Indiana Idylls

10-31-07 14-50-13 : : theGteam A witty costume thought up by Paul and realized in fabric by Grammy Cavano. Her productive procrastination is an inspiration. We wore the costume to playgroup, on a visit to Daddy's department, and then to visit a good friend. Many of the neighbors were not at home -- I guess they knew we hardly get any trick or treaters. With such a great costume and so few opportunities to wear it, we wanted to get as much mileage out of it as we could. With 10 minutes of trick-or-treat time to go (yes, there's a city ordinance), we've only had ONE group stop: the family down the street, with a little boy and twin girls. Great costumes -- a shark, a bass chick, and a wizard. Unfortunately, they only took five Smarties amongst them! (I'll have to find some cookie recipes that require pushing Hershey Kisses in the middles.) An exciting development today worth noting: Alex has started to voluntarily let go of our fingers to try to stand by himsel...

We were at Lowes today to obtain a pair of channel lock pliers on the advice of Greg the Plumber. I didn't see why it was so necessary, but it is so clear to me now. Best Tool Ever. But I'm not merely writing in shameless support of my new pliers. Despite it not being yet Halloween, Christmas is nearly in full swing at Lowes. I wouldn't normally have paid the displays any mind, except that I saw there were several of those mechanical tabletop decorations with moving parts that I thought Alex might enjoy seeing. It was great fun to watch him take in all the sights and sounds. He seemed to really enjoy the rocking Santa figure and the flying sleigh. I started to believe that maybe it's true -- maybe the holidays are more magical with children around. I'm really quite excited for Christmas, now. Alex will be a whole two months older and I can just imagine the leaps and bounds he'll make between now and then. What fun!

Alex climbed a stair yesterday, all by himself. No matter that he can't yet stand for any speakable amount of time on his own, nor transition from a prone position to basically any upright pose. I guess the boy aims high.

This is another fantastic recipe my mother came across. She told me that she doubles the recipe and makes 24, but I got 24 just perfectly out of a single batch. You be the judge! They sure are tasty, no matter what size they are, so go ahead -- risk making 48! Carrot Zucchini Pineapple Muffins 3 eggs 1 1/2 c. sugar 3/4 c. oil 2 tsp. vanilla 2 1/4 c. flour 2 tsp. soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 14 oz. crushed pineapple 1 c. walnuts 1 c. raisins 1 c. coconut, shredded 1 c. carrots, shredded 1 c. zucchini, shredded Blend and bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. I rearranged the ingredients to what I think is a more sensible order. I am surprised by how little I can taste of the pineapple. I was feeling adventuresome yesterday, and so substituted 1 Tbs. milled flax seed and 3 Tbs. water for one egg, and used 1/2 cup of drained applesauce in place of 1/2 c. oil. I am generally pleased with the results. Paul says they're fantastic.

2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. water 3/4 c. vegetable oil 1 1/2 c. sugar 1 Tbs. vanilla 2 eggs 2 c. mashed banana 1/2 c. sour cream 3 1/2 c. flour (great with whole wheat!) 1/4 c. wheat germ Dissolve baking soda in water. Mix all ingredients. Pour into muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

I'm back, with LOTS to report. We had a grand trip to NY to see the great-grands and many friends and relatives. Alex was a good sport and thrived during his three weeks on the road. Once back home, he promptly forgot everything he knew about sleeping through the night. After two weeks of this regression, we supposed that he was perhaps hungry for more than Mommy's able to give him and we started him on rice cereal two weeks ago. Alex has now added sweet potatoes, oatmeal, avocado, and green beans to his menu and seems to thoroughly enjoy them all. In fact, he's taken to solids so well and eagerly that I tend to skimp on the water a bit and give him a nice hearty puree. He likes it -- and it's easier to feed him! Alex is sporting a lower right tooth, the left partner soon to follow. It surfaced last Friday. He's been good to me so far, but in honesty, it's the top teeth I fear. His tongue covers the bottom ones nicely. Overall, he's been in excellent spirits...

Alex and I were playing in the living room this afternoon, and  -- feeling munchy and magnanimous -- I reached over for two chocolates, even thinking as I did that Alex deserved a little treat. I had them both in my hand before my folly was apparent. It's the thought that counts?