Solids

We started Noah on solid foods a few weeks ago. At first he didn't really get it and then he just tolerated it. He would open his mouth and then close real fast and everything would come spilling out. We started with rice cereal and then we tried to introduce avocado ... he was not a fan of the avocado! He would gag and then slowly spit it all out.

Today we are starting sweet potatoes. Let's hope it goes better than the avocado...

Monkey Cakes, Circus Tents and Chocolate Cake Crumbles

Tonight we are celebrating Ed's bday. So, since I've been super into baking, I volunteered to bake the cake. I don't know if its because I feel super maternal or what, but I have really been enjoying baking. I can't wait til I can bake Noah's birthday cakes and watch him blow out his candles.

My mom used to make me really special cakes. One of them was in the shape of my favorite stuffed animal, Lee. He's a giant gorilla that I still sleep with. He's named after Leonardo Da Vinci and I called him Leonardo Da Monkey, even though he's a gorilla. She also got me one in the shape of an old english sheep dog and my other favorite stuffed animal, a pound puppy. I loved celebrating my birthday when I was a kid. My mom would go all out; Rainbow Bright even came to one of my parties, and we played parachute and then Julie Barnet stepped in dog poo and when we ran across the parachute she got poop on it and everytime we'd lift the parachute up and down there was a hint of doo - doo, but that didn't matter. When I got older I would have slumber parties and we'd swim and put on makeup and do our hair. I remember my mom and I picking out all of the "Wet 'n Wild" colors at the grocery store and I felt so important and so special.

My birthday always felt special when I was a kid because I would get to celebrate it twice. Once at my mom's and once at my dad's. I remember one birthday my dad was really proud of the cake he made. It was 4 or 5 layers and he mixed chocolate and vanilla frosting together and then covered it in decorative icing. There was read and blue curls of that really gross icing all over it, it looked like a circus tent. I remember loving that cake.

Something out baking is very comforting and very soothing. Its nice to see something from start to finish that doesn't take 6-9 months to train for, or 4 years to graduate and then another 3 months to study and take a 3-day exam (oh law school ... I will finish and conquer you too, just you wait!). When you take something out of the oven, it's like having a to do list and getting to check off a little box, it's very satisfying.

So, last night I made Ed a chocolate cake ... I won't go in detail about it, because I want it to be a surprise, but let's just say, I wish I could eat chocolate right now, because I would eat the S outta' this thing! Just me, my couch and a fork, and it'd be a party.

It feels really nice to be able to bake things and have them actually turn out. When I was younger I had one of those "Easy Bake Ovens" that would cook things with the light bulb. All you had to do was add water to some mix and then pour it in the pan and voila, there was supposed to be something edible and tasty. Alas, mine were always kind of gross and not very edible. I used to love baking with my mom, but that was really more my mom baking and me helping, so it doesn't count that those things always tasted good.

There was one summer in college. I had come home for the summer and I was staying with my mom and Ed. It was the summer in between my junior and senior year I think. I didn't really have any friends left in town, so I was kinda bored and mopey. So, one day I decided to bake a chocolate cake. Ed volunteered to help me, I think it was because he felt bad for me because I was pretty lame. We mixed everything and measured everything and then put in the pans and baked it... We took the pans out of the oven and let them cool, and then we turned them over they wouldn't come out of the pans. It was so sad. Just chocolate cake crumbles. So, we sat there and picked at the edible part and I felt very defeated.

So tonight, let's hope this cake is better than the chocolate cake crumbles, because at least this one came out of the pan!

Giant Block of Cheese ... Can't Wait To Sit On You.

Today my mom, Ed and I took Noah to Fairytale Town. Yes, I know he's too young to do anything on his own, but he likes to be outside and he likes looking at things. Must be amazing to be a baby. Everything is new and everything is exciting.

Fairytale Town was so much fun! I remembered going there when I was a kid. Everything seemed so magical and big. It was different this time ... I imagined what Noah will think of everything when he gets older. I loved the pumpkin carriage and the crooked mile. I wonder what Noah will like the most?

I can't wait to see his face when he climbs the giant slides for the first time or when he sits on the giant block of cheese.

Welcome back you tasty beast!

Tonight I made my tasty sangwich from when I was pregnant ... the one with the whole wheat roll, avocado, lettuce, honey mustard, turkey bacon and egg. This time I added sliced turkey and unfortunately some soy cheese. I have to say, it was just as good as I remembered. Even with the soy cheese! Apparently it wasn't just the pregnancy that made that sangwich tasty, it's actually just a tasty sangwich. Welcome back friend, you were missed.

Toys, Watermelon and a tasty Sangwich

Spring is here and all I want to do is sit in grass with Noah and Gary and buy purple nail polish. (I don't know what the deal with the nail polish is.) It feels like a bird is going to land on my shoulder and wrap a shmata on my head while I'm walking down the street...

My new favorite thing to do with Noah and Gary is to walk to the park and sit on the grass. We play "chuck-it" with Gary and Noah rolls back and forth on his tummy and feels the grass between his fingers. I can't wait til Noah is able to walk along side me...I picture us with a wagon. We could pile in all of Noah's toys and sandwiches, of course there has to be sandwiches, and we will drink lemonade, eat watermelon hunks and watch Gary run back and forth chasing the tennis ball.

I've been putting Noah in the baby swings at the park. He seems to really like it. He likes going up and back and when his little face comes towards me I smile at him and laughs and smiles back. I remember swinging on the swings and my favorite thing to do was see how high I could go and then jump off. I'm pretty sure there's no way I would ever jump off of a swing these days, but the thought still sounds fun, and it reminds me of spring.

Noah and I have been lots of fun together. He's so alert and wants to see everything around him. It makes feeding time very difficult because he likes to stop and look around ... he stops and looks at me and while its very sweet that he wants to smile at me, it's strange because my boob is sort of hanging out of his mouth. Yes, its natural, but in the end, that's still my boob and I don't really wanna "check it out."

Noah likes to watch the animals, neither of whom are interested in him. Well, actually, Gary is interested in him, but mostly in his departure. He's actually getting better with Noah. He's starting to sit next to him for longer stretches. Now that Noah is able to sit up on his own, Gary isn't as scared to be near him. But if you try and force them together or make Noah sit on Gary's back like a horse, Gary freaks out. Maybe that's why people shouldn't try and ride dogs? I think it'll get better soon, especially when Noah can pet and play with Gary ... Gary will enjoy the extra attention.

I'm sure Gary won't mind Noah when we're able to put his chuck-it in our wagon with the toys, watermelon and sandwiches...it'll be called the "Sangwich Express." Not sure what our theme song will be though.

Cheerios, Donut Holes, Purple Nail Polish and another .8 lbs ...

It's been a while ... not because nothing has been going on in the life of mommyhood, but really, I just haven't had the time. Noah is a lot of fun and I'm loving every minute I get to spend with him, well...almost every minute. Teething hasn't been so much fun. Noah has two bottom teeth and the doctor's think the next two are on their way.

School is still going on and I'm not on spring break. Ft. Lauderdale here I come! If by Ft. Lauderdale you mean Weight Watchers and then the park ... so yes, I am doing Weight Watchers. I hadn't really been doing anything except weighing in mostly and I had lost almost all of my baby weight until last week ... I was only 5 lbs away from my prepregnancy weight. I was so excited, feeling so confident. Thinking "this is so easy! I can eat whatever I want and the weight is just coming off ... as long as I'm breastfeeding and running, I'll be fine." Then, I got on the scale and I was up 2lbs. WTF?

So, I decided it was time to really pay attention. I had to stop baking all of my tasty, sugary treats and start watching what I was eating. I even tracked everything ... so today, Noah and I marched into the meeting with all of our stuff (mostly his stuff, but whatever, he'll get me back later) and I stepped up on the scale looking for that 2lb loss and to my dismay I had gained! Yes, GAINED, again!!!

There I was surrounded by all the old ladies (I think I go to the senior meeting) and they are all cooing and gooing at Noah and I had gained yet again ... could it have been the four bowls of cereal that I ate? No, that couldn't be it ... perhaps it was the 4 donut holes I ate after running the Shamrock? That couldn't be it, because hello, I just ran 13.1 miles. Nope, it had to be that I was pregnant again ...

In my mind the only explanation was pregnancy ... pregnancy made more sense than donut holes and cereal. So, Noah and I stood in line at the Longs while the checker tried to ask me probing questions about how old Noah was and then tell me how cute he is when I said "he's only 6 months." I know she was thinking, "6 months and already another baby?!?" Well look lady, I jsut gained another .8lbs, I have no time for your shenanigans, just put the pee sticks and the purple nail polish in the bag and let me go. (I couldn't just buy the pee sticks, I had to act casual, like I'm just here picking up a few necessities ... pee sticks, check. Purple nail polish check).

Just peed on a stick and there was only one line ... must have been the cheerios, because thank god I'm NOT pregnant! Yes, this is how neurotic I am. I would rather be pregnant again than stop eating all of my carbs ...

Not that having another baby is bad ... but I can barely keep up with Noah and law school, I'm not ready to start this again. Although, I was thinking the other day, I can now see what people mean when they say "you'll forget the bad stuff about pregnancy and labor, and you'll be ready to do it again." I can see that, but I'm not there ... maybe after I lose the .8lbs that I gained AGAIN. Maybe after law school, maybe after the bar, maybe after a job ... maybe sooner than that, who knows. Until then, I think I'll go and eat a bowl of cereal.