We Have Broccoli!!!

After two days of rain and with at least one more on the way, we haven't been out to check on the garden much over the weekend. I went out today to make sure all my plants had not washed away and two of my broccoli plants had a floret on them. Yay!

Firsts

*It seems as if Bryan and I are always saying "Seth's first... and fill in the blank." We thought it would be fun to start a recurring firsts post. The funny thing is, sometimes we have new experiences and firsts of our own, so I thought I would try to include some of them, too.

Seth's Firsts:

• Seth and I went to Kirby Babies at the local library for the first time two weeks ago. We sang songs, read three books, and learned a few rhymes before some play time with friends. Kirby Babies just happens to be during Seth's morning nap, but he was so good. He lasted until play time and then we had to call it quits. He did flirt with the girl next to him. He kept grinning at her and trying to get her attention. It was so cute.
• Seth learned how to find an object under a blanket.
• Played with bubbles
• After the first push up, he has not stopped.
• Seth has tried chicken, cod, leeks, onions, cinnamon, cheese, potatoes, and strawberries in pureed form.
• Helping mommy and daddy turn off lights by flipping the switch. He recognizes light switches all over the house now.
• Went to a pet store
• Strolled around at the Farmer's Market
• Can move from a sitting position to a crawling position

Stephanie's Firsts:

• Made a lima bean wreath
• Made some meat purees for Seth and they were surprisingly delicious.
• Took Seth to Kirby Babies (Instead of meeting some other young mothers, which was really my motivation for going, I met several grandmothers who take care of their grandkids during the day.)
  

Bryan's Firsts:

• He claims none (again). :(

Push Ups

Seth is on the verge of being mobile. Today he proved his strength in the quest to crawl, but still lacks the coordination. He has been doing push ups, literally...

Lima Bean Wreath

A few days ago, I stumbled upon an inexpensive way to decorate the front door. I fell in love with this acorn wreath, but obviously now is not a great time to find acorns, so I opted for the lima bean version. To make the project even more fun, my friend Jo joined in on the wreath-making while the boys (her husband and mine) were at a baseball game Tuesday evening. Yesterday I spray painted my wreath Ivy Leaf green and today it found its new home on our front door.

A Hurt Knee

Today should be my first day of running for Week 3 of the "Couch to 5K" Running program. There is just one problem. I have hurt my knee. During Week 1, I felt pretty good after my first run. My second run, I noticed some pain in my left knee during the running portions. I endured and kept on going. On my third run, I felt extreme pain in my left knee but I was not going to fail at the whole running thing so I kept on even in pain. It only hurt when I would run, but then during my couple of days of rest before starting Week 2, it started hurting more and more. At first I thought it was my knee cap and it kind of felt like I needed to pop my knee. But then it soon became not really my knee cap but the bone on the inner side of my knee (above my shin). Walking became painful and going up and down stairs just about kills me. I have been on the verge of going to the doctor a couple of times, and yesterday when I was squatting down to pick up a toy and I fell forward on my knee I let out quite a scream. It now kind of feels like I have a bruise under my bone if that makes sense at all. I am hoping that if I just give my knee a rest for a while it will get better. If it doesn't I guess I will have to give in and have a doctor take a look at it. I do need my knees after all. So despite all my good intentions, the running will have to wait just a little while longer. So for now, I am back on the couch, but hopefully not for good.

The Start of the Garden

Last Saturday, our friend Wendell came over to help us till the garden. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to have a tilled garden so I set out the week before to dig it up myself. I laboriously had already removed all the sod and dug up the ground with a shovel, but tilling made all my hard work look useless. On Sunday, I planted peas and green beans in our 5 X 18 ft. space. On Tuesday, I bought some transplants at the local farmer's market. So Tuesday evening I planted three lemon boy tomato plants, four broccoli plants (although one was very puny), three zucchini and three yellow squash plants. I have a little over half of a row left for a few okra plants and maybe something else. We protected our garden from all those pesky rabbits with some poultry wire and lots of stakes. Here is a view of the newly planted transplants:

broccoli:

my sprouting peas:

Since I was already playing in the dirt, I started my herb garden on the deck along with some patio tomato plants (specifically designed for growing in pots and seen below).

cilantro:

sage:

rosemary:

sweet basil:

purple ruffled basil:

thyme:

and of course I had to add a little color to the table.

I think it is a pretty good start to the garden.

7 Months Old

7 Months!!! It's hard to believe how much Seth has grown in the past seven months. Our baby boy who once was able to do very little can now...

sit up steadily and play in his bed...

find things hidden under a blanket...

concentrate very hard while playing with toys...pass objects from hand to hand (he loves playing with his own remote control)...
and he loves being outside.

He is able to say mamamamama and eyeyeyeye when he gets frustrated or wants our attention. He can roll over very easily and gets to objects by wiggling and sort of scooting. He wants to be mobile so so bad and we think he is getting close. He loves to read books and swing on the porch swing. He loves music and loves being hummed to before going to sleep. He likes to flirt with the ladies and give them lots of smiles. He is fascinated with everything and is such a sweet, sweet boy.