Thankful Thursday

I am thankful today that my 5 yr old boy still likes to snuggle every morning and wants to hold my hand. I am thankful that he loves his new sister so much. A few days ago he said, "I love Ruby so much I wish I could marry her."

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this....

Well only one hour since we dropped Andy off at the airport for a short business trip to Denver and already I am loosing it. Two blowout diapers (one from each daughter), a loud and crazy dinner of PB & J and a screaming baby who wants to snuggle and eat but cant just yet because I discovered Corilynn's desitin finger painting all over the TV remote. Heaven help us.... :)

Granola Recipe!

I've had some requests for the granola recipe and since hippies share things and granola is hippy-friendly - here is the recipe. I hope you all enjoy it. I doubled the recipe to get three big ziplocs full. I omit all the optional things because of preference.

Combine in large mixing bowl
8 c rolled oats
2 c grated coconut
1 t cinnamon
1 C brown sugar
4 oz chopped nuts (I use almonds)
4 oz raisins (optional)
1 1/2 c bran (optional)
1 1/2 c shelled sunflower seeds (optional)

Mix dry ingredients together well and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 and grease 2 cookie sheets (the ones with edges)

Combine in smaller bowl - mix well
1/2 c veg. oil
1 c. honey
2 tsp vanilla

Pour wet honey mixture over oat mixture and mix well. Sometimes you have to use your hands to really distribute the honey mixture everywhere and coat the dry mixture well. Pour half of the granola on each cookie sheet and bake. Turn mixture every 5-10 until golden brown. Once it is golden brown remove from oven and allow to cool. The mixture will still appear moist but will dry to a crunchy state soon after removal from oven. Store in air tight containers or Ziploc. Pig out.

TIP: I have used both raw almonds and dry roasted/salted ones. I find the dry roasted ones much tastier in the granola because of their slight salt content with the sweet granola and because of their roasted crunch.

Hola Granola!

Look out Woodstock and Lollapalooza! We made granola on Friday and its good good good. Every now and then I forget some of my best recipes and then rediscover them and wonder why I don't live off of this recipe because it is sooo good. This granola recipe is my mother-in-laws and it is super tasty. It has roasted almonds, toasted coconut and delicious oats, honey and your every dream come true.

Enlarged to show texture :)

Also here is a cute one of Corilynn who loves to watch the laundry turn in the washer.

Ruby got caught giving me a rude hand gesture the other day. I think we may keep this one for her wedding day.
One more highlight of our weekend - on Friday we were driving home from some errands when we encountered a part of the road that had a lot of clumps of dirt all over it. We figured a tractor had driven down that road and since the ground was really wet from a recently melted snowfall it must have been muddy. No no no - we were wrong. We got home and got out of the car in the garage and took a deep breath of poop smelling garage air. It turns out that our little muddy road was really cow poo which made our garage smell so lovely and rural and farmish. Delightful! Thankfully the last two days have been really rainy and I am really good at hitting all the water puddles so our car tires are clean again and our garage doesn't smell like poo anymore. I guess that is what we get for choosing to live out a bit from civilization in the woods and the wildlife and the poo.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that being a mother teaches me to look beyond myself and that there are more important things than me. There are too many times as a mother that I have had to multi-task a million different things at the same time - all for needs and comforts of my children and not for myself. Today I went grocery shopping and when I got home I had the perfect storm in my home. It was lunch time so the kids needed to eat, Ruby was hungry too, she had a blow out diaper and so in the middle of getting her cleaned up and preparing to soak her outfit, Lyman needed more food, Ruby was naked and screaming, my sister called needing to vent and I still had to dress the baby, get more food for Lyman and Corilynn, feed Ruby and clean up the mess, bring in groceries and put them away before I could get any lunch for myself.

Having to put others before myself is exhausting and when you are mother, often thankless. I am thankful though that God has given me the strength to do it because there are times I don't want to - I really don't want to do something and still I know the choice I will make and it will always be to do the thing for my kid that they need me to do. Here is another example from my life.

Shortly after Ruby's birth I began to have an injury on my chest from nursing. It was excruciatingly painful and over the last 3 weeks it has gotten worse and worse. When Ruby needs to nurse on that side I am often near or brought to tears. It hurts worse than birth or any other pain I have ever felt. I know I need to keep nursing on that side if I want to keep the milk supply up there and I know that pumping for a while would be less painful but it also doesn't keep the milk supply up as well as nursing directly does. There are a lot of options I could do like formula etc that would eliminate my pain but would not be the best option for Ruby.

Last night when it was that side's turn to be nursed on, I started to cry. I didn't want to do it. I really didn't want to do it. I didn't think I could sit through 15 minutes of that pain again. I was holding Ruby on my lap and she was looking up at me. I thought how I really didn't want to nurse her right now. My hand was on her belly holding her from rolling off my legs as I tried to talk myself into what needed to be done. Then I felt her little tummy rumble and I knew what my choice would be. I would nurse her because she needed the milk that I had inside me. She didn't know what pain it would cause me to get it to her. It is moments like this that I realize that if given the choice again I would always choose to feed her regardless of my comfort. I know I will heal and I know it could take a while to heal. I know that Ruby will never know what I have gone through for her. I know also that in a few months she will look up at me while nursing and start to smile and pat my face and it will be worth the struggle. I also know that I am doing for her what my mother did for me despite the pain. I know also that she could experience the same thing with her baby one day and I hope she will make the same choice. I am thankful today that I am a mother and that motherhood forces me to serve others first.

I am also so grateful today that Ruby has learned to smile and is old enough now to enjoy being in her bouncer seat now that she can focus on the toys and look at them. Here are some pictures of her smiling that I was able to capture while she happily sat in her seat.
Isn't she so beautiful? We are so lucky to have 3 beautiful children.

My Fair Baby

Ruby was such a wonderful sleeper last night. It felt so wonderful and I was so proud of her that I needed to blog about it. When you are a mother of a baby or any child really - your patience, your willingness to sit up in the middle of the night - night after night and your general mood towards children is all affected by how much sleep you get. Yesterday Ruby's napping was all messed up and she was sleeping most of the late evening. This made me pretty worried that she wouldn't give me a good night last night. I fed her around 9 pm and put her to bed. Andrew and I watched the rest of our movie together and went to bed ourselves around 11pm. I expected to have to get up with her soon to nurse and wasn't looking forward to the night. She didn't wake up until 3:30am!! Read it again 3:30 AM! It was so great. I woke up just before her of course around 3 - with a grapefruit chest but a happy heart. I laid there too happy that I got to sleep so well to go back to sleep and when she did start to wake up it was a pleasure to feed her even though it only relieved one side. Nothing feels better than being super full and hearing the continuous chug swallows of the baby that is relieving that fullness. Then to have them so milk-drunk that they are floppy and heavy in your arms.

I'll just leave you with the lyrics to the famous song from the Broadway play "My Fair Baby"
"I could of nursed all night,
I could have nursed all night,
and still have expressed some more.

I could have hugged her tight
and forgiven her for all the nights before.
I could have nursed all night
Though glad to not wake up more."

Kid Komedy

When driving in the car recently, I passed each of the kids a chocolate covered cookie for a treat. After they were done eating I was about to give them each a wipe to wash their hands and face with. I asked Corilynn if she had chocolate on her hands. She replied, "No I cleaned them." I replied, "How did you clean them honey?" She answered, "With my tongue."

Lyman asked me a few days ago "Do spirits have hair?"

Ruby hasn't done anything funny but has done some really great smiles recently.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the fun I had yesterday watching my kids enjoy bowling for the first time (that they remember). Lyman's preschool had a field trip to the local bowling alley and so I paid for Corilynn to get to bowl too. They both had a great time. Corilynn was tired after about 5 rounds but Lyman improved his approach and technique each time and actually got 63 points. I believe that is better than one of the times I have bowled before.

It was especially cute to me to see how much Corilynn loved being one of the bigger preschool kids. Which reminds me, I am thankful for the interest in potty training that Corilynn has recently showed - do I dare get my hopes up? She is showing lots of other signs of wanting to be independent and bigger like getting dressed by herself etc. I was hoping being a big sister would do this to her. Cross your fingers this continues and we have a potty trained little girl before long.

Ruby One Month Birthday

Our little Ruby is growing up. She is one month old today. Seriously - when did that month happen? Both of my other kids grew fast but this last month has gone way faster than that. It seems like just yesterday that I was a million days over due waiting around for her to arrive. Sigh....

Happy 1 Month Birthday Ruby: here is what you have done in the past month
Current Weight: 9 lbs 11oz
40th Percentile
Current Length: 22 inches
59th Percentile
Current Head Circumference: 15.15 inch
63th Percentile
You have gained over a pound and grown 2 inches. You have learned to wiggle and love to snuggle with your family. You learned how to give a social smile on January 10th. It still takes all your effort and a good wiggle from every body part before you can figure out the right muscles for that smile but when you do smile, you are so beautiful.

You love to sleep on your tummy and you like it when your back is patted while someone hums songs to you. You usually go to bed around 9 pm and sleep for 4-5 hours before getting up to eat again. You don't like your car seat very much but it seems to be the optimum angle to encourage your bowel movements and you usually have one every time you are in the car seat. Your eyes are blue and your hair is still brown and soft. Your brother likes to hold you on his lap and call you Silly Ruby. Your sister likes to pretend talk for you to tell your mom and dad what you want.

We are so happy you are in our family Ruby and we look forward to see what you learn in the next month of your life.

Baby Tranquilizer

Ok I have to give another shout out to my friend Sam for the Moby wrap she made me for Ruby. This thing is so comfortable and easy to use. Also I think the fabric she picked out might actually radiate tryptophan or some other tranquilizer because seriously Ruby falls asleep like in 2 minutes or less from being put in it. I used it all day yesterday at church and it was great to get to have two hands again while still snuggling my little girl. This of course isnt a picture of me but an example of the wrap.

Thankful Thursday

First off I must mention that I am thankful for the moby wrap that my friend Sam made for me that without I would not be able to type so well right now while holding Ruby.

I am thankful for food faced little girls that are cute even though their hair is uncombed, their face is covered in tomato sauce from dinner and they look a little homeless.

I am thankful for chubby cheeks and bright eyes.

I am thankful for the winter wonderland that has finally come to Ohio for the season.

I am thankful for little yellow church dresses and dimples instead of elbows and knuckles.

I am thankful for kids too cool for school with their shades on.

Lastly, I am thankful today starts my weekend because Andy is off tomorrow.

Facebook Fact Check

Today I was on facebook and saw that one of my friend's facebook status said he was turning 27 today. I thought to myself, "that cant be right - he was in my same grade - I didn't know he was a year older than the rest of us when we were in school together." Then it occurred to me that I will be having a birthday in a few short months and will myself be 27 yrs old. And in fact he was not older than me by a year but that I was actually aging too. When did this happen? I'm not calling 27 old by any means but it sounds big to me and it sounds old enough to be a "grown up". I'm not ready to be a grown up. Hello reality check.