My boy is 6 months old. I can't believe how fast time is going. He had his 6 month check yesterday and he weighs 16lbs 12 oz! He's so fat and happy now. In fact, he's so fat his feet are round. It's adorable.
All day long he chats and sings and babbles. Loudly. I think he's trying to be heard over Hana. He adores his sister. Sometimes they just stare at each other and laugh, it's adorable.
He's now an expert at sitting. No rolling or crawling yet, but he's trying. Instead of swimming when he's on his belly he tries to push, he's just not quite strong enough yet. I don't mind him not being able to go on his on for a while longer - it makes my life much easier.
He's so jolly, so happy all the time. He has the best grin I have ever seen in my life and I get it almost every time he looks at me. The only time I've ever really seen him unhappy was when we stuffed him into his bunting bag to keep him warm. He looked so mad, it was adorable.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Progress
See that! It is technically a sweater. A very short one with no sleeves, but a sweater none the less.
I'm even still working on it. Actually the body is about an inch longer than it was when I took that pic earlier today. That was right after I divided the sleeves and tried it on her to see if it fit. So far so good. I'd like to get the body done this week and then the sleeves over the weekend. I already have a design in mind for Eli.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Knitting
I'm knitting a sweater. At least I hope what I'm knitting will become a sweater and not just another UFO at the bottom of my knitting bag that I cover with yarn so I don't need to think about.
Kim (my wonderful SIL) and I were talking about knitting and it's unfortunate association with old ladies. So I was showing her some Ravelry links to nice sweaters. We found this one that we both liked. I told her if she got me the yarn I'd make one for her. In my impatience (and this happened less than 24 hours ago) I decided to cast one on while I wait. Except it's a slightly smaller version for Hana.
The fun thing about that is I've had to modify the pattern. A pattern that I've never done before. A pattern for a type of sweater I've never knit. Should be interesting. I'll keep you updated (cuz I know wondering about my progress on the sweater is going to keep you up at night).
Kim (my wonderful SIL) and I were talking about knitting and it's unfortunate association with old ladies. So I was showing her some Ravelry links to nice sweaters. We found this one that we both liked. I told her if she got me the yarn I'd make one for her. In my impatience (and this happened less than 24 hours ago) I decided to cast one on while I wait. Except it's a slightly smaller version for Hana.
The fun thing about that is I've had to modify the pattern. A pattern that I've never done before. A pattern for a type of sweater I've never knit. Should be interesting. I'll keep you updated (cuz I know wondering about my progress on the sweater is going to keep you up at night).
Friday, January 23, 2009
Creamy Potatoe Soup
This is my new favorite meal. It's super easy and tastes so good. Hana loves it too!
(I don't actually measure anything, so these are guesses, you might have to adjust to taste)
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups milk (I use soy, if using cow's milk, add flour so it doesn't go all nuts)
diced onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs butter
3 cups cubed potatoe
2 cups cubed carrot
pepper, salt, other spices to taste
sautee the onion and garlic in the pan, then add broth and milk. Heat, but do not boil. Add potato, carrot and spices, cook until veggies are soft. Take out some and blend, then add back to the soup (makes it thicker). I blend almost all of it - I like nice thick creamy soup. I also made a "cheeter" version today - I didn't have any broth or onion (really hate grocery shopping so I put it off) so I used water and onion soup mix. A little too salty for my taste (even with the low sodium kind) but still yummy. Ben and Hana also really like this soup, always a good thing. This makes a lot of soup - I'm debating freezing some or just having left overs all weekend.
(I don't actually measure anything, so these are guesses, you might have to adjust to taste)
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups milk (I use soy, if using cow's milk, add flour so it doesn't go all nuts)
diced onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs butter
3 cups cubed potatoe
2 cups cubed carrot
pepper, salt, other spices to taste
sautee the onion and garlic in the pan, then add broth and milk. Heat, but do not boil. Add potato, carrot and spices, cook until veggies are soft. Take out some and blend, then add back to the soup (makes it thicker). I blend almost all of it - I like nice thick creamy soup. I also made a "cheeter" version today - I didn't have any broth or onion (really hate grocery shopping so I put it off) so I used water and onion soup mix. A little too salty for my taste (even with the low sodium kind) but still yummy. Ben and Hana also really like this soup, always a good thing. This makes a lot of soup - I'm debating freezing some or just having left overs all weekend.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Diva Convert
Warning: This post is about menstrual cups. If you don't want to know, stop reading.
Over the past few years, I have become (in the words of my mother) a hippie. It started with the babywearing, then the organic/whole foods, cloth diapers, reusable bags and now this: the Diva Cup.
Diva Cups are a brand of menstrual cup - reusable cups worn internally to catch menstrual flow. I know what you're thinking. No really, I know. When I first heard of them I thought it was the most disgusting unsanitary gross and all those other adjectives too, but somehow I've changed my mind.
I think it started with cloth diapers. Anyone who has switched to cloth realizes that washing poop off a diaper is much less icky than wrapping it up in plastic for all eternity (have you ever stopped to think how much poop is in a landfill? now that's gross!). Next came FAM (fertility awareness method, a form of natural, non-hormonal birth control) where I got to know my body better, inside and out, and got much less squeemish about discharge and that whole area. Finally, there was birth, with all it's discharge, blood and general ickyness. I don't know how anyone could be squeemish about such things after that.
Along with the cloth diapers, I had already started thinking about using cloth pads. The amount of waste with disposable pads and tampons is just insane, not to mention all the resources used in manufacturing them. I have issues with disposable products in general - it's intentional waste, used resources and packaging for something we intend to throw out. Doesn't sit well with me. Cloth pads seemed a good option, as they're reusable and preform the same function. They do, however, require upkeep and can get a little expensive.
Which lead me to menstrual cups. It didn't disgust me anymore (at this point I realize that a woman should never be disgusted by her own body), requires very little upkeep, and only cost 40$ (or about 3 months worth of pads). So I got one and this is my first cycle using it.
I thought it would be difficult to insert, but it wasn't. All it requires is knowing where your cervix is so you can place the opening of the cup around it. Using FAM I was good to go. I thought it might be uncomfortable, but I don't feel it at all.
Now, to be realistic, it is a little messy to insert, but hands are washable. And it would be a little awkward to do in a public restroom, but can be left in for 12 hours, so that would rarely be necessary. There is no risk of TSS like with tampons, because the cup doesn't absorb, it just holds. Most importantly, aside from the box it comes in, there is no waste.
Over the past few years, I have become (in the words of my mother) a hippie. It started with the babywearing, then the organic/whole foods, cloth diapers, reusable bags and now this: the Diva Cup.
Diva Cups are a brand of menstrual cup - reusable cups worn internally to catch menstrual flow. I know what you're thinking. No really, I know. When I first heard of them I thought it was the most disgusting unsanitary gross and all those other adjectives too, but somehow I've changed my mind.
I think it started with cloth diapers. Anyone who has switched to cloth realizes that washing poop off a diaper is much less icky than wrapping it up in plastic for all eternity (have you ever stopped to think how much poop is in a landfill? now that's gross!). Next came FAM (fertility awareness method, a form of natural, non-hormonal birth control) where I got to know my body better, inside and out, and got much less squeemish about discharge and that whole area. Finally, there was birth, with all it's discharge, blood and general ickyness. I don't know how anyone could be squeemish about such things after that.
Along with the cloth diapers, I had already started thinking about using cloth pads. The amount of waste with disposable pads and tampons is just insane, not to mention all the resources used in manufacturing them. I have issues with disposable products in general - it's intentional waste, used resources and packaging for something we intend to throw out. Doesn't sit well with me. Cloth pads seemed a good option, as they're reusable and preform the same function. They do, however, require upkeep and can get a little expensive.
Which lead me to menstrual cups. It didn't disgust me anymore (at this point I realize that a woman should never be disgusted by her own body), requires very little upkeep, and only cost 40$ (or about 3 months worth of pads). So I got one and this is my first cycle using it.
I thought it would be difficult to insert, but it wasn't. All it requires is knowing where your cervix is so you can place the opening of the cup around it. Using FAM I was good to go. I thought it might be uncomfortable, but I don't feel it at all.
Now, to be realistic, it is a little messy to insert, but hands are washable. And it would be a little awkward to do in a public restroom, but can be left in for 12 hours, so that would rarely be necessary. There is no risk of TSS like with tampons, because the cup doesn't absorb, it just holds. Most importantly, aside from the box it comes in, there is no waste.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Inconsistancy
Story of my life lately. So many good intentions falling short, good ideas left in waiting, commitments forgotten. Sigh.
I blame the weather - everything is shades of grey right now. We do get a lot of sun in our main room, but only for a few hours. It feels like the days are actually shorter, when really they're just darker, and it's hard to be motivated in the dark.
Still, not everything is being neglected - I had my first babywearing client this week and I think it went really well. I'm hoping to have a few clients each month - teaching them the importance and value of keeping their babies close in cloth carriers. Honestly I don't know how people do it without carriers, especially with babies like Hana. Eli is different - he's mostly just in a sling when we go out, not so much at home. Hana, on the other hand, is still wrapped at least once a day to help settle her for bed. She's also really started liking looking over my shoulder while I cook. It has the added benefit of keeping her from climbing on the table, always a good thing.
Every day I get up (far too early in my oppinion), clean, play, cook, think, spend time with my kids, make a few phone calls. I'm happy, I'm active (relative to a few months ago at least) and I'm feeling much more productive than I have in a long time.
There are still more things I would like to get out of my head and into writing, but I'm working on it. It's not about lack of time, but misplaced time, a lack of priorities. Baby steps.
I blame the weather - everything is shades of grey right now. We do get a lot of sun in our main room, but only for a few hours. It feels like the days are actually shorter, when really they're just darker, and it's hard to be motivated in the dark.
Still, not everything is being neglected - I had my first babywearing client this week and I think it went really well. I'm hoping to have a few clients each month - teaching them the importance and value of keeping their babies close in cloth carriers. Honestly I don't know how people do it without carriers, especially with babies like Hana. Eli is different - he's mostly just in a sling when we go out, not so much at home. Hana, on the other hand, is still wrapped at least once a day to help settle her for bed. She's also really started liking looking over my shoulder while I cook. It has the added benefit of keeping her from climbing on the table, always a good thing.
Every day I get up (far too early in my oppinion), clean, play, cook, think, spend time with my kids, make a few phone calls. I'm happy, I'm active (relative to a few months ago at least) and I'm feeling much more productive than I have in a long time.
There are still more things I would like to get out of my head and into writing, but I'm working on it. It's not about lack of time, but misplaced time, a lack of priorities. Baby steps.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Hana - 26 months
THe past month Hana has changed a lot. She's talking so much now - conversations, stories, imaginative play. The other day she and I were playing in her kitchen and she said "oh, mama very thirsty!" and then got one of her little cups, held it under her little faucet, and then gave it to me "here, drink of water, much better!" and I was so proud of her.
She's such a caring kid. Any time she sees someone sad - weather here or on tv - she gets this concerned look and says "oh, big hug." Sometimes she even says "needs milk" which I find cute - she picked that up from Eli waking up hungry and crying.
She knows the letters of the alphabet, can count to 15, builds towers with blocks, jumps, sings songs and picks up her toys. She's even learning hte yoga poses on the Wii fit. We have so much fun together.
She's still waking at least once a night, but we think it's some sort of odd sleep walking/sleep talking thing. One night she came into our room to tell us her diaper was broken. Another time she said she was very hungry and needed some toast. Last night she was screaming at the top of her lungs for a blue crayon. Most of the time she goes right back to sleep, but it would still be nice if she just stayed in bed. I keep telling myself it will happen when she's ready, and in the meantime we take every day as it comes.
She's such a caring kid. Any time she sees someone sad - weather here or on tv - she gets this concerned look and says "oh, big hug." Sometimes she even says "needs milk" which I find cute - she picked that up from Eli waking up hungry and crying.
She knows the letters of the alphabet, can count to 15, builds towers with blocks, jumps, sings songs and picks up her toys. She's even learning hte yoga poses on the Wii fit. We have so much fun together.
She's still waking at least once a night, but we think it's some sort of odd sleep walking/sleep talking thing. One night she came into our room to tell us her diaper was broken. Another time she said she was very hungry and needed some toast. Last night she was screaming at the top of her lungs for a blue crayon. Most of the time she goes right back to sleep, but it would still be nice if she just stayed in bed. I keep telling myself it will happen when she's ready, and in the meantime we take every day as it comes.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Eli - 5 months
I can't believe he's 5 months old already. In fact, I'm so in shock about it that it hadn't even occured to me until now that I needed to do his update.
He's grown so much. Over 15lbs according to our Wii Fit. He has learned to sit and is trying very hard to get moving when he's on his belly. He laughs and grins and chews on anything he can get his hands on.
He's all boy. I have to admit I was a little nervous about raising a boy - I never really spent much time with little boys so it was an unknown. It's so natural tho. I can see his personality - curious, determined, intense. Whatever he's doing he puts all of his attention into. Play hard and sleep hard. And he does sleep. Two naps a day and wakes once at night, it's like a dream. All day long he's always thinking, doing, trying, and then when he sleeps he crashes and is so peaceful. It's a wonderful thing.
He's grown so much. Over 15lbs according to our Wii Fit. He has learned to sit and is trying very hard to get moving when he's on his belly. He laughs and grins and chews on anything he can get his hands on.
He's all boy. I have to admit I was a little nervous about raising a boy - I never really spent much time with little boys so it was an unknown. It's so natural tho. I can see his personality - curious, determined, intense. Whatever he's doing he puts all of his attention into. Play hard and sleep hard. And he does sleep. Two naps a day and wakes once at night, it's like a dream. All day long he's always thinking, doing, trying, and then when he sleeps he crashes and is so peaceful. It's a wonderful thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)