Thanksgiving Pie

So the new neighbors brought over an apple pie the night before Thanksgiving as a kind gesture for the holidays. Since my grandfather is diabetic and will raid the fridge for sweets any chance he can get, the pie went upstairs. I should have just stuck it to my ass to save me the trouble because that's where it's going to end up in the long run.

Anyway, keeping the pie away from Poppy was our main concern, not thinking that there would be a threat coming from the Mini-Human department.

I was using the potty Thanksgiving morning and heard a slight rustle of tin foil from the kitchen. I knew exactly what this was because I had moved the pie from Jed's reach when he tried to pull it off the table, or so I thought.

The dynamic duo was at it again. Jed and Lily, Project: Apple Pie.

Now, the whole point was to upload a video of me catching them in the act, but that wouldn't work. So here is is on FB:

A Poem

There was a little boy
who lived in a house,
when he was first born
he was as quiet as a mouse.

Now he has grown
to a fine young man,
he screams very loud;
as loud as he can!

We still love him dearly
with all of our might,
but Jed please do your Ma a favor,
and don't scream in the night!

We know this is rare
and you barely ever do,
but more than once is enough
what I am saying is true!

So take your Blue Guy
and keep him on your head,
plug that hole with your Nuk
and SLEEP in your bed!

String Cheese

You cannot live off of string cheese!



Please eat an apple or something...

Teach 'Em While They're Young

How to play the piano


How to sweep their messes


How to work on the computer


How to clean the appliances


How to vacuum up the dog hair


How to load the dishwasher


How to hand wash dishes


How to cook


How to be cool

Look Who's Talking? (sort of)

Bab-ay-yoooo! : Baba, Yo!; Yo, Baba!; I want a baba!

Dad-ay -yoooo! : Daddy-o!; Dada, Yo!

Disss: This

Yes : Yes

Yep : Yep

Good Guurrrrrrlll: Good Girl! (Lily's new name)

Dada or Dad: Matt or myself

Mum Mum: Feed me

Thhbbbbbbbbtttt: ::Jake Break of trucks on highway::

Bvvvvvvvvvbbbbbbb: Engines of any large vehicle

Ni-Ni: Night- Night!

Baby Likes to Learn the Hard Way

Don't stick your chubby finger in that laundry basket hole, now it's stuck!

Don't stand on the edge of that chair, now you have bumped your head!

Don't close that drawer on your hand, now your finger is smashed!

Don't hang over the bed, now you have smooshed your nose!

Don't climb up the dresser drawers, now you have banged up your eye!

Don't stick that finger up your nose, now you have touched your brain!

Don't climb down those stairs, now you have scraped your knee!

Don't run up that gravel hill, now you have slipped and busted your nose!

You should listen to your Mama, but Baby likes to learn the hard way.

A Baby's Special Talent

Dear Ma,

When babies are born, we are given a special talent of knowing exactly when

you are abo u t t o f a l l

a s l eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...................


And then we cry.

Just thought you would like to know.

Love, Jed

Super Nose

Super Nose knows there is a bone at the bottom of the toy box.
Mom, can you please get it out for me?

Super Nose knows that rubber kong is on the tippity toppity shelf.
Dad, can you get it down for me?

Super Nose knows there is that one little teeny weenie piece of food left on the baby's tray.
Brother, will you throw it down to me?

Super Nose knows there is one cheerio under the fridge.
Gramps, can you please use that long stick to get it for me?


Super Nose knows.

Time to Catch Up?

It's been a REALLY long time since I blogged, since June to be exact. As usual, I told myself to keep up with something and I didn't. big shocker. So maybe I can try again? We'll see.

Jed's almost 15 months old now and seems to be growing like a weed! Walking is perfected, he says a few words like "good girl", "Dada", Pop Pop(Poppy), and this morning he said "Mama" to me. I would really like to believe that but he could have said "Mum Mum" which since he was about 4 months old means: I'm hungry. We'll see if he says it again soon for sure.

Now that the cooler weather is here, we can get out more. I feel like we spent majority of the summer inside because it was SO hot! Jed doesn't enjoy heat what-so-ever, so A/C it was. We are looking forward to farm visits, apple picking, pumpkin picking/carving, Halloween, and of course Jed's first "real" Christmas!

So stay tuned, hopefully more to come!

Catching Up

I can't believe I slacked off on this for almost a MONTH!! AHH! I really don't want this to turn into something that I do every now and then, because then I won't do it! I like writing about little things in my life. It's relaxing. But, no guilt. We have been REALLY BUSY.

The start of June, we went to see Dave Matthews Band in Hartford, CT. I can't believe that was almost a month ago. It felt like forever to happen because I was so excited. For any of you that know me at all, knows that I am border-line obsessed. They are such an amazing band. Anyway, the concerts were great.

Jed stayed with his grandparents for 11 days because after we went to CT, we drove my brother Ian's car to him in Arizona! Well, we tried to at least. The transmission quit 60 mi outside Amarillo, TX, the home of the Free* 72 oz. steak! (* Free if you finish the entire thing PLUS all the sides) It is also the Quarter Horse Capitol of the US. We didn't really plan on learning all this info, but the car was left at a great mechanic and we rented a tiny little Hyundi and we were on our way. The beer made it from VT but the car did not. Ian had to fly to TX a week later and pick it up.

After coming home from Arizona paradise, we got back in the groove and then our little boy TURNED 1!! June 20th, Jed Maxwell was no longer 0. We had a great party at a park in Rye that we split with my two cousins Graduation Party. It was a great time and Jed had a blast. Even though he napped for the first 2 hours or so.

So we are pretty much caught up. Jed starts his baby swim class next week (eek!!) which I am really excited for. More interesting posts to come!

The Lost Supper

I don't know but what you all think, but nothing says LOST Finale more than steak and cheese! Matt and I were trying to figure out what to make for dinner while we watched LOST and I had a craving for steak and cheese sandwiches! Matt had the meat department cut some bottom round as thin as they could(Greenwich WFM is so old that they don't have a deli slicer in the Meat Dept).

He cooked up some peppers and onions, cooked the steak and then put it all together on a crusty roll as a complete master piece. It was exactly what I needed to fill my craving. It was so hot and melty, I could eat a whole other one right now.


I took a breather half way through, but it was so worth finshing. What a good steak and cheese...

I don't think I can say that the series finale of LOST was as great as this sandwich, but it was a good ending. LIke the way this delicious blend of meat, veggie, cheese and bread filled my gut, the ending of our favorite show was warm and soothing. I do think it could have been better, as the meat could have been thinner, but in The End it was a great night.

Leavin' on a Road Trip...for 11 days.

Next Friday, Matt and I are going up to Hartford for two Dave Matthews Band concerts and then we are going for a road trip out to Arizona the day after we get back. My brother recently moved out there and needs his car so Matt and I offered to drive it out to him and fly back.

At first the plan was to take the Jedo. We thought it would be fun. We knew it would take a little longer and be a little more challenging but we were up to it. Just wondering, I asked my Ma if she would be interested in having him for the whole week. She is already watching him for the weekend so I thought it would work out for him to stay with her. Matt and I are desperate for some "us" time. All you parents out there know how hard it is to get even a measly day for just the two of you, let alone a week! So Super Grammy said yes, it actually worked out really well, and all the plans were set. We're going on a roadtrip!

This does mean one thing though. Mama is going to be away from her baby for about 11 days. This is unheard of in the New Mother Handbook. I am a little nervous about how I am going to react to this. I want to say that I am going to miss him a normal amount, like a Mama should, but I am also scared that I am going to REALLY miss him a crazy amount. I am scared he might take his first steps away from me. I am scared he might have a big change and I will miss it. I am scared he'll forget about me even though that's nuts! I know all of this is very unlikely, but as it gets close it gets more real.

I am going to be away from my baby boy for 11 days. 11 DAYS! AH!!

Mama and Jed's Trip to Union City

So it's 8:15pm on Monday evening and I get a phone call from a city number. I anxiously think to myself: "Could it be her? Could ot be Alexandria from Prestige?" I wasn't in an acceptable position to answer the phone(in the bathroom) so I let it go to voice mail. And I was right. It was Alexandria.

The call back to her was quick and easy. She told me that Hasbro wanted Jed for a casting the next day, anywhere from 10:30 am to 3:30pm. I planned it to go to Jed's gym class first then go to NJ except Jed was NOT feeling very well in the morning so I didn't want to expose him to my gym class. I guess it wasn't very smart to expose him to the babies at the shoot either but oh well. They were competition anyway. : )

We treked it to NJ the next morning with ease. I only took the wrong way once, but we got there in one piece. It was nice to take my old route, remembering back to the days of working in Edgewater, I got a little nostalgic thinking of all my good times working in the store there.

We found the place with ease, in a nice quiet neighborhood in Union City, NJ. The studio was friendly and bright. All I had to do was fill out a paper and then they measured his weight and hight. I then had to strip him to his diaper for the photos and we waitied to get his picture taken. A little girl named Olivia had her eye on him, she kept crawling over to him. It was so adorable.



When it was Jed's turn for pictures, he couldn't have been more a ham. When Mama wants to take pictures at home he ignores here and makes weird faces, but these strangers got all the attention! He smiled and looked up like a true model like he had done this his whole 11 month life. He actually gave me a hard time when it was over and I had to take him away from the camera. I knew this would be a great baby career for him!

So it was time to get dressed and Olivia was back. Jed and Oliva crawled around together, held hands, looked out the window and then parted ways. I saw a tear in her eye as I took away her first love. May she never forget...



This pic is the chair that I strapped Jed in at the rest stop. What a GREAT invention!

Pierogies!!!! (pĭ-rō'gē)

With my Aunt Michelle visiting from Arizona, it was a perfect time to make pierogies!! She basically demanded it as well : ), she wanted to learn so she could make them at home. So, my Dad made a large vat of kapusta (sauerkraut cooked down with ham hocks, cloves, peppercorns, and bacon) and the house smelled heavenly. Of course we all spoke of the times of when we made them when I was little, and when Nanny(my grandmother) would make them by the thousands. Her cut out for the dough was shot glass yet they were overstuffed with the cabbage filling!

My Dad taught Michelle the rule of threes and how to kneed the dough and they got to work. They made 4 normal doughs with sour cream and one with olive oil to compare. Michelle then picked out the black pepper corns and whole cloves out of the kapusta because there is nothing worse than chomping on a pepper ball! Yuk! They never did this back in the day so I guess this is a modern improvisation. We let the doughs rest for about an hour and then started to roll them out. I am not going to lie, I really didn't help as much as I wanted to. Jed woke up pretty much right when we started so Michelle made majority of the pierogies.

This lead to us eating Chinese for dinner, I don't think anyone wanted to cook or eat a pierogi after the hundreds that were made. The next day I came in with my brother after lunch to find my cousin Lou E, Aunt Michelle, Dad, and Poppy having warm pierogies for lunch. A little butter, a pinch of salt on top of a boiled recipe that hasn't changed in years. Comfort food doesn't get more wholesome than that.

Dough

Kapusta

Cut outs

Finished!

Pierogi Slave

Danica Day

Today Danica came over! She is our good friend Sandy's kid who is 2.5 and her and Jed are good friends! She hung out for an hour so her Mommy could go to an interview. We had so much fun!
First we tried to play inside but Danica got a small case of shyness so we moved it outside. Matt said "Danica, do you want to go outside and run around?" Danica: "Yes!". Matt: "Let's go!" Mind you, that every answer about what she wanted to do before this was "No."

So we went out to the yard and Matt and Danica threw a ball around while I tried to prevent Jed from eating every little stick and leaf around. It was a beautiful morning and Danica forgot all about being shy and had a great time! Then Sandy came back and we took a nice stroll into town for lunch. What a beautiful day!

Tree Cheeze!!

Jed wondering who is the better catcher or thrower....

Jedo!

Danica using her best moves!

Cheeze!

Group shot!!

Nice catch!

Tuesdays

Every Tuesday morning, Jed and I attend the Baby and Me Gym Class at the Rye YMCA. It is such a great experience for this little guy. He gets to meet and play with other babies his age and he gets to crawl around like a crazy boy on soft mats and gymnastic equipment. There are balls and stuffed animals and lots and lots of drool.

Of course Jed wants everything he can't have! The woman who runs it, Ellen Watermelon, plays this terribly out of tuned autoharp.
For those who don't know what an autoharp is:


Anyway, the little booger always wants everything that he can't have. Ellen is very good with distracting the kids though, she has a bubble machine and a parachute that they all love. It's a blast.

This Tuesday, we were walking home and we bumped into cousin Molly and two of the kids she watches and they were going to the play ground, so Jed and I joined them. Unfortunately this play ground had wood chips instead of rubber as a base so Jed couldn't really crawl around much because the wood hurt his knees. Being his first experience at the play ground, he didn't really know what to do, or was too little, so he sat there and played with the muddy wood chips. Tip to other Mamas: Keep the pacifier in his mouth if things like dirt and wood chips are around. It definitely helped him NOT shove the wood chips in his mouth like he wanted to as soon as he spit the thing out.

Garden of Eatin'

I would really like to start this off by saying: "Matt and I have started the vegetable garden in the backyard.", but that would be a big fat lie.

MATT has started the vegetable garden in the back yard. Matt has turned the soil and fertilized it. Matt has planted the seeds. Matt has made beautiful herb boxes for the back porch. I, on the other hand am usually on Jed patrol so I am not much help in the yard yet.

Either way, it's looking great! We have a bunch of heirloom tomato plants and exotic hot pepper plants coming in 2 weeks and we are going to get blueberry bushes from a blueberry farm in NJ! Matt has already planted zucchini, salad mix, tomatillos and some other seeds. It seems like eating is going to be super wonderful with all this beautiful produce!

This garden has been in my family forever. My grandfather always had the biggest cukes and zukes, mouth watering tomatoes, and a ton of hot and sweet peppers. We always had swiss chard until about December. Now that he physically can't work in his garden, Matt has basically taken over the task. I can't wait!

Unfortunately there is a/n (crab)apple tree that takes up a lot of the sun in parts of the day... We would like this tree to move on, we'll see...

Mama vs. Jed Challenge: DOG FOOD

Mama: 1, Jed: 0. This was a close one, folks. This kid will do just about anything to get Lily's kibble bowl. He reminds me of a squirrel doing what ever he can to get that bird feeder. I am convinced it is ONLY because he knows he can't have it.

So this morning when I put Wild Thing on the floor to crawl, around I did my rounds. Gate at the stairs latched, check. Bathroom door closed, check. Dog food and water lifted, check. I thought I was safe. Boy, was I wrong. (Please note that as I type this, I turn around and the boy has every tissue pulled out of a tissue box)
I was in our bedroom using the computer and Jed wandered into the kitchen. All of a sudden I hear little things hit the floor. I thought it was my necklace/teether that he plays with so I really thought nothing of it because as previously said, I covered my bases(hold on, he just crawled into the door). Anyway, I didn't hear much after so I went to check it out.

Jed had reached up to the kitchen table, around the pushed in chair, perfectly tipped Lily's bowl on it's side and knocked some kibble onto the floor. How he managed this, I don't know. When he noticed my presence, his face turned to excitement and fear all at once as he shoved kibble into his mouth. "YUK!!", I said, "NO!!". I had to fish the piece out of his mouth as he kicked and yelled at me.

This was not the first Dog Food Challenge and I am sure this isn't the last. For now the big girl wins.

Prestige

Yesterday, Matt and I brought Jed into the city to have a meeting with a modeling agency. I always wonder how people will react to me telling them this, but it doesn't really matter anyway. I guess sometimes people think that putting your baby on the market may immediately affect his quality of life. I promise to him, and myself I will not become a psycho pageant mama. No way, no how.

So we met with a girl named Alexandria at Prestige Management Group. She was very sweet. She explained all about the company and I had to sign a form, etc... No contracts, no pressure, the way we like it. Jed was shown off in the office next door where a friend of ours worked, and he is officially on the website! Going forward we just wait for clients to have interest in my little boy's pretty face, and hopefully get called in for some photo shoots! At this rate, Jed's college is going to be a quarter mil a year so we should rack up the cash now!

Check out my little famous boy:
http://www.pmgmodelsnyc.com
He's on the second page under "Boys"

He's a cutie!