While Xavier and Dad were down at the university, I took advantage of the kid-free opportunity to put a few more safety latches around the house. With my first round of childproofing several months ago, I installed latches on anything that contained dangerous or heavy items. I left the other cabinets latch-free in part in an effort to apply some Montessori principles to our home. He was safe and I could count on him entertaining himself for a while pulling stuff out of the "safe cabinets." The only drawback was that I had to throw things back in each cabinet at the end of the day.
However, Xavier's new mobility plus my ever-expanding waistline has necessitated a change. I was finding pot lids in the bathroom and my hair dryer in the kitchen on a regular basis. The sheer amount of random stuff laying about was getting exhausting to look at much less pick up and put away.
I thought Xavier would protest about his newfound lack of of exploratory opportunities. He seems to be taking it in stride though and just turns his attention to other things. I think he, like his mother, actually feels more peaceful with the reduction of clutter.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
At First Glance
While some of you may already have heard the news, I'd like to officially announce that we are awaiting the newest addition to our family in mid-December. Like last time, we are going to let the sex of the baby be a surprise.
This photo is a bit old...two and half weeks to be exact. When I went in for a check up the nurse couldn't locate the heartbeat so they opted for an ultrasound. While the half hour I waited to confirm the babe's wellbeing was nerve wracking to say the least, getting an earlier than usual photograph was a nice recompense.
My OB swears that the photo is "adorable" but I think he's just used to saying nice things to moms in their first trimester. I'm just glad he or she has two legs, two arms and one head. Adorable indeed.
Today I celebrate my entrance into the second trimester. No more nausea!
Friday, June 13, 2008
New Skillz
Xavier has been picking up news skills left and right from his big sister. He's starting to "draw" using his magnetic/erase board. I think crayons aren't far behind. I fear for my walls.
He's also been practicing his war cries. This is a neat little trick to get him to stop fussing and start laughing after a minor bump or scrape.
Hunter finishes up her first week of basketball camp today. She and I have a park date tomorrow so she can show me her new tricks around the hoop.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Eating as a Family
We've been having lots of fun these past two weeks with my step-daughter, Hunter, here for her 4-week summer stay. She's a real sport about adjusting to the separate traditions and rules from her Kansas home and her Texas home. A big stumbling block lately has been food.
As most of you know, Tim and I do our best to eat a healthy, whole foods diet most of the time. (Not to be confused with an expesive Whole Foods diet!) We like to cook from scratch when possible, prefer fresh veggies to frozen to canned, and avoid products with transfat, artificial coloring or high fructose corn syrup. We're not terribly strict about it -- we've been known to have a soda, bag of chips or spicy buffalo wings from the freezer section from time to time.
Hunter's favorite foods are speghetti (no sauce), ramen noodles, Sunny Delight (which has no juice in it by the way), and rice with butter. "Gross" foods include lettuce, tomatoes, fish, chicken with bones, cucumbers, etc.
In an effort to get her more enthusiastic about nutrition, Wednesday night is her night to plan and prepare dinner. I blanched when I saw her shopping list: two cans of cherry pie filling, two cans of pineapple, one can of mandarin oranges, one can of creamy corn, a package of hot dogs, and a box of mac and cheese. I gently suggested that she should add a green vegetable to round out the meal so she added a can of peas to her list. I prayed that the cherry pie filling would not find its way into the same dish as the hot dogs. I hoped for the best and was determined to be a good example of being open to new foods.
She made a fruit salad with the cans of fruit, split and sauteed the hotdogs (I cheated a little and bought kosher beef franks), and served corn, pasta and peas for the sides. All in all it was a yummy meal. I can't wait to see what's on the menu for next Wednesday.
As most of you know, Tim and I do our best to eat a healthy, whole foods diet most of the time. (Not to be confused with an expesive Whole Foods diet!) We like to cook from scratch when possible, prefer fresh veggies to frozen to canned, and avoid products with transfat, artificial coloring or high fructose corn syrup. We're not terribly strict about it -- we've been known to have a soda, bag of chips or spicy buffalo wings from the freezer section from time to time.
Hunter's favorite foods are speghetti (no sauce), ramen noodles, Sunny Delight (which has no juice in it by the way), and rice with butter. "Gross" foods include lettuce, tomatoes, fish, chicken with bones, cucumbers, etc.
In an effort to get her more enthusiastic about nutrition, Wednesday night is her night to plan and prepare dinner. I blanched when I saw her shopping list: two cans of cherry pie filling, two cans of pineapple, one can of mandarin oranges, one can of creamy corn, a package of hot dogs, and a box of mac and cheese. I gently suggested that she should add a green vegetable to round out the meal so she added a can of peas to her list. I prayed that the cherry pie filling would not find its way into the same dish as the hot dogs. I hoped for the best and was determined to be a good example of being open to new foods.
She made a fruit salad with the cans of fruit, split and sauteed the hotdogs (I cheated a little and bought kosher beef franks), and served corn, pasta and peas for the sides. All in all it was a yummy meal. I can't wait to see what's on the menu for next Wednesday.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Walking Man
We have honest to goodness walking over here now. For weeks Xavier has been teasing us with nonchalant cruising with one hand and the occaisional lunge from the coffee table to the sofa. On Saturday he was regularly pulling up and then taking several steps out into the middle of the room.
He is such an independent little dude. He refuses to walk upon command (or encouragement) but if you leave him be, he's walking like a little champ.
The timing of his walking is probably related to having his big sister around for the past week. Hunter is the object of his affection these days. This is particularly sweet since during her stay with us last summer, she missed witnessing her younger sister's transition from crawling to walking with her family in Kansas.
As a direct result of Xavier's new mobility, our 19-year-old cat has taken up permenant residence behind the couch unless Xavier is in a high chair or napping. Poor dear.
He is such an independent little dude. He refuses to walk upon command (or encouragement) but if you leave him be, he's walking like a little champ.
The timing of his walking is probably related to having his big sister around for the past week. Hunter is the object of his affection these days. This is particularly sweet since during her stay with us last summer, she missed witnessing her younger sister's transition from crawling to walking with her family in Kansas.
As a direct result of Xavier's new mobility, our 19-year-old cat has taken up permenant residence behind the couch unless Xavier is in a high chair or napping. Poor dear.
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