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We decided this week to allow Brady more room in the house.  Initially,this just meant taking down the gates that kept her corralled in the living room, putting them back together, and reestablishing her boundaries.  A few days later and she can roam the first floor freely.  Obviously we’ve had to Bradyproof things to allow her to do this but I think I have it where she can’t get in to too much trouble.  Casey put locks on the entertainment center cabinets (til now they’ve only been on the kitchen and bathroom cabinets) so no more climbing on the shelf in there and possibly falling or impaling herself on the Rock Band drums.  Then, I took apart our old dining room table that was in our living room and used more as a console table/desk for my dad when they visit than anything else.  I had to move the bench and our shoes from next to the door to the garage because (1) Brady likes to chew on shoes – ick – and (2) she was climbing the bench and sitting Indian-style on it.  Other little things I’ve done: pushed the candles as far back as they would go out of reach, closed the doors to the pantry, bedroom, powder room, and laundry room, taken down the towels from the front of the stove, picked up the dogs bowls (they now get fed when Brady gets fed – is strapped in her chair), removed the lamp from Casey’s end table (I figured mercury from her pulling the lamp over and the CFL breaking would be a bad thing), removed our end table baskets, moved a plant out of reach, and most importantly installed a gate at the bottom of the stairs.  Our house looks so much bigger now, albeit a little sparse with the changes.  But Brady seems happy and is getting quite a bit of exercises running around and exploring so it’s definitely been worth it!

Let’s see, it’s mid-July now.  More than two weeks have passed since my last post.  For the most part, it’s been the same ole around here.  Casey gets up during the week with Brady to spend a few hours with her before he goes to work, works 11-7p and is usually home before she goes to bed.  Sometimes she’s overly fussy and just ready for bed and can’t be convinced to stay awake any longer.  But it’s rare that I can’t keep her awake long enough for Casey to see her.  Then on the weekend, I get up with Brady and Casey sleeps in.  Even though it’s not first shift, the schedule really does work out well for us right now.  Brady’s not much fun to take out to eat right now since she hates to be restrained and would much rather be running around at her leisure so we’ve been cooking a lot at home and catching up on TV.

We tried giving 24 a chance and did make it through three seasons but it was very formulaic and the scenarios became interchangeable with previous episodes, some of it pretty far fetched.  Not that far fetched is a bad thing because we finally finished the last season of Nip/Tuck.  They stayed true to the show and there were quite a few twists in the season but I was surprised and disappointed at home low key the finale was.   Kevin pointed out that maybe the shock of the finale was that they went out low key after all the outlandish things that have happened during the series.  Another show we’re trying to give a shot (after previous contestants were on The Amazing Race) is Big Brother.  But so far, I’m just not impressed.  First of all, there are three episodes a week.  This seems a little excessive considering how well Survivor does (24 hours a day in seclusion as well).  It’s a good thing it’s summer because I don’t think I would have given it nearly thins long if it was during the regular season.  And except for True Blood and Top Chef, nothing else is on right now.

For 4th of July we were invited down to San Antonio for a party at the Williams Family!  Adele bought a smoker and Casey imparted some of his smoking wisdom and everything turned out great for her first time!  There was tons of great food and it was no one’s fault but your own if you left hungry.  We were down there from 4-12 and Brady didn’t sleep until 30 minutes before we’re getting ready to leave.  Brady has been falling asleep on the way down there (usually 2 hour drive but sometimes can take 3), but I guess sleeping til 1 and not wanting to eat lunch before we left made her super cranky and I ended up having to pull over so Casey and her could share some fish (Goldfish) in the backseat.  I was kind of surprised that Brady was not scared of the fireworks at all.  I think it helped that people started shooting them off while it was still light out but from the get-go Casey and I just started saying yay every time and so she started saying yay and clapping and getting really excited for them.  Casey posted a video on Facebook of her during the fireworks.  I’ll see if I can pull that off of there and over here for the non-Facebookers to see.  We were exhausted and didn’t get home til after 2 but had a really great time and fun 4th!

Last weekend we went over to The Moore’s for a BBQ!  They made lots of yummy kabobs and other assorted side dishes and we got to hang out and watch the kids play for a few hours.  It was very relaxing and much less stressful than trying to meet at a restaurant anymore.  Jude has a playscape with two slides, then a swing, a roller coaster thing, and a big kiddie pool so there is plenty to keep them busy (and wear them out).  I got a few cute pics of the kids but none of the adults but that seems to my downfall these days.

Casey and I got another date night this week too!  Count that – #3!  Wednesday, we put Brady to bed and Kevin stayed with her while Casey and I went out to Flores for some Mexican food.  We’d both been craving queso for a week and it was nice to get out and have a leisurely meal out together.  Thanks again, Kevin – we had a great time!

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I posted this on Facebook and keep forgetting to update on here.  Shouldn’t it be the other way around?!  On her 18 month birthday Brady weighs 25 pounds, 13 ounces (70th percentile), 33″ tall (85th percentile), and her head is in the 95th percentile.  Her doctor mentioned at her 15 month appointment that she was concerned Brady’s soft spot hadn’t closed yet.  She said the average age for it closing is 12 months, although from extensive research online and talking to other people it’s more like 2 years but I think she’s trying to err on the side of safety.  She told us that if Brady’s soft spot wasn’t closed by her 18 month appointment (last Tuesday) that she’d send us to get it checked out.  Well her soft spot still hadn’t closed at her appointment so the doctor gave us information to schedule a cranial ultrasound to see if there was any fluid on her brain or anything unusual that would be causing it not to close.  Wednesday I called to schedule an appointment and ended up going in a few hours later.  I didn’t expect to be able to get in nearly that fast but was relieved to just get it out of the way.  The ultrasonographer wouldn’t tell us anything (I know they never do but this made me kind of freak out more) and I didn’t know how long it would take to get the results back so I was Googling possibilities all afternoon.  Thursday afternoon the doctor’s office called to tell us everything was normal and there was nothing to worry about whew!  Casey’s theory is that Brady has a big head so her soft spot is taking longer to close because of it.

Saturday, we finally got into a Texas lake!  After our failed attempt Memorial Day weekend, I felt a sense of accomplishment for actually getting into the water.  We waited til after Brady’s nap on Saturday afternoon and drove to Emma Long Park on Lake Austin.  While it wasn’t the closest “beach” to us, it was one I’d been wanting to try since there’s a sandy area for kids and a roped off shallow section.  It was pretty busy but we managed to get a spot right in front of the sand.  There are actually sand spurs here too, which I’ve only ever seen on Florida beaches, but it still took me a couple of trips up to the blanket and getting pricked in the foot before having the foresight to just wear my flip flops down to the water.  This was Brady’s first time in any sort of beach type or other natural body of water.  She loved it!  Even though the water was pretty cold, she just said bbbbbbbb (brr?) and kept splashing around.  And the little daredevil that she is trudged out unassisted after Casey with no fear.  She’s such a little water baby!  Brady manages to find sticks wherever we go and here’s some pics!  The pics were with my phone so not the greatest, but pretty cute nonetheless!

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Another cute video of Brady “reading”.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSw7GoQ544M

Yesterday we drove down to San Antonio for the day.  Adele signed up for a Ball canning party and as hostess she received a ton of swag (and as guests so did we)!  It was a lot of work but so much fun!  And really nice pool weather.  Casey and Kevin stayed outside with Brady and Emma swimming while Adele, Meredith, Jen, and I (all of us canning newbies) got to work canning (or as Kevin likes to call it “jarring”).  The prep work definitely took the longest but we ended up each taking home (2) different kinds of salsa, (2) peach cranberry pepper chutneys (which we sampled with chips before we left and is really good but might need a little extra heat if I made it for Casey and I), cherry almond (read – Amaretto) jams, and (2) pickled jalapeno carrots.  Everything is ready to eat now, except the carrots so I’m thinking there may be some new meals created from what we made!  I ended up receiving the door prize of a canning cookbook by being the first to burn myself (later Adele burned her eyes :(.  I chopped, devined, and seeded 12 jalapenos and 2 serranos without gloves.  And still today, anytime my hands get wet they tingle for at least 20 minutes.  And these were mild (or so the farmer’s market said) jalapenos.  Although they did say use gloves, which we didn’t have.  They’ll be a must for next time though (which with the great success we had yesterday and all the extra materials there still were, I can’t imagine there won’t be a next time).

Before we drove back to Austin everyone hopped in the pool for a bit to enjoy the day!  Brady ran out of swimmies so we just put a regular diaper on that weighed about 10 pounds alone when we pulled her out!  She is such a fish and loves the water.  If we ever/or when we ever get a pool, a fence will be a must.  This girl tried to just walk straight into the water and if she ever missed a step of got water on her face/in her nose/mouth she was completely fine and didn’t freak out at all.  I”m thinking we need to work on teaching her to swim now rather than later.  We need to make sure she keeps this fearless attitude (although in a safe controlled environment).

Here’s a video of Brady’s first swim in a big pool:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfiZDgr9YSo

I’ve already posted most of these on Facebook but there are a few new ones in here from this weekend.

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Today’s Casey and my 9 year anniversary! I mean I know we’ve been together a long time but saying 9 years makes it sound like so much longer. And we’ve been together for 10 years in August. Woh! Kevin stayed with us tonight and watched Brady so Casey and I could go out to eat together. We opted for Jack Allen’s Kitchen based on Chronicle and Yelp reviews and the fact it’s so close. I really liked the ambiance and sitting outside although they went a little overboard with the fans making it too cool. Casey’s food was (pork belly and shrimp with a pear slaw) really good but mine (the chile mango shrimp tacos) was under seasoned and underwhelming. But it was nice to have some focused conversation and get to enjoy each other’s company so overall a very good night!

Today was day filled with returns. Brady and I started out after nap time returning months worth of things that we had accumulated that I had failed to return right away. Ugh, I hate returns. First, stop was to the Post Office to ship some books that I sold on Amazon. Then, to Home Depot to return a soil ph kit that wasn’t used. Next door to Target, where I exchanged some training pants covers that melted in the dryer even after following the laundering directions explicitally (will be air drying next time). And finally, at Lowes. I ended up having to return (14) 40 pound bags of top soil to Lowes because of unsettling ingredients (fly ash – found in cement and not exactly organic or safe). Now this was the hardest return to make. I had to plan my parking position near a cart return that had a flat bed that could accommodate 560 pounds of weight. I found one, unloaded the top soil from the FX, strapped Brady to my back, and hauled the thing across the parking lot. (Keep in mind that cart corrals are usually several rows in.) Two men watched me hauling this load with baby on back and no one offered to help. In fact, the strapping young lad at the returns counter saw this and just watched me continue to haul it and say, “I’m guessing there’s nothing wrong with it but you just didn’t need it.” Ugh. While processing said return, one of the guys from the parking lot walked by and had to repeat himself cause I wasn’t paying attention the first time and said, “I hope he appreciates all you do.” I left there feeling empowered, look at what I did with a 25 pound toddler strapped to my back but at the same time offended. I expected more from Texas honestly. You see someone pulling more than 4 times her body weight with a baby on her back and you don’t even bother to help but instead try offend the baby’s daddy – what’s wrong with you? Baby’s daddy is working and I’m getting things done.  After that we went and tried to sell some old video games and consoles.  We didn’t make quite as much as I was originally hoping but I also didn’t let the guy hustle me and made him give me a breakdown of his payout and started pulling things back (how’s that for being an informed consumer/reseller).  I did make enough to buy a 25 pound of diatemaceous earth on the way home and hopefully with that our pest control will be complete for awhile.

Anyone that’s met me can attest to my love of all things cheese. Well, except for faux cheeses such as American or Cheez Whiz (or however it’s spelled). Casey and I found out that Austin Home Brew sells a kit to make your own mozzarella a few months ago and I’ve been thinking about it since. Our Mother’s Day after dining plans put us just blocks from the source of cheese making kits and we decided to stop by. I waited until Brady’s nap time yesterday (Wednesday – two whole days) before I tried anything. After opening the plastic bag of all the ingredients (minus the gallon of whole [organic] milk) there was a lone list of instructions. I did a quick read through and assumed that we’d be set to go. After prepping water and getting necessary equipment out, I realized that our thermometer (that I’ve been using for yogurt making) did not go below 100. Oops! Fortunately for us, we have friends that live close by that have a sub-zero thermometer and were willing to let us borrow it. We ended up with 3/4 of a pound of fresh organic mozzarella – ingredients: organic whole milk, sodium chloride, cheese salt, and a 1/2 a renet tablet. I can actually pronounce and identify all the ingredients in the cheese my family is eating! I ended up under salting the cheese a little (personally like a lot of salt, but maybe not such a bad thing). The cheese turned out really really good and there’s not much left. So when you make cheese you boil milk and the curds and whey separate – the curds make the cheese (in our case mozzarella) and the whey and smaller curds make ricotta. Well my ricotta making did not turn out after several adjustments. I’m quite happy with my return on investment (cheese making kit = $14.99 for (20) 3/4 pound batches of cheese + $5.99/gal. organic milk) but would have been even happier had I’ve had some ricotta to boot as well. Maybe less straining of the cheese or less stirring once I’m trying to get the whey to reform? I don’t know!

Let me know if anyone’s interested in this cheese making recipe and I’ll type it up. It’s pretty easy, although a little time consuming. But there is peace of mind in knowing what you’re eating. I’m pretty sure I could assemble the necessary resources together for less now that I have the recipe but we’ll see how batch two goes. I’m just giving myself a pat on the back for not scorching the milk!  I posted some pics of the cheese making on Facebook and I’ll upload next time I do pics.  For now, I bid you goodnight!