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Best Friends for Always

2010-09-30T21:49:00.002-04:00

Filling His Tank

2010-09-30T21:38:00.004-04:00

With Papa gone for training my work load at home has gotten a wee bit heavier. It's my turn to take out the trash and walk the dogs, to clean the bathroom and make sure my boy gets enough rough housing and wild play to keep him straight. Some of this extra work I could do without, I really hate cleaning the bathroom.

I tucked Jules in at 8, the golden hour for me these days. Finally I can eat a good dinner, take a shower, zone out in front of the tv or read, and most importantly - sit down. I think I've been a bit quick to rush through bedtime lately, eager for the long day to end, as Jules has taken to coming out 15, 20, even 30 minutes later asking for more loving. Tonight I turned around from loading the dishwasher to hear my boy say, "that's just not enough lovin' mama". So I scooped him up and asked him if I need to come lay down and fill his tank with some extra loving.

We laid there for awhile talking about what it was like when he was a baby. He's fascinated with facts about where he slept and what songs we sung to him. There are so many we still sing, most of all the Julian song that Papa wrote for him, Jules can spell his whole name because of that song. After a few songs and many kisses and squeezes and "lovins", as J says, I asked him if his tank was full yet?

"What tank Mama, like a tanker truck?"

I explained that inside of him, right near his heart, there is a tank. At first he didn't believe me so I offered to tell him how it works. I told him how Papa and I fill his tank with all kinds of love: hugs and kisses, snuggles, kindness, time, etc.

"Do you have a tank Mama?"

So I told him how we all have tanks and that everyone we love and who loves us does things to fill our tanks, and that we do the same for them. He wanted to know who filled my tank so I listed, Julian, Papa...

"Mama, I don't see Papa here, I don't see him anywhere? He's not here to fill your tank up so I can fill it up!"

He lunged at me with a giant bear hug, full on with the force of his never ending enthusiasm, exclaiming over and over that he could fill my tank up.

I couldn't stop crying, my little boy, my baby, is not so little anymore. My Julian is a loving force in this world. He jumps into life with his whole body and his whole heart and he oozes love.

Pete is usually the one who stays behind after stories and songs to squeeze another 5 or 10 minutes out of the day with his boy, talking about anything and everything, filling his tank. I need to be more mindful of my boys' tank and how missing Papa affects him, I think he will sleep the better for it. Some of Papa's jobs aren't extra work, this one has been a reminder of how important each of us is to the balance of our family. It's treasured time and worth putting off my downtime for, though I can't wait for Pete to be able to do it himself. Some things, like rough housing and boy time, just aren't the same with Mama.

Putting the Garden In

2010-04-22T12:08:00.000-04:00

I disappeared from around here again, but for good reason - I had to get the garden in! And it IS officially in, all but my direct sow seeds (carrots, radishes, 3 kinds of beans, and a second kind of cucumber)! Last week I was knocked down pretty hard by a cold so that has slowed me down a bit on the final plantings. I was thrilled to lay the last bricks and place the last bit of fencing to protect it from all of the dogs this week though.

Over last weekend Pete and I picked up 1000lbs of compost and topsoil to use in containers and also to amend and build up some of the eroded soil in the back yard. After Pete tilled the hard earth in preparation, I came behind him dumping wheelbarrow load after load of soil to mix in along with the compost we had made over the winter season. Once that was done I laid 4 brick pathways in the six foot deep bed so that I would have a way to tend to the plants at the back without putting pressure on the soil close to the plants. This did take up some substantial square footage, but by using bricks from around the house I was able to complete the project without spending a dime and create a slim walkway.

After that I started laying out my little pots to get the best configuration of plants, avoiding planting my nightshades in the same place as last year, and to take advantage of the sun. I had some squash volunteers come up from the compost we dumped in so I left two of those to see what they end up being. (I also have several volunteer potato plants coming up in the compost pile that I don't plan on pulling up either, I'm excited to see what happens!) A few hours of digging holes, mixing in fertilizer, digging trenches for potatoes, and unsuccessfully trying to build my own bean teepee's later I gave up for the day. I had started at 9:30AM and the sun was almost down, it was 6:30 in the evening! Luckily Jules took a four hour nap over the mid afternoon otherwise it wouldn't have been possible. Pete was also nice enough to escort him to the park as soon as he woke up so I could continue full speed ahead. A few more short days here and there and now everything has it's place.

In the midst of all that work I was also potting up 8 kinds of tomatoes, 5 basil's, long planters of lettuce, 3 peppers, and other assorted herbs to keep out on the front walkway where we get the most sun. I figure if everything dies or is eaten by pests I'll have all of them as backups. I also picked up a blueberry bush that is a self pollinating variety that can be kept in a container so when we move it can go with us - this makes me unbelievably happy! My 6 strawberry plants from last year have multiplied quite a bit, and with the addition of a few more full grown plants this year I have quite the patch going. Jules has already had 2 fresh, juicy, ripe, red berries - one from one of the containers out front, and one from the patch out back.

95% of the vegetable garden will be grown from seed this year and that's pretty exciting. This was a trial year, I'd never started them myself so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I've found that some things went really well (tomatoes, basil, marigolds) and some not so much (brassica's, purple basil). It was really nice to make new homes outside for these tiny plants I've been caring for since February. I couldn't resist a few things at McDonald's Garden Center or Garden in a Flower Pot, they helped me fill in some gaps and replace some things that haven't done so well, or if I'm honest - feed my addiction to yummy home grown vegetable! I figure if I can't find a place in the ground for it I have a HUGE sidewalk to fill out front!

I'll come back to upload pictures once I get home to take some of the finished project!

Urban Gardening: Going Guerilla in a Rental

2010-03-23T10:55:00.003-04:00

Remember all that writing I was talking about several weeks past? Well it's come to fruition! My article on Urban Gardening was published on AltDaily.com yesterday. You can read the article here and if so moved please leave comments! I'd love to hear what you think.

I'm hoping that once we're back from our Midwest Roadtrip 2010 that I'll be able to sit down to brainstorm more ideas for another article. It was a lot of fun sitting down and putting so much of what is running around in my head down to share with others. Hopefully it will inspire you to get growing!

Vote for Our Community Gardens on Pepsi Refresh!

2010-03-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

So I've mentioned here before that my good friend Amelia and I have been talking and planning and thinking and writing about a community garden/community supported agriculture idea for Norfolk. We've gone so far as to put a proposal into the city, which they have already given us positive feed back on, but we will have to find our own funding. It's just not in the budget with the city stretched in this economic time.

On a whim Amelia applied to the Pepsi Refresh program that is giving away 1.3 million dollars EVERY MONTH! We got the notice that our idea had been accepted to vote on and starting out in 189th place we've been steadily climbing toward the top. This morning we were 59th, but we still have a ways to go in order to make this happen. At the end of the month the top ten proposals are announced as the winners!

Amelia has been fielding calls and emails of interest from individuals, teachers and schools, the city, ODU, you name it - so many people want to help us bring our ideas to fruition, now we just need to get out there and VOTE! You can vote once a day from as many email accounts as you have. Send it to your friends on Facebook and Twitter, email your friends and family, every vote counts. Norfolk is in desperate need of this kind of community supported project. The food, the green space, the involvement on a community level - there are so many amazing benefits that our plans would have. Thank you for all your help!

Carving Out a Niche for Me

2010-02-23T13:02:00.003-05:00

A few months ago we realized that Julian was getting too big for his sleeping arrangements. Down came the crib and in went our queen size mattresses. With the newly gained freedom it was crucial for there to be enough room for me to go in and sleep with him in the middle of the night those first few weeks and for those way too early, still pitch black out, mornings. Unfortunately this means his daytime naps have shrunk as well and now I have a little boy telling me he is ready for bed by 5:30 or 6 most evenings. Today he lasted less than an hour so I've repurposed the glider and boppy in the nursery as a temporary work station. The boppy is just the right size to hold my netbook while I type, and I've got plenty of arm support. I told him he's got to get more rest or we can't go on our play date this afternoon with the compromise that I would stay in the room with him. We'll see how it goes.

The real work goes on here, at my new/repurposed desk:

When we moved into this duplex we planned on putting the "office" in our master closet. It's a huge little room with two sunny windows and a corner perfect for an office set up. Our first summer in this house we discovered that the room was a tiny sauna, and now in the winter, nothing short of freezing. It seems whomever built on the little addition didn't do much insulation or ventilation-wise. I organized the bulk of our paperwork and files, along with my craft supplies and art supplies for Julian there for easy access but still lacked a designated work station. Sharing with the kitchen table got old, as did the folding table in living room. We have a beautiful old table that Pete's father gave us shortly after we moved into our first place together to use as a dining table, it's round with two leaves that fold down, and is quite small. It's since become the table that holds our Christmas tree at the holidays, and we replaced it with a retro formica table and red chairs in the kitchen. The small foot print combined with an old wooden chair I picked up at a thrift store make for a perfect addition to the playroom. It has become increasingly important to me that Jules and I be able to work along side each other and now we can. He is often standing at the end of the table working on his drawing or writing skills while I write or work on projects.

My friend Liz found the perfect enamelware silverware/napkin holder at the thrift store it's perfect to hold Julian's markers, crayons, colored pencils, and glue right next to my pens, scissors, and notebooks. I love to use the flat basket I picked up at Ten Thousand Villages to hold my journals, magazine tear sheets, and loose recipes. The tiny tins are another thrifting find but I haven't decided what to use them for yet.

I have plenty of room for my library books, a Jade plant, a few inspiration pieces and other minimal essentials.

I love looking through the sun streaked windows and out to Julian as he plays.

I moved Julian's entire book collection into his bedroom to create a reading nook that allowed him easy access to all of them, this allowed for a little more clearing of the playroom to make room for me. Now that all of his toys are sorted onto my favorite bookcase of all time (left wall, out of site), it simplifies how much he has access to and allows me to easily rotate what is available to keep things new and exciting.

I love this new space I've carved out, the light has that perfect cool glow that I love and I feel happy every time I sit down in that old well worn chair. Today I'll settle for watching Jules flop about resisting sleep with his cute little bottom up in the air and thumb tucked firmly in his mouth. It won't be long before he's grown and needless of his mama's eye to watch over him or arms to snuggle him so I'll take it while I can.

How Can I Decide Between Two Best Friends

2010-02-16T13:03:00.000-05:00

This guy, he's my tried and true, never leave behind kind of friend.

But this guy, oh man did he steal my heart. He can't replace my first love, but having him around rocks.

These two friends, paired with a fairly inexpensive steam driven machine, complete my very own coffee shop. Add a little Dark Chocolate Monin, some steamed organic milk and I like to think of it as my little slice of heaven every morning.

Because our local coffee shop isn't stroller friendly I have found myself out of step with my own ideals. Starbucks calls to me more than I would like, they are stroller friendly and we don't get quiet as many dirty looks for our averagely loud two year old. Don't get me started with their drive thru availability, as a mama with a toddler who is becoming increasingly more opinionated getting him in and out of the car just isn't feasible some days. My solution was to purchase a killer leak proof travel much, one that I can toss in my bag or throw in the car without it seeping all over the place and to hunt down a local shop where I could purchase organic and/or fair trade coffee options. Luckily I found one within walking distance: Virginia Espresso. They have everything I need, plus I get a punch for every pound of coffee I buy towards a free bag. It doesn't get much better than that.

Taking Back My Kitchen

2010-02-14T09:10:00.000-05:00

I recently watched Food, Inc and The Botany of Desire. They really got me thinking about food and consumerism and how our family fits in. We spend a large portion of our income on groceries and their ilk. I can't help but wonder what I can do about the food that my family consumes and the packaging that goes with it. I cook from scratch a lot, I bake bread and sweets, make stock, preserve what I can buy bulk from the farmers market or pick myself, but I'd like to do more.

Is is possible to sustain ones family without processed foods (I'm thinking of all the cereal, granola bars, apple sauce cups and so on in my cabinets), over packaged foods, or premixed/premade products? I know there will be things Pete will never give up, like his giant box of Quaker Oats individual packets from Costco. But this week I started making and freezing waffles and pancakes for him and Jules so that I can stop buying the over priced whole wheat equivalents to Eggos. The packaging is insane, and it's bare bones nutrition. If I make my own from scratch I have complete control of the recipe, and use as many whole grains as I have on hand.

I'd like to get a bread machine so that I can pump out bread for sandwiches and toast rather than buying it. I do the five minute bread occasionally but I'm terrible at keeping track of the oven with the toddler around. I keep concentrate tea on hand so that Jules and I always have something besides water and milk to drink. I'd love to make our yogurt but isn't it still cheaper to buy Stoneyfield than to make it with organic milk? Jules survives on yogurt since he still won't eat meat and Pete takes it every day for breakfast so we'd need a lot. We're eating a lot less meat, and I'm working to get Jules and Pete on board with beans. That's going to be a bit of an uphill battle I think.

Basically, I'm wondering what small steps you've taken in your own kitchens to get back to the basics? What do you make yourself? Where do you get your flours and grains in bulk? What tools do you use? Do you have a weekly or monthly schedule? Do you have any awesome mix or bulk recipes to share?

I know I'll never give up my Kashi cereal, and I doubt Jules could live with out his Mighty Bites or his organic yogurt tubes, and Pete will always be a meat lover. I'm not striving for perfection, just looking to make some updates.

Seed Starting 2010

2010-02-13T11:53:00.001-05:00

The growing season in this part of the country is approximately 240 days long so getting seeds started early was a priority for me this year. I'm attempting to keep up successive sowing on things like lettuce, radishes, and carrots so we can always have something ready to harvest. I'm still waiting for my seed order to get here. I ordered the bulk of what we need from a Virginia company called Southern Exposure Seed. They had so many organic and/or heirloom varieties to choose from that I was overwhelmed with indecision. It was made more difficult by the fact that nearly everything they do carry are plants that are known to do well in this area. Many of the seeds descriptions explained how well they do in many of the conditions we face here as gardeners; drought, heat, sandy soil, humidity, and so on. At final count I was near 30 varieties! That doesn't even include the sunflowers or marigolds still need to pick up, or the ones I still have on hand, OR the seedlings I know are going to taunt me at the market. Between me, and our new green thumb housemate, this place is going to be a garden oasis in the middle of a city.

I also couldn't help picking up a handful of packets at a local nursery a few weeks ago. Some radishes, 2 lettuces, dotted mint - which looks like it's going to be gorgeous, and Moon&Stars watermelon. I just couldn't resist the little paper envelopes covered in pictures of delicious produce - something we are sorely lacking now during SnowFest 2010. With that, plus leftover seeds from last summer, I was able to get a couple of trays started. I put 5 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and the watermelon in one, and two lettuces plus five kinds of herbs in the other.

The lettuce was the quickest to shoot up so I pulled them out to chill on a recycled plastic food tray by the front windows. Once the rest catch up they will all go back in their little green houses until they are a bit bigger.

Jules likes to come out in the mornings to check on the plants while he watches me open the curtains for the day. It's fun to talk about what we are going to grow and how we care for them. He likes to ask what they are going to be and tell me how he's going to eat them. We're reading a lot of books about plants, gardens and farms right now, it's the closest I can get him to green right now.

Once the seed package arrives I've got two more trays to fill, plus leftover seedling containers from plants we purchased last year. J, our housemate, gave me a grow light so our living room will soon look like it's own little garden center. I just hope the sun comes out soon, the snow is just to dreary for the green I'm dreaming of right now.

I Needed Something Easy

2010-02-05T10:53:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to get more creative with the seasonal produce available this time of year and potatoes and carrots are perfect for a pot pie. I had both, purchased from the farmers market, broccoli and a few bags of the chicken I keep precooked in the freezer, and some leftover pie crusts from the holiday season. I threw it together, threw it in the oven and dinner was ready in under an hour.

I cooked all the veggies my big cast iron pot like this:
With medium heat, olive oil, garlic, onions until clear
Next add the carrots and potatoes plus 2 cups of stock until mostly tender
Next comes the broccoli and the precooked and chopped chicken, while that cooks mix 1 cup milk w/2 T cornstarch
A little salt, pepper and thyme (or basil, oregano, etc) to taste
Bring pot to a simmer and add milk mixture, bring to a boil.
Upon thickening to your taste top with pie crust cut with a cookie cutter, drop biscuits work nicely too.

I baked it according to the pie crust directions since the filling was already piping hot. And you can use just about any veggies you want or have on hand; mushrooms, sweet potatoes, peas, peppers, cauliflower, etc. I had thought about having a salad or green beans along side, but instead opted for some roasted beets and squash with a fun spice mix I had gotten for Xmas. It was a perfect, cozy winter time meal, and it hit the spot.

We Loved Every Moment of It

2010-02-04T20:04:00.001-05:00

I think he did too.

A Sight for Sore Eyes

2010-01-30T08:12:00.003-05:00

I took these first thing this morning before the house was awake, before any snow on the sidewalks had been disturbed. I love how snow makes the outside world seem so quite and still, how it muffles everything. We are hoping to spend many, many hours out in this gorgeous, fluffy, white snow to make up for going 4 years without. I can't wait for Julian to wake up so we can go out and play in it, it's going to blow his mind!

Sharing

2010-01-28T12:37:00.001-05:00

Randy Moss is very important in our house. He doesn't just play football - he also snacks, plays kitchen, rides in monster trucks, goes to the park - you know important stuff. Papa was sure Randy wasn't destined to the top tier of loved toys, he though he would just sit on the shelf in his little stand where J could look at him. I didn't agree, little boys love to carry around their "treasures", and right now Randy is amongst the top 3 of Julian's favored entourage. He goes just about everywhere these days, and now that Julian knows all about monster truck jumps Randy is in for some exciting adventures.

We've Finally Gone Wireless!

2010-01-23T16:23:00.000-05:00

After months and months of fighting with Cox and our Airport Express, and some big help from our neighborhood IT guy, we've officially gone wireless. So now instead of being trapped in one place with the netbook and 80 trillion cords attached I can move freely about the house! And we can get the Mac off of the kitchen counter! I'm so flippin excited to be joining the masses. Now I just have to see how far and wide I can go:)

The Beginning of the Master Plan 2010

2010-01-21T12:06:00.000-05:00

I'm surrounded by piles and piles of books and magazines. Books on square foot gardening, composting, heirloom seeds and vegetable growing, urban farming, and so on. I'm waiting anxiously for the rest of my seed catalogs to arrive, so far Burpee is the lone soldier. I like their catalog but I wish it had more heirloom varieties to choose from. I'm also going to head down to The Five Points Farmers Market to talk to Bev about what seeds and seedlings they plan on selling. We'll buy as much locally as we can, either from the market or a few of my other favorite garden stores, but I think I'm going to allow myself one online order to try out a few wild and crazy varieties.

Pete helped me measure out our largest vegetable bed, and eyed the spaces along the fence line where we can stick some plants in with the existing perennials. The list so far is this:

Succession Plantings:

4 varieties of Lettuce

2-3 varieties of Carrots

1-2 varieties of Radishes

Big Plants:

4-5 varieties of Peppers

2-4 varieties Potatoes

1 variety Broccoli

1 variety Cauliflower

4-5 varieties Tomatoes

2 varieties Eggplant

1 variety Leeks

Onions

Garlic

Vines:

2 varieties of Cucumbers

3-4 varieties of Green Beans/Beans

1 variety of Peas (Early crop in bean plots)

4 varieties of Summer Squash

2 varieties Winter Squash

Herbs:

Parsley

Chives x 2

2-3 varieties Basil

Thyme

Lavender

I will also be planting tall and short varieties of sunflowers all along the east side of our house as well as marigolds throughout the garden to act as a pest deterrent. My largest plot measures 6ft x 23ft so I will be using my own modified version of Square Foot Gardening to make the most of the space we have out back. Because we live in a rental, and because our backyard it so tiny, it just isn't feasible to build a bunch of 4x4 raised beds. Instead I will be leaving small pathways between groupings of plantings and using the SFG guidelines for planting things closer together to make the most of our space. In addition to in ground plantings I'll be planting some of the tomatoes and herbs in containers to line our front walkway while taking advantage of the awesome sun the front of the house gets.

What are some of your favorite varieties? How do work with the space you have? Have I forgotten any important additions to our garden? I'd love to hear tips and tricks from people who have been there done this.

Posting from My New Netbook

2010-01-20T11:57:00.000-05:00

I was shocked when Pete carried in two boxes from Amazon yesterday afternoon because I had been tracking the items I ordered last week and nothing was supposed to arrive until at least Thursday. The first box contained Julian's new tea set. The one thing I had overlooked getting for his kitchen set up was cups! This killed two birds with one stone - 2 cups for drinking PLUS endless fun having tea parties with teeny tea bags and itty bitty sugar cubes. I love everything that Plan Toys make, the quality of the wood toys is excellent, and everything we have purchased has stood the test of time with a 2 year old boy. He loved it immediately and proceeded to make tea for Papa all evening long.

The second box contained my new Toshiba Netbook! This was Pete's Christmas present to me/us. There were lots of good reasons to make some changes to our office set up but now that I am going to try my hand at writing articles for a local online news rag, as well as documenting several big projects here at home and with my friend Amelia, I needed something more portable. Now I will be able to head to the coffee shop or the farmers market, for some free wi-fi while I work! We still have to get the wireless network up and running here at home, but for now a super long cable cord split off from the TV allows me to work in both the living room and the play room.

So far I'm just playing around with it a bit, getting used to the small size (only 10 inches!), refining the blog, setting up Twitter, and working on getting all of my bookmarks moved over. I need to get the extra memory I ordered installed as well and I want to use some instructions I found on life hacker to relegate a few USB memory sticks to hold photos and key applications I'll need on the go. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to updating with pictures soon!

One Local Dinner

2010-01-15T15:20:00.000-05:00

Five Red Potatoes pulled from the ground of a local farm in November.

2 leeks from the market.

1 qt. veggie stock made from our entire turnip harvest.

And 1 pint of whipping cream for the butter and the buttermilk.

Gathered all together, along with a recipe from on of my favorite food science guys and Jules and I will be dining on some local delight. Hopefully I can get some bread or biscuits thrown together as well.

The back door is thrown open, and Jules is at the counter *helping*. It's nice to have a taste of Spring with this 60 degree day,

Last Minute Party Plans

2010-01-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

Wednesday morning began with a text from Amelia asking if I would like to join her at the Keep Norfolk Beautiful Gala that is happening this Saturday evening. Without even thinking I said yes! Who would pass up a fun girls date that includes local food, a drink, and a very good cause. What I didn't think about was the fact that I do not own single dress or skirt! I'm on the hunt through friends and shopping for a staple to add to my wardrobe, I desperately need a go to outfit for these kinds of things.

This will be my first return to the social world of adults since Julian was born. Our family life is pretty low key, and most of the last two years has been focused on a nursling who still needed his mama 24/7 and that's okay with me. He'll only be this small for so long, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to knock off my dusty noggin and stretch my wings out in the big world again. It may have been awhile but I think I still have it in me.

This Just In

2010-01-11T13:21:00.001-05:00

I just rushed home from my morning meeting to discover Jules down for his nap, so I'm going to steal some blogging time while I can.

This morning was my very first brainstorming meeting with Amelia, the owner of Green Alternatives here in Norfolk, and I'm so excited about the endless possibilities our partnership could create. I'm really enjoying my time as a stay at home mom and wife, and the stability it has provided for our family as Pete continues his career with the Navy. That said, I miss the drive, energy, and excitement of working. I was at my best working for and with small, women owned and operated businesses. I need a career path that is flexible enough for me to be able to meet the needs of my family while bringing in (hopefully, someday) income to add to the family coffers, or even a retirement account! Who knows where I will be in 6 months, but I'm hoping with enough dedication I'll be able to see an upward trajectory looking back over this year.

Over the next few months I'm going to be reading, researching, and reaching out for any and all information I can find on community gardening, podcasting, blogging, grants, as well as self advertisement and advocacy in the hopes of bringing many of these ideas to fruition. I'm going to rejuvenate my Twitter account so that I can provide updates about our progress on these projects as well as things going on in our local community. If you have any recommendations leave them in the comments section, or if you know of a local activity or program that needs to get the word out let me know so I can pass it on. A big event I'm going to be reminding people about is the Sustainable Living Fair that The Five Points Farmers Market and Green Alternatives is putting on down at Waterside this February so stay tuned!

A New Year, A Fresh Start

2010-01-10T13:44:00.002-05:00

The clock says 1:15PM but it still feels like a sunny Sunday morning in my living room with the curtains drawn to let in the warmth. The thermostat is rarely set above 62 in this old clunker of a house so I'll take the free warmth when I can get it! I'm making coffee and waiting for Pete to get home with the Sunday paper. We've got a routine down: I sort and read while drinking my homemade mocha and we talk about the week past and the one that's about to wallop us in the face come Monday morning. Then we price out TVs we hope to have someday, look through the coupons, find things to check out, all while checking in. This week is a new week for me. I'm not one for resolutions, and it's not any different this year, but I have decided to try some new things.

I started a 7 vitamin and supplement fertility routine this morning. I hate swallowing pills so this is going to be one of the most difficult ones to keep going, but I'm determined to get it done. One year down, a fresh start in this one. A journal has been purchased and begun with Thankful lists and memories of Jules, a niche carved out in the playroom for a workspace and the soon to arrive netbook that will help boost other bigger plans for this year along. Think big! Seed catalogs are here and plants are being pondered, emails are being composed and idea lists are piling up. A basement has been cleared and workout equipment installed, exercise may make it on the to do list finally.

I'm thinking local, green as I can, leaps of faith, and some good old fashioned family time.

To Begin Again

2010-01-09T14:25:00.000-05:00

It is time to start knocking the dust off of this old blog. The past year has been a busy one, full of change, and with many hills and valleys throughout as a good life does. Julian turned two just a few months ago and I can barely see the baby in him these days. Even I have changed, resembling more of my old self every day. Being his mama has been the most fulfilling aspect of my life to date but there is more to me than that and stepping away from some of my commitments in life allowed me to work in that space a bit.

Once Jules began walking things really took off around here. We went, went, went all the time to take advantage of his new mobility and to harness all the energy he creates. No longer did we spend afternoons nursing in a chair, instead we were at the park, the zoo, on play dates, in the yard, at the beach. We made many friends and saw many new places. We were everywhere and it was and remains awesome.

Once he dropped down to one nap a day I began to be able to spend the morning nap hours gardening and crafting, thinking of new ideas, reading for me, etc. I stopped reading parenting books and baby guides and I got in touch with the Rachel I know I used to be. From this came the most unexpected bonus - Julian now loves to do those things with me. I thought pushing for me time and space would create distance but instead it has brought us together and opened his world. Like the parallel play toddlers engage in, he and I have parallel tasks. He bulldozes while I shovel, he rakes while I weed, he reads while I read - it's an awesome comfort to look over my shoulder to see that little towheaded boy hard at work in the dirt.

I'm hoping to take this new year, and the new beginning it provides, to revamp this blog. I want to bring it up to date and to broaden it's horizons and topics. I hope to bring more local flavor as well as more in depth writing about our life and experiences as a family, and mine as a woman, reaching beyond the title "mama" for what makes me tick.

May Highlights in Photos

2009-06-30T15:26:00.012-04:00

Really this post should be titled "A Month with Lilianna". We've known Liz and her daughter Lili for awhile now, through the baby wearing group we belong too. Jules has always been drawn to little Lili, often making her cry by attacking her with kisses and chasing her down when he was crawling and she was already walking. At a recent meet up I discovered Liz's love for Ghent, and our common link of husbands in the Navy. Joey is gone until the fall, and she and Lili were leaving at the end of the first week in June for the summer in Chicago so we decided to pack in as much fun as we could before they left. This meant endless days of plans, ideas, running around, day trips, BBQs on the front porch, etc.

These are a few pictures of our trip up to Mattawoman Creek Farms, a local CSA that had an open farm day. This is where I got my first 3 tomato plants, my basil, and my pepper plants. The kids had a ton of fun running free in the fields, and we finished up with a picnic before heading back home.

We spend many of the hot days of summer outside here at the new house, this often leads to impromptu sprinkler and hose play. There are a couple of spots for excellent puddle jumping out front that everyone seems to love.

One of the big things we wanted to do before Liz and Lili was go strawberry picking so we could try our hand at canning. We gathered supplies, picked some dates, and drove out to Suffolk with the babies and some friends and their babies to pick our own. The kids nearly ate their weight in berries and all ended the day covered in the drippy juice of such fresh and ripe berries.

Snack time before hand to gather their strength.

Stella

Lili

Note the face here!

After all that hard work the babies were starving!

Photo Op

Canning is messy.

But turned out pretty awesome!

Lili doesn't like to nap so much, but she does love to help.

Relaxing while the Mama's clean up.

We decided to take a day trip up to Richmond to check out the Children's Museum. Jules and Lili had a freaking blast - we could have easily spent 2 days there without getting to everything. It's not a really big museum, but it's jam packed with activities inside and out. I can't wait to get back up there again soon.

Playing mechanic.

Working at the grocery store.

Driving the ambulance. This was by far Julians favorite part, I could barely pry him away to let other have turns and every time he caught a glimpse of it he would race off to climb back inside.

Giant sandbox out back complete with a little guys dream - diggers!

I came across a flyer at a park/farm up in Hampton about a tractor festival that was coming up, and on a whim we decided to pack up and go. We drove up to Williamsburg, took the car on a ferry across the way to Surry, VA, and headed into the state park that was hosting a festival. This was right at the beginning peak of Julians interest in vehicles, and his head nearly exploded when we walked into a field of hundreds of them, watched tractor pulls, and visited with a bunch of animals.

They decided that they wanted to drive.

Watching the tractor pull.

Petting the animals at the mini petting zoo that was set up.

Bullet Points

2009-06-14T17:19:00.002-04:00

Since it's been ages since an update I'm going to bullet point all of the biggies and hope I can cover everything. I'll do my best to be organized about it! Mostly this is so I have a record of new things Jules has been doing in the last 3 months.

Words, Phrases and Signs

pees (please), mo (more), dump truck, semi truck, trash truck, pee pee, poop, thank you, deep (dip), water, milk, noodles, cheese, apple, car, bath, bubbles, doggy, giraffe, moo, woof, flower, pool, ride, stroller, momo (motorcycle), toast, mama, papa, ry ry, laura, lili, stella, james, julian, nico, snack, choo choo, eat, toes, eye, shoe, diaper, strawberry, blueberry, airplane, lawn mower, trash, cheep cheep (bird), nana, library, ball, medicine, pillow, blanket

i did it, no more, luv you, all done

please, thank you, more, all done, airplane, bird, drink, eat

Motor Skills and Activities

- throws with accuracy and distance, makes baskets in his basketball hoop

- eats using both fork and spoon appropriately

- can sort shapes with his shape sorter

- makes towers with blocks 3-4 items high

- jumps and gets both feet off the ground at the same time

- can drink from an open cup with supervision

- sleeps in a big boy bed

- tries to put shoes on his feet

- climbs into chairs with books to read

- is obsessed with rakes, shovels, vacuums, mops, and brooms

- dances wildly to music

- loves to ride on my back in the mei tei

- loves a bubble bath

- runs naked through the yard while we are working outside

- loves water, sprinklers, pools, the ocean

- isn't afraid of anything it seems, slightly wild and crazy like his papa

- gives tons of hugs and kisses when he's in the mood, to us and his friends and their mama's

- gets great joy from vanilla ice cream cones and frozen yogurt covered in fruit and sprinkles

- follows simple, one step, direction (putting something in the trash, taking something to papa)

- initiates peek-a-boo

- is a huge comedian, often doing anything he can to get a laugh

- is especially ticklish in his arm pits

- is in a huge papa phase, he is often glued to Pete's leg when he is home - following him everywhere, mimicking everything he does (including needing his turn with the Perfect Pushups)

He's slimmed down quite a bit in these last few months, and spends the majority of his days outside on the porch, in the yard or at the park/zoo/botanical gardens. He loves to be naked and dirty and I don't mind letting him be so. Some people think I'm crazy, but what is more fun then sitting naked in a giant mud puddle!

Hello Again!

2009-06-13T21:47:00.002-04:00

Our camera died on us not long after my last post, we moved and life has been mad busy since then. I'm rarely on the computer anymore with the porch and yard calling to us, BUT, I bought a new camera this week and between that and some pictures that some fabulous friends have taken recently, I hope to get back into my blogging groove. I've definitely missed it and want to make sure to document some of the awesome things Jules is doing and saying. So here's hoping that I'm able to get at least some pictures uploaded tomorrow morning while the crazy boy sleeps.

Frolicking at the Fun Forest

2009-03-24T20:42:00.002-04:00

Karianne and I took the boys to a new park while we happened to already be down in Chesapeake. It's a huge park, tons of slides, climbing features, tunnels, hiding spots, and swings all under the cover of tall trees. James and Julian had a blast running around being wild men. Jules is wearing his "papa hat". I scooped up a mini version at Target for him because he is always desperate to wear Pete's even though it's too big to stay on. Now he grins the cheesiest grin when he and Papa both wear their hats.

Zooing it with Friends

2009-03-11T12:10:00.001-04:00

James, Ellen, Stella and Jules had a blast running around at the zoo together today. Jules is especially in love with all things monkeys and giraffes.

Diggers were also popular. They are building a new Tiger enclosure and it was incredibly difficult to drag the toddlers away from the construction site. We probably could have spent the entire afternoon watching that instead of the animals if the babies were in charge!

Finally Jules and Stella are evenly matched.

Just When Life is Looking Up

2009-03-10T12:02:00.003-04:00

Just when things were starting to look up, go more smoothly, be better - wham! Our brand new car, to us, was completely totaled in an accident barely 2 months after we bought it. That through a major wrench in life as we have been managing all the insurance woes, as well as figuring out how to get a new car that would be just as awesome as the first one. Sadly, the blue Matrix was 1 of 2,500 made so we had to settle a bit, but overall we found a comparable replacement. We should be able to pick it up on Saturday so that is good.

We also had some major house hunting to do. We've been really unhappy in our current place for awhile. There has been a lot of turnover in the building since we moved in 3 years ago, and the more students that move in the more noise and annoyance we are experiencing. Luckily we found a duplex just two blocks away, in our price range, and with WAY more storage space and square footage. We are going to be able to get in the new place starting April 7th, and we are SUPER psyched!

I'm doing well actually, the move has given me a lot of positive energy. I'm packing and donating and trashing like crazy. This move is going to bring us such a welcome fresh start as a family, with more room for Baby Jules to run and play and a porch to relax in the evenings on. The quality of our daily life is going to go WAY up and I think that is going to be very good for my mental health as well.

I have a bunch of stuff to get posted, I'm behind again because of all the dramatic events, but slowly but surely they'll be posted:)

Spring is Here!

2009-03-06T11:51:00.002-05:00

We took advantage of a beautiful day and met Laura and her daughter Ryan at a nearby park. Laura rides a bike with Ryan for their local trips when weather is good, and Pete decided to take Jules for a spin to see how he liked it. Answer: He didn't want to get down! Pete came back 2 or 3 times to play but Jules kept insisting he keep riding. The kids loved it. Since I have no business being on a bike, that is going to be Pete's arena. We've got a friend in the area who is going to pass down a seat for us, and Pete is going to start looking around for a cheap bike option so they can have some fun riding around the neighborhood together.

Ryan and Jules had a blast having the park to themselves, and you can see the well documented love between the two of them - lots of hugs and squeezes between the two of them. Ryan will always be his first love!

First Family Trip to the Zoo

2009-03-05T16:06:00.009-05:00

We took our first family trip to the Zoo with our new membership with Papa. Jules is in love with all things animals, especially monkeys, chickens, birds and giraffes. Military membership for a year was only $45 for a family, and we'll easily make it worth the money just over the summer. It's only about a 5 minute drive from where we live so we are looking forward spending a lot of time there with our baby friends as well.

Zoo Videos

2009-03-05T10:06:00.005-05:00

Baby-watching

2009-02-23T09:50:00.002-05:00

Karianne and I have been trading baby-watching hours for the last few months, and it has been a great addition to our week. Monday mornings bright and early we watch James while she goes to Yoga and runs some errands. Then on Tuesday or Wednesday she watches Jules in the afternoon so I can go to appointments or run errands. It is so much fun to have James over, he usually arrives before Jules wakes up and he loves to go back and get him up for the day.

This is just a small peek at what those mornings look like:

My World

2009-02-20T19:31:00.003-05:00

Julian, you are all my hopes, dreams, and wishes rolled up in one tiny being.

Let Loose with Finger Paints

2009-02-20T15:00:00.001-05:00

Cogan's

2009-02-16T11:22:00.003-05:00

L to R: Pete, Rachel, Jules, Scott, James Karianne, Bri, Chris, and Ellen Claire

We just discovered Cogan's has $5 off pizza all day on Sundays, so we gathered with some good friends and all of our babies. Overall it was a success, even though Jules ended up eating some red pepper. Nothing a $1 balloon and foam sword from the dollar store around the corner couldn't heal;)

Updating

2009-02-12T11:11:00.001-05:00

Keep scrolling - more below and make sure to check the next page! I'm on a roll getting us up to date.

Finally a T-Shirt Kinda Day

2009-02-08T12:33:00.001-05:00

The walking man goes outside for some more trial and error!

Best Buds for Life

2009-02-04T11:38:00.001-05:00

James is Julians best friend so far in his tiny life. Between park meet-ups, Mama Chat, our morning babysitting trade twice a week, and other miscellaneous get-togethers they have a lot of time to interact with each other during the course of the week. Usually the first 15 minutes or so are a little rough, working out who is more in charge, who gets access to what toys, etc, but overall they are really great together. And more and more we are seeing them interact in their play together instead of just parallel play. It's so fun to watch them chase each other around on the playground, share snacks, and give snuggles. Love those two!

Wow, it's been a minute huh?

2009-01-22T10:58:00.006-05:00

I've struggled since the beginning of this blog with how personal I would make it. How much is safe to share, to put out there, to reveal of yourself? I have wanted to share so much of my struggle into motherhood, but society, friends, even family can be critical of your choices or path and it has made me wary. I knew going into parenthood that there would be challenges, difficult moments, tough decisions, and struggles along the way. The picture painted by our society of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood is one surrounded by a warm glow, with a fully bonded mother and child, beautiful, natural, and sometimes even easy. The reality of pregnancy and birth for me was something completely different. Motherhood has been even more of a challenge. Don't get me wrong, Julian is the light of my life, the best thing I have done since I have been on this earth, and I don't regret our choice to start a family one bit. In fact I can't wait to do it again. But, and this is a big but, it has not been easy, and in fact has been quite difficult for me personally.

Pregnancy wasn't even the beginning. After a year of trying on our own we sought help from a Reproductive Endocrinologist. It was discovered that I have PCOS, a condition that has many varied symptoms and problems associated with it. The biggest factor for me was that I rarely had a period or ovulated. In fact the cycle that I got pregnant with Julian was nearly 60 days long. Infertility was a tough journey. I hated my body for doing it all wrong, I worried that we would never conceive, and people kept telling me not to worry, to relax and it would just happen. But it doesn't always work like that. Luckily after some kick starting to my hormonal balance I was able to ovulate and get pregnant, I didn't even believe them when they told me I was indeed pregnant. It was one of the days of my life I will never forget. Finally we were going to have a baby, a family of our own and I couldn't wait.

Pregnancy was not exactly what I expected. I threw up nearly every day throughout my entire pregnancy, right until the day he was born. That alone, 10 months of it, was enough to demoralize me by the end. There was no glowing mother, enjoying every moment of growing her child. Instead I was spending most of my days hovering over the toilet thinking I was going to die if I didn't feel better soon. Add in a bout of the stomach flu, several trips to the ER for IV fluids from all of the puking/dehydration, a uterus growing faster than it should, too much amniotic fluid, and a failed induction (lasting nearly 3 days) followed by an emergency C-section because I had a raging fever and a baby who refused to descend into the birth canal, who was also experiencing tachycardia. Not exactly the picture perfect start.

My recovery was difficult. Laboring so much before the C-Section meant that it took longer to heal. It was hard to do everyday tasks, I couldn't even roll over in bed by myself, or sit up on my own to nurse Julian. I could barely stand up for weeks afterward, I ended up with a uterine infection that caused severe stabbing pains and more bleeding. Luckily breastfeeding started off with a bang, and I was able to spend many hours sitting in my comfy chair surrounded by water, snacks, blankets, the tv, and the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. Before long I was healed, Jules was growing beautifully, and I began to try and find my feet underneath me on this new journey.

The beginning is hard for all parents. There is little sleep, not much to eat, worry over every choice you make for your child, worry that you may break them, that they are not eating enough or pooping enough. There is so much going on 24/7 that it all begins to become a blur, the beginning fading as your child grows, and you forget how hard those first few months are because you are having so much fun with your fast growing baby. And for some it continues in this vein, but that wasn't to be the case for me.

It wasn't until Julian was 8 or 9 months old that I realized that I was really struggling. I have suffered with depression on and off throughout my life, and was definitely in a dark place during the year and a half that we were trying to get pregnant, but I figured once I Julian was here in my arms things would be better and I would be happy again. Boy was I wrong. We live far from any family and had few friends since we'd only been here in Norfolk a short time. There was no support system in place, no visitors at the hospital, and we brought Jules home to an empty house. There were no food deliveries, no baby holding so I could shower or sleep, and Pete went back to work 10 days after we got home from the hospital, leaving me to fend for myself. It was incredibly hard, I could barely leave the house because I was in so much pain, and I wasn't allowed to drive so I couldn't even escape. I tried to focus on the positive and put all of my energy into my son. Soon I noticed I was getting cabin fever, I had no one to talk to, share advice with, no one to lean on so I decided to take things into my own hands, and I started a neighborhood moms group. I would NOT be the mother I am today without these women. They are the ones that have picked up the slack in our support system. They are our trusted babysitters, their children are Julian's best friends, they are the people I go to when I am having a tough day. They are always there to lift me up when I feel like everything is going wrong, and I am so thankful for them.

Even with some new support, I began to realize by that 8th and 9th month that I was becoming increasingly depressed, struggling unknowingly with PPD. Pete worried about the possibility while I was pregnant, knowing about my history with depression, but I always figured I would be fine since this was all I ever wanted. I had my baby, and I was a mama, and isn't that supposed to make you so happy you could burst all day, every day? Nope, definitely not. My depression was worsening by the day, and it was beginning to affect our marriage. I love Pete more than anything in this world, he is my rock, my soft place to fall, my strongest supporter, but I began to lose faith in us, and it terrified me. Pete stood by me, and tried to hold me up the best he could, and with his firm encouragement I forced myself to seek help.

After some trial and error I finally started therapy with a recommended psychotherapist who then teamed up with a psychiatrist to treat me. This was the best choice I have made thus far in my journey of motherhood. I lost myself, and I lost hope, and now I'm working on getting back to a better place. The hardest part was choosing to go back on antidepressants. There is so much controversy surrounding pregnancy and nursing and medication, and I struggled between making the best choice for me and possibly harming my child with something I would be putting in my body every day. But I trust my doctors, and the Zoloft helps. My specific problems are major depressive disorder with a little OCD of the obsessive thinking variety. Basically my brain never turns off, and I struggle constantly with a high level of anxiety that is paired up with my depression. I have been working hard to come to terms with the fact that my childhood, family of origin, and bare bones support system have brought me to this place, a place that I will probably need help with for the rest of my life. Luckily, therapy is a godsend, and I've been able to work on so many things. I've made many changes, looked for more support to surround myself with, am learning how to ask for help, and am trying to take more time for myself. I had begun to lose too much of myself in motherhood, and as much as I love being Julian's mother, I still have to BE me.

It's hard to admit that I couldn't do it on my own. Isn't that what I'm supposed to be able to do? Aren't I capable enough? Aren't mothers supposed to be able to do it all, be it all, and take on the world at the same time? It's not the reality for many women, and I refuse to be ashamed of asking for help, or for needing help in the first place. I tell my story to any other mothers who are interested because it is still such a shame filled issue, and I want to help normalize it. To let people know that it happens to the best of people with the best intentions. I'm not perfect, and I need to stop striving to be. I am a good mother, and I love my son with every inch of my being, but I am who I am, human, flawed, and imperfect. And you know what, I like being me, the good and the bad make me who I am, and I know that Julian and Pete don't judge me for my hard days, they love me for who I am, and so should I.

So with ALL of that being said, for those of you who have read this novel!, I've taken some time away from the blog to deal with another rough patch. I hope that my honesty will help someone else, as blogs like Dooce with their own raw honesty have helped me get the help I needed. I still don't know where my line between blogging about Julian and blogging honestly about my journey through motherhood is, but I hope to challenge it more and share more.

And a sincere thank you to each of my NMOG friends, I wouldn't be able to do any of this without your help and support.

He Walks!

2009-01-16T11:22:00.000-05:00

The lighting isn't the greatest in some of these, but they are great examples of Jules finally getting his feet under him. For the last few weeks he has practiced like this between Pete and I, and lately he has even been venturing away from the couch or person he is holding onto. A whole new world is opening up to him, and the excitement is very visible on his face!

He Goes His Own Way

2009-01-11T12:24:00.003-05:00

He's working hard on getting this walking thing down. He walked nearly 2 blocks with his walker before he was exhausted and wanted to climb in the stroller. Luckily it folds up easily and hangs from the stroller handles. It makes him so happy to race around on his own though, you can see the joy on his face beaming so brightly.

Bye Bye Aunties!

2009-01-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

They had to go back to IN, couldn't stay forever. They are greatly missed though!

Smoothies are Awesome

2009-01-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

Smoothies have become a tried and true way to get breakfast and protein into our little man. He refuses to eat meat in any form, and yogurt and cheese lose their appeal quickly. I've taken to blending up half a frozen banana, cashew butter, whole milk, whole milk yogurt, and any other fruit I have laying around (blueberries and strawberries are always a big hit). I got a Foogoo thermos with a straw for him because the take-n-toss straw cups (below) are way to easy to rip the straw out of and fling smoothie all over the place.

Rockin out in My Rockin Chair

2009-01-05T12:03:00.000-05:00

We got this as a hand me down gift from our friends the Mather's. He love to sit in it and watch his Sign Language dvds, or just sit and rock himself silly until he nearly tips over. Super cute!

Sully's Playground

2009-01-04T11:24:00.017-05:00

This is a playground attached to a church in the neighborhood. It is open to the public, fenced in, and built for little people - perfect for our toddling toddler. We usually spend 2-3 hours a day eating lunch and hanging out with some of our mom/baby friends from New Moms of Ghent as long as the weather is nice. If it's cold we just bundle up, sometimes the wind keeps us down, but not often. I think all the time we have spent there in the last few months really helped encourage Jules to start walking.

Christmas #2 With Auntie Claire and Auntie Tessa

2009-01-01T11:12:00.001-05:00

The twins arrived a few days after Christmas so we continued our celebration for another week while they were here visiting. Jules is SPOILED rotten when they are here. He always has someone to play with, give him snacks, help him, carry him. This kid wants for nothing, and the two of them are constantly vying for who gets him. Not to mention all of the fabulous loot they brought with them.

Parkin' It

2008-12-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

A day at the fun forest brought many smiles. This kid and his Papa are two peas in a pod, and alike in more ways than I can count on both of my hands.

This is one of my favorite pictures to date. My two men.

Christmas Morning 2008

2008-12-25T19:55:00.006-05:00

I warn you this post will be quite the doozy! I started this blog as a way to keep track of Julians milestones so it seems appropriate to post all of my favorites, plus I know family gets a kick out of it as well.

Jules was up bright and early, somewhere around 7AM. He always escapes the bedroom and heads for the living room and his toys before we are out of bed so I rushed to get the camera once I saw him getting antsy and playing with the door. I wanted to make sure I captured the morning since this was the first Christmas he could really participate in.

Sweet Book dude!

Awww, I love it!

Puppies ARE my favorite.

Zippity Zebra, Pete's special gift to Jules. They made him together at Build-a-Bear, and Z has a recording of Pete singing the first line of his nursery song.

Kashi Pizza is His Fav

2008-12-24T19:49:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve dinner around here is Pizza Night, that way we can save all of the big effort for the big meal on Christmas Day. And this boy loves to eat pizza just like us! His meal also contained succotash (soy beans, corn, and red peppers from Trader Joe's), while we stuck to salads, but the kid can't get enough of things covered in cheese.

Christmas Plans

2008-12-23T20:42:00.002-05:00

We're sticking close to home this year for the holidays, and so far we're off to a good start. The tree has been up and decorated since the Friday after Thanksgiving, the lights are hung, and packages have been piling up under the tree for weeks now. So far all I have left to do is pick up a few things at the grocery tomorrow to make Peppermint Marshmallows and Chai Snickerdoodles. Other than that I've got a menu planned, and half prepared, ready for Thursday night.

Pete has to work tomorrow until 3, but after that we have him home all the way through Monday so that is going to be really nice. We went walking through the neighborhood with Jules tied up in a wrap in a front carry and went around to all the houses with the biggest and best lights. He is obsessed with bushes and lights lately so his two favorite things together nearly blew his mind. Plus some people really go all out around here, so it's well worth hoofing it around. So far we've already watched a Muppet movie, and some Sesame Street Christmas. Tonight we stopped by and picked up some Gumby, more Sesame Street, and another Muppet movie to watch over the next few days with Jules. It's the only TV he's been allowed to watch so far, and I figure as long as we keep it restricted to the holiday it can't be too bad. Tomorrow night Pete and I have plans to eat pizza from Trader Joe's and watch White Christmas (the MOST important yearly tradition to me), while drinking hot cocoa with my homemade marshmallows - yum!

Then Xmas is going to be a quiet day here at home, just the three of us. Starbucks is open so I'm hoping for a mid-morning walk with the puppy to pick up a Mocha, and I'm sure Pete is going to want some doughnuts for breakfast, plus there will be presents to open and time to spend hanging out. I'm hoping to make a few ornaments with some materials I have around, and I'll probably spend a bit of time indulging in my newest obsession, Puzzles. I LOVE puzzles. I know it makes me sound like an 80 year old woman, but seriously, I love them! Stefanie sent me the most awesome present, an Impossible Puzzle. So far I've steered clear of them because of their difficulty level, but I'm glad to now have the push to give it a whirl. So if you have any puzzles sitting around collecting dust, you can always send them my way.

Beyond Christmas day we don't have many plans, we picked up a few movies (Prince Caspian, A Very British Gangster, and Counterfeiters) and we're hoping to stay cozy and spend some quality time together. Claire and Tessa will be arriving shortly before the new year, and will be here for a week. That's when things get really hectic! We're going to go ice skating (hopefully Jules will get to try it out with a walker!), drive through the light display at the botanical gardens, hit up Ti'juana Flats for food, maybe drive up to Williamsburg, cook a big Italian feast for the Christmas celebration with them and exchange gifts again.

I'm really looking forward most to Pete's leave over the new year. We haven't had that much time together since the leave he took last year when Julian was born. It will be nice to have him home for whole days at a time for a change, and I know Julian is going to love all the time with his Papa.

I'm not sure when I will update next, but I promise to take a bunch of pictures of the little guy over the holiday and update soon. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Please Take a Moment

2008-12-17T15:39:00.004-05:00

As some one who purchases as many handmade, natural products as I can, the thought of losing the amazing resources of handmade toys for children is terribly saddening. I have bought many a wonderful gift on websites like etsy.com, and I would hate to see people lose their livelyhoods just as much as I would hate to lose such an amazing resource for creative, nontoxic, and imagination inspiring toys.

Please take a moment to click here and help save handmade toys and clothing.

C is For Cookie

2008-12-15T14:45:00.000-05:00

Music Man

2008-12-13T17:28:00.000-05:00

It's not the best lit video, but it's awful cute.

Lately

2008-12-13T16:30:00.006-05:00

We found a new park in the area recently and it's added a whole lot of fun to our days. We try to meet up with James, Ryan, or Canaan after lunch but before afternoon naps on days with good weather. Its a really nice, new, clean, safe, and enclosed play space for little kids attached to a church just a few blocks away. It's open to the public and perfect for our little guys. Jules climbs all over it, down the slides face first, over the bouncing bridge wiggling to be bounced by an adult, through the tunnels and ALL OVER the mulch! He is not easily contained these days, and is frustrated that he can't walk, but that doesn't stop him from getting down on the ground and racing around anyways. All of his shoes are worn off on the tops from scraping on pavement and through the dirt and mulch. They also have the safe baby buckets that are enclosed all the way around for little kids to swing in too. I love this because the park that is closer to us doesn't have them and I felt like he was missing out on some quintessential childhood fun.

We've had some unseasonably warm weather recently, up in the 60s and 70s, warranting opening all of our windows and spending lots of time outdoors. The late half of the week we were forced inside by the rain, but hopefully we will get back out there this week. He burns off at ton of energy at the park so he always takes a good nap afterwards, definitely an added bonus. And on days when Papa leaves for work at 1:45 we all head over together for some added excitement.

Best Photo Ever

2008-12-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

Tis the Season

2008-12-02T22:39:00.004-05:00

By the beginning of November I was already itching for Christmas. It's like this every year. As soon as the stores have the decorations on the shelves, which gets earlier every year, I get excited. When Thanksgiving was approaching I was already calculating where the tree could fit and be out of reach from Jules, thinking about things to do when Claire and Tessa come to visit, thinking about having a holiday party, planning the holiday crafts,baking, and gifting. I've uploaded nearly 15 hours of holiday music to keep on shuffle throughout the season. Crazy? Yes, definitely. A fun way to spend our days this month? Big Time.

Winter, even as mild as it is here (It was 60 degrees on the first of December!) brings out the homebody in me. I've been organizing, cleaning, and purging all over the house. If we don't use it, out it goes. If it needs to be fixed/replaced/re-purposed I put it on my To Do list and get to work. I've been learning how to use essential oils, figuring out how to cook with dried beans, working on some new crafting projects, and doing puzzles now that the big table is out to use. Cooler weather means I can get cooking in the kitchen again. With summer days topping out at 100 degrees I try use the oven as little as possible for most of the year here in Virginia. Now stews and chili's linger through the afternoon on the stove top, I roast tray after tray of vegetables - especially parsnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, and carrots, and now I'm making bread.

There is whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread in the oven as I type this. Soon it will be ready for our breakfast in the morning. A book came out not long ago about a new, incredibly easy, and quick way to make homemade bread all the time. You make big batches, the dough keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks, and it requires NO kneading. It is the most amazing thing ever. I've been making whole wheat bread, cinnamon raisin bread, and sandwich bread. I'm going to try baguettes next to go with all the pasta we eat.

Jules isn't getting much for Christmas since he has so much stuff that is still new to him from his birthday. With the economy where it is we're trying to be extra smart with our money this year. I picked up a little wooden fire truck at the local green children's store, and a few other used wooden toys at some consignment shops out at the beach. I'm trying to limit the plastic, not eliminate it - just keep it to a minimum, and I've found some great deals that way. Lot's of puzzles, blocks, little wooden vehicles, and tons and tons of books. This kid has a seriously large library of mostly second hand/free books. The libraries around here have yearly book sales and give a ways, one even has a bookstore that is open when the library is open. Thrift stores and consignment shops are another excellent place to look. Not only does it save us a ton of money but I feel a lot better about our environmental impact, and life is simpler in many ways.

I'm making several gifts, as well as new ornaments for the tree out of things I already have here at home. It's a great way to change it up a bit with no investment. I found this awesome video online on how to make a 3D snow flake that I'm going to try out tomorrow. I think Jules would love to look at them hanging from the ceiling, and it's something I can make with things from around the house.

I love the holidays. I love the cooking and the baking, the making and the partaking. It's my all-time favorite time of year.

Back

2008-12-02T20:26:00.003-05:00

Sorry for such a delay in posting lately. Things got really busy around here and now that the holidays are upon us it's even crazier! I'm baking and crafting and reading and decorating like a mad woman but I'm going to do my best to get back here more often.

Letter to My 13 Month Old

2008-12-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

Jules,

Wow, this last month has been intense. A lot has been going on. All three of us have been occupied with a packed schedule and you have been busy with a huge developmental burst. These last few weeks have been rough. You are cutting several molars but we didn't know until they were breaking through the gums. Since you hate to let us brush your teeth, let alone look in your mouth there was no way to know. You've been terribly uncomfortable but a little ibuprofen goes a long way with helping you sleep and get some rest. The molars haven't kept you down though, you're still as wild and crazy during your waking hours as ever. Everyday you have something new to show us or way to make us laugh. You are a joyful little guy, and you want so badly to be bigger. I can't wait to see what you come up with next. Here's where you're at now:

Vocab: Baby, puppy, Papa, slipper, diaper, bite, baba (water), bye-bye, ball, Mama (mostly when you're very upset about something), Na-na's, bath, bunnies (a cheese cracker snack), a-Boo (peek-a-boo), zebra, football, bushes, ba-Boom!, penguin, balloon, book

Signs: More, Milk, Eat, Bye-Bye

Animal Sounds: Puppy, Dog, Monkey, Snake

New Skills:

Walking - You took your first solo step tonight!!!! Lately I have been having you walk more from room to room or activity to activity using my hands to steady yourself. Once you mastered that you started to let me just give you one hand. After your bath tonight I pulled you out the tub and stood you in front of me so that I could dry you off, letting you lean on me for support. I let go of you and the towel as I finished, and you kept holding on to the towel, thinking I was still holding it. You stood for a bit, then you started testing your toes to try and lift your foot, and next thing I knew you stepped forward all on your own! I'm so excited, you are going to love being able to walk, and I can't wait for that for you.

Climbing - You have figured out how to pull your self up into the desk chair. When it's pushed in you just climb underneath the desk and push it out. From there you try to climb onto the desk or play with whatever has been left out.

Firsts:

Had a birthday.

Selected this years Christmas tree.

Ate first Thanksgiving meal.

Had a yearly photo session.

Got a haircut.

It is so exciting to be able to communicate more with you. Just today you started signing milk like crazy, and you've been using "more" and "eat" consistently for at least two weeks. Next up: baby, down, up, hungry, and help. These are all words you say or try to say all the time. Hopefully the repetition will help you learn them quickly and continue to add to your sign library.

I still can't believe you are 1, but it's kind of cool. You're one of the big kids now. No more tiny baby here. We're looking forward to showing you all about Christmas, Yule, winter, New Years, ice skating, Christmas trees and carols, twinkling lights in the coming month. Many a family tradition will be started this year now that you can participate.

Kisses,

Mama

Burnin' Time

2008-11-19T20:10:00.004-05:00

This is how Jules spent at least a good hour yesterday:

Yes, my boy spent the day trapping himself inside a chair. Our dining chairs are feather light and he's been pulling them over for as long as he's been crawling. Now he's figured out how to crawl into them and use them as a walker, but he doesn't know how to get out yet. He's a weird kid.

Something else new, Jules got a jogging stroller from his bud Ryan for his birthday. It rocks! Now Papa can take him along with him when he runs. It's getting colder now, but I stick the BundleMe in it with a extra blanket and that helps keep him warm. I need to get the toddler size so it comes up farther on his torso.

He'd refused to nap the day they used it for the first time, and it was nearly dinner time by the time they left. He was cranky and the best way to deal with that is to get him out of the house. When they got back Pete buzzed up and told me to bring the camera down. This is how I found him:

Man, I love that kid.

Oh yea, I almost forgot! Channel 3 came by the house again yesterday. Juliet Bickford was super sweet, and I think Jules had a fun time playing ball with her. This time they wanted to talk to me about free formula and diapers given to new parents. It was cool, I got to tell them about how we cloth diaper and breastfeed, and how it's a great way to save money - especially in this economy. I don't know what they'll use, but it's on tonight at 11. Hopefully I'll get to see Julian's cute face on there.

I Caved

2008-11-13T10:15:00.013-05:00

As long as Jules has had his beautiful blond hair I've sworn up and down we wouldn't cut it, at least not for a long long time. Then came yesterday. I finally convinced Pete to get a "real" hair cut, aka not one that I give him in our kitchen with clippers to save money, and made an appointment with my stylist who gives me great cuts. We brought Jules along on the off chance I would be convinced he needed one too. His hair on top is gorgeous, but in the back it was heading into serious mullet territory, and that coupled with the weird hair that popped up from the spot all babies go bald as newborns = not such a good look. Since we're getting his one year pictures taken soon, I figured now was as good a time as ever to get it done, especially since Pete was going to be able to come with us.

She started with Pete holding him, though every time she came at him with the clippers or the scissors he tried to climb up him to get away! Eventually I had to hold him for part of it, and then Papa held him again while she did some final touch ups. It's shorter in the back, but still long on top, and I think as long as it stays healthy we'll let it grow for awhile and see if we can get it long again. He looks like such a big boy now, it almost hurts to look. I can't believe how fast this past year has flown.

Before:

Showing off the mullet/fuzz:

Uncertainty:

Finally success:

Adorable:

I'll try to get some better pictures up of the finished product. I didn't get many pictures at the salon because I was too busy pinning his arms down so he didn't grab at the scissors!

In other update-style news, we had Julian's 1 Year appointment last week. His new stats are: 25lbs 12 oz and 32 inches long! He's dropped down to the 75th percentile for weight/head, but he's still in the 95th for height. Big boy indeed!

Current vocabulary: Papa, puppy, bite, ball, football, zebra, book, balloon, bath, baby, penguin, woof, diaper, nana's, bushes, a-boo, ba-boom!.

Tricks: High-fives, plays peek-a-boo, claps, dances to music, gives kisses, retrieves well known items upon request, will say what a dog says when asked (Woof), drinks from sippy cups with the valves in, can drink from a straw, self feeding with a loaded spoon, can identify Papa in pictures around the house, can identify well known items in books and in real life, can throw big and small balls a good distance.

A Walk to the Park

2008-11-11T09:08:00.002-05:00

Julian still hasn't shown too much interest in walking. He will occasionally stand on his own for a few seconds when you put him down and he is cruising up a storm in the living room, but he still seems pretty wary of only being on two feet. This week he started to figure out how to turn his walker around in the apartment so that he could do more than go in a straight line. I figured this was the perfect time to take things outdoors.

We practiced first with a walk around the block while Papa was at work. 4 blocks took us about 45 minutes because we had to stop and look at every bush, tree, leaf, and speck of dirt within grabbing distance! It was a ton of fun for both of us and I think he really got a kick out of being able to reach out and explore more close up than the stroller allows him. It was a beautiful fall day with lots of leaves to throw around. By the end he was exhausted and a nap was in order, and now I have another trick up my sleeve to wear him out!

This weekend we decided to walk down to the park that is just around the corner before dinner. Jules walked all the way there and back using his walker. He seemed a little freaked by the swings so we'll have to go more often so he can get used to them. The slides took a minute to warm up to but once Papa went down with him it was much more exciting. In the last video you can seem him shake his head nononono as Pete is about to let him go, but by the end of our excursion he was going down the tube slide all by himself kicking up a storm with his feet. We're going to try to make a nightly trip to the park before dinner part of our routine when the weather is nice. An added bonus are all the other babies, big kids, and dogs from the neighborhood that we get to see and talk about with him.

Babies Gone Wild Part 2

2008-11-09T19:53:00.002-05:00

More super cute videos of Jules and Jackson!

The boys checking out the new blocks Papa picked out:

Blowing Kisses:

Jackson and Pete goofing around (Jackson called him Peep all weekend!):

Babies Gone Wild Part 1

2008-11-07T15:31:00.007-05:00

Here is the first installment of videos from Julians birthday weekend.

The balloons arrive:

Cupcakes!:

More cupcakes!:

Party time:

Julians Big Birthday Weekend

2008-11-05T19:49:00.006-05:00

I'm sorry that this has taken so long to get up! We've been so busy since last week, I'm just not getting time to sit down and put my thoughts down. WE had a fabulous birthday weekend for the boy, it was definitely a success. Be sure to check out the slide show at the bottom of this post. I will also be getting 5 or 6 videos up as soon as Blogger will let me.

It all started Thursday night when I picked up Jackson and Stefanie from the airport. We got home, put Jackson to bed, and hung out chatting for awhile. The next morning Stefanie and I headed out for some adult time, leaving the boys with Pete for the morning. Once Jules was up from his morning nap, Pete took them down to the Hague to feed the ducks and to the park to play , keeping them occupied for several hours. Once they were down for their afternoon nap we finished baking cupcakes for Julian's party. We made Chocolate Chocolate Chip with Orange Flavored Icing and Pumpkin Spice with Cream Cheese frosting. Stefanie and I went on a Costco run for the last minute food items we needed, and the proceeded to decorate the entire living room in crepe paper, cobwebs, and spooky Halloween decorations I got at the Dollar Store. That night we headed over to the Mather's for Trick-or-Treating. Jackson and Jules rolled in a double stroller while all the boys raced from porch to porch through the neighborhood. By the time we got home that night, after leaving Pete behind to wear a scary mask and scare the bejeezus out of people, the boys were exhausted. We laid them down in the nursery together, and they went right to sleep! It was amazing!

On Saturday morning Pete got up and took Jules to the grocery store to get balloons and doughnuts, the boy came home very happy. We put him down for a nap right after he ate breakfast, in hopes he would sleep right up until the party and be in a great mood. He woke up minutes before guests arrived, had a quick lunch, and we popped him into his costume - an adorable little candy corn! After everyone arrived and had an opportunity to grab some food and mingle we brought out the cupcakes. Papa thought it would be a great idea to give him two! He picked them right up and went to town, all the while holding on to his precious balloon. By the time he was nearly done it had began sinking to the floor from the weight of all the icing! At that time we realized that a mid party bath was going to be necessary. Stefanie scrubbed him down while I grabbed some new clothes, and took a few pictures to memorialize.

Once he was dressed again we headed back out to the party and began opening presents. He got some really wonderful gifts from everyone, lots of things with wheels which seems to be a huge hit these days. He also received some wonderful books, and a basketball to add to his ball collection. We were so lucky that the majority of the families from our Moms Group were able to make it, along with the Mather family, and Stefanie and Jackson who came all the way from Indiana. All the babies had a blast playing with the new toys, getting into the wrapping paper, and generally being crazy. By then it was nearly 3 and we were starting round down on nap time for the little ones so people started heading out. All in all it was a great party, and I think Jules had a fabulous time.

Jules and Jackson crashed for over two hours, Jackson barely stayed awake for dinner, and they both went immediately back to bed. It had been a long day!

Sunday we hung out and opened family presents in the morning, took the boys to lunch at Tijuana Flats and then to check out Toys R Us. By the time we were done with that it was nap time again. We got the boys up for dinner, and then down to bed for the night. Then it was time for moms to go out because it was Stefanie's birthday! We headed out to The Wine House, had 3 delicious glasses of wine, amazing dinner, and excellent company.

By Monday morning we were all exhausted and it was time to get Stefanie and Jackson ready to fly home. It was so wonderful to have them here for such a special weekend, it wouldn't have been nearly as awesome without her help and their prescence. Jackson was so big! He is 17 months old now and talking and walking, doing all kinds of amazing things. The boys were so cute together, I really hope we can get them together again soon.

There were a lot of laughs, tons of fun, baby love all around. I'm so glad we were able to have such a great 1st birthday for Jules. I know he won't remember it, but we will have a ton of great stories to tell.

Create a Free Slideshow

Vote!

2008-11-04T15:31:00.002-05:00

Today Pete and I walked down to Starbucks for some coffee and then headed over to the Chrysler museum so that I could vote. Pete had already sent his absentee ballot down to Florida a few weeks ago, but he was coming along for support since I wanted to take Julian for such a historic election.

We waited in line for about an hour. Julians smiled at tons of little old ladies and other babies, snacked a bit, and just as he was getting really antsy it was our turn at the voting booth. I took him right up, pushed the screen button for Obama, and got out I Voted sticker.

Now I'll be sitting in front of CNN for the next 12 hours waiting for the results!

Letter to My One Year Old

2008-11-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Julian,

My dear sweet little boy how fast this year has flown. I have waited until after your birthday to write this letter because I wanted it to be official so I could capture all my feelings about your new big boy status. You are officially a toddler, but still my baby, and yet seem so different from the tiny newborn we brought home from the hospital. I loved you from the moment I saw you on the warming table, and when your Papa brought you over for me to see all I could exclaim was how perfect you were. From that day forward you have been the center of our universe, and now I cannot imagine this world without you in it. You are a special little guy, so lively and gregarious. You are loud, funny, silly, smiley, happy, excited, and not easily contained. You want to explore the whole world, and you rarely see limitations in your abilities. Even at this young age you are determined to do everything yourself. You have much of your Papa and I in you, and we can see that more and more everyday. You have inherited his wild energy and my smiley eyes, you are stubborn like both of us, but you are loving through and through from all the love you get every day.

Every day there are more words that you understand or can say, and it is so much fun to see how your brain is working in overdrive all the time. Each day is a new day for you to learn, and you soak it up as fast as I can dish it out You love to read books all the time now, and play with trucks and things with wheels more than ever. Luckily you got many of each for your birthday so I think that will keep you quite busy.

Bath time is still big, especially since Papa lets you splash with wild abandon wrecking havoc in the bathroom. You love to race all over the house chasing Papa or being chased by him while your laughter and squeals echo through our apartment. Peek-a-boo is a new favorite, it always entices a big smile and you are even able to hide your eyes and say "a-boo" to play along. It is so cute! You love to snuggle in the crook of my arm in the morning, nursing as the sun comes up and rock in the glider as we read together before bed.

I love your huge sloppy kisses, your crazy head shaking, the way you wake up and go to sleep happy as a clam nearly every day. I love your happy crawl when you are excited about something. I love to run my hands through your beautiful blond hair and snuggle close to your soft cheeks, inhaling your wonderful baby scent. I love to hear you say Mama and Papa, and can't believe it's really true that you are ours forever.

Cruising is mastered, and I can often see you tempted to make the leap between two objects, or between me and a piece of furniture, but it seems you are still too cautious to give it a whirl. You are faster on your hands and knees and that seems to appeal to you more. Sometimes when I set you down on your feet you hold there, standing on your own for a few seconds, but inevitably you dash straight to the floor. I think you will be so thrilled when you are finally walking because you want down no matter where we are or what we are doing. I can't wait to put you down and set you free on your two little feet, I know you will love it.

This past year has been a crash course in baby care and parenting. It's been a lot of ups and downs, but as we round out this year we're definitely coming out on top. Sleep is better and that definitely helps:) You have brought so much love and happiness to our little family, and for that I will always be thankful. I know your Papa loves you more and more everyday, and revels in the time he gets to spend playing with you. We both look forward to this next year with excitement and anticipation of many many more good things to come.

I love you Minkie, and I always will. You are our world, our hearts, and the most amazing little boy I have ever known. I hope you never lose your loving ways, your giants smiles, or your ecstatic demeanor, you are perfect in every way.

Love,

Mama

xoxoxo

The Prep

2008-10-30T10:26:00.003-04:00

It's Thursday October 30th, and in just 7 hours Stefanie and Jackson will be on a plane headed for Virginia. Pete and I have been working hard to get the house ready for them and for the birthday celebration this weekend. I can't wait to pick them up at the airport! It's been 9 months since we had the boys together, and they have grown and changed so much since then.

We're almost ready. Presents are bought and wrapped, decorations are ready to be put up, pumpkins are carved, the house is clean, laundry is done, lists are made, recipes are gathered, and soon I will be embarking on the baking. I have banana bread to make for breakfasts, as well as pumpkin and chocolate cupcakes for the party. I've also got to figure out how to make orange icing and what goes in cream cheese frosting - should be easy enough.

We're expecting 20-25 guests, 10 of those children. All of Julians best friends from our moms group are coming so it should be a blast to have them all together. Hopefully everyone will wear their costumes so we can get some good group pictures. I can't wait to see our little guy in his, and I can't believe he's going to be 1! This weekend is going to be awesome, and I'm so excited to be spending it with my best friend and our Norfolk family. We are so blessed to have so many people here in our new community come out to celebrate this special occasion with us. One year ago we were just on the cusp of growing our family, and now here we are with the most amazing little boy. It has been a wild ride to say the least.

I hear Jules stirring from his nap, so now it's safe to get moving in the kitchen. Hopefully he will be content to play in his room for a little while. I'll be sure to update after the weekend with pictures of all of the festivities and fun.

Our Pumpkins are Carved!

2008-10-29T10:29:00.003-04:00

It's cooling off just in time for Halloween and Julians birthday party, and now the pumpkins won't roast in the heat. Pete carved his required "scary" pumpkin, and I took care of the rest, completing our family of four this year. Now they will be ready to put on display this weekend for all of the festivities.

Can you guess who is who?:

Papa Time

2008-10-25T14:21:00.010-04:00

Jules is absolutely in love with the Safari Tractor that his Aunt Claudia and Uncle Johnny B got him for his first birthday. It's been here for nearly two weeks and is still the center of his focus during playtime. He is not often seen without either the giraffe or the zebra in his hand. He loves to set thing on the end tables, on us, on the ottoman, etc. He also loves to give them kisses and have us give them kisses as well, it's adorable.

Almost One

2008-10-23T15:24:00.016-04:00

Every week of this past month Julian has been making huge strides towards toddlerhood. He started pointing a few days ago, and now that takes up a majority of his day. He wants to know what everything is, and he tries so hard to mimic it back to us. He has so many words: baby, zebra, mama, papa, puppy, ball, book, diaper, kisses, bath. Not every word sounds correct, but we know what he is saying and that is way cool. He wakes up every morning chanting "papa papa papa papa" over and over again, crawling all over Pete's head and kissing him a million times. Mama is saved for when he is a sad, whiny, or clingy and wanting to be held or nursed. He asks for "Nana's" now, his own word for nursing, and it's great to be able to communicate like that with him.

We have bits of free standing here and there, mostly when he doesn't realize I've put him down and let go. Otherwise he hits the deck as quick as he can to get moving, leaving little time to practice standing on his own. He's really fast, and now that belly crawling is far behind him I find myself really having to race after him if I want to catch him before disaster strikes. He cruises along the couch, the walls, the bed, etc - but not yet from place to place.

Here are some videos from the last week or so:

Papa Time and Snack Traps

2008-10-16T09:05:00.002-04:00

Jules loves to sit at the desk and watch the computer when either of us are sitting there. He crawls over and demands to be picked up, he hates being left out of anything. Pete still insists that Jules doesn't really look like him so I snagged some profile shots to see what you guys think:

I really don't see much of me in him yet, but I think it's all that blond hair and those beautiful blue eyes that throw me. Looking back at pictures of Pete and I as babies he still resembles Pete the most, though sometimes I see myself in his eyes. People say that when he's looking mischievous he looks most like his Papa, and his serious faces look more like me. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not!

It took Jules one day to become a Snack Trap master. These things are genius. They have a floppy top that he can get his little hand in, but it keeps spillage to a minimum. If I'm not careful and I fill it too full he eats it all just for the joy of getting it out of the container by himself. The Snack Trap comes in super handy at the grocery store and on long walks. Now all I need it a tether to tie it the stroller or cart so that when he flings it down it doesn't go too far!

Living Room Redo

2008-10-13T10:10:00.003-04:00

It's been quiet around here since I last posted. Not much new to report in the world of Jules, just taking care of life stuff. We've been working on making some changes around the apartment that have been a long time coming. One was getting rid of our old, dog covered couch, and the other was getting a bigger rug for the living room so that Jules would have more room to play with more sound protection for our downstairs neighbors. I managed to get the old couch and rug removed in one big swoop by posting it on Freecycle and giving it to a family who could really use it. We found a new, smaller, couch we love at a local furniture store that could deliver it right away. It is a yummy chocolate color that goes well with all of our existing living room decor.

The rug is from Overstock, my new favorite online shopping stop. It only cost us $2.95 to have nearly 100lbs of rug and rug pad shipped! Amazing. It ties in well with all of the teal and red we have going on in the living room, as well as browns to match the couch. Its 3 feet longer and a foot wider than our old rug, and with the rug pad underneath the sounds of dropped toys are much more muffled.

We also picked up some new lamps at Target. The old ones were too dangerous to have in such close proximity to grabby hands. These are smaller, light weight, and less likely to be destroyed if they get knocked of the end tables.

And yes those are two TVs you spy in our living room. Crazy? Maybe. Marriage saving during football season? Yes! Now Pete can watch as much football and SportsCenter as he likes, with the added option of Tiger Woods golf or Madden on the Playstation, while I watch movies or TV of my choice without being banished to the bedroom to do so. It really is a life saver for football season. There is only so much football I can take and since quiet time alone is in short supply with a baby this means we can spend time together doing things we both like.

Nico is no longer allowed on the couch, something I am glad to be able to institute! Pete has spoiled him rotten these last 4 years so he thought of the couch as his own personal throne. We got him some new beds to help ease into his new role as dog in the house, but he still looks longingly at us when we're sitting on the couch. Other than that it seems to be going well, though he will be gated in the back half of the apartment when we aren't here to prevent lapses in his judgement.

Big Boy Style

2008-10-06T09:04:00.006-04:00

As Jules becomes more and more proficient with self feeding I try to find new and fun ways for him to challenge his new skills. Yesterday I thought it would be fun to let him lose with his very own apple. It was a huge success - he ate nearly half of it all by himself!

Pumpkin Picking 2008

2008-10-04T14:25:00.001-04:00

This time last year:

This year, with Baby Shaw on the outside:

What a difference nearly a year makes!

We decided to take the babies in the moms group pumpkin picking together this year, and it was a blast! We went to the same farm as last year where you get to cut your pumpkins right off of the vine. We left with 4 pumpkins to carve before Halloween and Julians first birthday, one for each member of our family. Jules had a ton of fun crawling around in the dirt, playing with pumpkins, and seeing his buddies.

Kirstine and Canaan, Laura and Ryan, Karianne and James, and Jules and I.

Melt My Heart

2008-10-03T20:39:00.002-04:00

I left to run some errands late this afternoon after getting Jules up from his nap. He and Papa stayed behind and took Nico on a walk. I returned an hour or so later, and as soon as I walked in the door Jules came racing over on all fours to greet me. He sat at my feet while I unloaded my keys, sunglasses, shoes, and wallet, fussing and crying as if I had been gone for a million years. The next thing I know he's reaching his arms to the sky, begging me to pick him up, and out come the sweetest word I've ever heard. "MaMa." Oh how it melted my heart. I scooped him up and hugged him tight. So far he's babbled the sounds mamama here and there, but this was his first truly deliberate usage. I told Pete it is only a matter of time before he learns how to take advantage of this new skill, crying for me calling out Mama over and over again in an attempt to get my attention and work my heartstrings to his advantage.

It was one of those moments that make all the sleepless nights completely worth it. Completely.

Letter to My 11 Month Old

2008-10-01T13:20:00.001-04:00

Jules,

Fall has begun to arrive, and I often find my thoughts transported back to this time last year. I think of how big my belly had grown, how strong your kicks were, how much heartburn you caused me!, and how busy we were prepping for your arrival. Before you arrived I had no idea how transforming your presence would be. I knew that I was going to love you and hold you and parent you, but I didn't know about the bond that we would come to share. We are connected by an unseen thread that causes my heart to leap when I see you smile with joy or cry from fear. I can tell just by the look on your face, or the sound of your voice what you need. It is an amazing thing to be so in tune with someone I love so much.

Just today at Babygarten you were off playing on your own with all the toys and other babies, but when your view of me became obstructed by another child you started to cry and race in my direction. Who know that the sight of me, or lack there of, would be so powerfully important to you. You are a precocious and independent little boy, and I love that you are so excited about the world around you and want to explore it all on your own. But I also love that you still need a hug and a cuddle to reassure you, we'll have plenty of time for you to be a big boy.

Your papa likes to say "I can see the synapses firing in there" when he sees you figuring out the world around you. Your more deliberate in your actions and motor skills, able to cruise between furniture, pull things off shelves, open cabinets, eat with your silverware, poke Nico's eyeballs, etc. It's amazing how much more is going on inside that little head of yours. I can ask you to go find your ball, and you'll crawl off to get one. You know that "No" means your doing something you're not supposed to be, but that doesn't always mean you'll listen.

You definitely have your Papa wrapped around your little finger, though he is quick to deny it. You're spending a lot more time together now that you aren't nursing as much during the day, I'm able to go to yoga, or to meet up with friends to paint pottery, or go to the doctor by myself and leave you two to play. This has given me a break, and Papa the opportunity to strengthen his bond with you. Just the other night after a bath and PJs, he didn't want to hand you over to me for nursing and books. It was so sweet!

You're looking more and more like a toddler everyday, your hair is getting longer and thicker, and your eyes are still a beautiful blue. I love your cheesy grins, drooly kisses and night time snuggles. I love when you blow kisses just because, or clap for yourself when you do something cool. I treasure this time that I have with you, and I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful baby boy in my life.

I love you,

Mama

xoxo

Quiet

2008-09-29T14:29:00.003-04:00

It's going to be slow here for a bit more. I just got back from my doctor, and have been diagnosed with a case of Strep Throat. I came down with a fever in the middle of the presidential debates on Friday, which made me pretty mad, and I've been feeling pretty ill since then. I'll start some antibiotics today, and hopefully will be feeling better soon.

Jules is still faring much better than me. His nose is still runny and stuffy, but other than that he is in great spirits. He even managed to sleep all the way through the night until 7:45 this morning! You cannot believe the relief I felt having so much sleep to myself. It was amazing.

Pete is terrified of the cooties, so he's not coming with in air distance of me, and hopefully he'll be able to come out of this unscathed. I am glad that we're getting this out of our systems now, instead of a month from now when we're trying to celebrate Julians birthday. (BTW, his invitations arrived today, and I can't wait to get them in the mail, they are adorable!)

Exhibits A, B, and C

2008-09-23T17:00:00.006-04:00

There is a reason why you should never spend too much money on a crib.

Exhibit A, The first victim. Located nearest the changing table and facing the door to his room. I often find him here chewing, crying, or just waiting for me to come and get him after a nap.

Exhibit B, The second victim. Located nearest the window, and only attacked after Exhibit A was decimated. I don't often catch him in action at this location.

Exhibit C, victim from the start. Located along the front rail. Less chewing, lots of biting.

Luckily when we transform the crib into a toddler bed, the head boards break in half so the damage will be banished to the garbage. Good thing we already planned on buying a new crib for hypothetical baby #2!

Random Shots

2008-09-23T16:52:00.007-04:00

This is crazy bath face. It happens after Papa pours cup after cup of water over his head while he screeches:

Jules is really getting into books lately, and is sometimes capable of sitting for more than 30 seconds to read:

This boy is a crazy sleeper. He has taken to laying OVER Ali the Alligator while contorting himself within his crib when he sleeps:

And this is Jules, up way past his bedtime during his sickness, crawling out of a laundry basket he had dropped his blinking pen into. Cheap entertainment is the best entertainment:

The Sickness Has Been Banished

2008-09-23T15:51:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, after 5 days and doses of antibiotic, Jules was still not himself. He was on the strongest one he could be, and it didn't seem to be helping. We were still dosing him with ibuprofen twice a day, and he was extremely fussy, angry, clingy, and generally unpleasant to be around, so I called and got an appointment to get him in yesterday afternoon. The doctor took a look in his ears, the left was still fine, and the right was looking better, but not as good as it should have been. She checked him all over to see if anything else was different. Stomach, lungs, back, legs, nose, mouth, every where. Nothing was different. She then suggested an antibiotic shot. At first I wavered, but she said if the screaming and fussing was as bad as it was, this was the best course of treatment to take, and the one she would take with her own children.

It would be the first shot without Papa there to hold him so I didn't have to watch. I wasn't sure I could do it. I always wonder if we are too quick to medicate our children, especially with antibiotics. I question whether I am able to make the right decisions for my son since I can't know everything. It had already been a long day, and I felt at my breaking point with exhaustion and sadness, but I knew what I had to do. So we waited for the nurse, and I held Jules while he cried with impatience. It was a bigger shot, and thicker, and he cried even harder after it, but I did it. I nursed him after, and that seemed to help. Some days it is harder being a mom than others. Some days I wonder if I am getting it right. Only time will tell.

He didn't want to go back into his stroller right away, and he was going to have to because we had to walk home, so we went up to the front desk and picked out a red plastic elephant for him to play with. It would go well with his blue rhino from his previous visit. Eventually I was able to coax him into his seat and we headed outside. Once we were out on the sidewalk, we called Papa, and he was able to talk to Julian. He loves to hear his Papa through the phone, so grins were instantaneous even though he still had tears in his eyes.

We stopped by the store to pick up something quick for dinner since it was just going to be the two of us. I grabbed some Amy's Mac, and some steamed broccoli and carrots to go with the left over roasted chicken I had made this weekend. He ate a better dinner than he had in ages, even trying to scoop some mac off my plate with his spoon. He seemed so intent on doing it himself that I started putting all the bites on his spoon, and he proceeded to feed himself almost his entire dinner this way, with a 95% success rate of food to mouth!

And today, well today has been a much better day. He woke up all smiles at 8AM this morning, after only one wake up all night. He ate a hearty breakfast with Papa while I went to Yoga, and then took a good morning nap after nursing when I got home. I managed to drop and break his glass bottle of antibiotics that we were supposed to finish (clumsy mama!), but one call to the doctor and she said as long as he was better today we didn't have to worry about finishing it. He's done a complete 180, and it's so much better having my happy boy back today. It hurts me to see him hurting, and not having any control of it, and not being able to help him feel better, but it helps to know that I had made the right decision. One day at a time I guess.

Even When He's Sick, He's Adorable

2008-09-19T15:47:00.002-04:00

For the Baby Book: Fourth Word

2008-09-18T13:58:00.009-04:00

Book: Buh

Jules has become fascinated with sitting on the floor flipping through books. He loves to turn the pages of his board books over and over again. He also loves to play with the bottom shelf of our big bookshelf that only contains romance novels. These books have taken many hours of abuse being thrown to the floor and chewed on, but now he can sit for 5-10 minutes just flipping the pages over and over again as if it were a Flip Book.

Today while I was uploading his library he was sitting in the middle of the living room surrounded by all of his board books saying "buh buh buh" over and over again. Once I talked with Pete, we realized that he has been saying it for a few days with him as well.

Sickness Has Struck Again

2008-09-18T13:58:00.006-04:00

Jules has been sleeping poorly and has been abnormally cranky, sad, frustrated, and clingy for the last week or so. At first we just thought it was teething, as he's due for some more teeth and was drooly there for a few days. Then he started waking up screaming in the middle of the night, inconsolable and sad. Nursing didn't help, water wasn't wanted, he didn't want to lay down to sleep with us, he just kept trying to throw himself on the floor kicking and screaming. We'd done a little ibuprofen in the evenings prior thinking it would help the teething, but after being awake from 1AM - 4 AM with him last night I realized that this just wasn't normal. By the end of Pete's work day today I had made an appointment with the pediatrician to get him in right away.

As soon as the doctor came in she reassured us that this was not typical behavior for teething and that something else was definitely the culprit. This was relieving on one hand because then I felt like we could DO something about how bad he has been feeling. On the other hand I was sad because I felt like I should have caught it sooner, and gotten him in quicker. Once she looked at his ears she determined that the left one had been infected, but was on its way to healing itself. Then she looked at his right one and it was swollen and filled with fluid. Raging ear infection present. She gave us a tougher antibiotic than last time since he'd had an infection so recently and we've armed ourselves with probiotics to help counteract it.

After a big dinner, the first in a while, he's fast asleep now dosed up with the antibiotic, ibuprofen, and probiotics in his water bottle. I am crossing my fingers he'll get better rest tonight, but if he wakes I plan on having medicine at the ready to help with the pain.

Julians Library

2008-09-18T13:58:00.003-04:00

I've discovered a cool online program called LibraryThing and I have uploaded the complete contents of Julians current Library! Now in addition to his Wish List to keep track of the books I want to get him, I can also keep track of all the books he has and reads. I thought we had more than 188, my guess was 200 - but I was close!

I hope to get my library online soon as well because one of the great things about LibraryThing is that it can recommend books to you based on things your library. I'm scared to get a total on my own books, it's much more than 200 I am sure, though I love that we have a house full of them.

For the Baby Book: Third Word

2008-09-16T11:48:00.002-04:00

Ball: Sounds like Bah

Since he has a zillion balls, I'm not at all surprised this in in the Top 10 First Words!

Birthday Surprises

2008-09-16T10:30:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited today! I just got word from my BFF Stefanie that she and her son Jackson will be flying out to join us for Julians 1st birthday party courtesy of Nana Joni! Stefanie is Julians godmother, not so much in the religious sense, more because we want her and her family to play an important familial role in Julians life. They live back in Bloomington, IN where I am originally from, and we try to see each other at least 2 or 3 times a year. More if we can swing it! Jackson is 6 months older than Jules, and the last time they were together Julian was 4 months, and Jackson was 9 months. Julian was still quite the blob, and Jackson was just on the cusp of crawling. It's going to be a whole new world when we get them together this time; now Jules is crawling up a storm, and Jackson has begun walking!

Stefanie and I spent a good chunk of our pregnancies pregnant at the same time, and it has been really nice to have someone so close to me be in such a similar spot in life. It's been invaluable to have her to call for advice and reassurance, but mostly just to share stories about our adorable and crazy baby boys. We both have grand wishes for them to grow up to be as close as she and I are, even with the distance.

It's going to be a blast to have them here for a long weekend, and we'll even be able to celebrate her birthday while they are here. Plus they'll get to come to our rocking Halloween Birthday Bash (more on the plans for this later), so they better bring their best costumes!

Woot!

2008-09-15T09:49:00.008-04:00

My blog has been accepted by BlogHer!!!! I'll soon be 1 out of 2200 other blogs by women that have been chosen to be a part of their community. Soon you will see some new advertisements on the blog, and hopefully we'll be getting more traffic! Many of the other blogs I read, that you can see on my blog-roll, are other women that blog with BlogHer. They are some of the most well written and entertaining blogs by women that I have found.

Because of this I'm going to be doing a bit of reorganizing to the blog. I'll be changing the web address soon for privacy reasons, but I'll be sure to let you all know when that happens. I'm going to go back and add tags to my posts to get them into categories for easier accessibility and start cleaning up my side-bar links. I also hope to be writing more posts, I've always wanted the blog to head more in that direction, and here is the perfect impetus!

Yoga and Music

2008-09-15T09:06:00.006-04:00

Last week I went and applied for financial assistance to join the YMCA in our neighborhood. It's only a mile away, on an easily walkable route, so I'll be able to go frequently during the week even when Pete is working and get some cardio in there and back. They have a great program that helps lower income families afford to become members, and I was so excited that we qualified. There is free childcare, though it was a bit disastrous on our first try, we're going to keep working on it with him in smaller increments of time. The big deterrent that I've had from using the base gyms/pools that are free to us is the hour long commute there and back, coupled with their complete lack of childcare. It doesn't make for a very family friendly opportunity.

They have been renovating and improving the Y for the last year, so much of the equipment and studios are brand new. The new childcare facility just opened last Monday, and it huge, colorful, brand new from top to bottom, and surrounded by windows so that you can check on your babies easily and from many directions. They have a pool where I can take aerobic swim classes, and Julian can take swim lessons which I'm really excited about. I think that is going to be one of his birthday presents this year. We want to keep him comfortable in the water year round so when we go to the beach next year he won't have forgotten how much he likes it. They also have yoga and pilates studio with tons of classes offered throughout the week, and that's where I will be mostly. I'm really looking forward to getting back into better shape since having Jules, and having a place Pete can work out that is closer to home and takes him away for less time. Now if we can just get Jules to be okay with being left for at least an hour at a time....

As many of you who read this blog know, music is pretty important in our house. I started piano when I was 7, and played for many years. That lead to playing percussion in a symphonic band and marching band drum line throughout middle and high school. I absolutely loved it, and it is something that I hope I can pass down to Jules along with a love of sports of course!

We've been exposing Julian to as many different kinds of music and sounds as possible. He also has a small piano, xylophone, tambourines, and shakers that we encourage him to play often. He loves to shake back and forth and dance when he hears music, as well as bang along on his instruments. We have music in nearly every room of the house: his bedroom and the living room have bigger players, while the bathroom and the kitchen have travel speakers - and all of them can connect to our Ipods. We start the day in the kitchen with children's music at breakfast, and from there it's whatever suits our mood. There is a high school in the neighborhood that has a small marching band with a drum line that I've started taking him to listen to when they practice during the week and before games. He loves all of the base, and rocks back and forth to the beat of the music with a huge grin on his face.

With his birthday coming up I've been searching Amazon high and low, tagging things on his Wish List that I wanted to remember as ideas for his #1 and for Christmas. I came across this Drum Set, and was sold instantly. It's only 13 inches high, is made from wood and won't take up too large of a footprint, and I think this Band in a Box will be the perfect accompaniment. Melissa and Doug and Plan Toys have some really great stuff for kids, I love everything made by them we've gotten for Jules so far. Lot's of wooden toys, with natural/non-toxic dyes and paints, that are incredibly durable. Some may think I'm crazy to get something that will make so much noise, but honestly - I love it! I love watching him develop his rhythm, see how loud he can be, see how much he bounces and shakes to the beat.

For The Baby Book

2008-09-14T08:58:00.003-04:00

At 10 1/2 Months

2nd Word: Papa

He says it the most first thing in the morning when he comes into bed with us to nurse and give kisses. After a few days of positive reinforcement he now says it all day long, and in context.

Skill: Blowing Kisses

I showed him this one day as Papa was leaving for work. I figured it was a long shot, something that would take him a long time to grasp, but I was wrong, this boy is a kissing fiend! He blows kisses when Papa is going anywhere, to me, to his friends, basically all the time. All you have to do is ask him to "Blow a kiss!".

We Have Walking!

2008-09-08T08:28:00.000-04:00

Assisted walking that is! For the last week Jules has been pushing around his little chair that Nana Joni gave him, or scooting the kitchen stool around in front of him. Then we transformed his little car into a walker and he took off. Now he spends a ton of time every day walking back and forth through the living room, ramming it into the walls and chairs, and trying to get down the hallway with it. I can't believe my little baby is such a big boy.

Wild Animals

2008-09-05T09:59:00.003-04:00

The after nap hair has been laughter inducing lately, as it thickens and lengthens into actual hair instead of baby fluff. Usually he looks like a tow-headed chia pet!

As every nap ends Jules begins to babble to himself and play in his crib, tossing his animals and water bottle overboard. It is a rare day that I hear screams to be rescued. The upside of this is that he wakes up grinning from ear to cheesy ear, and ready to put on a show for me in his crib.

The Lost Memory Card: How Lily Got Buried

2008-09-05T09:33:00.008-04:00

Somehow a memory card from Jack and Lily's visit got lost in the shuffle of uploading until I found it this week. These are some hilarious pictures of Jack and Pete burying Lily on the beach. She requested it, so they made it happen! It was a ton of fun, and we got some great pictures for the memory books. Be sure to watch the video at the end, the glee the guys got from this activity is quite visible!

School Days

2008-09-05T09:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Jules and I started our new work routine. Now, instead of helping with the boys twice a week so they could go to the pool or botanical gardens, we're picking them up from Kindergarten! It's about a two mile walk there and back, with time to play on the playground before we head home to meet up with the other boys. Jackson and Casey got a special treat yesterday because Mr. Pete was able to come with me since it was his day off. The loved goofing around on the monkey bars and playing with bugs. Jules had a blast crawling through the grass, throwing mulch on his head, eating sticks, and playing with the big kids.

Letter to My 10 Month Old

2008-09-01T10:25:00.003-04:00

Dear Julian,

Happy 10 months baby boy! You have come so very far these last few months, with new skills and interests emerging every day. You're clapping, waving, kissing, and high-fiving all day long, and you seem so proud of yourself. You're babbling like crazy, and shrieking - sometimes so loud and high-pitched there almost is no sound. You even said your first word: Kisses. Could there be a better first word? I don't think so, it just shows how much love is heaped on you every day!

This last month has been a very busy one. Your Auntie Claire and Auntie Tessa came to visit for 2 weeks and that was a ton of fun. We spent many hours at the beach playing in the sand, and splashing in the water. It was so much fun to see you guys interact and get to know each other better. You even got to stay and hang out with them on your own for awhile so that Mama and Papa could go out by themselves! They have a webcam at home, so we've been chatting with them over the internet so that you don't forget who they are before they get a chance to come back for another visit, and that is really fun. You love to wave and smile at them, and perk up whenever you hear their voices.

Right after they left to head home to Indiana, your Uncle Jack and Auntie Lily came down from Philly to visit for a week. We spent even more time at the beach, and by the end of their trip you had stopped eating the sand and started throwing it instead. You also got very comfortable crawling through the low surf and swimming in the waves with your Papa. We built sand castles, had picnics, and played a lot while they were here. It was awesome, and we can't wait to have them down again to spend more time with you.

You seem more and more a little boy, leaving a little bit of your babyhood behind as we pass through the days. When you cruise around on the furniture or throw your soccer ball around you seem so much like a toddler. And you are aware of so much that is going on, and often surprise me with how much you understand. You now know many words when I ask you about them: Papa, Mama, ball, clap, throw, bite, nurses, kisses.

The amount of food you can put down in a meal is astounding. You love all things dairy: mozzarella, cottage cheese, and yogurt. Fruit is highly favored, especially peaches and plums, but blueberries and bananas are pretty high ranking as well. Carbs are up there on the list, especially your Joe's O's and pasta. I am not sure there has been a food that has passed your lips that you have not enjoyed, even lemons are licked with a puckered face and a smile (blame your Aunties for that one!). You are very independent, and often won't eat anything off a spoon, unless it's the treasured yogurt, so I've had to be creative in making finger food you can eat yourself that meets all of your dietary needs. You still drink water out of a bottle for some naps, but more often than not your able to use one of your sippy cups. It's not as easy, but you're a determined little guy.

Sleep has much improved over this last month. Right at the beginning of August you gave us our first taste of sleeping through the night, and as we've solidified your bedtime routine things have gotten better.

It goes like this most nights:

Big dinner

Bath if your really gross, wipe down if not

New diaper and PJs

Nursing while Mama reads two books (BabyCakes and Good Night Moon)

Lights out

Nursing during Songs (J is for Julian, You are My Sunshine, Hey Jude, Hush Little Baby)

Kisses from everyone

Sound machine on

Bottle of water and laid down for the night.

9 times out of 10 you're out like a light until somewhere between 6:30 and 8AM, and it is heavenly. Teething still seems to disrupt some nights, as well as Papa working nights and missing bedtime, so you wake up to nurse around 3 for comfort and security. It's so nice to know you have found your way with sleep, and I am glad that we have been able to help you learn to sooth yourself, not to mention how much better I am feeling now that I am not so sleep deprived!

Papa has been home a lot this month, between some leave he took for visitors and the way his schedule has been working lately with mid-shifts he's been here a lot during your waking hours. It has really fostered a close bond between the two of you, and I can see it in how you follow him around and reach for him when he's not close enough to you. Together you eat meals, take Nico for long walks, and play ball in the living room every day, not just on the weekends, and we feel really blessed for that. We still fight down the hall to the nursery to see who can get to you first when we hear you wake from your naps, because the smile that is on your face when you see us is priceless. He loves to spend time with you, especially now that you have become so interactive and playful, and he can make you laugh and giggle like no one else, not even me.

Soon we are going to start planning your birthday party, but hopefully that day will take it's time getting here. I plan on enjoying these last two months of you as a baby as much as I can. You are such a joy to be with, and such a treasure to your Papa and I. I hope you always know how much love we each have for you.

Always,

Mama

xoxoxo

I Only Know Reverse

2008-08-31T09:13:00.002-04:00

But it's a start!

Wrecking Havoc in the Living Room

2008-08-28T21:33:00.000-04:00

For the Baby Book: Clapping

2008-08-28T13:32:00.003-04:00

Just shy of 10 months:

Clapping

Julian has been waving and high-fiving for a few weeks now, and when he is really excited he busts out the double hand wave. We've been helping him practice clapping lately, and this afternoon he did it for the first time on his own when Papa said "yay" and started clapping.

Bathtime Fun

2008-08-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

Warm Weather PJs and Sleep

2008-08-27T09:02:00.005-04:00

We've been having a bit of a cool spell, after the apex of the summer brought on some serious heat. It was great for the beach, but now I'm ready for hoodies and stew, fall walks, and going outside without breaking into a sweat. I'm enjoying having all the windows open, feeling the breeze, and smelling the fresh cool air. For Jules this has meant - footie PJs! I swear nothing is cuter than a baby bum in a one piece PJ.

Jules has been sleeping through the night fairly regularly since he hit the 9 month mark. Unfortunately he seems to be adversely affected by the weeks that Papa works nights and is not here to do the bedtime routine. When we realized that this was a factor (and is causing him to wake up sometime between 1 and 4 pretty freaked out, and then again every hour or so for the rest of the night) we started having a bedtime that we do together every night that Papa is here, so that when it's just me I can do it exactly the same. So far it's been a tough ride. I follow the routine, I sing all the songs, read the same stories, we even call Pete so that he can talk to Jules and tell him good night, and sing the Julian lullaby for him - but no dice. Two nights ago he cried and cried when I put him down, and then was up at 1AM sad and distraught, luckily Papa was home by then and able to snuggle him. Last night he cried for nearly an hour before he fell asleep - breaking my heart, but he didn't wake up until 7:30AM so that was an improvement.

I know that he is capable of putting himself to sleep, and in fact sleeps better on his own than with us nowadays, I just don't know how to soothe him when all he wants is his Papa and I can't give him that. So I'll keep on with the routine, and hopefully he will realize that he can trust me to keep it predictable for him and that Papa will be there when he wakes up in the morning.

I have to say, this is probably the toughest thing about Pete's work, and we're lucky in that regard. He's home with us and that's more than many military families have right now. His wonky schedule is low on the scale of tough life in the military, so we'll just have to keep sticking together and do our best to keep the continuity there for Jules. For now I'll keep at the solo bedtime routine and try not to lose it when he cries.

A scene from pre-bedtime playfest:

Could you resist this face? I know I can't!:

Playing with Papa

2008-08-22T18:34:00.003-04:00

First some serious reading:

Then some serious laughing:

It's Official, Jules is a TV Star

2008-08-20T10:26:00.003-04:00

I got a call yesterday asking if Channel 3 news could use Jules for one of their stories, only requirements: adorableness.

Juliet Bickford, and her cameraman Mike, showed up this morning to get shots of her putting him in the crib, drinking from a BPA-free bottle, and just cheesing for the camera with Juliet. All in all he did well, there was a bit of fussing after being put in the crib 6 or so times, but I busted out some Joes O's, and they were able to get some more shots.

The teasers should air throughout the day on Thursday and Friday leading up to Juliet's stories about buying bottles and cribs using Consumer Reports so keep an eye out!