mmm...

if i were a culinary goddess, i'd try my hand at these.  how delicious do these look?

sea legs

here's a little taste of what holden is up to these days.  this was his first attempt at the johnny jump up, the much-praised contraption from mommies the world over.  i've been told i can get some serious time out of this thing so here's to hoping he comes to love it.

also, you will see, holden is a bit of a night owl and has no less energy at 10pm than right smack dab in the middle of the day.  he is screeching until he goes down for the night, which you may think would be obnoxious, but it never. gets. old...ever.  it's truly the best sound in the world and you just can't help but smile.  i wish adults made such joyous, delightful sounds as well...which reminds me, please excuse my annoying voice...i had to mask it with a great coldplay song about a swing.

i should also point out that i took this video yesterday.  as i mentioned in an earlier post, he has had a little runny nose and a mild-but-lingering cough for a few weeks.  so, i called the good doctor who asked that i bring him in just to make sure it's nothing but the typical cold.  this morning i scooted on in thinking that we'd be in and out and this was just one of the 12 colds he's supposed to get in the first year.  the nurse first took his temperature with an ear thermometer and, strangely, he started really getting worked up over it.  this is a little out-of-the-ordinary for holden since, at this age, he doesn't ever really expect to know what's going on so he's very much a go-with-the-flow kind of baby.  then, the doctor came in to look at his ears and had to clean some of the little earwax out of the depths of his ear canal.  so, after she takes a peak her words are, "that ear is awful."  my first thought was, "oh dear, how embarrassing.  the doctor is commenting on how dirty i've let my baby's ears get."  no, she was actually talking about his massive ear infection.

to sum it all up, holden had not one single symptom of an ear infection and he ends up having what even the pediatrician calls an "awful" ear infection.  this baby has quite a pain tolerance.  his other ear was also really bad and, on a chart of the progression of ear infections, she pointed to the image directly before "rupture" when describing the severity of his infection.

so, while i feel like mother of the year for letting it get to this point (to be fair, not a single fuss or ear touching to signal ear pain), i have to say i greatly admire holden's ability to "rise above" his pain and really take the johnny jump up by storm...with or without the shooting pains in the sides of his head.

and that's about all we have going on here.  i'll keep you posted on little holden's ear trials and tribulations but here is some visual candy of the little man in the mean time.

paul smith for the rug company

if you miss domino magazine as much as i do, then dart over to lonnymag.com if you haven't already.  it's wonderful and the newest issue (1st anniversary issue) just arrived.  in it, lulu dk shows off her inspiring home and, most importantly, her sons' nursery.  i love this wall hanging by paul smith for the rug company.  i might even have to investigate a bit to see what that lovely puppy would run as it would be perfect in another little boy's room that i know.

a little father & son time

lucky for holden & me, jim came home a little early today.  so, while this mama went for a run, holden had some quality daddy time.  i will tell you, this little boy gets sweeter and sweeter every day.  and, just when you think he can't get any more precious...he does.  somehow.  some way.  holden really is a daily (if not hourly) reminder that God has blessed our little family and while no display of gratitude could be sufficient, i just know that i have to keep trying to properly thank Him.

as for what else is new on the thomas homefront, i'm currently in search of the perfect bib.  i know that might sound simple but, alas, it is not.  i even tried my hand at sewing one today but that didn't exactly turn out quite as planned.  i can't seem to find the perfect combination of oilcloth for easy wiping of fruits & veggies, cotton for drool or spit up, and just plain attractiveness.  you would think that the perfect bib might reside somewhere in the bowels of the internet but i have yet to find it and i consider myself one of the most proficient online shoppers around.  i'll keep you posted.

a new task to take on this year...holden's first christmas.  i have my ideas and i think a first christmas deserves ample thought and planning.  that's why i'm starting now.  you might think two months is a little overzealous but, no.  this has got to be the christmas to beat all christmases.  so, if you're wondering what i'm up to, i'm probably browsing martha stewart online for holiday ideas.  i guess this is what your life turns into when you have a little guy who's in bed by 9pm and a husband who is indulging in a rare boys' night out.

the weekend has arrived!  we're all pretty stoked about it over here.

5 months

not a lot to report from here.  we are still working on getting over our little cold.  i'm actually thinking this may be a combination of the first and the second cold...back to back.  poor little guy hasn't had a clear nose in a couple weeks now.  as for food, we are still working our way through lots of different fruits and veggies and, so far, no allergies.  always a good thing.  

here are some shots of holden playing on his belly.  he's not a huge fan of tummy time but the first few minutes (captured here) are always a good time.  give it 10 minutes and it's another story.

our first cold

yep, we have our first official cold.  the past few days, holden has sounded a little congested and now he has a full-blown runny nose.  while he's had his moments of fussiness (can you blame him?), i'm thinking he may be on the up and up.  his nose is runnier than ever but he acts like he's starting to feel better.  hopefully, this nasty little cold is on it's way out on the first train.  good riddance.

sweet peas for the sweet boy.

burger up

i'm not sure i've ever recommended a restaurant before but this one deserves a mention.  to put it simply...it rocks...all of it.  the atmosphere, the food, the cool factor.  it's pretty darn perfect.  check it out if you're ever in the 12th south area.  you won't be disappointed.

cooking for baby

 

last thursday we were cleared to try some different solids not of the rice cereal variety.  the time had finally come to bring out my babycook machine and get to steaming.  this machine is amazing if you've ever been interested in making your baby's food.

this weekend, at my usual grocery run, i snagged some organic fruits and vegetables: pears, apples, carrots, bananas, sweet peas, and sweet potatoes.  after i read through the instructions about three times, i felt ready to take on this challenge.  it was actually really fun and i feel so much better about putting these little mashes into holden's body because i know it doesn't get any healthier.  plus, have you ever seen how expensive the little jars of organic baby food are?

so, here are a few images of my little process and a shot of my freezer.  after you freeze the individual portions (note the orange and green trays), you can just stick them in a labeled freezer bag (seen here next to the thin mints, mind you) with the date you made them and they're good for three months.  the beauty of that is it actually takes very little time to have three months' worth of baby food stock...even i don't think that's too much work.  later, i'll post a photo of our sloppy little eater.

 

4 1/2 months

i can't believe it's been a month since i last updated my blog.  pathetic...however, such little blog time means lots of crazy happenings going on.  we've been to the beach, seen the chihuly exhibit at cheekwood, attended an extraordinary sip and see, discovered that there are dogs outside and the fascination just doesn't stop, are in the throws of our first cold, started making our own baby food, and began introducing the fruit and veggie goodies a little bit at a time.

holden is a little on the fence about carrots but the bananas, apples, and sweet potatoes have been more successful.  it seems our little guy already has a sweet tooth...sounds a lot like his mama.  lots more to come...details, details, details.  so, while i whittle away at our new adventures, here's a photo from this morning to tie you over.