Lard and Locking Horns

I read a book called Real Food, which left me eager to make my own lard. I finally squeezed it into my schedule today. It was very easy. The prep work was a bit messy and challenging (because I had so much lard that I had to do it in several batches,) but the actual cooking or rendering of the lard was quick and easy. And the results were beautiful! I've been searching for some healthy alternatives for Elliot and Jack (who still have allergies to milk protein,) to use in cooking. I found coconut oil, which is delicious and amazing for baking, but I was still searching for something healthy and heat-tolerant to substitute for butter in the frying pan. Homemade (totally unhydrogenated) lard it is! I can't wait to try it out tomorrow on Jack's daily two fried egg breakfast! Here are some pictures of my handy work. And, if you're thinking, "lard? Did she say lard is healthy?" please do some reading. The last few decades have not been kind to fats. Our diets and bodies have suffered. Here are two great articles, here and here. And, if you're thinking, "Wow! I want to try making my own lard!" there are tons of great articles with how to info on the internet (or in Real Food.) Try it!

Now that I've shared some of what went on IN my kitchen today, I thought I'd share some of what went out right OUTSIDE of my kitchen as well. Much to my dismay, it goes on all over my house every day. It's hard to describe to people who don't have several boys living in their house. I find it both charming and revolting, often at the same time. All four boys participate in it willingly, and cry if you make them stop (although Mattie is clearly the biggest fan and primary instigator.) I try to put up with it as long as I can, but since it rarely ends well, sooner or later, I put a stop to it.

Seen enough? If not, I will post some video footage on Facebook soon... Good night!

Vital Stats

Theo had his 15 month check up today.  He was 25 lbs 4 oz, and 34" long. He walks all the time now, and even tries to run when he sees something he really wants. His molars are coming in, so he hasn't been sleeping as well as usual, and has been pretty crabby a lot of the time, but it's hard to blame him when I see his red swollen gums. He has successfully transitioned to one nap a day, which I'm ecstatic about. He usually naps from about 10:30 to 1:30 each day, and then goes down for bed around 8, and gets up around 6:30 or 6:45. He loves the playground, and cries whenever he sees one and we don't stop. He has also just started showing jealousy towards Mattie. Whenever we hold Mattie on our laps, or pick up or kiss Mattie, Theo comes waddling over to fuss and push Mattie away. Theo still hates diapers changes, loves to be held, and breastfeeds about 5 times most days. He also likes to eat strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pasta, grilled cheese, eggs, chocolate, peanut butter, asparagus, peas, pears, apples, bananas, yogurt, cheese, cheerios, chicken, ice cream and bread.

Theo is absolutely adorable. We love watching his personality unfold. But, he also drives us crazy with his insatiable need to be held, and afinity for climbing everything. He is definitely keeping us on our toes! Each day he is more of a toddler, and a big boy, chasing after his brothers in every way.

Busyness

(This was written last week.)

Looking back at my last post, I realize it's been weeks since I last blogged. I have been busy! It's parent participation time of year at Mattie's pre-school, and I agreed to do a cape making project with another mom. I definitely bit off more than I could chew. It's not that the project wasn't a great idea, and the results really cute, but for a three year old's preschool project, there is really no commensurate benefit for the 10-15 hours of behind the scenes work that we logged.

I've also been busy chasing one newly walking, barely sleeping baby boy. One Tuesday afternoon, Theo woke up from his nap and decided that he wanted to walk. He had taken 2 or 3 steps countless times before, but had never really had any interest in walking. For some reason, that changed on May 12th. He still prefers to crawl to get somewhere, but he just keeps standing himself up and setting off on foot now. He's very proud of himself, and his brothers love it too! Mattie shouts out, "Look! Theo's walking!" every time he takes off. He's also going through that tough transition from one nap to two, and from what we can tell, getting his first molars. He's waking up in the middle of the night, rising with the sun each morning, often skipping his afternoon nap, and crying a lot. So, while our days have been full of excitement and new discoveries, we're both exhausted.

Happy Birthday Theo!

I'm a little bit late, but here are some pictures from Theo's first birthday party, which was attended by me, Ted, Jack, Elliot, Mattie and my friend and photographer Carrie Fletcher.

Theo was 22 lbs 14 oz and 32.5" long at his 12 month check up. He is a big, happy, playful one year old. He took two steps by himself today, but otherwise gets around happily by crawling. He has not shown much interest in walking yet, but instead prefers to explore the vertical plane. He is an adept and adventurous climber. I have found him atop the dining room table and his brothers' bedroom nightstands more than once. He climbed to the top of a workman's ladder unassisted, and frequently goes up three flights of stairs on his own (with me right behind him, of course.) His favorite places to play include on top of Mattie's bed and the Stokke chairs. As recently as one month ago, he still had very little interest in adult food. He has come a long way over the past few weeks, and has really increased his appetite and the list of foods he likes. His favorites are pears, bananas, apples, blackberries, blueberries, cheerios, chocolate chips, grilled cheese and peanut butter (he eats it right out of the jar, like his mom!) He hasn't fallen in love with veggies or meat yet. He still breastfeeds about 5 times per day. Theo is a great communicator as well. He knows a few signs (milk, more, all done,) and says a handful of words. His favorite is "hi" which he says to people (and phones) all day long. He also says mama and dada, wow, and last night wowed us by standing up and saying "up", then plopping down and saying "dow". He has also discovered how to point, and spends much of  the day being carried around pointing at things, saying "uh, uh, uh" until he gets what he wants. Much to my dismay, he still will not let me read to him. He either tries to grab the book and throw it on the floor, or just fusses and squirms out of my lap. His favorite song is the Eensy Weensy Spider. It gets us through every diaper change (he hates lying down on the changing table.) I sing, while he does the hand motions. We do the eensy weensy, the big gigantic and the wriggly giggly spiders, which gives me just enough time to change the diaper. I always end by changing the last line of the song (climbed up the spout again,) to "tickled Theo again," which is our family tradition, and always a big hit. He loves the park, and watching his brothers. His favorite person is Ted, which is so cute to see! He cries every day when Ted goes to work.

Theo's first year went by so quickly. I'm sad to see it end. I try to take a moment each day to make a memory of these remarkable times. If I don't remember to pause once in a while, it feels like I might blink, and it will all be gone!

Favorite Foods

We all have our favorite foods. I shared one of mine with Theo for the first time this week, while Mattie indulged in one of his. Mmmmmm...

Daddy Love

Theo and Ted have a special bond. I came upstairs Saturday morning to find them cooking bacon together in the kitchen. I thought this image perfectly captured that bond...

Adorable Theo

Kid Therapy

THEN...

I can't believe it. Theo is one today. YAY! I still have his birth announcement hanging on my desk and the side of my refrigerator. It seems like just a few months ago. He is climbing and talking, almost walking, and in every way a new little toddler. I feel sad when I think about the fact that I no longer have a baby in the house. I also worry that the easy part is over! It's easy to be an unattached adult. It's also easy to be the parent of a baby. But, parenting toddlers and adolescents, now there's a challenge for even the strongest among us. Add a few other children into the mix, and you have the making of an Olympic caliber endurance sport! Parenting older kids requires lots of love, and grace under pressure. Every day you will find yourself thrown into situations that require you to act (or react) calmly, quickly, and smartly. We rise to the challenge in order to teach our children how to manage their behavior and emotions. But, it's easier said than done. We have to manage our  behavior and emotions first. It's not enough to tell our kids what we want them to learn. We have to show them. We have to live as an example. Think about it. When things aren't going well, are we truly patient? Unselfish? Kind? Good listeners? Honest? Work well with others? Do our best? Well, if we didn't quite learn all of these things perfectly ourselves as kids, we get a second chance as parents! This is something I find to be really difficult, especially in times of stress. And it is what I like to call "Kid Therapy". It forces us to confront our weaknesses and shortcomings. Interacting with our kids when they're stressed, we get to practice how to handle ourselves. It's how parenthood teaches us to be better people, and how we grow into our roles as parents. So, as I look at my sweet new toddler Theo, and Mattie, Elliot and Jack, I'm thinking about our future years together, and all the lessons I'll help them learn, while I'm still learning along the way.

...AND NOW

A Lesson Learned?

We had another trauma drama in our house last Friday night. While practicing inside with Ted and Jack, Elliot peeled some of the metallic tape (at right) off of his hockey stick. He crumpled up the pieces and threw them onto the floor. Theo crawled right over and ate one of them. Unfortunately, the tape was almost cellophane thin, and sticky, so it did not go down well. It managed to get lodged in the back of Theo's throat. He coughed, gagged, vomited and cried, but the tape would not come up or go down. After about 15 or 20 minutes, we decided to take him to the hospital. I knew that I would never make it driving to the hospital myself with Theo in the backseat in his carseat. I also knew that it would be impossible to mobilize four kids (one gagging and vomiting) to make a speedy exit. And, I was worried that the tape might somehow move and obstruct his airway. We called the pediatrician and 911, and an ambulance came. En route to the hospital, he managed to completely swallow the tape, and was instantly fine. They still wanted to check him at the hospital. He had a chest x-ray, and they x-rayed the rest of the tape (which was clear on x-ray, so most likely plastic.)

After a surprisingly quick and painless ER visit, I took Theo back home. His brothers, by this time, were in bed. Jack has always been worried about Theo putting things in his mouth, and was beside himself when Theo ate the tape. I knew I needed to reassure Jack that Theo was home and fine. When I took Theo into Jack's room to say good night, Jack asked me in all earnestness, "Do you think he learned his lesson?" I only wish I could have said yes, for all of our sakes.

Adorable Theo