Blake's First Comic Book Appearance

While Andrew was away

Knitting is on hold. I am now taking up sewing baby clothes. Please Lord, give me a girl.







This was the first time I followed a pattern without guidance. It was much easier than I thought it would be, but of course I made a few basic mistakes. Better luck next time. I found the best fabric store in Santa Cruz so there are a few more girls dresses in my queue.

Peas, Parks, and Beaches

Its been two weeks since we posted so its time we posted some pictures. You might forget what Blake looks like!

First off, if you haven't seen Blake sleeping yet, he sleeps with his arms behind his head like he's relaxing. Of course a picture shows it better...



With the box we get from the organic farms every week, sometimes they decide to give us vegetables you have to work to eat. A couple weeks back they gave us a ton of peas. Blake loved helping shell them all, and the dogs loved that he helped.



When I got back from Pittsburgh we decided to take a lazy day and go to the park. Here is a photo of Blake enjoying himself on his favorite Sea Horse. He doesn't look like he was having all that much fun, but he was, I just caught him staring at the other kids playing in the mud!



Lastly we took him to the beach in Santa Cruz last Sunday. He loves the water, you can't keep him back. The only thing I could do was hold his arms to keep him steady, but he would just keep wanting to walk deeper and deeper with no concern for the waves. Here is a photo Shannon took of Blake and I playing in the water.

Blake exploring his new rocking chair and new pants

Here are the finished pants. They don't look so great when on, but that is because I need to hone my sewing skills. They will do for now and fit nicely over his big, cloth diaper. Grandma Ellen painted this rocking chair and presented it to Blake for his first birthday. We had to do some training with the rocking chair before I could take a video of it to show you. He would stand up in it and then fling his body backwards off the thing. There were many tears, but I think he knows what can happen now. He is such an explorer. Thank goodness for good health insurance.

T-Shirt Pants

I couldn't wait for Blake to take his morning nap so I could make him a pair of T-shirt pants. I saw the link here http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2006/04/old_tshirts_can.html and I knew I had to try making those. Little does Andrew know, but I sacrificed one of his old t-shirts to make the pants. They are super easy and maybe I will get better at finishing the edges after making a few more. I think they may be too long, but I took a pair of 18 mos. shorts and guessed how long they should be (I didn't dare creep into Blake's room to get to his closet). I will post a picture of Blake in them once he wakes up. Super fun project.

I've Started a Babysitting Co-Op

I just started a babysitting co-op on meetup.com. If you know any local mamas (or papas) who need some time to themselves then send them to this URL:

http://www.meetup.com/timetomyself/

I hope it gains members soon and I look forward to a babysitting co-op without the pressures of a mother's group.

Thanks Great Grandpa and Great Nana

Thanks to Blake's great grandparents, he is now taking up the steel drum. I endlessly researched different drums for kids and came across the mini steel pan drum. Many websites argue that these mini pans are mere toys and are not authentic. I looked into authentic steel drums and the smallest ones start at $1800. I figured we were not that skilled so why not experiment on the less expensive version. Of course Andrew mastered the little thing within minutes, but Blake and I are still learning the basics (note: Andrew playing Happy Birthday on the drum in the background). I was originally looking for an authentic tom tom drum, but there aren't any high quality ones for kids anymore. They have been replaced with plastic ones. So here is a video of Blake playing his first solo. Rock on kid.

Beach Season Has Begun

Andrew and his friend Casey went surfing this weekend at Waddell Creek. This was a new beach for all of us and it turned out to be a nice spot. Blake loved being in the water and there were tons of starfish. I wasn't brave enough to touch one though (I don't do sea creatures). Here is Blake before I put dry clothes on him.


When I was packing up our stuff to leave I looked over at Blake and found him in this position. He stayed like that for almost five minutes. He was pooped. Check out Aiden's sandy feet in the background. Andrew caught a few waves, but said it was so cold that his body would creak when he would stand up for a ride.



I love the amount of sand left on a child's body when you get home from the beach. I also love how Blake's head still smells like sunblock even after a bath and a good night's sleep.