M Family Tales

Now that's one big kitty cat!

2011-02-06T21:50:00.000-08:00

Little does he know....

Two Years Old!

2011-01-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

In the words spoken by every parent everywhere, my how time flies!

Cake made by yours truly!! To say I was proud of how it turned out would be an understatement! It is the Applesauce Cake recipe from the Waldorf Kindergarten Snack book.

Balloons!

Ryan loved, loved, LOVED blowing out his candles! We had to relight them about 20 times so that he could blow them out again! Now every time he sees anything that looks vaguely like a candle (toothpicks, picture of fire, etc...), he starts blowing!

We celebrated Ryan's birthday on Jan 1 in Santa Barbara, so this was his surprise gift from mommy and daddy on his actual birthday morning. :)

Handmade Holiday part 2

2011-01-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here are the handmade gifts that I received from others this year. Nearly everyone participated in the "handmade" holiday gifts this year, which was really fun! Not shown below are the yummy cookies we got from my mom, and the photo book of Ryan that my dad made for everyone. Oh! And the nifty photo prints that Alex made for everyone! Whew, so much to document this year!!

Well, I guess these were to Ryan, not me! Adorable matching socks and mittens from Grammy J.

Beautiful fingerless gloves from SIL Aida!

BIL Roger made these hard drive book ends for everyone! Not only do they look really cool, they are very heavy and hold up our books very well!

Handmade Holiday Roundup

2011-01-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

My goal this year was to make a handmade gift for everyone in our family and miraculously enough, I succeeded! (Although I admit, December was quite hectic!!) Must remember to start earlier next year... Or I guess I should say this year... :P

For SIL Aida, I made Little Green Wristlets from "101 Designer One Skein Wonders", knit using Malabrigo Worsted

For MIL Jeanette, Garter Stitch Loop Through Scarf from "101 Designer One Skein Wonders", knit using Malabrigo Worsted

For my mom and sister, I made needle-felted angel dolls.

And for all the men in our families we made Apple Pie!!! FROM SCRATCH!! Even the crust!! Since neither Alex or I are good at baking (big understatement) we were very excited with how well the six (yes, SIX) pies we made turned out. And since we gave them to every family member, we got to eat apple pie for a week straight! Although we'll need to rethink that strategy next year... my waistline has definitely suffered! :P

Apple pie filling recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandma-Oples-Apple-Pie/Detail.aspx (We substituted 3/4 cup Turbinado sugar instead of the white and brown sugar)
Pie Crust:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Butter-Flaky-Pie-Crust/Detail.aspx

Still to finish... Socks for Alex!! Little buggers are taking me forever but I'm hoping to finish soon! Luckily, I have a very understanding husband (probably because he has also has not finished his handmade gift to me, hehe! We'll shoot for Valentines day!)

Christmas!

2011-01-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

Our little family got to spend 10 days up in Santa Clarita, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo this year for Christmas! We had such a good time and have so many photos to share, I decided to make a gallery. Enjoy!

http://gallery.me.com/alexmustacich/100109

Irvine Regional Park

2010-12-02T21:07:00.001-08:00

Today we met Morgan and Willow at Irvine Regional Park, which I think Ryan would declare as his new favorite place on earth. Between the train, the ducks, the petting zoo and the acres of grassy fields filled with leaves, sticks and trees to climb, it's a toddlers paradise! At this time of year, the train area is turned into Santa's Village, and the whole area is decked out in lights and decorations. From what I understand, you actually buy tickets ahead of time to go at night when the lights are up (and they are almost sold out for December already!), but there was hardly anyone there this morning and Ryan and Willow didn't seem to mind that the lights weren't on. In fact, they giggled and squealed the whole ride. We can't wait to go back soon!

Waiting for the train

YAY!

Trains are awesome!

Kicking it with my girl

Why aren't we moving yet??

cheeeesssee......

Bye bye train

Hello stick

Where is a cat to torment when I need one??

Peek a boo!

Hee hee, I'm in a tree!

Keeping a safe distance, those ducks are crazy

I am ryan, goat whisperer

Taking care of my goats

Who's next?

Let me show you how it's done

You are much bigger than my kittens...

I'm also a deer whisperer...

Yea moms, we get it. The deer is awesome, stop squealing with excitment behind us!

Fair Isle Doll

2010-12-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had a sudden urge to create a knitted waldorf doll to give Ryan on Christmas. I was loving all the little Fair Isle sweaters and jumpsuits that Hanna Anderson was featuring in their catalog, so this little guy is based on one of their outfits. I just kind of made up the pattern as I went, so no pattern to share this time. Ryan is just starting to get into dolls so I'm really excited to give it to him. I just need to think of a name!

Julian

2010-11-10T21:33:00.001-08:00

A few weekends ago we took a little day trip to Julian for some apple picking and apple pie! Not only did we have a blast picking apples but the Ferry family met us there for lunch as well! Although we do love Julian, I would advice anyone who is interested to check it out during the weekdays. It was not only very hot the day we visited, but very crowded! The orchard we visited is called Raven Hill and although they are not certified organic, they do not use pesticides. The guy who runs it is an artist as well, and he has some really cool wrought iron sculptures decorating the entrance to the orchard. He was very friendly and welcoming and I highly recommend checking his orchard if you're in the area.

Chunky Monkey Toddler Vest

2010-10-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

This vest is officially my most favorite piece I've ever knitted! Not only was the pattern a snap, it is so freaking adorable on Ryan that I can hardly stop squishing him with hugs when he wears it. Is there anything cuter than a toddler in a knit vest?? I think not!

You can see details about this project in my Raverly projects.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-17T13:26:00.001-07:00

Needle Felted Birds

2010-10-10T21:38:00.001-07:00

During our recent kitchen remodel (photos of that coming soon!), I packed up Ryan and the dog and headed up to Santa Clarita and Santa Barbara for a couple weeks. While preparing for Santa Barbara, my MIL asked if I would be interested in doing some needle felted birds with her while I was there. Ummm.... lemmie think about that a second... HECK YA! :D Since I never got around to making the fabric bird branch mobile I had wanted to, I thought this would be a great substitute. And I have to say, I think I like it even more than the fabric version! Maybe someday I will have more birds to add on, but instead of waiting months to make more, I decided that two was enough to showcase for now. We didn't really follow any sort of pattern. We just looked at bird books and kind of went for it. :D

Little birds hanging out above Ryan's playstands

Vegan Cream of Zucchini Soup

2010-10-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Although summer is supposedly over (as I write this in 90 degree heat, hmmmm...) the farmer's market is still chock full of zucchinis so I thought I'd share my favorite vegan cream of zucchini soup recipe we've been enjoying this summer. It's an adapted version of the Cream of Asparagus Soup recipe from Clean Food (my favorite vegan cookbook). It's hard to believe that this rich-tasting recipe contains no milk!

Ingredients:
3 medium size zucchinis
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 TB olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 cups rice milk or soy milk
salt and pepper

Saute chopped onion in olive oil until it turns golden (about 8 minutes). Add garlic and saute for a couple more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and then simmer for about 20 minutes or until the zucchini is cooked through. Puree soup using immersion blender. Enjoy!

Uncle Peter's Visit

2010-10-10T12:57:00.001-07:00

Rocking out with Uncle Peter!

Pa da da da.... pa da da....

This guy is good... I need to focus to keep up!

Wow, he plays much better than mommy and daddy!

Wonderful Wallaby Sweater

2010-08-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

It's finished, it's finished! I finally finished Ryan's Wallaby sweater and of course it's almost TOO SHORT! Ugh, and with the way this boy is growing I'm not sure if it will still fit this winter! Luckily, we're having a cool summer here, so he should get some use out of it. :D And I do LOVE the way it turned out! I basically followed the pattern and yarn choices posted here: http://purlbee.squarespace.com/the-purl-bee/2010/2/19/whits-knits-the-wonderful-wallaby.html. I did the width of a size 2, and the length size 4, plus added an inch to the body and it still came out a bit short for the beanpole boy. Oh well! As you will see, I took LOTS of photos. :D

Modeling my new sweater

Catwalk pose

Serious model pose

Happy model pose... enough of this, time to show off my KUNG FU!

HIYA!!

YHA! YHA!

Well, this sweater can keep up with my skills, I approve!

June Beach Trip

2010-08-10T22:22:00.001-07:00

This is a link to a photo gallery of the pictures we took during our recent trip up to Santa Barbara/San Luis area. I haven't figured out how to get captions on the mac photo galleries yet, but the following is a short description of the order of photos:

Refugio State Beach - Ryan LOVED spending multiple days at the beach, playing in the sand and running from waves!
Montana de Oro - Five minutes into this hike, Ryan managed to grab poison oak! Luckily, Alex saw it happen and we were able to wash his hands right away. But there was poison oak everywhere on that trail so Ryan had to "hike" on daddy's back!
San Luis Obispo Children's Museum - Good times :)
Avila Farm in San Luis
Solstice Festival in Santa Barbara
Children's park in downtown Santa Barbara - This playground was so fun for adults and kids!
Mustacich house in Santa Barbara - Ryan thought the recorder was pretty awesome :)
Santa Barbara Zoo

http://gallery.me.com/alexmustacich#100101

Back to our regularly scheduled program

2010-07-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

The blog had to be put on the back burner for a few weeks as I had FINALLY given notice at my job and had lots to do to prepare for my departure. It's definitely been a relief to take a break and just be with Ryan for awhile. I'm also starting to prepare for Waldorf teacher training which begins this Fall! I'm so happy and excited to start this new phase of my life! Between my news and Alex's new job that is going great, we are one happy clan this summer. I hope everyone is having as great of a summer as we are!

18 Months

2010-07-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day that it has been awhile since I've documented some "Ryan Updates" so here is the latest with our little man.

Ryan has always been "energetic" but now it seems he has crossed the threshold into full blown boyhood. He is constantly climbing chairs, dancing on tables, leaping down the stairs, and jumping off the bed, along with many other feats that give his mommy and daddy daily mini heart attacks. He loves going on walks down to the nearby field to run down hills and try to steal balls from the soccer practices. Balls are without a doubt his favorite thing in the world right now and every day ends with daddy and Ryan bouncing balls all over the house.

Not only is his body non-stop motion but his language is picking up too. Although he doesn't have many understandable words yet, he sure chats away as if we're comprehending every word and we have to struggle to keep a straight face as he enthusiastically babbles away about this or that. He also loves to try to make us laugh by acting silly or even doing his latest trick: making himself fart! Yup, he has already learned that a good fart equals lots of laughs, and all I can say is that "he got it from daddy's side". ;P

A super sweet side is also emerging as he loves cuddling and giving us hugs and kisses. He also enjoys reading books with mommy or daddy and is quite particular about which books he wants to read and in what order.

His favorite outdoor destination right now is the BEACH! Sand and water, is there anything better to an 18 month old?? Mommy also loves it as there is nothing there for him to climb (or fall off from!) and it's the one place that wears him out and guarantees a decent nap. :D

Here is a recent photo shoot by daddy that captures some of the many Ryan expressions. Budding actor perhaps?? (cuz drama definitely runs in MY side of the family!) Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Recent Knits

2010-07-27T14:51:00.001-07:00

Some recent finished projects for the soon-to-be-born Baby Bernard! This little earflap hat is a basic crochet hat that I've added flaps too. I've combined a couple different patterns to get the "look" and one of these days I need to write down what I'm doing because it's quick to make and super cute! (In my humble opinion :) ) Especially since I have about seven baby gifts to get together in the next few months! My friends are seriously in procreating moods these days. :D

I saw this on Ravalry and HAD to make one for the daddy-t0-be since by all accounts he is one big Star Wars fan. I'm not certain if the baby will get to keep it. :P

Huntington Gardens

2010-06-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our Waldorf playgroup is on a bit of a break inbetween cycles, so we've decided to do some group field trips on Thursdays. Last week, we made the trek all the way to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. Even though I grew up in LA, I've actually never been there! (Shameful, I know!) Not only was the place absolutely gorgeous and relaxing, it's surprisingly a toddler's paradise! Acres of beautiful lush gardens to roam around freely without having to worry about cars and other people. And the children's garden was amazing! Tons of little fountains and statues and tunnels! Ryan was one happy guy. I definitely recommend checking it out if you're in the area. :)

Tea and homemade scones for lunch! Yum!

Ryan LOVED running in the fields

And being chased!

So many fountains, so little time ;P

Peekaboo!

Tea Party!

2010-06-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

Is there anything sweeter than toddlers having a tea party?? :)

Spring is popping out all over!

2010-05-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

(Our little blondie at 16 months old!)

We've been busy as bees the last few weeks! Here are some things we've been up to:

Hanging with friends at the Costa Mesa Waldorf School May Faire

Seeing lots of animals at petting zoos and the parks

Celebrating Grampy Bell's 70th Birthday

And enjoying the first of many beach trips to come this summer

Hope everyone is enjoying Spring as much as we are!

PS - I also have lots of craft projects in the works, so I will be updating on that front soon!

The boy in action

2010-05-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

So every morning when Alex makes his smoothie, Ryan breaks out his "blender dance". I know this is probably the third dancing video we have on the blog, but what can I say? This kid loves to groove. :)

and ringing bells is pretty fun too!

Zoo

2010-04-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, we made the trek down to San Diego for Ryan's first visit to the zoo. We weren't sure that he would be that interested in it yet, but he had a blast! He ran from exhibit to exhibit, gleefully giggling while trying to find animals. We were there for almost 5 hours and he only took a short 20 minute nap and preferred walking most of the park instead of using the stroller! And we just love the fact that the zoo is designed so that every animal can be seen no matter how short the guest is. :) We're all looking forward to returning soon!

Checking out some ducks

Whoa! A sea otter!

Hmmm, that one is a bit scary, thanks for getting my back mom

Petting some goats. I've had a lot of coaching on how to pet animals, thanks to Kalumba!

Easter

2010-04-18T17:57:00.001-07:00

Morning Snuggles

2010-03-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Plant Dying

2010-03-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Some friends of mine have been having a great time with plant dying wool and cotton and I've been itching to try it myself for quite awhile now. Although I was envious of the beautiful results they were getting, it sounded like an overwhelming (not to mention, MESSY!) kind of project, so I had been putting it off trying it out myself for weeks. However, last weekend I took the plunge with my trusty sidekicks Sce and Morgan and although I had some minor problems I think it's safe to say we were all extremely happy with the results!

We all decided to order a bunch of plain playsilks from Dharma Trading along with wool felt from JoAnnes. In order for the dye to "stick" to your materials and not wash out, you have to mordant everything first. We all basically followed the directions on my friend Jeannie's blog. Once everything was prepared and ready, we decided to try the following dyes:

Turmeric - Super easy to use, just dump a couple tablespoons in a big pot of boiling water, add wool/cotton, and boil for about twenty minutes.

Onion Skins - We boiled yellow onion skins for about twenty minutes, and then added our wool and boiled until we got the color we wanted (about 20-30 minutes)

Black beans - Just soaked the beans over night and then we used the soak water the next day. Very easy and didn't even have to boil!

Brazil Wood - This I had to order online. We boiled the wood in a big pot for twenty minutes and then left the wool/silks in over night (although we also did some quick dips and got a really cool pink color!)

Here are the results:

Adding turmeric to water

Playsilk coming out of turmeric

Playsilks soaking in brazil wood

Adding wool to bean dye - My 1oo% wool felt did not hold the bean dye color at all, but the wool blend felt and the playsilks turned out great.

Sce dipped half of her playsilk in the brazil wood and the other half in bean water

On the left you can see the awesome colors we got from the bean water. The lone greenish playsilk in the middle is a mixture of the turmeric and bean water, which turned out a beautiful sage color when it finished drying. The silks and wool on the right are all done with turmeric.

Although the brazil wood turned some of the playsilks and wool a deep red color, mine came out orange and pink! We're not sure if it's because we did something different during the preparation or if some of the brazil wood was cooked longer, but no matter. Everything turned out beautiful as you can see and we're all looking forward to another dying session soon! :D

Basket Head

2010-03-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Salad Spinner Dance

2010-03-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

So I tried to get a video of Ryan dancing to some Irish music in honor of St. Patty's Day, but he didn't think it was that great of an idea. (Could it have been because I waited until right before bath/bed time?? ) However, we DID catch this on video last week. Every time we use the salad spinner, this is what happens! It's freakin hilarious, and something we will probably tease him about relentlessly when he is a teenager. :P

Pants that Dance Part Two

2010-03-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Just finished another pair of soaker pants for Ryan. This time I added a couple inches on the bottom and as you see, they fit MUCH better!

Nature Table

2010-03-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Nature tables are often used in Waldorf schools and homes. They are basically little "scenes" that depict the current season and are a great way to display the little treasures children find during walks, such as rocks, seashells or leaves. They can be as simple or elaborate as you want, and I've even seen some waldorf mamas sponsoring little craft exchanges for their nature tables (fun!). Since I had already created a Spring mother earth doll last Fall, I decided this was the season to get our nature table going! I don't have a lot of crafts or treasures for it yet, since a) I'm not that fast at making trinkets and b) Ryan is more likely to eat any treasures he finds rather then donate them to the nature table. :) Nevertheless, I had fun setting it up and I look forward to adding to it as I can.

I decided to put new hair on my doll, and add some spring flowers and a sack of seeds

We made beeswax candles as one of our "waldorf in the woods" craft. I found duck eggs at the farmers market to use, since they have a really cool natural colors such as blue seen above.

Another Waldorf group craft, we followed the pattern in "The Nature Corner", a book I highly recommend if you want ideas on how to set up your own nature table!

February

2010-02-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit behind this month updating the blog (someone just LOVES pounding my keyboard every chance he gets so my computer time has been limited until we figure out a different arrangement!) So here is what we've been up to this month:

Making cards for Valentine's Day

A little lamb for my little lamb on Valentines day (followed this pattern)

Celebrating our 10 year dating anniversary!! (photo from bachelor party in 2005)

Jam session during Grampy Bob and Grammy J's visit

Creamy Winter Soup

2010-02-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this nutritious, vegan and totally yummy soup recipe that we've been enjoying. It's so creamy that it's hard to believe it doesn't contain any dairy (although we do like to add a tad of shredded cheese on top, yummm....) And best of all, the ingredients are all in season and can be found at your local farmers market! Bon appetite!

Restaurant Quality Creamy Soup
http://drbenkim.com/restaurant-quality-soup.htm

Jam Session

2010-02-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

Just had to share our budding musician's latest jam session that took place on the xylophone he got for his bday from Uncle Peter. Not only does this video feature some great tunes and singing, but part way through you will catch Ryan saying his first (and pretty much only) word "Up!" Since he's heard us say "up" to Charlie about 100 times a day, he now says it to every animal in our house whenever he sees them, lol!

Farm Day

2010-01-31T19:48:00.001-08:00

Today we attended the Earthroots Field School fundraiser, located on a 1 acre mini farmstead in a Laguna Hills residential area. I'm amazed at the amount of animals and gardening that takes place on this relatively small property. Some of our friends from the meetup group also came, and we all had a fun afternoon playing with instruments and meeting furry creatures.

"My, what big nostrils you have!"

"Ummm, a little too close for comfort daddy!"

5 seconds before Ryan tried to take the head off one of these sweet chicks! :(

Ryan's friend Willow, looking pretty

Ryan LOVED watching the older kids play drums

"Whoa, your stick makes noises!"

Once the big kids left, the toddlers took over

Willow, again picture perfect :)

"Look what I found, a drum MY size!!"

Ryan carried this drum around for a good 30 minutes (which is an eternity in toddler time). I foresee a little drum in his future ;)

January Crafting

2010-01-31T19:41:00.000-08:00

The knitting continues! Here are some recent birthday knits from Grammie J and Auntie Aida, along with some photos of the crafts that I've been working on with Ryan's Waldorf playgroup.

Sweater made by Grammie J, based on the same sweater the Mustacich boys wore when they were toddlers

Ryan doing his new favorite fart noises. Such a boy :)

Cute cardigan made by Auntie Aida. She also made a couple matching hats but Ryan will only wear them outside!

Baby butt :)

This needle felted snail was one of my first crafts with the Waldorf group.

Wool roving angel, that unfortunately didn't get completed until after Christmas this year (hey, it was the mold's fault I swear!)

Pocket doll!! Or as Alex calls him "Pocket Pal". I was super excited about this little guy as he is officially the first doll I've created (well, the first finished one anyways!) and the perfect size for Ryan's little hands.

We made these last week, felted soap! I had never heard of it before and I actually didn't do the greatest job with my first attempt at wet felting (as you can see in this photo, lol) But I love the idea of a scrub and soap in one! Apparently they're great in the shower, so some of these might be making an appearance in stockings next Christmas. ;P

Pants that Dance

2010-01-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

I knitted these Kanoko pants (cascade 220 wool) for Ryan to use at bedtime to help prevent diaper leaks and keep him warm. They were knit entirely in the round, which means no seams for me to sew and no seams to irritate Ryan's legs. Although I love the way they turned out, I think the next pair I make need to be a tad longer and a tad more narrow for this beanpole child of mine. However, Ryan didn't seem to mind and in fact loved his new pants so much that a pants dance party quickly ensued. Where's the video camera when you need it???

We love you little bugger :)

Artisan Bread

2010-01-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my brother and sister-in-law gave me a copy of "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day", a book I have had my eye on for awhile but was hesitant to try since my baking attempts usually end in failure. And bread? Well, let's just say my last attempt ended with a big flat lump of dough that was hard as a rock. (I should mention that the reason that my attempts at baking don't always pan out, is because I tend to substitute healthier ingredients!) But I read through the book and everything seemed easy enough, so I gave it a go. With no healthy substitutes. And low and behold, a delicious loaf of heaven appeared with a perfect crunchy crust and moist interior. Ahhhh, it took one bite and we have officially joined the homemade bread band wagon.

To those of you who don't have the time or even if all your past baking attempts have been failures, I encourage you to check out this book! And just to clarify, the five minutes is the amount of time you spend each day either mixing or preparing the loaf. It does take more time to bake or let the dough rise, but there is no kneading or other complicated steps involved. Trust me, if I can do it, so can you!

My first loaf! And yes, it tasted as good as it looks :D

Pizza made using the same dough. This is our new friday night tradition.

Ryan's Party

2010-01-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Ryan's birthday again with family and friends at my mom's house in Santa Clarita. We all had such a great time and I want to thank everyone for joining us on Ryan's special day! Here are some pictures from the event, although I'm a bit bummed I didn't get more photos of the guests. I was having so much fun chatting with everyone, I forgot to take photos, oops!!!

Our new family birthday banner!! Designed by me and put together with A LOT of help from Grammy J and auntie Aida. (THANKS again ladies!!!)

The letters and circles are made from wool felt (from Purl Soho, yum!), and feature a decorative running stitch around the edge.

We tried to go as "eco" as possible with cloth napkins (thrift store), bamboo plates and biodegradable cups. We also only served vegetarian food.

Most of the attendees all chipped in for a big gift for Ryan and we decided to get him a set of playstands! As you will see in the video, playstands can be used in multiple ways such as a little house, a store, a puppet theatre, or whatever else the child wants them to be. Ryan already loves hanging out in his little house, playing peek a boo with the hanging silk and banging on the shelves. I think he especially likes having easy access to all his toys. :) Thanks everyone for helping us to get this awesome gift! He will use it for years to come!

Ryan's Big Day

2010-01-06T21:07:00.000-08:00

Today is Ryan's first birthday! Me oh my, we can't believe our baby is one already!! Although his party with our families is on Saturday, we decided to have a little celebration tonight with just the three of us. So we had dinner at a local Italian restaurant (the same one we had dinner at the night I found out I was pregnant!), followed by cupcakes and presents at home. I made the crown out of wool felt following this pattern. It's a Waldorf inspired tradition in which a special crown is made to be worn only on the child's birthday each year. And sometimes you add a number of stars or jewels that correspond to the age the child is turning. The gifts were wrapped in Sarah's playsilks, which can also be used for dress up or building forts or doll blankets, etc... It was a little special celebration for a very special guy! Happy Birthday little bubs!

Knitted ball made by mommy following this pattern

Dancing King

2010-01-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

A little something for all you Mama Mia fans out there.

Christmas!

2009-12-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

SANTA CLARITA

SANTA BARBARA

Christmas Crafting

2009-12-31T11:18:00.001-08:00

Lot's of handmade goodies this year! Next year my goal is to do at least one handmade gift for everyone on my list. Better start now, hehe!

This is an ornament I knitted for Ryan in honor of his first Christmas. I loosely followed this pattern, but decided to replace the doll with a mini version of the gnomes (see below)

These natural blocks were made by my friend Devana, the waldorf teacher that also runs the crafting workshops I have attended recently

Cowboy hat for Ryan, knitted by his aunt aida (Daddy is trying to show Ryan how fun it is to wear hats since Ryan keeps taking them off recently. Very unfortunate for us knitters!)

Kitty cat doll knitted by Grammie J and the model who inspired it

Gnome stocking stuffers. I followed this pattern

Apparently the hats are "just right" for chewing on :)

Newport Boat Parade

2009-12-31T00:50:00.000-08:00

After living here for four years, we FINALLY made it to the annual Newport holiday boat parade this year. Supposedly it is one of the top ten holiday events in the U.S. However, I have to admit that although the boats that did participate were spectacular, I was a bit disappointed that there were so few. I guess decorating yachts with an inordinate number of lights is not a huge priority in this economy. ;) In any case, it was a fun evening!

Santa's Little Helper

2009-12-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

Adorable present from Grammy J, and just in time for the holidays! (Bootees pattern by Elizabeth Zimmerman from the Opinionated Knitter, not sure about the hat yet)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-12-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Bell Family Photo

The entire Mustacich family also joined us for Thanksgiving but we haven't gotten a group photo yet! Hopefully we'll get one on Christmas. :)

Surprise!!

2009-11-25T15:25:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we held a surprise party for my mom's 70th bday. It felt like half of Santa Clarita knew about the party and amazingly enough no one blew it! The guest-of-honor was indeed surprised! Props to my sister Jen for her incredible amount of planning and organizing, it was a fun night!

No one thought to take a picture of the actual surprise, but I think her expression was something like this. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Meeting Drew

2009-11-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

Recently our little family got to meet the newest member of the Phillips clan, baby Drew!!

"Whaz up???" Drew basking in the sunlight from a window, can already picture him poolside with a cold one. :)

Wow, you are loud! How about a coaster to cheer you up?

Or maybe your belly needs a little rub rub?

Willow's Birthday

2009-11-20T14:08:00.001-08:00

My friend Morgan recently threw the most beautiful and completely eco-friendly party for her one-year-old daughter Willow, that I just had to share some of the photos with everyone. Almost all of the decor was found in thrift stores or handmade by Morgan using vintage material. Even the menu was eco-friendly! They had grass-fed beef burgers and organic salads served on biodegradible plates, silverware and cloth napkins. It was a beautiful party and now little Willow has many wonderful decorations to use at future parties.

Princess Willow wearing a dress made by her mama

Centerpieces

All the tablecloths were made from vintage sheets found at the thrift store

Morgan spent months hunting down vintage cloth for the banner. It's hard to see in this photo, but it says "Happy Birthday Willow"

Our friend Ciel enjoying the festivities with her mom

Checking out all the cute ladies!

Willow's cake made by a family member

Morgan and Willow

Even the bib is handmade and has "Willow" on it. Morgan has set the bar high for sure, lol!

Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Apples

2009-11-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

This is an altered Barefoot Contessa recipe that I made for the Halloween party potluck and it turned out so well, I decided to post it so that I could pass it on to some of the mamas that wanted the recipe. I omitted the dairy since a lot of my mama friends have nursing babies who can't have dairy, so now the recipe is vegan too. This recipe will definitely make an appearance at Thanksgiving this year!

6 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup coconut milk (or use heavy cream if you can tolerate dairy)
4 TB coconut oil (or butter)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper

FOR THE TOPPING
3 TB coconut oil (or butter)
4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
3 TB maple syrup

Preheat the oven 375, and bake sweet potatoes for 1 hour. Remove skin, and place the sweet potato meat into a bowl and mix in the OJ, coco milk, coco butter, syrup and seasonings. Pour into a baking dish.

For the topping, melt the oil in a pan and cook the apples and syrup for 5 - 10 minutes on medium-high until slightly brown. Place on top of the sweet potatoes.

Bake the potatoes and apples for 20 - 30 minutes until heated through.

Welcome Drew Wayne Phillips!

2009-11-09T21:41:00.001-08:00

9 lb, 9 ounces and 22 inches long! Whew, who knew such a big guy could be in such a small mama, haha! Congrats Tes and Don!!!

Martinmas

2009-11-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we headed to Casper's wilderness park with several of the Waldorf group moms to celebrate Martinmas. It also happened to be Ryan's first camping trip! Although it was a bit too cold for this mama, Ryan did great and seemed to have fun snuggling with me in the Ergo and watching the fire and other festivities. :)

Martinmas is a holiday in honor of St. Martin, the patron saint of the poor. A lot of European countries celebrate the holiday by having soup and bread, and it's become a popular annual tradition with Waldorf folks. A couple days before the event, we froze large sized cans and used a nail and hammer to create holes and decorate them. On the night of the event everyone brought a soup or bread to share for supper and then we gathered around for a puppet show. (See below) Afterwards, we stuck glowsticks in the cans and took a walk around the campsights with our lanterns, singing songs about bringing light into the darkness. (And boy, was it DARK at the campsites, hehe!) It was a very fun and magical evening and props to Jeannie for organizing her first (and very successful) Martinmas event!

MARTINMAS PUPPET SHOW

(Two characters, a child and the sun)

Boy: “Oh I just love the summertime! I love to smell the flowers, and play with the butterflies, and sing with the birds! But, I’m sad because summer is over and all my summertime friends are going away. The flowers are going away, the butterflies are going away, and even the birds are going away! What am I going to do? It’s going to be so lonely without my summertime friends! And the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer, and it’s getting cold! Brrr”
(the sun comes out from behind a cloud)
“Oh Hello Mr Sun! Mr. Sun, I don’t know what to do because my summertime friends are all going away and the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer and it’s getting cold outside! It’s so lonely without my summertime friends.”
Sun: “Yes, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer and it’s getting colder because Autumn has come and I am not around as much, and soon it will be cold, dark Winter. But, if you will make a little house for it, I will give you one of my sparks to keep you company until I start coming back again at the end of December.”
Boy: “Oh thank you Mr Sun! But, how shall I…. Oh, he’s gone behind a cloud again. I guess I will have to figure it out for myself. I’ll go home and see what I can do.”
Narrator: “So the little boy went home, wondering what to do. What could he make a house out of?”
Boy (in front of a table): ” Well, I found this piece of paper. I wonder if I could make a house out of this.”
Narrator: “So the boy went to work fashioning a house out of paper. He worked on it all afternoon.”
Boy (showing paper lantern with tissue paper windows) : “Well, here it is! I like it. I wonder if Mr Sun will like it. I think I’ll go find out right now.”
(he moves outdoors) Mr. Sun, Mr Sun! (sun comes out from behind a cloud) Oh, there you are, Mr. Sun. I made a little house for one of your sparks. Do you like it?”
Sun: “Oh, that is a beautiful little house! I like it very much!”
Boy: “Then may I have one of your sparks please?”
Sun: “Yes you may!”
(an assistant lights birthday candle in lantern)
Boy: “Oh look how the spark dances in its new house! It must be very happy! Oh thank you Mr. Sun! Thank you!!!”
(Boy sings) “The sunlight now is dwindling, my little lamp needs kindling. It’s beam shines far in darkest night. Dear lantern guide me with your light!”

Fino Visit

2009-11-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

The Fino family came to stay with us this past weekend and the boys had a blast wreaking havoc around our home and taking turns chasing Kalumba. It was great for us to get out of the house and do somethings we don't typically do post-baby, such as dinner at Javier's and hanging out at Laguna Beach. A great time was had by all!

Me and Logan checking out my new walker walker

Hmmm, do you mind if I have a taste of that too?

Can we please come up and play with Charlie?? Pretty, pretty please?!?

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

I'm one cool cat

Yup, I have "those" kind of parents

Mr. Clean and a Hogwarts witch and house elf!

My first time in a bouncy bounce

I'm not sure who had more fun, me or daddy

Drunk on Halloween fun

Baby Items

2009-11-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

The following items were made for baby Drew. I had forgotten to take photos of them before I gave them to the mommy-to-be at her shower, but she graciously sent me close up photos recently so that I could show off my handy work. :)

I made this flannel swaddling blanket generously sized at 42" x 42" and decided to run a stitch around the edge after seeing this Purlbee post.

The patterns for the kimono sweater and hat were from Natural Knits for Babies and Mom. I used Debbie Bliss 100% cotton.

Our Walking Pumpkin

2009-10-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

So we haven't gotten it on video yet, but Ryan has officially taken his "first step" although its more like two or three steps before toppling over. But that sure doesn't stop him, as he is determined to nail down this whole balance on one foot at a time thing. As a first time mom, I'm a little confused if these first steps are the epic ones I should be recording in a baby book or if it's when he's literally strolling across the room. I had always envisioned that one day he would suddenly let go of the couch and carefully place one foot in front of the other to greet me on the other side of the room, falling lovingly into my arms (while daddy was videotaping of course). In actuality, his biggest motivation to take a step is to get to Kalumba quicker than he already can, or to get some object he shouldn't have. First steps versus real walking, it's all very gray area, so I'm declaring this whole month as Ryan's beginning to walk date. :)

The following photos showcase some recent hats made by me and Grammy J. Due to all of us coming down with our first family cold last week, I was not able to take photos at the pumpkin patch so we staged a Fall scene on our front porch. :) I just love this time of year and even though it's still 85+ in California, I can't help but start breaking out the knitwear.

Yea for pumpkins!! (The super cute hat was made by Grammy J. I could seriously eat him up in this photo!)

And back to Ryan's favorite toy, leaves....

This hat was made by me. Although it's a tad big, I'm pretty dang proud of how well it came out for my first crochet project!

Making noise is so much fun! (Note the egg shaker in his hand from grandpa Bob)

Another great gift from Grammy J. My friend Morgan found this pattern on Etsy and Grammy J offered to make a pair from some felted sweaters she found at the thrift store. They turned out super cute!!! And I'm very glad Ryan has a pair already since this mommy has got a lot of projects in the works already. :)

Another view of slippers. There is velcro under the button so they're really easy to get on his wiggly feet quickly.

Happiness is...

2009-10-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Duralex Dishware for Kids

2009-10-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

How cool is this! Kid friendly glasses and dishes that are virtually unbreakable! Plus, since they are glass, they are recyclable and completely non-toxic! So much better for kids and the environment!
http://www.zoebonline.com/kidishes-kid-friendly-tempered-glass-duralex.html

VACATION!!

2009-10-12T20:50:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we returned from a fabulous vacation up the coast. Since Ryan is still not a fan of the car, we broke up the trip over 10 days and made stops in Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, San Jose, San Francisco, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo. We had a blast hanging out with family and friends and doing lots of touristy things. And in case you're wondering, Ryan did great in the car!! Although it was mostly because I recently discovered I can nurse him while we're driving, while wearing a seat belt! What can I say, we moms are talented, and it also provided great entertainment for the truckers passing by as well. :)

To see a condensed sample of the 700+ photos we took (lol, narrowed down to 65, I promise!), click the link below:
http://gallery.me.com/alexmustacich#100070&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Teresa's Shower

2009-09-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we celebrated the upcoming arrival of baby Drew with a Angel's themed shower for the parents to be, Teresa and Don! Teresa's sister Denise did a fabulous job and everyone had a great time!

Hat and sweater I knitted (close ups coming soon)

Charlie Rush, seriously adorable and happy kid!

Grandmas on baby duty

My first diaper cake. Teresa has made about 100 of these for various friends and family, so I hope it was up to her standards!

You are much bigger close up...

4 generations! (I'm including baby drew of course!)

Needlefelting Workshop

2009-09-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I attended a needle felting workshop with the OC Attachment Parenting group at the home of Devana, one of our members. Besides being a Waldorf teacher, she is a talented artist and has led many workshops on working with wool. It took place in her garage that had been converted into a beautiful Waldorf classroom by Devana and her husband. Most of the furniture and toys you will see in the videos and photos where handmade by them as well.

I had never heard of needle felting before, but I'm always game to try anything creative and fun! Our project for the day was to make a mother earth doll using wool that had been dyed with plant dyes. It's amazing what you can create by just using a needle to poke and prod wool! Although the dolls are too delicate for children to play with, Waldorf teachers use them on their seasonal tables, which are basically nature scenes that showcase the current season or holiday. I'm very proud of how everyone's dolls turned out and very excited to set up my own nature table soon!

My almost finished creation! I still want to add some flowers and work on her hair, but considering I was chasing Ryan the whole day while working on this, I'm pleased with how much I got done!

And here is how Ryan spent his day:

I'll have to add "gourd" to his Christmas wish list. He played with that thing all day, lol!

Gustorf Photo Shoot

2009-09-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had a little photo shoot of the Gustorf kids and I have to admit, I'm very proud of how the photos came out! It's by far the least amount of out of focus photos for me yet, lol! Another big help is that Elisabeth's new house has an abundance of windows and natural light! Here are a couple of my favorites.

And in case you were wondering what was happening with Ryan behind the scene....

Forest for a Classroom

2009-09-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

I love this article that was recently forwarded to me by a friend in my meetup group. It's about the forest school movement in Europe where children spend every day in the woods as their "school", come rain or shine, or in this instance, snow!
http://www.cafeno1r.com/dump/forestclassroom.pdf

Beach Day!

2009-09-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

My friend Elisabeth recently informed me about back bay beach in Newport, where there are no waves, easy beach access, a playground and clean bathrooms! Seemed to meet all the criteria for a toddler beach adventure so on Friday we trekked up to Newport and spent the morning with the Gustorfs, playing in the water, eating sand and having loads of fun! Ryan and I will be frequent visitors of this beach from now on. :)

beach baby gracie, just 5 weeks old!

Trip to Lancaster

2009-09-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we took a trip up to Lancaster to visit Tes and Don (and Drew!) and then had an early bday celebration for my sister in SCV. We had a great time visiting with the fam and the Lancaster gang and I got to take photos of a very preggers Teresa!

Farm Fresh to You

2009-09-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

I had been envious of my Nor Cali friends when I originally heard about a CSA program that delivered to their homes. So when I heard that the program had added So Cali starting this month, I signed up immediately and bright and early this morning my first home delivered CSA box arrived with californian fresh organic fruits and veggies.

If you are wondering what CSA means, it is Community Supported Agriculture, and typically how it works is people who live closeby can buy a "share" of a farm and get weekly deliveries of whatever the farm happens to have in season. It's a great way to support locals farms, however Farm Fresh to You has taken CSA to a new level. Usually you have no idea what kind of produce you will get, but Farm Fresh has everything listed online and even gives you the option of letting them know if you absolutely hate some veggie or fruit so you can get a substitute. Plus they have various options and sizes such as mostly fruit baskets versus mixed, and the option to get weekly, bi-weekly or monthly deliveries. You can also peek online and see what your next drop off will contain and what farm the produce is coming from. Farming meets technology, gotta love it!

And what did we make for dinner with our first drop off? Veggie sandwiches with homemade garlic potato chips, yum!! (the tomatoes were especially yummy!)

Here is the website if any of you do decide to try them out (which I really hope you do!)
http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/index.php

Life with a Pre-Walker

2009-08-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

Teaching a teenager drive ain't got nothing on watching a child learn to walk. In the past week we've had two lip bleeds, one poked eye, smashed fingers, chairs toppled on top of ourselves and countless bumps on the head, two of which needed immediate ice packs to reduce goose egg bruises (a term I have become very familiar with). We have removed furniture, wrapped the banister in a blanket, applied foam padding everywhere, and put up more gates. We've even taken the knobs off all the dressers because apparently Ryan thinks of them as his own indoor climbing walls. This boy will use anything he can grab to try to pull himself up, table legs, dangling straps from his high chair, kalumba's tail... And since he is also teething (two front teeth have arrived!), he likes to pull himself up to the edge of a chair or bookcase and then teeth on it while shakily balancing on one foot and flailing his arms around to reach for something else. Apparently he is a multitasker like his mommy.

Well I'm off to give my fragile nerves a break until he wakes up and the games begin again! If anyone knows of any good sedatives for mommy to take, please pass them along. :)

Practice Makes Perfect

2009-08-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent photos we've taken of Ryan with our new 50mm 1.4f Nikon lens, which is much faster than the one we were using. I'd still like to do some photoshop editing with these, but let's face it, that it won't probably happen any time soon. :) But we're having a great time learning photography skills and trying to figure out just what all the settings on our camera do. So on to our favorite subject. :)

Hehe, I think this one is mommy's favorite :)

Big Week

2009-08-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a big week for Ryan! Just over a week ago he went from crawling on his belly to crawling on his hands and knees. Then a couple days later, he started sitting up on his own. Then a couple days after that, he started pulling himself up to standing! Now the little bugger can get just about anywhere he pleases and Alex and I are scrambling to finish baby proofing. It's amazing to me how many ways Ryan can somehow smack his head on something hard throughout the course of a day, sigh... I know it's just the beginning. :)

Peekaboo

2009-08-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Terrorizing the Locals

2009-08-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

My new favorite toy

So soft, so fun to chase, so fun to taste...

And where do you think you're going???

Must.... hold... on....

New target spotted. You can run Charlie, but you can't hide...

Santa's Workshop

2009-08-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

In my quest to create the ultimate Waldorf play area for Ryan, I was very excited to run across a couple on Etsy who sells wood cut out shapes for cheap. Most Waldorf set ups include lots of Holztiger Animals and trees (see example), which are super cute but super expensive, running about $10 a piece. So when I saw this couple selling unfinished pieces at .75-$1 each, I went a little crazy and purchased Ryan a whole kingdom. At first Alex was skeptical of my purchase but when I told him of my original idea of him taking up woodworking, he agreed that this was indeed a good purchase. :) Now just a bit sanding, some painting, and beeswax finish, and vwala, handmade Waldorf toys for the bubbies. Can't be too hard, right?? :D

The Big Visit

2009-08-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today we had the pleasure of meeting my sister in law Aida's parents whom are currently visiting from Azerbaijan. Although they don't speak much english, we all seemed to communicate well (thanks to great translations by Aida!) and they are seriously the sweetest parents! Everyone had a great time visiting. Ryan was on his best behavior and especially enjoyed being entertained by Aida's mom, Vera, who seemed very happy to oblidge as his playmate. :)

Aida, Vera, Yadigar and Rog

Playing with Vera

My your face is fun to play with!

Hmmm, what can we play next?

Checking out my new toy made by Grammy J

Hanging with my auntie and uncle

Life is good

This toy is AWESOME

Checking out the beautiful, handmade wool rug from Azerbaijan. (Thanks again Vera and Yadigar, WE LOVE IT!)

Family Hike

2009-08-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we attended a nature hike hosted by a local wilderness school for children. It was an easy, family-friendly hike down a fire lane road that led to Trestles beach in San Clemente. The point of the hike was to show families that there are lots of easy hikes in the area that showcase fully intact eco-systems, even though the "city" (in this case, a freeway offramp!) are right next door. I had an absolute blast learning about medicinal and edible plants that are growing practically outside my door. In one instance the same plant that I had just paid for online! So don't be surprised if come next spring you see me "harvesting" my herbal remedies along the side of the road. I'm also very proud of the fact that I can now identify at least 6 plants: Elderberries, Sycamore trees, Agave, Nettles, Oatstraw and Poison Oak, which until this point I had no idea was so prevelant everywhere! Really should have paid better attention in girl scouts! These hikes take place once a month, so Alex and I are really looking forward to attending more in the future.

Our knowledgeable nature guide Mark showing us elderberries

One year old Kyla loved collecting sycamore leaves

Daddy trying to prevent Ryan from eating more leaves (Mark assured us they were not poisonous)

A really fun leaf!

Exploring new territory

2009-08-08T17:37:00.001-07:00

Caught red handed! What can I say, basket dumping is FUN!

Practicing my yoga

Neato.... (Note to readers: Yes, we have installed plugs since this photo was taken!)

Waldorf Playgroup

2009-08-04T21:47:00.001-07:00

Many of you have heard me mention that Ryan and I have been participating in a Waldorf inspired playgroup. Waldorf is a style of education that was founded by Rudolf Steiner. There is a great emphasis on using simple handmade natural toys that foster imagination, and all the arts such as drama, storytelling, puppet plays, painting and nature crafts also play an important role. Although Ryan is too young to participate fully in the group yet, we have a great time attending the prep meetings, learning the songs and making Waldorf toys. Here is a video one of the moms took of a recent prep meeting. We are all still learning the songs, but it gives a general idea of what circle time is like. The video is a bit fuzzy but you can see me in a pink tank top carrying Ryan as we sing along.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMs7hQkYZiY

Weekending

2009-08-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we had a mini reunion at my mom's house and we got to meet my friend Andi's beautiful twin girls. Andi's mom also joined us for the fun along with a very pregnant Teresa and her mom. It was great seeing all these babies (and future baby Drew!) together playing. Even more amazing is that all of us our having our first children so close together. Great fun! We took about a gazillion pictures and of course only a few came out. I thought getting photos of one baby was a challenge! The next day Grammy J and Grampy Bob, along with great Grandpa Vince came down to my parents house for the afternoon to visit. It was a fun weekend of catching up and I know Ryan loved being surrounded by all his adoring fans (aka grandparents). :)

Teresa and baby Drew

Raquel: New toys to taste, yum!

Camryn: You are very suspicious, camera woman

Let the games begin!

Babies: Ogarbh, baboijlk, yummmm

Ryan: I know I'm supposed to be "posing" but this pacifier MUST be chewed on at the moment

Ryan: Okay, I'm ready now. (Mommy: of course, right after the girls stopped smiling, sigh...)

Only one smile but at least they're all looking up. :)

Camryn: Wait, photos are still happening, I'm a pro at this, trust me.

Whew, what a day!

Grandpas are so funny

Grandmas are pretty fun too

Center of attention, my favorite place to be

Whew, all those females can be exhausting!

101 Salad Recipes

2009-08-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

GREAT article that features my favorite summer food category, salads! Lots of great recipes to try out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?_r=3

Tug of War

2009-07-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Determination

2009-07-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

Food is Fun

2009-07-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Now that Ryan has hit the 6 month mark, we have slowly been introducing some solid foods. His pediatrician recommended cereal mixed with breast milk, but since Ryan is still getting PLENTY of breastmilk, I have decided to start him on raw fruits instead, keeping this boy on whole foods as long as possible. And since I've recently learned that breast milk is all babies really need for the first year, we're taking the "Baby Led Feeding" approach, allowing Ryan to choose to taste different things but no spoon feeding or forcing anything. It's actually quite fun, since Ryan was already sitting with us at dinner and getting a tad bored. Trying some banana (or melon or avocado) is very exciting, and his expressions are entertaining for all of us. :) Typically he only "eats" a couple tiny pieces off my finger, swishing it around his mouth before spitting it out on the high chair. And he hasn't quite gotten the concept that the little pieces I place on the table in front of him can ALSO go in his mouth. He thinks those are purely for mashing into the table and artistic purposes. We're looking forward to sharing his new found culinary adventures and I'm especially excited to try some baby green smoothies from my new favorite recipe book, "Baby Greens". The book suggests adding spirulina to baby smoothies, which is full of absorbent iron and protein and has been used to feed malnourished babies in other countries. It's a great thing for vegetarian babies and I've been boosting my own intake of spirulina to make sure to keep up both of our iron levels. Next on the list for Ryan to try: mango, celery/carrot juice, apple puree and pear puree. Good times!

After finishing this post, I just realized there is another food category Ryan enjoys that I forgot to include: Dirt. Yes, he has already managed to eat some of nature's finest and by the way he seems to gobble some up every time I turn my head for a second, I have to assume at this point that it definitely tops his list of favorite first foods. Sigh...

Avocados are YUMMY!

OC Attached Parenting Group potluck

Ryan's personal potluck, dirt and grass ;P

Ryan's friend Willow

These were made by Willow's mommy as part of a group project. I still haven't started mine!

The doll was also made by one of the mommies from the group. These are some crafty mamas, I have my work cut out, hehe!

Children 'should sleep with parents until they're five'

2009-07-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

This is a great article about a book release (The Science of Parenting) that cites hundreds of studies that showing that cosleeping is best for babies in the short and long term. Loved the article and I can't wait to check out the book!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1083020.ece

More Catching Up!

2009-07-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Just had to add a couple more photos that I found on my other camera. These are from our recent visit from Auntie Jeni when we took Ryan to the beach for the first time!

Chillin in the shade with my ladies

Ick, not a fan of the sand yet, although mommy promises it will be more fun someday

Whew, much happier on the lap of my auntie with my giraffe

Catching Up

2009-07-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's been such a crazy couple weeks that I hardly know where to begin! We have celebrated Alex's 30th bday, Alex's first Father's day and finally took a trip to San Diego to meet Mike and Kristen's baby Nathanial! Ryan has also been changing rapidly. His second tooth arrive a week after his first, and he is now able to army crawl around on his tummy everywhere. He also MUST touch everything within his reach and gets quite annoyed when mommy won't let him! Since I wear him in the carrier while shopping, there have been a couple times where he has accidently canceled my debit transaction because of pushing buttons in the middle of a purchase! We were hoping he would get to see his first fireworks this passed weekend, but he ended up falling asleep about 10 minutes before they started. Oh well, hopefully next year!

On sadder news, my grandma passed away a couple weeks ago, although it was somewhat of a blessing considering the fact that she really was ready to go. She was a tough cookie, still active and living alone in her mid-ninties when last Fall she started to suffer from minor strokes and other problems. My mom was finally able to get her to California in March, but her health continued to deterioate. For someone with such an independent spirit, we could tell how frustrated and depressed she was getting with the state of her body so it has been a relief to know that she is now at peace.

Here are some pics of our recent adventures:

Trying out the swings on Father's Day

Congrats Ferry family!

Nathanial seriously has the most hair I've ever seen on a 2 month old!

Grass is super fun

Ryan, no hitting!!!

That's better, future buds!

Kristen picked up a lovely cake for Alex! (Which is good, since the one I baked turned out terrible! Must accept that I'm not a baker...)

About two seconds before Ryan's hand went straight into the cake, hehe!

In Memory

2009-06-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Darline lost her battle with cancer. It was an abrupt end to a lengthy 16 month battle and I find myself still reeling with the fact that it's actually over and that she's actually gone. It's hard to believe that at barely 31 years of age her life has ended when I feel like mine has just begun. And what that loss must feel like to her equally young husband and family is beyond comprehension to me.

Darline and I met when we worked together at South Coast Repertory. My first impression of her was that she was mellow and quiet, but I soon realized under that easy going exterior was a force to be reckoned with. Someone who had a strong sense of self and always wanted to do the right thing. That same strength showed time and time again as she endured multiple rounds of chemo and countless surgeries.

Darline was the kind of person that made you feel instantly at ease whenever you were around her. She never put up false pretenses and could be counted on for telling you her honest opinion in any situation, even if it was in direct opposition of yours. She also had a great sense of humor and her quick witted remarks could be counted on to lighten any mood. She even found humor when sharing her treatment news with us, almost as if she was trying not to burden us too much with her trials. She was a loyal friend, proven by the fact that she had friendships that spanned the country, and she worked hard at staying in contact with everyone and supporting whatever was happening in our own lives.

Although Darline never got to realize her beautiful dream of starting a no-kill animal sanctuary, I find it hard to believe that her work here is finished. In fact the words "rest in peace" do not fit her, because her voice will live on in our hearts, pushing us to support any efforts that help animals and perhaps nudging us to take in just one more dog that needs a home. I find some comfort in the thought that she is now reunited with her own dog Calla, that had also coincidentally died of cancer at a young age. And knowing Darline, she will probably make it her personal mission to watch over our own beloved pets that have passed on, until the day we can be reunited again.

Darline defined our friendship best when she said, "Even though we've only been friends a couple years, you have become one of my favorite people." I can't really think of any better way to say it. Darline, you are one of my favorite people. You will be greatly missed.

Goodbye for now my friend.

Elisabeth's Shower

2009-06-15T16:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated the upcoming arrival of my friend Elisabeth's baby girl by having a shower at my place. It was a fun afternoon of eating, chatting and all kinds of girliness!

A mantel of E. This is the only decor I can take credit for, hehe!

This is alllll Cortney, lol! I loved the napkins, from Anthropologie!

Wished my table looked like this every night

We made a shrimp orzo salad, a sun dried tomato pasta salad and a green salad, all Barefoot Contessa recipes of course!

Dessert tray and the infamous BF Contessa lemon cake with lemon curd and berries, it was YUM!!!!

Veggies and dip for appetizers

Little cheese puff appetizers from Trader Joes, they were a hit

Mini crop sweater from grandma

I loved seeing all the girlie presents and wrapping paper :)

Hat knitted by yours truly!

I think it's safe to say the party was a success!

Five months old

2009-06-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ryan's first tooth has arrived just in time for his 5 month bday on Saturday. The poor little guy has been gnawing and drooling up a storm, and none of us have gotten much sleep lately! But it's exciting and he's already practicing sitting in his high chair for when he gets to try some solid foods next month. Such a big boy!

He's also discovered that although he can't crawl yet, he can roll to where ever he wants to be. Unfortunately, his favorite place to roll is to the edge of our throw rugs, where he can chew on the ends of the carpet strings. Very tasty apparently. He's also practicing sitting a bit, although he forgets to keep his legs still and ends up catapulting backwards into the floor, ouch! And he tries to will himself to where he wants to go by flailing his arms and legs frantically as if trying to swim to the object of his desire. You'll get there soon buddy, you'll get there soon.

Yay, it's camera time again!

This is me with my determined-to-get-across-the-room expression.

Sitting with my dog

My real dog is much more interesting...

Doh! Fell backwards again, quit laughing Kahli

Yum! Breakfast. Mommy says that at least it's organic...

Oh, do you enjoy eating carpet strings too?

Drool is apart of my life now mom, you must except this and stop the obsessive wiping

Next, let's go drool on daddy while he sleeps, hehe!

New Member of the Pack

2009-05-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

We think that the animals have finally realized that Ryan is here to stay, as they seem to have accepted him into our family. Not only are they no longer bothered by the crying and lack of attention, they actually let Ryan touch (and occasionally kick!) them without batting an eye. After I'm done feeding Ryan, Kahli likes to join us in the rocking chair and she nuzzles against Ryan while he gropes her endlessly. She seems to take the grabs and pokes as caresses, and continues to purr while he tries to get her ear in his mouth. Then mommy gets the fun job of cleaning her hair out of his drool covered fists before he eats it, but we're all enjoying the little ritual anyways. Another ritual I was slow to catch on to was that Charlie now stays upstairs when Ryan is taking a nap. He seems to have made it his personal mission to protect our precious cargo when we're downstairs, and now barks at the delivery man from right outside our bedroom door where Ryan is trying to sleep. Can be annoying, but also pretty dang sweet. Although Kalumba hasen't gone out of his way to give Ryan much attention, he is also tolerating the occasional baby slaps before rolling over and going back to sleep. It took Kalumba a year to get used to Charlie, so 4 months is pretty good!!

I haven't been able to capture any of these moments on camera yet because trying to get a good picture of both Ryan and the animals without someone moving and blurring the photos is pretty much impossible at this point. But here are some other recent pictures of our favorite subject.

Playing with my new hat from grammy J.

Wait, is this fun hat a part of mommy's master plan to get me to like veggies some day??

Whoa, didn't see you coming with that camera...

My monkey, so fun to chew and drool on.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T21:04:00.001-07:00

My first Mother's day was filled with family, good food and lots of flowers and chocolate! Since Ryan is not really at an appropriate age for taking to brunch, we decided to "order in" some food from my favorite local mexican restaurant and we enjoyed a lazy Sunday of lounging and visiting with the Bell family.

Mommy wanted me to wear my new "digs" for her special day!

Great job daddy on the flowers and chocolate! Hope you can cover me the next couple years until I nail down those finger painting card skills...

Sorry, can't be bothered to look at the camera at the moment... way too many interesting things going on outside!

Home Remedies

2009-05-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of bugs going around lately, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite tried and true home remedies. One of the best things you can do when getting sick (or when "stuff is going around") is to cut way back or preferably stop eating sugar and pasteurized dairy, as they can weaken your immune system.

Here are some other recipes to help:

Garlic Tea - Garlic is a natural antibiotic and antiviral remedy that is excellent at stopping colds and viruses in their tracks. Alex and I drink tons of this tea when we feel under the weather and now colds that used to last a week last only a day!
Stew a crushed clove of garlic in a cup of hot water.
Add raw honey and lemon juice to taste. (Raw honey and lemon are also big cold busters! Find raw honey from Trader Joes or other health food stores)

Probiotics - Great remedy for tummy problems and travel diarrhea. I actually read a story of a guy who tested his probiotics in china by drinking a bunch of unfiltered water until he started getting sick, then took tons of probiotics to beat it and it worked!
Brands I like include: PB8, Culturelle, and Pearl

Stomach Ease Tea - Great for nausea from over eating or acid reflex. Look for it in the herbal tea section of your grocery store.

St. Thomas Smoothie - I read about this recipe in one of my juicing books and it is loaded with natural vitamin C and other health promoting nutrients. Coconut milk is also a natural antibiotic and antiviral.
2 Bananas
1 papaya
1 cup coconut milk (can use canned coconut milk)
Juice squeezed from 2 lemons
2 TB of acerola powder (an all natural vitamin C powder you can get at the health food store)

Here's to better health!

Four Months Old

2009-05-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Ryan will be four months old! It seems like he's been with us forever and yet it also feels like he's just arrived. As time flies, he has added lots of new skills to his little bag of tricks. He has definitely mastered tummy time and is starting to grab all sorts of objects within his reach: toys, balls, mommy's hair, mommy's food, charlie's tail... Oh, this is just the beginning, I know! He has become quite a little ham and will smile anytime I look at him. He is also starting to giggle and loves playing airplane as we swoop him up in the air.

In the meantime, he has also become very particular about some things and has no problem vocalizing his objections. Unfortunately one of those objections is riding in the car. He's never been a big fan, but now he screams non-stop as soon as the engine starts until we arrive at our destination. It doesn't matter if it's a 5 minute trip or a 30 minute trip, he screams, screams, screams the whole way, ugh..... We're hoping this is a short phase!

Another big change has been his sleeping habits. Gone are the days when he would sleep where ever and when ever, happily snuggled in a carrier and blissfully sleeping through lawn mowers and barking dogs. It seems like the switch happened overnight when around three months he all of the sudden he needed complete silence, complete darkness and uninterrupted access to his thumb in order to fall asleep. The exercise ball is still coming in handy as he always loves to be bounced to sleep, but I am constantly reminded to keep at an even level of bouncing: too soft, he wakes up and yells at me and too hard, he loses his thumb and well, you just don't want that to happen. Even though we seemed to be meeting his criteria, he was still getting overtired so last week I attempted getting him on a sleeping schedule according to the clock. Sigh.... that was a lost week and ended with both of us exhausted and frustrated. However one thing I learned after watching the clock was that he can only be awake 1.5-2 hours before getting too tired. So a new strategy went into effect this weekend of lying him down for naps every two hours and making sure each of those naps lasted an hour. And so far, so good!! A rested baby, a rested mama and another lesson learned!

This past weekend grammy j and grampy bob came to visit, and on Sunday we left the boys home as Jeanette and I went down to Encinitas to visit the botanical gardens and do a little yarn and baby shopping. After being cooped up in the house so much last week, it was great to get out and do something fun!

Another great sweater from grammy! I especially love the hood!

I really love the patterns of the strips

Checking out a huge plant at the Quail Botanical Gardens. (And yes, I have already forgotten the name of the plant!)

So picturesque... I wish this was my yard.

A cool bamboo sculpture among the trees

A little house in the children's garden. I must make one of these for my kids someday!

An example of a living roof. I'm really loving the succulents lately.

This looked better in person. It is so pretty and colorful and it reminded me right away of snorkeling. Lo and behold, I found out later that the theme of this garden turned out to be under the sea!

Going Green

2009-04-22T14:32:00.001-07:00

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd start a green corner of our blog to share some of the things we're doing to reduce our waste and impact on the environment. Many of these have been gradual changes and they felt strange at first but it's amazing how quickly they've become habits for us! And although recycling is awesome, from what I've heard there are way too many plastic items floating around to ever get it all recycled so the more you can reduce or reuse plastic, the better.

Reusable Produce Bags - I've been using reusable grocery bags for awhile but I recently picked up some of these to use instead of the plastic produce bags at the stores. I've been getting lots of complements on them at the checkout counter! I also carry one or two Ecobags in my purse to use when I'm at the mall or general shopping. Alex uses his for carrying his lunch to work. I also have some cloth tea towel bags that are fantastic for storing washed lettuce! The little bit of condensation keeps the lettuce crisp in the fridge!

Reusable water bottles - We installed a good water filter so that we no longer buy plastic bottles and we have a few reusable water bottles that we use for water and smoothies.

Food Packaging - We are still working on this, but we're trying to only buy food that comes in no or minimal packaging. Trader Joe's carries lots of items in glass jars, which is easier to recycle than plastic. Shopping at farmers markets and using the food bins at health food stores also helps.

Cloth Napkins/towels - This has actually been fun. It felt weird at first but now I love using cloth napkins every day. Tip: Buy some with lots of patterns for every day use so you don't have to worry about stains, and set aside a set of nice ones for special occasions.

Cleaning Rags - The gerbers cheap cloth diapers from target make excellent cleaning rags and we use old towels for cleaning up "messes" on the floor from certain critters around here. We also use natural cleaning products such as vinegar and baking soda.

Soap/Shampoo Bars - Using bar soap instead of liquid soap is easy but shampoo has been more of a challenge. Most of the shampoo bars leave a strange residue and the ones that work contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which is a carcinogenic and dries out your skin. Luckily, lush.com now produces some of their shampoo bars with Sodium Coco Sulfate, which from what I have researched is a much healthier alternative. I'm still waiting for mine to arrive in the mail, but I'm excited to hopefully have found a working shampoo bar!

Eating Vegetarian - Just cutting down meat consumption in general is not only good for you, but great for the environment. Cattle are one of the biggest producers of environmental waste and use up lots of natural resources. We still enjoy our cheese and eggs but we try our best to buy organic and local. We also try to frequent farmer's markets to buy local produce as well.

Clothing - Although it's not at all feasible or affordable to buy organic clothing, we do try to stick to natural fibers. Although I have found some great organic tshirts at Target. I've also heard they are introducing an organic line of clothing any day now!

Toilet Paper - We've found it's just really not necessary. Ha, just kidding! But we do buy the Seventh Generation recycled toilet paper and now Trader Joe's I believe carries some as well.

Trash bags/Doggie Bags - We buy biodegradable trash and doggie bags.
Home Improvement - Home Depot now sells No VOC paint (hurray!) and greenbuildingsupply.com sells everything from caulk to sealants.

Cloth Diapering - I'll do a separate post on the benefits of this, but obviously the less diapers that go into the landfill, the better!

Baby Products - Although not everything we use is organic, we try to make sure Ryan's clothing and bedding is made of natural fibers, and we use glass bottles and pure rubber pacifiers, both of which are surprisingly sturdy.

Natural Toys - This area of products is just exploding and there are tons of places to get great toys made out of natural and sustainable materials. What I love about wood toys is that they are beautiful so I don't mind them lying around the house and they tend to be more durable than their plastic counterparts. Plus they break down easily in the environment. You can also find lots of beautiful toys made in the US, so that you don't have to worry about toxic paint and cheaply made products. Here are a couple of my favorite websites:

http://www.stubbypencilstudio.com/
http://atoygarden.com/
http://www.novanatural.com
http://www.oompa.com/

Wrapping Paper - This past Christmas we used fabric to wrap our presents to family members. Everyone plans on keeping the fabrics to reuse every year, and we'll hopefully add new ones as needed. I also plan on making some fabric bday present bags and reusable party supplies such as banners and napkins made out of fun fabrics.

Furniture - Craigslist has been are go-to source over the past year for our furniture needs. We also only buy solid wood well-made pieces and try to stay away from particle board.

Lighting - Contrary to popular believe, florescent lightbulbs are not very earth friendly. Although they are heavily promoted right now, what they fail to mention is that they contain mercury, so when the lightbulbs do meet their end, they have to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Plus, if one happens to break in your house, the kids and pets have to be evacuated during cleanup and if it breaks on carpeting, well you have to replace the carpeting. Eco friendly?? I THINK NOT! I'm holding out for the price on LED lightbulbs to come down. Not only do they last longer, you don't need a gas mask to clean them up. :)

I plan on adding to this list as we think of more ways to be "green" so if any of you have any ideas to share, please pass them along!

Sunday Picnic at the Park

2009-04-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our Easter Bunny

2009-04-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we had a great time celebrating Easter with the Bell family in Santa Clarita. My brother's family also came up for the day and everyone pitched in on cooking (I forgot to take photos of the food, bummer!) But we feasted on french toast, bruschetta, egg casserole, potatoes o'brian, muffins, ham and even chocolate cake for dessert! Ryan received a surprise present the day before from grammie J, and was the quite the neighborhood hit when wore it on his walk with Charlie on Easter morning.

Vacay in SB

2009-04-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Ryan's first trip to Santa Barbara. We had a great time knitting, eating and hanging out with the family. We are noticing some more changes with Ryan. He is now very interested in colors and patterns and has started sucking his thumb. He is also starting to take naps in his crib like a big boy, although he still sleeps with mommy and daddy during the night. He doesn't seem to be a big fan of his stroller yet (unfortunately for mommy who is trying to get back in shape!) but we'll keep trying every day. Here are some pics from our trip.

Trying on one of grammy's creations in progress

Here, lemmie help you with my arm

Whoa, a little tight on the head grammy!

Trying on sweaters is fun!

Mommy and me checking out Aida's veggie creations

I'm more of a dog kind of guy...

A feast for everyone!

Uncle Peter and Amber down from SF to hang out

This is actually a flower tea bag! It tasted just like Jasmine tea, yum!

Auntie Aida is so great with me

Whew, I'm exhausted! Time for some major thumb sucking under my new quilt (that was made by grammy and used by daddy!)

Sad Face

2009-04-01T20:19:00.001-07:00

So I was trying to get some video of Ryan smiling and cooing to the beach boys with me, but of course as soon as the camera was on, the good mood went out the window! So here is pouty face Ryan.

Playdate with the Gustorfs

2009-04-01T20:06:00.001-07:00

Last Friday Ryan and I got to hang out with Elisabeth and Emmett at the park. It was a fun morning of stroller walking, chit chating and relaxing by the lake.

Cheeeeeese!!

Emmett: Just want to practice some of my poking skills for when my baby sis arrives, you don't mind, do you?

Emmett: What in the world is so interesting about these dots to you? I just don't get it...

Baby photo shoots from the past couple weeks

2009-04-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Hi mommy

Still can't get enough of these awesome curtains

Hmmm, what's going on over there?

I love lazy Sundays

You guys crack me up!

Hanging with the Sears'

2009-03-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

It's been another busy week of getting back into the work groove! Ryan has been very entertaining as my little sidekick coworker. Most of the time he sleeps but when he is awake he is quite the chatter box and we both gossip to eachother about the latest happenings in our worlds. He has become very interested in colorful patterns and gets really excited when we sit in the rocking chair next to his leaf curtains. He smiles and gives them a look that says, "Now, where have you been my whole life??". He also loves staring at his bright colored blankets during tummy time (thanks grammy m!) and is making more progress towards crawling, even nudging himself forward a couple inches.

Last Friday, Ryan and I had our first La Leche meeting at the house of none other than Dr. Sears, who has written all my favorite baby books. He wasn't there, but his wife Martha was and she was very sweet and welcoming. I actually had a great time at the meeting and enjoyed meeting other mamas with babies around the same age. It was also really refreshing to be in an environment where it was okay if your baby was fussing and everyone felt free to breastfeed and change diapers whereever and whenever they wanted. I don't know if I'll ever be as confident as these women were with freely whipping out their boobs, but it did boost my confidence with breastfeeding in public instead of hiding in the car all the time! With adequit covering of course! Hey, baby steps, baby steps...

Our other big event of the weekend was the purchase of our Bob jogging stroller! It took us a long time to figure out the stroller we wanted, but I definitely think we made the right choice. Not only is it an all-terrain jogging stroller that go over grass, dirt and beach easily, the front wheel unlocks and it becomes a great stoller for navigating crowds and malls as well. It's super easy to push, fold into the car, and has one of the best safety records. Best of all, Ryan seems to love the gentle bouncing as mommy jogs. Week one of the mommy gets back into shape program, yay!

Another great hat from grammy Mustacich.

Wearing a sweater made by my mommy, even though it's almost too small. (Mommy: grrrrrr)

Kickin' it in my new ride

I still see you mommy!

Mommy's favorite smile in the world

Happy Saint Patricks Day!

2009-03-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

As you have probably noticed, I was feeling very creative last weekend and decided to design a new custom banner for our blog. My plan was to make a new one every month, but knowing me it will probably be a seasonal thing... or I'll just stick with this one.

Over the weekend I read a great book called "The Creative Family" by Amanda Soule (who also has a fabulous blog at http://www.soulemama.typepad.com/). Although Ryan is too young to do any of the projects yet, most of the projects are fun for adults as well. So now I've got lots of ideas and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the creations I want to make, hehe! But I highly recommend checking out this book, especially those of you with youngins'.

Today was day two of going back to work and so far, so good! Ryan tends to sleep a lot in the mornings (remind us of anyone else we know??) so I've been able to get lots done in am and some more done in the pm when he naps again. I'm only working about 20 hours a week, so that's definitely helped ease the transition. Even when he is awake he seems to enjoy hanging out in his bouncer next to me at the computer, chatting away as you will see in the video below. He's actually happily sitting on my lap as I type this, hehe! He's still not very fond of the swing and will only sit in it for a few minutes, so we decided to move it upstairs to our room so that we have somewhere to sit him temporarily while we shower or dress or whatever. And we won't have to bring the bouncer up and down the stairs anymore! What seems to be working the best for him now though, is his pacifier which we have all grown to love and appreciate. :)

Homemade soda bread and vegetarian Guinness stew!

Smile for mommy!

Sweaters and Swings

2009-03-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

So we have caved and gotten the dreaded baby swing. As many of you know, I feel guilty about getting these types of things that only are used for a couple months and then dumped in a landfill. But with my return to work quickly approaching, I desperately needed another "pair of hands" so to speak, to help me when I'm on the computer. Even when Ryan is asleep in the carrier, he somehow senses the moment I sit down in front of the computer and starts fussing. He apparently must be in a constant state of motion, lol! Instead of buying new, we decided to lessen my guilt by buying a used swing on Craigslist. At least we're buying one that was already on it's way to the landfill. The jury is still out on whether or not he likes it, but hopefully it will help me when telecommuting or on the phone.

Ryan also got a package in the mail from his grammy mustacich containing a couple new handmade sweaters! Although I think I appreciate them more than he does at the moment. He just doesn't seem to like trying on clothes as much as his mama does. :) But his little hands are always getting cold so sweaters are always welcomed.

Ryan also had his two month check up on Monday and he now weighs a whoopin 12.5 pounds and is 24 inches tall! It's hard to believe he's grown 6 inches since birth already, but his clothes definitely show it. He is in his 3-6 month clothes now and even wears some of the 6-9 things. Although I think that baby sizing in clothing is a joke, as some of his 6 month stuff would fit a newborn while some of his 3 month stuff is huge. Whatever...

Hmmm, I guess this is fun...

Looking spiffy in my new sweater

You know, I think I'm done taking photos for now

No, really....

I'm warning you.....

I SAID NO.... MORE... PHOTOS!!!!

Ahhh, in mommy's arms, much better