child in a gender-crazed society. As parents we want to allow for freedom, nurture a healthy identity and provide the message that boys and girls are equal. We also want to make sure our children are happy, well-adjusted and accepted for who they are. Whoever that turns out to be, because there is more to a person than gender.

Milo May Update

2011-05-19T13:59:00.003-04:00

Here we go again...although I had every intention of quitting these updates after 2 years, I have decided to keep going. I will be doing them in a different format and I think the picture might just be a recent snapshot rather than posing with the sign, but we'll see how it evolves.

Things I super heart love about Milo this month:

He's been saying "oh" quite a bit. "Oh" as in if I tell him where his fork is and it just dawns on him. Oh.
Milo is super sweet. At gymnastics when a friend fell down, Milo extended a hand to help him up and said "Otay Augie?". I was so proud.
He is also a good sharer (for the most part). If another child asks for a turn with a toy, Milo will always pretty much hand it over. This is why it irritates to me no end when bigger kids just grab from him. He looks up with hurt eyes and wonders why they did that.

Milo's Favorites this month:

Since we have reintroduced dairy to him this kid can't get enough cheese. Cheese, please.
Being outside is still a favorite and being outside at a park is even more fun. Yesterday he asked to go to the Red Park. It was interesting he had a specific park in mind and gave it his own name.
Milo had a cold this week and we've been watching way too much television. He has switched from watching Nick Jr. to watching the Disney Junior line-up. The Pirate show and Mickey Mouse Club house are the new favorites.

A Lovely Soup

2011-05-03T14:06:00.004-04:00

Cooking for family and nurturing through food is a long tradition in my lineage. For this reason, I am so pleased Milo is an adventurous eater, is constantly playing kitchen, and also often helps me cook. Yesterday he was standing on a chair at the counter as I was making soup for dinner. We were adding spices, prepping veggies and chopping ingredients. In the midst of all this work, he gently rested his little head on my upper arm and said love. I'm not totally sure if he meant he loved me, he loved cooking or he just loved eating Pa's sausage, but I'll take any of the above and it was an incredibly sweet moment. It seems cooking together is as meaningful to me as it is to him.

Lovely Soup

2 links spicy sausage

1/2 onion diced

4 cups cooked white beans

3 carrots chopped

3 stalks of celery chopped

1/2 zucchini chopped

1 carton low sodium chicken broth

1 bunch kale, torn from stems and rinsed

Spices to taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes

Saute sausage and onion together until onions are translucent and sausage is no longer pink. Add beans, carrots, celery and spices. Cook for 10 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Cook for 1 hour. Add zucchini and cook for at least 10 minutes and then add kale 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a grilled cheese sandwich on a cool and rainy day in May.

Earth Day

2011-04-23T21:18:00.006-04:00

Last week we trudged down the street and through the rain to a little local park to help plant trees for Earth Day. We ended up planting the trees in the woods between the river and the bike path in order to crowd out invasive plant species. The morning turned out to be great fun and Milo was a great helper. As a thank you for volunteering we received coupons for free Jeni's ice cream at an Earth Day celebration today, also great yummy fun.

Each year (okay for the last two years) for Earth Day, I have given Milo an eco-themed picture book. Coincidentally these are Sesame Street published books and they are both huge hits here. Whether it is the familiar characters or the content of the books we have been reading Grover's 10 Terrific Tips and Plant a Tree for Me on repeat lately. (You should be able to find the Grover book in the Target dollar aisle and who knew the Muppets had their own wiki?)

In other earthy news, our pea sprouts are now ready to be planted outdoors, but I so loved them when they were wee little plants. I don't usually start seeds indoors, but this has been a great project to do with Milo. We water them, talk about their growth and what things they need to succeed and bear fruit - er veggies.

We've come a long way since this was our Earth Day message:

To Continue?

2011-04-20T14:56:00.002-04:00

So here it is, four whole days past the 16th and no month update has been posted. Although we have been busy and our sleep schedules seem to be undergoing another upheaval, this is mainly because I can't decide if I want to continue the monthly updates or not. On the one hand, I really like having the photograph each month and some written reminder of what Milo is doing and what we've been up to. On the other hand, I seem to be repeating myself quite a bit because at this age toddlers build on skills rather than come up with something totally new. If I do continue, I'll change the format a bit. I'm thinking bullet points and picture rather than a whole post each month and I'll stop counting by month (I can't imagine saying he is 25 months old - the boy is two, very two).

Go Ahead and Touch

2011-04-14T21:55:00.005-04:00

As the mother to a curious two-year-0ld, I spend a lot of time saying don't touch. I don't particularly like saying don't touch, but many things in life aren't for touching and some objects are just plain dangerous. So don't touch it is, at least most of the time. One afternoon after nap, I thought we would do an activity particularly made for touching and tactile exploration.

Several of the blogs I read are really into sensory boxes, so I thought I would give it a try. A sensory box is simply a container full of various textures - typically dry rice or beans and then whatever else you want to add (I used felted wool balls, quarters and larger beans amongst green split peas). To be honest, at first I really didn't see the point of these types of activities (plus I don't like the idea of food - no matter how cheap - going to waste). Milo wasn't a fan at first either, but the more we played and talked about the different objects we were feeling the more he liked it. The part he liked most though was getting a spoon and stirring it into a "soup" and then dividing into smaller bowls. While also an interesting activity, it didn't meet the goals of sensory, so I tried to direct him back to using his hands and searching for the different objects amongst the split peas.

All in all, it was a fun way to pass an hour, but I'm not sure sensory boxes will be a mainstay at our house. I'll keep trying to incorporate new textures and perhaps he'll come to like the activity more as he gets older. In the meantime, I am trying to think of a new craft to use all those split peas.

Meatless Dinners

2011-04-07T14:28:00.003-04:00

In late high school and college, I flirted with being a vegetarian. I didn't really like eating meat and when there was an option, I chose veggie, but I didn't go out of my way to be consistently vegetarian. Eventually I came to like meat and became more comfortable with preparing it so that meat is often consumed at our house. However, there are many people who believe you can't really be a yogi and eat meat (it goes against the principle of ahimsa or non-violence). I'm not ready to ditch the meat entirely, but it's not a coincidence that I planned two meatless dinners for us this week when coming off of a weekend spent at yoga teacher training. Here are those two meals:

Pasta and Kale and Olives

1 box whole wheat pasta cooked according to package directions

1 bunch kale

1 can of fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves

small container of pitted green olives from the grocery store olive bar, chopped

Parmesan cheese

olive oil

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add rinsed and chopped kale, tomatoes and olives. Steam covered until kale is softer and a more bright green color. Season to taste with salt, pepper, dried basil, red pepper flakes. Add cooked, drained pasta to pan, drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Top with grated cheese.

Verdict: Chris and I loved this one! So yummy and so simple. If you want more veggies, you can double the amount of kale. Milo happily ate a large serving of this and then asked for meat. He's a carnivore, that one.

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 can black beans or 2 cups cooked dried beans

1 cup taco sauce

1/2 cup salsa

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

Any desired add ins: frozen spinach, onion, corn

Flour tortillas

Cheddar cheese

Combine rice, beans, taco sauce, salsa and sweet potato (plus any add ins) in large pan. Cook until potato is tender adding liquid as needed, about 20 minutes. Spoon filling into tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish. Top with more taco sauce and desired amount of cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese is bubbly about 15 minutes.

Verdict: This is a hit here: we've been eating it almost once per week throughout the winter. I love that I can up the nutritional value by adding various ingredients and it keeps the dish from being the same each time. I've done this with corn tortillas also, but they don't stay together as well in the pan. The key to this recipe is having the rice already cooked. Typically if we have a stir fry with rice on Monday, it means we are going to be eating this on Wednesday because I just cook extra and save it.

So two nights of eating meatless this week means we're having cheeseburgers on the grill tonight!

Free Range Spring

2011-04-04T21:52:00.005-04:00

Last week the bright pansies Milo and I planted on Monday were covered in a surprisingly large amount of snow by Wednesday.

Today there was rain and thunderstorms. In between showers we pulled on rain boots and headed out back for puddle jumping and splashing. As long as Milo holds my hand, I let him play in the alley that runs behind and beside our house. The best puddles are there.

A woman walked by with a disapproving look and muttered how brave I was. Brave for letting my son play in the rain? For letting him be a kid and jump in water to see how it splashes around his feet? I don't think that qualifies as brave, just as a fun way to pass the hours on a rainy Spring morning.

Monkey Chatter

2011-03-29T16:12:00.006-04:00

My little boy is climbing back down the evolutionary path and acting positively primate like. He is a climbing machine! Up and down chairs, tables and any other structure that will hold still. On playgrounds he is reaching higher and higher heights.

A few months back I wondered why he was content to stay on the ground when his peers were already climbers. Clearly he was just biding time and improving his climbing skills because he is now scampering around tall platforms like it's his job. And scaring his Mama just a bit in the process.

****

In yoga we sometimes talk about the monkey chatter that takes place in every one's head. It's that feeling of voices in your head going from thought to thought to yet another thought. In some lights, yoga is a way to still those thoughts and instead focus on just one thought. It's harder to do than it seems and we all need practice at just being. We are not our thoughts and our thoughts are not us.

Sick House

2011-03-24T20:48:00.002-04:00

We capped off Milo's birthday party weekend with a Sunday night of him throwing up in our bed. It wasn't pretty and resulted in more than a few loads of laundry as sheets needed to be washed and jammies changed repeatedly. Milo had never thrown up before. Not only was it uncomfortable for him, but it seemed to scare him.

What I was hoping was an isolated incident - maybe he ate something off - turned out to be a week long virus that so far has gotten me, Chris and my Mom, too. I hope it stops there, but this bug seems to have some legs and knows how to get around.

Today was the first day any of us here really felt like eating. Chris went straight for a Graffiti Burger and fries. My stomach wasn't up to that, so Milo and I stuck with frozen waffles, apple sauce and soup.

We've all been drinking too much juice, watching way more Elmo than is appropriate and spending plenty of couch time cuddling. In fact, other than the whole throwing up part of it, I don't think Milo has minded being sick at all.

TWO!

2011-03-17T21:57:00.002-04:00

While this might look like a mug shot, the only thing Milo is guilty of is being a super cute and sweet little boy. I can't quite believe he is two! And, so far at least, two is great! Some special things to note about my two-year-old:

He gives the best hugs. Especially before bed, Milo is a very tight hugger. I love the feel of his little arms around my neck. He's also a fan of hugging his friends good bye. We're working on this because some of his friends are not huggers. He looks at them like they are crazy while I explain hugging isn't for everyone.
Milo is really enjoying craft activities. He loves to paint with water colors on his easel. Play dough is a super fun play treat. And watch out when I get out the glue, because Milo thinks it is wonderful to squeeze out.
Thanks to silly Uncle Tony, Milo now has a fondness for pirates. He thinks they are hilarious and will erupt into crazy giggles if we mention a pirate flag at the bottom of the ocean.
Milo is getting more concerned about others. He gets worried if Pa is coughing too much and asks if he is "otay." He also doesn't like it if I say ouch.
As always, Milo is very interested in feeding animals. Lately he has been offering every animal we see fries. Cooking is still Milo's favorite game.
My little climber is becoming more and more self assured on playgrounds. He can now use the ladder type apparatus which has me both proud and a little fearful. I don't need to follow him around on playgrounds anymore because he has a much clearer idea of sudden drops.
Milo makes up silly little jokes which are primarily answering questions wrong and then laughing. For example, he thinks it is super funny to say that Pa and G live at our house. If you ask Milo how old he is, he says three and then giggles. Not so fast Buster, I think two is going to be something we both want to enjoy.

Gray

2011-03-11T16:25:00.003-05:00

When I was in labor with Milo, Chris took that very opportune time to let me know he just noticed a gray hair on my head. That was roughly two years ago and thinking about gray hairs hasn't been high on the priority list, but it seems having a toddler and turning 33 has caused a few more to sprout. Around Christmas I noticed a gray which I tried to cut out with nail scissors. You can guess how well that turned out. At my last hair appointment, my sweet stylist plucked two wiry, coarse gray hairs out of my scalp. I tipped her well and tried to ignore her hints about coming in for color.

I haven't colored my hair for almost five years, when I finally said goodbye to the party girl blond highlights and back to my natural dark self. I don't want to do all over cover now and I'm simply too lazy to keep up with a highlight regime. Eventually, I'll probably be forced to choose a color option, but in the meantime I'll keep the nail scissors close and hope more grays don't surface.

********************

The color of the sky in Columbus in early March is a particular gray. It's not the hopeless gray of January or the seemingly never ending gray of February. Instead it is the gray that holds promise of change. The promise of a growing season and longer days ahead.

Fry Soup and the Birthday of One Dr. Seuss

2011-03-02T16:59:00.006-05:00

A kid invented recipe is sure to please

and to a toddler it holds the pleasant table manner keys.

Milo’s been talking about it for days
and Mama added it to the menu with much praise.

What is it, you ask, that Milo created?
Why it’s fry soup unmitigated!

Clearly my rhyming skills have not much improved since the fifth grade when I last attempted stanzas of poetry, but my cooking skills have come a long way. For days, Milo has been pretending to make fry soup for his stuffed friends Bert and Ernie. Soup is easy to make in a pot (according to Milo you just throw various blocks in, stir and put the lid on) so he makes many variations of soup - mainly carrot and apple. His favorite soup to make, though, also contains his most coveted food - fries!

I started to wonder how I could make him fry soup for dinner because I knew he would enjoy it. At first I thought something cheesy and creamy would be the way to go, but we limit dairy so I went in another direction. Turns out chili is a great base for fry soup! Think chili cheese fries, but with more chili and less cheese. Basically, just make your favorite chili recipe and top with oven baked French fries along with your other favorite chili toppings (here some grated cheese and chopped avocado).

Fry soup was on the menu for this week anyway, but with Dr. Seuss's birthday being today, I thought the good Dr. would appreciate the silliness of a child-directed meal. I even (this might mean I need help) made vegan coconut cupcakes for dessert in honor of the big day.

I really appreciate all Dr. Seuss did to encourage reading to be a fun childhood activity. Plus, he left us with many great ideas we can talk to our children about:

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!"

- Dr. Seuss

Wanted: Spring

2011-02-28T14:17:00.003-05:00

As we're fighting off what feels like the one billionth cold of the winter and I'm listening to the pitiful sounds of Milo coughing his way through nap time, I am hoping that Spring is really coming and coming soon.

Yesterday, it was warmish (still cloudy and wet) and we headed out back for some much needed fresh air. We took two walks around the neighborhood enjoying the feel of muscles stretching further than the typical walk from car to front door. In the midst of the walking and breathing, we took some time to survey our yard. Storms this winter brought large branches crashing down and there are sticks and dead leaves everywhere. We will have a lot of cleanup to do before we start our garden.

Just as I was sinking back into a winter funk, I discovered a lively little clump of cheerful white flowers. And then I found another and another.

Sometimes I need to be reminded there are positives out there to be found if you just keep looking.

23 Months

2011-02-18T16:41:00.001-05:00

This month has seen a(nother) language explosion with Milo now talking in little sentences. It's fun to watch him pick up new words and new constructions. In spite some boundary testing, I so love this age and this sweet little boy. He tries (and succeeds) to be funny, he is caring and kind to others and animals, he is a cuddle bug and a constant stream of motion. Seriously with the motion, it doesn't seem to stop unless he is fast asleep.

Milo had his first haircut a couple of days ago and along with his baby locks seemed to go any vestiges of the baby he was (well except the diapers and binky). I didn't think it would bother me having his haircut, but it took me a few hours to get reacquainted with him. He did a great job at the salon, watching his beloved Elmo and sucking a lolli, the hair cutting experience didn't phase him at all.

We've had a few warm days here recently and I can almost see the relief in Milo's face to be outside again. He has wasted in no time in sorting pebbles, playing in the dirt and watering plants. I do think he is wired to be a nature-loving little person.

With yoga becoming a bigger part of my life, it is starting to rub off on Milo. He has long been practicing downward facing dog along with cat and cow poses. The other day though we were watching a goodnight show on Sprout and they started to do stretching activities and he ran to the closet to get a yoga mat and join right in. I couldn't be prouder

From the Heart

2011-02-14T14:14:00.002-05:00

Each year Valentine's day seems to be about celebrating something different first it was unsure, awkward high school love, then it was crazy college love, after that I moved on to messed up love in my twenties and now I am finally settling into the delicious and secure love of a family. To be clear, I've always liked the "holiday" and find it harmless. In college some of my friends would wear black and shoot daggers at anyone wishing them a happy day. Even when I didn't have someone special to celebrate with, I would proudly wear red and enjoy the day. I believe today is about celebrating love in all of its forms. Love for significant others, love for family and love for friends.

In that spirit we are having a great Valentine's day. Milo had some friends over this morning for playing, snacking and crafting. The toddlers did a wonderful job of sharing toys and having fun together.

Later tonight, my parents will come over for some one-on-one time with Milo while Chris and I go out. Love is in the air!

A Goal Beginning to be Realized

2011-02-09T21:48:00.003-05:00

Continuing on with the meditation and yoga course I took over the last few months, I've started a teaching training class to be RYT-200 certified (aka a real yoga teacher). It's something I've been contemplating and working toward and then moving away from for years. I even taught for several months, thought about pursuing again before getting pregnant with Milo and am just now catching my breath. It's been a work in progress and will continue to be a process because I won't graduate from my class until November. I'm actually thankful for these delays because it reminds me yoga is something I always come back to. It's something of a signpost in my life. Plus yoga itself is a process and it is no shock to me that coming to the discipline has been a journey in itself.

The curriculum is rich in yoga philosophy, asana and tradition. I have monthly weekend trainings in addition to home practice and attending other classes. There is assigned and homework to be completed. I'm excited about the material and the opportunity. And I look forward to seeing where this rung of my yoga journey will lead.

Eating In

2011-02-03T13:33:00.002-05:00

For the month of January, we challenged ourselves to eat each meal at a home. In other words, no eating out. This was in an effort to curb some spending, plan better and eat more healthfully. We weren't eating out a lot, but we were relying on it a little too much. If we had late afternoon plans, we would just stop at Chipotle or Graffiti Burger for dinner. Sundays we would often combine brunch with grocery shopping.

To successfully eat every meal in a home takes some planning. We would plan out dinners for the week and then always have breakfast and lunch staples on hand. By the end of the month, I was a little burned out on menu planning. It is a task that I don't enjoy while I am doing it, but I appreciate having the plan as the days go by.

While we did improve on planning, the jury is still out on the money spending. Our grocery bills went up, but I think we still came out ahead over a couple of meals out. Certainly, meal for meal eating in is less expensive (for example one night we had filet, salad and baked potatoes at home for about $20, the same meal out would have been $50ish).

It was a great experiment and while I'll loosen up the reins from here on out, it did teach me that we don't need to eat out quite as often as were as long as I have a plan and stick with it.

For Breakfast

2011-01-22T15:57:00.003-05:00

As we continue picking up books on a whim at the library, I also try to grab one or two by authors I am more familiar. One of these authors is Tomie dePaola, who I remember fondly from childhood. Some people don't like his artwork (I do) and some people don't like the content of some of his books (he has a lot of them), but overall I enjoy his work. Some of the books I've grabbed are not age appropriate for Milo right now, but some are and we've enjoyed reading those.

Yesterday at the library, we noticed a copy of Pancakes for Breakfast which while new to me has already become a hit at our house. The book (which doesn't have words) traces the morning of a little old lady who would like to have pancakes for breakfast. A series of misadventures does finally lead to that pancake breakfast, but it doesn't come easily. With no words, this book is a fun way to have children describe what they are seeing in the pictures and notice more closely how the pictures in books help to advance the story. I've also noticed Chris and I have slightly different ways of telling the story because of what we pick out of the illustrations. Another fun lesson in perception.

And perhaps best of all, guess what we're having for breakfast tomorrow?

22 Months

2011-01-19T21:10:00.006-05:00

Milo at 22 months is very fun, quite happy and super busy. He's go, go, go, climb, climb, climb and giggle, giggle, giggle. He keeps up almost a constant steam of conversation, most of it words I still can't decipher, but certainly actual words thrown in also. I can pretty much hold a conversation with him now although it mostly consists of the same questions and answers repeatedly.

My budding little chef loves to help me cook. He is almost always with me at the kitchen counter (and occasionally on the counter itself) standing on a chair helping me add "spice" to recipes. I've got to tell you, he's a little heavy handed with the garlic powder, but pretty much spot on with the other spices.

In addition to his love of cooking, he has created an ever deeper bond with his friend Baby Bunny (pictured with Milo here). BB was gifted to him last year for his birthday and has been a companion ever since especially at sleep times. Lately, however it is all BB all the time and Milo would prefer to have him with him at all times. I'm scared of losing BB, so the Bunny only stays in our house.

We're back to gymnastics and swim lessons and he is loving both. At swim lessons he can blow bubbles in the water and is getting more comfortable with going under the water. At gymnastics he mostly bounces off the mats. After both he sleeps well.

Also this month, we've been doing the letter of the day on his new chalkboard. We draw the letters, make the sounds, talk about words that begin with that letter, and eat a cookie of the letter. Partly because of this and partly because of the some alphabet books we have, Milo can identify most of the letters in the alphabet. He can also spell his name, but he does insist that MILO spells ELMO. So we have some work to do on that one.

Actual Family Photos

2011-01-12T16:00:00.010-05:00

We're not a put on matching outfits and head to the mall for portriats type of family. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just doesn't seem to fit our style. For that reason we have exactly one "professional" shot of Milo which is him from his daycare stint on school picture day (we bought it for the irony and because his gummy smile was so adorable).

So when I noticed a Groupon (click there and sign up by January 18 and we both get free credits!) deal of a photography package earlier this year, we decided to try it out. After much cancelling and rescheduling of the date, we met up with Tiara from McFalls Images on an unseasonably warm day in November. We all met at one of our favorite parks and had a lovely day playing in the sunshine while Tiara photographed us. It was a lot of fun and with a toddler sure beats a screaming fit at JC Penney.

Books I Read (and I don't mean to my toddler)

2011-01-05T21:53:00.002-05:00

Here are the books I read in 2010. I feel like I stopped recording at some point late in the year, but I do like having the list. Several of the books were for my book club, some were picked up a whim at the library, and a few came referred from NPR. I really liked almost all of these books although some while enjoyable at the time are easy forgotten (The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club) and some (Never Let Me Go) still have me thinking.

Books Read 2010

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
Me Talk Pretty One Day – David Sedaris (re-read)
Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
NurtureShock - Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
The Unhealthy Trurth - Robyn O'Brien
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage - Elizabeth Gilbert
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Steig Larsson
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
No Reservations - Anthony Bourdain
The Happiest Toddler on the Block - Dr. Harvey Karp
The Last Chinese Chef - Nicole Mones
The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
Life's a Beach - Claire Cook
The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club - Gil McNeil
Lost and Found: A Novel - Carolyn Parkhurst
The Hand that First Held Mine - Maggie O'Farrell
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
The Handmaid and the Carpenter - Elizabeth Berg
A Version of the Truth - Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack
Irish Girls About Town: An Anthology of Short Stories - various
Best Friends Forever: A Novel - Jennifer Weiner
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
The Wedding Officer: A Novel - Anthony Cappella
Little Bee - Chris Cleave
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Alice I Have Been - Melanie Benjamin
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything - Janelle Brown
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk - David Sedaris

2011 Goals

2011-01-01T11:14:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here on my couch, sipping lukewarm coffee and listening to Jack Johnson. It is a rare moment of quiet and stillness in the house since Chris took Milo out to meet Dora. And I am totally content. Sometimes when things are good it is hard for me to think about how to make them better, so I am having a tough time framing resolutions for this year. However, even a totally content life can use a few little tweaks to make it more fulfilling. In that light, here are my goals for 2011.

Spend less time on Facebook. I'm addicted and I need to curb the habit. The site allows me to catch up with friends and family and I appreciate that, but I have the tendency to check it way too often and get annoyed with myself. So moving forward, I will check Facebook no more than three times per day for no longer than 10 minutes per session.
Promote a more peaceful house through less clutter and more cleaning. With cutting back on Facebook I should have more time for picking up toys, organizing mail and keeping counters clear.

Did you make any resolutions?

2010 In Review

2010-12-30T21:14:00.002-05:00

This decade, which began with me finishing up my undergrad degree and starting real life for the first time, is quickly coming to a close. What a formative 10 years it has been. I feel like I've gone through many different incarnations of myself in these years. This one I'm living right now though is by far my favorite.

2010 didn't hold many surprises for us and I'm just fine with that. Chris and I learned month by month how to be better parents to our ever developing little man. Together we learned about Milo's allergies and I came up with some new techniques in the kitchen to make life easier. For the first time we joined a CSA and really enjoyed the experience of having farm fresh veggies through the summer.

This year mainly saw us sticking close to home. We tried to take a little family get-away which was a disaster, but we fared much better on our trips to visit Chris' family in Indiana and Atlanta. Chris and I also had an adventure day zip lining in Hocking Hills.

We sadly had to find Prada another home, but the silver lining here is that she is doing really well with her new person. Plus, Milo's skin is much improved and I know we made the right choice. I still miss my kitty though.

2010 was a fairly normal year, if by normal you mean chasing after a toddler. We have fallen into a comfortable rhythm and enjoy our day-to-day life together. Actually I've been enjoying the day to day (the library trips, the family dinner, the cuddles and giggles) so much that the year has gotten away from me.

Christmas Accomplished

2010-12-28T15:39:00.003-05:00

I am so happy to report that this year I don't have the nasty Christmas hangover as in years past. My holiday plan worked and we all came out okay! Sure, there were some misses (like we somehow missed Mass on Christmas Eve yet again this year), but overall the Christmas holiday was joyful. We did many fun things together as a family (Zoo lights, visiting the trains, playing in the snow). Much yummy food was consumed and while Milo and I did bake cookies we didn't make so many that it became stressful. This I think is the key to the holiday season. Moderation. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. And just because two presents under the tree are nice doesn't mean 12 presents are nicer. In keeping with the moderation theme, I shrunk the menu for Christmas dinner here at our house. I used tried and true recipes rather than testing out new ones. It was wonderful and so much easier. To balance out the simple menu (ham, black bean soup, cornbread, sweet potatoes, and fennel citrus salad), I also made a beverage menu for each guest to order from. Fun, easy and special! Just how I like my gatherings.

Hoping you all had similarly wonderful Christmases spent with family and friends. At the end of the day, they are all who matters.

Natural Children's Books

2010-12-20T15:27:00.005-05:00

As a consummate book-lover, I have so enjoyed introducing Milo to reading. We've revisited favorites from childhood (Snowy Day, Good Night Moon, the Beatrix Potter books, and a couple of Dr. Seuss) and as he gets older I can't wait to add to that list (I wonder when will the first Harry Potter be appropriate night-time reading).

As much as I love the classics, I'm really enjoying a couple of new finds that I'll lump into a "natural" category. These books clearly have a somewhat specific target audience in mind and it seems we are it! Some of our favorites are:

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon with illustrations by Marla Frazee

I read about this book on several other blogs and I'm so glad I requested it from our library, because I love, love, love it. The lyrical lines trace the interconnectedness of all the world and the beautiful artwork shows the wonder of it all. I gave this book to one family as a gift this year and I hope they are enjoying it as much as we have. For me this book gets lumped into the natural genre because of the overall theme and some specific illustrations of farmer's markets and tree planting.

Soup Day by Melissa Iwai

We picked this book up off the library shelf this week on a whim and now I can't count the number of times it has been read at our house. The story traces a little girl and her mother making soup - from picking the freshest veggies at the store to eating the final product. Our little foodie is mesmerized by the words and pictures. Great reading for a wintry day and the soup recipe is even on the last page.

This last book was given to us by a friend and it seems to be part of a "green start" series. No author is listed, but the illustrator is Jillian Phillips. The words in this book are very repetitive - the green beans grow on the vine, we pick them and eat them / the orange carrot grows in the ground, we pick it and eat it, but it really appeals to Milo. The art is cute and simple. It's a great little book to introduce gardening.

Have you noticed any other children's book in this "natural" genre?

21 Months!

2010-12-17T09:42:00.006-05:00

Our little 21 month-old is still upstairs sleeping right now (9:45 a.m. on Friday morning). Evidently the excitement of being out for his Uncle's birthday last night deserved an extra couple of hours or sleep (he typically sleeps until about 7:20ish). Or perhaps he has hit the teenage years of sleeping until noon already.

At dinner last night, it was clear we now have a fun-loving little boy rather than a baby. He used a grown-up fork with ease, he was pissed I cut his burger into smaller pieces, and he repeatedly yelled FRIES at the waitress who mistakenly didn't ask him for his order. He also sang us all his new rendition of Row Row Row Your Boat which brought the house down.

This last month has been a busy one including Milo's first plane trip (he did great!), celebrating Thanksgiving with Chris' family in Atlanta (lots of fun) and a continuation of learning to climb to higher heights (a bit scary for Mama).

What has really struck me about Milo this month is just how sweet he is. He has a smile for everyone and a hug for people he really likes. We can go whole days without crying which is just amazing to me. Part of this, of course, is that his verbal skills are much better and he can tell me what he needs or wants. The other part of this though is that he's just pretty easy going.

In the midst of getting ready for Christmas and partaking in all the fun festivities, I have also made sure we have some nights at home just the three of us. Honestly, these are best! We laugh and tickle, read books, and make up games involving a stuffed cat and balls (the rules aren't clear, but it sure is a family favorite). Our little guy likes to be out and about, but I think he really shines at home. And this makes my heart sing.

Thankful

2010-12-01T15:01:00.003-05:00

Ah, I missed posting about Thanksgiving or as I've come to think of it Thanks Giving. I tend to gloss over some of the facts of the first Thanksgiving, but I really do like the idea of sitting down to a meal together in celebration and preparing for hard days to come. If you can think of some reasons in your life to be thankful then all the better. Here are some of things I jotted down on a notepad (which I had to keep tracking down as a certain toddler wanted to also journal his feelings) throughout November for which I am thankful:

Good, wholesome food that makes your body feel its best.
Unexpected sunny days spent with friends at the park.
Spicy Mochas from Caribou Coffee
The power of a rejuvenating nap to turn a day around.
A toddler helping to mix muffins while standing on a chair.
The homey smell of those muffins while they bake.
Grandparents who babysit and a little boy who asks for G and Pa constantly once they leave.
And, of course, my husband and our marriage of three years.

Happy Thanksgiving: Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

2010-11-22T14:41:00.001-05:00

You know what else makes me feel better and more in control around the holidays? Baking. Yep, baking. When I was in grad school and my life felt mind-racingly unsettled I baked a lot because I couldn't really screw up a batch of cookies. I've since turned to other methods of coping, but baking still holds a special place in my heart. Plus, now Milo can help stir! The recipe below is an update to my previous favorite pumpkin muffin with a vegan twist to accommodate Milo's allergies. These aren't overly sweet, but don't taste vegan either. We gobbled them down quickly!

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup hemp (or other non-dairy) milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

12 ounces of pureed pumpkin

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 bag (about 1 cup) of chocolate chips or raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together wet ingredients in large mixing bowl until pumpkin is incorporated well. In separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add dry to wet in small amounts until batter forms.

Fold in chips or raisins. Pour batter into muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until toddler decides he can't stand the wait any longer. Makes about 12 muffins. Enjoy!

20 Months

2010-11-20T14:16:00.004-05:00

Is it possible in only four more months, we'll be celebrating Milo's second birthday? Goodness, the second year is moving quickly. Milo is mostly just a joy to be around these days.

He seems to be picking up new words each day (I realize I have said this before, it is still happening and is even more pronounced this month). New favorite words are hummus (joy for Milo because I found a tahini-free brand at Trader Joe's) and house. In addition to nouns, he is also starting use more proper names so GG is officially G, Grandpa is Pa, Uncle Tony is T and Mama and Daddy continue to be Mama and Daddy. He knows Sam and Prada (even though she hasn't lived here in months, if I say Prada he says cat!) are cats and he also knows the names of the cats around the neighborhood.

He points out the various parts of his body such as facial features, feet, hands, etc. Slowly he is getting more coordinated. He can run quite quickly and often takes off down the sidewalk to collect handfuls of leaves. If I ask him to stand like a flamingo, he will lift one or the other leg. My little yogi regularly practices down dog, cat and cow poses with me. Not being much of a climber in the beginning, Milo is now getting more comfortable pulling himself up / off couches, play equipment and chairs.

We've been part of the same playgroup for a year now. Milo and the other boys have grown up together and it is so interesting to see how they went from ignoring one another, to playing side by side, to now starting to tune into each other. At the end of each meeting there is a period of waving, hugs, and bye byes which is so sweet. I'm glad Milo (and I) have these friends to learn, grow and share with.

Holiday Plan

2010-11-04T16:06:00.003-04:00

Thanks for your suggestions on dealing with holiday anxiety. Taking into consideration some of your advice (unfortunately a tropical vacation isn't in the cards this year), I've come up with the following plan of action to keep stress at a minimum and joy at a maximum.

Enjoy myself! If I am having fun and am relaxed, those around me will be more likely to as well. Also, keep in mind that I can't control other people's words or actions, but I can control how I respond to them.
Get main events on the calendar now. We're making a list of all the things we want to do over the next two months - concerts, tree hunting, lights viewing, shopping, caroling, worhsipping - and penciling those in now. That way it won't be December 20th and suddenly we realize we have no tree or presents under it (not that that happened last year or anything).
Keep it all in perspective. At the risk of adding more things to my plate, I've signed up for a yoga / meditation home-based study. I think it will help keep me grounded.

Ah, Halloween

2010-11-02T13:47:00.006-04:00

It strikes me that Halloween is quickly becoming my favorite holiday. There is candy, cute kids in costumes, good weather, and fun activities surrounding the main event (pumpkin patch and carving the pumpkins leading up to Trick or Treating). As a bonus to all the good about Halloween, what I like even more is all that is lacking about the holiday. There is no obligation to exchange presents, eat food you don't really like, or see absolutely everyone you are related to. Instead Halloween festivities are intimate and neighborhood centered. I like that.

Plus everyone just has fun and goes with the flow. Who has ever heard of Halloween guilt or families erupting into disagreements over what type of candy to give out? It just doesn't happen. It's not that serious.

Can you tell I am a little ambivalent about the upcoming holidays? I want the lightheartedness of Halloween to carry me through straight up until New Year's Eve. These pictures might help.

Do you have a favorite holiday or a tip to get me through the craziness of the next two months?

19 Months

2010-10-19T20:37:00.006-04:00

Sadly, I am a few days late with this post...because a 19 month old really keeps a Mama busy. And they like to go a lot of places with other little rug rats who harbor viruses (I'm looking at you Cosi kid's area). Anyway, after a day under the weateher, I am back to feeling like myself again and ready to update on a 19 month old Milo.

Each day we're starting to see more and more personality and by that I mean, he suddenly has strong opinions on certain things (like where to eat his apple sauce). His favorite new word is NO said using two syllables and making a duck face with the lips. We try not to laugh, but truthfully we probably encouraged this phase. In the past couple of weeks, we would ask Milo if he drank coffee and he would shake his head and say no sweetly in his quiet voice. The game progressed to asking him if he drank wine or if he was tofu chicken. Each time he would reply in the negative and we would all laugh. Now he will mutter no for a good several minutes at a time.

This past month we have been doing a Tuesday morning tumbling class at our local rec center to get out some extra energy. Milo loves it! Each week there is free play to bounce around the mats and try out skills. Then we have circle time where we stretch and sing songs. Each week a new skill is introduced (forward roll, handstand, backward roll, hanging on the bar) and each child gets a turn. Finally we play with the big parachute. I love that Milo is learning exercise is fun. I also like that he gets to practice things I wouldn't teach him at home (um, handstand) and taking turns / waiting in line. It's been a great experience. Since I signed him up as early as I could have (the class is kids for 18 - 36 months), we'll be attending again in the future.

Even with Milo's seemingly boundless energy and strong opinions, he is just so much fun. He's a giggly, cuddly little buddy who is now learning to kiss back. Since I am, for now, the only recipient of those mushy kisses, I am appreciating each and every one.

What Goes with Chili

2010-10-06T12:38:00.004-04:00

The last week or so has been rainy and chilly. We've turned the heat on and our outside play was confined to small bursts between sprinkles. It's not the ideal crisp air and sunny days of fall we long for in August, but it is the perfect weather for making a pot of chili.

People have strong beliefs about their chili - with beans, without beans, what type of beans, corn or no corn, five alarm or just a little heat. For this reason, I am not going to offer up my chili recipe (plus there isn't one as I just wing it every time I make it). I, am, however going to say the best accompaniment to chili is cornbread. Corn chips are an acceptable substitute, but please hold the spaghetti and (eww) rice.

With Milo being allergic to dairy and eggs, I didn't want to use the usual Jiffy mix I have in the past. Luckily it was very easy to find a super good vegan cornbread recipe. This stuff is so good and so easy that I don't think I'll ever use the box again. The original recipe is linked to above. My changes are below.

Vegan Wholewheat Corn Bread

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup bread flour

1 cup corn meal

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tbsp ground flax seed

6 tbsp warm water

4 tsp baking powder

1 cup rice milk

1/4 cup canola oil

Measure dry ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix with fork until combined. In separate small bowl, whisk together the flax and warm water. Add the other wet ingredients. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry. Scrape batter into greased 8 square inch baking dish. Bake in preheated oven at 355 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes.

This cornbread goes great with chili and would be nice with other bean based soups as well. It's also tasty the next day with avocado slices. Enjoy the fall weather - even if it is rainy!

A Few More 18 Month Things

2010-09-27T14:47:00.004-04:00

This kid is so much fun right now, and it occurred to me I need to record some of the things he says and does before he moves onto the next big thing.We've been moving through the animal sounds for some time now. Neigh is his favorite. This week we added a few that just make me laugh. Milo thinks a frog says bbllhh (that sound you make when you purse your lips together and blow). It does sound a bit like ribbit. After hearing me a say a camel spits and demonstrating it, he now coughs if you ask him what a camel says.

Milo dances by turning around in circles and stomping his feet. He does this when music starts or when he is very happy about something.
If you say golf or soccer, he will start clapping. He will also clap whenever he sees football or baseball on television.
Milo's most recent word is honey. I call Chris honey a lot, and I think this is where is got it from. However, he also knows that bear from Bear at Home eats honey for lunch. In Milo's world it is pronounced HAHNey.

Also, using the fantastic photo tips mentioned here, we recently took these shots of our little guy. They are some of my favorite images of Milo.

Apples and More Apples

2010-09-22T16:48:00.005-04:00

There are few photographic memories I find cuter than apple picking pictures. Something about the crisp fall air, the lush foliage and the happy, apple juice covered faces just make for great photos. In the past year, we've gone from sweet cherub little face happily munching on his first apple, to wild toddler frantically taking a bite of each apple he could get his hands on.

We'll keep going back year after year to add to the collection, so I need some great fall back apple recipes. Apples pick easily which means you end up with more apples

than it seems while picking. And for some reason the apple stash never seems to go down no matter how many apple snacks we have. So far I have made apple crisp, apple turnovers, apple sauce, and I also modified this muffin recipe to utilize more apples.

What am I missing?

What is your favorite thing to do with apples?

A Year at Home

2010-09-18T14:04:00.004-04:00

One year ago today I cleaned out my office, was given a surprise going away ice cream social, and said goodbye to co-workers and to a second income for our household. There are things I miss about working - the structure, the constant adult interaction and the camaraderie of working together toward a common goal. Overall though, I wouldn't trade this year or this current life for afternoons spent in meetings or at my desk whiling away the hours until I could go home.

Leaving my job to stay home with Milo was the right thing to do for our little family. And, yet, I still struggle with that decision to some degree. I am uncomfortable about how stay-at-home mothers are often viewed and the looks I sometimes get for staying at home. It shouldn't matter what other people think about how I spend my time, but somehow it does.

Trying to delve into those feelings a little more, I picked up Mommy Wars at the library. The book is supposed to elicit a truce between those mothers who work outside of the home and those who stay home. The essays in it were intended to shed light on the experiences of both sets of mothers and show both to be valid.

Fine premise, but I couldn't get through the book. I was feeling judged before I even made it through the forward (being how the author couldn't understand how a stay at home mother could put her economic circumstances into another's hands). Plus, the book seemed very dated (it was published in 2006) with references to things that just don't resonate only four years later.

At the end of the day, each woman needs to do what is right for her family. Economics, personality and individual circumstance play a role in this. Each outcome is genuine to that family. No one book of essays is going to be able to explore the vast array of situations that defines motherhood.

18 Months

2010-09-16T14:02:00.004-04:00

Our little buddy is a year and half old! It's a milestone. We are collecting more and more of these milestones...this month Milo started walking backwards, hopping, dancing, climbing a bit more, echoing more words, having more interest in drawing with crayons, and all together just being a super happy little boy.

Each day brings more words and better communication skills. He likes to hold our hands now and show us where he wants to go or what we should play with next. Milo still likes to play with kitchen tools and seems to have a special affinity for stuffed animals. We bought a sand table on summer sale and he has been clocking many hours digging in the backyard in it.

I was warned that the 15- 18 month time period can be a bit trying, but really I've found it a joy. Yes, we have some tantrums, but for the most part he is quite good-natured and is willing to go with the flow. This week we are trying to make sure he gets in bed each night by 8:15 and that has seemed to make him even more pleasant to be around.

We're now heading for the age of two and it is so exciting to me to watch a little boy emerge where there was once a baby.

ETA: At our 18 month appointment, Milo measured 32 inches and weighed in at 27 pounds, 10 ounces.

*Milo helped me decorate his sign this month.

The Summer of CSA

2010-09-09T14:07:00.003-04:00

For years, at least years since I have become aware of CSAs (community supported agriculture), I've wanted to participate in one. This summer we finally did it. After some research and weighing of options, we chose New Century CSA as our farm provider. This is one of the few (only?) central Ohio CSAs who deliver their produce, which was very nice. I also liked that it is a family-run farm.

Other Impressions of the season:

We split a full share with another couple. This worked out well as there would have been way too much food otherwise.
Corn, oh the corn. There was a lot of corn. Like 20 ears per week a lot of corn. Even with splitting the share, this was just too much corn for us.
The farm said they mostly use non-chemical methods of farming, but will use chemicals as a last resort. I would like some clarification on this policy as it seemed to me some of the produce must have been sprayed.
We would get a weekly e-mail saying what would be in the share that week. This was helpful, but it wasn't always accurate.
Each Tuesday morning was an adventure as Milo and I would sort out the veggies. Our favorites were beets, cucumbers, the various lettuces. We could have done with less of the cabbage, okra, and hot peppers.
Overall the quality of the produce was great. I would have preferred more variety of vegetables overall and varietals of species (all the produce seemed to be from modern seed).

All in all, it was a positive experience. I liked having to come up with menus and recipes using whatever we happened to have at the time. It was interesting to see how the share changed from the beginning of the summer to the end. Early June we had a lot of peas, kohlrabi and some early beets. By the end of August we receiving mostly tomatoes and corn.

We'll definitely do something similar next year, but we may branch out and try a different farm. For people who are interested in participating in a CSA, my advice is to create excitement for it in your family (Milo and I would look forward to the unpacking each week), be open to trying new vegetables prepared in different ways and use it as a learning experience.

Garden is Still Growing

2010-08-22T14:46:00.005-04:00

It is late August and I haven't done a garden update in months. Yes, we still have a garden and have been quite enjoying the fruits of it. I can't really say the fruits of our labor, because other than occasional watering and sporadic weeding, we haven't so much labored this year. Milo still enjoys helping us in the garden, but doesn't have the attention span for us to actually do much upkeep. So far, this is what has been going on:

The heirloom tomato plants are doing great. We have enjoyed the variety (some striped, a few yellow and some nice pinkish ones) on sandwiches and cooking. We also have several volunteer plants which are producing well. Milo really likes to help pick the tomatoes, but doesn't seem to like the taste as well.
Our pepper plants are doing very well. We have the regular green peppers, what were supposed to be sweet red peppers, a purple pepper plant and sweet banana peppers. These are great for snacking on and cutting up for lunch. Thankfully, we all like peppers.
The bunny who ate the Swiss chard let it grow for a little bit, but is up to his old antics. We have not had Swiss chard this year.
The vining plants are doing so so. The spaghetti squash looked healthy, but only produced a few fruit before dying off. The butternut squash, however, is doing great. I am looking forward to freezing plenty of that for the winter months.
We also planted watermelon in the front yard. In spite of it being rather neglected, the plant loved all the sun and produced several good sized melons. Milo couldn't be happier.
Our bush zucchini did really well and has been providing us with lots of muffin making ingredients. Again, Milo, is thrilled.
The potatoes were an utter disaster. We're not sure if we didn't water enough or planted too many in too small of a space, but we only harvested about three thumb-sized potatoes. I'm glad we weren't depending on that crop to feed us all winter. We'll try for better luck next year.
We're on our second planting of lettuces. The first provided many tasty salads, before bolting and getting too bitter with the heat of the summer.

I think that is about it. It looks like a lot, but really, it has been pretty self-sufficient. We have had some wins and some losses, but all and all it has been a good summer for gardening.

17 Months

2010-08-16T13:03:00.005-04:00

I feel like I've won the baby lottery with this stage and age. Milo is all hugs and kisses and funny new words mixed with smiles and proud expressions of accomplishment. He is a bundle of running energy and a very curious little man who still loves the dirt. We very rarely have tantrum issues and when we do he is usually easily distracted.

He's at his best exploring the yard, looking at bugs, drawing with sidewalk chalk and chasing after bunnies. He will helpfully pick tomatoes off the vine and all peppers enter our house with Milo nibbles out of them (even, sadly for a surprised Buster, the hot ones). If we go near the grill, he will warn us that it is HOT.

When playing inside, he is never far from his beloved tongs which he often uses in the kitchen. Books are still a favorite way to the pass the time and computers are fascinating objects that sometimes show Sesame Street clips.

Milo has his top and bottom molars (and has for awhile now), but his eye teeth are still missing and seem to sometimes bother him. While we all miss Prada, Milo's skin has really cleared up and he's less rashy and itchy. He has been healthy and happy and enjoying the summer. And I have been, too.

There You Are

2010-08-11T14:03:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what Milo thinks when I load him up in the car. We get in the car and most often we go to the grocery store, library or the park, which are all fine places to be. Sometimes, though we end up at even better places like the pool, a festival or a far-off never before been to place. Yesterday was one of those days. We traipsed through a beautiful arboretum, we visited an Amish farm with cows, we picked blueberries and we jumped on a trampoline. Milo had a blast, I'm just not sure what he made of the whole, busy, wonderful day.

The Whole Story

2010-07-28T20:29:00.003-04:00

I wrote a review of our recent summer trip, but while all true, this barely scratches the surface of what actually happened. Yes, the park is lovely. Yes, it was great to spend uninterrupted time with my boys. But we left a whole day early (and the trip was only to be two days anyway).

One of the reasons for the early departure is that while I like to think of myself as low maintenance and outdoorsy, in real life I'm not. I'm just not. I don't like being eaten by mosquitoes and I'm not a fan of submerging myself in murky lake water. Until I settle into my new surroundings, being outside of my comfort zone makes me really antsy.

Milo must have some of these quirks of mine, because it is becoming more and more clear, he can't sleep anyplace other than his own crib. He barely napped in the car coming or going from the park and he refused to sleep in the pack and play in the cabin. Instead he slept with Chris and me in a very small and uncomfortable full-size bed. Even once tucked in with us, it took him quite some time to fall asleep as he kept trying to initiate games of peek. None of got much rest.

Add to these two things that Chris forgot to pack his suitcase with all his clothes and all of our toiletries and we made for a rough, looking, tired family. Instead of staying the second night, we just enjoyed our morning at the park and got the heck out of dodge.

I'm glad we tried a little family trip and I'm hoping for better next time. I'm sure as Milo gets older we will have more freedom to explore.

Splitting Time

2010-07-20T11:06:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been working on a new project and I am very excited by it. For almost a year now, I've been wanting a place to write about Columbus, fun kids activities and families. The topic - Columbus! kids! fun things! - really suits me and I enjoy sharing (evangelizing) my interests. The posts didn't really fit in here, so I started a new space for Columbus families to learn more about kid-friendly Columbus.

Come visit me at mamaincolumbus.com. It is a work in progress, so please let me know your thoughts for things to change or things to add. And if you are so inclined, pass the link on.

16 Months

2010-07-16T11:57:00.005-04:00

Holy busy toddler, Batman! While I didn't really think it was possible, in the last month Milo has become so, so busy. He's goes from activity to activity without slowing down. He is quite determined and focused on whatever he is doing at the moment - reading books, stacking blocks, unpacking drawers, emptying the dishwasher - but then it is quickly onto the next task. I can only imagine sleep is such a sweet relief to his pint-sized self (he very willingly goes down for his one nap a day and bedtime around 8 each night). His walking is pretty much constant now and he can even run when really excited. He still trips up in uneven terrain, but for the most part he is quite steady on his feet.

Milo is also starting some imaginative play, which is quite fun to watch develop. In books and magazines (he loves to read Food & Wine), he enjoys finding pictures of berries or grapes and pretending to pluck them off the page. He then "feeds" himself, us, or his friend Bunny.

He uses the two or three signs he knows for everything and I've been teaching him the love sign. It's so sweet to see him cross his arms over himself in a hug. Now that he knows (and quite enjoys the sound of) the word ice, he is constantly asking for ICE. Plus, he's beginning to repeat quite a few of the words I say. He's great at following through on direction. For example, he will leave one room to put an object away if I ask him to.

We've really been enjoying this summer. Milo loves our trips to the pool where he likes to kick, kick, kick and most of all go down the slide with Daddy. We are regulars at certain playgrounds where Milo enjoys climbing and putting mulch through holes. Milo changes so much month to month that it is amazing to think of what is coming next.

Parents in the News

2010-07-12T20:46:00.004-04:00

Have you seen this article from the New York Times mag? The gist of it is reporting several studies that state parents are more unhappy than non-parents, and mothers are less happy than fathers. If you make it all the way through the article though, you'll notice that the end suggests those studies are asking the wrong questions. The less happy responses are about overall life mood rather than living life with fulfillment or sense of purpose.

So here is the truth (as I see it): being a parent is hard and it is tiring. And, yes, overall I'm probably less carefree / happy than I was two years ago (when I could sleep in after a rough week or stop by a happy hour to unwind). I've certainly given up some important things - my job, my cat, and plenty of sleep. However, my life has shinier moments of abrupt joy now and also has more meaning overall.

While this article really shocked some people, I am not surprised by it. I've talked to other moms and I know we all carry a mixed bag of happiness. Sure, we love and treasure our kids, but we're also trying to define who we are as people, and we're doing it on little rest. It's a tough job, there is no way around that, but it is also amazing work and I'm so glad I'm on this parenting journey.

Yesterday

2010-07-08T18:14:00.003-04:00

Other than Milo waking at the unheard hour of 6 a.m., yesterday morning started as so many others have before. I eased into wakefulness with a warm little body of kitty fur curled into my stomach. Soon it hit me that this would be the last morning I would wake in such way. Yesterday we moved our sweet little kitty to her new home. She promptly hid under the bed at the new place which is totally keeping in her character. I cried a lot - I mean quite a bit - over this whole situation. While I know it is for the best, certainly for Milo, but probably for Prada too, this was a very difficult decision to make and action to carry through. I feel guilty for not keeping the cat despite the allergies, I feel sad that Prada won't be in our life and I worry about her adjusting to her home.

However, Prada is in a great new home with a wonderful woman who has had pets her whole life. She's also living with a boy kitty and I am hoping they become best friends. I keep imagining a picture of the two cats curled up on the couch together. That is the image I put in my head when I look around our house and wonder where kitty is or when Milo says cat while looking for her in the bathroom closet. That image of Prada enjoying the quiet and warmth of her new home gives me peace.

Wanderlust

2010-06-28T20:49:00.000-04:00

Suddenly I have that itch to get out of town, to explore, to see new things and to just be on the road. The last real vacation we took was our honeymoon almost three years ago, which is now just a distant memory. Unfortunately, the thought of traveling with a 15 month old just doesn't sound appealing. I can think of certain scenarios where this would work, but for the most part being out of a town with a toddler just seems like a lot work. Milo likes his routine and seems to do best when we don't deviate too far from the norm of expected nap and bed times. Traveling by definition gets you out of your norm and I'm just not sure how that would go. Still, I don't want to hold back on the traveling experience (for all of us) just because I am afraid of sleepless nights and tantruming baby.

Any thoughts on family travel with a little one? Any suggestions on where to go?

On a Brighter Note

2010-06-25T12:31:00.002-04:00

I've come to the conclusion that summer is the golden time of being a stay at home. Summer means baby with a farmer's tan toddling toward a sprinkler. Summer is meeting friends at the park and taking long evening walks. Summer is climbing on playgrounds and going down the slide as many times as possible. Summer tastes like a popsicle melting in the warm sun. Summer is an icy drink to keep cool. Summer is weeds to pull, gardens to water and mud to play in. And all of these delightful activities result in long afternoon naps and mama reading a book in the back under a tree. Ah summer.

Sad News

2010-06-21T12:25:00.001-04:00

We've been rather glum around these parts for the past few days. Milo's most recent allergy testing revealed what I was beginning to suspect: he is uber allergic to cats and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I'm so sad about this because we are now looking to find Prada a new home. I feel like an awful person because I made a commitment to her to provide her with a good home and I am now negating that promise. We've been through an awful lot Prada and I have been and not having her around makes me tear up. It is also hard, because, well Prada isn't great with change and I know it is going to be really tough on her to be in a new place without me.

Still, I can't think of another way out of the situation. Milo is steadily marching into having full-blown asthma and that isn't acceptable to me. We've tried vacuuming more and keeping Prada out of Milo's room, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. So today I sent this message out to some Facebook friends and cried while pressing send:

As several of you know, we've been struggling with Milo's allergies (leading to asthma and itchy, ouchy eczema) for more than a year now. After the latest allergy test, we've come to the very sad conclusion we need to find Prada a new home. She is a great cat and deserves a loving home where she doesn't make one of the family members quite sick. Prada is on the shy side, but is very loving to her people. I've had her since 2002 when she was just a wee kitten and she is an important part of our family.

Needless to say, having to find her a new home is very difficult for all three of us. I am hoping to find her a great place to live - she likes to look out windows, but is an indoor cat through and through. She has back claws, but her front claws have been removed. I suspect she would do best with one other cat or being the only animal in the house, just because she has never been around other pets. She does quite well being patient with Milo, so I don't think kids would be an issue.

If you are interested in a new to you kitty, please let me know. Also, feel free to pass the word on to other animal lovers out there.

Thanks everyone.

15 Months

2010-06-16T14:28:00.005-04:00

We have a walker! Well, at least 50% of the time, Milo now walks. It is the classic arms out front baby Frankenstein walk and it is adorable. When really needing to get somewhere fast, he will still crawl, but for the most part he walks. For the first time this week, if he falls while walking he will get back up and continue walking rather than just crawling. Walking is still a new skill and he is quite proud of it. I'll see him rounding the corner from our living room to the kitchen, smiling and clapping because he walked the whole way. Seeing him so proud of his accomplishments is such a thrill.

Milo continues to be a sweet little buddy. He has a nice hug for each and every stuffed animal (or live one for that matter) he sees. At the grocery store he waves and waves at the people walking by (if they don't wave back, he just smiles larger and waves harder). He smiles and flirts and he steals hearts wherever we go.

He is picking up words as we go along (door, GG, toast, hot), but mostly using the old stand bys (cat, dirt, mama, dada) along with the signs for eat, all done and more. Milo continues to use toys in different ways. He is quite good at the ring stacker now and sometimes can get the correct shapes into the sorter. We have several different sets of blocks and building toys (mainly because these are more interesting to Chris and me) which he is showing some interest in. Books are still a preferred way to wind down. His favorite game to play though is peek a boo or more commonly called at our house Where's Milo. He loves to hide and peek out from behind a wall, laundry basket or chair...repeatedly...and each time is cause for raucous giggles. I like it too, it's a fun game.

At his 15 month appointment he was a little below 26 pounds and 31 inches. With all his movement, he is starting to thin out and a little boy is emerging where our chubby baby was. I've really enjoyed this past month, with our toddler who is changing, learning and growing each day.

Dirty Laundry

2010-06-07T14:14:00.003-04:00

We've been without a working washing machine here for a month. Four weeks of not being able to wash clothes, towels or sheets. And have I mentioned that we cloth diaper? We switched to disposables for the time being and are dealing with rashes and stinky trash. It's not been fun.

When we first noticed the problem with the washing machine, Chris took it apart and thought he could fix it. I had my doubts, but he ordered the part and we waited a week for it to come in. Then he realized he couldn't get the part on right. I scheduled an appointment with Sears and four days later the man came. Then we found out there were actually several things wrong with the machine and we had to order parts. The parts didn't come in time for the June 1 repair appointment and they told me they couldn't schedule the appointment until today, a week later. They were to be here between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. The morning dragged on with us sticking around the house waiting for them to get here until finally the phone rang at 11:45 saying they would be two hours late. Uh, what? Nope that wasn't going to work.

Which is how I found myself on the phone with customer "care" explaining how unacceptable the situation was and asking what we could do to make the situation right. I had to use my no-nonsense voice and speak in short, direct sentences. I got what I wanted (the first appointment tomorrow morning), but I also left the conversation with a strange feeling of unease. I don't like being harsh to another person and I'm fully aware the person on the other end of the phone wasn't personally withholding my washing machine repair. Still, I had to get a little insistent to get what I wanted and I don't like who I was in that moment.

However, if I would have just gone with the flow, I would be another week without a washing machine and that's just not acceptable. In the end, I think I did the right thing and soon I'll have clean clothes again.

Things Parents Say

2010-06-01T20:46:00.002-04:00

The other day we were playing in the back yard and Milo looked up when he heard a siren from an emergency vehicle. I looked at him and said "do you hear the siren, they are going to help someone" and Milo satisfied with my answer returned to his dirt pile. I'm not sure where that explanation came from. Surely, it is the most simple and kid-friendly version of all the reasons a siren can be heard. I had to set aside my belief system (the police force is not always right) to provide the scenario of events he needed to learn (emergency forces are there to help people).

Now that Milo is a more effective communicator, I find I am measuring my words more carefully. Chris and I have fallen into the habit of just talking - about our days, our friends, our families - when we are in the car together or on walks. Most of it is not interesting to Milo, but some of it is probably not best for him to hear either. I think this will have to come to an end soon because Milo is starting to soak in a lot more of what we're saying.

It's an interesting position to be in, paying more attention to how I view the world and being more aware of how I communicate that to a little person just figuring this place out. There are so many ideas and facts and lessons for him to learn, but at the same time I want to protect him from a lot of the not so nice things. So I'm learning to put a positive spin on the sounds we hear and the ideas I communicate to him, hopefully giving him a fair view of the world and how people relate to it.

Summers on the Gulf

2010-05-27T09:36:00.005-04:00

Each summer we would travel to the same plot of sand on the Gulf of Mexico. At one point the beach was named to the Top 10 Beaches of the World list because of the impeccable sand and gentle surf. The white sand was soft and would never get hot or too sharp with shells like the beaches to the north. We would walk for miles (or what seemed like miles to a little girl) collecting swirly shells as we went and letting the soft waves tickle our feet. Large sand castles were built with a wet drizzle of sand providing the fancy facade. Feet were buried and tans were perfected on lounge chairs. With the help of only a flimsy raft we would swim out to sand bars and collect sand dollars. Swimming to the sand bar was at once scary and exhilarating - as soon as I didn't think I could swim any longer in deep water, the sand bar materialised with reassuring shallow, clear water where I could see my feet. Almost every evening, sunburned and tired, we would feast on platters of oysters and baskets of peel and eat shrimp.

I remember crying one year when our week long vacation ended: Ohio is a lot of things, but the beach it's not. Now I tear up for the fisherman who are watching their livelihood disappear and for the sea animals who are contending with a confusing slick of oil where they are used to open water and perfect white sand beaches.

Because I Only Used the Tag Once

2010-05-24T11:09:00.003-04:00

I started watching from the very first episode. Looking back, it wasn't a television show it seemed I would be interested in and I never got involved in any of the Lost wannabes that quickly flooded the airwaves. There was just something about the Island that drew me and kept me watching through good times and bad for six years.

I had long ago accepted Lost was just a show and wasn't going to provide all the answers. Instead I was drawn to the story and characters. The show was smart in a way that asked viewers to draw upon their knowledge of world religions, literary techniques and literature. I appreciated that and enjoyed the trivia and Easter eggs.

I was single when the series started and the first several episodes were so fast paced and a little scary (polar bears and smoke monsters - oh my!) that I wound up watching the rest of the first two seasons with my brother at his place. When I met Chris he wasn't watching and I sternly let him know there would be no talking during Lost. After we were married and in the middle of one of the very long Lost breaks, we borrowed the DVDs of the first three seasons and Lost had claimed another a fan. We watched an episode of season 5 in the hospital the day after Milo was born. And last night we watched the series finale and we're still talking about it today.

To me, Lost has been an enjoyable ride and something to keep my mind occupied for the last six years. Was it great? Maybe. Am I happy with the way it ended? In some ways, yes and in other ways, no. But the ending was never for me to decide, I was just along for the ride and I'm still glad I've been a Lostie for the last six years.

How My Garden Grows

2010-05-18T20:27:00.007-04:00

We are in the middle of a wet spell here in Columbus. The garden is either going to love us this rain, or totally turn into a swamp. It could go either way.

The veggies we planted early on are doing well (except the peas which never came up). We have had our first micro-greens salad and have been enjoying our fresh herbs, especially parsley, on many dishes. I'm giving the radishes another couple of days, but some are about ready to nosh on for pre-dinner nibbles.

This year we bought tomato starts from a farmer at the Clintonville Farmer's Market. He had packaged heirloom seeds into three packs and was selling a variety. So we have six different varieties of tomatoes. I know one is chocolate colored one and one is zebra green, but it will be a surprise what the others are as I can't remember. There are also several volunteer plants shooting up from last year. I've pulled some up, but are letting others survive if they happen to be in a good spot.

The potatoes are doing really well. I've never seen a potato plant, so it has been very interesting to see them grow. I hope these turn out well.

We also have banana peppers and a jalapeno plant in the ground. I've planted yellow beans and green peppers from seed. We have a cool blue pumpkin start from my Mom in the front yard. I've yet to plant butternut squash and zucchini, both of which will be from seed.

The first casualty of the season was a Swiss chard plant nibbled down to the quick by a local bunny. I still have high hopes for it, but it doesn't look good. On top of the rabbits, the slugs are back for another year and loving the wet weather. As soon as things dry off, the beer traps will be set. And if the pests keep up, I'll be having a beer with them.

14 Months

2010-05-16T21:23:00.003-04:00

We've been so busy keeping up with our 14 month old. While not walking, he is a super fast crawler and is constantly on the move. He's standing more on his own now and can even hold toys while standing. He takes unsupported steps in between objects and is much more willing to walk while holding my hands now. Many people tell me that he'll speed up even more when he learns to walk, but I think there will be a (brief) period of slowing down as he perfects his walking abilities. That will be nice.

Milo's favorite thing to do is eat and he now has the eat sign to go along with the activity. He asks for pretzels (a favorite treat) by making the eat sign. I think it is really interesting how the all done sign has evolved with him. First, we would do it when he was done with a meal and I would unstrap him and get him out of this high chair. Now he does the all done sign when he wants out of something - the stroller, a swing or off the couch. I appreciate the signs as useful vehicles of communication. Milo is still repeating words after me and has picked up a few other common words.

One of Milo's very favorite words that he uses often is dirt. Oh, how he loves dirt. He likes to play in it and when I have my back turned he also likes to eat it. We work in the garden quite often in the afternoons and he thoroughly enjoys helping me pull weeds and dig holes. On particularly muddy days he earns a bonus bath in the afternoon.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Milo is totally weaned from nursing. He did such a great job transitioning to his sippy cup, and I am very proud of him. He seems taller to me now and much less baby like. He is using eating utensils and is an active participant in family dinners. My little guy is growing right up.

A Flair for the Dramatic

2010-05-12T13:33:00.002-04:00

In high school, I was quite the little thespian with a flair for the dramatic. I like to think I have toned it down it over the years, but it seems Milo has picked up on the trait. As his communication skills increase, his personality becomes more evident.

On Sunday (Mother's Day), he was busy making the mamamamama sound all day and seemed to connect it to me. This was a first and his timing couldn't have been more impeccable.

Also on Sunday, Milo took a tumble and split open his lip earning himself his first bad boo boo. As we were putting him to bed that night, he pointed to ouchy lip and clearly said poor buddy. I often use the phrase poor buddy when he falls or isn't feeling well. His first phrase being poor buddy in relation to his swollen lip just pulled at my heart strings, but seriously the whole thing was rather dramatic. Chip off the old block that one is.

What to Eat

2010-05-10T21:05:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else find it really confusing to figure out what type of fuel to put in your body? I know some of you do, because I've been talking with you about it lately. For a long time I went with the whole everything in moderation theory, but even that simple stance is starting to not work with me. I want to feel good about the things I am feeding my family, but I also want those foods to taste good. I want to know what is in the food and if at all possible, I would like to know where the food comes from. Sometimes this seems like too much to ask and sometimes it seems this isn't going far enough.

I have come to recognize our food supply in this country is broken and this really bothers me. We strive to eat closer to the source by eating whole foods rather than processed foods, but even the origin of simple ingredients are murky when you start looking at them. The other day I was flipping through the coupons (of which I am using fewer and fewer of because they are all for processed food) and noticed one popular yogurt company just came out with a simply version. They took out the high fructose corn syrup, the artificial colorings and flavors and left (presumably) the yogurt. This made me so mad! Why didn't they just change the whole line of "foods" to be simply? Why even keep making all the other neon flavors and calling it a good idea for lunch boxes?

I feel there is so much information out there now about nutrition and processed foods (the Pollan books, Food Inc, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution) and how as a nation we are seriously going down the wrong path. Unfortunately, I still have the sneaking suspicion the majority of the food companies are not on board with recognizing there is a problem or probably more accurately wanting to change the status quo. I'll keep on aiming to eat whole foods, reading labels (in order to buy the products with the fewest ingredients) and also buying local when possible. I just wonder if that is enough?

So Long Boppy

2010-05-07T09:16:00.003-04:00

Today I noticed our much-loved and much-used Boppy pillow in the corner of Milo's room. The pillow was with us in the hospital when Milo arrived and has been used several times per day (and night) since then. I remember early on when I was still recovering from the c-section, I would sleep with the pillow wrapped around my stomach. The soft, but firm pressure felt good on the healing incision. At each nursing session, Milo would cuddle into me and the Boppy. Even when he got bigger and we didn't so much need the support of the pillow, I found it much more comfortable for both of us to have it. We last used the Boppy sometime around 1 a.m. one night last week. That middle of the night waking turned out to be our final nursing session. Since that time, Milo has been on sippy cups of hemp milk and seems fine with it.

My original breastfeeding goal was 6 months and when that came and went, it seemed silly to not keep going to a year. Starting in the fall, Milo would occasionally get a bottle of formula if I was out of the house, but otherwise he was primarily a breastfed baby. We started off the breastfeeding relationship a bit rocky because it took several days for my milk to come. After that, we both a had a learning curve to figure out what we were doing and how to make the situation work. Milo was a cluster feeder early on and wanted to eat constantly, so that was tough. Otherwise, though, we had a very easy and natural time breastfeeding. I'm so glad (and proud) we made it to a year. I'm also proud (and glad) of how naturally the weaning happened. There were virtually no struggles once we established food was not coming from Mommy. For something Milo enjoyed so much, he did a wonderful job of transitioning away from the breast.

The first few days of eliminating feedings, Milo would go and hug the Boppy. Now, though, the Boppy is all but forgotten by both of us as share new adventures together.

Returning to Those Three Things

2010-04-29T11:51:00.005-04:00

Way back in October, I reflected on the three things I said I would never do as a parent. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

While the television is mostly off at our house, it does somehow get turned on almost every day around 4:30. We watch the Sprout shows (although they have recently added dirtgirlworld to their line up and wtf is up with that huge eyed character..ugh). Milo actually prefers the pink puppet host who announces the shows rather than watching the actual shows. The television being on, coupled with the allure of the remote usually can buy me enough time to get dinner started. I'm not proud of the television watching, but I figure he isn't watching more than an hour per day (where I think research has shown the harm can come in). He doesn't eat in front of the television and most of the time he wanders away from it. We read a lot, and play for the rest of the day, so I am rationalizing this little bit of television as being okay in the bigger picture. I'm also very aware to not let the habit grow.

Due to Milo's allergies, the processed food bit has kind of taken care of itself. No mac & cheese is even allowed! He also has not had a chicken nugget nor a hot dog. He has had pieces of a bratwurst though. And he is a big fan of tater tots. Otherwise we do lots of fruits, some veggies, lean protein, beans, rice, bread, pasta. There are a couple of things I give him, which I probably shouldn't: animal crackers and yellow corn chips are included in that list, but otherwise we're doing pretty well on the nutrition aspect.

Habitual co sleeping went by the wayside around December. Little man seems to prefer his own space now, which is great because our bed is a haven for dust mites and cat dander. I try not to bring Milo to bed with us, but sometimes the siren call of my bed is too much to stand. On the (increasingly) rare occasions when he wakes up screaming, I do sometimes take him to bed with me. I then immediately regret it because Milo sees the cat and starts screaming cat, cat, while crawling over us to get to her. Limbs are everywhere, Prada is meowing (but refusing to move) and Milo thinks it is the BEST THING ever to have a cat in the bed and consequently none of us are sleeping.

It's funny the things we think are a good idea before we actually carry out the plan.

style

2010-04-27T12:03:00.004-04:00

Somewhere between becoming pregnant two years ago, gaining 50 pounds, having Milo and eventually losing 60 pounds, breastfeeding for a year, quitting my job and staying home full-time, I have lost my sense of style. To be fair, I'm not sure I ever really had a defined sense of style, but the issue certainly has me thinking a lot more now than it ever has before. Suddenly most of my clothes don't fit or don't fit well. If they do fit, they don't really seem right for where I am at in my life right now.

Plenty of work clothes are sitting around my closet, but black pants and cardigans don't seem to gel with story time and the playground. On the other hand, I would like to be more pulled together than the comfy sports bra, shorts and sorority shirts from 10 years ago. It's a fine line for me to walk to stay comfortable and look presentable at the same time.

Plus, clothes and accessories are a way of presenting who you are to the world. I don't like to admit that sometimes what I throw on in the morning, isn't so much who I want to be. Coming across as a fun, caring, somewhat hippie like, approachable and confident mom is the image I am going for. I think I achieved it in the picture above - funky sun glasses, pedal pusher shorts and a fair trade flowy top. Getting the look down isn't an every day thing though, so this weekend a friend / personal shopper is going shopping with me. She's an expert at sorting through second-hand stores for deals and always looks great herself. I'm looking forward to the trip to see what's out there and what will work for my new look.

Gardening Time Again

2010-04-23T09:58:00.000-04:00

While we are not totally out of the woods for a hard frost quite yet, it is still time to think gardens. Technically for those who take gardening more seriously, thinking gardening should already be done and seedlings should be sprouting happily from indoor planting. For those of us without the space for sprouting our own seeds, though, now is the perfect time to get going.

So far this year we have cleared out what has traditionally been our lettuce bed. It is now planted with spinach, mesclun mix lettuce, leaf lettuce, peas, broccoli and kohlrabi. Everything is up except the peas and either the broccoli or the kohlrabi (we'll have to wait until harvest to figure out which variety it is since I planted in the same row). These seeds have been in for almost three weeks, so we will probably plant another batch of all the same things next weekend to extend our spring harvest.

We are also planting potatoes this year. Milo helped to clear the bed and Chris built a potato tower. The seed potatoes are in the ground and have been in for almost two weeks, but I have yet to see any progress. Fingers crossed.

I'll wait until the traditional Mother's Day date to put in tomatoes and peppers. Last year we had Swiss chard which was nice and we will probably do that again. As much as I love fennel, I have not gotten a good bulb in the last couple of years, so I don't think I will plant it again. Then we need to decide what vining veggie we want to put in this year because we really only have room for one. I'm leaning toward the butternut squash again as that worked really well last year and froze beautifully to eat throughout the winter.

What are you planting this season?

My New Muffin

2010-04-21T10:45:00.000-04:00

Cooking posts, I told you! You might remember this muffin I made quite a bit when I was pregnant. While certainly edible, the recipe never quite created a fluffy bakery type of muffin. Plus, those two eggs aren't possible now with Milo's allergy. So when a nut, dairy and egg free morning glory muffin crossed my reader from the Food Allergy Mama recently, I thought I would give it a try. I'm glad I did! The muffin looks more tradtional muffin like and is quite tasty, but still not overly sweet. Original recipe is at the link above and my changes are below. All three of us have been enjoying these and I'll be trying more variations (adding in some wheat germ, trying coconut, adding in nuts since we don't have a problem with those and this summer subbing zucchini for the carrot).

145 Morning Muffin

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup non-dairy "milk" - I used hemp this time around

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tblspn. pineapple juice from can (not syrup)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

sprinkle nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 can of cubed pineapple, chopped

Mix all ingredients together (whisk wet ingredients first and then incorporate dry ingredients; adding fruits last). Bake in preheated 350 oven for 20 minutes.

Let's Talk Cooking

2010-04-19T08:36:00.000-04:00

It has been at least several weeks since I have posted any type of recipes on here. Lest you think I'm not cooking, here is a recent favorite dish we've been eating quite a bit lately and are having for dinner again tonight. We've been doing a fairly good job of planning a menu for the week and sticking to it, which is such a better way to go than the constant what's for dinner question.

I'll need to switch my cooking over to spring / summer flavors soon, but in the meantime there should be a couple of cool days to enjoy this yummy roasted chicken dish.

Roasted Curry Chicken With Vegetables

1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs*

2 sweet potatoes

1 large baking potato

1/2 onion

3 or 4 carrots

1/2 head of cauliflower

Curry seasoning (not paste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

After cleaning the chicken and all the veggies, throw everything into a large baking dish. Drizzle with a healthy portion of olive oil. Sprinkle liberally or to taste with curry, salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven at 400 for about 30 - 40 minutes, stirring about half way through and adding some chicken broth if anything is sticking.

*Note: I suppose you could do this with chicken breasts, but the dark meat of the thighs adds more flavor and stands up better to the high cooking temp. I'm a recent convert to thigh meat. It doesn't add that much fat or calories, adds more flavor and is less expensive than breasts.

13 Months

2010-04-17T12:26:00.005-04:00

So I've decided to keep going with the monthly updates...for all of you, but mainly for us. I was able to make a special photo book on one of the photo sharing sites using the monthly pictures and notes from each blog post. Since I am not the scrapbook type, this has morphed into our baby book. The final product turned out great even though it wasn't what I originally had in mind. So on we march into the second year!

Milo is a talker! Well, he still babbles quite a bit. Recognizable words include cat, dad and ball. He can also repeat several words after I do, but he does not use them on his own or in context. I've been a little slack in the signing department, but he uses the sign for eat quite regularly and has his own version of all done. Overall we have seen a much better communicator evolve in the past month - whether we are just finally getting his meaning or he is more adept at conveying his wants is up for debate.

Crawling is still Milo's main mode of transportation and he is fast! He does great pulling up to stand and cruising the furniture. When the mood strikes him he will walk with me holding onto my hands. Each day he can stand on his own not holding onto anything for longer and longer amounts of time. He can also climb the stairs, which he first discovered at the playground and was quite pleased to see we had a set in our very own house.

Although my kitchen tools are still his favorite toys, he is tuning in a bit more to actual toys. He is able to do some of the shape sorter and knows what toy pieces go which toys. Books are still a big hit, especially his touch and feel kitten book and his Elmo's colors book. We read each morning and afternoon before nap times.

I'm continuing to wean the little guy, who has good days and bad days with the whole idea. We're down to one nursing before bed and usually one sometime during the night. This past week he has had a stomach virus so we loosened up on the weaning a bit, but are still aiming to be done breastfeeding totally by June. Taking the place of all the nursing is a lot of cuddling. Milo loves to be held and close. He's great at wrapping his little arms around necks and giving the sweetest hugs. All the people he loves most regularly earn hugs, but so do a variety of stuffed animals and the Boppy pillow. He's a giver.

This past month having an official one-year-old has been lots of fun (other than the week long stomach virus we just lived through - which the picture is from this time period and he wasn't feeling well). I look forward to watching his sweet, silly and fun personality develop even more throughout this year.

Mommy Track

2010-04-01T11:22:00.003-04:00

Surfing through the headlines at Slate yesterday morning, this article caught my eye and has had me thinking. Having been a sophomore in high school when the term Mommy Track was coined, this was all new to me. Turns out more than 20 years ago, an article in Harvard Business Review warned companies of turning off well-educated, high performing women with non-family friendly policies. Some women of the time opted out of the workforce all together, preferring to stay home and raise families to working full time. Thus, the original article suggested a "mommy track" for those women who had children and wanted to work part-time, or job share or have flexible hours. Feminists went wild saying this would be a step back, but some women and some companies made it work.

This is obviously a topic close to my heart since I have also opted out of the workforce (at least for the time being). I never set out to be a stay-at-home-mom and there are still times when I wonder how I got here. Although, I treasure this time at home and right now wouldn't trade it for anything, there are times I worry about what my options will be when I do decide to opt back in to the workforce.

What bothers me about the mommy track, though, is that does sound demeaning. In a perfect world, this would be the everybody track and it wouldn't need a special name. Companies and employees could work together to make sure the work was done and there was also a balance of personal / professional life. That only happens in a perfect world and that doesn't seem to be where we are in this country and this economy.

I've heard the White House convened a panel to discuss work place flexibility, which is a great start. An open dialogue could lead to some real change which could lead to some women not feeling as though the best option is to just opt out (and I do believe these moms have a lot to offer the workplace).

Springtime Thoughts

2010-03-28T13:42:00.003-04:00

As much as I enjoy the activities, tastes and smells of Autumn, I tend to crave the renewal of Spring each year. I find motivation and meaning in the annual rebirth of nature. Watching the birds come back and hearing them proclaim the season is always such a mood lifter for me. With each brave little crocus shoot coming out of the earth, my heart soars with promise. The daffodils, hyacinths and tulips never fail to bring a smile of my face. I even relish in the smell of Spring - that wet, boggy and new scent promising the summer to come.

After a long winter, I have this response each year and I've said all this before, but this year it is a little different. In addition to all the experiences I typically look forward to, this time around I get to see the outdoor world though a new set of eyes. Milo has really been enjoying the Spring weather and we have both enjoyed visiting parks and exploring the backyard. Each stick, piece of mulch and blade of grass is new to him.

As he grows up, I hope to keep instilling in him this wonder of nature and the change of seasons. This built in marker of time and change has always been an important influence on me and I look forward to sharing that with Milo.

First Birthday Fun

2010-03-23T09:56:00.003-04:00

For the last week, we have been celebrating birthdays around here. In fact, I am just now polishing off the last of the cake. It's been a great season of celebration.

Last Tuesday, on Milo's actual birthday, we went to the zoo. It was a gorgeous spring day and the weather was perfect for a stroll around the grounds. Chris took the day off and my parents met us there. Milo went on his first carousal ride and seemed to enjoy it (I held him for half of it, but he held on in wonderment for the first part of the ride). We stopped by to say hello to the gorillas and the manatees. It was such a nice afternoon.

That night, Milo had his first cupcake. I used this recipe to make the goods and they turned out really nice. Milo loved it! I made the mistake of handing the cupcake to him with the paper on it. He was none to happy with me when I had to pull the liner out of his mouth.

On Thursday we met my family for dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday. We met at a Greek restaurant and Milo enjoyed the yelling of OPA! (he also was really into the gyro).

I did not make the liner mistake on Saturday at his actual party. This time we ordered a cake and some cupcakes from an actual bakery. Milo had not had frosting before and loved it! The party guests were amazed at his cupcake eating prowess.

Saturday, was again a great day weather wise, so we could play outside which freed up a little space in the house. We had gone back and forth about the size of party we wanted to have and ended up with a little affair which I think was perfect. Milo knew everyone at the party and had a great time crawling from person to person for hugs. He was quite the little host and enjoyed all the attention.

First birthdays only come around once. I'm so happy we took the time and effort to celebrate our little man's graduation from babyhood.

Dressing a Toddler

2010-03-18T10:44:00.002-04:00

Upon Milo turning one this week, the e-mails I had been receiving entitled Your Baby: Week # now have the subject line Your Toddler: Week #. It seemed a little soon to make the switch seeing how some experts don't label a child a toddler until they are walking (which Milo is decidedly not). Regardless, having this pop up in my inbox reminded me of the troubles I am having dressing this not-quite baby, but not really toddler either.

I know girl clothes are cuter than boy clothes and that people buy more clothes for girls than for boys, so I can in some ways understand how there are three racks of "boy" items in stores with the rest of the space being devoted to pink princess crap. In other ways, seriously, they're all kids why aren't there more gender neutral items?

More practically though, I really like Milo to still have at least one layer that is a onsie. Since he's not walking, I like the snaps to hold the shirt in place while he's crawling all over and being picked up. Also, he's often rashy on his stomach and back and I like the protection the onsie offers. Sadly, there are fewer and fewer onsie options the bigger he gets.

Call it the hippie in me, but I also really prefer and usually insist on all cotton for Milo's clothes (mine too, come to think of it). Why are the older kids items more often made with synthetic fabrics? The chemicals, the questionable flame retardants, the itchiness; ugh, ugh and more ugh. I don't want these next to his sensitive skin.

The final problem I have with toddler boys clothes are the asinine sayings and images on them. All too often I see shirts emblazoned with negative words such as here comes trouble or little monster. Words have power and I don't want to dress Milo in a shirt that could negatively impact his behavior or how others view him. If it's not the words, it's the images. For me, commercial characters are usually out and I certainly don't seek out licensed gear. I, also, am not a fan of the camouflage, the John Deere or the other motorized vehicle type images.

So when I take away all those criteria, the shopping options are limited. There are some things at the Gap I like, especially their basic items, but again I would prefer the majority of the clothes didn't scream GAP. Land's End has great, hard core basics that I am sure I will turn to in the future, but for now, Milo is a tad too small for most of their clothes. I super love Mini Boden items, but I can't afford dressing a messy little boy who needs changed often in their outfits. Pretty much every place else (Kohls, Carters, JC Penney) I've learned to avoid, because it usually ends with me leaving in a huff.

Am I being too picky? Any other thoughts on where to shop my not quite baby, not quite toddler?

12 Months

2010-03-16T06:19:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday Milo! The first year of having Milo as part of our family has been quite the ride. There has been a lot less sleep and a lot more laughing. There has been a lot more laundry and lot less fretting over the inconsequential. It's been pretty great.

Writing this post, it is really hard to update the last month's progress (which has been the point of this series) rather than compare the little person we have now to the strange almost bird-like newborn we brought home around this time last year. My mind keeps going back to last year at this time (where with me 60 pounds heavier, Chris and I had just left for the hospital) and how much has changed since then.

However, quite a few things have changed since just last month too. Milo's babbling is starting to sound more like words. He has the cadence of speech down now. He just needs to fit in recognizable words. Both my Dad and I have heard Milo say "Cat" and he does say "Dada" in relation to Chris, but otherwise I'm at a loss for what most of his conversation is about. Usually with lots of pointing and vocalising, he gets his point across - at least enough for more Rice Chex to land on his tray. He knows the meaning of a lot more words now, which means for the first time he can follow simple directions - hands on the head, fishie face, hug.

Milo continues to crawl on all fours now, having one day a month or two ago decided to leave the army crawl behind. Several people have told me how much they miss his one-armed army crawl, but I think his butt-wiggling crawl is pretty cute too. He is just now starting to stand on his own (without support) for very brief amounts of time. He can also squat (when holding on to something) to pick up a toy. I guess walking won't be far behind.

With the nicer weather here in the past week, we've been able to play outside which Milo thinks is the best thing since Cheerios for breakfast. He loves playing in the mulch and scooting around my parent's deck. Now, that the chill is back in the air, he looks out the windows longingly.

Today for Milo's birthday, I'll be trying to make vegan cupcakes, we'll head to the Zoo and Milo will have lots of hugs and kisses. Last night before bed we told him today would be a day to celebrate him - the way he laughs, the way he points, how he gives hugs and most of all how happy we to have the little guy in our life.

At Play

2010-03-11T19:58:00.002-05:00

Today I watched Milo playing in a whole new way. In the past playing has mostly meant putting items in his mouth or banging things together. Playing has also meant someone else making the voice or actions for a toy and him laughing.

This afternoon though, Milo took all the shapes out of his sorter and put them into his new super-cool Lego in training block wagon set. One by one he would take the shapes out of the sorter and ferry them across the room to drop them into the wagon with the blocks. Once all the shapes were gone, he looked around the room to make sure he didn't miss any. Then, again, one by one, he picked out all the shapes from the blocks and put them back in the sorter. Other than name the colors of the shapes and or blocks, I just sat back and watched. It was so interesting to me to watch the cognitive functions going on during this play session.

This little man is growing by shapes and blocks every day and it is so fascinating to watch that happen and be part of the discoveries.

At Home

2010-03-01T14:45:00.003-05:00

It's been almost six months since I quit my job to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom. There are ups and downs to this gig, but on days like these I know I 100% made the right decision. It's not because Milo is being such a delight today that I am so thankful to be home with him today. It's because he has actually been a little bear all morning. There were multiple meltdowns and plenty of pulling up to my legs to pitifully whine. This isn't so much normal behavior for my typically smiley little man and I know something is a little off with him. That is why I am so glad that I am the one here to pull him close to me and have his little face burrow into my neck. I am so glad it is me who can sit with him on my lap and read a book. Little man needs his mommy to help him feel better and right now it is my job to help him feel his best. It doesn't pay well, but it is a pretty good job to have and does have some remarkable benefits.

Facelift

2010-02-25T21:43:00.002-05:00

On my to-do list for, oh, the last two years has been to update the visual appeal of my blog. Starting with my first post here in March of 2007, I've tried to keep the content fresh, but the layout has never conveyed the feel I am aiming for here. This, while not perfect, is much more in line with what I want this space to be: fresh, but comfortable /exciting, but familiar.

So if you are reading me on a reader, click on over to see the new layout and let me know what you think.

Allergy Talk and More Reading

2010-02-25T12:03:00.002-05:00

In my stack of books to get through (which is going pretty well, actually), there lurked a book I never would have read a year ago. The Unhealthy Truth:How Our Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can do About It is a book about the food supply and the increase in food allergies among children. I wouldn't have read this book a few years back because, honestly I didn't really buy into the whole food allergy thing. This is certainly a bias I have picked up from my family where we believe you prepare a balanced and nourishing meal and then you enjoy it. End of story. Reading labels and wondering how individual ingredients might affect certain family members doesn't enter the picture, it never needed to.

Then I had a baby who would spit up after every feeding. The weekend of his baptism, he had suspiciously red cheeks and a rash that didn't really improve over the next several months. Eventually we found out that Milo is allergic to dairy, eggs and most likely sesame. We're probably missing something else, too, because while the spitting up has stopped, the rashiness continues.

Now I read labels and I refuse some of my favorite foods. I've started to eat pizza without the cheese, which is surprisingly good. My Dad is learning to make fresh pasta without the egg. We're all slowly learning to deal with the food allergy, while hoping that Milo will be one of the majority of children who grow out of their early allergies.

This is all background to the perspective I went into when reading The Unhealthy Truth. The book is told in the first person of a stay at home who discovers her daughter has an egg allergy. She then goes on a research journey and ends up at her own theory of what is causing the increase in allergy (in her view GMO foods). Keep in mind I read the Michael Pollan books a few years back, so I already know our food supply is beyond messed up. This was the first thing that really irritated me about the book, the author seemed to have no clue about the current food supply issues. So she spends a lot of the book revealing some of the problems with the food supply using an excessive amount of exclamation points. I just didn't buy she really had no idea that feeding her kids blue yogurt was somehow not a natural thing to do.

The other thing I didn't like about the book is that the author is all over the place in terms of what the problems might be: she starts with a thorough investigation of the research concerning soy (this was the best part of the book in my opinion) and then moves on to what happens in the GMO process and why there could be problems with it (another strong point of the book). From there, though, she moves on to artificial colorings. Which I agree, best to stay away from, but she didn't really clearly connect this to the allergy topic.

If you read the book (and in spite of how negative this review seems, I do hope you read it), do yourself a favor and stop before you get to the section about putting her suggestions to use in your kitchen. Her suggestions focus on swapping out the colored goldfish crackers for the white cheddar ones. Probably not going to make a big enough difference. I do like her suggestion of crafting a family's diet to include 80% "good" and 20% "bad" foods, but I still bristle against labeling food good or bad.

All in all, this was a good read and it certainly does bring up some good points. I do believe we're in the midst of an allergy epidemic, I just don't know what is causing it or what I can do about it. To begin with, I'll be ordering Milo a vegan cake for his birthday next week.

Reading

2010-02-23T10:59:00.005-05:00

For those of you (most of you) who are also friends with me on Facebook, you may have noticed my status update about the all books I have requested from the library coming in at once. This means I have five books to get through in the next month or so and one is so new it is on a 14 day loan. Eeek! I requested the books at different times and didn't think they would all come in at the same time. I also have a high interest in all of them and don't want to send them back to the library and get on the waiting list again...so reading, reading, reading.

I am taking a quick break from the reading though to mention one book I just finished. I found it fascinating, engaging and very timely to me as our little guy turns one. It seems the first year of parenthood is all about getting to know the baby and making sure the basics are covered: eating, sleeping and attachment. Now I realize we are also responsible for helping our baby to become a happy and well rounded child and later a fully functioning adult.

NurtureShock takes into account some of these issues and examines the recent research to help reexamine our thinking of common parenting issues. From sleep (kids are not getting enough which could be leading to low testing scores and obesity) to race relations (kids need explicit conversations about race), the authors touch on some really interesting insights into our kids. I was really intrigued on the chapter on praise. Research is showing that our constant praising of children is not creating the self-assured kids we hope it to, but children who are so in need of more and more praise they are afraid to take chances.

Chris is reading this book right now too and we are having lots of conversations about the topics it brings up and how we want to raise Milo. Clearly the book doesn't have all the answers, but it does bring up some really interesting questions. The book also isn't a how to guide for parenting, but rather it highlights the current research and lets the reader draw their conclusions.

The book is award winning and is a hot topic right now. It looks like you can read some of the individual articles / chapters on the web site. Checking those out would be a good starting point if you are interested.

11 Months

2010-02-16T19:59:00.006-05:00

Although this past month has been busy and Milo continues to develop at an amazing rate, all I can think is next month my baby will be one! Goodness one whole year of living with a Milo. Trying to stay in the present for the moment though, let's talk about my 11 month old because he sure is a lot of fun.

Milo loves to laugh and we both spend a good portion of the day dissolving into giggles. We laugh when I kiss his belly, when he starts climbing on me as I am trying to salute the sun, and we even just laugh when I say hi to him. Clapping is still is go to for communication and showing emotion. He claps to ask for more food, he claps to show excitement and he will even clap to try to calm himself down. Clapping to say hello or goodbye, though, has been replaced with the more traditional wave (mostly backward and pointed at himself).

At the end of last month he was just barely pulling himself to stand, now he is popping up at will and whenever the chance presents itself. He has also started to cruise along the furniture. The cruising mainly takes place trying to get the remote, because Milo has a deep love for all things with buttons - cell phones, remotes, the digital monitor over his bed.

After our trip to the allergist last month, Milo is not eating dairy or eggs. This has limited us a little bit in our foods, but not too badly. He will eat pretty much whatever we give him, unless we try to sneak in salmon. He has a very hearty appetite and I often need to remind him to eat one piece at a time rather than items by the fistful. There are times when I feel like I throw food on his tray and then cower in the corner so as not to get a finger bitten off. With the increase in table food, he has cut back on nursing to about four times per day.

Sleeping is also starting to go well. Milo does better about putting himself to sleep for a nap (he talks to the animal quilt on the wall for about 10 minutes before conking out). He has even slept through the night several times in the past couple of weeks. It is amazing.

Milo is my constant companion during the day. We try to get out and about a lot during the day. Walks when it is nice, story time, mom's groups, running errands and we even went to see a movie together. He's a pretty good little buddy to have.

Snow Mood

2010-02-10T10:59:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning in a bad mood. I stomped down the hall to a crying Milo thinking cranky thoughts and wondering why he was even awake since he had been up three times in the night. I attribute this bad mood to the ever falling snow outside and consequently being cooped up in the house with a busy almost-toddler who does not understand that snow days are meant to be spent drinking wine, playing board games and watching movies from the warmth of the couch. Chris tends to think the bad mood I am inflicting on the family is from the entire package of Oreos I have poured down my gullet in the past three days. I say it is really the same issue here, isn't it?

My bad mood lasted through getting Milo out of his crib, him using my shoulder as a Kleenex, him screaming through a diaper change and us looking out the window to see yet more snow falling. Then over breakfast of Cheerios and kiwi, the mood started to lighten as Milo would giggle between each bite. The giggling turned to laughing hysterically when I would wave to him and say hi Milo and the bad mood all but disappeared.

The snow is still falling and Milo is refusing his much needed - by both of us - morning nap. The bad mood is starting to descend again, but I am trying to remember the song we sang before morning nap.

Rise up this mornin', Smiled with the risin' sun, Three little birds Pitch by my doorstep Singin' sweet songs Of melodies pure and true, Sayin', ("This is my message to you-ou-ou:") Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be all right." Singin': "Don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

Of course here, the three little birds are frozen and only have Oreos to eat.

Crafting

2010-02-06T20:23:00.002-05:00

The idea of crafting really appeals to me. I like the thought of making things myself and having a creative outlet. Unfortunately, the ideas in my head rarely come out the way I planned. Because of this and that after several moves I can no longer locate my hot glue gun, my crafting days are few and far between.

I do want Milo to have plenty of artistic / crafty outlets though and so we started his art education tonight: finger painting with cherry jello! Being 10.5 months old, he didn't quite get the concept of "painting" on the paper, but he did manage to "decorate" several Valentine's day cards which was the point of the whole project (that and we have several inches of snow and Mommy has cabin fever).

Making paint out of jello is easy - just add a small amount (about 1/4 cup) of boiling water to the powdered gelatin, enough that it is a smearable consistency. It is safe for any curious mouths to lick, but it is sticky. Take it from me and do this right before bath time.

Boy oh Boy

2010-02-04T12:08:00.003-05:00

The woman cutting my hair yesterday told me she is 10 weeks pregnant with what she is hoping is a sweet baby girl. Perhaps being aware she is also statistically likely to have a boy, she asked what being a mother to a boy is like. I paused to blink back a tear and then told her how much I love my little boy.

Before being pregnant, I assumed I would have a girl because I am a girl and I am very good at picking out sweet, but not saccharine girls clothes. I also adored the girl name we had picked out and really wanted to use it.

However, after having a dream early on in pregnancy, I was pretty positive our little Olive was a boy. It turned out I was correct and I have come to treasure my life with Milo. He is in fact all boy. Since he is cruising around the furniture he has plenty of bruises to show for his adventurous streak. He likes to explore. He gets very excited to play with balls and points happily at the big red concrete balls outside of Targets.

He also has a sweet side to offset his constant action. In the midst of playing, he will often come over to give me a hug. When he sees a favorite stuffed animal he has not played with recently, he will tackle it with hugs and kisses. He pats Chris on the back as if burping him. And, of course, he has a smile for everyone.

I imagine having a girl at this age wouldn't be too much different. The differences would probably be more in personality than in gender, but since Milo is a boy, I attribute his whirl-dervish-action and his get-up-again-perseverance to his maleness. Whatever it is, I just hope my hair stylist has a baby who is delightful as my sweet little Milo.