Archive for the ‘house and home’ Category
happy birthday, nana!
Sunday, August 29th, 2010catching up on life
Saturday, August 14th, 2010Matt has already tackled the lawn and debris removal from our yard this morning.
I’m inside doing household tasks, starting laundry and reading emails.
Haven’s slowly waking up.
Might take a walk to the farmer’s market, dry cleaners, post office and the coffee shop.
Other than that, we don’t really have much of an agenda today.
We are catching up on life.
military reunions
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010remembering papa
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010“Papa” Brooks Montgomery
Friday, July 23rd, 2010Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
~ Robert Fulghum
“Papa” Brooks Montgomery
August 1, 1929 - July 23, 2010
replacement blanket
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Not sure if it is cutting it, but we bought a SwaddleDesigns Baby Lovie to replace the deceased blanket. Hey, if it is good enough for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s kid, it sure as hell is good enough for Haven. And, if not, we can try with baby #2…and I even have a backup blanket JUST IN CASES. Plan C? I can turn the used blanket into a rag and the unused backup can be given away as a baby gift. So, if it shows up at your baby shower, you will know how it got there. And, just because it wasn’t good enough for my kid, doesn’t mean it isn’t good enough for YOUR kid. Just ask Brad and Angelina.
rock and roll
Friday, July 16th, 2010What better way to start off a super dooper busy day than to have an EARTHQUAKE. The weirdest thing was that Matt and I were both awake. I have been awake since about 3:40 am and Matt woke up at 4:30 to head into work early. I was sitting on the floor upstairs, digging out diapers from underneath our bed. Matt was downstairs getting ready for work. And the house shook. From upstairs, it felt as if our front loading washer was off balance. Downstairs Matt said the dishes rattled. Weird.
Luckily it was just an earthquake, especially when you consider where we live. And, how did we confirm it was indeedy an earthquake? Twitter. People were tweeting links to the United States Geological Society before CNN or NPR could confirm the news.
And, Haven slept through the whole thing. Actually, it wasn’t THAT big of deal. But, I’m pooped. Going to go back to bed.
about the blanket…
Thursday, July 8th, 2010I promised you I’d tell you the blanket story. I just didn’t expect it would be *this* exciting.
When I was a little girl, I became attached to a woven cotton blanket with a satin trim. I believe it was given to me as a baby and I had it through sixth grade when it’s believed that a babysitter threw it away. We have no proof of that, but it’s my gut feeling.
Anyway, about ten years ago my mom stumbled upon an exact replica (okay maybe not exact, but damn near close) of my blanket. I tucked it away in a box and decided to pull it out a couple of weeks ago to see if Haven liked it. Well, she not only liked it, she loved it. And, shortly thereafter it was requested during naptime/bedtime routines.
The blanket was in good condition, but it was showing a little wear. The satin trim has separated from the woven blanket, but I really didn’t think anything of it. After all, my original blanket was practically threadbare towards the end of its known life. But, early this morning Matt discovered that Haven somehow had her neck wrapped in between where the satin trim and woven blanket had separated and had it twisted around her neck. Before I go any further, she’s FINE. Matt unwrapped the blanket and took it out of her crib while Haven continued to snooze. When she woke up this morning I could hear her saying, “blanket, all gone” several times. She knew something was missing.
I’ve ordered a lovey, actually TWO of them to be delivered on Saturday. I’m not sure if they are going to cut it, but we will see. This afternoon, she is sleeping with two handmade blankets. One was Matt’s as a kid and another one my friend Kristine crocheted as a baby shower gift. I’m forewarning you Kristine…if she becomes attached I will have to commission you to make her another one, just in case. 
The drama of the lovies!
summer survival : popsicles
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010So, after last week’s TAGT, I’m sure you are wondering about this newfangled popsicle maker I bought. Here’s how it works:
Still don’t get it?
It’s outrageous. It’s $50. For a popsicle maker. And, I bought one that was displayed prominently in the window at Williams-Sonoma. Now, I need to give a shout out to those people (Nate and Shanna, and Phyllis) who gave me Christmas or birthday gift cards to Williams-Sonoma, otherwise I would have more than likely left this unneeded gadget on the shelves, where it should have stayed. But, because of their generosity and my insanity, I’ve got one.
This hot Fourth of July weekend was the prime time to try the contraption out. The popsicles took about 12-15 minutes to freeze, but then again, I wasn’t using properly chilled beverages like the manufacturer recommends. It made two batches of popsicles (six total), which we enjoyed outside before lunch. Haven had a popsicle made of juice and Matt and I had ones made with chocolate milk and chocolate chips. I haven’t tried to make anything elaborate just yet (need to invest in some ingredients first) but I am excited to see what else I can whip up (or rather freeze up)!
cold turkey
Monday, July 5th, 2010We’ve quit the pacifier this weekend. At, least I am pretty sure we have. And, I was really, really scared.
For several months now, the pacifier was reserved for naptime and bedtime use only. Yes, I carried it with me for the occasional crazy outburst, the last one during dinner at a restaurant. Who knew that she would get so mad when she had to sit in a highchair? But, for the most part it has been off limits. Occasionally, Haven asked for her “nuh” and I would tell her I don’t have one, whether or not I did, and she would often just go on with life.
Also, over the past month or so, she has become attached to her “baby doll”, a yard sale find, about ten years out of date, so it is likely impossible to find an identical twin. We have found a fraternal twin on Ebay and I am hopeful she will be a suitable replacement if we ever lose the original. This past week we also introduced her to another lovey, a security blanket. More about that later.
So, we decided to march boldly into no pacifier land. And, here’s how it is going:
Friday night: After about an hour of talking and a half-hour or whining/crying, Haven finally went to sleep around 10:00 pm. With some pats on the back and reassurance she fell asleep and slept through the night. She woke up at 8:30 am.
Saturday afternoon: Naptime was non-existent. She talked, she sang, but did not sleep at all during her nap. We finally got her up at 5:30 pm.
Saturday night: Maybe thirty minutes of jabber before falling asleep. She did wake up around 10:30 pm asking for Mommy and Daddy. Matt went in and she went back to sleep. Haven woke up crying (probably a bad dream) at around 7:45 am, and Matt went in to soothe her. She then slept until 9:00 am.
Sunday afternoon: An hour of jabber talking, singing and squealing before napping. MUCH better than a non-existent nap. Slept from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm. We need to gather all of the pacifiers because we keep telling her the “nuhs” are all gone. She’s told us a couple times that her “nuhs” are all gone. So, she gets it. Cool.
Sunday night: Thirty minutes before she quieted down. She slept until 9:00 am.
Monday afternoon: Less than thirty minutes of jabber before she was quiet. Haven woke up around 5:30 pm. All the pacifiers are collected and put away. All eight of them.
Monday night: Some talking before bed. But, very, very little.
I had always believed we would get rid of the pacifiers in some sort of theatrical manner. Like some sort of ceremony where we would bury them in the light of the moon or sacrifice them to the pacifier gods to regift to all the little babies of the world. Instead, it all happened without fanfare. There’s lots of great information out there about how and when, but ultimately, I believe you have to be ready, your child has to be ready and the timing has to be right.
For us, the time felt right. She was not really asking for her pacifier before bedtime. She had become attached to a baby doll and blanket. We had a long weekend at home to work on this. And, WE were ready.