Memories for Silas B.

Rook's homebirth

2013-01-19T18:40:00.002-08:00

http://jessiandtheboys.blogspot.com/2013/01/rooks-homebirth.html

New Blog

2013-01-13T18:05:00.002-08:00

http://jessiandtheboys.blogspot.com/

^^ Where you'll find me these days.
:)

2012-12-02T17:21:00.001-08:00

Just a few thoughts...

2012-09-18T19:44:00.002-07:00

I am a little over halfway through my pregnancy and I have no idea how it went by so fast.

Caleb and I had our second meeting with our doula and it's funny to see how Caleb has gone from "You don't need a doula, you have me." to, "I am so glad she is our doula, she is already so helpful." Haha. She really is like the warmest person you could ever meet and has given us a lot of great advice for preparing for our home birth. My biggest fear during birth was that I was going to be "mommed" which happens to me a lot because of my age, people like to "mom" me. But she is pretty young herself and more like a comforting friend personality which is definitely what I want during labor.

My midwives are fantastic. Every appointment I have been to so far has been about an hour long and 90% of that time is spent talking about EVERYTHING. I have never had any medical professional speak to me as thoroughly as these ladies do. They have given me the option to decline or consent every test and provided me with all of the information I need to make an educated choice. With my OB in my last pregnancy I was never given an option or a reason, it was just "This is what we do because I say so." My midwives have empowered me and I am so happy to have full control of my pregnancy.

That being said, I have realized that the reason I am having a home birth isn't because I hate hospitals, it's because I am a control freak and love that I will be in my home doing whatever I want. I can eat what I want, listen to the music I want, labor wherever I want, and all the people who are there are there because I chose them to be so there will be no, "Surprise! I am your new nurse, I am having a really bad day that I am going to take out on your cervix!" <-- That sucked. Still holding a bit of a grudge against that lady.

Anyway, I am just super excited to have my little baby here, earthside. I am in need of some newborn snuggles, like these...

I had Silas in this sling the other day in Target because my Beco has a chest strap missing and I keep forgetting to order a replacement. Reason #753 that I love ring slings, 17 months later, still handy. Not as comfortable carrying a toddler in as the Beco, but still handy nonetheless.

My mom bought me a Moby for the new baby and I am SO curious about it. I have been practicing using it on Silas' stuffed animals but I cannot wait to use it with my squishy little newborn. It might just replace my ring sling obsession. Maybe.

I might be a baby carrier hoarder. Or just a connoisseur.

To be determined.

Our littlest baby...

2012-09-15T17:07:00.001-07:00

Our littlest baby, 20 weeks 2 days

Mexican food = The key to happiness.

2012-08-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

Silas joined Caleb in the kitchen today to make some tortillas. They're a toddler friendly sensory activity that turns into a snack!

Caleb measured out the dry ingredients and Silas mixed them with his hands, then Caleb added the oil and warm water.

Silas spreads flour out on the surface and kneads the dough.

He showed me his sticky dough hands and said "Woah" Haha!

Silas taste tests the dough before it's left to rest. In the meantime Caleb cooks chicken with peppers and onions to make into fajitas.

After 30 minutes, they rolled the dough into portions and Silas gives the dough another 12 or so taste tests.

One by one they roll out the dough with a mason jar, because we lack a rolling pin, and I put them into a hot skillet. When they start to bubble I flipped them over, cooked for another 45 seconds and then melted the insides of my mouth eating them right out of the skillet. Oh good, there's a picture of the stack before we I ate them all.

\
Silas is like "I prefer them raw." Weird kid.

Anyways, I'm thinking tomorrow morning... BREAKFAST BURRITOS.
Woop woop!
:D

Cloth diaper review: Grovia, Bumgenious.

2012-08-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Our family has made a change (hehe) over to cloth diapers since we now have our own washer and dryer.

I picked up our first shell, a Grovia one size. It was $16.95 and did not come with any inserts. It was adorable though with a very cute owl pattern and I loved all the snaps that meant I can use it for a long time with Silas but also make it small enough to fit our littlest baby in January.

Newborn Size. Kindergartener Size. Just kidding. Also, it's sideways.

The downside to Grovia is the price. While the shell is pretty standard cost for cloth diapers, the separate inserts are $17.95 for a two pack. I did NOT buy them. I have been using some homemade inserts I made by sewing layers of terry cloth in between cotton. It works but it's not pretty. I also can't use the Grovia overnight without having to wake up every few hours to change a wet diaper. (Not fun)

Modeling his Grovia.

So after using the Grovia for a few days with homemade inserts, I decided I could do cloth diapers. We set out to buy more from "Along Comes a Baby", a really sweet baby store nearby that sells everything you could possibly put on a registry. A very helpful associate pointed me in the direction of the Bumgenius 4.0 pocket style cloth diapers. They came with two inserts (a newborn and a one size) and were $17.95 and buy 5 get 1 free. I was skeptical of the pocket style at first because it meant washing both the shell and the insert every time Silas soiled one. I was told that I could use it in the same manor as a Grovia and place the insert outside of the pocket but because the insert is microfiber I was having to layer it in between cotton. It made for a very bulky diaper. Caleb was finally like "Just use it as a pocket style." So I have been, and I LOVE it. The insert is EXTREMELY absorbent and the suedecloth that the inside is made of stays dry, so no matter how soaked the microfiber insert gets (even overnight), Silas' skin stays dry.

Left: Pocket style Bumgenious. Microfiber insert goes inside, wicks away moisture, Silas stays dry. Right: Hybrid Grovia, very expensive insert sits on top. Gets pooped on and stays wet. Needs to be changed every 2 hours.

Bumgenius also has the same snap style as the Grovia, so I won't have to use separate diaper sizes for Silas and the littlest one, it converts from newborn to toddler just as easily. The only bummer about the BG is the lack of fun patterns that Grovia has. Caleb prefers the solid colors though and they have lots to choose from. I bought a whole rainbow.

They look so sweet drying on my mini laundry line.

Napping in his Bumgenius.

We are favoring the Bumgenius diapers so far, they work wonderfully and because they come with inserts are much more cost efficient. But if money wasn't an object I would say the Grovia is also a good choice. I haven't had any leaks or blowouts with either one and they both have washed clean even after the messiest of situations.

These are the only two kinds of diapers I have tried as of now and there are so many options on the cloth diapering market. I am hoping to keep trying different kinds and letting you know how they work for a cloth diaper noob like me. :)

Life update.

2012-08-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Things have been so crazy lately. I do not know where my days go. I feel like I have made progress in my daily chores but still, so many things carry over into the next day and the next. I finally have a moment while I sit here and nurse Silas to post a little update.

We have moved in to our new apartment. I am absolutely loving it here. I cannot tell you how good it feels to go from barely 400 square feet to almost 900. You'll just have to imagine how nice it is to be me and to finally have a second bedroom just for Silas' stuff and a washer and dryer to call my own.

Silas has started talking-ish. He adds a new word to his vocabulary every day. He thinks "I don't know" is one word, "Idunno" He also loves the cats our neighbor has. He stands on our patio and waves and talks to them as they pass by. He has named one "Meh." Meh sleeps on our porch a lot.

Sunday Silas went swimming in Finney creek for the first time. Caleb and I used to go swimming there on my summer visits and there's no place I'd rather be on a hot summer day. I like that there were plenty of places shallow enough for Silas to play.

Our littlest baby is doing well, growing quickly and making me show already. We have decided to find out the gender at our 20 week ultrasound. We had our second mid-wife appointment with a new mid-wife since the other one has my same due date and won't be available then. She was just as sweet though, and I feel very comfortable with her. We have decided to have a home-birth because I feel like our new place will be very accommodating for it. I still have the option of the birth center if I so choose, but I feel very at peace here and I would love to bring our new baby into the world in the comfort of my home. I just can't decide which room I want to set the tub up in, but I still have lots of time.

Caleb has been working a lot, trying to get as many hours in as possible before he starts school back next month. He is so excited to be going back and finally getting to start working on his elementary education degree. I am beyond proud of him. He is such a hard worker!

This is our life lately, hopefully things will start to settle more and I will have more time to write about all the things I have been meaning to. :)

Confessions of a barely pregnant lady.

2012-07-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

Things are about to get real.

1. I am not "showing," however, I am "fat." Just kidding, but really, my metabolism has slowed considerably so while I can post a picture like this on instagram and look like a cute little pooched out pregnant lady, the reality is that when I haven't just eaten a bunch of garlic bread, things are pretty much the way they always were with my uterus still hiding somewhere behind my bladder for the time being.

2. I love sparkling water for nausea but when I walk around with a bottle of Perrier I look like a pretentious yuppie (redundant?). But I just gotta do what I gotta do.

3. Okay, I will confess that I am hormonal to the extreme. Not in a "going to burst into tears" way, but in a very dry humor, sarcastic, kind of mean way. Good and bad, I feel very capable of defending myself from negative comments but when people don't deserve it I end up sounding like a jerk.

4. Being pregnant is a wonderful feeling. Even while relaxing I am doing something amazing, building a human life that I will love as long as I live. I can hardly wrap my mind around it sometimes.

5. I wear sweatpants all day long and then change into jeans 5 minutes before Caleb comes home from work.

6. Chocolate milk helps the prenatal vitamins go down. Or so I tell myself.

7. The night before I found out I was pregnant I told Caleb that we should maybe wait another 3 years before having another child. At that moment I am sure God LOL'd.

8. My biggest pet peeve (besides quiche and my actual pet named Peeve who's bowl is ALWAYS filthy) is when people tell me how I'm feeling. (i.e. "You are exhausted!""You must be so sick." "I bet you could use some down time.") I am not sure why people think things like this are helpful. I would much prefer affirmations be spoken over me, like, "You are rocking motherhood" Yes, say things like that to me. I would not complain.

9. I was really paranoid about people judging me for having another baby so soon. Now I'm really too excited to care what people think.

10. I'm an ovary-cheiver.

11. I think puns are hilarious.

12. Today I am 10 weeks pregnant. 30 to go! :)

In the city.

2012-06-21T19:12:00.002-07:00

My mom left today to fly back to her home in Texas. It's very sad to know the next time I see her will be Christmas when I am 35 weeks along and huge and Silas only 8 weeks shy of 2 years old. We had an awesome visit though, I really enjoyed having her here.

On Wednesday we drove down to Seattle to spend the day soaking up the beauty of the city while the weather was pleasant.

First on our sight-seeing list was the Space Needle.

Caleb doesn't voice his excitement very often but I think you can read it all over his face. He is all too thrilled to be going 520 feet in the air. I on the other hand, try really, really hard not to think too much about it.

See Mt. Rainer in the distance?

After the Space Needle had entertained us, provided us with coffee and thoroughly frustrated Silas because we refused to let him run free, we took the elevator down. (Unfortunately there is not one that free-falls, but I have mentioned the idea to them)

We walked West towards the sea and after touring a small bit of the sculpture park we decided to grab some food from Anthony's.

I like metal trees, they never bloom so I never sneeze.

Anthony's was AMAZING. We just stumbled upon it and blindly wandered in. Upon entering the hostess gave us each fresh, local strawberries to sample and because it's strawberry season a lot of courses had them somehow incorporated into the food. My mom and I shared a citrus glazed salmon with strawberry relish and salad with hazelnuts. It was the most perfect thing I have ever eaten. Or at least that's what my pregnant self says.

Caleb had a rockfish taco and clam chowder while Silas munched on a bit of everything and kept us entertained.

"And this is the face I make to impress the ladies"

Oh Anthony's, will we ever meet again?

After a short stop at Pike Place Market for some of the best raspberries, strawberries, definitely the best peaches I have ever had, we started our walk back to the Space Needle where we had parked. I finally figured out how to nurse Silas while wearing him in the Beco my sister gave me, and he soon fell asleep despite the hustle of city.

We checked in at the hotel to rest and enjoyed all the glorious stupidity cable television has to offer.

Then later went to the cheesecake factory yet again, we had already eaten there after we picked up my mom from the airport, but honestly the place ALWAYS sounds good to me. I cannot even tell you how much I enjoyed the red velvet cheesecake, like oh my goodness.

And after saying goodbye to my mom and dropping her off at the airport we stopped in Lynwood and ate at Claim Jumper where I devoured a chicken pot pie as big as my face. The waiter asked if we were Canadian because apparently Canada doesn't offer portions this big and so this pretty much blows their mind and they often take pictures comparing it to their heads as well. Haha.

I have had so much fun visiting with my mom these past couple of days. (Even when getting into a few heated arguments. ;) ) I love this lady. We will miss her dearly until we see her at Christmas. She is an amazing Nana to Silas and a wonderful mother to me! :)

Positively!

2012-06-09T16:50:00.001-07:00

Well hello blog, and people reading it. It has been awhile, hasn't it?
I guess I've just been so busy lately, taking care of the kids.

Yeah, that's purposely plural.
I'm pregnant!

And excited, and still in shock. And it feels like I just fast-forwarded through the two years that we were going to wait before having more kids. But still, super excited.

I was in doubt at first, I was sure that I was not having morning sickness and it was definitely the flu. Then something else happened, I had coughed to clear my throat and OUCH!!! Round ligament pain. That convinced me, I asked Caleb to go to to the store for more Powerade and a pregnancy test and within 5 minutes of him being home we found ourselves looking at a faint, but definite positive.

**Side note: Whomever is buying all of the Pink Lemonade flavored powerade from Fred Meyers, STOP IT! That is MY flavor. You can have that Arctic blue gross stuff. **

As for Silas I am talking to him about babies a lot, showing him videos of newborns and although he can't respond I am hoping some level of understanding reaches him, even though he's mostly like "Whatever Mom, play trucks with me."

He went with Caleb and I to our first midwife appointment and loved exploring the birth room, mostly because of the giant birthing ball that he thought was AWESOME. What I found awesome is how much of what the midwife said felt like such a relief to me. Literally every word was like a mental cleansing, washing away all of the fears I have had of this upcoming birth being anything like my first which was traumatic and heart breaking and very fear-based. We have decided to use the birth center for our birth instead of the homebirth that I have been so set on because of where we live. I had expected to be in a house before getting pregnant again and I don't feel that my apartment has the space or privacy available to me that I need for laboring and birthing. The birth center however is very comfortable, I don't think I will have any problems feeling at home there.

We are unsure about when this baby is going to be born, since Silas was born I haven't had a regular cycle so there's no way of knowing how far along I am besides guessing based on when my symptoms started. But we're going to take the more certain route and have an ultrasound on the 18th! I can't wait to see my little baby! This is going to be such a fun journey to experience again. :)

Asparagus season

2012-05-22T17:04:00.001-07:00

I have eaten asparagus for dinner every night in the past 2 weeks. Not only is it my favorite vegetable but it's in season right now and locally grown!

Instead of our usual asparagus cooking method (stir fry) I wanted to try out a pinterest recipe I found awhile ago for an asparagus and gruyere tart. It was unbelievably delicious and SO EASY.

^^^4 ingredients (not counting salt and pepper) Recipe here

Then because the puff pastry came with two sheets and I only needed one for the tart, I decided to wrap it around some of the left over asparagus that I coated in beaten egg and baked at 400 for 15 minutes. So incredibly simple and AMAZING.

Puff pastry just makes everything phenomenal.

And Silas digs it.

My duckling

2012-05-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

Caleb normally doesn't work Saturday's but a girl asked him to take her shift today so she could go see her grandmother in the hospital. Actually she told everyone else that she's going to a family BBQ so more than likely she's really just taking the day to clear out her DVR but whatever, we're gonna call in this favor in June in when my mom comes to visit and I need Caleb to help me drive to Seattle. Anyway, we decided to make the most out of this morning before he goes into work. We grabbed a quick breakfast and headed out to lake Padden to get some sun and let Silas play in the grass.

But Silas was like "Grass? When there is DEFINITELY water right over there? Don't think so." And so he took off running towards the lake. He played on the shore for about 5 seconds, throwing rocks into the water like Caleb showed him.

Then he darted right into the lake. Realizing there was no way we were going to keep him out of the water we abandoned his shoes and socks, jeans and jacket and let the little duckling do his favorite thing, play in the water.

Then the most wonderful magic thing happened, a momma duck and her ducklings swam right by us. It was beautiful, Silas waved at them as they passed, and then tried to chase after them.

It has been THE BEST day. I am in love with Washington in the Summertime.

Wordless (kinda) Wednesday

2012-05-16T09:04:00.003-07:00

This morning.

Packing Caleb's lunches is actually pretty fun for me. I like the challenge of putting together a balanced meal that has to fit in a lunch bag. YesterdayI made him a provolone grilled cheese with chicken, a salad with raspberry vinaigrette, pretzels and homemade sweet tea. Today, two chicken salad sandwiches on french bread with a fruit salad, gold fish and chocolate chip cookies I made last night, along with more sweet tea.

(Also, LOVING this book! Hopefully we'll see some changes in Silas' sleeping habits soon!)

GUESS WHAT!

2012-05-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

We have some good news in our little family today.
Actually, it's great news.
So great that when I found out all I could do was cry and praise God because,
THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!

Caleb was at work so I planned on surprising him, I made a cute little congrats banner real quick...

Okay, ready to know what we know?

Good.

Caleb has been accepted to Woodring College of Education!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAYAYAYAYAYAY!

He has been working towards this for SO long and now he's only two more years away from his bachelors!

I am beyond proud of my husband, he is going to be an amazing teacher.

This is how we start our week.

2012-05-07T13:37:00.002-07:00

Sunday's are unique days of the week for us.
Our normal routine is replaced with one specific for this day and although our schedule is completely different than any other day, each Sunday is almost exactly like the one before.

Every Saturday night I set an alarm on my phone. This is the only day of the week I ever set an alarm.
My plan is to wake up before Silas does so I can take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, drink coffee and enjoy my time alone before the day is filled with the company of others. I love being the first one awake on this one day.

Silas is next to wake up, he'll probably have been snuggling with Caleb in my absence. He'll want to nurse and I will lay down and snuggle with him while he does, but at the same time try to keep him awake with lots of silly little good morning songs and really just being annoying in general. This wakes up Caleb, but only for a short time before he falls back asleep.

So Silas and I go into the living room where he eats breakfast and enjoys some Sunday morning Veggietales and I pick out his clothes and dress him. Caleb wakes up 20 minutes before we have to leave and manages to do everything that takes me 2 hours to do in 15 minutes. Then he grabs our laundry baskets to take to his parent's house to wash, and we're out the door. (All I want in life is an apartment with a washer/dryer)

The Cheeseburger song is just so sad. The part about Denny's really touches his heart.

Somewhere during the hour long drive to Concrete, Silas falls asleep and I get to take my place up in the front seat next to Caleb to hold his hand and take control of his ipod.

I kept trying to put his sunglasses on him while was sleeping but he wasn't digging it, so I just hung up a blanket to keep the sun out of his eyes.

We get to church and attempt to make it through praise and worship but that never works so Silas and I head upstairs to his classroom where his grandma and aunt Kevah are the teachers. No one else has been dismissed to Sunday school yet so Silas plays and I watch and join in whenever he wants me to.

Dr. Silas says "That bacon isn't good for you, here give it to me. I'll eat it for you."

After church we walk across the street to my in-laws house and visit with the family. Yesterday was so perfect outside that Caleb and I stole away to take Silas on a walk.

The hat lasted about five seconds.

As it get's later Silas starts getting restless, back at home it would be time for bed but on Sunday's bedtime comes much later and so we hold him over with a bath in the kitchen sink.

I think he loves the company he has during bathtime at grandma and grandpa's.

Sunday's go by so fast. When we leave it's always later than we intended and Silas falls asleep before we've even made it to the freeway. Caleb and I talk about our day and the things that Silas was doing when he was with one of us but not the other. I try so hard to stay awake in the car but usually don't and when we finally arrive home sleep is immediate for all of us. On Monday morning Caleb goes to work at 8:30, and Silas and I sleep in until 11. Tomorrow we will be back on a "normal" schedule, (Up at 8, asleep by 9) but Sunday will come again next week and we'll start all over with me, waking up first and having coffee in the quiet peace of early morning.

Our Roozengarde visit.

2012-04-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. I had the best day yesterday. It was SO beautiful and as soon as Caleb got out of work we headed straight down to Roozengarde to frolic in their beautiful tulip fields!

Thanks for this picture of all of us, kind stranger!

Oh the running never stopped.

He fell asleep shortly after getting in the car and stayed asleep until this morning.

And heres us at Roozengarde last year, Silas was almost 2 months old.

Oh, hi.

2012-04-12T19:56:00.004-07:00

I don't even know where to begin folks, so I guess I'll just dive right in.
Silas pulled my curling iron down on his arm and received 2nd degree burns :(
He is currently getting ANOTHER tooth, bringing the grand total to eight.
Caleb started working a second job.
And I finally cleaned my bathroom after avoiding it for a time far too scandalous to discuss.

I guess it doesn't really seem that overwhelming seeing it all organized into a neat little list but man, I have been a mess this week.
When Easter finally rolled around I was mentally worn out and ended up forgetting my camera at home and my phone uncharged.
These are the only pictures we managed to get. Hopefully my in-laws have more because Silas was crazy adorable.

And Caleb ever so handsome.

And me, being all vain with my webcam.

Besides having little photo evidence of it, Easter was a blast. Silas went to Sunday school and according to his teachers (My husbands mom and younger sister) he did great! After church we had an awesome time visiting with all of the out of town family and although Silas hated being left behind, Caleb and I got to try out our tandem bike!

A huge thank you to my SIL, Challice, for this picture!

Well, that's just about it...

But heres a picture I just took of Silas and I like 5 minutes ago.

(In regards to his bruised cheek, I'm learning that toddlerhood is a rough and tumble kind of life, and my child is a climber, a very uncoordinated climber and that's why he fell off of the dining chair and hit his face. But I feel for him, on Easter I smacked myself in the cheek with the bathroom door which pretty much defies everything I thought I knew about my depth perception.)

Please Silas, no more injuries this week, okay?

Explaining my absence.

2012-03-20T17:02:00.001-07:00

I realize it's been a few weeks since I have posted anything. I've been writing a lot about my experience with post-partum depression but every time I get close to clicking the "publish" button I chicken out. It bears my soul more so than anything I've ever written, and I'm not ready yet. Another excuse, I've been so busy learning. And taking lots of pictures.
Would you like to see what I mean?

Good!

Silas learned to crawl up to the table. It's pretty frightening and so the vase and lamp have been moved to a higher location.

I learned how to make letuce wraps, which are one of my favorite restaurant meals.

I learned that you can buy these glasses from my childhood at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I used to drink my ovaltine from these beauties.

Silas learned that diaper changes aren't so bad as long as he gets a piggy back ride to where I keep the diapers.

Another dish I learned, baked buffelo chicken bites. Caleb really liked them and asked if I would make them for his family. I did last Sunday and I think they were MUCH better the second time around. And a shout out to my sister-in-law Kevah for taking over when I had to go nurse Silas.

Caleb learned that he's capable of functioning on 30 minutes of sleep in order to get his final project done. (I'm so glad he's done with classes until Fall.)

Did you know you can make cinnamon rolls in the waffle iron? We learned that it only takes about 3 minutes, compared to 30 for baking them.

Easy and delicious!

And while this has less to do with learning anything, it's really, really sweet. Caleb has been super busy with finals and working that I have been in full charge of Silas 24/7. I haven't even been able to do anything by myself and especially not sew. As soon as my machine comes out, Silas get's very needy. So Saturday with Caleb being done with school I intended on doing some sewing. Things got busy though and before I knew it was late and I needed to get things ready to make dinner for my in-laws. I went to the store for ingredients and when I came back Caleb had turned his desk into a sewing bench and told me to take full advantage of it while he watched Silas in the living room. It was enough to make me teary eyed. Did I marry a great guy or what?

With my sewing time I added lace to a pair of hole-y jeans.

I think Silas learned a lot in Sunday school and I'm thinking I need to learn to let go and let him stay in Sunday school without me. (After all his grandma is the teacher.)

We learned about a nice little place to have a picnic and decided to hike up there before Caleb had work yesterday.

So pretty. Literally 5 miles from our house. I want to come swimming here this summer.

I learned that Caleb saves my life almost every night when Silas decides to sleep across my neck. Caleb has to pry him off but he figured he would take a picture this time and show me exactly what happens while I sleep.

What a goob.

We learned that Silas has ACHOO syndrome. Sunlight,

Then sneeze!

I learned all about hair chalking and how sometimes it doesn't wash out as easily as it previously had.

(p.s. see that sleeping baby on the couch? I adore him.)

Lastly I learned that you can cut sleeves off of an old sweater and make leg warmers! Woot woot!

Hopefully I won't wait so long in between posts anymore. And maybe someday I'll be brave enough to share with you about that time I had post-partum depression.

That's a bit rash.

2012-03-07T17:39:00.001-08:00

We went to the ER with Silas today because he broke out in hives all over his body. After hours of waiting without being seen Caleb had to go to work and I decided to try to call our pediatrician (again) this time they answered, said they couldn't see him and to take him to the urgent care. So Silas and I drove down to Mount Vernon (30 minutes away) to the walk-in urgent care where we were seen immediately and told it was probably a viral reaction to a cold he had about a week ago. Now I'm sitting at Walgreens waiting for our prescription of Benadryl and Silas is peacefully sleeping off the excitement of the day.

(6pm. I finally get home and Caleb left the oven on and the heat turned up to 80 degrees. ALL DAY. Ugh. This day<)

I won't keep you waiting any longer.

2012-03-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

What a wonderfully relaxed day.
We woke up at 11 am for the first time in ages, went to the grocery store, cleaned the house back up to it's pre-birthday planning state, went to Sonic with Caleb's younger brother and friends (They had never been before!) and then came home and slept for a good 3 hours.
And here we are now, finally waking up from a brilliant nap just as it's the time Silas would normally be falling asleep for the night.
My family has been expecting me to post pictures from Silas' birthday party yesterday and I'm sorry I slacked off on that but I'm here now and ready to show you how it all went!

(Thanks to my MIL, Charlotte and SIL, Challice for taking the majority of mid-party pictures)

Yesterday was such a cold and rainy day outside (oh, Washington) but inside the church for Silas' party it was bright, cheery and full of amazing, happy, sweet people!

This cake was the scariest thing ever. I made it 2 days before the party and from the looks of things, it was NOT going to turn out how I wanted it to. Then the day before the party I made my own fondant and covered the outside in it and then I was SURE we were doomed to have an awful cake but then just hours before the party I cut into it and it was beautiful! YAY! I'm so pleased, but seriously glad that I won't have to do anything like this again for a long while.

I've decided cake-pops are my go-to dessert. SO EASY and everyone loved them! I made them from the cakes that didn't turn out the color I was looking for so they looked kinda ugly on the inside but still. Really good.

For drinks we went with an idea I saw on Pinterest, Kool-aid ice cubes of various flavors that guests can add to their sprite to make custom drinks!

Caleb made these fruit kabobs! SO YUMMY.

Birthday boy with a mouthful of cracker.

Challice made these SWEET hanging decorations from the lanterns at her wedding, so creative!

He wastes no time playing with his presents.

Mustache pops!

Piano prodigy? I guess we'll find out!

Silas and his cousin Olivia had it made, getting pulled around the church by Kevah and Tessa.

Praying before lunch, now we know what Silas does while our eyes are closed, he smiles at Grandma!

A year of photos. This was really fun to do !

Challice also made this awesome banner!

Kinda blurry, but I loved how Caleb hung the streamers for a "big top" effect!

Right before the party started.

One of the prettier cake pops.

Words cannot express his love of balloons. He was more interested in them than cake!

This party was so much fun, I could not ask for a better day. A HUGE thank you to everybody who came and those who couldn't make it for sending your love and birthday wishes anyways. We love you guys, thanks for sharing in celebrating Silas' first year!

Silas' Birthday (Party 2)

2012-02-28T01:04:00.002-08:00

Inspired by Huck's blog (and aren't we all inspired by Natalie H.?) I thought the best person to tell you about Silas' first birthday party* is Silas himself.

*In this case I mean first as in first year, his first as in first ever birthday party was in Texas at the beginning of the month, today was his second and his third party will be Saturday.
As told by Silas

Today was pretty swell! I got to go to the bay with my mom and dad and eat cake and slide on a slide and... oh yeah, turn one!

Mom says she's saving most of the party decorations for the big party on Saturday, but I like this one. I can't stop staring at it. It's so colorful!

Seriously, don't get me started on my balloon. This thing doesn't make one bit of sense to me, (shouldn't it fall down when I throw it like all of my other toys?) so I don't let it out of my sight.

Being a big kid is pretty cool already, Dad let's me sit at his computer and listen to his music. We're both really into Manchester Orchestra. The main guy sings a cover of "Be Thou My Vision" and Mom plays it for me when I'm having trouble sleeping.

Grandma and Grandpa came over today and brought my aunt Kevah. Dad kept me entertained by taking lots of pictures with me while Mom worked on some cake pops and stuff. I don't know why I'm so camera shy sometimes when I know the camera loves me.

This was my birthday cake. I got it all to myself. Honestly, I wasn't all that hungry so I just smashed it up real good to make it look like I ate some.

Have you ever felt cake and icing mushed between your fingers? I can tell you right now folks, it's odd.

But I love it.

And everyone else ate these things called cake pops.

I opened a lot of awesome presents today and this one is my new pet! Mr.Peeve. I'm not allowed to touch him, which is a bummer because I'm sure he'd feel even weirder than cake between my fingers. I find him completely fascinating. (Even though I might rather have gotten a puppy. Maybe when I'm 2!)

I'm getting the hang of smiling with my teeth. Everyone thinks my teeth are so cute... until I bite them.

Wanna know a secret? Daddy has A LOT of homework. And he was supposed to be studying for his midterms today but instead he took me to the park by the bay and we played before it got dark. I woke up tonight while he and my mom were drinking coffee and talking about how late he would have to stay up to do all of his work. Mom says he works hard, but we do a lot of playing too, and I give him lots of kisses to show how glad I am he's mine!

When we got home from the park Dad checked the mail and GUESS WHAT! My great-grandma Tootie sent me a card! Inside was an AWESOME toy and my very first dollar bill ya'll! So cool!

My grandma and grandpa brought me radical presents and this ball is the BOMB.

I got lot's of extra hugs and kisses today, I might be outgrowing that sort of thing soon so Mom is taking as many as she can get. I'll always be her baby (when my friends aren't watching at least)

So there's a little piece of my first birthday. It's been a pretty fun year! See you Saturday!

And finally,

It's official.

2012-02-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

At 11:18 A.M tomorrow, Silas will be one year old.
Hello toddlerhood.
You make me nervous but I am excited to see what fun you'll bring.

Becoming a mother has been an amazing experience, it's my roll for life and I am so grateful for this sweet soul that Caleb and I were privileged enough to conceive, carry, birth and nurture. I wish there was a way to go back in time and relive every moment of this year again, but with new understanding of how fast it will go by.

I am thankful that we were able to capture so many precious memories on camera and I'd like to share some of my favorite pictures of this past year.

(I had them chronologically sorted but when I uploaded them they became less so.)

I went into labor just a few hours after this picture.

First Easter

Silas' dedication.

First time he got up on his forearms.

Caleb and his friend collected fossils while Silas and I enjoyed the waterfall.

Love this story. We went on a drive with Caleb's grandma Tootie up into the mountains, we had forgotten to pack diapers and Silas was in need of a change. His grandma was able to make Silas a cloth diaper out of a burp rag and I fastened it with bobby pins.

Texas!

Tulip festival! Silas was more interested in nursing.

Alamo

Silas and my mom (nana)

Cousins!

Silas meets my dad for the first time. (Papa)

Silas' first time at the beach. (Oregon coast)

Our dramatic album cover.

Silas learns to crawl!

Snow!

Silas, I love you so much baby boy. I mean toddler. You have grown up so fast and into such a loving, curious, smart, and happy little guy. Your dad and I enjoy having you in our lives so much. You make our days so much fun and bring tons of laughter to our nights. You are such an impressive child. You've made being a parent easy. Thank you for being my son.

Love, your mama.

Crunches? Sweat? What are those things?

2012-02-18T15:06:00.001-08:00

I have an addiction.
And it's called Pinterest.
You too?

Anyways, I was just pinning away on Wednesday when I saw this...

Well I don't know what came over me, but at that moment I did exactly what it said.

(Except push-ups, I CANNOT do those. So I did the girly/lame ones.)

Oh my goosenest. It KICKED MY BOOTY.

My husband, who was in our bedroom studying and had no idea that I had just done a billion jumping jacks, crunches, push ups and squats, thought that I was dying.

I thought that I was dying.

Really, that work-out looks so easy as text.

But MAN. My whole body was burning.

I guess it could have something to do with the fact that the last strenuous activity I partook in was laboring with Silas. (And before that it was running up and down the stairs at my college.)

I've been taking it pretty easy since then.

I tell you what, "taking it easy" for ONE YEAR, has not done me well.

I am so sore.

But it feels great!

I've been doing this every morning since and already I feel a HUGE difference in my energy level.

(And Silas thinks its hilarious when I do jumping jacks. And I can't do crunches without him trying to nurse, because OBVIOUSLY laying on the floor means it's time to eat. Come on.)

I am really happy about this little routine being added to my mornings, Hannah Ross says she's proud of me for excercising. And I would do anything to make Hannah Ross proud.

(I also use Hannah's abs as my motivation while doing crunches.)

A merry little V-day.

2012-02-15T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last year at Valentines-time, I was huge.
I was just 2 weeks from my due date and honestly, I bore more resemblance to manatee than to my own species.
Still, despite my roundness and general apathy towards things like hair and make-up, Caleb surprised me with Valentines Day sweetness.

Aww.

And I repaid his kindness by wearing THAT sweater, making THAT face, and mending his sweat pants? Ugh. Me.

This year, I was prepared. I decided that it was going to be different. I was going to make steak.

I have attempted cooking beef once before. The end result... inedible pieces of ??? I guess the best way to describe it would be, charcoal. (I chalk it all up to buying a BAD cut of meat.)

Last night's steak, I have to brag, it was awesome. (Maybe a bit more rare than I usually like, but it was good meat so I didn't mind.)

Balsamic Vinaigrette reduction. Yes.

More about what we ate: I've been hearing a lot about Jacques Torres' chocolate chip cookie recipe lately, and decided to give it a try for V-day. I was kind of put off that you have to let the dough chill for 24-36 hours, and how much the chocolate cost was kind of ridiculous, BUT WOW. Seriously WOW. It was amazing. I love this cookie. I'm eating one right now. I could eat 12 more. And I probably will. Hands down, BEST chocolate chip cookie I have ever eaten. Let me make you some.

Anyways...

Silas is getting his 8th tooth in and it's been hard work. He spent most of yesterday asleep. I have to admit it was nice, I was able to get my house in near-perfect condition and after my second cup of coffee I decided to hang the chandelier that I've had for years and have been looking forward to seeing hang again.

Can you imagine waking up and woah! Someone put something sparkly on the ceiling!

Around 2pm we heard what sounded like something being placed on our doorstep, "MY DRESS?!" I thought. But no. Caleb decided to check the mail for things and stuff and guess what! My dress was in the mail box! I did not hesitate to put it on.

Fancy.Dancey.Birthday present from my sister!

Time to go pick up Caleb. Enjoy your Wednesday thoroughly.

My Calebtine.