My inner chef

The cold weather must bring out my "inner chef". Last night I made a double batch of chili (my mom's recipe) and this morning I whipped up a batch of my Dad's "Secret Soup" (although Dad's always tastes much better than mine) and tonight I'm planning on making baked Ziti. It's a good thing I live in Texas and it doesn't get cold very often, I don't think I could keep this up for very long.

Where to begin??

Our stroller arrived on Thursday...now that's service. Steve says it looks exactly like he expected it to. I was hoping for a little more vibrant orange. It looks more like rust or burnt orange, but it's not too bad. It handles so much easier than our Graco. It's a planning process when we journey out because you have to give thought to which stroller would be easier to use. The Graco fits through much tighter spaces, so when going to the mall, the Graco is the far better choice to squeeze through (and sometimes even it is too big...who designs the layouts of these stores??). When going to the zoo, the City Mini wins hands down. Plus there is no more kicking and hair pulling. If only there was such a thing as the perfect stroller....

On Friday, the cubs and I met up with Kelli and her twins at the mall....in the Graco. I thought it went really well except that Zach returned his lunch...thank heavens I had put a bib on him, because I had forgotten to bring a change of clothes. This is the first time he has ever thrown up his lunch in public, but we got through it. The cubs even managed a brief nap and Kelli and I were able to eat lunch almost like real adults do.

Our first attempt at home-made baby food didn't go too well. It was easy enough to make, but the cubs didn't care for it. I wasn't surprised at all by Zach's reaction, but I totally expected Emily to gobble up the veggies. I tried carrots, green beans, and peas, separately and together, and she refused them all after just one bite. I am not giving up. I'm sure she'll eat them after she gets used to it.

Steve had off this weekend which was pretty unusual. We loaded up the cubs yesterday and took them to the mall. It was far less pleasant than the trip the day before. Emily was a major fuss bucket! We only got to go into a few stores before we decided to pack them up and come home. The only bright spot of the trip was watching Emily navigate her first small set of stairs. There were only six, but she looked pretty adorable waddling up the stairs. We also let Zach out of the stroller to walk in the mall. Our little man is quite the speed walker.

For dinner last night Steve requested my italian version of shrimp scampi. This is big! I made it the first time on Thursday and Steve said it was good! I usually get an "it's ok" or "it's not bad", so receiving a "good" is the equivalent to a five-star rating from him. Whoo hoo! We've been married almost eight years, and I finally got a "good"! So twice this week we had shrimp scampi. I thought it was pretty good too, but it probably is not on my diet.

Steve and the cubs have their little ritual before bed. Steve and Emily usually share a banana, and then they all chase each other around the couches. I love hearing the cubs laugh. It is the greatest sound in the world. I think Steve enjoys the playtime together except that he always complains about needing knee pads. I think he's just getting old.

For Steve's birthday I sent him to get a Sports Massage. It's not an original idea, he does it for me all the time, but I know he's been working hard and could use it. We hope he has a happy birthday!!

Orange nose and snaggletooth

I look at Emily's pictures and wonder when will the orange nose go away?? She makes Frosty's carrot nose look pale. Why is practically every Gerber's food (with the exception of fruits) orange? Chicken noodle, mixed veggies, turkey and vegetables, veggie beef....ALL ORANGE!! Does everything have to be made with carrots? YIKES! Poor baby girl. Until we make the transition to big people food, there will be plenty more orange nose pictures to come. Speaking of big people food, today she actually seemed to like the smashed banana. Previously we would get a funny face, now she gobbled it right up. She also had one of the Gerber Graduates -- beef ravioli...she seemed to like that too.

All Emily wants is her two front teeth. SERIOUSLY! I'm a little concerned that Emily is getting two teeth coming in on the top, but they aren't the ones in the middle. Where are her middle teeth? Is it normal for the ones on the side to come in first? We may have a snaggletooth on our hands. And to make matters worse, Zach has a tooth coming in on the top too, and it's not one of the middle ones either. I'm having very bad mental images of my cubs in overalls, picking at their teeth with straw, spitting and calling each other Bubba. I can hear the redneck jokes now, "you know you're a redneck when...."



Emily's orange nose and drool from her snaggleteeth coming in.











Zach's eating is unpredictable. It's like the weather. Several really good days, with a few bad thrown in. Right now, we're in the bad. A few spit-ups, and total pickiness on what he wants. The solids aren't a favorite right now. Maybe he's getting too much formula....who knows??? Tomorrow will be the opposite of today, you just never know. Steve and I have both commented that he feels heavier, but when I weigh him on my home scale there isn't much change. Stupid scale.

I do have to share that Steve made dinner for us last night. Move over Gordon Ramsey....shrimp and scallops with risotto. YUM! I could certainly get used to this!

I live for weekends....

I usually live for weekends, but today feels more like a Monday than a Saturday. Dad's at work and the cubs are "down" for their nap, even though I hear them playing over the monitor. They are probably wound up from their class this morning. Today started out ok. The cubs woke up early, which was good...we had a big morning planned. Today was Gymboree! After breakfast, I loaded up the cubs and headed out an hour before our class. I made every effort to get there early. Instead, I was late. I'm always late, no matter how hard I try. So frustrating. I made a wrong turn and got lost. I was on the verge of tears by the time I found a street name I recognized. So long story short, I was late. We get there, join the class already in session, and then I notice it. An unpleasant odor coming from one of the cubs. Just great. UGH!! Did I mention that I'm alone?? And the cubs still aren't walking, so they have to be carried. I am either brave or stupid, I haven't decided which. God Bless our class instructor. She took care of Emily while I took Zach to the restroom. The class lasted 45 minutes and the cubs seemed to have a great time. Emily was a little timid, but Zach took off right away. Our little man has no fear. He was trying to climb all over everything. There were rocking toys to help with balance, and bubbles and parachutes, gigantic balls, music and toys. There were two other sets of twins there as well. So while the cubs had a great time, Mom -- not so much. It was really hard trying to tend to both of them by myself. The instructor was really helpful, but I can't expect her to "play parent" for us every time. Dad's weekend schedule is so erratic that it makes it impossible for me to plan activities. So I doubt that we'll be able to do this again until the cubs are a little bigger.

Yesterday was Zach's nutrition appointment. I look forward to these only so I can find out if Zach gained any weight. And it is convenient enough, because she actually comes to our house. But not this time. The Nutritionist was a no-show. ***SIGH*** I give up. Thankfully, Zach has really been doing well. He hasn't been eating as much solid food, but he's picked up some on his formula intake, so I'm okay with that. He also seems to like the Pediasure, so we'll stick with giving him one of those per day.

This week I attempted to cook another new dish...Parmesan and herb baked flounder, served with white rice. I think I did pretty good for my first attempt at fish. Steve even said he'd eat it again. Wow! Another success.

The cubs are still awake. I guess a nap is not going to happen today. So later this afternoon, we'll probably all be miserable. I can't wait for Dad to get home. I need to start this (Mon)day over.

Is it a full moon or what???

So I haven't checked the calendar, and I rarely get a chance to look outside and check the moon, but I swear it must be full. Z-man woke up at 6 am this morning (on my only day of the week to sleep in). For some reason he is waking up earlier and earlier each day. And now, both cubs are refusing their naps. This NEVER happens! Especially with Emily bear. I usually put them down and they are out within 15 minutes. BUT NOT TODAY! Both babies have been in their cribs for nap-time for over an hour now, and not one resembles a napping baby. It sounds as if there is a three ring circus going on in there. How is it possible that they are not tired?? Without naps, I can only imagine what this afternoon is going to be like....

On a side note, for the first time ever, I made shrimp last night. And I am pleased (and relieved) to note that neither of us is showing any signs of food poisoning today. I call that a success!