Swimming!!!!

Reese had swimming lessons on Saturday. He loves the water, especially splashing. He is not too compliant with the assigned activities, but really I think he's too little to actually do some of the stuff anyway. But we sing swimming songs to the tune of a familiar kid song. For example with the baby's head kind of tucked at mom's (or dad's) neck/collarbone, stretched out so the baby's butt is resting on mom's forearm we swim on our backs and sing to the tune of I'm a little teapot: "I'm a little pancake on my back, I'm a little pancake nice and flat, I'm a little pancake on my back, flip me over just like that" and we flip to our tummies and swirl around. So they learn to float on their back and wait for help should they find themselves in trouble in the water. This week we practiced holding onto the edge and moving along the side to get to a "safe spot" I guess the ladder--yeah he was more into trying to climb after the water that splashes into the recessed edge area. But we had fun. It would be better still if the water was warm.

Meal Plan Monday

So I had Zatarain's jambalya on my menu the last 2 weeks---I went to make it and realized we do not have any Zatarain's (I swear I had 2 boxes). So I made it from scratch using the recipe in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. It was more work than the box, but still super easy. I chopped onion and bell pepper and cooked it with a little garlic, added a can of diced tomatoes, 4 heaping teaspoons of cajun seasoning. I cooked the rice separately then added it to the "sauce" threw in shrimp and sliced turkey keilbasa. YUM!! We had so many leftovers that I did not make the baked ziti or the garlic quinoa salad. SO.....this week I am going to plan for more leftover days
MONDAY: Garlic quinoa salad wraps that we didn't have last week
TUESDAY: baked Ziti---I use the recipe from Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals cookbook
WEDNESDAY: leftovers and salad (this is library storytime day)
THURSDAY: Tyler's Ultimate Meatloaf, sweet potatoes, broccoli
FRIDAY: french dip you MUST use the San Francisco Sandwich rolls and italian roast beef
SATURDAY: aidell's skewers
SUNDAY: leftovers
we pretty much have salad everyday

DENTIST!

Reese had his first visit to the dentist on Friday. He sat on Daddy's lap facing Daddy. Then he laid down so he was mostly on Daddy's legs. His head rested on the hygienist's lap. Here she is brushing his teeth with a real tooth brush and some puffy orange bumble gum flavored toothpaste. As his teeth do not touch we do not need to floss yet. He got a goody bag with his own toothbrush, crayola flosser (for later when the teeth start touching) and an hourglass sand timer so he'll know how long to brush for (too cute) all in a pencil case type plastic bag.

Here's a photo of the teeth cleaning area while we wait for the dentist. The tables the kids lay on have an LCD tv hanging above on the ceiling so they can watch videos while their teeth get cleaned!! They have surf theme with surfboards and palm trees. And stuffed animals hanging from the dentist's light bar.

He flirted with the pretty dentist for quite awhile. Then she put some gluey fluoride on his teeth. It allows you to eat and drink immediately then the next morning it brushes off. All in all it went very smoothly. They have a cool office and Reese liked his dentist. Next appointment Oct. 27!

Wanker Woes

Reese has had a hydrocele since birth. His pediatrician expected it to reabsorb on it's own by age 1, but since it did not she referred us to a pediatric urologist to get it checked out. By searching online I discovered they can either aspirate it or surgically remove it. Apparently aspirated ones tend to recur though. Anyway, we went to Swedish Pediatric Specialty Clinic in Bellevue on Wednesday for his appointment. Dr. Hudson determined that the hydrocele is no longer the issue. Reese now has an inguinal hernia. Occasionally part of his intestine bulges down into his scrotum. It looks pretty gross, but supposedly doesn't hurt at this point. But he will have to have surgery. We're waiting for the scheduler to call us with his surgery date. As a preemie he has a 30% chance of having this happen on the other side too (right now it's only on the left), so the doctor will cut on the left side to fix the current problem and while he's in there blow some CO2 into his belly to make some room to poke the scope around the corner and check the right side without having to cut him on both sides. They'll use disolvable stitches and skin glue to seal it back up. He'll get to come home the same day, but he will have general anesthesia. :(

Reese was such a good boy ---long car seat ride, prodding of his privates, long car seat ride again--that we stopped at the new HushBaby Boutique in Gig Harbor (if you have a girl you really MUST go!) to get him a treat. See Kai Run "Bent" shoes! In these photos I am pretty sure Mimi is holding him by the back of the overalls creating a hideous high water effect. He did actually stand on his own at the store though. Reese would also enjoy the "Hugh" model of See Kai Run shoes should anyone wish to send a get well gift wink, wink!

EARTH DAY

Hey I forgot to mention today was Earth Day! We are pretty environmentally sound for the regular consumer types I think....I mean we're no composting green nerds or anything, BUT this is what we currently do:
*Use Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs (CFL) in almost all our light fixtures
*Use cloth grocery bags - we take them to Target and Walmart too
*The biggie: hubby WALKS TO WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I'm fairly certain our lack of car pollution alone is massive--and we save lots of money on gas that i saw today was $3.71 per gallon for regular cheapo 87 octane.)
*Recycle paper, glass, plastic, aluminum cans
*put compostables in our yardwaste can--fruits/veggies, coffee grounds, tea bags, grains, shredded paper, egg shells
*We have High Efficiency appliances
*Use organic cleaning products
*I buy organic cotton when available (Kyle doesn't know this--it costs more still)
*I buy organic produce
*Kyle totes a reusable water bottle to work daily
*wash only full loads

After watching tv on Earth Day this is what I feel inspired to do from now on:
*strive to reduce and/or eliminate disposables, i.e. paper towels (wow-I use a lot), ziploc bags etc
*Kyle needs to take his own silverware to work so we currently use standard non-biodegradable plastic picnic ware. I will search for the kind that looks like plastic but is really made from POTATO or SUGAR CANE!! Can you believe that? If I can't find this I think I will buy some cheapo actual silverware to be designated as the carry to work kind.
*stop getting the sleeve on my starbucks
*consolidate our trips to the store (we were doing well at this in Jan and Feb, but lapsed back into our wasteful ways)
*eliminate saran wrap and aluminum foil. I think I want to search for cool vintage pyrex with lids for storing food in the fridge.

These are fairly small endeavors so I think it will be totally doable. IF EVERYONE I know does ONE MEASLY earth friendly thing our cumulative effort will be big.
If you choose to not be earth friendly, just remember I will be silently tsk-tsking you every time you use a paper towel!

Reese and Daddy did laundry!

Okay really Daddy brought the laundry up from the basement and Reese came along for the ride. He just chilled in the basket while Mommy spent a minute laughing and then he hung out calmly even longer while I ran for the camera.CAT ATTACK! Can you see his mouth is wide open, spit is falling out and he's squealing with excitement to pounce on Yodi, who does not in fact appreciate this special attention.

Just where did that kitty go?

Whew! I'm pooped! It's naptime.

Meal Plan Monday

Let me start by telling you the pork chops from last week were super fab! Kyle believed it was restaurant quality! Ha ha--that may be excessive, but still they were yummy. I would suggest you pay attention to your pork chops at the store as mine were a little too thin which made for difficult slicing open. Also a large enough oven safe skillet would make things easier as well.
Also we had WAY more leftovers than I allowed for so we didn't get to jambalaya or teriyaki chicken. So we shall repeat those this week.

MONDAY: pork tenderloin on super sale from Central Market with Aloha Guava Pineapple teriyaki Glaze, a veggie (we had fresh broccoli after central market instead of green beans with the Stubbs chicken, so probably GB but I feel like I write that with every meal, so I'm not committing--I'll let Kyle pick from the freezer.)
TUESDAY: Jambalaya
I'll use Jennie-O turkey keilbasa and shrimp
WEDNESDAY: Teriyaki Chicken, brown rice, salad
THURSDAY: baked ziti, salad
FRIDAY: leftovers
SATURDAY: Quick Lemon and Garlic Quinoa Salad maybe in a multi grain tortilla with greens and tomatoe (my book club buddy, Bridget, suggested this serving method.)
SUNDAY: Famous Dave's BBQ with Candy Gram and Grandad

Check out the host's site "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for more meal plan ideas.

camera shy

This has been SO frustrating! Blogger wouldn't allow me to post yesterday. Today I am having difficulty getting words on here before the videos--ARG! Anyway. I think we are good to go now. SO these are videos I had previously rejected because the second I pull out the camera he stops doing the cute thing. He totally laughs hysterically and does tons of "talking" but then clams up for the camera. But since I've posted nothing for a bit I thought I'd go ahead and put these videos up.

#1 is from the day at the park---that HOT day last weekend. This weekend we're having snow. Lovely Washington weather. Anyway Reese was not really into the feel of grass on his bare feet.

#2 This is the first time having actual spaghetti sauce on his pasta. He liked it very well. But it was also the first time having angel hair pasta and he found it a bit difficult to maneuver. We started with me spoon feeding because, well, it's messy, but he grabbed it off the spoon so many times I gave in and let him have it.



#3 Reese is standing at the futon because he chased Tara into the window. He is easily distracted by her toys. He WAS laughing hysterically at the top of his lungs, but the second the camera came out he got much more subdued.



#4 This one has a little bit of his noise making in the beginning. Of course it was way more before I pulled out the camera. I hope this camera shyness business passes soon so we can catch some funny stuff.

Milestone Day

Today we went for what will hopefully be the last RSV shot ever. Reesie is on the scale (the official weigh in was sans diaper) and he weighs a whopping 18 pounds 5 ounces. This is precisely 13 pounds more than when he came home exactly one year ago today. April 16, 2007 Reese came home at 59 days old weighing in at 5 pounds 5 ounces. You can see the homecoming photo to the right way down near the bottom.

Today is also his 14 month old birthday!

His new favorite toys are balls, like the cat's jingle bell ball above and the stringy hair ball below.

He also really enjoys chasing the cats. Reese is standing at the futon desperately trying to wrest Tara's attention away from the window.

He is eating lots of people food now, though it seems like desperately small amounts. However, he gained weight since his last weigh so I guess we're good. He's cruising the furniture--not attempting to let go. He absolutely LOVES to push the buttons on the phone. We have officially done away with the exersaucer and the jumperoo. poo poo on those BABY toys he says "I'm a big boy now! I like trucks and balls!"

Today is also the day the Grandpa officially becomes a senior citizen! Happy 65th Birthday!

Lovely Landscape

Things are definitely improving. Clearly we need to do something about the stairs -yuck! You can't really see my sunflower flag from this angle, but it's there. These "Scarlett O'Hara" daffodils are out back by the door we use to go into the house.

Pear tree blooms.

Finally some yellow tulips. The red ones are just starting to bud.

Out front to the right of the porch stairs.

To the left of the porch stairs.

Now we need some porch furniture.

Meal Plan Monday

oops, It's already Monday and I failed to plan yesterday.
Sunday we went to Candy Gram's for beef stroganoff and asparagus---Reese gobbled it up. So we're having Sunday's planned meal today:
MONDAY: spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread using my homemade loaf.
****added: since Kyle is going back to 3:42pm start time we've had dinner. Here's my fabulous homemade garlic toast--YUMMMMM! I swear it was totally untoasted and 10 seconds later it looked like this. Fire alarm went off and everything.

TUESDAY: Apple and Onion-Stuffed Pork Chops with Orange-Pineapple Gravy caramelized brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. This recipe I just saw on a new food network show (I think it's new) Sunny Anderson is the host. She kind of reminds of Rachel Ray--cute and bubbly--but without the obnoxious overkill. Sometimes RR just plucks my nerves--though I do own 5 cookbooks and subscribe to her mag, so I guess it's not THAT annoying.
WEDNESDAY: Jambalaya with Zatarain's reduced sodium rice. I add frozen shrimp (thawed) and a Jennie-O Turkey Keilbasa
THURSDAY: Stubb's Chicken Marinade baked Chicken, green beans, diced red potatoes made in a skillet like breakfast potatoes--yum!
FRIDAY: leftovers, if any.
SATURDAY: eat out
SUNDAY: teriyaki chicken, brown rice, broccoli

Perfect "Summer" Day?

We started the day at Reese's first "swimming lesson" at the Olympic High school pool.Since it was sweltering hot we went to the Evergreen park to play some ball. Mostly Reese likes to pull the stringy rubber hairs.

"Ewwwwww don't let it touch my foot!"

Reese's first burger. This is his own little patty. After some initial hesitation he hogged it down.

We ended the day with our first loaf of homemade bread.

ZOO

Reese is so happy Daddy came home from San Diego this morning. After the airport we went to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. The boys hung out in the spider web.

This giraffe was in his "barn" so we could see him up close. He stuck his head down over the fence. Reese liked him best.

"OOOOOOH"

He also liked this pretty peacock. One retched kid threw a stick at him.

Reese looking at the Tapir. They came very close to the glass so they were easy for Reese to spot. In a lot of the "natural habitat" settings the animals are too far away for Reese to even notice that they are there. He's more tuned into all the humans around.

Funny monkeys!

Photo op hanging around with the orangutan

He stayed awake for 5 1/2 hours without fussing at all, but by the end of the zoo he was tuckered out. He NEVER sleeps on his back, but today wore him out, so he didn't even care.

Yummy Fiber Camoflauged with Jam

So Reese is a pretty loud pooper. he also makes a face and turns red, so there's generally no question. But yesterday he cried a horrible pain cry. Belly rubbing and back rubbing did nothing to soothe the discomfort. So I thought if we just get on the changing table the poop will fly out when his knees are pulled to his chest. I have never seen a turd so big! I had no idea the human rectum could stretch so hideously large. AND the screaming intensified. Mommy was traumatized. So today I thought we better up the fiber content. Reese had a whole piece of orowheat double fiber whole wheat bread.

Covered in the blackberry jam the mommies' group canned last summer.

He LOVED it! Couldn't be yummier.

and here is the updated progress of my veggies--the green peppers are a little disappointing.

Story Time

We went to story time at the library with mommies group today.John Paul and Reese were actually laughing together over this book before I pulled out the camera. This may have been right after Reese tried to grab JP's face.

Here's Reesie having fun.

Lincoln trying to get back in his stroller.

Here I thought Matthew was intently listening to the story, but now I see he is enthralled with his mom's phone.

Moses doing Farmer in the Dell with the "preschool" age group.

After storytime we headed to the Nature trails and walked a smidge more than 2 miles. Of course midway we stopped at the picnic tables for lunch and we stopped several times for the pregnant mommies to rest in an effort to avoid baby delivery on the trail.

Bad Daddy!

We popped into the McDonald's inside WalMart. Their high chairs are revoltingly dirty and I left the cover in the car, so Reese had to sit on Daddy's lap. After a very minimal amount of begging Daddy broke the "no fast food for our baby rule" and gave Reese his first chicken nugget. He liked it pretty well, but I wouldn't say that he liked it more than real food. Hopefully we will not repeat this regularly.