Mmmmm….Peanut Butter

One of the most exciting things about Max’s 12-month Well Baby visit was that we were given the green light to feed him all foods, including potential allergic foods. Foods such as peanut butter, honey, shellfish, and nuts can be introduced because there is no history of allergies  on either side of the family.

With that news, we busted out one of mommy’s favorite foods in the whole, wide world. I think that Max is going to be a lifelong peanut butter consumer as well!

Take Me out to the Ball Game….

I am not a sports enthusiast, by any stretch of the imagination. I am one of those wives that suffers through every play-by-play, who rolls her eyes every time her husband puts the radio station on sports talk, who reluctantly fills out her March Madness bracket because she is duty bound, who doesn’t understand why someone has to go to a draft for a fake sport such as Fantasy Football, and who dreads the onset of the football and basketball seasons. But I LOVE baseball.
I love going to the ballpark, the smell of hotdogs, popcorn, peanuts, and Dippin’ Dots ripe on the air. I love the whirlwind of excited children, the banter of old college roommates, and the stories of when baseball was truly an American past time, as told by the elderly fans. I love how baseball elicits a more family-minded environment than any other sport. I love everything about it; the dirt, the grass, the sweat, how fast a boring nine innings can change with just the swing of a homerun bat. I love this sport!
On April 18, 2010, the three little Nemos went to a Seattle Mariner’s baseball game. It was the first time that we had been to the ballpark this season, but it was Max’s 3rd baseball game. It was one of the most wonderful days at the park that we had ever had as a family. The park was littered with children of all ages. In fact, the day was dedicated to kids. It was Boeing’s annual Salute to Kids Day, and it was glorious. Kids announcing “Play Ball!,” kids throwing out the first pitch, kids running the bases, kids doing the salute to the flag, and kids announcing the plays. It melted my mommy heart and made me proud to be a part of it.
I sat back and imagined my little guy, throwing out the first pitch or running the bases on a Major League stage. I imagined my little Cub Scout carrying the flag onto the field, while everyone saluted. I imagined my little musical boy singing the national anthem, while everyone stood in awe. It made me a little teary, I won’t lie.
In addition to it being Salute to Kids Day, it was also Felix Hernandez jersey giveaway day. Now this mama loves her some Felix, and anyone who knows this, understands how deep this love runs! We arrived at the park 2 hours early. Nate didn’t want to get there and miss the jersey giveaway (even though Max won’t fit in that thing for YEARS). We waited in line for what seemed like forever, but our waiting paid off. Jersey in hand, I saw the glow on Nate’s face. Like any other American daddy of his ilk, he was beaming with joy that he got to share this day with his not yet aware tot! You could see the imaginings of many years to come in that man’s eyes. We decided to walk around the park before we headed to our seats.
The aroma of many lands was starting to work its magic on my psyche, and my stomach. I was feeling the pangs of hunger working their way up to the surface from the second we walked past the entrance gates. As we walked around the stadium, the feelings started to grow, and I was getting grumpy.
For some reason, the ballpark always makes this girl STARVING. Food is always present on my mind whenever we go. There are so many wonderful choices at Safeco Field; Thai, hamburgers, hot dogs, clam chowder bread bowls, sushi, chocolate covered strawberries (Shishkaberries), garlic fries, popcorn, cotton candy, etc., etc.
I always want to get Thai food, but in hindsight, it may not have been the most appropriate choice for a one-year-old. Nonetheless, we opted for Thai and grabbed a Pepsi, then headed to our seats. Max LOVED the food. He ate everything, Phad Thai, chicken curry, and rice. Later, he and I shared a Shishkaberry. I think that was his favorite part of the day!
We got our tickets from a friend of mine, and were expecting the seats to not be that great. We are used to being spoiled by family members who play the sport. But as we arrived to our upper deck (300 level) seats, right behind home plate, we were pleasantly surprised by how wonderful the seats actually were. We had a great view of the entire park, especially the strike zone. We could see everything that happened. 
Max ate and drank happily. He rarely fussed. We had to get up and walk a bit, but I didn’t mind. I like getting up throughout the game. People watching is one of my favorite parts of being at Safeco. He finally fell asleep around the top of the 8th inning. He slept for the rest of the game. It was a glorious day!

I am going dark…

No, I am not talking about my roots or my soul, I am talking about taking a break from the various networking sites that have begun to take over my life. You see, it has recently come to my attention that I have a problem, mainly with the sites Facebook and The Bump. I am on them constantly. Any and all free time is spent on those sites.
In the last week, my husband and I have discovered a newish television show together. We spend the night watching episodes on Netflix, and then go to bed. It has been so nice just snuggling up with him, watching comedy shows, and being together. Only, once the show has ended, I don’t go to bed. I don’t go to bed until after I check Facebook or The Bump. It’s disturbing, really. Why do I feel compelled to constantly check these sites? What is the draw? Who cares if Sammy So-And-So just painted their poodle's toenails, Jimmy What’s-His-Name just ate an ostrich steak, or Wilma What-Have-You witnessed her cat doing the limbo? It’s just a big waste of time. Time that I could spend with my husband and son. Time that I could spend going to parks, playing musical instruments, singing, reading books, learning how to be better at my job, working.
So for the next week, I am imposing a ban on Facebook, The Bump, and any other social networking, time wasting site. I am going to fill my days with learning, reading, and play. There once was a time when I didn’t spend very much time on the internet at all. I need to get back to that. I will, however; keep up with the blog and email. 

Musical toys are for climbing!

Happy Birthday, Dear Maxwell…

It was a momentous occasion, the day my light, my sunshine, my world turned one. And as such, I went into it thinking that everything had to be perfect. I had never dived into anything with quite so much gusto, quite so much passion. My wedding didn’t even take up this much of my time or energy. It had to be perfect, not for the sake of others, but because I was celebrating an amazing accomplishment. I was celebrating my child, my first born child and the completion of his first year of life.

And yet, had I been drawn into the competition to put on a perfect party? Had I really been sucked into spending days, weeks, months creating the perfect decorations around a predetermined theme? Had I spent so much time on the details that I lost sight of what was really going on here? In the days following the magical birthday glow, I began to wonder.

I agonized over every detail; what food would be served, what kind of cupcakes would we have, how many balloons would we need, where would be the appropriate place to hang all of the streamers and banners I meticulously cut out and strung, how many bodies could we shove into the family room before it busted at the seams, what would we need to keep that many kids entertained for an afternoon, do I really want to deal with that many people, how would everything be presented? How much and how many was the question that was constantly filling my head, ringing in my ears, and keeping me up at night.

I agonized over the guest list. I must have written it out five or six times, adding people and then crossing them off the list again. Was it more important to have family or friends. What about casual acquaintances. What about people I really like, but don’t know very well. What about…what about…? It made me fret. It made me a little sick to my stomach. It was probably harder than any other task I took on for that particular day. I didn’t finalize the list until the day before I sent out the custom invitations. And even as the RSVPs were rolling in, I wondered, should I have invited so-and-so? It worked at both ends. Did I really want to spend time with blank? Or I think I should have invited blank.

In the days leading up to the party, I counted and recounted how many cupcake toppers I had to print out and assemble. I mentally calculated how many cupcakes would have to be frosted. I deduced how many cases of pop we would go through. I figured out how much beer our friends and family drink. I worried about how many sandwiches could be consumed by a crowd this large. Again, the question of how much and how many was permeating my life.

The day started out like a whirlwind. From the moment I tumbled out of bed, until the chimes of the 12 o’clock bell, I was on the move. I hung streamers and banners, I made two different kinds of homemade butter cream, I frosted 50 cupcakes. The minutes and hours kept ticking away, and I was running out of time.

Reinforcements showed up to aid in the setup process. Kacie and Jenn helped with goodie bags, cupcake toppers, and food. My amazing sister-in-law, Becca, ran her little tush all around the house hanging streamers, putting up pictures, putting food in bowls, and laying out sandwiches. I wouldn’t have gotten it all done if it wasn’t for them.

As the guests started to arrive, I still wasn’t completely finished setting up, but they made themselves at home. The party actually took care of itself, for the most part. I made sure that the food was replenished, drink bins were full, people were greeted, and tried to enjoy myself while remaining a good hostess. It was a really long day. But it was wonderful. It was one of the most successful parties I had ever been a part of.

So the question remains, was this an attempt to keep up with the other mommies I know, or was this for me? And the conclusion I have come to is that it was a little of both. There had been a president set within the group of women that I have befriended, but also this was for me. I enjoyed every detail, every minute baking, every train I cut out, every custom tag on the goodie bags. I loved this party. I loved how it turned out, I love everyone who came, and I loved that after all was said and done it felt great to be able to share this wonderful day with so many people.

But next year will be a much smaller event!

 

12 Month Well-Baby Visit…

We took Max in for his 12 month Well-Baby visit on Thursday, April 15th. He is still growing like a weed. He gained over a pound and is now 25.5 lbs. He also grew 2 and a half inches, measuring at 30.5 inches tall. His weight was in the 80th percentile, while he is in the 70th percentile for height. The biggest surprise was the size of his noggin. He is still in the 90th percentile for head circumference. Must be to house that gigantic brain of his.

His development is right on schedule, both cognitively and physically. The doctor said that he is a really strong, alert, and healthy little guy. She also said that he was “going to be a big dude!”

After the physical exam, he got three shots: MMR, Dtap, and HepA. He survived his shots like a champ. Crying for just a couple of minutes. He even spared the nurse his usual dirty look on the way out.

In addition to all this growing, he also cut 2 new teeth, bringing the teeth total to 8. My big boy is growing up so fast!

Smash Cake Photos…

Here is part 2 of the 1 year-old photography session with J. Shelton Photography.

The Smash Cake Photos, enjoy: