Holy Terror

Nahhh, Baby James is an angel!

So, DS was baptized this weekend. It was a crazy, busy weekend with tons of family and friends, but it was a lot of fun. James did great during the church service and the after party, but of course, decided to stop sleeping during his regularly scheduled times. One thing I have to say is ever since I found out I was pregnant, I have been overwhelmed by others generosity and kindness towards my family. Thanks to all.

Here is the family after the service with the pastor:


And James with some of his (many) girl cousins:

It was a little bright!

******
As an aside, I just have to say, when I was going through infertility, I found the baptism service particular difficult. Something about gifts from God for other people, not for me, or something like that. But I'm not bitter ;) As I stood in front of the church and looked out I couldn't help but thinking, "is anyone out there like me?" and said a prayer. My heart still aches for you.

Pictures

I'm pumping, so I will be brief. Here is me and the baby:



And since the babywearing post got so much response, here is C in the mei tai:

Spargel

Spargel is actually white asparagus. It is very popular in Germany this time of the year. The asparagus in my parents garden has started coming up and it has reminded me of our trip to Berlin this time last year. This is what the asparagus looks like in the garden:



So, what do you do with all this asparagus? I made the following tasty recipe I wanted to share:
FUSILLI WITH ASPARAGUS AND BACON

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

4 oz sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut on a long diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 lb fusilli (short corkscrew pasta)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/2 oz) plus additional for serving

Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet, then add oil and onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 4 minutes.
Add asparagus and sauté, stirring, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

While onion is cooking, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander.

Return pasta to pot along with asparagus mixture, 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, and cheese. Add remaining 1/2 cup cooking water to skillet and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Add to pasta and toss over moderately low heat until combined well, about 30 seconds.

Serve pasta sprinkled with bacon and with additional cheese on the side.

Makes 4 servings.

Gourmet
May 2002

My notes: I probably didn't use all the asparagus it called for and that was a mistake. My dad said it could have used more bacon, but we still picked the bowl nearly clean. For a healthier and substaintial option, use whole wheat pasta.

Free Weekend!

This weekend I flew to Houston to visit my sister. Alone. I had a great time. I had mexican food twice, a massage, a pedicure, watched Grey's Anatomy, had porch time, drank 2 lattes, read a decent paper, ate a bagel sandwich, got 5+ hours of sleep...all together...both nights, cuddled with a baby, read Mr. C many stories, and basically really enjoyed myself. I thought about my family here, but did not miss them all that much. But then "Come Along and Dance With Me" played from the CD I made Mr. C and all I could think about was my Baby James dancing and giving me his open mouthed grin.

I got home at the end of James's dinner time and when he saw me he smiled, then whacked me in the face with his hand. Its a new thing. My mom cried. But its good to be home.

Mark and Baby James had a great, but busy weekend. Here is a picture of the three men in my little family.

A day at the beach

We gave the little beach in my parents yard a try this weekend. James loved it. Here are some pictures of James with Grandma:






In other news, life has NOT be a day at the beach. We are somewhere between James being all better and sick. He is still tired, hungry, but not. Nights have been terrible. He seems pretty miserable for the most part. Sometimes you can distract him and he will forget that he is miserable, but that is hard work. Then he starts whining again. Mark and I were going nuts this weekend.

To make things worse, my cat is also sick. He has thrown up pretty much every meal he has eaten since Saturday. He probably just isn't used to these South Carolinian lizards. The Texas ones must be easier to digest.

So I am just grumpy all around. Grumpy, grumpy, grumpy. HHHMMMMPPPHHHH! I am tired from lack of sleep and I am just tired of tripping over baby things everywhere and not being able to put MY stuff anywhere. We have really enjoyed living with the parents, but I think it is time for our own space and our own stuff. But then I will have to clean and do yard work again. sigh.

Waddle On

Mark, my mom, Baby James, and I all participated in a 5K this morning. It almost didn't happen with James being sick. He had lost his appetite and last night, he was making up those lost calories and got up several times to eat. We made it out the door on time anyways.

It was a cute little race. I was number 193 and registered like 20 minutes before it started, so it was pretty small. I had been running really well at the gym, but the last couple of weeks James has had severe separation aniexty so I hadn't gotten my full workout in. Plus, this week with the virus, we hadn't even make it to the gym. I decided to run anyways. Mark and my mom were going to walk with James.

It was a tough race, I'm not going to lie. Partly my fault, I went out faster than I should. I finished the first mile at 9:05. Very respectable, but in my current condition that was just too fast. I walked a little about halfway when it got hilly, but my final time was still 29:21. Anything under 30 minutes is good for me. My mom did great! She finished just over 45 minutes. Mark and James came in at about 50 minutes, but they did cut a corner. James lasted about halfway in the jog stroller and had to be moved the the Ergo.

Anyways, it was a great morning, but I am very tired now. Hopefully this will inspire me to keep working out and inspire James to let me!

I did bring the camera, but forgot it in the car. Hopefully the race will post some pictures soon. Next one is April 28th, but we might just have a water station.

Waddle on, friends.

Sick baby :(

Ahhh, poor little James has his first illness. It started Monday morning when I could tell he just wasn't feeling right. His temp was at 103! A trip to the pediatrician told us that we were just dealing with some kind of virus and to basically just deal with it.

Oh, fun.

As far as illnesses go, we have had it pretty easy. There has been a little of everything: fever, vomiting, baaaaaad diapers, good sleeping, bad sleeping, etc. But it is still hard to see that my baby doesn't feel well. He seems to be getting better, but still not at 100%.

Get well soon, Baby James!

ETA: Part II
Never wake a sleeping baby

Really? Even when he has been napping for 3 hours? Really?

I mean I know he is sick, but a 3 hour morning nap?!? I know other babies do this regularly, but not my kid.

Bluebonnets

So, it isn't quite the field of bluebonnets in the traditional pictures, but it is the best I can do.

Here is a the thoughtful pose:

Babywearing!!

This ain't yo mamma's bijorn!

What kind of hippie, granola thing is babywearing? Well, it is a new way to practice attachment parenting. You know, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, making your own baby food and all that. Basically, you "wear" your baby in a baby carrier so they feel close to you and secure. I got into it after having to return the bijorn I borrowed from a friend. James hated the bijorn, or maybe he hated being worn, or maybe he just hated acid reflux and colic. However, I liked being able to carry him hands free when I need to get things done, so I started looking into getting a baby carrier. The bijorn and our sling had a 20 lb weight limit. Hmmm, so those won't work for much longer. After researching through amazon.com, I bought the ella roo mei hip.



I was intimidated by a lot of the carriers out there, and this one looked easy. Well, it is a nice carrier, loved the fabric, but it is best used for quick trips. I am using it a lot more now since James outgrew his infant seat.

The second carrier I got was the ergo.



LOVE this one. This is our workhorse. You can wear in the front or the back. Going to the grocery store is great with James in the front carry and my keys and wallet are in the handy pocket. We have used the back carry for easy hikes. After awhile, James goes to sleep in it.

Ok, so now I have a problem. My name is Kerri and I like to buy baby carriers. This next one is the ella roo mei tai.



The mei tais (MT) are one of the standards in baby carriers. I really wanted a Kozy Carrier, but I didn't like the fabric choices. I think this one is so cute. It is easier on and off than the ergo, and works great as a sunday church going carrier. I like to put James in the back carry position in the late afternoon if he starts getting cranky and finish up my daily chores.

This next one is a maya ring sling. I bought it for my sister, and just took a picture of James in it before giving it to her.



It works well with the little babies, but you can also do a hip carry in it. I really wanted this one, but don't really need it. Maybe for my next little one.