Catch-Up Videos

I'm too lazy to blog regularly now.  No, scratch that.  I'm too busy to blog regularly now.  Chasing around a child who is learning to walk is tiring!  Here are a few videos from the past few weeks.

Applesauce Appreciation...

Applesauce Appreciation from Beth Bruce on Vimeo.

Apple Picking...

Ten Months...

Avery, you turned ten months old on Friday!  Time is passing so quickly, I don't know what to do.  When I think about it too much, I kind of panic!

You are doing so much now.  You are busy all the time when you're awake, so your naps are getting longer, and you're sleeping a good twelve hours at night.

You are in some 9 month clothes still and are fitting into your 12 month clothes now!

I can tell you are working hard on the next big accomplishment...walking!  You are constantly crawling from object to object, using it to see if it will support you if you pull yourself to standing with it.  Tonight, you crawled over to me sitting cross-legged on the floor and pulled yourself to standing, and let go with one hand.  You were just standing there, using your one hand for balance and I could feel that you were hardly leaning on me!  You are so big!

Today, Daddy and I installed your big convertible carseat in the car.  It's still facing backwards, but we decided that your little carseat is just too small now!  Plus, when we use it to carry you anywhere, we basically get a serious bicep workout because you are so heavy in it.

You are such a good eater!  You are finishing off the last of the purees I've made you and it takes about 6 cubes of food, plus cereal to fill you up.  If I say "all done" and you're not all done, you scream your head off and cry until I put something else in front of you.

Tonight, you sat in your highchair, eating cut up peaches while I cooked dinner, and I'm pretty sure you ate a whole peach.  The whole time, you just kept saying, "Mmmmmm...."  Once dinner was ready, I gave you some lasagna roll, cut up and you just started shoving it in your mouth by the fistful!  You ate a half a roll.  Daddy and I couldn't believe it.  You can pack it away!

You rode on your FOURTEENTH plane yesterday, coming home from Maryland.  You are such a great traveler!  You are always so happy and content to sit in our laps and read books and eat your snacks.  I'm glad this was our last trip for a while because you were starting to get pretty squirmy!  But you never fussed.  People on the plane rides were always commenting on how good you were and how pretty you are. 

You had so much fun playing with your big cousin, Hannah, and you were intrigued with Sadie, too.  I am so excited to watch you grow up with your cousins, just like I did.  Your ages are spaced apart, just like Lissa, Jaimie, and me.  I hope that one day, we can live in the same city as your cousins and you can have sleepovers and see them all the time.

You are having a little separation anxiety with me.  This has been going on for a couple of months, and I think all the traveling has worsened it a bit.  As flattered as I am that I'm the only one that you're really interested in being around, it sure does wear me out!  I know you will grow out of this phase, so I'm trying to look on the bright side of it and remember that at least you still want me to hold you!

I am just in awe of the gift that is you.  You are my beautiful, precious, sweet baby girl.  I am loving every minute that I get to spend with you, even at 2:30 in the morning when you wake up and have no idea where you're at and just want to be held.  Your arms wrapped around my neck make me feel like I truly belong.  You and I are a perfect fit, mama and baby.  You bring me so much joy every day and you are just my treasure.  I love you so much, Avery Elizabeth.

Get Off the Sidewalks...

People have told me that before I know it, Avery will be driving.

They weren't kidding.

Swimming and Sand...

Hi, Me!

We are loving our time in Hawaii!

New Trick...

1,000 Days of Marriage...

ONE-THOUSAND DAYS AGO, Huzz and I said our "I-Do's" and committed to each other for the rest of our lives.

Forever and ever.

Always.

Devoted.

Just the two of us.

While eating dinner tonight, we were talking about some of the things that have happened in the last 1,000 days.

• Traveled to Costa Rica for our honeymoon
• Lived in NYC for 10 months (me)
• became an aunt and uncle for the first time (Hi, Hannah!)
• Traveled to Alaska
• Moved to and lived in Kazakhstan for a whole year
• learned to depend on God and each other
• prayed together every day
• Learned enough Russian to get by while living in Kazakhstan
• Flew business class (I had never done this before) while flying around the world
• rode in said Business class with Hugh Jackman (I saw him go in and out of the airplane toilet) -- I know -- I am very special.
• Traveled to Dubai for vacation
• Traveled to Turkey for vacation
• Found out we were expecting our first child
• Shed lots of tears (mostly me)
• Experienced lots of laughter together
• Moved back to the US and near our parents
• road-tripped through the midwest to visit family
• traveled to Seattle
• celebrated our 2nd anniversary
• Gave birth to our first child (trust me, that was ALL me)
• Spent lots of time awake in the middle of the night, feeding that first child (also ALL me!)
• watched in awe as our beautiful baby girl grew and changed every day
• learned what it means when another life completely depends on  your existence
• traveled to NYC with baby
• traveled to Florida with baby
• became an aunt and uncle for the second time (hi, Sadie!)
• became an aunt and uncle for the third time (hi, Peter!)
• went to lots of Rockies games
• watched pretty much every sporting event possible on t.v.  (surprisingly, this was NOT just Stephen - we only have one t.v.)
• learned how to be patient with the amount of sports that is watched in our house (totally me)
• turned 30  (Stephen!)
• turned 29 (me!)
• gone through some very tough times together
• gone through mostly amazing, unforgettable times together

There are hundreds of other things we did during the past 1,000 days that I can't remember because it's ONE-THOUSAND DAYS.

How cool is that?  I know that 1,000 days sounds like a lot and that it's only about 2 2/3 years, but it is still really special to me.

I love you so much, Baby.  Here's to 1,000,000 more days!

Yes, I understand that's about 2,700 years.  Just go with it.

For inquiring minds, since we got married, I have been keeping track of each day that has gone by with marking a tally in a little book I have...

Just kidding.  I'm not crazy.  I just happened to be on theknot.com the other day to look for our friend's page and found that our wedding page is still up and it said that we were married 997 days so far.  I got a little excited, knowing that Friday would mark 1,000 days.  I also know that I said I wasn't going to be blogging for awhile, but that I am blogging at this very minute.  I'm weird like that.  But seriously, this will be the last blog post you'll see from me for a long while.  I am reevaluating what I do with my free time and am feeling strongly that spending the time on the computer that is required in order to blog on a regular basis is probably not the greatest use of time.

Now, I am going to sign off and go snuggle on the couch with my husband of 1,000 days and finish my celebratory margarita.  Yum.

Also, if you'd like to read the accounts of our engagement that we wrote over 1,000 days ago, click here.

I Have A Nephew...

He was born today, July 6 at 2:41 am.

His name is Peter Landon Masateru.

He was 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 20 inches long.

And he's absolutely adorable, of course.

I have a picture, only on my phone, so no pic for here!

I have officially reached a blogging funk.  I'd much rather spend my time this summer, playing with Avery, laughing with Avery, and when she's sleeping, spend time with my husband, who I love so much.

I'm still taking pictures everyday (for the most part), so I'm not going to forget these moments.  I just don't feel like blogging about it.

We're going to be going on a few trips later on this summer, so maybe I'll feel like writing about those things then.

Maybe.

In the meantime, I hope you're having a lovely summer!

Bloggy break, bloggy break....

Seven Months....

Someone turned SEVEN months old yesterday!

We had a little photo session with a couple of her bears again.

Now, here you get to learn a little something about me.  I don't really have this issue anymore, but I used to be super-sensitive to really soft things.  Like when I'd go shopping, I'd feel the fabric of all the clothes and when I'd feel something like a chenille sweater or mohair, my nose would instantly tingle.  I know, weird, right?

Look who inherited that little idiosyncrasy!

Haha!  I love it.

And, Avery learned a new trick on her seven month birthday!


Soooooo Big! from Beth Bruce on Vimeo.

Sorry about the video being sideways for the middle part.  I was sitting pretty close to her and couldn't move back because I was up against the wall.  I thought turning the camera the long way would get it so you could see her easier, but our camera isn't all fancy like the IPhone or anything and doesn't automatically turn upright.  :)

Crackin' Up...

I know I haven't posted in about 10 years, but oh well.

Just enjoy the video.  :)



Oh so funny! from Beth Bruce on Vimeo.

Why I Do What I Do...

I have been doing some thinking lately.

Like, deep thinking.  I know.  Risky business.

But seriously, I have been thinking about why I do what I do.  I know to some people, I'm just a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM).  And I know to some people, that is seen as a luxury.  And I know that some people can get very jealous that I stay home with our child.

Something that I am learning in my adult life is that the way some people feel about me or perceive me is completely out of my control.  All I can do is be who I am.  Please allow me to explain.

The thing that got me thinking about all of this recently is the concept of making Avery's baby food.  I decided that anything made fresh is definitely more healthy for you.  That's why most nights, I make dinner for Stephen and I.  While it'd be more convenient to throw a frozen pizza in the oven or crack open a jar of spaghetti sauce, I just rarely do.  We rarely order food in, and we go out to eat maybe once a week.  I'm not a health freak, but we try to lead a reasonably healthy lifestyle.

I want the same for our children.  It is more convenient to open jars of baby food for every feeding.  And I'm not going to say that Avery will never experience a jar of baby food because it is more convenient, it just might happen when I'm in a pinch.  However, it will not be a daily occurrence for her.  This is a choice we have made.

Not only is the homemade food better for her, it is incredibly cheaper.  We have bought all of her organic veggies at Costco -- huge bags (5-10 lbs.) that are about $5-7.00 a bag.  And I have 6 gallon size ziploc bags in our deep freeze, packed full of ice cube vegetables.  I figure it's more than enough to last until Avery is eating finger foods.  And I've only made 3 veggies and 2 fruits! Plus, we still have half of the bags of veggies left for Stephen and I to eat.  I noticed at Target that the organic baby food is over a dollar a 4 ounce jar.  The same stuff is about 68 cents a jar at Costco.  I am guessing that 4 of the 1 ounce cubes I made cost about 12 cents to make, if that.

So, it's healthier, and it's cheaper.  'Nuff said.

Anyway, analyzing why we've decided to go the homemade food route has made me think about my job as a SAHM, too.  Why am I doing this?

Well, I'll be honest.  I've always wanted to be a SAHM.  When I went into teaching, a big reason why I decided to was because it tends to be a little more manageable when you have kids...similar hours, vacations, etc.  However, I had no idea who I would be marrying and if it would be possible for me to be a SAHM.

When Stephen and I went through our pre-marital counseling (this was so incredibly important to us), how we would raise our children was a topic that we discussed.  Stephen and I both grew up in homes where our moms stayed home, for the most part.  It's what we know and what we liked.  We decided that I would most likely stay home with our kids, but that we'd re-evaluate when the time came.  It was nice to have the peace of mind that we were on the same page with such a big issue.

When we found out I was pregnant when we were still living in the big K, everything seemed to fall into place, leading to me staying home when the baby came.

This had nothing to do with finances.  It would be so much easier, financially, if I was working right now.  We are making so many sacrifices in our life right now because we are on such a strict budget.  There is coupon-clipping, shopping the weekly ads, meal planning, not shopping for pleasure, and constantly asking ourselves, "Do we really need that?" 

This has been harder for me, I think, than it is for Stephen.  He is simple and easy.  I have to discreetly throw away anything that belongs to him because he'll wear t-shirts, boxers, and socks way past what I would consider acceptable condition.  The guy still has all of his fraternity t-shirts and wears them frequently around the house.  They are threadbare and holey, but he says they serve their purpose.  Ha!  I love him so much.

When we came back to the US last summer, the job market was (and is) just horrible, especially for Stephen's line of work.  So, we decided to take a risk and start our own business.  It is financially risky for us, since we'll be living off our savings until we start to make money, but he is doing what he has always wanted to do.  And he's happy.  That is worth so much more than a semi-dependable salary from an employer.

We also knew that because we were starting this business, and I wasn't working a paid job, we would do our part of being responsible with our finances, but also we were going to rely on God to provide for all of our needs.

And boy, has He.  We have been under budget every month for the last nine months.

I'm not going to lie.  It kinda sucks.  Watching every penny that we spend and not getting to buy that cute outfit for Avery that she doesn't really need is hard work!  Being a SAHM is not a luxury.  It is a choice.  It takes a lot of self-control and perseverance.  I'll tell you what my motivation is.

This face:

Whether it's me staying home, or if it turned out that it made sense for Stephen to take care of her and me to work, we've made our choice.  We want to be the ones that watch all of her firsts.  We want to teach her our family values and beliefs.  We want to watch her grow and change every day.

This is the path we have chosen.

That's the beauty of all of this.  We all have choices to make when we become parents.  Where do we live, who do we spend our time with, what do we do for fun, who takes care of the child?  Just because we have made the choices that we have doesn't mean that everyone else needs to make the same choices.  Every family needs to make the choices that work and make the most sense for them.  Every family is different, so different choices will be made.

This is what works for us.

I'm more tired than I ever was teaching, and I don't get a paycheck, but it's sooooo worth it!

I hope I haven't stepped on anyone's toes with this.  The intent of course, is not to offend.  Like I said, we all make the choices that are right for us.  :)  It's actually only meant to encourage you to think about the choices you've made for your life.  Are they right for you?

Six Months...!

Avery, on Monday, you turned six months old!  Which means you are halfway to your first birthday.  It may seem cliche, but seriously, where does the time go?

We had a little photo session in your glider.  The outfit is a never-before-worn outfit sent back with Bompa from Aunt Alexis and Hannah.  You are so cute.

 I thought the outfit deserved a matching bow to go with it.

 I love your little smirk here.

 This cracks me up.  Whenever I sit you in the glider, your eyes always wander over to the little lamp on the table.  It has a little monkey face on it and you just love it.

 Feet!

 I plopped one of your teddy bears down next to you.  Nathan and Katrina (with the twins) sent it to you.

 You always squints your eyes, preparing for the bear to lick you, like Riley does.  Ha!

 Mom, that bear is TOUCHING me.


We went for your six month well check on Monday and here are your stats:

Length:  27 inches (90th %)
Weight:  14 pounds, 3 ounces (17th %)
Head Circumference:  16.25 inches (19th %)

Basically, you are a long and lean baby!  But Dr. P is very happy with how you're coming along.  You were just grinning at him through the whole appointment. 

You are spending more and more time on your play mat, staying happy.  You roll back and forth and deliberately spend time on your tummy, pushing up and scootching around in circles.  You also move yourself by laying on your back and pushing yourself with your legs.  Today, you scootched yourself right off the mat!  Baby-proofing needs to happen soon.

You also just love your ExerSaucer.  One of your favorite toys on it is the mirror.  You grab it and kiss it and yell at your reflection.  Like your cousin, Hannah, you love the school bus that makes various sounds, especially the sound of the children laughing.  It makes you smile and get excited.

You started eating solids, specifically cereal, too!  I will talk about that in my next post.

You are growing and changing each day and your daddy and I are just so thankful that you are a part of our family!  God has truly blessed us with you.

The Beautiful Duckling...

When we registered for baby gifts and supplies, we decided not to register for an ExerSaucer, simply because our house is quite small and the ExerSaucer is quite large.  So instead, we registered for the Jump 'n Go, which is one of those doorway jumping things.  I've shown you a video or two of Avery in it and she loves it.  However, she began to love it so much that I realized that we don't have a doorway wide enough for her to safely use it.  So, my parents got ME an ExerSaucer for Mother's Day.  Well, it's for Avery to use, but it's really a gift to me because it means I can get some things done and Avery can run the world from her Command Center.

Ready for take-off!

Avery just loves it!  And I love it, too.  I love hearing her giggles and gasps as she jumps up and down and hits all the buttons to make the things sing songs.  Seriously, this thing takes TWELVE double A batteries.

It really is a command center!

And it doesn't take up as much space as I anticipated.  Bring in the Command Center, take out the swing.  It's a Win-Win situation we have here.

I got some great smiling, laughing, grinning, giggling shots on the playmat.

Then, later on, she was sitting in her Bumbo and I peeked around the corner and saw her kissing herself in her mirror.  I grabbed my camera, but her camera radar went off and she got all hammy.  So, I didn't get any pictures of her kissing her mirror, but I still got cute shots.

Be still, my heart.

How To Make Baby Food...Carrots

*Disclaimer*  I am not an expert at making baby food.  I don't actually know what I'm doing.  I'm just figuring it out as I go, which seems to be working out pretty well so far.

You start with a GINORMOUS 10 pound bag of carrots from Costco.

I heart Costco.

Get out a bowl and use it to peel the carrots into and put the end pieces.  It's much easier than trying to peel over the garbage can.  Trust me.

Get your carrots all peeled and hack off the ends.

Then, chop 'em up.  Be sure to use a sharp knife because carrots need to be shown the business.  I have my Santoku knife that I am in love with.

Then, put the carrots in the steamer and steam.  Guess how many carrots are in the steamer?  Trust me, it takes more carrots than I thought to fill that little steamer.

Shout out to my Mom!  She gave me my Babycook for Christmas.  Thanks, Mama!

 

Carrots are all hot and steamy!

There's 10.  Ten carrots in the steamer.  Sorry ~ I just had myself a Rain Man moment, there.

Now, with carrots, you don't want to use the leftover water in the steamer because of the nitrates, or whatnot.  So, dump it out.

Instead of adding water to puree the carrots, I use formula.  I would use breastmilk if I had a freezer full of it.  But I don't.  Because Baby Girl drinks all my milk.  Oink, oink.  So, I have found that 2 ounces of formula added to about 2 cups of steamed carrots is just about right.  I still have some of these formula samples from the hospital, so I'm using those first.

The Babycook is awesome because you puree in the same container you steamed in, which means fewer things to wash!  Wa-hoo!  What?  I'm easily pleased.  Okay, so we're pureeing....

And you just puree the heck out of it until it looks like this.  I usually have to stir it up with a little spatula a couple of times to get the big chunks down in there.

Then, use a small spatula (LOVE this thing) to spoon into ice cube trays.  

Listen really carefully...yep, Baby Girl is up from her nap.

Well, hello there!  Yes, she's always this happy when she wakes up.

Stick the baby in the bouncy seat for a few minutes while you finish the carrots.  Let the dog babysit.

Ta-da!  So, 10 carrots makes 11 cubes.  Lame.  Seriously, it bothers me a little bit that I have an empty slot.

Oh well.  I'm over it.

Shove the tray in the coldest part of the freezer overnight and then dump the cubes into a labeled freezer bag.  Make sure you write what it is and when you made it on the bag with a trusty Sharpie marker.  Don't think that you'll remember it's carrots because they're orange.  There are other orange veggies that you'll be making later, like pumpkin or squash.  Or are those fruits?  Doesn't matter.  Just label the stinkin' bag.

Finally, notice that you have about a tablespoon of carrots left after you scrape the blender really well.  Think to yourself, "I wonder if Avery might eat this."  Stick it on your finger and watch her instantly open her mouth like a little birdie.

Yep.  She ate it!

And she said to me, "Where has this been all my life, Mama?"

It's true.  She did.

Pat yourself on the back.  Now, your Baby will be eating healthy carrots, as opposed to the jarred carrots with the high fructose corn syrup.  No one needs that in their diet.  Especially my baby.

I also made some apples and bananas!  Trust me when I say that everything is delicious.  I would eat it if I didn't have teeth!

Also:  You just witnessed Avery's very first taste of solids.  She hasn't even had rice cereal yet.  Shhhhhh ~ don't tell her pediatrician.  Just kidding!  We'll see if there's an orange hue to her poo tomorrow.  Ha!