MommyCoddle

The "When It's Cooking Outside, Cookie"

Let me tell you, there's nothing like putting on your bathing suit just a mere seven weeks after you've given birth. It's enough to make a girl weep...but when the three  "H's" are on the weather report--hazy, hot and humid, it's definitely worth it. 
The pool here on the farm is more than refreshing. It is spring fed, so the water can be likened to jumping into an ice bath. Well, maybe it's not that bad, but when it's your first swim of the season, it feels something like that. Today after I dove in, I could barely get words out to Mary who wanted to strike up a conversation with me, while I swam for the edge. The cold was compressing my lungs or something.
The good part about the water temp is that one dive is all you need for a complete body cooling. It's about all I have the time for with a newborn waiting in the shade. Something tells me I'll have a baby sling tan this summer.

I'm finding the irony quite humorous, that I'm about to share a cookie recipe with you in the same post that I've just complained about putting on my bathing suit, but here goes. These are a great cookie to whip up when it's just too hot to heat up the oven and bake multiple trays of cookies. They are a family favorite, although I have to admit that this picture of them isn't very flattering. (do cookies worry about flattering photos?) Anyway, they weren't 'fresh' when I took this picture, but they still taste good!

Easy-Peasy No-Bake Cookies
2 c. sugar
1 stick of butter
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
3 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. nuts (optional. I never use them)

Bring sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil for 1 full minute. Remove from the heat and add vanilla and peanut butter. Blend. Add oatmeal and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfull onto wax paper. Allow to cool and then peel from the wax paper and serve.

SPRING CLEANING SALE

I was cleaning out a craft drawer today, and decided it was time to do have a little spring cleaning sale, including this little clutch of owl buttons that never left the nest.
You'll find all the items for sale (buttons, owls, small and large pendants) in the photo album at the top of my sidebar. If you are interested in something, send me an email (link in my sidebar, too) and let me know which specific item you want. I'll mark the item as SOLD and send you a paypal invoice.

ALL SHIPPING FOR THIS SALE IS $1.50 for the U.S.
International? I'll give you a shipping quote later, but be sure to tell me it is int'l when you send the email...

happy spring shopping!

week seven

You would think after two previous babies, I might be able to remember some of these newborn moments and milestones, but I just can't. Many times when I'm enjoying some quiet moments with Elizabeth nestled between my knees while I rock in the armchair, I ask Dan questions like:
"when did Mary start to smile?"
"was Emma sleeping through the night by this time?"
"did both of the girls have such flailing arms and legs?"
"did they have this much hair? was there this much red in it?"

So here's my chance to take a few notes, if you will. Humor me, so that if and when this topic ever comes up again, I'll have something to look back on.

Elizabeth Paige :: Seven Weeks ::
    How she sleeps:
She goes to bed between 8:30-10:00 and sleeps until 3:45-5:00a.m. She wakes up  to nurse and I give her a little bottle to top her off.  Generally, she goes right back to sleep without a peep. Then, Elizabeth sleeps until 7a.m-9a.m. She gets up to nurse, then "plays" (i.e. kicks and flails) on my lap or on the floor with her sisters. She only lasts about 20 minutes (at the most) kicking on the floor before she gets tired of it wants to eat some more. Back to sleep for another nap, that usually goes through lunch, although sometimes if she's fussy, I'll just put her in the pack to sleep. She takes another big nap through the afternoon and wakes up somewhere around or after dinner before going back to bed at 8:30ish. As far as I can remember, her sleeping habits are very similar to Mary's and Emma's (after we read the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child--a TOTAL God-send!) 

    How she looks:
I think elizabeth is the fairest of all my babies, although my need to write all this down proves that I'm not very good at remembering. She has a decent amount of hair, but not too much. And in certain light, I really see a lot of red in it. Red runs in Dan's family, so it just might be possible. She's got the same big eyes that Emma and Mary have.

    How she moves:
Her arms and legs still flail about, although she doesn't seem as out of control as a few weeks ago.  she's mastering getting her fist to her mouth for some good (and noisy) sucking.  She is just beginning to flash a smile that is intentional. She really lights up for Emma and Mary, especially after she has just finished a nap. She loves to hear her name and is just beginning to follow noise and movement around her head. Yesterday, Dan was holding her while Emma was coming in and out of the room and I was amazed that she kept watching Emma and moved her head to see where she was going. (she's quite enamoured with emma.)

    How I feel:
I am just starting to feel like I'm getting my mommy groove back. Things are beginning to settle into a bit of routine. I feel more relaxed and with all these test result scares behind me, I'm less apt to sneak in during a nap and check for breathing. Yes, I'm still doing this with my third. And of course, seeing the beginnings of a smile curl in her lips stirs up so much deep joy inside me.

Photoshoot outtakes here

Good!will

Oh, newly-discovered Goodwill. You were good to us today:

Soft summery sheets. (for swirly-girly dresses)
A green metal bird bucket. (any inspiration on how to put it to use?)
A pretty yellow teapot with a crackle finish (by the same company as these faves of mine)
And best of all, a shiny-new pair of green chucks for a five year old. (erin, are you jealous? you probably have a pair of your own.)

And of course a few books:

The girls are really digging reference books lately. Ever since my sister (who needs to expand her blog now that the puppies are sold. She's so stinkin' creative!!) bought them a horse reference manual for Christmas.
And another children's book whose illustrations caught my eye; and a Book of Common Prayer for Dan.

When we turned into the parking lot this morning and the girls discovered we'd found a new Goodwill store, they squealed with pure joy. You would have thought I'd told them tomorrow's Christmas. I've trained them well.
And Emma is the ultimate deal-maker once we're in there:
"Mom, if you'll just let us look at the toys FIRST, I will let you look at all the fabric you want!"
She'll let me?? What a girl.

on the menu:

local strawberries

sugary shortcakes

and homemade whipping cream, of course. Is it possible to overdose on strawberries? I might be getting very close.

naps for three

Emma is at that age right now, where naps are not a daily occurrence. And now that she and Mary share a room, it is even harder to get both of them napping at the same time. Emma chooses to sing and chat herself to sleep, while Mary just pops her special sucking spot, right at the lower thumb knuckle, into her mouth and lulls herself into dream world. So, the combination doesn't work well when both techniques are going on in the same room.
So, Emma's been allowed to skip naps lately while Mary and Elizabeth snooze away. The downside is that I miss that alone time in the afternoons. But the up side is that Emma and I often get some time to ourselves (and bedtime is usually a whole lot easier).

Today, I'm fighting a nasty little cold, so I attempted to sneak in a little nap and reading too, while she worked with playdough around the corner at the kitchen table. She's happily making a "special barrette holder for a special friend". I'm often amazed at the things she creates with playdough.

She is so good at coming up with original ideas on her own. For instance I love these little "pebbles" she placed around the outside of this dish. It's so creative and it's her own idea.
I, on the other hand, am usually just the opposite. I'm inspired by things I see in nature, in print, in other people's art, and then I find a way to make that my own. Is that copying? or can I just chalk it up to inspiration, because that's what I really believe it is.
Meanwhile, I may have to "copy" this little idea off of my five year-old the next time I break out my clay.  And soon, I think she might just have to graduate up to the good clay too. Some of these creations need to be saved in something other than a medium that dissolves in water.
So thanks for the inspiration Emma. One never knows where it might just show up.
But first, a nap.

If I actually kept up...

with the paper journal that sits beside my bed--these things would make it inside:

And two priceless conversations this week:

Emma: sitting beside me, fingering the pearl earring in my earlobe:
    "Mom, when can I get my ears replaced?"
Me: "replaced?"
E: "yeah, so I can wear earrings like you."
M: "Oh, you mean pierced. When you're thirteen, babe."

Emma and Mary sitting a the dinner table together:
Mary: Emma, am I being nice to you?
Emma: doesn't answer, as she takes long slugs of milk
Mary: Emma, am I being nice to you?
Emma: still drinking
Mary: EMMAA!! am I being nice to you?
Emma: still drinking, now purposely taking way too long

(I get involved: Emma, don't be rude to your sister. Answer her question."
Emma, in a sing-songy voice: Yes, Mary.
Mary, after a brief pause: "What question did I ask you?"

Thank goodness for this little blog to help me remember some of these priceless moments that would otherwise fade away in time.

living 02 :: may 18

**thank you, Beth for our wipe-able (and beautiful) workspace. Find them here.**

living 01 :: may 17

Taking a cue from Carol, who's been doing this on her blog for quite some time. It's always been something I enjoy seeing. I think I'll be posting mostly pictures for the next little bit, unless I have the overwhelming urge to write--(which after saying all this, will probably be tomorrow!).
My best college girlfriend arrives tonight. We haven't seen each other in three years and I can't wait to sit around and catch up while our kiddos frolick around the farm. And this late spring weather makes it hard to find time to sit down at the computer and compose. Living is the perfect title for all of this because that's just what we're doing.

a couple more Delaware roadtripping pictures here

Finding My Peace Where I Can

Today's one of those days where that little voice in my head is screaming, "Thank goodness it's Friday!". Tomorrow, Dan will be home and it will be back to tag-team parenting. It has just been one of those mornings where my two oldest girls are out of sorts and the bickering has been non-stop. One moment it all just plain drives me crazy, and the next moment I'm questioning all of my parenting techniques wondering where I've gone wrong that I've raised girls who can be so mean to each other. It's almost like they're bi-polar or have dual personalities--in the same breath that says, "I'm going to hit you in the head!" (yes, it's embarrassing to admit that my child actually said that this morning), the next breath can be a sing-songy voice saying, "Do you want to play horse doctor with me?" Where does it come from? What makes one day so much worse than another? How do I deal with it without throwing my own anger and lack of patience in the mix?
Sorry to say, I have no answers today.

So, you find your peace where you can. At this exact moment, it's a bathroom sink full of water and no rules. A chance to step away for a few moments, catch a breath and come back to it all feeling much better...

Horses that don't fit in your bathroom sink here and here. (When I look at these pictures my heart gets all fluttery at how grown up she's getting...)

a much needed little lesson

I haven't taken the time to write about it here, but it has been a bit of a rocky ride since Elizabeth was born. A cloud of "abnormal test results" has been hanging over us since the first day we brought her home from the hospital. We got the call from our pediatrician to tell us that her hospital PKU tests were abnormal and that we had to come in the next day for another test.
More heel pricks. More screaming baby. More waiting.
Then the second test also came back abnormal and we were thrown into a whirlwind of possible problems, and complicated predictions for the future. One of the hardest things with a newborn is fear of the unknown and we were definitely a little spooked.
Our next step in the process of finding answers was to seek out the help of a geneticist at John's Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. They gave us probably the best, most caring, attentive medical care I've ever received. And within one day had done more blood work, answered all of our questions and passed on the  blessed news that all the previous tests were false positives. Elizabeth was going to be just fine.

Of course, it's easy to be thankful when you're on the happy side of a potential problem. But that day, sitting in the pediatric hospital with our presumed "abnormal" baby, I was thankful. I looked around me at the children--some sick, some handicapped, some hooked up to IV juices, some tiny newborns like Elizabeth--and I was overcome with thankfulness. Even though we potentially had some problems ahead, there was still much to be thankful for. I was thankful for my two children at home--healthy and happy--and I was thankful for little Elizabeth. I don't think I take enough moments to be grateful for those blessings.
And I also looked around me at those parents sitting beside me in the pediatric clinic--still smiling, still managing to be upbeat and joyful with their children--and I realized I was in the presence of some real-life heroes. And I'll bet they manage to find a little thankfulness in life as well.
A much needed little lesson.

A Sure Sign of Spring: playing streamside

it's all fun and games until someone falls in up to her chin:

a few more here