Butter, Broccolli, & Baby

I want to know who put butter in their coffee and realized that instead of helping them gain weight as they planned, they found they were LOSING weight. This is sort of like when my mom said that my baby was nursing non stop because there wasn't enough fat in my milks and I should be eating butter and drinking cream. Except when that happened I'm pretty sure I gained at least 5 additional pounds of post baby weight, every woman's dream. Well apparently it was some wack job named Gary Asprey. He has a blog, a book, a podcast and it's just another diet like Atkins or South Beach. But better obviously because he tells you to eat a ton of butter, grass fed butter. He must be talking about wacky tobacky, how else would he have discovered the miracle that is butter coffee. This sounds like BS, and maybe a little bit delicious. My co-worker just ordered the starter pack for her hubbie to try. Which means her. 

Coffee blended w/ coconut oil, taste just like creamer!

I've been having the strangest cravings lately, nothing crazy, just new. Like brussel sprouts, and broccoli. Last night I ate a giant bowl of steamed broccoli with parmesan cheese and pepper at like 9 p.m.! It was so good. And now I want more, but doused in butter like mom used to make.

Do you watch The Bachelor? I thought Juan Pablo's season was bad, and it was, but oh man. This one is just awful. The girls running around drunk the whole time, The Bachelor himself delivering his cheesy lines with more cheese than even he knows what to do with. And he's made out with like half of the girls already and it's only episode 3 tonight.

This past month and a half has been ca-razy. I'm sure it was for a lot of people, but man. Time flying by and all that. We went to Minnesota because it has been ages since I've had a white Christmas. Well guess what? No snow. So dumb Minnesota. Thanks for NOTHING. Except for us all getting sick that is. I was puking. Baby and husband had major sniffles, which are just now clearing up. The next journey to MN will be a warm weather one. So the very worst thing also happened in MN. The very worst thing, that's not really the very worst, but kind of. We left our camera in the center console of the rental car. We still haven't gotten a call to say they found it. Sadly I don't think we will be seeing it again :(

I've been told that as a parent I am not allowed to complain about being tired. I knew what I was signing up for, apparently. And I did, I do not deny that. I am actually a very high functioning person when tired, which almost makes it worse. Like I forget I'm tired. I finish tasks with complete confidence, tucking the file happily away, and completely forgetting everything regarding the task. That is how tired effects me. Confidence? When sleep is plentiful I lack finality upon completion of a task. I like to let the file sit on the corner of my desk for a few days in case there is any follow up, or in case I forgot to do something. Which is oft the case in my line of work. Well anyways, he seems to be starting down the path to better sleep. Now if I could just let him out of our bed and into his crib :/

Flynn will be 9 months in 6 days, and he just cut his first tooth! It's a crooked lil number on the bottom and boy is it cute. I was pointing my finger at his nose and he lifted his lil chin up and gave my finger tip a few bites until I realized he was showing me his tooth! And when I noticed boy was he ever proud! His vocabulary is growing everyday, and the other morning at 6 a.m. Carlos rolled over in bed and Flynn totally whispered da-da. We both heard it, he was looking right at his papa when he said it, but that's been it. My heart just weeps with love for this baby boy who is mine. He has such sweet temperament and is already a little jokester.  We are so blessed.

Spider Surprise

Last Sunday was a gorgeous day, it rained on Saturday and overnight so everything was crispy clear and clean! You could see the mountains! You could see the city! And it wasn't brown!

Going up into LA is so much easier now with the fastrak, i'm so glad they put those lanes in. "Ya but you have to pay." someone said recently. Your point? I'd pay double to not sit in LA traffic. Are you crazy? Have you been here? I hope no one else ever figures out how to get fastrak, it seems so intimidating, but it's really like the easiest thing ever. The museums at Exposition Park are perfect, there is an exit from the fastrak and one leading right back onto it when you're heading home.

This day we went to the Natural History Museum. We had to bribe the admissions gal to let us into the Spider Pavilion by purchasing a membership, apparently it was booked solid. I'm not sure where my aversion to spiders suddenly ran off to... 

My favorite thing about this museum is the dinosaurs right in the main hall, and the dinosaurs just in general. I love this stuff. The dioramas are nice and all but no, i'm here for the dinos. I also like looking at the gem and mineral room. I get a trip seeing the exquisite, amazing things that pressure and heat form in the earth. All of this stuff really is cool. Plus, you kind of feel like you're in a movie since so many scenes have been filmed in here.

The building itself is gorgeous, there is a beautiful rotunda graced with the enchanting sculpture below of sirens holding up a glowing orb. It is very nice to just sit in there and enjoy the space, and also maybe eat astronaut ice cream, and also maybe find a nice off to the side bench to nurse the babe.

So now the Spider Pavilion. It's usually the Butterfly Pavilion, but for specials it's sometimes for SPIDERS. These are HUGE spiders, like 2 inches long, on HUGE webs and there is nothing separating them from you. They are above you, behind you, right in front of your face, right next to your face. I actually only mini hyperventilated once. It is a very intimate encounter. 

This guy was five inches long :|

A lady was holding her baby and getting all up close and personal with one of the spiders, "oh wow, that's amazing." and her freaking baby reached out and grabbed the web mere inches from the spider and started shaking it. My heart stopped for a few moments. I got that sensation where you want to burst into tears super fast? You know that feeling? Awful, let me tell you...

But so it was actually really cool. None of the spiders were venomous obvs, and they weren't the hunter type, more the hang out looking cool until something gets snared in their web type. I did keep imaging the loud crunch you would hear if you stomped on one of them though.

There is TONS to see there that we didn't get to, like the rose garden and the whole upstairs...and I guess there is a downstairs too...we will be going back again soon.

All Hallows' Eve

This past Friday was Halloween, our first with the little babe. We played it very low key, no dressing up, no candy, not even any wine. We did however carve a pumpkin. Tip: If you leave a carved pumpkin in your house for 5 days, it might get reeeaaally spooky (moldy).

We ate greasy pepperoni pizza and watched The Conjuring and Poltergeist. I have seen The Conjuring before, but oh my goodness it is so scary! We mostly just think the Poltergeist is funny. Is it supposed to be funny?

Saturday morning it was all of a sudden very cold outside, it was literally like winter had just arrived overnight. It was also pouring rain! I love rain, I miss rain, we do not get enough rain in Los Angeles! So we just had a cozy morning in drinking coffee and roasting pumpkin seeds. They are so yummy warm out of the oven with just a little olive oil and sea salt.

I'm really excited for Halloween next year, Flynn will be older and we can probably take him out for a bit of trick or treating!

Baby Goes to LACMA

Last week Flynn and I decided to spend the day at the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). I desperately want him to experience the culture that only art and music can provide, I don't want to force it on him, I just want it to be a part of his life. 

Don't be deceived, he made me carry him 
almost the whole time we were there. 

Upon arrival we discovered that the LACMA offers under 18-ers free membership as part of their #NexGen program! Not only is my baby now a member at the coolest museum in LA (so hip) but every time he goes, an adult gets free admission as well. 

texture texture texture

I've always loved learning about art and taking art classes and drawing so I was especially excited to learn that LACMA has a kids gallery. Adults and kids can go in there anytime they like (between 10 and 5) and paint! The walls were lined with all sorts of cool art that patrons have made, I can't wait till next time we go!

Not meant to look like a crotch grab :/

Mostly I just love the peace that surrounds you in places like libraries, museums and sometimes bookstores and coffee shops. I also love watching other people look at art, it's so interesting to see how others respond to art. 

Life Happens

Last night the husband was watching some documentary about lions and of course it had to do with a baby lion getting hurt and the mama having to leave it behind. I was sitting there putting a diaper on my own babe sobbing my heart out.

It also rained last night and has been a pretty gloomy day! But I love it! This song is perfect!

I am so excited for fall! I keep forgetting that I live in CA and the trees aren't about to turn orange and red and yellow, and the leaves aren't going to fall off, and our noses and cheeks aren't going to be turning pink anytime soon (from the cold anywho). But I do get to drink salted caramel mochas...even if they are iced, at some point they will be warm. We are going to go to MN for Christmas this year though and I cannot wait. I can already feel the wind on my face and taste the taste of snow - which is just like ice I know, but better. I haven't seen snow in way too long.

Flynn just had a new leap development, which is also called a wonder week. His core literally turned to pure muscle in two days, and he is able to now flip himself over. Literally. Flip. From his tummy right onto his back. I witnessed this. He is also so much more thoughtful and deliberate with grabbing his toys and putting them in his mouth. He is all of a sudden splashing up a storm at bath time, and is also much more interested in his books when I read to him! I love reading and stories and cannot wait to share with him the magic of books!

Oh and he is obsessed with the iphone and computer screens.  My husband shows him surfing videos which he LOVES. He starts pumping his little fists and feet and it is actually really fun. But I find him now looking at these screens whenever he sees them even if there is nothing on. No babe, please don't be obsessed with technology yet.

He is crying a little bit more now, but that's kind of okay cause he wasn't much of a cryer in the first place. Giving him a little dip in his tub or just splashing water on him from the sink seems to really help though. Water is super soothing to me too little bug!

He does this thing when he is going to sleep where he lays on his soft blanky and he wants it touching his cheek so he'll turn his head from side to side real fast and it is seriously the funniest cutest thing ever. Another thing he does is chew on his blanky, like you think he might choke or something but when you check he literally has the tiniest little bit in his mouth and he'll just chew on the edge. I want to make note of all of these small things so I never forget.

I had all of last week off to spend with my parents who were visiting from MN. It was super super great. The weather was slightly milder than usual (80s not 90s) and the ocean was especially tropical. I think my favorite thing was getting to swim in the ocean with my husband while my parents watched Flynn up under the umbrella. We used to live in the ocean and it has been so long since we just jumped in and swam around without scuba gear on our backs!

My other favorite thing was being able to breastfeed my babe. I hate pumping and I hate being at work because I can't be with him and nurse him, so it was great to be with him all week and give him sustenance all while my soul was being fed too.

I loved having you here too mom and dad ;) It was my moms first time to CA and to see the Pacific Ocean and she loved it! Hopefully they will be back again soon! I loved seeing them with Flynn. He loves them and they love him of course. I need to visit MN more, I miss my family so much.

Seeing things like the lion documentary make me incredibly sad, but also extremely grateful and cautious. Please don't let anything ever happen to my precious little bug. I love him so much.