Grateful Journal: July 29, 2011

We have been trying to surround this little boy with books from the beginning. He is really starting to take to story times and loves to look intently at the pictures. This makes my teacher heart melt.

I am jumping into a new teaching job (and across state lines no less). It is an exciting change and my new school seems wonderful (I even got a hug from one of the teachers there upon arrival). Despite my excitement to try something new, it is also very difficult to leave a very dear community and very dear friends. I have learned so much from the teachers, students and staff at my school and am so grateful that I get to take those experiences with me as I begin a new adventure.

My father-in-law saved the day this week! I had to move my classroom quickly and he kindly agreed to help me move about a million books, bookshelves and carpets on Thursday. Having his help (and that of my friend Melanie and my mom's superb babysitting services) made what could have been a very stressful day, a smooth one. I am so grateful for kind and generous family members like him!

Summer has finally arrived in Portland and it is spectacular!

To celebrate three months of Jack, I had my first glass of wine this week in over a year.

Oh wine, how I have missed thee.

It's Not All Cute

Jack is definitely the cutest baby around (I am the mom, I get to say this without apology), but there were a few things that popped up in the first three months of infancy that have kind of grossed me out. Babies are brand new humans. They are supposed to be pristine, perfect, delightful in every way, right? Wrong: newborns have some weird body issues. How come no one ever told me about these?!? Well, maybe a few of you shared this information, but I chose to tune out. Sort of like I did when people shared the gory details about birth and pregnancy. Unfortunately, denial does not equate to avoidance. Here are a few strange baby issues I encountered and a few remedies that worked for us:

Weird Issue #1: Baby acne
That wild hormone trip did not go away after I gave birth, in fact, it seemed I passed some of my weird hormones onto my son (sorry Son). Hormones + baby boys = baby acne
My beautiful baby boy woke up one day (many years before his awkward teenage phase) with red baby acne.
Solution: Oddly enough, breastmilk! Apparently breastmilk is like windex, it cures everything. You just apply a little (or in our case, a lot) on your baby's skin and within a few days it is back to its glowing newborn beauty. P.S. You can also put breastmilk on scratches and they will heal overnight. Liquid gold my friends, liquid gold.

 

Weird Issue #2: Cradle Cap

Ewwweeee, cradle cap is Yuck (did you catch that capital "Y"?). While admiring Jackaroo's beautiful red hair one day I spotted some yucky, flaky skin. It is like the king of dandruff and it does not go away easily, but there is a...

Solution: Slather baby oil on baby's scalp and then cover with a cap (hehe, get it cradle cap?) overnight while the litte one sleeps (my friend Tracy told me about this one).

Weird Issue #3: Pulsating head

Did you know you could see a baby's pulse through the soft spot on their head? Clueless mama over here. The first time someone pointed this out to me I couldn't believe it and actually had to look away. Glad Jack's pulse is healthy, don't want to see it on his head, it's creepy.

Solution: Avert your eyes and wait for that fragile soft spot to close up.  

It is a good thing this little boy looks adorable in a cap.

Cool Toy Tuesday: Balance Bike

My mom has been raving about this bike for the longest time and I couldn't quite envision it. Then, just a few days ago, our little family of four was out taking a walk and we spotted a toddler on one of these. This little one was cruising down the sidewalk and I realized this bike was genius, well until said little one crashed and started crying. But, seriously, before the fall, he was tearing down the sidewalks of St. Johns, large and in charge, swinging those legs from side-to-side, not a pedal, er, care in the world.

Tike aka Toddler Bike via LivePlayCreate

Lazy Saturday

The last few weeks have been busy and frankly, a bit overwhelming. Jack and I slowed things down a bit this week by visiting with friends (including his new BFF, Baby Clara), strolling along Hawthorne with my mama and her good friend, Ellen, and taking leisurely evening walks. This weekend our little family came together for a much-needed lazy Saturday. Just us. We walked around the park, napped, loved on little Jack and enjoyed some mighty tasty vegetarian tostadas.

the cutest little sparrow+awesome husband+chillin' at home=relaxed and content mama

Cool Toy Tuesday: Crayons

Crayons are simple, yet have so many possibilities. They are often the first writing utensil a child will use and yet as an adult I can't resist the smell of a fresh box of crayons. Here are a few simple twists on an old classic (and a few DIY projects too):

Bathtub Soap Crayon Recipe via Kiboomu

Recycled Chunky Crayons via MakeandTakes



Water Color Crayons via Stubby Pencil Studio



Color Blended Rich Color Crayons via The Coolist via AssistOn



Grateful Journal: July 15, 2011

Jack and I spend most of our afternoons hanging out on the carpet smiling at one another. When in your life do you get to spend two hours laying on the ground

with a big goofy grin on your face? Well, I guess when you are a new parent. 

Our little sparrow smiles at me, smiles at himself in the mirror and is totally smitten by

some of the new tunes we've been listening to (see below).

I love the lilt of this woman's voice, so does Jack.

Sometimes it is nice to jazz up your water. My favorite summertime drink (aside from wine, which I miss very, very much): 2/3 water, 1/3 lemonade, 2 ice cubes.

It's all in the details.

This man is special. He makes me smile. He makes me laugh. He grounds me. He makes our family whole. I love him. I am so grateful I get to walk through life with him. 

Not the Carly Simon song, but rather the feeling of anticipation in the air. There are some changes ahead for me. Normally I have a love/hate relationship with change, but I am trying to embrace it this time and enjoy the feeling of anticipation that comes with taking a risk.

Oh So Quiet

Apologies for the sudden absence, things have been a bit hectic around these parts. We've been on the hunt for childcare (more about that to come) and I've been running around town with my trusty baby sidekick trying to get ready for a new life adventure (more to come on that as well). To top things off the little sparrow and I inherited the cold Daddy/Husband inherited from the office.

Reason No. 571 Why I Love My Boy: 

Even with the sniffles, he still has a smile on his face.

Well, for a little while anyway.

Cool Toy Tuesday: Double Rainbow

Having Jack makes me reminisce about my own childhood quite a bit. I got to thinking recently about how much my sister and I loved all things rainbow during our younger years (I also loved all things pink, but we won't talk about that). One year we saved up our money and both bought crystals. We dangled those crystals in front of any window we could find.

Oh and then there was Rainbow Brite, can you believe she was in charge of all the colors of the earth?!? Girl had some mad rainbow skillz, er, skills.

Another year my sister, Becky, got a tie-dyed rainbow outfit (I was secretly jealous, well, maybe not-so-secretly). My mom could not get her to take it off. She would have to peel it off of her at night whilst she slept, just to wash it. I believe that same year she went by the name RainbowKittyCatPuppyDogCrystalBeckyMegan (sorry Becks, but it was too awesome not to include).

Being a kid rocks, it's a colorful time, filled with wonder and discovery. I still get filled with wonder and awe when suprised by a sun shower and rainbow. I hope Jack enjoys rainbows as much as we did when we were kids. Here are a few toys that might inspire him to play with color:

Kaleidoscopic Blocks via Haba

Grimm's Spiel & Holz Large Rainbow Stacker via ChildTrek

This guy appreciates rainbows too
(sorry, I could not write a post about rainbows and not include this):

Grateful Journal: July 1, 2011

Jack has discovered the man in the mirror! I am not sure he knows who that cute little boy staring back at him is, but he sure likes to smile at him, talk to him and sometimes, give him a squeal of approval. The work he does with the mirror fascinates me to no end.


My mama is so wonderful! She is so honest about motherhood, shares what she knows and listens to me vent about what I don't. She has been such a generous and validating mama, I love her so.  

Hazelnut has shown up in a few indulgent treats this week, including hazelnut ice cream and hazelnut/chocolate gelato. I know, I know, but it's summer. 

My friend Nicki and I went to see a concert at Edgefield, one of my favorite venues. Even though I was exhausted, missing Jack and leaking breast milk, it was so nice to be out. Bluegrass tunes, picnic blankets, summer rain and that handmade hazelnut ice cream I was speaking so fondly of made for a lovely evening.

Rian was out of town this week (we missed him!), so life was a little wild around these parts. On top of the daily chaos, I got a creepy computer virus. I lost it. Luckily, I have the kindest family. I called up my brother-in-law and he came over without hesitation, valiantly fighting the nasty computer virus for several hours. He won! He saved my computer (and a bit of my sanity). He is also the best uncle to Jack (as documented above).