Emotional
Yesterday, after we said goodbye to Sean, Michael and I got down on the floor with Zoey for some family playtime. We were having so much fun watching her play and listening to her babble "da-da, da" and "mmm, mum-mum, muh". I don't remember exactly how she got moved, but somehow she ended up on the carpet instead of on her mat (which is totally fine. It's just habit to plop her down on the mat and scatter the toys around). Well, being on the carpet gave her much better traction than the mat did and she started to push up on her arms. Eventually, she was ALSO pulling her knees in and she almost got all the way up into the crawling position! (she lifted her tummy up, just a little).
I immediately turned on the video camera and as I watched her get closer and closer to getting herself up, my eyes started to well up with tears. I could feel my heart pounding and a part of me wanting to turn her over onto her back and call the whole thing off! I was so proud of her determination and progress, but I was also terrified that she might actually reach this next big milestone before I was ready. My little baby no longer stays bundled up in a blanket and snuggled in the crook of my arm. She has been squirming and sitting up (which was an emotional reality check, too) for a little while now, but something about crawling just makes me want to bury my face in my hands and cry.
Eventually, after squirming on her belly (she managed to move a good few feet just by doing that!), her frustration turned to sadness, and I was more than happy to scoop her up! I gave Michael the "evil eye" (I blame him for accelerating her progress by propping her up so many times!) and covered my baby girl's cheeks with as many kisses as she allowed.
I know crawling is going to be exciting because it will allow her so much more freedom, but that's the thing that also scares me. I am scared that she'll get hurt, and I'm also scared that I'm just going to wake up one day and it'll be time to send her off to kindergarten! This is all happening way too quickly; my poor little heart can't keep up!
...Lots of videos and lots of pictures...that's all we can do. And make sure we're as present as possible and cherishing every second we spend with her! (I still want to cry, though!)
(I'm working on uploading the video of this, along with a few other videos from the camcorder. The files are so big, that I can't get them to play well and I can't figure out how to edit/shorten them. Grrr! I despise technical difficulties)
In the meantime, here is a video I took with my phone (much easier to upload), of Zoey saying "Dada" :)
Applesauce
Today, Zoey and I met my mom, who was off work because of the holiday, downtown and we did a little shopping. When my paycheck came in from the commercial shoot, Michael and I agreed that I could put some of it toward sprucing up my wardrobe. Since having Zoey, I am back down to my pre-baby weight, but some of my clothes aren't fitting the way they used to. And, I was in need of some updating before I even got pregnant! So, we headed to one of my favorite stores, H&M, and had a great time shopping within my allotted budget (There were some items I had to leave behind. Hopefully I can go back and get them in a month or two). Zoey had a lot of fun with her granny; they were taking pictures with the iPad and talking to each other in the mirror, while I was in the dressing room.
After grabbing lunch in Westlake Center, we returned to my car to find a parking ticket on the windshield! Umm, excuse me Mr. Parking Authority Man, I thought parking was free on holidays!? Well, apparently, Columbus day can shut down mail delivery, post offices and other federal buildings, but it doesn't warrant free parking! Who knew? So, although I didn't allow it to ruin my day, the $44 ticket definitely brought a temporary dark cloud over it :(
"Shop Till You Nap-Nordstrom"! Courtesy of my Aunt Angie :)
Zoey definitely lived by her ensemble!
When we got home, my spirits were lifted once again, as I smelled the chicken and wild rice that was cooking away in the crock pot. Since dinner was taken care of, I took a few minutes to unwind and then looked up a recipe for homemade applesauce. I found a site that had clear, easy to follow instructions, and got to work.
3 small, organic Honeycrisp apples (so sweet and yummy!)
The website said to rinse the apples in three parts water and one part white vinegar, to remove any bacteria. Then rinse under cold water, dry and peel.
Peeled and cored
Chopped into chunks and placed into boiling water for 8-10 minutes
(My chunks were small, so they softened pretty quickly)
It said cooking time should be minimal (just until the pieces are tender), in an effort to preserve the apples' vitamins and minerals.
After draining the chunks and running them under cold water for three minutes, to stop the cooking process, I put them in the blender.
Blended until smooth!
After a few seconds, the apples stopped moving, so I added a small splash of water (which they said to do if needed), but I wish I hadn't because just that small amount, made it taste watery. Next time, I'm going to use the tamper and try to get things moving that way, before I resort to adding water.
Voila! My first batch of applesauce!
The three small apples made about 8.5 ounces.
The site I was using said to store it in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Zoey seemed to enjoy it; she ate one and a half tablespoons. Her facial expressions we hilarious almost each time she swallowed a cold spoonful; watching that will never get old :)
The recipe/directions are also on the What's Cookin'? page.
No comments:
Post a Comment