Keeping afloat

This is one of the reasons I love the internet. I can print things like this (scroll down to Pet Store Scavenger Hunt) and just like that I have a fun outing for Maggie. It made for a great, free preschooler activity where I followed Maggie around the pet store yesterday while taking an intermission to hold kitties for adoption. Maggie held a teenage kitten name Colette and Maggie was so calm and cute with her, at one point saying "I love her". I sat there patiently letting her hold her for probably a good 20-30 minutes, wondering the whole time if I could bring this kitty home and then instantly remembering the night before with kids screaming in their beds at 11 pm and me thinking crazy things while I was manning the house solo. Yep, no more pets. One is enough.

2 kids is simply a ton of work. I can't imagine more. How does my friend do 3 or 6? In the past month, we've visited home away from home in Aptos on the beach. Maggie had a bad stomach bug, now she is eating for two. Max seems to be too. 6 month growth spurt?

Still trying to keep the calendar light. I need that calm right now.  I also would like a new dress, pretty heels, and darker lipstick :-)

Fall has hit, even though the temperature hasn't really dropped, but things I want to do soon include visiting the little pumpkin farms near our house. Taking Maggie to see the piggies. Maybe Apple Hill. I bought a Blackberry Jam spray for the bathroom over the weekend that smells like fall.

Last night I had a calm moment with both kids before bedtime. They both ate quietly, the house was still, we were in our pj's, and all close to eachother. This was after I thought Max might be in bed for the night but he let us know he wasn't. I eventually turned on Lion King which Maggie had only read about and she was mesmorized for a few minutes until I turned it off. It was easy last night, probably due to Maggie and Max's full stomachs and a little tylenol for the teether. One day at a time.

Almost there

Sweet Maggie,

You are almost to another milestone -18 months old. You will always be my baby, but you are a little girl to most now. Your hair keeps lightening and is a mess of honey-blonde curls with tight ringlets in the back. We're not sure whether to give you a haircut or let it keep growing. You have beautiful skin like your dad. I love touching your soft skin, being close to you, and smelling your smells.

You are talking a lot but are kind of shy about it sometimes. Words you've said: papa, fish, shoe, mo (for more), nana, mama, dada, uh-oh, whoa, and more that you are working on. New words every week. You love using certain signs: more, milk, airplane, and fish.

You like to perform and get attention around friends and family. You love to dance and have funny hops, sideways walking, chin on your chest moves. Daddy lets you walk around with his Ipod playing your music and you love it, you look pretty groovy for such a young one. You love animals, squirrels are your fancy right now. It was horses a couple weeks ago. Your toy dog Howie just got a sister/girlfriend named Pinky.

You are long and lean. 18 month tops fit you, but not most bottoms. You have big feet and are moving into a size 6.

You do best on a routine. You take one 2-hr nap a day. You have an early bedtime at 7 and sleep through most nights. Your early rising in the morning is often hard on mom and dad.

You have been expressing interest in potty training, going #1 once and #2 once on your own. You like to sit on the adult toilet, not your toddler toilets, for a long time with a smile on your face and you tell me when you are done. You love using toilet paper and wipes.

You have a little play teacup that you like to fill up with water and drink from. You are big helper and you like to throw away trash. We think thats how we lost our remote control. You are imitating everything we do. Daddy has a cuss can so that he can clean up his language around you :-)

You are a great eater. No more baby puree, just finger foods. You love cheese, meat, peas, beans, blueberries, and watermelon to name a few. You are doing pretty good with the spoon.

You love swimming. People are amazed at how fearless you are with swimming and other things. You love to roll around in the water and dip your head under water. It always gives you a big burst of energy!

You get really excited about seeing certain people - cousin Eden, our neighbors - and your eyes light up when I tell you we are going to see grandparents.

Your dad is head over heels about you. After you go to sleep each night, he talks about how much he loves his little Maggie. We are really enjoying being your parents. It's amazing to watch you grow.

Luvs,

momma

Feeding time

After visiting my relatives, it was obvious that Maggie was eager to give food a try. I wasn't planning on starting until closer to 6 months (she's about 5 1/2 now), but she keeps watching us put food in our mouths very intently. She just looked so ready and I was exited to get started. I bought her rice cereal about a month ago and set up her lazy susan with a few baby food jars this past week in preparation.

The other motivation to start solids is that sometimes she sleeps through the night, sometimes she wakes every hour or two and we have to run in to put her binkie back in or I'll nurse her back to sleep. All the books say that the two don't equate, but moms that I talk to say starting them on cereal works wonders.

As we get going, her first foods besides cereal will probably be banana, avocado, plums, peaches, and sweet potatoes. My plan is to try and make a lot of this from scratch and see how it goes.

Plum-a-licious

I made 4 plum tortes. One went to work to share with my bio group, one went to a friend who gave me quilting lessons, one stayed put and we shared it with friends and family (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream :-), and the fourth I took up to my grandpa's, which we got to enjoy too. I wish I had before and after pictures. It's pretty cool because you just lay the plums skin side up (halved) on top of the batter and as it cooks the plums sink into the batter making it look like a cake.

We introduced Maggie to solids this weekend, but more on that later. But on that thread, I steamed some fresh plums and peaches together, pureed, then froze. Perfect serving sizes for her to start with as we introduce her to solid food. A great website I came across to help with making baby food is wholesome baby food.

I had a bunch of pretty pink plum/peach water from steaming leftover, which I need to find a use for now. Other recipe recommendations for plums, besides just eating off the tree? Also, any recommendations for pie tins that aren't the cheap aluminum ones? Those leave a taste in the food that I can't stand.