Test--adding photos

 

Hmm, it appears I can only add photos now that I've uploaded to Picasa, which is through Google+. Any fellow bloggers have any suggestions on how to avoid this? I don't want to have to upload each time I want to post a picture...These are from Lucas & Priscilla's wedding in June :) They were already uploaded, so I just grabbed these two :). So, do we look alike?? This is my younger brother, Kyle. He is exactly 1 week younger than Scott :)

Cleaning frenzy

I have been going a bit stir crazy here the past couple months with having no job. I thrive on having deadlines and a bit of pressure, along with a nice schedule. Well, throw that all out the door, and I've had to learn how to manage without all of that. It hasn't been going the best, as you would be able to tell from the condition of my home. It has been a bit of a mess, but that's mainly b/c I have no event to tidy up for and too much time. When I have limited time, I feel like I have to utilize my time more efficiently, but with excess time, I will always have time to do it later :) . Not that I've been lazy, just doing other things. Playing/reading with Blake, going to the library, catching up with people on the phone, getting skype to work, traveling, cooking, shopping, etc.

So, in order to help with my lack of motivation, I put a profile up on care.com, which is the website where we found our nanny for Blake. I've had several people contact me (you can either wait for someone to contact you or actually apply to jobs that are posted). So, I now have a 2 day per week job caring for a girl 2 months older than Blake starting mid-January! I also had another interview yesterday for another 2 day per week job for an infant starting mid-February. Their mothers are both in the medical field, so they have 3, 12 hour shifts, with their family caring for the child the 3rd day (usually a weekend day). This works perfectly b/c I don't want something full time. Since this second interview was in my home, it turned into a cleaning frenzy day since I am interviewing both with my responses to their questions and the condition of the home that the child will be staying.

I must say, it was lovely waking up to a clean house, but I do cringe everytime Blake throws food on my newly washed floor...after everything was clean and tidy, we had a 1/2 hour before they arrived. So, Blake took advantage of that and decided to start throwing toys everywhere. When he throws toys around, they are covering one room and spilling into the next! So, we quickly put them back and started to read until they got here, b/c he can't be messing up my house while reading with me! :)

The interview went really well, although I may have botched it in the end. I found out we visited the church that they attend, and while they were leaving I was telling them about the time Blake visited the nursery at their church. We picked him up and they told us he was an "alpha male." They asked if he was the oldest and we told them he was an "only." Then we chuckled and left feeling like we had a super independent, smart child. Then we started thinking a little more and thought, wait, what does an "alpha male" child do??? Was he beating up the other children? Stealing their toys? Great, now I just told those people that my child was an alpha male and that their infant may or may not get beaten up at our house!

Either way, I wasn't actually looking for a second child to watch, so I'm fine with either outcome, but I think it would be fun to have a little baby here. The child I am set to watch is about Blake's age, so I would prefer that if I had to choose one or the other b/c I think he will really enjoy playing with her.

So I tried to upload a photo again, and noticed this picture below in our electronic files, so I decided to try uploading it. Apparently, it is small enough :) The interesting thing about this, is that Blake actually loves (prefers??) the food I make when I put a lot of spice in it. He loves chili, curry, creole rice, etc. Crazy, huh?

New Shoes!!

I just bought some new shoes for Blake and was thinking about comfort verses weight...maybe I should have thought about walking ability when purchasing his shoes. Oh well, I think they should be pretty warm at least. Check out this video of him trying out his new shoes :)

Blake's new shoes

 

So, Blake has decided that throwing temper tantrums is a good way to get what he wants. I'm a little unsure of how to handle it, but I'm starting to think that walking away from him is the best. When I try to comfort him when he gets upset, he just goes on and on. He does come to me for hugs, as you can see in this next video, but maybe we were just having a bad day. Well, maybe not, b/c he threw one this morning as well... He got in trouble b/c he wouldn't give me my glasses back. Then I tried to make him stop grabbing them from my face, and then he tried harder and faster to get them, all the while with a mad look on his face. Wow, I think Scott's sister Amber was correct in saying that Scott was going to get payback with his own children for all the things he did to her while growing up! Let's just say that Amber had a rough childhood :)

Blake "expressing" himself

 

I was about to post a few more pictures of Blake, but apparently I am out of free space on this blog. I have to do more research, but it appears I need to start taking my pictures with a smaller pixel and then it won't count against my storage. I don't want to pay to upload pictures here!

 

 

Thanksgiving - 2012

We had a lovely, but different Thanksgiving this year than we've had in the past. Having a one-year old definitely changes our lives! We started out the festivities with a "friendsgiving" at the Waterman's. Scott Waterman and Scott were roommates in college and we've stayed close throughout the years. Scott and Maggie hosted in their new house in Rochester, MN, which is a lovely, older home with a charm that newer homes lack. It wasn't exactly baby proof--Blake loved their steep stairs and was caught in the air as he was falling a couple times. Since he didn't really get hurt, he continued to climb every chance he got!

Oh, he also broke a glass which was on display. Missy, another friend who has a child a few months older than Blake "claimed" she didn't see who broke it, but we're pretty sure she was covering for Blakey. We saw him try to get those glasses before and he doesn't stop until he's adequately "played" with a "toy."

Thanksgiving weekend, we again headed out to MN (stayed overnight in Rochester, thanks to Scott and Maggie) and then headed to my grandparent's house, where we saw some relative that we haven't seen for a while. It is always a nice time and it is amazing how time flies...we haven't been able to get together with the Spaeth's for a while b/c the dates never worked out while we were in Indy. Blake played hard while at this gathering and did very well--didn't really cry much at all, except when he was fighting with cousin Sam...they'll learn. :)

We then headed to my parents where he played with his cousins very well. He was like an older child--playing in a bedroom with his 4 and 5 year old cousins. They kept the door shut and it was like he was such a big kid! It reminded me of when I was in junior high and my cousins and I locked ourselved in the bedroom and played games and chatted. I kept checking on him, but he was just fine and hardly noticed I was there!

On Saturday morning, we headed to Scott's cousins house. By this time, Blake was starting to feel the nonstop stimulation and needed a lot of "quiet" time in the nursery. Terese and Danny hosted this get together and they have a beautiful 5 month old, so we camped out in his room for a while. Of course, Blake refused a nap, which he'd been trying to do the whole trip. He also doesn't sleep as well when not at home, so I have to get up a couple times each night and he acts like I am torturing him when I put him down for a nap. Breaks my heart, but he needs that nap!!

Grandpa Bob and the grandkids. Andrew, Blake, Samuel & Emily

By the time we got to Scott's Dad's house on Sunday, I was exhausted. Blake was doing a little better b/c there wasn't quite as much going on, but he still had cousins here who wanted to play with him. He didn't do as well here, and slept a bit his first nap, but took a good 2 hour nap after they left, which made him feel much better.

I don't love being here in Madison, but I must say, I was glad to get home. Traveling with Blake and moving around each day is hard work!!

WALKING!!

While we were packing up the car for our Thanksgiving trip, Blake decided he would start to walk. We've tried to get him to walk, but he refuses when asked. So, I'm walking into the next room and all of a sudden, I notice that my baby is walking next to me!!! It was pretty fun, so we whipped out the video camera to document it. Even now, 4 days later, he is walking farther and more confidently, so I'm really glad we got these adorable first steps. Even now, he won't walk upon request, only when he feels like it...wonder what this means for his teenage years...:)

In this first video, you will see that unfortunately, he had thrown out a good number of items from his suitcase, so there were a lot of obstacles for him to maneauver around!

FIRST STEPS!!!

These videos were of him walking on Sunday (first steps were Wednesday night) and he is wearing an old outfit of Scott's that Amber, Scott's sister, found for us at his parent's house. It is Scott's old Christmas outfit and we have a picture of him wearing it when he was around 10 months old, and a later picture where we aren't sure of his age. We know his age in the first one b/c it is a Christmas picture, so we can just count back, and he didn't have much hair then. The second picture he seems to have quite a bit more hair and the outfit fits him kind of like it fits Blake. So...it seems they were similar sized babies! :) I'll have to get those photos scanned in for a comparison picture!

More steps, day 4 of walking

100%

More day 4 steps

100%

100%

Blake's first year of life--documented

40 weeks in Mommy's belly (wow I was big!)

Reset--1 day old outside the belly

1 month old

2 months old

3 months old

 

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

8 months old

9 months old

10 months old

11 months old

12 months old!!!! What a little man you've become!!

Blakey, you have changed our lives immensely and we love having you in our family! We love your smile and your laughter and yes, and even your cranky days. You are making us rediscover the world and we hope you grow up to be a strong man who loves the Lord. We love you so much Blake Richard!

Watermelon!

My parents brought us a watermelon from their garden when they were here for Blake's birthday party. I called them last night to let them know that it has made my son a very picky eater--he's only truly happy when he gets watermelon!

They got a kick out of this, so I figured documentation was needed. Blake didn't get a normal afternoon nap, which is a disaster, so he was sooo upset at dinner. Well, we placed some watermelon on his tray, and he turned from monster into happy boy!



Thank you, thank you, thank you for the watermelon!
He usually shoves his mouth so full of watermelon, that when he bites down, water pours out of his mouth, so a bib is very necessary (and gets very wet).



Mmmmmm



I need more, even though I still have some in my mouth!



Check out this juicy piece! :)



He always takes the biggest piece on his tray and I really only gave him this one for a picture :)

Mmmm, halloween candy!

So, Scott and I are pretty strict on Blake's diet, right? We don't see any reason to give him sugary treats since they aren't good for him and he doesn't know what he's missing anyways. So, a treat for him is fruit and he loves it :)

Well, we did decide to take him trick-or-treating since it was his birthday and all. We actually had a lot of fun and he seemed to enjoy it, but we weren't about to give him any candy. Scott was eating some (of Blake's) candy last night and left the bucket on the couch. Since our little tyke is getting taller, he was able to reach it this morning. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a picture of him eating the candy, but this is the aftermath.

Yep, he had the whole Reese's peanut butter cup (bite size) in his mouth, wrapper and all. He had a second Reese's in his hand, which he was trying to bite at the same time that this was in his mouth. I'm pretty sure I got it before he actually swallowed any wrapper. So, I guess Blake got the best of us and got some of his halloween candy after all. Good for you Blake :)

(The only reason I discovered any of this before he ate the whole thing and started on the second was because it had gotten eerily quiet in the room where he was playing. I love that babies have tells which they don't know about yet :) )


The Halloween pics--happy birthday Blake!!! :)

Our Pooh Bear as a Bee



Pooh Bear with Daddy

Pooh Bear with Mommy

Pooh Bear still getting used to his big belly :)

Aerial view with antennae

WE LOVE YOU BLAKEY!!!

Comfort food

I was in the mood for comfort food last night and with limited options due to my poorly stocked cabinets, I decided for the first time to make a shepherd's pie. Well, we enjoyed it so much, I decided to share my recipe with you. It is based on the recipe from The Good Housekeeping Cook Book and revised by me :)

Shepherd's Pie

1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes*
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Black pepper to taste
1 large onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped**
1 bunch swiss chard or spinach***
1 lb ground turkey or beef
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas

Oven temp: 425 degrees

Boil potatoes until soft and add milk and 2 Tbsp butter and parmesan cheese, salt & pepper to taste. Meanwhile, brown meat and add veggies (except frozen peas) and cook until tender. Add ketchup and wine and cook til evaporated. Mix flour with some broth and add remaining ingredients--broth, thyme, pepper, peas until mixture is a stew type consistency, not runny.

Transfer meat mixture to a baking dish (something smaller than 9 x 13) and top with potatoes. Sprinkle lightly with parmesan. Bake about 20 minutes until slightly browned. May bubble over, so put a cookie sheet underneath.

* Obviously you can use any type of potato, but I find gold and red are more creamy than russet. I also recommend organic since potato crops have lots of pesticides.
Also, russet tend to be more genetically modified and "all colorful potatoes provide carotenoids (and some also provide flavonoids) that white potatoes do not. Carotenoids and flavonoids are pigments, and according to nutritional research, they provide us with many health benefits, including cancer protection."

**Why parsnips? Parsnips look like a white carrot and I think it really brings out a nice flavor in this dish. They have a pretty strong flavor, so I put just one in.

***Why swiss chard or spinach? Because it is so good for you and easy to hide in this recipe :) I have to do that a lot with my husband and him eating spinach, haha.

Oh, and since this blog is supposed to be about Blake, I will let you know that Blake loved this!! There were no complaints from him or food throwing :)

And lastly, no good blogger would give a recipe without a picture, so here is a picture of our cold leftovers, hahaha! :)