Catching up...

Henry after bathtime

Just chillin, thanks

I am happy boy in my Daddy's arms

Mommy's whispering, "I love you Henry"

Two peas in a pod..

Henry's in "Command Central"

I like the overalls Momo sent

How do you like our pumpkins?

Hello all. I realized I have been slacking here on the blog front...I guess we've been busy! We had a nice, quiet weekend. We went to Two Lights State Park for a picnic, watched the Patriots game with friends, got our pumpkins and took some nice walks. The last few days have been rainy so we have been doing lots of indoor activities and taking advantage of some nice naps. Today was beautiful and warm so Henry and I got out of the house! Henry went on his first jog with me in the running stroller. I did all the work as Henry slept the entire hour we were gone:) We explored a new trail that is in our neighborhood that was recently constructed. It was fun and Henry seemed to really enjoy his nap while I got a good workout! We also visited the story hour at the library and saw some of Henry's friends. We then took a walk up Congress Street..you never know what you might see on Congress! It's a street full of color, let's say. Tomorrow we will go to a special class on sign language, which I am excited about! I have been teaching Henry the signs for milk, mom, dad, more, sleep, bath and many more...even though he may not be using them yet, he is certainly watching me and hopefully will begin to use them soon. We have also been doing lots of eating in the last few days. So far Henry has tried avocado, banana, sweet potatoes, rice cereal and Daddy gave him water in a big boy cup today! I figured out the best routine for eating is to put Henry in his seat without clothes on, let him eat and "explore" his food and then immediately take him into the bathroom for a bath! I am not sure how much of the food is actually being ingested these days!

Well...that's it for our update. Hope you are all having a lovely week.

Full moon...

I am catching up on my sleep...

My favorite...

Reminds me of the flowers at our wedding:)

Did anyone else have troubles sleeping last night? We're going to blame it on the full moon! We were up frequently..the best was when Matt was up with Henry at 2:30 am (and thought it was more like 5:30 am)and they were giggling, talking, bouncing, etc. when Matt realized it was still the middle of the night!! Oh well...that's life with a baby and we'll take it!! One of the many lessons that motherhood has taught me is that things are always going to be unpredictable and changing and that if you hold onto your sense of humor and be as flexible as possible, life will be a lot more enjoyable!! And, sleep doesn't have to occur between the hours of 8pm-6am...be flexible and be rested.

So, Henry is now enjoying his first nap of the day and snoozing so peacefully. I am attaching a recipe for a good dish I made for the first time this week. And, of course the sunflowers at this time of the year are amazing so I have been taking lots of pictures on our daily walks. Enjoy!

We shall see what tonight brings....maybe more sleep for all? Maybe a midnight dance party?

Spicy Scallop and Snow Pea Stir Fry

Serves:4

6 tbsp. water, divided

2 tbsp. reduce sodium soy sauce

2 tsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

brown rice

1 tsp. canola oil (or olive)

1 lb. all natural, dry sea scallops

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 orange bell pepper cut into thin pieces

1/2 lb. snow peas

1 scallion, thinly sliced

( I added broccoli and mushrooms too!)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of water with soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch until evenly blended. Whisk in sugar and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

2. Prepare brown rice according to package directions. While rice heats, start stir-fry.

3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet or wok over med-high heat. Swirl to coat pan. When hot, add scallops. Cook until lightly browned..set aside.

4. Add garlic, ginger, bell pepper, snow peas and any other veggies and remaining 2 tbsp. of water to the pan. Cook and stir until the snow peas become bright green. Rewhisk the sauce and add it to the pan along with the reserved scallops. The sauce will thicken as it simmers. Toss and stir until veggies are coated with sauce and scallops are done cooking, about 1 minute.

5. Divide among plates and garnish with sliced scallions. Serve with brown rice. Enjoy!

Stir fry...nice, easy and tasty!!

Happy Autumn

Beautiful hydrangea

Henry in his new hat..looking pretty good!

I like sweet potatoes SOO much!

Getting ready for the day....

Sitting up all by myself:)

Today is the first official day of fall, so happy fall everyone! We sure are enjoying some beautiful fall weather..although yesterday felt like summer with temps in the high 80's. I have posted a picture of Henry is his new hat as well as some other good shots from the last two days. Henry is a big fan of sweet potatoes (as you can tell from the photo!) and doesn't care too much for avocado. So far those are the only foods we've introduced, but we are looking forward to starting some more in the next couple of weeks. Henry's latest trick is putting his feet in his mouth..we wish we could be that flexible. Instead of a recipe today, I will post a quote that we have been reading in one of my mothering circles. I just really like it and thought you might too!

Go Placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what be there may be in silence.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less

than the trees and the stars; you have the right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with god, whatever

you conceive him or her to be, and whatever labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

Desirata

And the hat is...

A strawberry for Henry!! Yeah!! Matt and I finished our knitting project tonight and here it is....

We'll put it on Henry tomorrow and show you how it looks!!

It's Pumpkin Time!

I liked my music class!!!

Isn't my sweater beautiful? Thanks Grandma!

I love pumpkin anything! So, last night after the boys went to bed I stayed up and made two loaves of my favorite pumpkin bread (thanks to a recipe my mom gave me!!). The aroma wafting from the oven was heavenly as I sat on the couch, relaxing and watching the movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. So, today my recipe is for vegan pumpkin bread...enjoy!

Henry and I just returned from our first music class together. We had fun singing songs, playing with instruments and meeting other babies and their caregivers. It will be a fun semester! Below is a picture of Henry in his new sweater that Grandma Welch knit him. Isn't it beautiful? And it even matches his eyes perfectly! It was a good morning to wear it! Today is International Peace day so I wish you all peace today and all the days to follow.....

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” Jimi Hendrix

Super Moist Vegan Pumpkin Bread

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup canola oil

2/3 cup coconut milk

2/3 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 8"x4" loaf pans. Spread walnuts in single layer on un-greased baking sheet. Toast in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the pumpkin puree, oil and coconut milk and mix until all of the flour is absorbed. Fold in the flaked coconut and toasted walnuts. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and cover loaves tightly with foil. Allow to steam for 10 minutes. Remove foil, and turn out onto a cooling rack. Tent loosely with the foil and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!!

Rolling baby, new recipe

Henry is a rolling machine!! Gone are the days I could put him down on his back and not worry about him rolling off things or furniture:) He has been quite vocal lately too as he experiments with many different octaves. He seems to really respond to music, especially when Matt plays guitar or steel drums. He's content to just lie there and listen. I am wondering whether he will be a musician like Matt....I know Matt plans on getting him a mini set of steel drums any day now! He is also able to sit through an entire book pretty well these days. Among our favorites this week are : A Hunting We Will Go, Shhh Everybody's Sleeping and Five Little Ducks.

Tonight I will begin my tutoring job with my first student. I am really looking forward to teaching again! It will be a nice contrast to being with Henry all day. Matt will take Henry and have some quality time with him while I am gone.

Below you will find a recipe for quinoa black bean salad that I just made for lunch. Pretty tasty....I just sort of made it up. And, a picture of my sleeping angel. Hope everyone is having a good Monday!!

Sleeping angel

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

cooked quinoa

can of black beans (or you can soak dry beans if you wish!)

cherry tomatoes

fresh parsley

fresh cilantro

roasted red peppers

olive oil

white wine vinegar (or whichever kind you prefer)

salt pepper

? add pineapple to give it a tropical taste?

Enjoy!

Apple Picking and More....

I am having fun on my tummy!!

Woo-hoo!!!

My current project...guess what it is going to be? Stay tuned

Henry and his pal, Reuben

I love swinging

Zack and his pendulum move= Happy Henry!

I love my boys

Chilling out with the pumpkins

See that pumpkin, Henry...it's half your size!

Potential X-Mas card photo?

The Welch tribe had a nice weekend and we are hoping you all did too! On Saturday morning I had to do a long run as part of my half-marathon training which I will be running on October 3rd. While I was out running Henry and Daddy went back to sleep and had breakfast together. I was back, showered and ready to go by 8:30 am! Then we all went to our friends, Micah and Kate's house to celebrate Micah's 30th birthday. Henry was quite the star, as usual. He seemed to really love Zack's pendulum swing move (see above!) and got to see his buddy, Reuben. We had yummy brunch together and a good time was had by all. Today we went apple picking. I think Henry enjoyed what he was awake for! He zonked out as soon as he got in the carrier with Daddy. We picked 15 pounds of apples so we will be very busy making apple sauce, crisp, pie and anything else we can think of that involves apples. Because one of my passions is cooking, I have decided to put my favorite recipes on this blog as well. So, every so often or when I make something that is particularly yummy, I will share the recipe. Today's recipe is for apple sauce (imagine that!)

Honey Applesauce Recipe

• 6lbs of apples (or a combination of apples and pears) cored, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup honey
• water or apple cider, as necessary
• Allspice to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix apples with honey and place in saucepan. Over medium heat, bring apples to a boil. Maintaining a medium temperature will allow the apples to release their juices but if there is any concern about scorching or burning, add water or apple cider 1/4 cup at a time as needed.
2. Allow the apples to boil, stirring often, until soft, usually 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Once the apples are soft, taste for sweetness. Add additional honey and/or spices if using.
4. Boil another five minutes or so to blend the flavors. Do not overcook or the honey will begin to turn the sauce very brown and possibly scorch.
5. Remove the pot from the heat. If canning the sauce, use a hot pack method and a hot water bath. If the applesauce is to be frozen, allow the sauce to cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

(from:http://www.suite101.com/content/honey-applesauce-a171244)

Here's my applesauce...

Finally...Pics from Monhegan

Heading back home on the ferry..cold and rough ride!

I think Henry likes Monhegan

At the end of our hike

Welch clan hiking (and attempting to take our own picture!)

Father and son on Monhegan

Here are some pictures from our trip out to Monhegan Island this past weekend. For those of you who aren't familiar with Monhegan, it is an island (10 miles) off mid-coast Maine well known for its beautiful vistas and sea cliffs. It attracts many artists from all over the world that try to capture the physical beauty of the island...Rockwell Kent and Edward Hopper both painted Monhegan extensively. It is one of our favorite spots and we try to get out every summer. There are just two inns on the island, a few restaurants and not much else. It is a wonderful place to go hiking and bird watching. Henry seemed to really enjoy the hike around the island and we tried to point out various birds to him (little too young for birding:)) We recommend the trip to anyone who wants a Maine island experience..it's worth the (sometimes rough) hour long ferry ride. We hope to rent a cottage out next summer and invite any and all who may want to visit! We look forward to sharing our love for the island with Henry in the years to come.

Chilly Start!

Henry and I leaving on our walk

I think he likes his new toy

"Hey mom, look at me!"

Arrrggghhhh...

It was a bit chilly here this morning in Portland...a cool 40 degrees or so. So, when Henry and I stepped outside for our morning walk we promptly realized we needed a blanket and hat. People were giving me funny looks on the trail because I had Henry all wrapped up in a blanket in the carrier on front of me...I don't think they could figure out what I was hiding underneath! Matt got home from an open house last night at 8 and immediately got to work on assembling the exer-saucer. It took him 2 hours to figure out the thing!! It was NOT him, it was all the little plastic parts and directions that were quite convoluted. This morning when Henry arose at 5:30 we told him it was like Christmas morning and we brought him out to his new big toy. At first he was overstimulated and didn't quite know what to do in it, but now he seems to be enthralled and trying to fit every piece of plastic in his mouth!

Here are some shots of Henry enjoying his new toy.

Fall is Here!

First time in my stroller without the car seat...I am a big boy!!

Sitting up (assisted!)

Fall is here at our farmer's market

Mom's favorite flower..couldn't resist!

I've been meaning to get on here for the last several days to post some new pics from our trip out to Monhegan Island last weekend. But every time I go to do it (during Henry's nap times) I realize Matt has all of our photos on his computer which is at school with him! So, you'll have to wait for those...hopefully I'll get to it soon!

But, we've had a lot going on in the meantime.. We returned from our trip to New York and I swear it took us all a week to recover. We were all taking advantage of Henry's nap times! But, we are back into our rhythm which feels good. Henry is on a (sort of) nap schedule finally...after five months of just watching and responding to his sleep cues. So, this is nice for me! I can actually get some things done around the house for longer amounts of time, make dinner ahead of time or even enjoy a nice cup of tea!

Henry had a nice time going to two indoor play spaces this week. On Monday we went to Greenlight Studios in Portland where they have lots of fun toys and things to explore. There were tons of little kids who I think thought Henry was a doll of sorts. They kept coming up to us and wanting to touch Henry's head and feet. It was too cute! Yesterday we went to Peekaboo in Westbrook with twenty moms and their babies from one of our play groups. We took over the entire space! It was really fun seeing some people I had met before and meeting lots of new moms and babies.

Now, it is Wednesday which means we are off to the library for story hour and then to the farmer's market for some treats. Henry tried avocado last night and this morning..can't figure out whether he liked it or not! We also gave in and bought a big old "exer-saucer" last night for Henry to play around in...we'll post pictures of that when we get it assembled:)

Here are some good pics that I took of H this week. More to come....

Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful fall weather. As one of my mommy friends said the other day, "what's better than a beautiful fall day?...a beautiful fall day with my new son!" I agree!!!