Saturday, October 30, 2010

Alive

On October 22, 2010 I gave birth in my living room to the most precious little human being I could ever had imagined. To me he is perfect. I feel very blessed and lucky and actually humbled by the experience and the fact that I get to be responsible for this wee one's life. I feel privledged to be a mother. I. am. a. mother. AND I love my son. My. Son. (josh's too) - also, i don't think it takes giving birth yourself to have the same feeling of being a mother. I get how all the women who are able to adopt babies can love and care for the babies that become their own.

So far (in the past 9 days) I haven't had one bad moment, no moment where i felt like a zombie, no moment when I felt like a cow (and this kid can EAT). Just moments of love, laughter, gratitude, amazement at the human body/creation, appreciation for my own mother and for being a women. I feel alive. More alive than ever before. I'll embrace this time and welcome whatever the next stage is. Sure it will be trying at times, but what in life that is worth anything isn't trying?

I'm surprised with all the advice i received from friends and family, no one remembered to tell me new respect, appreciation, attraction and love i would feel for josh.

ok, so enough mushy stuff. 5 fun things about Sonny i love so far:

1) he is fuzzy - shoulders and back are covered in little dark fuzz
2) he flips me off all the time - he can only get away with that for so long
3) day one he peed on my face
4) he has loooooooong loud farts that crack me up
5) his face he makes when he is milk drunk

Here are some pics. oh and i'm almost done with my birth story so that will be the next post.






Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I fall in love with Fall over these things...

A lot happens in the fall that is worth getting giddy over. You know that feeling when you get giddy and you just want to roll & jump around the bed (I call it getting wiggly) that happens a lot to me when the temperature starts to go down. NOT winter down though! ICK!! just Fall temps.

So far in the last 3 days I have done 3 things that scream Fall goodness (4 if you count the last, but that happens all the time, but it is something i just love)

1) Popcorn Balls!!!!
I don't remember exactly when i started loving them, but i have loved them for as long as I can remember. We used to get them at the mall in Boulder when I was a kid and at school Halloween parties and maybe even trick or treating, but I can't imagine that that is a "safe" treat. So I made my own. Stuck to a simple recipe and they were FANTASTICALLY sweet and gooey.


2) Carving Pumpkins
I bought this little guy weeks ago and was glad I had time today to turn him into what he was meant to be all along. A perfect little Jack-O-Lantern. I am not one who has a vast artistic ability (I drew an Easter picture for josh this year and when we just came across it again this month, he thought one of the kids I baby-sit for made it). That being said, every pumpkin i have ever carved has looked EXACTLY like the one I made today.


3) Pumpkin Seeds
The second best part of carving pumpkins is getting to play with the slimy innards and the third best part are making baked pumpkin seeds. This is easy. Just put them on a baking sheet (mostly dried, just a little damp), sprinkle with salt and bake for 15-20 min. You can also coat them in melted butter first that is good too, but i forgot that step today.


4) Clean Sheets (again, this is not privy to Fall- just one of those nice things)
Oh laundry day can be a daunting chore (when you are on a 5th floor walk-up and have to walk a block to the laundromat)! But the end result is so wonderful. Today I did a few select loads of laundry (josh usually handles this- maybe that's why today was extra gratifying) and when the sheets come out of the dryer and they are still warm and you bring them to your face to smell, I can't help but take the longest breaths right into the sheets and comforter. It. just. smells. so. good. I remember this feeling going back to being just a little thing. When my mom had cleaning to do she would send us off to go play outside. After a long day of playing we would take a bath and go to sleep on super clean delicious smelling sheets with freshly washed fluffy blankies and special stuffed animals!

Oh the simple joys in life. I love you.

Monday, October 11, 2010

baby bump spotted

turns out i'm going to have a baby within the next few days or week or so. all i know is that it's a tiny little thing right now living and sometimes wide awake in my uterus. boy?girl? doesn't matter really.

last week i decided to document it with some maternity pictures. I sure am glad i'm married to a really talented photographer. and that he has some really talented friends. who do hair, make-up and wardrobe.

Here are some of my favorite web friendly shots:










Yeah, so... that's that. if you ever want some nice maternity shots i know a guy who knows how to work a camera pretty well.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Chrysanthemum, yum yum yum

i have a problem with measurements. Not in everything, just in things that grow when you cook them. Noodles, forget it. I start little and look in the pot, but it never seems enough so I add more. then a little more. Then once they are ready, there is no water in the pot and I am left with days worth of noodles. I can't get it right. They actually have kitchen gadgets for people like me to solve this problem. I do love a kitchen gadget but I am determined to get it right myself. I don't need one of these


All I need to do is remember things expand in water when cooked. Good rule of thumb.
SO.... a few weeks ago I walked by a little tea shop in the West Village and remembered I love Chrysanthemum Tea and that I should buy some.

When I made it the first time. Oh goodness. I over did it. josh laughed for a long time about it. the pot was FILLED with open flowers. FILLED.
Tonight I made some and it was better. Seriously though, look at the before picture:

It looks so tiny and I just went with it (even though i thought i should add more)
but it made all this!



Just remember: dried things grow A LOT when you add water and bring it to a boil.

AND remember: Chrysanthemum Tea with a drizzle of honey is quite lovely.