Thunder Rolls

This afternoon we had a thunderstorm that would rival the best of Florida's summer 3pm storms. It started just as I layed Wade down for a rest. Somehow he fell right to sleep despite the crashing thunder. We lost power numerous times and there was a peculiar "pow, hiss, snap" sound at one point but still not sure what appliance got fried! Anyway he slept right on through it. Sammy, on the other hand, was completely stressed out. He was about 2 in. from my heels the entire time. But at one point I noticed I didn't trip as I walked to the laundry room. Where was Sammy? First I checked our bed because that's his most favorite place in the world. He knows that we've buckled down and made it completely off limits but he still sneaks up there occasionally. But he wasn't there. He wasn't in either of his beds or on the rug in the kitchen. That only left Wade's room. I wish I could have gotten a picture. I went in there and Sammy was laying right beside Wade's crib. (A little note: Sammy's demeanor towards Wade has been slightly curious/I'm way too cool for you/why are you taking all the attention?/do you have food...if so, we can be friends/if I pay attention to you mom will pay attention to me). I figure his logic was either to fulfill his role as protective big brother OR (probably more likely) if something went seriously wrong he knew that's where I'd run to first. Anyway, next storm I'll get a picture!

Grammy is coming to visit in about 16 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Food

Since Wade is eating solid food now I decided I would try my hand at making baby food. Although I do appreciate the benefit of homemade baby food not containing preservatives that's not my real motivation. Making your own baby food is just a fraction of the cost of store bought food. And since I'm not working I figured I have the time to give it a try. It turns out all you have to do (at least for veggies) is buy them fresh or frozen, steam and then puree them in the blender or food processor. Of course, assumed in that process is that you know how to work a blender...which it turns out wasn't quite true for me.

I got up Saturday morning and while the boys were still sleeping decided to give it a try. How long could it take, right? Yah. Well, about 2 hours...for a bag of peas, a bag of green beans and an apple. The steaming of course is simple and I had no issues there. I started out trying to use my hand-me-down food processor. I haven't used it since the move and I'm wondering if perhaps it sustained some damage without my knowledge. Of course I had all the green beans in it before I discovered it wasn't working. Well, no big deal, I thought, I'll just use my B & D Mini Chopper Plus that I've raved about. I transferred the green beans and was thrilled to find the appliance actually turned on. But soon the beans were spinning around on the sides of the container and no pureeing was happening. Ok, it's time to bring out the big dog. So I haul out the blender which has only been used once and that was to blend a Happy Meal (you probably shouldn't ask about that) so I didn't even know if it'd work. I stick the beans in (I've now dirtied 3 appliances and there are green beans all over the counter); press puree and it starts whirring away but soon it's doing the same kinda thing as the mini chopper. So I add a little water. Not much of a difference. I'm starting to get real frustrated- one, because I'm thinking I've wasted these beans but honestly moreso because I have dirtied 3 multi-part appliances. As a last ditch effort I fill the blender up almost to the top with water and press puree. Well, what d'ya know...that did the trick. Apparently liquid is a key factor in the pureeing process. (I went back and tried the mini chopper with lots of water and of course it worked too!).

After you finally get the food pureed you just pour it into ice cube trays to freeze. After they're frozen you can put them into a ziplock bag and thaw them out as needed. If you want more info about making baby food check out this great website I found here.

Just a small portion of the mess I made.

In the end the blender worked great though!

Pureed green beans and peas ready to be frozen

Wade drinking homemade "apple juice" (aka pureed apple w/ lots of water)

Apparently he like it cause this was the face he made when I took it away to add more water!

Look ma, no hands!

P.S. Even though he turned his nose up at Gerber Green Beans, Wade LOVES the homemade ones!

A Weekend to Recover

Aside from emptying 2 entire boxes of tissues, a container of hand sanitizer, a bag of cough drops and 4 mugs of hot tea what does a young family intent on getting better do for the weekend? Pretty much nothing. So here's some photos of our weekend of nothingness...

Goodmorning Wade! He's a morning person - can you tell?

Feet work just as well for sorting the pieces

I promise I didn't eat that piece, mom!

Wade has discovered that green beans are good for nothing except spreading all over your belly!

And of course, Sammy is willing to lick you clean if need be.

I'm so bored...I wish these people would get better!

Andrew just finished the puzzle but it turns out the last piece is missing! How depressing. Well, at least we're both feeling remarkably better and ready to start a new week. I may even go to the Y in the morning!

Happy 5 Monthabirthday! (only 2 wks late)

Moving to a place where freedom rings for spoonfeeders!

Sorry about that title...it's Saturday morning and I'm having my first cup of coffee in 5 days so the caffeine is probably messing with me. Anyway, this is a combo post. I realized I needed to share pictures from moving day, the 4th of July weekend and Wade's new & improved adventures with cereal. So, let's get going here....

First up is moving day!!! I may have mentioned before that our awesome friends from small group helped us move. Our awesome realtor has this awesome truck her awesome clients get to use. It was supposed to rain that day but was absolutely gorgeous. The Lord was definitely pouring out his blessings that day.

Sandy

Andrea

Ben & Steve stop for a hug

Steve

Emris

Thanks to everybody who helped...including the 10 or so of you who I didn't get a photo of!

This next batch is from the 4th of July weekend . . .

The Calvary picnic totally wore out our Little Firecracker.

5th of July Pool Party at the Smith's (sister-in-law's parents)
"You wish you were half as cool as us!" - Wade, Anna and cousin Sweet Pea (in Anna's belly)
Chillin' with Myrtle the Turtle and the flappy old man hat!
Ryder & Wade (2 days apart!)

Can you see the cold germs jumping from Ryder's hand to Wade's?

Ok, I said "new & improved" rice cereal adventures because we tried cereal about 6 weeks ago and Wade definitely wasn't quite ready for it. It dripped right back out of his mouth after he finished trying to suck on the spoon. This time it was like feeding a different kid!

Yum! You're not cool unless you eat with a spoon!

Oh, you didn't say eat the spoon?

So, Wade will begin touring with the Professional Eating Federation next week. He specializes in rice cereal but can also put down a mean portion of apple sauce. A hint for his opponents: you'll win every time with green beans, he can't even get through a spoonful!

You're in luck because I just realized I also haven't yet posted the 5 monthabirthday shots! So, double posting coming right up today.

So, since my post last Monday Wade is feeling much better. I wish I could say the same for the rest of our household! Last Wednesday or so Andrew came down with a horrible cold. You know the kind where you're pretty much miserable all day but it's not exactly bad enough to stay home from work. I really thought I had escaped...until Monday. My throat started hurting, which is my normal first sympton when I'm sick. So I didn't really think anything of the fact that Andrew's throat never hurt. When I could hardly swallow this morning I decided I ought to go to the doctor. Apparently I have strep throat! Who gets strep throat in the middle of July!?! Anyway, I've got it. Thankfully the doc said it's very rare for babies under 3 to catch strep and I am able to take amoxicilon (sp?) so in a mere 44 hours I'll be safe to kiss on Wade again!

In other news, we had our garage sale last weekend and made more than enough to pay for a garbage disposal (which was our goal). And Aunt Cheri gave us this great Jumper thing that Wade LOVES!

First...

So Wade has these onesies that say...

First Ball
First Rattle
First Teddy Bear
First Bath (not sure about this one-what baby doesn't take their first bath until they wear size 3-6mo. clothes?)

Anyway, today he needed an outfit that says "First Cold"! :( Yup, after 5 months he woke up with a yucky cough. It was a pretty rough day today for both of us but hopefully he'll feel a little better after a good night's rest.

New Digs

So I'm finally posting after our move. The move itself went great thanks to our small group...they moved us in 3hrs flat! And for the last week we have been working hard to get unpacked. As you can tell from the pics the main level is just about unpacked, the basement- not so much. But I just close the basement door and I don't have to think about it! Today is Andrew's birthday and his most valuable gift from me is not having to hang anything for 48 hrs! I'll just let you look at the pictures now...think I might actually take a little nap since the Wadester is sleeping.

whew!

Ok, I managed to reincarnate my old design...new design still coming!

What have I done?

Well, I started messing with my blog design at 10:15pm...big mistake. Now I've messed it up and am ready for bed. There's a new design coming but it may take up to a week to see it because for some stupid reason I decided to edit my layout knowing I didn't have enough time to complete it. So, sorry for the blandness. It'll just make you appreciate how pretty it'll be in a few days!

I think I've managed to upload the video correctly. Enjoy!

Wade Rolls Over

I caught him! After rolling over a total of 4 times in his crib over the last week I finally witnessed him in action. I had the video camera ready but of course he was too quick. So, even if this video does work (which I don't think it's going to) you'll only get to see him post-roll. We'll try again tomorrow and meanwhile maybe I'll learn how to post videos.



On the homefront, we are on schedule for packing. We move in 11 days and are trying to do a little each day so we're not up all night the last few days. The guys have also decided to have a garage sale on the day that we move. So, Anna and I will be manning the garage sale while they move. Should be kinda interesting but I think it'll work out. Plus then we'll just get moving and garage sale out of the way in one crazy weekend.

Back again tomorrow, hopefully with a video for you.

Home Sweet Home

What a week! I guess I didn't realize how stressful traveling with a 4 month old was going to be. And I didn't think about how different it would be to visit Houston friends than to visit my mom. You know, no matter how comfortable you feel with friends, mom's house always feels like a 2nd home. All that said, it was such a great time! Craig and Betsy went so far out of their way to make me feel at home - thanks guys! Joel and Wade had a blast- even if Joel tried to eat Wade's hand - haha (pics to come in future posts). Also a shout out to the Runyans who I stayed with the first and last nights. Mr. Tom is Wade's new favorite person! And he was SO glad to meet his NaeNae. And thanks to the Confers in Atlanta for letting me crash at their place the night before my flight and for taking & picking me up from the airport. Here's a few more pics. Unfortunately I wasn't real good about documenting my trip.

At Kenlee Falls in the Runyan's backyard




Nae Nae and Wade


Playtime in his new outfit from Nae Nae


Joel & Wade just hanging out


Hopey Flower!!


Joel is scoping out the scene...trying to decide when to go for Wade's hand ! :)

Chubby Buddies, Chubby Buddies, Chubby Buddies!

For the past 5 days Wade and Joel have been alternating their sleeping schedule but we managed to catch them awake for a few minutes at the same time. This is the result...so precious!



And I can't resist sharing this photo of Hope...

Rollin', rollin', rollin' . . .

Well, actually he's only done it once...but I'm still thrilled that Wade rolled over today. Actually, I didn't see it happen. I'm making an assumption here...could have been aliens or levetation. I put him down for a nap on his tummy as usual. About an hour later he started fussing so I went in to check on him and found him lying on his back with a slightly confused look on his face. Now is when I wish we'd splurged for one of those over-protective (no offense) video monitors! I'm hoping to catch him in action and will have my camera ready for you.

Our visit to Houston is going great. The one hour time difference is effecting the little booger a bit. No one in the Dillman home, except the dog Maggie, managed to get a good night's sleep last night. Craig & Betsy are such good sports and amazing hosts!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some photos of Wade and his buddy Joel to post.

Home Owners Once Again

Well, here we go again. Property taxes, lawn mowing, roof repairs, hvac service calls, leaky faucets...home ownership at it's best! Seriously though, we are thrilled. Today was the home inspection and nothing major came back. So, we are closing on June 26th- just 3 weeks from today (and I'll be gone to Houston for one of those weeks!). The only terribly unfortunate part is this means we have to move which we are SO not excited about. Actually it's just the packing that we loathe.



I've got a few photos for you. I made a video tour today but will have to wait until the cable arrives. I'm so thankful for our awesome video camera that our church from Houston got us but did you know that a digital video camera does not come with the cable you need to transfer the images to your computer. Yah, ridiculous. What's even more ridiculous is that said cable costs $50!!!!!! What a crock! Anyway, my thrifty husband of course found it online for $9 but it won't be here for a few days (probably coming from China).

1112 Pineville Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37405


Beautiful kitchen, totally remodeled!


Large living room with picture window



Dining room

Kitchen Gadgets

Disclaimer: the following post strays from norm...Wade Curtis will (probably) not be mentioned in the content. Nor will you find any pictures of him. I'm sorry to disappoint and I promise not to let my attention wander for too long.

In preparation for our upcoming move into our new house I've been considering all of the cabinet and drawer space I'll have in my new kitchen. This will be so delightful as I currently have 2 drawers and 5 cabinets in the Thin Mint (affectionate nickname based on the dark wood paneling with bright green detailing someone added along the way). If you've ever moved you know the fun yet annoyingness of finding new places for all your kitchen items. (sidenote: this will be my 4th time to find new places in the last year!) Okay, so as I emptied the dishwasher I thought about the new places and came to realize how much I love some of my kitchen gadgets. So, I thought I would share them with you - here's my top 5.

#6 Pyrex glass measuring cups...great for pouring too!

#5 Over the Sink Cutting board (mine doesn't look exactly like the one pictured but it's still great!)

#4 Rubber Dish Scraper- for those crusty messes in the bottom of the casserole dish!


#3 Black & Decker Handy Chopper Plus-so amazing... you have got to get one!


#2 Really Cool Knife...that's not the official name, I'm sure CJ knows what this type is called. But it makes chopping so much fun!

#1 Wooden Spoons...I can't get enough of 'em!

Wade's New Talent

So, this week Wade has discovered a new form of entertainment! I want to thank all of you who have spent your hard earned money on toys and such for the Wadester. But it appears they are unnecessary. His lips bring hours of enjoyment!!



In other news, Wade has been strengthening his neck and arms by huge leaps and bounds. We've got him a membership to the Y and his personal trainer is really working him hard. Actually the truth is, he's been sleeping on his tummy. For the first 2 months I was not so disciplined about tummy time- mostly because Wade hated it so I didn't force the issue. Well, about 3 or 4 weeks ago I started putting him on his belly for naps. Then last week at my mom's I tried him on his belly for the whole night. He did great and has been a stomach sleeper ever since. Now tummy time is actually enjoyable. He can hold his head and chest up with his arms.

I think we're going to start rice cereal today. For those of you without babies of your own, I don't mean Rice Crispies...snap, crackle, pop. Rice cereal is the doctor reccommended introduction to food for babies. I'm sure we'll have some entertaining pics to come.

Also, we are in the process of saying bye-bye to the pacifier. Dr. Wiley said it's totally fine to keep him on it until one year. But I've just gotten so tired of what we refer to as "pacifier duty". Basically when we would put him to bed we'd give him the paci. Then he'd lose it so the one "on duty" would have to go up and replace the paci. This would sometimes go on for up to 20 minutes. He's found his fingers just fine (see slide show of Florida pics) and I don't mind if he ends up sucking his thumb. So far the separation is going great. Last night he woke up in the middle of the night crying and wouldn't settle down by just patting his back (and I was kinda lethargic) so I broke down and gave it to him. Aside from that we haven't given it to him much at all! Woohoo!

I hesitate to mention this next bit because it's not a total done deal yet. But I think I can share without getting too overly excited. Thursday we put an offer on a house! Our offer was accepted and now we just await the inspection next week. Pending all goes smoothly with that, we'll close on the 26th. Here's a little photo for you. I'll tell you more about it in detail once the deal goes down.




Well, we are off to go swimming at the Y today. Wade got a taste of the swimming pool at my mom's but it was too chilly to really enjoy it. There's a warm water indoor pool at our Y so we're going to start his Olympic training!