Cookies

What's December without overdoing it on sweets a bit? We decided to up our sugar quotient for the week by starting it off with a batch of gingerbread cookies. There's something about the ginger-molasses combo that is tough to beat. Silas and I worked as a team through the whole process. Rolling out the dough is probably his favorite part, followed closely by mixing:
When Silas saw the next picture, he exclaimed "Look, I'm crying!" Not really. I believe he was actually saying, "It's the caaamara!"
Silas is contemplating which cookie cutter to use next...
I wanted to mention in this post that the Christmas trees, which you can see in the background in the above picture, have been a real success so far. He's excited to find the new puzzle piece each morning and then put together the pieces we have so far. More than half way there!

Farm Boy

Silas helped me dig up the rest of the potatoes today. We also picked some beans. Both the beans and the potatoes went right into the potato and kale soup Drew cooked up for dinner. As you can see, Silas likes to help in the garden, loves to wear his gardening gloves (he has several pairs, in fact), and is not afraid to get covered in dirt. In fact, he spent a long time laying flat on the ground, patting the soil and exclaiming "I'm a mason!" (that would be the bricklaying-type of masons, not the Freemasons, with whom, as far as he's told us, he has no affiliation).

He is also very fixated on the fact that the quinces are now ripe. I'm not sure why, because it's not the sort of fruit you pick and eat right off of the tree. They are something you bake with or make jam with, but eating a raw quince is like eating chalk. Still, he wants to keep picking them. Perhaps the mere fact that so many of them are at "Silas-height" is enough to tempt him. Or perhaps he's hoping I'll make another Asian pear (yep, those are ripe now too) and quince crisp :)

Slicing plums

Our little kitchen helper.

I sliced about 12 cups of plums for a plum liqueur and Silas helped by trying very hard not to shove them into his mouth. After a while, his resolve faltered and he started eating everything he sliced. Guess it's only fair since he won't be able to drink any of the liqueur once it's ready in a few weeks :)

Silas vs. Vacuum --a love/hate relationship

Way back on Thanksgiving, I noted that Silas called the vacuum "gummy." I suppose you can look at the second syllable of vacuum and get the connection he's making. This video shows Silas using a little sweeper vacuum, which we got for Silas at my friend Jill's suggestion. It really is sweet to see how helpful he can be with his little sweeper, which he will push around all over the house. As you can see, he loves it, and we are hoping it eventually leads to him not being deathly afraid of "real" vacuums. So far, no dice. If our vacuum is even in site, he makes a pouty face and begins to cry. One time, I brought it downstairs thinking that if it was around enough, he'd just get over it. He started crying and shaking violently and I quickly nixed that idea. We'll stick with his little "gummy" for now and hope that he outgrows this fear soon.

Daily Bread

Thanks to the generosity of Beth (at my work), we are the proud owners of a bread maker. We now bake all of our own bread (7 loafs in the last 7 days!), which has been really fun. One does have to get used to its strange shape due to the the kind of pan the machine uses, but the bread is undeniably delicious. We've made several different kinds --oat, french, and cranberry walnut(pictured). Silas helps by adding certain ingredients and pushing the start button. Later on, when we're eating the bread, we tell him "that's the bread you helped make."

Diaper Duty & Laundry Booty

We estimate that we've washed about 330 loads of diapers in the past year and used between 25 and 30 gallons of vinegar. Phew! That's a lot of laundry to keep our son in clean nappies!
And while we're on the subject of laundry, yesterday Silas tried to wash one of my skeins of yarn. He opened the door, placed the yarn inside, closed the door, then stood up and turned the dials on the washer. Thankfully, he really can't push the buttons hard enough to actually turn it on. I carefully explained to him that while some yarns are indeed machine washable, I would recommend washing this particular skein of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino by hand, just to be safe.

So, the question that comes to mind now is this: which will come first for Silas? (a) the ability to do actual loads of laundry so that he can wash his own diapers, or (b) the completion of potty training so that we no longer have to wash diapers :)

11 months old -- Toddler Preview!

Silas turns 11 months old on Saturday. Although technically not a toddler until his first birthday, apparently, he is trying to earn his toddler chops a bit early. Here's a glimpse of Si's current "antics" and a preview of what lies in store for us over the coming months.

Washing machine. Silas loves opening the door. Over and over again. And over again. The only way to prevent him from doing this all day long is to close the bathroom door (where our washer and dryer are located) and keep him out:
Yes. He knows how to turn the dials, push buttons, etc. This is probably because we often have him help us start loads of laundry (hey, get them working young, right?):
Drawers are made for opening, and clothes are made to be tossed on the floor:
This is the window ledge above the bed. We're SO glad he can reach it now:
We just discovered that the baby gate we got for the stairs will not work on ours. Until we find one that does, we'll have to watch him like a hawk (notice the outstretched hand):
Fire place. I don't think I need to say anything more about this one:
Not pictured: Silas can reach the dial on the stove and can turn the oven on. We're so proud of him and hope that he never unintentionally blows us all up.