Seven Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 53

Linking up as always, but we are over at Clan Donaldson this week! If you clicked through from the linkup, I apologize for that photo; it's not mine, and I have no idea why InLinkz used it instead of the one I uploaded, and it won't let me delete and retry!

I

Four times in the past three nights, we've been woken up by Little Bear and diaper unhappiness: wet toddler, wet pajamas, wet sheets, wet blankets, the works. I picked up the next larger size of diapers after the first time, but that clearly hasn't made a difference--possibly because I got the store-brand diapers in an effort to not go over budget this month. I'm not sure what to do from this point; maybe for the rest of the month, I'll change him when he wakes up to nurse around midnight? It would be really, really good if we could avoid buying any more diapers... but I'm definitely tired of doing laundry every day.

II

Yesterday we had planned to meet a friend and her kids at the public ice skating rink to walk around their second-floor track, letting the kids run without all of the coats and boots and mittens they'd need outside. When I pulled in, the parking lot was suspiciously empty. Little Bear was very sure that it was time to be out of the car seat, though, so we toddler-in-boots-slowly ambled across the parking lot to the doors. Sure enough, they're closed for the week. Getting back in the car was not the most fun thing we've done this week... Going over to his grandma's house to play more than made up for it, though.

III

Still no snow! It's so odd to hear about places so much farther south, Wisconsin and Ohio and all, getting snow while we still have sunny blue skies and bare ground, and even patches of green grass still in the yard. The temperature is creeping down slowly, but we are still only waking up to 20-something degrees and coming close to 40 by the warmest part of the day. I'm enjoying the prolonged autumn, but we are getting to the point where soon I'll have to agree with those who want it to start snowing; if we don't have a good layer of snow down before the first time the temperature plummets, everyone's water pipes, septic lines, etc. are going to freeze.

IV

Since it's still autumn, I want to make to most of it; today, that means making to house smell like apples! Ten apples got peeled, cored and chopped this morning, and are simmering away happily on the stove as they slowly turn into applesauce. I always used to put cinnamon in it and a bit of sugar, but Little Bear is going through a "food is not for eating" phase and if I know that he will eat straight cooked apples, I'm not going to add any cinnamon to scare him off or sugar that he doesn't need. I may pull a bit out and add the cinnamon just for Matt and myself.

V

It's not that he won't eat, exactly, or that he's a picky eater. He is usually happy to take a bite of anything we offer him, and he will chew it up, but then he spits it out again instead of swallowing it. Maybe he doesn't believe he's able to swallow solid food? We've learned that if we feed him softer foods like applesauce, yogurts, bread, pasta, and we let him help control the spoon/fork, he's much more likely to actually swallow food. It's confusing to see him spitting out foods he used to like, though; last night he wouldn't even eat the bit of cookie we gave him. He's also becoming a bit of a cheese snob, which is kind of hilarious even while it's frustrating: we had a block of sharp cheddar for a while, and he loved it, but since it was finished off we've gone back to medium cheddar (since it's the one that usually goes on sale) and he refuses to eat any. Since he's still nursing, my main response to him not eating full meals like a "normal" toddler is to shrug. Whatever. He's getting everything he needs, and we will just keep sticking food in his face and as he gets older he will start eating more of it.

VI

It seems like at least half of the couples we know are expecting right now or have just recently had a baby. I know it's not true, not really, but why does hearing others' good news automatically make me look at the huge toddler throwing blocks at the lamp ("No! Stop that!") and feel jealous? A cute little baby would be so much less work... But that's totally untrue, and I know it. And I'm happy with our life the way it is, very happy. And I hated being pregnant. And, gosh, giving birth is awful. As soon as I try to think rationally about why I'm jealous it makes absolutely no sense. But it always pops up, right after the "I'm so happy for them!" -- the "Aww, I want a new baby..." And then I feel all guilty for letting my happiness for them be tinged with this absurd automated maternal jealousy...

VII

Tuesday was the optional memorial of Blessed Pope John Paul II! The university parish had adoration and Little Bear and I were able to go, and in the evening Matt and I said a divine mercy chaplet together (the divine mercy message and prayers were approved by JPII). I made a fun supper, although it wasn't terribly Polish: meatloaf, garlic smashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and brownies. The meatloaf was...unique...because instead of breadcrumbs (Matt's childhood meatloaf) or quick rolled oats (mine), I used leftover cooked rice as the starch/filler/thing to absorb juice. It turned out well, and Little Bear shocked us by eagerly eating all of the rice out of my piece; this is the kid who has refused rice every time it's ever been offered to him. He still managed to spit out most of the meat, but it was good to have the reassurance that he will in fact eat food when he feels like it.