9 Months Old

My little love bug,

Today you are nine months old! Three more months until your very first birthday. I can hardly believe it. I have already started to plan your birthday. I have been looking online for ideas and themes. It's bittersweet. I am so excited that you are becoming your own little person, with your own likes and dislikes, but my heart aches when I think that you will only be a baby for a little while longer.

I wish time didn't have to go so fast...

You are growing at lightning speed. You are a totally different baby from last month. You actually do things now, as opposed to just sitting on the floor watching Daddy and I walk by.

You stood on your own for the first time last weekend. You were holding onto my knees, and you just let go to play with the remote. You were standing like it was no big deal. I started to scream, " Oh my gosh!!" and it freaked you out and you plopped down onto your butt. Nice going, Mom...Since then, you have only done it three or four more times.

You finally eat solids! You mostly love fruit, but I can get you to eat peas, carrots and sweet potatoes. You love any kind of finger foods. There has never been an issue in that department. Your favorite thing ever is apple wedges. You love chomping on them. You are already trying to use a spoon. When I am feeding you, you have to have your own spoon in your hand. When you see me come at you with my spoon, you grab onto it and pull it to your mouth.

You are talking up a storm. You mimic faces Daddy and I will make and you will repeat things we say like dada mama baba etc. If we clap, you clap. If we cough, you cough. I am not going to be one of those annoying parents and say that those (mama/dada) are your first words. Until you can look at Daddy or I when I ask "where's Dada/Mama?" then I am going to say that you don't quite know what that word means yet.

I am not sure how tall you are or how much you weigh since we haven't had a doctor's appointment in months. You are still in size 4 diapers, and you wear 12-18 month clothes. You have two bottom teeth now and I think you are working on your first top tooth.

You caught your first cold last week from me, and you were miserable. It broke my heart to see you feeling so cruddy. There wasn't much I could do to help you either. You would freak out when I tried to use the nose sucker thing on you and you hate having your nose wiped. It was a long week...

You are still breastfed. My goal is to make it to a year. Once we hit that point, we will figure out the best way to ween you. Right now, I am content nursing you. It makes no sense to stop breastfeeding just so I can go spend a ton of money on formula that tastes like a penny.

You can almost wave bye bye. You give high-fives and you slap your legs when you are excited. You started to dance when a song comes on the tv. You do this adorable booty squat thing, I love it. You will randomly make silly faces just to see us do it back, then we all laugh together.

You are such a lover. You always crawl to us just so you can lay your head on our shoulders. You LOVE giving slobbery open-mouthed kisses. You love your Daddy so much, and you LOVE wrestling with him. You tried to wrestle Mommy last week, but that just ended in a shower of kisses. Daddy does all the cool things like throws you in the air and cool flips.

You laugh REALLY hard every time we open the door to leave the house. You get so excited to go on adventures. We just switched you to a convertible car seat because you already grew out your infant one!

I could write all day on all the adorable and silly things you do, so I better stop now. I love you more than you will ever know little boy. You are the best thing that ever happened to Daddy and me.

Stay sweet and stay little. Please?

Bomb diggity pizza dough

Kyle and I have been trying to eat cleaner. By that, I mean that if ingredients allow, I try to make everything from scratch to avoid consuming unnecessary preservatives. We got tired of buying crappy Boboli pizza doughs when we wanted to make pizza at home. Have you ever had one in your pantry that NEVER molded? Something is just wrong about that.

Anyway, I found this recipe here. This recipe is so easy for those of you, like myself, who don't own a bread machine.

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Italian seasoning (I used a lot! I LOVE herb bread)

1. Stir water, sugar, and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil, italian seasoning and salt. Stir in the flour until well blended. Cover the dough with saran wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

2. Pat the dough on a pan or pizza stone using wet hands. Bake in oven for about 5-10 minutes (you just want to slightly cook the dough). Remove from oven and top with favorite pizza toppings and bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

I came across this recipe in a magazine the commissary gave me for free. It sounded super good so I gave it a shot. It is a smidge bland, so add lots of spices and apples/raisins.

Cups nonfat milk

2 cups pasteurized liquid egg whites (egg beaters)

3 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1-pound loaf sliced whole-wheat bread

1 cup chopped dried or fresh apples

1/2 cup raisins

cinnamon

nutmeg

powdered sugar

1. Whisk milk, egg whites, honey, vanilla and salt in a large bowl.

2. Trim crusts off 8 bread slices and set aside. Cut the crusts and the remaining bread into 1-inch pieces. Toss with dried apples, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg in another large bowl.

3. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Transfer the bread mixture to the pan.

4. Lay the reserved crust-less slices evenly on top, trimming to fit. Whisk the milk mixture one more time, then pour evenly over the bread. Press the bread down with the back of a wooden spoon, making sure it is evenly moist. Cover with parchment paper and then foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

5. The next morning, remove from fridge. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the casserole, covered, for 40 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and foil and bake another 20 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Per serving: 183 calories; 1 g fat; 1 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrate; 10 g protein; 4 gram fiber.

Hubster's Birthday!

Yesterday was the Hubby's 24th birthday. I'd say we all had a pretty good day. Liam was in a great mood all day, until it came time to go out to dinner. We had planned to go out to a fancy teppanyaki place on base. About an hour before we planned to leave the house, things went south...I started the cake at 1pm, and it was 4pm and I still wasn't finished and I wasn't showered. I had to make the cake between taking care of a cranky baby, so it was taking me forever to get it done! I tried to put Liam down for a nap and he wasn't having it. He only got 2 naps yesterday, and there is no way I was about to take him to a fancy restaurant with the attitude he developed in the last hour or so.

So, we resorted to plan B. We got pizzas to-go from Macaroni Grill. We came home, put the baby to bed (after fighting him to go to sleep for almost 2 hours...stupid teeth...) and watched "Dinner with Schmucks" and ate pizza. It was a great day! Here are some random pictures throughout the day.

Daddy and baby sleeping on his birthday morning! Yay for birthday snuggles! Liam usually ends up in our bed early in the morning so we all can sleep in a little bit longer.

We took a morning stroll up to the coffee shop and to snag a small donut. We were up early and just wanted to get out of the house and to get some fresh air before it started raining.

Then we came home and I made some delicious banana and Nutella crepes. ( We were huge fattys today! We ate nothing but crap...Owell, it was his birthday!)

Liam finger painted Kyle a sweet birthday card.

I slaved in the kitchen alllll day and made this Black Forest chocolate cake completely from scratch. Totally worth the effort!

Happy Birthday to THIS dude!

NOM NOM NOM!!!

Happy Birthday to the best Daddy, Husband, Son, Brother, Nephew, Cousin and Uncle a family could ask for!

I love you!

Got Milk? A Dad's view on breastfeeding

I stumbled across this blog today, and I found this article very interesting and empowering. I am so proud to be a breastfeeding Mama!

The blog can be found here.

(a dad’s opinion on breastfeeding)

My name is James, and I fully support the breastfeeding mothers of the world.

“Ahhhh,” you say, “he must live in California.”

Nope. I live in New England.

“Well, then he must be one of those “dot-edu” types: lectures, tweed coats, and lettuce leaves all day long.”

Wrong again! I drive an 18-wheeler across all 48 states, and my ever-expanding beltline gives sincere testimony to my love affair with bacon cheeseburgers.

I also adore my wife -which some people might find odd since she is a breastfeeding stay at home mom to our four children. There are people who think it’s not possible for a woman to breastfeed her kids and still keep her man happy. But I’m not interested in what they have to say. What I’d like to do is give you the opinion of a real dad with a real breastfeeding wife and real breastfed children.

My wife has fantastic boobs. I love them. I could fill up the rest of this post telling how I feel about them, but there’s not enough time or room to do the subject justice.

When I first met my wife, her boobs were for my enjoyment.

She wore special bras to make them look a certain way… for me.

She would wear lacy things on them to make them a sultry sight… for me.

When she took them out she was taking them out… for me.

Then came the children.

At that time both of our roles changed, as well they should.

We were still awake at 4am, but instead of a post-Karaoke and beer gathering at Der Waffle House, it was tiptoeing away from a (please lord this time) lightly dozing bundle of noise. Our job as parents, above all else, is to provide what we think is the best start in life to our little adults-to-be. If this isn’t your goal as well then perhaps you should think about doubling up on your contraception.

To this end it seems obvious to me that the best food for baby comes from its mother. Let’s review that one more time… the best vitamin-laced, antibody-rich, brain-growing-fat-having, preheated, sterile, portable nummy goodness comes from the MOTHER. For those of you that have a religious outlook on life, if you believe in a creator (doesn’t matter what name you give them) do you really think that having created us in their image (and oh by the way witnessing a few thousand millennia of successful child rearing) they suddenly turned around circa 1950 and pronounced… “Holy crap! That whole mother’s milk thing was a mistake! What to do?? Wait, wait, got it! Dear Nestle, please make some petrified dehydrated powdery stuff in a distant factory, get some doctors on board and sell sell sell. There, that ought to fix the problem.”

I understand that some mothers have issues with breastfeeding complications, (I don’t actually “understand” the issues, because I’m not a doctor and I don’t have breasts, but I understand that they do exist) but what I don’t get is why a mother -given the option, with all the proper working parts- would CHOOSE formula feeding over breastfeeding.

Anyway, back to the Dad part of life.

Now my wife’s underwear drawer is still full of special bras, but now they have funny trap doors on them… for Cooper. She still gets her boobs out quite often, but now it is for Cooper (ever see a father and son drool simultaneously?) My “boobs” have become his “breasts”. And before Cooper they belonged to Willow, and before Willow they belonged to Patrick.

I still have a timeshare option that has become vested but I haven’t had outright ownership since 2004.

And that’s exactly the way it should be.

Guys listen, the reason that the bedroom activity slows down after birth has nothing to do with boob allocation schedules (thanks for the input anyway oh wise Rabbi Boteach) it has everything to do with hormone adjustments and lack of sleep. (Oh and by the way fellas as those lean weeks stretch into lean months, a maid service and a day spa is going to get you a lot further than whining about when is it going to be “your” turn) Give your wife your support and do not put pressure on her to stop. She and the baby will find their own way. The mother is the quarterback of team baby, you are the waterboy. Shut up and do your job.

Go buy a comfy couch -if you want to sleep you are going to be spending a lot of nights there. I have spent more nights dragging my pillow out of the bedroom in the vague direction of the living room at two-thirty in the morning than I care to remember. But at least that way I can get some sleep, so can the now-free-to-spread-out-and-not-worry-about-disturbing-me mother, and the baby gets a midnight miracle grow top up.

I don’t relish the split-shift nights, but as a husband and father my job is to support my wife when she is obviously more knowledgeable and better equipped to make decisions about these things than I am. Common sense really.

The comments from people like Rabbi Boteach, whilst probably drummed up to get attention, can still be dangerous and lead to the continued and unfair stigma attached to one of the natural cornerstones of parenthood. Everyday that your child gets to breastfeed is a gift, a treasure that will have longstanding physical and psychological benefits for both mother and baby. Support your wife and encourage her, put a spare sheet behind the sofa and be a proud breastfeeding Dad.

James Latham

*This is a repost- the original entry and comments can be read here: Got Milk: Part Two -there isn’t much difference I edited out some stuff that I didn’t think was important anymore- and fixed some stuff that was bugging me. I wanted my new readers to read the awesomeness that is the huz.

Today, I have an 8 month old

Height: 28.5in.

Weight: 22lbs

My Dearest Liam,

You are officially 8 months old, and I am not sure how I feel about that. I can hardly believe that your first birthday is right around the corner. I am watching your days of being a tiny infant slip through my fingers, and it makes my heart ache. I know this is just me being a Mom, because your Dad is ecstatic for you to get older so you two can wrestle, play baseball and so he can show you how to use a hammer. I however, could hold you wrapped up in a blanket while you lay in my arms forever. I do have to admit, the little personality you are developing is so much fun. I have a blast playing on the floor with you for hours each day. I guess this whole growing up thing won't be so bad after all. :) You are developing physically and mentally so quickly!

You are officially a crawler, and you are into EVERYTHING! There have been several occasions where I will put you down in the living room to run into the kitchen for a second, and by the time I come out, you are gone! I have had to search around the house for you several times. For some reason, you always beeline for the laundry room. You are very persistent as well. No matter how many times Daddy and I remove you from something you shouldn't play with, you just continue to try to get past us.

Your very first tooth popped through yesterday, and you are miserable. Each day it sneaks its way out a little more, and man is it sharp! I cannot wait for the day all your teeth are in, I hate seeing you so grumpy and in pain.

You are blabbin' up a storm. No real words yet, but you make a noise that sounds like, " hotttt" and you say, " Na na na na na" when you are hungry. Mostly, you crawl around saying, " Dadadada" and "Mamama" all day long. I am excited for the day when you realize what those words mean!

You are still breastfed, and we're going strong! You still hate purees, but you loooovvee solid finger foods. You hate pureed bananas, but you love chunks of banana. I am guessing it's just the texture. Tonight for dinner you ate a ton of broccoli and peas. I've decided I am going to just stop buying pureed baby foods.

Your personality is coming out and it's so much fun. You have suddenly become a little shy. When I am holding you and a stranger talks to you, you burrow your face into my shoulder. Also, when you get frustrated or mad at us, you growl. It is hilarious! Your favorite game is mimicking. If I pat on something, you will pat on something. Any face Daddy or I will make, you try to do it back. You find yourself quite hilarious. :)

You are soooo lovey lately. We taught you to give kisses, and you are always kissing on Daddy and I; slobbery, open-mouthed and all. You love giving hugs. It melts my heart! You are quite the flirt. Something about the locals here off base get you all giddy. Anytime they look or talk to you, you smile and laugh. You love them! The locals love you, and you love flirting back. Because you are light haired, and light eyed, you catch all kinds of attention.

You have been pulling yourself up on the couches for awhile now, and just recently you started walking along the couches. When we hold your hands, you walk perfectly. You are so strong and determined, I think you are going to be an early walker. ::sigh::

You are huge. You are still in size 4 diapers, and you are wearing size 12-18mo clothes! Nobody believes you are only 8 months old. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of us in the mirror when you are asleep in my arms and it catches me off guard. Where did my tiny 8 pound infant go?!

With your little personality coming out, I am anxious to see how this next month is going to be. I love you with everything that I am, and I can't imagine life without you. But please, slow down little boy, you are growing way too fast! :)

Snapshot Saturday

My poor teething and sleep deprived baby boy fell asleep sitting up in his crib.

Melts my heart.