Naturally Optimistic

Even though I fear jinxing things...I just have to report that August has slept 9+ hours a night for the past 7 nights! I am in HEAVEN!! Sleep is so so so underrated. And Wonderful. Let's hope this is a lasting trend.

August started crawling on Saturday! He had been 'practicing' & rocking for several weeks & was quite good at crawling backwards on all four. Finally on Saturday he figured out the forward part & off he went. Saturday he was pretty shaky but through the day got more & more confident. By Sunday night when we were at a SuperBowl party, he was pretty proficient at following me around. On Monday he pulled himself up by himself. He had also been really close with that for a long time & his legs have been very strong for months (where he can support himself). He hasn't really started cruising around the furniture yet but I think it won't be too far away. It really has changed the dynamic of my day! No longer can I leave him playing on the floor. He wants to follow me (or find a cord to play with - ay yi yi) as soon as I leave. Doors now have to be shut, cords have to be put up, outlets checked again for our lazy baby-proofing & gates on the stairs in ...

It must be because I get a bug every January to clean out (like the rest of the world...), but I get inspired this time of year to start sending out my postcards (again). I just can't seem to part with my postcard collection - no matter how lame they are! I have had some of them for...um, almost 30 years! I have sent most of the really old ones...but I have lots more! So far I've sent out 34 postcards. If you haven't received one, it's probably because I don't have your address. If you'd like one, send me an email at carrster(at)yahoo.com . If you think this is just silly - well, you'll probably still get a postcard anyway. I love getting 'fun' mail instead of bills & junk every day so there ya go.... The first batch left my house yesterday.

My babies were models this fall for Three Irish Girls Yarn - a company based here in Duluth. While the yarn is FABULOUS and beautiful - I think the models are pretty darn cute too.

Mr. August. 9 Months old. So hard to believe. He is really a changed boy from last fall. He is so incredibly smiley & happy nearly all of the time. He is so interested in everything around him. He loves his sister's toys (which we're finding is more of a safety hazard than we'd ever thought about before...). He loves to play with the alligator xylophone, stealing his sister's Little People is a favorite past time & he's a master at Peek-a-boo. He's a champion eater. He loves to eat everything we do (just about). He gets quite ornery when we try to give him baby food. He loves spaghetti, yogurt, peas, carrots, mac & cheese, bagels (just the soft part!), bananas, hard boiled eggs, crackers, cheerios, green beans, cheesy potatoes, etc. I'm trying to wean him, so during the day he gets a few bottles & table food, at night I still nurse him. He had his 9 month check up last week. Weighing in at 16lbs, 1.5oz (2nd percentile) & he's 27 1/4...

Well....not much. I've tried for years to like tea. I may have been turned off in my early years by accidentally taking a sip of what I thought was my Mom's "Tab" when in reality it was iced tea. *shudder* nothing like getting a mouth full of non-carbonated, bland, unsweet TEA when you're expecting something sweet, bubbly & delicious. (yes, I just called Tab delicious...it might have been Diet Coke...I don't really remember). I'm not even TRYING to like iced tea. *gag* but I would like to enjoy the world of hot tea. There are so many fantastic (sounding) varieties out there. It would be nice on a cold morning to have a cup of tea. Sometimes tea smells good. I would like to find a caffeine replacement that doesn't contain aspartame (ie: Diet Coke....). So I tried again last week. I made a cup of...I dont' even know what kind. It smelled awesome. The water in the kettle started boiling. The kids were napping. I even got out a tea cup & sauce...