Josephine is 7 Months Old.

We hit the 7 month mark and life is good. We are enjoying walking around Seattle either in the stroller or the Ergo carrier.  The weather has also been dry enough to allow us to get out almost daily. Josie is also able to help us in the yard which has been a nice treat!  Josie's teething is starting to really show through and even though she has a little nub on the top of her mouth no teeth have come through just yet.  Are you saying that teething will get worse?   We've had some sleep challenges but for the most part she is still her same happy self.

Nicknames: Josie
Likes: Standing up, Sitting by herself, Singing. Playing with her friends. Watching the cats.
Dislikes: Being woken up from a nap.
Accomplishments: This month we figured out that she really prefers adult food to pureed baby food. We now use the food mill all the time and she eats what we are eating.  It's easier for us and more fun for Josie.
Nuisances: Staying up past her bedtime, fighting a nap.
Current Weight: NA
Current Height: NA

Fresh Pasta!

One of my favorite foods in the whole world is fresh pasta.  Last night Rob and I hosted some friends for dinner and I made fresh pasta dressed in pesto sauce with roasted vegetables and salmon. Yum!

The fresh pasta is SO easy. It can easily be frozen for later use. Ang and I learned how to make pasta on our trip to Tuscany in September 2010.  Although you don't REALLY need a pasta roller, it is a lot easier if you have one.  Our favorite pasta though is rolled out with the pasta roller and then hand cut into thick tagliatelle pasta.  This tutorial is a great resource to follow.  It's important to use really fresh eggs if possible.  

Saturday Morning Playtime

Check out some highlights from weekly Saturday morning Dad-time. Josie is really enjoying giving these toys a workout. Notice the supervision by "cousin" Stewie.

Then, around mid-day, Dad and Josie will go for a walk with Mom to say hi at our new & improved fire station. Last time these guys visited with Josie, it was at our place on her birthday!

First Bloom of the Season

We cut our first flowers of the season today.  Three roses and one peony.  They smell wonderful. Spring is in the air!

I Joined the BOB Revolution

I admit it, we now have a BOB stroller.  When we were searching for a stroller it seemed like the BOB was like the Subaru of the Pacific Northwest.  Anybody who claimed to be "outdoorsy" had one.  It's main feature being that you can run (even on offroad trails) with it.  I like to run, but running while pushing my future daughter didn't sound appealing.  I also thought it was too big and too bland.  Instead I researched and wanted a Quinny Buzz.  It's hip, colorful, and comfortable.  Among other things.

Then spring came and I wanted to run again.  I couldn't find time to run without Josie.  I started to find things in the Buzz that bothered me.  The sun canopy wasn't big enough, it was heavy, it was harder to turn.  Rob being the Criagslist connoisseur that he is found a used Bob Revolution for us.  After one use we are in love.  The Quinny will likely make it's way onto Craigslist soon.

Before having a baby, we were looking for different capabilities in a stroller.  Josie actually didn't go into the stroller at all until she was 4 months old.  We carried her everywhere, so that changed a lot for what we needed in a stroller.  So far the only "con" of the BOB is that the seat doesn't seem as comfortable as the Quinny.  Otherwise everything else is great. And Oh yeah, and I can run again!  Here is Josie enjoying a ride in the BOB on our Mother's day 6 mile walk.

Mother's Day, Yardwork, and Playtime

We enjoyed the wonderful weather both Saturday and Sunday, and tried to spend as much time outdoors as possible. That included cutting the grass and a little playtime under a makeshift canopy on the deck.

Week 19: Still Life - The cats

I always wonder how and what the cats think of me being at home during the day now.  At first they seemed to really like it and they would follow Josie and I around all day.  Now it seems that they are back to the same old y cats who lay around all day.  

It's so fun to watch the daily sun following they do.   Stewie especially.  She will find the sun -  lay in the sun - fall asleep in the sun - wake up. Notice the sun has moved - gets up and moved to the new sun spot - and does it all over again. I thought of her when this week's focus was still life.  Here is a picture of her enjoying the sun this morning.

Week 17: Green - Our yard

If you count the front yard and the back yard and the strips of grass along the sidewalks, our yard  is pretty darn large for a city spot.  Each year we have battled with moss and crab grass. This year we FINALLY took the advice that people have given us and tried Scott's Turf Builder with Moss Control.  Wow, what a difference in just a few days.  Now... if we can just figure out how to get rid of the pesky crab grass weeds.

Here is a little lady enjoying the grass in the back yard.

Week 18 – Fiesta or Siesta: Chile Rellenos

This weekend we had a Mexico reunion party with the same crew from our vacation.  We laughed at memories and looked at photos from the vacation.  Then talked about how great the vacation was and how we all wished we were back there.  For dinner I thought I would try my hand at Chile Rellenos. The Chile Rellenos was a dish that the owner of our vacation rental made for us for a special Mayan dinner.  It did look complicated, but it was worth a shot to try it myself.

I used this recipe and it turned out great!

A picture from the dinner in Mexico:

Would you like to do some stairs?

I've always had a goal to do all the public stairs in Seattle.  Every time we walk through a neighborhood there are some cool secret stairways that we stumble on.  Why can't I walk up all the stairs in Seattle?  So I found this list, it's like gold.  It's called Seattle All Stairs. Can you believe there are 650 stairways? How cool!