Sleep Ninja

This little boy gave me a run for my money today.

It doesn't take much time for one little boy to fill so many diapers...over and over and over again...

Laughing at Daddy! Yes, his outfit fits him. It looks like the buttons are bursting open but they're not. I got it at a thrift store and I think it's been washed and worn so many times that the material curls out.

He fussed and carried on every time I put him down for a nap today. He ate fine. He laughed and smiled and played during playtime. But he would not nap. I tried every trick I knew. I even rubbed my fingers on his gums to check for teeth (which he thought was hilarious). The Sleep Ninja had returned with a vengeance.

He won a few battles.

But he did not win the war.

Mama's bedtime routine rang in the victory. Sleep Ninja is snoring in his crib. Tomorrow is a new day.

Be prepared for pictures....

It's 7:00 on a Saturday morning, and I've been up for an hour and a half...and that was the Sleeping In edition. I'm tired, and the telltale scratch in my throat warns me that the cold-cloud is hanging over my head...but the house is quiet - even the dog is sacking it in! - and I treasure these moments with my feet up on the couch to let my mind wander, read, download pictures, blog...whatever I want to do. I'm sipping my tea and enjoying myself...and isn't that what Saturday mornings are for, anyway??

I've been SO behind on posting pictures or blogging at all. So I'll catch you all up with a nauseating array of shots from the past several weeks -

- oh, just heard the telltale creak on the steps, opened the door and Molly poured out like water. I have her quiet company now -

...where was I? Oh, nauseating array of shots! Levi is growing faster than a Hollywood romance and is the delight of our hearts. He's a smiley (though SO DIFFICULT to get that smile on camera! I pull out the camera and he stops smiling at me and concentrates on the CAMERA), cooing, flirtatious, banging-his-legs-on-the-floor/mattress/changing pad little boy. He's not much of a fusser, sometimes sleeps through the night (often he just wakes up and needs his pacifier to get back to sleep...somehow his thumb got lost and we're working on reclaiming it), and often he'll stop mid-feed just to smile and "talk" to me. What a joy!!!!

Aunt Ellen, had to show you the Texas onesie he already started fitting into a month ago!!
This pic is already "old" - he looks so little in it!

Clearly someone other than Levi enjoys the Boppy...

He's starting to not scream during tummy time - the little mirror really helps!! And yes, that IS a wine glass you see on the table in the background filled with pacifiers...because let's just call it what it really is: an addiction!!!

The onesie you gave me, Kelly!

He looks greasy here because I had just slathered his face with olive oil - the best way I've found to get rid of that scaley winter baby skin!

So I look like a total bumpkin here, but Levi looked so sweet in his fleecy winter hat and mittens!

Aunt Ginger, the aviator hat is still too big, but I had to put it on him! And it's sooooo cute!!!

Looking a little pitiful when he had a cold earlier this week...

Case in point: smiling-smiling-smiling...camera comes out...fixate-fixate-fixate-on-camera....

...but I did manage to catch the smile again when we were done getting dressed!

The best naps are carseat naps!

Just getting coordinated enough to sit in a Bumbo seat!!

Intensely concentrating on toys in the bouncy seat

No, I don't let him sleep in the corner of the couch with a honker fleece...I was keeping him quiet and happy while I pumped...

Now don't be jealous of Matt's fancy home office! And no, I don't think that paint color is available anymore but you might come close if you mix some primer with toothpaste.

Well there you have it! The latest and greatest! :) I have some sweet pics from the aftermath of the blizzard, but that'll have to be another post. Matt's up and I need some breakfast!!!!

Daydreaming

Well little did I expect the AUTHOR of "The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast" to comment on my blog!!! Kristen, I wrote the review on Amazon.com and had fun doing it. And I daydreamed for a few minutes about what a great career I could make blogging, trying recipes, and writing reviews...if only I could figure out a way to get paid for that...

Anyway, Kristen, thanks for giving this new mama (who was recently bawling, "I feel like I'm already losing brain cells!") a little boost today!

BTW - her blog is provoking, insightful, refreshing, and full of great recipes!

Back to loving food

I promise to put some pics of Levi at the end of this post.

So if you know me well, you'll know that it is NOT like me to say that when I was pregnant, I was so totally grossed out by vegetables. I couldn't get enough fruit, but vegetables were dry-heave-able. (Okay, it wasn't that bad - except for avocados, which I normally LOVE, and now we have a somewhat tenuous relationship...). I think that was the most tragic part of being in the first trimester and feeling like garbage. My cookbooks remained sad and dusty on their shelf. When I got my Vegetarian Times magazines in the mail, I literally had to quickly turn them over so I couldn't see the veggies on the front. I didn't want to cook, didn't want to experiment like I normally do with recipes...I truly went from eating a primarily vegan diet to stocking up on Smart Ones frozen meals and plowing thru family-size boxes of Goldfish crackers. That's all my stomach would take.

Well, after nearly a year of being pregnant (truly, I tell you - was pregnant last November and technically most of December, had a month off in January, and you know the rest...), and now arising out of the foggy mist of sleep deprivation, frustration, and self-doubt....I'm so BACK! My cheap Frigidaire stove is fired up and I'm a lactating lady with the metabolism of a combustion engine.

Now I know that many of you made NY resolutions to eat better and lose weight. Admit it. What better way to do that than to try some new stuff packed full of veggies and whole grains? I found this book full of great recipes - I was so taken by the shiny, colorful pictures that my credit card levitated OUT of my wallet and forced me to buy it - called "The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast" by Kristen Feola. I'm not doing the so-called Daniel Fast (couldn't even really tell you about it; remember, I was drawn to the pictures), but the recipes are quite pleasing. They don't involve too many weirdo ingredients (though, perhaps as part of your resolution to eat better, it would be a good idea to try something new each week anyway, you might be surprised), are very simple, delicious, and healthy. If you're a vegan, you'll be pleased. If you're g-free, you'll be pleased. If you're dairy-free, you'll be pleased. If you like to eat, you'll be pleased.

That being said, yes these recipes are vegan/g-free/d-free/lalalalala, BUT, if you want to cook up some chicken to go along with it, throw on some cheese, whatever, they would be great that way too. I didn't use any chicken b/c I didn't have any. And BTW, if you're a Hollander, Montello's on S. Washington has an amazing selection of meat and poultry. Most of what they sell is hormone and antibiotic free, free-range, grass-fed, AND LOCAL. It's an impressive establishment and I can't recommend them highly enough. Their prices are fair too.

Anyway, here are two dinners I tried this past week and received thumbs-up approval from Matt (though, he has been known to say that he would eat poop on a stick, he's that grateful for someone else making him food, so maybe his standards are a bit low?).

Asparagus-Mushroom Saute'


1 T EV olive oil
1c thinly sliced onion
3c sliced mushrooms
1lb asparagus spears, cut into 1-in pieces
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 t dried oregano
salt and pepper (or your fave seasoning salt)

Heat olive oil over med. heat in a large skillet. Add everything to skillet and saute over med-hi heat for 5-7 min or until veggies are crisp-tender. You can add cooked brown rice and garbanzo beans to make it a complete meal. I think some marinated chicken would taste wonderful with it too. This might sound weird, but I had made a huge batch of hummus, and stirred some into my bowl with this stuff and it tasted FABULOUS.

Speaking of hummus, who knew you could make....

Hummus Casserole???


Now before you get all blech on me, first admit that you DO like hummus with pita chips, and then bear in mind that you can just mix the hummus and veggies together, NOT cook it, and use this recipe as a dip anyway. I did cook it, and used it a dip with tortilla chips and it was quite yummy.

2c of your fave hummus (I thought I had blogged my hummus recipe at some point, but I can't find it...if you need a good hummus recipe, lemme know)
1/2 c water
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 c chopped green onions
2c cooked brown rice
And then the recipe calls for a bunch of veggies I didn't have, so I just used what I DID have - bell peppers, broccoli, etc. About a cup of each.

Mix it all together, put it in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, cover, and bake at 350 for 20 min.

And now, for some eye candy...


Isn't he so fashionably cute??? Matt picked out the fleece vest.


Why, oh why, Blogger, do you rotate my pics??? Anyway, if you want to be guaranteed a smile, put Levi on his diaper changing pad. I mean, his cloth diapers ARE pretty sweet, but I had no idea he'd like them THAT much...

Little Thumb, Big Project

So for the past couple of weeks Levi has undertaken what we have come to call "Project Thumb." He somehow discovered the divine nature of a deliciously suckable, opposable thumb. Unfortunately, he had not achieved the neuromuscular development necessary to insert that little thumb in its target and leave it there. So for two weeks, just about every moment he was awake, that little fist would wave in the air with the thumb sticking out, trying, trying, trying to be sucked. Matt and I (again) made fools of ourselves, exaggeratedly demonstrating the motion of sticking out your thumb and putting it in your mouth. I'm so GLAD none of you were flies on the wall by our dinner table!






But TODAAAAYYYYY....I peeked in on him during his nap this morning and what to my wondering eyes did appear????



Project Thumb is a wrap, folks!

So long, 2010...

Remember when we used to sing that we'd party like it's 1999? As if something amazing and pivotal would happen at the END of 1999, so we may as well party like rock stars? Or at least like the Artist Formerly Known as Prince??? (hahahahahaha)

And man, NOW 1999 is SO....1999. Like shelved along with all of Molly Ringwald's movies. It really feels like it was that long ago.

Well that was a random thought that just flew off my fingers.

A year ago, Matt and I celebrated with dinner at the Piper. The Christmas season was hard, filled with many nights when I cried myself to sleep during a ridiculously drawn-out miscarriage. But it was good. Christmas was bittersweet - bitter for the obvious reason, sweet because my dear Savior came to experience suffering on a level I will never have to know, to truly bring comfort and joy - not just in a "it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you" way. My comfort is in Him; His joy is my strength. We looked forward to a new year, somewhat biting our lips wondering if this loss was just a precursor for more. But at least we had hope. And each other.

It felt like my friends were having babies left and right. Not really, but a small handful of my nearest and dearest were due soon. I admit that I felt bitter and angry at times. And I only had one loss...what do people do when they have multiple losses??? I can only imagine.

On the day that one of my besties had her baby, I got two pink lines. I was scared to death, yet deep down I knew it would be okay. Matt emailed me from work and asked how I was doing after having visited my friend and her newborn in the hospital. I wrote back that, as a matter of fact, I was doing quite fine - and attached a picture of the positive test. It took him a few looks to figure out what the picture was and what I meant.

Well, here I am, probably should be in bed - Matt turned in earlier than is probably legal on NYE, the dog is snoring and smacking her lips, the baby is conked, and the diaper load in the wash needs its second cycle. But I just want to savor this. I want to sit here and think about every little moment from this past year. Finding out we were expecting again. Our entire church congregation praying for us on Sunday morning. Telling Martine at work and having her nearly leap over a baby's isolette on me. Praying through c-sections that I would not ralph in my surgical mask. The love that my family, friends, church family, and coworkers poured on me while I grieved and while I rejoiced. Seeing Levi for the first time - a little speck of rice on a seven-week ultrasound with a bright flick-flick-flick for a heartbeat. Grilling the poor ultrasound tech at the 20-week appointment about every possible anomaly. Peeing every 45 minutes for months. My dear husband cheering me on during labor like he'd done it a million times before. My OB flipping the baby up for us to be the first to see what "it" was and both of us calling out in unison, "It's a....boy?!?!?" Our guts totally said he was a girl.

My little bird finally came...and really, the thought of calling him a "little bird" now - at 13 1/2 pounds and in 6-month clothes - is kind of laughable.

I'm just so grateful. I was so afraid of so many things,and God carried us through. He kept my sweet baby safe in the hidden place and brought him safely to our family.

So 2011 looks to be a little more low-key and I'm okay with that. I'll go back to work part-time and my dear neighbor will watch Levi - another evidence of God's grace to us. Again, so grateful.

Resolutions? I guess I have a few bouncing in my mind, of course. But I really want to go deeper this year, into the heart and marrow of my spirit and sever some sin issues at the root. That's going to take some humility and will require some work - but I look forward to experiencing the fruit of the freedom that will result.

Well, I better get to bed. Lord knows I'll be up again soon!!! Happy New Year!

Levi's Betrothed

This is Bezoar. (Well, she does have a name - a prettier one than Bezoar - and it's Kristin.) She's my bestie.

Know what? Something really cool happened on the day that Levi was born...

...she gave birth to a little girl named Madeline. (!!!!)

Do ya THINK we have designs on the betrothal of these two???

So here was one of their first dates...



...okay, so the violins aren't striking up in the background yet, but just you wait. And oh what a joyous day that'll be!! We just know they'll be sold on the whole arranged marriage thing.

(I know Kristin would want me to point out that Maddie had a really bad case of baby acne, not a rash - and I would equally like to point out that said acne did nothing to cover up how darling she is!!)

Here's something else that's beyond cool -


This was this past Saturday night. Among the four of us, in the past couple of years we've had all manner of heartbreak in the area of childbearing (multiple miscarriages, told you may never conceive, etc)...and look at us! Four babies in 2010 - two of whom were born on the same day, and three of whom were born within weeks of each other (I'll let you guess which three...think hard...). What a gracious God we serve! Two years ago the only kiddo in this group was Kristin's older son...what will this picture look like in two more years??

Just had to point out how great all the carseats looked lined up with each other - all the same ones, might I add (the highly ranked Chicco Keyfit 30, in case you're in the market for one).


In other news, my cousin Laura took a break from studying for finals last weekend to come see Levi...SO GOOD to see her!! Come any time, Laura!


Levi dressed up for his first Christmas party (don't worry, I was on my way to the shower myself...)


This little play mat was a gift from Matt's sister and brother-in-law and their son in Colorado...Levi LOVES it! This is the first time I put him on it - you can kind of see him grinning from the side. :)


And I just had to throw in this post-bath pic from last night. Who doesn't love a chubby naked baby in a duck towel?


Well, friends, in case I don't have a chance to blog again this week, Merry Christmas!! And Stamy fam, we're SO EXCITED to see you!!