Twins!

I was making some corn bread last night and when I cracked the egg I got a surprise!  A "double yolker"!  This is the second one of these I have ever seen in my life.  The first one was during law school when I was making breakfast.  I was disturbed by the sight of it at that time and didn't know if it was safe to eat.  I think I just ate it anyway and proceeded to ask around and research it throughout the day.  My mom said they are not unheard of and, if they show up at all, are usually in the Jumbo sized egg cartons. (It was a carton of Jumbos).  My sister said "Eeeew!  You ate twins!".  My classmate said, "Was it twins?" and another classmate who knew something about chickens and eggs said it was fine to eat (good thing, since I already ate them!) and an old wives tale told it to be good luck. 

 

That was at five years ago.  I had forgotten about it until last night! 

 

 

It wasn't even a Jumbo pack...just the regular large eggs.  It is kind of gross, in a way, but also fascinating.  I looked it up again and confirmed what I already know...these usually happen with a very young hen who is just starting to ovulate.  By the way, there are many egg oddities out there with a double yolk being, in my opinion, the least gross.  I hope I never encounter any of those other ones!  Did you know that an egg can have a shell within its shell?  Blechhhh!  There are superstitions about double yolks, such as good luck, and marriage happening soon in the family.  Also, some cultures say it means a death is coming...eeek.  I am going to believe the happy ones since nothing happened at all last time that I can remember.  And, my brother is engaged...and maybe it means fertility because this morning my cousin Laura had a baby, Aubrey Elizabeth!  She was a week overdue, just like I was.  Also, my middle name and Laura's middle name are also Elizabeth although I was named after my aunt Kristen Elizabeth on my mom's side and she is on my dad's side so we aren't named after the same person or anything. 

 

Either way, the bread turned out fine.  Haha.  I wonder what the rest of the carton will hold?

 

Here are a few pictures from my phone that I uploaded along with the egg yolks...

 

 

I think the bouncey chair is on its last days at our house.  It can go back to my sister-in-law's house where it came from where another baby will be arriving in December.  Ben  writhes and thrashes in this thing and doesn't sit the right way, as you can see.  I burst out laughing when I saw him like this, looking so proper and like a big boy!  I can't imagine this was comfortable with the crotch strap digging into his leg but he seemed OK!

 

And these...are so sweet...ahhh I melt...

 

 

Allan was snuggled in that quilt and I set Ben on the couch and he started looking excited to see Allan like he always does.  It is so cute how his face lights up when Allan enters his sight.  It's an instant fuss intervention, second only to walking around outside.  I think his first word will be "kitten" or "Allan" because he vocalizes when he sees Al.  Sometimes he makes a "alala" type noise which I tell myself is him trying to say "Allan"!  Haha...I might be crazy.  Who knows!?  My major at NDSU was Child Development and I had whole classes about how babies' brains are way ahead of their speech abilities when it comes to language.  I always thought it would be fun to do the baby sign language if I had the time...which...hmmm...looks like I do!  It seems pretty outlandish but I have seen babies do it so I know it is possible.  

 

 

Best friends! 

 

Bison Salad

There were some strange looking tomatoes in our jungle of a garden...they were the big, juicy, "beefy" kind and they have been looking very good.  Some of them have the circumference of a softball and there are many of them.  The only problem was that they were not turning red.  They were turning a strange yellow color and then starting to get the overripe mushiness. 

I had a fleeting memory that maybe I had bought a pack of yellow tomato plants but had forgotten.  I took one home and ate it and it was delicious!  So there was my answer.  I have never tried yellow tomatoes before.  Apparently, they have less acid and more niacin and folate which is good.  Unfortunately, they don't contain the antioxidant lycopene like red tomatoes and vegetables do.  Which is fine.  I have probably overdosed on lycopene these last few weeks from eating so many red tomatoes. 

Pretty, isn't it? 

This gave me an idea...NDSU football starts next weekend and I have been trying to think of foods to bring tailgating.  YES!  I have the perfect dish...Bison Salad!  All I need are some rich green Spinach leaves and a bunch of sliced golden tomatoes! 

Haha..if any of you tailgate with me, don't worry...I would never consider bringing spinach salad with tomatoes tailgating! The yellow tomatoes are real but everything else is a joke...salad is not what I want to be eating during those all too short Saturday afternoons!  I prefer anything that you can put with chips, something chocolatey, or something containing alcohol.  Spinach is OK if it is in a bowl of bread and mixed with melted cheese and sour cream but that's the only way!

My First Attempt at Preservation

Today was the day that I decided to do something about the following situation...

 

 

The bucket and the bag are each a day's worth of harvesting.  Aye...pardon the clutter on the table.  The kitchen table is also our catch all for crap because it is right by the door.  So it is half eating area and half debris gathering area.  I have tried to keep it clear and have little trays to organize everything but it just doesn't work so I give up and just pile stuff on!

 

 

That was what the bottom shelf of the fridge looked like.  I feel kind of bad because when I was researching storing and preserving tomatoes every source said not to put them in the refridgerator because they don't maintain their delicousness that way.  Oh well...I thought the ones I took out of there tasted fine.  There are also two containers full of cherry and grape tomatoes that you can't see in the picture. 

 

I decided that canning was not realistically going to happen this year.  I would probably have to do it by myself which would be almost impossible with Mr. Fussy Man around and all the serious warnings about sterilization and botoulism make me nervous.  Also, it would be an investement to buy all the jars and extras (all we have is the boiling pot). 

 

I did find, through internet research and others' experience, that you can freeze tomatoes in freezer bags either by freezing them whole and removing the skins before using them  or by removing the skins and seeds now and freezing them to use in chili or other recipes later.  I decided to get the major work done now. 

 

I was a bit intimidated by the process as I usually am by new kitchen related tasks but I decided to just get started this morning.  I boiled a big pot of water and prepared an ice bath for blanching the tomatoes to remove the skin, got out some freezer bags, and got everything arranged. 

 

Well, what do you know...it was pretty easy!  Blanching is kind of fun.  It is satisfying to see how easily the skins peel off.  Squeezing out the seeds is kind of gross but not nearly as gross as most meat related food preparation.  I admit there is kind of a crime scene-esque feel to this photo but whatever...overall it was pretty easy.  I had to stop after doing about 15 tomatoes because my ice bath ice melted and we don't have an ice maker so I have to start again later when the new trays are frozen. 

 

Here is what I have done so far...certainly it was more work that buying a can of stewed tomatoes at the store but these are chemical and preservative free and organic and I have the satisfaction of doing it myself!  There will probalby be 20 bags like this by the time this tomato season is over. 

 

 

We also ate some delicious new potatoes last night...I love when they are so tiny! 

A Baby in His Jammies

I think many people would agree that something that is universally cute is a baby wearing some cuddly, cozy, footed pajamas.  I realized after Ben outgrew his little sleepers that I didn't ever take his picture in some of my favorites so I decided that I would take out the camera some nights and snap a few photos of him in his jammies so I would have more pictures of him!  Because that is what we need...more picture of him...I didn't just fill an album that holds 200 photos of him with the pictures starting at his birth and ending six weeks later...aye!  I wonder if I will be able to keep up this pace with my subseqent children!

 

So, here are the pictures...they are from the last several months and in not particular order.



 

He was just a little guy back then!

He's outgrown that one now...I miss it!

Ahh...the days of the hands obsession...those were cute days!

Hehe...

Ben has been quite insufferable lately, although I know it is just because he is becoming more aware of the world around him.  He wants constant entertainment and sometimes the only way I can get him to stop fussing and yelling is to walk around outside with him.  Good thing it is nice out!  He is not much of a napper.  He will fall asleep when I hold him and as soon as I lay him down in his crib or on the floor he wakes up and starts giggling and talking.  (This weekend he did nap in his crib for about two hours and it was the best thing that has happened to me in a long time.  I can't believe some parents get this luxury every day!) His favorite "word" is to make a bubble blowing farting noise and he sprays drool all over when he does it.  He rolls all over the room and this morning I caught him with one of Allan's toys in his mouth.  I have magazines all over and they often end up on the floor and I caught him jamming one into his mouth yesterday.  Now I worry that he will find some small object and choke on it.  It used to be a safe bet to strap him into the bouncy chair whenever I had to be out of sight (mostly to take a shower) but now he rolls himself over in it and the strap digs into his leg and would certainly cut off circulation if he was left like that long enough.  Here is what happened when I set him in there unstrapped for a few seconds...I think I was quickly applying mascara or something...

 

He also wiggled himself out of that blasted recalled Bumbo over the weekend. Yikes.  Fortunately it was on the floor being used as directed! I was doing dishes so I was supervising but I guess I wasn't focusing on him 100%.  And diaper and clothing changes...ugh...they are like a wrestling match now.

 

People always talk about the characteristics of babies and those who came before who were the same.  I hear from Justin's mom that he was always on the go, a skinny, active baby who chewed on his crib like a beaver and never sat still to eat a meal.  I hear from my mom that I was busy and naughty and into everything and she never was able to get anything done.  I hear from Justin's grandma that his dad was on the go at a young age and any story my grandma tells about my dad starts with, "Tim was so strong..." and leads to an example of how exhausting he was for her to take care of.  I guess the exhausting qualities are the ones parents remember best.  I know I will remember that it took me a whole saturday to put pictures in a few picture frames due to Ben's constant troublemaking and he can't even crawl yet.  Usually if I am doing an essential household task like laundry or dishes or cleaning the floors or bathroom I just leave him to entertain himself as he yells and demands a change of view.  I always wonder if the neighbors can hear and wonder what goes on in this house because I can hear him yelling from outside the house sometimes.   

 

So...anyone want to come for a visit?  It really is fun around here...I promise!  Haha...

 

Mountain of Crap

A mountain of crap was what we had filling half of our garage at the start of this weekend.  Justin's mom and and step dad just sold thier house and are going to be splitting their time between a smaller house and a lake house so he had to take all of his childhood belongings that were left at their house.  And, of course, we don't have room for it.  But, somehow, it is mostely stored away and sorted.  Most of it is in the attic of our garage.  There were tubs of toys, clothes with sentimental value, souveniers from a high school exchange trip to Germany, glassware from years of college formals,I pictures, cds, his high school football jersey enclosed in a three foot tall glass case...you name it!  The bad part is that I have all of this crap as well, and if my parents ever make me take it we are going to have a problem.  It is just so frustrating...how to you fit things that don't fit into your new life?  We all know that I am not going to drink a martini from a martini glass embossed with a logo from the ATO Homecoming dance in 2002 which I attended with a friend but what do you do...just toss it in the garbage?  It is a pretty glass, and it brings back good memories...do I save it for when I might have a house with a bar in the basement that has lots of storage for attractive but useless glassware?  Ugh...

There was one tub which I enjoyed though...a tub of Justin's old books!  Look at that fabulouse stack of Golden Books! We had these at our house too...I think most average families did and still do! These were all from the late 70's and early 80's and cost either $.69 or $.89. Cheap thrills. Now it costs more to buy a candy bar.

I found my favorite!  It had Justin's sister's name in the "This book belongs to" space in the front, so, Michelle, if you want it back you know where to look!

I just love the illustrations in some of these books.  It would be cute to find an old copy and frame them in a series for the wall in a babies room.  I would do it but I already have the walls in Ben's room plastered with pictures of cute animals.  Also, you would probably have to get custom frames which would cost alot. 

Justin and I are almost exactly the same age and had very similar upbringings.  We both have educated parents and grandparents (I point this out because I know alot of people my grandparents' ages didn't finish high school and didn't even think about college and I know it doesn't have anything to do with their intelligence or anything like that...it just wasn't an option sometimes).  Without being over the top or overbearing about it, my parents always provided lots of reading material and educational crap like these math workbooks...we didn't have problems with school so it was never a forced issue.  It was just supposed to be fun. 

There were a few among Justin's books and I know we had the same ones.  His were sporadically filled out, just like mine probably were!  Math in the summer was just not a priority!

He some good "chapter" books which I also remember fondly... 

We clearly ordered from the same Scholastic book order...remember those?  In elementary school, there would be a book order placed pretty regularly.  I don't remember if it was every month, but it was often.  The teacher handed out a brochure with books and some other educational items like puzzles and games that were a bit cheaper than they would have been at a book store.  A week later, you brought back your order form and a check from your parents and a few weeks after that the order would arrive.  I always felt bad for the kids who didn't ever get to order anything.  Anyway, I recognize many of these items as books we also ordered from the book order.  Although...that Anne of Avonlea must have been Michelle's...I had the whole Anne series (there are 8 of them, I think, starting with the original Anne of Green Gables and ending with a book about Anne's children) and although I hate to classify books as being for boys or girls, Anne of Green Gables was definitely a series that appealed to girls!  Ramona and the Wayside School books were favorites of mine.  Boy, was that Wayside a wacky place!  Haha...

And then there were a few Newberry Medal books.  I haven't read either of these but that medal is almost a certainty that the book is a quality story for kids.  I think I might read them when I finish what I am reading now. 

Some of my favorite Newberry books include "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, "Missing Mae" by Cynthia Rylant, "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by someone  I can't remember right now and "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen.  These books really did expand my mind and I still remember specific details such as the way the family in "Number the Stars" painted shoes made of fish scales black with ink during the shortages of WWII and how the main character in "Roll of Thunder" spent a scary night during a time of racial tension laying in the dark, waiting for it to be morning.  I just looked at the list of all the winners and there are many that I haven't read!  It makes me want to go on a reading bender like I used to do during the summers when I was younger.  Ha!  I don't think Ben will be down with that idea..unless I am reading "Puppy Pals" or "Baby Colors" and pausing to let him gnaw on the books. 

Up To Our Ears...

In TOMATOES!  The gardens are producing now and I am excited that the sunny garden is producing many tomatoes.  Yummy!  We have them in various sizes, from the little grape sized ones to the "Big Beef" variety.  That big one in the picture is about the size of a softball in circumference.  And what you see is just one day of tomatoes.  They are taking over the refridgerator and lining the kitchen windowsills!  I don't know what to do with them because a person can only eat so many tomatoes!  I eat about 1 per day so there are many in excess!  The onions are also abundant.  I asked our neighbor if he liked any of it and he only said he likes onions but not tomatoes...I intend to ask the other neighbors if I can catch them outside. 

I have also been looking into canning various types of tomato products such as marinara sauce or salsa.  I can't decide, though, if it is more trouble than it is worth.  After all, a jar of Prego is less than $2.00 from the store.  But on the other hand, Prego is not made from organically raised tomatoes that we grew ourselves!

Speaking of organically grown, bugs in the garden gross me out.  I know it is just part of the process and I have alot of experience from growing up on the farm and picking an apple that has a hole filled with bees on the other side or rinsing the mosquitos off of fresh raspberries.  It still disgusts me when I reach into the tangled branches of the tomato plants only to grab a mushy, overripe fruit with bugs oozing out the bottom.  I prefer that the fruits and vegetables I buy at the store to have been doused in chemicals to ensure that these creepy things are nowhere near what I am buying.  Chemicals can be washed off!  Fortunately, the onions and peppers and zucchini seem to be unappetizing to insects. 

Speaking of insects, Justin was out mowing the lawn last night and came in after being attacked by a swarm of wasps that have apparently taken up residence in the ground near a retaining railroad tie separating our yard from the neighbor's.  YUCK!  We discovered one of these ground hives in my parents' yard and I have heard of two other people with one in their yard as well.  Justin blasted ours with spray last night and it seems to be taken care of.  I hope it is because I would hate to have Ben get stung by a wasp.  Also, I would hate to be stung by a wasp! 

When I was uploading the pictures of the vegatables I remebered I had these pictures from the weekend.  We were at the farm so Justin could help my dad combine.  On Friday night (or maybe it was Saturday I can't remember...) Justin's sister and her husband and our nephews came out to the field so the boys could ride in the combine. 

Although I don't have alot of patience for tractor riding it is fun to be in the cab and see the wheat getting sucked up, especially the first time as a kid! 

Ben got to hang out with his Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jason!

Dylan got some fresh wheat to chew and make "gum"!  This is a silly thing kids like to do...if you gnaw on a mouthfull of hard wheat for a long time it turns into a wad of flavorless, in my opinon gross, gum. 

My bro was so excited to see me!  Haha JK...

And of course, a cute picture of Ben, completely unrelated to the rest of the post!

I Miss It Already!

The Olympics, that is.  I hardly remember my usual daytime TV schedule from three weeks ago.  I am discovering that it cannot compare to the fun and novelty of watching daytime Olympic coverage! 

Here are some of my Olympic thoughts and highlights...I barely know where to start as I think back to the beginning! 

-It started right away with swimming which is also a favorite event of mine and also, I think, a favorite of many American viewers.  There was so much excitement!  The Ryan Lochte/Michael Phelps rivalry/comradery...the endearing and down to earth attitude of the teenagers Missy Franklin and Katie Ledeky...Oh, and Ryan Lochte being hot!  It was also fun to see some of the not so famous swimmers from the U.S. and elsewhere (aka all of them not named Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte) have their moments.  My favorite is Nathan Adrian, the adorable young man who won his race by like 1/1000 of a second to with the gold medal in the 100 m. freestyle. 

Hahaha I didn't alter this photo but it looks like I am not the only lady who took a liking to Mr. Adrian!  I also enjoyed hte moment when Chad Le Clos from South Africa upset Michael Phelps to win a gold medal and they showed his tearful father in the audience going ballistic.  Very sweet. 

Yes, Le Clos, you won! 

-Gymastics was a fun as ever in the men's and women's competitions.  The stunts keep getting crazier every four years and the broadcast team gets more over the top and dramatic.  Every mistake is "devastating" and every good routine is the best the world has ever seen.  I heard them describe a man's high bar routine as "historic" this year and now I can't even remember what country he was from.  So how historic is that HUH?  A historic routine would be the Kerri Strug broken foot vault back in 1996 or something of that nature.  The U.S. men had a pretty mediocre showing during the team all around and I have never heard "oooh that was bad" so many times.  Chill out!  I'd like to see their old a$$es do that stuff again!  Regarding the women, I, like everyone else in America, love Gabby Douglas now.  How cute and amazing is she?  I can already see her (formerly) financially struggling mom traipsing around in a new designer wardrobe.  And of course, the Bela and Marta Karolyi were always present and acting like they owned the place. 

-I like diving but after awhile all the dives look the same to me.  That's why the WORST DIVE EVER is so amusing to me!

I feel bad for the guy, really...I try not to mock athletes because they are all far superior to me even if they mess up.  But it was just so funny!  Hahaha he did a back flop at the Olympics...and got a score of 0...hahaha.

-I love how confident and not very modest the track and field athletes are.  I have never seen so much chest beating and showing off before.  Of course, the main example is Usain Bolt of Jamaica and his ridiculous posing.  They all seemed to spend the pre-race minutes preening for the camera as they were lining up. 

Ms. Richards-Ross here, along with her peers, posed like models as they were introduced.  I really like Ms. Richards Ross.  She has five year old twins which gives me inspiration to get back in shape after having kids.  And also, she is only two years younger than me. 

Lolo Jones is one who is older than me! 

Yes, Usain, they are cheering for you because you are #1!

Haha don't they all look so aprehensive as they line up for their races?  Just kidding...I truly thought they all looked like they had no worries about who was the best...them...as they lined up.  Which I like.  After all these people go through to get to the Olympics I think they should be full of confidence and have fun competing!  Although, I decided Usain Bolt might be a bit much after he won his last gold and told the camera he was #1 and the best, etc. etc.  On completely non-performance related note, Justin Gatlin there at the bottom is so hot. 

-Water Polo men are fine physical specimens.  They are like hairless, graceful NFL players.  I didn't know how huge these guys were but they are all like 6'9".  Rarrrrr...

Water Polo amazes me.  As a person who had years of swimming lessons, lifeguard training and recertifications, and water safety instructor classes, I am amazed at how they can play this game without their feet touching the bottom of the pool.  To be a lifeguard, I had to prove that I could tread water for, if I remember correction, ten minutes and a portion of that was done while holding a 10 pound weight.  It was such a daunting task.  These guys tread water for so much longer than that!  And half the time their opponent is climbing on top of them! 

-Rythmic gymnastics is ridiculous.  Once again, I don't want to diminish the abilities of any of the Olympic athletes because I can't come close to doing that stuff, but I do think that rythmic gymnastics is an outlandish way to utilize athletic ability. 

Yeahhhh...let's all dance around while holding a ball or a hoop!  Haha it's so silly.  The ribbon twirling portion is pretty sweet, though...

I was kind of unsettled to realize that many of the athletes are now younger than me.  Sigh...I think I have at least one more summer Olympics before they are almost all younger than me.  Some of the teenagers of the gymnastics competition were not even born yet when the famous Kerri Strug moment happened back in 1996

Ugh...well, now that made me even more bored with TV.  Is it 2016 yet?  Or even 2014?  Skiing would be fun to see right now...

Poor Baby Boy...

Poor little Ben just had his 1st non-routine pediatritian visit!  He was fussier than usual yesterday and spent alot of the day actually crying with real tears!  I thought it was related to teething but by evening he seemed really out of sorts and felt noticeably warmer than usual and would cry every time we picked him up like it hurt or something (although he would also cry if we put him down!).  He wasn't his usual self and didn't want to play or roll around on the floor or do his favorite knee locking "plank" maneuver.  He slept fine but this morning was no better so off we went to the doctor as soon as the office opened. 

He had a low grade fever of 99.8 but other than that he didn't have any lung issues or problems with his nose or ears so the doctor said it seemed to be a minor viral infection combined with the discomfort of teething.  They gave him some baby Tylenol and I went and bought some more after we left and he is doing much better already!  He played a bit on his Ocean Adventure mat and hasn't been crying as much so I hope the worst has passed or at least that the medicine is helping.  It is realy sad when babies aren't feeling good!  It makes me glad that he is healthy overall.  Hopefully the teeth will surface soon!  He drools so much that he soaks through many bibs each day and of course I don't like to see him uncomfortable with a sad tearstained face! 

Guide to the Galaxy

This weekend we went to my parents house to help with combining.  OK, so Justin could help with combining...I admit I didn't have any plans to lift a finger in that area unless someone needed a ride or something!  The weekend looked promising until it rained after the first evening we were there.  If you are from the area you know that it has rained approximately one inch all summer so this was welcome but also kind of annoying.  But Justin got in the cab for a few hours and it happened to be in sight of the yard so I took some pictures.  

They look muted because of the dust. 

I had my fancy lens on to zoom in on the combine so I took some pictures of Wally the farm dog.   Such nice portraits!

Since it rained, we spent most of the weekend helping Justin's mom and step dad move.  They are moving from their house into a smaller house and making improvements at their lake cabin so it is a big shuffle.  Justin got to take his 1964 Ford Galaxy that belonged to his dad for a drive to its new home in the garage at the lake so that was nice for him.  I was following behind him with jumper cables in case something went amiss! I wish I had taken some pictures of it out in the daylight after the dust was washed away but the day was hectic so I didn't even think of it.  

I have to mention that I have been watching the Olympics religiously every night an all day when I am around the house and I have a constant running commentary in my head about it so be prepared for some Olympic nonsense sometime this week.  It is so fun I don't know where to start!  USA USA USA! 

Packing Up the "Baby" Clothes

By baby clothes, I refer to the 3 month sized clothes that Baby Benjamin has outgrown.  I already packed up the small selection of newborn items we have.  Actually, he hasn't worn any of the clothes I packed up today for quite a while.  I'd say...oh...about a month ago now I emptied the drawers of these clothes to make room for the bigger sizes.  Then, I proceeded to fold them up and leave them in a pile in the nursery, which contributed to the not so charming look of the room.  Yes, sorry to say, Ben's nursery looks nothing like a magazine or a catalogue or something from Pinterest even with the cute name letters I made and the planters/stuffed animal holders on the walls and the little owls on the dresser.  Oh well, no room in a real house looks like a magazine so whatever...although I was looking through "Pottery Barn Kids" and spotted a nursery with a pile of rumpled outgrown baby clothes on the end table next to the rocking chair and a stack of informational papers about introducing solids and growth chart documentation from the pediatrition on the dresser in front of the books and empty gift bags that need to be stored away stashed in the corner...yeah...it was so adorable...

I was feeling kind of sad this morning as I neatly refolded the little clothes.  I dreamed of the other little boy I might have in the future and then I thought, "what if I don't have another baby boy?" and got sad thinking that these clothes might not get worn again (by my child...I would certainly hand them down to someone else) and then I started missing the smaller newborn version of Ben, although I really don't miss that.  I like this cute, alert version that can briefly entertain himself and sleep all night long and only poops once a day instead of six or more times all day and night.  Of course, I had to take some pictures of the ordeal. 

Actually, he is a pretty slim baby so those 3 month clothes probably would still fit his circumference.  Maybe someone should invent crotch extenders for baby clothes!

 I couldn't resist trying to squeeze him into one of my favorite sleepers, the ones he wore in those early weeks and months. 

There he is in the same outfit, back on St. Patrick's day when he was only 10 days old!

I think this is one of the first "diaper" shots I have taken!  I love this angle!  It makes him look quite large. 

I'm not one to gush very often, but his eyes just kill me in these pictures!  I can't get enough of them!  I love how they are slightly off kilter and so blue and expressive.