domiciliate

King of the Cosmos

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:08:00 +0000

Gabe sent this masterful peice of art for Conan's birthday card. I think it answers a lot of questions. For instance, global warming is probably caused by baby snuggles. Earthquakes happen when Conan giggles, and floods are caused by slobber.

Conan's 1st Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:30:00 +0000

We had a blast yesterday hosting Conan's birthday party. There were lots of kids, balloons, presents, and dinosaur-shaped muffins. Balloons were a big hit with all the kids, even little Chloe enjoyed playing with them.

Conan didn't take a nap before the party, so I was worried that it might be too much for him. He did great though, playing with the (mostly) bigger kids and being his sweet cute self. In fact, he was in such a good mood and having such fun playing with his new toys and books that he was able to stay up until 7:30. He was exhausted though - he's still asleep as I write this, 13 hours later. :)

A year ago tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:43:00 +0000

It was cold and clear, and the moon was full. Storms were forecast, the wind was picking up, and I was in labor. The last few weeks had seemed like an eternity, I really wanted my pregnancy to be over and my baby to be born. And finally, finally! it was time. My attendants bundled me up in heavy winter clothes, and sent me out walking with Cary to the end of the driveway and back. I remember how vivid the shadows cast by the bright moon were, and how cold the wind was in my face. We had to stop every few feet for a contraction. I think it took an hour or so, just to walk to the mailbox and back. It was absolutely surreal, a moment I'll never forget.

Crash & Burn

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Yesterday morning Conan face-planted in the gravel driveway, scraping his nose and forehead. He wasn't badly hurt, but he was really, really upset about it. He hardly ever falls anymore, and he wasn't even trying to run or do anything dangerous, he just lost his balance and fell flat. Poor baby!We cleaned it up and put him down for a nap, and when he woke up it didn't seem to be painful but his whole nose was bright red. He looked like a little reindeer for the rest of the day. This morning the redness is gone, there is just a little bit of scabbing. He seems completely oblivious to his battle-scarred appearance:

I'm sure these scratches will heal up quickly, and Conan will be back to plotting world domination in no time.
If you click through this picture to the large version, you can see his two new upper teeth. He's up to three teeth now!

Chanterelles

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:28:00 +0000

It's been an unusually rainy fall in Plain, which means monster Chanterelles! After lunch on Friday we went for a walk in the woods (to work off some turkey) and gathered these beauties:

This one is the largest Chanterelle I've ever seen.

Cleaned and trimmed, there were enough of these to give some away, eat a bunch, and STILL put some in the freezer for later. Delicious!

Thanksgiving 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:16:00 +0000

Most of all, I'm thankful for Conan: my dear, sweet, enthusiastic, charming, healthy, talented and beautiful boy. I'm thankful for my loving husband, my wonderful family, and terrific friends. I'm thankful for abundance, safety, security, employment, housing, entertainment and beauty. I'm resoundingly thankful that I was lucky enough to be born into a time (and place) where the ravages of war, pestilence, famine, natural disasters or zombie hordes have not impacted me or my family.

I'm thankful that we'll be heading to Plain for a delicious meal and I don't have to bring anything but this little boy and his sweet smile.
But you know, everyone says those same things. I got to thinking about it this morning, and I realized that I'm really thankful for all the mundane miracles of my comfortable modern life. So here's a shout-out to all the little things (in no particular order) that I'm thankful that I have in my life, but that I usually take for granted:

Soap Seriously. It kills germs, removes oil and grease, and makes things smell better. Soap is incredible, and we take it for granted all the time.
Refrigeration Keeping my food fresh and safe day and night. From the farm to the store to my very own home, it's amazing what refrigeration does for us.
Hot Water Ooh yeah. I love hot showers. And we enjoy hot water at the touch of a lever, any time. No building a fire, no messing with kettles, it just comes right out of the tap.
Indoor Plumbing Often overlooked, but I dare any American or Canadian to live without it for long. Outhouses (even when well maintained) are not warm and pleasant. Having to melt snow to make your tea is only fun a couple of times.
Antibiotics An incredible medical breakthrough. Penicillin was only discovered in 1928, and in less than 100 years we have already begun to take for granted and abuse these amazing medicines.
Electricity I don't know how it works, but I sure do like having it available. Reliable, consistant, plentiful electricity makes so much of our modern lifestyle possible.
Tea Not too long ago, people spent years on risky treks and voyages around the globe in order to obtain tea. Now all I have to do is walk to the cupboard to enjoy a cup.
Telephones People complain about not being able to get away from their phones, but think about what it used to be like before they existed. If only there was some way to let the neighbors know that you needed help!
Public Schools Free education. I know, College isn't free. And some public schools are better than others. But still, we have a system in place where all kids are eligible to learn to read and write, and the basics of math, science, literature and more are taught. That's pretty amazing.
Washers & Dryers I'm so glad I don't have to spend hours down by the river, beating my clothes on rocks and hoping it won't rain until they dry.
Sugar I know, it's not good for us to eat a bunch of sugar. But it is sure nice to have available to put in my tea, or make cookies with, right there in my pantry.
Computers Seriously, how did people every get along without these? Just in my lifetime they have changed and improved so much that the old ones are nearly unrecognizeable. Why, I remember when a 14.4 external modem was a sweet peice of hardware!
Baby Formula It's come a long, long way. Like sugar, it has its drawbacks, but I am SO glad that safe, nutritious, balanced infant formula was available for us when breastfeeding didn't work out as well as planned.
Comfortable Clothes Boned corsets and hoop skirts, anyone? Powdered wigs and ruffled collars?
Fresh Produce all year long I *like* being able to go to the grocery store and buy Mangos and Avocados and Bell Peppers and Oranges in November in Washington.
Spices Like tea, people used to risk their lives for spices. Now I just go to my pantry when I want nutmeg, cloves, or cinnamon. Can you imagine not having pepper at your table?
Wood Stoves There's nothing like a nice fire NOT filling your house with smoke, or burning it down, while you enjoy its cheery warmth.
Books It wasn't too long ago that books were items of extreme luxury, available only to the weathiest few. Teen vampire romance novels might not seem like that much of a blessing, but there's also Calvin & Hobbes collections, The Joy of Cooking, and the Audubon Field Guide to North American Birds, to name just a few.
Water-proof boots I don't like getting my feet wet.
Sippy Cups How DID parents ever teach kids to drink out of cups before sippy cups? I mean, without having water spilled all over everything?
Garbage Pickup For a very reasonable fee, people come to my house every week and take my garbage & recycling away. All I have to do is remember to put it out at the end of the driveway. How amazing is that?

So... What are you thankful for?

Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:20:00 +0000

Another year gone by; they just keep going faster and faster.

I had a lovely day. Dave and Anita took Conan for the evening so we could go out on the town kid free. Wooo! We started with beer & appetisers at Boundary Bay, then dinner at Pepper Sisters, and finally fancy cocktails and a free birthday desert at Nimbus. :)

Double Baby Day

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:01:00 +0000

Yesterday having both Conan and Chloe together all day was super fun. The cuteness was nearly deadly. They had lots of fun together - Looking out the window at the dog...

Climbing into the toybox together...

and of course playing with Grandma!

Here's a video collage of some of the day's activities.

In the evening we drove Chloe home for a pre-birthday gathering with several of her little friends. The highlight (at least for the toddlers) were the balloons. Jon got Chloe four helium balloons tied in a bunch with a clip that attached them to her shirt. She loved them; so did all the other babies.

It turned into a real mob scene, until Chloe retreated behind the dining room table so she could enjoy her balloons in peace. Conan's birthday is coming up soon, and I think I know what to get him! I had a good time as well, visiting with Jon and Nadege and the other parents, catching up with some old friends as well as meeting some new folks.

Visiting the Family

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:04:00 +0000

Conan and I are in Plain for a visit with my family. (Papa stayed home, he had to work.) It's really nice to be here, just kicking back enjoying a relaxed visit. Yesterday we went down to Wenatchee and had lunch with (L-R) my Uncle Kenneth, Aunt Eleanor, Aunt Patty, and Cousin Joyce. It was the first time Conan had met any of them, and I think it's safe to say he charmed the socks off all of them. My mom & dad and Nadege and Chloe were also there, at the other end of the table. We had a really nice meal, and afterwards moved outside into the restaurant's yard where the babies played in the flowerbed and the adults chatted and enjoyed the sunshine.
Chloe doesn't walk yet, but she doesn't let that stop her! She climbed all over the rocks, very bold and determined; not to mention cute. She will be turning one on Saturday. It's hard to believe it's already been a year!

Conan was a pretty tired boy by the time we got home. He and Grandma Debbie enjoyed some some nice snuggle time together.

Today Chloe is here at mom & dad's place; mom babysits her on Fridays. She and Conan had fun playing together for about and hour and then both went down for their morning naps. So now it's just me and mom, enjoying a quiet cup of tea and watching the snow fall outside. What a perfect way to spend my vacation!

Busy Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:08:00 +0000

The Taylor family came up to Bellingham for the weekend, and the Ericsons surprised us all with a Friday night visit as well. We had a wonderful dinner party over at the Guzstiltzman household. Conan and Kiah had fun playing together and baby Morgan was her cute cuddly self.

Luckily Aimee had packed some jammies so before we left we got Conan ready for bed and he fell asleep on my lap before we could even get him in the car. He was super tired, just zonked. I love that floppy warm baby cuddle time - I get so little of it with this busy little guy.
I have some more pictures but I'm just too tired to mess around with downloading them from the camera. The two above were both taken by Gabe; there are more on his site under the heading "Week 16, Nov 2009".

Update- I downloaded my pictures from the camera at last and I had to add this one of me and Morgan:

First Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Flight of the bat-baby:

Conan dressed up as a bat for his first Halloween. Mama and Papa dressed up as bat Biologists (Chiropterologists) and followed him around. We all went downtown and trick-or-treated in Bellingham with Brian and Chloe and some other friends. Chloe made a very convincing Yoda. Later we met up with Abby (Leia) over at Grandpa & Grandma Mapes house.

We all had a lot of fun. Conan didn't really get the trick-or-treat aspect of Halloween, although he enjoyed seeing all the kids and being downtown. He had a little basket and he sometimes waved it in the general direction of the person handing out treats, so we still managed to collect some candy. Of course as a good parents we took all his candy away and dutifully ate it ourselves. :)

Baby Kisses

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Conan is an enthusiastic kisser. Wet, sloppy, open-mouthed kisses which occasionally turn into attempted hickeys are his speciality. What a sweet boy!

Signing

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:06:00 +0000

Conan has started using the sign for milk. I'm especially impressed because I didn't really think I was doing a very good job teaching it. I probably only remember to show him the sign about 30% of the time I give him milk. But aparently it was enough, because he really has the hang of it.

Of course now the dilemma is what to do when he asks for milk and I don't want to (or can't) give him any right then? The entire 15 or so minutes after his shower while I was getting him ready for bed last night he was signing milk - which he does get at bedtime, but first we have to get him dried off, put on a night-time diaper and jammies, and brush his tooth. Milk Milk Milk Milk Milk, he said. I guess I need to learn how to sign "Yes I know you want milk - just a minute"! That's a little advanced though. We're still working on "more" and "food"...

Still sick, but getting better

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Conan and I have both come down with the flu. Or maybe it's a bad cold - hard to tell for sure. In any case, it started on monday night with a headache, tiredness, and a scratchy throat, which by Tuesday morning had developed into a sinus fire, stuffy ears, and sore throat so bad it hurt even to breathe. Wednesday I was feverish with a racking cough, but at least the sore throat went away and congestion put out the fire in my sinuses. Conan has a runny nose and a little bit of a cough, and Tuesday and Wednesday he was cranky and had a low appetite. Today we are both feeling better, Conan's appetite is back and I am not feverish. He still has quite the snotty nose and I am still achy and have bad coughing and sneezing fits, but I feel like we are both on the mend. Whew! I'll be glad when we are healthy again.

For lunch today I made us grilled cheese sandwiches. It was Conan's first ever sandwich, and he was a little hesitant at first. He loves toast, but this was clearly different...
The verdict? Yummy!
He ate almost the whole thing, and now is happily playing in the living room. I'm so glad to see he's feeling better. There's hardly anything sadder than a sick baby, unless it's a sick mom with a sick baby.

Walking

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:06:00 +0000

Yesterday Conan started really walking. It's been less than two weeks since he took his first step (Sunday Oct 4). Early this week he started taking 2 or 3 steps at a time. Wednesday he had a couple good bursts of walking, 5 to 7 steps at a time. Today he is walking from place to place, no more couting steps - it's about distance now!

It's hard to get on camera, because when he sees the camera he drops to his knees and crawls to me as fast as he can to try and get ahold of it. So this isn't his best walking but you get the idea. :)

A tooth at last!

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:20:00 +0000

Conan has finally cut his first tooth! It's just barely poking through but it's definitely, finally, there. It's the lower right center tooth. I was getting a little worried - most kids get their first tooth between 4 and 7 months of age, and by 10 months nearly all of them have two teeth, some have quite a few more. The books say not to worry unless they don't grow any teeth by 12 months, but I was starting to anyway...

Ten Months Old

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:45:00 +0000

And more fun than ever! It's hard to beleive how much he's changed. All the things he can do now - sit, crawl, stand, even toddle a few steps, go up and down stairs, say mama, clap, wave hello and bye-bye, bang things together, look at books, play games,SLEEP ALL NIGHT - all these things seemed so far away as to be nearly unattainable just a few months ago. It seems like just the other day I was all excited because he found his toes! :)

Standing, Playing & a first step

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:53:00 +0000

Conan took his first step last night! He stood up, reached towards me, took a step, wobbled for a moment, and then sat down. :) Of course I didn't get that on video, but I did get several instances of standing and some very cute playing with his favorite red ball.

Fall Fruit Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:18:00 +0000

We attended the Cloud Mountain Farm Fall Fruit Festival yesterday. It was cold, but we were well bundled up and had a great time. They had so many delicious varieties of apples to sample! There were also lots of varieties of pears, asian pears, grapes, and berries on hand to sample. For a fruit geek like me, it was a perfect way to spend a saturday afternoon. Conan enjoyed trying the apples, but he liked the ice cream (from Mallard) a lot more. He was mesmerized by the hula-hooping kids, and also enjoyed petting, patting, kissing and talking to the pumpkins, squash, and gourds. We picked out one particularly knobby gourd for him to bring home; it's nature's own teething toy. We also brought home a 20 lb. "Sweet Banana" squash, several "Sweet Dmpling" squash, some grapes, garlic, and fresh pressed apple cider. Yum!

Summer's end

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:55:00 +0000

The grass is still green and the sun is shining, but it's definitely not summer anymore. We had our first light frost a week ago and a killing frost last night. I'm relieved, frankly; no more trying to keep up with the beans, tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden. I will miss the sunflowers though. It really was an amazing year for them in my garden. This spring when I was laying out my beds I just didn't have the heart to take out very many of the volunteer sunflowers that had popped up. As a result, by mid-summer my corn was stunted from growing up in the shade of so many sunflowers, but I enjoyed the luxury of giving away huge bouquets of dazzling blooms all summer long. Now this year's flowers are dropping their seeds (the ones the chickadees miss, anyhow) all over the garden, so next spring I will face the same choice: the garden I've planned, or the garden that volunteers?

Another sign of fall that I am enjoying is the finches foraging for thistle seeds. Among the clover and vetch that we planted as a cover crop on the someday-to-be orchard grew a large number of big purple thistles. All summer long as I drove down the driveway I would look at them and think "Man, I really need to get out there and cut those before they go to seed." But, I never did. Inevitably, the thistles went to seed. However, I had not counted on the army of finches which has descended upon the thistle patch and is just loving those seeds. Now when I drive by I enjoy watching the finches spook and fly off, and I love knowing that my laziness actually resulted in a bonanza of seed for these birds. There's probably a pithy saying that sums this up, but I can't think of it.

It's very very windy today, and cold despite the sun. Still, it's not raining so Conan and I are going to bundle up and go over to the Cloud Mountain Farm fall fruit festival. I expect it will be a lot of fun! Perhaps I'll have some pictures tomorrow...

Hank & Silas turn 2

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:15:00 +0000

We went to Hank & Silas' joint second birthday party yesterday. It was great fun. There were lots of kids, toys, yummy cupcakes, finger paints, and to top it all off a rocket-ship piñata!

Conan didn't take any swings at the piñata, but he crawled right in with the rest of the kids to grab some loot when it burst open. What did he get? A small plastic skull, of course. No playdoh or bubbles for this little barbarian. He had a great time chewing on it for the remainder of the party. :)

Conan was so tired after the party, he fell asleep in the car on the way home and I was able to just put him straight to bed. It's hard work keeping up with the big kids!

Music & Measurements

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:46:00 +0000

Here's a little musical interlude for you...

Conan had his checkup on Tuesday. He weighs 19 lbs and is 30.75 inches tall. He's still exactly 25th percentile on his weight, and 100th percentile for his height. Statistically speaking, there are no babies his age who are taller than he is.

Or, to put his height into perspective another way: I am only 61.5 inches tall, so he's exactly half my height. Wow.

Eating

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:27:00 +0000

I'm really enjoying making baby food for Conan. He is a great eater, gobbling 4 to 5 ounces of food at a meal, washed down with a couple ounces from the bottle or sippy cup. Some things he likes better than others, but he's generally very accepting of new flavors and textures. He's starting to get really interested in feeding himself, he loves toast and crackers and little bits of soft fruit. He's very quick with his little spoon-grabbing hands, to the point where the easiest way for me to feed him is to give him two spoons (one for each hand) so that he will let me put the third spoon in his mouth.

I recently introduced Sunflower-seed butter and Tahini (sesame butter) into his diet. Both of these are high in iron & minerals & protein, and they work great to thicken vegetable mixtures. Tahini-banana and Sunflower-pear-plum were both great hits with Conan. Oatmeal with Figs & Wild Blueberries is a very gourmet baby breakfast. Avocado is still a favorite; Avocado-Banana-Apple is always a good choice for lunch. Pear-Mango-Cucumber is a delicious desert or snack. Roasted Tomato-Zucchini-Garlic makes a great dinner, and so does Chicken, Yams & Carrots. Besides the blends, I freeze a lot of single-vegetable purees, and then combine 4 or 5 cubes and thaw to make new flavor combinations.

One thing I have learned is that foods thickened with either rice or potatoes change texture once they have been frozen and thawed. They get sort of a lumpy, grainy texture, and Conan doesn't like them as well. Oatmeal works much better to thicken and add some starch. For vegetable & fruit mixtures that are runny or watery after they've been thawed, I find it works well to add a lttle instant baby cereal to thicken them before feeding him. It's just got to be thick enough to stick to the spoon long enough to make it to his mouth!

A frog on a fig

noreply@blogger.com (Addie) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:13:00 +0000

This little guy has found a great perch.

Last year we planted a fig tree on the south side of the house. It's a super hardy variety, and a good sheltered spot, so we thought it would do well. However, the winter storms we had in December brough extreme cold temperatures; I thought the fig was done for. Our rosemary plant and a couple of blueberries did in fact die. But lo & behold, late in the spring a few little shoots appeared at the base of the trunk on the fig. Now it is doing great!
I probably ought to prune several of these branches off of it, but they are all covered in figs so I can't bring myself to do so. I'll trim it next spring, after we see what makes it through the winter.