mommy moment #4:: toenails and formula

You know you are pregnant, too busy for words, and amidst chaos when you slice your son's foot with *ouch* your own toenail.  I know its gross.  I need a pedicure.  Furthermore, I need to clip my nails and I cant reach them!!!! 

Also, you know you are a mom when you pour formula in your coffee and forget to put the nipple on a bottle.  Sheeeze.  What a morning!

daddy logic:: daddy burned the baby

I tried to sleep in this morning after a late night of rolling dryer balls only to be awakened by our little man screaming bloody murder.  I thought about jumping out of bed and racing downstairs but I heard Dale downstairs and figured things were under control (and they were) so I gave it a few minutes and came down to see what the commotion was about.

Kannon was in his high chair with Dale feeding him breakfast.

Me:: "What happened?"
Dale:: "I burned Kannon"
Me::"*$@*$  How?"
Dale:: "His food was too hot"
Me:: "Didn't you check it"
Dale:: "Yeah, the spoon didn't change colors" (we have the spoons that change color when they are too hot...ALWAYS do a finger test first!!!)
Me:: "Were you using that spoon?" (pointing to a non-color changing spoon)
Dale:: (lightbulb going off) "Ahhh.....oops"
Kannon:: "blahshghahdbdhaf"

Kannon was fine.  The food really wasn't that hot but note to all Daddy's out there....ALWAYS test baby food, bottles, etc yourself.  Color changing spoon or not, they are not accurate, and babies sometimes do get burned :( 

Perfect 'Effing Weekend

This weekend I celebrated my baby daddy.  While the attention was all on Dale, we were really just having fun as a family.  When you have a million things going on, sometimes having fun as a family isn't as easy as it looks.  Most days, its sort of half business, half trying to stay awake, and a tiny bit of having fun. Sometimes just "saying no" to laundry, diapers, dishes, and cleaning is nearly impossible.

This weekend we said "no".  We set up our tent in the backyard and turned off the tv, computer, and telephone.  We fired up the grill and ate no-fuss hot dogs.  There was no wine talk, dryer ball making, or photo fun I was simply a mom and Dale was dad.

It was a perfect effing weekend. 

Then the lightning came.  The rain poured and we abandoned ship in favor of our dry, lightning free house.  Even so, we sat peacefully watching lightning strike and thunder boom and slept in the next day. 

Dale and I stayed in pajamas.  Our laundry piled on the floor made the perfect bed for Kannon and we spent the day watching Baby Einstein and cooking crepes.

It was a perfect effing weekend.

Happy Father's Day Dale.  I hope you enjoyed our silly, simple, staircase of fun. 

solid sundays:: finger foods

Kannon is a eating machine!!! Now that he has discovered finger foods, not much escapes his mouth.  All those peas, asparagus, and carrots we thought he hated...well, he loves them when he can feed himself!

So this week, we continued our purees that I made a few weeks ago and introduced a bigger variety of finger foods.

::finger foods::
mashed blueberries
diced strawberries
diced bananas
diced sweet potatoes
diced carrots
mashed peas
cheerios
graham crackers
rice
shredded chicken
shredded turkey

Kannon is pretty much eating everything we make for ourselves.  This a relief for Dale and I who enjoy eating dinner together as a family.  We can sit down and watch Kannon feed himself.  He his happy.  He stops when he is full.  So far, we haven't had any choking or gagging issues.  Yay!

Our solid sundays series will becoming less frequent as Kannon moves on to "real" food but this does mean the return of "mama cooks" a few recipes from our kitchen!  So yay!

mama confesses:: whew

Whew.  

Life sometimes carries you away without a chance to catch up.  Our lives have been incredibly busy as Dale embarks on new territory and I finally have a chance to pursue my passions.

We had visitors.  Kannon started crawling.  We have been rolling dryer ball after dryer ball in preparation for MADEfair.  I have been portfolio building for my new photography business.  Kannon went to bed and woke up with 2 teeth.  Our lives have been crazy, upside down, full of chaos, action, and poop.  

Whew.

I hope to get back to a more regular schedule of postings and I am going to keep this post short.  In a nutshell (or a list, as I prefer) here is our life.

1.) Kannon got professional photos taken last week with Kim Stadler Photography in Spokane.  They turned out soo cute! 

2.) We got accepted into MADEfair, a handmade arts and craft fair in Missoula.  So we are busy rolling dryer balls for the upcoming event on June 27th.

3.) My grandparents were in town for a week so we were busy visiting with them.  We had so much fun eating at new restaurants, exploring Lake Coeur d'Alene by boat, and swimming.  Kannon was especially said to see them go :(

4.) Kannon started crawling.  It looks more like a cross between drowning on land and scrambling from danger but it is indeed movement that takes him from one end of the living room to the other.  

5.) We finally got a washer, dryer and lawn mower.  We are so lucky to have an incredible amount of love and support from our family!  Now our diapers are clean and our lawn looks less like a jungle.

6.) Kannon sprouted 2 teeth.  His lower teeth came in overnight and he is freakin adorable.  He does get caught off guard when he accidentally bites himself.  Poor guy.

7.) I am nearing my 3rd trimester.  Bean#2 is really starting to kick, roll, and punch.  Not too mention, I am starting to feel exhausted!!!

8.) We have narrowed down names for bean#2, but again, we won't be sharing our final decision until D-day!

9.) My etsy site has been exploding with orders lately.  Plus, I have been branching out making newborn photography props for fellow photographers.  My fingers are starting to hurt!!!

10.) My brother Sam has been visiting and we have so much fun hanging out.  We will be sad to see him leave!

11.) Dale has had a busy month so far with New West Spirits.  He added a few new accounts, including Fred Meyer...a major purchaser of wine!!!

12.) I have been portfolio building and have given a name and face to my new photography business, Happy Mama Photography.   Since launching this week, I have already scheduled a few engagement and senior sessions.  I am starting to get nervous!!! Follow my blog and facebook page to hear more updates!!

Things are finally under control and we are so pleased to have had so much success in the last few weeks.  Despite our rough start in Coeur d'Alene, we are finally catching our breath and learning the ropes!  

solid sundays:: big batches

We have a slew of visitors coming in over the next couple of weeks so I used my quiet Sunday as a chance to go big time with baby food.  I spent hours in the kitchen, steaming, roasting, pureeing and freezing batches of food.  4 hours later I filled my freezer with 128 ounces of pureed gourmet baby food--which will easily last over 2 weeks.

Kannon got his usual suspects and some new ones.  He tried parsnip, broccoli, and raspberries.  We also made some blueberry muffins to top off our day and our bellies were very full.  All in all, it was a day well spent and I am hoping Kannon continues to enjoy our food pairings!

This week I made::
Cinnamon Roasted Parsnips and Carrots
Steamed Broccoli and Zuchinni Medley
Steamed Mango, Raspberry Applesauce
Blueberry Banana Mash
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Blueberry Baby Muffins

Cinnamon Roasted Parsnips and Carrots::
Peel, wash, and roast with a bit of olive oil in a 400 degree oven.  Puree and freeze.

I roasted these parsnips with carrots, cinnamon, and apples but pureed them separately.  Parsnip is a wonderful vegetable that will be making its appearance more frequent in our kitchen.  Kannon loves the taste and so do we!  Parsnips are a great addition to our favorite stand-bys, especially because it mixes so easily with some of hated veggies!

Steamed Broccoli and Zuchinni Medley::
Chop zucchini into small chunks. Chop into smaller florets, steam gently.  I froze some finger food size for Kannon and pureed the rest.

Kannon was not crazy about the broccoli on its own.  He enjoyed playing with the pieces but preferred them mixed with other veggies.  I am pretty sure Kannon has an aversion to green food....nothing green makes its way into his mouth willingly!

Steamed Mango, Raspberry Applesauce::
Gently steam mango and raspberries for a few minutes.  Puree with some applesauce. 

As expected, Kannon loves this dish.  I thought the raspberries might be too tart but he had no problem lapping them up.

Blueberry Banana Mash:: 
Puree thawed blueberries and bananas.  Freeze. 

I swore I would never go back to blueberries after our diapers, clothes, and fingers were stained for weeks on end.  But Kannon loves them and I had a hankering for blueberry muffins so I went for it. This time, I mixed them with bananas and have been adding them to our morning oatmeal so the staining is less severe.  Kannon loves them!

Blueberry Baby Muffins::
Use any favorite muffin recipe.  I quartered the muffins into handheld pieces and froze them for later consumption. 

Kannon loves finger foods, especially breads.  He loves Rye bread, pancakes, and cereal so I decided it was time to introduce muffins.  He has developed a new love affair for muffins....especially when they have lots of chunks of blueberries.

Finger Foods::
Muffins
Broccoli Florets
Cheerios

Next Week Preview::
Meats!!!!

mama confessess:: my nose ring

Freshmen year my roommate casually invited me to go with her to a piercing parlor.  I had nothing planned and was really looking for an excuse to avoid my philosophy paper.  So off we went and little did I know that I would find myself in the piercing chair with a needle sticking in my nose.

I gave no thought to the process.  After everyone had chickened out, the piercer asked if I was getting a piercing and I replied "sure".  I was in love.  My nose ring was something that was truly me.  A little piece of individuality, a representation of my new independence, and it was just plain cute.

It came with me to Europe.  It was with me in Spain, when the doctors begged me to pull it out, and I resisted.  It has survived just as many college parties as I have. It was with me when I fell in love, traveled Alaska, and got married. I even gave birth wearing it. It sounds silly, but my nose ring gave me strength and confidence.

A few weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night to find my precious bling missing.  I found a replacement but a few days later woke up ringless again.  This time, I couldn't get my gem back in.  I thought I would try later--maybe the next day.  Two weeks later, my nose is still naked.  This time, it was a choice.

It was time to say goodbye.  The little treasure that got me through college and made me feel special during darker times has laid its grave in my jewelry box.  Kannon has gone from softly feeling faces to pulling, pinching, and scratching everything in sight.  Perhaps it was sign that my nose ring came out on its own rather than being ripped out by the deathly grasp of Kannon.

I miss my piercing.  Sometimes my face feels a little naked....especially when I am unkempt, ungroomed, and running out of the house with less than half a cup of coffee.  It was time to let go.  That piece of my life is history.  I got married, had a baby and moved to Idaho.  I share my life with two wonderful people and I don't need a nose piercing to make me feel special.

Every mother has something special they have been holding onto, reluctant to let go.  Be it high heeled shoes, long hair, or dangling earrings.  Mine just happened to be my nose ring.

So RIP nose ring.  Maybe you will make an appearance another day--for a fancy occasion, April Fool's, or Halloween.  At least I still have my tattoos.

photo therapy:: new rules

Kannon has figured out how to pull himself from sitting to standing.  He first learned how to do this in the bathtub and is now pulling himself up on everything.  The toy box, ottoman, and my hair are all tools to his new skill.  Now that this is going on, we have to keep an even more careful eye on Kannon because not only does he sometimes fall back, but he takes everything with him.  We have had to set some new rules in our house to keep our carpet and baby tear free. 

solid sundays:: a little bit of everything

We decided to take a quick trip to Seattle so this week we tried a little bit of everything.  We were on the run, had places to be and see and sometimes we didn't have our usual food waiting in the freezer.  Kannon got his introduction to lentils and asparagus, but he tasted the wonders of "real" food.  We gave him rice, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, and even chicken broth!!!  I think all the new foods are opening up his eyes to culinary delights because he has been putting everything in his mouth---rocks, grass, and even my lollipop!  We intend to go back to our regularly planned meals but until then Kannon is eating his way through Seattle!


Asparagus::
Snap the woody stems off and steam gently for a 10 minutes. Let cool and puree.

Kannon was okay with asparagus.  He made a few funny faces but decided that overpowering flavor of asparagus was okay and slurped it down.  We actually turned one meal into an asparagus soup by adding a little formula and chicken stock and he was quite happy with the results.


Lentils::
Follow package directions.  Puree if desired. 

I added applesauce to our lentil puree as well as some cinnamon.  We have been adding lentil into almost every meal, mixing it with different fruit and veggies to see Kannon's reaction.  I have been more surprised with my own reaction, because I remembered how much I LOVE lentils.  We will be keeping these guys on the menu!

Finger Foods::
White Rice
Corn Bread
Banana
Carrots


Next Week Preview::
Parsnip
Asian Pears???