Gardening with the Bims

One thing that never ceases to amaze us about New Orleans is the amazing (non)winter weather.  Although it gets into the 40s at night, many of the days (like today!) are marvelous- high sixties, low seventies.  We spent a good chunk of the afternoon gardening. 
///Blog post interrupted by baby trying to eat pieces of a styrofoam cup///
Aeli is especially entranced by the hose.

The best/worst moment outside today was when I looked up from my transplanting to notice the tell-tale pucker of a baby who has put something in his mouth that he shouldn't have. 
"What do you have, Aeli?  Spit it out," I say (a phrase that is routine at this point) as I approach him with my hand out.
I swoop in and retrieve a small, peach jabenero pepper.  !
I don't know if you know anything about peppers, but one jabenero will put too much spice for my taste in an entire pot of soup.
For some reason, though, I thought, "Well, he doesn't look upset, so maybe this isn't a jabenero; it must be a sweet pepper."  And then I took a little bite myself, and offered it back to Aeli.
His lips just began to touch it as mine began to burn.  I realized what I had done.  Oh. No.
As I pulled away, Aeli began to cry just as Stefin and two friends got home.  My lips were on fire.  I couldn't believe I just tried to feed my baby a jabenero.  What a terrible mother.
"You're just in time.  Aeli just got a jabernero."
"You're kidding," said Stefin.  His jaw dropped.  "You're not kidding?"
I hurried inside and much milk drinking ensued. 
We were fine, of course, and Aeli actually recovered much more quickly than I did.  Resiliency, huh?  And I think he didn't really get a skin-puncturing bite like I did.

Oy vey.

Now we're relaxing, cooking cornbread-crust pizza and preserving a bag's worth of lemons we picked from the backyard. 

Life (and especially vacation) = amazing.

Circles

 What magic to be here in December, 2011.  Aeli turns ONE on Sunday.  All I can do is shake my head and sort of sigh and laugh.  And marvel.

Note the bags beneath his eyes.  You can't possibly nap while STOCKINGS are hanging up! No!  It's far too exciting!

 We went to visit a fellow '08 TFA-er who recently had a 5-pound baby boy.  Aeli saw him, got quiet and big-eyed, pointed and said "Gee-ga!"  (His word for "kitty cat.")
Yesterday I asked him what a dog says.  He made his mouth into a pouty "o" and said in his gruffest voice, "Oooo oooo!"
F-in crazy, man.

Last year Aeli fit in my stocking.  Now he walks and has a few meaningful syllables in his lexicon and usually comes when you call him.  What a difference a year makes.

We're leaving for Washington state tomorrow.  (SOOOO excited- although anxious about the two plane rides).  I anticipate the visit bringing me some clarity.  In all the should-we-stay-or-should-we-go conversations we've been having this year, I most often just feel tired.  And we're always interrupted by the babe getting into something or harassing the cat or using the abridged works of Edgar Allen Poe as a brace as he works out a serious diaper situation.  TMI, sorry.  But I'm about being real.)  It will be so nice to have family and friends around to help watch and entertain Aeli while we actually can take a few deep breaths and think and talk and bounce ideas around.

 Our friend/neighbor/former roommate Keith will move back to the NE while we are gone.  It feels significant.

The times they are a-changin.

Howdy!

First Out-of-Womb Thanksgiving!

Traveling is exhausting.

"I think I hear the turkey."

Aeli and Grampy make the same face.

Hanging out on the patio, after two cold rainy days had us aching for sun.

Check out these chompers!

Two Amy's 9 months later.

Swingin'

There was an Indian festival at the park around the corner.  Aeli enjoyed watching the intense dancing and checking out the "religious fashions."  He also liked the swings.

Can you believe he's almost one?

First Steps, and Carrots!

A crazy face for a crazy carrot!  Grown in a container in our backyard!

At first it was 3 in a row.

Then five.

Then 7, 8.

Then 7 at school

Then 14 at home last night! 

All I've managed to get on video is this one and one where he takes three steps in between tears. 
 So, enjoy this for now, paying no attention to my silly mommy voice, and get ready for Aeli to be walking fo' realz.

Cry Baby

 The last few nights have been the first we've let Aeli cry himself to sleep.  We've spoiled him and rocked him to sleep 'most every night of his life.  Now he's teething for serious and cranky-wankstering when he's tired and hurting.  He even refused a bottle the other day!

It has been working out, though.  Mostly we just play with him until he's definitely tired- usually between 8 and 10, (on the earlier side lately since he's been skipping his afternoon naps), and then plop him in his crib.  I don't think he's cried for more than 10 minutes before falling asleep.  It feels good.  Like we (as parents) have gained some independence, and strength. 

And he is doing just fine.

Pumpkin Pie!

 My pumpkin as a flying squirrel.

I have been bad at blogging lately, but life is good.

Fall has finally arrived here in Southeast Louisiana.  Which means sometimes we get to wear coats and sweaters.  (Although other times we still wear skirts and short-sleeves.)

Yesterday, I made pumpkin pie!

Stefin had already gutted, boiled, and pureed the pumpkin meat a couple of days ago, so using some insights from this super-homemade-looking website, my job was easy as...

You know.

I mixed three "cups" (heaping ladles) of pumpkin mash with
2 eggs borrowed from the boys across the street
one scoop of vanilla ice cream (as a substitute for evaporated milk)
one cup sugar
cinnamon
allspice
mace
and a tiny bit of salt


Poured it in a pre-purchased graham cracker crust and popped it in the 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes.


For the top, I candied some pecans.  (Sprinkled on after the pie had finished baking.)


Not to toot my own tooting thing, but this pie was delicious!  (We're down to one slice now!)  Also amazing with a scoop of thick Greek yogurt.

Okay, love you! Bye-bye!

Better Medicine

This is what I needed, more than prescriptions.

 I was so upset on Tuesday, because my jaw was still aching, so I was going into day 2 of an essentially all-liquids diet, and I couldn't take 2 of the 3 drugs the doc prescribed me because they would make me too woozy at work, and I couldn't breastfeed with any of them, so I was feeling like a sham of a mother and a wimp of a person because apparently one way I process stress is clenching my jaw to the point of injury.

But then-

I went to the dentist, with no insurance because there was apparently some paperwork hold-up, terrified that he was going to say: headgear and retainer or crazy torturous piece of mouth machinery, but actually he said: warm compress, maybe a bite plate at night if it persists, but mostly just try to deal with whatever is causing you stress.

And so I decided to stop taking the meds so I could breastfeed again, talked with Stefin, stretched,  got an amazing night's rest, fed and cuddled with Aeli, and felt SO MUCH BETTER in the morning.

And then last night the event I helped organize for students to go see The Bully Project went wonderfully, and I came home around ten, to a beautiful and calm house and amazing partner, feeling jazzed and accomplished.  Today my jaw feels even better. 

Plan: girls movie tonight, yoga tomorrow, and maybe a workshop about raising chickens??? ... organizing my closet and reading for fun.

Fall has finally arrived in New Orleans, and I'm excited.

Do Not Breastfeed While Taking This Medicine

This makes me so sad.

I'm having to pump-and-dump right now since I'm taking meds for a TMJ disorder that revved up its intensity this weekend.

Typically, if there was a medication that interfered with breastfeeding, I just wouldn't take it, but this jaw weirdness got all of a sudden really bad- like it hurts a lot just to chew.
So, I'm eating oatmeal, soup, and smoothies, and Aeli's eating formula.

It kills me a little bit though.  First and foremost because, he tries to snuggle up and is cry/whine/rooting trying to get milk from me, the person he can always count on at least for that- and I can't give it to him.  I wonder if that's how it's felt for Stefin every time he was holding A when he was really hungry.  I guess it's probably the first of many many times where I'll feel frustrated that I can't provide everything our child wants/needs.

And of course, he's getting what he needs.  Stefin gave him a formula bottle in the middle of the night, which I know so many other families have done for a much longer time.  He'll be fine, and I'll be fine too.  It's only been 2-3 feedings, but I already miss those snuggly moments when he'd be nursing, and kind of gently scratching my side where his hand rested.

But stressing about that will not help this crazy jaw situation (Sunday night I told Stefin it felt like I had a chopstick lodged between my ear and the back corner of my jaw, and when I chewed it was like that area was filled with marbles or Scrabble pieces).  Stress was probably what made it so much worse.  So I'm stretching more and drinking tea instead of coffee and trying not to clench like I do sometimes at Aeli (a habit I think to avoid acting too much like Elmira from Looney Tunes).

So, that's a big nuisance in my lovely little life right now, that compounded with last minute schedule changes, made for a pretty overwhelming day yesterday.

This, however, cracks me up:


It's just like that page in "I'll Love You Forever."

And I will.  And he will be loved thoroughly whether he's drinking formula or breastmilk.
And hopefully this isn't the end of breastfeeding, just a handful-of-days hiatus...

Man, remember those days when I said "Ouch!" every time he latched on?
So much has grown and changed.

Also:

The Latest Games

Aeli has been very busy.

While I am washing dishes, or putting something away in the kitchen, or trying to find something to quickly cram some calories into my ever-hungry belly, he is usually pulling out pots and pans, and sliding them around on the floor kind of like the way they do the ab-roller on those infomercials.  It's all very noisy, but I do like the fact that he typically stays in the room with me, often evening setting up camp directly behind my heels.  I just have to be careful to always look down before I take a step.

Yesterday he scuttled away as I was scrubbing, and I gave him about 35 seconds before I abandoned my post to retrieve him, because I figure it takes him 30 to get to the forbidden bathroom, and it would probably take him more than 5 to get a handful of litter or cat-food into his mouth. 

For real, you actually start thinking like this.

When I did go to get him though, he wasn't in the forbidden bathroom at all.  He was just checking out the scene on the desk.

 He uses his tip-toes a lot.

And then he falls down.

Whoa! What just happened?

 Fortunately, unlike his mother, he doesn't cry too easily. 

Whining though?  That's another story. 

Presently, he is thoroughly entertained chasing a can of peaches around the living room.

Also:


I love this boy.

Weekend Snapshots

Canoes are quite good for drumming.


October in New Orleans is very good for swimming.
(The plug to the inflatable walls was amiss, so Grandpa made a temporary one with a wine cork and some duct tape.)
Mom and Grandma started on the wine in the mid-afternoon, while Grandpa, Papa, and The Astronaut (Josh) worked on constructing the arbor where vows will be exchanged this spring.
 
This place is very fun for exploring.

A Columbus Day Miracle!

 
A major catastrophe was narrowly averted today when Aeli and I engaged in a second walk-toward-the-Bywater.  The second walk was a mission to find the super-special-sucky that is the only one Aeli really likes, and apparently has been discontinued.  Rifling through these internet pages was making me feel like I was in the back section of some sleazy store, so I was Very Excited when we found the elusive pacifier on the sidewalk in between Frenchmen and Elysian Fields.

More on AACP's latest exploits later.

A Few Snapshots from the Weekend