Green is in

 . . . that is, in the smoothies this season!  It's time for our annual summer smoothie post, and this year I have a sipping partner:

It started when she was interested in my smoothie, so I let her have a sip, and she quickly monopolized the glass!  So, now I fill up her straw cup with her own.  

Since that picture was taken, however, my sweetie and I have watched two documentaries, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, and Forks over Knives.  (Both are available on Netflix, which is how we watched them.)  I came away with the conclusion that at the very least, we should be eating more vegetables.  And so green is in!

The first time, I threw in a bunch of spinach leaves, but now kale is on the weekly shopping list and I appreciate its milder taste.  Besides that, lately I've simply been throwing a frozen banana, strawberries (or a peach or other berries), a big scoop of plain yoghurt, half a dozen ice cubes, about a tablespoon of coconut oil and enough fruit juice to make it blend nicely into our ordinary old blender, and they come out so yummy!    I guess they've gotten quite a bit fancier since last year and especially the year before!

We're Halfway There

20 weeks!

With this pregnancy already half-over, it seems like it's time for a bit of an update!  

Overall, I've felt great since the early weeks.  There was one rough weekend of up-chucking, but since then everything has been pretty smooth.  The hatred of onions marking both my previous pregnancies hasn't returned, and I'm so thankful that I've been able to enjoy the pregnancy-heightened-sense-of-smell for the most part!  It has made it easier both for cooking and changing stinky diapers, and I'm so thankful.

It was also quite fun to feel movement from earlier on this time!  There were some tap-taps that I debated about around 11 weeks, but at 15 weeks they started becoming regular and unmistakable.  

I was very tired, especially during the first trimester.  I don't think my energy has come back quite like it did the last time, either.  But even though I have an active toddler to take care of, she takes good naps in the afternoons, and I've been able to nap when I've needed to, also.  The house is not cleaned quite as often or as thoroughly as it used to be. but that's the way it has to be for now.

Last week, I knit our new daughter her own hat!  

It's from the same pattern I used last year for some gift hats and then for Gemma, and I love it.  :)  I was also really happy to use some more of the hand-dyed Merino superwash that I bought last summer.  It's such pretty yarn, and I love that our little girl gets a hat from it, too!  (I think there's enough left for one more hat, in fact!)  The only thing I'm not crazy about is how the yarn starts to stripe toward the crown . . . oh well.  I decided to leave off the tie-strings for now.

In many ways, finding out that we're having another girl has been a bit relieving.  I won't need to adjust the nursery other than adding a little floor-bed for Gemma, and she and her baby sister already have matching pink gingham crib sheets.  :)  I was looking forward to making some baby boy gowns from John's cast-off tees, so that's a project that will have to wait, but there are plenty of others to tide me over in the mean time. Christmas baby does need her own special quilt.  :)  And I do want to start on some Christmas gifts, too!

20 Months Old

Happy 20 months to our little sweetheart!  She delights us every day with her energy and joyfulness.

Lately, there has been a lot of dancing, hide and seek, and helping in the kitchen.  We discovered recently that she loves to dance to her Judy Rogers album Teach Me While My Heart is Tender.  (This is basically the old Why Can't I see God? tape plus selections from Go to the Ant and another tape we didn't have growing up . . . and I can see why . . . hearing Judy Rogers trying to rap is kind of terrifying.)  She had heard this album before, but I'd usually played it in the car.  Now when she hears it, her little feet immediately start moving!  I think her favorite song is Isabel is a Pig!  I'll have to find a video of it soon.  :)

A few months ago, we started visiting a different, older library branch which has lots of great summer programs.  For the past few weeks, we've been going to the "Movement and Music" class for toddlers, followed by "Dream Big Story Time" half an hour later.  Gemma loves the socialization, and there is plenty of opportunity for it . . . usually the room is filled with 20-40 toddlers and their mommies!  She also loves checking out new books every week, even though she's too distracted by the library itself to read them until we get home.  Gemma frequently brings Daddy or Mommy a book, saying, "eh, eh!"  

Dress-up is still a favorite.  :)

And the play-area at the mall . . .

Gemma now says at least four words very clearly:  Daddy, Mommy, eye, and ball, all in context (though sometimes "Daddy" gets a bit misapplied.)

Here she is cooking some triscuit soup.  :)  Gemma's third grandma gave her the apron, which has a cute print on one side and is red on the back--just like Mommy's.  She loves wearing it.  :)  

She's also growing more independent!  When I tell her that we're going down to the living room for dinner, she goes to get her bumbo and brings it over near the coffee table.  It's a big, bulky load for a little girl!  She can also wipe her own face and does her best to wipe her own tray when she's done!

Where's the baby???

There she is!

Supper this week

Monday:  Refried Bean Enchiladas
Tuesday:  Pancit
Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  Pizza (mushroom and pepper for me, pepperoni on John's half, and I may finally try this crust recipe)
Friday:  Salmon & Rice
Saturday:  Chicken Marsala with Cacio e Pepe
Sunday:  Chicken Fajitas

The pancit got moved to this week because we didn't end up having the pancit last week.  I was tired and just made some pasta with jarred sauce and threw some sausage in it.  The crock pot macaroni and cheese was a mixed success; John actually loved it but I wasn't as thrilled.  I think I prefer recipes where the noodles are pre-cooked.  And yesterday afternoon, we had honey baked chicken over brown rice.  :)

Getting Ready for Fall

It's the time of year when I start to get excited about fall.  :)  This year, I think I'm just going to let myself go with it!  We had giant apple pancake for breakfast this week, and I'm starting to think about Gemma's fall wardrobe.  :)

Yesterday, I found these items at a children's consignment shop.  No . . . they weren't exactly thrift store prices . . . the three things came to about $20 total.  I had about $6.50 in credit there, though, so it ended up being closer to $14.  And they are really nice . . . a BumGenius pocket diaper, Laura Ashley blouse, and Children's Place jeans.  :)  Aunt Heidi first bought Gemma Grace some of their jeans last year, and I love how they put ruffles at the bottoms of the little girl jeans!  Now Gemma will have two pairs of jeans for this fall.  Don't the colors all look pretty together, too?

And the blouse . . . it's just beautiful.  Such a nice, soft cotton.  It has a little button at the neck and big sashes to tie at the back.  It still had its tags, too!

Then we played a little dress-up this morning with her Easter bonnet and her new blouse.  "What are these tags, Mom?"  :)