Taking down the hill

You can't really tell from this picture, but the hill in our backyard was at least 4-5' higher than the foundation of our house.  It had a huge stump in it and it came all the way up to our back door, making a patio or proper drainage impossible.

Notice the tree on the right...it leans just a tad

Oh...sorry.  I couldn't see your house behind those ridiculously tall gardenia bushes.  They haven't been moved, yet.  But if the weather is nice, they will be gone Saturday.

The oak that was about 5 feet from our back door.  Down.

The hill and stump are gone!

Have you ever seen a more beautiful site?  Wait till Saturday when the grass goes in.  I'm giddy.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Flax seed

Flax seed. Mmmmm. It is delicious and nutritious.

My friend Pauline recommended buying a coffee grinder and grinding my own flax seed. Flax is full of amazing benefits such as, Omega-3 essential fatty acids, Lignans (which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities), and fiber. Web-MD has a page on flax seed if you want to check it out. A thought I had on my own is that flax is the fiber that linen comes from, and linen is the fabric God chose for his priests to wear in the holy of holys. Maybe he knew a little something about how special this plant is.

I love it on Blue Bell Nutty Chocolate ice cream. Because ice cream is so good for you...

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Oh...it's getting fun now!

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Fall Friday

I just finished my bowl of Raisin Bran, changed Dexter's diaper, and opened all the windows. The birds are singing outside and we just saw our neighbor come out and get her paper. Just another quiet day in the neighborhood. Ahhh.

Fall is my spring. As these first cool fronts come through, I begin to imagine what life will be like without the ever present oppressive heat. Walks to the park with Dexter, picnics with Sander, getting in the car without having to first turn on the air conditioner. Oh the bliss. Today is my official first day of fall. I don't care what the calendar says. I am going to throw open the windows, clean the blinds, and make apple donuts.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

First Solid!

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Pipkin is gone!

Poor Rumkin, pictured above, is now friendless. Pipkin, perhaps motivated by that homewrecker Travelosity gnome, has taken off too see the world. We hope that he is doing well and wasn't forced by some evil person to write the letter pictured below.

Here is the note Pipkin left. Please let us know if you see him around.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Birthday Update

The delicious cake Sander made...mmm. It turned out so well. A definite must make again. We had a great day celebrating as a family. Dexter really had fun.

In fact, he partied so hard that he just crashed in his crib, hat and all.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

I'm 4 months today!

Dexter and his 4 month outfit. Giddy up!

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Favorite Phone Pics

I just uploaded a few pics from my phone and these are my 2 favs. The bottom one is Dexter looking at himself in the mirror. It appears he's a budding narcissist...

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Sander's Making Me a Cake!

In honor of my 26th birthday Sander took it upon himself to make me a cake. He came home, leafed through the cook book (he tried to keep it a secret...didn't work) and chose the "Old Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake" from our America's Test Family Kitchen cook book. Nothing has dissapointed us yet, so I have high hopes for this made-from-scratch creation. Yea Sander - I can't wait to have it tomorrow.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

I love my bear

Dexter loves his little bear. But only when it's time to change his diaper.

So, weeks ago every time we would change his diaper Dexter would scream, scream, and scream some more. I read somewhere that some babies like a little weight on their tummy while they are on their back so, I grabbed the closest thing I could find, a little stuffed bear. It worked like a charm. Most of the time he just mouths it or, as Sander so charmingly describes the wet event, he makes out with it. He seems shocked that we want to photograph him and the bear's private moment...

This weekend we have more family coming down. The Andrews side will be here in its entirety to celebrate Meredith's baby shower and the upcoming birthdays. After that, we have the Ray grandparents Tootzie(/Tootsie/Tootzi...I can't remember how we decided to spell it...) and Pop at various times during the next week.

Amidst all of that I am trying to implement a new routine. It isn't a schedule (no set times for events), just an order of events. It has worked so much better for me than a strict schedule - yea! With a schedule I would always gets discouraged when an event didn't fit within the time frame allotted. Now my routine just revolves around Dexter's eating schedule. Within each 2.5 hour of non-feeding time I do a set order of events each day. Some take longer than others some days, but it doesn't matter as long as I finish all the tasks before Dexter eats again. So, with that said, I better scamper off and do the dishes, fold the laundry, put on my make-up and do my hair. I just have 1hour 30min before he eats again!

If you've read this far, you have to know about an awesome place we found on a recent visit by my parents. Becker Books is located in an old house at 7405 Westview Dr. You get lost in room after room of old books. It is definitely a place you go when you want to search, but it has been well worth it each visit I've made. I especially love the vintage children's and young adult books since I grew up reading them myself. Let me know if you want to go sometime; a rainy afternoon would be the perfect time.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Poems and Prayers for the Very Young

I have an old copy of Poems and Prayers for the Very Young that I just happened to pull out and set beside the rocking chair in Dexter's room this weekend. Today, when Dexter began his usual tired fuss I began my routine of covering his face and walking around the room to calm him down. But, today he just wouldn't relax. So, I sat down in the chair, usually a big no-no, and decided to read a few poems, even if he wanted to cry and kick. The first poem didn't seem to have an effect, but by the third he had stopped kicking, and by a few more he was sound asleep. I tried it again this afternoon when the fussiness started again. Yep. Success.

When I was home last my mom had set out my baby book and this book was listed as one of my favorites. There must be something about the lilt of lullabies and children's poetry that really does have a calming effect on babies. Every language has lullabies, so there has to be something to it. Well, they certainly work on Dexter and they are quite pleasant and inspiring to read on my end. Here is my favorite:

A Child's Prayer

God, make my life a little light,
Within the world to glow;
A little flame that burneth bright,
Wherever I may go.

God, make my life a little flower,
That giveth joy to all;
Content to bloom in native bower,
Although the place be small.

God, make my life a little song,
That comforteth the sad,
That helpeth others to be strong,
And makes the singer glad.
-M Betham-Edwards

Click here for the full post after the jump…

The latest and greatest

A friend asked me today what has surprised me most after having Dexter. I told her I really didn't know as the past 3 months have just flown by without a lot of time for reflection. Perhaps I have been surprised most by how hard post-labor has been. I took classes, spent lots of time visualizing and preparing for labor, but I didn't really do much to prepare for the new baby phase. Looking back there was probably no way I could have prepared for the cocktail of craziness that the first 2 months became. Screaming. Sleep deprivation. Extreme sleep deprivation. Pain. No sleep. Emotions. No sleep. Wait - did I mention no sleep?

Month 3 looks like it will be the best yet. Dexter has started sleeping much more regularly - sometimes 8 hours at a stretch (Hooooooray!). Oh, the bliss. We have worked out a good schedule as well which has resulted in a smiling awake baby and longer nap times. Schedulewise I have done what babycenter.com calls the "combination approach" - it is half parent directed and half baby directed. I think it is just common sense. He eats, we play, he gets red eyes and sleepy so I put him down, he wakes up, repeat. If he doesn't get sleepy right at 45mins of play time, I wait until he is sleepy to put him down. If he is sleepy after 15min of play time, I put him down then. Now, there are times he has to fuss a little to put himself to sleep, but after awhile I will go in, reassure him with a little hug - then he is immediately off to sleep. It is quite a comforting routine for me and him.

As the pictures below indicate, Dexter was dedicated this Sunday. He couldn't have behaved better - he even smiled at the pastor as he introduced him to the congregation. For those of you not familiar with a dedication service, here is the gist. Sander and I brought Dexter up in front of the church. There the pastor introduced Dexter Eliot to the church and talked about what his name meant. Then Sander and I answered a few questions from the pastor. We stated to the church. that we were 1)followers of Christ, 2)would raise Dexter according to our beliefs, 3)that we, as best as we understand it at this time, will give Dexter over to God's purposes and not to what we want him to be. Then, our family that was there stood and the pastor prayed for Dexter. It was a sweet time.

Our pastor, as he introduced the baby dedication time mentioned a passage of the Bible where a woman who was unable to have children miraculously conceives a baby after praying to the Lord. Her response was to give her baby over to the Lord. She says: "For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD." That has been my prayer through pregnancy and it was really cool that our pastor brought it up on Sunday.

Be sure and check out our complete album of pictures by clicking the "our pictures" tab above - I am adding more all the time.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Dexter Pictures 1 - Taken by Victoria

Click the "our pictures" link above to see more.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Dexter's Dedication - photos

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Dedication Outfit

I finally finished Dexter's dedication outfit. It was the first thing I made with my new pattern making skills. I used an outfit a friend loaned me - I traced it out and then adjusted it up a size, complete with a drafted sleeve. Yea! Now I am really back...yes!

Since I made a dedication outfit he obviously is going to be dedicated. That happens this Sunday. More details soon.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

2 Months

What a difference from his 1 month picture! He is smiling, interacting, and even holding his head up a bit. What a cutie. I am so thankful to be home with him to see all the subtle changes. Each day he seems to do something new and different. He has found his hands and will often suck (loudly) on his fist if a pacifier isn't around. I don't know why I think this is so adorable. If I saw a 20 year old doing it I would think it was gross, but in a 2 month old, melts your heart!

Dexter is still having trouble sleeping through the night. A few rare nights he's slept 7 hours (hooray!), but mostly the longest he'll go is 5. Ugh. As the night continues he will just get more and more congested and that will keep him awake even though his is exhausted. I've ordered a Tucker Sling (http://www.tuckersling.com/) and it should be here tomorrow. I'll keep you updated on its success. I have high, high hopes. Sleep is worth any amount of money at this point!

This week I have been frantically cleaning out every closet, cabinet, and shelf trying to rid myself of the excess clutter we have accumulated in the past 4 years. I read a magazine article entitled "Live With What You Love, Get Rid of the Rest". I think that's a fabulous idea and since I couldn't 'nest' before Dexter came due to bed rest, I am doing it all this week. Now, if you know me, you know I have trouble staying focused unless there is an award at the end. So, we have been talking about getting a smaller canon for my purse so I can take pics out and about. We decided we wouldn't buy it unless I finished everything by 1pm Saturday. I am well on my way and just have the hall closet and the dreaded sewing room left. It feels so good to get rid of the excess stuff...I can't wait to be done!

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Boerne

Well, we just got back from our weekend in Boerne. The weekend away was fun, but very different with a baby in tow. I'll post more soon, but feel free to check out the new pics by clicking the "our pictures" tab above. I've updated the 4th of July folder, as well as the Smiles album.

Enjoy!

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Dexter Update

He sounds like a dinosaur doesn't he? = )

(Click 'our pictures' above to see the latest pics and videos)

Today has been an awesome day! Dexter is coming along right on track developmentally despite the issues with reflux. It is so reassuring that he is ok and he will grow out of this one day. It is easy to doubt when night after night, and day after day, you only see a crying, uncomfortable little boy.

The best development of all has been his smile (been doing that a few weeks) and his laugh (new this week!). He has been smiling and half laughing as he drifted off to sleep for a little over a week, but yesterday when we came home was the first time he really laughed for us. Today, as I walked past his bouncer with laundry I heard a noise and looked down and he was kicking at his toys and laughing again. Yippie!!!!! Our little boy may actually be a happy baby!

Also a plus, he slept from midnight to 5am last night, napped at home today, AND slept in the car(a first here in Houston!).

To celebrate I'm baking another loaf of bread!

Click here for the full post after the jump…

I'm Back Babies!

Our Sunday school class is bursting at the seams with new babies. Dexter was the 4th baby boy of 7 due this year - AND a girl AND a set of twins are due this fall (total baby count for 2009 for our not-so-big class: 10). Whew. With all those babies there are lots of parents in need of meals. I am up for a meal delivery tomorrow and decided to dust off that Kitchen Aid mixer and bake some bread. As I wait for it too cool off I thought I'd leave a quick post. Oh man, can I cut into this loaf now? Would it be odd to get half a loaf of bread with your meal?

I am SO excited to finally be up and cooking. Its been a long 6 months with bed rest and a newborn.

Ok, this bread smells awesome. I am seriously considering making the switch from store bought bread to fresh baked...let's see how long this kick lasts.

Click here for the full post after the jump…

Happy 4th of July

Click here for the full post after the jump…