Brother & Sister

By now you've probably forgotten what we look like

Here are some photos (finally!) to freshen your memory... albeit quite random.

Jenga! Rychen's new favorite game.

We are pretty active in a mom's group for Salem Stay-at-Home-Moms. This was a playdate (playing green light, red light) and the next is a meet-up at an indoor park...

Elisabeth and Liliana Strength (daughter of my friend Emily)

Here we are with our friends, Pamala Erdman and baby Alena. They recently moved a ways away but we still try to see them at least every month.

And last but not least, my SIAMESE TWIN BANANAS! 2 bananas in 1 peel! How awesome is that?

Stuff and the lack thereof

I received the following comment from an acquaintance:

"Annalise, your house is always so clean. Are you extremely organized or do you just not have very much stuff?"

ha! A smart question, for therein lies the key to a clean house and a simple life! Anybody who knows me knows the answer to this question. I am always going through closets, getting rid of stuff, throwing things away, giving things away, and otherwise shedding the weight of unnecessary "stuff" !! Due to this habit, moving has been a breeze. And due to this habit, I have many times bought an item for the second time (that I used to own). Ah, oh well. Give stuff away, hope it comes back to you. That's my motto!

Six months!

Elisabeth at 6 months....

...weighs 15 lbs. exactly, which is more than double her birth weight (her brother at this age was a pound short of doubling his birth weight).

...has two teeth in the bottom-front

...is quite mobile with her scooting, and can rock in a hands-and-knees position, but no crawling yet.

...nowhere close to sitting yet! Won't even bend at the hips :)

...is licking fruit and veggie slices

...is down to 2 1/2 naps per day (1/2 nap means soon after awakening, to continue night sleep)

...bedtime 6 or 6:30 pm

...very social, wants to be in on the action, busy body!

...still nursing strong (and will be for a long time!)

...no hair growth yet

Elisabeth news

For a couple weeks, Elisabeth has been "interested in food," but I was hesitant to start solids early, so I tested her -- and as it turns out, she just loves to grab whatever is in my hand--and she just loves to put whatever she is holding in her mouth. But it does seem that she is interested in bright foods like carrots and apples, and certainly likes to participate in mealtimes. So I have started sharing food with her - if I am eating a carrot stick, I give her one to suck on. Or, I let her play with a whole apple like a ball--chasing it, mouthing it, etc. -- a great toy with no paint or plastics!! :-)  Also when I am eating apples I will give her licks in between my bites. So she is tasting it, but hasn't actually swallowed any food yet. I think this is fun for her and is a great first step to getting excited about fruits and veggies!

 

Also, she recently cut the 2 bottom teeth. A day later, she developed a "red mustache," which I am pretty sure is a bug bite. Looks just like something I had last summer - small blister surrounded by a non-itchy, painless rash.

 

And so close to crawling!!! She scoots by propelling herself forward from a plank position, and also rocks on hands and knees.

Pancake Pizzas

We discovered an easy way to make pizza! Make some quick pancakes and then top it with sauce and toppings. We love making pizza around here but so often we don't, because of all the effort of rolling out dough to make the crust. So now we found a happy, fun, kid-friendly way to get the best of both worlds.

Clarmont Trio

Today there was a great opportunity for kids to attend a free, educational mini-concert put on by Clarmont Trio. This is an international group of three young women playing the piano, cello, and violin. They are very talented, and charming too! So they played some short peices, and in between did some interacting with the children. They asked some music trivia, gave information about the music and instruments, and did some fun activities - for instance, "Imagine this music is about a bear in the woods. Listen to this part and then tell us what you think the bear is doing" and "How does this music make you feel? Is this angry or happy music?" etc. All in all very educational and great exposure for the kids. Rychen P. got into it, even listening and answering questions (he knows some things from Little Einsteins, such as what allegro and crescendo mean, etc.) and moving to the music. And I admit, I had a great time too!

baby cereal

Today I made baby cereal for the first time in three years. Nope, not for Elisabeth. For Rychen P! For some reason, oatmeal messes up his, ahem, bowels.... but it's one of his favorite foods. So I told him I would make him some that he could eat... so with rice flour and some other gluten-free flours, I made a thick baby cereal, added cinnamon and bananas, and presented it as oatmeal. Success!