Gabriel's Check-up

We're trying out a naturopath for Gabe's pediatritian and this is our second visit. So far, she is great.

We asked her of she could check to see if he had a ear infection because within the last few weeks he's been touching his ear and head a lot. Not everyday, but often enough to warrant addressing. His ears were clear, so we're thinking that teething is the culprit. We got confirmation when she felt his gums and his molars are making their way down, with one almost trying to break through on top. His gums have been very swollen for weeks, so this is no surprise.

His molars might also be part of the reason why his appetite for solids have been nil. He has his favorites which are any flavor of yogurt, Whole Foods 365 applesauce, banana, strawberry combo, and any type of smoothie. Once he ate up several bites of guacomole. All other foods, including finger foods, he either licks or plays with. Or he tries to feed it to us!

I was getting concerned about him handling chunkier foods because he gags a little whenever they make their way into his mouth. Now, he gagged a LOT worse when he was between 9-12 months old. So he has actually improved. But he is not super into chunky or finger foods. Now, I am not so concerned because I think once he starts eating more of those kinds of foods, he should be fine. But right now, he's just not interested and the Dr. said once his 1 yr. molars come in, there is a good chance his appetite and interest in chunky/finger foods will increase. She said while some kids are happy to gum their foods, others may not feel comfortable chewing their foods before their first molars come in.

And of course, we know that after 1 year, most kids slow down on the growth and just don't require as much food as we think.

Gabe is starting to really want to feed himself, too, so I just set him up with a bowl of food, 2 utensils and try to get a few bites in myself. He does show interest in our food, but only to play with it. This of course ends up being pretty messy, and I end up spending a good part of the day cleaning up and bathing him if he has gotten irredeemably messy.

Gabe is not walking alone yet, but he can walk assisted with one arm free and one hand holding on to your finger. And he can cruise along furniture and the wall just fine. I hope he will be walking by the end of the year, we'll see.

So, that's the update!

Mom's Birthday

I took my mom to the Lavender Tea Room for her birthday today. It's located in Sherwood, Oregon and I said yesterday that the ride was about 30 minutes, it ended up being a little over 40. We got there just in time for our appointment.

We were by ourselves for most of the time (two other women came in about 15 minutes before we left). We had the "Lavender Tea" that included scones with clotted cream and jam, fruit, and tea sandwiches (two cucumber with cream cheese and two mozzarella with tomato and basil). Dessert was (and these were all very small) lemon bar, brownie tart, cream puff and white chocolate dipped strawberry with almonds. The tea we had was good; but I cannot remember the name. I only remember some of what was in it: lavender, cinnamon, spearmint and some other stuff.

Well, my mom loves tea houses so it was the perfect gift for her.

And my new favorite food: clotted cream. Very popular in the UK, very hard to get here commercially. So I think I may try to make some myself!

The Big Chop

My mom cut my dreadlocks late Sunday. This was about as short as my hair was when I first cut the relaxed part off 9 years ago.

I don't miss them at all! This will simplify my life considerably and I won't have to spend 3-4 hours doing my hair once a month. In fact, I can wash it everyday if I want to (although I will co-wash if I do that and shampoo every few weeks).

So, here is my pic! FYI, I am not keeping it this short. I'm letting it grow out. And of course, the longer it gets, the more work it will take to maintain. But, my hair won't be that long for a few years (especially considering it shrinks up like 50 percent of its length when it dries!). As short as my hair was after the cut, it amazes me how much tangled hair came out during my shampoo. My hair is so dense and thick.



In other news, my mom and brother are here visiting from Philadelphia for two weeks. They haven't been here very long, just two days, so we haven't done much yet. We might drive to the beach for the day (will have to rent a car, if Craig's mom comes along), go to the rose garden (though the roses are probably burned up from all this crazy heat), go to Powell's Books, etc. And of course, relaxing, too.

My mom's birthday is Friday and I am taking her to a tea house in Sherwood, Oregon (just a 30 min. drive from where we are now). My mom really liked this tea house I took her to when we lived in Walla Walla, so I thought I would find one here to take her to. I'll let you know how it was!

I'm 32 years old today!

Today is my birthday and I haven't really got anything planned. There is a heat advisory in Portland with 100 temps set for the next three days. We broke down and purchased an air conditioner unit for the window in our kitchen to keep the downstairs cooler. If Gabe were older and in school and I was at work all day, we probably would just ride it through. Or if he were in school and it were just me, I'd just go spend the day at the mall to keep cool.

But I think he's too young to be lugged around town to stay cool, so that's why we got the unit. It's small and works well so far; keeps the kitchen/dining area cold and the living room cool. Haven't hatched a plan for upstairs. During the day it will get very hot, but at night it cools off OK.

Anyway, back to the birthday. No plans. All I am doing, is getting a cheesecake and maybe some take-out Thai food, not sure yet. But not going out anywhere, no major plans; really concentrating on keeping Gabe and myself cool these next few days.

Book Review: The Skin You Live In

Read here. Thanks!

Oregon Zoo Trip

This past Monday, after getting back in town from visiting friends in Washington State, we took Gabe to the Oregon Zoo, courtesy of Grandma Deb (was part of his birthday gift). One of Craig's friends, Tina, and her daughter Mary-Ellen, was in town from Salt Lake City, and they joined us, too. Fortunately, Monday was nice and cool (versus the rest of this week which was very hot).

It was really fun. Gabe was totally fascinated with things like "Exit" signs, lights and other children. Oh yeah, and the animals were okay, too, lol. What I like about the Oregon Zoo is that there is not a lot of concrete; you feel like you are hiking in the woods, looking at animals. Or at least they do a pretty good job of making it seem that way. Many of the exhibits feel very open (except for the elephants, big cats, bears, etc.)

At one point, I had to go nurse him and then I put him in the carrier. He fell asleep for probably a half hour. We made our way to the stage area, where they were having a show of owls and music was playing. They just so happened to be playing "Thriller" by MJ and I felt Gabe dancing in his carrier before he even fully woke! The boy LOVES music.

Here are some pics:


Mom and Gabe looking at Polar Bears.


Meri-Elen, her mom Tina and Gabe.


Seals.


Zebra. Doesn't it feel like we were practically
in the enclosure?


Meerkat


Right before naptime.

Random Pics

I've been meaning to post these for over a week now. Enjoy!