Happy Sixth Month Birthday, Little Sis!

 

Little Sister turned six months old today (Happy Earth Day, too, to those that do all the small things to take care of our beautiful planet!).

Camille recently found her feet and she is often in this position when she is laying down. She rolls over from tummy-to-back, now, and I'm helping her learn to sit up. Russell was sitting up by six months so I figure she can learn, too:-) The back of her head still has a bald spot from sleeping so it would be nice for her to sit up when she can. Last Thursday, one little tooth started poking through her bottom gums. Time for Tylenol and
Orajel!

Her six-month stats are: 15 lb 5 oz, 25" in length, and 50% percentile.

She loves to be held. I'm sure she'd be thrilled if I put her in the Bjorn and carried her all day.

Camille isn't the big eater that Russell was at six months. She'll eat two pear ice-cubes for breakfast and one yam ice-cube for supper. No more than that for now.

 

We celebrated today with Martha Stewart's "Glazed chocolate cake." Shall I say INCREDIBLE? Yum. We sang to Camille and she reached out to receive the cake/plate. I know when she's my daughter when she envies chocolate (I did give her a lick of icing).

She is enamored with Russell. Every day, every moment. He can make her laugh more than anybody.

Happy half-birthday, Baby Girl. You are the light of our lives.

Money Saving (okay, Spending) Mom

Our marriage has flowed easily when it comes to finances... it's quite easy, actually... Dan earns, I spend. Kidding aside, that is just how it works since I'm the one to buy groceries, pay bills online, and keep us clothed and clean. Our 'big ticket' items we spend on are airfare and vacations (hotel rooms, restaurants).

In an attempt to cut our monthly spending on incidentals down, I've always used coupons from the Sunday paper inserts but recently, I found myself linked to MoneySavingMom. Her site includes links to other bloggers that are highly dedicated to getting many items for little/no money. I don't have the time (so how do they?) to do all the work to figure out the deals but MSM compiles the coupons and I save $$$. I only frequent Target and Safeway, with visits to Trader Joe's and Walgreens as secondary, but for the last few visits to my stores, I've certainly enjoyed the extra savings. Also, I recently learned about e-coupons online that can be added to a stores' membership card (i.e. Safeway, Vons, Albertsons) so that the savings are automatically deducted at the till.

I know I won't ever be one of the women who can get $150 worth of groceries for $15 but that's okay. A few saved dollars here and there will help.

***sorry to my Canadian friends and family. These sites are for American stores and companies:-(

It's April 2nd today. Where is time going? Two months until my youngest sister's wedding. I remember seeing her swaddled in the hospital bassinet when she was only a day old... but that's been over 20 years now. I think the last time I was in Edmonton was 1993? I am thankful we were able to book a direct flight (3 hrs) to Edmonton from San Francisco. God bless Air Canada.

Russell continues with swim classes. He's doing well (i.e. no crying, he obeys his teacher, and looks forward to each week's class). We went to Stanford's campus last weekend for an hour while Dan went into work to fix something, and while we waited, we watched the lane swimmers at the pool (all the pools are outdoors). Russell was so excited and asked if he could swim at that pool:-) I told him if he kept up his classes with Teacher Diana that someday he might. It was sweet to see him so enthused.

We don't really have plans for Easter this year. Dan doesn't have either Friday or Monday off (boo). We'll give Russell his Easter basket on Saturday morning since Sunday morning Dan will be out the door early to help at church and the kids and I will leave soon after. I bought all the ingredients to make hot-cross buns and a broccoli/white-cheddar side dish. Throw in some chicken, and we'll do dinner on Sunday night.

I got my capris and my new denim skirt in the mail last week. I love each item and they fit nicely. Ahh. The little things that make such a huge difference in life. I had ordered a dress as well but I returned that and instead, found a Jones New York dress at my thrift store for $8. I love the dress and the price. I think the dry-cleaning will cost more;-)

Happy Spring to you all. Now, for some warm weather??

Trip to the Mall

I haven't been to our indoor mall since before Camille was born. I think I was there for a hair-cut in August? Hmm. It's been awhile at least. Today I landed there with the two kiddos in tow for a 10am appointment with the Picture People. I waited until we were in the studio to put on Camille's dress (over her onesie/leggings) as I wanted to avoid any last minutes spit-ups and Russell changed into his collared shirt to avoid the wrinkles that come from his continual movement;-)

Short story: good photos and happy children= happy mama. While waiting for our photos to be uploaded/edited for viewing, we detoured over to See's Candies for a sample and then to the Lego store for a prize. Without Russell's co-operation, I wouldn't have been able to get a picture of the two kids together (and happy). I bought him a new Lego kit for $12 and the fun he's had with it in the last few hours has been worth the money. I have a feeling that the two little Lego kits he has will only multiply in the years to come.

We have to wait to receive our prints since their printers weren't working. The Picture People reps asked if I could return at a later date to pick up the prints. With a smile and a firm 'no' I suggested kindly that the package be mailed to me. For the few dollars I dropped in their cash register, it wouldn't hurt them.

Next wonderful expensive gift? A lovely camera. Suggestions welcome.

5 Months

Five months of this little woman's life has passed already. It has gone so quickly. She's no longer an infant but a delicious baby. I often hear, "she looks just like Russell" and "look at those cheeks!"

She loves to babble, kick her feet, and when I pull her forward, she bends her knees and stands up on her own. She does not roll over, crawl, or sit. She sounds as athletic as me;-)

New Season, new clothes

If I were to chose my favorite item of clothing to wear indefinitely, it would be a denim skirt. Last year, I looked high and low for a nice denim maternity skirt and there was none to be found (stylish, not Amish) except for one at the Gap for $40. I ordered it online and proceeded to wear it until I was almost 9 months pregnant. That's what I call "getting your money's worth."

This year, I'm still post-baby body and my regular denim skirts don't fit. I checked out Gap.com and they had a pencil-skirt for $60. Old-Navy had more than a few mini-skirts (which only look good on nobody, so why do they sell them??) and this one with a draw-string. Since this skirt was only available online, I didn't mind buying it sight-unseen, otherwise it would have been nice to take an hour or two and shop inside of a store.

I also bought a pair of capris. This is a leap of faith for me. Again, the pair I ordered was available 'online only' so let's hope for the best! I've only owned one pair of capris in my lifetime and every time I wore them, I just felt like I was wearing shrunken pants.

So, here's to spring and longer days and sunnier days! I've been waiting for this since last fall;-)

Nella's Mom

Kelle Hampton has a blog that was recommended from an online bloggie friend. Kelle is a home-grown photographer, wife, and mother to a beautiful toddler and new mom to another beautiful daughter named Nella. Nella was born with Down's Syndrome which wasn't discovered until her birth.

Tonight, Kelle will be interviewed on CNNI (international) at 4pm Eastern and the interview will be online afterwards. On her blog, Kelle seems like a very forthright and honest woman who loves her family and I'm looking forward to seeing her interview.

Strawberry Empanadas

In an effort to clean out the large Ziploc bag of random recipes I've collected over the years, I came across a very easy recipe for Strawberry Empanadas. Yum. I have no idea where the recipe came from since the page it's on is photocopied but here it is...

1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature

4 Tbsp. light brown sugar, divided

2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh strawberries

1 pkg (8-count) refrigerated crescent rolls

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

*Preheat oven to 375F.

*Blend in cream cheese and 2 Tbsp. of the brown sugar in a bowl. Fold in strawberries.

*Unfold the crescent roll dough into four rectangles, smoothing the dough together along the diagonal dotted line. Divide strawberry mixture among the four pieces, spooning onto the bottom half of the rectangle. Fold dough over and crimp the edges with a fork.

*Bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and dust with the remaining brown sugar.

I made these on Sunday morning and they were so delicious. In an effort to get everyone fed, I didn't care to take the time to photograph our breakfast plates but they were just perfect. I love yummy breakfasts and so does my family:-)

Hang Out time

This is kinda a fun month seeing the difference in between a four-month old and a four-year old. Russell keeps Camille entertained with his antics and constant movement. She loves to chatter to herself and anyone else who will stop and listen.

When I'm making dinner, I plop her nearby and she just kicks back in her bouncy seat- yes, with leg outstretched. When was the last time you wore white pants with fruit on them and looked adorable? Yes, it's been a long time for most of us;-)

Still draggin'

Although my OB upped my thyroid meds two weeks ago, I've been feeling still more tired and despite diet/exercise/breastfeeding, have gained three pounds:-( My TSH tested yesterday resulted at 26.0, worse than before the upped meds. My OB gave me a referral, so I'm off to the endocrinologist next Thursday for some answers. I wish we didn't have to sacrifice so much of our paycheck for medical insurance but I'm glad we have it. The kids are healthy and strong and I'm thankful every day for that:-)

Four Months and counting

Camille is four months old today, and checked in at 13 lbs 8oz this morning with a height of 24". She's in the 50 percentile across the board (height, weight, head, proportions). Perfect:-) But I already knew that!

Still here, just tired

Most days I have energy but not today. Blah.

For the past month, no matter how healthy I've eaten and despite 5 days/wk of exercising and solely breastfeeding, I haven't been able to lose any more baby weight. Very discouraging. Then I realized my fingernails haven't been growing at all. Hmm. I remembered that my OB still had a 'standing order' to have my TSH tested until March. I took the blood test last week and the result was 22.8. (Normal is 1.0- 4.0). Severe hypothyroidism. I've been faithful about my meds but guess we're going to have to up the dose. Until my thyroid is regulated again, it's just going to take extra effort to be Mommy and Domestic Manager.

Glad I have a reason for the lack of weight loss:-) I wouldn't want Ben & Jerry to be at fault!

Homegrown Valentine's

Our little family celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday. It's hard to wait too long for a special dinner (and dessert!). We had ordered a platter of sushi 'to go' and Russell and I spent Friday afternoon baking our (very un-red) "Red Velvet Cake." Note: don't look for red food coloring on the days before V-day... and a bottle of sparkling wine completed our celebration.

When all is said and done, I want to look back over my life and celebrate the relationships I've had, whether friendships, family, or my marriage & kids. It's the only thing that will matter. In the mean time, here's to loving and serving others today:-)

Move over Michael, here comes Russell!

Yesterday was the first day of Russell's swim lessons. I brought my camera for the unknown to follow. He is fearful of our HOA's pools and usually clings to me for a minute or so before insisting he be returned to the pool steps. The thing is, we live in California where there are more pools than most states' combined. He needs to at least be able to have the skills to survive a fall, lest it happen. I also really wanted him to be challenged and learn to obey authority other than myself or Dan. I don't see the need for him to be in preschool and so this is a perfect opportunity for his personal growth.

Out of the 30 minute lesson, only 5 minutes were filled with tears. The teacher was firm but patient and instructed him to breath/blow out air and count to 10. He did great and the other parents said he'd done well for his first lesson.

Move over Michael Phelps, here comes Russell;-) Maybe the 2028 games?

Okay, so maybe there was a little bribe involved, but we all need a reward for trying hard, don't we?

Visiting Friends

While visiting my family, I was blessed to catch up with a few friends as well. Kate (above) is a friend from my high-school days. She recently moved back to the Island from Halifax. (Below) Sue recently moved back to Victoria as well but from my hometown here in California. It was a little strange to have my California life and my B.C. life overlap because they are really quite separate. Once Russell got over his cranky spirit for the day, the boys had a fun time together:-)

I was also able to catch up with Jen and Tanya. No pictures to share but I really enjoyed our lunch together and the conversation. Thank you, ladies!

Visit to Vancouver Island

We try and spend Russell's birthday on the Island if it is our 'off' year for Christmas in B.C., so I packed the kids up and we flew up to Victoria on the 31st for seven days.

My surviving grandparent is my Grandmother and it was really sweet to see her hold Camille. I didn't get a 'four generation' photo of Camille, me, my Dad, and Grandmother, which I regret. My grandmother is 97 years old and time is borrowed.

We celebrated Russell's fourth birthday in style! My dad rented a clown costume and Russell kept eyeing my dad's gig. Lots of fun!

One morning, my Mom and I and the kids went down to Cowichan Bay for a nice walk. It was quite cool so we didn't stay long. Russell found the bakery with no problem:-)

Sisters:-) Candice and myself.

My mom and her granddaughter. It was so nice to have a helping hand with Camille. Baby Girl is social and doesn't like to be put to nap if she can otherwise be engaged.

For a special lunch, my Dad and I went out to A&W. This may not seem like a treat but since we rarely eat fast food, it was:-) Most of the A&W's here in the Bay area are now tacoria's or car washes:-( Nothing like yummy onion rings and root beer served in a frozen glass.

I love Camille's 'bunny suit' and sadly she is growing out of it. The poor kid keeps getting wedged into it every time we leave the house but that's okay for now;-) The stewardess wanted to hold Camille and I appreciated the help. She was really sweet to Russell as well and gave him a package of wax-like straws to mold during the flight.

We arrived home on Saturday and relaxed all day Sunday. Russell was so glad to see his toys and hasn't wanted to be entertained by us since!

Update soon

The kids and I have been in Victoria, B.C. since last Sunday, the 31st. We got home last night safe but tired. Will updated soon:-)

Happy 4th Birthday, Sweetheart!

We love you so much and we're proud to call you our son!!

Happy 4th Birthday!

3rd birthday

2nd birthday.

1st birthday.

Newborn birthday.

My new role model

... is Michelle Duggar.

Let me start off by saying there is no desire in my heart to have 19 children although I believe God has placed this passion (and ability) in Michelle and her husband's hearts (and body!). I just know my body is not made for carrying babies unless God sees fit.

Here is today's interview on Today with Meredith Viera . The couple and most of their children are reporting from Little Rock on the condition of 7-week old Josie (born at 1 lb 1oz in December) at 25 weeks gestation.

I enjoy watching the TLC show "18 Kids and Counting" in the afternoons if I have a break. If I could sum up what I like about the family, I would note:

#1) Love and respect in marriage

Michelle and Jim Bob's (sorry, but doesn't 'James Robert' sound much better??) love and respect and visable affection for each other. It is difficult enough for Dan and myself to prioritize our marriage sometimes, let alone with so many more children. Jim Bob often is holding his wife's hand or her waist, and I swear Michelle still blushes when he does so.


#2) Patience

Michelle's patience for the kids. In the 'line up' of children, there are six boys from age 11-5. She often remarks that the children just need a place to get out their energy. Granted, the children have acres of land and thousands of square feet in their home to run and place, but they are very noisy nethertheless. She and Jim Bob discipline for sinful behavior and not just childishness although sometimes the line between the two is thin;-) This has been a good reminder for me during the day when Russell's crazy and silly side emerges!

#3) Godly direction

I love the clips of footage of Jim Bob and Michelle sitting at the table with their family and reading just a few verses of scripture and then talking about the meaning of the verses and conversing with their children about daily life application. JB gives them enough to think about and not so much to only hear "wah, wah, wah" (as in Charlie Brown...).

#4) Enjoyment of children

Michelle and Jim Bob love spending time with their children and truly enjoy their children. Yes... sometimes this is very hard to do! They don't see the kids as a bother and through work and play, are with their children guiding them and nuturing them. JB and Michelle have taken their kids on flight across country, on mulitple bus trips (to DC, LA, NYC, and the midwest). If they can take their kids on vacation, anyone... yes, anyone can:-)


So's here's to the Duggars, one positive Christ-centered family on TV:-) Yeah, TLC!

Fun with Friends

A few days ago, my friend Nadyne brought over her boys, Caleb (3.5yrs) and 3 month old Matthew (above). Matthew is two weeks older than Camille. These babies are only two of the miracles born in the 2009 year. Such wonders!


And yesterday (Saturday) long time and very dear friend Laura (we met in '96 in San Diego as teenagers) came for an overnight visit:-) She was in Vegas for a trade show and decided to return to Nashville via San Francisco.

I've spent many a New Year's Eve with Laura and we've met up with each other in Greyhound stations, Amtrak stations, ferry boat landings and more than a few airports over the years. It's been over 18 months since we've seen each other but our time was sweet. Thanks for taking the time, Laura!!

How important relationships are to each of us. They are the essence of life.