Week in Review

This week wasn't too exciting. A few (very fascinating) highlights:

1. I think Baby G. has graduated from her baby tub. Her last three bathing experiences have been sans tub. Twice I just put her in with Bean Dip. I held her and she floated around. Bean Dip wasn't opposed to it, and now she gets really excited when it's bath time. Last night I took her in the shower with me and she really liked that too. She didn't even get upset when I stuck her head under.

2. BOB has arrived. I finally got around to upgrading from my broken stroller. It took me a while to come to terms with the price, but wow, is it worth it. Bean Dip was so excited to see it (I ordered it so it was delivered) and calls it his "big, red stroller." It is clearly superior to the broken one. You definitely get what you pay for. We went walking with the Meetup group on Friday, and it was fabulous to push. I am a convert.

3. We did another Meetup on Thursday. This one was an afternoon trip to the park. There were a lot of people there, and Bean Dip finally decided he'd play and talk to everyone. He and two other boys had a blast throwing wood chips at each other and chasing each other. At first us moms stepped in and told them not to throw the chips, but once we realized everyone was having fun we let them go at it. I'm glad Bean Dip is finally getting some play time with kids his own age.

4. Win also found out he has a start date for the first part of his training. He'll start in about a week, and after five months of waiting it will be a good change.

5. Bean Dip has been sleeping in his bed! I'm not putting the sleeping bag away just yet, but he has been going to bed without a fight. I'll admit it helps that he hasn't been napping so he is exhausted by bed time.

So that's about it.

Flashback Friday

Firenze, parte duo.

Sightseeing

Piazza di San Lorenzo and its daily market. Our hotel was a few minutes from here.

On Ponte Vecchio, overlooking the Arno. My shades have improved since then.

Wordless Wednesday

Another Milestone

So last night I gave Baby G. her first food. I still haven't gotten around to pumping, but last night at dinner she was grabbing at my food so much I decided to just go ahead and give her some. So I just mixed some rice cereal with water and tried that. She really seems to want food. I gave her just the spoon first and she went nuts for that.

I don't think she actually ate anything. She is still doing the tongue thrusting and pretty much spit everything out. We'll try again today.

I also think it's time to sort through her clothes. She is too long for 3-month sleepers and some of her smaller onesies, and her dresser drawer is bursting at the seams. I keep checking online for the spring/summer clothes to come out so I can start buying her some new things (same with Bean Dip). I'm going to tie-dye again this year and am super excited to try a little sundress for Baby G.

Media Monday

Bean Dip received his first edition of his magazine subscription this week. This year we are trying out Ladybug Magazine. It's a literary magazine for kids aged 3-6 years. It's full of stories and poems and little activities. If you've heard of Cricket Magazine, this is by the same company.

I'm reserving judgement for the time being. Bean Dip liked getting mail, and liked having his own magazine (since we are always reading ours), but we haven't decided yet how much we like the content. At the moment, I almost feel like it is a little too young for him. But we'll see. It usually takes Bean Dip a while to warm up to new things, and then he loves them. And if he isn't interested in it, I can read it to Baby G. I thought it would be fun for him to have his own magazine, and that it would be nice to have something new to read to him every month.

You can check it out here.

Meat

We now have a freezer full of venison. We cut it up yesterday after a trip to the park. I think we have about three roasts, three packs of kebab/soup meat, one package of steaks, and then four packages of tenderloin. I think I might try this recipe tonight. The front shoulders will be turned into sausage (we'll take it somewhere and have that done).

It is definitely a learning experience, but it is pretty exciting (and fun). I am already thinking of what to do differently next year and what we need (like a book on butchering, hint, hint). Win and Bean Dip took the antlers outside and buried them in the yard -- it is a way to naturally clean the fur and skin off. Another way is to boil it, but I won't let Win do that (again).

It is stormy here today, so I think it will be a lazy day of football and movies.

Bringing Home the Bacon

Well, it's not exactly bacon, but Win shot a deer last night. (Don't worry, he was out hunting.) He got a buck with a 6-point rack, and it weighed 117 lbs. That is a pretty good size for a deer here. He shot it straight through the heart -- he couldn't have hit it more perfectly. They stopped by the house on the way to Rocky's (where they cleaned it) so Bean Dip and I could see it and take pictures. After they left, Bean Dip and I looked at the pictures and talked about it. I hope it was a good lesson about killing things (only for food) and what guns can do. `

So. Now we have a cooler full of venison to cut up into dinner-size chunks. I'm glad I had a little practice with the deer leg Rocky gave us a couple months ago.

I've been reading a lot of "green" blogs lately, about people who are trying to live in ways that are healthier for them and the Earth. One guy is trying to live on a 100-mile diet this year, which means only eating things produced within 100 miles of his home. I know that we aren't quite ready to do something that drastic, but with this deer, we'll be eating local, natural, lean meat. Meat that is also delicious. I'm pretty excited.

One of the things I've been trying to do this year (a little on the sly) is make meals using less red meat. I tried ground turkey in chili last weekend, and it was pretty good. Not as hearty as ground beef, but definitely edible. I'd like to sneak in a vegetarian meal once a week, but I'll have to be pretty creative with that. The main eater in the family (Win) likes his protein in the form of meat.

I don't think I'll post a picture of the dead deer on here, but I will of the butchering process.

Flashback Friday

Florence, April 2008. We took the train with Michelle, Vivian, and Grandma for a long weekend. We had a blast. These are pictures from the first day.

Waiting for the train in Padova.

We missed our stop in Florence and had to take a slow train back. It turned out to be perfect, because we had this car to ourselves, and we released the babies to explore.

The Duomo

Doesn't it look yummy?

Our fat little world travelers

Bean Dip Shorts

Yesterday I Skyped with Win's sister for two hours. Collins is currently in Burkina Faso (in Africa) teaching English. It was great to talk/see her, and she got to see Baby G. Bean Dip woke up from his nap while I was talking to her, and he immediately popped up and started showing her everything -- his toys, his room, his gangsta look. Then he decided he wanted to take her outside. So we all trooped outside, me with Baby G. and the laptop following him. He showed her his digging area and how he digs holes. She asked him what he was going to plant, and he thought for a moment and then said, "Beans and corn, and noodles!"

This evening we were eating dinner: chili. Bean Dip likes it because it has beans, and lots of toppings. He does exactly what Dada does -- grated cheese, crumbled tortilla chips. This was leftover night, and during the first round on Monday, he even tried some jalapenos on top. Tonight, he decided to try sour cream. I gave him a blob, and he scooped the entire thing up. Win said, "Don't eat it like that! You have to stir it into the chili." Bean Dip said, "No, I eat it like that." And he did. He took a spoonful and immediately gagged. I cracked up. After he got over the gagging, he laughed too.

First Beach Days of 2010

The Grands

Indoor swimming

Windy and cold, cold, cold!

Wordless Wednesday

Five months

MLK Jr Weekend

We had a great weekend with family and friends. My parents drove down and brought our overflow of Christmas presents, and a bed for Bean Dip. We drove down to Florida for a night and stayed in Destin. The weather was complete crap, but we still had fun.

We saw Alex and Venusja. We took advantage of the grands and went out with them for a couple hours that night. We went to Maguire's Pub (apparently it is famous) for a few beers. I checked my phone every couple minutes and felt very strange without one or two little bodies attached to me, but I had a blast. Venusja and I even did a shot (a lemon drop, very girly and weak) for old times' sake. Win and I are both SO glad that they are so close to us.

Sunday was cold and windy, so we hung out at a bar in Grayton Beach. Food, beer, football, and live music, and we were happy. I am beginning to love Florida and starting to wish there was an Army post somewhere on the coast.

Pictures to come.

Media Monday

No new books today. I'm still working on "Out Stealing Horses," and Win is searching for a new book.

Solving the Mystery of the Nighttime Screamer and Other Stories

We had a pretty good week. It finally warmed up so we could get outside a bit. I've been working on the yard. I think I have about a quarter of the back semi-leafless now. Compost is doing much of anything. But I'm getting ideas for flowers, plants, etc. By the way, raking leaves is a really good workout.

We have had lots of sleepless nights this week, due to our sweet daughter screaming her head off all night. I could not figure out what it was -- sometimes she was hungry, sometimes she'd be sound asleep and just start yelling. She'd be in the crib, or with us, and just cry. She has trouble burping, so I'd try that, but she'd usually be crying too much. And after a couple nights, I'd be so tired I'd let her get really worked up before I'd get up to get her. So ... last night I gave her some Tylenol, fed and rocked her, and put her to bed. And this time, I put a pillow under her mattress so she'd sleep with her head elevated. It worked. I actually woke up several times, because there wasn't crying, and jumped up to make sure she was OK. She ate at 11 p.m. and then again at 4 a.m., and was awake and smiling at 7. I really hope that this is the end of that; we were exhausted.

On Monday, we all went to the Fitness Center on post, and Win and Bean Dip went swimming at the indoor pool. Bean Dip was more interested in throwing all the floaty things into the water instead of swimming, but he still went in for a bit. Baby G. thought it was pretty entertaining. It was at least something different to do. And we had the pool pretty much to ourselves except for a guy doing the flight swim test. (You have to be able to swim in your flight gear if you want to be a pilot.)

Also in the spirit of doing new things, on Tuesday I took the kiddos to the public library. We were successful, in that there were no tantrums or crying. Bean Dip played with the puzzles, then picked out two books and checked them out. Baby G. fell asleep in the sling. The library wasn't great, but it's not bad, and it is right next to the lot where the farmers' market will be in the spring.

Baby G. rolled over yesterday! I knew she was going to do it soon, even though she hates being on her stomach. She is also propping herself up on her arms and playing with toys while on her stomach. I know she really wants to move.

I think that is all ... hope everyone has a good weekend.

Flashback Friday

Flashback to September 2007. Day trip to Soave, Italy, for olive oil and wine tasting with Samantha and Hannah, and Patrisha and Semaya. One of many "babies on parade" trips we did together.

Overlooking Soave from the castle

Olive oil tasting

Buy your wine by the liter

Lunch time (Look how Bean Dip is eyeing up the girls)

Movie Review

It is something of an experience to watch a war movie with a soldier, especially one who has been deployed. There is a constant commentary on the weapons, the gear, and the accuracy of what war is really like. Sometime he tells you way more than you want to know, like what really happens when a certain kind of bullet hits a person. Way too much information. Or he will will tell you his own stories, and what soldiers really think/say in certain war situations. There is no way to suspend disbelief when watching one of these movies with a soldier. He will tell you everything.

We watched "The Hurt Locker" this week, and it was really good. Win was actually pretty quiet during the movie, which means it is pretty accurate. I even liked it, even though it is about the current war. Maybe I liked it because it was pretty realistic.

There were a few things that drove him crazy about it, though. As he said, "The woman producer must have a raging boner for EOD." The team the movie follows always went out alone, without a convoy. Very unrealistic. And they also did lots of things that infantry soldiers would do. EOD has a specific job -- to take care of bombs. Also, Win said that soldiers never dwell on death like the guys in the movie.

But overall it was a really good movie. Win said the juxtaposition at the end, of a soldier coming back from war was the most realistic one he's seen.

Like I said, good movie. But probably not one to watch while your soldier is deployed. But if he is, you probably already know that.

Wordless Wednesday

OK, not so wordless today. This is how Baby G. falls asleep. She pulls her bunny over her head, just like both Win and Bean Dip pull covers over their heads when they sleep. It is pretty cute, and I still can't get over how attached she is to that rabbit. Her face lights up every time she sees it, and some part of it, along with her thumb, immediately goes straight to her mouth.

Media Monday

A Post-Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning

What the Recruiter Won't Tell You

Tuesday was the first official day back from leave, and it turned out to also be the day of the Army's traditional post-leave drug test. Win had a meeting at 1 p.m., came home and said the testing was starting at 3 p.m. His block time was for 4 p.m. In the true Army spirit of efficiency, the unit was planning to test around 800 people that day, with one UPL (couldn't tell you what that stands for, but it is the official who runs the testing). In other words, it was going to take hours.

So Win went in at his time, and got put to work. For two hours, his job for the Army was the glorious one of watching grown men pee in little cups. For obvious reasons, it's quite unpleasant to be the "cock-watcher" or "meat-gazer." He came home and told me that as he was following a guy with his pee cup in his hand, he thought, "I can't believe this is what the Army is paying me to do."

As for those 800 who were supposed to be tested on Tuesday, many were there until 10 p.m. that night, and on Friday they were finally finishing up.

My Big Backyard

I have big plans for our backyard. I started my compost pile today, and I'm pretty excited. I have no idea how well it will do, but I figure it can't be that hard. I emptied my first round of kitchen organics into a corner of the yard, and covered it with pine needles and leaves I raked up. I've done a little research here, and it said pine needles aren't the best, but will work. I guess I am doing the "cold" method, i.e., letting it sit and decompose on its own.

While Lem was running around, I started raking up the leaves and pine needles in the yard. It is going to take a while -- the ground is completely covered. We have five pine trees in the yard. But it gives me something to do, and it's exercise. I am hoping beyond hope that clearing the ground will give what little grass/ground cover we have a chance to grow.

There is a little flower bed that I hope to plant with some herbs and tomatoes this spring. That is where the planned compost will go.

So, maybe the coldest day in January isn't the best time to start spring gardening but it is something to do. Although, in hindsight, perhaps I shouldn't be gardening in my Uggs.

Flashback Friday

June 2008

Well Baby

Baby G. had her four-month well baby appointment today. She's 25.25 inches long and 13.1 pounds. The doctor told me that because she is so long she is considered underweight at 13 pounds. So ... I guess I will be digging out the pump and stocking up on rice cereal and mashed produce, since that is what the doctor recommended. I'm not really sure if she (and I) are ready for real food, but we'll give it a shot. Other than that, she is doing great. She got her next round of immunizations and has been really happy considering it was three shots. Bean Dip also got his second round of the H1N1 vaccine and barely blinked when she shoved it up his nose.

My only complaint is it took almost an hour to get seen by the doctor. That is a long time to wait, especially for a two year old. It was also very hot in the building, and very cold outside. But we survived.

Wordless Wednesday

The sulk

The rescue

Cold

We are finally warming up after a very cold morning. It has been really cold here, well for Alabama, at least. In the 20s at night and 40s during the day. So, perfect timing for an electrical problem and no heat. It took the electric company more than four hours to fix the problem; by the time we were able to turn the heat back on the inside temperature was 56. Pretty cold for us, especially when we are all recovering from being sick.

Win went out to buy some firewood, figuring we could warm up with that. Turns out the entire town was out of it. Thankfully, there was some left on post and a friend picked some up for us and dropped it off.

And now he is back at work for a recall formation and will probably be gone all afternoon. Perfect for me, since I was planning to go to the commissary finally to get some food ... I am avoiding taking both kids at all costs. So I guess we will just have a quiet afternoon at home, stay warm, and see how the rest of the day goes.

Christmas Eve

The aftermath

Second cousins (or first cousins once removed, I'm not quite sure)

Sharing a beer

Check This Out

Read THIS.

Media Monday

I've decided to try adding several weekly posts this year. This is the first. I'll be posting what we are all reading each week. We'll see how it goes.





Can you guess who is reading what?

Four Months

Since I haven't posted pictures at all this month, this week I'll be catching up.

Four Months (12.19.09)

No Ziggy for Us

I have read/heard about families doing road trips, and having to listen to Raffi or some other silly children's music for hours on end. I remember listening to Wee Sing when I was a kid. But not in our car. No Ziggy Marley or Raffi for my sweet little daughter. When she gets angry in the car, we crank up the bass and turn on the rap. And as I've said before, it's not the hip-hop junk you hear on the radio. She only likes the dirty, hardcore gangsta rap, the more explicit the better. A few of her faves are Wale, Lord Infamous, T. Rock, and 8Ball. It is too funny, because she'll be inconsolable, and the minute the music comes on she stops. Turn it off and she starts crying again.


In other funny Gwyn news, we got her this bunny for Christmas, and she loves it. It's only been a week, and she is totally attached to it. For some reason, it reminds her to suck her thumb when she's angry or tired. Just give her her rabbit, and she thows it over her face and goes for her thumb. Her face lights up when she sees it, and it is already covered in drool.

I didn't know that four-month-olds would need a lovey (or dou-dou, as the Web site calls them), but I'm happy she likes this so much. I wonder if it will last as her dou-dou, or if she will grow out of it, like Lem did with my brush. (He went from dragging around my brush to wearing his bear backpack to finally having George, his sock monkey.)

So, as Win said, if you ask Gwyn what her three favorite things are, it would be rap, her rabbit, and her thumb. I'm very interested to see how this plays out as she grows.

The New Year

This is the first I've gotten to blog in 2010, because we were driving back to Bama. We decided to leave on the first, a day early, and take our time. It was good, we slept in and spent New Year's morning with my family, then headed out around nap time. Stopped for a break in Paducah, Ky., and spent the night in Nashville, Ky. Drove the rest yesterday and were home by 4 p.m. I hated leaving early, but I know it was a good idea. Lem was so happy to be home, and I'm so glad that he is finally calling Bama home. He went to bed by 8 p.m. and slept all night in his room.

A few things:
How I love the Midwest. We stopped at the same Logan's Roadhouse (awesome wings!) in Paducah on both trips. On the way up, Gwyn was mobbed by women in the classic Christmas sweaters and sweatshirts. On the way down, I observed lots of men wearing cowboy boots and long duster coats. And both times I saw families come in, all rockin' camo jackets. And of course, everyone is incredibly friendly. On this last stop, Lem flirted with the waitresses and "shot" people with his straw. And, being the Midwest, no one batted an eye.

Both kids were great in the car. I think starting them early (in life) makes all the difference. And having an unending supply of toys, goodies and surprises helps.

LOVE our families and had a great time at home, despite the attacking viruses and bad weather. It always goes so fast and is so busy. I never got my shopping trip with my mom in ... maybe this spring/summer when I come home again.

New Year's resolution: Do more stuff. Very vague, I know, but this is what I mean. I want to be more productive and creative with Lem and Gwyn, turn off the TV, and get involved in more things. I'm also going to start running/exercising seriously, so I won't be embarrassed to put on a bikini this summer.

I also have to say that my brother has a great resolution: Get out of his comfort zone. I think that is going to be really hard but great if he does it. And I'm sure he will.