The sounds of teething

Caleb has been teething for a while but this morning it turned a corner. It went from drooling and gnawing to alligator tears and painful sobs. I will spare you the pain of hearing his cries, but suffice it to say that the sounds of teething were enough to bring tears of sympathy to this mother's eyes.

Email Address Exchange

I have turned on comment moderation. I have been trying to figure out a way to exchange email addresses with several of you without broadcasting them to the entire blog-reading world (not that the entire blog-reading world reads my blog, but they could read it, which is the point). This is my solution. . .send me your address in a comment (which I will not publish). Brilliant, eh?

Giggles (revisited)

I know I have been posting a lot of videos lately, but I just can't help it! Some things are just too cute to pass up. If you're feeling blue, this video is for you. . . there is no happier sound than a giggling baby.

The Childproof 'Do

Since the cute little guy had taken a liking to my longer tresses and seemed to enjoy pulling them at every imaginable opportunity, I chopped off all his fun.

Baked Burritos

Here is a fast and yummy recipe that has been a real hit around here. The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be easily prepared in bulk and frozen for future busy evenings. It's not the world's healthiest, but I promise it is yummy!

Baked Burritos

1 can pinto beans, undrained
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp (more or less depending on taste)ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

In large skillet, combine above ingredients and heat liquid to boiling. Mash beans to desired consistency (we like ours chunky). Add:

1 lb ground beef, browned
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded monterey or pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup salsa
3 Tbs Chalula (hot sauce)
3 Tbs white or cider vinegar

Simmer and allow to thicken slightly.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Wrap 6-8 flour tortillas in a moistened dishtowel and heat for 1 minute in the microwave on high (this softens them and makes them easier to wrap). Spoon mixture onto warmed tortillas and wrap.

(If you plan to freeze, you would now individually wrap the burritos in plastic wrap and place in freezer bag. When ready to serve, remove however many you plan to serve and defrost in microwave. Continue with baking instructions.)

Place burritos in 9x13 pan. Brush tops generously with butter and sprinkle lightly with cheese and cayenne pepper.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or just until tortilla is golden brown.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa.

We like to eat this meal with a Mexican salad (regular salad with broken tortilla chips instead of croutons, and dressing mixed with salsa) and a bowlful of fresh fruit.

The dangers of brushing your teeth

I went to the dentist last week for a check-up. When I mentioned that Caleb has been teething, the hygienist suggested I start brushing Caleb's gums now, before his first tooth breaks through. She said that not only would it feel good on his sore gums, but it would also eliminate the bacteria in his mouth that might make him ill during the teething process.

Being the diligent mother that I am, it took me almost a week to get around to doing anything about it. However, I finally made it to the store yesterday and purchased Caleb his very first toothbrush. He seemed to enjoy the whole thing pretty well, the soft little brush and the fruit-flavored baby-safe toothpaste. . . .that is until he jammed his finger into his eye while trying to suck the yummy toothpaste off his fist. Josh caught the mishap on video.

Check out the face Caleb makes just after he pokes his eye. It's quite comical!

In case you wonder. . .

Before Caleb was around, I really didn't know what a baby was supposed to accomplish during that all-important thing the child development books refer to as "Tummy Time." According to the plethora of books and websites out there, T.T. is critical in a baby's development and maturation. Well, I still don't really know what all the other 3-month-olds do during their T.T., but if you'll notice, Caleb's time consist mostly of flopping around like a beached whale!

Friendship is like Sushi

A good friend is like sushi. . . weird and yet somehow really cool.

Speaking of sushi and friends, my weird and yet super cool friend, Yvette, took me out for really delicious sushi last Friday. She took the day off work to hang out with me. We went for a walk, shopped for pants and then went out to lunch at a local sushi place. I've had sushi before but I will admit that this was far-and-away the best sushi I've ever eaten. Not only was the sushi delicious, but the atmosphere was awesome. It was Japanese chic (I made that up, but you can imagine what I mean. . . sleek, hip and Asian). Very cool.

Everything about the day was a treat. It was a treat to hang out with Yvette. It was a treat to find a pair of pants that fit. And, it was a treat to load up on wasabi.

If you're ever in town and looking for a good sushi restaurant, let me know. I know just where to send you!

A Bowlful of Goodness

Everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day. With that in mind, it makes sense to start the day with an added dose of goodness: whole-grains, nuts, dried fruit, and delicious taste. Homemade granola is a breeze to make and costs about 1/4 of the price of its store-bought counterpart. Here is my favorite recipe.

Crunchy Granola

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup water
4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg and/or cinnamon (optional)
8 cups rolled oats (you can substitute other dry goods, such as flaxseed, for a portion of the oats)
2 cups chopped nuts (I like pecans and almonds)
1- 2 cups dried fruit (I like raisins, coconut, and dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 275.
Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

In a Pyrex 4-cup glass, mix brown sugar and water. Microwave on high for 5 minutes (or until sugar is completely dissolved). Remove from microwave and add vanilla, salt and spices.

In a large mixing bowl combine oats and nuts. Pour brown sugar mixture over dry ingredients and stir until oats are evenly moistened. Spread the granola onto the cookie sheets and bake for about 1 hour, stirring halfway through.

When mixture comes out of the oven it is still soft. Add the dry fruit immediately and stir. Granola will harden as it cools. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container.

Caleb's First Step on the Thousand Mile Journey

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Chinese Proverb

God's Word very clearly teaches us that we are all sinners. Our sin nature is with us from the moment of conception to the moment of death. If we are believers, we have the Holy Spirit living in us to help us battle against our sinful desires, but the war rages on, even though (hopefully!) we are winning most of the battles.

When the doctor handed Caleb to me for the very first time, I wasn't thinking in my mind that I was holding a depraved, utterly sinful little being. However, had I been thinking that, I would not have been off the mark. That's what God's Word teaches us and that is the truth. The beautiful, sweet, rosy newborn I held for the first time three months ago was sporting a full-fledged sin nature. Just like the rest of him, it wasn't mature yet. . . of course he was not capable of exercising it in gross and outstanding ways, but give him time and remove all restraining graces from his life and I can guarantee that this sweet son of mine could potentially rival the chief of all sinners.

Caleb has been getting bigger and stronger every day. He now smiles and laughs and can steady himself in a sitting position for fairly long periods of time. He uses his hands to reach for things and his eyes to take in the wondrous world around him. He talks and wiggles and lights up when I walk into the room. Not only has he been growing and maturing in all those wonderful ways, but his depraved will has been getting stronger, too. Today, for the very first time, I saw it firmly assert itself against me.

After a nice long walk, a good meal and about an hour of playing, I decided that Caleb was due for his afternoon nap. I read him a book, gave him a big hug and laid him down in his crib. Usually, he goes to sleep with no fuss and I was fully expecting this afternoon to be the same story. However, as soon as I put him down, he began to cry. I let him cry for several minutes but when the cry became more urgent, I went in to double check that nothing was wrong. I picked him up and he gave a good burp. "Ahh, so that was the problem," I thought. I nestled him back in under his blanket and left the room. I couldn't have been more than a foot outside the door when he began screaming. Again, I let him cry for a few minutes and then went back in to make sure all was okay. I picked him up, just in case he needed to burp again. The minute I picked him up, he stopped crying and, with tear-filled eyes, flashed me the biggest grin you've ever seen. I couldn't help but smile back, to which he responded with a giggle. Oh my dear son, you gave yourself away! The first Battle of the Wills had begun. I rubbed his back briefly and softly told him that obedience to our parents is the first step in learning to be obedient to God. I told him that even though he didn't want to take a nap, I had decided that he needed one. His job was to be obedient. I told him that whether it was a smile or a scream, neither would help him win the battle. I told him I loved him and that I hoped for his sake that he would learn to quickly submit. Of course, he didn't understand a word I was saying. He just smiled and cooed at me as I talked, hopeful that his tactics were succeeding. However, he understood what I meant when I kissed him and returned him to his bed.

His angry screams (it is amazing how mother knows the difference between a hungry, hurt, and, in this case, angry cry. I think it is a simple grace God gives us to help us survive this thing called parenting.) persisted for several minutes. Meanwhile, I sat in the next room, waiting. Suddenly, about 4 minutes later, in the middle of a wild scream, he stopped. The first battle was over and Mommy was the victor.

I know Caleb couldn't understand my little spiel about obedience and love and submission to God, but I could. It was helpful to actually say it out loud. To state the goal and to commit myself to following through with it no matter how demanding his cries or luring his smiles. Today I helped Caleb take his first step on the thousand mile journey down the path of righteousness.

There will be a million tiny, seemingly insignificant opportunities to shepherd this little boy, but I must keep my eyes open and my mind focused on the goal, the thousand mile journey.