5.5 Month Stats

Calder went to the doctor last week. It was supposed to be his six month appt. but he is only 5.5 months. Here are his stats:

Weight: 16 lbs 8 oz (33rd percentile)
Length: 26.75 inches (75th percentile)

So, he's growing well. He's still longer than average and weighs a little less than average. We've started solids. So far he has had rice cereal (hated), avacado (loved), sweet potato (loved) and oatmeal (tolerated).

I really like the simple look of strait stitch embroidery. I think it is clean and even and I really like that. For the most part I embroidery onesies and burp cloths for Calder. I think they are my favorite things to put him in.

I also dyed these onesies. Thanks Lorraine for teaching me how. It is a skill I'll use forever.

*Please excuse the drool on a few of these. Sometimes it is a matter of seconds after putting on a shirt that the drool hits it. I also love the stunned look in most of these pictures.

Just For Fun

The Coaster Winner

My own random number generator (aka Jason) picked #3, so Arlee, you are the lovely winner of the coasters. Email me your address and I'll get them in the mail!

What Would You Do?

Jason, Calder and I went to Columbus for the weekend. We had a great time. I'm sure I'll blog all about the details later, but I have a scenario I want to run by you.

We went to dinner one night at a nice restaurant (not so nice that Calder wasn't invited) but still nice. When perusing the menu I noted the price of my meal and also noticed the lack of steak. It was a little surprising since the word 'grill' is in their restaurant name. The crab cakes were delicious though.

After dinner the check came and Jason and I noticed they charged $7 more for each of our entrees than the menu listed. That's $14 total.

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

We brought it to the attention of our server who said "Maybe I gave you the lunch menu" and went to check. She had indeed given us the lunch menu but neither of us noticed. Apparently the dinner menu has steak on it. All well. The manager ended up taking the extra charge off the bill but I felt a bit uncomfortable and he made it seem like he was doing us a huge favor.

Jason did end up tipping for the full (overcharged) amount even though it was the server's error but I'm curious whether we did the right thing. Should we not have mentioned it?

Make It Monday Coasters

Well, I had a great domestic week. I did some embroidery and some sewing and of course some baking. I had some leftover fabric from a skirt I made so I thought I would make some coasters. I think they are absolutely adorable. Unfortunately I don't have a need for any more coasters so I'm offering them to you! If you think they're cute and would make a great addition to your house, just leave a comment. Next Monday I'll announce a winner.

Happy Birthday Mr. President

President James Madison that is. Today would be James' 258th birthday. We're on a first name basis because anyone who names their kid after you should be able to call you by your first name.

Calder's middle name, James, took a lot of thought and discussion. I think we talked more about it than his first name. Of course it's not that we didn't think Mr. Madison was worthy of the namesake. He has been called the Greatest Political Thinker in Human History and the Father of the Constitution. Those are some pretty incredible titles. Here and here are a few interesting articles you can read to learn more about him and his interesting birthday.

5 Months

Calder,
I am so amazed I've been your mother for five wonderful months! You are the most beautiful, happy and sweet boy. I feel so blessed that you have been such an easy baby. You love to smile and laugh, even when you're sad or tired. Sometimes I have a hard time knowing whether you are tired because your eyes are so big and you're always so happy.

This month you have done some marvelous things.

• You love Deebo and giggle when you see him.
• You can push yourself up on your arms and are trying so hard to crawl. It is obviously very frustrating for you.
• You can walk when I hold your hands and love to jump around the house.
• You've become a very social baby and feeding you with people around is very challenging because you want to see what's going on around you.
• You can sit up for a long time by yourself, but you still fall over sometimes, so I have to pay very close attention.
• You love being outside. You literally laugh when we leave the apartment. Walking in the stroller has to be one of your favorite activities. You often nap while we go on long walks in the sunshine.
• You LOVE to wear hats and sunglasses. It is so cute.
• We've successfully stopped swaddling. Like a lot of things you just decided you would prefer to have your arms out and that is that. It wasn't a challenge, you didn't change your sleep habits, you just decided you were ready.
• You really want to eat solid food. Every time I eat in front of you it is hard to keep it out of your hands. After I drink a glass of water I give you the last dribble and you are so happy about it. I think we will all be thrilled to start solid food.
  

I love you so much. There are so many things I want to teach you and help you with. I want to be the best Mommy I can be. That's my plan.

Love,
Mommy

We've had some pretty good weather lately. One day it was around 60 degrees so Calder got to put on his first pair of shorts and his sun hat. He loved the hat! I don't know how long that will last but he didn't want to take it off. I love how long his shorts are. They're basically pants without the last inch of fabric. So cute!
Calder loves his bumbo and his monkey pajamas. I think he really likes the higher view. It puts him about the same height as Deebo.

Peanut Brittle

Ah yes, another recipe. I promise you'll get something crafty at least every other week! As the winter drags on I've been thinking a lot about comfort food. Of course soup is always on my winter list but certain sweets also make the cut. Peanut brittle is one of those. I don't make it often since Jason's not a fan but it always makes me feel warm on a cold day. And it's easy to boot.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup peanuts
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS

1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
3. Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter or margarine and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.