The Recipe for Love

7.01.2010

Evidence

He’s here, he’s there, he’s loud, he’s obnoxious, he’s missing, he is talking and talking and talking… Basically, he has been in every corner of the house inside and out before I have breakfast ready. Then there’s the chatter; it goes on and on “Mom, what does this spell…” “Mom, I know what 20 and 20 is. Am I right?” “Mom, when are we going to go to the dollar store?” “Mom, guess if I have to poop right now or not.” Seriously. Sometimes I just shut down from the chaos that is Layne’s life. You know, tune him out, ignore him, hide, it’s a built in defense mechanism.

Yesterday morning Layne was rambling about some “bad guys.” I was in my defensive “half-listening mode,” that must have seemed to Layne like my “I don’t believe you mode.” That’s when he brought in “the evidence,” which is just how he presented it to me; An empty carton of ice cream and two large QT soda cups by our front door. Layne pointed out that this evidence could only mean one thing; two bad guys were eating ice cream and drinking soda on our porch last night. Now THAT was worth listening to.

6.25.2010

Wiggly

I thought I would cry the day Layne lost his first tooth. A milestone that says "I am growing up and leaving babyhood behind --worse-- in the trash." I like babies. However, I didn't realize that teeth could be wiggly for 3 months before coming out. That is a lot of time for a mom to prepare herself.

At first the wiggly tooth was exciting, of coarse. We would wiggle it every couple days and talk about if it was more wiggly than the last time, Layne was always sure it was. Then, he got a surprise, the new tooth began growing in behind his old one, shark style.

Once the pictures started, we had to include everybody. So here are Brik's darling teeth, which he better not ever lose.

And then the true baby who is still getting his first set, 13 and counting.

So that was freaky, right? His tooth is coming in in the wrong place. On top of that, he is complaining about it hurting every time he eats and uses it as an excuse to not eat celery or cucumbers. I wanted to pull it when I never thought I would. The best tooth-loosing experience was the one tooth that just fell out with no Dad pulling involved.

We played around with it. "How far can you move it this way, that way, how about pushing it with your tongue, let me tie a string around it and you can wiggle it." We got him excited about the tooth fairy. "She leaves twice as much if you loose it on a Saturday since she doesn't like to work on Sunday's." Then came threats. "You are going to swallow it in your sleep and it will hurt your throat or you will lose it in the swimming pool and never be able to find it."

Lastly, bribes. "If I pull it and it doesn't come out, I will give you $5. Let me put this pliers in your mouth and I promise I won't pull it, if I do I will give you $100. If you let me pull your tooth you can stay up for 20 more minutes, otherwise it is bedtime right now."

I gave him a popsicle and told him how cold makes things numb so that it won't hurt him. Jarom got the pliers and he ran away. Jarom looked in his mouth while he hid the pliers. Jarom found the pliers and Layne cried. Enter; Bribes. Layne decided to have it pulled and pop, it was done. Layne laughed, "it didn't even hurt." I took a picture and told him I would send it to Nana and Papa. He wanted to look at it first to make sure they couldn't see his tears. I guess he didn't care so much about the popsicle on his face.

5.21.2010

Therapy, Save Me.

I know this looks bad and we really don’t know what we are doing. No therapist to work with still, so all we got are Mom’s bright ideas. This is an effort to force him to use his left hand for fine motor functions. When his right arm is free, he won’t use the left at all. You got a better idea? I thought it would be good to have a video sample showing Roxwell’s dexterity. In a few years we will be saying “Remember when you could barely use your left hand?” and it will all be a distant memory.

5.16.2010

School Days

Layne's second year of kindergarten is coming to an end. He has had the same teacher in the same classroom for two years. He has brought home many of the same things. Though he doesn't complain that he is bored, he doesn't show as much excitement as before. He is a little bossy bully, but at least he keeps his anger at bay. Here is his n0-drama performance as Papa Bear in Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears;

And him as The House of Sticks in The Three Little Pigs;

Brik is scheduled for a early admission evaluation in June so that he can go to half day kindergarten in the fall. When I filled out the paper work, the only thing he got low marks on was pumping a swing and covering his mouth when he sneezes.

Layne is taking care of teaching him on the swing;

Brik said he will teach himself to cover his mouth, and he actually is doing better :)

And THIS is what gets us through those months in between;

5.01.2010

Green Stache

4.24.2010

money, Money, MONey, MON-EY!

Layne fell in love with my grandma's old electric juicer. He started up he own juicing business by selling his orange juice for $2 a quart. I think he ended up making over $50 over the last month and now he is burnt out.

Jarom did most of the picking, but Layne did most of the bagging. At home he washed them, cut them, juiced them, poured the juice in jars, sort of cleaned up (it was the month of the fruit flies) then called people to buy them. I was mostly impressed with his system, except for his phone skills. The worst being when he was talking to one person on the phone and someone rang the doorbell. People at the door are the most important people in the world to Layne.

He put about half in the bank, paid tithing, spent some and gave away the rest.

4.18.2010

Record Keeping

Time is so hard to keep track of anymore. Someone asks when did he start doing this or when did you notice that? I don't have the foggiest idea. But I have found scrolling back through this blog (and emails) quite helpful in pinning down dates. So let it be known that 2 days after taking his first steps, we got Roxwell to crawl.

During his AZEIP evaluation on Friday the therapist made mention of his weak core and upper body muscles because of his lack of crawling. She discussed how beneficial it would be to his strength to do such an exercise that forced him to bear a heavy load on his left side like crawling does. Now, in addition to all the other things we have been working on, we are on the floor with him encouraging him to crawl and using the exercise ball to strengthen his core. As exhausting as a newborn, but very rewarding.

4.14.2010

Milestone

Roxwell took his first steps today,just shy of 18 months. This is quite an achievement for out determined little one. He has been working so hard these past few months, but progress has been slow.

After taking him to the doctor last month for delayed motor skills, getting an MRI and having it all translated by a pediatric neurologist, we learned that Roxwell has a small amount of scar tissue in the right-center (semiovale, corona radiata and corticospinal tract) part of his brain. It is the result of bleeding in the brain which most likely occurred around the time of birth and the cause is indeterminable. His grey matter (the area that tells the body what to do) is well developed but the scar tissue interferes with the transmission of information to the spinal cord. While the spinal chord naturally tells everything to be stiff and the brain tells everything to relax, this affected areas are rigid. The technical terms are; hemiparesis from hypoxic ischemic brain injury.

We are so fortunate that it is mild and feel very good that he will able to fully recover. I have been working with him a lot; immobilizing his right hand while initiating play with his left, massaging his left side 2-3 times a day, using essential oils and cold laser therapy at the chiropractor. Hopefully we will start formal therapy soon, he is being evaluated this week for that.

It is possible for his brain to heal, but the main focus is for his brain to be made aware of the connections that are missing. Even if the scarring does not heal, young brain cells are very capable of taking on extra duties when there is a need to. Before three years of age the brain can rewire when given the right stimulation, so physical therapy is key right now.

Brik is the supportive big brother behind the camera. I didn't even tell him to cut me out because I hadn't showered yet, but he did anyway, he is so thoughtful. Roxwell got bitten up by misquotes, that is what is on his head and why his left arm is covered (to keep him from scratching.)

4.05.2010

Almost Free

“Hey lady.” Buy this dress, buy this, hammock, buy this rug, buy this jewelry, buy this Mexican junk. For real.

Those locals were really creative in finding ways to make a living off of all the tourism.

Pay me for throwing this sedated donkey on you and taking your picture.

Pay me for making sculptures in the sand.

Pay me for stacking rocks.

I will put some iguana’s on you, grab the camera out of your hands, shoot a picture and tell you, you have to pay me. For real.

3.28.2010

Excursion Versions

Mexico is not really the place to go if you want to wander around and find your own fun. It is more of a “stay with the pack” (of tourists, that is.) I would have loved to see where the locals shopped and ate and lived, but my gun-less companion would not comply. We opted for Princess Cruiseline coordinated excursions to entertain us on land.

They had offered many different cooking oriented options. Many of them included tequila drinking. We figured the prices on those excursions reflected the drinks, so the most bang for our non-drinking buck would be the one that did not advertise the alcohol. We were wrong. In Puerta Vallarta we rode a tour bus from port into town where the guide pointed out every large hotel and American business. While I looked the other direction and saw empty store fronts with bashed windows, covered in graffiti. The tour guide was rambling about how Puerta Vallarta was such a paradise and declared there was no crime. I wondered who was doing all the vandalism, Jarom guessed it was the tourists.

Unnerving...

We were dumped off in down town, where thousands of tour buses drop off. It felt like Sun City more than Mexico. We tried to haggle in the shops to no avail and paid American prices on sunglasses, a bottle of vanilla and souvenirs for the kids.

Then we were led to a restaurant for out cooking “class.” It was an upscale tourist restaurant similar to our Café Lorado. The tables were set up with a small assortment of ingredients, a cutting board and a bread knife. We were instructed to chop the small amounts of ingredients and mix them together to make pico de gallo and guacamole. Next, two tortillas, a bowl of mole sauce and a chunk of cold chicken. Cut the chicken, put it on the tortillas and spoon cold mole sauce over it. No recipes. The tour guide told us to make the mole sauce you by a can of it from Wal-Mart and add water.

That night Jarom looked for an excursion to sign up for in Mazatlan, rather than going off of the alcohol promotions he found one with a recommendation from previous Princess passengers. This proved to be better criteria since we had a blast.

We took a catamaran to a small island, laid on the beach, played some sand volleyball, rode some horses and had lunch at a clean but very rustic restaurant. The horseback riding on the beach was such a good time. The guide only spoke Spanish, so it was fun trying to communicate and having Jarom to clue me in. He got off and took pictures for everyone and had a great sense of humor. It was a short walk on the beach and the guide let us run back. The horses were so engrained with the route that there was no steering that they would adhere to. It was a beautiful day and we were having so much fun that we lost track of how much sun we were getting. We both got a terrible sunburn that was hurting for the rest of the trip.

The next day at Cabo we had to stay out of the sun because of out stupidity, so we didn’t do an excursion. We got off the boat for a short time trying to find a phone to call home and got to do some haggling in the shops. By then were so done with the men on the streets trying to get us to ride on their boat that we just went back to the ship. It was a beautiful place, and we could see that just as well from the ship’s deck.

3.16.2010

Culinary Adventures

The biggest surprise of my first cruise was how extraordinary the food was. Being a total foodie, having high standards for freshness, striving to use the highest quality ingredients and favoring whole foods, you could say I am “picky.” I expected cheap cafeteria and diner type food that was soggy, greasy and, uber-processed. I expected the apples to be mealy and the green beans frozen and microwaved. I admit to bringing my own homemade granola, a bag of AZ oranges and organic apples for survival.

I was skeptical when I read the first dinner menu; they made it all sound so excellent. But excellent it was!

Pan-Fried Barramundi

Giant Perch with Green Asparagus, Brown Butter, Lemon and Rice Pilaf

Cajun Spiced Crawfish Crockpot with Black Mussels and Tomatoes

Creole Rice

Moroccan Vegetable Ragout with Pita Bread and Read Oak Leaf Salad

Cauliflower, Carrots, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Pea Pods and Potatoes in Tomato-Yogurt Sauce.

How on earth was I going to choose? Oh, how I wished my stomach was stretched out more that night because I could have had all three, if I had room. Each night they had a completely different selection of about 4 appetizers, 4 soups and salads and 6 main courses. They also offered 2 pastas (one that was the same every night) and 7 alternative choices that were the same every night.

Yes, my stomach stretched and accumulated some extra “padding”, but a week of culinary adventure drove me to set good judgment aside and enjoy the ride.

Breakfast was the trickiest. I started off having a lot of poached eggs. Scrambled eggs are often made with powdered eggs, so I stuck with what I could see was real. I don’t do homogenized dairy, non fat yogurt, cold cereal or sugary pastries. A couple mornings at the buffet I stacked an egg on a small waffle with a slice of smoked salmon. By the last few days I was eating my (dry) granola and a couple oranges. I was fine with eating light in the morning, because dinner was always over the top.

Lunch:

Doesn’t that salad look amazing? It was! I also tried borscht for the first time, which was not bad and had a very tasty blueberry roulade (yes, dessert at every lunch, shame.)

Finally, here is what I learned at the dinner table;

I don’t like pate of any kind (seafood, meat or vegetable.)
Frog legs have the texture of chicken and the flavor of crab legs
Escargots is delicious (but likely anything doused with lots of garlic butter would be.)
Caviar is worth eating again if I get the chance, but not worth the hefty price tag.
Soufflé’s make great desserts after a hefty meal, they are light and not too sweet.
It only takes sharing three meals with someone before I feel comfortable asking them for the vegetables off their plate.
Thankfully, the bread was awful.
Jarom can eat a lot of meat L
Spending 2 hours at the dinner table never tired.
Six days of stomach stretching allowed me to enjoy a soup, salad, pasta, entrée and 2 plates of lobster in one sitting.
Although I was over eating every day, I felt good and never had digestive problems.
I love seafood.

3.12.2010

Ship Bliss

I am typically not a vacation type of person. I don’t like to be away from the comforts of home. I like my soft water to shower in, I like my kitchen to cook in, I like my bed and dark, quiet room to sleep in, I like to have my clothes in drawers and hangers… I hate the hassle of preparing for a trip, trying to remember everything that I might need or will surely need, getting the house and kids ready for a lengthy departure, making travel arrangements...

For the first time, it was all worth it!

First off, after years of traveling with small children, traveling alone was not so bad. Packing snacks; simple, Airport security; a breeze, Waiting to board; almost peaceful, Carrying our luggage; no problem. We had super helpful family members that took great care of the children. They all enjoyed the week, got spoiled with toys and fun activities and ate their vegetables.

Aboard the ship, I really didn’t know what to expect; what we would do, how we would feel and if there would be any food worth eating. We quickly found out that you sleep when you are tired, eat when you are hungry and look in the Patter (the daily schedule of activities and shows) when you are bored.

I was most impressed by the clean entertainment and delicious food (which will get a lengthy post all of its own). They had dancers, comedians, an awesome illusionist and showed mostly PG and PG-13 movies in the theater. We participated in a latin ballroom dance class each day we were at sea. There was a fruit and vegetable carving and culinary demonstration that we enjoyed. We played games, took naps and met some really great people.

It was relaxing for sure, we didn’t have to lift a finger. Joselito made our bed, folded our clothes, wiped down the counters, took out our trash, got us ice, changed the toilet paper roll, wrapped up the chord on my blow dryer, washed our towels. We were able to truly enjoy every second.