Ethan’s perpetually runny nose and croupy cough have morphed into a serious case of the “sickies”. He’s running a fever of 101, which we are dosing with Tylenol. He refused to eat anything yesterday, which for Ethan is a sign of the end-times. Almost as disturbing, he came to me at 10:30am yesterday clutching his blanket and said “Mommy I need to go take a nap. Come sing me a song.”
He had two long fever-naps yesterday. During the second nap the snow started falling. When he woke up and trudged downstairs he realized it was snowing. Suddenly the little invalid boy was a bundle of barely contained momentum.
“I want to go sledding! I want to throw snowballs!”
I had to explain to him that sledding wasn’t going to be possible on what was then ½ inch of snow. Then I pointed out that he was going to get awfully cold playing in the snow with no pants on. That slowed him down a bit.
We compromised, finally. He could go outside and throw a few snowballs to Katya, but not until he had eaten lunch, drunk an entire glass of lemonade, and Daddy got up from his nap. (Daddy’s been working STUPID long hours and then had to fight his way home through the snowstorm of idiot drivers.)
I asked Ethan what he wanted for lunch. Hotdog? no. Bologna and cheese? no. Pizza? also no.
Then his little face lit up. “I know! I know!” He jumped up and down and clapped his hands together once like a samurai chef. “We can eat…” he paused for dramatic effect. “SNOW!”
(In the end Ethan ate an apple but Daddy didn’t wake up until after dark. Ethan’s fever returned soon after that and he was snuggled in bed ( without eating dinner) by 7:30pm. Ian was fascinated watching his first snowfall, which in the end amounted to about 2 inches plus a bit of ice.)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Happy Birthday product placement
“Mamma, Mamma, wake up.”
“Happy Birthday. Make me pancakes.”
And that’s how my birthday started. He didn’t get pancakes after-all, but we did have lots of good food and birthday cake.
Mark and Ethan made my cake (Duncan Hines!) while Ian napped. Then Mark, Ethan, and Ian all took a nap at the same time, so I played Medieval II: Total War uninterrupted for an entire HOUR.
We had chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream and then we played games. Ethan doesn’t quite have the coordination for Wii bowling but he has fun with Wii boxing. We also played several rounds of Hulabaloo and did lots of “funky monkey dancing”.
After the boys were in bed Mark went out and got Carraba’s take-out for dinner and we watched the season premiere of Rome.
Fun and games with my boys: check
Uninterrupted “me” time: check
Chocolate: check
Excellent Italian food: check
Summation: awesome birthday.
As always, click on the picture for more pictures of our day.
“Happy Birthday. Make me pancakes.”
And that’s how my birthday started. He didn’t get pancakes after-all, but we did have lots of good food and birthday cake.
Mark and Ethan made my cake (Duncan Hines!) while Ian napped. Then Mark, Ethan, and Ian all took a nap at the same time, so I played Medieval II: Total War uninterrupted for an entire HOUR.
We had chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream and then we played games. Ethan doesn’t quite have the coordination for Wii bowling but he has fun with Wii boxing. We also played several rounds of Hulabaloo and did lots of “funky monkey dancing”.
After the boys were in bed Mark went out and got Carraba’s take-out for dinner and we watched the season premiere of Rome.
Fun and games with my boys: check
Uninterrupted “me” time: check
Chocolate: check
Excellent Italian food: check
Summation: awesome birthday.
As always, click on the picture for more pictures of our day.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Good Friends
There are three “groups” of friends in my life: my friends, Mark’s friends, and friends of friends. In a happy scenario those three groups merge into a great big bundle of friendship. Kind of like a giant tangled ball of half woven friendship bracelets.
Yeah, sadly, I wrote that while stone cold sober.
The other folks at Shannon and Ernie’s house, however, had good wine along with their yummy food and great companionship. We all passed the puppy around, passed the baby around, chased the four older kids, and tried not to block the view of the football game.
Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of Kennedy in her princess clothes or her brother Ethan (the “other Ethan”- poor child will have a complex after spending all night wondering why that strange woman kept yelling his name and telling him to stay out of things!) in his shiny shows and Superman outfit. I don’t seem to have any pictures of Ernie, either, but I assure you he was there. (Probably off squirting the chicken or walking Sally.)
Click on the picture of the (failed, sadly) chocolate fountain for shots of Ian, Ethan, Mark, Sylvia, Richie, and, of course, Sally.
Yeah, sadly, I wrote that while stone cold sober.
The other folks at Shannon and Ernie’s house, however, had good wine along with their yummy food and great companionship. We all passed the puppy around, passed the baby around, chased the four older kids, and tried not to block the view of the football game.
Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of Kennedy in her princess clothes or her brother Ethan (the “other Ethan”- poor child will have a complex after spending all night wondering why that strange woman kept yelling his name and telling him to stay out of things!) in his shiny shows and Superman outfit. I don’t seem to have any pictures of Ernie, either, but I assure you he was there. (Probably off squirting the chicken or walking Sally.)
Click on the picture of the (failed, sadly) chocolate fountain for shots of Ian, Ethan, Mark, Sylvia, Richie, and, of course, Sally.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Ian 8 months
Today Ian is 8 months old. He celebrated by biting me- again.
The 4 teeth are his biggest news this month, which is impressive considering this past month included his first Christmas, an introduction to the wonders of mashed potatoes, his first cold, his first mysterious baby fever and the chaos that has been our household the past 30 days or so.
He loves his Christmas toys, but mostly his exersaucer. Some of the other toys are in the closet for now until he can figure out how to sit up in order to play with them. Ian still doesn’t sit up, supported or otherwise for more than a few seconds. He is, however, an impressive roller. He’s rolled all over the lower level of the house. In the past few days he’s start really pushing up with his arms and lifting his head up at a 90 degree angle.
Solid foods are still a challenge. He loves bananas and will tolerate prunes, mashed potatoes, and applesauce. Anything else he gags on and spits back at me. I guess it was too much to ask for to have another child who would eat anything I put in front of him.
The teething has been hard on him so he’s back to waking up every 4 hours. Not surprisingly, I’m back to wearing my pajamas most of the day. Thankfully his reflux only comes in spurts now, so I don’t have to change my clothes more than once or twice a day.
Despite his aversion to bottles and any food that isn’t a banana, Ian is still growing. He’s wearing 12 month sleepers ( with a little room for length and tons for the rest of him) and size 3 diapers.
Click on the picture above for a few Christmas photos. I’ll upload more as I have a chance.
The 4 teeth are his biggest news this month, which is impressive considering this past month included his first Christmas, an introduction to the wonders of mashed potatoes, his first cold, his first mysterious baby fever and the chaos that has been our household the past 30 days or so.
He loves his Christmas toys, but mostly his exersaucer. Some of the other toys are in the closet for now until he can figure out how to sit up in order to play with them. Ian still doesn’t sit up, supported or otherwise for more than a few seconds. He is, however, an impressive roller. He’s rolled all over the lower level of the house. In the past few days he’s start really pushing up with his arms and lifting his head up at a 90 degree angle.
Solid foods are still a challenge. He loves bananas and will tolerate prunes, mashed potatoes, and applesauce. Anything else he gags on and spits back at me. I guess it was too much to ask for to have another child who would eat anything I put in front of him.
The teething has been hard on him so he’s back to waking up every 4 hours. Not surprisingly, I’m back to wearing my pajamas most of the day. Thankfully his reflux only comes in spurts now, so I don’t have to change my clothes more than once or twice a day.
Despite his aversion to bottles and any food that isn’t a banana, Ian is still growing. He’s wearing 12 month sleepers ( with a little room for length and tons for the rest of him) and size 3 diapers.
Click on the picture above for a few Christmas photos. I’ll upload more as I have a chance.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
For Dinner Last Night
Southwest Chicken Casserole
Total prep and cook time: 1.5 hours
6 medium, or 8 small, boneless chicken thighs
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 large sweet onion
1 small can chopped mild green chiles
1 can mild enchilada sauce
1 can navy beans or other white beans
1 small can shoepeg corn
cumin
pepper
garlic
tortilla chips
Boil thighs in pot with just enough water to cover them and about 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 tablespoon garlic, and 1 tablespoon of black pepper. (You can adjust or eliminate spices depending on your taste) Boil until they start falling apart when you pick them up with a fork, or about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease medium casserole dish. In bottom of dish add can of chiles (juice drained off), the chopped onion, and the (drained) can of beans. Stir together. Add corn, also drained.
Heat in small saucepan the two cans cream of chicken soup. Add half can of enchilada sauce and stir together while heating. (You won't need the rest of the enchilada sauce, discard or save for another dish) Remove from heat once warm and mixed together.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (400 degrees if you are in a hurry)
Pull apart chicken meat until it is in bite size or smaller pieces. Easiest to do this while chicken is still hot- use two forks to shred. Add to casserole dish. Add half the warmed soup mixture and additional spices to taste. (I use another 2 tsps cumin, no garlic, and just a hint of white pepper) Stir together. Top with rest of soup mixture.
Heat casserole in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbling and hot throughout.
Serve topped with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Serves 3-5 adults.
Total prep and cook time: 1.5 hours
6 medium, or 8 small, boneless chicken thighs
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 large sweet onion
1 small can chopped mild green chiles
1 can mild enchilada sauce
1 can navy beans or other white beans
1 small can shoepeg corn
cumin
pepper
garlic
tortilla chips
Boil thighs in pot with just enough water to cover them and about 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 tablespoon garlic, and 1 tablespoon of black pepper. (You can adjust or eliminate spices depending on your taste) Boil until they start falling apart when you pick them up with a fork, or about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, grease medium casserole dish. In bottom of dish add can of chiles (juice drained off), the chopped onion, and the (drained) can of beans. Stir together. Add corn, also drained.
Heat in small saucepan the two cans cream of chicken soup. Add half can of enchilada sauce and stir together while heating. (You won't need the rest of the enchilada sauce, discard or save for another dish) Remove from heat once warm and mixed together.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (400 degrees if you are in a hurry)
Pull apart chicken meat until it is in bite size or smaller pieces. Easiest to do this while chicken is still hot- use two forks to shred. Add to casserole dish. Add half the warmed soup mixture and additional spices to taste. (I use another 2 tsps cumin, no garlic, and just a hint of white pepper) Stir together. Top with rest of soup mixture.
Heat casserole in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbling and hot throughout.
Serve topped with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Serves 3-5 adults.
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