Fall is Upon Us

We've had a pretty quiet week here in Sawyerville. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. This is one of my favorite times of year because it always brings me back to my first semester at A&M. I can still remember walking through campus and looking up to a sky that was the brightest of blues and free of clouds for miles. The air was so brisk and clean as it blew through the trees and across my face. Light jackets or A&M sweatshirts hung from the students' backs, just to be removed by lunchtime when the warmth would make its return. That time of my life is a time that I will forever cherish.

Sawyer and I seem to be adjusting well to his one nap schedule. It's really not so bad as long as I keep him stocked in Tupperware, boxes, wrapping paper and paper towel rolls, wooden spoons, and spatulas. Anyone who asks what Sawyer should receive for Christmas will be given the choice of the above items. It seems that those are his favorite toys at the moment. One of his favorite things to do is dump out my 100 Calorie Pack box of Oreos and Chips Ahoy that I got from Sam's. I keep it on my island. The purchase was made so that I could actually consume the above mentioned products, but my son has managed to crush them into oblivion. Oh well, whatever keeps him off the streets! :)


It is loads of fun to crush Mommy's snacks!


I could just eat him up!

Speaking of streets, he is doing better about being outside. He is walking more confidently on the grass and he walked to the mailbox with me yesterday. I know that he will get more and more used to it as time goes on. We just have to keep giving him the opportunity to explore. It's nice outside because there aren't any couches to climb, blinds to grab, remotes in which to channel-surf, stairs to climb, phones to call China. I'm thinking you get my drift! :)

We have a quiet weekend planned. Larry and Velma were here this last weekend. Sawyer had a great time with all of the extra attention. I think Lorne and I forget just how cute he is until someone else is here to watch him too. We just can't get over how observant a little toot we have. He doesn't miss a beat! The trick is to try and stay one step ahead of him at all times!

An Apple a Day

Sawyer and I both had doctor's appointments this week. Sawyer's was on Tuesday. He now weighs 24 pounds and is 31 1/2 inches tall. He is in the 50th percentile across the board for his weight, length, and head circumference. He got three shots and didn't even cry! The nurse couldn't get over how strong he is. She was telling the other nurses in the office. It was so funny!

It seems that I have a complaint about his pediatrician every time we go and this time is no exception. Lorne may be right when he tells me that I should find another, but I don't think anyone would be good enough for my little man. Anyway, I made a list of all of his signs because I knew that would be one of the questions that she would ask. He has fifteen signs but he's really only saying "bye-bye." Everything else that he says is pretty unintelligible. She told me that we need to stop signing and start talking, like I don't talk to my son all day...give me a break! She said that if he isn't saying at least six words in the next month to give her a call. The way I look at it he sat up, rolled over, crawled, and walked late, so I think that talking will just be one more thing. It isn't like the pistons aren't firing. People only need to be around him for a few minutes before they see how sharp he is. I just don't think that she is a baby sign language proponent and I'm going to leave it at that.

The biggest Sawyer news right now is that he is only taking one nap. He gets up around 8:00 and then I put him down at 1:00. He sleeps about two hours and that's it. I was really worried about what I would do with him for the five hours before naptime and the five hours after, but it really hasn't been so bad. It actually seems like I'm getting out of the house more since he isn't napping in the AM.

Now that he's walking and the weather is cooling off Lorne has been taking him out to the backyard in the evenings. He doesn't want to walk in the grass. It is the funniest thing. He acts like he is afraid of it or something. I try to get him to walk on the concrete to get the mail and he doesn't want to do that either. He just sits in the driveway. There must be something about him and the ground. I guess that's what happens when you've been held for fourteen months!


My two favorite boys hanging out in the backyard.


Sawyer is still getting used to the grass...our poor little city kid!


He has a blast in his swing from Uncle Matthew and Aunt Jackie.

I had an appointment this morning. Denise volunteered to watch Sawyer so I dropped him off on my way. She said that he did great for her. He didn't even cry when I left. It was weird to see the carseat empty on my way to Plano. I felt like I was forgetting something when I got to the office. I didn't have nearly enough in my hands.

I didn't have a sonogram this time so I'm not sure about the fibroid. I did get to hear the heartbeat and it was in the 150s and sounding just like a galloping horse. What a glorious sound! I will have a sonogram on October 24th and that's when we find out if this new munchkin is a boy or a girl! I'm thinking it's a boy. Of course I thought Sawyer was a girl so what do I know?

Sawyer is Fifteen Months Old!

Sawyer's fifteen month birthday was on Saturday. We celebrated by spending a quiet day at home. He is recovering from a slight cold/teething combination, so we figured a weekend at home was just what he needed.

Sawyer is learning more signs these days. He has learned the sign for "sleep" and has actually given us the sign a few times when he is ready for a nap. I'm still putting him down without waiting for the sign, but it's pretty neat that he has made the association. He has started making the sign for "cheese," his afternoon snack, when he wakes from his afternoon nap. He also extends his arms as far wide as they will go for the "all done/gone" sign, which isn't quite how the sign goes, but he's getting the hang of it and we know what he means so that's all that matters really. He knows which button on the CD player to push when it's time for bed. I asked him to push the button one night out of the blue, and he not only knew what I was saying, he pushed the correct button! There's really a little person in there!

I'm also coming to realize that he watches me all day long, and is taking it all in. He has started taking the washcloth that I use to wipe his face and hands and wiping down his toys on his high chair. He also started wiping his nose with a tissue after he watched me do it a couple of times. Last night in the bathtub he used his washcloth to wipe out his rinsing cup. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I think I'm starting to believe it!


He's wearing a firetruck shirt to honor the heroes of 9/11, but his Aggie bear is covering it.


He looks downright angelic in this shot so I had to include it.


Here ya go, Lorie, a picture of Sawyer being mad. I told ya even he has a bad day every now and then, especially when Momma won't put away the camera!

Sawyer Meets Baby Kayla

I can't believe how long it has been since I have blogged. I promise lots of pictures since I have been slacking. I do have a good excuse. I couldn't get my camera to download my pictures so that was a bummer. Lorne has been working really long hours this past week so I wasn't able to get his help until this weekend. I'm off and running now, though, so here ya go....

Denise, Laura, and I met for our first (and hopefully not last) Girls' Night Out a couple of weeks ago. We ate at Macaroni Grill and went to see The Devil Wears Prada. We had a hard time choosing a movie since none of us even pay attention to trailers anymore. Denise said that we need to try and get together at least once a month. I don't know if that will happen, but every six weeks or so would be nice. We had a really great time, and we even managed to talk about something other than our kids for the entire time!

We had such a good time that Laura invited us over for a playdate the next morning. Christopher is going to preschool twice a week, so that left Andrew to play with Sophia and Sawyer. I think that they had a good time. Andrew didn't last too long as he went down for a nap pretty soon after we got there, but Sophia and Sawyer played for an hour or so.


Sawyer is starting the bossing around early....he must get that from his father.

Sawyer and I went for a haircut a few days after that and he did fabulously. He is such a flirt that he had a blast with all of the ladies in the salon. He was also very intrigued by the hair dryers and the shampoo chair. I can always tell which things he hardly ever sees because they command his complete and total attention. I got about five inches cut off so of my hair so it was very liberating. I have either worn a ponytail or just pulled my hair back with a scrunchie everyday since Sawyer was born so I needed a change. That and he kept trying (usually successfully and painfully) to pull out my ponytails and that was driving me crazy! Now he isn't pulling on it nearly as much since it's chin length.

We had a feeding frenzy on Labor Day weekend. Mom, Matthew, Mark, Jackie, and Kayla came to see us from Friday to Tuesday and we pretty much ate the entire time. I baked kolaches and decided to document most of the process pictorially in a previous post if anyone is interested. We also had chocolate chip cookies, chocolate pie, German chocolate cake with homemade ice cream (for Matthew's birthday), chicken salad, BBQ Chex Mix, grilled hamburgers, and taco salad. Lorne barbecued a brisket on Saturday. Rick and Priscilla came over to eat with us. We had the usual brisket dinner of brisket, potato salad, beans, BBQ sauce, and rolls. It was all so delicious! I was just so excited to have so many people for which to cook and to have almost all of us together again. I am also feeling much better these days so I took advantage of that aspect too. I think that everyone had a good time while they were here. I loved the time that I got to spend with Kayla, and it was neat to see she and Sawyer meet for the first time. I couldn't get over how huge he looked next to her. It's hard to believe that he weighed almost four pounds less than her at one point!

Be sure to check out Matthew and Jackie's site for additional pictures:


It looked like everything was going great...


he even gave her a great big hug...


then he went and SAT on her!!! :)


Mimi with a lap full of grandbabies.


Rick is still the ladies' man.


It was so funny to watch Sawyer get in and out of his old bouncer. He spent hours in that thing!


Matthew must have called four times to make sure that he had the correct size for Sawyer's camouflage outfit. He was so proud of it!


He loves to play with the shades Aunt Jackie bought him.

Kolaches

I surprised the family with kolaches while they were here. I thought I'd dedicate a post to the process since it doesn't seem like a task undertaken by many people in my generation. I also wanted to talk about them because up here people think pigs in a blanket are kolaches. That is so wrong! I guess they can call them sausage kolaches, but kolaches are a fruit-topped pastry with no meat involved if you ask me. I am proud to say that I am keeping my Czech heritage alive by baking kolaches and strudel from time to time, just like Nanny taught me. I also know how to bake Lorne's great-grandmother Bert's coffee cake which I call marriage security-good luck finding another 29 year-old woman who is willing, and able, to do all three! :)

This time I made prune, cream cheese, pineapple, and cherry kolaches. To make it easier on the baker it is really best to make it a two-day process. The first day involves making the various fruit fillings. This also allows for the ingredients to congeal in the refrigerator overnight which allows for more flavor. The more popular are prune, poppy seed, cheese, pineapple, and apricot. There are lots of possibilities. Unless pie filling is used, the fillings are basically created by boiling and cooking down the fruit and adding various spices.

It's best to start early the next morning to give the dough time to rise. Once it is risen it is formed into 60 balls and brushed with butter. The balls have to rise and then the center is indented and the fruit filling and posipka (streusel topping) are added. This rises again and then they are baked. They are brushed with more butter (see why they're so good?) right when they come out of the oven. They cool in the pans. They are also great frozen and then warmed up in the microwave, but I rarely have any left to freeze.


The five dozen kolaches in their infant stage.


The kolaches after the fruit toppings and posipka have been added.


The finished product.


A close-up of the finished product.