3 months old!

Little Jude turned three months old last week! I voluntarily took him in for a weight check, just so I could congratulate myself on 3 months of breastfeeding well done. This turned out to be a BAD idea, and I should have known, since I've been through it all before with Isobel. Here's how things went down:

[at the scale]
me: Wow, he gained over a pound in only a month! That's got to be some kind of record!
nurse: Uh-huh. HE IS THE CUTEST BABY I'VE EVER SEEN. Seriously, how do you stand it? I see a lot of babies every day, and HE IS THE CUTEST.

Ok, she didn't really say that. But she definitely was charmed out of her wits by his adorable smile, even if she didn't admit it aloud.
Then the doctor came in and expressed concern that last month Jude was in the 25th percentile for weight, and now he's only in the 10th percentile. She suggested that I try to get him to nurse longer at each session, but that hasn't really been happening. And this whole issue is EXACTLY what happened with Isobel at about this same age. So I know what's coming:
the herbal tea and pumping to try and get my milk supply up,
the absurdly frequent feedings even when the baby isn't hungry,
the weekly weight checks, and ultimately
the formula and starting solids early.
Aaaaaaargh. I know he's perfectly healthy, and given his genes (Brooke was in the 10th percentile and Isobel and I both "failed to thrive") I'm not surprised that we're having this issue. But how can I prove that he's getting enough to eat? I can't. So I'm just going to enjoy exclusively breastfeeding until his next appointment at the beginning of July, and I'll try to keep this zen-like mindset:

Someday he'll be a healthy toddler running around and none of this will matter.

On a happier note, he rolls! Tummy to back AND back to tummy! And he giggles, and he smiles, and he drools! He is wonderful. Here he is with his friend Oliver:

Lest you think she's been forgotten, here's my new favorite picture of Isobel:

A tidbit about her:

Isobel LOVES to play in the dirt. She loves sand, too, but what we have around our house is dirt, so that's what she knows best. I have to keep a close eye on her when we're on our way out to the car because she will make a pitstop in the dirt and soil her hands/face/clothes before I can say, "Please don't play in the dirt right now!"

Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 1

Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 1

Christina | MySpace Video

Sometimes when I feel insecure from facebook-stalking old boyfriends, I watch this video and it makes me feel MUCH better. Because even if I'm a boring old mom now, I used to be really cool. And skinny.

cards!

For the last few months, I've been making these cards for various occasions- thank yous, new babies, birthdays, etc., and today Nicole suggested I share the idea. It's so easy that even a person such as myself can handle it. Please don't tell the feds about my (probably) infringing upon copyright laws to make these. I don't sell them! That makes it ok, right? Sorta? Anyway, here we go...

Supplies needed:

• your favorite children's books
• white cardstock or sturdy white paper
• computer and printer/scanner
• notecards (I buy them cheap at Michael's- the ones that come with envelopes)
• something sticky, like tape or glue or those little photo stickers
• contrasting paper (optional- I only use it when I'm using white notecards)

1. Scan pages from your favorite books. The ones pictured above are (left to right) The Best Nest, by P.D. Eastman, Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey, Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman, and Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gág. I've also done The Little Engine That Could, Corduroy, The Runaway Bunny, and my personal favorite, The Story of Ferdinand. And in the works are Where the Wild Things Are, Make Way for Ducklings, and Caps for Sale. I have LOTS of favorite children's books, and I can get seriously carried away with this kind of thing. But I digress...
2. If you have iphoto, crank up the contrast and the saturation until you have a nice bold image. I've sharpened a few of them when the scan comes out a little blurry, but I don't stress out about making it perfect. On a PC, you can probably do these things in MS Paint? Or, even better, download Picasa.
3. Drag the photo into Word and adjust the size (locking the aspect ratio) to fit your card.
4. Print it onto your sturdy paper or cardstock, cut it out, and stick it on the pre-made card.
5. Give credit where it's due: On the back of the card, write (or print and paste) the author and/or illustrator's name and the title of the book.

Finito!

Stawberries and Baseball

This last Saturday was the most fun we've had since that Saturday when we went to Raleigh, the weekend before Jude was born. It's wonderful to feel like we are adjusted enough to the new 2-child arrangement that we can actually get out and enjoy ourselves every once in a while.

We picked our own strawberries at Rudd Farm and it was AWESOME. There were perfectly ripe, red strawberries everywhere you looked; I haven't had such good fruit since Kazakhstan. Isobel ate at least as many as she contributed to our basket. Do you like how I strategically dressed her in a strawberry-colored shirt?

I don't think I can overstate how gloriously delicious these strawberries are. This picture doesn't do them justice.

And tonight I made a small army of chocolate-dipped strawberries. I wish the lighting were better so these would look more appetizing. They really are beautiful in real life.

That evening we went to a minor league baseball game: Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Hickory Crawdads. Yes, those seriously are the teams' names. I love living here.
Jude disapproves of the Grasshoppers because they lost by lots of points.

But we had a great time anyway with our friends, the Carpers, and (because?) all of the children were remarkably well-behaved!

Hootenanny!

It's high time I blogged about something I love besides Isobel and Jude. I do love lots of other things, you know. One of them is BREAKFAST:

That there's some good eatin'. The bigger dish holds what my family calls German Pancakes, but I've also heard it called Oven Pancakes or Hootenanny. I'm not going to lie... there may have been times in my life when I've eaten a whole pan all by myself. And you know why it's so good? Because that liquid pooling on the top is BUTTER.
The stuff in the little container is delicious Lemon Curd, which is served atop the German Pancakes for a party-in-your-mouth combination. So, without further ado, here are the recipes for both!

German Pancakes (from Karen Little)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp salt
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 425 F. Put the butter in a 10-inch square pan and put it in the oven until the butter is melted. [I've been using an 8" square because that's what I have and it works.]
Combine the flour, evaporated milk, and salt and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, whipping with a wire whisk after each addition. When the butter is melted, add the batter to the pan and return it to the oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until it's puffy and golden-brown and the only liquid is that glorious butter. This recipe can be doubled and made in a 9x13 pan.

Lemon Curd (from Cheryl Meibos)
4 lemons (4-5 tsp. grated lemon peel and 2/3 c. fresh lemon juice)
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
In a stovetop pan, combine peel, juice, eggs, and sugar; whirl until smooth. Gradually add in melted butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Ladle into jars [I used tupperware] and fill 1/4 inch from the top. Store in fridge no more than 3 months. Can be frozen. Makes approximately 24 oz.

Mini Farrah Fawcett here ate two helpings of German Pancakes this morning. That's really saying something, since we're talking about the girl who doesn't eat. And, just for good measure, here's a picture of Jude looking cute:

(His eyes are turning brown! And a few days ago I heard for the first time that he looks like me. :)

Ask and you shall receive, Jenny!