A Miracle in March?

I suppose you could call me crazy. Now that Greg works on Saturdays (he had nine clients in a row), I have the kids by myself all day. There are still, however, errands to run. Both boys needed shoes, and Henry was pretty much out of pants that fit his chubby man thighs. I wasn't planning on going shopping, but I had a momentary lapse of sanity. I made quite a rash and, in retrospect, mildly ill advised decision. I took both boys to the outlet mall by myself for a five-hour shopping expedition.

I fortified myself with a latte and headed off to Aurora with a ball of dread in the pit of my stomach. I thought about the epic tantrums Nick has had in the past when shopping with me. I pictured how embarrassed I was the last time I had to leave a store, pushing the stroller in one hand and carrying Nick thrown over my shoulder, shrieking at the top of his lungs. But. . .

Nick had not one tantrum. It was a March Miracle. Despite the way this blurry picture of Nick dancing frantically in the Baby Gap looks, Nick behaved very, very well. When we were in the Baby Gap, which wasn't very crowded, Nick actually asked permission to dance. "Mommy, can I please dance on the floor?" He even danced quietly.

Henry was a good boy, too. I don't feel like I did anything differently this time. Was this my good luck for the month (or the year)? I went to nine different stores, got both boys fitted at Stride Rite for shoes, and gave my debit card quite the workout. Check out these adorable Robeez I bought for Henry. They even have little tails at the heels.

All of the tantrum-reducing strategies that are usually ineffective with Nick worked this time. We took breaks frequently. After two stores, we stopped for lunch. Nick actually sat in a chair and ate Chinese food happily. He didn't throw anything. He stood or sat next to me and played with his toy train quietly. Henry napped and looked around, people-watching. Then, after a few more stores, we got a cookie treat. I gave Nick lots of praise. Henry absolutely loved his snickerdoodle.

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Nick rode on the little rides several times, but each time, when the ride was over, he simply got off and held my hand. No crying, no screaming, no flinging himself to the floor. He was a little scared on the "rocket ship" ride. Can you tell?

Can you see Nick's fancy new shoes? He actually sat still and let the clerk measure his feet and put on the new shoes. It was a BOGO day, so I bought one pair for now and one in the next size up for both boys. I kept telling Nick how I loved his behavior. "Nick, I love how you held my hand right away when I asked. Good job!" (I normally do this, but it actually worked today!)

After our successful shopping trip, I took the kids to the park for some serious running and swinging. Henry is new to swings, but is an enthusiastic beginner.

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Nick wanted me to swing him "up to the sky." This is the best I could do.

Would you believe I took the boys to Babies R Us and then met Greg for dinner, even after all that? It was a really busy day. I keep going over and over everything in my mind. What did I do right? Was this truly a March Miracle? Or is this what it is like if we ever get past the tantrum stage? (I am fervently hoping for the latter.)

A Trip to the Mall, Sans Stroller

Last week I had to go to the mall, but my husband had forgotten to put the stroller back in my trunk. It was in his car, where it served no useful purpose. I usually don't mind taking Nick to the mall, but I was very nervous to go without a stroller. It's getting harder to carry Nick now that he weighs nearly 30 pounds and I am 26 weeks pregnant!

As we walked through the mall, Nick was mesmerized by the carousel, the indoor playground, and especially by the cars that move and make noise. "Mommy, I go on cars?!" Nick asked excitedly. Now, I know all about the attention span of a two-year old, and his general ability to wait. I had no intention of leaving the mall without doing at least one fun thing for Nick. But first I had something important to do.

"Nick, first shopping, then cars. First shopping, then cars." Nick considered this thoughtfully for a moment, and then, miraculously, he said. "Okay mommy. First shopping, then cars." No tantrum, not even a whimper. I sighed in relief and headed off to the pinkest of stores. Pregnant women, you see, can indeed grow a cup size over the weekend, and this can be quite uncomfortable with ill-fitting undergarments.

Nick seemed mesmerized by all of the pinkness and lace. As the saleslady came up to help (and measure) me, Nick said to her, "First shopping, then I go cars!" She laughed, and Nick proceeded to tell every single person in the store that he would get to ride on a car when I was done shopping. In the meantime, Nick waited patiently while I spent time in the fitting room. Indeed, he even tried on some of the merchandise himself. If I hadn't been otherwise occupied, I'd have taken pictures, because what is cuter than a two-year-old boy modeling a pink lacy bra?

Anyway, I stopped to buy perfume on the way out, and I figured Nick would start getting impatient. But he just took all of the perfume boxes and stacked them like blocks on the shelf. Then, after I made my purchases, Nick asked, "Cars now, Mommy?"

I decided to push it. "One more store, Nick. One more store, then cars." It worked! Nick walked into the maternity store with me and held my hand for another ten minutes while I looked around. I was so proud of him. He can be so naughty sometimes, but on this day he behaved exceptionally well. He saw this fountain on the way out, and I let him watch the water for awhile.

Then, as promised, it was on to the cars. "All done shopping, now cars." This is what I told Nicholas, and his face lit up as he saw them. I let him pick two cars to ride on, and he would've stayed for hours if I'd have let him.

Nick was even understanding when I didn't have enough quarters for the car with the video screen. He just sighed and picked another vehicle. I guess he must've been in an accommodating mood that day.

When I'd run out of money, I told Nick he could play for a few minutes.  I gave him a five minute warning when I was ready to leave.

When it was time to go, Nick simply took my hand and we walked out the door. Simple as that. I am under no illusions that this is normal behavior, but I sure was grateful for it that day.

Let's hope I'm able to have more days out with Nick like this one. No temper tantrums, no drama. Just shopping, and then fun.

My Cookie Monster Loves Target

Earlier this week, Nick and I went on a little excursion to the Target. Check out his cookie monster sweatshirt. Nicholas is my cookie monster indeed, and he especially loves the vanilla scones at Starbucks. Note the crumbs all over his clothes.

Every time I go to Target, I treat myself to a caffeinated beverage, usually a nice skim latte.  Actually, I think I may have the most complicated Starbucks drink ever. I've made baristas jaws drop as I tell my order. I order this way: "It's going to be in a grande cup, but it's a tall. I would like a tall, skinny caramel latte with an extra pump of the sugar free syrup (five pumps total), five splendas, extra hot, whipped cream up to the top of the cup, with a little bit of that caramel stuff on top."  Then I always remind them that it's an extra pump, not an extra shot. Someone like me will never sleep if I have a double shot of espresso after 4 p.m.

Lately I've been getting a cup of water for Nick, or else he tries to steal my latte. Yes, my boy likes coffee, and tries to sneak some whenever he can. He snatched a sip one time, and I told him, "No, yucky!" He replied, "Want that! Drink Mommy's coffee!" The last thing this boy needs is anything with caffeine in it, so distraction is the name of the game. Thus the cup of water and the vanilla scones.

I find myself having to run into the store for random things that I forgot more often now. Should I blame it on pregnancy brain? I suppose I can use that excuse for the next few months, anyway. At least I'm lucky that Nick loves shopping. He always asks, "I go shopping?" and then grins widely when I tell him that, yes, we have to go to the store. Something about the colors and the people watching makes him happy. Often there are other little kids he can wave at and say hi to, so he's a happy camper. Plus, in Target, I usually let Nick pick out something from the $1 bins. This time he got a Snoopy coloring book.

Is it weird that I actually like going to the store with Nick? At least on days when I'm not exhausted. We talk the entire time, about what we see, usually. He also helps me look for things. Like, if I'm looking for milk, I tell him, "Let's look for the milk." (Of course, I know right where it is, but I let him point it out.) Then, I thank him for helping me. When he's older, maybe I'll let him use a calculator to track the totals. For now, he's just my cookie monster, hanging out in the cart and letting me know where to find the cheese.

Merry Christmas!



I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did. Here is Nick's picture with Santa, taken at an incredibly late date--Christmas Eve morning at 11 a.m. He wasn't even a little scared, and he shouted, "Santa over there!" as we approached his chair. "I see Santa! Santa!" Nick went right to him, and grinned really big, especially when Santa gave him a candy cane. My boy has grown so much this year. Check out his Santa pic from last year:

See the difference? He's gotten huge! But both times Nick showed no fear of the large, bearded man in red. Last year we had to wait in line for what seemed like forever, and I just couldn't stomach the thought of wasting several hours in line to see Santa.

We meant to go a few weeks ago, but we all had a terrible cold and felt lazy. Then, last weekend I had cookie baking, a cookie exchange, and the great diaper explosion weekend of 2010. I went to the mall with Nick on Wednesday the 23rd, hoping to get in, but the line snaked around Fox Valley Mall in a line rivaling those at Disney World. I gave up, but then felt incredibly guilty at home later. Parental guilt is a horrible thing. I know intellectually that my kid will not suffer if he does not sit on Santa's lap, but I still felt like a lazy mom. Nick knows who Santa is, and points out everything that has Santa on it. Last year he wouldn't have known the difference, but this year, he gets it.

So I convinced Greg to go out on Christmas Eve morning. To the mall. Yup. We're crazy. The wonderful thing, though, is that everyone else must've thought it was too late to see Santa, because there was no one in line--not one person ahead of us. Just Santa sitting there taking it easy, resting up for his big night. Next year we'll try to be earlier, but we really lucked out going at the last minute.

We broke the record for last minute errands on Christmas Eve, I think. There needs to be some kind of award for miraculous shopping adventures. We left our house at 10:30 a.m., and got home around 12:15. Here is what we managed to accomplish during that time. It was a true Christmas miracle:

1. Greg filled his car with gas.

2. Drove to Louis Joliet Mall

3. Santa visit, complete with official picture printing.

4. The festive eating of the hot pretzel.

5. Went to Bath and Body works for last minute gifts.

6. Tried three different stores, finally found sweaters and socks for Nick.

7. I got my eyebrows threaded. (Ouch! But it was very quick.)

8. Nick got to ride the big shaking car that costs umpteen quarters.

9. Drove to Best Buy.

10. Located and purchased $57 of ink cartridges. (For printing custom gift tags. That line was hideous.)

11. Drove to grocery store.

12. Greg bought wine and maple syrup. (Gotta have the basics.)

I was so proud of us at the end of that trip. When we left the house, Greg was telling me there was no way we'd get it all done. I secretly agreed with him, but kept my fingers crossed. I remained calm and told Greg not to worry. Both of us were shaking our heads in astonishment when we pulled in the driveway at quarter after 12.

Running Errands With a Nearly Two-Year-Old

It's become more interesting lately to take Nick on errands. He's much more talkative, and also far more demanding about what he wants and what he does not want. We pick our battles, but Nick definitely knows the meaning of "No." Today Greg and I went to rent a video, and our little man enjoyed running up and down the aisles. He also loved sitting in the director's chair, pulling dvds from the shelves, and trying to swipe candy bars. It is exhausting but never boring teaching him boundaries.

We also had to pick up some groceries, and Nick adores the grocery store because of all the people and the colors and the things to grab. Near the end of our shopping adventure, my blood sugar started to drop, so I went to buy a few munchkins from the Dunkin' Donuts in our Walmart. Nick immediately started shouting, "Please! Me eat! Please mummin!" I told him that they were doughnuts, not muffins, and he adjusted his demands accordingly. "Please doughnut! Me eat!" Stuffing an entire munchkin in his mouth, Nick grabbed for the bag, snatching another one. You'd think we didn't feed the boy.

I adore the look on his face in the picture above. He looks like he just got caught doing something naughty. Lest you think that Nick subsists on doughnuts and mummins, please understand that today he also ate greek yogurt, whole wheat bread, chicken, rice, a whole apple, and pasta with plenty of shrimp, asparagus, and red pepper.

Today was a pretty good day. When Nick woke up this morning, he climbed next to me on the couch with one of his favorite books, "If You Give a Moose a Muffin," by Laura Numeroff. "Mummin story," he demanded. Then he started to climb into my lap, exclaiming, "Lap story!" I do believe I read that story three times this morning. "Again! Mummin Again!" Nick loves pointing to the moose and the muffin every time they appear and naming them. He has this thing about muffins. I actually don't mind rereading stories; Nick has pretty good taste in books, and reading together is our thing. I've been reading stories to him since he was only a few wees old. I think that reading with him is actually my favorite thing to do with him--I'll always remember sitting with him on my lap with a story.

I love Nick's velour track suit. It was a hand-me-down from one of my teacher friends, and I think it's adorable. Greg said that when he wears it, he looks like he was about to go for a run. it's a 2T, and it actually fits him, though I had to roll the waistband so it wouldn't be too long. I can't believe Nick is going to be two this Wednesday.

I haven't been posting as often as I'd like during the last few weeks. Fall always makes me tired, and the time change has really messed me up. Plus, I have had multiple days of parent conferences, doctor's appointments, and family visits. I'm really looking forward to having a five-day weekend for Thanksgiving in a few weeks.

Beans, Shopping, and Yogurt!

Summer is almost over. My first official day was Wednesday, when I led some training for new teachers. School starts next Tuesday. To end our summer, Nick and I went up to Woodfield last Thursday to visit Grandma Toni and Aunt Sarah. We met at a Mexican restaurant, where Nick promptly ate an entire bowl of black beans. Yup. The whole thing. Good times, good times. 

Then it was off to the playland at Woodfield. This play area was both bigger and cleaner than the one at Fox Valley. In fact, they kick everyone out of it a few times a day and clean it. Nick loved climbing and running around. There were so many kids, though, that the three adults had a hard time keeping track of Nick. It was like a game of Where's Waldo.

I've realized that if Nick doesn't have a certain amount of time to run around and climb, he starts to go nuts. He'll throw fits and climb the furniture and launch himself off of it. This was his time to be active. His cast sure isn't slowing him down any.

After a few hours of shopping, we had some Yogen Fruz. Usually, I can't eat ice cream without getting a tummy ache, but I can handle frozen yogurt just fine. I had strawberry frozen yogurt with chocolate chips. Aunt Sarah had vanilla with oreo cookie chunks. Nick got both. He got very excited after he had his first bite. In fact, he kept demanding to have more "Yogurt!"

By this time next week, I'll be longing for my next vacation, when I can take Nick to the mall for fun and frozen yogurt. But I think he'll be just fine. He loves going to the babysitter, because there are other kids for him to play with, and they run around outside every day. Plus, this year Nick will get to spend two days each week with his Grandma Toni. Lucky boy.  :)

Childproofing and Mexican Food

Man, kids are expensive. Nick and I had to make a trip to Babies R Us on Thursday. You see, Nick is a very active little boy, and he has managed to ruin and/or destroy some of his stuff. He ripped the pad on his changing table, so that all of the stuffing was coming out and the plastic was gone. That's $30 right there for a new one. I guess the diaper pail refills aren't Nick's fault, but I had to buy two packages at $16 each. Definitely necessary. But I suppose the cost is offset by his cute little shoes, which I got on ebay for $1.50.

Then there were the stove protectors. Nick has ripped off one of the plastic thingies that cover the knobs on our stove, actually cracking the plastic. Unfortunately, you can't buy just one or two, so I had to get an entire package of new ones. That's another $9.

Nick also keeps breaking his sippy cups. He throws them on the floor when he's mad, cracking the plastic, and then they leak. So I had to buy him some new ones. I got nice insulated sippy cups, with animals on them. They also have nice straws and they're thin enough for Nick to hold with one hand. He's had a hard time this week holding his drinks because of his cast. When he saw the orange cup above, he announced, "Moo!  Ball!" Yup, there are cows playing soccer printed on his sippy cups. Those were $10 for three cups. See his t-shirt? Got that at a garage sale for $0.50. It says, "I tried to be good, but I got bored."

After all that shopping, Nick and I were hungry, so we decided to try a new Mexican place in Plainfield, called La Adelita. Their chips were yummy, but the salsa and the food overall was a little spicy for me. Still good, though. We had quesadillas. Nick loved the food, even the spicy stuff. He was shoving the lettuce garnish in his mouth in handfuls, and he kept begging for more salsa. Before I had Nick, I felt just a little uncomfortable eating out by myself. Now I have a regular dining partner. He's pretty good company, if a little messy. We actually have little conversations nowadays. His side sounds something like this: "More chips!" "Moo ball." "Mmm chicken." "Birdie!" (pointing to a bird on the mural) "Hello!" (to everyone who walks by the table) "Tea!" "All done."

He might be expensive, but Nick is worth every penny.  I've really enjoyed spending so much time hanging out with him this this summer. Only about two weeks left, though. . .

Garage Sale Joy

Last Friday I took Nick garage sale-ing. I could tell that he was bored with his same old toys, but I certainly wasn't going to up and buy him new ones. So I set myself a budget ($30 in cash) and off we went. Yes, I am cheap. But I also like my son to have lots of toys. Yes, you can have it both ways. I also feel kind of good about reusing things that other kids have outgrown. I wash/sanitize everything that I buy secondhand, and Nick doesn't know that his toys are mostly used. Does it look like he cares?

I am always surprised at how many cool toys I can find at garage sales. I guess it makes sense, because kids outgrow stuff long before it gets ruined. I always start out by looking on www.napervilleyardsales.com to see what places near me are having garage sales and what they're selling. I almost never go with any particular items in mind; instead, I just browse and see what I can get.

Above you can see Nick in an adorable outfit ($1) I found that says "I'm a 'lil firecracker." He's playing with his toy zoo, which makes animal noises and came with a ton of little people. After I gave his new toys a bath, Nick gravitated immediately towards the zoo. He really likes the bird. When you sit her in her spot, she sings a song and Nick dances along. He likes to try to name the animals, although he's lately been calling most four legged creatures that aren't dogs or cats a cow. He says, "Moo."

Lately, Nick likes to point up every time he sees a plane. "Pane!," he declares dramatically. I always look up and confirm that yes, indeed that is a plane. So I thought Nick might like his own airport to play with. I love the look on his face when he realized that I had bought him his own toy plane. The airport also comes with a building and a road that, ironically, goes in a big circle. It has a helicopter and a taxi, too. I think little boys are born knowing how to make car and plane noises. Mine sure doesn't need any help with that.



















I did find a stack of books at one garage sale, and I got Nick a few, including this bunny book that he really likes. I also found several paperbacks for me, a nonfiction science book by Brian Greene, and a second copy of "The Happiest Toddler on the Block," by Harvey Karp. We're always losing our main copy.

Nick has Mega Bloks at his Grandma Linda and Grandpa Ray's house, and he loves them. I've been wanting to find him some for home, and I did. This huge box of blocks was only $4. Nick immediately wanted me to help him build with them. He got mad every time I tried to move away, so we ended up building together for a good hour. Not bad for a $4 investment.

So, in case you've never thought of garage sale-ing before, let me recap what I got for roughly $30:

• Big box of Mega Bloks
• A Little People Zoo (all pieces included)
• A Little People Airport (all pieces included)
• Six books for me and two for Nick
• Three fun-shaped ice cube trays (heart, star, doughnut)
• Two pairs of toddler pants 
• Three pairs of toddler jeans
• One shorts outfit
• Four 2T tee-shirts with cute sayings
• Five of the heavy duty toddler bibs with the pockets
• An extra booster seat for Greg's car

In conclusion, the shopper in me cannot resist the allure of a garage sale. Nick appreciates my efforts.

The Shopping Cart Blues and Tuscan Bean Soup

I had to post this picture because I love the way he's slouched down in the shopping cart with his feet up and his tongue out. Daddy taught him to make noises with his tongue, and he does, frequently. Even in the shopping cart. Both of these pictures made me laugh, actually. Poor guy has the shopping cart blues.

"Come on, Mommy, aren't you done already?" We've been here forever and you didn't even buy anything good. Just cans of stuff and leaves. What is kale, anyway? And when do I get to play outside?"

Well, the kale was for a recipe I wanted to try. I usually don't go for meatless recipes, and neither Greg nor I generally like kale, but I figured I'd try this one because we like bean soups. It turned out to be pretty good, and I will definitely be making it again. Apparently, kale is just fine in soups.

Tuscan Bean Soup

Originally from “Living the GI Diet,” by Rick Gallop, but I made some changes.


Ingredients

-2T extra virgin olive oil
-5 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 1/2 large Vidalia onions, chopped
-3 carrots, chopped
-2 stalks of celery, chopped
-6 fresh sage leaves, cut up
-A few fresh thyme leaves
-6 cups of chicken broth, low-fat, reduced sodium
-2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
-5 cups of shredded kale
-A sprinkle of garlic powder
-Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

1. Start heating the oil in a big pot on medium heat, then add the onion and garlic. Chop the carrot, and celery, and add it along with the sage. Cook it for 5-7 minutes.

2. Add everything else. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale starts tasting yummy, for about 20 minutes. I always keep tasting the soup and adding stuff until I like it. Not a bad way to cook.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Served with a piece of whole wheat toast and a spinach salad with croutons, yellow pepper, and tomatoes, I think this dinner was a success. I love having soup for dinner.

Over the River and Through the Woods. . .

. . . to grandmother's house we go. My grandmother lives in Schaumburg, so I'm sure we crossed at least 1 river and passed by a few forest preserves. Nick and I decided to go and visit her yesterday, because I hadn't seen her in awhile and I was sure she could use some snuggle time with Nick. She just had sinus surgery a few weeks ago, and hasn't been feeling well. Holding a laughing baby is a wonderful cure for that, as you can see. Nick was really excited to see his great-grandma, and let her hold him right away.


My grandma made us lunch and then cherry ice cream for dessert. She asked if Nick could have some, and he immediately made a chirping noise, as if he'd heard and he wanted some. It is so much fun to introduce Nicholas to new foods. I fed him a tiny bite, and my grandma asked him, "Do you like that?" Nick answered by immediately opening his mouth very wide. I bet the cold felt great on his sore gums. While savoring each bite, he said, "mmmmmm." Just like his daddy.

Here you can see Nick fascinated by the ceiling fan. Grandma turned on the light (and the fan with it) to brighten the room so we could take a picture of his happy, ice-cream-covered face. But as soon as he saw that fan, he was riveted. There's something about ceiling fans that hypnotize a baby. Even if there's still ice cream in the vicinity, he has to stop what he's doing and stare in wonder at the joys of the whirling fan. I wish there was one in his bedroom.



Now, in spite of her not feeling well, my grandma was all about going shopping. In my family, shopping is a competitive sport. I can remember as a little girl listening to my grandmother haggle (politely, of course) with cashiers over how many coupons she could use, mismarked shelves, and competitor prices. When I was about seven, I heard a rumor (partially true, I believe) about her getting into a fight with another lady over the last cabbage patch doll. The doll was for my birthday. I have a really good grandma with a competitive spirit.

There's also the fun tradition in my family of showing off what you bought and how much you paid for it. After a shopping trip, one of the best parts is spreading out your purchases and explaining how you managed to get it all for the best price. My most triumphant moment was last year, when I used a combination of an incorrect price tag, a 10% gift registry coupon, and an expired 20% off one item coupon to get a fancy espresso machine for under $100. Greg does not understand or appreciate this tradition, and he rolls his eyes at me when I come back from the store with tales of triumph.

So, anyway, my grandma always has a game plan. We set goals for what I needed to buy (baby clothes, soup ladle, baby pool) and then decided where we'd get the best deals. She suggested Kohl's and Babies 'R Us. First, we hunted for coupons. Babies 'R Us didn't have a coupon deal going, but they do honor coupons from Buy Buy Baby, and my grandma had two of those. A $5 off a $15 clothing purchase coupon and a 20% off one item coupon. Immediately when we walked in the store, my grandma found the lady in the gift registry and made sure they would take our competitor coupons. Then the hunt began. . .

Shopping with my grandmother is never a rushed affair. She knew I needed to get some fall clothes for Nicholas in the 18 month size, and she was on a mission. We scoured the clearance racks for special deals, while Nick slept happily in his stroller. Very quickly, I had a stack of baby clothes to choose from. My grandma has this habit of getting distracted and suddenly disappearing while shopping, only to show up having found a great deal. (Actually, I do the same thing. Must be hereditary. Or ADD.) She spotted a "Buy one Get one 1/2 off" sale on Carter's clothes, so off we rushed to find two cute outfits.

Then we delved into the toy department, searching desperately for a baby pool for Nick. I was ready to give up, but my grandma emerged triumphant. "Here it is! This one is perfect." Then the register battle began. We were told that you could only use one coupon per customer, so we divided the purchases between us. My grandma made sure that a customer loyalty card was swiped for each purchase, and I ended up with some great deals. Here's what we got for under $50. Probably the best deals were the pool ($29.99, but I got it for $19.98) and the clearance priced "Bananas over Mommy" outfit (originally $17, I got it for $4). Yes, I do take after my grandma. :) Then it was off to Kohl's. We milked the $15% off coupons for all they were worth, only buying items that were at least 50% off. My grandma convinced them to re-ring the onesies so that we saved an extra 10%. My favorite item, by far, is the little onesie that says "little stinker" with the picture of the skunk. The onesies ended up at $4 each, and the pants at $5 each. Not too bad, considering how quickly Nick grows out of outfits. I was shocked when he had to start wearing 12 month clothes before he was even 7 months old. Hopefully this growth rate won't continue, or I will have a giant by the time he's a teenager!
Besides our sucessful shopping excursion, we went to Lou Malnati's for dinner. My grandma loves to go out to eat, but since my grandfather passed away (in 2007), she often doesn't have anyone to go with. I think she enjoyed watching Nick, who also loves going out to eat because he can throw everything from the table onto the floor. He was a pretty good customer, except for the occasional baby shrieks. Lately, at quiet moments, Nick likes to scream at the top of his little lungs. Then he giggles. There's usually nothing wrong, he's just trying out his voice. I always get a little embarrassed when Nick lets out those bloodcurdling screams in public, but the people sitting around us in the restaurant seemed to think it was pretty funny.

I believe this was Nick's first experience of the joys of pizza, and he sure seemed to like it. Here he is grabbing a tiny pieces from my hand. Lou Malnati's has a great thin crust veggie pizza that was just divine. Nick doesn't really understand yet about warm foods. I've always been of the opinion that if you warm a baby's bottle, they'll always expect it warm. Ditto for baby food. So Nick's food has always been either cold from the refrigerator or room temperature. It's not that he doesn't like warm foods, he's just confused when his food is warm. He is getting used to it, though, and enjoyed several bites of pizza.

When we left the restaurant, we had to pick up everything Nick dropped on the floor. Throughout our meal, he managed to drop three toys, the jar of parmesan, the menu, two napkins, and his baby cookie. He also upended the salt, smeared oatmeal plum baby food on the table, and ate several bites of napkin. I had to pry some packets of Sweet 'N Low out of his hands before he ate them. Here he is all covered with cookie, pizza, and baby food remnants, right before we left. Note the empty table top. That's because everything was ON THE FLOOR.

I'll have to get out to see my grandma again before my summer is over; we had a really good time. Before I left, she snuggled Nick and he fell asleep in her arms. I think that's her favorite part of him visiting.

Healthy Banana Oat Bread with Blueberries

I got lost in the mall today for about 20 minutes. I genuinely couldn't remember where I had come in. I've heard it called baby brain, and I definitely have it. I decided to run into New York & Company because I had a coupon. Many of my shopping trips begin with that phrase: "Because I had a coupon." Anyhow, they had this huge sale, and I have a shortage of summer clothes that fit, because I still have 20 lbs. of baby weight, so they suckered me in. I'm walking out of the store, headed towards where I think I parked the car, when I realize that I'm walking in the wrong direction. I don't recognize any of the stores around me. It took going out two entrances to figure out where I had come in. Then I had to use the clicky locks on my car to figure out where I parked. (Don't pretend you've never done this. . .I can't remember what I did before they had clicky locks.)

On a different note, I love trying healthy recipes and then making them healthier or tastier. I found this one online and then made about 14 changes to it. This bread is mostly whole grain, with protein, fiber, and Omega-3s from the flax and wheat germ. It is also relatively low in sugar. The almonds add more protein, and cinnamon is good for your heart.

I also like recipes where the proteins and carbohydrates are balanced. I have trouble with hypoglycemia, and snacks such as this one help me keep my blood sugar stable. All the fiber helps me feel full, too. Healthy Banana Oat Bread with Blueberries

Ingredients:
¾ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup wheat germ
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal
¼ cup milled flax
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (plus more for sprinkling on top)
3 tsps baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs beaten
2+ cups mashed bananas (about 7 medium, very ripe)
1 cup of Splenda
½ cup white or brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil (or applesauce)
¼ to ½ cup sliced almonds (I actually crush these first, so I can’t taste them)
1 cup (or more) of frozen blueberries (you can also use chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


2. Grease 2 medium bread pans.


3. Combine the flour, wheat germ, oats, flax, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon in a big bowl.


4. Use a mixer to combine the bananas, sugar, eggs, oil, and almonds.


5. Dump the wet batter into the dry.


6. Stir it until it is just moistened. Make sure you don’t mix too much!


7. Add the blueberries and stir just enough to distribute them. The key is not to stir too much!


8. Pour the batter into the bread pans. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top.


9. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.


10. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then take out of the pan and cool another 10 minutes.


11. Slice and store however you’d like. I freeze one loaf and have ready-to-go breakfasts.