So I thought I should post something

I'm wondering how our mothers/grandmothers/great-(and so forth)grandmothers survived before such modern conveniences:

For the record, I have decided I absolutely *hate* those infant car seats that you click into the base and carry around. The kid ends up getting trapped in them the whole time, and by the time they're a couple months old, that thing is way too heavy to be useful anymore. So now we just leave our infant car seat in the car, and soon TheFry will be too big for it, and we'll have to get rid of it.

So now I'm thinking of getting a convertible booster seat. The first benefit of the one (seen above) is that it can support children from 5 to 40 pounds, and can be either rear- or forward-facing. It also has a base. The second benefit of the one above is that it's only fifty bucks.

Our current infant car seat, combined with the "travel system" (also known as Gargantuan Stroller of Death which barely fits into the car) was about $140. Ouch. We thought we were getting a good deal, and compared to all the other travel systems and just regular car seats (not to mention convertibles, which ran around $200+ at the time we were looking - almost exactly one year ago) in the Target store where we were shopping. I think it's safe to say that I'll be heading off to the Burlington Coat Factory for this amazing deal of a convertible car seat this weekend.

The third benefit of the car seat pictured above is the other gear you can combine it with to make traveling a heck of a lot easier:

Yes, folks - that's a harness you use to strap the kid's booster seat to your roller luggage. So not only do you not have to put up with the crappy, heavy infant car seat, you don't have to deal with the gi-normous, bulky "travel system" (gag me) ever. again.

Can we say FREEDOM? I love the modern age!

Another great thing for travel is this:

Man, my Pack N Play is the best thing ever. I bought it for $70 about a year and a half ago from Target.com. It looks just like the one in the picture: it has a bassinet attachment (you can put the mattress in the bottom part when the baby is too big for the bassinet), a changing table attachment (complete with caddy for changing accessories), and a little mobile with three bears! Plus, it folds up quite compact. It is, like I said before: the best. thing. ever.

Too bad Dexter hates it. He screams like a banchee whenever I set him in there, even if it's with his favorite toys, and even if I'm in the same room putting away laundry or making the bed. Even if I'm talking to him, singing to him, or yelling and crying right along with him (a tactic that works pretty well for PapaFish, but not so much for myself).

In other news, Summer has finally arrived in our neck of the North! Lilacs are in full bloom (and have been for a couple of weeks now), and since they are one of my favorite flowers, I enjoy my walks with TheFry all the more. He has started being more chatty on our walks, laughing at the birds and "talking" to passersby. When we get to see dogs, he is especially happy. And he is especially especially happy if the dog is barking at us like it wants to viciously run us down and maul us. MamaFish is kind of nervous at these latter kinds of dog encounters, but TheFry just smiles and laughs.

So Grandma wins - TheFry is a lover of dogs, even though MamaFish and PapaFish both much prefer cats.

There's not any more pictures, I'm afraid, because of the fact that nothing new has really happened, and also because we have all been really busy with PapaFish's new job. He has been asked to take the Manager Assessment test at his work, and he is also still trying to pass the math placement test for the Computer Support and Networking Administration program at the college in town. But we are thinking of all of you, and love you very much.

Also, as many of you know, we are traveling to Colorado in three weeks, and I will have more info on the above gear and how well it all went, complete with great pictures, once I return!

So now the list:

1. Convertible car seat

2. Car Seat luggage strap

3. Swim Diapers

4. Swimsuit for (chubby) MamaFish. Ug.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mothers Day, all you wonderful Mamas out there! Enjoy these beautiful apple blossoms, found not five minutes' walk from our home!

Spring has truly arrived "in full bloom"!

We even saw some cherry blossoms:

They are my favorite flower as far as blossoming trees goes (Tiger Lilies are my favorite of all flowers) - and it was the perfect gift for Mother's Day to see these flowers as I walked with TheFry on Saturday evening.

While we were walking at the park, we spied this bench with what looked like a bouquet of flowers on it...

But it wasn't a romantic gesture from a guy about to propose to his girlfriend, as I had hoped. Then again, I am a sap sometimes. But the flowers were pretty anyway, and I love the big shiny building in the background. There's something quaint about a city park.

We spent a lot of time watching these two birds. They kept singing and chirping and TheFry would just smile and laugh and kick his chubby little legs. Eventually, they flew off and we headed home.

TheFry has been eating a lot of spinach lately. We make our own baby foods at home, and he is afraid of the food processor. Therefore, I tend to prepare the foods after he goes to bed, and sometimes it takes several hours (like if he keeps waking up every hour). Such is life in an apartment. But I think a messy face is a cute face.

Lately, TheFry has been pushing himself up on his hands. Sometimes he forgets to unclinch his fists.

Here he is, chubby and happy and dressed like a mime (that one was for you, Mom ;) ).

This one's my favorite. That's not a tooth - it's just his gums. He really likes to play with his tongue, including turning it sideways (which I myself cannot do), chewing on it and the like.

In other news, I have a romantic husband! He made chocolate ganache-covered blackberries for Mother's Day! Aww...

Yes, those are slices of candied kumquat zest adorning the little nuggets of blackberry deliciousness!

A blurry close-up because I only have a P&S...

That's better! Mmm...ganache was a little melty, so it stuck to the paper instead of peeling off like plain chocolate. The blackberries were savory yet subtle - not overpowered by the ganache and yet now overpowering it, either. The kumquat added a little bit of zing to the overall feel, and a much-needed crunch. The sugar coating on the kumquat zest kept it from being bitter (which is how I remember kumquats from my childhood).

To be honest, I was skeptical about the kumquat zest because the only time I've ever had kumquats they were extremely bitter. However, this was an amazing dessert and I have a wonderful husband who stayed up after work buying and preparing the ingredients for me! He even made chocolate-covered pecans (also with the ganache - sadly, no pictures), and pecans are my favorite kind of nut!

Well, happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there, and here's hoping you had a relaxing day with good food and family who loves you! Until next time!

Stitch to Enrich!

This last Saturday was our first time hanging out with the folks who "Stitch to Enrich!" Our church is really trying to help the local community, and the Stitch to Enrich program is one way of doing that. Some of the young women in our church who know how to knit are teaching others to do so. So this Saturday, I went to a young lady's apartment and learned how to knit with about a half-dozen other girls (plus Trinity and Dexter!)



The blanket TheFry has in the picture is one that I crocheted for him. I started working on it before he was born and just finished it last month. ^_^;; I learned over the weekend that knitting is a rather clumsy affair. I dealt with the frustration by picking up a more complicated crochet project. I'm planning on knitting a little girl's sweater.



In the end, we hope to donate 100 items of clothing (mostly scarves and hats) to a local homeless shelter for those who can't afford winter clothes. In our local area it is miserably cold for about six months of the year. This last winter, we had several weeks of below-zero temperatures - a longer stretch of them than I ever remember.





Anyhow, TheFry enjoyed being fawned over and playing with yarn (until he got all tangled up this one time, and MamaFish had to save him). He got all pooped out on affection, and demanded to return home earlier than we had hoped.

Until next time!