But, little did I know how adorable her little ones were!

And as if that wasn’t enough to win me completely over, two months ago they added this little sweet pea:

Thank you, Watson family, for letting me crash your Sunday.

You have a beautiful family.  Thank you for letting me join you for the afternoon, and I hope you enjoy your photos!

Well, that time was short lived.  We are back to only a few hours of sleep at a time, with the occasional five hour burst.  Our days are spent trying to limit what we do outside of the house because he will not sleep anywhere but home, and only in his crib.  The thought of missing a nap is not something I think about often, as in the past when we have, it hasn’t been pretty.

I am still trying to figure out what exactly to feed the sweet little boy, as he doesn’t really seem to enjoy anything and most of it ends up on the floor.  Since we are both gluten free, with the addition of his dairy restriction I was struggling to find much he could eat, and even moreso struggling to find something that he would eat.

Today was a bad day.  I had to face the fact that the omission of dairy has not changed anything, and we are on our way back to our pediatricians office for direction.  I am scared for him.

And of course there’s the ‘mothers guilt’.  Have I let this go on too long?  Is this just a boy being a boy and I am expecting too much?  Is there something wrong with him?  I can barely say those words out loud, and the second I do I feel horrible for saying it.

There are times when he is such a sweet baby.  All smiles and hugs and giggles.  There are moments during the day when it’s just me and him and no one else matters.

And then there are not.

So, I am trying to give it all to God.  I have begged him to protect Caterpillar and for truth to be revealed.  And now we wait.  And as all of you know, it’s not my strong suit.

That being said, since I first visited the hippie doctor I have convinced myself to put two drops of liquid nastiness under my tongue (by the way, Nathan it’s a good thing I love you so, because it DOES taste disgusting), take a whole bunch of pills in various sizes ranging from teeny and manageable to horse sized with an aftertaste that I burp all morning.  And, as the icing on the cake, I give myself an inter-muscular shot of B12 every day. 

However, as much as I hate to admit it, the hippie doctor has given me what western medicine hasn’t been able to provide for the last 5 years – relief.  I feel amazing.  But don’t take my word for it.  As proof, Daddy made an appointment with the hippie doctor for himself about his allergies!

That kind of makes me giggle because for the first 48 hours after leaving my first appointment with the hippie doctor, I heard nothing but jokes about sacrificing chickens and sprinkling voo-doo powder around me as he chanted.  Guess the proof really is in the (gluten free) pudding.

It’s not just the crazy vitamin regimen either.  My shampoo is made of grass and other things I normally plant in my herb garden.  My skin care could double as a salad, and I am pretty sure I am going to buy a pair of Birkenstocks before the summer is over.

It’s official: I’m a hippie.

And I’d ask the Lord for help, but based on typical pictures of His only son, I’m guessing He’s into that sort of thing.

What’s interesting to me, is how much I absolutely love these sessions.  Not in a freaky-perv sort of way, but they are just so sweet to me on so many levels.

I only do the sessions for married women, and most of them are doing the sessions for their husbands.  And, as much as I love those, I love the ones that are just for her even more.

I am not sure if I love looking through my lens and seeing something that God crafted especially for man, or if it’s the empowering feeling people tell me they get after I provide the images.  Or perhaps it’s the fact that I get to feed the imperfect artsy side of my work.  Or maybe it’s the fact that I’d like to think in some small way I could be strengthening or repairing a marriage  … Either way, it’s just so much fun!

So, in light of my newfound obsession love for this style of photography, I am giving half off to anyone who mentions this post when booking a boudoir session from now until April 1st, 2010.  I will also throw in 5 4×6 prints (or smaller if you’d like some for him to tuck behind his license in his wallet )

Don’t forget: The same rules still apply: Don’t let the money deter you.  If you are interested, contact me and we’ll figure out payment plans.  These sessions are something you, your hubbie and your relationship can’t afford to miss out on, ladies!

With the recent addition of this little one …

there are now four (!) kiddos, so the laughter is pretty contagious.

Speaking of that little cutie, he has three big sisters looking after him, so I can only imagine the things that will go on when mom and dad aren’t looking!

But, with faces like these, I am sure all parties will be innocent!

All kidding aside, this beautiful family was started by two of the most loving people I know.

And knowing them is one of the biggest blessings in my life.

We love you, Basslings.

My guess is, it’s because they still enjoy each other.

However, even with all of the laughing that was going on, one of the things that I enjoyed most was getting to peek at Johns handcrafted desk and chair that he made for his son.

I could just tell it was crafted out of love.  He even included the symbol in which is son has a tattoo (which means ‘devoted husband’):

And, as neat as that was, the part that stuck with me is how proud Rose is of John.  The rocking chair he handcrafted for her was beautiful:

But, the love between the two of them was inspiring and something I won’t soon forget.

Thank you, John and Rose.  Your preview page will be up very soon!

I was a little nervous because Monkey tends to have a very large imagination, which can sometimes lead to her being easily distracted.  We got there and her teacher went over her little grade sheet, which Monkey got the highest mark on everything.  The teachers comments said she is a very aggressive learner and pursues knowledge!  I was a little surprised, but of course so thrilled.  But, the best part for me was when she told me Monkey was the first one in her class to start reading and that she even helps other kids read when they are learning sounds and letters.

I mean, what mom doesn’t think their little one is perfect, but it never hurts to hear that other people think that too!  When I told the teacher what school she’d be attending next year for Kindergarten, she said she was so happy to hear we were selected in the lottery and that she really felt like it would be a great fit for our little one!  It’s so nice to just step aside and let God figure things out… even though usually while I am stepping aside I am complaining and being impatient the whole time.

I could not have been more happy about her teachers feelings towards Monkeys new school, as we are all registered.  Doesn’t she look so little under the Kindie-crew sign?

How about near the building?

And even though she looks so small to me, I am reminded every day just how big she’s getting.  Every time I hear her reading, or hear her giggling at a joke that she actually gets it’s hard for me not to be a little sad about how quickly she’s growing up.  But, I am also so excited for who is is becoming.  And, to celebrate her being a big girl …

We let her drive home.

After hanging out with boring ol’ mom for a bit, the kids got a little stir crazy and Caterpillar started climbing all over the place, in order to see all of the fun he was missing outside.

Once he realized all the fun to be had was indoors, he quickly turned to wrestle this one to the ground:

My money is on the girl.

Being an Italian mama myself, I do not know if I can say Abrusci’s is The Best Italian food… Period, (because my mama may not like that!) but it’s pretty darn good.  Coupled with the fact that when Daddy called and spoke to the owner/chef, Steve, he shared they had separate GF hardware and a full gluten free menu, Daddy knew it would be worth a shot for our anniversary dinner.

We arrived a little early, so we started the night off right:

Once our table was ready we were handed menus which I barely glanced at knowing I would need to ask for a gluten free menu.  When the sever returned with more wine, I asked for one, at which point he informed me that was the gluten free menu…. all 6 pages of it.  I think I peed a little.

And it’s a good thing my bladder was nice and empty when our salads came out.  Daddy’s Carprese salad was awesome.  I know because I think I ate half of it.  And I don’t even like raw tomatoes.

But that basil!  Oh, it was tasty.  And the biggest leaves I’ve ever seen.

By the time I finished my salad and GF bread (which wasn’t a brick like most GF bread) I was almost full.  But, don’t worry.  I made room for this:

That was Daddy’s too, but we ordered family style so I made him share.

By the end of all of that, we did not have room for dessert, so we headed out. It was a fantastic meal and I was nice and full when we left.  The best part is, I didn’t get the after meal tummy ache that I have gotten so used to.

The only bad thing I can say about Abrusci’s is that there isn’t one closer to my house.

So, for all of you GF mamas out there, it’s family friendly, so pile them all in the car and head up North.  Or not.  Make it a date night.  Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Her eyes got as big as saucers, and she said “WHOA!!!”

So then we started heading into our neighborhood and I said “Do you see all of those houses and that field?  It’s bigger than that!”

“Wow!”

So then I said “It’s bigger than our whole neighborhood!”

To which she responded “Wait… is it bigger than you!?”

That was the end of that discussion.