Check this out!

Tina, (ya I know, I'm a little obsessed lately) posted a coupla' pics that she took of the sweet G-Man last week on her blog. The first two are us. Take a peek here.

That first picture, took me offguard. It really captures so much of how I feel about my lil punkin. Sigh, *this* is why I like her pics and find the typical studio stuff so sterile.

just to recap

Where we were 6 months ago...

Where we are now!

An amazing change! I love my boy sooo much! Sorry, no time for a substantial post but thought you would enjoy the pics. Please continue to hold baby Stellan (just 3 months older than G-Man) and his parents up in prayer. The link to read more about this very, very sick little boy is to the right, "Praying for Stellan," just click on his picture.

praying

I am praying for little Stellan and his family right now as I am at work, knowing that my little G is safe, healthy and well at daycare. To see more details about Stellan, click on the Praying For Stellan link to the right or click here.

Oh, ya, I am sooo spoiled!

K and little G-Man and I went to a photo studio today. A close friend told me about a $10 package with no sitting fee and how great they were. I am of the opinion that a person can't have too many photos of their kids or the family, so we went. The photographer was professional, the space was clean, the equipment was nice. But, she wasn't Tina. She made me feel rushed and there was NO ONE else in the studio, no other appointments, and there were photographers standing around! She wasn't as creative as Tina. The poses are just that, we're all "posey" and our family pics look just like everyone else who has gone to a studio for family pics. I guess that some of the pics were ok, but that's it, just OK. Tina's pics of my little G-Man and our family make me exclaim, "Awww, that's the smile I get every morning!" or "ohhhh, look! She got us with that perfect smile!" or "Hey, I didn't even know she took that one!"

I learned a very important lesson today, the rest of our family pics will be with Tina. I'm spoiled, I have a photographer!

Play date!

Well, sorta'....Tina came over with her camera and a coupla' bags of fun new toys and took some pictures of the G-Man. She already has them posted on her blog here. I just can't get enough of this gorgeous little boy! Tina is so talented, she captures him despite all the wiggles! Thanks again Tina~!

If you are in the Metro area of Minnesota, you would totally be doing yourself a favor to book a family photo session with her. You will love the memories she can capture on film and even if you don't like photos taken of yourself you still have fun with her! And, as a bonus, you'll even find that you like the pictures of yourself too! Check out her website here, while you are there see if you can spot G-Man and I in the various galleries. I think we are in four different ones!

6 month photos, take 3

I took 51 more pics tonite in a different setting, edited the group down to 4 or 5 that are ok. Not bad for a few minutes of camera fun with my silly boy! Too tired to blog about anything else with substance. Too tired and just too in love with my boy!

I have a confession to make...

I am not the best at labeling things. I had some spray bottles of vinegar that weren't labeled, and my homemade laundry soap (here) was in recycled containers that I had not labeled. Not a great practice ever, but really bad when we have a baby in the house.

Anyway, a few weeks ago when we were still struggling with G's rash one of the home remedies was to use a vinegar dilution in water. 1T vinegar to 1C water and then use a cotton ball to dab it on his skin 1-2x a day. Well, K mixed up some...except that what he thought was vinegar was my new laundry soap in an unlabeled container. Fast forward three days, the rash was GONE! Nothing else had worked, this did! We were taking about it and I told K that I need to pick up more vinegar since we are out. He said, no there are 2 or 3 gallons on the counter in the laundry room. I looked at him, "No, those are all the new home made laundry soap...." long pause as we looked at each other..."Is that what you used on his skin?" "Yes. You didn't label the bottles?" I felt terrible! but then we realized that nothing toxic was in the home made soap and most of the ingredients settle out to the bottom, so it was really, really dilute. Then when K mixed just 1T of it with a cup of water it was even more diluted. In the end it was a wonderful discovery. The homemade laundry soap is the cure for his rash. And I have learned my label lesson!

6 month photos, take 2

I am sorta happy with the concept here, but I need to get some baby sunglasses for my sweet boy. It's just too bright, even in the shade as we were here. I think without the squinty eyes these would be much better. Don't get me wrong, I am crazy about my wiggly subkect, and I love his eyes, but photographically, for a better shot, I need some baby shades for my boy. I will have to try to re-shoot this this weekend once I pick some up. By the way, I did have a cushion under his head, I just photo edited it out.

6 month photos, take 1

These are the fruits of what I am anticipating will be several photo sessions for my sweet little G's 6 month old pictures. I took these in the neighbors yard this morning. They have the most beautiful yard and gardens! Us, well, not so much! Enjoy!

Above, this is one set in progress...I need to let the sun get a lower on the horizon so there is a nice block of shade over the G. I have high hopes for this...tune in tomorrow or later tonite to see if it worked!

The Half Birthday!

I am stunned at how fast the last 6 months have sprinted past! My little G is six months old today! I have some ideas for pictures I want to take today, but the weather is sooo not cooperating! There is no natural light, or at least, not enough for how much he moves when I take a picture. I hate using the flash, so I am hoping it will lighten up this afternoon. We've already sung happy birthday a few times today. ;-)

Yummy gluten-free, dairy free sweet zucchini cake!

I made this for a friend's birthday party and was happily shocked to hear so many people ask for the recipe; and not in a polite "um, ya can I have the recipe" as they roll their eyes kinda way. A genuine, "wow! This is great! I love zucchini bread and this is a treat! You *have* to give me the recipe!" So, here it is...
Sweet Zucchini Quinoa (keen-wa) Cake

You can make an egg-free version of the recipe by replacing the eggs with flax-gel. The texture will be denser and heavier but it will taste just as good.

Enjoy this cake plain, garnished with fresh berries or dusted with powdered sugar.
· 2.5 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (available at Cub, one brand is Bob’s Red mill)
· 1 cup quinoa flakes
· 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· ½ teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh if possible)
· 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter or dairy-free butter spread, room temperature
· 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
· 3 large eggs or flax gel
· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
· ¾ cup low fat buttermilk, vanilla soy milk, or vanilla rice milk (or milk of choice)
· 2 cups finely grated zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 or 12 cup bundt cake pan.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, quinoa flakes, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda salt and spices. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add brown sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs or flax gel, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
4. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk and ending with dry. Fold in zucchini. Batter will be thick as additional moisture comes from the zucchini as it bakes.
5. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smoothing it out to fill all crevices in the pan. Place in preheated oven and bake for 65-75 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then invert onto a serving plate and cool completely.
Serves 12. Each serving contains 355 calories, 13g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 84mg cholesterol, 345mg sodium, 55g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 4g protein. Recipe by Beth Hillson and featured in Living Without magazine August/September 2009 issue. www.livingwithout.com

I can't be the only one!

Above, pic of my belly, full of G-Man at 35 weeks pregnant, just 2 weeks before he was born...sigh...I miss this!

I see pregnant women everywhere and it makes me think back to this time one year ago. I was newly pregnant. I certainly didn't look pregnant, but I was. I didn't actually look pregnant until the late fall. Even in early December one friend who hadn't seen me in awhile said, "You don't look pregnant! You just look like you enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner!" (Thanks Sunny!) I love being a mom, I love my son more than I ever imagined was possible, and I loved being pregnant! I loved my labor and delivery too, but I attribute that to 8 months of positive meditation and being at home for all of the labor and delivery. I would love to have the financial resources to just stay home full time and have another baby or two! But, for now it's more than I can ask for to have my gorgeous son! Tell me there are more women out there who *LOVED* their pregnancy, labor and delivery...am I that "unique"??? This is another link to a blog and photo just 1 week before I had G-Man...I love this pic of my tummy!

Want some Pesticides with those fresh fruits?

I just received one of my indulgences in the mail today...this months issue of Mothering Magazine. (click here to see it online or to subscribe) This is the penultimate in parenting mags, there are no ads for Johnson & Johnson products, Huggies, Gerber or any of that stuff. Their ads are for fish oils, supplements, cloth diapers, organic and wood toys, baby wearing slings. They don't have inane articles that bore you or could come from Vogue. Instead, it's solid and packed full of attachment parenting info, breastfeeding support and encouragement, nutrition information, earth friendly solutions, vaccine information and literacy. One quick blurb that caught my eye this month was on the Environmental Working Group's "Shoppers Guide to Pesticides." They make a great wallet size reference so you can check while you shop and see what produce you really should try to buy organic. A free printable file is located here. Or you can view the complete list of worst (full of pesticides) to best (least chemically laden) here. The Environmental Work Group is a great organization with an informative web site...you should check it out! (again, here I go with the whole being informed thing...) ;-)

04 July 2009 pics as promised

K, Me and G-Man with the Monster dog in front of our tent.

I *finally* got to look at the 4th of July pics and do some editing. All-in-all I am not to disappointed in the pics I got (or had taken). I wish I would have grabbed my camera more often, but this does give a pretty accurate representation of our weekend. We all had a wonderful time!

Grandma, G-Man and Grandpa hanging out!

The family on the famous Jay Cooke State Park Swinging Bridge.

Grandma and G-Man making faces and giggles!

Ahhh, Mommy and G-Man taking a nap in the screen tent, aka G-Man's play room.

Daddy and G-Man on the trail (paved, stroller friendly trail).

Models!

Yep, G-man and I are models on a professional photographer's web site! Check it out here. Then click on Flash or HTML at the bottom of the page click on Life. Then go to the top of the page and click on Families, we are on the 2nd page. If you click on Bellies all those pics are me too from last December, just 7 weeks before G-Man was born. Of course, there are pics of G-Man in the Babies section too! Look for the cutie pie in a cloth diaper. Back to the sections on the bottom of the page and click on Love. I am in Weddings 1 gallery. I am the bride on the railroad tracks and also there is a garden shot of the lower half of me too. This was while I was 12 or 14 weeks pregnant and Tina and I were having fun doing the Runaway Bride photo shoot. If you are located in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota and you want some really fun, personal touching photos of you and your family you NEED to call Tina. Click here to schedule a shoot or get more information.

It's been crazy!

Last week was INSANE!!!!! Monday, G-Man had an allergic reaction to our dog. He got terrible hives after being licked by the Monster. Then Tuesday he had an allergic reaction to a prescription cream for a rash he's had for 3 weeks. It was the first time we used the cream; we applied it after he fell asleep and within 20 minutes he was awake screaming like I have never heard before. I ran to him and there was blood on his onesie, he was clutching both cheeks and it looked like he had a chemical burn on his cheeks and neck. That was all it took to make me cry! We got him into a bath and poured water over the affected areas for 15 minutes. He calmed down and we just snuggled and soothed until he fell asleep around midnight. His poor little body had been thru the ringer both days!!!! Wednesday we got an appointment with a dermatologist and a new cream that we tested on his arm to see if there would be a reaction. Thursday we left for camping with much hesitation on my part. I was worried that with the week G-Man had that this would just be too much. I was worrying needlessly however, he LOVED camping! He slept for 12 hours each nite (waking to nurse only 2x each nite) and we played outside all day. It was wonderful! I don't have any pics to post yet...I hope to get to my camera tonite. G-Man has sprouted another tooth also! His front bottom two teeth are now visible and sharp! He's also working on a couple more. Pics to follow soon, I promise!