7 months

Our goose is 7 months old today. She's fighting off her first cold, growing like a weed, and squirming around like crazy. We just can't get enough of her.

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Growing

We're starting to notice some fine wisps of dark hair on the back of Lana's head. And she went and sprouted another tooth. Better come visit now, before she gets her license.

A Keeper

Yesterday, as Raf was heading out to grab some groceries, I asked him to add ice cream to the list. He said no. Some crap about how I was sick and shouldn't eat sweets and how he knew I couldn't resist if it was in the house. Some days I don't like him very much.

I was feeling especially spiteful after dinner tonight (I'm much less sick today and there would be no holding me back from a bowl of green goodness). Then I opened the freezer and found this. I guess maybe he's a keeper after all.

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Daddy's Little Helper

Just stumbled across this draft post from over a month ago. Sure makes me miss the hubs.

Did I mention we finally installed a (used, but) working dish washer?? Hallelujah! No more days with 3 hours spent doing dishes. Thank goodness!

Buddha Baby

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Smiles

Lana's going through a phase where she smiles every time she sees her dad and I. Every single time. Even if it's been 30 seconds since the last time. It has to be the best stage ever.

We're doing our best to savor every smile because we're well aware that we won't be so lucky at 16, or 12, or 9, or even 1. So, for now, we'll enjoy every single one.

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March: Moisturize (or Salad Dressing in my Shower)

My second focus for March was to moisturize daily. I get alligator skin on my arms and legs in the wintertime, but won't make the time to slather on lotion every day, nor have I found a lotion that's incredibly effective. They're either to watery, too greasy, or leave me feeling even drier 30 minutes later. I have found one (only one) lotion that I'm willing to keep around because it's pretty effective and not totally overwhelming in the scent department, however I primarily use it on my hands after a couple of my 463 daily washings. I just can't bring myself to carve out the time to do a full body application on any kind of regular basis.

In my quest to simplify my routine, while also generating less waste, I went searching for a homemade solution. And what did I find? Olive oil in a spray bottle!

I'd already been using straight evoo or coconut oil on my cracked and bleeding hands (no exaggeration). And I'd found a mixture of olive and tea tree oils applied daily to a bacterial rash I've had for years (not nearly as frightening or dirty as it sounds!) to be completely and quickly effective, even after countless attempts to treat with harsh (and certainly not baby friendly) OTC medicated sprays and ointments had failed.

So, when I came across the suggestion to mix olive oil with some distilled water in a spray bottle, it sounded perfectly logical to me! I'm still testing the concoction (I think I'm finding a mixture with more water than oil to be best for me) but so far I've been pleased!

Pros:
*It takes just seconds to grab the bottle, shake, and spray before reaching for my towel after the shower.
*It's quite effective. While I'm still not perfectly plump, I'm no longer dry, crackly, or ashy. My skin feels super soft. And I'm pretty sure a summer wardrobe that allows some air and sun exposure is really the final touch I need to get my skin looking lively.
*It's cheap and easy: I already have evoo in the kitchen!
*I'm generating less waste by shying away from commercial lotions and their nonstop stream of plastic bottles.
*I'm putting 100% safe and natural ingredients on my body (no petroleum infused concoctions here!)
*It even helped with the unnerving bumps I get in the wintertime on my upper arms and legs.
*Did I mention how easy it is yet?? Seriously! Spray and then your normal dry off routine rubs it in and removes any excess.

Cons:
*Umm...?
*Well, you kinda smell like roasted veggies, but that only lasts about 20 seconds til it's dry.
*I still haven't landed a "she's got legs" modeling contract, but I'm pretty sure the paperwork is just lost in the mail.

Feeling adventurous? Or cheap? Give it a try and let me know if it works for you!

Ok! Now maybe I can get on to telling you what I've been up to in April...

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Lana's Latest

Call us crazy, but Raf and I both noticed that Lana's eyes looked different this morning. More Asian. Maybe she's just tired. Or
maybe it's special for Pau Pau's birthday. :) Sorry, tho, Mom--they're still blue! Daddy's winning that one. (Fine by me!)

Speaking of daddy winning, she's started to say "dada"! We realize it's just babble, but this morning she was annunciating so clearly while he was playing with her. He was melting! As if the guy wasn't already wrapped around her little finger...

From now on the only thing I'm saying to Lana is "mama"!!

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Testing the Tooth

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Meatball Madness

I've been batch cooking and freezing pretty regularly lately. It's primarily food cubes for Lana, but I sneak in some adult food every now and then. After picking up a 4 pack of ground turkey at Costco, I decided to make some meatballs using the super simple recipe Lindsey shared with me after bringing us dinner one day while we were still in the baby haze. Here's her recipe:

•1 lb ground meat (I used turkey, Linds used half turkey, half spicy italian pork sausage, and obviously there's always hamburger)
•salt and pepper
•2/3 c quick oats (Linds used half oats, half italian bread crumbs)
•Beat 1 egg and add to
•2/3 cup milk
Poor egg/milk mixture over meat/oats and mix.

I tripled this recipe and ended up with 70 standard sized meatballs plus 2 dozen minis (definitely my favorite). I decided to bake mine before freezing, partially because then we can reheat them quickly, and partially because I wasn't sure how to freeze them without sticking together.

So, I baked them for about 20 minutes (15 for the minis); next time I'll leave them in a bit longer. Then I let them cool to room temp, transferred them to wax paper lined trays and flash froze for about an hour before transferring them to freezer bags.

Looking forward to sopping up some pasta sauce with these guys. And, of course, Raf is thrilled to have meat for his pasta...maybe now he'll stop complaining about it being our cheater meal.

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March: Make the Bed

Here we are a week into April and I just realized I never told you about my monthly focus for March! I tried to choose simple things, applicable anywhere, since I was still visiting my mom the first week of the month.

First up was making the bed. It's an easy way to keep your home put together. And what's the point in fun bedding if you're not going to showcase it?! Plus, I'm finally feeling rested enough that I don't typically need a nap (or three), so the time was right.

So, how did I do? Not bad. The bed has been made most days, but often not until Lana's morning nap. I'd prefer to get it done first thing while Raf's still around to help because then it takes all of 20 seconds (literally). However, that would involve me springing up first thing, rather than basking in an extra 20 minutes of snooze when Raf takes Lana in the morning. I'm not ready to make that sacrifice just yet, even if it does cost me an extra minute to make it alone!

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