Just in case you’re looking for another awesome (and frequently updated, unlike *some* blogs) blog to read, I thought I should mention that one of my best friends, Demery, has finally joined the blogosphere.
Demery is a writer, and her blog features daily writing prompts. She invites her readers to compose their own take on each day’s prompt and to share it in the comments section of each post.
So! Head on over to Write Away Every Day and see what prompt Demery is sharing with us today.
(While reading this post, please keep in mind that I have a true phobia of all things creeping and crawly. Thank you.)
One thing I love about living right next door to one of the many local parks is that Jude get to interact with kids from a wide, wide age range. Sometimes he ends up sitting next to mamas who have their babies snuggled next to them in their ERGO baby carriers, and sometimes he ends up playing a variation of soccer with some elementary-aged kids. Jude especially loves playing with the older children; and one boy he has really connected with is an eight-year-old named Jameson.
Jude and Jameson ran into each other (almost literally) one day on the playground. The chased each other up and down the slide and all around the play structure. After playing for a while, Jameson asked Jude if he’d like to dig for worms. Jude said “Sure!” and I just smiled and followed behind them as they ran across the park to a dirt-filled area.
Dear Readers,
I’m writing to you from my almost food coma. Tonight’s dinner was so, so yummy, I just had to share the menu (and some recipes!) with you.
I started out by making some fresh basil pesto.* I used the pesto not only as sauce for our pasta, but also as stuffing for the white button mushrooms we got at Saturday’s farmers’ market. To make, I simply removed the stem of the mushroom and filled the resulting cavity with pesto and topped it with a touch of grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Then I placed the stuffed mushrooms in a baking dish, drizzled the mushrooms with extra virgin olive oil, and put the dish under the broiler–on low–for about seven minutes. I chopped the mushrooms stems and reserved them to mix in with the pasta. Finally, I prepared a yummy bruschetta** to use atop some crusty bread we had in the house.
So, in case you can’t quite follow my typing, tonight Josh, Jude and I enjoyed
Fresh basil pesto-stuffed button mushrooms
Bruschetta
Pasta with fresh basil pesto and chopped mushrooms
I so wish you could have joined us.
*I halved this recipe because I didn’t have five cups of basil on hand. I also omitted the walnuts and used Pecorino Romano cheese instead of Parmesan.
**Instead of garlic powder, I used a bulb of fresh green garlic. I also topped the bruschetta with a sprinkling of Pecorino Romano cheese.
Hey you! Yes, you! The reader(s) who are subscribed to this blog via RSS or email! Listen up… I’ve got some news for you.
And other times has recently undergone a make over. You all should click over to my home page and check out the new design. Josh is still doing a bit of customization, and I’m working on updating a few of the static pages, but for all intents and purpose, we’re a-go!
Also, you may remember seeing an Amazon banner on my old site. There’s a similar banner here, and it signifies the fact that I’m an Amazon Associate. That means that if you click on that banner (or any Amazon link in any of my posts) and go on to purchase something, I earn a (small) percentage of the purchase price. Additionally, you might not have noticed (but you should!) that there’s an ERGO Baby Carrier banner hanging out with the Amazon banner in this blog’s right hand column. I’ve recently hooked up with ERGO and have become an associate for them, as well. I have to tell you, I’m super excited to advertise for this company. I don’t know how I would have survived without my ERGO carrier. Heck! At nearly 3 years old, Jude still fits in in comfortably and utilizes it whenever we’re out an about and he needs a rest. If you want to read about my experience with my ERGO, read this post. Then, after you read it, go ahead and buy one for yourself. It’s the most useful piece of baby gear Josh and I own. I promise it won’t disappoint!
Keep your eyes peeled for more frequent and consistent posting, friends. I’m hopping back on the wagon.
Back when I thought Jude was giving up his one daily nap, I started thinking about what I could do to fill those extra “awake” hours. Jude usually naps around mid-day, for anywhere between 45 and 90 minutes. (Rarely do we get a 2-hour nap these days. *sigh*) Sometimes we do lunch before he goes down; sometimes I throw something together as soon as he gets up. Our days are fairly fluid, and I like that.
Anyway. At some point I had the thought (“Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear.”) that it might be nice to do a picnic lunch with Jude a few times a week. We live right next to a park with a fair number of trees and shade, so we could easily find some empty space to spread out a blanket and plop ourselves down. I had grand ideas of buying a real picnic basket and filling it with yummy foods and snacks and a red and white checkered blanket. Maybe a few books, too.
Since Jude is once again napping (thankyouJesusChristAlmighty), this picnic idea has moved from the “ways to keep myself sane” column to the “fun things to do with Jude just for the hell of it” column on my list of daily activities. However, now I’m a bit stumped as to what to actually take on a picnic lunch. ALTs seem a little too messy; quesadillas and burritos would likely be cold by the time we got around to eating them; and I don’t know if Jude would eat a cold pasta dish. Hmmm. Also, I’m wondering if the boy will even bother to eat if we’re outside. He may forego it in favor or running around all crazy like. Am I nuts to even attempt this (without backup)?
So, assuming I give my picnic idea a go, do any of you have any tried and true picnic lunch ideas you can pass along to me? Have you ever picnicked with a toddler? What were the results? HALP!
Primarily I use this blog as a way to chronicle Jude’s life. The past few posts (and likely a majority of the next few posts) have been very “me” heavy, and for those of you who just don’t care, I apologize. Some of you have expressed an interest in reading about my doctor’s appointments and my progress through PT. If you are one of the latter, here’s an update:
On Friday, while Jude and his babysitter played at Day Frog, Josh and I met with Kenji Muro, a fantastic neurosurgen at Northwestern. Dr. Muro squeezed us into his schedule with less than 24 hours notice, and for that, I am eternally grateful. So, the appointment went well and ended with Dr. Muro prescribing physical therapy for me (as well as some meds for my pain). At this point, I’m waiting to try the new medication that Dr. Muro prescribed until after I’ve tried PT for a few weeks. I dislike drugs. I dislike, nay, I HATE putting that shit into my body. I realize that there is a time and a place for pain pills, and that yes, this *is* probably one of those times and places when they are warranted, but still, I will wait and see how my body does without them.
This morning I had my PT evaluation at Athletico in Evanston. Overall, I thought it was a good session. The PT was personable, thoughtful, and knowledgeable. He put heat on my back and did some deep tissue massage and showed me a handful of back/core exercises that I’m to do 2-3 times per day, every day. I go back on Friday for my next session and will be going twice a week until my checking account runs dry. I’m really hopeful that the PT will be enough, that I won’t have to rely on pain pills or muscle relaxants to avoid or manage the pain for the rest of my life. I suppose only time will tell.
Through all of this, Josh and Jude have been wonderful. Whenever I leave to go somewhere, Jude asks, “Go doctor?” He has also been great about helping me around the house. If I drop something on the floor, Jude will pick it up for me without hesitation. He is also being really good about climbing onto the bed for me for diaper changes so that I don’t have to lift him.
Josh is a superstar of a husband. He has been taking care of Jude and the house and me, without complaint, for nearly two weeks now. He is such a source of strength for me. I’m not sure what I would do without him.
I imagine that the next few weeks are going to be tough for me–I’m going to have to learn what my limitations are and relearn the proper way to lift and bend and sit. Luckily for all of us, we have a friend coming to stay at our place for two weeks… I’m really glad to know we’re going to have an extra set of hands on deck.
Dear Jude,
You’re growing up too fast. Please slow down.
These past two months have been really amazing, Jude. Every day I find myself wishing I had a little notebook and pen on hand to make note of the new things you’re doing and saying.
You eat with regular-sized forks and spoons. You’ve been doing this for a while, but it was just a week or two ago that it really struck me. If Papa or I forget to give you a napkin, you ask for one, and then you use it of your own accord. Somehow you’ve figured out how to eat your soup, cereal, and oatmeal over the bowl, and if you happen to make a mess, you promptly tell us “I spill!” so we can clean it up. Immediately.
You’ve discovered the joy of playing in the snow. Grandma Rose sent you a wooden sled as a surprise (the surprise is, we live in Chicago! It’s flat here!), and a few weeks before Christmas, we got to take it out for a spin. That day, Papa and I took turns pulling you all around the (very flat) park. You call it your “plane” and you ask to take it out even when the ground is dry.
I would be neglectful if I didn’t mention how your use of the English language is growing by leaps and bounds these days. You’re speaking in full (or nearly fully) sentences. You sing along to Weezer and the Alkaline Trio. Before bed we sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or O Christmas Tree! (even though Christmas is over). You wouldn’t believe the amount of joy Papa and I feel whenever we hear you sing.
Since Christmas you’ve become a one-man-band. During the early morning hours, you like to strum your guitar or play your harmonica or sing. Once 9am rolls around and your drumsticks wake up, it’s a constant clanging of sticks together and the shouts of “One, Two, Three, Four!” coming from your lips. Papa and I love listening to you make music, and luckily, none of the neighbors have complained!
Sometime over the past two months you’ve cut way back on nursing… so far, in fact, that I can probably say that you’ve self-weaned and are done. So! Instead of nursing to sleep, during Advent we adopted a new bedtime routine. Each night we lit the candle(s) on our Advent wreath and read a prayer from the Celtic Daily Prayer
Recently, I spent three days in the hospital. Away from you. Oh, Monkey. I know it sounds melodramatic, but JesusChristAlmighty I missed you. I didn’t want to stay. I didn’t want to be admitted, but I had no choice–I couldn’t walk. While I was at the hospital, your new friend Erin helped you make a card for me. I was so excited to get it. I put it on my bedside table and looked at it whenever I felt sad. When I got home on Tuesday night, you were so happy! You gave me some great (and gentle) hugs and showed me the paintings you had created with our friend Sarah. Maybe I’m making it up Jude, but you seem to have grown so much in those three days we were apart. You seem to be speaking so much more clearly now than you were before I went away. We’re having real conversations… you’re able to tell me about all the things you did and all the toys you played with during the day. Could all of that really have happened over a three-day span? And if so, why did it happen during the three days we were apart?
Witnessing how much you’ve grown over the past two months has me thinking about what life with you will be like tomorrow, next week, next month… I feel so very ready for you to grow up and so very sad that there’s no avoiding it. Sometimes I look at you and wonder where my baby boy has gone. Other times I get caught up in a daydream of what you might be like when you get older. I love you, Jude.
Love,
Mama
This is the first year since Jude’s birth that Josh and I are celebrating Advent in any real sort of way. I got the idea to make an Advent calendar out of mini (homemade!) envelopes from a 2007 post by Andrea over at a peek inside the fishbowl. The idea is to stuff the envelopes with a piece of paper upon which is written a special activity. Each day during Advent, you open the corresponding envelope to find out what the day’s activity is going to be. When I saw Andrea’s finished product (and list of activities she was planning to do with her family), I got so excited that I made Josh take me shopping supplies that night.
Here’s a list of the activities we’re planning for this wonderful season of Advent. I’m a few short at the moment, so I’ll update this list as I think of more fun things to do!
Light Advent Candle 11/29 — Done!
Make paper snowflakes and decorate windows 11/30 — Done!
Make pumpkin cranberry bread for COS college freshmen 12/1 — Done!
Read lots of Christmas-themed books 12/2
Bake cookies 12/3
Movie Night-Claymation Movie(s) 12/4
Get/Decorate Christmas Tree 12/5
Celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day/Light Advent Candle 12/6
Make Christmas cards for family and friends 12/7
12/8
Make Styrofoam snowmen 12/9
Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo 12/10
Movie Night-How the Grinch Stole Christmas 12/11
Make cinnamon rolls 12/12
Light Advent Candle 12/13
Go to Charmers for a sweet treat and a hot drink 12/14
12/15
12/16
COS Christmas Pageant 12/17
Movie Night-Charlie Brown Christmas 12/18
Go downtown and look at all the window displays 12/19
Light Advent Candle 12/20
12/21
Ride the CTA Holiday Train 12/22
Wrap presents 12/23
Unwrap “Christmas Eve gifts” 12/24
***Christmas celebration w/friends (not sure of a date, yet).
Here are some pictures of the finished Advent calendar, our Advent wreath, and the activities we’ve completed! (Sorry for the poor photo quality. I’m having a tough time with our fancy camera. I think it’s time to admit that I just don’t have a knack for photography.)
Our completed Advent calendar:
First Day of Advent:
Second Day of Advent:
Third Day of Advent:
I’m going to try to post a picture from each of our daily Advent activities. If you have any suggestions for fun thing we can do on our “empty” days, feel free to leave a comment on this post!
I think one of the sweetest things Jude does is say “Bless you, Mama” when I sneeze. It’s a little thing; a small nicety, but it melts my heart every time.
Jude will also repeatedly ask “OKAY? OKAY?” if he sees someone who is upset. If he’s the cause of the hurt, he’ll often say “Sorry” without prompting. (What is it with prompting or requiring kids to apologize anyway? Seems kind of worthless if it isn’t said of their own volition. I digress.)
Oh! And anytime Jude is on the phone, talking to someone who’s real or someone who’s pretend, he ends the calls by saying, “Okay. Bye,” and giving the person on the other end a big smooch.
These sweet things are what get me through the rough days. Also, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. (I kid! I kid!… kind of.)
A few months ago, walking to one of the nearby L stations would have taken five minutes, top. A trip to the library, maybe fifteen. Now these trips take a lot longer.
Jude used to ride on my belly or my back in our Ergo Baby Carrier. Now, most of the time, he prefers to walk. This new bit of independence has done more than drive me batty (because, honestly, walking to the L should not take as long as it does some days); it has left me utterly speechless.
Have you ever seen the world through the eyes of a toddler? I have, and those eyes see everything: There’s a squirrel, and another and another. Now they’re chasing each other. What do you think they’re doing? Looking for something to eat? Look! There’s a bunch of birds. And yes, there’s a leaf and there’s a leaf, and well, Jude-there are lots of leaves on the ground. Ahhh! a stick! Right! We can pretend to play the drums using large twigs as drums sticks. And then there are rocks… there are lots of rocks on the ground. Flowers, they smell good, and green leafy plants? Right, might as well smell them too. And, “Mama! Cars! Cars! Cars!” Oh yes, that’s a man, uh huh, and a baby, and right, a girl. And there are some more rocks. Oh! A dog. TWO dogs! Wow! There’s a door and a window and yes, Jude, the bricks feel rough. Trees! Yes, I see the trees! Uh huh, there’s an airplane in the sky, and yes, Monkey, I see the cars.
This happens day after day, walk after walk. And, you might not believe me, but I find Jude’s exploration and his commentary exhilarating! Before these shared walks, I hadn’t “stopped to smell the roses.” Ever. I didn’t notice the antics of the neighborhood squirrels or birds, and I paid no attention to the butterflies. Now when we walk, well, I allow a lot more time for each errand–that’s a given, but I also slow down. Jude and I have long, thoughtful conversations. He and I… we enjoy living.
