No! Don't do that!

I spend so much time keeping an eye on Jamie and telling him to take something out of his mouth, or not to touch the tv (he can lean over the superyard), etc. The other day, I was coming out of the kitchen and saw him next to the dvd cabinet, with several dvds on the floor. He knows that's a big no-no. As soon as he saw me, he smiled and quickly put the dvds back and shut the cabinet. Then he ran to a toy, as if that's what he'd been doing all along.

I didn't know whether to be very proud of my good decision maker, or to burst out laughing. Really, he's this smart already?

Getting organized.

I've always been the kind of girl who likes to "wing it". I've heard of other housewives/homemakers/moms/domestic engineers having "schedules" to keep everything at bay. That seemed so silly to me. Just do everything when it needs to get done! Right?

Actually, the idea of making a schedule is growing on me. I guess I already do a bit of scheduling, since we meal plan in advance. I also plan for the Richmond Mommies playdates. In addition to all of this, I have come to realize that I need a housekeeping schedule. No more running around, trying to clean all the things.

My obsession with "CLEAN ALL THE THINGS!" comes from this hilarious blog post: This is why I'll never be an adult. Go ahead and read this blog. I swear, you won't get anything done for about 2 hours.

Anyway. Back to the schedule. It's really tough to get much cleaning done when Jamie's awake. Unless I'm in the kitchen (where I can see him and more importantly, he can see me), and even then, it's a losing battle. He shrieks, he's into something, he's thirsty, he has a dirty diaper, etc. Also, I've decided that most mornings will be set aside for errands or playdates.

Lately, he's been napping for a few hours each afternoon, and here's what I've decided: each day, I will focus on 1 room. And 1 room only. Unless it's the bathroom, in which case I will clean all 3, because I'll have the supplies out anyway. I will clean as thoroughly as I can and then I take a break until Jamie wakes up. No more feeling like I have to get the entire house spotless in 1 day! I'm on day 3 of this brilliant plan, and so far, so good. I feel great because at least 1 room is sparkling and then I get to sit down with a glass of iced tea and something good to watch on Tivo. Then Jamie wakes up, we play, or go do something, and then it's 5pm and time to start dinner.

I also decided that I should do at least 1 load of laundry a day. I usually put it off and end up with 5 loads on Friday. It's a little crazy. The kitchen is littered with piles of dirty clothes. With 3 people in a house, 1 load a day might seem excessive (it did to me, originally), but there's always something dirty -- towels, sheets, Jamie's little stained clothes, bibs and dish towels, etc.

I really do love taking care of the household. We're usually busy on the weekends, or we like to spend time together as a family, so there isn't time to clean and run errands then. I also don't want to put everything off until Scott gets home. So basically, it's important to me to do the best job I can at home. I'm always curious as to how other moms manage their homes, so if anyone has ever been curious about us, well, here it is.

I finally finished a gallon of ice cream. Guess who got a toy?

We call it "chicken mish-mash"

I accidentally created a delicious dinner last night. And I don't want to forget how to make it, so I'm sharing it on the blog.

It all started when I took out the crockpot and added 2 lbs of chicken (the skinless boneless variety) with a can of cream of asparagus soup. I figured we would just add a side and a vegetable and call it good. Then, I realized that we had some potatoes to use up, so I sliced 4 potatoes and added those. I found a can of french green beans in the pantry, and added that, along with a can of cream of chicken soup, to make up for the extra ingredients. For good measure, I decided to throw in half a stick of margarine. Along with a dash of salt and pepper, of course. Looking back, sliced carrots might have been a good idea. Oh, well. I started the crockpot around 9am and set it to low. (Never, ever set your crockpot to high. This is always a bad idea.)

Around 3pm, I stirred my concoction and thought that it looked a little too soupy. Maybe I shouldn't have added the second can of soup! Then it came to me. Canned biscuits! Of course! The perfect ending to this meal! Jamie and I were on our way out to meet a friend at Hobby Lobby (very cool store, but that's a story for another time), and before we came home, we made sure to pick up some canned biscuits -- in this case, Pillsbury Grand's. It was pretty easy. I just popped the can open (I made sure to get this done before Scott came home, because he *hates* that sound) and made a biscuit layer on top. 30 minutes layer, we were ready to eat, and it was perfect. Not too soupy, not too dry -- just right. I think cheese would also work well in this dish. I'll have to try that next time.

This is how good the dinner was: Jamie ate it! He even tried using his toddler fork, but then he realized that his fingers were more efficient.

A quilt for Jamie.

I finally finished Jamie's quilt! I'm pretty happy with it, considering I didn't follow too many directions, aside from simple tips on how to piece the fabric together and how to bind a quilt. I also read a lot of sewing blogs to get ideas on techniques and to see pictures.

I wanted my first quilt to be pretty basic. I just got my sewing machine at Christmas! I went to Joann's and picked out 3 coordinating fabrics. Truth be told, I fell in love with a fun dinosaur print, but sadly, couldn't find anything to match it with. Instead of blocks, I went with a stripe pattern. I also didn't want to do a twin quilt (yet), so I went with a smaller scale. The ABC fabric is the main part of the quilt, so that's what I chose to use for the backing. The stripes are really fun, and they "pop", so that's what I chose for the binding. Instead of batting, I went with a plain piece of fleece. Again, nothing too crazy going on here.

All in all, it wasn't too bad. The hardest part was coming up with the measurements. I'll admit, I sat at the table for about an hour and almost decided that I wouldn't do it at all. My math brain just wouldn't cooperate. I took a lot of breaks and then had my "a-ha!" moment. Once the fabric was washed and ironed, the strips were measured and cut (and then I ironed again!), it was FINALLY time to sew. After each successful seam, I had to iron, so I had quite the workstation set up in the dining room. Once the quilt top was finished, I cut my fleece and backing (after washing and ironing, of course). The hardest part here was smoothing the fabric out as best as I could, and carefully pinning the 3 layers together. Then, I had to sew it all together!

There are some really fancy machines out there that can quilt some really beautiful patterns, but I don't have any kind of access to that. Also, quilt shops charge quite a bit to professionally finish a quilt. No, I wanted to do it myself. Instead of a swirly quilt pattern (which my machine could probably do), I decided to "stitch in the ditch". It's exactly what it sounds like. I just made my seams where there was already a seam from piecing together the quilt top. I just had to take my time and it only took a day to get this done. Once that was finished, I admired the quilt, proudly showed it to Scott, and then folded it up and set it aside.

And I procrastinated. I started (and finished) other projects. Friends were having babies and those babies needed taggie blankets! I read up on how to bind a quilt. I was intimidated, so I kept putting it off. I didn't want to destroy Jamie's quilt.

Until last week. One day, after lunch, when Jamie went down for his nap, I got serious. I brought up the webpage that explains binding, and I took out my sewing machine and turned on the iron. I measured out the fabric to go around the quilt, cut, ironed, pinned, and was constantly pricking myself, but I was determined to get it done! I only took breaks to drink water and change episodes of Friends that I keep on Tivo.

I will say that I'm disappointed with how the corners turned out during the binding process (only because they don't look like the quilts you see at the store), but I'm very happy with how it turned out as a whole. It's cute, it's functional and will be great for Jamie to nap with once the weather turns cold. It was also a great quilt to start with and to learn what I was doing. I could have taken a quilting class, but it was expensive (in my opinion) and I didn't have 4 weekends in a row to devote to it.

I am seriously in love with my sewing machine. On to my next project!

Cesarean Brave

http://avital.blogspot.com/2011/01/cesarean-courage.html#axzz1QDlFxh2W

I came across this link today. Too often, I think, moms who have had c-sections are made to feel bad or like they didn't *really* give birth. There's no right or wrong way to have a baby, and sometimes surgery is necessary. Or, in my case, I was 3 days overdue with a large baby and still hadn't gone into labor. I spent most of my pregnancy thinking of how I was going to have Jamie, imagining the labor, waking up in the middle of the night with contractions, just like in the movies. And on my due date, going to the hospital and having 2 ultrasounds with a specialist trying to figure out how they missed Jamie getting so big before delivery. My OB was concerned, didn't want to induce me, and strongly recommended scheduling a c-section, after telling me that she's usually advocating *against* c-sections, but really believed that it was the best way to deliver my baby. Honestly, I was heartbroken and surprised, thinking that my perfect delivery would never happen. But you know what? It was perfect. Scott was with me, the nurses and doctors were very nice, and I still got to see Jamie right after he was born. He was healthy, didn't break anything on the way out (which would have been a huge risk), and all in all, things went great. I had a longer hospital stay, but there was a blizzard going on anyway, so it's just as well. And I'd do it again. There should be none of this negative talk around c-sections. Jamie and I are proof that good things can come from them. I was a c-section baby, too!

Happy Father's Day!

Funny stuff.

Jamie loves to play with shoes. Actually, I did too when I was little. He is my son, after all. This happened on Thursday, it was nice and it allowed me to prep dinner.

And this was in the dressing room at Old Navy. I couldn't resist a photo op. I ended up getting that skirt hanging from the back of the stroller along with a coral tank top. I gave maxi dresses another try and I just can't make it work. My legs are too short and it looks like I'm wearing a potato sack. Skirts, on the other hand, will always work. As long as they aren't too long. And then it looks like I'm wearing a potato sack! Anyway. Jamie loved the mirror.

Yesterday, the cutest thing happened. I brought a clean diaper into the living room, and as soon as Jamie saw it, he immediately stopped what he was doing and laid down. I couldn't get over it. It always surprises me when I realize just how much he's aware of what's going on. Once the diaper (just pee) was changed, he leaned over to grab it (to help? throw it away?), but I don't know that I'm ready for him to do that just yet. But I'll gladly take him making the diaper changes easier. Some of his friends are starting to potty train, but I don't know that we're there yet, either. 16 months seems so young, doesn't it? I thought the standard age was 2. Oh, well.

Better late than never.

I can't believe that I haven't updated since February! Life with Jamie is busy, so busy in fact, that it's hard to find time to sit down and come up with a blog post.

As I'm typing this, Jamie is in the [gated] living room, happily patting the glass on the fireplace and babbling to himself. He's been walking since March, and every week, becomes more steady on his feet. Of course, he's an explorer and hates to stay still in one spot. When we go to playdates, he's the kid who makes a run for it and wants to get into everything imaginable. I bought one of those monkey backpack leashes, but I keep forgetting to use it. I'm also half scared that other moms will judge me (I know I shouldn't care), but I have a kid who runs -- so, I think the toddler leash is genius.

I'm not kidding when I say that we've been BUSY. In April, I decided to start volunteering and became an area group moderator for RichmondMommies.com. Basically, another mommy and I plan weekly playdates for our area of Richmond. It's fun, and it gets us out the house, but keeps us on the go. For most of April and May, I took on a part time job at a local gym in the childcare room -- in the end, it didn't work out because Jamie was sick all the time. I realized that I was already working hard taking of Jamie, and for now, will continue to work inside the home. Besides, RichmondMommies is plenty of side work.

What else, what else...

Jamie is a fun kid. I'm not joking. He really is fun. His personality has really been shining through lately. He's sweet, and wants everyone to have a good time. He likes to start clapping and cheering wherever we are. Seriously. Wherever we are. Even if I'm in a bathroom stall and he's in his stroller. He will start clapping and encourage me to "go". At the grocery store, he'll wave to the cashier and clap for them. It's his thing. He has started a pushing/shoving phase, as I'm told that most boys do. The thing is, he's never violent about it (and I always remind him that he needs to play nice), and usually ends up giving his friends a hug or offers them one of his toys. He loves the park, and has managed to climb up on the jungle gym (and then looks at me, confused as to what to do next), loves the baby swings, loves digging through mulch and this is what cracks me up -- when a pack of big kids run by, he stops what he's doing and stares at them (usually moving his feet), wishing he could keep up with them. Sometimes I think he thinks he's bigger and older than he is. He wants to do so much, but he's stuck in a toddler body.

He's sooo independent. Or he likes to think he is. He loves playing outside, has already successfully opened the gate to get out of the yard (oops) and waved bye-bye to me on his way out. He doesn't like to have his hand held when he's walking (wants to do it himself). Hates getting cleaned up after a meal. He's okay with getting spoon-fed. No problem there. Isn't a fan of ice cream, though. I can't figure that one out.

Absolutely loves the pool. Last year, he wasn't a fan, but this year...he enjoys getting the water, splashing, playing...it's really cute. I've also figured out his favorite show. Curious George. Oh, he'll get into pretty much any PBS show -- Sesame Street, Sid the Science Kid, but Curious George is his favorite. I'm thinking that I'll have to start looking for CG stuff for his big boy room. The plan now is to get him into a real bed by Christmas. We'll see how it goes!

And now, a few recent pictures. Enjoy!