Amberism

Summer Lovin'

I've been quiet here because I've been busy getting out to the beach to enjoy the amazing weather we're finally having. In the last week I've been at the beach 3 times, and I love it. I figure I might as well feed Callum lunch in the grass rather than at the kitchen table. Its a little bit more work (mostly the packing and then the unpacking when we get back) but absolutely worth it.

I've also been enjoying my organic veggies and trying out all sorts of new things with the strange and wonderful items that I get each week. So far, the mixed green salad they provide with every box is a hit with everyone. I get requests to share my bag most weeks!

I finished yet another baby sweater, a little Yoda Sweater that is adorable. It's like a little housecoat, too small and too baby-ish for Callum but I forced him to try it on anyway. That's my right as Mama. I've just begun a little dress coat from an old book of my mother's that I dug up not that long ago. It is adorable, but unfortunately there are 324 stitches. THREE HUNDRED PLUS stitches on my needle. It takes about five thousand years to knit a row, nevermind follow the feather and fan pattern! I like to torture myself, apparently.

In the realm of the kidlet, he is starting to get the hang of waving, and when he does wave at you, its very enthusiasically. Like he's saying "OK I GET IT, BYE BYE ALREADY". Yes. It capital letters. He also is beginning to distinguish between Mama and Dada. The other morning Steve walked into the kitchen while Callum was eating his breakfast and Callum raised his arms with excitement and declared "Dada".

I'm not bitter.

Quick Update

We have had an incredibly busy week. Our "backpacking" trip went surprisingly smoothly. The biggest issue we had is that a two-man backpacking tent is small with two people (as big as Steve and I, anyway) nevermind two people AND a big baby. I'd totally do it again, but next time we most certainly need a bigger tent. I am trying to convince Steve to sell our current tent and use that money towards a bigger tent but Steve? Totally in love with his current tent. Refuses to part with it. He even threw back "this was a gift from my wife, and you think I'm just going to sell it?". dude, its a tent. And I'm the wife.

So if anyone knows of anyone selling a 3 or 4 person backpacking tent, let me know. Really we'd probably need a 4 man tent considering the dog isn't going to be sleeping outside as he's the most cowardly dog in existance and needs to be protected from the elements.

Callum was a dream, too. We'd put him to bed, and after a little snuggle with his papa, he drifted off to sleep and we just left him alone in the tent while we sat around the fire. The tent was a fair walk from the fire, too, but it all went well. If he cried, we could hear him (the great outdoors is pretty quiet) and honestly, he didn't. He took it in stride. Of course, he's a pretty decent sleeper.

Unless, of course, he's teething which is what we were up against once Steve's Mom and sister were here this past week. We took the trailer up to Elk Falls near Campbell River and man, those two nights were not as smooth and that made for one very tired Mama and one...

well actually, Callum was just as chipper during the days as he usually is plus he had all that Grandma love at his disposal...

The two teeth (top, next to the front teeth) have now broken through, so we're getting a far better nights sleep. I'm sure the two top front will be next, and soon, so I am anticipating some more sleepless nights in the not-so-distant future.

Besides the teeth thing, the visit with the in-laws was great and Callum thoroughly enjoyed all the fawning. Auntie was getting him to "shimmy" everytime she shimmied to the music and he now shimmies for anyone who is game to shimmy back, to much delight.

This week we're just chillin' and relaxin'. Planned a picnic for Wednesday assuming the weather improves significantly (rain. oh, and more rain) and there is talk about checking out the bath tub race in Nanaimo today assuming that the rain doesn't ruin it.

Lots and lots of blogging! Its hot outside!

Our disposable income these days is non-existant and as a result, I don't leave the house except to grocery shop because every time I leave the house? Gobs of money are spent.

Instead I've been knitting away at my stash that I have. A stash that consists mostly of crap yarn I bought when I first started knitting and knew nothing about quality yarn. Since everyone I know is pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or already dealing with mini-devils on a regular basis, all of my knitting has to do with children. And so, a lot of children I know will be getting handknits made of crap yarn. Except for the lucky ones who will get sweaters made of my alpaca stash that I plan to dig into in my next project.

This is a little, simple hoody made from some sort of acrylic blend that I stole from my mother about 15 years ago. I plan to embellish this with some sort of embroidery up one side in the very near future.

And a little cardigan made with this CRAP wool I bought to make sweaters for Angela's twins before they were even born. I started to make this sweater, declared the yarn shit, and stopped. So I finished it. The yarn is horrific to work with, but considering how much Callum loves it, I suspect that whoever gets this sweater will not care so much about the yarn quality.

And upon realizing that my son is now too big to fit into any of the baby bags we own and we have no money to buy him another, I made him one for this weekend's camping. I didn't buy a single thing for this project, the bag was made with a fleece blanket I was given as a gift for Callum (this boy has more blankets than a blanket store!), the snaps I had from my bedazzle phase when I was like, 16, and the embroidered whale? All me, baby. All me.

Its clear I'm a crafter, not a seamstress! I think I will re-do the mouth and eye on the whale in white so that you can see it. Although WHY I am even going to bother is a mystery because he'll use this bag a total of 1 time, if he uses it at all. Did I mention its hot? Stifling hot for a wimp like me? That said, I had so much fun doing the embroidery that I've since dreamed up another 6 projects I want to do. Its been about 15 years since I picked up a needle and thread to embroider.

Hot.

Its absolutely gorgeous here, but its too hot to sleep so I'm uber-tired. Which means I'm doing a lot of nothing but spending way too much time reading my blogs and commenting and being a nuisance because I'm bored. And tired.

Entertain me.

I'm thinking I'll go and make some food for Callum, and some granola bars for Steve (found a new recipe to try) and maybe try this recipe I got for rice rusks that might work. Its not easy, though.

He's well fed

Since I live in a small, older community Callum and I get a lot of attention (well, I'm sure all new Moms get a lot of attention :) ) and almost every single person says something along the lines of "What a cutie! He sure is well-fed".

yeah, yeah, the kid has big cheeks. Photo-proof, courtesy of Auntie San,

We went to the doctor for our 9 month check up and I guess all the little old peeps DO know what they're talking about - Sir Callum is in the 80th percentile for weight and 75th for height! My little guy went from the 5th percentile to 80th!

(photo by Auntie San)

Although the point of percentiles is completely lost on me when really all you need to say is "he's normal" because even in the 80th percentile he's just normal. On the bigger end of normal but normal all the same.

(photo by Auntie San)

As expected, everything else pertaining to the little dude is also normal, including taking everything out of the doctor's tray and trying to throw it on the ground :).

(photo by Auntie San)

The little devil also spent the half hour in the waiting room flirting with everyone in sight, charming the pants off anyone who would look at him. He puts on a good show, letting all the strangers think he's such a little angel, then we go home and he's Mr. Demanding! Now when he wants something or think he is in need of some serious attention he cries "ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma". He doesn't actually say "Ma Ma" but has grasped the concept that the "ma" sounds seems to be the most effective one in getting my attention!

(photo by Auntie San)

The background of this photo also gives you a glimpse of the paint colors I painted my living room. Green! Yellow! Hee! Also the distinct lack of trim on the divide between tile and laminate, but hey, its summer. Trim can wait.

Cooks and Mommies - a question.

At the grocery store yesterday I forgot to pick up Baby Mum Mums, which Callum totally loves. Because I'm lazy, and the grocery store isn't exactly at the corner of my street I figured I'd try making some rice crackers.

The recipe I tried was ridiculously easy and quick, a total plus. However the crackers taste horrific, a total minus. Instead of just randomly trying recipes, I thought I'd ask the masses (all 4 of you) if you have any suggestions or tried any recipes that were a sucess.

I'm not opposed to sugar (which I would hesitate to guess was a crucial ingredient missing from the first recipe I tried).

In other news, today we're going on a picnic! Hee!

Summer, oh how I love thee

Summer has finally made its way to the island, which I am totally loving. Sun, sun and more sun!

My weekend was awesome. The first day out on the lake it was a bit gray and drizzly, but I was on a houseboat. On Sproat Lake. With no kid. So it was pretty damn fabulous. The next day was superb. It was partly cloudy so it was this perfect day of sun and shade. We even jumped into the lake (whoa! cold!) and I read an entire book - Wiped! life with a pint-size dictator by Rebecca Eckler. I haven't read a book in a good long time. I have a couple on the go, but haven't really finished anything, so it felt good to finish an entire book. Of course its fluffy chick-lit, but hey. Its a book!

Then R was here for an easy-going day of sitting around and bonding with Callum. We didn't really do too much, just sat on the deck, had a couple of beers, and took a short walk around Englishman River Falls so I can show off the beauty that is where I live. He laughed and said it was basically "A Day in the Life" except I honestly do less sitting around when I'm on my own. No. Really. I do. I do errands and stuff! Raising a kid is hard work! (I have a feeling that raising more than ONE is considerably more arduous than what I have to cope with. Especially since my one also doesn't move, and sleeps for like 14 hours in a day).

Next weekend we're going camping on Newcastle Island with Callum and just our tent. No trailer or all the extras that goes along with "luxury" camping. It should be interesting. This is our first experiment with backpacking to see how it will pan out. To say we're "backpacking" is exaggerating. We're loading the packs and kid on our back, boarding a ferry, then walking 500 m to our campsite but still. We'll be wearing backpacks! And we can see how we would cope with Callum and just our backpacking gear. If it all falls apart, at least its not that far to go back.

Friday night we'll be there on our own, then Saturday and Saturday night is Steve's company's summer party so I think that'll be fun. Hopefully Callum isn't too cranky. He isn't really a kid who enjoys a crowd of strangers all that much... he's pretty easy-going with people for the most part, but if its too many strange people he gets a little overwhelmed.

That's about it. My big plan for the day is to return the bottles so I can have some spending money when Michelle comes to visit. The excitement. I know your jealous.