9/26

Lara bars. Have you heard of these things? They're 100% all natural preservative free additive free fruit and nut "energy" bars. They're mostly dates with different fruits/spices/etc. Chantal loves the Lara bars, but they are RIDICULOUSLY expensive, like $2 a bar. You can make them at home though from dates and nuts and fruit. Chantal made some the other day and everyone seems to like them. I haven't tried them yet. I have been sticking with the SoyJoy because they are good. But I am going to make some different sort of Lara bars this weekend for Tim. He liked ones with walnuts and coconut in them. I am going to try making Cherry ones and Banana nut ones. A package of dates makes like 6 or 8 bars and costs $1.58 and then whatever you mix with it, banana chips are $1 for a big package, and we have a bag of coconut, and walnuts, and some cherry flavored cranberries. So, maybe $3 all together for 8 bars? A lot better than $2 per bar. If you're curious, the ratio of dates to nuts/fruit whatever is just 3 Tablespoons chopped dates to 1 Tablespoon fruit/nuts. I think it is more just however you like it though, not so much sticking to exact measurements. You just pulse the dates in a food processor until they become a sticky mass (it took awhile in my Black and Decker food processor, the dates were really hard and dry but eventually softened up and got sticky with some heat and friction from the food processor), take the dates out, put the fruit/nuts in, then mix together in a bowl and form into a bar shape with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge.

Savino signed "nurse/milk" to me today, asking to nurse! I about fell over! I was laying on the floor with him in his play yard and asked him if he wanted to nurse because he was burying his face in my boobs and pulling at my shirt. He sat up and sat back on his heels and did the sign for "milk". I was so impressed! He does the sign for "eat" and "more" but other than that, it seemed like he just wasn't interested in signing. I guess he is just more interested in communicating and getting more interested in signing. I am all for it! After he was done nursing on one side, he sat up and climbed over me and then did the sign for "milk" again and so I let him nurse on the other side too. He is getting so big! I just want to snuggle him up and hold him close forever.