"Baby!"

This is the word I hear every.day.10.times.a.day from Emma. It's hilarious. She points to everything around the house that has a picture of a baby on it (books, diaper box, wipes container, pictures, etc.), and says clearly, "Baby!". She gets a big grin on her face and continues the hunt. Sometimes this extends to other non-baby items...which we both think is still funny because she's so darn proud of herself when she says it!
I thought I should take a moment and appreciate these little things my little one does each day, considering the gravity of my last post. Babies can be difficult; it's easy to get lost in what's NOT getting done around the house, or what you've done wrong that day. I really try hard to look for something positive every day, and little things like saying, "Baby" can really bring a smile to my face and make me feel like I'm on the right track with her.

What brings a smile to your face?

Unbelievable Pain

I had a playdate scheduled for yesterday, it was abruptly cancelled on Tuesday last minute in a very strange email. I responded with my normal, "No problem - another time!", only to find out minutes ago that it was cancelled because the baby died of SIDS in his sleep Monday night.

He was four months old.

I CANNOT IMAGINE HER PAIN. She is a Student of mine who became pregnant about the same time Emma was born. We live right around the corner from each other, so naturally stayed in contact and had playdates together. We just loaned her a little baby gate, saw her at the Kinder Flohmarkts, and she just made me copies of all the music CD's that Luis loved. I ran into her on the street on Monday afternoon and chatted about Wednesday and her little man.

I do not want to attach pictures to this post because I think it's a little invasive. But for the maybe 2 people who read this - please say a prayer for their family. And hug your kids.

Dear Plants,

You're no match for me & my new, fabulous gardening tools.
So suck it, and just GROW!

Jenn

She's Crafty

I was recently reading one of my favorite blogs, Prudent Baby, when she debuted a fabulous DIY project for a Crocheted Pendant Garland. I loved the idea and immediately grabbed my nearest crocheting needle to begin. I needed less than 5 minutes to discover I hated my results.

Crochet Pendant Garland = Failed. My brain wasn't ready to give up on this cheery idea, so I immediately started thinking about how else I could make this. 2 days later I finished what I thought was a damn good variation of the original. **It took 2 days because of this little foot demon who likes to press on the pedal when the sewing machine is out...or enjoys sticking her little fingers as FAR into electricity extension holes as she can to make mommy scream. Finally I asked Christian to take her on a walk so I could finish the last bit. Voila!

DIY 411:

I hand drew my own triangle pattern, cut material that I had from leftover projects, sewed around the perimeter, leaving the top edges open by backstiching at either side. Then turned them right side out and ironed the opening edges (the ones I didn't sew) so that it would make the perfect "pendant". I even paid homage to Prudent Baby by crocheting the line that held them all together! It was that simple!


Auf W.

Fabulous Flea Market Finds

Every other weekend there is a Flea Market by the Maine River, here in Frankfurt. It's a great little walk for us, and usually we find one or two little (or big!) things that fit us and our apartment perfectly. They even serve BBQ'd meat from a spinning metal fire pit...and beer! How can your Saturday be wrong starting off like that??First off was a cute, little white bench. And when I say little, I mean little. Perfect size for my little one! It was so cute, and so perfect for us. We have actually been searching for a bench for our hallways for thelongesttimeever, so it was nice to find one that was at least perfect for SOMEONE in our family! We're debating over putting it on our back balcony (where you see it in the photo), or in the backyard for summertime fun. I plan to add a cute little bench pillow made from the same fabric as the one I plan on making for our chairs there, too. Emma really likes it, and it was her first time on the balcony so she was ecstatic that she found a new play area! Don't mind the half hazard balcony...we'll be pimping it soon enough now that the frost is away and the sun is (slowly) coming back!

Like those chairs?? Those 2 little beauties were finds from the Fall!

After we paid 12 Euro (I know, right?? 12 Euro!) for that little cutie and left it to be picked up on our roundtrip back, we came across another little bit of fun for Miss Emma! A rocking horse...er, I mean reindeer! Rock on, girlfriend!! Oh, BTW...2 Euros.

I also came home with a few colorful and brand-new planter pots to help pimp up that pitiful balcony o'mine, and a beautiful, white vintage vase before Christian cut me off. I was on a roll!

And just because it's too darn cute not to share with you, here's a pair of denim bloomer/pants that I bought at a Kinder Flohmarkt (Childrens Flea Market - for toys/clothes) for 1 Euro! They appear to be handmade with a little ribbon detail around the legs, and are in perfect condition! Oh my, summer here we come!

I know, RIGHTTTT?!?!

Do you Quinoa?

I was introduced to quinoa when I was looking to up my protein take when I became pregnant. It's a wonderful source of highly-digestible protein that goes great with yummy veggies...just my style! When it came time for Emma to eat I thought, why not let her enjoy it too?! I've even made this meal for other people/babies for our lunch playdates...and it was also a hit with them! So here is a rundown of one of our favorite meals we enjoy eating together, just in case you're looking to "up" your and your kid's protein!

The Players:
Equal parts: Quinoa, Water, Low-Sodium Chicken/Vegetable Stock (I use 1 cup of each)
Place it in a pot with the lid on for about 15 minutes bubbling/simmering - or until all liquid is absorbed and you're ready to go!
While the grain is cooking, you can saute up a myriad of veggies to go in this dish. These are the ones I use: little garlic, onion, zucchini, roasted tomatoes. I have also been known to use mushrooms and frozen peas, and even sliced up chicken breast - because Emma lubbs it. (The frozen peas I place into the bubbling pot of quinoa at about 5 minutes of cooktime remaining).

Once the quinoa is ready, combine all ingredients. Here's my extra secret for a big of *zing*, I add a couple of squirts of Cholulo spicy sauce...the one with the wooden top! Cholulo has a lemon base, so it adds a nice little freshness & spice to the overall dish; and you can add as much, or as little as you want!
**When I make this for Emma and I, I do not add salt until I have portioned out some for her. Then I add salt & pepper to taste.

Enjoy and healthy eating!

"You're a woman!"

Almost everyday there's something little that my Mr. does to make me feel special. I don't really mean special, but I mean like a lady.

Like the other day when we were walking home from the market together with Emma and the stroller was filled to the brim with groceries...I went to take the stroller up the stairs myself and he said, "Don't do that, I'll do it!". I (of course, in all my independent voice) said, "I can do it myself". His comeback?? "You're a woman". And not in a negative, you can't do it-kind of a way...in a wonderful, I want to help you kind of a way. And you know what? I let him.

He also (almost) always still reminds me when I'm about to walk into poop on the sidewalk - which in Frankfurt is every few meters. I'm not quite sure which statement I like more sometimes, but I'm really leaning towards the poop one.