And she crawls.

It's been a big week for our little Button... standing, crawling, saying all sorts of fun sounds and squeals.  Her crawl is a left-knee-down, right-foot up-sort of thing.  She doesn't like both knees down at once.  She goes two moves forward and then needs a rest.  She'll be zooming around before long.  She is so proud of herself.  We are, too.  Have an awesome weekend!

She was after this.

Macro-Study: After the Rain

 

We're in Trouble

Look what she can do!

Only in New York

This was a conversation on our way to work.  Bug was referring to the telephone poles.

Bug: Do monkeys climb those?

Me: Maybe, but not here.

Bug: Why not here?

Me: Because we don't have monkeys in this country.

Bug: Oh, they're in New York.

Summer Reading - Book Reviews

Because you care what I think about what I’m reading, right?!  These are my very poorly written book reviews of what I’ve had my nose in recently.

Remember this photo from my "I might have a problem" post?  Well, I've finished some of these books and haven't the others.  I'm still working on Brat, Understanding Exposure, and Mommy Mantras.  Guess I've been more interested in the leisurely reads lately!  Here's my two cents:

The Hunger Games – By Suzanne Collins. Fun, quick read.  I loved it, although, I’m not sure why because the whole futuristic/World-is-not-what-we-knew-it-to-be type of story is not my typical cup of tea.  Add to that that it’s about children fighting to the death.  I really can’t believe I even read it, but I loved it and I’ve just finished the second of the three books in the series!  To get an idea of what an easy read it is, I finished The Hunger Games in just three days, while nursing Button or before bed.  They’re making a movie now (due next March), with a total of four films planned.  Yay!

Baby-Led Weaning –  By Rapley and Murkett.  Good for those clueless about this style of introducing first foods, but I honestly didn’t read through the first chapters about the history of feeding babies, other parents’ stories, etc., etc.  I cut right to the middle where it talks about what foods to start with, when, how, and most important to me – won’t they choke?!  I got the info I needed (gagging is good!  Well… it serves a purpose anyway) and then tucked it away to refer to when Button’s a bit older and is ready to move onto more complicated foods.

Organized Simplicity – By Tsh Oxenreider.  Remember my theme for the year?  Simplicity.  I’m sticking with it and while I’ve read through this entire book, I haven’t yet completed the assignments.  I’ve worked my way (slowly) through my house to de-clutter.  I’m just about done, with the exception of the basement storage room.  It feels so great to put out the donation bags for the local Cancer Federation full of clothing and stuff we now longer need or use.  I’m waiting to do the whole house room-by-room heavy cleaning until I can fling open the windows again.  Fall project!! 

Planting Dandelions – I saw a review of this book and I thought it sounded like something I’d enjoy, so I put it on my Amazon wishlist.  Several weeks went by and I was surprised (thanks, honey!) when it arrived on my doorstep in the recognizable brown box with a smile.   At first, I had mixed feelings about this book.  It’s a memoir and while I was enjoying the read, I kept thinking to myself “why am I reading about someone else’s life when I hardly have time to function within my own?”  But, I kept reading.  And I liked it!  And although I didn’t always relate to the author’s life experience, there were other times when I truly felt she could have been peeking through the windows of my home and writing exactly what she saw.  For as many blogs as I follow, I might be the only person who read this book before knowing the author is a successful blogger by the same name.

Simplicity Parenting – By Kim John Payne. GREAT book!!  That’s all I’m going to say right now. I’m going to do a whole post on this later.

 

There it is!  Now, onto book three of the Hunger Games! Oh, I will be so sad when I’ve finished them all… So excited  for the movies!

We're Cookin'!

My Mommy Manifesto

Before Bug was born, I started my own Mommy Manifesto.  It’s just a list of “must do’s” that I made for myself as I imagined becoming a parent.  I continued adding to it once he was born, but I haven’t looked at it in well over a year.  I pulled it out the other day. 

My Mommy Manifesto:

·         Honor the importance of family meals

·         Do activities together, rather than acting as a chauffeur

·         Don’t overschedule

·         Talk about each day’s highlights and disappointments

·         Grow a garden together

·         Share passions

·         Volunteer

·         Enjoy the outdoors

·         Travel, travel, travel

·         Day trips – explore locally

·         Write down goals and work toward them

·         Save money together

·         Cook together

·         Meditate together

·         Be and encourage good role models

·         Find their unique gifts and foster them

·         Laugh!

·         Relax!

·         Try to experience something new everyday

·         Always greet them with enthusiasm

·         Stay educated so I make wise choices

·         Take care of myself so I can be a giving and forgiving mom

·         Create traditions

Many of the things I wrote down, we do without even thinking about.  Some practices will come a bit further down the road as the kids get older and others I definitely need to work on.  Even if I fail in some of these areas, I hope that, no matter what, they know they were loved.

Avocado Everywhere

The Boy with the Amazing Memory

The things that come out of my son’s mouth often surprise me.  He is smart, funny, and more often than not lately… sassy, but the thing that amazes me the most is when he tells us a memory.  My earliest memories start at around three years old and they are very foggy.  I *think* I remember going to see my sister at the hospital with my dad just after she was born.  In this memory, he’s holding me at the nursery window and I’m wearing a yellow dress.  I honestly have no idea if that’s accurate or something I conjured up (dad??), but it’s what I feel like was my earliest memory.  I was 2-1/2 years old. 

My son’s keen memory started before he could speak.  When his Aunt Juju visited us when he was a baby, she played a blinking game with him.  She would blink her eyes and he would blink back.  I didn’t see them playing their little game and only found out about it after she’d left our house.  In fact, if I remember correctly, it was a couple of months later when she was talking to him on the phone.  He was sitting in his high chair, listening to her talk to him and he started blinking his eyes.  I noticed it right away, but didn’t say anything.  He kept doing it.  I told my sister “Bug keeps blinking funny” and she said something along the lines of “Really?!?  We were playing a blinking game when I visited!  Maybe he remembers that?”  He did!  He recognized her voice and was played their game over the phone.  He was between six and nine months old.

  August 2009

As I write this (on Wednesday), we’re on our way to the airport to see my husband’s parents.  They have a long layover before heading to Ireland at an airport just a couple hours from our house and we’re taking the kids to visit with them.  As we started driving, Bug says “I remember I give you my pretzels on the airplane.”  That he did.  “And then I falled asleep.”  Yes, he did.  Bug is 3-1/2 years old.  The last time we flew, he wasn’t yet two.   We flew a lot that summer, getting in a bunch of family visits before we’d have to pay for his seat.  Earlier this week when we talked about our upcoming outing to the airport, he said we have to find the wheels for his car seat.  He remembers that I had a car seat carrier on wheels that he rode through the airpo. By the way, if you travel with a baby or toddler, they are awesome!  Ours broke (we bought it used on ebay) and I threw it away long ago.  I truly am astonished that he can remember it.  I'm blown away that he can remember these things!

Worldwide Breastfeeding Week

Breastfeeding is something I’m quite passionate about.  There’s nothing that compares.  I could try to describe the connection I feel with my kids while nursing them, but I don’t have the words.  It’s just awesome.  I started my nursing relationship modestly, but before long, I had the courage to do it just about anywhere.  Once we took our show on the road, I thought it would be pretty cool to record all of the places my little man had breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  To celebrate Worldwide Breastfeeding Week, I’m sharing my list of all those places.  The girl and I are keeping it a little closer to home, purely because we don’t get out as much, but we have hit several states and the Pirate Festival! 

Have Boobs, Will Travel!

Phillies Game

76’ers Game

Washington DC – Watershed, Botanical Gardens, Capitol City Brewpub, Cherry Festival Lawn

Pickety Place, NH

Fanieul Hall, Boston, MA

Fort MacGuire Air Force Base, NJ

The Battery Park, Iron Hill Park, Brandywine Zoo, DE

Rehoboth Beach, DE

Somewhere on the road in VA, NC, GA, FL, OH, PA, MD, SC, MI

Sanibel Island, FL

Dressage at Devon Horse Show – at the Grand Prix

And countless restaurants and homes of friends and family!

Where have you taken your nursling on the road?