Photography

Experimenting with edits etc.

Mommy Stuff

This post is mainly to ask a few questions of other moms.  I realize I learn best from others that I trust and love (rather than online searching) so I'm wondering about a few things.  Please feel free to respond to my post by messages at the bottom or through facebook/e-mail.  


First though, a few precious mommy moments:
1. Silas knows how to kiss now!  And by kiss, I mean, that he dives towards my mouth with a wide open, drooly, sticky wide mouth and, well, it's sooo icky and cute all at the same time.
2. Silas is still 'crawling' and now will crawl up to my feet and grab my feet to get me to pick him up.  Precious.


For the questions:
1. How did you wean your babe off breastfeeding?  Silas is 9 months, eating well and lots, but still breastfeeds 4-5 times a day.  He refuses to take formula from me instead of breastfeeding, and still doesn't drink tons of water.  He has the smallest breastfeeds (except the first one of the day and last one at night) but how do I wean him down?  I want to have him weaned by a year, so I have some time, but I'm curious how everyone else did it.  Oh, and how often did you breastfeed at this age?


2. How do y'all spend your time during the day?  Do you spend focused time reading with your little one and 'teaching', doing chores, getting out, etc.  What DO other moms do with themselves- at home all the time?


3. Anyone else try sign language?  We've been reinforcing a few words for a few months without any signing back to us.  Any tricks to help teach kids sign language- and know when they start to sign back?

4.  Ummm. I had another question.  Totally forget.  Darn it!  Mommy brain.


5. In liu of question 4, any handy/yummy foods you made for your kid at 9 months of age?  


All for now!
Thanks fellow moms!

Did I really just say that?

Yesterday:
"Yeah, I continue to ask God that if I haven't learned everything I need to learn from this season of suffering with insomnia, then I want Him to continue it..."  [me]


Last night:
12 am....2 am....4 am.....6 am...
sleepless.  One of the worst nights in a few months.  This after a victory of finally 'stopping' taking my sleeping pills and thinking that the worst of this insomnia is over and I'm recovering. [ugh]


Today:
Discouragement.  Despair.  Desperation.  A weeping puddle of mush.  
[I guess I'm not done Lord.  I guess there's still work to be done.  I guess this season hasn't brought forth all the fruit you want.  Here I am again.  Undone.] 


My thoughts rested on the Israelites today.  Freed from slavery by the very hand of God!  Running free from Egypt with plunder and nothing but hope and excitement for what the future held!  And then, to hit the Red Sea and see the Egyptians coming after them.   I can just see their faces (reflected in my own mirror) "I thought this would be easy now!  I thought we were through with captivity.  Why would you rescue us only to have us be destroyed by the Egyptians after all??"  Duh.  God is able.  To deliver.  From captivity and pharoahs, and troops and chariots, and charioteers, and rivers...


I love what Moses said.  I felt like they were words to me:
"Don't be afraid.  Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today.  The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.  The LORD himself will fight FOR you- just stay calm." Exodus 14:13


Breathe.  Stay calm.  Trust.  Believe.  I feel like parenting myself "HOLD STILL child.  Relax. Stay calm."   How quickly I am prone to emotion, to fear, to doubt, despair, discouragement.  My hope cannot rest in my circumstances changing.  They have to rest in my God who is unchanging and His ability to give me the strength for today and each day.


grrr.  I'm eating my yesterday words.

9 Months Baby!

It just dawned on me this morning that Silas turned 9 months yesterday!  
I don't know how much you can predict about a child's personality by this point, but here is what we DO know about Silas:
he's a ham.  Loves people and is always smiling and giggling at them.  I think he's a socialite and loves being in the centre of attention.
he's a fidgety little monkey.  He cannot sit still- ever.  He can be focused sometimes if he wants to figure something out but he mainly is wiggling, jumping, and moving all over- even while being held.  (Yup, he's a Jason and Shannon baby!)
he is easily frustrated.  He still is not crawling, and he gets super frustrated when he cannot reach a toy he wants.  He puts his head in the carpet and whines.  Poor guy.  He wants to master skills and gets mad when it doesn't come easily to him.
However, in light of the above statement- he's very smart.  He finds ways around his inabilities and instead of crawling to a toy, he'll use other toys to get to it, or if the toy is on a blanket, he'll put the blanket closer so he can grab the toy.  Sneaky!
he is quite coordinated.  Whether it's splashing crazily in the tub, playing the piano with mom, sitting alone, grabbing tiny cheerios or his mommy's hair with his pincer grasp, or passing a ball back and forth with daddy, he is quite competent with the motor skills he does have.
he is a chatterbox.  He grunts, rolls his rrrr's, blows bubbles with his tongue, makes dada and mama and all kinds of funny sounds.  He's really just chatting constantly.  He wakes up chatting, goes to sleep chatting...  
he is very strong.  His kicks hurt.  A lot.  AND he has a strong will to go with it.  (this should be fun).
he is generally happy.  or, at least that's the impression most people get of him!
he has the cutest cheeks in the entire world.  I cannot help but kiss them. A lot.
and he is hysterically funny.  J and I laugh all the time.  His expressions, wookie sound effects, his curiosity, and the way he laughs about the weirdest things- are great.  We LOVE making him laugh.Here's some pictures of our favourite little 9 month old:

his new walker.  he mainly plays with it while sitting on the floor so far.

Loves leaves, pointing with his pointy-finger, going for walks in the stroller, and his soother.

I just love this picture.  This is what Silas does while I'm in the shower.

At the pumpkin patch:

Another favourite activity: playing with grass.

Silas can clap now!  He also sometimes can give a high five when prompted.

CRACKER!

Silas loves his cheerios.   Actually, he loves his food in general.  Despite packing in 4 large meals a day, a couple snacks, and 4-5 drinks of milk, he still barely gains weight!  (Just like his dad)

Silas' favourite toy: string.  Yup.  LOVES it.

Another string picture.  He loves being carried in his backpack carrier

a Smattering of Thoughts

I realize I haven't posted anything other than photos of my 'do'ings lately.  
Ever have so many scattered thoughts and insights about life and yourself, that you don't know where to start?
That's where I'm at.  


I guess I'm still learning something.  Without being redundant and depressing, God is still teaching me about suffering.  I'd like to be brave and state that every moment I'm faithfully fixing my eyes on the future: a heaven free of tears and difficulties.  However, that'd be a lie.  The day in, day out of being just plain tired [of being tired] is not glamorous.  In fact, it sucks.


But I still believe that God is working good even in the bad.  That no matter how difficult this season is, He can still redeem this time, for His glory.  


I have to admit though, suffering through continued insomnia is dreadful.  
Enough said.


I'll lose myself in posting pictures instead.  [Posting pictures is much more fun than cleaning my very dirty house as I should be, while Silas sleeps].  

fort langley cranberry festival (the 3 above and this one below)

who likes socks anyways?

Photos

I'm experimenting with photos a bit more this day. 
Problem is, I have no technical knowlege.  I'm taking a course right now. 
Next up, learn how to edit!  I think THAT will be the fun part...
So much to learn yet!


Here's a few

 Mmmm.  Cream cheese icing.

Hay.  Or is it straw?  Dunno.

 

at Pitt Meadows Corn Maze

 

The corn at the corn maze

 

Kale, in my front garden! 

Corn.  Very poorly edited.

Derby reach.  

Sunset from sea wall.  No editing!

 

Love this berry, I put in my planter in my front garden

Teething Sucks

Teething (def): noun, expletive [TEETHING!], whereby your child becomes inconsolable, fussy, unnecessarily irritable, frustrated, edgy, and generally weepy.  May also be accompanied by lack of eating, lack of sleeping, lack of joy, lack of good humor, lack of acceptance of most methods of parental soothing such as (but not limited to) peak-a-boo, distraction and 'shoosh'-ing.  


How many times must Silas endure this infantile torture?

Chocolate Cake Recipe (by popular demand)

Should have posted this with the pictures of the cake, but for all those who drooled over the chocolate cake pictures, here's the recipe:
(from "Eat, Shrink & Be Merry")
Funny thing, this cookbook is about low fat cooking but this recipe is tucked in at the back.  Under the nutritional label at the bottom it says: 


Trust     us       you     do     not     want      to       know.


Indeed!
FOR CAKES:
Preheat oven to 350
Lightly grease bottom and sides of 3 X 9" round cake pans
Cut circles of wax paper on parchment paper to fit bottom of pans
Combine in large bowl:
-3 cups of granulated sugar
-2 1/2 cups of white flour
-1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 tsp of baking soda
-1 tsp of baking powder
-1 tsp salt
[In another large bowl beat] 3 large eggs for 3 minutes until thickened and slightly lemon colored
Add:
-1 1/2 cup buttermilk
-1 cup of strong brewed coffee that is cooled
-3/4 cup of vegetable oil
-1 tsp vanilla
-4 oz of unsweetened chocolate squares- melted and cooled slightly
Mix above on low speed until well blended
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet and mix on medium speed until batter smooth
Divide evenly among 3 pans and bake for 25-30 min until toothpick inserted in centre of cakes comes out clean
Cool pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and allow to cool completely before frosting


FOR FROSTING:
Whisk together in a medium saucepan:
-1 1/4 cups of granulated white sugar
-1/3 cups of cocoa powder
-1 cup of whipping cream
Cook slowly over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to gentle boil
Cook 1 min
Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted
Stir in vanilla
Let cool to room temperature
[In a large bowl beat]:
-1 pkg cream cheese, softened and
-1 cup butter, softened
Beat on high speed until smooth
Add cooled chocolate mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended
Refrigerate frosting until desired spreading consistency- about 1 hour
*Important not to let it get too firm or you won't be able to frost it!


FINALLY:
Frost between layers of cake and all around
Cover and refrigerate
Let cake stand at room temp for 30 minutes before serving
*Freezes really well


enjoy!