Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Zumpkin in the Garden

Our garden is doing amazing this year! We planted it late (April 26th) and even though we planted late, our garden is just about done. Strange since last year I was canning salsa and tomato sauce the end of September. We had a great harvest of lemon cucumbers (Gwen's favorite) and tomatoes (including my favorite Purple Cherokee). We had quite a few volunteer tomatoes, including a yellow pear that grew between the garage wall and the cement deck just outside our back door. We still have some tomatoes that need to ripen, a few green beans on the vine, and we have started the battle with the squirrels for our squash, `pumpkins and corn. They like to nibble- it was all we could do to save the sunflowers! Below is a pic of what was supposed to be an heirloom zucchini- it apparently cross pollinated and became what we are calling a zumpkin. With most of our harvest I have been able to make baby food for Gwen. After steaming, then pureeing the vegetable, I freeze it in cubes for storage in the freezer. It is so cool to be able to feed Gwen food we have grown!























Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Road Trip to SoCal and Back

Last weekend we visited some of our SoCal family and friends. It took us 8 hours to drive to my Aunt's house in Orange County- Gwen was a trooper. We had a great visit with my Aunt Pam and Uncle Tom, and cousins Denise and Warren. My sister Angel arranged for a cookout on the beach (Corona del Mar) with all of us and her inlaws Chris and Larry (they even had a veggie burger for me :-) Gwen did great at the beach and really enjoyed picking up the sand and letting it fall between her fingers- and sneaking a mouthful every now and then! My Dad was really excited to see Gwen again and had a great time trying to entertain her (not difficult as she is easily amused). We have some great pictures of Angel's dogs and Gwen, but they are trapped on Spencer's iphone. I will post later about Gwen's obsession with dogs. Spencer flew back Sunday for work and I hung around for another few days visiting with friends and family. I went to Newport Beach to visit my old coworker Sunshine and her little baby boy (I hadn't seen her since our wedding!). And I visited with our friends the Turner's and their 18 month old and 3 year old. Gwen had a great time playing with them! I drove home just me and Gwen in 2 days. It took 5 hours to drive from Orange County to Santa Maria where I stayed overnight with my friend Malia's parents (Kai and Mary who are so much fun!). The next day it again took 5 hours almost exactly to drive the rest of the way home. Gwen slept almst the whole time both days (2 hour nap, stop for diaper change and lunch, play in car, nap until we got home)! She was such a good little traveler. But then she came down with a nasty cold...so that might have been why she was so sleepy.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Happy Anniversary!

One of the things I hope we teach Gwen is how to be in a loving relationship. Spencer and I celebrated the day we met 14 years ago, and today is our 4 year wedding anniversary. Last night we went out to a way fancy dinner at Chez TJ in Mountain View and then out to a movie (Funny People which might be the funniest movie I have ever seen). Thank you sooooo much to Gwen's Auntie B who spent the evening with her so we could go out!

I really wanted to post our wedding video, but youtube removed the audio :-(

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Summer Update!

Gwen is having a great first summer. She sprouted her top front teeth both of them within 3 days of each other. This was really intense. During this time she fell in love with corn on the cob (I let her chew on my spent husk). Teething can be really taxing on a baby's body and immune system, making them vulnerable to illness, and sure enough she got a nasty cold (fever of 102.6, cold, sore throat, congestion, etc). It lasted a week and she got her Gram (Spencer's Mom) sick and I got a little of the congestion and sore throat. She stopped eating and couldn't sleep well so it was a lot of nursing and sleeping with me in bed. This was the first time she has ever been sick (except for two cases of sniffles which I don't think count). Back to the great summer...we went camping for a day with her Auntie B who celebrated her birthday camping up near the Navarro River. Gwen went swimming in the river (more like a trickle of a creak this time of year), and seemed to enjoy it for a few minutes until she got a little chilly. She has been swimming a few other times at her Grandpa's and friend and she just loves it!
We have been spending a lot of time in our garden and Gwen has fallen in love with Lemon Cucumbers. I will cut one in half for her and she will hallow it out eating all the fleshy parts (including the seeds!). It is a cool and refreshing snack. Yes she has a boo-boo on her face. She has a little road rash from falling on the asphalt- I am just glad she didn't give herself a black eye she fell so hard! Her second love is dirt. Hanging out in the garden has become less and less productive for me as I have to chase after her so she doesn't dig handfuls of dirt and put them in her mouth. She is definitely growing. My Mom got her a onesie that says "Does this Diaper Make Me Look Fat" (yes she has a mouthful of dirt). Well it is size 12 months and you can't tell, but she is wearing it like a t-shirt- it won't snap, not even with a disposable diaper. We are getting ready to do a road trip to Southern California to visit friends and family, which should be an adventure.