An education

We're pretty sure that Sam is pretty lactose intolerant.

We are hoping he grows out of it, but for now we are avoiding lactose like the plague. You only have to see one little blistered bum to turn you a little gun shy.


However, the doctor said it was really important for him to get the fats and calcium from dairy. Lucky for me, I have a food scientist sister who informed me that when cheese is made most of the lactose gets thrown out with the whey and the curd (or cheese part) has very little lactose.

So we give Sammy cheese...lots and lots of it.

And he LOVES it.



The other day I was shredding some cheese for dinner and he saw the tell tale big orange Tillamook block. He looked up and me and said "cheess...peess" and made the baby sign language for more.

Translation: "Mother, you are the most wonderful woman in the world and I would greatly appreciate it if you would kindly spare me just a little piece of that wonderful orange stuff that I absolutely love. Thank you very much."

I ALMOST DIED it was so cute.


Here are all the types of cheese he has tried so far...they are all his favorites:
Cheddar
Manchego
Parmesan
Romano
Mozzarella
Cotija
Chevre
Gouda

Pi day

On Friday we had a pi day party.

43 people filled my 700 square feet of entertaining space to the gills...and it was awesome.


I've been hearing a lot about the power of introverts and trying to decide what I am. From the very cursory "research" I've done (watching a TED talk) I gather that and extrovert is supposed to be energized by large groups of people, while and introvert is supposed to be exhausted by them.

Well, during the party I was on cloud nine...so many friends...so many people to talk to and laugh with...so many bellies to fill with food and love...

And even after everyone went home I was buzzing thinking about how everyone seemed to have a wonderful time...how I think everyone felt included and happy...and how the ear doctor and I were able to facilitate a good time had by all...

...but then the next day I was totally wasted. I just wanted to crawl in bed, read and tickle Sammy boy's little chubby toes.


I'm starting to think that the balance between extrovert and introvert is much more a spectrum than a binary measurement. And if I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum how can I really own that?


On a totally different topic, I was invited (again) to a book club. I love reading, but don't really like book clubs. I don't want to feel pressured to read by a deadline, and I expressed those feelings to the person who invited me. I suggested instead that we have a podcast club where we all listen to the same podcast and then get together to talk about it. Less time commitment and guilt, still all the fun of getting together and dicussing ideas. Sounds great in my book.

Or, even better, a kind of moth/storytelling club where you get a topic and then come to the meeting with a story from your life about that topic to share with the group. That'd be pretty cool too...

morning breaks

Daylight savings.  Wow. It is simultaneously horrible and awesome.

My Sammy has always been an early riser. And it's probably my fault...when I was pregnant in August I would wake up at 5 in the morning, sneak out onto our back deck and read for a solid hour with just the stillness of the day and my baby's furtive kicks to keep me company.

And so now when he is up at the crack of dawn I try not to be annoyed at him.

This morning when it was pitch dark in our room and I roused to the sounds of his happy sing songs from the crib in the next room I have to fight to avoid having my first thought of the day be "NOOOOO"...but when i look at the clock and see that I got to sleep in until 6:30 I think "YESSSSS"

Because there have only been a handful of days in the past 16 months that I have actually been able to sleep that late.

Trying to be like...

Church was rough yesterday.

I decided to sit front and center with Sam hoping that the fewer other children distractions around him would help him be calm. This was a great idea...he was a perfect angle for most of the meeting.

The one time he lost his cool he was trying to crawl out from under the bench in front of us and make a break for it. I grabbed him before he could scoot out of my reach and he let out a deafening wail. I tried to take a breath, remain calm and remember that everyone around me is patient and it doesn't seem nearly as loud to other people. But the speaker in front of the whole congregation focused her entire talk on how to best teach little children to learn the gospel and understand what they should be doing at church.

gah!


Then, during the second speaker I took my eyes off Sam for 5 seconds and he pitched himself backward and fell, cracking his head on the pew in front of us. I scooped him up and tried to get out the door during that scary 3 second inhale before the scream really took hold, but wasn't fast enough. His wails echoed off the chapel walls as I heard the other speaker make some kind of remark (I didn't hear) and the whole congregation erupted in laughter at my expense.


Not my favorite day at church...but not the worst either...