Project Puree - I'll show you mine...

I feel so weird about showing you the inside of my freezer.... it feels like its a very intimate thing! And so now I feel like you should show me yours... its only fair. What you can't see is the very top shelf where we keep some frozen milk and sugar free fudge bars. I'm not proud of how everything is stuffed in there, but I do like my stacks of brightly colored baby purees.

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I actually get sad when all my jars are full, because I love making the stuff. (I feel like Diane Keaton in Baby Boom.) But Leah averages 4-5 jars a day so I never have to wait long before I can wash and refill!

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The first food that our girl really didn't like much was asparagus. She always makes the "IT'S SO YUCKY" face during the first bite of something new. But she flat out refused bite #2 and SLAPPED my hand away... including the spoon full of asparagus that went EVERYWHERE! Then I mixed it with sweet potatoes to make a tasty treat. It also went well with butternut squash. Now she'll eat it alone. We just had to ease into it. Its quite fragrant you know.

Here are my most recent creations. (bluestrawpple, strawpple, bluepear, raspapple) The Raspberry-Apple is not only a lovely shade of hot pink, but it is YUMMY! Too tangy for Leah (unless I cut it with a little oatmeal), but just right for mama.For the 3 people who are actually interested in this, I steam or bake everything first except for the berries. I just threw them in with my applesauce and pear-sauce and tasted stuff til I liked it. I have yet to give her anything I haven't tried. I know its weird, but I'm kind of proud of myself for trying "new things."

For cuteness sake...

November 31st

This morning I JAY-WALKED in front of a POLICE CAR as I was running into the CHURCH because I was late for my BIBLE STUDY.

I have been feeling so frazzled lately. But in a good way. Not a put-my-shirt-on-backwards-and-wore-it-like-that-all-day-way... Ok... so maybe that is exactly the way it has been. AND it was a shirt with a pattern on the front that CLEARLY should have been on my front. Why didn't someone tell me?

Its a good thing it is nearly impossible to embarrass me. Let me illustrate... the other day at CHURCH, I was trying to tell someone how ironic it was that I have been trying so hard to keep from getting sick, but then I volunteered to give flu shots to the City's police department, just giving myself an extra opportunity for exposure to LOTS of people with LOTS of germs. But... what I said to her was "I exposed myself to the whole police department!" I know I should be embarrassed... but like I said, its nearly impossible.

You would really think that this next one would do it... That same day at CHURCH, I had taken Curley Q into the nursing mother's room to do what mother's do in that particular room... you know, to be discreet... and when I came out, I was sitting down talking to a good MALE friend of ours and all throughout our conversation my daughter was apparently EXPOSING me by pulling down the neck of my shirt... and not just a little bit, but I was engrossed in conversation and didn't even realize. This MALE friend finally told me what was happening and that he thought I would eventually notice so he didn't say anything right away! Any normal person would have been completely embarrassed! Not this mama.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. I keep blaming all my disorganization and silly behavior on having a baby. Well... last year I blamed it on being pregnant, then on having a newborn. I guess the reality is that I'm just a little disorganized and silly.

Excuse me, but what happened to November? I'll tell you what happened... Leah and I went to have her 9 month check up (which I blogumented in a timely manner)... Then there is a big blur... I got a cold, after exposing myself to the police... there's another blur... we packed up everything in our house so we could get new carpet (I decided that when your whole house is packed up you should just go ahead and move)... more blur... We gave alot of thanks... ate alot of turkey and pie... Leah got a cold... And now its the 31st.

So when I looked down at my watch today and saw that it was November 31st.... I decided that was just fine. Usually by December 1st I have my Christmas tree up. (And if it were socially acceptable to have Christmas decorations out from October to March, I would.) But, all this blurriness and disorganization has taken November away from me... so I'm just gonna take the extra day. I'll just make up for December 1st by stealing a day from January, and then make up for January in February. February is already pitifully short... it won't care.

look at her grow... 9 month check-up

The grandmothers have gotten plenty of turns, so we decided to invite a Pops to come with us to a check-up.

Just waitin on the nurse...Here we go!You know you are a big girl now when you get to sit up on the scale rather than lay down!

After all was said and done, and weighed and measured...

Height - 26 1/4 inches (10th %ile)
Weight - 17lbs 5.5oz (25th %ile)
Head - darn near 18 inches (90th %ile)

Kevin thought is was a bad sign that her head circumference and her height were so close. But the Dr. said no worries! She is no longer just a punkin head.... but an official pumpkin head! Yes, I feel I have the right to say this since I am her mother, and I was a basketball-head myself. She'll grow into it. There's no need to worry about our no-neck-ed-susie-short-leg-ged-pumpkin-head! In fact, we expect her legs and a neck to be arriving in her stocking this Christmas!

Once Dr. D checked the girl out... he passed her... and then gave her a stick to play with so that (as my grandma used to say) she could put her eye out!

"OooOOOOoooooh finger prick... that sounds nice!" -Elf

She got her very first fingerstick. And she didn't mind it one bit!

This is while the nurse is milking the blood from her finger.

Flu shot # 2 was a different story. What sadness! But at least just one shot this time!

"Would you look at that... A bandaid for my fingerstick!"

As long as she has her Pops, she's ok!

**I can't believe I forgot to add the important developmental milestones we've reached!

• Repeats sounds again and again (and again and again)
• Scrutinizes toys and other objects (and everyone and everything and every situation and every movement and every time the wind blows!!)
• May resist diapering (I assume that her resistance to any sort of physical manipulation or attempt to control her in ANY way, falls into this category as well... she is SOOOOO her daddy's child!) Funny because this was a favorite past-time for her first 9 months of life, but NO MORE!
• Continues to resist doing what he/she does not want to do (oh wait, that must be what I was just describing)
• May try to crawl up stairs (...up the back of the couch... up the dog... up mom)
• May cry when parent leaves the room (with REAL tears... growing up is hard!)

Kevin and I agree - this has been our favorite 9 months ever!

buuuuuurrrrrrrr.......

Good morning mom!

Is there a draft in here?

Or is this just what happens when daddy puts my pajamas on?

Raggedy Ann & Friends

Leah had two days of Halloween activities which included:

• Wearing her very first costume (complete with yarn wig which she NEVER ONCE tried to remove!)
• Seeing lots of friends and family
• Seeing zillions of kids in their costumes
• Tasting her first candy (cherry dum-dum)

Leah has a new favorite holiday!

I did unwrap it for her and let her have a little taste... :)