I haven’t updated the blog about his health and development lately, for several reasons. Life with a toddler and new baby is crazy enough on it’s own, but throw the holidays, Stephen’s new work/school schedule, and a difficult and unexpected struggle with post-partum depression/anxiety into the mix and a lot of things start to fall behind. But slowly, steadily, surely, I am finding a new balance. And as tough as some things have been, I want to be sure I remember how incredibly good my life is right now as well.

With all the worry and anxiety we went through before Zeke’s birth, I am very happy and relieved to say that he is doing amazingly well so far. I know we have yet to learn what challenges he may face as he contiues to grow and develop, but it seems that for now, he is exceeding everyone’s expectations. At his recent pediatrician visit, the doctor commented that if he hadn’t seen the images of Zeke’s brain, he would have abolutely no reason to think he wasn’t a typical two-month old child. Every parent gets excited as their baby reaches each new milestone- I know How giddy I got when Miles would do something new- but the feeling is tenfold with Zeke. Its like a huge weight is lifted from my chest every time he does something that we were told he may struggle with. He nursed wonderfully from the start (and is now nearly 9 pounds!), holds my gaze and smiles, grasps objects, rolls over, holds his head up and looks around the room, responds to voices and music, makes the most precious little coos and babbles… all this right on track despite the fact tht he was also born 5 weeks early. He is also super cuddly and affectionate, has managed to keep most of his hair (minus a thin strip around the back from rubbing when he lays down), and it looks like he is going to be another blue eyed boy! He’s just amazing

He does have one more test scheduled, his MRI, on Feb 9th in Little Rock. It was a big hassle to get it scheduled, but we were finally able to. I guess the fact that nobody is in a hurry to get it done must mean that his doctors are not terribly worried at this point. I think it is mainly to confirm his “official” diagnosis. He will have another follow up with a pediatric neurologist after the MRI. At this point I am feeling very optomistic!

Here are a few pictures of my miracle baby:

(I thought I had more… there must be some still in on my camera. I’ll add more when I get a chance.)

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words (or just a few if I can’t help myself!) – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

(inspired by SouleMama)

• tippy-toe boys who have figured out where Mama stashes the chocolate

•tiny fingers and toes

• Those eyes!

• when the kitchen table transforms into a fort

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words (or just a few if I can’t help myself!) – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

(inspired by SouleMama)

…outdoors with my family on a beautiful, warm, winter day at Devil’s Den State Park.

It was a good year. In many ways it was a hectic year, a stressful year. But it was also a really good year. And as I sat soaking up the sun after our little hike with my baby on my chest, listening to the squeals of delight from the playground where Stephen and Miles were playing together I could feel any remaining worry and stess melt away. Instead, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of calm, quiet, peace . I can’t imagine a better way than that to end the year. Bring it on, 2012!

(Thanks to Melissa for the collaborative photo effort )

This Christmas I will remember:

~Having a little helper this year for all the baking and decorating and preparing
~Spending time with family
~Watching Miles tag along with his older cousins
~The joy on Miles’s face upon seeing all the iPads at Grandmother’s house
~Warm, sunny days more like October than December (you won’t hear me complaining that we didn’t have a white Christmas!)
~Zeke sleeping peacefully in his 91 year old great-granddad’s lap Christmas Eve
~Waking up the next morning to a drowsy, cuddly almost-three year old climbing into bed with mama and papa
~Looking over and seeing my precious baby, peacefully sleeping in his crib next to us
~A slow, lazy Christmas morning
~Babies in handknit outfits that took months to finish and will fit for only a few wearings… But are oh so worth it!
~Hearing Miles exclaim “Wow! a box!” as he opened the gift I planned for so long
~Jamming with my boys on the new bongos and maracas after Miles decided that the gift inside the box was pretty cool too
~Taking Miles to feed the horses with Tia Melissa and watching the sun set from the top of the mountain
~Cuddling up with all three of my boys on the counch and watching “The Nativity” and remembering what this season is really all about

I am so grateful for the memories made this Christmas, forever etched in my heart, and excited for all the memories yet to be made.

Miles’s portait of Mama and Papa. Why yes, I let my almost three year old use my $1000 camera, don’t you?

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words (or just a few if I can’t help myself!) – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

(inspired by SouleMama)

(our engagement photo)

Wow. Was I ever wrong. A couple of bites and I had thoroughly reminded myself why we make the real stuff around here. It was awful. I mean really awful.

Anyways, we make lots of real popcorn around here: popcorn with (real!) butter, with parmasean, with garlic, with cayenne… But for some reason I had always assumed kettle corn was too complicated/messy and so I shyed away from the sweet treat. That horrible microwave popcorn got me curious though, and I decided to look into what was involved in making real, good kettle corn. What I came up with was go good, and so easy, and so cheap that I decided I simply must share. Hopefully I can persuade some of you to step on over from the dark side of microwave popcorn into the light

You will need:
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernals
1/4 cup olive or other oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)
Salt to taste
an oldschool hand-crank popcorn popper (preferrable) or a large lidded pot

A word on popcorn poppers: while I am generally not a fan of kitchen gadgets that are designed to do only one thing, my popcorn popper is an exception. I found it for $4 at a flea market, and we use it ALL of the time! Definitly worth every penny

Gather all of your ingredients. Heat the oil in your popcorn popper or pot over med-high heat. Put 3 kernals in the hot oil, and when they pop, you will know that your oil is hot enough. Quickly add the sugar and cinnamon and give a few cranks to mix/dissolve it in the oil. Add the remaining popcorn kernals immediately and crank the handle constantly to prevent the sugar from burning. Listen for popping, and when the popping slows to every 1-2 seconds, remove from the heat. Dump into a large serving bowl, salt to taste, and enjoy! That’s all there is to it… easy peasy!

If you don’t have a popcorn popper, you can use a large, lidded pot. The directions are basically the same, except you will have to lift the covered pot and give it a good shake every few seconds to prevent sticking and burning.

Enjoy!

(so good that shovelling it into the mouth with both hands is the preferred method of eating around here…)