Nicki And Adam's Family Blog

Ah! We are back from our vacation in Oregon. We had a great time and I will post more about that later. But, before I dive into that, here is the "fun" flying stories.. Departure from Milwaukee: Arrive at airport with well-rested happy child at 1pm. I am promptly told by Frontier that my flight to Denver has been delayed by 6 hours and that I will miss my connecting flight to Portland. I tell gate agent that this will not work for me and my 18 month old son. I don't know how to kill 6 hours in an airport, can you say CRANKY!! An hour later, she gets me on ANOTHER airline (United) where we fly to Chicago, then Chicago to Portland. We go through TSA, which, in my case is ENTIRELY unhelpful. I have a stroller, a wiggly kids and two carry-ons, you would think someone (because there are about 25 of them) could assist me. But no, while trying to take my shoes off, balance a child, fold up a stroller to put through the xray machine, I whack my child in the head with the bar o...

Tomorrow, October 21st, Charlie and I embark on his 2nd airplane ride to Oregon. While out there, were plan to play and relax at Bob and Gene's Oceanside house, go to the Portland Zoo, see the Japanese Gardens and more. We are very excited for this. Barb and Cliff, Adam's parents, will be sharing part of our vacation with us, mostly on the Ocean. I am traveling with Charlie by myself as Adam left on Wednesday for a conference. I am a little nervous flying with an 18 month old by myself, but have my list of distractions ready to go (in this order): 1.) little trinket gifts for him to open (really cheap stuff like tape measure, coloring book, etc...) 2.) SNACKS 3.) portable DVD player with an "Elmo" movie if necessary 4.) Ipad with games, if necessary 5.) Benadryl, if necessary ( I am not scared to drug my child if need be ) 6.) Credit Card-to buy the neighbors around us a drink if Charlie is crying constantly. I hope to only have to get through number 3 or ...

Charlie had his 18 month check up today. Here are a few stats as to where he is at: Weight: 23 lbs 10 oz (50th percentile)-he has been steady at 50% his whole life. Height: 33 1/2" (85th percentile)-again, steady through his whole life Sleeping: Still a fantastic sleeper, except when he is sick, then he is dreadful. Our Dr. said don't be afraid to give 1/2 tsp Benadryl with the nose is a running and he just won't sleep. Luckily, our kid is one who reacts "normally" to benadryl and falls asleep. There are those out there who go bonkers. He takes one nap a day from about 12:30 until 3/3:30 depending on his mood. He never fights us to go to sleep. In fact, while playing, he often says, "night night" and walks towards the stairs. Sometimes we have to say "not yet" as it is only 6pm and NOT time to sleep. Eating: Definitely ranks on the "pickier" side of eating. Some of his favorites are strawberries, peaches (but has to be a ...

I love my book club. It is a diverse group of women from 30 (me) and upwards. We are all in different walks of life: first time parent, grandparent, parent of kids in elementary, middle, high or college and beyond. We all bring something different to the table. We finished and talked about the book "Paris Wife." It did not receive a high rating from this group of women. Probably 4 out of 10. That is okay. Not every book is a winner. Some women thought this book reminded them of the book "Loving Frank." For me, the first 100 pages of the book were the best. Then it got a little slow and didn't have as much "action" as I would have loved. Our next book is "My Name is Mary Sutter" by Robin Oliveira. During this month, I also finished "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson. I LOVED THIS BOOK! I have loved both one and two of the trilogy. I will start three very soon. I am also reading "Love and Logic Magic for E...

My sister Jeanne-marie comments that Charlie "always smells like maple syrup." Well, for good reason. It is one thing he will almost consistently eat (drink?). Maple Syrup. Fabulous. So, if I am gonna feed him this, I might as well try to make it healthy. Therefore, in an attempt to find ways to sneak healthy stuff (hidden underneath maple syrup) into Charlie's diet and my husbands, here is a recipe (excellent) for pancakes. He truly loves these! 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour (or regular..) 1.5 Tsp Sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 Cup Yogurt (I use a variety of flavors, kinds, etc....mixes it up a bit) 1-2 bananas (or any fruit you choose) 1 Egg 2 Tblsp Butter Mix all together and put on griddle.

I got the recipe from a co-worker. It is absolutely fabulous. And what makes it even more fabulous....I GOT CHARLIE TO EAT IT! Yes!! Here is a picture of the finished product:  And just to prove that Charlie actually ate it (and did not spit it out), here is proof. The reason I am so excited is because I cannot get Charlie to even try corn or beans. But, in this "dip" he will eat it all. Including the onions and avocado. Yeah! I probably shouldn't get so excited, tomorrow he probably won't touch it. Here is the recipe. Enjoy! 1 can black beans drained 1 can mexican corn drained 1 pkg. Italian Dry dressing 1 small red onion chopped 3-5 gr.onions chopped 2 avocados 1/2 C. Olive Oil 1/4 C. White Vinegar We use crackers or chips to dip with. Adam says it is so good that he can eat it plain!

One of Charlie's favorite things to do is dance. Enjoy!