adaptation

Mr. Mess learned how to hold his own spoon and put it in his mouth. It was wonderful to watch him try to navigate his spoon to his mouth. Even though there were more carrots on his hands and mouth than in his tummy, it was worth it because he wanted to hold his spoon today. He was ready, I was set, so we were go for a mess. I believe in truly listening to your baby's cues and signals to help me parent. At this age, he will let me know what he needs, and I will follow. It is working gloriously. You have to go at your child's pace, and adapt to them, or else you are in for stress. I bought Ben a potty today. Sounds early, I know. But wait, hear me out. I think it is a neat idea to introduce a potty to a baby at around Ben's age, to get him used to the feel and to start introducing the language that I will use when the formal potty training will begin. Who knows, it may make the whole thing a lot easier. But, I am not going to subject Ben or I to the added stress of going diaperless at this age because it is fringe or said to be better in the long-run. There is a whole group of mom's who use this method, called EC (elimination communication) to potty train their children. I am going to adapt this far-fetched idea to suite our family. I will start saying "sss" when he goes pee-pee and say "poop" when he has a bowel movement. I like this idea a lot. We'll see if it works for Ben.

itty bitty baby tooth

And we have a tooth!
All of my suspicions of him teething in the last month have proved to be correct. We can feel it and see it (in his mouth and attitude). It will probably take a couple more weeks until it totally appears in all its glory. I cannot even imagine how uncomfortable it must be to cut a tooth, but Ben is being a good sport. Just remember losing your teeth. I hated it. My dad would always do such a great job pulling our teeth. He would tie dental floss around the tooth and yank, and it would be out like THAT. How did he know how to do that so well? I don't think I could pull out my child's tooth if someone paid me. A baby's first tooth marks one of the first transformations from infant to toddler. This is a big deal! I can't believe we are here, but I am excited for it to be done so my 'happy and I know it all time baby' can come back. He will come back, right?

Here is a video I took today of Ben laughing at Chloe throwing her toy around.


so intent with his favorite toy

silly-o

Oh Happy Blog

So, today I am counting blessings! Ben woke up feeling great after a difficult night. He threw up again. We just can't go a week without his tummy getting upset. On the bright side, I woke up this morning to a cool house and a rain storm. I love rainy days, especially the kind that brings in the cool weather. It feels a lot like fall today, and I love fall. I can't wait to spend days outside and really show Ben his world. He is so curious about everything, and a 7 month old can really appreciate this time of year. I will be happy to take long walks without getting swarmed by mosquitos. I get to start thinking of our Christmas cards and gifts for family. It is the best feeling to give someone the perfect gift. It is always my challenge. This year, I am going all homemade either from me or Etsy. A little over a year ago, I discovered this oh so happy place on the world wide web and haven't turned back. It is my go-to for stationary and anything baby. When it starts getting cool, I have a tendency to get back in the kitchen after my summer hiatus. I use food network, AllRecipes, and my mother for recipe inspiration. Nothing says inspration louder to me than a trip to Central Market, though. Let's take a moment and contemplate. Ahh. I got a little taste of that happy feeling over the weekend. If I had no budget for groceries, I would go there and buy the entire store. I love the produce, fish, meat, cheeses, bread, meals on the go, and flowers. I have never bought flowers there, but I always go look, and just give a happy sigh. There is also this community that I love at Central Market. It's like everyone is friends or could be just by being there. And, I always come home with a renewed energy to eat well. In honor of eating well and a promise to my husband that I will start cooking more, here is a yummy recipe that I will make sometime over the next week. I chose this recipe because I love sugar peas, and it is quick and easy!



INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked linguini pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound sugar snap pea pods
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguini pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup liquid.
Heat the olive oil and chili oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Mix in the shrimp, pea pods, and garlic. Cook and stir 2 minutes, until shrimp are almost opaque. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Pour the wine into the wok, and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by 1/3. Return shrimp, peas, and garlic to the wok, and stir in the reserved pasta water. Continue to cook and stir until shrimp are opaque. Remove wok from heat, and mix in the butter, lemon juice, and basil. Toss with the cooked pasta to serve.

Happy Cooking!!

love.

check out our cute new centerpiece!

now, if only we can get him to stay this small...:)

no more mangos

My little dude had a bit of a hard day yesterday. My mom and I went to SMASHBURGER for lunch...so delicious. Afterwards, we had planned to stop by Garden Ridge and look for baskets. I took Ben out of his carseat to burp him and change him in the car. We didn't make it to the car, though. He threw up right there in the parking lot. I went on to change him and held him for a bit until he calmed down. We were not to far down the road when he started making this sickening gag look as if something was on it's way up. My mom pulled over, and i took him out of his seat again. He threw up again in another parking lot. At this point I just wanted to get him home. This was more difficult than I imagined. Ben is exhausted from hurling and it was nap time. He wants to sleep, but this mucus stuff keeps making him cough and choke, so we have to pull over on the side of the road like 3 more times. I'm thinking we'll never get home, and my mom and I are both very concerned and upset. We end up driving straight to the pediatrician. He falls asleep in my arms, so we wait for a little bit before going in. Turns out, he was allergic to the mangos I gave him this morning. Dear Gerber, don't make foods for babies that most adults have trouble digesting. I have never been allergic to anything, and had no clue that mangos are like nuts and strawberries...stay away (atleast until they get older). These were just simple 2nd food mangos, but his tummy did not like them. I learned my lesson. We are staying with simple foods that I know he is good with form now on.

I too am always thinking of names for our future children, pets, friends future children...I love it, so I thought this would be fun. My all time favorite girl name, Olivia, has been the name I have wanted to name my baby girl (if I ever have one) since high school. Ben, was VERY close to being called Finn (Will loves this name, and it is growing on me). Although if we have another boy, the chances of him being named Finn are slim to none (come on, Ben and Finn).
Girls:
Olivia
Lily
Mae
Hannah
Addison
Boys:
Ben
Jonah
Finn
Sam
Charlie

go to www.spearmintbaby.com to play along!

remembering 9/11

Today is a very sad day for a lot of people who lost loved ones 8 years ago today. I remember exactly what I was doing on that day. I was driving to school and turned on the radio, and was annoyed that every station had news on. Then, I stopped and actually listened to it, and thought the world was ending or something. I called my mom first and asked them if they had heard what happened and probably tried to get out of going to school that day. The whole day was pretty much a blow off. Everyone was talking about it and all the tv's were on. In English, we were in the library watching the news. I think I may have had a volleyball game or something that night too. Today eight years later I was driving in my car listening to the radio and different callers who were telling how it affected them. I'll be honest, I have a hard time getting emotional over an unknown third party tragedy, but today was different. I started thinking how blessed I am to have all my family alive and well. My husband works right down the road, so he's able to be with Ben and I so much. I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I am so proud of my husband. He is the most helpful, loving man. I couldn't help but imagine, as I was trying to trigger some feelings for these people who woke up today without their husbands, my life without my good morning kiss, my personal [pasta] chef, my walking buddy, my laughing buddy, my BEST FRIEND.
Needless to say, it would hurt. And, so I say a prayer for those wives especially who lost their husbands in 9/11. Lord, give them courage today and wisdom in understanding that his death was a part of your perfect divinely inspired plan.

Thank you for your love, Will.