13 months

Our little girl is 13 months old today.

She eats everything we offer her -- with the exception of vegetables these days. You can see her to the left after enjoying a triple berry smoothie!

She isn't walking, but can stand on her own and does a fair share of deep knee bends. She spreads her legs so far apart when she stands that as she tries to move forward, she falls to the floor. We're just waiting for that first step, and I know she'll be running before we know it.

She can climb up stairs with no fear, and laughs hysterically from the top and waits for someone to bring her back down the steps.

She loves to look at books and to have books read to her. She especially loves books with flaps, books with photographs of babies, and a Care Bears book that has a moon that lights up when pushed.

She doesn't sleep through the night, but I'm trying hard to help her do so. She outgrew the co-sleeper that was attached to her bed, so DH put together one of our cribs. It's in our room (we don't have a room for her -- and the real estate market crash means we have no equity left in our home which has put a damper on our plan for an addition -- our house lost over $50K in value in the last 6 months . . . ), but a few steps away from our bed. She starts out the night in her crib, but ends up in our bed between 1 and 3AM. Unfortunately, that means I usually end up with 25% of my body hanging off the bed and waking up with a crumpled spine. This is the first time we've had a toddler and haven't had an extra bed in the house -- with C & N I was usually sleeping part of the night in our spare bed. I'm not sure what the answer is, but it may involve me sleeping on the floor for the next couple months.

We are trying to enclose our back patio to make room for our office and then give her a room of her own. Unfortunately, we can't afford to do even this at the moment. If we do that, I will move our futon back from my parents home and put it in her bedroom and we'll have an extra bed again!

But, back to my youngest! She is finally over her illnesses over the last month -- (ear infections and then a staph infection) and is much happier.

She nods and shakes her head appropriately. She waves. She uses the sign for "finished". She uses a sign for "yes" (which is similar to finished, but she uses only one hand.) She grunts a lot to express her desires (see video here.) She's a very friendly child and interacts with most people who come in contact with her.

She loves all types of music, including N singing to her. She bops her head and dances along whenever she hears a beat of any kind.

It's so much fun watching her grow and learn new things.

silly meme seen on LJ

Copy and paste to your own journal, erase my answers, and add your own. Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real places, names &/or objects, but nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person you got this from has the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. And Have Fun With It!!!

1) 4 LETTER WORD: moan
2) BOY NAME: Mark
3) GIRL NAME: Millicent
4) OCCUPATION: mortician
5) A COLOR: maroon
6) SOMETHING YOU WEAR: make-up
7) BEVERAGE: mojito (yum! I haven't had one in forever, though)
8) FOOD: marble cake
9) SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: mail ( what? you don't wander in to the bathroom while reading your mail?)
10) A PLACE: Minneapolis
11) REASON FOR BEING LATE: moving slowly (my kids, not me usually)
12) SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: MAMA IS TIRED!

Being Born Is Important

Being Born Is Important

~by Carl Sandburg

Being born is important
You who have stood at the bedposts
and seen a mother on her high harvest day,
the day of the most golden of harvest moons for her.

You who have seen the new wet child
dried behind the ears,
swaddled in soft fresh garments,
pursing its lips and sending a groping mouth
toward the nipples where white milk is ready

You who have seen this love’s payday
of wild toil and sweet agonizing

You know being born is important.
You know nothing else was ever so important to you.
You understand the payday of love is so old,
So involved, so traced with the circles of the moon,
So cunning with the secrets of the salts of the blood
It must be older than the moon, older than the salt.

a burden or a privilege?

I don't talk about politics on my blog. I know they're a heated issue, and I just don't engage in that sort of debate these days. BUT, this article is worth reading. I'm sad to know that many people do consider unplanned pregnancies a "burden" and wish that their eyes could be opened to the idea that ALL life is precious, wanted, and necessary in our world.

This article examines the way 2 of our potential candidates in the U.S. perceive life. There are many issues in this election, but I think that voters should be educated as much as possible about the beliefs of those being elected.

I'm exhausted and sleep deprived this week -- and also very busy with 3 active children -- but I wouldn't have it any other way. They are a blessing in my life. It is my privilege to raise and nurture them. And, I feel sorry for those who do not see new life as the blessing that it is.

Review: Bella

When the movie, Bella, came out on the big screen, I remember hearing great things about it. Unfortunately, it wasn't playing near me, and I wasn't able to take the time to travel to see a movie.

I had it on my netflix queue for a while, and was pleased when it showed up in my mailbox last week. I took the time to watch it last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a wonderful movie -- full of strong messages of family, love and life. The characters were beautifully written, and well acted. I cried and I laughed, and I came away from the movie feeling good.

There are so many little decisions we make throughout our life that shape the paths we follow. While we don't really know how any single decision will impact the rest of our lives, when we look back we can start to pinpoint those critical choices. This movie does a fabulous job at showing how true that is.

It also shows how important a single act by a single person is. A simple act of kindness, a belief in the goodness of another, a willingness to share a story -- all those things can impact others in amazing and wonderful ways. I can look back at my life and remember those people that have had an impact on me. Some are no longer part of my life, and some were only part of my life for a brief moment, but they helped shape the person I am today.

If you haven't already seen Bella, I highly recommend that you watch it. I think you'll be glad you did!

Review: Ragu Sauce in Pouches

Mom Central and Ragu sent me 2 pouches of their new Ragu sauce to try out on my family. We love to eat noodles, and spaghetti sauce is a staple in our pantry.

Even though there are 5 in my family, we're not all big sauce lovers. My oldest son LOVES noodles, but doesn't like any tomato sauce. My middle child likes to eat noodles with or without sauce. My youngest would make a huge mess, so I avoid sauce on hers at the moment. My DH likes a lot of sauce. I prefer just a light tossing of sauce. SO, I was excited to see that these pouches have 3 servings of sauce in each package. That seemed like just the right amount for my family! Usually, we open a jar and have it for 2 or more meals.

There are 3 flavors -- Garden Veggie, Tomato Basil and Tomato, Onion & Garlic. We tried out the Garden Veggie and Tomato Basil. The package directions state that it takes 90 seconds in the microwave, and I found that to be true! I was afraid there might be some tomato splash in the microwave, but there was none.

The flavor was good, and not any different than the traditional sauce sold in glass jars. The amount was perfect for my family. I didn't have to dirty a pan, because we poured the sauce from the package onto the noodles. It saved a few minutes of preparation and clean-up, which is always nice in a busy household!

The Ragu website has some quick meal ideas listed which gave me a new idea for rotisserie chicken! We tried it for our 2nd pouch and I know that I'll make it again for my family.

The pouches have about half the sauce as the glass jars, but seem to cost the same. Ragu was on sale at a local grocery store this week for 3 / $5 -- for both the jars and the pouches. I have to admit that I bought the glass jars since it meant I will prepare 2 meals for the same price as one pouch.

My other issue is that the pouches seem completely un-recyclable. Glass jars can be reused for various purposes and also recycled in certain areas. These pouches are strictly one use items. I think the extra cost could be justified if they could figure out a recyclable package.

Except for those drawbacks, I enjoyed trying out this new product. I think I will use it in my "new baby dinner baskets" for small families. I may also put a few in my sister's Christmas stocking next Christmas (she lives alone and would never get through a full-size jar!) If the price is right, I will throw a couple in our pantry as well for those desperation nights when I need to put dinner on the table in the absolute fastest amount of time possible.

pet peeve #32123344

Blogs that play music!!!!

Especially when I am mindlessly surfing because I am trapped under a feverish child and the darn music starts playing and startles her into waking up. I never re-visit blogs that play music. I often turn my speaker off so I don't know usually, but DH must have been using my laptop recently and turned the speaker back on.

It's happened to me twice this morning :( I know some people love that feature, but I find it one of the most annoying things on the internet -- right up there with internet ads that talk out loud!

traveling

My parents left last Monday for a long awaited trip to Hawaii. Tuesday night my father ended up in the hospital with a few issues - the most pressing was his gallbladder (also a gastrointestinal thing and flare up of his diverticulitis.) He never had gallbladder problems before, so this was new and he was pretty sick most of the week. This weekend he developed an upper respiratory infection.

They left late last night to return to AZ, and landed around 7:30 this morning. My DH went to pick them up, and locked the keys in the running van when he hopped out to help them with their luggage. They're waiting for AAA as I type.

When I dropped DH off at the airport a month ago to return to NC, somebody hit our van. I think we'll try and stay away from the airport for a bit now!

My dad had planned to stay in AZ until July, but I'm not sure what will happen now. My mom has to return to WI for work and my dad will likely need surgery for his gallbladder. They don't have doctors out here, so they need to make some decisions about whether to find doctors here, or have my dad return to WI.

I'm asking for prayers for my dad and my parents -- that my dad will recover and that they will be able to discern the best options for his health care. They had a trip planned to Vegas this weekend, but I don't know if they will still go with all that has gone on in the last week.

blog issues

I'm aware that my header and a few other graphics are missing from my site. I'm waiting to hear back from the designer and hoping it is resolved quickly!

N is 6!

My second child turned 6 last week!

He has had a love of construction vehicles for most of his life, so when I saw this cake in a recent Family Fun magazine, I knew I had to make it for him this year! He loved it, and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

N has an enthusiasm for life, boundless energy, a positive spirit and a deep love for his family.

He has a strong attachment to a scruffy stuffed lamb named Mickey and has an imaginary friend named May who has been part of his life for as long as I can remember. He & his brother also have a very elaborate imaginary land that they play in called "MickeyLand" where the most amazing things occur (like a real dinosaur park, and the ability to fly!)

He loves to snuggle and is free with hugs and kisses. He has to be on the move at all times, and doesn't have much patience for anything that requires him to sit still. He loves to dig in the backyard and build small structures.

He is extremely helpful, and will be the first to volunteer when help is needed. He often runs through the house when he hears his name called, and shouts "At Your Service!!" when asked to complete a task. When L was born, he put himself in charge of making sure I always had a drink so I could have plenty of "mommy milk."

His brother is his best friend, and he can't fathom the idea of spending much time apart from him. He has told me all year that the only reason he bothers with the enrichment program is so that he can spend lunch and recess with his brother. He is the first to jump into my husband's arms when he comes home at night to welcome him home.

Six years ago we welcomed him into the world and I'm grateful to be his mom!