It's been awhile!

Well, first, here's the boy. Doodlebug is just over two years old. He'll be 27 months tomorrow!

I've been exploring new recipes these last few weeks, and it's been really fun to expand the food repertoire. Healthy and creative, and tasty too, these have become fast favorites with our little family!

Recipe 1 - Baked Chicken and Orzo

Oh my goodness. What deliciousness! I made this because I was bored of my regular rotation and I had a house-full of people to feed (the in-laws were in town for awhile). Of course, with a toddler, food is always a challenge, but Doodlebug ate this one up, especially the orzo. He just loved it! It was hard to not overcook the chicken. I was easily phased by this one because you do not precook the orzo. It cooks while in the oven, so I set the timer for longer than suggested because I just wasn't convinced. But it turned out beautifully, aside from dry chicken. :) I will definitely be making this one again. And the fresh sage is a must. Really added great flavor to the dish.

Recipe 2 - Soy Sauce Drumsticks

Wow. Just Wow. First off, if you can, marinate this one over night. Make sure to, as the author suggests, score them once or twice on each side, because that marinade will just soak in and you have less of a chance of drying out the meat inside. 

This is so good! I served it with rice and a garden salad. It was a fantastic meal and again, we will add it to the regular rotation. Do make sure to turn them every 7 to 10 minutes or so so they don't burn. And they do taste better the next day!

Future recipes on the menu for the next week: 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Baked Chicken Fajitas

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Now, I am going to school for wine, so at some point I hope to tell you what wine I paired the meals with and how it tasted! For now, with summer, beer and hard cider have been tasting very good. And strawberry margaritas.

A better attitude

I was chatting with a friend online, and mentioned how I was done with 2013 already.  With financial stress, my back issues, and the three of us going round and round with colds and flus...

She responded with "You said the same thing about 2012, too.  There have been some really good things that have happened for you guys already in 2013!"

And you know what?  She's right.  April has been full of surprises, despite my back issues and Wesley's current cold.  It would be inappropriate to share online right now, but it's safe to say some really good things are happening.  And there's lots of potential for even more good things if Matt's next project takes off (more on that when the Kickstarter begins).

So, you want to know how I'm doing?  I'm really good.  Wesley only wakes up a few times a night and, when not sick, goes right back to sleep after a bottle.  He is very opinionated, interested in everything, and is trying to climb the furniture.  He is happy, healthy, and strong willed.  He is the best thing in my life, for sure.

Matt and I are doing well, too.  He surprised me with a date a few weeks ago - came home early, had lined up everything, from the babysitters to dinner and the movie.  It was wonderful to have some time for just us.

While one day of daycare is gone, I still can take Wesley to her house on Mondays, and then my sister comes on Friday afternoons to watch the boy so I can get work done, go to the gym, etc.  This will certainly cut down our childcare expenses!

So yeah, things are good.  Still hard, money is still very much a struggle BUT we have our health.  Our house.  Food on the table, and heat in our house.  Loving family and friends.  Really, we are truly blessed, and I need to remember that when the road of life gets bumpy.

Happy First Birthday, Wesley!

Every day the baby disappears, and the toddler is emerging...

Life Without Facebook

As most of you know, I gave up Facebook for Lent.  I had Matt log in for me once, and take care of something, and that was it.  I happened to see that I had 194 updates and 3 messages.  In just two weeks!  People, that's just crazy.  It's been clear to me for these last few weeks that I spend WAY too much time on Facebook.  After the end of March, I'm going to keep it off of my phone.  I'm spending more time getting things done, quality time with my family, and my life feels much simpler.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it's harder to keep in touch with people.  There are a few that I only connect with on Facebook, like Lena.  I miss sharing photos with those closest to me, especially of Wesley.  But Matt updates me on the big stuff, like our college acquaintance getting a new position in Seattle (Congrats, Louis!).  I continually tell him to be on the look out for an update regarding a friend of ours expecting a new baby.  I know I'm missing a lot.  But then, I also cannot keep in touch with 650 people. I think I'm going to have to remove quite a few people from my friends list, even though I know who everyone is, I don't talk to or keep up with all of them.

Wesley is doing great.  He's crawling all over the place, I spend much of the day just chasing after him.  He's interested in everything, pulls himself up wherever he can, and has started walking side to side when he's pulled himself up on the couch or coffee table.

I cannot believe I'm going to have a one year old as of Sunday.  CRAZY!!

Holiday Weekend

Last weekend was President's Day Weekend, and we headed to Aberdeen to visit our dear friends, Jeff and Tina, and their two daughters, Natalie and Alanna.  It was wonderful to get out of town and relax for a few days.  I took a nap every day, Wesley was well cared for whether it was me, Matt or his Auntie or Uncle looking after him.  Even his cousins liked playing with him.  Matt and I even got a lunch date, which was wonderful.

Sunday we finally made it out to the beach, which was supposed to be the nice day.  It was a bit blustery and rainy at first, but the weather finally cleared up enough to where we felt like we could take Wesley to the beach.  And he LOVED it!  Matt insisted on putting Wesley's hands and feet in the water, Wes couldn't get enough.  He was so excited to see the ocean, to feel the (icy) cold water on his skin.  We then quickly hurried back to the car and got his wet, sandy clothes off, at which time his lips turned a little blue.  We got warm clothes on his little cold body, wrapped him in blankets, and in no time he was back to his normal, happy self.  (Binkies help too.)

I can't wait to go back to the beach, and on our next family vacation.  We had such a good time!

I should also point out that he was fussier than usual.  Turned out he had a major growth spurt and sprouted two new teeth - the seventh one is out, the eighth is on it's way.

Wesley Pictures

I have our trip to the coast to write about and post pictures, but for now, I leave you with some super cute photos of my cute cute son.  :)

And if you can believe it, he'll be ONE YEAR OLD in just a week and a half!  I'm loving this age.  He's so interactive and responsive.  A little sponge, soaking up the big big world.

Giving Up Facebook - Day 1

I'm not really a religious person, but I decided to challenge myself this year and give up Facebook for Lent.  Hubby changed my passwords and I un-synced (if that's a word) Facebook from my phone.  I've already realized how it's such a part of my life.  Check email and then check Facebook.  I've caught several moments with Wesley, and thought "Oh, I need to take a picture and post it to Facebook!"  Well, I can't, so I find myself enjoying the moment.  Or, I take pictures with our real camera, and I can email them to friends and family and/or post them here.

Already, this decision is forcing me to interact more and more with my son and husband.  No longer do I check my phone incessantly for Facebook updates, or get "caught up" with friends and family.  And by "caught up", I mean there's no conversation.  If I don't comment or "like", there is no guarantee to that person that I've actually taken the time to read what they have to say.  And I don't like that.  I grew up in an age where there was no internet, no Facebook, no cell phones.  We were forced to talk to people, to leave messages (heck, my parents had a party line, people.  I'm totally dated), to visit face to face or on the phone.  I wrote letters, for Pete's sake!!  I want to teach my son that it's OK to interact with people face to face, that there are many ways of communication, not just through the computer.

 I can already tell I'm going to be learning a lot about myself...this just the first day!

Visit With Friends!

Tonight our friends Michael, Emily, and Brandon came over for dinner.  We made the soup and salad, they brought bread and beer.  Everything was home-made and so delicious!  We parents had the best time talking, laughing, and watching our boys play on the floor.  Until they both decided they'd had enough and it was bedtime.

Brandon is the first baby/kid that Wesley has really interacted with.  Even when they were just getting out of the car in the driveway, Wes started stirring, and I'd like to think that it was because he couldn't wait to see his buddy!

Wesley is full on crawling now, and getting faster every day.  Walking isn't far away.

Help me.

Merry Christmas!

Promises to Wesley

In light of the recent tragedy, I'm stealing this idea from a good friend of mine - thank you, Melanie, for the idea.

Dear Wesley,

I promise to love you unconditionally;
I promise to always be here for you, whether you're running to or away from me;
I promise to teach you to love all, be compassionate and thoughtful, to think before you speak;
I promise to do my best to let go, whether it's at your first day of daycare or at your high-school graduation;
I promise to try to not meddle;
I promise to teach you to be responsible, to do your chores and homework, and to take care of others because you want to, not just because you can;
I promise to give you the tools to believe in yourself, that you can be anyone and anything you want;
I promise to teach you the value of being a member of our society, to give back, to be part of being something bigger than yourself;
I promise to make introduce you to different cultures, to surround you with different types of people, music, art, food, to make sure you know that there is a big world out there for you to discover;

And the biggest of all, I promise that I will always see you as my baby boy, and I will take care of you as long as you will let me.  I will love you forever, even after I'm gone and you have a family of your own. 

Love always, forever and ever,
Mommy

Copyright: Alexander Lawrence

 

 

9 Months Old!

Ohmygoodness!

NINE MONTHS OLD!!  How in the world has time gone by so fast?

You are starting to crawl, well, sort of.  It's a combination of pulling yourself on the carpet, military crawling, and rolling.  You're not terribly interested in crawling.  If the object of your desire is too far away, you'll look around for something closer.  You are definitely my kid.  :)

You have some separation anxiety, and there are a few people who you don't really care for, including your god-father, Steve!  I've come to the conclusion that the majority of men in your life don't have beards, but Daddy does.  And so does Steve.  So I think it's not so much that you're scared as you're confused.

You love people, still.  You love to smile, but laughing doesn't come easily.  Until, I found the pop-up book.  With the jumping frog.  And started saying "ribbit" every time it jumped.  Oh, what joy ensued!



You had a doctor's appointment today - 18 pounds and 10 ounces!  The doctor is very pleased with your progress.  Everything looks good, and no shots!

We had a good Thanksgiving, except we forgot your booster/high chair thing, so dinner was a little awkward, as you tried your hardest to grab everything in sight, including dishes and silverware.  Everyone loved you, and you just yummed up all the attention.  

You are STILL not sleeping through the night, but you are an easy baby during the day.  Very patient if we're late with meals, so pleasant when we are out and about.  You just love to observe what's going on.

We had a bit of a rough time, you and I, in November with Daddy being gone on set.  You are so happy he's home, and so am I!

I love you, my sweet sweet boy.  I can't wait for your first Christmas.  It's going to be magical!

Love you lots and lots,
Mommy

6 months old!

My dear Wesley,

Mommy is very sorry she can't pick you up these days.  I hurt my back pretty badly, but I'm on the mend and I think if Daddy continues taking such good care of the two of us, I'll be all better very soon and able to take care of you more in a few days.

You are SUCH a good baby.  So happy and full of joy!  Even waking up, you'll happily chat to yourself for at least 5 or 10 minutes before chirping to let us know you'd like to get out of your crib.  And by chriping, I mean more of squeaking.  You love to play and laugh, especially watching Mommy, Daddy, or anyone make silly faces and noises.  You also love to watch us clap and have recently discovered that the newspaper is so noisy and cool!  You love to play with anything that combines noise and texture.  Sometimes just scraping the side of the couch or chair with your fingernails entertains you long enough for Mommy to grab a snack or run to the bathroom.  You certainly have my attention span.  You move on to the next thing fairly quickly.  Except when it comes to your feet.  Those things are pretty dang cool.

You have also figured out how to roll from your back to front, which is funny.  You have yet to realize that you can continue rolling and that will get you off your tummy.  You can no longer sleep on your side because you roll onto your tummy and get pissed because you're doing tummy time.  It's kind of sad and amusing all at once.  You've also learned how to dig your face into the floor, raise your butt, and push with your feet, slightly scooting yourself forward.  You so desperately want to be on the move and get so frustrated because you're not strong enough...yet.  You are working on keeping us on our toes, that's for sure!

Man oh man do you love solid foods.  You love anything orange - sweet potatoes, butternut squash, peaches, apricots, carrots - in addition to bananas, apples, and pears mixed with your oatmeal.  You don't like summer squash, and HATE peas.  Green beans are ok.  Your Aunt Julia is in town and determined to fill our freezer with all sorts of treats for you to try.  You'll be trying beets and cherries soon.  It's so much fun to watch the expressions on your face as you eat.  You are such a great eater though, and aside from peas, you're game for anything.  Even cold prunes.  Such a champ!

You've now been on more overnight trips away from home.  We went to Aberdeen for a few days to visit Jeff, Tina, Natalie, and Alanna.  Mommy took you all be herself because Daddy went to GenCon.  Then over Labor Day Weekend, Mommy and Auntie Kari took you to Spokane so you could meet more family members. You loved it there because there was always  someone to hold you!  But man, you were so over stimulated and it took some magic to get you to fall asleep at night.    Everyone loved you, and you even managed to charm Uncle Terry, who isn't the craziest person about babies, but he even played with you, and that just warmed my heart.

You aren't perfect.  You don't like to be left alone and you do. not. nap.  You'll take one good morning nap, and on a rare occasion, you'll have an afternoon nap.  Usually, though, after the morning nap, you're up all day aside from a few 20 to 30 minute naps throughout the day.  Oy.  This makes Mommy and Daddy quite irritable sometimes.  But it's not your fault.  We don't really have you on a schedule yet, but we're working on it.  And sometimes you do sleep through the night, which we are very grateful for.

I can't believe how much you've changed.  I can't imagine how the next 6 months will go by just as quickly as the first 6.  You are so wonderful...happy and chatty.  I love you with all my heart and soul, and would do anything for you.  I never knew this kind of love was possible.  I love you my darling, wonderful, magical boy.  Please stay this sweet forever.

  (And just for perspective, here you are at 2 days old.)

Love,
Mommy