Birthdays....

The b-day card Dale gave me.

Birthdays just are not exciting anymore. At least mine. I can't remember the last birthday bash I enjoyed as I usually prefer celebrating with Dale, quietly in the comfort of my home.

This is not to say that birthdays aren't memorable. Trust me, I will treasure Kannon's b-day every year until the day I die. I celebrate week birthdays, month birthdays, and 1/4 of the year birthdays. When you see a 7 pound being come into the world, it is hard to forget that moment.



But I don't remember my birthday. What used to be a call to celebrate with booze, friends, and bars is now an excuse to sleep in and demand breakfast in bed and celebrate Kannon's 1/4 of the year birthday.

Which is exactly how I celebrated my birthday.



Dale, Kannon, and I drove to Bozeman after a sleepy morning to continue our celebration. We visited with some old friends, enjoyed time antiquing (a skill my mother has generously passed down), and eating at our favorite establishments.



Yet, the trip was less about me and more about showing off Kannon and his chubby cheeks. He met new faces, saw new places, and slept in the bed with us. He was spoiled.


Visiting Lei-Anna, my former teacher

He had a few minor fusses--mostly because he was tired and ready for bed. While he may have loved sharing a bed with us, Dale and I were ready to go sleep in the car! I kept getting punched in the face by Kannon, not too mention he used me as a pacifier the whole night. He woke up any time one of use moved and demanded to be fed. I have no idea how any one co-sleeps.



All in all, we had a good weekend, watching our little man discover more of the world but now we are exhausted and happy to be home, in separate beds.

Finally...working from home!

Okay, not really. I am still working at my office most days but seeing as my contract ends in June I am constantly thinking of the future--trying to find a source of income that will allow me to stay at home full-time with my little man.

I feel guilty admitting that I would rather be at home than using my degree (which cost me $20,000) in a fulfilling career. However, I have my entire life to pursue all the careers I dream and Kannon will only be young once!

So this is the path I walk....I now make and sell dryer balls, produce bags, and other clever creations. It is not easy. There is a cost--my fingers are sore from winding balls and balls of yarn and my eyes are tired from working late into the night counting stitches and rows. But it is worth is to sleep in every morning, waking up to precious blue eyes knowing I have no agenda, no commitments, and no where to go.


Produce Bag

I am jumping ahead of myself as I am still working part-time but come summer I am trading in my work slacks and heels for full-time pajamas and unwashed hair....all in pursuit of happiness--and dryer balls.


My dryer balls

So what may you ask are these silly little balls I keep referencing? In a nutshell, they are balls of recycled wool yarn that I wind into balls, felt twice and package neatly in a handmade storage bag. Why use them? They help cut down the time it takes to dry your clothes by breaking up your laundry so hot air can penetrate the core of your laundry. We have found using 5 balls that our drying time is decreased by 40%...good for us, good for the environment, and good for our energy bill! In addition, dryer balls help pick up lint, pet hair, and remove static eliminating your need for harmful fabric softeners and dryer sheets which contain chemical additives not only known to be cancerous but on the EPA "Hazardous Waste List".

In a nutshell, never buy dryer sheets again, reduce your drying time, energy costs, and go green with dryer balls.

It gets really exciting!


The Good Food Store order $200 worth of products!

I sold six sets of dryer balls and 12 produce bags to the Good Food Store on Thursday. My husband just informed me that 3 days later, there are only 2 sets left. Woooooaaah!

There are other alternatives. Several companies make plastic, rubber, or pvc free balls. However, these tend to be noisy and have been rumored to damage clothes. There is also line-drying....but in Montana, in the middle of winter, this is not an option unless you feel like putting frozen underwear on your as$. You can also add vinegar to soften clothes, but you still have drying time to worry about. But wool dryer balls can be expensive and some folks have wool allergies. All in all, all products have their costs and advantages, just be open minded and aware of the products you are using.

Anyhow, I really hope that these nifty little balls and produce bags take off. Being a VISTA I have learned to live on a really tight budget and Dale and I have figured that I only need to make $600 a month to keep up the same lifestyle we have now. Between the Good Food Store and Farmer's Market this summer, some potential writing opportunities, blogging, and babysitting I should be able to come close.


Some produce bags

Check out my etsy site for new updates and products! http://www.etsy.com/shop/theyarnbox

Its ALIVE!

I am of course referring to Kannon, who now at 3 months old, is a completely different baby. Its like a light switch went off somewhere in that little brain. No longer is he sleeping 20 hours a day, rather he spends more time smiling, laughing, and flirting with his folks.

I knew that 3 months was going to be a big milestone. Everyone says, "thank god, that 4th trimester is over" because really the first 3 months are not that different from pregnancy...only instead of being inside my womb safe and sound, he is out in the world. Seriously, thank god those 3 months are over. They were amazing. I already miss Kannon's tiny feet, sleeping face, and eyes full of alarm every waking moment of the day. But now, I get smiles, laughs, and the sweet recognition of my face every single minute of the day. I am in love.

Kannon will be 13 weeks tomorrow. I learn more about him everyday as I discover his world and he discovers mine. So far:

1.) Kannon sings the blues. Yes, the blues! We have a mixed CD for him that a friend made and he goes crazy, bouncing his feet and squawking whenever Muddy Waters comes on. It is the most adorable thing....who knew babies had a taste for music!

2.) Kannon hates tummy time. I have known this for quite a while and have tried my best to overcome the terrible tummy times but we never last more than a few minutes before breakdown. I thought I could kiss rolling over good bye. Then last week, I placed Kannon in his crib on his back only to hear screaming two seconds later. I raced in to find Kannon on his stomach. He rolled over and I missed it!!! He hasn't done it since, but I still have hope.



3.) Kannon has discovered he can reach and grasp objects. He has taken to grabbing earrings, my knitting, yarn, toys, my nosering, whatever he can find. Yesterday I found him on his activity mat with both his hands caught in his toy rings....he practically handcuffed himself to his mat.

4.) Naps are no longer executed with ease. Kannon used to go down for a nap like a champ, but now it takes putting him in a carseat and leaving the house in order to get a little shut eye.



5.) Kannon loves to sit up. He can't pull himself up yet but if sit him up in your lap or in his boppy, he will sit like that for 30 minutes or so. It is his new favorite position.

6.) Who said white guys don't jump? Kannon loves to jump. He has discovered his doorway bouncer and thrills himself jumping around. Adorable.

7.) Peekaboo! This has become our new favorite game. Every diaper change we play a little round of peekaboo that sends Kannon into laughing hysteria....although they don't really sound like laughs yet, more like donkey snorts but you get the idea.

8.) Kannon loves Dale, but lately, at Dale's nighttime feeding, instead of being greeted with smiles, he is greeted with frowns...its as if Kannon is thinking "what, no boobies this time? Whah!"



9.) Kannon loves naked time. He stands stronger, sits up better, smiles and laughs more the second those clothes come off. Lets hope he didn't get my genes and avoids his future as a streaker.



10.) Forget coffee when you can wake up to this smiling creature. Dale has been pulling Kannon into bed with us in the morning and I wake up to pretty blue eyes, long black eyelashes and a smile complete with dimples.

11.) Kannon got his first haircut when I snipped his rat tail. There was 2 inches of hair growing freely below his baby bald spot and I had to say goodbye. Now its resting peacefully under some tape in his baby book instead of haunting my dreams.



12.) Kannon had his first play date. Our friend's 6 month old, Silas, came over and Kannon loved this kid! He smiled at Silas, trying to grab his nose. Silas wasn't too fond of the affection as he acted more confused than pleased. Anyhow, I suspect that they will be spending more time together in the near future.



Dale and I went on our first date since Kannon was born and we are looking forward to many more now that we know what Kannon's schedule is like.

We have a great routine and look forward to those 6:30 bath times and 7:00 bedtimes when I finally get a break. But I will admit, even after Kannon is asleep I have a temptation to sneak in and look at him because I already miss him and the long night's sleep between us.

Life is great. We have gotten into our groove and forgotten what 8 hours of sleep used to feel like. We love taking our little man out into the world to show off. And we are excited to take Kannon on some of his first few trips! We are headed to Bozeman on Thursday for my 24th b-day (hopefully Dale wont give me the same thing I got last year!) and then we are headed to California February 10-17th to spend time with Gigi, Nana, Papa, Uncle Sam and the rest of the family.

I hope to report more in the coming weeks but I am busy with my Etsy stuff and am hurrying like mad to fulfill these orders! So pardon my absence!

Getting High.....

Someone on Facebook posted a comment about getting high. I had to laugh.

The best high I have ever had was pushing 7 lbs of flesh out of my body. I was on top of the world.

Afterwards, I had the best damn cheeseburger I have ever tasted in my entire life.

If only these highs could come without the 9 months of pregnancy and 25 pounds of baby weight. I would trade my left boob for the feeling again....and the cheeseburger, seriously, better than sex.

2009 in review

I meant to post this video a few weeks ago but I never got around to it! Let's face it, sometimes things just go haywire around here!!! Anyways, here it is. I hope you like this collection of photos from our big adventurous year!



Or you can follow the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf84vUHsm-A

"No-No Pie" Dog Treats

There are days when everything in our world is turned upside down and backwards. Days when I can't even stop to take a sip of water. Days when there are dishes in the sink piled a mile high. Days when I don't (ashamedly) remember to change my underwear.

Days when Kannon wont take naps, eats every hour, and poops in the last clean pair of pants. I hate these days. Sadly, I also love these days. These are days when food taste like a gift from the Gods and crawling into bed (even for only 2 hours sleep) is a personal sanctuary.

These days are becoming more frequent now that I have gone back to work and Kannon is getting bigger---refusing his naps and demanding 100% of my attention. It is hard. I have learned how to type one-handed, balancing a baby on my knee and the keyboard on the desk. I have learned how to bake while wearing Kannon in a homemade ring-sling--although its not perfect, he usually ends up flour covered. I have learned to do a lot of things. Before baby I didn't know what a bumbo or bumgenius was but now I finding these words to be common place in our house.

These days, I sometimes forget my dog. I also forget the freshly baked pecan pie that I left sitting on the counter. Sadly, these days, I come home to find one happy dog and no pecan pie and shout "No, No, Pie!!!"



So in honor of every bad, crazy day, I have decided to make some "no, no pie" dog treats--so I can at least make one person happy with some yummy treats instead of sacrificing my beautifully baked goods to our canine friend, Emma.

But seriously, these treats are easy to make and will satisfy every ignored canine suffering from "new baby in the house" syndrome...or just satisfy any canine with a sweet tooth.



"No-No Pie" Dog Treats

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (Emma prefers crunchy peanut butter)
1 cup milk

1.) Preheat the oven to 370 degrees.

2.) Mix the dry ingredients

3.) Add peanut butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

4.) Add milk and beat/knead until well incorporated.

5.) Roll out and use a cookie cutter or shot glass to cut your shapes.

6.) Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely before treating your dog.

Yields approximately 40 dog treats.

a day at a time...

I have been neglecting my blog. I hide from my computer when I walk by hoping it doesn't know that I am having affair with my son instead. As Kannon gets older and more alert I am finding that I would rather savor all my moments with him than stare a computer until my butt goes numb.

My computer doesn't smile at me. Nor does it giggle and flirt with beautiful blue eyes. It most certainly doesn't make me burst with love and happiness. A computer doesn't do this, only Kannon has those magical abilities to make me fall in love over and over again, day after day.

Nonetheless it is time I take a minute to reflect. Its almost the middle of January and I had hopes of posting some sort of reflection as part of my New Year's tradition (see blog from last year). So here I am, typing away while Kannon lays on his activity mat, staring at his elephant (he broke up with his monkey) and kicking away.

This time last year Dale and I were braving the icy roads journeying over the passes to make our new home in Montana. We moved out of our tiny studio apartment in Seattle into a huge 2 bedroom house in Montana. I remember walking into our house for the first time and scratching my head with disbelief. Our house was so big. So empty. We didn't have enough stuff to fill those cavernous spaces. In fact our spare bedroom sat empty for 4 months.



But we filled it. We filled it without delay. Before we had time to even unpack we were given a kitchen table, buying a new couch, filling our cupboards with new cooking utensils and rearranging our room to accommodate our new bed. Before we knew it, we were painting nursery walls and building a crib. We have so much stuff now, that we have even moved onto our outside spare bedroom.



But it is not the stuff that matters. We filled our lives with so much more than "stuff". Our walls now echo giggling, crying, squealing baby noises. My kitchen table is covered with a carseat, blankets, and diapers. Our lives weren't empty by any means but now we are bursting at the seams!



Dale and I jokingly mentioned having a baby last Christmas (2008) but I don't think we ever thought it would happen. We have always moved fast. We have always known what we wanted and how to get it. When Dale proposed, we got married 2 months later. When we wanted a baby, we got pregnant 2 months later. Now, our lives have evolved into something so much greater than I ever could envision.



We shared our first Christmas as a new family. Even though Kannon will never remember his first Christmas, it brought the magic of Santa back--more like the nostalgia and anxiety of waiting impatiently until 5 am to open all the presents.

We burst into the New Year by joining friends at a bar....only this time we brought Kannon along. He is not a big drinker yet, but I am sure he will get there someday :)

We celebrated 1-year of Montana living grateful for all our adventures. The year flew by. Emma, our dog, was our first big adventure. Really, she was the beginning of our family, an opportunity for us to see if we would make good parents.



Most of the year is a blur. I vaguely remember camping at Flathead and hiking through Glacier. But, I can tell you what I was wearing the day Kannon was born. I can tell you exactly what time I found I was pregnant. I can pinpoint the moment I felt Kannon kick, roll, and flutter inside. If that is all I remember of 2009, that is fine by me.

During 2009, Dale and I kept thinking ahead months at a time. We were both counting down 9 months waiting for our little man's arrival--hoping that October would happen over night but at the same time hoping for more time to prepare. Now, we are taking it a day at a time. We don't know what our lives will look like next week, next month, or next year. We just know to savor the moments we have as a young family, falling in love over and over again with our biggest adventure of all.



It's not easy or hard. It's just different. We pick our battles wisely. We take time to enjoy the challenges and successes. I don't grumble at 3 am feedings any more, knowing that Kannon will soon be sleeping through the night--our nightly nursing sessions becoming unnecessary. Last night he pushed me away. He didn't want to cuddle on the bed anymore. Rather, he wanted to sleep in his own crib, sprawled out just like his daddy. Even though we take it one day at a time, it still passes too quickly. I find my waking hours disappearing quickly at the start of every new day. 2010 is only in its beginning but I know it will pass by without a blink.



This is why my computer is neglected.

This is why I don't answer the phone or return emails.



This is why I don't want go to work in the morning or even take a shower.

I don't want to miss any moment with my new love, our biggest adventure of all.

Presenting....TheYarnBox

After weeks of creating, crafting, and crocheting I finally set up my etsy.com site!!! It is still in its beginning but has a few cute offerings for both our little ones and ourselves.

After getting so many compliments on the hats I have made Kannon and receiving so much support and encouragment from Dale, I finally took the plunge! So please check my site out and check back often for new items!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/theyarnbox

Daddy Logic

Parenting comes very easy to Dale and me. Perhaps it is our open mind, flexibility, and patience. When life gives us poop, we wash it out and start over again (referring to diapers of course). There are some moments, however, that I find myself struggling deep within myself to contain that urge to run out the door screaming. Those are the moments when I let Dale take over, in whatever fashion he desires.

During those days, I like to sit idly by watching my husband as he coos, giggles, and makes silly faces at our little one. Some times, I am surprised at his gentleness and candor. Other times, I am laughing my a$$ off wondering how I married such a fool. Dale should win "Dad of the Year" for all of his golden achievements, however, I am not willing to let some his actions slip by unnoticed in a clear moment of what I like to call "Daddy Logic".

1.) A few weeks ago, I came home to find Kannon in a diaper stuffed with washcloths. I asked Dale what happened and he said we ran out prefolds so he just stuffed a washcloth in his diaper cover. It worked as Kannon was dry and washcloth was wet, but I was praying god that we never run out of diapers as I might find Kannon wrapped in paper towels!

2.) We got his adorable little bathrobe for Christmas and Dale insisted on using it last night. So after Kannon was bathed, Dale put him in the robe to go lounge around....a few moments later he noticed he was wet, that's when he realized he forgot to put a diaper on. Duh!

3.) Kannon has been rejecting bottles, so we have been trying to get him to take a bottle at almost every feeding--of course we usually fail as this little boy will not be fooled! However, we thought we had success when Dale called me in to show me that half the bottle was gone. Then I looked at Kannon's shirt, which was completely soaked. He was drinking all right, but he wasn't swallowing....and Dale didn't even notice!! Maybe its for the best that Kannon has been rejecting the bottle all these weeks!

4.) I think Dale thinks he has more than two hands because he is always trying to do too much. For instance, he grabbed the carseat, the bookbag, and groceries all in one hand. When he reached the door, he put the carseat down and said "look honey, its a door stop!" and went inside to drop his bags off, leaving Kannon and his carseat holding the door open for me. Thank god it wasn't snowing! I appreciate the help but babies aren't doorstops.

5.) Dale shouted excitedly from the kitchen, "look, he is tracking!!" (a skill Kannon has possessed for weeks now) and I walked in to see Dale holding his beer bottle in front of Kannon. Kannon was indeed tracking the beer bottle and Dale suggested we make a beer-bottle mobile. Ummmm????



Dale is a wonderful father. I couldn't have asked for a stronger more supportive partner. He never complains about dirty diapers, 2 am feedings, or bringing home groceries. He always remembers to feed the dog and does the laundry on his days off. He has made parenting equally fun and challenging as we both learn more about our needs as a family. Even when I am upset, running out the door away from our screaming child, he finds a way to make me laugh...be it seeing Kannon in a ladies headband or soaring through the air to land his mommy a kiss. I cant wait to see the many more "Daddy Logic" moments that send me to tears in laughter as our son grows older. For now, I am hiding the washcloths and buying a real doorstop tomorrow.