A Moment of Thanks

From Layla Grace: Sleep, Valentines Day and Regrets:

Towards the end of a pregnancy, a mother will wake up to go to the bathroom every few hours. I think this is the body’s way of preparing you for a newborn and the sleepless nights that come along with it. Layla now spends most of her days sleeping. 30-45 minutes after she wakes up, she is ready to lay down and sleep again. Is this God’s way of preparing me for all the quiet time that is coming soon? The house is quiet. I am able to go through the motions of laundry, dishes, cooking and picking up without interruptions. But I WANT interruptions. I WANT Layla to be under my feet asking for cookies. I WANT to hear her playing with her toys. I WANT to take 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because she keeps trying to help. For every time I uttered the words “I just can’t get anything done with these kids under my feet all day” I am eternally regretful. The days that I looked forward to naptime so I could get a grocery list made, or finally fold all the piles of laundry…I regret those days too. If I could do it all again, I’d enjoy EVERY SINGLE WAKING MOMENT I had with her. I would never wish for her to sit still or take a nap or go to bed early. I would never look forward to the days when she could sit through an entire episode of Dora silently. I would treasure every second with her.

My heart broke when I read this, not just because of little Layla Grace's passing, but because it was as if it spoke right to my face and reminded me to be thankful for my son every single day. I AM the mother who looks forward to nap time so I can have some "me" time; I beg for my son to sit still through anything; I have daily battles about the dishwasher – for all of the "annoyances" and all the times I've threatened to drive to the Safe Haven – I almost feel ashamed. While I complain about how my son upturned yet another bowl of blueberries, I need to remember the the fact that he is here, and he is a healthy and happy child, and that trumps all those "annoyances".

Thank you, Layla Grace, for reminding me not to sweat the small stuff. My thoughts are with the Marsh Family, and I wish for nothing more than the healing of their hearts and souls.

Cake Cures Everything

My son, in all his craziness, seems to be having a hard time understanding that I do not like it when he stands and plays on one of our dining room chairs. He has gotten his legs stuck once, and I'm sure he's fallen off a couple of time. According to him, there is no lesson to be learned.

Tonight, he tumbled off again while climbing up – it was a short tumble, and he landed on his bottom. I didn't think it was anything serious, so I just gave him an "I told you so" look and continued to do whatever important thing that I was doing (cutting up a piece of brownie). He sat on the floor for a moment – I assume to build momentum for the inevitable cry-fest – then got up and waddled over to me in the kitchen, arms outstretched and crying. It's like the universal sign for "I need some TLC!"

But before he got to me, he saw that I was holding a plate in my hand, and on top of that plate was a piece of brownie. He clapped his hands together, and in an instant, his frown (literally) turned upside down, and he gleefully yelped, "CAKE!"

He ran back to the dining table and waiting for me to prop him up on his booster chair. As we worked together to polish off that brownie, he gave a big, chocolate grin and declared, "Yum!" after each bite. So as you see, cake indeed does make it all better.

Easy Meals: Black Bean & Artichoke Burritos

In an attempt to save money and eat healthier, I've decided to cook mostly vegetarian meals during the week. Tonight I made black bean & artichoke burritos based off of this recipe, but I made a few changes after reading the reviews. I ended up using just one skillet to cook the filling, and I folded each tortilla in half, rather than folding them up like a burrito (I felt that the tortillas I had were too small and too thick for burrito purposes).

Ingredients
1 can (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (1oz) artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes

1/2 can (15oz) corn, drained

flour tortillas (I used 8" medium ones)

Directions
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in artichoke hearts, onion, garlic, salt and cumin; cook until the artichokes become golden brown. Stir in corn and cook for five minutes. Add black beans and cook until heated through.

Lightly spray a flat griddle pan with oil and heat on medium. Place tortillas on heated pan. Sprinkle some cheese on half of each tortilla, then spoon filling on top. Sprinkle a little bit more cheese on top of filling, then fold over. Heat for approximately 3-5 minutes, then flip to heat other side for additional 3-5 minutes, until tortillas have a slight crunch.

Guide to Understanding My Toddler - Part II

I find it hilarious that my son appends an "ah-" before almost every word. Dada becomes ah-dada, and I'm ah-mom.

Oh, and although we've moved on from ah-cock to ah-cwock (for clock), we now have learned ah-fuck (for fork).

Easy Meals: Breakfast Casserole

Eggs, cheese, and bacon! The original recipe is here; I didn't have any croutons on hand, so I just cubed some whole wheat sandwich bread. I also used some pre-cooked Applewood Smoked Bacon from Trader Joe's to save time (and mess).