Back!

Well, I'd say our first vacation as a family of 3 was a rousing success. We packed everything we own into our van and hit the road for a 3 hour journey to our state's coast. Susan's parents, sister and our nephews were already there when we got in and the hurricane did little more than make our first day rainy and kick up some big waves.

We stayed in a cottage that was nice enough (if you didn't want to say, consume a beverage while you were there, vacuum or use the phone) in Kill Devil Hills. We did a little shopping, a lot of beaching, some touristy stuff and a WHOLE lotta eatin'. Theo watched his cousins rip roar around the house, splashed in the ocean, ate a little sand, saw much of the island from one of our backs in the Pikkolo, got lots of love from Gran and Grandaddy and just had a great time in general.

Susan and I enjoyed just being together as a family without schedule juggling, dog caring, diaper washing and budget stressing. We decided for our week of vacation to just relax and let the woes of Raleigh wait until we got back. I got to ride a wave or two for the first time since before I got pregnant which was very fun and Susan got to show me around the Outer Banks, a place she has loved since she was a little kid.

We were sad to come home, but also a little happy to be back in our own surroundings with our own routine. Our life may be quiet and simple, but it's also familiar and ours. Theo looked all around his room and clapped, I think he was glad to be home too.

It seems like whenever we go away, he grows by leaps and bounds. He's making some definite progress on the crawling front and is rocking on his hands and knees and even doing a 1-2 forward motion combo. Maybe he will crawl, after all. His other new development is demonstrating when he is unsure or a bit shy. When someone he doesn't know too well speaks to him, he tucks his head under one of our chins and peeps out. It's cute and secretly I love that he sees us as his comfort.

As I write this, he is tucked next to me sleeping off his first little fever. It's probably just teething (still no teeth to speak of) or some little germ he picked up on vacation. He's been really clingy today and it's obvious he is feeling kind of crummy, so hopefully he will be better in the morning.

So, we are back from vacation refreshed and looking forward to the fall. This is my absolute favorite time of year, as the dog days of summer wind down and the pumpkins, apples, leaves and sweaters come out. I can't wait to share my favorite season with my favorite little boy.

Enjoy the pictures - you can see the rest by clicking here. I have opened a Flickr account, so check it from time to time for new pictures.

Gone fishin'.

We are outta here! Leaving today for a week at the Outer Banks with Susan's family. Crossing our fingers that our mild illness doesn't become major and that the hurricane does nothing but kick up some nice waves for us. 

See ya in a week!

Nine months of love.

Monkey Moo is nine months old! He had his well baby visit today and did very well. The pediatrician said he looks perfect and is pleased with his development and growth. He was 19 pounds and 28 and 1/4 inches tall, which puts him in the 20th % for weight and 41st % for height. She said to continue with solid food being just for fun and keep giving him mostly breastmilk. He got his second vaccine ever, the 2nd part of the HIB. Susan is in charge of holding for shots and just like last time, he barely cried. We go back right after he turns a year old for his next appointment. 

He enjoys playing with laptops, cell phones and anything else he really shouldn't have. He loves to clap and really loves to look for his doggies. He still does not love to sleep, much to our dismay. He is a sweet, lovable little fella and we are so lucky to have him!

On the road again ...

Theo and I are off to Virginia tomorrow. Shawn is having a cookout at her new(ish) house and I'm very excited to have lunch with my good friend, Jenny. Gramma and Papa are very excited to see Theo and happy I am around to give him a ride. :) 

Susan will be working, of course, and hopefully getting herself some uninterrupted blocks of sleep. I'm jealous. 

Cutest tushie in town.

Seriously. Have you ever seen anything as cute as this? Almost makes washing all those stinky diapers worth it. 

Belly laughs.

Untitled from Melissa Hill on Vimeo.

Technicolor food.

How pretty is this? I cooked up this little delight for dinner tonight. It was super fab, even if it did take me all of Theo's nap time to make the damn salsa and I got a jalepeno burn in my eye. Here's a tip - when seeding a jalepeno, wear gloves. 

Mango Lime Porkchops

Marinade:

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 boneless pork loin chops

Salsa:

2 mangoes, peeled and cubed

4 kiwi fruit, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 tbsp each lemon and lime juice

2 tsp fresh mint

1 tsp honey

1/4 tsp salt

1. In a large plastic bag, combine the marinade ingredients, add pork chops, turn to coat and refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard marinade, grill chops over medium heat for 6-7 minutes a side

2. In a bowl, combine the salsa ingredients, cover and refrigerate before serving.

Home cookin'.

So. While Theo is largely still a boob man, he is starting to discover the wide world of solid food. The boy likes to eat (which he comes by honestly) and hasn't really met a food he hasn't liked. Seeing as how we are so green and organic and want only the best for our child cheap, I make all of Theo's food. I use a great, free website to come up with ideas and because you are all just dying to make your baby's food too (or yours, post dental surgery or rough hockey game or something), here you go. 

Start with some delicious produce. We don't buy all organic, just the Dirty Dozen. 

Some people think you need a fancy gizmo - nah, just a regular ol' food steamer will do ya.

Isn't that a happy sight?

In the 16 minutes it takes to make steamed veggie goodness, I cook up some of this. Some gets pureed in the vegetables (hey, even Gerber makes a vegetable noodle dish!) and some gets tossed on the tray for some pasta pick up practice.

A little bloggy magic and all our fruits and veggies (steamed separately) are ready to be made into purees. Use the water that cooked off to help thin, UNLESS you are using carrots. They have nitrates - major badness. Just use regular water if you have nitrate poisoned cooking water. Put a little combo in the Magic Bullet. Oh yeah, "As Seen on TV" in all it's glory. 

Oh yeah. Beautiful. Apple sweet potato goodness. 

Two hours from start to finish and here you  have it. Homemade baby grub. 

Theo has a lot of favorites, but anything with pears ranks high on his list. And no you don't have to wait on fruit, especially with breastfed babes. That whole idea about rejecting veggies if they have only tasted the sweet has been debunked. So, bring on the apples!

And hey, even Theo gets a TV dinner now and again. We do have lives are lazy, afterall. 

Whose baby is it?

This is what we got asked at the Gap over the weekend as the salesgirl was oohing and ahhing over Theo. Aw, whose baby is it? Yours or hers?

I thought to myself, what a ridiculous question. 

He has dimples just like Susan, but has my chubby cheeks. His hair has a bit of reddish tint like his Mom, but one of his eyes crinkles up like his Mama's when he smiles. He loves to read like me and when he smiles, his whole face lights up, just like Susan. So, clearly, he's ours. Can't everyone see that? I know, I'm sure this sounds absurd. I really do have to remind myself sometimes that he does not have a genetic imprint from both of us. To us, he is so clearly ours that I forget that to the rest of the world he looks like hers or mine. 

Upon this realization, I looked at her said exactly the right thing to say, the only thing to say, "he's ours." And he is. He's my chubby cheeks and crinkly eye and Susan's big dimply smile. And, well, some guy in the Midwest's nose ... but, mostly ours. 

If you're happy and you know it ...

... then you should definitely clap your hands. Baby boy has had a development boom this weekend. In one day he decided to start eating biter biscuits without choking, log roll all over the room and clap his hands. The clapping is too cute. And it's true what they say about babies learning a new skill and then wanting to do it all the time. He woke up this morning clapping. His eyes weren't even open yet and he was clapping away. He claps while he eats, he claps while he nurses, he is an all around clapping pro. 

And here's something to clap about - I have started Weight Watchers. Breastfeeding seems to have lost its magical weight loss powers, so now I actually have to work at it. I get a bunch of points since I am nursing which is one more reason to nurse forever! Well, at least for another year. So, hopefully the beach I will be feeling less like a whale and more like say, a manatee. At least I know Theo will be clapping for me!