The Wilhelmsen Botanical Blog

Well, it looks like last week was a bit less eventful and crazy then the week before.  This is in part due to the fact that it is hard to do much of anything when your husband gets home at 7:30 at night and your oldest goes down at 9:00.  That time between his arrival home and bedtime is generally spent playing a little with the kids and helping with diapers.

I am trying to get back into the hang of remembering to take photos so that I can be sure to document these early days with Lucas and of course continue to document Aiden’s life.  Here are a few I got of Lucas on Tuesday.  Tuesday was also a rough day for Aiden, first he was scooting around in his high chair (which we have warned him not to do on many occasions) and he tipped over, banging his forehead into the table.  A little while later he was leaning back against the closed bathroom door and when I opened (not knowing of course that he was leaning on it) he fell back onto the floor bonking his head a second time.  Later just before nap he was scooting around on his fire engine and yes, tipped over backwards onto the floor.  Thankfully the last time he didn’t seem to have actually hit his head.  When it rains it pours where Aiden is concerned I guess.

Thursday Aiden finally learned how to ride his bike forward.  He still prefers to go backwards but he can go forward.  For video of his triumph go here.  While we are outside enjoying the weather Aiden will occasionally stick his head out the playhouse window and ask if I want a hamburger.  This game of “fast food restaurant” he learned from the girls who live upstairs.

Also on Thursday I managed to snap this shot of Lucas making a funny face and sometime between Wednesday and Thursday Lucas lost his umbilical cord.

Another thing I let Aiden do to pass the time was to play in the sink with the water.  As you will see in the video here Aiden really enjoyed it.  So much in fact that the floor was mostly soaked as was his clothing.  😉

We also had round two on bathing Lucas.  As you can see it went a little bit better then the first time.  I don’t know if was because I had the water warmer, he was sitting up more or just that his body temperature is kind of regulating so that he isn’t shivering all of the time but he certainly did not complain as much as the first time.

Friday while we were outside Aiden went inspecting for spiders.  😉  Friday evening we went to our ward pinewood derby.  Our car was way light and Aiden was getting antsy so we decided to head home early, but before we did we let Aiden run amuck in the gym.

Saturday was our grocery shopping day, which is a large task when you need to go two places and time it around newborn feedings, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and naps.

Sunday we stayed in.  RSV season is near it’s end (or recently ended) and we just didn’t want to take any chances these first few weeks with Lucas.  When we have run errands we have either stayed in the car with him or kept him covered up.  We do plan to attend sacrament next week and stake conference the week after, then it will be back to our usual three hours.  🙂  Aiden is missing nursery.  We ate  Chocolate and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast for breakfast (recipe below), we have had it many, many times since we discovered the recipe.  It is VERY delicious.  We did however find cutting a pocket into french bread difficult so we just spread the toppings on a piece of bread, top with another piece of bread, dip it into the egg mixture and fry it.  It is quick, easy, and very tasty.  We also substitute strawberry syrup for maple syrup (I don’t now, nor have I ever liked maple syrup).

• 4 slices French or Italian loaf (not a baguette) — 1-inch (2 cm) thick
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) strawberry jam
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) milk
• 2 tbsp. (30 mL) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. (15 mL) butter
• powdered sugar for dusting
• maple syrup and fresh strawberries as accompaniment

Cooking Instructions

1. With a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the side of each slice of bread — cutting almost, but not quite all the way, to the edges. Spread the inside of each pocket with 1 tbsp. (15 mL) of the cream cheese, stuff with 1 tbsp. (15 mL) of the chocolate chips and spoon in 1 tbsp. (15 mL) of the strawberry jam. Depending on the size of the pocket and the slice of bread, you may not be able to use the full amount of stuffing ingredients — just play it by ear and use as much as will fit inside. Squash the bread closed to enclose the filling.
2. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Dip the stuffed bread slices into the egg mixture, turning to soak both sides evenly. Arrange on a plate.
3. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the stuffed bread to the pan and cook, turning each slice over several times to let it brown evenly and allow the heat to penetrate and melt the chocolate — about 5 or 6 minutes total. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve with powdered sliced fresh strawberries and maple syrup.  Makes 2 servings.

In the afternoon I started another blog.  This one encourages reader participation.  To check it out and to submit your own entries go here.  We took it easy most of the rest of the day but went to visit my grandparents in the evening so that they could see Lucas and Aiden.  I tried to get a cute picture of the four of them but Aiden wouldn’t cooperate because he wanted to go, Go, GO!  🙂

We ended the evening eating at Chuck-A-Rama with my dad.  Thanks for dinner dad!

I am off to get a nap now while I can (Lucas miraculously went right to sleep after eating), thanks for reading!

So this morning when I was changing Aiden’s diaper he said, “Mommy beautiful.”  Then he repeated, “Mommy’s beautiful.”  It’s these little things that keep you from selling them to the gypsies when they are throwing a tantrum.  😉

Today when we were outside, Aiden was in the little playhouse and I heard him say, “I am going to ask mom in a little bit.”  Then he came over and said, “I  have a question for you.”  So I asked him what the question was and he mumbled something that ended with Dan.  So I said, “You want to know where Dan is?”  So he said, “Where’s Dan?”  I said, “Dan is probably at school.”  He seemed satisfied with that answer.

So last week was a busy week as we transitioned from a family of 3 to a family of 4.  Thankfully Brandon was able to stay home on Monday and Tuesday to help me get used to the idea of having two kids as well as to be a kind of buffer as I learned what adjustments I would have to make as I juggled the needs of two kids.  Now, a week and a half later I am still a bit shell shocked, the drop in hormones is causing my emotions to run wild, but I think if I continue to take things one moment at a time and not look at the overwhelming big picture then I just might survive this big change and adjustment.  😉

We opted to head home from the hospital on Sunday, just a mere 24 hours after Lucas was born.  In order to make the concept of having a new brother an exciting event rather then just a huge change for Aiden, we copied an idea from my mom.  When I was little and they brought my sister home we had a “birthday” party for her.  She got a present for me and I picked a gift out for her.  It was complete with birthday cake and party hats.  We did the same with Aiden.  Aiden picked out a little elephant toy for Lucas and Lucas got Aiden an Elmo K’nex set.  We had yummy pizza and birthday cake to eat, wore our impromptu party hats, had a few balloons as decor, and we even sang happy birthday to Lucas.

During the party Aiden played a little golf and of course the party boy slept.

Monday Lucas had his first visit to the pediatrician (mandatory because we left the hospital early) and all of his test results came back normal.  Now I wasn’t there so I don’t know all of the details as to exactly what was tested but I am glad that Brandon came back to report a clean bill of health for Lucas.

Tuesday we tried to straighten up as much as we could and Brandon was able to go and get a haircut.

Wednesday I was feeling a bit overwhelmed but took things one at a time and did ok until about 6:00.  That is when Aiden got to where he’d had enough of sharing mommy and wanted more, More, MORE attention!

Thursday my grandma and dad came over to visit, see Lucas, and spend some time with Aiden.  It was a nice diversion in the day.

Friday I gave Lucas his first bath at home which I can tell you he did not appreciate.  Despite the warm water he was shivering and his little hands started to look purple.  I tried to wash quickly while at the same time attempting to soothe Lucas but in the end I just had to hurry and finish washing him so that I could get him out of the tub.

Here he is starting to recover from the trauma of a bath.

And now a return to normalcy (a fully clothed state).

Friday Brandon was off work again!  HOORAY!  So after Aiden and Brandon returned from the dentist we decided to brave going out to get some errands done as a family of four.  After a stop to Wal-mart we decided to get a bite to eat at Texas Roadhouse.  As you can see, dining out was an adventure, from Aiden’s roller coaster of emotions, to my needing to feed Lucas in public while sitting at our table but we had a nice time and delicious chow!

In the evening we (mostly Brandon) did a little bit of garden prep work.  We now have a fence up around the garden, it has been squared (we removed extra grass to make it a more exact rectangle), and we tilled it a little bit.

As you can see Aiden was a big “help”.  Any time a tool went unguarded he would hurry over to try and pick it up.  When Brandon was finally done with the shovel he stuck it in the dirt and told Aiden that it was his very own sword in the stone and that if he could get it out of the dirt then he could use it.  Needless to say, he was not strong enough (and Brandon knew that would be the case).

This is how Lucas felt about the whole thing…

Because Friday was such a success we ran a couple more errands on Saturday.  We stopped at the mall because I had something to pick up and then ran to Costco.  The trip went quickly and we made it home in time for some lunch.  Just before nap Brandon and Aiden put dirt in our little seed planter and then while he slept Brandon and I planted the seeds.  Here’s hoping it is a success.

Later that evening my dad dropped by because he was in the area for a dinner.  He took some time to be silly with Aiden.

Sunday we got all bundled up and went for a walk.  It wasn’t especially cold but it was windy.  Little Lucas was snug as a bug in a rug in his car seat (meaning he could not see anything and there was no way the wind could get in to affect him) and he ended up falling asleep during the ride.

Lastly, Lucas was smiling a bit in his sleep on Sunday so we took the opportunity to try and snap a few smiling photos.  The top is a partial smile.  The bottom photo we took because we thought it was a humorous expression and felt it necessary to catch on film.

Last night Lucas tossed the entire contents of his stomach and started dry heaving.  It was obvious that he was in distress and would not relax so that we could better assess what was going on.  I am blessed because in our tiny sons moment of distress I was able to ask Brandon to give him a priesthood blessing.  When he was done Lucas was still a little distraught so I sang I am a child of God.  This calmed him down almost immediately and by the time I finished singing it and started to sing I lived in Heaven, he had fallen asleep.  There is a power in the gospel that is sometimes almost so tangible.  I have a strong testimony of the power of a priesthood blessing and of the miracles that it can bring about.

As selected by a random number generator the winner of my giveaway is

# 3 Sherrada Says: 
March 28th, 2010 at 10:08 pm e

I regularly check your blogs to see what’s new. Lydia loves to see pictures of her cousin!!!

Go ahead and go to my online boutique and let me know what two items you want.  I will send them home with your parents when they come out to visit.

I have been debating back and forth for months now on whether or not to go private.  On the one hand it is a pain when my fellow bloggers go private because their blogs no longer show up in my google reader feed.  On the other hand my blogging has become more journal keeping and a way to keep track of all the cute things that my kids do.  As such I have finally decided that it would be prudent for us to go private.  If you would like to be invited to view our blog please leave a comment with your name and e-mail address.  I will turn the blog to private on April 23 or 24th so you have two weeks to leave a comment.

So I wrote a little story awhile back about Aiden finding a air soft pellet outside.  It can be used for reference here.  We haven’t heard him say anything about it or mention the words choking hazard again until two days ago.  Then yesterday I was feeding him lunch and he says, “I need to eat the choking hazard.”  What a nut!

Today my grandma was asking Aiden, “Where does Brandon work?  Where does your daddy work?” and Aiden replied, “On the computer.”  LOL.  While laughing, I said to my dad and grandma, “That is more true then anyone could have said.”  Kids are so perceptive.  Maybe they understand the universe better then we do.  Too bad they can’t explain it to us…

So yesterday Aiden was being stubborn about having a messy diaper that needed to be changed so to infuse some humor into the situation I asked him, “Do you want a diaper change or a swirly?”  He grinned and said, “I need a swirly.”  LOL.