and puppy dogs tales

Yay! and pOops

2012-01-31T22:25:00.000-05:00

It was almost a year ago that Conor got his potty. Since then, he's been pretty good about peeing on the potty. Lately, he has been going pee on the potty consistently at least once a day, sometimes more than that.

Except it's only ever pee. He had never pooped on the potty. Until tonight!

I could tell what was happening, but Tim couldn't (although he was whispering "I poop on the potty like a lion.") As soon as he stood up and we saw it in the potty, we both yelled "YAAAAAAYYYY!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!", which startled the daylights out of the poor boy. He started crying and saying "No!!! No!!!" It took a little while to calm him down, and I'm not sure he really ever got that we were happy that he had pooped in the potty.

So oops on us. but Yay!!! for Conor!

Nap time

2012-01-29T09:59:00.004-05:00

Friday night Tim and I went to the Ann Arbor Folk Festival and Nana and Papa babysat. I knew Conor had to be tired after so much excitement the night before, but was surprised when yesterday's nap ended after only an hour. As soon as we came downstairs, he zonked out on the couch for another hour snooze. I think this may be the first time he's napped for so long on the couch (while not being held). Welcome to the world of couch naps little buddy - it rocks.

No more monkeys...

2012-01-23T22:30:00.001-05:00

They bumped their sock heads.

The babies on the bus....

2012-01-16T15:50:00.000-05:00

...go "Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!....Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!....Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"

Sledding

2012-01-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

We finally got a little bit of snow so we did some sledding in the yard. Conor kept yelling at Dada to "go real fast!"

This sled is a couple years old - I think it might be time for a bigger one, but he still had fun!

We made some hot cocoa to warm up. Conor kept calling it "hot coffee".

Afternoon at the park

2012-01-09T22:18:00.000-05:00

We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to go to the park this afternoon.

Two and a Half!

2012-01-07T17:17:00.000-05:00

I get this a lot. He's a master at avoiding "eye contact" with my camera.

Conor turned two and a half last week! Being with him every day makes it hard to appreciate just how much he's grown in the past few months, but when I look back at pictures from the summer I see such a big difference! Some of the big milestones/changes/goings on in the past half year:

Language - So many new words. His vocabulary amazes me and he picks up new words all the time. Mispronounciations are dwindling. Multi-word sentences are the norm, initiates a lot of conversation. Sings the entire alphabet without missing letters. Knows the words to lots of songs and will sing along.

Potty learning - Haven't tried to potty train yet, but he is much better at being able to go when we ask him to (no poop yet though), and will now even ask to go himself. Likes to hide when pooping. Frequently, will ask for a diaper change when wet/dirty (never used to do this).

Developing a better memory of things that have happened in the past. When we drive somewhere on a route we've been before, he'll say (for example), "I want to go to the zoo!" (even if we're not really going to the zoo. Bummer).

Questions everything. One of my favorites - when he hears a noise he'll ask, "Mama what make that sound?" He also frequently asks "Mama/Dada, what you doing Mama/Dada?" (not a typo, he says it at the beginning and the end)

"Reads" books - Some of his favorites we have read so many times, he has them memorized and will "read" them to us.

Likes to direct us (tell us where to go and what to do). My favorite is when he tells me which way to turn in the car.

Tests boundaries constantly. Will yell to get attention. We see this face a lot:

Loves bath time and swimming. He's taken swimming lessons for over a year now. We're going to try a new swim school this month.

Says things he knows are funny to get a reaction, like (running into a room) "What's going on in here???" or (when sitting in someone else's chair, as if imitating them) "What are you doing in my chair?"

Imagination taking off - loves to pretend and role play.

Enjoys having stories made up for him - says "Rubber time" (meaning "Once upon a time") when he wants you to tell him a story.

Good eater - prefers breakfast and lunch to dinner. Fav foods are fruits (esp apples and peaches), mixed veggies (peas, carrots, corn and green beans), mashed potatoes, pasta, cheese, cottage cheese, pizza, cereal, cereal bars, waffles, yogurt, beans, and mac and cheese.

Favorite toys/activities - Fire truck, ambulance, tractor, trains, guitar ("instrument" or "tar"), dancing to music, PlayDo, coloring/drawing/painting, stickers, making a tent out of blankets, playing with cars and trucks, reading books, legos, puzzles ("I wanna put the puzzha togezzah!"), going to the zoo, going to the playground, going to the library, talking about going to the zoo/playground/library

Favorite books - Busy Town, Dear Zoo, Is Your Mama a Llama, Otis, My Big Boy Potty, Mike Mulligan, Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin, Scuffy the Tugboat

Dislikes - Haircuts, toothbrushing

Height ~37" (75th percentile)

Weight ~33 lbs (between 75th and 90th percentile)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T23:17:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve - Conor left cookies for Santa (baked and decorated by Madeline and Aunt Kelly), and an apple for the reindeer. If you asked him who the apple was for, he said "the goats."

Santa came!

Christmas morning there were lots of packages to be opened. He was much more interested in opening packages this year.

Buzz Lightyear ruled supreme this year. Aunt Kelly made an autograph book for our Disney trip in February.

Conor received two Buzz Lightyears - one plush and one action. The action one he calls "Baby Buzz", I guess because it's a little smaller. He could hardly wait for dada to open it.

A kiss for Buzz...

... and a hug, too :)

Merry Christmas y'all!

After nap

2011-12-12T06:58:00.000-05:00

After his nap Saturday, Conor decided to crash dada's nap.

Princess Conor

2011-12-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

Tangled is one of Conor's new favorites. He really like the songs and will sing/dance/act along. The other day, he stood on ~~his stage~~ a bench singing "I've got a dream, I've got a dream..."

Here he is singing with "When Will My Life Begin?":

(Notice the super awesome tent there???)

Christmas Tree

2011-12-05T15:06:00.000-05:00

Our little Christmas tree, just Conor's size.

Shorter Days

2011-11-06T12:47:00.000-05:00

Watching the dogs play in the backyard yesterday afternoon - this was at ~4:30. With DST ending today it's going to be getting dark way way way too early :(

Halloween

2011-11-02T23:54:00.000-04:00

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's....

SuperConorMan!

Jazz hands.

at Pumpkin Palooza in Plymouth.

at the ~~Justice League of America~~ Baby Association Halloween Party.

What we've been up to

2011-10-29T23:35:00.001-04:00

Shame on me for not updating the blog in ~~almost~~ over a month!

Mimi and Grampy visited and we had lots of fun! We went to Greenfield Village - the train was a huge hit. We definitely need to go back and are contemplating an annual pass.

Conor and I have been having lots of fun together on Mondays, my day off. A few weeks ago, we went to Domino's Farms, which of course he loved.

Tim is working long hours coaching after school this fall and winter, so some nights it's just Conor and I for dinner. Last week we went out for a special date.

We had our family photos done in Ann Arbor by Melissa Palomo. Love them - will share when I get them downloaded and organized.

Conor is really growing up fast. He says the funniest things that make him sound like such a big kid. The other morning, on the way home from swimming, we saw a man walking two dogs. Conor said, "Hi dogs! I'm Conor. Pleased to meet you."

No progress on the potty training front, not that we're really even trying. He will sit on the potty when prompted, but hasn't actually gone in quite some time. For now we'll just keep offering and see what happens. I don't get the sense that he's really ready and I think we'd be in for a lot of frustration if we tried to force it. He does love watching "Elmo's Potty Time" so maybe he's getting curious.

Conor eats lunch (again)

2011-09-24T22:19:00.000-04:00

Just another video of Conor eating lunch.

Part-Time

2011-09-01T08:35:00.000-04:00

Starting today, I am officially part-time at work! Woohoo!!! I'll be staying home with Conor on Mondays :)

More time to play outside with mama and ignore her camera.

Oldies

2011-08-25T21:47:00.000-04:00

Oldies have taken over the top spot for Conor's favorite music genre, replacing cartoon theme songs. His favorites right now are Sh-Boom ("Dream") and Route 66 ("66") - clearly influenced by Cars, but DON'T YOU DARE EVER play the John Mayer version of "66". He also likes Yakety Yak. I think he needs Grampy and Papa to make him a new playlist :)

Career Plans

2011-08-12T22:29:00.000-04:00

Mama: "Conor, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Conor: "Firetruck!"

.........

when asked again during his bath, he said "a teacher giraffe."

Singing

2011-07-21T00:43:00.000-04:00

Growth Charts

2011-07-11T07:00:00.002-04:00

Update growth charts, from birth to two.

Weight:

Height:

Counting update

2011-07-09T23:56:00.000-04:00

As if to mock my last blog post, Conor surprised us today by counting to FIFTEEN, straight through, no shenanigans. Stinker!

Counting, Conor style

2011-07-08T21:17:00.000-04:00

"one...two...FWEEE!!!!!!..four...fivesix...sewfen...eight...nine...ten...fefefen...NINE!!!"

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2011-06-26T22:20:00.005-04:00

My baby boy turned 2 today! He's grown into such a funny, lovable, rambunctious little guy over the last year. This year has flown by - I wish time would slow down because I love this age. While at times he certainly fits the profile of the "terrible twos", he keeps us laughing and loving every day and I wouldn't change a single thing about him. I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

We had a small family birthday party last weekend. Both sets of grandparents, as well as his Aunt Kelly, Uncle Jason and cousins Madeline and Clara, and Uncle Brian and Aunt Katie traveled to celebrate with him. We had a great time with them - I have lots of pictures to share that I need to post.

This weekend, we did lots of fun family stuff. Friday, Conor and dada went to the zoo. Yesterday we took him to see Cars 2 in the theater. He did wonderfully. It was hard for him to sit still but he was really interested in the movie and made it through the whole show without incident (except for almost grabbing the hair of the woman seated in front of us.)

Today we took him to his first baseball game. We had a blast! Our seats were great - shaded, and in a section with extra space and a little table. He watched the entire game and cheered his Tigers on to victory.

(I did bring my camera, but forgot the memory card - doh! Cel phone pictures will have to suffice.)

Stealing mama's sunglasses:

He enjoyed the little table for snacks and playing with firetrucks:

Perfect day for a game at Comerica Park:

and finally, one more monthly update.

Age 2 years!

Weight 30 lbs. (UPDATE - officially 31.6 at the Pedi - 75-90th percentile)

Length 35" (UPDATE - officially (also) 35" at the Pedi - 50-75th percentile)

Size 2T clothes, size 7 extra wide shoes, size 5 diapers, 3T hats

Hair Another buzz this month.

Teeth Improving with brushing but still doesn't like it.

Sleeping Sleeps through the night, ~8pm to 6am. Takes one nap in the afternoon, usually ~2 hours.

Eating Will eat almost anything, loves snacks, prefers breakfast and lunch to dinner.

Movement Kicks a soccer ball well, likes dunking a basketball, loves to dance to the Shrek ending song ("I'm a Believer").

Milestones Gave up his paci! (again) This time was more difficult than the last. He was only using it for sleeping (at home), and we threw them away a couple weeks ago. He still asks for them but does okay without.

Outings Swimming lessons, first baseball game, Cars 2 (in theater), strawberry picking, zoo.

Favorite toys/activities Books (favorites are “5 Little Monkeys”, “Best Word Book Ever” (especially the garbage truck page), "Busiest Firefighters Ever" and "Healthy Monster Triathlon"), movies, trucks, swimming, playing outside, going for wagon rides.

Words/sounds Vocabulary continues to expand, very conversational, uses several word sentences.

Memorable Moments Visits from Mimi & Grampy, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Jason, cousins Madeline and Clara, Uncle Brian & Aunt Katie.

Conor-isms

2011-06-14T22:48:00.000-04:00

Some of my favorite Conor-nunciations

milk = MEEEEE-yulk (Southern roots)
strawberries = STRAW-bees
Little Einsteins = Steins
banana = mana
orange = oonge
cereal bar = CE-re-al BAH! CE-re-al BAH!
Conor's car = Canahcah (Michigan roots)
city bus = shity bus :)
tickles = TEE-kools
delicious = WEE-cious
Debbie (our neighbor) = Bebbie
Lucy (classmate) = Weezy

Strawberry Picking

2011-06-12T11:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went strawberry picking.

Please take note of how clean his shirt is here.

I can't imagine why when we told him the strawberries weren't for eating yet, he got upset. It's not like we put him in the middle of thousands of his favorite food and told him he couldn't have any. Oh wait, yeah, that's basically what we did. Oops. So, if you have the "dirty dozen" list posted on your fridge or the thought of eating a non organic strawberry covered in dirt and pesticides and possibly bugs makes you a little ill, probably best to turn back now. (I justified it because it had just rained, and he only ate a few, and after all they are organic if by "organic" you mean carbon based.)

Oh, the mess. Thank God for wet wipes and Shout.

We picked almost six pounds of strawberries. Conor mostly just ate them - his picking technique needs some work as it involves just squeezing the strawberries until they disintegrate off the plant. Hopefully by blueberry season he will have figured it out.

Tiny Ornithologist

2011-05-31T18:16:00.000-04:00

Birds Conor can identify (i.e., point out in a book):

Owl
Wren
Goldfinch
Cardinal
Penguin
Hornbill
Flamingo
Hummingbird
Ostrich
Goose
Robin
Woodpecker
Duck
Blue Jay

The last five he can also identify in the "field". Pretty soon his life list will be longer than mine!

23 Months

2011-05-26T23:54:00.004-04:00

he actually posed for this one for me!!!

Conor is 23 months old today! I missed the 22 month update so I just looked back to 21 months to see where we left off - he's changed so much in two months. Although he's always been very verbal, he is getting really good at expressing exactly what he wants in words. He is all boy and would spend every waking moment outside if he could. He likes chasing the dogs, digging in the vegetable bed and watering the flowers.

While he is rambunctious and full of energy, he also has a very sweet and gentle side. He loves giving hugs and kisses and snuggling. Of all his books, two of his favorites are "Baby Dear" (a Little Golden Book from the 50's about a little girl who takes care of a baby doll while her mom takes care of her baby sister - not sure what the appeal of this one is for him but he always asks for it!) and "I Love You So". So sweet. If you ask him, "Who's mama's boy?" he says proudly, "Conor!" :)

Age 23 months

Weight 30lbs?

Length 33-~~34"?~~ 35"!!!

Size Mostly 2T clothes (though the shorts tend to sag!), size 6.5 or 7 extra wide shoes, size 5 diapers, 3T hats

Hair First buzzcut this month, and is growing out fast

Teeth Doing a little better with brushing and prefers an adult toothbrush. 2 year molars still not in.

Sleeping Much better - usually sleeps through the night but almost always wakes for the day between 5:45 and 6am. Takes one nap in the afternoon, usually ~2 hours.

Eating Loves dipping foods in some type of sauce; favorite foods are animal crackers (sometimes sounds like "animal carcass"), strawberries ("straw-bees"), peas, cereal bars (has a Cereal Bar song and dance too!), oranges and Chipotle. Had his very own ice cream cone for the first time this month (courtesy of Nana and Papa).

Movement Runs everywhere. Working on riding a tricycle. Jumps with both feet off the ground. Getting really good at kicking and "scooping hands" at swimming.

Milestones Counts to 10.

Outings Swimming lessons, Green Street Fair, CF Great Strides walk, Touch-A-Truck.

Favorite toys/activities Books (favorites are “I Love You So”, “Scuffy”, "Baby Dear" and "Mater's Tall Tales"), movies (Cars and Shrek are his favorites), anything transportation related (especially buses, fire trucks and garbage trucks), swimming, being outside, watering plants, sand and water table, Play-Doh, playing "Are You?"

Words/sounds knows hundreds of words; some of my favorites are bandage (for a band-aid), garbage truck (sometimes says "barbage truck") and bummer

Memorable Moments haircut, spending lots of time with Nana and Papa when mama was sick, sitting in a firetruck at Baskin Robbins, watching the Royal Wedding with mama ("Hats! Princess!")

Buzzcut

2011-05-15T12:43:00.000-04:00

Conor got his summer haircut yesterday. To show him how fun the clippers are, dada also buzzed his hair off. He still wasn't happy with the experience, but at least he won't need another cut for a while.

Donkey

2011-05-11T23:09:00.000-04:00

A little underwhelmed at the lack of singing and jokes...

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:06:00.002-04:00

Saturday we went to the Township's Easter egg hunt.

It was crowded and full of serious egg hunters and their children.

Conor and one of the THREE eggs he found.

He was not impressed.

Then we went to Nana and Papa's. The weather was beautiful so we played outside.

Conor enjoyed the fort...

... and playing soccer with Maggie.

Uncle Brian taught Conor to play t-ball.

Looks like Conor is a southpaw.

Conor and Aunt Katie played with the screen door.

Conor was so tired he slept 12 hours last night without waking, which never happens! Then today he took a three hour nap. Today we hung out at home and played with all the cars the Easter bunny brought.

Happy Easter!

Jumping

2011-04-20T22:17:00.000-04:00

Conor has been trying to jump for a while, but only since this past weekend is he really getting any air.

Here he is in action:

Trikes!

2011-04-15T21:31:00.003-04:00

Conor was given not one, but TWO tricycles by our neighbor.

The first one is still a little big and hard to pedal.

That's better! Pedaling still optional.

Tired of riding, time to push.

Tired of pushing, time to be carried.

Tired of everything. Time to go inside.

Discipline, part II, a play by Dada and Conor

2011-04-10T11:44:00.003-04:00

INT. DINING ROOM. LATE MORNING.

A toddler climbs on a chair, up onto the table. His father dashes from the next room, removes him from the table, and sits him at the bottom of the stairs.

DADA

Conor, you're in time out for standing on the table.

Do we stand on the table?

CONOR

Yes.

DADA

No, we don't.

Brief pause, and Conor begins to pout.

DADA

Conor, do we stand on the table?

CONOR

(arms out)

Hug!

DADA

Conor, do we stand on the table?

CONOR

Yes...Mama...Hug!

DADA

Conor, do we stand on the table?

CONOR

No...Hug!

Time out ends and Dada gives Conor a hug.

Conor giggles and heads for the table.

---The End---

21 months (and a few days)

2011-03-29T07:19:00.004-04:00

at playgroup, with his black eye :(

Conor turned 21 months old Saturday!

Age 21 months

Weight 28.6lbs

Length 33-34"? Seems like he just grew out of a lot of PJs

Size mostly 2T clothes, size 6 extra wide shoes, size 5 diapers, 3T hats

Hair awesome, per usual

Teeth 2 year molars starting to poke through. Back to strongly disliking brushing (despite a new Cars toothbrush).

Sleeping Doing better in the toddler bed. About 50/50 good sleep/bad sleep, with the occasional totally completely awful night thrown in. However, he's still a great napper, usually taking one 1.5-2 hour nap after lunch.

Eating Drinks from an open cup, obsessed with pancakes ("cakeys") and oranges, loves trail mix (dried cranberries and Kashi cereal)

Movement Nonstop motion, runs and climbs everywhere, getting really good at kicking a ball and shooting a basketball. "Dribbles" by holding the basketball and patting it. Can walk up and down the stairs without help.

Milestones 3 and 4 word sentences ("I want more milk"), roll play (puts teddy bear to bed and "reads" him a story)

Outings Baby Association meeting, swimming lessons, library

Favorite toys/activities Books (favorites are “Tucker”, “Otis”, and travel guides), music (favorite songs are Disney theme songs (Special Agent Oso, Fish Hooks and Jungle Junction ("Jungle Jungle")) and the Fire Truck Song) anything transportation related (especially buses and fire trucks), teepee, play kitchen, swimming, basketball hoop, trains, Legos, coloring

Words/sounds very conversational; can name all the people in his family book; new words include woodpecker ("pecker"), otter, cereal, Mickey, animals, farmer, owl, ostrich, tractor

Memorable Moments first black eye :(, visit from Mimi

Conor's Car

2011-03-16T11:29:00.000-04:00

Conor, pointing to Tim's car when we got home yesterday: "Dada's car, dada home!"

Then I pointed to my car: "Whose car is that Conor?"

Conor: "Conor's car."

20 months

2011-02-26T22:52:00.001-05:00

pre haircut :)

Conor is 20 months old today! This month he managed to completely give up his paci, something we've been putting off way too long. After misplacing his daycare paci one Friday and taking his nap without it, we decided to cut it out cold turkey and he did great without it! Then a couple weeks later, we made the transition to the toddler bed and it did not go well at all. After three sleepless nights, we gave him back his paci - the only comfort object he's ever taken to. It did help and slowly he's gotten used to the toddler bed.

Age 20 months
Weight 28lbs-ish
Length ~33”

Size 18-24 month and 2T clothes, size 6 extra wide shoes, size 5 diapers, 3T hats
Hair a trim mid-month, then another cut today (8th? 9th? who knows)

Teeth 16. Still working on those 2 year molars. Likes to brush with his Elmo spinbrush.

Sleeping Moved to his toddler bed. Major sleep disruption for about a week but now back to 10-12 hours at night (usually up once or twice) and one 1.5-2 hour nap after lunch.

Eating Favorite foods are pancakes, cranberries, peas and carrots. Likes to eat at his new little table.
Movement Jumping

Milestones Transition to toddler bed, sat on the potty

Outings Baby Association meeting at Olivia's house, swimming lessons,

Favorite toys/activities Books (favorites are “Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel”, “Elmo - Big Enough for a Bed”, and “Green Eggs and Ham”), anything transportation related, Playhouse Disney, teepee, play kitchen, swimming
Words/sounds Some new words are Mimi ("miiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiii"), cakey (pancake), yeah/yes, waffles, Jackson, goat, potty, firetruck/firebus/firecar, Timmy (the little lamb), airplane, yuck

Memorable Moments climbing out of the crib, playing in the snow

Home Improvements

2011-02-21T21:45:00.000-05:00

We just added a half bath ;)

We don't expect that he will potty train for a while, but it was suggested that we get a potty so he can gradually get comfortable with it.

Conor likes sitting on the potty, likes talking about the potty, but hasn't gone in the potty. He usually sits for a couple seconds, then jumps up to see if anything happened :) Tonight, he figured out the toilet paper part - when he gets up he wants a square so he can wipe, then puts the tp in the potty.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

I had it all planned out to take Valentine's pictures of Conor in his new red Chuck Taylor's and polka dot tie with a heart shaped sucker, but he was really not very interested in my plans. At all.

What is that? Candy??? I want it!

NOW! GIVEITTOMENOW!!!

Yessssssss. That always works. Suckers!

(hey Conor, I didn't take the wrapper off. Who's the sucker now???)

Big Boy Bed

2011-02-13T22:09:00.000-05:00

Right now, Conor is upstairs sleeping in his big boy bed for the first time (big boy bed = crib without a front and a little safety rail). He's been there for roughly 2 hours without incident and I call that a big success.

We made the transition because of a little "incident" last Thursday night. Conor slept in later than usual after a particularly rough night. Around 6:45am, we heard a loud THUD followed by crying. I was sure he had fallen while trying to climb out of the crib. Nope. We found him on the floor in front of the glider! The warm spot and drool puddle on the seat confirmed that he had been sleeping there, for who knows how long. Apparently he exited the crib without a problem, did who knows what, then decided to climb up in the glider and go back to sleep, where he stayed until he fell out. (He's fine - the fall scared him a bit but not a scratch on him thank goodness.)

Friday and Saturday nights he stayed in the crib, but it's only a matter of time before he tries that stunt again so he's in a toddler bed much sooner than I had anticipated.

Baby Foodie: Honey Couscous and Peas

2011-02-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

I feel a little guilty calling this a “recipe” because it’s so simple, but Conorman loved it so much that I wanted to share. I threw this together last weekend in a panic of “Oh my gosh it’s lunchtime and he’s hungry and I haven’t been to the store so what can I make fast that’s not a sandwich (again) before he starts screaming???”

In theory, couscous is a great food for toddlers – fairly benign tasting, pairs well with lots of things, easy to scoop with a spoon, high fiber, low fat, some protein, and more vitamins than pasta or rice. Sounds good, right? The only problem is that toddlers like to throw things, like their bowls. As it turns out, couscous is surprisingly difficult to clean up when launched from the table, so perhaps invest in a good suction bowl or keep a close watch for the wind up.

¼ cup cooked couscous
½ teaspoon-ish honey (just squeeze out a little glob)
¼ cup steamed peas

Make the couscous according to package instructions – mix equal parts boiling water and dry couscous, stir, cover and let sit 5 minutes until the water is absorbed. Make a bunch and store the leftovers!

Mix cooked couscous, honey and peas and enjoy!

19 months

2011-01-26T22:21:00.002-05:00

Today Conor turns 19 months old! Time is flying and he is growing so fast. He had his "18 month" well visit Monday, and his official stats are below. Apparently our scale is waaaaaay off - we thought he was 30 pounds back in December but he was 27 pounds on the doctor's scale. 27 makes much more sense and keeps him at the same weight percentile as before. His head continues to be off the charts - 20 inches and 97th+ percentile! According to the doc, he's a superstar and doing really well :)

Age  19 months
Weight  27lbs 5 oz (50-75th %ile)
Length  33” (50-75th %ile)

Size 18-24 month and 2T clothes, size 6 shoes, size 5 diapers, 3T hats
Hair Craziness up there. Looks like Justin Bieber – stick straight and in his face/over his ears all the time!

Teeth 16. He’s been rubbing his gums and jaw/cheek, so I think the 2 year molars are coming in.

Sleeping One 1.5-2 hour nap after lunch. 10-12 hours at night, usually up once or twice.

Eating 3 meals a day + multiple snacks. Still loves to eat. Quaker Oatmeal Squares are a favorite. Tried nuts for the first time.
Movement Itsy Bitsy Spider dance, Hot Dog Dance

Milestones Recognizing colors (yellow, sometimes red and blue), lots of imaginative play

Outings Jungle Java, Baby Association meeting, two sleepovers at Nana and Papa’s, doctor’s visit, Great-Grandma's 90th birthday in Indiana

Favorite toys/activities Books (favorites are “Spot’s Snowy Day”, “Dear Zoo”, and “Clifford - Puppy Love”), play cars, Little People bus, Duplos, barn, trains, Playhouse Disney, teepee, play kitchen, Chuck the dump truck, See and Say
Words/sounds Too many new words to list, but some are Nana, Will, Katie ("KoKo"), yellow, Oso (as in Special Agent Oso), mouse ("mouse-uh"), Isaya ("Saya") (a classmate), Payton (a classmate), Wesley (a classmate), “I-Oh” (for Old MacDonald), outside, pizza, help please (“hip eeeeeeeees”), keys, door, boot, cold, ouch, sings "La La La" to "Dominic the Christmas Donkey"

Memorable Moments first poop in the tub

Lunch Date

2011-01-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

Conor and I had the day off school/work Monday. He was very talkative at lunch and was telling me about his favorite vehicles, so I pulled out the camera and of course he clammed up. I did manage to get a little bit of "conversation" out of him. (Unfortunately the first half is a little out of focus because I'm still trying to figure out the video on my new camera.)

Maybe it's just mama goggles, but I love watching him eat. I think in part that's because sometimes I can't believe just a year and a half ago, a tiny(er) version of this little guy was struggling to nurse. Now, here he is shoveling man sized bites of mashed potatoes (mostly) into his mouth.

Bath Time!

2011-01-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Discipline, a play by Mama and Conor

2011-01-12T22:51:00.003-05:00

INT. LIVING ROOM. EVENING.

The floor is strewn with toys. A bus lies overturned, Little People spilling from the doors. A toddler stands on top of a chair.

MAMA

Conor, please sit down.

Conor begins to dance.

MAMA

Conor, please sit down on your bottom, or I will take you off. One...two...

CONOR

(arms up)

Three!!! Up??!!

---The End---

Reading

2011-01-06T23:21:00.000-05:00

Conor LOVES books. He loves to have them read to him, and loves to flip through them himself.

One of his favorite books is a picture book I made for him called "Baby Boy, Baby Boy, What Do You See?" - it's pictures of his family in the style of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear..." He can pick out all his family members and is almost able to say all their names, too.

Here's a video of him "reading" the book. He's still working on saying, "Grampy" but always kisses Grampy's picture when he sees it. You can see him doing that here - even though I say he's kissing Otis it was actually Grampy :) He's also taken to calling himself, "Dino". You can hear him say that at the end of the video. I don't know where he picked that up, but when we point him out in a picture that's what he calls himself.

For auld lang syne...

2010-12-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

Photos from my 365 project, which turned out to be the 226 project ;)
Click to see it larger.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T12:08:00.008-05:00

Conor's second Christmas in pictures...

ornament on Nana and Papa's tree

playing in Mimi and Grampy's backyard with dada

at the Dallas Zoo

watching the cheetahs at the zoo

giraffe at the zoo

waiting for Santa on Christmas eve

decorations

Conor's stocking (or "sock" as he says) at Mimi and Grampy's

opening his "sock" Christmas morning

Madeline was this many on Christmas

Madeline opening gifts

Madeline with Belle and her pony

Madeline and Aunt Kelly with Madeline's dollhouse

Madeline in the dollhouse

Madeline and Clara

with dada and cousins

18 months!!!!

2010-12-26T23:16:00.004-05:00

Happy 18 months to Conorman!!!

Age 18 months

Weight 30 lbs.

Length maybe ~32"? It's hard to measure him!

Size 18-24 month clothes, size 5.5/6 shoes, size 5 diapers, 3T hats

Hair Another cut this month. Brushes it himself.

Teeth Still 16, and no sign of 2 year molars.

Sleeping One 1.5-2 hour nap after lunch. 10-12 hours at night, usually up once or twice. Slept amazingly well on the trip Texas!

Eating 3 meals a day + multiple snacks. Will eat just about anything.

Movement Always busy and on the go! Likes to dance and twirl in a circle, does the "If You're Happy and You Know It" dance (especially likes the stomping verse), climbs all over the furniture and takes some pretty brave dives between things.

Milestones Signs/says "please", identifies things that are "hot...ouch!", can point out his hair and chin

Outings 3 Christmases! (Nana & Papa's, Owosso and Mimi and Grampy's), went to see Santa, Dallas Zoo, Hands On Museum and the animal show

Favorite toys/activities books, play cars/trucks, Playhouse Disney, peek-a-boo, teepee, animals

Words/sounds Lots of new words, including Brian, please, hot, Elmo, dino, bus, "oh noooooooo", up, Madeline, night night, coat, bird, eat, fish, Ashray (classmate), David (classmate); New sounds - rooster ("cock a doo"), snake, donkey ("eee ooo" while rocking side to side")

Memorable Moments Christmas, seeing Santa, petting a snake twice (once at the Hands On Museum and once at the Dallas Zoo), fourth plane trip, first stomach flu :(

Conorman's Teepee

2010-12-14T23:17:00.000-05:00

Christmas came a little early on Saturday with a special delivery from the North Pole's Texas extension. Here is some video of Conor playing with his new teepee. I think he likes it - see for yourself:

He is already doing much better with the walls :)

Thank you to Santa's helpers Mimi and Grampy!!!

"OOOOOOhhh, BUBBLES!"

2010-12-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

That was Conor's response to seeing big fluffy snowflakes falling outside yesterday :)

Santa

2010-12-06T09:09:00.000-05:00

Conor went to visit Santa in downtown Plymouth on Saturday. He gave Santa high fives and touched his beard, but wanted nothing to do with sitting on Santa's lap.

Last year's picture for comparison:

Baby Foodie - Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash with Black Beans and Lentils

2010-12-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

I tried to come up with a creative name for this recipe but couldn't think of one :( It is basically just a mish mash of a few ingredients I had available.

This recipe makes a good soft taco filling for mom and dad, while the little ones can eat it by itself. I pretty much eyeballed the spices so adjust to your own taste.

1 medium sweet potato
1 medium butternut squash
1 cup lentils, cooked
1 cup black beans, cooked
1 lime
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp corainder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Wash potato, pat dry and prick several times with a fork.
Slice squash in half and remove seeds. Coat lightly with olive oil.
Bake squash and potato at 400 degrees until fork tender, about 30 min for squash and 45 min for sweet potato.
Remove from oven and let cool.
Cut squash and potato into approx. one inch cubes.
Prepare lentils and black beans - if using canned, warm over medium heat and drain.
Combine lentils, beans, squash and sweet potato.
Add zest of half a lime.
Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon and salt.
Mix and serve!
Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Information, per serving
Calories 174.8
Total Fat 4.9 g
Saturated Fat 0.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.4g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 38.3 mg
Potassium 607.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 28.3 g
Dietary Fiber 8.8 g
Sugars 1.6 g
Protein 6.8 g

Baby Foodie - Mini Pot Pies

2010-12-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

This is soooooo easy. It will probably take me longer to type this out than it takes to make. 2 ingredients, seriously.

Mini Pot Pies, from Pillsbury

1 can refrigerated flaky biscuits
1 can soup

Preheat oven to 350.
Separate biscuits in half.
Press one half of each biscuit into the bottom of a greased muffin tin.
Place a spoonful of soup onto each biscuit.
Top with remaining biscuit halves, pressing around the edges to seal.
Optional: Top with cheese, or a pat of butter and some seasoning.
Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
DONE!

The beauty of this recipe is the versatility - you can use any kind of soup you like! I think it works best with a cream based soup, like chowder or a chunkier cream of whatever. If you use a broth based soup, it's best to drain it first. You can also mix and match - I made it with drained southwestern vegetable soup and a dollop of cream of mushroom. Make a bunch and freezer the leftovers.

Conor ate his so fast there wasn't time to get a picture :)

Nutritional information will vary based on your ingredients.

17 months!

2010-11-29T20:26:00.005-05:00

Conor turned 17 months old on Friday. He's changing so much it's hard to keep up with him. He is gaining more independence but has really developed a love of cuddling. His communication skills are improving, which is (slowly) helping him work through his tantrums. (Oh man, the tantrums. My mantra is, "He's a toddler. He's toddler.") He is also really starting to test his limits. One of his favorite things to do is climb on a chair, then look at us and smile. Sometimes we have to cover our faces because it makes us laugh, and we try to be consistent with "discipline".

Age 17 months

Weight ?

Length ?

Size 18 month clothes, size 5.5/6 shoes, size 5 diapers, 3T hats

Hair We tried to trim it a few nights ago but he wanted none of that, so it's a little uneven at the moment - hoping to get it cut this weekend.

Teeth 16 - all four canines are in.

Sleeping One 1.5-2 hour nap, usually after lunch. 10-12 hours at night, usually up once or twice.

Eating 3 meals a day + 2 snacks. Favorite foods are bananas ("manas") and apples. He will carry a whole apple around to snack on, holding it like a football tucked under his arm.

Movement Nonstop motion, loves to dance.

Milestones Imitating many more sounds correctly; identifies eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly, belly button, head, toes, feet (he has done a few of these for a while now but does them all consistently now), signs for "up", gives hugs and kisses.

Outings Nana and Grandpa's for Thanksgiving, dinner dates with mama, voting with mama

Favorite toys/activities Books (favorite is Moo Baa LaLaLa), rocking horse, balls, play cars/trucks, Playhouse Disney, peek-a-boo

Words/sounds So many new words, including shoes (while he was learning this one it was "shooooOOOooes"), papa (Grandpa), water (watah), milk, apple (appah), banana (mana), pasta, cheese, car, truck (sometimes comes out as an unfortunate combination of "car" and "truck"), dog; often words are preceded with "a"; New sounds - elephant, monkey, lion

Memorable Moments Halloween, Thanksgiving, that time in the parking lot at school when the garbage truck honked its horn and lifted up the arm for us

Career Paths

2010-11-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

Based on Conor's current interests, I've identified a few possible career paths for him.

Farmer

Coach

tiny gym teacher

Jockey

Member of the Village People

Halloween

2010-10-31T23:35:00.001-04:00

Conor had a great Halloween! We skipped the trick-or-treating because he's a little young for candy and despite our efforts can't say, "Trick or Treat". [He did get a few licks off a Tootsie Roll Pop and about a third of a fun-size Crunch bar.] Taking him for a walk around the neighborhood instead sounded like fun. We dressed him in his cowboy costume, loaded up in the wagon and headed out to say "Howdy" to the neighbors and check out the decorations.

Cowboy Conor in his horse drawn wagon.

On the trail.

Awesome neckerchief.

Back at the ranch.

Found the candy.

Body Parts

2010-10-30T23:19:00.000-04:00

"Conor, where's your nose?"

16 Months

2010-10-26T21:31:00.000-04:00

photo by Gingersnap Photographs

Conor is 16 months old today! (Somebody check my math because that can't be right. It means he's only two months away from 18 months, which is pretty much almost two.)

Age 16 months

Weight About 26 lbs.

Length About 32".

Size Mostly 18 month clothes, size 5.5/6 shoes, size 5 diapers, 3T hats

Hair Needs another cut.

Teeth 12!!!!! Molars cut through last week.

Sleeping One 1.5-2 hour nap, usually after lunch. 10-11 hours at night, sometimes up once or twice early on. After a few rough nights while out of town, he's back to (almost) sleeping through the night.

Eating 3 meals a day + 2 snacks. Tried pickles - not a fan.

Movement Running, dancing

Milestones hmmmm.... do tantrums count?

Outings Milwaukee Marathon, Dallas Arboretum, The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

Favorite toys/activities Books (favorite is University of Michigan 101), rocking horse, balls, play cars/trucks, slide, animal DVDs, Swiffer duster, horse puppet, watching dogs, leaf piles, Pooh rider

Words/sounds New words - applesauce (APPA-sas), go (Madeline taught him this one), socks (sosssssss), Rodney (NEY-na)

Memorable Moments trip to Milwaukee, trip to Texas, Madeline's 4th birthday party

Busy Busy Busy!

2010-10-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

October has been a very busy month. After our trip to Milwaukee, we travelled to Texas to visit Mimi, Grampy, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Jason, and cousins Madeline and Clara. Conor was a complete angel on the plane ride there. We brought a DVD player and lots of snacks and he even took a little nap. The ride home was a bit more difficult, but I still think he did wonderfully for a 15 month old.

Clara has grown so much since we saw her last at Easter!

We went to see Madeline's swimming lesson - this girl is a total Janet Evans. (I think I am showing my age with that one.)

We also went out to a pumpkin patch/hay ride/petting zoo/kid chaos center. Conor loved all the farm animals.

Probably the highlight of the weekend was getting to go to Madeline's 4th birthday party!

We had a fantastic time and can't wait for Christmas!

Milwaukee Marathon

2010-10-05T21:29:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning, Conor watched his dada and Aunt Megan run the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon.

It was a beautiful fall day. Conor played in the grass while waiting to see the runners at the 7.5 mile mark.

Conor got a kiss from dada as they passed.

Looking good!

We saw them again just before the 14 mile mark ...

... and once more around mile 22.

Here's the gang after the race. We all had shirts that said "Run Megan Run" on the front, and "I saw Megan run the Milwaukee Marathon and all I got was this t-shirt" on the back. I wonder what dork came up with those???

Conor had a super special shirt that said "Run Aunt Megan Run" on the front ...

... and "My aunt is faster than your aunt" on the back.

It was a great weekend in Milwaukee - congrats to the marathoners!!!

Conor and the Giant Melon

2010-09-28T21:47:00.000-04:00

If Roald Dahl were around to write the sequel to James and the Giant Peach it would probably be called Conor and the Giant Melon. Conor's head measured 20" at his 15 month checkup today. That's the 75th percentile ... FOR A THREE YEAR OLD. He is waaaaaay off the charts for his age. No worries - he's always had a gigantic head. He comes from some large head stock so it's to be expected. I just can't believe I'm shopping for 3T hats for this winter!

15 Months Already??!!

2010-09-26T21:57:00.002-04:00

Age 15 months

Weight Officially 25 lbs 9 oz (65th percentile)

Length Officially 32" (75th percentile)

Size mostly 18 month clothes, size 5/6 shoes, size 4 diapers, 2T hats

Hair probably due to be cut again; tried hair gel for the first time ;)

Teeth 8; I don't think he's ever going to get molars!

Sleeping One nap, usually after lunch. 11-12 hours at night, sometimes up once or twice early on. Bedtime routine is bath with mama, diaper and jammies with dada, turn out the light with dada, books with mama, singing then to bed.

Eating 3 meals a day + 2 snacks. Loves most foods but favorites are watermelon, cheerios, cheese, grapes, peas, bananas, ravioli

Movement Sweet dance moves, stomping/running in place

Milestones Points out body parts (head, belly, toes), imaginative play, scribbles with a crayon/chalk, climbing, stacks blocks

Outings Detroit Zoo and Hands On Museum with Mimi and Grampy, Apple Charlie's with Nana and Grandpa, mama's 5K, Fall Festival, Ann Arbor Library for a baby association meeting

Favorite toys/activities Books, rocking horse, balls, play cars/trucks, slide, "Neighborhood Animals" DVD

Words/sounds New words - shoes, butterfly (buttah or butts), outside, no, stop, baby, hot potato ("hot patoe"). There are probably others I am forgetting.

Memorable Moments visit from Mimi and Grampy

LOLCONOR

2010-09-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Action

2010-09-24T23:30:00.000-04:00

Here's Conor in action a few days ago, showing off some dance moves. He also wants to show you his head and belly, and tell you about his stuffed animals.

Fix It Friday - Number 72

2010-09-24T08:44:00.000-04:00

Here's my play for this week's Fix It Friday from I Heart Faces. This touching photo is by Julie Rivera Photography.

Original

My Edit

My steps in CS5:

Levels adjustment layer - brightened overall and masked off baby's shirt

Curves adjustment layer for skin tone - brought up green slightly to reduce magenta

Selective color adjustment layer on man's face - reduced red and yellow to remove redness/sunburn

Duplicated background layer with soft light blending at 13% opacity

Another curves adjustment layer to lighten man's face only

Crop, Resize

USM - 10%, Radius 40, Threshold 0.

Plurals

2010-09-23T23:09:00.001-04:00

We're hearing some plural words from Conor these days. Even when he's referring to just one of something, he prefers to use the plural. Maybe he means, "Mama, make more of those!" Here are some examples:

Butterflies - "Buttssssss" or "Buttas"
Dogs - "Daths"
Ducks - "Duts"

I think I even heard him say trucks this morning ("tucks"), referring to a basket of toy cars.

Fix It Friday - Number 71

2010-09-17T09:14:00.001-04:00

It's time for this week's Fix It Friday from I Heart Faces. This week's pic had a mega blown sky so I created a fake sky in Photoshop to add back some detail to that area. (I chose not to change the area of sky visible under the car because I thought it blended well with the edit as it was.)

Original

My edit

And a B&W one

My editing steps in PS CS5:

Color edit
Make rough selection of sky with lasso tool, create new layer
Select > Color Range, Fuzziness: 80, Sample sky
Set foreground color to light sky blue and background color to a darker sky blue
Gradient tool, Mode: Foreground to Background, Method: Radial
Draw a line from the bottom to the top of the sky
Transform sky layer (Command-T), drag bottom edge just below tree line
Blending mode of sky layer: Darken, Reduce opacity of sky layer
Add layer mask and paint black over any areas the lasso tool accidentally selected that aren't sky
New adjustment layer > Levels
Adjust output levels of red channel to 250
New adjustment layer > Curves
Create S-shaped curve to boost contrast of midtones
New Layer
Sponge tool set to "saturate", Flow:50
Sponge over red part of truck
Reduce opacity of saturate layer to 20%
Flatten, resize, sharpen, save!

B&W edit
Create a gradient map (Black to White, Linear)
Levels Adjustment Layer - Reduce overall output to 250, Reduce output of blue channel to 245
Create two new gradient map layers (same as original one), Blending modes set to Sceen and Overlay
Reduce opacities of gradient map layers
Create new fill layer, fill with a light tan
Blending mode = Multiply, reduce opacity
New curves adjustment layer to increase contrast of midtones, reduce opacity
Flatten, resize, sharpen, save!

"Baby"

2010-09-16T14:50:00.000-04:00

Conor's teacher reported yesterday that he was saying, "Baby", directed at the younger members of his class who aren't walking yet. He's such an elitist already.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

McFatty Monday - Week 17

2010-09-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I ran my first 5K. In a tutu. To be 100% accurate, I've participated in two 5Ks before, but this way my first time running. And I ran the entire 3.1 miles, no walking - can I get a HI-OOOOOOOO???!!! My time was 34:28.27.

The course was hillier than I am used to. Mile ~1.25 - 1.75 was fairly challenging, but then I saw Tim and Conor just before the 2 mile mark and got a second wind. The course went through a residential area and was pretty empty, except for a few folks who turned out to cheer. While I appreciate the sentiment, I really wish people wouldn't yell, "Good for you!" as I run by. Was I really that pathetic looking??!!

I was doing okay until I made the turn to the finish, which was on the middle school track. My legs were Jell-O at this point. I started worrying I might trip and fall in front of everyone, but managed to cross the finish line without calling (more) attention to myself.

~~Here's~~ ~~me and Conor~~ ~~Here are Conor and I~~ This is a picture of Conor and I after the race (apologies to my 3rd grade language arts teacher). I also had "Tutus for Tanner" written across my back with tape. I did get some strange looks and giggles, but oddly no one asked why I was in a tutu.

Things a 14 month old does not know.

2010-09-11T08:00:00.005-04:00

Conor's brain is a sponge these days. He is growing by leaps and bounds - it's amazing to watch the things he picks up on! He can point out his head, belly, and toes, says lots of words and can identify many animals. Here are some of the things he hasn't quite grasped yet.

A tomato is not a ball.

Pool water is not for drinking. Neither is bath water.

The dog is not a chair.

Weekends are for sleeping in.

The top of the table does not look better with dents in it.

Markers don't go well in the cornbread batter.

Wiping your hands and face after eating is not a form of torture.

Shoes don't go on your hands.

It's okay to drive the Walk 'n Ride forwards, in addition to backing up.

Not everything that is yellow and orange is a duck.

Also, not all ducks are yellow and orange.

smarty pants

Fix It Friday - Number 70

2010-09-10T09:23:00.003-04:00

Here is my edit for this week's Fix It Friday from I Heart Faces. The original photo is darling, I just thought it needed to be warmed up a bit and sharpened as it seemed a tad soft. The crop was challenging working around the pigtails and bows. I debated leaving it uncropped, but I didn't like the blue blob in the upper right corner.

Original

My Edit

My steps in PS CS5:

Color Balance Adjustment Layer - Midtones: Cyan/Red +22, Magenta/Green -4, Yellow/Blue -45
Select Mask - Image > Apply Image, Channel:Red, Blending:Multiply
Curves Adjustment Layer - S-shaped curve to increase contrast of midtones
Decrease opacity of last layer to 45%
Flatten
Duplicate Background
Filter > Other > High Pass, Radius 3 pixels
Change Blend Mode to Overlay, Reduce Opacity to 36%
Flatten, Crop, Save

McFatty Monday - Week 16

2010-09-06T21:35:00.000-04:00

Is it Monday already??? In that case, this week's McFM post will be short and sweet.

My 5K is this Sunday. It coincides with final run of my C25K program. I. am. pumped. I also need to make a tutu. Anyone know of a good tutu tutorial? (Say that 10 times fast!!)

I've been posting the same weights and BMIs for weeks. Boring. How's this - I'll let you know when the scale actually moves.

Watermelon

2010-09-04T00:18:00.000-04:00

"When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat"

~Mark Twain

To say that Conor loves watermelon is an injustice. There are no words strong enough to describe his affection for it. His first taste was last weekend at his friend Griffin's house. He enjoyed it, so we tried it again last night. He was able to hold his own slice and eat it well enough, and we could tell he was enjoying it by his little "mmmmmm" noises.

What we didn't count on was that he'd try to eat the rind, too. When we took that away from him, he was beside himself. He cried. Hard. I'm not talking pouty, whiney cries - these were full on sobs with HUGE tears streaming down his face. He could see the leftover rinds on the table and just pointed and cried. (Of course we gave him a little more then quickly removed all traces of the leftovers from sight.)

Today at lunch, he enjoyed a presliced serving with no leftovers anywhere in sight:

Fix It Friday - Photo Editing Fun!

2010-09-03T14:33:00.000-04:00

Fix-It Friday is a weekly challenge from the photography website I Heart Faces, where readers are given the chance to edit and share the same photo. Here's my first stab at it!

Original

My Edit

My workflow in PS CS5 (as best I can recall - I flattened the layers before writing it out, oops!):

Duplicate background layer
Add layer mask, select couple, feather selection radius ~10 pixels
Adjustments > Levels (Highlights ~245, Midtones ~1.20)
Duplicate background layer
Add layer mask, select purple flowers on left
Adjustments > Hue/Saturation, select Magentas, boost saturation to +40
Flatten
Duplicate background layer
Soft light blending mode, Opacity ~40%
Flatten
Duplicate background layer
Filter > High Pass > Radius 3.0 pixels
Opacity ~30%
Flatten, save, crop, DONE!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-01T08:21:00.000-04:00

McFatty Monday - Week 15

2010-08-30T22:48:00.000-04:00

Week 15. Fifteen weeks and I'm down four pounds. Not terribly impressive. I definitely haven't been working as hard as I could be.

I've hit a major motivation road block with running. Monday I didn't feel like doing the scheduled C25K run, so I did intervals. I winged it and just tried to go as fast as I could for a little bit, then walked a little bit, over and over. I have no idea if this is a technically valid training method but it seemed pretty cool at the time. I took 3 days off then tried to do a 25 minute run on Thursday. I didn't make it :( For the first time in the program I had to short a run and stop to walk. Tonight's run didn't go much better.

My 5K is in two weeks and I'm nervous. I thought I would be on pace for about a 30-32 min finish but now I have no idea.

I did clean out the fridge last week, though, so that's something. The only problem is now there's no food in there. Tonight I decided to run instead of grocery shop. If anybody knows of a way to be in two places at once, let me know.

Here's where I'm at:
Today's weight - 139.0
Today's BMI - 22.4
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 4.0 of 13

14 Months - So Much Fun

2010-08-26T09:00:00.001-04:00

Age 14 months

Weight no idea!

Length hmmmm, not sure!

Size 12 month+ tops and pants, size 4 shoes, size 4 diapers, 2T hats

Hair 5th cut this month

Teeth 8; still waiting on molars

Sleeping Much improved. Usually one nap after lunch, easy bedtime and usually sleep through the night

Eating 3 meals a day + 2 snacks. Eats almost anything we give him. Uses a spoon to feed himself and can drink from a regular cup (if we let him). Dropped the bedtime bottle. A fool for bananas.

Movement Fast walking, almost running, loves to dance, throws a ball

Milestones Goes underwater, brushes his own teeth

Outings Domino's Farms petting zoo, Detroit Zoo, Hands On Museum, Library story time, Township park splashground, swimming lessons, Briarwood Mall play area, lots of playdates, DGR, Mill Race Village, playground

Favorite toys/activities Books, stuffed animals, rocking horse, balls, play cars/trucks, swimming, toothbrush, slide

Words/sounds New ones - moo (for cow), more (also signs), that (pointing to something he wants), uhoh, almost says Otis ("Oh-ta"), we think he might be calling Rodney "neyney", mouse ("mas")

Memorable Moments first trip to the DGR

Mill Race Village

2010-08-24T10:00:00.003-04:00

Sunday we went over to Mill Race Village to check it out.

McFatty Monday - Week 14

2010-08-23T21:38:00.000-04:00

I had Jury Duty today. Out of the routine and running late, I rushed out the door and drove through McDonald's for breakfast. I looked up what I ate. It was 380 calories and 21 grams of fat. Blech. Then I sat in a room for five hours, sat in the car, then sat in a meeting for two hours at work, then more sitting in the car. I felt like crap after putting Conor to bed. BUT, I wanted to exercise. I knew it would make me feel better. It worked!

This week I'm going to work on organizing the kitchen pantry and fridge. There's plenty of food around, healthy food at that, but we're so disorganized that in a pinch I get so frustrated I'd rather eat out than sort through the mess.

Here's where I'm at:
Today's weight - 138.8
Today's BMI - 22.4
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 4.2 of 13

Silhouette Tutorial

2010-08-20T12:32:00.000-04:00

I love displaying photographs of family, but there’s only so much wall space in our house. I also love silhouettes, but run into the same problem – where to put them? I decided to create something functional and personal out of this photo.

Here is a tote bag I made using a silhouette of that picture of Conor at 10 months.

It was made from the Jordy Tote pattern that can be found here. This would also be a cute way to appliqué a silhouette onto a throw pillow, tea towel, zipper pouch… The possibilities are really endless! Here's a little tutorial on how to make your own fabric silhouette to embroider on a piece of your choice.

Materials you will need.

Fabric according to you pattern.
Fabric for your silhouette. Black cotton works well, such as Bella Solids by Moda Fabrics in Black. You don’t need much - you can make several from ¼ yard.
Fusible webbing suitable for sewing, such as Heat N Bond Lite.
embroidery scissors

**Wash all your fabric and iron well before starting.**

Make an outline of your subject.

This is one way to make a silhouette using Photoshop. I believe this can also be done in GIMP if you don’t have access to Photoshop – there are tutorials out there. Or, send it to me and I'll do it for you! :)

Find a photo with a good side profile – the subject’s gaze should be as parallel to the plane of focus as possible. A light, plain background is also helpful but not absolutely necessary. It doesn’t have to be perfect - chances are you have at least one photo that will work.

Import the photo into Photoshop. Duplicate the background layer and create an outline around the head using the pen tool. (Magnetic Lasso also works but is less exact.) Make sure “shape layers” is selected and adjust the opacity of the layer to ≤25% so you can see the subject. When going around tiny details like whisps of hair and eyelashes, it’s easier to use chunkier shapes than to try and outline every. single. hair. This will also make the latter steps easier. For example, in my picture, I made a fairly generous outline around the hairs sticking up on the top of his head.

Create a new file in Photoshop and copy your outline layer to the new file.

In the Layers palette, reduce fill to 0% but keep opacity at 100%.

Click “Add Layer Style Icon” on the bottom toolbar of the Layers palette and choose “Stroke”.

Set the Stroke Size to approximately 6px, Position = center, Blend mode = normal, Opacity = 100%, Fill Type = color (Choose Black). You'll need a nice, bold line to trace.

Resize to the desired size, depending on your project. My silhouette was about 5 inches x 5 inches. If you care which way the silhouette is facing, flip the image horizontally (Image > Rotate Canvas > Flip Canvas horizontal). The final product will be the reverse of the printout. I didn't do this so my final product is the reverse of my picture.

Print your silhouette.

Create a fabric silhouette.

Place a piece of fusible webbing over the printout (coated side down against the paper) and secure around the edges with tape. Trace the silhouette. If you like, use a little artistic license to alter the shape of the hair, or add a bow or a fancy collar, for example.

Remove the piece of fusible webbing and place it, coated side down, on the fabric you are using for the silhouette. (Most likely this is a solid black, but if it’s a print be sure to do this on the wrong side of the fabric.) Press according to the directions on the webbing package.

Use embroidery scissors to cut out the shape. Peel away the paper backing.

Apply the silhouette to your fabric.

The best time to do this is after you cut the pieces out but before you assemble them. If you’re applying the silhouette to a piece of fabric that will have interfacing (as with the tote bag example here), apply the interfacing first.

Iron the background fabric well. Situate the silhouette, webbing down, and iron in place.

Now you can embroider the silhouette. Use whatever method you’re comfortable with. I used a fairly narrow and short zigzag stitch.

Viola! Now assemble the rest of your pattern and you’re finished.

McFatty Monday - Week 13

2010-08-16T22:14:00.000-04:00

"The food that you put in your body should make you feel your best."
~Kath Younger

That quote is from an interview with dietician, blogger and oatmeal artist Kath of Kath Eats Real Food. It just makes so much sense. I know the days that I eat well, I have more energy, drive, creativity, positivity... One of the downfalls of sticking to a regular exercise routine has been that it gives me the illusion of a pass at eating right. I worked out last night, so I can totally have that warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie from the caf. No! The 3pm food coma is killer. By the same token, eating boring, bland, one-dimensional "healthy" foods that leave me lacking energy doesn't work either. I need to commit to eating right, but I hate following diets. If I eat foods that I enjoy that also make me feel good, all day, I think that's the winning combination.

I'm still rocking the Couch to 5K. I haven't shorted any of the runs yet! Don't get me wrong, I'm really struggling to get through these longer runs. What's exciting, though, is that in just seven weeks, I've gone from struggling to make it through 60 seconds of running to being able to go for 25 minutes. I actually had a conversation with Tim tonight about the possibility of doing a half marathon, some day. He's already suggesting races.

Here's where I'm (still) at:

Today's weight - 140.0
Today's BMI - 22.6
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 3.0 of 13

Pants on the Ground

2010-08-12T22:10:00.000-04:00

Am I too late to make a Pants on the Ground joke? No? Okay, good!

These pants kill me! Or are they shorts? Capris, maybe??? I'm not really sure, but he looks so ridiculous adorable wearing them. These are Roots, directly from the flagship store on Bloor Street in Toronto. Authentic Canuck, eh?

McFatty Monday - Week 12

2010-08-09T08:00:00.003-04:00

I did my first "long run" of the C25K program. 20 minutes, no walking. (Distance runners, please restrain your laughter.) It was slow - about 10 minute mile pace - but I didn't stop, which I am proud of. This week I'm supposed to do 25, then 28 the next, then finish up with 30 (which should be just about a 5K for me.)

In spite of the running success, my weight still isn't really moving. I hover around 140, give or take a pound, and I'm not terribly bothered by this. I feel great, and my current BMI is well within the healthy range, but it would be nice to see some positive feedback from the scale. I really believe if I can make running a part of my life, in time I will eventually make it down to my goal weight. Even if I don't, I still think the rewards of fitness are more than just weight loss.

Here's where I'm at:

Today's weight - 140.0
Today's BMI - 22.6
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 3.0 of 13

The Help

2010-08-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

As a working mom there are just some things I have to learn to let go of and delegate. It was a tough decision, but we finally broke down and hired a gardener. He's short and doesn't say much but he seems to enjoy his work, so I think we'll keep him.

Baby Foodie - Baked Falafel

2010-08-05T12:33:00.002-04:00

Conor has tried falafel before and loved it! Unfortunately it was fried, so I wanted to make it for him and bake it instead.

(adapted from Chow Vegan)
2 cups dried chickpeas (or one 15oz can)
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablepoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Soak chickpeas overnight, or use canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed.)
Preheat oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, smash chickpeas with a potato masher. Mix with remaining ingredients and form into small patties (~1.5 inches across.)
Optionally, put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until incorporated.
Place falafel patties on a greased baking sheet. Bake about 15 min each side, until browned.

Makes 10 patties.
Serve with pita and hummus.

Nutrition Facts
(Amount Per Patty)
Calories 69.7
Total Fat 1.1 g
Saturated Fat 0.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 241.3 mg
Potassium 100.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 12.7 g
Dietary Fiber 2.3 g
Sugars 0.0 g
Protein 2.7 g

McFatty Monday - Week 11

2010-08-02T11:57:00.000-04:00

Couch to 5K, I love you. I am surprising myself with this program, but I'm actually doing it. Not just saying I'm going to do it, buying a bunch of stuff to do it, thinking about doing it, starting to do it, but actually following through with doing it. Every week, I look ahead to what the next week's intervals are and think, "How the heck am I going to do that???" Somehow, I make it. Day 1 is really hard, and days 2 and 3 get a little easier.

"When I first started running, I was so embarrassed I'd walk when cars passed me. I'd pretend I was looking at the flowers."

– Joan Benoit Samuelson, First Women's Olympic Marathon Champion

I laughed when I read this quote because I do the same thing. Well, I used to. I'd turn down a side street if I saw a "real runner" coming towards me because I was embarrassed to run slowly, worried I might have to stop as I passed them, or worse. Now, I couldn't care less what anybody thinks. It feels good to run, even if my gait is far less than ideal or I'm slow or whatever. It's the endorphins, maaaaan. I'm hooked.

Here's where I'm at:

Today's weight - 139.0
Today's BMI - 22.4
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 4.0 of 13

Eyes

2010-07-28T17:00:00.001-04:00

I've been playing around with Photoshop and tried an "eye pop" on this picture from a few weeks ago. Conor's eyes are gorgeous to begin with and I was afraid the edits would be too much. I'm still not 100% sure about it.

Before

After

Now if I can just figure out sharpening...

The DGR

2010-07-27T23:23:00.001-04:00

The DGR (Dairy-Go-Round) is a summer staple for our family. I like to joke that we bought our house mainly because of its proximity to the DGR.

Conor enjoyed his first taste of DGR Saturday. Grandpa shared a Heath Crunch cone and I think we can confirm that Conor inherited the paternal family ice cream genes.

Then we played with the horses

followed by a nice stroll home.

13 Months - My Handsome Little Man

2010-07-26T22:30:00.006-04:00

Sometimes, I can't stand the handsomeness.

Age 13 months

Weight ~23 lbs

Length ~31"

Size 12 month+ tops and pants, size 4 shoes, size 4 diapers, 2T hats

Hair Still in need of his fourth cut

Teeth Still 8 (and I really think he's working on molars now!)

Sleeping Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Bedtime is a struggle now, which is new (he has been so easy at bedtimes since 6-7 months.) Usually only 1 nap a day, 1.5-3 hours in the early afternoon (sometimes 2 on the weekends.)

Eating 3 meals a day + 2 snacks. Still takes a bedtime bottle. New foods include horseradish (accidentally), cottage cheese, quiche, tortellini, zucchini bread

Movement Walking! He is also signing a few words, occasionally (I've seen him do "all done" and "more")

Milestones Walking, pointing, new words

Outings Detroit Zoo, DGR, Baby Association Meeting at Gretchen's House

Favorite toys/activities Stuffed animals, books, rocking horse, wagon rides, balls, identifying things (can pick out a dolphin, duck, cow, and turkey from a lineup), listening to music/singing, play cars, jack-in-the-box

Words/sounds Lots of babbling and several words (CAPS are new this month): mama, dada, pop, cat, dog, all done ("ahhdahh"), BUBBLES ("bubbas"), DUCK, HI. These are the words we have heard him say repeatedly with purpose. Sometimes he'll get on a roll one day but forget or change the pronounciation the next (like cat - sometimes it's whispered "kah", sometimes it's forceful "DAT!")

Memorable Moments First Fourth of July Parade

McFatty Monday - Week 10

2010-07-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm back on track with my C25K program. I was nervous about week Four - the intervals are really picking up and I worried that if I couldn't hack it, it would get me down. It was tough but I made it! I can tell I'm getting stronger and have more endurance every week.

My diet was better this week - I watched portions, drank lots of water, and made (mostly) good food choices.

It's a bit disappointing that the scale isn't moving much yet, but my weight loss/gain tends to lag a few weeks.

Here's where I'm at:

Today's weight - 140.0
Today's BMI - 22.6
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 3.0 of 13

Baby Foodie - Crunchy Squash Sticks

2010-07-24T12:00:00.001-04:00

I made these with some summer squash Conor and I bought at Eastern Market. Squash with rosemary and thyme is really good, but I didn't plant any thyme in the garden this year. I also thought it would be great to add some sage, maybe a little marjoram or oregano, and oooooh, maybe a little nutmeg.... Wait a minute, that's poultry seasoning! Any blend of these herbs and spices would probably be good, fresh or dried.

(We had some squash leftover, so we made Martha's Zucchini Spice Bread, which Conor also loved.)

3 medium summer squash
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (adjust to taste)
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat a foil lined baking sheet lightly with olive oil.
Cut squash into sticks.
Mix bread crumbs with salt and seasoning and place into a shallow bowl.
Dip squash sticks into egg, then coat in seasoned breadcrumbs.
Place squash on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes (flip halfway), then place under broiler for 1-2 minutes until golden.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts
(Amount Per Serving)
Calories 149.9
Total Fat 3.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g
Cholesterol 53.1 mg
Sodium 507.1 mg
Potassium 455.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 24.8 g
Dietary Fiber 2.9 g
Sugars 4.9 g
Protein 7.0 g

Conor thinks it tastes like chicken.

(Get it, poultry seasoning? Never mind...)

Conor Month by Month

2010-07-20T12:37:00.000-04:00

A collage of Conor's first year monthday pictures. I started this around Conor's birthday but got frustrated with trying to fix white balance in each photo and forgot about it.

Conor Has Fun at the Hands On Museum

2010-07-19T22:50:00.000-04:00

Here are a few short clips of Conor's trip to the HOM this weekend. He's walking!!!!

McFatty Monday - Week 9

2010-07-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

A pretty good week. Week three of the Couch to 5K started off well. I hit the road Monday and it felt great to get away from the track! Wednesday rolled around and I made excuses - no clean running clothes, too tired, too much to do before bed.... I planned to run Thursday but heavy rain prevented that. Friday brought more plans to run, but I had errands to prepare for the baby association meeting we hosted Saturday and didn't make it back before dark. I finally did Week 3 Run 2 on Saturday and my body wasn't happy about taking four days off. I made it through the run, barely - I'm sure during the last interval I was quite a sight as I was really dragging. The neighbors were probably wondering if they should call the paramedics.

I gained a little this week, which isn't surprising as my diet hasn't been good. My goals for this week are to get back on track with C25K and complete Week 4, drink more water, and eat better.

Here's where I'm at:

Today's weight - 140.0
Today's BMI - 22.6
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 3.0 of 13

Conor's Top Ten - Toys

2010-07-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

My philosophy on toys has changed over the past year. I used to think that we would try to focus on more "natural" toys for Conor - things like wooden rattles made from sustainably sourced materials and stained with beet juice. Those are great, but I guess there's only so much a baby can do with a block of nondescript wood. It's one of those things that sounds like a good idea, but in reailty is a little disappointing, like soup or breakfast burritos. I've realized there's plenty of imagination involved with more traditional toys, and ample opportunity for reusing, recycling, and otherwise mitigating the downside.

And so we find ourselves living in a veritable Toys R Us. Conor has lots of toys. LOTS. He's blessed with a very generous family, which is where many of these came from. I've also recently discovered the joy that is the "Mom to Mom sale", a great source for gently used toys (as are Craigslist, garage sales, and resale shops like Children's Orchard and Once Upon a Child.)

It's hard to pick just a few and his preferences change day to day, but here are some of his current favs.

Melissa & Doug First Vehicles Set
These are very cute and we knew he would like them, but were a little surprised when he knew how to play with them "correctly" so soon. He likes to roll them around gets a kick when we make them "crash."

Radio Flyer Pathfinder Wagon
Conor loves his little red wagon. It's great for walks around town. We equipped it with a canopy for shade, and it even has cupholders. I prefer it to the stroller for neighborhood walks - easier in and out, he can sit up more, and we can load more stuff in if we're running errands around town.

Fisher Price Music Table
This one really has some staying power! He's been playing with it since Christmas and it's still a favorite. Sometimes it doubles as a walker because he likes to push it across the floor.

Playskool Walk 'n Ride
Great because it transforms from a walker to a ride-on toy. He doesn't quite get the ride-on part yet, but once he masters walking I think he will transition to that.

Early Years Sweet Baby Blocks
Just like his cousin Madeline, Conor loves to "build a tower" and knock it over. These blocks are colorful, soft, and clean up easily.

Bubble Bellies - Boubly the Hippo
Conor loves bubbles ("bubbas")! I like this because there are no messy wands to deal with.

Step2 Naturally Playful Sand and Water Center
He could spend an hour easily playing with his sand and water table! He really likes the sandbox at school but I was hesitant to get one at home because of the mess, and this was a perfect solution. The umbrella is large and covers a lot of area, and the lid is very secure. We've had no problems with leaks or having it blow off. It's also a good size and height for him.

IKEA Farm Animals and Barn
IKEA is a great source for toys! (Like this play kitchen - do little boys get play kitchens??? I hope so.) Conor spends a lot of time playing with his farm. It looks like this is unavailable from IKEA at the moment. Hopefully they will bring it back because it's great! (I'm still waiting for the return of their easels.)

Homemade Pop Bottle Shaker - You know how with some cats, you buy all these expensive toys for them and they are just as content to play with those as with a ball of aluminum foil or an empty cardboard box? Babies are the same way (at least, Conor is!) Some of his favorite things to play with are shoes, measuring spoons, and magazine subscription cards. This is one of his favorite music toys, made from an old Diet Coke bottle and a handful of beads. I sealed the cap very securely with glue so there's no chance he could choke on a bead.

Fisher Price Nursery Rhymes CD Player* - I saw this at a garage sale and remembered Madeline playing with one, so I had to buy it. The songs are pretty hilarious and over the top.

*not actually a CD player

Conor's Top Ten - Books

2010-07-13T22:15:00.000-04:00

Conor loves storytime and I can't recall a book we've read that he didn't like. Here are the books we've been reading a lot of lately.

The Going to Bed Book - We read this book every night, and it's always the last one before bedtime. Once he hears the opening lines, he usually tries to lay down in my lap.

On the Night You Were Born - This one is more for mama. I usually can't get through it without choking up. It's a very sweet book about how special he is because he's "the one and only, ever" Conor.

Is Your Mama a Llama? - Great rhymes - I think the rhythm of it really keeps his attention. He also seems very interested in the illustrations and likes pointing to the suns.

Snuggle Puppy - His first Sandra Boynton book and still a favorite.

Fifteen Animals - Yet another Sandra Boynton, this one is very clever. It was made into a song, which totally changed the way we read this book. You just have to sing it after you hear the song!

Five Little Ladybugs - An abbreviated version of "Ten Little Ladybugs." Conor likes books with interesting things to feel and always touches the ladybugs while we're reading this one. When we get to the last page, I can tell he's really studying the ladybugs' home!

I’m Just a Baby Pterodactyl - I picked up this one for a buck at JoAnns and it may be one of the the best dollars I've ever spent. The story is very sweet and he really likes the googley Pterodactyl eyes.

(The book doesn't look nearly that creepy in real life. Not sure why it looks like the pterodactyl is wearing transitions lenses...)

That’s Not My Bear - Another book with interesting things to touch. He's particularly fond of the bear on the cover and it's squashy nose.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - Like all Eric Carle books, this one is bright and colorful. This is one of my favorites, too!

Dinosaur’s Binkit - One more Sandra Boynton, but a bit different than most of her board books. Lots of touchy feeley parts and flaps to lift.

I'll have lists of Conor's Top Ten Toys, Albums, Places, and Things That Make Mama Happy soon!

McFatty Monday - Week 8

2010-07-12T07:50:00.006-04:00

Grrrrrrrreat week! I finished Week 2 of Couch to 5K. I love this program. It's challenging enough but I'm succeeding at each workout, which feels really good. The iPod app is working great, and I actually look forward to hearing the voice say, "Run now." I've been sticking to the security of the track so far, but am venturing out for a road run today for the start of Week 3. I used MapMyRun.com to figure out a route - a little tricky because the C25K progam goes by time instead of distance, but I estimate I'm going about 2 miles at this point. I installed a little widget over on the sidebar that tracks my workouts.

I LOVE my new shoes! The Mizunos are a stability shoe and I think that's what I was missing with my old (neutral) Brooks. They also match my new running skirt (priorities, people!)

The new kicks on their maiden voyage.

My weight has been down as low as 136.4 earlier in the week, but this morning was holding steady at the same as last week. I'm not so concerned with the number on the scale because my clothes are fitting better than they have in a long time. I even found a box of pre-pregnancy clothes I had forgotten about and fit into lots of them. (It was like going thrifting, for free, without having to worry about the hygiene of the previous owner - score!)

Here's where I'm at:

Today's weight - 139.0
Today's BMI - 22.4
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 4.0

Baby Foodie - Homemade Cereal Bars

2010-07-08T22:19:00.000-04:00

Conor usually enjoys an "appetizer" before meals - something to munch on to keep him content in the highchair while I fix his meal. Usually it's cereal or Chickadees (Target's Goldfish), but last week we found Sunny Days Snack Bars. BIG hit! I thought I would try to make my own.

I adapted this recipe from CarriesCooking. I substituted Sucanat for the brown sugar. If you prefer, you can use brown sugar instead. [If you're not familiar with Sucanat, it is a whole cane, non-refined sugar made from cane juice (SUgar CAne NATural). I found it at a local health foods store, and imagine Whole Foods also carries it. (Unfortunately I didn't find it at Trader Joe's, Hiller's or Kroger.) It has the highest nutritional value of all major sugars derived from sugar cane. I've also started experimenting with using Agave nectar as a sweetener, so look for some recipes with that coming soon.]

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup Sucanat
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup fruit spread (I've made these with Trader Joe's 100% Blueberry Spread and apple butter, but any flavor of jam/jelly would work well I think)
2 tablespoons water (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F.
Briefly pulse oats in a food processor to a coarse powder.
Whisk together processed oats, flour, Sucanat, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Add oil, egg, vanilla, and apple juice, and stir until just combined.
Roll out mixture between two pieces of wax paper. Final size should be ~12"x16", square edges as much as possible. Carefully remove the top piece of wax paper.
Mix the fruit spread with the water, and spread evenly over bottom half of the dough. (For thinner fruit spreads, omit the water.)
Use the wax paper to gently fold dough in half lengthwise (creating a jam sandwich), then carefully peel back the top layer of wax paper.
Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat. (Tip - lay the lined baking sheet on top of the dough, then flip it all over and carefully remove the wax paper.)
Use the back of a knife to create impressions in the dough but do not separate (make 3 rows of 8).
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool completely then separate into bars. Store in an airtight container or freeze.
Makes 24 servings.

Nutrition Facts
(Amount Per Serving)
Calories 80.4
Total Fat 2.8 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.6 g
Cholesterol 8.9 mg
Sodium 78.4 mg
Potassium 39.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 14.6 g
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g
Sugars 2.1 g
Protein 1.4 g

Taking candy from a baby

2010-07-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

It turns out it's actually not that easy to take candy from a baby! For example, if you give a baby a Twizzler to keep him occupied, thinking he'll just play with it and won't actually be able to eat it because it's kind of old and hard, he probably will eat it, and LOVE it. Then when you try to take it away from him because you think it's not such a good idea for him to eat Twizzlers, he most likely will scream and cry. (At this point, it's best to just let him eat an inch or so, then he will inevitably drop it and the dog will get it.)