A Little More Studley

Graham 16 months

2012-01-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

So my boycott of the bog didn't last long. My Mommy guilt kicked in when I realized Graham was 16 months and I needed to do an update to document his amazing progress. He is definitely a toddler now and letting us know all about it. The first time he threw himself on the ground arching his back and screaming like a banshee, I was a bit thrown aback. Who was this possessed child? Where was my sweet baby boy? And when would he stop acting crazy? He is communicating a lot more and says bath, baby, please (and signs), more (and signs), poo, he even says bless you when someone sneezes. His frustration peeks when he can't communicate what he wants, or he just can't have what he wants. Standing on the table is a safety issue and not negotiable. Graham seems to have graduated from trying to pull people's noses off, and has started giving his friends hugs (so sweet!). He is obsessed with books right now. We must have a few dozen little board books and he will go through them, grab his favorites and one by one bring them to you. He thrusts the book at you saying, "Thank You." If this is followed by trying to sit on your lap, he wants you to read the book. If you don't take the book he repeats louder and louder, "Thank You. Thank You. THANK YOU." This has been going on for weeks now, but most recently I have come across him 'reading' to himself. He will be sitting with a pile of his books, a favorite in hand (usually upside down) and babbling away to himself while turning the pages. Graham is a bit particular about what he eats, which has become more of concern since he has cut back on nursing. He seems to be quite partial to goldfish (or any cheese cracker) and pirates booty (or any salted puffed item). I consider these items to be baby junk food so we only eat them at parties or playdates. At mealtime I feed him what everyone else is eating, and more often than not, he doesn't eat.... spaghetti, quesadillas, yogurt, grapes, blueberries are always welcomed. Other than that it is hit or miss. He seems to want to eat what I am eating, or what Gwen is eating out of our particular bowl with our utensil. I have found him at the table eating my leftover lunch (something he refused to touch during lunch time). Something else exciting is he has developed an interest in the potty (more so than stuffing it with toilet paper). He actually told me he pooped the other day, saying, "Poo. Poo," and pulling at his diaper. When Gwen or I go to the bathroom he says, "Poo," and points to the potty. He also likes to watch me flush his poop down the toilet when I plop it from his cloth diaper. When the weather warms up we might try some naked time to facilitate using the potty. Graham has more or less dropped his morning nap (of course he had one today). Around 18 months we are going to consider night weaning him in preparation for his move into Gwen's room. We shall see.

Friend Me

2012-01-18T21:44:00.000-08:00

Hi friends. I have been debating whether or not to keep up the blog and have decided to put it on hold. Since I also like to keep up with friends, I am on facebook and enjoy browsing my 'friends' updates and photos- maybe you will too? These last few months there has been a lot of redundancy between the blog and my facebook updates, and now that I am going back to school part time, Mama doesn't have time to do both. I also am not sure how comfortable I feel with this blog being completely open to the public, while I have vetted all my Facebook friends. I know some of you (like Spencer) may refuse on principal to get a Facebook account, and that is okay. No pressure. Email me ambrosious@gmail.com, call me, let's get together in person. I will revisit the blog in a few months. Cheers!

Gwen: But Why? But Why? But Why?

2011-12-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

Gwen is just a few months into being three years old, and everyone thinks she is so much older, likely because of her height, but also her maturity. She is so independent and articulate. This makes it especially difficult when she does act her age. I have to remind myself, she is only three years old, and a young three none the less. She is just doing amazing. She loves school and her friends there. She comes home with all kinds of great art work, and has been practicing tracing letters and numbers. She is rocking gymnastics, though has a hard time focusing (I honestly get concerned she has ADHD, but I think she is just in an exciting environment and again, is only 3). She still wakes up most nights to join us, but who could blame her; the whole family is in our room, and she is in her little bed all by herself. She has had some interesting behavior lately, and I think it is related to Graham's milestones- people just go crazy when they see him walking, so she is finding interesting ways to get attention too. And most note worthy, she has entered the stage of Why, Why, Why. Going about town she will ask, "But why?" And I answer. And she follows up, "But why?" And I answer, "And she follows up, "But why?" And I say, "Because." And on a few occasions, "Mommy doesn't feel like talking any more right now." We have been listening to a lot of music; Christmas music since the day after Thanksgiving. I don't mind too much, I enjoy having a sing a long in the car rather than an interrogation. All this dialogue is good though, because she is learning so much about her world. She had a dentist appointment this past week and we were able to talk about it ahead of time. I told her she could sit on my lap again if she wanted to, but once we got there she ran back with the dentist to the exam room and hopped up on the seat by herself, without any encouragement or prompting. She sat back in the dentist's chair and allowed the dentist to put the rest of the sealants on her bottom molars without any fuss, while Graham and I waited in the waiting room. I was blown away. It truly was shocking. She was so excited, and so proud of herself. Another one of her new things is insisting she do things by herself, and more often than not, she can do it!

Graham: The Tipping Point

2011-12-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Graham is at a tipping point, literally. Our little guy is becoming a toddler. He walks all around the house these days. It has taken a few months for him to become comfortable with his walking abilities, and he is there. Before he took to his feet, he started climbing (darn gymkids class!). He is proficient at climbing up on the kitchen table, the couch, Gwen's bathroom stool, Gwen's kitchen stool, and escaping from his seat at the table (I have to make sure I strap him in now). Since his Thanksgiving flu like illness, his appetite has returned with a vengeance (maybe all that walking). And for anyone who is keeping track, his bowels seem to have regulated themselves, so yay for no more constipation. At Thanksgiving he was teething and has since busted out his top left canine tooth- he has all his baby teeth except the other three canines. He also has cut back on nursing. I thought this day would never come. He actually asked for regular milk this week (of course he wants to drink big sister's milk, so I have to give him milk in one of her pink flowery cups). This gives me great hope in the sleep department. We are close to having the magical sleep trifecta: mastering the milestone of walking, having all ones teeth, and eating more than nursing. Since the teething started this summer, most nights he wakes every two hours or so to nurse, but we are back to something a little more reasonable (nursing about 3-4 times a night). Which of course is unreasonable! Which is why we are still co-sleeping. Graham is just exploding into his own. He has his own thoughts and ideas, and is expressing them, not always coherently. Diaper changes, getting into the car seat are often battles. Wearing him in the Ergo for longer than 20-30 minutes he gets antsy (especially at big sister's gymnastics where he wants to get down and play with everyone). He is becoming very social waving and saying hi to his friends at playdates (and yes he has friends, little people we see on a regular basis that he is excited to see). He also waves bye bye, and sometimes vocalizes it. He signs more and says mo, mo. He says thank you, and will copy the sign, though he is still working on truly understanding the concept. I am trying to teach him thank you does not mean give it to me, or here you go. We are also working on please, which he signed for the first time this week. He is working on being gentle with his friends. I am trying to teach him that ripping off people's noses is not a sign of endearment. He does the sign for water, but uses it for any drink. He does the sign for airplane, and makes airplane noises. He says apple, but seems confused by the sign. And he says ball. While I understand a lot of his utterances, I realize it is not super obvious to others what he is saying. But I think it is amazing how much I am able to understand of what he tries to communicate. So at 14 months, our baby is becoming a toddler. But I am guessing he is always going to be my baby boy.

Thankful Everyday

2011-11-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was quiet at our house this year. Graham came down with a fever the day before, that spiked Thursday morning at 104.7. I think he had the flu. He was so sad and lethargic, and obviously miserable. I sent Spencer and Gwen up north to forge ahead with our original plans. They went to Gramie Camie's for Thanksgiving dinner and Gwen brought the organic cranberry sauce we made together. Yes, I let my three year old stir molten cranberries at the stove, and she did awesome! Had I known I was going to spend Thanksgiving home alone (with sick baby) I would have prepared a bit better. But, come to find out, I had almost all the ingredients for pumpkin pie, and being vegetarian that is the highlight of Thanksgiving dinner for me. Before Spencer left, I took Gwen on a walk to our neighborhood Lucky's to pick up whipped cream and pedialyte. After sending the healthy half of my family away, I set to nursing, cleaning, cooking, and catching up on some light TV. I have to say, it was a pretty great holiday, even though I totally missed seeing friends and family. It was a treat to be in my quiet house, and have time to catch up on some projects (Graham slept a lot). By Friday afternoon when Spencer and Gwen returned, he was almost himself again, and we were all so excited to see each other. I am thankful for my little family and our relatively good health.

Going Coastal: Visiting Ambrosia's Mom and East Coast Family

2011-11-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

The last time I visited my Mom was July 2009, which was also the last and first time she met Gwen. That is until we went this November, with both kids, so she could finally meet Graham, who is still, thankfully, quite baby like. I meant to make it during his first year, but it was flu season, and then we weren't sure about our finances, and then it was too hot. I will admit, I was putting it off for a plethora of reasons to numerous to go into or even articulate. Not wanting to go when it was too cold, or during the holidays, we made a mad dash of it the first week of November. Overall it was a lovely visit, though in response to our experience of flying with both children, Spencer said he wouldn't willingly get on a plane with the two of them until they are 18, and can go by themselves. It wasn't really that bad. We had a direct flight SFO to BOS, but really, who wants to, or is able to, sit still for over five hours (and over six hours for the flight west)???? If anyone has course to complain, I think it is me. It was me who had to try and nurse Graham (who is not a small baby anymore) in the middle seat, his carseat on one side, and a very nice gentleman who ordered two bloody mary's, not 4 inches from my boob on the other. It was me on the flight home stuck between both children, neither of which would sleep (Graham eventually had two cat naps). Graham screamed bloody murder if I left to sit across the aisle in Spencer's seat to take a break. I have to say, I was a little surprised that Graham didn't travel better. I am not embarrassed of my children acting like children, but who can take a break when their child is screaming?!?! Anywho, once we got to where we were going, things went as smoothly as once can expect while traveling with two small children. We over packed. One person cannot manage two children, two carseats, one stroller, 4 carry ons, and two suitcases, no matter how big the luggage cart. Spencer picked up the rental car, and I was going to meet him at the curb with all this. Unfortunately, to get to the curb where passenger pick up is, you have to cross the street, twice....I thought about it for a second, but thought better of having Gwen push her little brother across two lanes of airport traffic. I did the unmentionable and left my stroller (stacked with carry on luggage and a carseat) unattended. We, and all of our gear, finally made it to our Impala (which thankfully has a large trunk, though a very small back seat). And after taking the scenic route out of Boston, we eventually made it to the coast of New Hampshire to my Uncle's. He and his wife were kind enough to put us up. It truly felt like we were staying at a bed and breakfast. We were greeted with dinner with aunts and uncles and a distant Ohio relative (my Mom's Dad's side of the family). The following day we visited with my Mom at her house deep in the woods of New Hampshire. We had a lovely visit followed by another family dinner at my other Uncle's house. There we discovered Graham's love of sheep and dogs. I have never seen him as animated- he literally was trying to jump the fence to be with the sheep. The next day we went to Odiorne State Beach with my Mom. This is a place she has talked about for years since returning to her home state of New Hampshire. She has fond memories of her Mother taking her and her brothers there. It was a beautiful day and we will make a tradition of visiting it on future trips. Monday Spencer and the kids dropped me off at Krempels Center, where my Mom goes a few days a week, while they toured Portsmouth. I stayed for the morning program with her and it was awesome. The center provides activities for adults who have suffered brain injuries, and it has really changed my Mother's life. In 2000, after botched back surgery, she ended up with Herpes Encephalitis. The lesions on her brain have caused her to lose motor control of the left side of her body (and yes, she is left handed) so she is in a wheel chair. She has some memory issues, huge blind spots in her vision, OCD tendencies, and a flat affect. After spending way too long in a Nursing Home (she wasn't even 45 years old yet when her life took this turn), she was able to move into a group home setting. And then she found Krempels Center. In her past life as a nurse she always wanted to become a Lactation Consultant, and with the encouragement and support of Krempels Center, she finished the certification course earlier this year. While she hopes to move back to California some day, it would be hard to leave such an amazing program and all her East Coast family, never mind the logistics of such a feat. After making the trek with Spencer and the kids, and surviving, I think I can make it out in a year, or two, with just me and the kids. Bigger challenges have been managed.

The Many days of Halloween

2011-11-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

I read an article in early October about how Halloween is no longer an event, but a series of activities. This was very much so our experience this year to the extent Gwen would ask, “Is this the first day of Halloween?” On the first day of Halloween we put up decorations. Per Gwen’s request, witches, ghosts, cobwebs, pumpkins, and ribbons. I found not scary versions of these things and tied a black ribbon to the mailbox. On the second day, we went to the Goblin Jamboree at the Children’s Discovery Museum. Grandma met us there where she hand delivered the kid’s costumes. Gwen was a ladybug and Graham a lion. This was an awesome event and totally worth the drive and expense. We hardly saw any of the museum (the Tot Spot was sufficient) and there were all kinds of Halloween themed carnival games that were age appropriate complete with little prizes (a candy free event). Gwen and Graham even got to ride a pony. We made another trek north for pumpkin carving at the Crumley Farm in Sonoma. They grew all the pumpkins in their garden and my little cousin Thor has half a dozen cousins on his Mom’s side ages 2-10, so that was fun. The proceeding days of Halloween included playing hooky from preschool to go to the Mommy and Me Trick or Treating at Santana Row with one of Gwen’s best friends (who we also went trick or treating with last year). Gwen was blown away by all the princess costumes, particularly Ariel which often included a fake red wig. At preschool, parents were invited to bring treats to hand out at the kids' costume parade, followed by a potluck. It was all pretty cute. The following day we wore costumes to gymnastics and in the afternoon went to a Halloween party for Gwen's playgroup at an indoor play area (bounce houses and whatnot). After all the princess costumes Gwen decided to protest her non-princess costume, so she wore her skeleton jammies she got for her birthday. On the next day of Halloween we went to Boo at the Zoo at the San Francisco Zoo (Gwen wore all black and leopard ears and tail). There was no trick or treating (I totally thought there were going to be volunteers handing out candy at all the different animal exhibits). There was an event tent with crafts and a stage, and various booths set up by sponsors handing out healthy treats (apple sauce in a pouch, granola bars for kids, fruit leather, etc.). Gwen saw Witch Hazel getting ready for her story time and was petrified by her, yet didn’t want to leave. We stayed for her story time, and at the end, Gwen was standing next to the witch helping her with the parachute the kids were all bouncing fake spiders on. I was so proud of her conquering her fear. And then it was Halloween, and we went to a wedding. Gwen was a little confused, but totally onboard with the festivities. My stepbrother got married at this beautiful castle like building in Marin. It was very gothic and very beautiful. After a lovely reception we went trick or treating in the neighborhood with the children of family and friends we had not seen in years. We really packed it in this year, but I have a feling this is what Halloween will be about in years to come, family, friends, and food, and I am okay with that.

My Beautiful Boy

2011-10-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

We are stuck home today because Graham had a temperature of 103 this morning, and was feverish last night as well. Poor little guy is also congested, coughing and just a mess. I think I should have not gotten him all those vaccines at once, combined with teething, poor little guy didn't have a chance against this infection. For the record, Graham has his four front teeth on the bottom and top now, and what feels like molars trying to break through on all four corners of his mouth. The human body is amazing though. Even while his little system is working overtime trying to be healthy, Graham took his first steps last night! He just stood there for a moment and then took a step forward. Everyone got so excited (both Spencer and I were there) Graham started clapping too and lost his balance. A few minutes later I was spotting him putting my hands around his waist, and then I let go and he kept walking a few steps. Today he took two steps by himself. Very exciting!

Graham's 12 month Well Baby

2011-10-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

Graham had his 12 month well baby visit with Gwen. He weighed in at 22lbs 14 oz (46th percentile) and 2ft 7 inches (78th percentile) long. Almost exactly the same stats as Gwen at this age (he is actually a bit heavier). He got all his vaccines plus a flu shot, which was a lot, too much. I am supposed to take him back for a flu shot booster. In the past I thought our pediatrician has been a bit conservative, but I was pleased when she was supportive of Graham's extended nursing and not terribly concerned with his lack of interest in other types of nutrition. With the caveat that it is working for me to nurse him so much at night. Hmm....kinda. Of course I would like him to nurse less at night so everyone can sleep more, but I also have a hard time envisioning what that would look like. Spencer has been able to put Graham to sleep on my weekly Wednesday night off, late and with minimal crying. I don't want to night wean him, he still seems so much like a baby. Dr. Gruver mentioned again that she thinks baby boys need more cuddles and nurturing than girls. That said, we are considering Spencer providing more of the cuddles and nurturing. We have a few different ideas on how to get him to sleep more at night and will share our progress. In the meantime, Mama's milk bar is open 24/7.
We took Graham to Fleet Week! He loved riding on the trains and streetcars and was very excited about the airplanes in the sky. He was super good about his earplugs and didn't fuss with them at all. We think he forgot they were there.
It took over a year, but I finally had a chance to finish painting Graham's belly cast :-)

Our Little Girl is 3!

2011-10-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

In the weeks before Gwen's third birthday it dawned on me, she is only two years old. Practically all summer we have been saying she is almost three, I had forgotten, she was only two. She is so tall, mature, articulate, capable, and smart (I like to think she takes after me ;-) Well now my little girl is three. She is becoming such an amazing little person. I no longer fear her being ADHD, she now can focus on a task (if she wants). She goes to preschool two mornings a week and seems to be doing well there. She is practicing tracing her letters and numbers, and desperately wants to be able to use scissors. She takes gymnastics once a week and while she has a hard time waiting her turn and listening to directions, she is learning. Her imagination is blossoming. She makes up songs and stories. We have to make sure we censor her media for anything that might be remotely considered scary, since her comprehension is pretty good. She was fascinated with a Peter and the Wolf CD we borrowed from the library and listened to it over and over again for a few weeks before stating she didn't want to listen to it anymore because it was scary...it took her a while to process, but once she decided the Wolf was too scary, that was it. Since turning three she has started asking, "But why?" and has began practicing her negotiation skills. "How about just one more." She continues to be adventurous (but not reckless) and outgoing, making friends every where we go. Gwen is an amazing big sister and while Graham is starting to get up in her business, so to speak, she is learning to work it out and to put precious things up high. Her appetite is slowing (she had an amazing growth spurt this summer) and we have to catch ourselves not engaging in power struggles over food. Her pediatrician assures us she is not wasting away. Gwen weighed in at a whopping 40lbs 12.8 oz (98th percentile) and is 3ft 3in (94th percentile). This gives her a BMI of 94%, and apparently 'healthy' weight range is 5%-84%, though she appears absolutely perfect to us. She practically has a six pack underneath her baby pot belly and her legs are mainly muscle. But it is a good reminder to make sure calories consumed are nutritious. Gwen is an amazing girl and we look forward to experiencing her as a preschooler!

When asked Gwen told her teachers her favorite color was orange, so they made her an orange Birthday crown.

Birthday Bash at The Studley Farm

2011-10-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

It has been two weeks since the Farm Themed Birthday Bash we hosted for the kids on Gwen's birthday, and I have just now had a moment to sit and do this blog post. It was a great party which included four generations (Great Gramie Camie), both Grandpas, Grandee Sandee of course, and an Aunt/Great Uncle/Cousin, and about a dozen families we count amongst our friends. We are so thankful for our local family (a stretch since most everyone lives on the other side of the Golden Gate) making it out to celebrate the kids birthdays. Even though our stove broke the night before, we were able to go forward with our menu of vegetarian chili (thank goodness I had already made it) and Annie's Mac N Cheese (Spencer made a total of 8 boxes using his propane burner- like camping, right!?!). There were also 24 corn muffins, and 24 mini corn muffins consumed (I thought for sure I would be left with a bunch of those). And I am glad I went back for the 16 inch cake pan, because there were only a few small pieces left. I was surprised we had corn on the cob left over, 20 pieces! Spencer only saw the one bag of 10, which, like you do with family and friends, someone cut up into small pieces so everyone got some. We have a tiny little house, so we spread out the party. In the front yard we had the bounce house, which was a huge hit! Graham had a chance to bounce in it before the party and loved it! When all the three year olds jumped in with him, he was fine and bounced on his knees waving his arms. The only bad thing about the bounce house in the front, people had a hard time making into the house and into the backyard where the food and drinks were. In the back we also had a mini pumpkin decorating station in a 'lounge' Spencer set up in the shaded corner of the yard. The mini pumpkins were grown in our garden (a volunteer plant no less) and each child got to take one home in their canvas tote bag, along with whatever goodies from the pinata. The pinata was baby friendly, since this was Graham's party too, and was a cute little barn. Instead of whacking it with a stick, each child pulled a ribbon until the candy (Annie's fruit bunnies, goldfish, raisins, and chocolate kisses) all fell out. Before the pinata, there was cake and ice cream. I made a 16 inch Vegan Zucchini Honey cake with store bought cream cheese icing (because we can't all be perfect all the time!) and decorated it with colored coconut to resemble a farm landscape with three candles for Gwen (a barn, chicken, and cow), and three store bought iced daisies. I got the idea of colored coconut from a memory I had of an Easter Bunny cake, and have since confirmed with my Mom that she did indeed make an Easter Bunny cake decorated with colored coconut. It is a great idea because it is okay if your icing job isn't perfect since you are going to cover the cake with fluffy coconut. My Dad's girlfriend Shona made a little smash cake for Graham with a farm landscape for his little tractor candle (complete with a pretzel fence), and a special 3 tiered princess cake for Gwen. It was so much work, and so worth it. I hope this is the beginning of a tradition of a combined birthday party, because I don't know if I could do this twice!

Rocking Our Worlds

2011-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Some wise soul told me when I was pregnant with Graham that having two kids is not twice as hard, it is exponentially harder...she was right! I often feel like this blog should be sunshine and roses highlighting all the good stuff, but we also have quite a few, shall we say teachable moments. Graham is starting to exert his will now that he is no longer a baby, but on the cusp of toddler-hood. He is also sprouting a handful of teeth (possibly molars, or eye teeth- they are so swollen it is hard to tell, but two bits of tooth broke through the night of his birthday). He fights diaper changes, getting in the car seat, and God forbid his turn on the swing comes to an end (his protests come complete with the arching of the back and throwing himself about like a fish out of water). On the other hand, I went to a talk today on Preschoolers at a local Church with an onsite nursery (free!) and I was able to leave him at the nursery for a little over an hour with not one bit of protest. The nursery school teachers gushed about how smiley and cuddly he was. Refreshing after Gwen's drop offs at preschool. The honeymoon ended her 4th day at school (so week 2). I think because she learned that Graham and I go to Gymkids... without her, her little world was rocked. Not only does she have a life outside the family now, but Mama and baby brother have a life away from her. I thought we were going to have to quit the program, her screaming and crying was so intense, it must not be a good fit, right? Today Spencer dropped her off and not a tear was shed. At Back To School night this evening her teachers said she participates in class, has friends that she regularly plays with, and even though she is one of the youngest, appears to be one of the most mature. That is the Gwen I know. Every day after school she talks enthusiastically about what she did, so it is a good fit, just a rough transition (for me and her). I have really been struggling trying to be a cool, calm collected Mama who responds thoughtfully to her children's undesired behavior, keeps a tidy home, and prepares organic well balanced meals from scratch. The children of course take priority number one, then food, then housecleaning...but what about Mama? Let's not forget Spencer either. Spencer joined a bowling league with work so he has one night a week to do his thing, and I now have a different free night too. I went to the movies last week and am getting a massage this week. One thing we have learned is a happy Mama is a good thing for everyone. But one thing I have realized, is a two hour break once a week isn't enough for me to keep it together on a daily basis. So, we are considering getting a house cleaner, and I have a consultation scheduled at The Parent's Place to hopefully gain some insight and skills into how to respond better to the behaviors that are making me feel crazy. I hope she rocks my world, in a good way.

There is a longer video of Graham on his birthday with us singing, but this is the brief one where he shows of his sign for milk (after indulging in a little cupcake), waves bye-bye, and says good night.

Happy 1st Birthday Graham!

2011-09-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Graham was born one year ago today! What an amazing day that was, and every day since has been incredible (in various ways). He is almost walking; standing hands free, walking holding onto hands, cruising. He is talking a little; Mama, Dada, uh-oh, sometimes hi, sometimes bye, and nigh-nigh when he goes to bed. I am suspicious he is calling Gwen Neh-Neh (I often call her Gwen-Gwen or Gwenie at home). He crawls around the house calling out Neh-Neh, Neh-Neh. He points and waves, does the sign for milk and all done, and is starting to grasp the sign for more (claps his hands). He still nurses like a newborn at night, but eats most foods. I thought he didn't want to be spoon fed anymore, but have since discovered he likes the consistency of chunky puree, but the flavor of adult food (and is a huge fan of quinoa). He has been such a cuddly baby, and continues to be super sweet leaning in for kisses and hugs, resting his head on your shoulder. Now that big sister is in preschool two mornings a week, Graham and I have been going to Gymkids. He is the youngest in the class, and it is during his naptime so there is some crankiness and nursing, but he loves playing with all the different sized balls, and watching the other children climb and play (all 12-18 months old, but Graham is the only non-walker). I am so glad he gets to have this time with me and with the other kids his own age. He is such an amazing little man, and I can't wait to see more of his personality blossom in his second year. Happy Birthday Graham!

Mama's Little School Girl

2011-09-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

Gwen had her first day of preschool today all by herself! It went well. We made it to school on time, she was a little shy meeting her teacher, but was excited about sitting at an activity table. I signed her in while she sat and colored. When I went to check in with her she had already moved to the play dough table. I asked her if I should leave or stay a few minutes, and she said leave, so I did. Around noon I got a very confusing call from her school asking me if I had dropped her off this morning, or if I had since picked her up. Then the call got cut off. I called them back and said I did not have her with me, and Teacher Vivian, bless her heart, asked if I could come help them find her. She called me within 5 minutes to say she figured out where Gwen was and that I didn't have to come and get her and sorry for the confusion. I was still very confused but glad Gwen was where she was supposed to be and apparently nothing had happened. At school when I picked her up I found out she had put another name tag on, a little girl named Madeline who wasn't in school today. When the teacher (who has a bit of a Chinese accent) asked her, "Is your name Madeline?" Gwendolyn said yes. Thus thoroughly confusing the teacher and her aid. It wasn't until they looked up her paperwork that has a photo of each child that they confirmed Gwen was not missing. Gwen seemed to have a good day. When I went to pick her up I saw her sitting on the floor with the other children listening to the teacher, and then she lined up near the door and waited patiently for me (all the parents line up outside and single file in the room to sign out their child and then help gather their things). She had a necklace of cheerios with the name Madeline tied to it, a piece of coloring (everything was colored with short intense brown strokes), and a skinned knee. She was very grateful to for the sandwich I brought her to eat on the way home (she inhaled it) and was clearly ready for her nap. On the drive home she told me she played with another girl. When I asked her if she would like to go back to school some time, she lit up and said, yes! I could be sad about my little baby girl growing up, but I am so happy for her and amazed at the little girl she has become.

Seeing Spots!

2011-08-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

We have been under voluntary quarantine since Tuesday afternoon last week when Graham broke out with a fever and rash. After a trip to see the pediatrician (where of course he no longer had a fever, but still a very obvious rash) we got a pithy diagnosis of viral infection consisting of a rash and fever. Graham's fever came and went for another few days and then was gone. But the rash still remained. As he was on the mend, after showing no signs of illness for days, Gwen came down with a fever. She had a fever for a few days, then her rash developed. Like Graham's it started with 2 or 3 dots (his were on his face hers on her chest) and then slowly over a 24 hour period moved all the way to the tips of fingers and toes. I think they both were achy at some point, and had a headache (Gwen told me her eyes and hands hurt and Graham would put his hands up on either side of his head).When I called Kaiser's pediatric advice line after Gwen's fever peaked at 103.9 and Graham's fever returned, the pediatric advice nurse said Roseola. I thought both of them had this before (fever followed by mild rash on torso), but this seems to be the real deal. The other thing it might be, Fifths Disease. Either way, the kids have been miserable, and we missed our camping trip with our playgroup. Spencer and Gwen camped in the backyard Saturday night after roasting fake hot dogs and making smores around our 'campfire' (we even used our camping dishes and drank wine out of our camping mugs to keep it authentic). We have been pretty good about entertaining ourselves at home, but have missed a bunch of our scheduled activities. It has made me realize we can handle spending more time at home during the week. Gwen and Graham find each other thoroughly entertaining, which takes some pressure off Mama. In the meantime, looking forward to Gwen being spot free!

Not a Baby Anymore!?!?!

2011-08-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

People are always coming up to Graham and commenting on his eye lashes and what a happy, smiley baby he is; and last month a fellow patron of Sprouts asked how old he was. When I told her he was 10 months she responded, "Oh, he is almost one." Uh, no....my baby is not almost one. Well, now he is! And he won't be a baby anymore! The beginning of this month he started pulling himself up, and then reaching up. We can no longer take for granted simple things, setting a glass of water on the coffee table. We have to religiously make sure that if we run into the garage to transfer laundry we lock the baby gate behind us, because Graham will stop whatever he is doing and beeline it for the steps. And the bathroom door must always be shut, or he will 'investigate' the toilet, explore the toddler potty (only once has this resulted in splashing in big sister's pee), and unroll the toilet paper and rip it to shreds. While not as disgusting as the bathroom, Graham is also obsessed with the refrigerator. Gwen has not shut his fingers in the door yet, but did try and close the door on him. He is eating pretty much anything except for dairy, meat, eggs, and anything with sugar added. And he will feed himself, thank you very much. I have a freezer full of organic homemade purees, but he is not terribly interested in being spoon fed right now. I have started to make him a 'smoothie' in the morning (purred fruit with a little cereal, liquid vitamins, and no more than 2 oz of water or unsweetened rice milk) so he can get a little breakfast in. He loves them! Because of his issue with constipation we have lately been pretty generous with his consumption of fruit (sans bananas) and water and this really seems to help. Friday when we were at the SF Zoo Graham started pointing. So cute. He will point and talk (copying Gwen and as we looked at the different animals). He also waves bye bye. This has gotten me very excited about teaching him sign language, since he now seems ready. And he officially has a first word, uh-oh. Though it often sounds a little more like uh-uh, but he uses it in context. He also knows how to drum (thank you Music Together, I think). At playdates now he gets right in there with the other kids (if he isn't napping in the Ergo). He isn't nearly as passive a participant in life as he used to be now that he can move and interact more with his world. He is such an amazing little guy, and I can't believe my baby is almost one!

Busy, Bountiful Summer

2011-08-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

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So much for the lazy days of summer. Even when we aren't 'doing' anything, we are so busy. With the garden to tend to, laundry to wash/dry/fold/put away, meals to prepare, children to manage, and cleaning up after all that. We celebrated Summer birthdays (Grandee, Sandee, Auntie B, and Uncle D) with a champagne Brunch on the Hornblower (cruise on the San Francisco Bay) which was really nice. Gwen probably had a gallon of orange juice, and enjoyed being on a boat and getting to view the Golden Gate Bridge from below it. We also have been celebrating Gwen's friends turning three! We have had a birthday party almost every weekend this month (including two at a gymnastics studio), and next month may be similar. Spencer has enjoyed a few three day weekends (thank you paid family leave) and this last Friday we went on a road trip to Swanton Farms (north of Santa Cruz and south of Half Moon Bay) to a u-pick strawberry farm. We picked almost 10lbs of strawberries which later translated into a strawberry and blueberry pie, heirloom strawberry preserves (in a large jar in the fridge since I couldn't manage to can them), and frozen strawberries for Gwen's new favorite, strawberry swoothies. We have had countless pounds of zucchini, summer squash, and a mysterious hybrid of the two, come out of our garden. Besides trying to hide squash in everything I cook and the obligatory zucchini bread, I have also made squash 'chips' in our dehydrator (disgusting, but hope to pass them off to Gwen as edible), a few hundred cubes of frozen puree for Graham, and a pureed squash soup (not bad with fresh herbs from the garden). Between naps and other adventures, Spencer has managed to find the time to finish the stool he started for Gwen. Besides being functional, so she can help in the kitchen (and help herself to the kitchen), it is gorgeous and I told him he should redo our kitchen table to match....alas, where we will find time to make that happen, not so sure. Graham has become a little busy body himself crawling and pulling up everywhere...stay tuned for his 11 month update.

Sleeping Beauty

2011-08-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Gwen participated in the Sunnyvale Library's Reach Out and Read Summer program and got to pick out a book to keep as her own. There were quite a few choices, but a Spanish/English copy of Sleeping Beauty stood out. I tried to encourage Curious George, or the Eric Carle book, but no, Sleeping Beauty. She has been requesting it at nap time most days, and then she wants to pose like Sleeping Beauty in bed. Well today (after the usual hour of fussing) she actually fell asleep with her plush rose on her chest. There is nothing more beautiful than a sleeping baby/child. We have been experimenting with our night time sleep situations, and getting very frustrated trying to force an arrangement that it isn't time for. One thing we have learned from Gwen, you can't make a child do anything, and in time they will do it on their own. So, we are going to follow the lead of our children. When Graham no longer needs to sleep with Mama's breast arms reach away, he will be ready to move to his own sleeping space. In the meantime he can sleep on his futon on the floor next to my side of the bed. And Gwen can continue to sleep as the beauty she is in her own room...for now.

The Kids Room and our sleeping adventures

2011-08-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

Now that Graham can crawl, we realized we to adjust our sleeping arrangements. The most recent inspiration has been to move Graham to the 'kids room'. I tried to get him to sleep in his pak n play, but it was very upsetting (boy does not want to be caged in and/or left alone). So, this last weekend while Gwen stayed slept over two nights at Grandma's, we took the opportunity to see if Graham could sleep in the 'kids room' (on his twin futon mattress on the floor). Normally after going down for the night he wakes up about every 30 minutes and I have to nurse him back to sleep until I go to bed, then he nurses every 2 hours or so. Well, first night alone he went to sleep and stayed asleep for 2 hours (which was an improvement!). He then pretty much woke up every 2 hours and I ended bringing him to bed with me. The second night he slept for 4.25 hours straight! Though, I ended up finishing the night with him. It is exhausting going back and forth between the rooms. Still, this was motivation to make the change. I figure if I can spend the first half of the night baby free and in my own bed, then I am willing to put in the effort the second half of the night. Last night was our first night of explaining to Gwen her room is now the 'kids room', and Graham is going to sleep in there in his bed, and she is going to sleep in there in her bed. I put Graham down for the night on his futon. We each read a story to Gwen in the living room, and then I brought Gwen in to her room and thought I would sit with her until she fell asleep (mainly so she wouldn't harass sleeping Graham). It took her an hour and a half to go to sleep! At one point Graham woke up and we all were in kids room: Spencer laying on the floor next to Gwen's toddler bed, me laying on the futon with Graham and we both stayed until both kids were asleep. At 10:30pm we emerged from their bedroom exhausted, but too upset to sleep (it was extremely frustrating trying to 'make' someone sleep- like watching a pot boil, but worse since you don't really know when it is going to do what you want and need it to do)....so much for our evening. Jury is still out on whether or not the effort is worth it, but it seems like the right thing to do, have the kids in their room, and the parents in their room. Last night Graham slept until 1:30am (which again, is an improvement). When I went in to nurse him, Gwen crawled into bed with us, telling me to move over to make room and give her a pillow. I found myself smashed between two sleeping babies, and god forbid I wake either up trying to escape, so I slept the night on the Twin size futon. *This photo is in our bed after a strange afternoon when they both woke up early from their naps, but went back to sleep after a nice cuddle with Mama.

Vacation Photos

2011-08-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hot Sun in the Summertime: Our Southern California Vacation

2011-07-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

We just completed our first vacation with baby and toddler- it went well. We drove to Southern California, and it only took 7.5 hours. Graham slept for the first 4 hours. We stopped in Buttonwillow both ways, one of the highlights being their Starbucks with a drive thru. Graham cried the last 45 minutes of the drive south and Spencer discovered he really likes his ear being touched. We stayed with my Aunt in Orange County and used her lovely home as our base camp. We visited the Huntington Library, Arts and Botanical Gardens and the babies enjoyed our stroll through the gardens, the galleries not so much. We were able to view some key pieces and briefly tour the first floor of the historic home before it was clear it was time to go. That evening we had a lovely visit with our friends the Turners and Gwen enjoyed playing with their kids. We went to the LA Zoo with my sister and her family. There we met her 3 foster boys who are amazing. It was an incredibly hot day, and we were thankful for the misters around the park, and had to indulge in ice cream. The highlight of the LA Zoo was the Orangutans in the Red Rainforest and the new Asian Elephant enclosure. We met up with Spencer’s sister at the Orange County Fair for yet another hot day walking around on a blacktop. We saw the animals (including 3 week old piglets), went on some amusement rides (Gwen is a fan of the Ferris Wheel), and drank Orange Julius’ and ate roasted corn. The highlight was probably the Elephant ride Gwen went on with Spencer. And the grand finale: we went to Disneyland, for yet another very hot day walking around on a blacktop. Have I mentioned we walked a lot in the relentless Southern California sun? Overall Disneyland was great, but man it was hot and crowded. We were there for 10 hours and Gwen went on Dumbo, the Storybook Boat Ride, the Circle D Coral (petting Zoo and cabin with coloring), visited with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger (after a one hour wait!), went on the Winnie the Pooh ride twice with me and a third time with Auntie B who met us there for the second part of the day)- it was the only ride with less than a 30 minute wait), It’s A Small World, we then hung out in Toon Town for a bit before Spencer and I went to dinner at the Blue Bayou without the kids! This was the highlight of our trip. We have always wanted to eat there, and with Auntie B watching the kids for an hour we could have a little much needed respite. After dinner we saw fireworks, followed by the Carrousel, and then shuttle back to the car. We have pledged to never go to Disneyland in the summer again. They really need to limit the number of people they want to accommodate if they are to succeed in maintaining the happiest place on earth experience. The other takeaway from Disneyland: Gwen is easily amused and entertained, she doesn’t need an extravagant outing. Two cute observations on the long drive down I-5: the first water tower she saw she said, “Hey! There’s a lighthouse.” And on the drive home, “Look there’s the ocean.” We assume she said this because you can’t see anything beyond the horizon in the nastiness that is the Central Valley. Overall we had a lovely time and are so pleased with our babies for being such great little travelers.

Summer Staycation and Crawling!

2011-07-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Staying home with the kids, every day is like a staycation (except I don't get to sleep in). Spencer took the week of the 4th of July off and we had a mini vacation at home (Staycation!). We celebrated the 4th of July at Sunnyvale's State of The City BBQ at Washington Park, which was very nice and family friendly (which I htink is why we haven't been in the past). Followed by an evening BBQ at friends house. Gwen even got to do a few sparklers in our backyard. Tuesday we had our passport appointment for me to renew mine, and the kids to get theirs. Now next time Spencer has a business trip we can tag along (if not Paris, maybe Ottowa). The appointment went so well (just 30 minutes), so since it was only 9:30am we decided to go on an impromptu trip to the SF Zoo! It was a lovely trip and Spencer got to see the baby anteater riding on his Mama (even though he is almost as big as her!). Wednesday we had our first Music Together class, and Gwen and I decided to go by ourselves and leave Graham home napping with Daddy. Thursday we went to the Academy of Sciences which was awesome! We almost got a membership we were so excited by the place. Their Discovery Cove for Preschoolers is really nice. Friday Gwen and I did a Mother Daughter outing to the Library and then Hakone Gardens in Saratoga (followed by strawberry ice cream for her and ice coffee for me at Big Basin Cafe which reminded me of my beloved Aroma Roasters. Gwen met friends everywhere we went, and I think she enjoyed being out with just Mama. It was so nice to have Spencer home and he was able to get some of his projects done around the house, and spend some quality time with the kids. To give Daddy a break form the kids, I took them to IKEA to get Gwen a little table and stools for her room so she can have her own up high play area in her room, and Graham can play on the floor. But I don't think he will be confined to the floor for much longer since he can pull up, stand unassisted holding on with one hand, and this week, started crawling. His crawling is kind of a Zombie crawl (dragging his body with his arms without enough grace to be called an army crawl). Or he gets on all fours rocks back and forth somewhat propelling himself forward. And he can go from laying on his back or stomach to a seated position. Combining all these efforts he is 'crawling' and yesterday moved around the whole living room in a large semi-circle. Watch out- here comes Graham!

9 months: Say Cheese!

2011-06-22T15:11:00.001-07:00

Graham turned 9 months on Spencer's Birthday! Gwen was so excited about getting a cake and ice cream, but only ate some frosting. Graham is super close to crawling. The last few weeks he has been restless at bedtime and rolls over onto his belly, pops himself up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. Sometimes he tries to nurse during all this, but Mama has her limits- no acrobatics while nursing. Because of this restlessness (he is actively trying to crawl off the bed), and the fact that Spencer has spent 9 months sleeping on the floor in Gwen's room, we are attempting to move Graham out of 'our' bed. The idea is that Graham will sleep on the futon on the floor in our room so I can nurse him as needed, while everyone has access to their own beds. But so far, this means I sleep on the futon with Graham. Last night was the best night so far, and he went from 3am when I woke up and realized I could hop up to my bed, to 5:15am without noticing my absence. It is doable. But I must say, I was getting better sleep when I just let him nurse in bed with me all night long; alas, that is not a long term solution. Graham is also really starting to take to solids. He loves eating from the spoon and opens his mouth like a little baby bird. He still doesn't eat much in one sitting, but I assume he will eat as much as he needs. He can also feed himself little bits, as well as gnaw on bigger bits. A typical menu is homemade baby oatmeal with fruit, homemade teething biscuit or rice cake, asparagus risotto (yes I made him risotto, seasoned with tarragon no less), Sweet Potato, puffs or Baby Mum Mums. I can't believe my little guy is going to be one at the end of the Summer....

We did a family photo shoot with Julie Kalua in Elizabeth Gamble Park in Palo Alto, Julie did a special through Bright Beginnings Preschool and 10% of our sales will go back to the school. It was great, but Gwen has developed her "cheese" smile which often looks like she is in mortal pain. This is our first time doing professional photos as a family, and it is hard to decide which ones to get. I am looking forward to having some polished photos in which we don't look as ragged as we often feel. Of course the babies are always beautiful. *The photo of us standing in front of the bushes is after spending the day at my Uncle's in Sonoma.

Teething Biscuits, Not Just for Babies

2011-06-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

I made teething biscuits for Graham using a recipe online. Gwen loved them and they went fast, so I went to make another batch but couldn't find the recipe, and was out of the baby cereal it called for anyway. Wholesome Baby has a bunch of different recipes, but none fit my criteria (no sugar added, no eggs)- so I made up my own recipe. Gwen enjoyed helping to roll out the dough and she picked out a star shape and a dinosaur shape- the points are great for little teeth (or gums) to gnaw on- but watch out, they sometimes break off in little mouths so don't leave teething baby unattended. And as an endorsement, at our playdate this morning all four toddlers gobbled up a biscuit each, with one asking for seconds. Teething biscuits, not just for babies anymore!

Ambrosia’s Star Teething Biscuit

2 cups whole wheat flour

½ cup wheat germ

½ cup oat bran

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup pureed banana (3 small bananas)

1 cup unfiltered apple juice

½ cup vegetable oil

½ teaspoon vanilla

Mix together dry ingredients. Mix together wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir well. The dough will be wet. Add extra flour as needed until dough can be formed into a ball in center of bowl. Refrigerate at least one hour. Roll out dough, cut into shapes. Bake 350 for 40 minutes. For a crispier biscuit, try baking at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

End of School Year and Other Observations

2011-06-06T15:37:00.001-07:00

Gwen had her last class of parent participation preschool this morning. She is ready to move on to summer activities and go to school by herself two mornings a week in the Fall. There was much merriment, a potluck, and the teachers got out all the special activities the kids love (water table, shaving cream, balloons). At one point Gwen told me I could go talk with the other Mama's (referring to the parent discussion we would normally do after snack outside of the classroom). That has been a sticky area for her bringing up some surprising separation anxiety; but she is ready now. We said goodbye to our schoolmates and teachers, and will hopefully meet up with some of them at some park dates this summer.
On the drive home Gwen asked, "Who is that Man?" There was a young man on the corner with a cardboard sign that read, "Homeless. Hungry. Anything will help." Wow. Everyone else stopped at the red light was ignoring him and he had actually folded up his sign and was just standing there. I told her that he didn't have any money to buy lunch and was asking for some help. I was initially proud of my quick thinking, but then felt a little lost. This was likely confusing to Gwen; why weren't we helping him.... I was two lanes over and the light was about to turn green, otherwise I would have given him the $2 in my wallet. I think he must of also looked like he needed more help than just a free lunch. Or maybe the idea that there is someone out there who doesn't have money, or access to food just doesn't compute in her little head. As we drove away we talked about how maybe next time we see someone who needs help "buying lunch" we can share our snack. Now I need to decide if we really should drive around with a flat of water and box of granola bars to handout at intersections... we just might. Gwen is a girl of action and compassion.
Making a little bit of ocean in a bottle.
For our preschool potluck: black bean and corn quesadillas on her homemade plate.

Teeth and Train Town

2011-05-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous weekend! We visited family in Novato, then all stayed overnight with Grandma, followed by a trip to Train Town in Sonoma. We then had a leisurely day of gardening and BBQ with friends. Every weekend should be a three day weekend :-) Graham was especially cranky Friday, and had probably his worst night ever of sleep Friday night. It wasn't until the next day I discovered why. His top lateral incisors had both cut through. Sunday his bottom left one cut through- three teeth coming in at the same time made for a drooly, snotty, cranky baby! But he still seemed to enjoy himself overall. This last week he mastered getting small bits of food to his mouth and mashing them with his teeth and swallowing without choking. He is very excited about feeding himself, and I can't wait to gradually introduce some finger foods to his repertoire. In other news Gwen had an allergic reaction to Bay Shrimp: three hives broke out around the outside of her mouth then disappeared shortly after I said she couldn't have anymore shrimp. So we have a temporary ban on shellfish until her pediatrician can test her. Another great milestone we reached: Gwen and Graham can take a bath together (makes bath time much easier for Mama and Daddy). Graham is so good at sitting, he can sit on a bathmat and stay put. And Gwen is pretty good, so far, at giving him space (the fact that he splashes waving his arms like a mad man helps her keep her distance).
Graham feeding himself pieces of Kamut Puff.
Graham's hair is starting to come in and the little fluff on his head is one of my favorite things in the world right now.

Graham: 8 months!

2011-05-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Graham is 8 months and that May is just about over. He is definelty becoming his own little person. He can yell and screech for fun with the best of them (i.e. Gwen). He is practicing techniques for future tantrums by throwing his head back while arching his back repeatedly when he gets upset (combined with yelling or screeching in anger). He requires sustenance when he sees others eating. I made him teething biscuits which he politely nibbles on before chucking in favor of chewing on a plastic spoon, or some other object. Out of desperation I gave him a piece of super crusty crust from a piece of homemade bread, and he loved that. Pieces flake off a little bit bigger than he can tolerate swallowing, but God forbid you take his toast away! He is working on having more textured food. He continues to love eating, but not eating very much. His biggest achievement, he has developed the pincer grasp! I took this as an invitation to start some finger foods (brown rice crispies). He does have four teeth now, both front top and bottom, but doesn't seem to get the whole chewing thing. When the little bits make it into his mouth, he usually ends up spitting them out after moving them around in his mouth for a while. Everyone has been sick over the past few weeks (it has been rough, not gonna lie) and he picked up a nasty head cold and cough, which he still has a little rattle in his chest and a runny nose. We did a trip to the pediatrician since Gwen had an ear infection (first course of antibiotics in her 2 years and 8months, so not too bad). I had Graham checked out too, just to make sure he wasn't getting an ear infection too; no just a head cold. But he weighed in at 20lbs and some change and the nurse commented on how long he was. He really looked like a monster baby on that little scale. His arms seem especially long, the sleeves of his jammies usually come up an inch or so short of his fat baby wrists. He has what I call, Go-Go Gadget arms, you don't realize how long and dextrous they are until they are pulling your cup of coffee toward you, or that plant, or reaching for your fork to poke someone's eye out. Graham is still sleeping with me in bed, and now that his cold is subsiding, nursing about three times a night (totally doable cosleeping, but couldn't imagine otherwise). We went to the Zoo yesterday (sniffles and all) and got to see the baby anteater who was riding around on his Mama's back, and Mama Koala sleeping with her baby in her arms, and it made me feel really good about my decisions with Graham. It is hard for Spencer and I to not share a bed, and it is a physical toll on my body to wear Graham in the baby carrier, but it seems so natural. Someday I will have time to myself, in the meantime I am taking solace in knowing what I am doing now, spending as much time as possible with both my babies, is what is best.

Also, almost forgot to add that he is experimenting with waving hi and bye, and will clap his hands with glee. Gwen has taken on trying to teach him the patty cake song since he gets a kick out of having his hand clapped by someone else. A few times now I have gone in to nurse him and he has clapped his hands for me, in excitement for milk; so sweet!

Swimming!

2011-05-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

The whole family participated in Parent and Tot swim class Saturdays in the month of April (outdoor heated pool). Graham loved being in the water and would get all excited and move his whole body like a little dolphin trying to propel himself forward. And he is a big fan of splashing. It took a few times in the pool for Gwen to get as comfortable in the water as she was the end of last Summer. She still won't blow bubbles or put her face in the water, but enjoys jumping off the edge of the pool, kicking, and walking in the shallow end. I blew it with registration and we won't be taking classes again until August, but will do the same family Parent and Tot class then- can't wait. Until then we will have to practice our bubbles in the bathtub, and keep cool with the sprinkler.

It's not Easy Being Green

2011-05-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

We were stuck home most of last week because Gwen had a cough followed by a day of excessive whining that culminated in throwing up at my feet after I complained to Spencer about how whiny she had been all day, followed by more coughing. Spencer was sick throwing up Friday morning (the day he took off to help get stuff together for our Yard Sale) and Graham threw up Friday and Saturday, followed by a feverish Saturday night. So far no vomit for me, but who knows, maybe I am next. The above photo of Gwen was taken on one of her sick days. We have this swing set up in our back yard, and when we pull out her Step 2 slide, she says enthusiastically, "We're at the park! We're at the park!" So being stuck at home, isn't so bad. She would spend all day in that swing if someone would continue to push "Faster, faster!" and "Higher, higher!" We discovered a dove (homing pigeon?) built a nest in the rafter of the 'workshop' close to the swing. Gwen enjoys talking to the pigeon/dove sharing with her all sorts of intimate details of her family and daily life, "This is my brother Graham. That's my Mommy. My name is Gwen. We went to Whole Foods and had broccoli for lunch." You get the idea. It is May and we have slowly been able to plant our garden (various heirloom tomatoes, two types of eggplant, zucchini, butternut squash, yellow crookneck squash, volunteer squash, and various peppers (mostly crazy hot, but also a fancy variety of sweet pepper). We are still missing our green beans and carrots, but since Graham is now sick and we have to stay home from preschool tomorrow, working in the garden is on the agenda.

Favorite photo of Graham: He is wearing one of my favorite shirts. He know has four teeth (two front top and bottom) and his hair is coming in- though it isn't clear what color it is- but blonde or brown, there are going to be red highlights.
Favorite photo of Gwen: This is Gwen after a long luxurious nap posing with her monkey and Graham's monkey. She often wakes from her nap talking about giraffes and elephants and other animals; I think she dreams about being on safari. The second photo is her look of being deep in thought.

Lyme Butterflies

2011-05-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

One of my oldest friends from High School, Keri, has been struggling with Lyme Disease and a host of other related ailments for the last few years. I haven't been as supportive as I would like to be, struggling with my own challenge of the first few years of Motherhood. But things have taken a turn for Keri, and while I knew she wasn't well, and during our visits over the last few years I could see she was tired, run down, lost weight, I can now see how ill she is. She recently developed shakes and twitches and was diagnosed with dystonia It is so hard to see her afflicted by these involuntary movements of the neck and arms; you can even hear her voice shake a bit. Keri used to work as a naturalist, and had just gotten her teaching credential before her health took a turn for the worst. For the last few years we have visited Natural Bridges together to see the butterflies (above picture was taken there this past November). Gwen loves our visits with Keri since she has such great toys and books, and knows fun songs. Since Keri hasn't been able to work full-time, she has started making jewelry and her product is available on etsy- so here is a shameless plug to check out her etsy shop and support a great woman who is struggling to be well.

7 Month Itch

2011-04-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Graham (and Gwen) picked up Roseolla somewhere over the weekend or late last week. Roseolla is a childhood ailment consisting of a high fever followed by a non-itching rash that starts on the belly then moves to the extremities. For us, thank goodness, it wasn't that big of a deal (some babies get seizures from the high fever), but I never noticed enough of a fever for me to even take their temp! The rash never left Gwen's torso, and Graham got it all over, except his legs- but it was so mild, he just looked a little blotchy or flushed. The on-call pediatrician said it was most likely Roseola or a similar viral rash. Graham wasn't feeling well all weekend but I chalked it up to teething and not sleeping well because of it. His top front left tooth erupted yesterday, but is so swollen you can't fee it. On his 7 month birthday we also moved him out of his infant car seat. He is now riding in style in the Britax Advocate, similar to Gwen's Boulevard but with side impact cushions.
In other news, I cut my hair! I may have to invest in a straight iron, if only I had the time to style it! I am also signed up for Baby Boot Camp for the summer and H2O Aerobics (as Malia calls it :-) I am looking forward to feeling like a real person again!

Milton The Cat, 2004?-2011

2011-04-18T23:22:00.000-07:00

We adopted Milton (aka Buddy) March 2006 from Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary after fostering him for a few months. Milton (named after a Celestial Seasonings Tea magnet with a picture of a majestic Lion with the quote, "But what is strength without a double share of wisdom," by John Milton) was our baby for a few years. He enjoyed free reign of the house, we cared for him after a mysterious incident which led to a wound on his leg, and then a second incident requiring the dreaded cone, and we even got his teeth cleaned. Then we had Gwen and he slowly got pushed out of the house, and moved to the backdrop of our lives. He kept us company in the backyard while gardening, brought us little gifts of dead mice (and once a hummingbird) trying to earn back our favor, and he enjoyed the attention of our friends and neighbors (especially the children who come and go from the family day care next door). He was a great cat, and will be greatly missed. This evening he had either a stroke or heart attack while we were all outside after chasing a raccoon out of the garage and watching it saunter across the lawn. Milton hissed at the raccoon, then had what looked like a seizure, then took a few labored breaths, and was gone...just like that. His sudden loss is especially upsetting. We told Gwen he had a big boo-boo and Daddy took him to the doctor, but the doctor might not be able to make him feel better (Spencer took him to the nearest Emergency Animal Clinic to be cremated). Tomorrow I will tell her that he died and is gone, and then we will talk about what a great cat he was. Gwen is too young to fully understand, which is why we decided to be honest. One of Milton's legacies will be Gwen's first lesson in the circle of life. Rest in peace Milty.

No joke, ARTICHOKE!

2011-04-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Graham enjoying an artichoke leaf- he munched on quite a few of them, and with his two little teeth, he did some damage. I am sure I did not let Gwen eat artichoke this early; I find the second time around there are many concessions I make. Part of it is I feel more confident making my own decisions, versus consulting the experts on what I should be doing. And lot of it is an attempt to guard my sanity, what will get us through dinner (sharing inappropriate food with the baby), through this car trip (getting french fries), through the night (sleeping together). It isn't necessarily bad. We all had our first family swim class this past Saturday- no pictures because we had one parent in the pool with Gwen and one with Graham. Both babies loved their swim class. Gwen wasn't as adventurous as she was the end of last summer, but I am sure she will warm up to the pool in the coming weeks. Graham enjoyed splashing and floating on his back kicking and watching big sister and the other children. As of this weekend Graham can stand leaning against something (and spotted of course)- his little legs are strong enough to hold up his body! He also has taken to dancing, moving his upper body side to side, with or without music :-) Last week was a challenge as Gwen starting having daily accidents, no naps, and perfected a deliciously defiant "NO!" and got a bit mischievous. Some highlights include stepping on her brothers head, rubbing the new hand soap (she broke the other two) over her body calling it lotion, shoving the replacement bar soap down the drain, 'cleaning' her room with a whole thing of wet wipes while having quiet time in lieu of a nap. It doesn't sound so bad now, but man, I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown!

30 months! What a WILD Ride

2011-04-03T23:37:00.000-07:00

Life with two and a half year old Gwen is like a roller coaster, she is up, down, exciting, thrilling, sometimes scary, but something you want to experience over and over again. Everything she does, she does with her whole being. Our friends Farkas and Malia took us to Great America last weekend and Gwen just loved it! She went on almost every ride in the Kidz Zone. We all took turns going on the roller coaster with her, she went no less than six times. When we first arrived at the park Farkas pointed out that the people on the rides put their hands up and scream because it is so much fun. So the first ride she went on, the instant it took off, both hands shot up in the air and she started screaming, as the red airbus slowly went up and around in a gentle circle. She loved it, and we were all greatly amused. At 2 1/2 Gwen is incredible. She is out of diapers during the day with minimal 'accidents' and dry most nights/naps. She can dress herself (though sometimes goes commando, or wears her pants backwards). She can put her socks on, and sometimes her shoes. She loves brushing her teeth and has started flossing (mainly for fun). She loves long baths, but has recently taken to long luke warm showers (we got something that holds the nozzle to the wall at toddler height). Gwen stayed over at her Grandma's for two nights in a row for the first time a few weeks ago during the week and did amazing (slept through the night 12 hours both nights!). During this time I realized she truly is helpful around the house, picking up things I drop while I am holding Graham, entertaining him while I try and get a few things done around the house, she is such a great big sister! Academically she has been blowing us away. She has known her alphabet and numbers for a while, but can now identify letters out of context or answer correctly when you ask, what letter does duck start with. The mind blower is recently she has started reading letters: "r-u-n-a-w-a-y b-u-n-n-y says little bunny!" She isn't reading, but she totally understand the concept. She has memorized some of her favorite books and 'reads' them to herself (and Graham :-) but she will also make up stories for books she is less familiar with. She is really developing quite an imagination, and I have really enjoyed the pretend play that she has started doing in the last few months. She knows her numbers and counts to 20 skipping 13 (things do get a little muddled around 16). While she counts things up to about five without losing track, I think she only truly understand the numbers 1 and 2 (as in one for me and one for you is two!). Gwen has taken to calling me either Mom, Mama, Mommy, or my favorite, Ambroshera, which she will randomly throw out there. She also sometimes calls her Dad Spencer. I thought we were going to have to cut her hair short, but she has started to let me brush it and pull it back for her into a ponytail. I think it helped when we bought some hairbands that had ribbon on them- she calls them princess ponies. Gwen looks about twice her age with her two ponies! It is hard to believe she is only 2 1/2!

Little Brother's 6 months Well Baby

2011-03-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Graham had his 6 month well baby visit this morning. He weighs in at 19lbs 1.5oz, not quite 20 lbs (73rd percentile) and had a significant growth spurt in length at 2ft 3.5inches (81st percentile). He has less than 3 inches to go before he outgrows his car seat (and 3 lbs), so we will likely be saying good bye to the infant bucket seat soon. He didn't get any vaccines today since he has a little head cold; and when he does get them, I think I will space them out a bit so as not to bombard his little system. He is eating one meal a day, and I am going to try and work in a second. He loves to eat, but only eats about a tablespoon at a time. I remembered banana can be binding, and since he only poops about once a week, I started mixing his cereal with applesauce. I am going to get some prunes and make a little baby prune puree to help his little bowels move. He has one and a half tooth and seems to be working on a top tooth. He is doing well in the sleep department. While I still have him sleeping in our bed, he often falls asleep on his own. He is starting to have a more difficult time napping out and about, so we are all trying to go to sleep a little earlier so we can wake up a little earlier, and Graham can get in a little nap before we head out for our morning activities. He still nurses quite a bit at night- after his 4-5 hour stretch, he then nurses every hour usually. Graham can sit up independently (with the Boppy pillow behind him in case of a fall), he can move objects from one hand to the other, he can roll which ever way (though shows little interest in doing so). I don't see him being mobile anytime soon, which is fine with me. I can't believe it has already been six months!

P.S. Gwen was exactly the same weight at 6 months! Just a tad shorter.

Spring Equinox: Graham's 6 months

2011-03-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

Graham is six months old today! Last night after Gwen picked out her frog footed jammies to wear, we noticed that they matched nicely in a very Spring way. We had visions of matching Christmas jammies in the future. Time is just flying! While I try and appreciate and live in the now, I can't help but think about our little future together- I am just so excited about my little babies and watching them grow up together. Graham seems to be right on target for being a 6 month old and has his well baby visit next week, so stay tuned for 6 month stats. His pediatrician had predicted he would be crawling by 6 months, and he isn't, but he got up on his hands and knees Friday and was rocking back and forth like he was getting ready to launch himself forward, so maybe by his appointment? I am in no rush for him to be mobile; it is much easier to keep track of him and Gwen when I know Graham is staying in more or less the same spot. While he has been a little more calm and cuddly a baby than Gwen, he seems to be coming out of his shell a bit. Spencer and I went to a talk a while back by the Children's Heath Council and they talked about temperament (and the importance of considering temperament when picking out a preschool, which is why we were there). Gwen seemed to fall into the category they called Puppy: moderate temperament, easy to live with and love, goes with the flow and can adapt to almost any environment. If I had to guess about Graham I would pick Chameleon: mellow, easy going, loves fine motor, easily occupies self, highly adaptive. We'll see!

Saturday Morning Cartoons

2011-03-19T17:01:00.001-07:00

Gwen was watching some Saturday morning cartoons with Spencer when I set Graham down next to her (he wasn't actually watching TV). They were so cute next to each other hanging out. He got super interested in her breakfast so I got him a spoon to play with. He has been snacking on bananas, frozen squash, and now frozen cubes of baby oatmeal mixed with breastmilk all in his mesh feeder. Graham sits up at the table with us while we eat (if he isn't napping). Yes, we have finally made the transition to eating at the kitchen table like civilized people. I had to sacrifice my dishwasher (it is a portable dishwasher) to make room to pull the table out from the wall so we can all sit comfortably. It is awesome! We don't have the TV on as often in the evenings because of this, and it really feels like we are a little family. We have also managed to have the TV off a lot more often in the afternoons (often Gwen wakes from her nap demanding TV) because Gwen enjoys sitting at the table coloring while I wash all those dishes!

P.S. Graham's second bottom front tooth is coming in, so no more snaggle tooth grin.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2011-03-17T14:24:00.002-07:00

Gwen also wore this same little t-shirt her first St. Patrick's Day. I haven't got much to say...after two days with no nap Gwen, I am trying to get a lot done during naptime. Got to get back to Mama's chores including prepping our Vegetarian pot pie for dinner and Irish Tea Brack for dessert (think it will be like a fruit cake). Since I am not expecting this dessert to be that dessert like, Gwen and I will make some sugar cookies cut out into clover shapes with green sprinkles when she wakes up. I haven't blogged much, but have posted almost daily snippets on my Facebook- so if you want to read those, let's be facebook friends!
Edited: Gwen and I did make cookies! She was actually quite helpful and is learning a lot (like leveling out the sugar in the measuring cup before 'dumping' it in the bowl. Her favorite part of making sugar cookies: sprinkles!

Graham's First Tooth!

2011-03-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

Graham's first tooth cut through yesterday (bottom front left). I have been going on for a while about how I am sure he is teething, well now I know exactly what him teething looks like, and it isn't pretty. The last few nights he would wake up screaming, and would have a hard time settling down. Last night he screamed for about 40 minutes (I think until the tylenol kicked in, and he pooped which also seemed to make him happy :-) It was horrible. He rarely cries, so for him to be crying in pain, and inconsolable no less, was hard (besides the fact it was 2am). I don't remember Gwen being as intense with her teething...

The Dentist isn't scary

2011-03-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

Gwen had a dentist appointment this morning, her second one. We have been talking about it since the day before and talking about what would happen, and how the dentist's special tooth brush will buzz, and it might be loud and tickle, but wouldn't hurt. And how the dentist will look to see how beautiful her teeth are, and maybe put a little fluoride on them ,which is like medicine to keep them strong, and then she would get a new toothbrush! Gwen was very excited (she loves brushing her teeth). We were even on time to the appointment, which is a first, I don't think I have been on time for anything since birthing Graham on his due date. But as soon as the dentist (Dr. Mary M.Dini, DDS with Remington Dental Group) walked into the lobby to greet us, Gwen started to freak out (I think it was the dentist's smock and face mask, which she had pulled down under her chin, but still). I realize now we should have been early so we could orient ourselves before jumping in to the whole thing (and next time I will leave Graham at home- poor little guy just wanted to nap). Gwen was super upset, but we powered through with her sitting on my lap, and me stroking her hair while the dentist did her brief exam. The disposable glove balloon really helped. The dentist was able to clean Gwen's teeth, and floss them (which blew my mind). She passed on the fluoride saying she didn't want to upset Gwen anymore and end on a high note instead, which I appreciated. Gwen was super happy to be able to pick out her own toothbrush, and while she was super satisfied with that, she also got to pick out a toy (she picked a pencil). On the walk to the car she said it wasn't scary and that her teeth are clean now, and couldn't stop talking about her new toothbrush and her pencil and how she needed paper to draw on. Painful at first, but an overall success. In 6 months the dentist wants to put sealant on her molars (which have super deep grooves).....they blocked 45 minutes for the appointment- yikes!

Graham: 5 months week 1

2011-02-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

Graham's physical growth seems to have slowed down ever so slightly, but he is developing in so many ways, especially the last few weeks. He can almost sit unassisted, and can sit well enough to be at the table, or in high chair, or in a swing, which he did for the first time a few weeks ago at the park. He also seems like more of a sentient being, laughing when things are funny, looking worried/concerned at loud noises (but not crying), and watching intently as Gwen and her friends play. He seems to need something more the last few weeks, and has been a little fussier than usual. I thought maybe he was wanting to eat so we tried that on his 5 month birthday, but he isn't ready. He was interested in the spoon, but still has a tongue thrust reflex, and at one point nursed the spoon like it was a nipple. I assumed we would wait until 6 months to introduce solids, but thought maybe this would help calm him down- nope. So I am back to the assumption he is just teething, badly. His bottom front gum is swollen on the sides, and shallow in the center where his bottom front teeth could pop through. Though this has been the case for weeks, and I think it was around 3 months that I thought he was teething. I looked back to at Gwen's 5 month update and it could have been the same for Graham. He wears the same star outfit (maybe that's why I love it) and he also recently got into the exersaucer. I actually think it was the introduction of the exersaucer a few weeks ago (thank you Kristen!) that blew his mind right open. He loves it!

Toddler Crushes Baby While Mom Showers

2011-02-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

Graham was happily playing in his exersaucer, and Gwen was watching one of her favorite PBS Kids shows, and I thought what a great opportunity to take a quick shower. Not long after I get started washing my hair I hear Graham crying a sort of WTF kind of cry. And I call out, "Hey Gwen, how is it going out there?" "Fine." Then his cry of annoyance turns into cry of pain. "Gwen, what is going on out there?" as I am quickly trying to dry off with conditioner still in my hair. I walk into the living room and she is straddling him in the exersaucer! She is stuck with one leg in and one leg out. I try and pull her out and it makes Graham cry more like he is really being hurt. I get a little panicky, and pry her out. I reprimand her for doing something we have asked her repeatedly not to do (i.e. climb into the exersaucer) and tell her to look at Graham, how he has a red mark on his face, and how he is crying because she hurt him. I tell her to kiss him on the head and say she is sorry. Graham is apparently ok, so I put him in the pak n play (where he has some toys to play with) in the bedroom and shut the door (which has a childproof thingy on the knob so she can't get to him). She was upset that I basically took Graham away from her and I told her it was because I couldn't trust her not to hurt him. And then I got back in the shower and we moved on with our morning. I know she didn't mean to hurt him and I know she is only two...but man, I didn't realize one of my new jobs was to keep the toddler from accidentally killing the baby!

This is usually how they play together:

Mama's Milestone

2011-02-13T23:40:00.001-08:00

Well, today I reached a milestone in Motherhood: I locked the baby in the car. I debated whether or not to share this, but I am not ashamed. Tired: yes. Flustered: often. Disorganized: most of the time. I blame this evenings adventure on all of the above and baby-wearing. I went to the grocery store at 9pm and knew Graham was tired, so I thought I would wear him in the Ergo carrier so he could sleep if he wanted to. I got my reusable grocery bags out of the trunk, put my wallet and keys in the bag, took my sweater off, set it all down on the floor of the car in front of Graham while I strapped on the Ergo. It was about this time the car next to me needed to pull out. I closed the passenger door most of the way and stood in front of it while I strapped on the Ergo and the other car pulled out. I went to open the car door and realized it was partially shut, but not open enough to engage the handle...and I had already locked the car...My cell phone lives inside my wallet, which was with my keys, all in my reusable shopping bag on the car floor. Rather than feeling panicky, I just felt so silly and stereotypical. The staff in the store let me use their phone, and since Spencer couldn't leave Gwen and can't drive with her in the Jeep, our friend Malia picked up the spare set of keys and dropped them off for me (thanks Malia!). Luckily we all live close to the store, and our winters aren't snowy (though there was a bitter wind blowing and I had on a tank top). Graham didn't cry (otherwise I probably would have been a wreck). He seemed fairly satisfied with me periodically making faces and baby talk at him through the car window. Rather than getting down on myself for orchestrating this mishap, I am comforted that in 2 years and almost 5 months, I didn't once lock anyone in the car, or lock anyone out of it- it took me that long to reach this milestone in motherhood.

The Mama and Gwen Show

2011-02-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

People keep requesting more updates and pictures of Graham. I am hogging the little guy. We spend 24/7 together and I am never more than a 15 minute drive away... even so, after he has been napping a few hours and I pick him up, it feels so good to hold him, like we haven't been in eachother's arms in days. He is still my little barnacle. I was starting to wonder if co-sleeping was preventing him from sleeping through the night, but last week he started sleeping 5 hour stretches (technically sleeping through the night, though I don't know who came up with that definition). He is a lot like Gwen, and totally different. Her baby farts didn't stink ;-) Graham is my little sidekick on the show I like to call The Mama and Gwen Show. Someday he will be a leading character, but until then he will be our number one fan.

Below are some photos from a friend's 3rd Birthday party this past weekend. It was a beautiful warm and sunny day, felt a lot more like summer than winter (which is why I will likely always live in California).

Learning about the Potty

2011-01-28T16:45:00.001-08:00

Gwen has been learning about the potty since she was 1 year old. It has been all her- I have introduced the idea, but every time I get a little too excited she pushes back, so we have been following her lead. She made significant progress this past summer when she decided she preferred to be naked and she has been diaper free at home for months now (except sleep time). Well the last few weeks she has been wearing training pants when we leave the house, and most of the time she is dry and using the potty while we are out. Yesterday she insisted on wearing underwear for her nap. I let her and she woke up crying because she peed (about the same time she usually wakes up so I think she is waking because she is peeing- same with at night, hence the not sleeping through the night). We are so close, and it is so tempting to do something to 'help' her over these last few hurdles, but I remind myself Gwen will do things on her own timeline, and I should continue to follow her lead. So I will continue to ask her each morning if she would like a pull up or diaper, and remind myself she is not even two and a half.

Graham's 4 month update

2011-01-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

Graham had his 4 month check up this week and shots :-(
I knew he was getting big since we had to move him into the next size diaper, and he keeps popping the crotch buttons on his 6 months clothes. He weighed in at 17lbs 4 oz (87%) and 25.5 inches (69%). His pediatrician commented about how well Mama's milk is working for him (which made me feel good). The only thing she recommended was that we move him into Gwen's room sooner than later (it is going to be later since Gwen can climb into the crib if she wants and we don't want her to 'help' put Graham to sleep without us). There is some silliness happening in the sleep arena. Graham sleeps really well, and almost never cries at night...but that is because he sleeps with Mama with the boob ever at the ready. This means Daddy sleeps most nights on the futon next to Gwen's bed since she decided she doesn't sleep through the night months ago, and he would rather not have to be up and about at night. As soon as Graham can communicate to big sister not to smother him, they will start sharing a room....not sure when that will be. Graham has become a lot more interested in the world around him, which is fun. He can reach for things, bat at them, sometimes grab and hold on- I have started to make sure I always have a toy for him. He started to spin in circle on his gymini. I wasn't sure how he was doing this until I watched him stick his arm behind him, and like a bird with a clipped wing push off with the other arm...there isn't a whole lot of mobility yet, but he has inched off his gymini mat a few times. He still doesn't know he has feet, but he was trying to get up on his knees during his doctor's appointment and she predicts he will be crawling in no time. With how vocal, social, and active Graham is becoming, he may be taking after his sister. Watch out Mama!
In other news, Graham is teaching Spencer how to play the Banjo.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T23:49:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe it is the year 2011. We are looking forward to a year of Graham's firsts- like the first time he sleeps through the night ;-)

Snow!

2010-12-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

I ventured out into the wild yesterday with the little Gs armed with a diaper bag, snacks, sling, stroller, rain boots, and a thermos of hot cocoa. There was no rain, but there was snow! We went to the SF Zoo to see the Polar Bears celebrate the first day of winter with snow to play in. There were also free carousel and train rides. And besides one skinned knee, we had a great time. Totally doable. For Christmas we are going to renew our membership since everyone loves it so much, and I now know I can manage the adventure on my own.

Happy 3 Months Graham!

2010-12-20T14:24:00.001-08:00

You are an amazing baby and we are starting to see little glimpses of the person you are. You definitely love your Mama, and on those days that are really challenging, you light up my face too :-) Your big sister makes you laugh and also puzzles you. Daddy is a curious thing with all that hair, but you love being rocked in those big arms. You are a serious baby, but quick to smile. You don't like to be alone, though can entertain yourself sucking on your fingers/fist staring at your fish or animals, or on your gymini for quite some time (like upwards of 30 minutes!). You can easily flip over from your tummy to your back now, which is helpful in escaping big sister's enthusiastic play ;-) You are super cuddly, and that is lovely. You will sleep all night as long as you aren't wet (sleeping in disposable diapers now since they last all night) and as long as the boob is near. And we really appreciate your 3-4 hour afternoon naps. We love you Graham!

P.S. Thank you Malia for taking our Holiday photo this year!

Tummy time and stuff

2010-12-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

We haven't been doing as much as usual lately since we all have had a cold/cough that seems to come and go. Every time I think we are better, we go out and about, and then start coughing from the activity of not being sedentary in the house :-( We did make it out to Mommy and Me on the Row where Gwen got to meet Snoopy and Charlie Brown. She wouldn't have known who they were, but last week we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas on Hulu. All the TV is unfortunate, but it really does seem to be stimulating her imagination, she has been doing a lot of pretend play which is fun. My favorite is when she crawls around under a blanket and says, "I am a snail! I am a snail!" A reference to the Cat and the Hat. Graham has been doing lots of tummy time and practicing sitting up in the corner of the couch. And we have been making lots of cookies, which is very messy with Gwen, but fun.
Two milestone updates: Graham flipped over from his tummy to his back for the first time today while he was on the floor with the other babies at his Cookie Exchange (also the first time he got to 'play' with the other babies in his playgroup). And at our party this past Saturday night at a friend's house Gwen announced she had to pee. I asked her if she peed in her diaper and she said, "No. Pee on the potty." So I took her to the bathroom and held her over the toilet and she peed! We are so close to being out of diapers :-)

Let the Festivities Begin!

2010-12-06T22:27:00.000-08:00

We belong to three playgroups right now (Sunnyvale 2008, Mountain View 2008, and Sunnyvale 2010) and two of them had Holiday parties this past Saturday. We went to Gwen's Mountain View party in the morning. It was a lovely potluck with a puppet show put on by one of the Moms. Photos below are from that party. I included the photo of all of us watching the puppet show because it blows my mind that we are a little family, and that is what we look like in public. Graham was captivated by the puppet show and Gwen at one point ran across to the other side of the room so she could sit next to one of her little friends to sing the last verse of Twinkle Twinkle little star. She then hopped up to run back and jump up on my lap...not sure what that was about, but it was cute, and I was flattered she wanted to sit with me instead of her little friend (I know it won't always be like this). Graham slept through his Sunnyvale 2010 dinner party that evening, but we all had a good time. We have our Sunnyvale 2008 Cookie Exchange this Sunday, and 2010 is also having a Cookie Exchange next Wednesday. For those not familiar with the Cookie Exchange, everyone brings a few dozen cookies, they all get laid out for everyone to see and maybe nibble, then each person takes some of each kind home with them. Our Wednesday Cookie Exchange starts at 1pm, which is nap time....but I am going to brave the sleepies and the sugar high, and go anyway, crossing my fingers that we leave before the dreaded sugar crash. Let the festivities begin!

For Fun I thought I would include this picture of Gwen :-)

Chunky Monkey

2010-12-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

Graham had his 2 month check up today. I knew he was a big boy, he has been nursing since day one like a milk fiend- I call him my little barnacle, but I was happily surprised when he weighed in at 14lbs 7oz! Hip Hip hooray for Mama's milk! That puts him in the 90th percentile for weight and a full pound heavier than Gwen at this age. I knew that boys tend to be bigger than girls, I am just glad he was smaller than his sister at birth :-) He is exactly 2ft long (75th percentile) which makes him a little chunky monkey. One thing I thought would be different about having a boy is cleaning the diaper area...and sure enough, poor little guy has his first fungal infection and I had to buy him jock itch cream (per his Pediatrician's recommendation).
Graham had his first trip to the Zoo a few weeks ago, though I think he will appreciate it more as he gets older ;-)

Smiling Graham

2010-11-20T23:17:00.000-08:00

Graham is 2 months old today. He has been smiling for a few weeks, but laughed hysterically at Gwen yesterday for the first time. By the time I got the flip to capture the moment, Gwen saw what I had and the moment was over. He thought her jumping on the bed singing loudly and unintelligibly was so funny. Gwen is pretty hilarious.

Tree of Life

2010-11-16T15:28:00.001-08:00

Warning: this is gross.
One thing that I have learned being a Mother is life is messy. Even before the baby arrives, crazy things happen during birth, and after the baby comes out, it isn't over, the afterbirth needs to be birthed (just when you thought you were done!). The placenta is an amazing organ created by the Mother for the sole function of nourishing the baby that wants to grow inside her. In some cultures the placenta is believed to have nourishing properties for the Mother as well, after birth. Like most animals, these Mothers are encouraged to ingest the placenta after birth to replenish themselves from the ordeal. I considered this. I wasn't going to take a bite of it raw, though some do. And I wasn't going to cook it and eat it, well not exactly. There are some of us out there who have, or have considered, steaming the placenta, drying it, pulverizing it into capsules, and then investing it in a less threatening capsule form for all its benefits (including warding off postpartum depression). Though, even these women usually hire someone to do this for them. When I read this, struggling to care for Gwen with my numerous months pregnant self, I thought, "I should do that, I am gonna need all the help I can get to stay sane after this baby arrives." So I did. For you do it your selfers, and those who are curious, this is what I did:

1. Sent the placenta home the day it was born with Mother in Law who put the biohazard bag in a zip-top bag for me and tossed it in the freezer so I could start this project at my convenience.
2. Five days later I pulled out my frozen placenta, rinsed it with hot water, put it in a steamer basket on top of a bed of sliced lemons and fresh ginger, and steamed the heck out of it.

3. I rinsed it off again. The 'meat' of the placenta is encased in a sack, and it seemed like it should come off (and I had read that you could have blood clots under it- and I was not interested in that).
4. I then sliced it up.
5. I got a tray from the dehydrator, laid a piece of parchment down, and laid out the slices.

6. I then dehydrated following the directions for jerky.
7. I got the food processor out and dumped in the pieces of jerky (which were very crispy and overdone).
8. It took forever to pulverize the placenta into a powder.
9. I was going to take my powdered placenta and put in, vegan gel caps size 00. Yes, I picked out vegan gel caps because I try and avoid gelatin, because I am a VEGETARIAN.
10. Ingest. I was going to take one capsule with meals (so 3x a day).

I knew there was a chance I would not be able to follow this project to the end. I surprised myself in that I enjoyed the process. I was surprised by Spencer who was thoroughly disgusted by the process, but sincerely encouraging about me ingesting my capsules.

I can not bring myself to complete step 9 and have a little plastic container of my powdered placenta. What I am stuck on is it smells like liver. It handled like liver, and it smells like liver...and I feel relatively good anyway and am not sure I need to go so far as ingest my placenta. The process was really cool, and I am satisfied with that. We are going to purchase a small ornamental fruit tree (I think a Kumquat) and I will sprinkle it in the pot to help nourish my baby Kumquat tree, in remembrance of my babies and how I nourished them.

Boo To You!

2010-10-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed quite a few festive activities this week including two trick or treating outings and a trip to a pumpkin patch. By Friday afternoon we were exhausted and spun out on sugar so we missed our playgroup's Halloween Party scheduled for the latter part of the afternoon since nap time didn't happen until 3:30pm, despite my best efforts. I spent 2.5 hours trying to get Graham and Gwen to sleep- finally we all enjoyed a much needed 2 hour nap. This evening we will be trick or treating at a local mall and some friend's houses. Gwen is so excited about getting more candy- her favorite: lollipops and M&Ms. Happy Halloween!

One Month of Graham

2010-10-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

One month out of the womb Graham is starting to figure out what he likes, and what he doesn't like so much. He likes being held, and after being worn by Mama in the Sleepy Wrap so much, he likes being walked around. He really does seem to like Gwen, but not a big fan of the, "HI BABY!!!" in his face while he is sleeping. He is a big fan of the boob, but not when it sprays him in the face or the back of the throat and makes him choke. I realized this past week I have an oversupply and overactive letdown which is making for a gassy baby (he doesn't like being gassy). Graham is not a big fun of the poop (he strains so hard sometimes it reminds me of the convulsive need to push I had during his short labor), but he doesn't seem to mind peeing on himself (he succeeded in peeing on his head and face today). He is not a big fan of his car seat, but doesn't seem to mind being in the car (as long as it is moving) and Gwen and I have taken him all sorts of places already. He seems to be on the fence when it comes to the pacifier. He likes looking at faces, and gazing at the wall, or window, or sky. When he is upset he kicks his legs and pumps his little arms like a boxer. His little muscles are getting quite strong, as well as his grip. Sometimes there is something he doesn't like, but we are at a loss to what it is....this is a rare occasion though as he is usually a pretty easy going little guy.

Mama's Little Guy

2010-10-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

Graham had his first check up a few days ago. We knew he was getting bigger since his little cloth diapers were starting to look like a bikini on him, and his newborn outfits were getting a little tight, but we were still surprised when he weighed in at 10lbs 4.5 oz (78th percentile)- that is a gain of just over a pound a week! He is 21.5 inches long (65th percentile). Graham is meeting his little newborn milestones and can push up with his little arms when on his belly and lift his not so little head (I think he is growing a Studley cranium). He continues to be super sweet and only cries when he needs a new diaper and is hungry (or gassy). Though, he does like to be held, which is getting more and more difficult since Spencer went back to work Monday. I have mastered the art of chasing after a toddler, and all that entails, while holding a breastfeeding infant. This photo was taken 10/1 (on Gwen's birthday) at our music playdate. this was about the time that he started being awake and alert for longer stretches of time. It is too soon to say, but I think he might have his Mama's blue eyes...we'll see.

Two Year Check Up

2010-10-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Gwen had her 2 year check up and is doing splendidly. She weighed in at 31lbs 14oz and is 2'11". That puts her in the 94th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for height. This is pretty consistent with her growth so far. We actually thought she was going to weigh more, but she is soooo active she has burned off a bunch of baby weight. Gwen got a doctor play set for her birthday from a friend and brought that with her to the appointment. All she needs now is a doctor's coat. It was really cute and her doctor was impressed and said all children should have this type of play set since it helps with feeling more comfortable with doctor visits. Though, when Gwen went in to the injection clinic to get her vaccine, she knew exactly what was going to happen and freaked out.
This photo is from a trip to the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo last week. We all went and one of the Nannies recognized me from a few weeks ago when I went with Gwen super pregnant. She was awestruck that I was out and about so soon after delivery. With an active toddler I don't know how we could stay home any more than we are.

Happy 2nd Birthday Gwen!

2010-10-02T00:14:00.000-07:00

We had a small BBQ for Gwen this evening to celebrate her 2nd birthday. Earlier today we went to our Music Playdate (first outing with me and both Gwen and Graham). We sang all of Gwen's favorite songs and her little friends sang her Happy Birthday and she got to blow out a #2 candle on a blueberry mini muffin. When I asked her at bedtime what her favorite part of the day was, a concept she doesn't quite understand, she mentioned singing with her friends as being the most memorable. For her BBQ we bought a cake yesterday at the store. She got to choose chocolate, carrot, or a pretty pink berry cake- she chose chocolate. She is having a Birthday playdate next week so she can celebrate her birthday with her playdate friends we see on a regular basis. She has been way into singing Happy Birthday and blowing out the candle, and party hats. This evening she could hardly contain her self and blew out her candle half way through Happy Birthday. And she way enjoyed her chocolate cake.

Graham's Birth Story

2010-09-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5am and had one of the signs of pending labor, bloody show, followed by some intermittent contractions when I went back to bed. I couldn’t sleep knowing that today was likely the day. I got up, made breakfast (eggs and potatoes), started the dishwasher, and took a hot bath. Gwen woke up and joined my in the bath which was really sweet. We then got ready to go to preschool. Once there I wondered if it too ambitious of me, but once I started walking around a little more I felt better. I went to use the bathroom and a group of mothers asked me if I was going to have the baby in there. After preschool I had my scheduled 40 week appointment at 12pm. I was 4cm and 50% effaced. Gwen and I went home and took our daily afternoon nap. When we woke up (3:15pm) I was turning the TV on for her and my water broke. I called Spencer, Mother In Law (who has a 2 hour drive), and a few others who offered to watch Gwen to give them a heads up. Spencer, Gwen, and I then went out to an early dinner of Hot and Sour Soup and Egg Fried Rice (I may have had a few bites of Spencer's orange chicken). Our friend Malia met us there and took Gwen home with her so I could labor at home without having to worry about Gwen. Once home I felt like lying down and had a horrible headache. My contractions had become regular at the restaurant (about 6 minutes apart- but very mild). Now they petered out. Spencer suggested we walk, and I agreed I could meander about the backyard (I was sooooo tired!). It felt good to be outside. Mother in Law arrived, Sister in Law arrived, and not much was happening. Spencer and I went for a walk around the block, I decided I wanted some unfiltered apple juice so we walked to the store and did a mini shopping trip. I continued walking, and was feeling really good. I decided I needed a labor project and wanted to make cookies. Gwen came home with Malia and Farkas and everyone hung our waiting for my contractions to become more regular. Malia helped me make cookies (soft Ginger, with a few dusted in sugar/cayenne pepper for the boys, and in case I needed something spicy), and then granola (which Brynden had to finish toasting for me). I started to feel really tired and had to sit down and a strong contraction hit me (about 9:30pm). I went to lie down in the bedroom. These were very intense contractions and I decided it was time to call Labor and Delivery. I told the nurse I was in labor and she said I sounded too cheerful to be in labor. In the car ride over I had a few of these intense contractions (couldn’t talk through them very well), but I remarked that we probably nailed the timing- I was able to labor at home as long as possible without hitting transition. We also noted that it was 10:30pm and unlikely, though still possible baby would make it on his due date. By the time we got out of the car I couldn’t walk through the contractions very well, and they were close enough together that I was glad we were there. I was horrified when the admitting nurse told me to wait in the lobby while they admitted another Mom- seriously. I felt a bit nauseous and knew I was on the edge. Through the admitting process, I felt worse and worse, hot/cold sweats, a little lightheaded, nauseous, pressure like I had to go to the bathroom, plus contractions. And then they send me to a teeny weenie room- I was too much in labor to comment about anything except notifying everyone I was going to use the bathroom, but there was no way this is where I was going to give birth. It was triage, something I didn’t experience with Gwen. The OB checked me and I was 6 centimeters. They wanted to monitor baby and contractions before officially admitting me (SERIOUSLY!). They finally decided I was indeed in labor, and were convinced my water had broken (I told them it broke at 9pm, just in case labor did stall). I could barely walk to my room, but did not want to sit down in a wheel chair because of the pressure I was feeling. Once in my birthing suite, I started to feel a little more confident and comfortable with the situation. They insisted on a Non Stress Test before letting me have a wireless fetal monitor so I had to get in bed and lie down for another 10 minutes. They also were insistent I have a hep-lock so IV drugs could be administered in case I bled out. This was not likely to happen, but because the OB who delivered Gwen charted my “excessive bleeding" as a hemorrhage, there was no point in trying to argue with these people, and I couldn’t anyway- the contractions were too intense. The IV was put in at 10:30pm (they wrote the time on it). All of a sudden everyone but Spencer were gone- Mother In Law who is with us to see the birth is moving the cars, my nurse has left to get supplies or whatever, and some random guy is setting up a “birthing table” (birthing supplies on a tray for the OB I think). I start having crazy contractions that make me writhe off the bed. I feel a lot of pressure (I had mentioned before I felt a lot of pressure). Then my body starts convulsively pushing, and I can’t stop it. No staff but this random guy is in the room, I am screaming, and thinking Spencer is going to have to catch the baby. I reach down and sure enough, I can feel his head. My nurse appears and I tell her I am trying not to push but the baby is coming. She checks me and says I am 10 cm. It doesn’t mater how many centimeters I am, this baby is coming out, NOW. The OB shows up (one I hadn’t met yet, a Resident, and the third one to see me- I swear they grabbed whoever was in the hall), and she is trying to get me to scoot down on the bed, and get my legs up in stirrups…. I can hardly keep my body on the bed, let alone reposition. I feel baby’s head start to crown, I push and it comes out, I push and his body wriggles out at 11:41. ELEVEN minutes from when they gave me the IV. They set him on my chest and let the cord finish pulsing before clamping it (this makes me happy). Spencer gets to cut the cord. I nurse Graham. He poops on me, and then pees on me. It is awesome. The placenta comes out and we tell them we want to take it home with us. They look at us sideways and agree but tell us there is a release form to sign. The OB sews up a small second-degree tear (likely the same area Gwen tore), and there is no excessive bleeding or hemorrhage. Even so, they make me keep the IV in until 10:30am the next day. This experience was so different than my first, it really caught me off guard. I have to admit, while my past Kaiser experiences were great, I was a little disappointed in them this time. What really matters is I have an amazing beautiful, sweet, and so far easygoing little guy; and hopefully a fast delivery equals a quick recovery.

Gramdolyn Update

2010-09-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

We have just been hanging around at home, sleeping, eating, diaper change, sleeping eating, diaper change. Sandee just left today and now we have to pull it together to feed ourselves (and keep our house in a somewhat livable state ;-) these first few days would not have been as pleasant without her help. Graham is just a sweetheart. So far he only cries during diaper changes and when he wants to nurse. I am going to start pumping a little so Spencer can give him a bottle every now and then (nice bonding time for Daddy, and break for Mama- a win win). Gwen has been so excited, as one might imagine, and didn't nap Thursday and Friday, which led to some uncharacteristic naughty behavior. But she napped today, and I think she is calming down. She loves having Daddy home and her and Spencer have been spending a lot of time together. And she loves her little brother and keeps asking to , "Hold it?" We are trying to get her t say him. Graham is gaining weight well and his jaundice has let up (we just need to make sure he gets a little sunshine every day). We took him out for coffee on Thursday after his newborn club check up, and out to breakfast this morning, and then grocery shopping this afternoon. He is, so far, super portable. It makes me very hopeful that I will be able to manage him and Gwen at all our weekly activities we usually do. Will post more photos and birth story soon.

Graham Photo Update

2010-09-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

We just got home this afternoon. We had to hang out at the hospital an extra night because Graham was jaundiced due to him and I having different blood types. He is totally fine, nursing well, and already looks like he is filling out a bit. Gwen is sooo cute and way into her little brother.

Graham Spencer Studley

2010-09-21T00:54:00.001-07:00

8 lb 3 oz
19.5"
September 20, 2010 11:41 PM

Right on time - HE'S ALMOST HERE!!!

2010-09-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

Little baby Studley is on his way: Ambrosia's water broke late this afternoon and after some patient waiting they left for the hospital at 10:05 PM.

Pictures coming soon...

~Auntie Angelique

Best Summer Photo

2010-09-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

This is by far one of my favorite photos ever! The wings are from our Playgroups annual Summer Picnic, which was a lot of fun. I have so enjoyed my time being Gwen's Mama. The two of us have done so much together, and I don't think she will remember when it was just her and I, but I will. She will likely never remember a time without little brother in her life. So, any day little guy, we are eagerly anticipating your arrival into our lives, and know once you get here it will be hard to imagine we ever lived without you :-)

Baby Boy Update

2010-09-10T20:31:00.001-07:00

There really isn't any update :-) I had my 38 week appointment this week, and there was hardly a point to the appointment (much like most of my prenatal appointments). I am having a regular old pregnancy, no blood pressure issues, moderate weight gain, baby always has a strong heartbeat. I had been measuring on schedule until this week, I measure a week behind, but my OB likes to point out that I hide large babies. She hasn't done any cervix checks, and won't until I am 40 weeks. Spencer and I are taking a "Managing Comfort and Labor " class at Harmony Birth tomorrow, and that should be a nice refresher. Maybe we will pack our hospital bag this weekend. I have my next appointment for 9.20 (my due date) but I am hoping this little guy comes next weekend...we'll see!

*photo was taken August 1st.

First Trip to the Dentist!

2010-09-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Gwen had her first visit to the dentist 9/1! She met with our current dentist's wife who isn't technically a pediatric dentist, but is good with children. Gwen got a little freaked out while we waited since she could hear the loud noises of the patient before us getting his teeth cleaned. She has been to the office before; she came with us our appointment last month when we took turns having our teeth cleaned. When it was Gwen's turn she sat on my lap on the exam chair and let the dentist look in her mouth and tolerated a brief cleaning with cherry toothpaste, and brisk application of strawberry fluoride. There were some tears and Gwen said, "All done- tickles." But apparently it tickled in a bad way. The dentist noted that she has stains in the crevices of her back bottom molars- apparently her crevices are very deep. She said that to prevent them from turning into cavities to keep sweets (including raisins and dried fruit) to one sitting, rather than grazing, since sweets change the PH of your mouth allowing bad bacteria to breed- if I understood her correctly ;-) And then when they are limited to one sitting you can brush afterward. Gwen may have to get sealants when she is a bit older to protect her teeth from cavities- even though they are baby teeth, she will have them for a while. The dentist also said she tends to have more successful visits with children closer to age 3, but we are going back in 6 months for a check up. Between now and then we are going to work on brushing more frequently and practicing spitting so she can start using real toothpaste instead of the baby toothpaste which as far as I can tell is just a tasty gel.

Running!

2010-08-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day I feel really pregnant. We went on a walk downtown last night to get Frozen Yogurt, and the walk wrecked me. I couldn't sleep last night since I was so uncomfortable, and today I could hardly walk. TMI: My crotch feels like it is broken :-(
But Gwen was so amazing last night. I need to capture video of her running because it is hilariously cute. She ran almost the whole way home (except when we insisted she hold hands crossing the street and over the bridge). She probably ran a total of 1/2 a mile. We are adding Track and Field star to her list of possibilities. She has taken to calling me Mom sometimes, which is cute, since it almost sounds like Mum. She is counting to 10 (she threw in 20 the other day) and recognizes numbers out of sequence too. She is a force of nature! She also has been working on using the potty. She goes #1 and #2 in her little Baby Bjorn Potty, but can't pull up/down her underwear/pants so she has to go naked while we are at home (or with a dress/skirt on). She is so funny because all of a sudden she will up and run to the bathroom and I can hear her tinkle. She has gotten so used to the potty that she no longer tells me, and no longer needs the positive reinforcement I was giving her (letting her have 2 squares of toilet paper, the honor of flushing the toilet, and a high five). We haven't been pushing the potty training (she instigated with insisting on naked time) and the few times I have gotten excited about her progress and encouraged her too much, she has lost interest. As soon as she has the coordination to pull up her pants I think we will work on going all the way and phasing out daytime diapers. Though that will likely be months after little brother arrives (don't want to do too much around such a big transition). She hasn't been sleeping through the night for a few weeks, which has been a bummer...I think there is just too much going on in her little head!

Mommy! Daddy!

2010-08-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

Gwen has taken to calling us Mommy and Daddy (as opposed to Mama and Dada)- it is very strange. It makes her seem so, well, grown up. It also just dawned on me last night that she is really talking- full on sentences. She told me this morning, "Mommy has blue eyes." This was something her and Spencer talked about last night. She also can sing the itsy bitsy spider with hand gestures and all (will have to get it on video). She has been sleeping in her crib converted into a toddler bed (crib with the front off) and doing much better. She wakes up maybe once a week, and usually will go back to sleep in her bed (we had been in the habit of bringing her into ours). It also seems to help that she is going to bed a little later. I really wanted to have a bedtime, with the start of bedtime routine around 8am so she would be asleep around 8:30pm...but what we have learned about Gwen is she does better with things on her own terms. It is more like asleep by 9:30pm/10pm and awake around 8:30am. With the exception of yesterday and today which involved her waking up at 7am, and 6am respectively. Poor tired Mama! I was subjected to Barney this morning at 6:30am... it was painful.

P.S. Today is our 5th Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated with a walk downtown (bike ride for Gwen) to get frozen yogurt. Gwen is staying overnight tomorrow with Grandma so we can have an evening to ourselves, and sleep in! Yesterday was 15 years of being together, since we celebrate the day we met- WOW.

What Haven't We Been Doing!?!?

2010-07-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

It is summertime and we have been busy! Besides some 'lazy' days at home in the garden and working on projects around the house, we have been doing a lot!

Shopping with Gwen is a weekly occurrence- here she is hiding from the paparazzi.

Our first big produce from the garden. Last year we had a zumkin, this year we have a volunteer pumpchini (more pumpkin than zucchini).

In an effort to get our finances under control, I now have a food budget (goal at least ;-) and have been meal planning. Every Sunday night I check the cupboards, then the weekly ads and come up with a meal plan and then shopping list. I have had to be a little creative in the kitchen, which I don't mind. This is Easy Peasy Zucchini quiche that I added my own flare to.

Gwen got an early birthday present from Grandma- a tricycle that allows her to peddle if she wants, or sit back and enjoy the ride while being pushed. This thing is awesome! She loves her bike and wearing her helmet, though she hasn't quite figured out the peddling.

We went to a Fourth of July party at our friends house and Gwen, being the only child, got a lot of attention. This is her being cute with an umbrella. She had the mother of all tantrums before we left, but was an angel while we were there (of course).

This is another recipe that I have recently discovered and love: Potato Pancakes with Avocado Salsa. I served it with a green salad with hard boiled egg to complete the meal (got to get in the protein and greens!).

We had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Andy and Jeannie (Spencer works with Andy) at Plumpjack in Squaw Valley, which is a cute little lodge owned by Gavin Newsom. It was lovely and we got to stay overnight which was a real treat. Though once I was up there I realized that I hadn't thought about the high elevation and being pregnant- apparently the two don't mix. We thought we would hang out the day after the wedding, but the lack of oxygen was making me a little fatigued and slightly nauseous so we headed home early (we also missed Gwen who had the time of her life at Grandma's).

We have started to slowly get ready for little brother's arrival. There really isn't that much to do, especially this early, but I did go through the clothes I have already accumulated for him. This is a picture of his wardrobe comprised of a donation of hand me downs from his little cousin Thor who is a summer baby but had a lot of winter clothes given to my Uncle and his girlfriend, the grandmas who have started shopping for their first grandson, and from Gwen's gender neutral clothes. He is pretty much set with clothes in the 0-9 months sizes :-)

This photo is Spencer and Gwen on a bike ride in Cambria before bedtime. We met my sister and her husband last weekend for a lovely mini vacation on the Central Coast. Angel found this great cottage with an organic garden, outdoor tub, and nest. Check out this link to Cambria Cottage. We had a great time; it truly felt like a vacation, which was nice.

Well, it is almost midnight and I have my Water Exercise class tomorrow morning (I go every Saturday). Gwen also has a swim class which she does with Spencer. I have been trying not too stay up late because the less sleep I get the more sore I am and the more cranky I get, and a cranky Mama is no fun. I also have been napping with Gwen during the day (well she naps in her big girl bed, and I nap in my Mama bed). And between sleeping, eating, and taking care of business around the house, as well as all our playdates and classes, I haven't had much time to update our blog, but I will try and be better. I realize it is one of the few ways I keep in touch with people these days. As Gwen would say, "Night, night."

Gwen's First Sentence!

2010-06-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

Gwen was playing in the backyard while I was in the kitchen, and I went out to check on her. "Uh-oh Mama. Uh-oh. Kitty. Kitty throw up." Milton had hacked up a huge hairball and part of his lunch. I had no idea she even knew the concept of throw up. This picture is from our trip to the Zoo last month.

Big Girl Bed!

2010-06-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Gwen is sleeping through the night and napping in her big girl bed! The first night it took over THREE hours to get to sleep, but she then slept through the night. The second day she napped in her bed no problem, and slept all through the night again. When we went to bed we opened her door and left our bedroom door open so she could come and get us if she needed anything (she did wake in the morning in a little panicked the first morning). When she woke in the morning she didn't make a peep. I woke to her foot steps in our room and her standing right in front of me- which was very startling. She has been going to bed at her usual time (somewhere in the window of falling asleep between 9:15pm and 11pm), and has been waking at her usual time of between 7am and 8am. The third night she did wake up at 3:30am and finished the night with us...she went right to sleep, when usually we are up for at least an hour trying to calm her back down. We still sometimes do a stroller walk to calm her down, but she has been sleeping in her bed since Thursday night (she had been taking all her naps in her stroller for the last 6 months or so).

I checked out a book from the library, Raising Your Spirited Child, by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, and there is a very helpful chapter on sleep. Gwen seems to fit the description of spirited: lively, creative, keen, eager, full of energy and courage. Try putting that to sleep! Sheedy lists five characteristics that spirited children have more of: intensity, persistence, sensitivity, perceptiveness, adaptability. Gwen also has one of the bonus characteristics she talks about, ENERGY! This article has a good breadown of the books approach. It has taken us 20 months, but Gwen is now on a schedule (her schedule, nothing we imposed), but it is more or less the same every day. And it took us this long for her to consistently sleep through the night (one wake up once or twice a month is totally manageable!). Now, if she could just put herself to sleep.......

24 weeks check up; and 20 months update

2010-06-02T08:42:00.001-07:00

I had my 20-24 week doctor's appointment yesterday, mainly just a check up to make sure everything is going well, and opportunity for doctor to make an order for the dreaded glucose test. This is a routine screening for Gestational Diabetes which I will go back for in the next few weeks (imagine drinking concentrated Mountain Dew, then fasting for an hour, then having your blood drawn...all very unpleasant). Little brother is doing well and growing right on schedule. He is super active (I think I felt him first around 16 weeks which is early) and Spencer felt him around 20 weeks, and saw him move a few weeks later. Gwen was so sweet the other morning and started rubbing my belly with both hands (I have quite a Buddha now)- and then she kissed it! I can't wait for her to feel little brother move. Since weaning she has been using her pacifier a little bit more, but we are trying to not make too much of a deal out of it, while trying to prevent any bad habits. She is talking up a storm and working on her colors- so far she seems to have grasped orange and purple. We are also working on baby sign language again. I had stopped practicing signs when she started talking, but am working on some 'concept' signs, like emotions and colors. It is amazing what she remembers from months ago! We went to the Zoo Saturday with our friends Kristen, Mark and little PJ (who we have been practicing our signs with) and Gwen signed a bunch of animals unprompted which was cool. She can't say her name, but can name almost everyone else. See video provided by Malia!

Mother's Day Everyday!

2010-05-25T20:25:00.001-07:00

This may seem a bit sappy, but having celebrated two Mother's Days I think everyday should, and is, Mother's Day. We work so hard and deserve to be celebrated, but we also get little gifts everyday from our family. That is how I feel right now (could just be pregnancy hormones :-) Gwen is talking soooo much and starting to put together two and three word sentences. My heart melted with the first unprompted, "Thank you Mama." Gwen also weaned herself a few weeks ago, so we have been having lots of cuddle time (which is so sweet since she wasn't much of a cuddle bug before). She still asks for milk sometimes, but it is all gone. I am also starting to get more and more excited about having another baby. The little guy moves quite a bit and Spencer actually saw my belly move a few days ago. Lately I have really just been enjoying life (naps during the day make this possible) and appreciating the little things that are my daily rewards for all the hard work I put in to being a Mother. Some of this Zen outlook was inspired by the Mother's Plunge Retreat I went to with my friend Kathryn last weekend at the Mercy Center. It was a morning and afternoon of lecture by Karen Maezen Miller, followed by instruction on meditation, a little yoga, then after lunch, walking meditation in the labyrinth, and wrap up lecture. I bought her new book, Hand Wash Cold, and brought the copy of Mama Zen Kathryn gave me to have signed. I recommend both! The day was very centering and reinforced what I was starting to think was more of a laissez-faire approach to my life, as more Zen-like. I won't babble on...many asked when I was going to update the blog and I said I was waiting for pictures, since I am not sure how many people actually read my updates. So here they are: Gwen being silly and some pictures from preschool when Spencer joined us this week.

Oh Brother!

2010-04-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Gwen is going to have a little brother, due September 20th.

School!

2010-04-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

Gwen is in love with her "school"- we have been doing GymKids at the Sunnyvale/Cupertino Audlt Education Center Since the Fall (right before she could walk. Since she mastered the gym, we started "preschool" (1.5 hours one day a week with parent). These pictures are from the Book Fair they had this evening. She showed off to Daddy all the toys and climbing equipment, and made a new friend who gave her a ride on his tricycle (super cute!).

Silly Gwen-Gwen

2010-04-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Gwen and I have been having a lot of fun together lately. Me napping with her during the has made me a much happier Mama and that has helped. We started our "preschool" class which is super cute- an hour and a half of the preschool experience for toddler and parent. We also started up our Music class again which was on a long two week break, and Gwen was so excited to see her Music teacher and sing/dance. These are some fun pictures from the last few weeks. Gwen wanted to go on a walk one morning with her bay (complete with sunglasses and pacifier- she rarely uses her pacifier). And then at our friend's house lining up the rubber ducks on the hot tub and then discovering she can see in the kitchen window. Silly Gwen-Gwen!

It's a Boy!

2010-04-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fools! Just kidding, our ultrasound is scheduled for April 22nd and we will find out the sex of the baby then.
A few people were asking how I have been doing. Much better now that I am into my 2nd trimester. Though I am having serious lower back pain. Friday it came to the point that it hurt to walk and hurt to sit. I saw a chiropractor Monday and I have a pinched nerve on my S1. I feel much better now but still can feel where my back is out and need to make sure I don't over due it. I am going to see the chiro until I feel 100% since I don't want any extra complications during labor (goal is natural childbirth again). And I felt the baby move for the first time last night! Today is Gwen's 1/2 birthday and we are going to have a special dessert (strawberry shortcake) in honor of her, since we may not end up doing much for her actual birthday (depending on when her sibling arrives). Happy half birthday Gwen!

18 Month Well Child

2010-03-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Gwen had her first well child appointment (up to this point they have been called well baby). She was asked to take off her shoes before standing on the scale (which I helped with). Then she stood still while her height was measured- it was so cute! She is 27lbs 7oz and 31 inches tall (90th and 89th percentile respectively). She is exceeding all her milestones and developing beautifully (we already knew that ;-)

Eat, Sleep, Play- Do it again!

2010-03-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

I missed doing a 17 month update, and now Gwen is almost 18 months. Rest assured she continues to be amazing. She is talking a lot- seriously new words every day- yesterday she started saying "All done," and today she said bucket- though her words aren't always clear to the untrained ear. I had to put all her 18 month clothes away and pull out her 24 months and 2T clothes since she is growing like a weed! And the last pair of shoes I bought her were a size 6 (which leaves her toes with a little room to grow). She has a great sense of humor and is so much fun. She has cut way back on her nursing (3-4 times a day) and is eating like she has a hollow leg. Now that the weather is nice we have been spending a lot of time in the front and backyards. She keeps picking flowers saying "Nose! Nose!"- evidence of my efforts to get her to smell the flowers not pick them. But why else are they there, to be enjoyed and she is loving them!

Goat!

2010-02-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Gwen and I took a day trip yesterday to Sonoma to visit my Uncle Rich and his girlfriend Katja. They recently got a Mama goat and baby (he isn't even a month old). Gwen had such a good time and couldn't sit still inside for lunch, she kept saying "Goat! Goat!" It was a long drive (2 hrs) but totally doable. Gwen is a great traveler and I am so thankful to be able to do stuff like this with her.

What to Expect When You Are....

2010-02-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

We are expecting New Baby September 20, 2010!
This past Thursday we had our first prenatal appointment and got to see the heartbeat fluttering on our New Baby, or little bean. S/he was hiding in the back corner of my uterus so the sonogram isn't that good, but you can make him/her out in the far left between the two crosses that the OB used to measure head to rump to determine how far along we are (8 weeks and 3 days which is exactly what I thought). The round moon like object above and to the right of little bean is the yoke sac. Spencer and Gwen were there for the first sonogram and Gwen was so amazing. She pointed to the screen of black and white gobbly-gook and said as clear as day, "Baby." It was so awesome. Baby is officially her first 2 syllable word. I am doing really well- just tired (really tired) and a little nauseous. Gwen is still breastfeeding but she has cut back a lot (which is kinda sad, but also a relief). I don't plan on weaning her, and we are not moving! We love our little house and look forward to the challenge of trying to fit our expanding family and all its gear in it.

Sleep Update

2010-01-29T00:13:00.000-08:00

Gwen slept through the night last night for the first time since October! She did wake up at about 11pm to nurse (which was reasonable since she didn't nurse before bed since I was at class). Last night we decided we weren't going to use the monitor anymore- that if she needed anything she would let us know (we had been tending to her at the smallest peep, not wanting her to wake up too much, and thus extend the time and efforts to put her back to sleep). I woke up at 4am surprised that I was sleeping without Gwen attached to my boob, and to be honest, almost missing her. At 4:45am I was in and out of sleep and heard her saying "Meh. Meh. Meh." Her word for milk. She wasn't crying or screaming it out, it is the tone she uses to call me when she knows I am in the other room. I did turn the monitor to see if she was whimpering or crying softly...nothing. She said it a few more times, not as enthusiastically, and then she stopped and presumably went back to sleep without a fuss....ALL BY HERSELF! She, and thus everyone, woke up refreshed and rejuvenated at 7:30am. It was awesome! Hopefully this is not a onetime event.

16 months! (almost)

2010-01-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

Gwen amazes us everyday. She is so active and purposeful with her play. She is like a little butterfly going from toy to toy, or book to book. Sometimes she seems a little frantic like there isn't enough time to look at everything, and other times she will explore intently for numerous minutes the same toy or book. We have many activities we do outside the house (she is just too exhausting to entertain and is so social, she needs to get out of the house). If we have a free morning or afternoon around the house she will get her shoes and her jacket, go to the front door and wave at me saying "Bye?" We then do a little walk down the street (sometimes in our pajamas) to satisfy her need to be out and about. She is definitely into accessories and over the course of the day we will change her shoes numerous times (lately she has been going back and forth between her pink boots and ladybug rain boots). She has favorite sweaters/jackets. Though she is starting to display a little bit of the "I want to be naked behavior"- which I think is just evidence of her inner turmoil of being a toddler. A few times she has demanded that her clothes be taken off (she tries to do it herself and freaks out if she doesn't get the help she needs). Stripped down to her diaper (or birthday suit if there is a bath in her future) she runs around the house screaming with joy at her bodies freedom. She is just amazing- a real little person with likes and dislikes, and she isn't afraid of anything (except the garbage truck).

Reminscing About Christmas

2010-01-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

This was our first Christmas together as a family, and it was lovely. I took great joy in decorating our house and am going to see how long I can get away with keeping the decorations up. Gwen got all kinds of goodies for Christmas and seemed to enjoy the festivities. Some of her favorite gifts: her new silver shoes (pictured), the multicolored knit sweater her Auntie Angelique sent (pictured- seriously as soon as she unwrapped it she started carrying it around the house and trying to put it on), her 'baby' which she is lifting up to show in the picture of her and her Auntie B (the poor doll is moving so fast you can hardly see it!), and of course all the ribbons! I was amazed at Gwen and her new doll which came with a bottle- she actually tries to feed it the bottle and I wasn't expecting to see pretend play so soon. She now knows the sign for baby, orange, please, and hat. She has also been doing a lot of sensory exploration, like shaking her head back and forth, spinning around, putting her ears under the bath water so she can hear underwater, and looking at things upside down and from different angles (like in the picture of her on the stairs). She is just fascinated by everything. I can't wait for next Christmas when she 'gets it' a little bit more.

Gwen's First Year

2010-01-03T11:14:00.001-08:00

Untitled from Arin Crumley on Vimeo.

Gwen Sleep Update

2009-12-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

Gwen has graduated to being a one nap gal. I had been hoping that when we went to one nap she would go to bed earlier, and she does! She has an actual bedtime now (8pm-ish) and she wakes up around 8am-ish, with a nap 1pm-3pm. Now she is not a robot so does not stick to this exactly. Today she only took a 45 minute nap (AT&T repair man fixing internet prevented me from laying down with her to help finish her nap). And she does not actually sleep from 8pm-8am...she goes to sleep around 8pm, then wakes up usually before midnight, then goes back down and wakes up anywhere from 1:30am-4am and during this witching hour it takes about 45 minutes of me nursing and rocking her to get her to go back to sleep. More often than not I do not have the energy to do this and she ends up finishing the night in bed with us (where she nurses every 2 hours!). While we are happy so is going to bed earlier,we really wish she would sleep through the night! Part of it I think is still teething- she has all her teeth on her top right side of her mouth! And only needs 3 more teeth before she has all her baby teeth.

Seasonal Fun with the FLU!

2009-12-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to check in with a quick post. Gwen got a Stomach Bug and was kind enough to share it with us. Friday 12/4 when she woke up in the wee hours of the moring, there was vomit crusted in her hair :-( and she was all pitiful and whiny. Then after getting cleaned up she threw up in our bed after nursing. She had no fever, and little appetite (which seemed to make sense). We assumed she ate something yucky. Fast forward to Saturday and we went out to dinner for quick and dirty Chinese Food. When we got home my stomach ached and I felt bloated and nauseous. Fast Forward to 1:30am when Gwen got up to nurse. I was laying in bed nursing her when I realized I had to go to the bathroom ASAP! And the was the beginning of 8 hours of vomiting and diarrhea (often at the same time)- combined with chills and sweats and a low grade fever. At 2:30am it hit Spencer. We assumed it was the Chinese Food. Gwen had an instance of "change your socks diarrhea" Sunday while our very kind friends watched her (and continued to be very poopy from there on out). As we came out of the fog of nasty bodily fluids it seemed like more than a coincidence that Gwen was vomitty a few days prior. Fast forward to Tuesday and we felt better as Gwen's diarhea became worse and she developed a cough. Tuesday night I was nursing her after she woke up (yes she has not slept through the night in a VERY long time)- and she coughed so hard she through up all her milk on me. Fastforward to our visit with a Pediatrician Thursday who spelled out the symptoms and time lines of Seasonal Flus, including the nasty Stomach Flu which is apparently going around. Starts with vomitting, and as the bug moves down the intestinal track, diarhea which gets worse as the bug is flushed out, and then you are better! With adults, 24-48 hours, with babies 7-10 days.
The moral to the story: wash your hands and practice what you do to avoid getting sick!
Kindly, there are no photos.

14 months: Look Who's Talking!

2009-11-25T21:26:00.001-08:00

Gwen just reached the milestone I think most parents probably dread...she learned how to say- No! It all started with her shaking her head at me, and then a few days later she matched the sign with the word.

Before No! there were many other words and signs (we are doing Baby Sign Language- based on American Sign Language).
-says Hi! and waving hello
-says Bye! and waving goodbye
-says MAMA or MA' MA'
-says Da or dadadada
-Gwen loves our cat Milton and can do the sign for cat and at first said Gath! or Gath? (her official first word) which is now 'itty! or 'itty-at
-signs all done
-signs more (one of her first signs)
-signs bird and says bir
-says plae when she hears a plane
-says ball
-signs food/eat
-signs milk, but until yesterday there were no words attached to these signs. She now enthusiastically says "Eel, Eel, Eel" for Milk.
-signs water She does understand that there are different types of water and signs water for her sippy cup, for my water bottle, and for the lake at the Zoo.
-signs Fish and says 'ish! When we were at the Zoo a Grizzly ate a fish in front of us (very cool) and she did the sign for fish.
-says Doh for dog and does a fancy sign that looks like bird and milk all together
-I just realized she can say nose- sounds like DOH and she points to her nose (or your nose).
-says what sounds like belly button and points to her belly button

Though she does not speak on demand, and sometimes doesn't try to speak or sign (especially if it seems like it should be obvious what she is communicating- like pulling on my shirt to let me know she wants to nurse- we are still working on nursing manners). Gwen says a lot more, and sometimes looks like she is signing (deliberately moving her hands/fingers), but this is all we understand so far. Not too bad for 14 months :-)

Grinch photo link

2009-11-25T21:23:00.000-08:00

Click here to see our photo with the Grinch.

The Grinch Stole Last Christmas- Not this Year!

2009-11-17T21:38:00.001-08:00

The Grinch stole last Christmas, so I thought we would embrace his grinchiness this year and get started early. I took Gwen to have her photo taken with the Grinch at Santa Row in San Jose. I don't like to do Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving, but couldn't pass up this opportunity. It was a a long wait to get our photo taken, followed by another long wait to purchase our photo. But there was live music and I got a free hot chocolate. Gwen was a little frightened by the Grinch, so she got to sit on my lap, and I sat on the floor in front of the his grinchiness for our $10 photo (it turned out ok, but the jury is still out on whether or not it was all worth it). Gwen's 2nd nap got pushed a bit late (like by 2 hours!), but she was a trooper (though my arms are soooo sore from having to carry her). She was very excited with all the festivities and enjoyed dancing to the live music. Next year I will follow the retailers example and be early.

Gwen really loves to dance!

Riding our Bicycle

2009-11-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

We bought a bike trailer a few weeks ago ad have been going on Saturday morning rides. Gwen surprised us by loving her helmet. She is not a huge fan of the trailer, but doesn't protest either. This last ride was our 3rd one and I pulled the trailer. It felt like someone was pulling my back, but once you get going it isn't too bad. On our ride I heard some music and it got a little tune in my head. I started humming one of the songs from our Music Together class...then I realized the music was Gwen singing to herself. It was sooo cute!

I Pee, You Pee, We all pee for Pee Pee!

2009-11-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

I just had to share that Gwen peed in her new potty last night for the first time!!! I just got her a potty day before yesterday and am introducing the idea (letting her sit on it when I go potty, since yes she hangs out with me when I use the bathroom). I thought if she needs a diaper change anyway I might as well take her diaper off and let her sit naked on her potty. We did that a few times yesterday, and the last time before bed it worked! We will see if it happens again ;-)

13 months and Halloween

2009-11-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

Gwen and I went to a pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay to look at pumpkins and be festive. She enjoyed running around from pumpkin to pumpkin.

Our playgroup had a Halloween party last Friday at a local park and it was so cute to see all the babies (I mean toddlers!) in their costumes. Gwen enjoyed wearing her costume and its extra padding proved helpful on the playground.

On Halloween we went to downtown Sunnyvale to trick or treat at the shops on Murphy Street. Gwen was a little confused at first, but got into it when she realized that people were loving her costume. Someone told her if there was a costume contest she would have won. Her choice candy was lollipops (I think they were more interesting to pick out of the candy bowl with their sticks poking up). One of her favorite things to do is to pick up stuff and put it in bags, so she really got into the whole trick or treating thing. Palace Cafe gave her a ghost shortbread cookie and that was the extent of the sweets she had (yes we ate her candy!). We also dressed up, me as a cow (since I am still nursing I thought this would be hilarious), and Spencer as a pig (going with the whole farm theme). We had such a lovely and fun evening and look forward to many more Halloweens.

Disneyworld

2009-10-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Brian and Cheri live in Memphis, and when they invited us to join them on their family vacation in Orlando we jumped on the opportunity. We went to the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom, and spent a lot of time at our vacation home rental swimming and relaxing (relaxing!). Gwen did so well and was such a trooper. It was super HOT- in the 90's with humidity making it feel like 100. The Animal Kingdom was probably our favorite- there was an animal safari that was really cool and a petting zoo. Gwen was amazing on the flights and I think it was because we had a stopover and the flight times were pretty much during her nap time (perfect!). We had a great time visiting with our friends and can't wait to see them all again.
Brian and Cheri's daughter Amber (5yrs old) was so cute- we hadn't seen her since she was around 2 yrs old. My favorite part of the trip was one morning when Gwen had just gotten up and I was nursing her in bed, Spencer was still sleeping. I hear a little knock on the door and I tell her she can come in. Amber crawls right up on the bed between me and Spencer and snuggles in next to Gwen who is still nursing. We had the sweetest conversation about how she was hungry and what we should make for breakfast and why babies drink Mama's milk. she told me Mama's need to drink lots of milk to make Mama's milk. So sweet!

Gwen's Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe

2009-10-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

I modified a recipe from May All Be Fed: A Diet for New World, by John Robbins. The actual recipe is for Ginger Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze. I thought the orange made it taste reminiscent of a nasty fruit cake so I used lemon to brighten the flavors. And since this was for Gwen I didn't use fresh Ginger since I was going for a more mild flavor. Since this was a Birthday Cake I made a real cream cheese frosting, making the final product not vegan.

Gwen's Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe
3/4 cup unfiltered apple juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup maple syrup
zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cups carrots
2 cups flour (original recipe calls for whole wheat pastry four)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger (powdered) (original recipe calls for 2 tsp fresh ginger)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
(original recipe 1 cup chopped walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil and powder with flour 8 inch cake pan
Put apple juice, oil and raisins, maple syrup, and lemon zest in a blender and blend until smooth
Add carrots and blend to desired texture (I blended real smooth).
In a large bowl mix dry ingredients.
Add the wet mixture and mix until blended (use as few strokes as possible).
Fold in nuts if using them.
Put batter in pan and use spatula to spread evenly.
Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes.

*Note about raisins. Original recipe calls for regular raisins, but I found the golden raisins blend in better to produce a more cake like result. Also, it calls for setting aside 1/2 cup of the raisins to fold in with the nuts, but again, I think blending them calls for a more cake like result.

From The Tassajara Bread Book:

Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sweet butter at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Cream together cream cheese and butter.
Slowly sift in powdered sugar (I don't bother with sifting :-)
Beat until mixture has no lumps.
Stir in lemon and vanilla.

Enjoy!

Celebrating One!

2009-10-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing birthday party last Sunday for Gwen. Thanks to all our family and friends that were able to join us. Gwen had a great time (I know because she took a 3 hour nap afterwards!). I made her a 'smash' cake, but she was satisfied eating her cake with a fork (now that she is a big girl she wants to feed herself). I am super proud of the cake (vegan no sugar added carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting). Her Uncle Arin made a video of Gwen's 1st year- more of a photo montage including our car accident and photos of Gwen and her Great Grandfather Jim who passed away so it is a real tear jerker. As soon as he posts it on youtube we will post the link. Thanks again for joining us celebrating Gwen!

12 Months!

2009-09-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

Gwen had her 12 month well baby visit yesterday and she has an ear infection. I hoped we could go the first year without one (almost made it!). She had a cold that turned into an infection in her left ear and now she needs to take an antibiotic (for the 1st time). Other than that she is developing right on target. She doesn't weigh as much as we thought she would, 22lbs 2 oz (which is the 70th percentile), but she has really grown in height: 2ft 7.5 in which is the 99th percentile!!! She is turning into a string bean! Oh, and her noggin is in the 87th percentile, so she may end up having Spencer's big head. She has been extra fussy, but also extra cuddly since she isn't feeling well. Her and I slept together last night (she has been up every 2 hours the last 2 nights). She was so sweet- at one point while we were lying down she curled up in the fetal position with her head in my lap and her bum up near my chest and I was reminded of when she was in my belly just last year. I lay there rubbing her bum just as I would when I was pregnant with her and it was a really special moment. She seems to already be feeling better so I think she should be fine for her birthday :-)

Night of the Walking Gwen

2009-09-24T23:44:00.000-07:00

The much anticipated Gwen walking video (from 3 nights ago). She is wearing her pajamas and a poncho our friend Rachel made her for her birthday (thanks Rachel!). She grabbed the poncho out of the gift bag in her room and put it on herself.

I love this picture :-) She has great teeth and has started using her toothbrush (though this usually devolves into her chewing on the bristles and trying to rip them out).

I was getting breakfast together when Gwen came to explore the fridge and grabbed a strawberry. She did this once before- Spencer looked down and she was already eating it. So this morning I thought I would let her go at it. After nibbling the green bits she decided to squeeze the life out of it in her baby fist.

Gwen got into my knitting and played with this ball of yarn for a significantly long time. I like the zombie baby walk she does. This video was taken 10 days ago.