favorite things

calvin is rapidly changing from a baby who goes along with life to a toddler with specific ideas and expectations. it is amazing to watch. his vocabulary in the last few weeks has doubled. he has added apple, help, book and hot. he only says them though, when HE wants to.

of course he understands way more than he can say. sam and i love to give him a specific direction to see if he follows it. sam asked him to go get the ball and he did. also when faced with two differently sized blocks, he can also pick up the bigger one. one of my favorite things is to watch him think. it is hard to believe that just a year ago calvin was a helpless, cuddly peanut, who slept the day way.

here are a few of calvin's favorite things:

dirt

apples and blueberries

hummus

(notice that two of them are food...)

i have been busy with school. finals are coming up and i should be studying (now), but i have found some time to create. i am almost done with a quilt for baby leo, then i begin one for baby joey.

another friend of mine just told me she was pregnant on friday, so there is one more quilt to add to the to-do list. this is her second baby... her first was born the same week as calvin! i can't imagine being pregnant again. although on my college friends' blog i seemed to be a favorite to have another wee one soon. seeing all of the brand new tiny ones lately has got me thinking...just thinking.

bakin' and bacon

i am on a constant quest to make a delicious, yet healthy snack that is good to eat on the go and also easy to make. someone at work introduced me to these babies. they are made from Country Choice organic whole grain cereal (i found it at trader joe's). the recipe is on the back. they are low in sugar, but still taste yummy. i used whole wheat flour and added some flax to pack in more nutrition. there is a topping that i did not include when i made them, but my friend at work topped hers and wow! it was good. calvin LOVES these muffins. so i'm sure i will be making them weekly.

speaking of trader joe's... have you tried their turkey bacon? delicious! it is thick, but still crisps up when cooked. we love it around here.

two quilts done

it feels like everyone i know is having a baby. i am in a serious quilt jam. i finished two quilts recently though. one for baby ava (who is nine weeks old tomorrow) and one for baby jack, who is almost three weeks old.




but in the meantime, my other friend ari became a mom yesterday! i am so excited for her and little joseph.

also i have been super inspired by these. i want to make a series of small quilts for calvin's room. he doesn't have anything above his crib on the wall because i have been super paranoid about anything heavy that could fall on him, so a small lightweight quilt might be just perfect.

i went to the brooklyn flea last sunday with a friend. it was super posh and mostly had new stuff and very cool (expensive) vintage stuff. calvin got a super chic jacket for next winter and i got to meet lotta jansdotter so it was worth the trip.

this next week is spring break for elementary so i have the week off of teaching but i still have class at TC. i have big lofty plans for all of the days. you have to think big, right?

spring and other dreams

the air is finally starting to heat up here (by heat i mean 50ish degrees). i do love winter. i love the snow, the chilly crisp air, the warm soups and teas, the sassy jackets. but after a long stretch of gray skies and being inside all the time, spring is a burst of energy and color. on our first day out in months, i watched as calvin explored the 'outside' world. each tiny discovery, a stick, an acorn hat, led to excitement. he started collecting little bits and saving them (he is my son, so of course he collects things).

earlier in the day when it was raining, calvin read a book to his friend, buzzy. he loves to read books. i love watching him seek out reading as an activity and hunt for his favorite books (they happen to be pat the bunny and i love you through and through at the moment).

the kitchen tupperware drawer is also a treasure chest brimming with interesting finds. he loves to take all the bowls and lids out and then put them all back. we have (mostly) switched to glass containers because of the BPA and pthalates, but glass does not make for safe playing... i keep a supply of plastic ones around for calvin to take out of the drawer and put back in.

calvin plays with everyday things and see them as objects of wonder. i hope he never loses that sense of awe in discovery. i feel it everyday as i watch calvin grow and discover the world.