My Snow Baby.

Gabe explored snowfall for the first time today. There was plenty of snow last winter, but he wasn't really able to comprehend it. This year, he is a curious little man.

Hi, snow!

Little Saint Nick...

Tonight is December 5th, which in my family and many family's traditions, it is St. Nicholas Night. We, like many children in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium (we're not German to my knowledge, but who cares!) put our shoes out in the hallway in the hopes that St. Nick will leave us a little something. And this year, the tradition continued from my childhood to Gabriel's!

He put out his shoes in his stylish Santa in Space pajamas (compliments of his MomMom and Grandad)...



He had a nice evening looking at books and reading with his Mommy and Daddy...




And then St. Nick stopped by with exactly what every little boy and girls wants... an organic brown rice yogurt bar and banana! I smile because my little man really does find these things to be a treat.



Nom. Nom. Nom.

You can bet your bottom dollar...

Or can you? I was driving home tonight, and I heard an advertisement for a new food chain in my area. Bottom Dollar Food.

A rose by any other name would smell... better than that! I KNOW that times are rough, and I know families are struggling to feed their little ones more than ever, but with stores called Bottom Dollar Food coming out of the woodwork pretending to be saintly, consumers are bound to be fooled.

I wish I could hear advertisements on the radio explaining that WIC and senior citizen food programs can be applied toward fresh farmers market food-- and believe it or not, farm fresh food is not always the most expensive (Yes, free range meat is pricey, but string beans? pumpkins? These things go for a steal straight from the farm.)

So that's my little rant for the day. And sorry for ranting, actually-- that is not normally my style!

--

In other news, Gabe is now a full fledged toddler, and he enjoys getting into everything, and ignoring the word, "No." Hi, temper tantrums! I feel like the world of parenting is now just beginning for my husband and me. It's a wonderful challenge.

Oh, and Gabe also now sings "Lalala" if I ask him where his tongue is. It's adorable.

Gabriel's Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday Party

As of October 26th, we have a one-year-old in our home. And yesterday, we got to celebrate with family. We threw a Very Hungry Caterpillar Party, and it was really cute.




The cake was pumpkin with whipped cream icing. I covered the head (Gabe's "smash cake") with natural fruit roll-ups so we could peel them off as he destroyed it. I was dreading bright red icing being all over his everything.

I also made sugar cookies designed like the food the caterpillar ate through in the book. Hence, the sugar cookies all have holes in them! Yum.




Gabe didn't have any problems eating pumpkin cake... (it seemed like a more natural option, along side some fruit salad instead of the typical ice cream).

What It Is.

Holy guacamole, it has been an insane ride since the end of September, and I am finally getting a chance to open up about it to you all. Let's be honest, I am finally just up to writing at all-- I have been fighting a level of tired I have never known --it's less than, but different from (in a very hard way) the exhaustion of the early days of parenthood and breastfeeding-- and it has made it hard to keep my eyes open at times.

I am learning that this is what being pregnant with a baby-turning-toddler is.

It's a fast road... really. Time has literally flown since we got our BFP. When I was pregnant with Gabriel, time crawled. I was not working full-time so I literally almost slept through my first trimester (apparently pregnancy makes me extremely tired), but the weeks went by so slowly for me.

And I guess it makes sense-- I was pregnant for the first time. Every little part of the experience, every office visit, every test, every page of the books, every entry on the online pregnancy boards... they were new to me. I was restless to show, restless to feel the baby move, restless to meet our little baby.

And this time? I'm chasing Gabriel around the house, rushing to work, making sure Gabe eats a healthy meal even if I don't cook dinner (let's be clear here- my morning sickness is wicked), and trying to keep our home in order. My husband has been amazing at helping more than ever, and he has been changing Gabe's poopie diapers whenever he can (I am gagging so badly from them, I don't even believe it. I never even blinked an eye when swishing a prefold caked in peanut butter poop until now.)

Honestly, this pregnancy, I would be happy for time to pass slowly, savoring my time carrying Gabriel and relishing the straight eight hours of sleep I can get every night.

But time is flying. And I am hoping I don't wake up tomorrow morning to find it's already May...

Letting the cat out of the bag...

We're on the road to two under two!

Now that I have told my employer, I can finally let the blogging on our pregnancy begin...!
As in, I have been dealing with weaning due to low supply, morning sickness, exhaustion with a newly walking little one, and gagging worse than I ever knew I could while cleaning dirty cloth diapers. Oh, and with a due date of May 27, 2011 and a plan to have a natural birth, we're nine weeks along right now. Ole'!

Milk Mustache.

I owe a real post very soon-- I promise I will explain my silence asap-- but for now, just know our little monster is starting to toddle around, and he has started to drink organic cow's milk in combo with formula (my supply is pretty much gone, and he is only really nursing when he first wakes up now).

Obviously we have decided Gabe can have cow's milk-- only organic whole milk-- but many people are anti-milk or anti-pasteurized milk. How do you feel about milk and why? I'm very curious!

I'm so tired.

No, really. I am. Gabriel is about to start walking-- he went four full balanced steps after dinner tonight-- and all I want to do is nap. Somehow I think this mix is not a good one!

But what is good?
The nursery artwork pictured below. I made it for some friends who are decorating a frog nursery. Their shower was this past Saturday, and it was wonderful. I was quite excited to give them a bumgenius 4.0 as part of their gift. Wow, I'm a regular cloth-diapering nerd, ay?

ribbit. ribbit.

Caution: This post requires night vision.

I finally feel it is not a jinx to let you know...


Gabriel is sleeping through the night! It has been one full month of our little one willingly being rocked and sung and lowered into his crib AWAKE between 7:30-8:30 p.m. He rolls around and just wriggles his way to sleep, usually without so much as a moan. I looked at my husband earlier this evening and said, "Can you believe it has only been about one month since Gabriel started sleeping through the night?"

We couldn't believe it. It has seemed so, so long since the little man cried for milk at 2 a.m. with an insistence to stay cuddled with us, nursing from me intermittently until morning.

And there still are random nights when he just has to nurse around 11 or so, but those nights are becoming increasingly rare, and when he is finished nursing he pushes us and rolls around as if to say, "Give me my own bed!" (And so we happily carry him back to his crib).

*Sigh* My baby boy is turning into a wee little boy; he is eleven months old today.

Just one more month of an under one-year-old...

If only he would nap willingly by the age of one (He is getting to an age where I would be fine with him not napping, but he gets so grumpy without any sleep throughout the day)!

Teaching Gabriel to Love Animals.

I feel very responsible for how Gabriel will act toward nature as he grows. It might seem like overkill, but I am already teaching him about animals as we read books, walk outside, and play with his toys. More importantly, I am teaching him to love animals by petting them with him and explaining why each animal is special as we discover them together. Why not, right?

I tend to think simple things like telling him and showing him how to "be gentle with the dog," will go a long way because I have been showing him from an early age. I am not going to lie-- having a kid who treats animals harshly and roughly is a nightmare of mine. It would just break my heart.




Anyway, other than dogs, Gabriel particularly loves penguins. He kisses me, my husband, and his penguin quite often. (Yesterday my Mom (his MomMom) was talking to Gabe on the phone and she told him to "kiss Mommy," so he kissed the phone. So that makes four things in our home he has kissed. And I can add the word 'kiss' to the list of words he understands, while 'Mommy' is still not on it!) He particularly likes it if I make the penguin waddle across the floor to him while making honking noises.

In other news, Gabe is very into standing alone lately. Will he walk before he turns one? I can't wait to find out!!

Can someone please explain...

Why MUST Gabriel crawl into the kitchen?



I mean, really. He MUST do this. Almost as much as he MUST stick his hand in the VCR. These are apparently things he just has to do or else he will flail on the ground in perilous tears (oh, hi temper tantrums!).

But if he gets to crawl on that tile... well, he sure is happy.

I really cannot handle how much older he is starting to look.

Remembering.

I was a junior in high school on September 11, 2001. My first visit to New York City was as a senior in high school. I never saw the World Trade Center standing, but I did see its shining memorial tribute reaching into the night sky when I moved there in 2008.

May peace be with those who remember, survive, and mourn their loved ones today.

I will always be grateful for the heroes who gave their lives trying to save others. I was going through some hand-me-downs for Gabe this morning, and I came across a red long sleeve t-shirt with a firetruck with the words "to the rescue," on it. I found myself rubbing the word "rescue," feeling very moved by the courage so many American women and men exemplified nine years ago.

.......

On another less serious, but still sort of serious note, it has been exactly one year since I went into preterm labor with Gabriel. He was born in late October, but I contracted pretty strongly from September 11-October 26 when he finally decided to join us. I will always be grateful for making it full term. And wow, I am so glad I am not contracting today! *Phew*

Someone Pinch Me.

My little nectarine-puree-over-toast-eating baby is 10 months old today. How has he gotten so big, so mobile, so independent?

Seriously, 10 months?!! I'm realizing I really need to start planning Gabriel's first birthday party. Everyone says,"They grow up so fast," and really, they do.

Whoa. I really cannot believe these things are entering my mind...

To Market, To Market.

Today, we went to the Farmers' Market. There is a new(er) one closer to us than the one we attended this morning, but I discovered there is a free range, grass fed dairy/meat farm at this market. And they take preorders online!






So, we got to the market as early as we could manage, got some iced coffee (WHEW! I got a huge pick-me-up from that caffeine. I'm still getting used to drinking coffee occasionally again after going cold turkey from pregnancy). We perused, we bought lots of produce, and we stopped by and grabbed our bag o' preorder. It was a seriously awesome family morning.

Here's the bounty, Jersey/PA (we're less than 20 miles from Philly) Fresh!

A. Small Peaches
B. Tomatoes
C. Red Potatoes
D. Italian Eggplants
E. Blackberries
F. String Beans
G. Yellow Summer Squash
H. Focaccia
I. Tuscan Wheat Rolls
J. Rosemary
K. 3 lb. Ground Beef in 1 lb. packs
L. 4.8 lb. Whole Chicken
M. 1 lb. Pork Chops
N. 1/2 lb. block Butter

Yummy.


Almost as yummy as my little one
sitting in his carseat, turning the pages of his favorite book, with his little feet crossed.

Sooooooo Big.

Gabriel is 8 months old tomorrow. He crawls, pulls up, and is starting to cruise. He is babbling up a storm, and the little hairless boy I used to know is now growing a mop of auburn hair on that head. He's growing up so fast, and yet he's only eight months old! Where does the time go? I have a feeling I will be asking myself this question for the rest of my life.

Happy Weekend!

Posts on my bell pepper plant, my not so green thumb, and an update on hair mats for oil to come in the next few days.

Chlorine Free at the Moment We Wish to Be.

First of all, today is my birthday. So happy year 25 to me! I'm not a big birthday person so we didn't do much today, but it was great spending quality time with my boys. What else does a wife/Mom really need anyway?

Secondly, this was a weekend involving chlorine issues. As in, Gabriel went swimming for the first time...



We did use a FuzziBunz without the insert as his cloth swim diaper, and it worked just fine. He was not into the pool. I didn't really expect him to be because he isn't really excited by baths, either.








The other chlorine issue was our switch from regular old disposables to chlorine free disposables (we only use 'sposies when Gabriel is with his babysitter, and I always leave him in cloth so we use about 4 disposables per week). As a cloth diaper family, we might surprise you that we were using typical name brand "natural" diapers, but we were. And today we bought a pack of Seventh Generation chlorine free diapers. As far as disposables go, I really like them.


Gabriel wore one this afternoon (and you can see him in the process of pulling himself up to standing-- he is really on the move trying to cruise now) so I could sort of scout it out before we sent him off to the races with them. It worked just fine, it absorbs with all natural wood pulp, and it doesn't nauseate me with perfumes. Less chemicals = happier me. So that's all good.


And that was pretty much our weekend. I hope you all had some fun in the sun with or without chlorine, too!

A Gentleman at the Table

Basically, he stole his bowl and spoon and said,
"Mom, I got this. All over me."

We're back!

And I have so much to share about exploring Shenandoah with baby in tow. I'm working on getting photos together for a great little guide to our 3-day away.

Big non-Shenandoah news?

A. Gabe is only biting once (if that) per day now. Woohoo! We made it through.

B. Yesterday was our (my husband and I) second wedding anniversary. I love him so much. There he is above, admiring a view from Blackrock.


Much more to come...

Bitten.

I've been bitten.

Sure, it had happened once or twice before, but he is doing it much more frequently, and since both Gabriel's bottom and top front teeth are now in, the biting at the breast is a whole new level of painful. In all seriousness, his top front teeth are some of the sharpest little front teeth I have ever seen. Yowzers.

Oh woe is me? Yup, I think I'll wallow a bit. I've been trying some of the "dealing with baby biting" tips on kellymom as well as hints I've been given by some helpful Moms on twitter (thank you!!), but as of yet, nothing is deterring my little Goober (... or shall we refer to him as Jaws this evening?).

It's not like breastfeeding has always been easy for me-- our first week of latching was rough, as was an entire month of feeding every two hours due to a sleepy, jaundiced baby-- but things ironed out beautifully. My supply stayed up as I began working part-time in March, and it's been a great ride.

And after seven months of almost-bliss, we're in a rough patch. Because it hurts like hell when he bites me, and I scream, yelp, and/or cry when it happens. It has happened about five times at least today, and each time I said, "No," broke suction, and stopped nursing him. To this I got smiles and babbling. I tried handing him something to teeth on and said, "It hurts when you bite Mommy. You can bite your teether." To this I got smiles and babbling. Oh, and the last time I yelped so loudly in pain it simply resulted in him crying hysterically because it scared him half to death.

So nothing has worked for us just yet. But we're trying. I just hope something starts to work soon because I'm sore and somewhat teary about the whole issue. Frankly, I used to dread pumping at work because I missed my baby, and today, for the first time, I felt relief I was pumping instead of nursing. And that made me feel awful inside. So, come on Gabriel, figure out the messages Mommy is giving you and please, stop biting me! I do not want to start pumping for your every feeding, and I honestly don't think that would work for us.

Now, I have to go work on packing for our trip to Shenandoah National Park this weekend, as well as, hmmm, put more lanolin on myself. Please share some strategies that have worked for you on stopping the biting!

It's a New Pediatrician Kind of Day.

Today was our first appointment with our new pediatrician, and we were so much happier with this doctor!

The biggest note on the appointment? I am no longer being told it is imperative Gabe has solids and meat by 6 months!! The new doc said G is clearly thriving, and while solids are a good idea to ready a baby for real eating at around age one, theoretically, he would be FINE on breastmilk alone. Thank goodness.

And then there's Gabe's size.

20 lb. 2 oz., 27.5 in.
My son is very big.
His weight and height are both in the 90% range-- matching percentiles is a good thing.

You may think I would be serious on the day of my 6 month shots...

...but I'm all smiles!


(Yes, Gabe is wearing the new Blackbird print Thirsties Duo Wrap with the new Snap Closure. I'm in LOVE.)