updates and things

what's up around here:
well, i'm just shy of 38 weeks along. ours baby seems to have dropped in the last few days so there's that. and it's definitely taken me out of my blissful state of feeling like we have plenty of time and put me squarely in a state of feeling like the pedal needs to go to the metal. loose ends? time to tie 'em up.

and it's hard to believe what a defining moment is upon us: is ours baby a boy or a girl? am i a mama to boys or will i have a daughter?
with bonzo, the playing field was wide open – boy or girl, come what may. i still feel the same way and would be equally as thrilled with a girl as i would with a boy but it's hitting me now that, since this ours baby will be completing our family, that something huge is upon us in so many ways.

i'm thoroughly soaking in as much as i can while things are the way they are now, too. it's not that i'm not looking forward to what's ahead – because i most certainly am – but i feel like i'm kissing bonzo more, hugging him longer and just watching him with even more wonder (if more of any of those things is even possible). it's a weird feeling to wonder when things will change forever and never go back.

anyways, things around here are lookin' a lot like this:





we've nursed through this entire pregnancy with no problems, thankfully. every night after his bath and story we curl up in our spot and bonzo nurses to sleep... then i hold him for a while, just breathing him in and burning the image of his sweet, sleeping face draped over my body into my eyes. it's my favorite part of the day. bonzo's still excited about sharing nursies with ours baby. he's pretty sure he may even nurse the baby himself.












i'm embarrassingly overdue for a good belly shot. it's on the to-do list so one may show up here soon.

ps: sorry about the repeat performance with the photos, instagram pals!

just a little sweetness

oh this guy.
here he is, happy as a clam, standing on my mom's chair at our mother's day picnic at the rose gardens. his happy little face is my favorite thing on earth. i could kiss those cheeks all day long – and often do.

the guys

we spent a sunny afternoon at the park the other day.
get a load of these two:

peas on a pod, they are.









these next two photos make my heart burst with pride:

you might be wondering why – so here it is:
bonzo's not the most physically adventurous guy you'll ever meet. his personality is much more look-before-you-leap than it is do-now-think-later when it comes to physical activity. he's a pretty gentle soul, that bonzo.
it wasn't until recently that he had any inclination to go down the slide by himself. he loves a trip to the park as much as the next kid but he just wasn't particularly interested in certain things. sometimes i wanted to show him how to do it – lift him up and slide him down – the slide's easy! and fun! but he already knew what to do with it. he sees other kids do it all the time. he didn't need a lesson, he just wasn't ready for whatever-the-reason. and that was fine with me, despite the occasional temptation to prod him along. i want to respect his readiness, his timeline, his comfort – it's his experience after all. so, at the park and in life in general, i try to always let him set the speed for how he wants to discover and experience things. the slide, his tricycle, the potty, his toys etc.

he'd never climbed up the little a-b-c ramp, either. he'd seen bunches of kids do it bunches of times but just never really tested it out himself.

rewind to a couple weeks ago. on his own volition, he sat down at the top of the slide, scooted his little booty and slide right down. the look on his face was so priceless. he was so proud – and a little surprised with himself, too. he went on to practice his new skill over and over and over. and over. pleased as punch.

then the other day when the three of us were at the park, he'd clearly decided it was time to haul on up the a-b-c ramp. so up he went! followed by practice, practice, practice. and pride, pride, pride – all the way around.

it just feels so good to let him take his time and to know he does the things he does because he feels ready and able – not because i coaxed him or showed him the way however lovingly or innocently.














when in rome, huh chooch?

mother's day

i can't think of another thing i love more than being a mommy. it's what i'm meant to be. i've never felt a stronger pull in any other direction. not even close.

being bonzo's mommy is the best thing i've ever experienced. and being ours baby's mommy has been rad so far, too – though it's about to get even radder. i can't wait to meet you, ours baby.

 



happy mother's day!

almost four

it's hard to believe that my sweet little family of three is going to become a sweet little family of four in just a handful of weeks – like six of them.

i found this photo the other day and it made my heart sing. and ache a bit, too. who's that little guy in my arms?!

his pudgy right hand on my hand? that peach-fuzzy little noggin? his jolly little expression? there are no words for the love.

shaky smoothie

bonz loves a smoothie. but the thing is that lately he doesn't love the sound of the blender. but that doesn't stop us! we've just expanded our smoothie-in-a-jar repertoire.

on the top of the favorite list is what's known around here as the "shaky smoothie".

into the jar goes:
whole milk, organic, plain yogurt – maybe a cup or so?
unsweetened coconut milk – just a splash. a quarter cup usually does the trick. more makes for a thinner smoothie, less makes for a thicker one.
a sprinkle of bonzo's probiotics.
some local bee pollen, ground. if we feel like it.
one scoop of kids superfood mix, or as bonzo calls it "kids-mix!".

he's always the "one who gets to pour the kids-mix". always, always. oh the pleasure he derives from pouring the kids-mix.

then we screw on the lid, give it a hearty shake to mix it all up, pour and enjoy.

yes, there's a bit of sugar (1 gram per 6 gram scoop) in the kids-mix but we overlook it since, overall, it's a nutritious little smoothie that he loves a whole bunch.


when it's just yogurt and coconut milk he usually likes to take a quick taste test.


there goes the mix!


he usually gives it the first shakin' to get it started.


how's it look, bonz?
oh, and another part of the fun: choosing what cup to drink it out of. it's a choice not to be taken lightly.

pearly whites

last week bonzo had his first appointment at the dentist for a cleaning. i was a bit worried and pretty much could not imagine how it would go. basically, i couldn't even fathom bonzo opening wide and letting a masked stranger into his mouth with various instruments. but i tried to play it cool – i didn't want him to pick up on my hesitance.

so, like we do for new experiences, we did lots and lots of play around the topic leading up to the big day. we talked about what we'd see and hear and we practiced a bunch, too. sometimes i'd be the dentist, sometimes he'd be the dentist.

he was intrigued and seemed pretty open to the idea but wanted to make triple-sure the dentist was going to be gentle. i reassured him that she'd be gentle as a kitten.


when we got there, the dentist introduced herself and we all said hello. right as she started talking to bonzo about the first couple things we'd do before going into the room bonzo goes, "and you'll be gentle as a kitten!"

and she was, right bonz?

she showed him every little thing she'd do and let him touch and try everything. he was totally cool about it all until it came time to polish his bitty little teeth. then he was over it and ready to go home. we talked it over for a minute and switched from the up-and-down chair with me right next to him to me holding him in my lap and got through it lickedy-split.

we left there smiling with a sticker, a toy, a new toothbrush and a fancy flosser.
you did it, bonzo!

super delicious granola

somehow i've managed to become slightly anemic in this pregnancy. it's nothing major but i'm paying a little more attention to my iron consumption than i would be otherwise.

and since nuts and seeds are good sources of iron and other rad nutrients, i thought i'd whip up a batch of granola. oh, it's a dangerous thing to have around the house. i could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and, for full disclosure, have definitely done so at least once. or twice.

it's a total non-recipe recipe which i'm pretty sure all granola is anyways – but here's how i make this super-foody deliciousness. since making it myself means i can control 100% of what goes into it, i buy everything organic and only sweeten it a teensy bit.

this is the world's most perfect thing to have a toddler help with, too because measurements are so loose and there's lots of scooping and pouring and mixing to do. bonzo likes making granola even more than he likes eating it.

throw 2 cups-ish rolled oats into a bowl.
add to it in whatever quantities you like:
raw cashews
raw pepitas (pumkin seeds)
raw sliced almonds
cacao nibs (critical ingredient!)
raisins
sesame seeds
chia seeds
hemp seeds
raw wheat germ
a scoop of unsweetened almond butter
1/2 cup-ish coconut oil
a squeeze of agave and/or a dollop of raw honey (i tread lightly on the sweeteners)

mix together and spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet. bake at 200º for 45 minutes or so. check, stir, put back in for another however long. another half hour maybe? i keep the heat low because so much of what i use is raw – i don't want to roast the bejeezus out of it. but i'm also not an expert in knowing what temperature makes it a moot point. so yeah.

when there's like 15 minutes left, i toss a handful of raw, unsweetened coconut flakes on top of the granola and let it toast until golden.

then, when it's out of the oven, i take a liberal handful of goji berries and mix it all up.

a hearty scoop of this stuff topped with unsweetened coconut milk and a drizzle of raw honey is the best thing in the world. and if you've got fresh berries to add to the mix? forget it.

it's all happening at the zoo

choo choo was off last week – hooray!
the three of us traipsed off to one of our very favorite spots, the zoo, to visit some of our very favorite friends, the giraffes.
bonzo's fed them before but sometimes he's just plain not up for it. this day, despite initial hesitation, he fed michael, the zoo's newest male giraffe, from the safety and comfort of daddy's arms.

how'd he like it? "it was just a little bit slobbery! but not too bad."

mother. nature.

weekend before last, me, bonz and my mama spent a very foggy sunday at the botanic gardens. it was heavenly. the air just smells so good there. bonzo loved all the paths and rocks and, of course, the waterfall. it was a lovely day spent with two of my favorite people.