Nachoooooo!

                        

Although Halloween isn’t until this coming weekend, all of our parties were this past weekend so….I give you… Nachooooo!!! It was so much fun to put together (thanks to ohdeeoh) and he was, dare I say, the belle of the ball and such a good sport for letting me put in him in tights, a cape and an eyeliner mustache. I love this kid.

The Smoothie

 

Apparently protein is the pregnancy panacea. If I listened to my body I would think it was vanilla ice cream with a heavy dose of ground cinnamon or multiple bowls of cinnamon Puffins. Whatever. Enter my pregnancy smoothie. Now, this smoothie isn’t necessarily for pregnant women only but for some reason it has tasted especially good during my pregnancies and I’ve made an effort to bump up the nutrition to justify the sweet treat.

I crave citrus during pregnancy. This smoothie is a little like an Orange Julius and will fill my craving for ice cream in a pinch. I, of course, still have ice cream at times but…I try.

I don’t measure but here are the ingredients and estimated amounts if you want to give it a try. If there’s a toddler in the house, maybe wait until nap time to mix this up. If Beck’s awake I maybe get a quarter of the smoothie. The other three quarters end up all over him. :)

Milk (about 1/2 cup)

Cottage Cheese (at least 1/2 cup)

Orange Juice Concentrate (about 2 T, maybe more)

Wheat Germ (heaping spoonful)

Flax Meal (heaping spoonful)

Honey (maybe half a tablespoon)

Vanilla Extract (about 1/2 tsp, maybe more)

Ice (I use about 4-5 small cubes)

Wheat Grass Powder or Spinach (sometimes…)

30 before 30: Pumpkinfest (pumpkin picking)

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking successive autumns.” –George Eliot

Fall is absolutely my favorite season. We ventured to the Pumpkinfest at Didier Farms this weekend to soak in the season. Since Stephen is the photographer and the lighting was too harsh, we have few pictures to show for it but it was full of fun fall festivities. The highlight – the fresh pumpkin doughnuts. I’m usually not a doughnut person, especially cake doughnuts, but I thought I would give it a try in the name of enjoying the seasonal fare. Big mistake. Huge. I should have known my deadly weakness for all things pumpkin would override my distaste for doughnuts. Beck loved all the sights and sounds. He kept saying “Orange, Orange”. (I’m pretty sure that’s what he’s saying in the above picture.) I’m not sure if he was telling me the pumpkins were orange or if he thought they were huge oranges. He loves oranges. I can’t wait for him to taste the Arizona oranges this season when we visit for Christmas. He’s going to be in heaven.

Dinner Prep

                         

This how Beck let’s me make dinner – keeping himself busy by flooding the counter, trying to eat my raw pasta and lentils and emptying the cupboards – all while sitting or, better yet, standing on the counter – next to the stove I’m using. It’s totally safe. I swear.

30 before 30: Family Picture

Our friend Sarah took some family pictures this weekend. I think we have one family picture and it is no where near as beautiful as Sarah’s pictures. It was way overdue and let me cross off my first 30 before 30 goal. Since Stephen takes plenty of pictures of me and Beck I wanted her to focus on Stephen with his son. Here’s one of all of us and although it may be because of my pregnant cheeks, I think the best ones are of father and son.

                       

We’re having a girl!!!

I wonder if she’ll look like Beck in a dress like I did or…just like her daddy. I can’t wait!

16 months: The sweet spot and a long overdue update

It’s been a long time since I’ve recorded an update on Beck and all the new and funny things he’s doing. He’s just over 16 months and is turning into a little boy. He’s not yet walking but stands on his own and walks if we hold his hands. I think he still has awhile before he’s there but we’ll see. He says lots of words and seems to be adding to his vocabulary each day.

Beck and I have found ourselves in a sweet spot of one nap, mornings that start around 7:30-8:00 and much more flexibility. I’ve been longing for the days of one nap and it’s all I hoped it would be. No more stressing about getting in all the naps so he’s not up screaming 2-4 times a night and then up between 5:30-6:30am. I know better than to think there will never be sleep issues again but I’m enjoying this time. We go on adventures together, hit up play group, stay out late and hang out with friends without the unpleasant consequences of restless cranky short sleep. Yay!

Here are some things about Beck – his loves, mad skills and funny things that make him…him.

• Although all of these words are not yet crystal clear, many of them are and I’m counting them if I know what he’s saying. :) Beck’s Vocabulary: Mama, Daddy (emphasis on the last syllable), off, water, cracker, waffle, dog, truck, car, duck, donkey, cat, hi, yeah, bye, eyes, ow, uh oh, beep, hair, ball, shoe, fish, ice, keys.
• If requested he can point to his head (he’ll respond to “head” or “noggin”), his belly button, eyes, hair, toes.
• It’s all about daddy. If he sees anything that belongs to Stephen he excitedly yells “Daddy, Daddy!”. I’ve never counted but my guess he says it more that 20 times a day while Stephen’s gone.
• He. loves. dogs. I’ve said never a number of times, but I’m starting to think I’ll have to cave on a dog someday. Multiple times a day he requests that I sit him in his rocker so he can look out the window and hug his two (stuffed) dogs. (See above pictures. I swear those clothes actually fit.)
• He loves our bed…and stairs. He’s recently learned to climb up and down and I will often find him in our room burrowing himself in our pillows.
• He loves to crawl into empty rooms, shut the door and play by himself…sometimes a dark room…sometimes the bathroom which locks from the inside. Luckily it’s easy to break into.
• He loves books. He spends a good portion of the day looking through his pile of books in his room. He has started bringing me some of his favorites to read at random times during the day. We usually read 2-4 times a day and he usually wants me to read one book 3 times or more. I’ve had to set a 3 time limit otherwise I start to go a little crazy.
• He loves trucks. A truck is really anything bigger than a car – vans, buses, trains. Well, really cars are sometimes trucks as well.
• He loves to sit by the kitchen sink and play with the water – turning it on and off, flipping the switch for the disposal, etc.
• He’s a gentle giant – my mom calls him Ferdinand. He rarely protests when another child takes his toys. He’s often content playing on his own. It will be interesting to see how or if this changes with age but for now he seems to be pretty mellow and independent socially.
• He likes to gather little treasures from around the house. I’m not really sure why we have any toys. Treasures might include one of my earrings, a jump drive, a quarter, the battery cover from a remote, the toilet paper roll holder, Stephen’s camera, if he can get his hands on it, Stephen’s wallet, watch, phone – really anything that makes him feel more like his dad.
• He loves to find clothes or my scarves, drape them over his shoulders and crawl around the house.
• His favorite foods right now are TLC crackers, omelets, oranges, apples, yogurt parfaits with plain Greek yogurt, frozen berries and granola, Chipotle and really anything else spicy - and waffles. He knows where I keep the waffle maker and will go open the cupboard and say “Waff, Waff?”.

Ok, that’s probably more than enough for now. I just feel like so much is passing by that I’m not recording so I’ll try to add to this more often.

A shower for Caitlin and Baby Jude

I was lucky enough to head to Seattle a couple of months ago to throw a baby shower for my sister. It was my first time hosting a baby shower and I wanted it to be special. It was a lot of work but so much fun. Although I’m no Martha Stewart I had so much fun choosing decorations and invitations and planning the menu. I can’t get enough of those party poms and they were so easy to make. The food was delicious thanks to my mom and her friends. Since I’ve taken my sweet time posting about the event most of the recipes are completely out of season but I’m going to post them anyway for future reference. I can’t wait to meet my sister’s son!

Cranberry Spinach Salad

Jicama and Watermelon Salad

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Yogurt and Mint

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

My mom’s rolls (I need to get this recipe…and learn how to make them)

Cheese Tortellini and Pesto Sauce from Costco

Cucumber Lime Ice Water

Flourless Chocolate Cake