love love love

i went to the Amnion Banquet on friday night-- i couldn't miss Toni's speech (which was absolutely phenomenal!). it was so funny to be there one year later-- i remember sitting there last Fall, a few months pregnant, thinking, "wow, next year around this time i'll have a 6 month old baby!" i remember how foreign of a concept that was-- and how it seems like just yesterday.
and here i sit, with my almost-6-month-old, with his little runny nose and sad little cough (he caught from the airplane), and i can't imagine being anywhere else. several people asked me at the banquet if i missed my old job. i didn't even have to hesitate or think about it. NOT AT ALL. i loved my job. LOVED it. but there is absolutely not a fiber of my being that wishes i could somehow still be there, or somehow still work and be at home. i love love love my new role, and i am finding myself MORE content, not less, as the weeks roll by. he gets cuter every day, and i am more and more in love with him with every tiny step of development he stumbles upon.
i love that i can sit here posting this, and he is contentedly sitting in his swing, singing along to daddy's music, as dave mixes on his computer. he's been there for a good 30 minutes or so-- just watching and listening, and adding in his two cents whenever the music stops.
i love that he snuggles up to me after a nap, and smiles out of the side of his mouth when he looks in the mirror. i love his mohawk (or as dave calls it, his "faux-hawk"), and how he talks to his toys when no one is looking. i love the way he jumps like a maniac in his jumper, and grabs both of his feet and pumps his legs when he's on his back (his little foot dance). i love how he concentrates with such a serious expression on his face, making his lips pout. i love how he's becoming more vocal, expressing his feelings and experimenting with different sounds.
...speaking of which, he's loosing his contentment... so i gotta run...
i'm so thankful for this season of life. to be where i am. and loving it! even in the fussy times, sick days, and middle-of-the-night moments, it is simply blissful.

Chicago

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The Girls and The Moms

We had a fabulous time in Chicago-- great weather, lots of food, fun family time, and catching up with old friends. Bubby did a great job too-- considering he never had a normal nap the whole time. His ear infection seemed to clear up just in time for the flight, he slept pretty well at night (much better than our trip to Indian Lake!), and his evening with Uncle Seth and Aunt Kelly babysitting didn't go too too badly (so they say)... by the time we came home from the wedding, Christian was enamoured with his Aunt Kelly. The wedding was beautiful-- it was so unique-- unfortunately our pictures didn't turn out too well due to lighting issues. Willa and Christian were definitely the cutest babies in the whole city-- we tried and tried to get them both to look at the camera and smile, but to no avail. Willa was much more cooperative (as you can see)-- her smile is full-faced, and lights up the room when you talk to her. Christian was mostly his serious self, preferring to study the camera or anything else around him, smiling on his own terms. He particularly didn't find the dueling bear suits photo shoot all that exciting. We wish we lived closer, so the cousins could see each other more often-- but at the same time, it's fun to see how much they grow and change every few months. I can't wait till Christmas!

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Willa Rose, happy girl!

The Allison Fam

Babysit me again Aunt Kelly!

Get me outta this Sissy Bear Suit

Levitans Visit

Aunts, and Uncles, and Cousins, Oh My!

This past weekend was long and busy-- my Minnesota relatives came all the way to PA to meet Mr. Christian Alexander. We had a blast with the beautiful fall weather (pics. to come)! This coming weekend will be just as long and just as busy-- as we head to Chicago for Friend Cristin's wedding, and to hang out with Uncle Seth, Aunt Kelly and Cousin Willa Rose, + extended aunts and uncs!
I'm a little concerned that CAB will not fare so well being left with his relatives for a whole evening while we're at the wedding. He's had such a hard time lately when we leave him. :(
Today I started compiling a list of items that may help distract him, should they need to.

1. Water
-Bath
-Sink play
-Drinking it out of a cup
-A wet washcloth to chew on
2. Outside
-A Walk
-Watching cars go by
-Stroller Ride (if tired)
3. Binky and Blanky
4. Various Household Items
-Spoons
-Remote Controls
-Cell Phones
-Crinkly Paper or Bags
-Tupperware lids
-TV or Computer Screens
-Baby Carrots
5. Music
-Guitar
-Dancing
-Singing

May he'll be a charming, contented little Lovey, and want for nothing (except for more quality time with the Allisons)!

Bubby Supposes His Toeses are Roses

Apparently perfecting the art of toe sucking (sucking one's toe as if it were a thumb) helps the ear infection blues to not be so terrible...

"hey where'd they go?"

*pardon the snowman outfit-- we just had to try it on for snuggle purposes

i like big girls

most of my friends these days are girls. big girls. in a few years we will all be in the same age group and grade, but right now they are far superior to me in every developmental way. i just discovered last night that i can reach out and touch them. my friend Rylie didn't know how to handle my forwardness. her daddy said she shouldn't let boys touch her at all. but i was just trying to take a closer look at her Sleeper and her Binky, honest!

5 months, 1st ear

5 months ago right about now, i'd been a "mom" for about 10 minutes. my baby was warming under the lights, and i was in a little (or a lot) of shock. my epidural had worn off somewhere during the last 2 hours and i could feel every stitch. and yet, the pain is all a blur now. what i remember so clearly is the silence that filled the room. he didn't cry. he just lay there taking it all in.
. . kind of like he did today at the doctor's office, where he was diagnosed with his first ear infection. . . that is, until the doctor walked in the room and greeted us a little too loudly-- Christian burst into tears, as if he knew this strange, loud man was going to poke and prod him. overall he was a champ though, and once the prodding was over, he was fine. the best part of this sad event is that he hasn't seemed to feel any pain. just a yucky, crusty ear.
he was lying in his crib earlier tonight, tired, but not quite sleepy enough to sleep-- i went in to reinsert Binky and gave him a little massage, as he lay there silently watching me, again taking it all in. i rubbed his little belly and then his rib cage, and as i moved up toward his chest, he suddenly started to laugh! apparently i hit a ticklish spot. it was the most adorable moment of all time. of course i did it as many times as i could before it got old. . . for him, not me. i could have listened to that giggle all night long and never tired of it. my uncle grant said a profound thing to me recently: 'there is nothing so sweet in all the world as your child's laugh.' i think it is the truest statement i've ever heard.
and now, i must wake the poor (finally) sleeping child to give him his second dose of amoxicillin.

Sleep !

Not that we got a full night's sleep or anything too grand, but the child DID go down at 10:15 pm... and when he woke up at 1:43am, DAVE got up and gave him the pacifier, which worked for a few minutes-- then he got up again and changed him, returned him to his crib, reinserted pacifier, and after a while, there was silence!!! I figured it'd be short-lived, but from 2:15-6:15 we actually slept! And the best part-- he went back to sleep after a nice full breakfast, until 9am!! So 10pm-6am without even a snack is a vast improvement, perhaps even a record -- and i actually feel somewhat human this morning. It must have been that truly cool Addidas sweatsuit he fell asleep in!

Aunt Sister

Let me explain. Mommy and Aunt Sister are friends from way back (before i was me)-- and somewhere along the way they stopped calling each other by their real names, and just started calling each other "Sister". So Mommy decided while i was in the womb to start calling her "Aunt Sister", and now it is her official title as far as i'm concerned. it's kind of like "Sister Husband" from Where The Heart Is, only different. Anyway, we played together this weekend, and she let me chew on her finger. It was great! We had a little photo shoot with me in my new Addidas sweatsuit that Mommy got at the sale-- Daddy says it's my first truly cool outfit.

Simple Pleasures

Last night Gramsy, Poppy and Aunt Sister watched me while Mommy went to the Children's Sale at COS and got me some really fun stuff, for super cheap. A seat of my very own, some fun toys and cool clothes (pics to come), and a teether ring, since i want to bite everything i see. At first i liked the box the teether came in more than the teether itself. but then i realized how good it felt to have it on my tender little gums. i was happy. and Mommy was happy. she loves a bargain!

a real crowd pleaser

the marshmallow crunch brownies were a hit!
the chocolate/peanut butter/rice krispies combo is Definitely the most amazing invention ever. in fact it made me want to experiment with that kind of thing more often-- like, putting a layer of that stuff in or on everything i make from now on.
upon being served the dessert, one of our dinner guests said, "i feel like i'm doing something bad". i told him he probably was, and to enjoy it. we all did.
i think next time i might try putting a layer of graham crackers in there somewhere, to see if it creates a s'mores effect. or maybe an entirely different approach-- like a graham cracker crust, with vanilla ice cream and crunchy stuff on top . . . the possibilities are endless.
one thing is for sure-- you must add this topping to your own recipe box!!!

brownie (mega) points!

so, while the kid is asleep, i'd like to post something NOT having to do with him -- i know, it's been a long time!
i've been wanting to make marshmallow brownies for a while now-- and since we're having dinner guests tonight, and i have a brownie mix and a jar of Fluff in my cupboard, i figured i'd do a little search.
for those of you who don't know, i'm a marshmallow fan. i used to be a little obsessed with them, like, i called them my "favorite food"-- that is, until i overdosed on a case (i mean a case) of PEEPS one year after they went on sale post-easter. now i just like them a lot (any style) in moderation... :)
anyway, everything i found was either too complex or too plain. until i found THIS. needless to say, when he wakes up, bubby and i are on our way to the store to buy chocolate chips and rice krispies -- i cannot wait! i'll let you know how they turn out-- i can't imagine they're anything less than divine!!!

Chocolate Crunch Brownies



1 cup butter
2 cups sugar

4 eggs

6 T baking cocoa
1 cup flour
2 t vanilla
1/2 t salt

Pour into a greased 13x9 pan
350 degrees for 25 minutes

COOL

Spread 1 jar of marshmallow cream over cooled brownies.

In a small pan, melt:
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
stir in 3 cups of rice krispies

Spread over marshmallow layer and chill before cutting.

Store in refrigerator.

shortcut: just use a boxed recipe (13x9) and make the topping.