Summer Water Fun

It's hot outside this summer, but not so much when there's water around.

Watering Heidi's plants.

At the BRiCk in Burleson.

A cup and a water hose is sufficient.

Katy now exclaims "agua" when she sees this bin.

Pool time with friends.

Helping Papi wash the car.

Playing at the local aquatic center.

Sitting by the library fountain, a stop on
every library trip.

I love having an excuse to play in the water during these crazy hot days.

Lentils with Barley and Veggies

When I quit my job eight months ago, I had no idea how much time I would spend meal planning,  Meal planning is serious business.

My weekly meal planning routine

I also had no idea I would finally learn to enjoy cooking good, healthy food.  I started making lentils by copying my mother-in-law's recipe.  I've since made several pots of lentils, and I think I've finally mastered my own version.  The recipe below requires some prep work, but the result has lots of flavor, is packed with unprocessed ingredients, and is low in sodium, sugar, and fat.  Enjoy!

Lentils with Barley and Veggies

1 cup uncooked lentils

6 cups homemade vegetable broth

1 green bell pepper, diced

2-3 medium carrots, diced

1/2 - 1 whole onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 cup cooked barley

Salt to taste

1.  Pour broth into large saucepan, add lentils, and bring to a boil.  Turn the temperature down and simmer covered until the lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.  Monitor the lentils because you may have to add additional broth.  The lentils should always remain covered in liquid.

2.  While the lentils are simmering, dice the carrots, bell pepper, and onion.  Onion, bell pepper, and carrot sizes vary greatly.  Adjust quantities so that you have roughly equal parts onion, carrot, and bell pepper.  Cook the onion, carrot and bell pepper with the smashed garlic cloves in a skillet with some olive oil until the veggies are tender.

Chopped veggies ready to cook.

3.  Add the cooked veggies to the soft lentils.  Add one cup of cooked barley.  I recommend cooking the barley in vegetable broth.  Barley takes approximately 45 minutes to cook, so start the barley first if you do not have any cooked barley on hand.

4.  Let the final lentil mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Salt to taste. Add additional vegetable broth to thin out the soup as desired.  

Mmmmm.

I like to eat lentils with bread fresh from my bread machine.  Katy likes to eat lentils with her hands. This girl LOVES her lentils.  

Learning About Plants

We recently watered plants for a neighbor and friend.  Katy enjoyed exploring someone else's backyard.  Here are some pictures from our last day watering.

She really liked this Katy-sized plant.

Thank you for sharing your yard with us, Heidi!

The Simple Joy of a Bowl of Ice Cream

A few weeks ago, Katy and I spent all morning preparing food for someone else.  We delivered the food at lunchtime and then treated ourselves to lunch at Jason's Deli because I was in no mood to prepare more food.

After sharing a salad, I walked Katy to the soft-serve ice cream machine and filled a bowl with some ice cream.  We had one bowl and one spoon, which meant we had to share.  After just one bite, Katy insisted on holding the spoon.  For the next ten minutes, Katy's face was covered in ice cream and a giant smile as she attempted, with much help from me, to spoon out the ice cream and guide it to her mouth and mine.  Katy was enjoying her ice cream so much, she loved that she had the only spoon, and she was more than happy to share with mom.  Her joy was infectious and for ten minutes, it felt like we were the only two people in the restaurant.  

After Katy ate the last bite of ice cream, she quickly pointed in the direction of the ice cream machine, and asked, "Mas?"   I laughed as I turned toward the ice cream machine.  When I turned, I noticed a woman watching us.  Her table was empty, her arm was propped up on the table to support her chin, and she was smiling.  When our eyes met, the woman didn't glance away.  Instead, she locked eyes with me and kept smiling until her school aged daughters returned to the table and started talking to her.

That brief moment with a stranger has stayed with me for several weeks.  It makes me want to remember every detail of how happy Katy and I were eating ice cream together because I know someday Katy will be too old for sharing a bowl of ice cream with me.  When that happens, I may need a sappy blog post to read.

This happy girl loves ice cream!

Katy's First Car

Katy is very fascinated by cars and trucks right now.  She frequently exclaims "car" or "truck" upon seeing one.  She enjoys playing at the steering wheel after we park and I take her out of her car seat.  She makes deep, throaty car noises and high-pitched beeping noises when playing with or in a car.  And although I try to pretend it's not happening, I know Chris plays Gran Turismo with Katy, allowing her to drive the video game's steering wheel accessory.

Driving the car at Lowes

Helping Papi work on the car

Katy likes her baby dolls, but she also really likes cars.  Phew! She wasn't traumatized by that one incident where I may have accidentally locked her in my car with the keys and may have called the cops because I couldn't get her out.

My Aunt Linda gave Katy a swing for her birthday and I finally unpacked it this month.  When Katy showed more interest in the swing's box than the swing itself, I knew instantly what to make for her:  a car.  After about an hour and a half of cutting, gluing, and searching for accessories around the house, Katy had a pretty sweet cardboard ride:

Putting her key in the ignition slot.

Katy enjoyed climbing in and out of her car for several days, but it has since lost it's appeal.  I suspect the car will soon land in the recycle bin.  The swing, on the other hand, is a now a staple in our daily backyard play.  This is a huge accomplishment for a little girl who was once terrified of swinging.  

No shame in using tools to lure her into the swing

Katy's new swing set.

Katy fell asleep in my lap while swinging!

August 13, 2016 Update:

Cousin Elijah visited last weekend and LOVED Katy's car so much that he called it his car.  This was after cousin Max visited for a few days and also spent time playing in the car.  I added a reinforced rope to the front of the car so an adult could pull around all the kids climbing in and out.  The kids loved being pulled around, and I got a good workout.  The rope held up better than expected but sadly, the door did not.  It is now completely detached, which is not surprising given the rough way toddlers climbed in and out of it over and over and over for several days straight.  I found an old hinge and reattached the door, but I am not sure how long it will hold.  

Where is Cambodia again?

Last week I told Chris I want to go to Cambodia, possibly without him.  Chris objected and stated he wants to go to Cambodia.  I was surprised because Chris never mentioned anything about wanting to visit Cambodia.  Chris explained he wants to go to Phuket.  I politely explained that Phuket is in Thailand.  He said "oh, well isn't it the country that is now Myanmar?"  I politely explained he was thinking of Burma.  I stated that Angor Wat is in Cambodia.  Chris said, "Oh yeah, I want to go there."

In Chris' defense, Cambodia borders Thailand and Thailand borders Myanmar, something I didn't know until I started writing this blog.

Chris and I complete each other in so many ways, including geographically.

Summer Progress

June is almost over.  Katy has been busy going to story time at the library, cooling off in the water, drawing on the sidewalk with chalk, going for walks, learning animal names and sounds (will it ever end?!?!?), and learning to stand in/on various objects.

Enjoying the splash park.

Splash park joy.

Standing in a frying pan.

Standing in an angel food cake pan.

I've been busy with a baby showers, craft projects, keeping Katy entertained, and trying new recipes. This week's new recipes included Caribbean coconut sweet potatoes, chicken stock from a chicken carcass, and a very low sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup (I am currently obsessed with cutting sodium in the Sias household diets).  Katy loved the sweet potatoes, the cream of mushroom soup smelled wonderful, and the chicken broth turned out very gelatinous, which I now know is a good thing thanks to google and my sister-in-law who is a chef.

With all the activity between Katy and I, I wonder how I ever had time to work.  

The End of a Sleep Era

When Katy was born, she slept swaddled next to me, after I breastfed her to put her to sleep.  At three months, Katy started sleeping in her swing, after I breastfed her to put her to sleep. At six months, Katy started sleeping in her crib at night, after I breastfed her to sleep.   At eight months, Katy started taking her naps in her crib, after I breastfed her to sleep.  I weaned Katy at 13 months, but I continued to rock her to sleep at both nap time and bedtime.

This week, after 16 months of breastfeeding or rocking Katy to sleep, Katy started going to sleep without me holding her.  It was not something I imposed on Katy, but rather something she signaled to me through uncomfortable shifting and constant back arching as I tried to rock her.  I understood these signals because I've spent a lot of time holding Katy next to my chest as her little body slowly gives way to sleep.  I know what rocking motions soothe Katy the quickest, and I have successfully used them without a rocking chair.  I know the difference between Katy's breathing rhythms in shallow and deep sleep.  I know the difference between shifting due to discomfort, wiggling to stay awake, and movement that is part of Katy's natural process of shutting down to sleep.  I know how long it will take to put Katy to sleep based on how she resists my attempts to keep her from squirming, and I know how to tell when the wiggles are on the edge of defeat.  And now I know when Katy doesn't need me to rock her to sleep, which makes me both proud and a little nostalgic.

Asleep with her bunnies.  Check out that tan!

Learning to Be Nice

Katy is now seventeen months.  She is moving all the time, she says more words than I can count, and she is constantly looking for new things to explore.  She is also starting to enjoy Doug.  Katy enjoys feeding Doug, she occasionally laughs at things he is doing, and sometimes she even tries to initiate play with Doug.  When Katy has became too rough with Doug. however, I quickly stop her, pet Doug gently, and say, in a gentle and drawn out voice, "Be nice."  Now, when I tell Katy to "be nice" to Doug, she immediately ceases the rough behavior that warranted the instruction, gently pets Doug, and says, "nice," in a calm, drawn out voice.

Over the last several weeks, Katy has become increasingly interested in what I do when I'm in the kitchen.  I try to involve her as much as possible but sometimes she isn't big enough to help, which makes her frustrated.  The frustration usually plays out without consequence, but a few times it has escalated until Katy hit my leg with her hand while making a defiant noise of dissatisfaction. Immediate verbal correction always followed and this correction usually involved the familiar phrase "be nice," although in the broader context of "be nice to mommy." 

Today, Katy hit my leg in a moment of frustration.  Before I could correct her, she immediately began gently stroking my leg and saying, in a soft, drawn out voice, "nice."  I held in my laughter as my daughter petted me like a dog and instead agreed that yes, she should be nice to mommy just like she should be nice to Doug. 

Aside from the humor in being petted like a dog, I learned a parenting lesson today.  In the future, I need to be more specific with my instruction to Katy because her cognitive understanding is now developed enough to apply concepts from one scenario to another.  I never imagined that teaching Katy to respect Doug would be useful in teaching her to respect me because in my complex understanding of dogs and people, Doug and I are in vastly different categories.  In terms of the simpler concept of hitting, however, Doug and I are in the same category.  As I type this, I recall reading advice about specific instruction in parenting articles and books, but what I read apparently didn't have much impact until I witnessed the reason behind the advice play out at home.  Sheesh, learning how to be an effective parent is a big task, kind of like learning to be nice.    

I Love You

Since I last blogged, Katy learned to say, "I love you."  Katy's "I love you" is not very clear but after hearing it several times in the correct context, Chris and I are certain Katy is saying her own version of "I love you."  Katy has learned to say a lot of other words since I last blogged, including "meow, meow" for cat and abre for open.  She even says please sometimes.  But really, none of these other words have the same impact as, "I love you," even when the "I love you" is a slurred mess and the other words are spoken crystal clear.

Adventures of a Stay-at-Home Mom

Yesterday I watched Katy's friend Ian for a few hours.  It was just me against two one-year old toddlers.  I spent the morning preparing for Ian's visit so that I wouldn't have to prep food, wash bottles, or deal with any other chores while taking care of two toddlers.

The first two hours of Ian's visit went by smoothly.  We played with toys, went for a walk, read some books, chased each other, and ate lunch.  About two hours in, it was obvious Ian was very tired and was going to be very fussy if he didn't sleep.  It's not easy to put someone else's young toddler to sleep, especially an overtired toddler who usually goes to sleep while nursing.  It's even harder to put someone else's young toddler to sleep while keeping your own toddler preoccupied.  After about 20 minutes of trying different things to help Ian relax, however, I strapped Ian into my baby carrier and started bouncing.  Within minutes, he stopped crying, his body relaxed, and he fell asleep while Katy played at my feet.  I was feeling pretty confident at this point.  

While Ian slept in the baby carrier on my chest, I prepared Katy's bottle, lifted Katy into and out of her table chair, and gave Katy a popsicle.  With less than half an hour until Ian's parents were supposed to return, Ian was still fast asleep on my chest and Katy was playing happily nearby.  I was feeling really confident now.

No more than five minutes before Ian's parents returned, Katy walked into the room where Ian and I were sitting.  Her shorts and diaper were half-way down her butt, she was poking her fingers down the back of her diaper, and her fingers were coated in poop.  Oh. My. Goodness.  My baby was playing in her own poop!  

I tried my best to quietly clean Katy without waking Ian, but it didn't work.  Ian woke up and cried while I quickly stripped off Katy's clothes and changed her diaper.  I picked up Ian just in time to hear his parents at the door.  I answered the door with Ian on my hip, crying, and Katy at my feet, wearing nothing but a diaper and a dirty popsicle face.  I'm certain we looked like a hot mess, but all I could think was, "This is not an accurate representation of the last three hours."  

Next time I keep Ian, my morning prep will include dressing Katy in a onesie, romper, overalls, or anything else that prevents her from playing with her diaper.  This sounds like a ridiculous thing to prepare for, but toddlers do ridiculous things to break your confidence and make you look like nothing but a hot mess. 

The Freddie Fender Water Tower

This is the water tower in San Benito featuring Freddie Fender:

Every time I passed the water tower, I wondered, "Who is Freddie Fender?," and then I would forget to research Freddie Fender until the next time I saw the water tower.

I recently drove by the Freddie Fender water tower with my friend Rachella, who is from a small town near San Benito.  I asked Rachella if she knew anything about Freddie Fender.  She replied, "No."   After a brief pause, Rachella rattled off a few vague lyrics from his song that came out on the radio.  After another pause, Rachella mentioned something about Freddie Fender's family still living in the Valley.  And then Rachella casually stated that she went to Freddie Fender's funeral.  I'm sorry Rachella, but I think you know something about Freddie Fender if you went to his funeral.

Now when I pass the San Benito water tower I think, "I know someone who went to his funeral."  I still have no idea what song made him famous, but I think about researching it each time I pass by.

Photo Source: http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=5cb0e51d-5a69-4b73-bd11-02bcc05ffb5b

Death by Bobcat

Chris, Katy, and I recently camped with Chris' family at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. Enchanted Rock is so incredibly beautiful.  Remind me again why I live in South Texas?

Katy was so overwhelmed by the beauty that she took a very
uncomfortable-looking nap.

At the summit of Enchanted Rock.

Papo and Grandma with their grand babies.

With Tio Jesse

Katy had a blast camping.  She loves being outside and isn't afraid of playing in dirt or sitting down in the grass, which got her into a bit of trouble when she sat in an ant bed near our campsite.  Katy's screams of pain as I stripped off her clothes and diaper in the middle of camp made my mommy heart so sad.  Luckily, Katy ended up with just a few bites, and she didn't have a severe allergic reaction to them.  

This girl loves climbing in and out of a tent.

During our first night at the campsite, we heard a predatory animal hunt for dinner.  My mother-in-law left a large canister of nuts on our communal picnic table overnight.  Early in the night I woke up to the sound of critters rolling my mother-in-law's canister of nuts.  Later, I woke up to the sound of critters digging the nuts out of the canister.  The last time I woke up, I heard the critters making high-pitched sounds, as if in trouble.  Then I heard what sounded like a predatory cat growling and hissing.  As the growling and hissing grew louder, the high-pitched alerts grew more frequent and more urgent until it was obvious that one of the critters was being carried away in severe pain.  And then all of the crying, growling, and hissing stopped.  I was nervous that Doug was going to start barking and attract the predatory animal to our tent, but he only whimpered in fear.  In the morning, everyone was talking about the predator in our camp expect for my in-laws, who apparently slept through the whole thing even though their tent was closest to the picnic table.  When we relayed what we heard, my mother-in-law seemed unimpressed by the death trap her nuts created and instead made comments all day about how she couldn't believe the animals ate her nuts. 

On the last evening of our trip, we went on a lovely sunset hike and even did a little celebratory dance.  It really was a fantastic trip.  

With my beautiful sister-in-law.

Doug was so happy to be included again.

Why are we so happy?  Hehe...

 

Beach Day

Chris and I took Katy to the beach last month.  It was her third visit to the beach.  The first time Katy went to the beach, she had zero awareness of where she was and she cried when Chris sat in the water with her.  Katy's second beach trip went better: Katy went nowhere near the water, and Chris and I had zero expectations for Katy to appreciate or react to her surroundings.  The most recent beach trip, however, was awesome.  Katy loved the water, the sand, the birds, the broken shells, and even the beach trash.  Finally, Katy is old enough to enjoy the beach!

Chris dug Katy a hole and filled it with some ocean water.  Katy climbed in and sat down before I could change her into her swim pants.  She spent a considerable amount of time climbing into and out of her hole.

When Chris walked to the shoreline to fill Katy's water bucket, Katy ran behind him and walked into the water without any hesitation.  She liked the way the sand felt under her feet as the water receded.  As the shallow water disappeared, she moved further out without any fear of the small crashing waves.  More than once, Chris or I chased Katy down as she ran to the shoreline without us by her side.  While Chris and I were glad Katy was eager to explore this new environment, we did find ourselves wishing she was a bit more timid around the water.  Her lack of respect for the ocean was a bit scary for this mom.

Shortly after we arrived, a group of very fit, very tan, and nearly hairless gym rats settled next to us.  The men were covered in tattoos and the women wore tiny (very tiny!) bikinis.  At one point, I made Chris sit with his back to the group because a woman in a thong kept bending over.  Later in the afternoon, one of the muscle men in the group asked us to take a group photo for them.  I obliged, even though Chris and I had been making jokes about them throughout the day.  I couldn't help but exclaim, "Very appropriate," when they all flexed their muscles for the picture.  There's nothing like a large group of super fit people to make you aware of your own mom-bod and dad-bod.

Mr. and Mrs. buff hugging behind us.

That's better!

Of course, despite the bod squad to our left, Katy was easily the cutest girl on the beach.  Summer is almost here, which hopefully means several more beach trips in the near future!

Who Reads Books Anymore?!?!?!?!

Chris recently asked me to write about him because I "only write about Katy."  So here it is, sort of.

When I'm giving people my list of top attractions in McAllen, I always mention the main library because even if McAllen doesn't have big attractions, McAllen has an attraction worthy main library.

According to TripAdvisor, the main library is the number two attraction in McAllen, beating out even La Plaza Mall.  Beating the mall is big.  Nationals from Mexico with money to spend love, love, love to inundate La Plaza Mall on the weekends and as a result, every weekend at La Plaza Mall is like the week before Christmas at any other mall.

The history of the main library is an architectural Cinderella story.  Formerly an abandoned Wal-Mart, the city transformed it into a literary oasis that no longer resembles a Wal-Mart in anyway.  It's huge, it's well-designed, and it's always bustling with activity.  According to a library employee I overheard conducting a tour for elementary school students, the main library in McAllen is the largest single-story library in the country.  See, I told you it's attraction worthy.

Chris recently attended an event with contractors from the area.  During a break, one of the event attendees voiced his opinion about the waste of tax payer money that was and is the main library.  Chris attempted to defend the library, but the other attendee remained unpersuaded because, according to him, "who reads books anymore?"  Whoa.  A comment like that evokes so many  responses that it's hard to pick just one.  To avoid sounding arrogant or elitist, I'll just answer the question asked: Who reads books anymore?  We do!  Katy and I visit the library at least once a week for story time, to check out books, or to play in the huge children's wing outfitted with adorable kid-sized furniture, colorful book bins, and a fun play area.  We usually leave with a bag full of books in both English and Spanish, which we read over and over and over for the next week or two.   And when Katy and I make our weekly trip to the library, we never fail to see a full parking lot and a constant trickling of people coming and going, evidence that (thankfully!) we are not the only ones reading books in the Valley.

For more about our awesome library, see this article from Slate.

Oh Yeah!

A few weeks ago Katy's vocabulary consisted of 12 or 13 words.  Now, I'm unable to keep record of all the words she says because she is developing so rapidly.  As a parent, it's bittersweet to watch the last hints of baby disappear as Katy discovers the world of spoken communication.

Katy's newest word is "yeah."  Ask her almost any question and her answer will be a squeaky, "Yeah."  She even responds, "Yeah," when asked if she would like to brush her teeth, change her clothes, or clean her face, things she most certainly protests with "no, no, no, no, no" when we actually do them.  Ask Katy if she wants to sleep with a scorpion or eat rotten food and her answer will be, "Yeah."

Last weekend Chris, Katy, and I went to dinner with some friends who also have one-year-old children.  The other mothers and I were discussing the various manifestations of temper tantrums when we discovered that all of our darling children have, at times, purposefully hit mom in the face during moments of frustration.  I commented on how I don't understand where Katy learned this behavior as I never hit her or anyone else in the face.  Chris, who was standing nearby, quickly joked that he slaps Katy in the face.  We all laughed and then I jokingly and rhetorically asked Katy if Daddy slaps her in the face.  Without any hesitation, Katy responded, "Yeah."  It was Katy's first joke, and it was pretty darn funny.

XOXO

Last week Katy I were reading.  Katy was sitting in my lap staring down at a book when she looked up, leaned toward my cheek, and planted a kiss.  It was the first time Katy kissed me without prompting, asking, or cuddling on my part; it was the first kiss given wholly of her own volition. Later during the day, Katy walked to the chair where I was sitting, kissed me, and then walked off as if it was no big deal.  No big deal?!?!?!  Tell that to my melting heart.