Bike Ride

We, Mike Lilly and I, took the bike out for a spin today. I don't have the rack for Lilly's seat yet so I tied her to me and away we went.  It's 4.7 (according to google maps) from our house to the Post Office, that was the first stop. Then we went and tried out a new mexican restaurant, then another 1/2 mile or so to the coolest park. It has an incredible kids play ground with everything imaginable. It looks like a giant castle, all made out of wood, with swings, and cubby holes, and moving balance beams and boats, motorcycles, and bridges, the list goes on. It's also all fenced in with only one entrance/exit so you can send your kids in and the can't run out the other side. It will be a wonderful place to take the kids to play (if) Lydia visits next summer! From there we went home. The ride home took a bit longer, more up hill and bottom line, my butt hurt, really hurt. I hate bike seats, Mike says that I will get used to it. I don't know, my butt always hurts no matter what kind of seat and yes I have tried many. Oh well I will keep riding as soon as the bruising from this time goes away. Here's a photo outside of the taco place. I wear a helmet against my wishes, one of those things I do to please my husband, I think he wants to keep me around for  bit. (Though he may want to get rid of me after all my grumbling about my sore rear end!)

Eating

Feeding Lilly is one of my most dreaded daily tasks. She still nurses 4-6 times a day but it's not enough so she gets real food. She loves yogurt and bananas, and re fried beans, those are pretty much a staple and if I'm trying something that she won't eat, mix one of those with other item, i.e. avocado and beans, carrots and yogurt. She eats pretty well, well she did until a couple days ago. It lasted about 2 days, she wouldn't eat, I'd sit her down, get her something she likes sit down, feed her one bite then she would clamp her mouth shut and there was NO getting in. So I'd give up. (I'm not real into force feeding her, I have always thought, "if she's hungry she'll eat.") After a night of her being awake most of the night and me being tired of her constant nursing, I gave her an entire Ritz cracker and if that ever made her happy! So since then, this is how feeding goes, I get her food ready and grab the package of crackers, she gets a cracker in her hand and magically her mouth opens so I shove in a bite. Over and over. She does actually get the cracker to her mouth and manages to "gum" off a piece and does eat it. However, if she drops the cracker, eats it, or feeds it to the dog, she will not open or take another bite until she has another cracker.
I have a feeling I have one very stubborn little girl on my hands.

Breakfast from this morning, peanut butter crackers, blackberry yogurt and banana.  YUM

I am amazed in these photos just how much Lilly looks like Mike!

I LOVE grubby baby hands, especially when they mean that Lilly is feeding herself!

Sewing

I have been doing a lot of sewing lately as noted in my previous posts. Lilly likes to play in the scraps while I'm working.

Projects

I'm sure none of you would ever guess that I was a very difficult child. Unlike my sister who was born sewing and knitting, I had no desire whatsoever to learn anything my mother wanted to teach me, especially if it had to do with a sewing machine. I have changed over the past few years. I started beading years ago, then knitting and most recently, I have become obsessed with sewing. Yes sewing! Who would have thought, as my mom and she'll tell you that never did she think she'd see the day where I sewed something out of desire, not necessity. I mean, I have always known how to use a machine, I vividly remember learning how to sew straight lines by sewing (without thread) on the borders of the adds in the newspaper on Mom's old pink Singer. That was the extent of my sewing until middle and high school Home economics classes, do they even make kids take that stuff anymore? Anyways. 
My sewing ability and desire has increased greatly over the past few months, basically since moving to Alaska. We bought drapes, at Lowe's, for our living room, They were too short, wrinkly, boring brown and not worth the 50$. So I called my mom and through very detailed, one day at a time, e-mailed instructions. I made beautiful drapes for our living room. Then it was black out curtains for our bedroom, just in the nick of time, it is now light out at 10pm and before 6am! I hated making those stupid black out curtains, sure glad I have them though and next time they are needed I'll know how to do it better. That stuff out of the way, it's baby dress time. Lydia sent me a pattern and I was HOOKED. I love it, I have made three so far, two from her pattern, one from a pattern I bought. 

This is a reversible pillow case style dress. I love it and though I think it may not fit perfectly I can't wait until it warms up so I can't let Lilly wear it!




























I have been wanting some of those reusable grocery bags for a while now. I hate going to the grocery but even more I hate the bags, paper or plastic. We just don't reuse them fast enough and I hate storing them. So they go in the trash and then I just feel bad. So I bought a pattern from one of my favorite websites www.rosylittlethings.typepad.com, you can find the pattern here http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/fabric_and_sewing/page/4/ about halfway down the page. This bag is the loveliest grocery bag I've ever seen. My husband does not understand why I would want to spend several hours making one when I could just go buy a green canvasy one at Walmart. Ick! Yes they are better than paper or plastic but I love the time and the though that goes into making things. Picking out the fabric, laying it out trying different patterns as different pieces. It is all, somehow, very therapeutic to me. Watching nothing, become something, and something useful at that. I can hardly wait until I go to the commissary on Saturday and when the cashier asks me "paper or plastic" I can say neither and really mean it and give the bagger my very pretty, handmade Jane Market Bags!!!! Happy day!   Off to make another bag!

My favorite photography subject...

I was unloading and putting away groceries, Lilly decided to pull things out of the bags that were on the floor. She loves to lay like this on her side, grab a toy and waive it around. 

She still does not crawl, though she is mobile enough to get anywhere she wants. She has started coming after me the past couple days if I leave the room and if she wants up she scoots/pulls herself over to me pulls on my pant legs and fusses. (don't you just love the fat rolls on her legs?)

She is doing much better sitting. She has started to push herself from her side to almost sitting. Soon I think! (at 8 months it's about time) She'll sit for several minutes if you set her up and is smart enough to hold her head up when she starts to topple. 

9:15pm

This photo is not of anything interesting, just the view out my back door at 9:15 last night. I took it for those of you who are curious about the light here.  It doesn't get totally dark until about 10pm and starts getting light around 6:45am I think. 

I laugh every time

I laugh every time I see this photo, and yes I have looked at it several times a day. 

Lilly Learns

Lilly has become quite mobile and more curious than over in the last few days. She still isn't crawling but spends quite a bit of time on her knees rocking back and forth and also up on her toes, she's going to have the best abs in this house here pretty soon. She has, however, discovered that with her limited mobility (bellying crawling and barrel rolling) she can get pretty much wherever she wants to go. So gone are the days of leave the baby on the floor and she'll be there when you get back. Chances are she won't be, she'll have scooted herself from the living room to the kitchen in the time it takes me to walk down the hall and get a diaper. Here are a few pictures of her discoveries this week

Cabinet doors open and close making noise, I'm waiting for squished fingers. :-(

Ahh yes trash bags and bleach...

And if you pull on the trash bags they come out of the box, FUN!

This is my fault, I should not have left the lazy susan open.

Onion skins make such great noise! At least she helped peel them, right?

This one was a good roller, I think she played with it for a good 10 minutes, pretty good when your attention span is as short as Lilly's.

Mike and I are both, for the most part, enjoying this new stage. Lilly continues to be a very happy little girl and a constant source of entertainment!