A is for Apple Butter.

I seem to be getting ready to hibernate for winter. I can't stop canning! The farmer's markets that I love so much will be done by the end of October (this makes be a bit sad). To cope with this sadness, I have been keeping busy. Cameron and I made apple butter yesterday. Twelve jars, to be exact. Apple butter is much easier than pizza sauce. I dare say it's downright simple. What's neat is that since the jars are smaller, you actually get to hear the "pop" as the jars seal. When I told my mom that I had canned apple butter, she asked "who helped you?". I responded "Cameron!". I gotta say, this little girl is one great baby. She tolerated two batches of apple butter with minimal complaining. We'll see how she does when her Aunt Christine and I can cranberry sauce tomorrow.

For the Love of Pizza Sauce.

I have been looking forward to making my own pizza sauce all summer long. Having never done such a thing, I was a bit intimidated by the process. On top of making pizza sauce (which I probably could have figured out on my own), I wanted to can enough pizza sauce to get me through the winter. Turns out, it takes a helluva a lot of tomatoes to make one pot of sauce, so uh, scratch that. We made enough to get us through to Christmas and then after that we're back to store bought.

I learned two key lessons during my maiden voyage into canning.

First lesson: it takes a village to make pizza sauce (or at least a kick ass mother-daughter team).

Second lesson: You need to make sure your tomatoes are super ripe before you try to put them through a food mill. They are supposed to feel like a water balloon that is about to burst. We canned on Friday and I think canning on say, Sunday or Monday would have made our lives easier in this department.

As you can see, my tomatoes (we bought an entire bushel!) were not quite ripe enough, so I ended up having to push them down to get them to move through the food mill. This is the mill I bought the morning we were canning, when the regular food mill I had bought was clearly not going to cut it. It's a good thing Cameron is not talking yet, or she would be able to share the many expletives she heard throughout this process.

This is her looking scandalized by her mommy's potty mouth.
The good news is that all of the hard work was worth it. The recipe we used was amazing, and having never made my own fresh sauce before, I was blown away with how wonderful it tasted. My mom coached me through the canning process (she is an old hat at this). I am glad she was here to show me how to do it (the instructions I read online had scared the sh!t out of me). Now I am confident I could do it on my own.
After a day's worth of hard work, we had about 10 pints of sauce. We canned seven jars, froze two, and used one for dinner. I will admit that I was so pooped after cooking all day that I didn't really feel like making pizza, but it seemed like a cop out to not share the fruit of our labour with everyone. Not to worry, Scott "ooed" and "ahhed" sufficiently, and Max scarfed it down. That made it all worth it.

Don't Call Me, I'll Call You. Maybe.

At long last, the National Do-Not-Call Registry has launched! Thank gawd. I have pretty much stopped answering my phone due to all of the telemarketing calls we get. Apparently I'm not alone in my dislike of unwelcome calls - the website crashed on its first day in business. Now let's see if this actually helps! Here's hoping.

I Can See Russia From My House.

As if I don't have enough going on to drive me to distraction, the upcoming election in the US is making me feel fairly unbuttoned. And by "unbuttoned", I mean, seething, foaming at the mouth, climbing the walls, scratching my eyes out/ears bleeding, crazy. I despise that McCain (or whoever has their hand up his ass and is pulling the puppet strings) chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Holy shit - could they find someone more insulting to women? What exactly are they saying about the American people that they think picking her is going to help them win? I keep hoping she will self-destruct, but it is clear to me now that she can do no wrong. Even when she is caught lying about earmarks or it comes out that she made sure rape victims were charged for their own rape kits, Republicans keep singing her praises. Even my older brother (who has a PhD in Particle Physics) is going to vote for her. I can't even stand to listen to the rhetoric on CNN about this election. Have Americans not had enough of this government over the past 8 years? Have they learned nothing? I guess only time will tell. Let's hope they figure out that doing more of the same will not result in a different result.

Wontcha Come 'Round.

Cameron and I made it home safe and sound from our Ladies Only Weekend in Ottawa visiting Jennifer. It was terrific to get a block of time to catch up with Jennifer (usually we have less time and more kids to contend with). Also, there is something good about being out of your own environment for a few days. I felt more relaxed and didn't have the constant "to do" list running like a ticker tape through the back of my head.

On our first night, we hung out in the kitchen for much of the evening, chatting, eating, and more chatting. Jennifer cooked a fantastic Japanese meal for us (I friggin' LOVE her cooking), and was very patient as I unloaded every little thought in my head (as I am apt to do when presented with an opportunity to talk with an adult). One of the things I really appreciate Jennifer is that she has been there for the entire back story, so she knows when I say something, how I'll likely feel about it and why. I don't have to go into great depth for her to get the gist of it. We also have a very relaxed way of spending time together. It usually involves good food, hanging out, and the odd shopping errand. Turns out this also works well for babies. Cameron was a good sport all weekend. She was very interested in her new surroundings, and especially liked Jennifer's dog Sasha. Sasha wasn't really sure what she thought of Cameron sleeping in her bed, but was very tolerant (she even let Cameron hold onto her tail). Twice I came into the bedroom to find Sasha curled up at the end of the bed, careful not to disturb Cameron. With any other animal that would have made me incredibly nervous, but not Sasha. She is the sweetest lady dog I have ever met.

Jennifer's neighbour is a musician by the name of Andrea Simms Karp, and while I didn't get to meet her, I did download her new album off of itunes. Cameron and I listened to it twice on the way home and all I have to say is "wow". Check her out on her website and if you dig it, I highly recommend buying a copy. I'm hoping she comes to Toronto at some point so I can hear her live. Max and Scott were very pleased to see us return. I was exhausted (driving 5 hours straight with 2 short booby breaks is a long haul, especially when being serenaded by a baby who doesn't care that the next rest stop is not for 38km when she wants booby now!). We're right back into the swing of things though and from the look of this week's schedule, it's another busy one.

Cameron Elizabeth: 4 months old.

My dearest baby Cameron,

This post is coming more than a week late because we both got sick with colds and have been recovering for the past week. Actually, you got the cold first, and then you gave it to me (if we're going to be exact for historical reasons). Regardless, we are on the road to recovery and about to embark on our 2nd Official Girls Only Road trip tomorrow, because that's what big girls do.
This past month has brought about many new changes. You have been on a growth spurt, or should I say weight gain spurt? This past month you packed on almost a pound and a half, landing you at 13 lbs, 5 ounces on September 2nd. An interesting note is that I weighed 13 lbs, 6 ounces on September 2nd, 1975, and since we have the same birthday, that's pretty much right on target! You didn't grow in length this month, but that's okay - the nurse says that everything is just evening out. We have had to delay your 4 month vaccination because you have been sick, but not to worry, we'll get that in next week (not that I'm looking forward to it). I get very sad when you cry after you get your needles. You look at the doctor like "What did I do to deserve that? I'm just a sweet little baby, you mean old jerk!".
Cameron, you have smiles for miles, and you grin all the time. You also have a little laugh that comes out when you are especially happy - usually at bath time or when you get tickled under the chin. Sometimes you get to have baths with me, and you really like that. It's all your favourite things at once - bath, booby, and mommy and daddy both paying 100% attention to you.

Whenever you get a little sad, you are easily appeased with a rendition of "I'm a Little Teapot". You also like to listen when I tell your big brother Max stories. You sit up straight and get a big smile on your face and look very attentive. I am glad you like stories like your brother, as we seem to be reading A LOT of books right now.

This month you graduated to your exosaucer. This is a fantastic thing as you always prefer to be standing up, and I get tired of holding you up in my lap all the time. You sit/stand in your exosaucer and hang out with me while I'm in the kitchen, cooking dinner, or eating breakfast. We'll have to figure out how to fit it into the car for our trip to Ottawa as I don't think either of us can live without it.

You love your toes - you hold onto them and look at me like "Hey, where did these awesome things come from?". You also like sucking on your woozit toy, and any shoulder you can get your little mouth on. Most days your dad's shirt is soaked through by the time he gets ready for bed. He doesn't seem to mind though, he thinks it is kind of funny.
Cameron, you are one good baby - everybody says so! You have an easy demeanor, and you don't mind taking a bottle at all. On your 4 month birthday, your dad and I went away for a whole night to celebrate our anniversary. You stayed with your Aunt Christine in Toronto (I think you got the cold from all the partying you two did). From what she reported, all you did was sleep, eat, and shop. I hear you went to Yorkville and Holt Renfrew. Sounds very fancy, little lady, or "Miss Muffin" as Christine likes to call you. You also slept all through the night, without waking up. Hmmm...you haven't done that for me in a while. I think you have been holding out on me. Or maybe it's that you are sleeping next to your favourite restaurant. Who wouldn't want to wake up for a snack?
Speaking of snacks - when you get hungry, and a little tired, you start talking in this little raspy voice of yours that cracks me up. You are not to be ignored, and if you are made to wait, you get progressively louder until the noise in my head makes me feel like I will fall over if I don't pick you up and feed you. I swear, you babies know all the tricks to get your mommies to be at your beck and call. If it isn't your round cheeks that I can't stop kissing, the sound of your voice makes me feel like I need to drop everything immediately to see what you need. You make my day, every day. Your dad and I are very much in love with you, and we can't get enough cuddles and kisses in, so you will have to forgive us if you get tired of all that. Your curly brown hair and hazel eyes (they changed this month!) make you look so much like your dad, I can't help but smile when I see you in his arms. I am looking forward to seeing what this next month will bring.

Love,
Mommy

50 lbs of Meat! Oh My!

Lame-oh apologies from the FF household. Cameron and I have been sick all week with a nasty head cold. She has been wanting to nurse on the hour to sooth her throat and I have been very cranky with a never ending headache.

While it hasn't been a very productive week, I did manage to finally finish "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". It may have taken me four months to complete, but damn it, I did it! I don't have it in me to prepare enough food stores to get my family through the winter, but I have decided to make a few changes that I feel good about. First off, I ordered 30 pounds of organic beef and 20 pounds of organic pork from Meeting Place Organic Farm in Lucknow, Ontario. It will get delivered at the end of September. I'm curious to see how long it lasts us. We can order more beef in November if we run out. I like the idea of supporting local farmers, and I really like the idea of feeding my family organic meat.

The other thing I am going to do, with the help of my mom, is can apple sauce and pizza sauce. I have grand aspirations of canning much more next year, but for now I think this is a good start. Max loves apple sauce and I make pizza about once a week, so we will definitely use both. I have sourced organic tomatoes and apples from the local market and been promised they will be available in abundance at the end of September. I'll be sure to document my adventures in canning and blog about it. Also, I promise to blog more this coming week, assuming we're all healthy!

Woo Wee Weekend.

Where to begin? Scott and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary by taking a trip to wine country (Niagara, for those of you who aren't from around these parts). I will admit I was a little (lot) stressed about leaving Cameron for a whole day at the ripe old age of 4 months. I mean, I didn't leave Max for the entire first year of his life. Christine, who was there for Cameron's birth took care of her for us, and Scott's folks took care of Max. We thought that since they could both potentially stay up all night, a divide and conquer strategy was better for everyone. On their best days they are both wonderful, on their worst they would have the Dalai Lama running for the hills. I'm pleased to report that they were both very well behaved and they both slept through the night. Yes, Cameron, my darling baby girl, slept 9.5 hours straight for Christine. Must have something to do with the fact that Christine doesn't smell like a milk factory. At least that's my theory!

We started our trip by stopping at a few wineries on our way to the B & B. First we stopped at Malivoire, then Kacaba, and my favourite of the day, Tawse. Tawse uses a state-of-the-art method of wine making involving gravity, and uses a pond on the property to heat and cool the entire winery. Then we headed to our favourite B & B - the Jordan Village Guest Manor. Sheldon and Judy have a beautiful property, right on the Jordan Main Street. The B & B has rooms right in their home, but also has a guest cottage, which is where we like to stay. The cottage has a little kitchen, dining area, family room, bedroom (king size bed!) and bathroom with a claw foot tub. We dropped off our stuff and took a stroll down the Main Street where we also visited Cave Spring and had a snack on the patio of the Zooma Zooma cafe. Many jokes followed with "All I wanna do is zoom-zoom-zoom-zoom and a boom-boom....". Yes, we are twelve at heart.

After "resting" for a bit and taking a bath, we headed over to Vineland for the chef's 5 Course Tasting Menu, complemented by the Wine Pairing Menu. Because it was our anniversary, we were treated to some of Vineland's Brut, and then the fun began. The meal began with Oysters 3 Ways, was followed with Roasted Red Pepper soup with goat cheese (our favourite course), then Chicken Risotto, Steak with seasonal vegetables and polenta, and then a dessert, which I think was some sort of a torte, with ice wine. The entire experience was divine, and I left feeling pleasantly full (each course was the perfect gourmet size), and glowing. And perhaps a little bit stumbly, but I wasn't driving, so that's okay. On the way back to the B & B, Scott made a joke that made me laugh. Actually, howl may be more appropriate. I think I almost made him drive off the road I was laughing so hard. Those who know me well, know it takes a lot to make me laugh outwardly, so this was really cathartic. I had tears running down my face, and my stomach hurt, but it was such a great release and it was one of the highlights of the weekend.

The next morning we got up early (we seem to be incapable of sleeping in) and headed back to the Zooma Zooma Cafe for breakfast. Scott had scrambled eggs with lobster and I had turkey frittata. We then headed over to Flat Rock Cellars, which may be my new favourite winery (their Twisted wine is out of this world).

Then came the spa. Ah yes, the spa. As part of our weekend away, I booked myself into the Inn on the Twenty spa for a relaxation massage and lavender pedicure. What a way to end the weekend. We packed up, and headed home, rested, relaxed, and pampered. I can't wait to do it again next year!

4 Years: An Eternity in the Blink of an Eye.

Scott and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary yesterday. He brought me beautiful flowers and gave me a really sweet card. I totally flaked and didn't do anything (I thought we were "officially" celebrating this Saturday). What's funny is that our 10 year date-iversary is coming up in October, and to me, that is even more monumental. I mean, that's almost a third of my life - that's a long time!

In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that we got married. While that day now ranks 3rd in the "happiest day of my life" department, behind the births of Max and Cam (tied for 1st, thank you very much), it was still a wonderful day. Mostly, it feels like it isn't possible that so much could have happened in just 4 years. Let's see, we've had two kids, both changed jobs twice, dealt with four major health crises with our parents (one each!), Max has had surgery twice...and that's just off the top of my head.

I won't say it has always been easy or fun, because it has been a lot of work. I will say that the work has been worth it, and that I know we can tackle anything as long as we do it together. I love him more today than the day we got married and I will love him more tomorrow. There is something very sexy about a man who changes diapers without complaining and will get dressed (after he has already gotten in his pajamas) to go pick up Thai food. Scott may not be handy, but he has a heart of gold. Tomorrow he is taking me away (sans kids) to Niagara for a night. We are staying at the B&B where we stayed when he proposed, and going to dinner at the restaurant where he actually proposed. And going to all my favourite wineries...and I'm going to the spa. How lovely is that?

Maxwell Hunter: 28 months.

Dear Max,

This has been a really exciting month for you - you have started talking! We have been waiting for this for a long time little buddy, and each day we listen closely for whatever new words you are going to throw our way. I'm so thrilled, I am keeping a list of your words - I even sent a copy of the list to your daycare so they could listen for those words (and hopefully add to the list with new ones!). You seem to be a bit shy about talking in front of your dad, so he has to trust the rest of us that you are in fact starting to talk.

My favourites so far are when the other night at the end of your bath, I pulled the plug out and said "water go bye bye", you looked at me, stood up and said "done!" as you vaulted yourself out of the tub. You also gave your grandpa (aka "Bumpa") a thrill when he came in the door and said "hi Max" and you looked at him and said "hi". Your teacher, Jennifer, almost fell over when you said "hi" to her last week - I think you made her day. You also like to say "push" when you are laying on the couch to get me to push on the bottom of your feet. It comes out kind of like "ush", but I know what you mean.
Your favourite toys right now are your cars. You like the ones that rev up and roll across the floor on their own. I bought you some monster trucks that even flip over, which you think is really cool. When they roll under your trampoline you crawl under it to pull them out (quite a sight to see your little feet peaking out from under the trampoline as you try to reach them).

As your sister gets bigger, we are starting to bring out some of your older toys and you are very interested in these. Sometimes you take them and hide them (like that vibrating turtle toy) and sometimes you just hang out and play with them yourself. I hope you don't mind sharing your old toys too much - I know sharing can be hard.

Max, you are turning into a boy right before my eyes and I'm not sure I'm ready for it (though I'm kind of thrilled that you look like me - check out this picture of me when I was five). Every day you do something new and it we are all amazed at how terrific you are doing. Your grandparents love the daily progress reports and pictures of you with your big toothy grin. Keep it up - you are one awesome little guy.

Love,
Mommy

Excuse Me While I Whine.

I think I have the flakiest maid in the world. She is supposed to come every Friday at 11am. But really, she shows up every other week at best, and when she does come, it is at whatever damn time she pleases. Now, before you start mocking me for complaining about how hard done by I am because my cleaning lady only shows up 50% of the time, I know that I am pretty lucky to have a cleaning lady at all. I even checked the site White Whine before posting this blog to see if anyone else had the "nerve" to complain about their cleaning lady.

She has trained me well. I now clean my kitchen before she comes because if I leave the dishwasher for her to empty, I can't find a damn thing until she comes back and I ask her where she put my rice cooker, strainer, or veggie steamer. She tells me that she leaves me messages when she can't come, but her number never shows up on the call display. If I don't bring the vacuum up and leave it on the landing for her, she won't vacuum. She puts my wine glasses and fancy Paderno pots in the dishwasher, which gives me heart palpatations. If I don't put the clean sheets on the bed (and leave them instead on the dresser), she will not change the sheets. She doesn't empty the kitchen garbage, and when she washes the floors, she mops around the area rugs instead of taking them outside and shaking them out and actually washing the floor below them.

She puts my fancy steak knives in the drawer where I keep all the mismatched cutlery, doesn't clean the mirrors on the closet doors (typically covered in Max hand prints) and have I mentioned that when she does change the sheets to the beds, she somehow manages to find the one clean basket of laundry yet to be put away and jams the dirty sheets on top of my nicely folded and so-fresh-so-clean-clean clothes (even when I leave an empty basket at the end of the bed).

So, why the hell do I keep her? Well, when I went on maternity leave, I wanted to go down to having her come every other week. But then I realized, that's how often she comes anyway, so if I actually changed to every other week, I'd see her once a month at best. Also, she is the only person in my life who is actually helping me with the housework (Scott, god love him, is not the most useful around the house). And there is the issue about her having a key to my home...I just think the conversation where I ask for the key back is way too stressful to even contemplate.

She probably thinks I'm the flake, that I don't even care that she only shows up every now and again, I don't criticize her work, and I rarely get specific about things I want. Oh well. At least she gives me subject matter to blog about. That's something.

"Reigning it In".

I had every intention of not overdoing it this week at the local farmer's market at Oakville Place. Clearly, I was not successful in my attempt as I had to make about three trips from the car to the house just to get my groceries inside. We also hit Organic Garage on the way home to get some chicken, pork, milk, and pizza sauce. I figure with the price of chicken and pork going through the roof, I might as well spend a few dollars more and buy organic.

I was also sent a copy of the Rebar cookbook (it arrived yesterday - what a treat!). I am excited to delve into it and pick some recipes to try out on the family. The salad recipes and soups look divine. I swear, I never though I'd turn into a foodie, but it looks like I am heading down that road in a hurry. Between my homemade pizza, plans to can tomato sauce and apple sauce this fall, I feel like a cooking superstar. Well, maybe more of a local celeb (or a vision in my own mind). On a final note, I did make pizza when I was in Ithaca. Behold my work of art:I wasn't crazy about the crust, but it may just be that I once again didn't give the dough enough time to rise. I also think that whole wheat flour isn't the best for pizza dough (it seems a lot denser than white flour). Next time I'll used the unbleached white flour instead.

Home Again.

Cam and I got home on Monday night - and I'm happy to report we arrived in one piece (individually, that is). Ithaca was awesome as usual and the car was packed to the gills as a result of much shopping and my sister-in-law Haschmo being very generous with baby items she no longer needs because my nephew Zevi has outgrown them (I also think she is happy to get this stuff out of her house until she needs it again).

Scott and Max were happy we came home - each for their different reasons. I think Max missed story time and Scott missed having someone adult to talk with. I have been really tired since I got back, and Cam has been a little fussy. I think traveling took it out of both of us. Tomorrow we're going to head to the farmer's market to get our weekly supply of fruit and vegetables. I also want to get to Organic Garage to pick up some other supplies for the house.

Cam is a tired little camper (and 16 weeks old today!), so it's time to hit the sheets. More tomorrow, I promised!

Girls' Road Trip.

I had been planning to go visit Jennifer in Ottawa this weekend (a delayed birthday celebration weekend), but some really sad circumstances meant that we had to postpone our trip for a few weeks. Thing is, I had already done a lot of prep work to go on this road trip, baby and all. The car was full of gas, groceries stocked for Scott and Max, clothes and toiletries packed, cell phone fully charged, and nowhere to go.

I racked my brain on where Cam and I could go that was within a five hour drive and was baby friendly, and well, actually somewhere I wanted to go. It didn't take long for me to think of the perfect place - Ithaca, New York. Once I established that we would be welcome at my brother David and sister-in-law Haschmo's house, I reformed my plans and got some Yankee dollars, then we hit the road.

I am proud to say that Cameron did terrific. It took us 4.5 hours to get here and she only cried for the last half hour. I can't really blame her, that last half hour is tiresome. When we arrived, Cameron's cousin Zevi was thrilled to see her and I was thrilled to be off the road. I inhaled the sweet Ithaca air and relaxed like only you can do with family.

Now that I know Cameron is such a good little traveller, I am looking forward to the soon to be rescheduled visit to Ottawa. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy hanging out, do some shopping at Target, and drink some of that yummy Ithaca apricot wheat beer I love so much. Good times.

Homemade Pizza Take Two & Three.

We've been busy at the house of Feline the past few days. Max decided to come down with a nasty fever and has been home from daycare for the past two days. Needless to say, taking care of a newborn and a sick 2 year old is less than fun and very tiring. Looks like he is on the upswing though, so fingers crossed he is feeling better tomorrow morning and can get back into his routine.

In the meantime, I have been going a bit nuts with the pizza experiment. I decided to try making my own dough, and I learned a hard lesson about patience. Turns out, if you don't give the dough long enough to rise, it tastes like cardboard.

Attempt #2:

I decided to add a control group to attempt #3 and I upped the ante on toppings (in case my dough failed to "rise" to the occasion). My dough stacked up just fine ( tried a different recipe) against the store bought dough, so I think I have finally mastered the art of pizza making. Woo wee! Now I can really go crazy with the toppings and try some different crusts as well. Is my family lucky or what?

Attempt #3:

Hey! Guess What?

Max has ringworm. Boo to that, poor kid. Also, he is starting to talk. Wicked. Awesome. The Best. Superb. So HAPPY I COULD FLY. Champagne. Celebrations. Hugs all around.

The words are not consistent, but they are definitely starting. So far we have:

dada
duck
down (heard at daycare)
all done
nay (like a horse)
mommy (heard at daycare)
yes
nana
more (heard at daycare)
goose
hush
did it (as in "we did it" from Dora)

We have been waiting a long time for this and working hard with Max to get him communicating. I have prayed many times a day for over a year for this. Now we just have to keep 'em coming!

Homemade Pizza: Take One.

Before today, I had never, ever, made homemade pizza. I've had my share of frozen mini pizzas, and eaten pretty much every kind of take out pizza available, but I've never made my own. I remember visiting Jennifer once in Ottawa, and she made homemade pizza, which I inhaled. I marvelled at how fabulous it was, but figured it was too hard to make. But, now that I'm on the "eat local" train, I figure I need to find a way to make some of our family favourites from scratch (or semi-scratch as it may be). After doing a little bit of research, I got Scott to pick up a pizza stone and some pizza paddles for us. I then went to our local Italian grocery store, Longos, and purchased some pizza sauce, pizza dough, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, sweet roasted red peppers, portobello mushrooms and corn flour. I even bought some yeast so I can make my own dough next time.The first pizza ended up a little deformed because I had a hard time transferring the pizza from the paddle to the pizza stone. It turned out very tasty though, so, for a first attempt, not bad.
The second pizza proved marginally more successful - I slid some plastic plates under the pizza to move it to the pizza stone. Still not perfect, but a little better. I think next time (when I will make my own dough), I will try waxed paper and a lot more corn starch. Regardless, it was a big hit with the family, so I am satisfied with the first attempt.

Interesting note - Scott and I (both lactose intolerant) usually feel a little icky after eating take out pizza. Neither of us felt sick at all after tonight's pizza. I think it is that it is less greasy and there is a little less cheese on it.

If anyone has any tips on how to transfer the pizza to the pizza stone without it losing its shape, I'd sure appreciate your tips. I figure if we make pizza on a weekly basis I'll have it down pat by Christmas.

Cameron Elizabeth: 3 months old.

My dearest baby Cameron,

They say the first three months of having a newborn in the house are the hardest, and while I don't entirely disagree, I also have to say that they are magical. Sure, there is the crazy schedule and lack of sleep, time to eat, and basic fuzzy brain, but getting to see you grow and change before our eyes has been awesome. So awesome that I now understand why people keep having babies, and why everyone who meets you wants to stop and "oo" and "ah" over you.
This past month your personality has started to come out. I think you will be one sassy lady. I saw a psychic when I was six months pregnant with you, and she said you would be sassy, so it must be true. ;-) You like to squawk at me until I get ready to feed you, and they you look over at your dad as if to say, "see, I told you I could get her to take her boob out". Then you don't even eat! You just lay there and smile at me like I'm the funniest person in the world.
Your smile could light the world, and each morning when you wake up, you give me a dreamy look that makes me think you are pretty happy with your lot in life. And who could blame you really? I mean, boob pretty much on demand, you sleep in nice queen size bed with your mom (and sometimes dad too, though he prefers the cool basement guest room). You have enough clothes that you haven't even worn them all yet, and you have a lineup of people who want to give you kisses and cuddles.
The past few nights you have slept seven hours in a row for me, and that, little lady, is wonderful (keep it up!). You do like to stay up pretty late - your last feeding is usually around midnight or a bit later. The other night, just after you fell asleep, I looked down at you and you laughed in your sleep. I imagine you were having the field of boobies dream? Whatever it was, it was very sweet and I was very lucky to catch it. Something that I do want to bring up, is that you are a bit of a bed hog. I'm not sure how you manage it, but every night you start out in the middle of the bed, and by the end of the night, you have wiggled yourself so close to me, that I end up at the edge of the bed almost falling off, while you are laying diagonally, with one arm over your head (just like your dad sleeps). I swear, between the two of you, I'm lucky I don't end up bent like a pretzel at the foot of the bed.
Cameron, you seem to have a lot to say, and you are ever watchful. You seem to know the moment I enter the room (is that your boob-dar?), and you love to look at your dad (he can be very distracting when I am trying to get you to eat). You are also very chatty, which cracks us up. Sometimes your expression is so serious, we think you must be telling extraordinary tales, so we say "oh really?! That is amazing, tell us more!".

Yesterday I got out the bumbo chair for you to try out. You seemed to like it, though I didn't keep you in there for too long as I don't want your neck to get tired holding up your head. I sat you on the table and we had our morning talk about our plans for the day while I drank my coffee. I think you liked the new perspective of the world sitting up in your bumbo chair gave you. We also went for a play date with Maya and her little sister Hannah last week. They really liked holding you and playing with your toes. I'm not sure what you thought, but you were fairly agreeable with the whole situation and behaved quite well, so I'm pretty sure we'll be invited back next week.

I'm not sure how big you are now, we'll know for sure at your checkup on Wednesday. You are still wearing your 3 - 6 month clothes and wearing size 2 diapers, and you seem to be growing into your feet. Your face is filling out beautifully and I think you must be storing nuts in those cheeks of yours.

What else is there to say? You like to play with your woozit toy and your baseball bear. Sometimes I look over and I see the toys swinging and your arms and legs in the air as your bat the toys around, your eyes open wide in amazement. Your mobile and swing are also good at keeping you entertained, though not for too long. You still prefer to be held, and you and your big brother Max sometimes have staring contests. He still doesn't like it when you cry (if you carry on for too long, he starts crying too). You seem to be crying a bit less now that you are getting older, so we are all relieved about that (not that you were ever a super cryer).
Cameron, you are a wonderful baby, and your dad and I are enjoying having a baby in the house again. You light up our days and your dad can't wait to get home from work to see you and your brother every day. This coming month we'll get out the jolly jumper and exosaucer (more toys!) and see what you think of those. We also have a mom-daughter road trip planned to go visit your Aunt Jenny - a busy month for sure!

Love,
Mommy

Edited to add: At your 3 month checkup, you weighed in at 12 pounds even, and measured 25.25 inches long. Your head cirmcumference was 16.5 inches.

You Can Stick Your Peruvian Apples You Know Where.

After sadly discovering that Max is allergic to plums (a real tragedy since he LOVES them), I decided I'd better get him some apples. Since it was Wednesday and the weekly Farmers Market wasn't until Thursday, I trotted off to my local grocery store (Dominion). And I looked for some locally grown apples. Huh. I looked some more. Argentina, USA, Peru... and you guessed it - not ONE stinking apple grown locally. I was so annoyed that I walked out apple free. Poor Max would have to eat some local blueberries until I managed to get to the Farmers Market. When I think about how much it must cost just to ship that produce from South America to Oakville, and how little the farmer is getting paid, it makes me feel a little sick. Not to mention just how little nutritional value is left by the time it gets to me, however many days later. No thank you - I'd rather buy my produce from someone who I can shake hands with.

I was actually surprised with how strongly I felt about buying local. I think I'm going to have to find another grocery store to shop at, just on principle. Dominion does a horrible job of providing local produce. In the peak of strawberry season, they had zero Ontario strawberries. I have yet to see Ontario blueberries or raspberries either. Everything is from California or South America. I think Loblaws may be a little better at selling local produce, so I'm going to check them out next time I need to shop outside of the Farmers Market.

Anyway, enough with the rant! We had much success at the market yesterday. As you can see, I bought a pile of apples, cucumbers (those small ones are tasty!), summer squash, blueberries, raspberries, peppers, cream corn and the big hit of the day was the Sugar Baby Watermelon. I immediately carved up half of it to be enjoyed by all, and it was super tasty.

Big ups to my friend DAM's wife, Natasha, who I finally got to meet yesterday. Natasha is hugely involved in charity work in Toronto. She told me about an organization in Toronto called "The Stop" that provides healthy food and produce to low income families. They also do a lot of work and education in the community. Way cool and very inspiring. I am definitely going to check out their new Green Barn. This just solidifies my goal of planting my own vegetables next summer. I'll probably start small, but I figure even a container garden on my deck is a start.