Wordless Wednesday.

Baby?

Last weekend, I ran into a lady who I used to work with. She and I worked together at the daycare, very often in the same room, and I always enjoyed her company. During my pregnancy, she was almost as excited as I was! She told me about her own struggles to get pregnant, the birth of her son, and how incredibly amazing motherhood is. She encouraged me to breastfeed, and she told me over and over what a good mom I would be. I came to view this woman as a motherly figure, and we became close. She shared her parenting struggles with me, and I listened. It didn't matter that we were probably at least 30 years apart in age, or that her son was only 3 years younger than me; we were friends.
When Nate was born, I planned to take him back to the daycare to show him off. But, I never did. At first, I was hesitant to bring such a tiny baby into such a germy place (not that the center was particularly dirty, but any place with 100 kids under the age of five is simply germy!). Then, it was winter, and I just knew that there was a cold (or three!) being passed around that place. And, by the time warm weather rolled around, I hadn't talked to any of my former coworkers for months, so popping in with a baby didn't seem all that important.
I had spoken to my friend via the telephone a handful of times after the baby was born, but eventually we both got busy and the calls ended. We haven't spoken in probably almost a year...until last weekend.
She was thrilled to see Nathaniel, and the first words out of her mouth were,
"Isn't being a mom the greatest?!" Of course, I agreed, and we chatted for a bit. But, as she hurried away to catch her ride, she said something about Nathaniel that was like a bolt of lightening to me.
"I can't believe that I never saw him when he was a baby!" And then, she was gone. And, I was stunned. What? You don't think he's a baby?
I know, I know, I'm being a sappy mom again. Of course he's not a baby; he's almost 14 months! He's a "toddler." I know.
Trust me, I used to work in the 12-24 month room at the daycare, and I never thought of those kids as "babies". They were little boys and little girls, and I made sure to refer to them as such to their parents. Did I break a mom's heart when I did that?!
My boy keeps growing and learning, and I'm so proud of him! As he finished his fish sticks for lunch today, and I wiped the catsup from his face, I was reminded that he's a big boy now. (Babies don't eat fish sticks!)
He can crawl across the living room in about 0.2 seconds, he walks around furniture, and he took a step without holding on yesterday afternoon. And, again in the evening. He's growing up. I love to see him learn new skills and see the look of pride when he does it himself. I'm looking forward to so many things within the next few years with my family.
But, there's a part of me that clings to his babyhood. I'm still nursing, and it's my favorite part of the day. Before naptime and bedtime, he'll come cuddle on my lap and nurse--sometimes until he falls asleep. I rock him and sing songs, I breathe in his baby scent, and I cherish these days. These last "baby days" are so precious, and I want to linger here as long as possible. When he's ready to move on, we will--he'll go when he's ready, and I'm just along for the ride!
And, as much as he'll grow and grow, he'll always be my baby boy. He's my very first baby--the one who made me a momma, and there have been so many moments within the last 14 months that I'll never forget.

Grow and learn, precious boy! I love you and love you!

finally....!

A great big shout-out and WELCOME HOME to my brother who is back home, after serving for 9 months in Afghanistan with the United States Marine Corps. Thank you so much for your service and dedication, Tim. We are proud of you, and so glad to have you back home!!

Wordless Wednesday.

Child labor?

Nathaniel's very favorite pastime is laundry! He's always been fascinated by the washer and dryer, but he's recently become interested in the actual process of doing the laundry. He loves to help me load the washer and dryer, and I often find toys in the washer that are "washing." These are some pictures of Nate doing a quick load of diapers right after he woke up this morning....

Zoo.

We took advantage of the gorgeous weather this weekend, and visited our local park, where the annual fall festival took place. Along with throngs of people, we enjoyed the local fair, craft booths, delicious treats (homemade pumpkin ice cream, anyone?), and free admission to the zoo! Nathaniel seemed to really enjoy getting out, people watching, eating a picnic lunch, and seeing the animals. His very favorite thing was petting the goats--he absolutely loved the baby goat!

After our big day, my boy was asleep in his carseat before we were even out of the parking lot!

Wordless Wednesday.

Harvest Soup.

I found the original recipe for Harvest Soup in my Parents Magazine about a week ago and immediately ripped the page out and hung it on my refrigerator to try ASAP. I love butternut squash soup, and I'd been hoping to try my hand at a homemade {healthier} batch this fall. (I usually eat the V8 stuff that comes in a green box, which is delicious--but overpriced and oversalted.) When we woke up this morning to a rainy and windy day (with a high temperature forcasted in the 40's!), I knew that today was the day. While Nate took his nap, I started a loaf of bread in my breadmaker, and set to work collecting soup ingredients.

1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup chopped carrot
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 medium butternut squashes, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 small apples, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
ground black pepper to taste

In a big pot, heat oil on medium. Add carrots and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until the onions are tender and starting to brown. While this is cooking, you should already have you squash and apples cut. If you do not, start chopping as fast as you can (and cross your fingers that the baby does not wake!).

If you are like me, you will soon discover that raw squash is not nearly as easy to chop as baked. (You might even have the take the carrot/onion mixture off of the heat while you finish chopping...) At this point, you will probably have a baby yelling for you from the other room.

Bring baby into the kitchen, and place him on the floor next to the refrigerator door (which should be already decorated with magnetic letters). Said baby will begin his usual role in the kitchen of scattering aforementioned letters all over the floor.

Add chopped squash, apples, and broth to carrot/onion mixture. Bring to a boil. Be careful not to step on letters.

Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool slightly.

Puree soup, in two batches if needed, in a blender or food processor. Add pepper. Serve hot with fresh bread, crackers, or a dollop of plain yogurt.

Recipe adapted from Parents Magazine, October 2011.

DIY Non Skid Socks.

With the onset of cooler weather, Nate has been wearing socks around the house. Only problem was that we only had about 4 pairs that fit him...and they didn't have the grippy stuff on the bottom that is so helpful for a 13-month-old on hardwood flooring. Luckily, I had just recently come across a solution for this problem on my beloved Pinterest (the slippery sock problem, not the lack of socks problem...).

Look how sad he is without grippy socks...

To make your own customized non skid socks, you'll need a package of socks and some fabric paint. That's all. Really. ...well, maybe you'll want some newspaper to cover your work surface!

Fold the socks so that the bottoms are upright (they will not be flat), and paint any designs that you like on the socks.

Go ahead a go crazy--the more paint, the more grip!

Allow the socks to dry for about 24 hours. And, there you have it--your very own customized grippy socks. So easy, and so cute!

(Did I mention that Nate now has his very own line of WVU socks...!) This is an awesome way to personalize socks that often get mixed up with siblings' or friends' socks too!