snow days are for wimps

I guess we are wimps then, because we haven't left the house since Monday. Well, Little Bub and I haven't anyway. Daddy went to work 2 out of 5 days and tried another and couldn't get there.

We have one snotty nosed, hacking child over our way so we aren't leaving the house anyway. And, my husband is so bored that he keeps asking me for things to do.

Husband:
Dishes. check. Vacuuming. check. Hanging walls decor that has been sitting around for months waiting for a snow day. check.

Wife:
Nursing sick baby. check. Getting puked on. check. Nursing sick baby. check. Wiping snotty nose. check. Nursing sick....ok, ok, you get the point.

So what exactly have we been doing to occupy our time during this snow week you might ask? Here is a sneak peek!

Eating steamed carrots and green beans and avocados (his personal fave)! We tried pureed, chunked, mashed, you name it. Finally we figured out that he likes slightly mashed bite sized pieces of food that he can pick up on his own or with a spoon. He is quite the independent little feller.
Looking for the perfect cd to listen to! There is a lot of dancing that goes on around here when we are cooped up in the house for days.
Watching the fire truck and ambulance take away our neighbor yesterday. They just moved in last weekend so we don't even know them yet. Sad.
Watching the snow fall and ice from the window because this little bub is too sickly to go out and play in the snow.
Organizing the pantry! As you can see he is quite helpful at weeding out all the plastic that we no longer use.
Taking naps with Daddy! Now that is always a fun one there.
Making a Daddy R, Mommy R, and Baby R snowman family. Sadly they passed away today. They will truly be missed.
Daddy hand tossed and formed the homemade pizza crust himself. Thanks to his Domino's days it turned out lovely.
Mmmm....toppings! Best pizza I have made to date. And for dessert...SNOW ICE CREAM! I made it with milk, sugar, vanilla, and decaf coffee so it tasted like an iced coffee and it was SO delicious! Although, I have decided to lay off the dairy until LB gets to feeling better. I do believe it made him a quite snotty.
Wall collaging! It was about time we put some decor on the walls two years after living here. I have declared 2011 the year of LOVE. This is just a subtle daily reminder.
And, for a little bit of what we do on sunnier days:

Hard to believe that just one week ago we were out in our short sleeves and short pants strolling by the river at the park for 3 hours. What a glorious day that was. Thank goodness we took full advantage of two gorgeous days of 85 degree weather before it turned 19 degrees on us. We went walking, sliding, swinging, and bouncing. LB was thrilled to be outdoors. He is a nature lover. I taught him how to hug a tree.
It is of utmost importance to learn basic skills and chores like unloading the dishwasher. He was so glad to "help" Mommy.
Pausing for a brief moment to soak in nature from the indoors and watch his squirrel friends run from tree to tree.
If he could talk, I imagine he would say, "It is important to have good oral hygiene. I should know because I have 8 teeth myself. I brush my teeth daily and so should you."
A lovely trip to Costco we have a mountain of groceries to unload. He enjoys Costco because he hears things like "oh, he is so cute!" and "look at that precious boy!" He blushes.
We have started attending a breastfeeding group at the birth center where my midwives work. All the babies his size were in the other room hanging out close to mommy. Most of them aren't on the move yet. LB, however, believes he is "big" and went in the other room to play with all of his "big" friends.

On a last note, I was reading Dr. Sears' Baby Book today and found this a bit fascinating...

"The early walker may be the impulsive, motor-driven baby who has raced through each motor milestone before parents could get their camera ready. While there is no definite profile of early walkers, they tend to be high-need babies who early on left the lap stage and squirmed out of infant seats. Body type may also affect the age of walking. Lean babies tend to walk earlier. Early and impulsive walkers are often more accident-prone than their more cautious walking mates."

Wow, Dr. Sears, I had no idea you knew my Little Bub personally! This fits my child to a T. Although, not walking alone, he has walked along furniture for a month now and occasionally he will let go. This is my 7.5 month old child we are talking about here. Thank goodness for that big ol' cloth diapered booty. He pulls himself up on furniture and grabs for anything in site. If CPS were to show up at my door this afternoon they would likely take my child. He has bruises head to toe from crawling, climbing, and falling on these hard wood and tile floors. His snuggling days are a thing of the past. It is way more fun to get down and crawl, I mean race across the floor to explore the next dangerous thing or activity in site. When it comes to making dinner, however, that is when he wants to be held. I have a variety of slings and carriers that he likes to be in while we carefully prepare meals. And, at times he will sit in the high chair and eat and entertain himself while I cook.

Hoping you are all enjoying your relaxing snow days and getting refreshed for spring. God apparently knew that a few of us *ahem* needed some down time.

Love and happies from us to you!