Join the club

My friend Jeni recently let me in on the best secret – Godiva has a Godiva Chocolate Rewards Club. This isn't just any club though. You join for free by supplying them with your email address, you get your choice of free truffle upon signing up, and you get your choice of free truffle once a month (at your convenience – the store employee said). On top of that you get a free gift each month you spend $10 or more, which can easily be done with one visit to any Godiva boutique.
After signing up today I selected a Pumpkin Truffle as my free treat. I will continue to visit the Godiva store at Southpoint Mall monthly for my free treat. It doesn't get much better than that.


My beautiful, delicious pumpkin truffle.

Brave little boy

Our brave little Caleb went to the doctor today for his first shots. Mommy and daddy were a little nervous, but not too bad. Caleb had not a clue what he was in for, as you can see here.



Friends with babies had prepared us for the worst, telling us that their children reacted horribly with crying fits for hours.
Brave little Caleb cried for just a moment. We calmed him with just a droplet of milk and he immediately forgot he had just been stuck with a needle. Sure, experts say that offering the breast is seen as a crutch and can be habit-forming...but does it look like I care?
I mean, just look at this calm, relaxed little boy...


A boy who, by the way, weighs in at a whopping 9 lbs 9.5 ounces. And he's grown more than an inch in length!



And look what he has to show for his bravery, a beautiful Bugs Bunny Band-Aid.

Tummy time strike

Here is baby Caleb participating in a little required tummy time on his play gym this afternoon. All was going well for about 4 minutes.


Slowly the quasi smile began to leave his little pudgy face.


Things worsened quickly, as baby Caleb began to scream, "I hate tummy time!" (And "I hate laying on my side time. Matter of fact, I hate any time when I'm not in your arms, mom and dad!")


And have you ever seen a face so sad? It's as if we were horrible parents, forgetting to change a stinky diaper or something.

Barnyard animals

As a new mother, the act of breastfeeding my youngin' is a brave new world for me. Through my 8-12 daily feedings I have discovered both joys and challenges and have developed a love/hate relationship with the art of breastfeeding. I love the closeness it offers baby and I. I enjoy connecting with baby Caleb and providing the best nourishment possible for him. I love burning 500 extra calories a day. I do not enjoy round-the-clock feedings, clogged milk ducts and the somewhat constant frustration that I'm doing it all wrong. I confess that there have been moments when I have felt like nothing more than a feeding trough – a cow with udders, if you will. Ultimately, I know what is most important is that I am providing for a healthy, growing boy, and that fact absolutely makes it all worth it.
But this weekend, when Caleb and I traveled to Tennessee for a pig pickin' hosted by my cousins at the Allendale Barn, I have never felt more like a cow. All the guests had eaten hoards of yummy pork, black beans and rice, and an endless buffet of fixins' and desserts, and the clock struck 8 o'clock. Caleb grew hungry, as I knew he eventually would. It was obvious I was going to have to find a place to feed him, and the car was far away across a flooded grass field. I was escorted to an empty "room" in the barn, which was actually a stall. I can only assume it once housed a mama cow and her babies.
So my first experience with breastfeeding in public was in a barn. I've now experienced life as a mother and a barnyard animal.


My cousin Lauren was nice enough to snap this cell phone photo for proof.

Untalented baker

Today is hubby's and mine 4th anniversary. We vowed to only spend $25 on each other this year, as we can no longer afford to pamper each other because all of our money now goes to daycare and diapers.
Hubby got me a wine varietal poster from Wine Authorities that I've wanted for a long time now. I'm super excited about it. I got him a season of Scrubs on DVD and a mixed six-pack of awesome beers from Sam's Blue Light (aka Beer Heaven) in Durham. We got take out from Foster's Market for dinner and ate it accompanied by a delicious, chilled Gewurztraminer while watching Jeopardy. Yes, we are officially old geezers.
I wanted to make our evening just slightly special by baking my fabulous chocolate chip cookies. I made the cookie dough earlier in the day and chilled it in the fridge until hubby got home from work (I confess I snuck a few spoonfuls throughout the day). Usually my cookies come out of the oven flawless with a beautiful golden brown outer crust and a slightly doughy center. Cookies are my one piece of pride in the kitchen.
Well, the batch of cookies that emerged from the oven this evening was something to be ashamed of. They were pretty dark brown and extremely flat. I'm talking wafer thin – the ugliest cookies on earth.
Here's proof.




I don't know where my cookie-baking abilities disappeared to, but I am almost embarrassed by my lack of technique. Thank God they still taste like heaven...well, thin, slivers of crispy heaven.

Photos of the Day

God bowling

As I sit here with baby Caleb during his first official torrential rainstorm and thunderstorm, I am reminded of a story I heard constantly when growing up. Supposedly, my mother used to tell my sister that the loud crashes of thunder that occur during storms were nothing but God bowling in heaven. This knowledge must have provided some comfort to my sister, as she used to walk around announcing, "God bowling, mama, God bowling."
To carry on the tradition, I have just explained the same information to my own baby, in hopes that he too will one day walk around the house saying, "God bowling, mama, God bowling," and that he won't be afraid of the scary noises going on around him.

First date

Hubby and I had our first official date since the arrival of Caleb this past Saturday. My dear friend Misty was dying to babysit; seriously she practically begged me. Caleb in turn was ecstatic about spending time with Misty since she spoils him with hugs, cuddles and kisses.
We left Caleb with Misty for about 3 hours while we headed out to a wine tasting at Wine Authorities. It was their official "Talk Like A Pirate Day" Celebration and all of the wines had a pirate theme (what creativity those guys have!). Hubby and I then went to dine on some gourmet grub at McDonald's. We were both eagerly anticipating the high quality food offered there. After McDonald's we headed out to the bowling alley on 15-501 (the one that serves beer). Boy has bowling gotten expensive!!! We paid $33 for two games – but the beer was only $7 per pitcher, so all's fair.
Overall, it felt wonderful to get out of the house with just Hubby and I. While I find it difficult and emotionally taxing to leave my little dumpling stew of a baby at home, I knew Hubby and I needed some adult time, which will be hard to come by from now on. So, thank you Misty for allowing us an afternoon out! We love you for it.

Photos of the Day

More photos of my handsome boy. Caleb is now two and a half weeks old!

Daddy and Caleb

Would ya look at those two handsome men! I'm one lucky lady.

Summer's End

As I stepped out into the garden yesterday at dusk I noticed a welcome chill in the air and the smell of fall's arrival in the breeze. The fact that there was a breeze at all suggests autumn is just around the corner. While sadly this does mean hubby's efforts in the garden are winding down and we will no longer be eating fresh homegrown veggies, it also means we get to drink some hearty beers, we get to toast s'mores over campfires, and we get to visit the local cornmaze and pumpkin patches (this year with a kid in tow, so we'll have an excuse to act like children).
With the anticipation of my favorite season ahead, I took a final glance across the fading garden. Everything was still brilliant in color, but had a tired, droop to it. The tomatoes, still pungent and juicy, are hanging on to their final palette of gold, orange, red, and green. The sunflowers are closing up, only one or two left with bright yellow petals. And I was happy to see a few barely tinged leaves dropped in the grass from trees above.
Yes, it's true, I do love fall!

Photo of the Day

This is Caleb's hair fresh out of the bath. Hubby and I like to comb it into a grown man combover, but this is how it begins. Caleb looks like a rock star!

We love Caleb!

These are just some of the visitors we had come to meet Caleb during his first week in the world. He had many more, we just failed to take photos of everyone. Oopsies!