Keeping Watch

Sophie guarding Gabe while he naps.

Getting There

You can't even tell that two minutes earlier they were both pitching fits.

Almost

My quest for a perfect picture of the kids together continues...

What's for Dinner?

So, what's for dinner? For the last four months it's been takeout, with an occasional peanut butter and jelly sandwich to liven things up. And oh boy am I sick of vegetable red curry and mediocre sushi. Since the babe is now four months old, I feel like I am capable of keeping two kids alive all day AND make dinner in the evening. And I probably could, if I could remember what I used to cook. Seriously, I try to think about what we used to eat for dinners and my brain freezes into a useless almanac of delivery menus. And even if I can think "pork chop" that's as far as I get. Side dish? nope. Vegetable? nope. I may have time to whip something up for dinner, but I definitely don't have the brain power.

I was searching for inspiration at our local bookstore the other day and stumbled on Real Simple's "Dinner Tonight: Done!" (I've gotta say, I love the title.) And I found it! Inspiration! I tagged every recipe I thought sounded both fantastic to eat and reasonable to make on a weeknight. Look how many I tagged! And the best part is that most of the recipes are complete meals. It's not just "Ginger Soy Scallops," but "Ginger Soy Scallops with Grilled Bok Choy." So I don't have to think AT ALL.

We'll see how I actually do, but hopefully this is the beginning of less takeout and more home-cooking.

The Artist

I must have left the camera on the floor the other day. When I uploaded images tonight, there was a sequence of about 15 of these shots. Ellie is obviously commenting on the helplessness of the American economy and political apathy of our citizens.

Sweet Surrender

Gabe's 4 Month Stats

Oops! He fell off the growth chart!

Apparently, I make tiny babies. Ellie has always been at the bottom of the charts, and now poor Gabe has gone and fallen right off. The doctor isn't concerned yet (especially since E was small too) so I'll just have to work to fatten him up.

At 4 months, 7 days, he is officially:

23" Long (yeah, that's -1% on the charts)
12 Lbs (woohoo! 3%)

But the doctor commented a couple of times on how strong he is. So we're going to focus on that. Other than a nasty case of eczema that needs to be treated with some hydrocortizone, he's perfect. Now, to get him to sleep through the night...

Balance

So June is gone - just like that. And it was a beast of a month. My dad's still on the ventilator, so we spent a lot of time in Vermont visiting him in the hospital. It's incredibly stressful and exhausting, but there have been some joyful moments too. And since I don't want to forget them, here's a brief survey of fun things to do within 90 minutes of White River Junction, VT. You know, just in case you're ever there.

1. Attend a BBQ with the Coburns.


2. Grab lunch (and a beer sampler!) at the Long Trail Brewery.


3. Blow kisses while holding your baby brother in a choke-hold.


4. Attend a good-old-fashioned House Raising with the Bouchard Family.



5. Get completely soaked in the outdoor Science Park at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich. We actually can't wait to go back here when we have more time to spend. It was awesome.


So there. June is done. It was rough, but there were some definite bright spots. Bring on July.