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Inspired by Amanda over at Soulemama, I’ve chosen to spend Fridays taking the chance to record a single moment from the everyday around here. One moment that I just don’t want to forget.
An unexpected middle-of-the-night trip to the hospital, the second one in our parenting career. I definitely handled this one much better and I’m always surprised by how well we all weather these little storms, especially little Ewan.
Today was one of those days. So much work, yet so little progress.
A handful of boxes were packed, leaving the house seeming so.very.cluttered. I can handle dirt and dust, but clutter is enough to drive me crazy.
Phone calls were made, trying to figure out why it is taking well over a month to get our washing machine fixed. Despite a good 45 minutes spent talking to multiple different people, it still remains a mystery.
A quiche was planned for dinner and right from the get-go it was ill-fated. Ewan was underfoot in our tiny galley kitchen (two weeks until a bigger kitchen!!!), the oven was preheating making our steamy apartment even hotter, and the crust just wasn’t cooperating, despite following Virginia’s tried-and-tested recipe.
I threw in the towel, literally, and knew that I had to come up with a Plan B. And, based on the rumblings in that pregnant tummy of mine and the cries from the babe now on my back, I knew I didn’t have long.
A quick glance in the freezer and through the recipe box and the day, well dinner at least, was saved.
My standby pancake recipe with strawberry sauce.
Plan B Pancakes
In the morning or as a dinner, these pancakes do double duty. If you like your pancakes plain, this recipe can’t be beat, the vanilla and cinnamon add just enough flavor to keep them interesting without the usual accompaniments. But if you’re feeling extra fancy (or your day has been particularly crappy), top them with strawberry sauce like we did.
Ingredients
Directions
So, if you find yourself at that pre-dinner hour in a bit of a jam like I was, whip up a batch of pancakes to save the day. Dare I say that I think my Plan B was even better than the quiche would have been. Yes, I do think that one thing went right today.
It took us 45 minutes to walk to the park yesterday. The park that is less than a block away. That’s because…
there were light posts, two of them, to look at and bang.
doors to knock on.
yards to wander through.
flowers to smell, and he didn’t leave out a single variety.
houses to visit.
fences to climb.
shadows to study.
gates to clank.
signs to hide behind.
stairs to climb.
and, then, to rest upon.
but, once the park was in sight. It was all business.
he knew just what he wanted.
to play with the gate, of course.
Inspired by Amanda over at Soulemama, I’ve chosen to spend Fridays taking the chance to record a single moment from the everyday around here. One moment that I just don’t want to forget.
Spending afternoons inside to escape the “excessive heat” meant that we had to get a little creative around here. A fort was just the thing. Took the living room to a new level and gave the little one new places to explore.
(click on the photo to head over to Flickr to see all the pictures)
31 days in the month and only 29 photos above. I’ll blame pregnancy. Fatigue. Haze. Sleeping. There’s less time to take photos when I’m sleeping an extra few hours a day, right?! Right?! Guess at the end of the 365 I’ll just have to tack on an extra couple days, or month, to make up for the loss.
Even still, I’m grateful that I’m thinking about it, that the camera (or iPhone) gets taken out, often, to capture our days. It is good, even if a few days go missing.
So much to capture these days, but much less time to grab the camera. Boy can that boy move! It’s hard to keep up and keep him out of trouble while I grab for the camera. I’m sure it’ll get even harder as he continues to speed up, but I look forward to trying to get his shenanigans documented. They sure are funny!
Here’s a few favorites from the month:
I couldn’t have said it better myself, though with a babe that doesn’t nurse all.night.long anymore, I’m starting to feel the fog of months of interrupted sleep lifting. Nine hours. It is glorious.
His first chocolate cookie and what an experience it was. Some shovel, he savored. Glad to know I have that kind of kid, even if I’m not that kind of adult.
When I’m dressing Ewan in the morning I always tell him about his pockets and how they are a good place for all of his treasures. This acorn, it is the first treasure I found as I emptied pockets to do laundry. I hope there are many more.
We’re already well into August, seriously, where does time go. As much as I am enjoying the summer, I’m also enjoying the fact that it is winding down. Easy to say as excessive heat warnings press down on us. I’m ready to stop sweating.
At the end of June, Aaron and I were deep in discussion about whether or not to renew the lease of our current apartment. The reasons to stay were numerous.
It’s beautiful.
In a great neighborhood.
We’re happy here.
We don’t have to move.
The reasons to move were there, though not quite as compelling. Specifically, it’s small here. Small, but the space works for the three of us.
With pens in hand, and a lease extension before us, Aaron looked at me and said, “This is going to be fine, just so long as you’re not pregnant right now.”
“I’m not pregnant,” I said filled with animosity, “I know my body. I would know if I was pregnant.”
We signed the lease, sealed it up, and sent it off. Ready to stay in our little courtyard place until April 30, 2011.
Two days later, while two very good friends were visiting, I barfed. I knew. I took a test. I skipped to the park to share the news and admit that I had been wrong.
Ever since we’ve been doing a lot of thinking and a little scrambling. Do we stay, do we go?
It didn’t take long to decide that it would be best to sublet our place and hit the road. While we could definitely make this place work with a family of four, I really didn’t want to imagine packing and moving with a family of four. Putting Ewan through two major transitions, a new sibling and a new home, in such a short span of time.
It seemed best, despite the first trimester fatigue, to go ahead and get this done now, while I have some energy and some ability to focus on logistics.
That left the next question. Where do we go?
We live in Ravenswood right now. Within a block there are cafes and restaurants and bars. Down the street there is a little play park. The brown line is less than two blocks away, so the whole city is at our doorstep. It’s a perfect place, and a perfect location. But….
Truth is, it can be a little lonely here. While there are some families in the neighborhood, the majority of residents are young professionals. The play park down the street, well, it’s usually just us. This neighborhood is fun. It is hip-happening, but maybe we aren’t anymore. Or, at least, with a family of four, we won’t be. A change of venue seemed like it may be in order.
We’ve visited the Ravenswood Manor neighborhood before and have always, even pre-kids, been charmed. It has tree-lined streets and amazingly gorgeous old brick bungalows. Filled with one-way roads, angled streets, and the river running through it all, it’s an easy neighborhood to wander and get lost in. With a handful of busy little play parks to boot, it seemed like it might just fit the bill.
We spent the last weekend hunting and looking and wandering and exploring and, eventually, deciding that yes! this is the neighborhood. Even though that decision, by itself, caused a bit of an identity crisis.
Are we those people now?
Are we grown-ups now?
Are we the ones leaving the hip urban neighborhood for a smaller, quieter community (still very much in the city) to raise our family?
I guess, we are. While I still struggle with it. While I still struggle with the fact that I might, in fact, be a grown-up, I think it’s the right choice. And heck, at least we’re not fleeing for the suburbs. So, we still have a scrap of dignity to hang on to. 
We’ll be in a new place starting at the beginning of September. It is the second floor of a two-flat with more space than we’ve ever really had or imagined. A two-bedroom with an enormous living room, dining room, separate sunroom, big kitchen (with a dishwasher!), our own laundry, and a backyard. So large that much of it will remain unfurnished, for awhile.
Indeed, this is a space where our little family will have room to grow, stretch, and run about. And when we tire of the inside, the neighborhood has lots to explore. Parks. Nearby bike trails. Cute little old-timey coffee shops.
So, now we must pack. It is arduous and not something I’m looking forward to but I know, this time next month, we’ll be settled into our new home and getting used to all it has to offer. This time next month moving will be done.
Inspired by Amanda over at Soulemama, I’ve chosen to spend Fridays taking the chance to record a single moment from the everyday around here. One moment that I just don’t want to forget.
What’s the first thing you’d do when your little one winds up covered in BBQ sauce? Me, well, I reached for the camera and then took him to the bath. Luckily we were having a naked day anyways.
Two weekends ago we had the chance to hang out with my grandma, Ewan’s great-grandma, Judy.
While out, eating brunch, Ewan showed off a number of his tricks. Saying “uh-oh.” Eating with a fork. And telling everyone, with his baby sign, how cold his ice water was. After.every.sip.
Judy was charmed, of course. And it was a nice moment, but it wasn’t until a few days later we realized how useful our short visit had been.
Fast forward a few days to her open-heart surgery. (things went well and she is recovering nicely) For a time after the surgery she had to keep the breathing tube in place which, obviously, impacted her ability to communicate.
Without the ability to talk she was frustrated, as anyone would be, with her inability to express her most basic needs or her level of pain. After a particularly frustrating interaction where the medical staff and family weren’t able to figure out what was causing her issue, Judy finally took her fists, balled them up, and shook them.
Without pause my mom (Ewan’s grandma), Sue, realized what she was doing. “You’re cold,” she exclaimed and with relief my grandma nodded.
My grandma was doing the very same sign that she had seen Ewan do only a handful of days prior. She was able, like Ewan, to communicate and get her needs met!
While I wish I had been there to witness the scene myself, I am so glad that the story got relayed. I’m so glad my grandma Judy had the chance to spend time not only admiring Ewan, but also learning from him.
I guess it’s just further proof. All the while we think, as adults, that we are the ones teaching the little ones, when really, it is often them teaching us.
In addition to all the summer lovin’ I was talking about last week, I have been a pretty busy lady.
While I haven’t been working or making a whole lot of the usual stuff; knitting needles have been sidelined, the sewing machine has sat idle, and the oven has been, sadly, empty. There has been a whole lot of making going on.
Making of the baby variety.
I’m nine and a half weeks along (edd – early march) and so far things are going so very well. So well that I was, kind of, doubting that I am really pregnant. So well that the days-without-puke vastly outnumber the days-with-puke.
So, now that this is all out in the open, I think I might be around here more. Perhaps there will be less to talk about of the crafting and making that you’re used to hearing about, but there will be more about the making of this very special little person. This little person that will turn our family of three into a family of four.
And, when this first-trimester fatigue lifts and I start doing a little more than sitting in the chair and staring into space (or napping), there might be a little making for this special little one. Oh, I just can’t resist making tiny little things for tiny little people!!
Inspired by Amanda over at Soulemama, I’ve chosen to spend Fridays taking the chance to record a single moment from the everyday around here. One moment that I just don’t want to forget.
There are so many things that I can do, so I shouldn’t lament the things that I can’t.
