CSA, week #1

Mike has been interested in local and healthier eating lately (after watching "Food Incorporated" and reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma"). Without having to do any of the grunt work, I've been able to reap the benefits. We were already drinking organic, hormone-free milk and Mike now buys cage-free (humanely-raised) eggs. He also bought a beef share a month or so ago so we have plenty of frozen meat in the fridge.

Today was the first day of our CSA fruit/veggie haul. We didn't have the greatest experience last year so I was hesitant but excited to try this new CSA. What a bounty!

- red beets
- dark green leaf lettuce
- spinach
- Hakurei turnips
- bok choy
- snap peas
- pea tendrils
- scallions (or green onions, depending on what you call them!)

Here's our cooking/eating plan - please offer any suggestions!

- we roasted the beets, green onions and turnips
- lettuce is ready for salads
- we wilted the spinach with some salt and olive oil (deelish)
- snap peas are pretty much eaten already
- bok choy is chopped and ready for a stir fry tomorrow
- NO IDEA about the pea tendrils. Not a clue. Help, please!

Of course, I had prepped dinner prior to this evening's pick-up. So with all that organic, local, healthy food, what did we eat tonight?



That's right - processed crap. Yum!

Easy

I'm putting together a Shutterfly book for my daughter's first year (hoping to make this an annual tradition - I already did one for her gestation and birth) so Mike and I were looking at photos from last summer.

And even though the photo subject was (and is) adorable, I definitely felt a little sad looking at her (and us). We just all looked so miserable! For myself, it was a combination of new-mom-ness plus post-partum depression. For her, it was normal newborn behavior plus reflux plus that first terrible (and ineffective) hip brace. For Mike, it was trying to keep it together for his crying ladies while also going to work every day!

And we got through that year and we survived and some might even say we thrived. But would I say it was easy? Ummm, no. And would I say I had an easy baby? Ummm, no (at least not after she got the Pavlik brace). I reread some of my old blog posts and I had forgotten how sad it was that we could only snuggle for one hour per day. Luckily it wasn't for a long period (she was waened to 12 hours/day after a few months) but it was rough at the time to maximize our bathtime/snuggling/breastfeeding in those short sixty minutes.


A few comments and segues into reflux:
- once we got a different kind of brace, everything changed! What I thought was crankiness due to reflux was apparently just discomfort from the brace. She became such a happy baby!
- since she continued with the reflux, the pediatrician dubbed her a "happy spitter". As the person who did the laundry, I disagree with the term "spitter"! This was not spit!
- the puking (and even all spit up) stopped magically when she started walking. It was such a distinct line - one day, crawling and spitting up everywhere (i needed to bring a burpcloth for a 5 min errand into CVS) and then walking and NOTHING. No puke, no spitup, nothing. Amazing.

And most importantly...just because they are fussy and not easy, it doesn't mean they aren't cute!

A few thoughts

1. I wish my daughter would eat more. If you have ideas for finger foods for toddlers, I'd appreciate the suggestion.
2. I wish I would eat less.
3. My baby is now a one-year-old. What happened? How did this happen? Ahhh, she's lovely and so much fun. I wish I could freeze time...but I've been saying that since she was six months old and then each month gets better!
4. I see no one is going to teach me how to clip my hair like Kate Middleton's. Excuse me, Princess Catherine.
5. I'm newly obsessed with creating an emergency kit in our home. I just found out that my brother and my father both have kits and they also have secondary meeting places in case they can't go to their homes. My brother also suggested the alterate meeting spot to his employer so they now have business-card-sized maps and important emergency numbers. Good idea, little brother!

That's all for now!

Hair

I want my hair to do this on special occasions.

Do I have to backcomb the top? And how do I pin my hair up? Lots of little pins?

Under what circumstances

How do you imagine this book got into our home? Just guess.

Hodge-Podge

Ahhhh, two posts in one week. And neither of them are plagiarizing the president. What's wrong with me? Am I *gasp* motivated? Let's not get crazy.

Ok, so to get back in the swing of things, here's a hodge-podge of things that I've thought about lately.

Politics:
1. I wish people would just close their trap. People get mean when they talk about politics. Specifically, I get really really mad when people say that the president was not born in this country. I think it is a thinly-veiled way of being racist.
2. I think the president's doing exactly what he said he would do - and yet people WHO VOTED FOR HIM are complaining. I don't get this - you voted for him because you wanted change. I am talking specifically about health care. I really don't follow much else.
3. This almost-shutdown really annoyed me. Don't worry - my blame falls equally on the Democratic White House and the Republican Congress.

And now I am going to follow #1 and stop talking about politics.

Parenthood:
1. I love my kid so freaking much. Honestly, I had no idea it was going to be like this. I'm amazed every day at what she's learning and understanding. Ten months is a great age. Sometimes I feel like I was a half-assed mother during the first few (ummm, six) months - I was so tired, so depressed, so unsure - and I don't feel like she got my best effort. I really try now to be the mother that she needs.
2. When I expressed my distress over her first few weeks, my darling friend VAsquared said that I gave her exactly what she needed (food, snuggles). That makes me feel good. The baby didn't know that I was a mess.
3. I am no longer depressed and I have more confidence in my mothering skills (or at least, I know I can fake it) but I'm still tired. This is ok.
4. I have realized that most parents are just faking it. And if they say that they know what they're doing, they are either lying or their kids are adults.

Sort of back to politics for a second - yes, I don't follow my own advice. It's my blog - I can do what I want to do! My dad went to a union rally/protest the other day. I was really proud of him. First of all, I love that my 70-year-old father is more liberal than I am. Second of all, I love that he has held true to his beliefs through his entire adult life. Third, I'm proud that he doesn't just complain about things but he actually goes out and shows his support in rallies. Oh and here's a fourth - if you aren't related to him, he won't discuss politics with you. He really tries to be diplomatic and stress-free when talking to people.

Inside joke

Today was the first time that I really saw my daughter's wicked sense of humor. I already knew she was a good-natured kid (it feels great when people say they've never heard her squawk) but I didn't know if she was "funny" yet.

Sidenote - being funny is very important to me and my husband. We have frequently had arguments about which one of us is funnier. If you don't think it's me, shut your mouth.

Anyway...the story...my husband had taken down the baby gates last night so there was easy access to the kitchen from the living room (where we were playing). The baby knows I don't like her in the kitchen alone (big appliances, staircase to the basement, unsteady bookcase - pick your poison) and I had already given her a few little warning noises as she inched her way closer to the kitchen. She finally crawled her way into the kitchen and then full on sat down and looked back at me with a dare in her big brown eyes. The nerve! So I chased (okay, crawled) after her and she laughed and laughed and laughed. She didn't even care about being in the kitchen - she just wanted me to know that she could do it AND she wanted me to chase after her.

That kid - she is more than I could have hoped for.

(MEG - I hope you don't mind I ended in a preposition)