The free ride is over pal

Now that Jack is a crawling machine, I'm putting him to work:

"What are those yellow things on his knees", you ask? They are microfiber kneepads* that I made for him this weekend. They protect his wee little knees when he's crawling AND dust the wood floors while he's scooting around. No more crawling without working bro.

*US patent pending so don't even try bitches.

Happy 9 month birthday Jack!

In honor of Jack being out of mah bellah as long as he was in it, we had a private house party at our apartment.

We hired a DJ who is popular in Europe and is making the rounds here in the states. Making his Washington debut, DJ Jackie Bear:

Customer service at it's finest

We got a bunch of AMEX giftcards for Christmas and are using the cards to buy a new camera from Amazon. The giftcards don't cover the full cost of the camera, and that is where my issues start.

1) Amazon recognizes AMEX giftcards as a credit card, and they only allow 1 credit card to make a purchase
2) I had to purchase an Amazon giftcard using my debit card for the remainder price of the camera
3) stupid AMEX doesn't tell you that for online purchases you should first register your card, so Amazon has taken $1 from my giftcard during the verification process and won't refund it for 7 days.
4) since they took that $1, I'm now $.49 SHORT of my stupid order, and had to buy another $5 (lowest amount) Amazon giftcard to cover the balance.

I've spent more time on the phone today with Indian, than Indian people.

Decorating issues

Without a fireplace mantel, where on earth will I display my "Mother of the Year" award? Mother of the Year award you ask? Yep, I won it for my "excellence in Mothering" yesterday.

Jack and I were out and about running errands yesterday and he insisted that I treat myself to Wendy's on the way home. Who I am to question the logic of an 8 month old? About 1 mile from home he made it clear that he was SLEEPY. Upon getting in to the house, he made it clear that he was also POOPING.

He's been having painful poops for a few days, and when it's happening he insists on being picked up and will freak out if set down. I picked him up and held him in my arms while he was still wearing his jacket and shoes. I decided to breastfeed him thinking that would calm him down enough to then change his diaper. Turns out he was SO sleepy that he fell right asleep, and there begins my actions that brought me the mother of the year award.

I realized if he was sooooo tired he probably needed sleep more than a diaper change. I decided that I would put him in his crib (with likely a poopy diaper, shoes, and a coat) and if he woke up I would change him and put him in to more appropriate napping attire. He ended up sleeping like that for almost 2 hrs because he was just wiped. I even vacuumed around him and checked on him multiple times to make sure he was ok and he didn't move a muscle.

He did have a sweet zipper mark on his face when he woke up though. And I enjoyed my Wendy's in peace.

I died from cuteness this am

I dropped Jack off at GAC's this am, and waved goodbye as I was leaving. Jack turned around and waved back at me. He hasn't waved on his own yet, and of course he did it perfectly this am. Awww

A great way to make a difference in someone's life

I read this story the other day on CNN and thought it was such a cool idea. Awesome heartwarming story!

If you're interested in donating a few bucks, check out the list of needs here: Modest Needs

Baby food

Jack has been an adventurous little eater lately...partly because I've been an adventurous baby food chef. Jack's Auntie Megan bought me the Babea Cook (get it? ha!) baby food maker last year for Christmas, and man that thing gets a work out! And yes, Amy, you'll get it when your kiddo is ready for solids.

I love making baby food because it's cheaper than buying the jars, allows me to control what he's eating, and because of my hippiness, allows me to make sure that he's eating primarily organic. You don't need a fancy baby food maker though - a steamer basket and a blender works great! I love these for storing the food: http://babycubes.com/. Watch the site for sales, because I got all of mine for 75% off last year.

Jack's favorite "breakfast" seems to be apples with blueberries, with an occasional smashed banana mixed in. For lunch/dinner, he enjoys "Momma's Thanksgiving Feast" which is sweet potatoes, cranberries, apples, pears, turkey, peas, and carrots all steamed and blended together.

My newest creation is "Jackie Bear's Hell's Kitchen" meal. Troy worked for 3 or 4 seasons on Hell's Kitchen, and as you know if you watch the show, Chef Ramsey is all about his f$#king risotto!

Jack's baby risotto (recipe based on "Cooking for Baby" cookbook from Williams and Sonoma. Another rockstar gift from Megan!):
1/2 cup of Arborio rice
1 cup of no sodium added chix stock or water
little bit of olive oil
veggie of your choice (I used peas)
meat of your choice (I used organic chicken thighs. They were cheaper than breasts (hee hee) and have more flavor

Bring water to a boil and add rice. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 15 minutes, stirring once. Fluff with fork. In blender, mix veggie and chicken - add to rice. Will be good in the fridge for 3 days, or 3 months in the freezer. I add a bit of water before I serve it to J since it thickens up when cold.