catching up

We discovered that the thorny 'weed' growing with one of our rosebushes is blackberries! Mmmmm, my favourites, even if they're seedy in one's teeth. Not too much longer to wait!
I enjoy these twiggy placemats with the iron lantern very, very much.
Hydrangeas are here!
Peas, please!
Here today, gone tomorrow (they are daylilies, after all).
Raspberries very soon!

There are so very many things I have thought about posting, but time is cut into much shorter chunks these days. Feed Phillip, play for a bit, put him to sleep, catch up on laundry, eat, nap, etc., and repeat. It's also more difficult to snag the computer if Adam's home, since he's busy with his photography projects. Also, our computer died for a couple days, but Adam was able to resurrect it (phew!). A nasty blue screen of death came up which informed us that the internal memory had been dumped. Adam ended up reformatting, which did the trick, and we're up and running. Thankfully, all of his pictures are on an external hard drive, which he also has backed up, so nothing was lost. My things are on there too, so it was no big deal - we just had some minor withdrawal symptoms for a few days. Anyway, I've been catching up on a bit of blog reading as Phillip is napping, and was inspired by some great projects and new-to-me blogs so here's my catch-up post.

Making things: I haven't been making too many things these days, aside from the odd card. I saw a very cool sewn card (I forget where, sorry!) that inspired me, so I'm hoping to create at least one of those in the next little while. Now who has the next birthday?

The garden: Wow, what a wild, wild, jungle! The phlox have come and gone, the raspberries are little green bunches of potential, the sugar snap peas are deeeeeee-licious, and the nasturtiums have ridiculous numbers of blooms. It's very, very wild, but very enjoyable.

Cooking: I haven't tried too many new recipes, but I made one of my favourites when our friends were here to visit for a few days. It's super easy and also deeeeeee-licious. Unfortunately, I didn't dare eat any, since beans seem to send their gassy vibes right through my breastmilk and make Phillip a very uncomfortable fellow (won't try that again!) but everyone else enjoyed it very much. It's very flexible, but goes something like this:

a couple cans of black beans
a can of corn niblets (I loooove the word 'niblet'. Also 'giblet' and 'riblet'.)
a few canned jalapenos, cut into bits, along with a tablespoon or two of the juice they're in
a bunch of grated cheese, either mozzarella or monterey jack
I discovered that rice is also a nice addition

Mix it all together and wrap in pitas or flat wraps for a yummy lunch. Mmmmmmm! Red peppers would also be tasty chopped up in it.

Frenchy's: Phillip has been to Frenchy's three times (yay!) And I've been to Frenchy's three times since he's been born. Mostly I've found some baby things, but I'm really eager to look through the bedding and curtains and see if there's some neat material there. I did find a great duvet cover which we're using as a bed spread (sans duvet inside) and it makes me glad every time I make the bed.

Baby-ness: As much as I don't want to be one of those people who talk incessantly about their kids, people keep wanting pictures and stories about Phillip. And since he is such a huge part of my life, the following are things I've been thinking about which relate to my very new role as mum. I do realize that the last several posts have been pretty much about him, and I'm trying to be a bit more well-rounded which also makes me feel much better and more like myself. That happens when I'm making things and out in the garden and cooking and doing all of the other things I love. Anyhoo, here are some things which I have found SO helpful for the first little while, and I feel obligated to share the joy and maybe save another mom some sleepless nights!

The Baby Whisperer: I can't recommend these books highly enough. There are also discussions on the website (click on 'message boards') with all sorts of helpful information on dealing with sleep, eating, and behaviour issues with babies. I've read two of the three books, and they have been invaluable for these first seven weeks of being a mum. I really can't recommend them highly enough, and Phillip's turning out pretty well! I had them recommended to me by a sane mum of four happy kids, so I thought I'd better read at least one. I borrowed the first one, "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby", from the library, and was very impressed. The second book, which I haven't read is "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers". I bought the third one, "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems : Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood" and have been using it ridiculously often. The third one is a summary of the first two. Although each topic is not as in-depth, I would recommend buying this one if you only buy one, since it does cover a lot more ground. These books have helped us to get through this first little bit with our sanity intact and confident in what we're doing. They offer practical, clear, straightforward information about how to get your baby to nap, eat, and sleep well, what to expect, what's normal, etc. But they're better than any other books I've seen. I don't feel like I can do the books justice - borrow them from the library and see for yourself!

The Miracle Blanket / swaddling: I am definitely a swaddling junkie - it calms Phillip down and keeps him from flailing around and scaring himself as he sleeps, as well as helping him to feel safe and secure when he's along in his crib. The problem is that he wiggles around and comes unswaddled sometimes, and needs to be re-wrapped pretty often. I came across the Miracle Blanket, and VERY quickly made a funny looking version of my own, which needs modification, but keeps him in! I would definitely recommend that any new mom either make one, buy one, or ask for one as a gift - you will be glad you did!

Mothering.com: I haven't been spending too much time here lately, but there are discussion forums on every possible aspect of natural living and mothering. TONS of natural recipes for everything you can imagine, tips for cloth diapering and positive parenting, green living, and on and on and on. You'll spend an afternoon browsing around, so get a cup of tea!