I did it. One more pair of longies for October! Next in the queue: a hat for me.
She’s Five Months Old Today! October 27, 2009
….And she’s scooting all over the place – but only in reverse. So, when she manages to get herself under the furniture, she’s stuck, though that doesn’t seem to bother her.
And here’s one of big brother doing one of his favorite activities. He loves to draw and color. I believe that is Lightning McQueen he’s working on there.
Delicious Pumpkin Cake Recipe October 27, 2009
The last of the season’s zucchini has been used up, so I’ve been baking with pumpkin around here this month. Ben remarks that I am the most seasonal eater he knows. I just think there are certain foods and drinks that taste best at certain times of the year. And I like to eat what is freshest too, although I have to admit to using canned pumpkin. It is the only vegetable that I prefer canned.
So, I want to share a very yummy recipe I started tweaking last year. I’ve made it once so far this fall, and we ate off of it for a week. I keep craving more, but so far have been resisting. Maybe this weekend.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (cinnamon works great)
1 3/4 cups Rapadura (You can substitute white sugar, but the whole cane imparts more richness of flavor which works really well in this recipe)
1 CAN of pumpkin (smaller size)
4 eggs
1t vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
3 t baking powder
2t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2.5 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
walnuts and chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a sheet pan.
Sift dry ingredients.
Beat sugar and oil. Add pumpkin and vanilla, and then add eggs one at a time.
Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture.
Pour into pan.
Cover the top with a generous amount of nuts and chocolate chips and sprinkle with about a tablespoon of white sugar.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Ooh, I don’t know if I can wait until the weekend now!
October Knitting October 25, 2009
Sewing has not fit into my life lately, but I have been knitting. Here are the projects I’ve completed so far this month.
Bridget’s first pair of longies:
And a hat to match:
Jonas’ scarf:
And my scarf:
And one WIP (work in progress) that I hope to finish by the end of the month – another pair of longies for Bridget:
Play (Or Perhaps More Aptly Titled ‘Time’) October 12, 2009
Jonas is now playing on his own…..FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME.
He’s done a pretty good job of learning to play without me over the last year, but hasn’t really been able to sustain his own play for long periods of time until recently. All of a sudden in the last few weeks, he is lost in his own little world for an hour or more at a time. His imaginative abilities have taken off. Watching him has brought to mind Montessori’s belief that play is a child’s work. He is so earnest, almost studious sometimes, as he plays, oblivious to everything else.
He still asks me to play at times, and I make sure that I still do that daily, as I think it is good for me. I find it hard to play creatively with his cars and trains and animals. I guess most of us lose that ability for imaginative play somewhere along the road to adulthood. I have the hardest time just being in the moment with him when we play. My mind wanders to things I need to get done or projects I’m working on. So, I’m trying to do better. I’m trying to take a lesson from him. And I’m trying to make playing with him the most important thing at that moment.
I have to admit, it is nice to feel a little less needed. And it’s a little bit sad to feel less needed. I mean, it’s great; it’s good for both of us. It’s so nice not to hear the pleading for someone to play as I clean the kitchen or nurse Bridget. I don’t miss that! And now I can appreciate playing with him more than I did when it was a frequent request.
I have found myself with so many mixed feelings as I journey through motherhood, and this is just one more instance. It gives me such pleasure to see them grow and excel, but I also recognize little milestones like this as one more subtle sign that all this early mothering will be done too soon. I feel the passing of time so quickly lately, and it almost frightens me because I take so much of what I have now for granted, and I don’t want to look back and say, “I missed too much in these precious years.” I know there is sweetness and hardship in each stage of life, and I do look forward to seeing what each of them become as they make their way through it. I certainly don’t want them to stay babies forever. I guess I just have a hard time letting go of things, even when I am appreciative of the change and aware that greater things are to come. I don’t think I’m even talking about play anymore.
This is probably just me getting too melancholy as I sense such a shift in the physical seasons. This started out as a little post about how well Jonas plays, and has become a small lament over the speed at which they’ll be grown and gone….despite the fact that the youngest doesn’t even sit yet, and we hope for more!
I just have a thing about time. I let too much of it slip through my fingers without savoring it, and then I wonder where it has gone. I’m always remarking to Ben, “do you realize that such and such a thing happened this long ago? It seems like such a short time ago. When that much time passes again, we’ll be forty.” He looks at me rather blankly when I say stuff like that.
As I sit typing this morning, I hear him climb out of bed, but instead of coming right down the stairs as he usually does, he has stopped to play with some farm animals and a tractor that were left in the loft last night. I wonder how long he’ll be up there.
Four Months September 30, 2009
Yes, she is.
Bridget was at the doctor on Friday, and she’s following the curve she was on at her 2 month visit: 95th percentile for height (26”) and 75th percentile for weight (15lbs).
She started rolling over nearly 4 weeks ago, on September 4th. This girl wants to move! She sits with little assistance,stands and bounces for extended periods of time, kicks and reaches. She watches so intently as her brother plays. Apparently, he fascinates her. I love how he can get her laughing. And she’s watching us eat. No, little miss, I will not feed you solids at four months!
Here she is with Grandma Cindy, who is of course thrilled to have a granddaughter in addition to her grandson. She told me from the start of my pregnancy that this baby was going to be a sweet, easygoing girl. I didn’t believe her. And part of me thought: hey, what’s wrong with boys! After all, the one I have is pretty terrific. And to tell the truth, though I didn’t really have a preference one way or the other, if I had to choose, I was probably leaning more toward another boy. But from the moment she arrived, it was so very right for her to be exactly who she is. I am totally in love with her.
Surrounded by Half Finished Projects August 28, 2009
I have a shameful number of half finished sewing and knitting projects sitting around my house, and it’s starting to drive me nuts. I must not start anything new until some of these are wrapped up!!
The list includes two half finished throw size quilts, a pile of diapers in various stages of completion, two scarves (both of which I have actually been working on regularly) and this soaker that has been sitting, almost finished, for a few weeks, but being a novice knitter, I haven’t figured out how to pick up stitches for the leg cuffs yet. Yep, I better get back to that before she’s too big for it!
I guess that’s just the life of a mom with little kids – at least an unorganized one like me! I’m finding it much easier to knit right now, since I can more easily pick it up for a few minutes throughout the day and sit with Ben in the evening while I work on it. I rarely find time to sew these days. I’m trying not to be bothered by that.
Here’s a couple things that have seen completion this month: a hat for Bridget and a mei tai for my friend, Lisa:
Oh yes, and I almost forgot, Jonas and I made a couple Thomas the Tank Engine pillows for his bed a few weeks ago:
He was so excited. It’s such a joy to see your kids getting excited over such simple pleasures.
No Longer a Newborn July 23, 2009
She’s growing so quickly. It’s fun to watch her grow of course, but also hard to let go of the brand new baby stage. It’s so brief. She’s at home and comfortable in her body now. Her eyes explore her surroundings with interest. She has some favorite objects she like to look at including the patterns on the dining room curtains and the living room pillows, the light hanging over the dining room table, and the red button on the side of her swing. She is cooing and smiling and doing all those cute things that make your heart melt.
7 Weeks Old:
8 Weeks Old:
Delicious July 9, 2009
The family went strawberry picking last week. Here’s the result of our work.
I think Jonas ate more than he contributed.
