Babies vs. Doggies

When I think about it, there isn't much different between Little Man and The Crazy One.


(Little Man (in his hour of helmet-free time) and The Crazy One)

• Both wake me up early to eat
• Both play with squeaky toys
• Both drool a lot
• Both chew on anything they can get into their mouth
• Both give me "messes" to clean up
• Both fill my heart with so much love - I cannot imagine my life without them!

Shameless Promotion

My sister is a photographer and loves taking photographs of kids doing what kids do best; playing, getting messy, and just living life.

Here is a shot of Little Man she took and edited for me (I told you I loved his feet!).

(Click the picture to get more info)


If you are in the Philadelphia area and would love to get some photo journalistic style pictures of your family, you should give her a shout!

Monkey Business

Little Man's space stickers were peeling off (The front became "I'm out of this WORD") so it was time to re-design the helmet! I came across some monkey stickers at Target & A.C. Moore and thought they suited him.

He's definitely my little monkey right now!

Everything I've Learned, I've Learned From my Mother

Including how to relax at the end of the day....

Baby Feet

I have an obsession with Little Man's feet.

When they are naked and in the vicinity of my face, I have to kiss them. A lot. They are so small and cute and so darn edible. It pains to me to put socks and shoes on them (even though I have a shoe obsession too...). It also breaks my heart knowing that every day, they are getting bigger. And eventually, they won't be these tiny little scrumptious snacks but old ugly man feet. *sad face*



(Little Man's and Dear Husband's sneakers)


But until that fateful day, I will nibble on those toes and kiss those heels and love those feet.



(Yum, Yum. Little Man's toes)

I Yam What I Yam

Except when a yam is really a sweet potato.

But I digress. I have been making baby food for Little Man for awhile now. We started him on solids at 4 months (with his pediatrician's okay) and have been treating him to many yummy fruits and veggies since.

First was an avocado, then he had carrots, butternut squash, peas, yellow squash, apples, and bananas. But his favorite food right now is yams/sweet potatoes. This makes me happy since they are easy to make.

I clean them, wrap them in aluminum foil, then bake them at 400 degrees for an hour.



(after baking)


Then I pull the skins away from the meat (really easy to do once they are cooked) and put in my mini-prep food processor. A blender would also work for this task.



(yam meat in the processor)


I blend them until they are a smooth consistency, then jar 'em up and put 'em in the freezer.
Yum Yum Food for Little Man!

"Yay!" For Good Deals Part 2

I have to brag about my great score.
A woman on Craig's List was selling a lot of baby items for $20. I did the math and the retail on all the toys would have been just about $200. (I could have haggled, but I plan on re-selling these in the future and don't want bad karma in that department.... ) Best part is the toys look like they've never been used. Little Man is going to have Christmas in July tomorrow!

Helmet Stares

When I am out with Little Man, I get a lot of looks in our direction because of his helmet.  I don't mind because it's not everyday you see a baby looking like he is ready to to catch the winning pass in the end zone.

Most people don't ask what it is for. They just look confused and go on their merry way. Sometimes you get the brave ones that ask some humorous questions. "Does he fall down a lot?" "Is he wearing a hockey helmet?" I don't mind those because I know they are genuinely interested in the helmet and aren't familiar with placgiocephaly. I had no idea about until Little Man was diagnosed!

The best are the kids that want to know what it is all about. "Is his head broken?" It's hard to explain to kids why he wears the helmet, so I just tell them that he has a crooked head and it needs to be straightened out. That seems to work.

Here are shots of the newest helmet design.
We're doing a "Outer Space" theme this week.

"Yay!" For Good Deals

I've been on the hunt for good toys and books for Little Man since he is now at the age where he is learning to explore EVERYTHING.

So every Saturday this month, I have been garage sale hunting. Today I feel like I got my best score. 12 books for $1. And they included some great classics, like "Goodnight Moon", "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie", Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and many others!

Here is a pic of my awesome finds!

Yum Yum Food

I was feeling creative a few nights back and decided to make my own "Lemon Chicken Pasta"

I pounded a chicken breast to about 1/2" thick and cut it in half and then rolled it around in some flour.

Then I heated up my cast iron frying pan and poured some olive oil in... about 2-3 tbsp. Then I sprinkled in some garlic salt. After the pan was nice and hot, I placed the (now in 2 pieces) chicken breast and let it cook for about 5 minutes on one side, then I flipped it over and finished the cooking on the other side. Afterwards, I took the chicken out of the pan and covered it so it would stay nice and hot. I deglazed the frying pan with some white wine (about 1/2 cup) and let that simmer a bit, then I added about a 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a teaspoon on minced garlic. I let it simmer some more until I was sure all the flavors melded together. Lastly, I added some sour cream (about a tablespoon) to thicken the sauce a bit.

The chicken and the sauce was added to some angel hair pasta and broccoli.

Considering I did this with no recipe, it turned out nice. I would only say that next time, I may add some sugar (brown perhaps) to counteract the acidity of the lemon. Otherwise it was Yum Yum and I'll definitely be making it again!

Bye Bye, My Love

Today is a bittersweet day for me.

I sold my car. My Mitsubishi Eclipse. The first big purchase I ever made as an adult (I was 19!). I commuted to school in it. I drove to my first "real job" interview and then subsequently, my first "real job". I drove it during all 9 months of pregnancy, even though towards the end it was difficult getting in and out of it.

I haven't always been kind to it (a few bumps and bruises throughout the years) but it was always good to me!

Now, another young lady will be driving it to school and even possibly her first "real job" interview.

Relish every second

Today we buried my cousin's husband.

He was a few months shy of turning 50. He left behind 3 children; 21, 18, and 10, a beautiful wife, and countless friends and family members who loved him.

It was a sudden death, completely unexpected. In my opinion, the worst kind.

But if anything good can come out of something so sad, it's to learn to relish every second you have on this earth. Take a break from the everyday to enjoy life. Enjoy the sunsets and sunrises. And above all, make sure your loved ones know how much you mean to them.

Fun with Plagiocephaly!

Little Man has plagiocephaly (Play-Gee-O-Seph-Ah-Lee) which is a fancy word for a flat head.



Well, to fix the problem he has to wear a corrective helmet for a few months (average is 12-16 weeks).
Information on the helmet and plagiocephaly: http://www.starbandkids.com/

It's not a fancy helmet, so to give it some character, I've decorated it with stickers.

So far we've had an ocean theme, since we were on vacation at a beach

(Seen here sleeping on his aunt)

For Independence Day, I put red,. white, and blue stars all over it. Can't find a pic of that now...

And right now, in honor of The Crazy One (our dog), I decorated the helmet with some canine flare.


Silly? Yes. But it helps to make the experience less medical. So far it's been 4 weeks and we've seen progress. Can't wait to see his head at the end!

Sun Showers

I love sun showers. They amaze me.



According to Wikipedia (and we know how accurate they are...)
"The nature of cumuluform clouds is such that the sun can often be seen while they are producing rain. If a sun shower occurs when the sun is low in the sky (specifically, any time the sun is at less than a 42° angle), a rainbow can occur."

I did not see a rainbow. Maybe next time!