Bub in the tub

Ian was not originally a fan of his Spa Baby bath tub. I don't know why, he just didn't like it.  So, up until the last two weeks or so he would take a bath with me.

I loved that! However, it takes two people to complete the operation, and Carl is not always home when Ian needs a bath.  So, I am happy now that he likes his little tub.  It is an important part of his winding down process every evening. I am fairly religious about baths for kids at night- especially in the summer.  I think we all sleep better when we are not covered in popsicle juice and chlorine. When I was little my grandmother never let me go to bed with dirty feet.  Even when we were camping or something- she would always wash my feet with a nice warm cloth before tucking me in.  I guess that has stuck with me. 

An added benefit of this little tub is that it uses hardly any water!  Maybe 1 gallon? 

 

What is better than a nice clean baby? Very little I'd say!

coming off the grill

There is something really right about barbecuing in the summer.  Kids in the pool, husband at the grill, me rocking on the deck with baby. (Did you catch that-- I don't do the grilling :) There seem to be far fewer messes in the kitchen when we cook outside as well. 

I don't know about you, but I'm a little burned out on the regular
barbecue fare. I'm not a huge fan of meat to start with; so how many
steaks, burgers, dogs, and chicken breasts can a girl eat anyways? Not
many.

When the 4th of July rolled around, we were all ready for something different. 

Grilled pizza.  It had to be easy though, with baby in tow I wasn't up for some grand and fancy feast. I just bought ready-made pizza crust in the refrigerator isle (near the cinnamon rolls and biscuits) and ready-made pizza sauce--the squeeze kind even!

We unrolled the crust, plopped it on the grill and cooked one side.  Then we brought them in, flipped them over, and heaped toppings on the cooked side (fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, artichokes, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, avocados, pepperoni, and canadian bacon & pineapple). We slathered them with olive oil and sent them back out to the grill to cook the bottom of the crust.

Thank you to our friend Marc who did a great job at the grill.  It was windy and my husband is only a fair-weather griller!

One thing that would've made it easier is this.  I don't have one.  We made do with spatulas, tongs, and inverted cookie sheets (with a lot of giggling along the way). We never lost one though, they all made the transfer in tact!

It was so refreshing to try something different! Easy, yummy and pretty too!

Before and After

Fun before and after pictures taken with my midwives Dzhan and Laurie.

Sylvan (Dzhan's baby boy) and Ian were born 27 hours apart! Laurie attended 5 women in 4 days. It was a crazy week for her--none of us were wise to it.  She is amazing, always making you feel as if you are the only mama she is caring for.

I went to dinner with my midwife Laurie (center) after my 6 wk appointment a few weeks ago. I tearfully gushed on and on about how much she meant to me, and how grateful I was to her for affording me the opportunity to give birth in my own way, in my own home.  It was so important to me that my daughters be witness to the beauty that natural birth is.  I couldn't have done it without her supporting and loving me.

When I finished with my affirmations, she shared with me something that she learned in Midwifery School.  She said, "My mentors taught me that when people begin falling in love with me (because of how I care for them in pregnancy and birth), I should always remember that it really isn't about ME as a person, as a hero.  It is midwifery.  People are actually in love with midwifery.  We are just the vessel."

Isn't that great?  I love her even more.