Walkie Wednesday

I love Autumn! Even though it’s still 100+ degrees here(stupid Southern California heat wave!), you can still tell that Fall is on it’s way. The days are getting shorter, kids are back in school and the shops are hawking Halloween wares.

30 years ago this time of year would have been heralded with a walk to the bus stop with my mom and an inexpert covering of my textbooks in old grocery bags. 20 years ago I would have improved my textbook covering, ditched Mom and walked to school myself – high hair mini skirt firmly in place as I walked through fallen leaves in new wing-tips.

I spent the Autumns of the mid-late 90s walking around campuses with half my weight in books strapped to my back, save for 1997 – when I spent a drunken Fall in Brussels. Yeah, cobble stones and warm Belgian waffles make for a fine Fall.

The noughties were spent in the much more Fall-friendly climes of London and Vancouver. London was all about bundling up in a pea-coat and sitting in a warm pub; Vancouver was all fire-colored leaves and hot coffee. Well, everywhere is hot coffee for me, but it’s different in Fall.

I was still sort of able to go on walks when we moved to London – long, aimless walks past parks and Victorian homes. My favorite Fall memory of London was starting graduate school, wandering through Bloomsbury in the brisk Fall air. By the time we got to Vancouver my walks were shorter, but no less reverential to the weather gods who could produce a cool, clear day with a gentle breeze to blow orange leaves from the trees.

Now that The Boy is more aware of his surroundings I’m wondering how he’ll respond to Fall. Will he love pumpkin-flavored things as much as me? Will he appreciate jumping into piles of fallen leaves? Will he resent being forced to wear the Yoda costume I got for him for Halloween?

Being a Mom With MS

Last week's bout of stomach flu made me realize many things; that Hubs does get sick sometimes; that I can, with great difficulty, look after The Boy even when suffering from a nasty MS relapse(fever is the devil for folks with MS); that the awesomeness of In N Out is not so awesome as to be able to withstand the stomach flu.

Mostly it made me realize, or come to terms with - I'd long ago realized - that no matter how hard I try or how much I wish, I am not like other mothers nor will I ever be. I am a doting, motivated devoted mom, but I am sick. Chronically sick, and my heart absolutely breaks thinking about it.

I will never get to walk through the park hand in hand with my son, teach him how to ride a bike or do any of the other things I mentioned in this post and that sucks more than anything else has ever sucked! Ever!!!

I just really felt like getting that out there. So now I can move on from debating the merits of getting a maid or a "mother's helper"(I decided against them) or using a harness for walks if I'm in my scooter(I got one, but haven't used it yet as he's still relatively fond of his stroller), to figuring out the ideal time to get an adapted van.

Oh well, I guess I'd be looking at mini vans in a few years anyway.

Foodie Friday

We were terribly sick this week, first The Boy, then Hubs, then me, so I’ve been seriously slack in keeping up with the blogging. We all had a stomach bug that the wee’un picked up from somewhere, presumably by chewing on something he shouldn’t have.

Needless to say my big plans for eating little fat have taken a serious nose dive. Our Friday night at the fair was a nutritional disaster. The days that have passed since then haven’t been particularly healthy either. I tried making some healthy turkey meatballs but they were so dry and terrifying that I have yet to try them(The Boy has enjoyed a few though). I had some In N Out on Wednesday, but promptly threw it all up. I went to bed shortly after.

The waste of a perfectly good burger, fries and milkshake notwithstanding, my main lesson of the day was that I will never get a day off. Ever! Well, at least not for the next 18 years or so.

As bad as I felt, The Boy still needed to be fed, changed, red to and played with. His own improving condition neither knew of nor cared that I felt like I’d been hit by a bus. The bug alone made me feel like a gigantic pile of poo, but the fever the bug brought meant that I moved at the speed approximating that of a glacier, that my limbs felt as though they were tethered to lead bricks.

We got through it, but only just. But as horrible as that sounds, I’m proud of us. I was incredibly sick, knocked on my butt by both the stomach flu and MS but we managed okay. In fact we managed better than okay! I never broke down in tears and The Boy seemed quite happy so, it was actually a success really. Go team!

In Search of Cloth Trainers

Though I bought my first Bum Genius 3.0 at a fancy schmancy boutique in my hometown and filled out the rest of my early stash of Bum Genius 3.0s from diapers.com, the place where I learned the most about cloth diapering was a website called jilliansdrawers.com – the online arm of a shop in Ithaca, New York. (Also a place made famous by THIS post at Young House Love – I’m not one to normally give a shout-out to the popular kids, but I thought it was cool that they actually visited the shop).

It was from Jillian’s Drawers that I got almost all of my wipes(Imse Vimse), my Kissaluvs dipes and my Thirsties covers. Love them!

At first I was looking at them again when I started researching cloth trainers, but then I discovered a local store has cloth trainers as well. The bad news is that the local store doesn’t have the cloth trainers that seem to be the most highly recommended – Imse Vimse brand.



They do have Little Beetles though



So what should I do? Just order some Imse Vimse from Jillian’s Drawers? Get a few of the Imse Vimse dipes from Jillian’s Drawers and a few of the super cute Little Beetles(a brand that is front and center at both Jillian’s Drawers and my local store) to see how they work and to support local business? Should I see if his cloth diapers hold out until he’s old enough to slip effortlessly into using big boy underwear? Am I over thinking this?

What to do? What to do? Good thing The Boy, despite making huge developmental leaps as of late, is nowhere near ready for training pants.

First Trip to the County Fair

We went to the fair this weekend. Hubs was fairly dubious about the whole thing, but was curious to see if The Boy would be more aware of the animals than he was when we went to the zoo a few months ago.

He was! And our trip to the fair was a huge success. He snorted at the pigs, baaa'd at the sheep and goats and mmmmm'd at the cows. And there I was thinking the animals from his Little People farm didn't resemble the actual animals enough to teach him anything meaningful.

Anyway, here is The Boy taking in some of the fine culinary offerings at the fair.


And looking at some cows


And taking a break with Mama in front of a ferris wheel.


It was a good time.

And Some Pics of Cuteness

Just 'cuz.

Coming back from a lunchtime walk with Dad



Showing off my teeth



With Mama at the zoo

Foodie Friday

My week, or half-week as it were since I started on Wednesday, of the MS-friendly Swank diet didn’t go exceptionally well, but it went better than expected considering my love for hamburgers and all things dairy.

Wednesday went pretty well – made the switch to almond milk for my tea and cereal and had broth and udon noodles for lunch. Met some friends for dinner and even passed up some of my favorite fried chicken and mashed potatoes for some angel hair pasta with tomatoes.

My one slip-up – and it was a biggie – was having dessert. Figuring I’d been so doing so well the rest of the day, I indulged in a very chocolatey and very creamy cake.

Thursday was about the same; I did well for breakfast and lunch, but then – having to use the ground beef we’d bought before I decided to eat MS-friendly – I made and ate a Shepherd’s Pie.

Onto today. I’ve been good so far, but am hoping to get The Boy to the County Fair, so I’ll probably be eating a corn dog for dinner and deep fried Twinkie for dessert.

Oh well, it’s progress. And I can shoot for having a few all good days next week.
But in the meantime, in honor of the approach of my favorite season, here is my favorite Autumnal food.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake


Have been baking it with my mom since high school. Originally from Gourmet magazine, now to be found on epicurious.com.

Hope it's a wonderful weekend.

The Best Thing Ever

My sweet boy

Listening to the sweet baby sounds he makes while sleeping, then listening to him talk to himself, or maybe to us, when he wakes up.

Seeing his eyes light up when he plays.

Seeing his eyes light up when his dad is done working, then running over to give his dad a hug.

Dancing and giggling to any and all songs – even the ones his tone-deaf mama sings to him.

Watching how excited he gets when I go anywhere near the fruit bowl, and saying “nananana” to let me know he’d like a banana.

Baby smell, even though he’s a toddler now.

Super soft baby hair.

Saying “Mama” and reaching for me.

Being so transparent when he’s tired, rubbing his eyes and sticking out his lower lip.

Letting me give him kisses even when he would rather play.

Touching my face and smiling when I nurse him.

My Boy is too wonderful for me to be able to list all the things that make him the best thing ever, but this is a start.

Walkie Wednesday

Today is Walkie Wednesday, but I thought I’d also do a Boy word-check today.

Just shy of 14 months, my clever little love now says mama, dada, nana(banana), haaa(hi), daaaaa(bye), uhf(woof), baa(for what goats and sheep say), snort(for what picg say), ooh(for what monkeys say) and he can sign “eat.”

That’s nearly 10 words! Clever little lad.

Anyhoo, someday I’d like to take The Boy for a walk along the Seine, but we have to get to Paris first. In the meantime lunchtime walks with Hubs by our house and walks near the café with Grandpa will do quite nicely.

But when we do get to Paris, I think I’d like to start out by introducing him to Notre Dame, then by stopping off at Shakespeare and Co to get a book or two. We’d then round the corner and get a coffee(hot chocolate for he boy) at the café on Place St. Michel just like I did all those years ago, when I was so poor that I’d nurse a cappuccino for hours and write in my journal, because that’s all I could afford to do.

After pushing The Boy’s boredom threshold, we’d then continue traversing the quay along the Seine, me in my scooter and my boys walking beside me – rolling their eyes at my nostalgic rambling. We’d see the Louvre and Toilleries across the river and walk past Les Invalides and the Musee d’Orsay, before finally rounding a corner and being at the base of the Eiffel Tower.



Awesome!

Attempt Number 2

Here is The Boy taking a walk with Hubs:



And here is some cuteness, just for the heck of it:

A little cuteness

I'm testing my ability to upload pics to my blog, so I thought I'd start with this. None of the promised walking, but it sure is cute.


And I failed. Will keep trying, but have learned my lesson about posting things before previewing them.

Thinking about food

This post at The Heir To Blair reminded me of my own food issues.

What little weight I gained during pregnancy fell off quite quickly, but then eating to make Boy food and far too much inactivity means that I've been gaining again; not weight so much as fat. I still weigh less than I did before I got pregnant, but my once tiny waist as become an unsightly spare tire.

Boo.

In addition to that, I've been contemplating starting a more MS friendly diet. Sadly, the MS diet requires one to cut out fat(all fat, not just butter, cheese and ice cream, but olive oil too!), red meat, legumes and pretty much everything good and tasty in the world.

So therein lies my trepidation. I'm sure following a MS diet would help with my spare tire, it might even help relieve some of my symptoms, but is that all really worth it if it means I have to give up all of my favorite foods?

What to do? What to do?

Walkie Wednesday

Let me preface this by saying that I swore up and down that The Boy would be taking his first steps by 10 months.

Though he wasn’t actually crawling, preferring to belly flop to get from Point A to Point B, he started cruising along furniture and pushing around his wagon when he was just over 8 months. So I kept saying, “mark my words, he’ll be walking within a few weeks.”

I was soon saying that he’d be walking by 12 months. Yup, he’d be ambulatory by his first birthday. And he did me proud be taking his first independent steps on Independence Day. Hooray!

But then he retreated back to the world of crawling, actual crawling(as opposed to belly flopping), but crawling nonetheless.

What a relief it was for my back when, seemingly out of nowhere, The Boy decided to start walking like it’s his job a week after his birthday! That was a month ago, and now that he’s walked on the beach and has a pair of walking shoes I gotta say I miss the cuteness of the crawl.

Ps. I’ve been trying to get my camera to upload some recent piccies and videos of walking cuteness, but am not having any luck. Hopefully Hubs can help me sort it out after work,

First Trip to the Beach: A Short Picture Story

It was a hot one, a real hot one, but we managed to get out and enjoy ourselves over the long weekend.

On Saturday we visited some friends at the beach, giving The Boy his first taste of sand and surf. I wasn't really sure what to expect, and was nervous about having to stay behind at a nearby cafe(stupid MS), but it was important that The Boy have his first visit to the ocean and to let the sand tickle his toes. He is, after all, a Californian.

Here he is with his dad as they approach the beach. It doesn't look so bad from afar.



My best friend, great water and beach lover that he is, took him from Hubs to give The Boy his salty baptism. It didn't go so well.


Unable to be convinced to take a dip, The Boy returned to Hubs and the enjoyed a nice walk in the sand.


After that my boys returned to me happy, slightly sandy and covered in sunscreen(I can be a bit heavy handed with the stuff). I'm so proud of my brave boy!

Some things a mother should never take for granted(but often does)

Going on a morning walk and pointing out the birds, flowers and trees.

Taking your baby to the beach for the first time, holding your baby’s hand as they walk in the sand, wading into the surf and dipping your baby’s toes in the water.

Strolling around the mall and giving your child their first taste of frozen yogurt.

Visiting the zoo and holding your child as they get their first eyeful of monkey.

Going to a museum and showing off your favorite works of art.

Dancing to your favorite 80’s tune with your baby in your arms, because it’s never to early to teach them to love their inner dork.

Visiting a park, laying in the grass and enjoying time with just the two of you. Cuddling in the sunshine the way that you can only do when they’re small.

Hopefully you'll get to do at least one of these things over the long weekend. Enjoy it!

Nigella and Martha Need Not Worry

I am so not a domestic diva.

My best friend brought his girlfriend over for dinner last night. I would have loved to smarten up the place for her visit, but we need to vacuum, there's a pile of mail on the stairs and our cat has decided she likes peeing near her litter box and not in it, meaning the whole upstairs stinks of cat pee. Wouldn't have been the end of the world had my BFF's girl not followed The Boy whilst he demonstrated his stair-climbing talents.

The bright side was that I prepared an awesome meal of chicken pot pie, broccoli salad and chocolate truffle pie. All super yummy Southern food full of creamy goodness. Sounds good, right?

Well, after dinner I learned that she's lactose intolerant. Poor girl.

Thanks for giving me a heads up, BF!

Walkie Wednesday

I’ve decided pay weekly homage to my old favorite pastime: walking. Sounds silly and facile, but I used to luuurrrve walking back in the day. And now, though I may not be so good at the walking anymore(but I can still walk, for those of you that are wondering), it’s definitely become one of The Boy’s favorite things to do.

Yup, walking’s a big deal in our household, so welcome to Walkie Wednesday.

I’m currently in the throes of desperately wanting to plan The Boy’s first trip to Europe, so I’ll begin with a bit of nostalgia by writing about walking in Europe; Prague, to be specific.

A million years ago, when Prague was still part of Czechoslovakia and not part of the Czech Republic, long before Hubs and The Boy were even a glimmer in my eye, I packed a flimsy backpack and took my teenage self to Prague.

This particular walk started in Old Town Square, the gorgeous geographical center of Prague. It was July so it was warm, and I left Old Town Square after dinner and set out on Karlova Street, which extends in a west-ish squiggle from the Square.

The cobblestones were fairly uneven, making for many spills and tumbles when I walked the route a few years later between my job – at a bar – and my best friend’s job – also at a bar. But even in my sober state that last night of my first trip, the cobbles were still a tricky endeavor.

The sun was setting as I wound my way down Karlova Street, filled even then with trinket vendors and tourist wares housed in Baroque buildings. It was awesome and romantic and everything my suburban hometown was not.

And then I crossed Smetanovo Street and ended up on Charles Bridge. Looming ahead of me, atop the big hill in Malastrana(Lesser Town), was Prague Castle, with St. Vitus Cathedral hugging it tightly. The whole thing was lit up perfectly, like the icing on an immaculate cupcake.

I’m not fudging the truth at all by saying that it brought tears to my eyes, or that my life was completely altered by that walk and THAT view.

Hubs has visited Prague with me a few times and remains moderately impressed, but I cannot wait to take The Boy! By the time we take him I’m sure he’ll have grown tired of my stories about backpacking around Europe and living all over the place, but I will still be super excited to show him, in person, some of the life I lived before he and his dad came into my life, and before MS got the better of my walking ability.

As awesome as our day-to-day life may be, I can’t believe how much we have to look forward to. And that walk from Old Town Square to Charles Bridge is at the top of the list.

(Once I get a scanner I'll upload some pics of me and That View