My Week

May 19, 20131 comment

Tim and I aren’t known to go all out for holidays, but last week was extra special since two whole days were all about me — Mother’s Day and my birthday.

My Mother’s Day began with a failed attempt to sleep in. Soren is often up and at ‘em around 6 a.m., and even when Tim whisks Soren away to let me keep snoozing, I often just can’t do it. It’s terrible. But things got better when Tim whipped up my dream breakfast — eggs Benedict. This year he served the perfectly poached eggs, prosciutto, and Hollandaise on homemade popovers. Divine.

First official Mother’s Day means the start of a new family tradition — taking a photo of me, the mother, with my baby (or maybe multiple babies, someday).

Next up was my birthday, with another early wake-up call (this time by my alarm, not Soren). But at least I had a pile of chocolate next to my computer to welcome me to the work day.

I’ve never come across a Trader Joe’s dark chocolate item I didn’t love.

Tim had to do boring stuff during the day, like defend his dissertation proposal and host a reading group, so Soren and I went out on the town.

My dreamy lunch date.

We shared a sandwich for my birthday lunch at the park in Copley Square, then basked in the sunshine for a little while.

I’m still getting used to sharing my food with this little person. He always eats more than I’m expecting, even when the mushrooms are covered in a spicy mustard.

When Tim finished up at school he hopped on his bike and met us downtown. Good thing, because I needed someone to snap our photo.

My perfect day always includes time in the sun.

The day was a bit brisk, so our next stop was Burdick’s for a little hot chocolate — only the richest and most divine dark hot chocolate on the face of the earth. It was our first visit to the Back Bay location, so we celebrated by also picking up a treat for later in the night — a loaded brownie with lots of walnuts and ganache.

Soren fell asleep before we made it to Burdick’s. He must have known he wasn’t getting any of my hot chocolate.

Soren dozed off in my carrier, so Tim and I wandered down Comm Ave. and through the Public Garden. I’ve never seen the park looking so lovely.

We finished off the night with dinner at home from Esperia, and Tim gave me the presents I had picked out for myself a few days earlier — new cookie sheets and a deviled egg tray from Crate & Barrel, and a bundle of glass bottles from IKEA. Happy 31st to me!

Life Lately

May 8, 2013Comments: 3

Sometimes when Soren is sleeping and the house is very quiet, I miss him. I might not have said that when he was four months old and his naps never stretched beyond 30 minutes. But now that he’s a champion napper, the longer absences are making my heart grow fonder.

During times like these, I often take little breaks from my work or whatever I’m doing in the kitchen to look at pictures of him or watch a few of the many videos taking up space on my phone. It’s an especially nice diversion from the not-fun tasks that should be demanding my attention, like cleaning the enormous pile of oatmeal, pears, and fried rice beneath Soren’s high chair. So, to keep myself away from that mess for another few minutes, how about I share some of our latest happenings in photos. (Warning: Most of these photos have been Facebooked and/or Instagrammed, so sorry if this is old news.)

A month ago we ventured to Newport for the day. I was nervous about how Soren would react to a full day away from our home base, but he was a dream — snoozed all the way there, took a few mini naps in the Ergo while we toured mansions, and slept part of the way home. In between, he was as happy as the clams we ate for lunch.

Marble House might be my latest favorite Newport mansion. During the audio tour I literally laughed out loud multiple times about Alva Vanderbilt’s shenanigans.

Soren tasted his first bite of lobster at Flo’s Clam Shack. I wouldn’t let him near the rest of the food, though (fried, fried, and more fried).

Our fair city’s Patriot’s Day (otherwise known as Marathon Monday) got turned upside down this year. We live about a five-minute walk from the course, and five miles from the finish line. We waited to go watch the race until Soren woke from his afternoon nap, and we arrived just as the runners were being told they couldn’t finish — two bombs had gone off downtown, and everything was chaotic and unknown at that point. We watched the news for a little while from a nearby restaurant, then walked back home while checking for updates on our phones. I was glued to the news for days after, especially on Friday — the day of the manhunt and lockdown. On Saturday morning, everything felt fresh and new around the city. As Mayah Menino said at the interfaith service earlier that week:

“I’m telling you, nothing can defeat the heart of this city. Nothing. Nothing will take us down, because we take care of one another. Even with the smell of smoke in the air … and blood on the streets … tears in our eyes … we triumphed over that hateful act on Monday afternoon. It’s a glorious thing, the love and the strength that covers our city. It will push us forward, it will push thousands and thousands and thousands of people across the finish line next year. Because this is Boston, a city with the courage, compassion and strength that knows no bounds.”

Even the MBTA showed its support.

Soren told Tim how he felt about being cooped up in the house during the manhunt for the marathon bomber — barf, barf, and more barf. I have yet to get the stains out of that shirt.

Our trip to Israel is a go, so we ordered a baby passport for Soren. If you think the post office is a dreary place to be, just bring in a really cute baby. All the workers are crazy about him.

I’m convinced there’s never been a more adorable passport photo in the history of the world.

Soren continues to amaze us with his love for food. (And I continue to take lots of pictures and videos of him eating because I think it’s so fun to watch.) I know not every baby takes to food so quickly, but I’m on a personal mission to share the idea of baby-led weaning with the world. I believe that is the single reason mealtime is so great for us. Over the last two months he’s eaten many foods I didn’t try until I was in my 20s. He gets pretty much whatever we’re eating now, and while he does have preferences (he’ll drop the carrot in his hand if I put a spoon full of cottage cheese/tomatoes/basil on his tray), he has yet to refuse anything outright.

He’s also gotten to the point where he’s fun to have around at meals outside the home. We attended two great barbecues this weekend, and he didn’t hesitate to grab my grilled chicken/pesto/spinach on ciabatta and dive into it. He tried watermelon and pineapple for the first time and loved both. We got burritos at our beloved El Pelon yesterday, and he sampled some beans, tortilla, and plantain. Then he realized the plastic utensils and paper food trays were even more fun to play with, and I was secretly glad to not have to share my food.

This picture perfectly captures my life right now — Soren in his high chair, with a pile of freshly washed diapers behind him. Food and poop. That’s my life.

The mess on his tray may not look super appealing, but Soren loved it. I think I see lasagna, carrots, and zucchini there.

After months of coveting beautiful rockers/gliders (if only I had $1,000 to just throw around on one of these) for Soren’s room, I finally gave up my dreams and decided to do a little DIY. I checked Craigslist religiously for a chair that wasn’t hideous and was thrilled to see this one pop up one day — for free! I ditched the previous owner’s cover and got to work painting the upholstery underneath (mixture of paint, textile medium, and water). Three coats (and a couple months) later, I have a chair I actually like! I did some more IKEA hacking with the spice-rack-turned-bookshelves behind the chair. It’s the most decorating I’ve done in years.

Our next step is to use the green polka dot fabric to sew a pillow cover. So as not to overdo myself with all this craftiness, I think I’ll wait until my mom is in town in two weeks and have her do it.

A few weeks ago we took our inaugural trip of the year to Kimball Farm. Tim rode his bike, and Soren and I drove up to meet him there. (We’re on a hunt for a bike trailer so we can all go together.) We tried a new flavor, for once, and I think it’s a keeper — the caramel cashew chip is great with our old standby, chocolate peanut butter. Soren ate a banana and had no idea what he was missing.

Bliss.

Soren did seem to notice we were eating something different than him. But he was satisfied after I gave him a spoon to use with his banana.

Relaxing Sundays with loads of downtime are a thing of the past. Tim leaves for church a few hours early to ride his bike to meetings at the chapel, so Soren and I hang out on our own and then meet him there. Our congregation began meeting from 1-4 p.m. this January, so some of the little kids are sleep-deprived by the end of church after skipping their afternoon naps. The time doesn’t make much difference for us since Soren needs a morning and an afternoon nap (and quite often takes a third nap). During the second hour of church Soren plays in the clerk’s office with Tim while I teach a Sunday School class about family history. During the third hour Soren starts to get the sillies as he gets more and more tired. His talking and giggling make it really difficult to pay attention — he’s just too fun. As soon as we get in the car to drive home, his eyelids start drooping and he’s asleep in no time.

Sunday snooze.

We go outside quite a bit more now that it’s somewhat warm. Soren seems to understand that outdoors is more fun — he starts kicking and smiling when we walk out the door.

Spring has sprung.

At the risk of becoming one of those stage moms, I’m seriously considering turning Soren into a baby model. I know all parents think their baby is really cute, but based on unsolicited feedback we’ve received, ours is exceptionally good looking. If we can make some money off of our offspring, I’m all for it.

When I hold up the camera, he starts smiling.

 

Have Baby Will Travel

April 15, 2013Comments: 2

Although we have yet to purchase plane tickets, our little family is headed to Israel in June. Tim will attend a sure-to-be-thrilling conference about risk adjustment, and Soren and I will run around Tel Aviv and eat a lot of hummus. I keep meaning to scour the internet for tips on traveling abroad with a baby, but so far I’m banking on my overly optimistic view that the whole trip will be a breeze. Fifteen hours of travel? No big deal. Seven-hour time difference? Soren can handle it. I think my (over)confidence comes from the great successes we’ve had with other trips we’ve taken since Soren was born. Our upcoming vacation is obviously  a bigger deal in pretty much every way, but “go with the flow” is going to be my modus operandi.

To maintain my “blog as journal” plan, how about a recap of our travels since we became a family of three?

Soren’s first venture out of state came at five weeks old when we made the long drive to Virginia for Gram’s funeral.

Is this my baby? Was he ever really that teeny?

My favorite boys in my favorite state.

I love my family.

When Soren was just shy of three months old, we gave Virginia another go. I hadn’t been home for Thanksgiving in at least a decade (after I left home for college, my Thanksgivings were spent all over the place — many years in New York, once in Mexico, once in Las Vegas, and a few in various parts of Utah). Yet again, Soren was a dream baby on the drive to and from VA.

This is how Soren makes the most of his travel time.

When he wasn’t sleeping, he was smiling. Except for the part where we were stuck in traffic on a bridge and he was hungry. Then he screamed.

Soren loved swimming in Grandmama’s big sink.

We took lots of walks with the little girls. The twins like to race down the hill on their scooters, then play dead in the street. Don’t ask me.

Thanksgiving day at the Taggs’ house was a joy, despite the look on Soren’s face.

Soren loved his first hike on the Appalachian Trail. He needed a rest at the shelter, though — hiking is hard work.

A month later, Soren took his first flight. I’m a big whiner when it comes to Missouri travel since the flight is followed by a looong drive, but Soren handled it well.

First flight with my babe.

Tim has the magic touch. (It helps that the airplane provides some nice white noise and just the right amount of turbulence.)

Love those post-nap red cheeks.

The halls were decked.

The governor’s sweet wife came over to read stories to Soren.

Soren wasn’t quite sure what to do on Christmas morning.

Playtime with his great grandpa. Could he be any cuter?

We kidnapped Soren’s cousin London for one of our walks. We could totally handle twins.

In March Soren and I took our first solo trip. When I bought my plane ticket I was a little nervous about being Soren’s sole caretaker for five days, but it ended up being surprisingly easy. Easier than being at home with Tim, in fact. Turns out life is pretty fun when you don’t have to think about work, cleaning a house, preparing meals, etc. and can instead spend every minute just cuddling with your baby. Texas was a real delight.

Since Camilla moved from Brooklyn to Dallas (and since I had a baby), my New York visits have pretty much come to a halt. Seeing Camilla and Linsey (and their combined five kiddies) in the sunshiny South was heaven.

We loved the Dallas Arboretum. Tulips galore. Soren enjoyed it for about 30 minutes then quickly fell asleep on my chest.

Soren was like, “What’s this enormous space you call a yard?” We’re not accustomed to such luxuries in Boston.

I needed another kid to snuggle with while Soren was napping, so Ruby joined me on the couch.

We ventured downtown for an afternoon at the park, including sushi and ice cream sandwiches from the food trucks.

It’s extra fun to push a shopping cart around Costco when you’ve got two cute babies in front of you. Soren tried to snitch Ruby’s samples more than once.

And, 23 photos later, that’s our recap. Now it’s time to think about Israel in June, the Outer Banks in July, and maybe a few days in Montreal this fall?

Food, Glorious Food

March 23, 2013Comments: 3

This is how Soren feels about food.

Before I had Soren I looked forward to the day I would feed my babies a variety of homemade fruit and vegetable purees, perfectly steamed, carefully liquefied in the food processor, and neatly frozen in ice cube trays. In post-birth real life, I began to dread the introduction of “solids” (i.e. rice cereal, purees, and mushed-up foods). My pre-baby self anticipated a lot more free time for cooking and crafting and reading and doing all the glorious things I thought stay-at-home moms did. And on top of the time issue, I wasn’t excited about having to prepare separate food for Soren at mealtime and then attempt to feed him while feeding myself (I was one of those babies who screamed in between bites because my parents couldn’t get the spoon to my mouth fast enough). So I’d be happy if Soren wanted a breastmilk-only diet until he goes to kindergarten. Is that weird? Luckily, a wise friend recommended I try baby-led weaning. I bought the book right away, and after reading just a few pages I was suddenly looking forward to the imminent new phase of Soren’s life.

We gave it a go a few weeks after his six-month birthday. I wasn’t expecting much action for the first few weeks (or even months, possibly). One of the BLW mantras is “fun until one,” meaning mealtime is playtime for the first few months, and it’s no big deal if the amount of food that actually makes it down his throat is minimal. So I was surprised and delighted when Soren took to the food thing really quickly. He picked up and gnawed on his roasted broccoli as if he’d been eating all his (short) life.

Turns out you don’t need to teach a baby how to feed himself. Just throw some food his way and he’ll figure it out.

His attention span is pretty short when he’s in the high chair, but he’s actually eating! It is so fun to watch him dive in as soon as I place the food on his tray. So far he’s enjoyed banana, pear, avocado, apple, sweet potato, parsnips, butternut squash, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, quinoa, egg/avocado on toast, mango, hummus/pita, green beans, spinach smoothie, and grapefruit. He’s only refused one thing — a piece of a hamburger from Shake Shack. I’m so proud — he clearly knows what’s good for him and what’s not. Or maybe we have a vegetarian baby? Either way, his food-loving parents couldn’t be more thrilled about his latest milestone. Can’t wait to see how he does with tomorrow night’s chicken tikka masala.

Avocados have been a huge hit.

When I’m drinking a smoothie he reaches his hands out for a taste.

Music to My Ears

March 15, 2013Comments: 2

After weeks of unsuccessful piano lessons*, Soren has finally figured it out.

*Piano lessons are a daily five-minute activity where I try to get Soren to understand that if he hits the white and black rectangles, exciting things happen. Usually he sits on my lap and stares at the keys, occasionally resting his hands on them so lightly that no sound comes out. After a few minutes of nothing happening, I usually play him a song or two, in hopes that he’ll want to try it himself.

My Little Lab Rat

March 12, 2013No comments

A few months ago Soren picked up a new hobby — participating in research studies. I guess he just likes to do his part to aid doctors and psychologists in their research. He also likes when they offer him toys to say thank you. Sometimes they give me a little bit of cash or a Target gift card. I thought about putting the money into an account for Soren to use someday, but then I decided it would be more fun if we went out to lunch instead.

Soren’s first study was more of a product test. It’s technically a secret, so I can’t say much about it, but I can say that it involved a visit to our home from world-renowned pediatrician Harvey Karp (of “The Happiest Baby on the Block” fame). When Soren was tiny, Tim and I quickly came to love Dr. Karp’s magic tricks for soothing, so when we had the chance to receive a personal visit from the legend himself we jumped at the chance. We sort of felt like celebrities, since Dr. Karp has worked with the likes of Madonna, Michelle Pfieffer, and Pierce Brosnan. He took time to answer all our questions, and was nice beyond belief. He loved Soren, even after Soren spit up all over him.

It’s pretty fun to have a famous doctor and best selling author visit your home.

Over the last few weeks, Soren has participated in two more studies — one through Harvard, one through Boston University. One is looking at cognitive development and mimicking, the other is investigating social interactions. In the photo below, Soren is watching a little video with smiley faces bouncing around. He spent the first half of the video looking around the dark room, completely uninterested in the screen. Since I do all I can to prevent him from watching TV or looking at computer screens, I was thrilled that he wasn’t sucked in. Let’s hope he didn’t skew the results of the study by ignoring it.

Soren wasn’t sure what to think of Harvard’s lab for developmental studies.

 

What’s for Dinner?

March 4, 2013Comments: 4

As evening approaches each day, I pay Tim a visit in the office to ask if he has any ideas for dinner. His answer is almost always, “I don’t know.” (And if he does have a suggestion, it’s usually fajitas, macaroni and cheese, or nachos.)

So… we’re terrible at planning meals. I would love it if someone gave me a list of dinner ideas and tasked me with choosing the recipes, shopping for groceries, and cooking the food. I thoroughly enjoy cooking and am happy to make dinner — it’s just the initial brainstorming that stumps me. If anyone knows of a great blog or website that offers weekly menus, please let me know.

So in case any of you are in the same boat, I thought I’d share my list of what we’ve been eating lately:

Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos, photo courtesy Aggie’s Kitchen

  • Braided Reubens: This was a fun change from our usual dinners. It could use a lot more filling than what’s called for. Tim suggested adding a Reuben-appropriate dressing next time.
  • Whole Wheat Crepes with Honey Cream Cheese: These were great for Sunday pre-church brunch. They didn’t taste wheaty at all and were lovely with strawberries and bananas inside.
  • Martha’s Bean Burritos: I suppose most people don’t need a recipe for bean burritos… but sometimes I do. For this recipe, I upped the rice, added chipotle chiles in adobo sauce instead of jalapenos, and added cayenne and chili pepper. I mixed everything together to stuff the burritos.
  • Mushroom Risotto: This recipe will knock your socks off. I didn’t use dried mushrooms (just extra fresh) and I also left out the truffle oil. Divine.
  • Summer Vegetable Tostadas: We’ve made these on a few occasions, and I love ‘em every time. The recipe calls for chicken, but I leave it out since we go meatless most nights. We add a little more heat than the recipe calls for.
  • California BLT with Avocado and Basil Mayonnaise: Avocados have been around $0.60 apiece at Costco lately, so we’ve been downing them like crazy. I’m just waiting for Costco to start selling nitrate-free bacon so I can quit buying small packages at TJ’s that disappear much too quickly. The basil mayo in this recipe is really fun.

photo courtesy theKitchn

  • Fried Rice: Fried rice is another dish that probably doesn’t necessitate a recipe. But sometimes I need reminders on fried rice essentials, like using cold rice. We usually leave out the meat and add carrots, mushrooms, peppers, snow peas, etc. And I don’t add water to the soy sauce like it suggests.
  • Roast Chicken with Balsamic Peppers: I only started liking peppers a few years ago, and now I love them. I double the peppers for this super easy recipe.
  • Arugula Pesto: Tim and I go back and forth about whether we like regular (basil) pesto or this version better. The conclusion is that we love both. I use considerably less garlic than she calls for in this recipe.
  • Sausage and Brie Sandwiches with Red Pepper Coulis: I’ve had a few packs of chicken/apple sausages in my freezer for awhile, and this was a perfect way to use them. The coulis didn’t have a strong enough red pepper taste for my liking, so next time I’ll cut back on the other ingredients. Love the brie with the sausage.
  • Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Caramelized Onions: If I could only eat one type of pizza for the rest of my life, this would be it. We use the Cook’s Illustrated pizza dough recipe.
  • Ina’s Mac and Cheese: I use an apple-smoked Gruyere for this (plus cheddar) and it’s perfection. I leave out the tomatoes and use homemade wheat breadcrumbs instead of white. And no butter on top — the breadcrumbs do just fine without it. And my figure is better off without it.

Oh, did you want a few side dish and dessert ideas, too?

photo courtesy Smitten Kitchen

  • Lemon Bars: Every time I make lemon bars I wonder if I should branch out and try a new recipe or stick with the classic Ina. Ina always wins. Although, she likes sugar a little too much — you really only need two cups of it in the lemon mixture instead of the three she calls for.

And now it’s 4:15 p.m. and I’m out of dinner ideas. I think we’ll order Thai.

Six-Month Recap

February 25, 2013Comments: 2

Soren passed his six-month checkup today, so I better record his stats before he grows any bigger.

(Side note: Soren showed his first signs of stranger anxiety for Dr. Oren. He burst into tears at the doctor’s first hello. I’m gearing myself up to leave him for the first time at my gym’s nursery, so let’s hope he doesn’t hate the nice ladies there like he hates his doctor.)

One month old — 23 inches (98th percentile) and 10 lbs 7 oz (75th percentile)

Two months old — 25 inches (beyond the 99th percentile, but Tim reminds me there is no such thing as the 100th percentile) and 13 lbs 1 oz (75th percentile)

Three months old

Four months old — 25.5″ (75th percentile) and 15 lbs 4 oz (50th percentile)

Five months old

Six months old — 27 inches (75th percentile) and 18 lbs 2 oz (70th percentile)

 

Half a Year

February 20, 2013Comments: 4

This boy is six months old. It feels like it’s been a million years since the amazing August day of his birth. My greatest accomplishments over the last half a year have been 1) keeping my child alive and 2) managing to take a shower every day.

For the Grandparents

February 12, 2013Comments: 2

I’m usually out of the loop when it comes to popular videos on YouTube. (I didn’t know what Gangnam Style was until, like, yesterday.) When friends email or post videos on Facebook/blogs, I rarely click to view. Especially if the videos are of their kids. So I totally understand that very few people care about videos of my kid. But I’m pretty sure grandparents are the exception. So, for you four grandparents, here is the link to my YouTube channel, filled with admittedly boring videos of my darling baby.

Below is one of the more exciting Soren videos. He has a pretty cute laugh. For a little while, I was a total failure at getting him to laugh. He bestowed his first giggles upon our friend Brenda — when I wasn’t even home. I missed it. I cried actual tears. Tim and I tried the rest of the day to get him to laugh at us, but he wouldn’t budge. The next day, Soren did it again — this time for our friends Annie and Allan. I was convinced he would never laugh for his own mother. Luckily, he’s come around, and it’s a little easier now to get him to let out those cute chuckles.

Evening Giggles