“Mom, I told you I couldn’t dress myself.”
Archive for July, 2008
20 Jul
So pretty!
Doug sent Karyl an incredible bouquet of roses while she was staying here. A bouquet which, fortunately for us, she left behind.
19 Jul
Thank goodness for grandparents
We’ve had a relatively hectic month. Following a week-long vacation, Ava’s preschool was closed for a week, then Olivia’s was closed the past two weeks. We were fortunate to have Katie on for a big chunk of that time, and I was able to work from home for a few days as well.
Last week, though, we had to call in reinforcements: The Grandparents.
My grandparents came Monday and Tuesday, and Karyl was here Tuesday evening through today. They all seem to have ceaseless energy, the desire to play “doctor’s office” for hours on end and the ability to convince Olivia that she really does want to be rocked to sleep.
The only downside is that I spent three and a half months on maternity leave telling Bryan that it was impossible to keep house AND watch the children at the same time. Now that he’s seen otherwise, I’m going to have to step up my game.
Or convince the grandparents to move in. Either one.
18 Jul
First bites: Adventures in self-feeding
We recently started giving Olivia little bits of food to feed herself, not necessarily because we felt she was ready, but because we can’t seem to feed her fast enough. So, this gives her something to do while we prepare the next bite. And, fortunately, she does actually seem to do pretty well.
When Ava started to self-feed around nine months, she’d pick up one tiny Cheerio at a time. Olivia scoops up a fistful and tries to cram them into her mouth all at once. Judging by the mess around her highchair, I’d say she has about a 30 percent success rate.
And also, chicken:
Since Olivia is still waking to eat twice every night, I think I’ll offer her a burger next. That ought to hold her.
18 Jul
It’s never too early for a cupcake
Ginger zucchini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from Martha Stewart.
If there was a cupcake suitable for morning, this would have to be it. It’s actually from a cake recipe, one that I made in college when I had a lot of extra time on my hands.
Now, baking is more therapeutic. Or maybe it’s a penance, I don’t know. I feel guilty about not always being able to work the traditional 8-5 because I have small children, and I feel even more guilt about not being fully engaged at home. The laundry isn’t done, the house isn’t picked up, the fridge needed to be cleaned out two weeks ago, and I’m working on the email I didn’t get to that afternoon because one of the kids needed to go to the doctor.
But, I can involve the kids (the healthy ones, anyway) in a baking project. Even Liv can wield a measuring spoon. I feel better about doing something that’s at least somewhat domestic, and I can take the finished project in for my coworkers.
It’s a win-win.
Actually, it’s a win-win-win, as there are cupcakes for breakfast.
16 Jul
First bites
Zucchini, which despite appearances, has quickly become a favorite of Olivia’s.
She really must be a Bornemeier baby!
16 Jul
At the Smiths…
I mentioned that we went back to Nebraska last weekend for pancakes. Wait, no, we went back for a birthday party. It was delicious. I mean, fun.
But also delicious. See below.
Ava had a chance to play in the playhouse with Grandma Smith.
And we enjoyed the beautiful view…
But did I mention the pancakes?
We’ll be back.
Smith Family Weblog 