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Showing posts from 2009

Just another cute pic. . .

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Thai Fish Lips

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Last week some friends of ours took us to a fantastic little Thai restaurant to celebrate my 21st birthday. ;) It was a lot of fun. Lily Ann decided to share her famous 'fish lips' with us after she finished her noodles. She's a great little entertainer. PS: a lady should be able to celebrate her 21st birthday as many times as she wants.

Lily's New Favorite Place

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Here's a good pic of our girl hanging out at the beach. She loves the sand. I love watching her play in it. She's such a precious little girl. We are so blessed to have her.

Another Blessing

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Well. I guess this is a good way to tell everyone. Adam and I are expecting another child. We hadn't actually planned for this, but we're elated that it has happened. I am about eight weeks along. And I'm feeling quite well. Our new little blessing will be here in late May. Just a couple of weeks before Lily Ann's second birthday. What a lovely surprise.

A Bedtime Story for Baby

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Last night, while I was at work, Adam heard Lily Ann talking up a storm in her playpen. He went to see who she was talking to and found her "reading" a story to her baby doll. Baby was in her lap and Lily Ann was softly stroking Baby's bald head as she jabbered and turned the pages in one of her storybooks. Fortunately, Adam snapped this picture for me - and for you!

My First Year as MOM . . . .

I'll post some pic's of Lily's first year soon. However - my heart has to express some words first. Lily Ann has been a blessing to us since she entered this wretched world. For me, she has been a constant reminder of God's love. Every smile she has bestowed upon me; every time her eyes rest on mine; every kiss she's planted on me; every snuggle; every delightful gasp when I pick her up; every single breath that I hear her take - unmistakable blessings. One day - I remember coming home from a long Saturday at work - needing some rest. I knew I'd have my little snuggler in my arms the moment I entered the home. However - she wanted to nurse before her nap. I felt a little "put upon" and inconvenienced at first. But I noticed - that just after she began her frantic suckling for nourishment, she stopped - kept her tiny nose pressed against me - and began to breathe deeply. She was smelling me. Breathing me in. Needing me. Suddenly - I stopped caring abou

Lazy Days of Spring

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The Owl

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There is an owl statue that we have in our house. He was given to us by some very close friends of ours and he sits in our windowsill. We love the owl. Recently - Lily Ann discovered that she too loves Mr. Owl. She swiped him from the windowsill the other day and clung to him all day long. She holds him like a he's her baby and she touches his little face and eyes.

The Nose

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I had always wondered why I had been so overly blessed in the nasal department. Not a mystery anymore . . . A few days back - Lily was settling down for her nap. She was extra cranky and tired - but just tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable. I had laid down next to her - to help her get all cuddly and sleepy. Just when I was sure she was never going to get to sleep she found a perfect position. She laid her head down and stretched her right arm out across my face. It came to rest on my shnaaz . And she fell right to sleep. My nose was just the right size to hold her little arm up and give it a place to rest for a while. I'm so glad God never saw fit to grant my childhood wishes for a nose like everyone else's . He must've known that someday, I'd need all the nose I could get - to help make my little angel more comfortable at naptime .

The Circle Caper

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Let me begin by saying this: my girl is precious. She is a sweet little lady. She is smart - like her daddy and mom - but she's also a baby. I do realize that babies are babies and there are several universal truths about babies. Like everyone else - I get a little bored when people want to tell me their version of the "my kid is advanced" story. I think another universal truth is that first time moms tend to spend lots of time adoring their smart babies and have a propensity toward bragging, "big fish" tales and the like. And I certainly fall right into that category. That being said. I want to brag about her. But I will resist. I'll just let my "new to me" camera tell you a story of an 11 month old that can't talk in sentences yet, doesn't walk without assistance - but who already has a favorite shape. In the photos (unstaged) you'll see her own collection of circles. I totally allow her to have them - but i didn't give her a

Requested Recipe: Roasty Toasty Sweetie Pots

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For my good friend Dawn - and all you other hot momma's! 2 big organic sweet potatoes 1 big sweet onion about 6 large baby bella mushrooms coarse sea salt Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute (or your own savory blend) chop the potatoes as quickly as you can. don't peel them or cube them. just use a knife or food chopper and break them down a bit. quarter the onion and then chop it a little. toss that all into a pan with some oil or butter and a couple tablespoons of water. don't mess with it for a while. just cover and let it sit for around 3 minutes over medium heat. then stir it and whatnot. wait for the potatoes to soften a little and the onions to cook down. that should be around 5 more minutes or so. then quarter or slice your shrooms and put them in. DO NOT SALT ANYTHING UNTIL THE SHROOMS ARE DONE. doing so will make your mushrooms hold moisture and get rubbery. when the shrooms are cooked in (1-2 minutes or the way you like them) load that baby up with some sav

Mr. Mommy

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Today is my first, official Mother's Day. I'm loving every second. Since 12:01am - I haven't changed a single diaper. This morning, Adam helped me make a huge breakfast and a friend of ours come over to share with us. Adam prepared our favorite breakfast side: roasted sweet potatoes with onions, baby bella mushrooms and a special savory seasoning blend. Its a dish Lily and I like to call "Roasty Toasty Sweetie Pots." And if you know Adam - you'll immediately be impressed that he overcame his kitchen-o-phobia to prepare the dish. This was his first time slicing mushrooms. (Don't tell him - but I think he might have made the sweetie pots better than I do.) Anyway - I made chicken sausage and eggs, sliced avocado, we made banana-cherry muffins, hamsteak for our friend, old fashioned oatmeal, French Roast coffee and also a new drink - fresh squeezed orange & lime juice spritzers (recipe to follow post). It was a fantastic spread. Breakfast is always

Giving up an old toy

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Well - it's been a tough decision. But I'm confident it is the right one - for now. When Lily was just a tiny baby - she wasn't scared of anything. We have two big loud dogs that live near us - they barked big at her and she leaned in closer. I like to hammer things and Adam likes to vacuum. Didn't phase her. Nothing scared her. None of my kitchen gadgets. Until last week. My immersion blender. Actually, my second (upgraded) immersion blender. The one I got for my 30th birthday. The one that the pros use. The one that replaced my tried & true, worn, motor burnt Braun model (sweetly handed down to me from our late dear Aunt Ellen). I practically use it every day. It is the one gadget that replaces three (food processor, blender, magic bullet). And it is better, easier to use and more efficient than any of them. I had used it one day - no problems. Lily just played in the kitchen floor like always. Next day - the moment I pressed power. I heard a scream and a new cry

Buying Extra Bananas

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Lately, I've been resolve to re-establishing my own persona. I'm Adam's Wife and Lily's Mom. But I'm also Amanda. In the past year my focus has been on my new title of Mom and my current role as Wife. I think that has been an appropriate focus. I will continue to focus on those priorities for the rest of my life. But it is also good for me to remember that I am more than just a wife and mom. I am Amanda. There are things that I love to do; things that excite me; things that make me all teary-eyed, things that give me goosebumps; things that really irk me and things that give me peace. I've started doing little things again. Little things that I didn't think I'd have time for - with a crawler. I'm baking again. Making herbal tea blends and home-made hand lotion. I'm sending cards and handwritten letters. Making gifts for my friends by hand. I'm finding my passions again. I just finished a great book about food ( The Omnivore's Dilemma by

Driving Lessons

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This post will correspond with a Poll Question - see right panel. A couple of weeks ago, I was in a hurry to get home from work. Mainly because It was 10:30pm and I was tired. Anyway - I wasn't speeding. But I decided to pass a line of cars, in the "turn only" lane, while they were waiting at the stoplight. (When the light turned green, of course). Seemed like the only way I'd get ahead of those slowpokes. Well - the front car in that line was an undercover police officer. And - I was unaware that three of the four breaklights on the back of my car were burnt out and my right turn signal was also in need of a change. So - he waited until I failed to signal at the next turn and pulled me over. I knew exactly why I'd been pulled off the road. Not only was I driving a moving violation - but I was driving like a fool. I can come up with lots of excuses as to why I was in a rush to get home. I can explain and qualify and justify all day long. But - in truth - I was ac

Lillies and Tulips

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Today is beautiful in our village! In the sixties outside. Lily bonked her head (again) in the house and I knew it would help her feel better if we went outside for a bit. Once we were out - I knew we had to get the camera. Then we snuck over to the neighbor's yard and sat right in the middle of all their tall tulips.

A Bubblebath Morning

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This morning Lily woke early - around 7am. We played a bit and then decided we might as well go ahead and get a bath. Lily and I had a night on the town lastnight and we were both a bit grubby. It was a great time. We played with the rubber duckies and sang little songs. She is a great bathpartner. Anyway - here's a little pic of me and my girl. Squeaky clean and dry.

A Tea Party

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Lastnight - there was a "Tea Party" in our city. As there was in many major cities across our free country. I'm not too much of an activist. However, this was the first protest that I ever wanted to attend. It was awesome. A message to our federal government that we don't really need so much of their "help". That our children don't want to be forever in debt because of our mistakes. That we don't want any rebates, bailouts, stimulus checks. We'd rather our children and grandchildren grow up in a free country. With a free economy and free trade. Just like we did. We want our country to remain as free as ever before. Now I'm not a member of either of the two major political parties. Both want much bigger government than I ever wish to see. I just want to live here, in freedom and peace and as a positive force in my community. Without ever having to ask Big Brother how I should raise my child, spend my time or money or manage my own health. I wa

Tax Help

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Well - every year, since I was sixteen, I've filed my own taxes - by hand. My mom taught me. And I've just always done it. Once, when I owned a small corporation, I hired it out - just for the business. And the accountant screwed up my small business taxes so much that I had to take them back and file them myself. However, this year - I had some help with my state taxes. About a month ago, I filed the federal forms - late at night when the house was quiet. But the state forms only take a couple of hours. So I kept putting it off and putting it off. Until Monday. I knew I had to get them done. Fortunately, I had a sweet little helper. And I didn't mind one bit. She was great. She didn't charge me anything (except room and board). She made it much more fun - more of an aerobic workout than ever before. And she even offered to eat any unnecessary documents when we were finished.

Lily & Her Shadow

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Lily has a little bedtime friend. She shows up at night - when there is a bit of light shining from another room. And just when Lily is calm and ready for sleep, she notices her little friend, who is waiting to play. Normally, I just give in. They play so well together. And they are everso happy to see eachother. Lastnight her friend even got a nice kiss before bed.

In Pictures

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I just want to post a few pictures of my sweet Lily Ann tonight. She is so active these days. I just love to watch her play and enjoy time at home. She is so curious and joyful. Here are pictures of Lily looking out the window - something she does several times a day. You'll also see Lily licking the window, a pic of her playing on the kitchen floor, and one of her playing in the front yard.

A Pre-personality Profile

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A few years back - my husband, and his friend, made me take some little "spiritual test" online - to find out what kind of spiritual person I was. I took it - and emailed my results to Adam. It was days later - in a bagel shop - when Adam, his friend and I began to discuss my results. My husband and his friend both tested into the same category: "the contemplative." I remember feeling a little left out. Because, per the online test, I was deemed "the sage." At the bagel shop, Adam was telling his friend about my results. I remember hearing the words, "Oh, she's a sage ." A sage is defined as "a profoundly wise person." I don't resonate with that description. Flattering, I guess, that some would describe me that way. But I'm no sage. I don't really think that most "type indicator" tests are exhaustive enough to prove anything. I'm a fairly good teacher - but not a sage. My husband is quite a contemplative th

My "Follower"

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Did you ever notice the little gadget on the left panel of my weblog? It is there if a person wants to "follow" my blog. I only put it there to be silly. I don't really want followers. But I have one. He is my husband. Out of all the people in this cyberworld - he is THE one who will, publicly, follow my blathering rants and my braggadocios photobook. However - the term "follower" is a bit misleading. I would never, ever want to lead him around. But, now, he is forever marked. This Valentine's Day was our best ever. In fact - it is the only one, so far, that I will never forget. We had made some BIG romantic plans. They included: a horse-drawn carriage; some chocolate-dipped berries; a rented movie in a dangerous, big, city. However. The carriage ride happened in a totally different way than was planned. The movie never got rented. And at the end of the night - we were betrothed in a whole new way. Adam got a tattoo! For me. In place of his old, battered an

In TOTAL disagreement with you . . .

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Okay - I know . . . I beg for those "honest poll answers." I want your heart. I want to know what you really think. But come ON! My last poll. I thought it was a tough question. ( Which of these emotions would you consider to be the strongest? ). As always - this was an anonymous poll. No chance I'd ever know who voted for what. But I'm telling you right now that I voted for the remorse/regret option. And not many others voted my way. I'm not really disappointed - I am more perplexed at the results. I thought it was a no-brainer. The reason I am so different: I guess it must have to do with the amount of regret that I've actually felt in my life. I'm the girl that always feels regret. Mostly in the form of "I wish I had helped"; "I wish I had spoke"; "I wish I hadn't spoke"; "I wish I had loved more, trusted more, believed more, given more, etc." And regret - it is the worst feeling and the most intense feeling

Hot Breakfast

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Well it is Monday morning and i just finished an entire pot of hot blueberry green tea. That is, after I ate a full breakfast of two eggs, chicken sausage and two slices of sprouted-grain toast. I will have to say that, when we first had Lily, I didn't think I would ever be able to enjoy a hot breakfast again. I remember thinking that I might never be able to do anything for myself again. Back then, Lily had colic. I know that lots of parents say their babies are "colicky" or had colic - but I don't use the term loosely. Real colic begins around 3 weeks of age and is characterized by 3 or more hours of inconsolable crying, 3 or more days per week. Typically, colic ends around 3 or 4 months of age. Adam and I absolutely adored Lily - even while we were taking turns holding and loving on her while she screamed nonstop. We walked the streets of our neighborhood with her as she wailed. We bounced her, cuddled her, walked with her . . . most of the time - nothing worked. A

Camping Out

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Not many people would go camping when it is 14 degrees outside. But Adam and I did lastnight. In fact, we've been camping about once a week throughout January. However - we camp indoors. Lily often sleeps with us. During the day, she naps alone - but she seems to sleep better, at night, in our drafty house, if she's in our bed. It was, actually, Adam's suggestion to have her co-sleep with us, so that I could get more sleep. And - I get a lot more sleep this way. I never thought we would let her sleep with us - but we do. For now, anyway. Once she stops nursing we will revisit the subject. So - in order to have alone time - we've been camping out on our large couch. Lily typically goes to bed between 7:30 & 8pm. Then Adam and I get plenty of time to hang out together. Lastnight, we cuddled up on the couch and played a board game together. Then we stayed up late and ended up falling asleep, on the couch, together. It was absolutely blissful. Sorta like we were dating

The Poultice

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Well - it was a cold Wednesday, last week, when our Lily started coughing. Thursday the temperature was below zero - but the cough sounded pretty bad. So, I called Dr. Peg. Her office said they'd have her call me right away. She called and advised me to keep Lily warm, at home, and then gave me some advice on how to get her healthy again. Among other things, she told me to crush some fresh garlic and mix it with a tiny bit of olive oil. Then put it on the bottom of Lily's left foot, wrap it, put a sock on it and leave it on overnight. So, we did. Next morning, Lily was still sick, but the congestion seemed to be breaking up quite a bit. We used the garlic poultice for three days and she was on the upswing. Her cold never progressed to a fever or anything worse. Pretty amazing. Lily's doctor (also our family doctor) is fantastic. She is both a Nurse Practitioner and a naturopathic doctor - with more credentials after her name than anyone I know. She can write a script for us

My Mammiracle

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So - I kept most of this on the down-low. But now I'm ready to process something that happened recently. End of October, 2008 : Had a large lump in my right breast. I was (and am) still nursing Lily, so I thought that a lump could be a clogged milk duct. I read some home remedies for working it out. Tried them for a couple of weeks. Didn't work. On a Tuesday morning, I went to see some lactation consultants at the hospital. Three of them felt me up and agreed that there was no way it was a clogged duct. They encouraged me to get it "checked out" right away. So - the next morning, I called my OB. She rearranged her morning schedule to see me. Back then, miss Lily was just around 4 mos. old. Adam left work and met us at the doctor's office. We both thought we'd be in and out for a quick exam. My doctor palpated for a while and then stood up, walked out of the exam room and called a breast surgeon. He agreed to see me that afternoon - though he wasn't plannin

The Sweetest Sunday

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Miss Lily's morning nap was interrupted by my phone ringing. It was the "centralized showing office" calling to let me know that a Realtor wanted to show our home in exactly one hour. We've been trying to sell our beloved home for well over a year. We've recently re-listed it and we get pretty consistent traffic. So the house stays pretty-well clean. However. . . I had, sorta, fallen off the wagon a bit and let some dust-bunnies reproduce here and there. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's - people generally aren't house-hunting. So, we hadn't done the spit-shine in weeks. I stammered on the phone, but agreed to the showing. I quickly carried the sleepy-eyed Lily to Adam and forced them both out the front door. I used my fifty-five minutes wisely and was able to make our house look like the inside pages of MetHome magazine. I walked out our back door just as the Realtor and his client were approaching our home. I joined Adam and Lily, who had found she

An Unexpected Gift

Saturday, I went to the office before 6am to catch up on some artwork. Adam and Lily slept in until 9:30am - and came to see me at lunch. When I made it home from work - at around 3pm, Lily, Adam and I snuggled in for a nap. We napped for a short while - then Adam got a phonecall and had to rush to the hospital to help someone in our family. Lily and I stayed home, since babies aren't exactly comforting or helpful in medical emergencies. We cleaned the kitchen and had a low-key evening. Bedtime came, and Lily was ready for some shut-eye. I decided to put her down and wait up for Adam. I wasn't quite sure what a girl does when the house is clean, the husband is away and the baby is quietly sleeping. But it didn't take me long to figure it out. I baked some pumpkin scones for Sunday breakfast, cooled and iced them. Then I warmed up some leftovers for my dinner. I ate dinner, while I watched a funny show on our laptop. Then, I returned some email and did a little o