Happy Birthday Wyatt

Happy first birthday, sweet boy. 

Wyatt's 10 and 11 month updates

Let me just dust the cob webs off this place before I get started...

My excuse is that we've been busy over the last month. For the first half of July we were in Washington visiting Grandma and Grandpa (more on that later, I still have to go through hundreds of pictures from our trip). And since we've been back, Wyatt's been on a sleep strike, so it's been hard getting chunks of time to focus on this space of mine.  

I really want to get Wyatt's 10 and 11 month updates down (this is his baby book after all), since the details are already starting to run together. (It's crazy how quickly that happens.)

In his tenth month he mastered crawling, got lots of new teeth (including a molar), figured out how to clap his hands together and flew on an airplane for the first time. I also tried really hard to get him down to only one nursing a night and before we left for Washington, he was doing great. He (and Jack) adjusted so well to west coast time and had no problem sleeping or napping while we were there. It was coming home and getting back on east coast time that was brutal for them both and Wyatt is still not back to his old sleeping habits.

At 11 months, while we were in Washington, Wyatt started to eat pretty much 100% table food. Anything we put in front of him, he'll eat. Well, except for bananas...he still won't touch those. Last night we had steak tips and asparagus and I could not cut up the pieces fast enough for him. He loved it. I only hope that his eating habits continue through toddlerhood and beyond. Also, he dances and it's adorable. Anytime there is music or even a sound with a beat, he smiles and rocks. 

He can climb stairs and he crawls incredibly fast. I really think he'll be walking soon. As far as sleeping goes, well there's not much of that happening. Since we've been back from WA, he's only been taking one, short nap a day and getting him to sleep, especially when he wakes in the night, has been so difficult. All of a sudden he needs rocking and back rubbing on top of nursing. Some nights, it takes hours for him to fall asleep.

He is such a sweet boy, full of energy and curiosity. I can not believe that he is going to be one this month!!

Here are some iphone pictures of some of the milestones he's reached:

His first Flight. (Boston to Dallas, on the way to Seattle)

He loves vegetables!

Climbing.

The Boys' Stats

I took this picture on Father's Day at Sakonnet Vineyards. We had such a fun time there and will definitely be back. Also, it's really hard to get a picture of the two of them looking at the camera!

The boys had their well-baby visits on Friday with the pediatrician. Hmm, I guess I can't call Jack's a well-baby visit anymore, but you know what I mean. This was Wyatt's 9 month check up and Jack's 3 and a half year check up. Jack's last check up was a year ago, so it was fun to see what a difference a year makes.

Here are the stats:

Jack - 35 lbs, 40 inches tall. I can't remember exactly but I think he's in the 50% for weight and 60% for height.

Wyatt - 19 lbs 4 oz, 28 inches tall. I think that Wyatt was also in the 50% for weight and 60% for height.  Also, at Jack's 9 month check up, he was 19 lbs 4 oz too!

The doctor said they are doing great and are healthy. Of course, those are two things that we'll never get tired of hearing. Wyatt will be back in three months for his one year visit. Wait...how is he already almost one year old???

Iphone Snapshots

My goal was to get my favorite phone pictures up here on the blog once a week. Well...life happens, so today, you are going to get photo bombed with snapshots from the last three weeks! 

Driving at Home Depot.

Look! I found a four leaf clover. The first one I've ever found. 

When Jack plays with chalk in the driveway, he calls it chalking.

Typical morning.

Jack was very excited to help feed Wyatt.

Got my toes!

Swinging on the new addition to our backyard.

Boys are dirty.

Wreath I made for my sister.  

While I was taking this picture and stifling my laughter, I was explaining to Jack that he must not go out to play without telling me first. I was laughing at the fact that he had no pants on and was resourceful enough to find his rain boots (the only shoes that he can put on himself.) 

My two littlest nieces. This week, they turned six months old!

It was my 36th birthday last week. The cake was made by my Mom and Jack, who put the sprinkles on all by himself. 

Strawberry picking.

Jack made binoculars at summer camp. He loves them and they inspired his prize. By the way, he's been accident free! Yipeee!

I am linking up to A good life where there's lots of other fun phone shots to see! 

Dixie Cup Popsicles

After picking 8 lbs of strawberries last weekend, I needed to figure out how to use them all up. I made these along with Strawberry Cream Pie, Strawberry Bread, and Ice cream. These popsicles were the easiest of the four treats and the possibilities are endless. Oh, and they were a hit with Jack too! I know that there are tons of ideas for these out there, this is just what worked for me with what I had on hand.  I didn't measure anything out, so this recipe is a guesstimate. You really can't go wrong though.

2. Strawberry-Banana Popsicles

Here's what you need:

• The little 3 ounce size Dixie cups
• Popsicle sticks (I found these at Michael's. I might go for the longer ones next time. Might sound crazy, but these are so little, I am worried they could be swallowed.)
• About 1 lb strawberries, tops removed
• Just under 1/4 cup sugar - just add a little at a time until it's sweet enough (Mine were sweet since I wanted the popsicles to taste like a treat.)
• About 1/3 cup of milk
• Sliced frozen bananas that I already had in the freezer. (By the way, frozen bananas are my new favorite thing. When they are frozen they take on this creamy texture and they sometimes satisfy my ice cream craving, which happens a lot.)

Puree the strawberries. Add the milk (I think these would be just as good without the milk.) and mix in the sugar until it's dissolved.  Divide evenly among the cups, filling about 3/4 full. Place on a cookie sheet and put them into the freezer for about an hour until they are semi solid. Pull them out of the freezer and put a slice of banana into the almost frozen puree. Then stick a popsicle stick in. (They should be set up enough so the stick will stay where you put it. Put them back into the freezer until they are solid. Once they are solid you can put them in a freezer bag to save room. Also, I found that snipping the top of the cup with scissors makes it easy to peel the cup off. I guess this could be done ahead of time so you're not hunting down the scissors each time.

I can't wait to try making these with other berries or mangoes or mixed with yogurt or honey. The possibilities are endless! And I'll take it, if it means that Jack might get an extra serving of fruit!

Could he really be potty trained?

Potty training has been a long process. When it comes to life altering changes, Jack is in no hurry. He takes his time and when he's ready, he's really ready. (like starting to walk at 20 months!) It has been one year since I bribed Jack with a bubble machine and over a year and a half since his first potty success.

But now, Jack is on Day 4 of underwear only (except at night) with no accidents! He even went to summer camp yesterday for 4 hours and came home wearing the same clothes! Yay! As a reward for staying dry at school, he got to pick out a prize and he has not taken them off from around his neck (see above).

We are so proud of him!

Strawberry Cream Pie

The last time we went strawberry picking, Jack wasn't even walking yet. I remember plopping him down in between the rows and letting him explore while I did the picking. This year was a different story. He had his own basket and had no problem filling it up. He was the only strawberry picking kid in the world though that wasn't covered in pink juice by the time our basket was full. He tried one, but had no interest in eating them after that.

We picked about 8 lbs of super ripe, must use them now, berries. After I managed to fit them into our bursting at the seams refrigerator, I had to figure out what to do with them all. I managed to use each and every one of them in four ways. (okay five ways, if you count eating them just the way they are.) I was going to include all four recipes in this one post, but decided it would be easier to post one at a time...

Here's the first of four: 

1. The easiest No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie ever 

I've made this recipe tons of times. It's from the June/July 2008 issue of Domino Magazine.

2 lbs fresh strawberries, tops removed

1 1/4 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar

5 tbsp. cornstarch

3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

Home made or store bought graham cracker crust

Whipped Cream for serving

Puree the strawberries. (If you do this using an immersion blender like I do, then trust me  - wear an apron.)

Combine milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and whisk until dissolved. Add the strawberry puree and lemon juice. Cook on high heat, whisking frequently, until mixture is thick and bubbling (about 7 minutes.) Remove from heat. 

This is where you could make your own graham-cracker crust, or you could use store bought. I use store bought - the one with the two extra servings.

Pour the filling into the crust and let it cool for about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Or make it in the morning and it'll be good by the evening. 

If I was serving this to a group, I would make my own whipped cream and spread it over the entire pie. But if the entire pie won't be eaten at once, I usually just top it with whipped cream in a can. Either way, it is so good. 

Stay tuned...

Recipes for Strawberry Bread, Strawberry-Banana Popsicles, and Strawberry Ice Cream are coming up!