So many firsts. . .

FIRST FOOD. . . Banana's. . . Not so much. We liked the bowl more.


FIRST BALL. . .It's harder than you might think to find a ball for a little guy. This is a bit big. . but delights him all the same. When I brought it home yesterday he was giggling as we played with it. (and yes. . he got it up over his body like that on his own.)




FIRST BED HEAD. .. We've got enough hair for "bed head". . or "nap head"



FIRST AVOCADO. . . If you can believe it, he liked this SO much more than the Banana's. He's a guacamole guy!

Stopping to Smell the Roses. . .

These beautiful roses are from Mark's Rose garden. Aren't they beautiful? And they smelled even better.

Ratatouille. . more than a movie!

My experiment with Vegetarian cooking has been so much fun, and resulted in numerous YUMMY meals. One of my favorites was Ratatouille! I found a recipe in Oprah Magazine and had all of the ingredients on hand except the eggplant. It was more an issue of practicality to use up ingredients. .but the result was divine!!

Ratatouille

4 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic (I use smashed garlic in a jar)
1 small eggplant cut into 1 inch cubes
2 small onions-cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 small zucchini sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 scant pint of sweet cherry tomatoes
salt & pepper
a few fresh basil leaves-torn

Cook each veggie separately over medium heat, using 1 Tb of the olive oil and 1 clove of garlic.
-Eggplant- Cook about 18 minutes, until soft
-zucchini-Cook until tender, about 12-14 minutes
-onion-Cook until soft and slightly caramelized -about 18 minutes
-Tomatoes-Cook about 9 minutes, until wrinkled and barely holding their shape.

* Season each veggie right before you are done cooking it.
* You can put the veggies together in a bowl when you are done cooking them

When all the veggies are cooked, put them all together in a large saute pan, cook until heated all the way through, add torn basil and season to taste.

The recipe said to serve with a crusty bread. Both Todd and I thought it would have been good over couscous or pasta.

SO YUMMY! I learned to enjoy eggplant while living in China. . I'd never been sure how to cook it. . but now that I figured that out. . . eggplant here I come! :)

ONE NOTE: Dear, Sweet Todd was so excited when I said I was making Ratatouille. (we loved the movie) and when he walked in the door from work. . he thought it smelled "Amazing". . he liked the taste. . but told me later in his mind Ratatouille was an amazing cheesy, pasta. . so a plate of veggies, perfectly seasoned, while good. . was a bit of a disappointment on a few levels! :) (But still good!)

Happy Veggie eating!

knowledge is power. . . or something like that

Over the past month my little sweetie-pie has gone from being a pretty good little sleeper. . to a not-so-good-little-sleeper. I knew something needed to change when I could barely pull myself out of bed this weekend, and neither Todd nor I could accurately recall the number of times that I'd been up with Reid.

For me any of the cry-it-out options, weren't options. The few times that I have been tempted to try it, (and I haven't) I've found him stuck in some funky position (on his stomach, which his feet through the crib slats)which he was truly unable to fix on his own, or soaking wet, (another thing he is unable (for the time being) to fix on his own). I feel like when he's crying there is a reason, and it's my job to help him try and fix it. (And needing a cuddle or reassurance in the middle of the night is still a valid reason for getting my attention. . )SO I was left with trying to figure out how to solve this night-waking problem. I changed the way I diapered him (which helped) I decieded that wet diapers were NOT a reason we needed to be waking up. (Our Bum Genuius Cloth Diaper with THREE inserts have done the trick)

After some reasearch I discovered a book, that according to the reviews on Amazon sounded like it would be in alignment with how I want to try and solve this sleep problem. The book is called: The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I found it yesterday at our local book store and by the end of the forward I KNEW it was the right book for me. . I got a couple chapters read yesterday afternoon, the authors story and an overview of infant sleep patterns (so I didn't even get to the meat of the book). BUT I did know that I had knowledge, or the opportunity to gain knowledge at my finger tips.

So, I put Reid to bed last night, the only thing that changed was my attitude I felt like there was hope out there, I knew I didn't have it yet (last night), but I knew that it was out there.

I'm not sure if the book has some magical power and just being in my house unleashed it (highly unlikely)
OR If my attitude and HOPE changed, and therefore something in Reid changed (more likely) BUT Reid had the BEST night sleep he's EVER had in his whole life! I put him to bed at 7:00, he woke up at 12:57 I fed him for 20 minutes when the alarm went off at 5:00 (Todd was going to the gym to work-out) I heard Reid just slightly stir, I got him (still asleep) feed him and he slept until 7:00 (that's 12 hours, with 2 feedings. . but one was forced upon him by me!)

As I thought about it this morning, I felt like, Knowledge is Power. . My "energy" changed as I put him to bed last night, I wasn't edgy or nervous wondering "how long is he going to sleep". . I felt like, "I don't know what to do today, but I know that tomorrow or the next day I'm going to have more ideas.. ." There was light at the end of the tunnel.

So, who knows what tonight will be like, but I have hope and I've got to get reading.

For the Love of Dye. .

A few weeks ago, I’m not quite sure how it hit, I decided that the perfect “hobby” for me would be to TIE-DYE. (A craft that requires no precision, just wad up a shirt and dip it in dye!) I’m not quite sure why, or where this idea hit, but none-the-less I became a woman on a mission as I looked up information on-line about tie-dye. I found a complete “mini-tie-dye” kit to order, and I was off. I thought that onesie (just the right size for Reid) would be a good project to get me started.

It took a couple of weeks from getting the kit, to finding the perfect tie-dying day. In the mean time I explained my new hobby with glee to several friends. One dear friend, who has been around along enough to experience my, lets say, “misguided exuberance” one-too many times was a bit leery of my plan. His response (in not so many words was. . “WHAT makes you think that YOU and PERMANT DYE is a good idea?) I explained with great confidence that “of course I know better than to do this in the house, I thought the patio would be a perfect place.” . . He explained that Todd probably would NOT like tie-dyed cement. . (Good point) and made me promise on my life that this project would take place on the grass.

Sunday, (on the grass) I tie-dyed my little heart out. . well five onesies at least! As I explained to Todd why I was going to be outside for a bit, he said something I thought so strange. . .
“Have you washed all my white T-shirts. . could you do that before you start?”
A bit confused I said, “Why?”. . my DEAR husband said, “I like my T-shirts white”
I carefully explained to him that my tie-dyeing would have no effect on his t-shirts.
And THEN under his breath I heard something like. . . “Can I get that in writing?”

WHY DOES NO ONE TRUST ME?????

Alas. . The onesies are tie-dyed. The Cement is still cement. And ALL Todd’s T-shirts are white. (Who get’s the last laugh now??)





"Does the light blue tint make me look fat?"

Spring Sprang. . . .

Ah. . the green grass. . . sunny day. . . a spot of shade. .


toes in the grass. . does it get better?


Sweet Denali. . .

yummy. . .

I've decieded to "sneak" a few vegetarian dinners into our diet each week. (I'm not really "sneaking", I told Todd. . did you really think I could keep a secret?!)
I'm reading an interesting book (In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan) which is confirming my inspirtation. Don't worry, I'm not going to go all "veggie". . I am a firm believer in "moderation in all things". . .more on that later.. . for now, I want to share our YUMMMMMMY dinner. . . we had it tonight, and I think the left-overs tomorrow are going to be EVEN BETTER (That's what I've found with another veggie dish from Monday. . .)

BLACK BEAN, CORN & ZUCCHINI ENCHILADAS

Enchilada Sauce
* You can prepare this in advance. I made it this morning, but the recipie suggests up to several days before you plan to make these YUMMMMMMY delights.

1 tsp canola oil
1/2 C. diced red onion
1 tsp. minced garlic (you know they sell this in a jar at TJ's!)
1/2 C. Organic Vegetable Broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, undrained.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in broth and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

THE ENCHILADAS!
1 tsp. canola oil
2 C. diced zucchini
1 (10 oz) package frozen, whole-kernel corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained.
8 whole-wheat tortillas
2 C. shredded cheese.

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add zucchini and corn, saute for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and stir in beans.
3. Spread 1 C. of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
4. Spoon about 1/2 C of the vegetable mixure down the center of a tortilla, sprinkle with a bit of cheese, roll and place seam side down in pan. Repeat with the remaining 7 tortillas.
5. Cover evenly with the remaining 2 C of enchilada sauce.
6. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and top with 1 C. of Cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese metls.

(8 servings: 348 Calories per serving :) THANKS Cooking Light!

The best part about cooking vegetarian. . you don't have to deal with raw meat!! (and the clean up seems to be easier!)

Crazy. . .

Last week a friend sent me a link to a "mama-support-group-web-site-thing". . .Since I was asked to join, I did. (It's only good manners).

I realized after only two days it makes me crazy. Moms post questions, and then every other mom can post a response. I noticed right away several things. .

1) EVERYONE is an expert in cyberspace.
2) How MY child does anything. . MUST be the RIGHT way.
3) Parents of newborns talk way too much about SLEEP.


Now that I've got that off my chest. . here is what I have come to understand as rock MY sweet-angle-boy to sleep. .

1) Everyone IS an expert. . ON THEIR CHILD. Every child is a unique, one-of-a-kind, break-the-mold-when-done individual.
2) How each child does anything. . IS the RIGHT WAY for that child. There are for sure transferable lessons between children, BUT that whole "unique individual thing" is back again. . :)
3) I get this, I really get this, when you aren't getting a full night sleep. . it is an easy thing to talk about. I'm not sure that it's really helpful to compare children's sleeping habits too much. . again, each child has their own rhythms.

I am swearing off that particular message board, I realized that it was subtly causing me to doubt decisions that I've made for my family, that have been working for us. I found myself getting worked up and second guessing things that just last week hadn't bothered me a bit. I love advice, but I think I'm finding it's much more helpful and meaningful from someone who knows me, and my little-sweetie-pie-pants than from some anonymous person in cyberspace.

THAT'S WHAT I THINK! :)

Drool. . . . .

Who Likes Snow?

Not this little guy. . . .

BUT. . .



He LOVES a Bouncer!