Davis: 11 Months

The other day as I was holding Davis in my arms, I walked passed our big mirror. My heart caught in my throat as I glanced at the reflection staring back at me. The baby I was holding looked like he was busting out of my arms, he looked big...way bigger than he should.

And that is where we are at. My baby, does not want to be a baby any more.

Every day he is trying to convince me of this.

And it makes my heart sad. But it brings so much joy. If that is even possible.

He may be sweet, calm, and all things dream babies are made of, but he is busy and fast and determined. I spend the majority of my day high tailing it down the hallway to catch him before he attempts to climb up the stairs. Approximately 9,964 times a day. He loves those stairs.

He's funny, I usually know when he is heading for the stairs, he goes into mission mode. The pattering of his crawling gets loud and fast and then it stops.

He waits at the bottom of the stairs until he sees me come around the corner. And then he giggles and I hear is diaper crinkling as he tries to scurry as fast as he can, up as many stairs before I get to him.

Lately, he must go up the stairs like the big boys. Even though his legs barely clear each step. He either holds onto the railing like above, or asks for my hands. Everything must be like his brothers, bigger, better.....he simply will not even consider slowing down.

He will keep up and usually does. Determined little one.

And his brothers, for the most part allow him to hang with them. Sometimes this is scary for me, and sometimes it's just plain sweet. For some reason, when Davis is in the mix, the bickering between the olders is fewer and far between. It's the Davis effect.

He now waves with just his hand, but it's usually a little late and after the person has turned their back to walk away. When he gets really excited about saying "hi" or "bye" he gets both hands in on the action. Those little fingers open and close until someone takes notice.

His pointing has turned into what we like to call, "the hook". So cute. If you are lucky enough to  have the hook pointed at you, it means that he really likes you.

He's getting to be more social and loves to flirt and grin and others. However, mama must be in close range and in sight.

I still have yet to bring myself to drop him off in the nursery during church or my women's Bible study. I just can't. I go in with every intention, and then he nestles into my neck and gets all cozied up in his carrier, that I can't bare the thought of parting from him. Personally, I think he does so because he has taken up quite the liking to all the woman in my Bible study group. He takes his turn making eyes with each lady until they smile at him. Then he giggles and flirts a little more.

Oh, that smile.

This boy.

So much sweet, it kills me.

He just pitter patters around, finding things that peak his interest.

FOOD. ALWAYS peaks his interest.

He.Loves.Food.

All of it. Any of it. Whether it's his or whether it's not. He begs, he smiles, he pulls out all his cute, little stops, just for one bite. And he usually gets it....because, he's a very convincing little beggar.

He can easily out eat his brothers. 

And still loves EVERYTHING.

He is also my big helper in the kitchen. He loves to empty out my cupboards. Rummage and disperse whatever is within his grasp. he hands me silverware when emptying the dishwasher, and helps unload his new diapers.

Always with a smile, always.

His absolute favorite thing to do though, is yank out my computer cord. Over and over again, every day, every night. My poor computer is going to die a slow death due to this. Once, in an attempt to get him to stop, I raised my voice and said "NO" a little too sharply. His lower lip.....oh, that lower lip went out, and he looked at me with giant eyes that began welling with tears. He doesn't like to make his mama unhappy.

He popped two more teeth through, and I think, no, I am hoping and praying....he is working on two more. Our nights have been so rough. So little sleep. So much unhappy, that some nights I didn't recognize the little boy I was trying to convince to just go to sleep. Although, there was that one night where he cried, and cried, and cried. i got him up and fed him at least 20 times in 20 minutes, because that was the only thing that would soothe him. After one of the feedings, I pulled him up to my chest to attempt to put him back to bed. The second his head hit my chest, his body fell into a complete abandon sleep. He lay there on my chest like a newborn baby, all limp-armed and cuddled. I sighed deeply, and contemplated just letting him stay...but it was 4:30 in the morning, and this was after a 3 hour sleep battle. So, I went against my my want and put him to bed.

He is walking. Every where. Crawling is still his main mode of getting around. But he pulls himself up on anything and just takes off. He walks in bitty, baby steps. Sometimes I think I'm going to turn my head and the next thing he will be off skipping and running.

I think this is all because he heard me whisper in his ears when he was just days old, "stay little, stay with me awhile longer...."

He's determined to grow up, and fast. And I don't think in my heart of hearts that I'm quite ready just yet. I'm still trying to cling to these last days of his first year.

Still trying to cling to the lasts of him needing me so much (even if it means getting up umpteenth times during the night) Him slathering me with his sweetness and making my mama heart feel like a puddle in his pudgy little hands. The way he stops crying the SECOND I walk in his room to get  him, and how his tears can turn to smiles like the flip of a switch.

He gets me. What I need, how to love me. Yet, I feel him pulling away in the slightest of ways,he wants so desperately to grow up. And I so desperately don't want him to. I don't want to lose the softness he brings to me, and I fear that all will disintegrate as he moves into toddler mode. I realize more with him how little time I have left of this stage.

Gah, little baby boy. My heart, my heart.

So, I savor it. I do. I try, at least.

 ONE, really? So soon?

I love you so much. You chill little cucumber, you.

I suppose, I will stop begging you to stay little and try to embrace you growing....I guess.

Guess I better start finishing up the touches to your first birthday party, because i'm going to wake up and it will be tomorrow. You little stinker.

Guess, we won't get to carry you round like this much longer.....judging from the look on your face, I'm betting you aren't very broken up about it either.

But I'm already missing it, if that is even possible. Already, my arms ache for the time back.

But forward we must move. 

Happy 11 months, my little sweetheart.

What We Eat

I keep telling myself that I need to get back on the regular blogging bandwagon. And then weeks go by, I realize that I missed another prompt monthly update.... we eat food that I want to share, but I forget to take pictures of it, Davis turns a month older, the boys do lots of cute things...some not so cute things and then I start the whole process all over over again.

We are back to newborn-like sleepless nights. There are so many things I don't want to forget at this stage of time. Yet it seems, some days the grogginess wins and I kick myself for not jotting down cute sayings or funny interactions between my brood.

There are lots of things I wish I could get done with my days. It seems to be the endless battle of prioritizing, tossing my daily lists over my shoulder, and choosing to endure another day of messiness in order to embrace the tantrums and sweetness.

Messy.

It's just the way it is right now. Some days I look around and get incredibly overwhelmed by the cluttered counters, the stray baby wipes, the endless stream of random blocks, chopsticks taped to my walls (????), wikki sticks, and beautiful artistry that gather amongst my living room.   Thankfully, the bathrooms stay pretty good and sanitized thanks to my littlest who loves to splash and play, and my middle who is desperately trying to be a big boy and take #2 matters into his own hands....literally. So that's a plus. :)

But nestled deep between the dust filled floor boards, there are little nuggets of beauty.  Such as how Cole adds a "D" to certain words, like "Demember" (remember). I always want to "demember" that. Or when Davis fell (again) and gave himself a nice goose egg without even shedding more than two tears... I told him, "wow, you are one tough cookie!" A few minutes later Bennett waltzes on by, looks at Davis and goes, "you are a tough Christmas cookie...with sprinkles" Cole calls the Incredible Hulk the Incredible Hook. And both older boys are always asking their daddy to do "The MACHO Man" Which I guess is...or was? a real wrestler. And then they do wrestling things like drop kicks (?) and such. And Bennett gets so excited his whole body shakes and he sticks out his lips...because that makes him look tougher...and he talks in his lowest, most threatening voice.

Such wonderful little, laughable nuggets.

There have been so many other cute conversations and mispronounced words and I think I will have them locked in my treasure chest heart, only to find that I can barely remember what day it is, let alone what was said 5 minutes ago....

I don't make New Year's resolutions.....have never been a fan. But my goal this year is to stop and make notes more. Because those nuggets of gold, those sweet interactions, hilarious sayings, and kind interactions are the things I want to be able to look back on over and over. And laugh until tears form, instead of forming tears from all the things I wish I had more time to change or remember why I walked into a room.

So with all that said (and I'm reaching for a way to tie in food to this post) I want to "Demember" these meals, because they were a hit with picky and non-picky eaters alike. That is definitely something to take note of, because it doesn't always happen very often. (Success).

If you only make one thing from this list, make this. Please.

Tradtional Tejano Carne Guisada (Picture credit The Food Charlatan)

LINK HERE
So yummy, so good, so much flavor....so easy. . The hardest part in making this was browning the beef before tossing it into the pot. (Oh, and I seem to have trouble using only one pot and not burning everything on the bottom when frying in batches. So i just used a big skillet to brown the meat, and then tossed it in my trusting Le Creuset dutch oven after cooking the onions. And then I channeled my inner 50's housewife vibe as I allowed the smells to waft throughout the entire house while I waltzed over to give it a stir ever so often. I whole heartily agree with eating it with avocado, we wrapped in tortilla's with guacamole, and sour cream...but I ate the leftovers with just sliced avocado and enjoyed it just as much.  

(Photo and Recipe Credit: Domestic Superhero)
Recipe Link HERE

Spicy Thai Noodles

Ok, maybe make the first recipe and then make this the next night. The great thing about these noodles is that you can throw in whatever veggie you want. I still have yet to make them with zucchini OR mushrooms. I have added shredded carrots and red bell pepper and some chicken. The second time I doubled the sauce, and they were even better. This is one of those super fast, just throw it together kind of meals. Love it. LOVE.IT.

Photo Credit: Pinch of Yum
Recip Link HERE

Healthy Mexican Casserole

Have i shared this already? I feel like I have, but then couldn't find it in past posts. Either way, it's good. I was hesitant the first time I made it because I had made something that looked similar riiiiight about the time I found at I was pregnant with Davis. And then two days later I found myself hugging the toilet for the next 20 something weeks. And even the thought of such a casserole made my tummy turn. So I almost didn't give this a shot....and thought surely it would be snubbed by the littlest food connoisseurs....because you know....that's what they do. Low and behold, both scarfed it down and I quote, said "you should make this everyday!" And they actually ate it for lunch the next day.....leftovers hardly ever fly when I suggest them for lunch.

(Photo and Recipe Credit: With Salt and Wit)
 Recipe Link HERE

Chicken Tamale Soup

And then because I always seem to be on a soup kick and apparently a Mexican flare kick.....this. While I didn't necessarily think it tasted like a tamale. It was soooooo flavorful, filling. and stick-to-your-bones substantial. Gotta love that you get to make your own enchilada sauce as well. Which, by the way I don't think i will ever buy enchilada sauce again. I need to share the recipe I always whip up. It's so stinkin easy, so cheap (especially if you buy the gigantic sized container of chili powder for Costco) and you don't get that tin taste that a lot of the store bought come with.  If you like enchilada or fiesta chicken soup, and soup that doesn't lack flavor, you are going to LOVE this one. Also great leftovers. Bonus.

So there you have it. My favorite recipes from my dazed days. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!