My Inner June

the beauty in ugly (naples style)

2012-02-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

frog's legs at the fish market. I HAD to take a picture. Although kind of unpleasant to see, they were also beautiful.

Mr. Frizzard and Miles on a Cold Day

2012-01-25T13:35:00.002-05:00

Fish Tacos and Yoga

2012-01-23T13:43:00.001-05:00

Dinner of locally caught cod, homemade guacamole & salsa, side of beans, please!
Having lived in San Diego for a grand total of 18 months, I fell in love with this thing called the fish taco.
They are perfect at Rubios and I'll never make them better, but I think I've perfected an okay substitute!

Oh, and here is our son doing the downward facing dog. I'm so proud, so very proud!

Day by Day

2012-01-18T19:54:00.000-05:00

So the other day I was reading a new Mormon mommy/fashion blog that I can no longer locate and she posted a lovely, heart-warming, and reassuring post about her days as a stay-at-home mommy. She did an hour-by-hour, no glitz/glamour account of what she did during the week with her young son. I felt so relieved to read her words, since I had thought that most stay-at-homers did MUCH more interesting things than I did. It made me feel like I was not alone in the most mundane, whine filled Tuesdays or Wednesdays. You see, I know lots of mommas, but very few are 100% stay-at-homers- they either have a part-time schedule or work from home several days a week.

So I thought I'd post about what we do everyday, in hopes that someone like me will read this and maybe feel some happiness or also maybe come over and bake cookies with me some afternoon :)

6am-6:30am: wake up by an either crying baby or a happy chatting baby. depends on the day.
6:30am-7:30am: daddy showers first, mommy and miles downstairs for soothing/snacking on fruit/playing, mommy showers second, daddy and miles start breakfast for the three of us. It looks sort of like this on good days, but most days, it looks like following picture with some toast and tea!

7:30am-8:30am: eat breakfast, get daddy's lunch packed, bring Miles upstairs to brush teeth and comb hair

8:30am-9:30am: start a loaf of bread if its needed (I make about two loafs every two weeks) and Miles "helps" by eating most of the dough. So we generally have one normal sized loaf and one tiny loaf. We pick those battles around here. During this time there is little crying/whining...its a nice time for us.

9:30am-12:00pm: Either go to the park, story time at the library, music class, or anywhere else that will have us. Seriously. Anywhere that has heat and/or air conditioning during the insane seasons. Tuesdays are our favorite days since we see our friends at story time at the library, we sing wheels on the bus, and often take a stop at the bakery with friends. Fridays are awesome too since we go to our weekly playgroup and see our fun baby friends!

Then we eat lunch- usually leftovers from the night before. I will often let Miles see a few minutes of Elmo while I prep lunch (yes, I let him view TV, don't call DHS, please!). We sit at his tiny table in the kitchen and feed each other. He becomes a crab starting around 11:30pm. Thats when the eating becomes um, a little challenging!

12:00pm-2:00pm or 3:00pm: Nap time! This is great time where mommy makes/preps dinner/sets the table/mops the floor/does laundry and then plops on the couch and reads mormon mom blogs and pins things on pinterest. What a go getter I am! I need to start doing something more, I know. I have many sewing and refinishing projects to do, but writing this is so much more fun!

2-3:00pm-5:15pm: play, read 10,000 books, soothe many times, kiss many "boo-boos" remove all kindling from kindling holder and then sometimes put it all back. Remove all books from bookshelf and then put them back upside down. Snack snack snack. Yells "papa" about the time when the sun sets. Dr. comes home via foot or we go and pick him up.

5:15pm-6:30pm: we eat a lobster dinner with champagne like below and then have the nanny bring Miles to bed. HA HA! Actually, Ethan watches Miles, we all get into our fashionable PJ's and then I cook/finish dinner--usually something one-pot- either Indian (chana masala seen below) or Mexican or Vietnamese. I don't kid. We rarely eat "American" around here. Unless I get my way, which is almost never :) We eat, sometimes Miles decides to eat more than a few bites, and we shovel everything in as fast as possible since Miles usually whines until we play with him. Or, if we're lucky he'll play peekaboo with the dining room door for about 5 minutes. Then I clean up after dinner, Ethan reads to Miles and we have some downtime before going upstairs for the "BBB" (bath, book, bed) ritual.

6:30pm-7:30pm: BBB, prepping M's room with humidifier and sound machine, getting jammies out and overnight diaper out. This process involves shivering in the cold (killing mommy and daddy just a tiny bit), kissing toy hedgehog, wombat, giraffe, and bunny many times, kiss for mommy and daddy (THE BEST), and attempting to throw all toys into bathtub.

7:30pm-9:30pm: balance check book, read books, watch movies or old shows on DVD or streaming (right now we are ending the last season of Big Love, and oh how I will miss that show), and eat yogurt with maple syrup for a snack!

and that's it! That's our unglamourous day! Yippee!

sick of being sick (warning: rant post)

2012-01-16T14:50:00.000-05:00

Sick Baby taking a nap on Papa

We've been sick for almost 2 weeks now. First Miles for about a week and then me for about a week and counting. Its like 20 degrees outside and thus, we've been inside for DAYS. Luckily my dear sweet Ethan has let me sleep in for the three days that he's been home from work. I'm trying to look on the bright side, but really, I hate being sick. I especially hate seeing my baby sick, but am grateful that I was healthy while he was sick- otherwise we'd need grandma to come here and rescue us! When I am up and functioning I will post something more interesting, but for now, its back to drinking tea and ridiculous amounts of water.

Pin It

2012-01-12T12:46:00.000-05:00

I'd highly recommend joining Pinterest (my boards are here: http://pinterest.com/mrsm/) its addictive and a little like playing barbies and having every outfit, accessory and play idea at your finger tips. Even if you didn't play with barbies you'd like it. I swear!

Stay at Home

2012-01-08T13:50:00.000-05:00

I've been off on interviews lately. Full-time, real job interviews. They are both perfect positions for me, thus I felt I had to apply. I feel lucky to even have interviews at either of these places, especially given Rhode Island's economy.

But I feel so conflicted. I've spent the last 20 months at home with Miles. Cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, being frustrated and isolated and yet the most happy I've ever been. There is a good chance that I won't get either of these jobs, which would be disappointing for our budget, but would allow me another few months or year of being this baby's full-time mom. I KNOW I will miss these days in a few years. They are pretty rough sometimes, but pretty magical too.

Moving Forward

2012-01-04T13:51:00.001-05:00

I am not ready for my baby to grow up. There, I said it.
He is starting to talk, run, and jump. He is his own person with a heavy dependence on his parents.
Not ready. Not yet.
I still want to swoop him into my arms and snuggle him like a tiny baby.
It wasn't THAT long ago!
No fair. He is my first and last baby. I have to try to let go and move on with him. He's ready.

2012

2012-01-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

my baby will turn 2 this year
I will turn 36
My dearest will be 32
and we will all stay in love!

Happy 2012 Everyone!

Christmas on Creston

2012-01-01T14:21:00.001-05:00

Channukah Nights!

2011-12-26T14:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Christmas and Merry Channukah!

2011-12-23T14:02:00.000-05:00

From our home to yours....

Homemade Things

2011-12-19T12:44:00.002-05:00

Miles kneading (and eating) our homemade bread

Somethings I like better in packages from the store, like tortilla chips, peanut butter, pasta, and cooked beans. Other things I always make from scratch, like sandwich bread, guacamole, hummus, pasta sauce, pizza dough, roasted red peppers, salsa, and all baked sweets. My next goal is to make granola every week, make my own jam next strawberry season, and pickle my own summer veggies.

While I realize what I do takes time, I also know its best for my family. If I had a job outside of the home, perhaps we wouldn't be eating as much from scratch and that makes me feel worried for then I do return to work. Maybe you think its silly, but to me, homemade food is whole, nutritious, and filled with love. I just hope Miles will always help me knead/eat the dough when we bake our weekly bread. He's an excellent helper these days!

The Time Person of the Year was "the protester" this year, which filled me with hope that maybe the media in America might stop admiring the celebrity/politician and start recognizing the hard working and proactive people who are trying to make a difference. I cannot say that I haven't ever read a celebrity magazine or that I haven't been jealous of the uber wealthy, but I try to steer away from that. As a homemaker I try to "protest" silently but with our wallet. I try to buy local gifts, foods, and necessities. I try not to use tons of gas in our car and stay close to home. I try not to use our credit card too much. I try to use less toilet paper/paper towels/tissues. This is my protest- my money use. I am trying harder in 2012 and hope to eliminate saran wrap and most plastic food bags. I'm not perfect, but trying to help one purchase and use at a time. Go protesters!

Chronikkah, Part 1

2011-12-17T14:06:00.001-05:00

XMAS CARD OUTTAKES.....

2011-12-15T14:08:00.000-05:00

Cold & Lonely

2011-12-12T14:09:00.000-05:00

This morning my parents left for their season in Florida= boooooo.

Watching Rick Perry's awful awful video over and over yesterday just to piss myself off = cray cray town

It just got super cold here so I self-cleaned my oven to get in some extra heat :) = obviously bored

My son is currently taking a marathon nap = awesome & should be doing something useful like cleaning up my maniac mess of a basement

I got all I want for Christmaska this year already. done and done = awesome blossom

Now just have several major gifts to make and buy = tough choices

Please let this season go quickly so I can jump on an airplane and go to FL. Thank you, Mrs. M

Friday Nights

2011-12-09T19:56:00.000-05:00

Two Baby Best Friends Reading Elmo

The beauty of a new couch

Lucky Days

2011-12-06T12:35:00.000-05:00

Miles at 4 months

Today I just feel really lucky to be able to rock my baby to sleep everyday of the week. It's my blissed out moment of everyday. Thank you, Dr. M for giving me my sweet smelling baby!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

2011-12-05T14:07:00.000-05:00

Undressed Tree!

Making Marshmallows

Dressed from the Waist Up- TODDLER STYLE! Does anyone else do this?

My Favorite Ornament

Ethan's Office Gifts of Marshmallows & Homemade Graham Crackers!

Things I'm Thinking About Lately (in no particular order)

2011-12-02T13:43:00.002-05:00

Burma/Myanmar's future
The future of our local Planned Parenthoo
Stocking Stuffer ideas
my friend Becky's ever growing belly and impending due date!
Why can't Guittard chocolate company make ALL of their chocolate chips fair-trade? I ask this as I eat way too many of them right out of the bag? It's NOT FAIR.
Will Miles cry when he sits on Santa's lap?
Are homemade S'mores a good idea to gift and send to family? Homemade marshmallows and graham crackers with a nice bar of fair trade chocolate. Keep in mind that we've never made graham crackers OR marshmallows at home before. Disaster waiting to happen?
The extremely scary thought of Newt Gingrich being the next U.S. president.
Our ever tightening grocery budget and how to still buy quality local and organic food for one week of all meals at home for under $120. It's really really hard.
Speeding tickets and how much they stink. Can't there be some sort of immunity for us first time offenders. And by first time, I mean first time since teenage years!
Why does Miles only like meat and fish and chocolate? Why doesn't he like vegetables anymore? Is he actually related to me? I mean he won't even eat cheese anymore!!!!!
Why haven't I seen any good movies in a super long time, but yet have watched almost every Wonder Years episode, K-Drama, and Sister Wives episode available?
My bathroom floor and how it needs mopping now.
My March ladies weekend excitement
Our new couch to be delivered soon?! Andy?!?

Scenes from A Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-29T13:22:00.000-05:00

Thankful

2011-11-23T12:13:00.001-05:00

Today, the day before Thanksgiving, I am thankful for being able to stay-at-home with Miles. I am thankful to my husband for being an amazing partner in this parenting roller coaster. I am thankful to myself for being able to be pulled on, climbed over, spit up on, and drooled all over for the last 1.5 years! But mostly, I am so thankful for a sweet, healthy baby that gives me wet kisses every day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Love, the M Family

Anniversary Meal

2011-11-19T13:17:00.000-05:00

Three Cheeses, Salmon Roe

Salami & Baguette

Locally Made Duck Liver Mousse

Miles really enjoyed the salmon roe most of all! Salty salty!

Mommy, Miles, Daddy

2011-11-12T20:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth to Us.

2011-11-10T13:15:00.000-05:00

I always post pictures of our wedding day on our previous anniversaries, but today I am tired after a long morning of running around with baby. We plan to spend the day doing our usual things, and then drinking wine and eating a lot of baguette and cheese for a celebratory dinner. Even though we've only been married for four years, I feel like we've been married in our hearts since we met seven years ago. Sappy, yes, but very very true. I love you, E.

Trip to Colorado

2011-11-09T12:52:00.000-05:00

It looked like this:

What a long strange trip its been....

2011-11-03T13:38:00.000-04:00

Leaving on a jet plane today and I'm feeling so very nervous about leaving my baby (I mean toddler/big boy, of course) for three whole days. Daddy and Grandma Lou are around for constant love and care, but I won't be! I feel many things, including:

sad

nervous

guilty

excited

But, I will survive and so will Miles. I rocked my baby to sleep today before his nap and just sniffed his round little baby head and ended up rocking him much more than usual so that I could keep his warm little body on me as long as possible. Wish me luck, I am clearly a little dependent on my baby!

Toilets, Halloween, and Cat Mouses

2011-11-01T14:56:00.000-04:00

Yes, here we are playing with our old 70 year old toilet in our front yard on Halloween. My son is wearing a costume that I "made" and that also looks not just like a cat, but also not just like a mouse. He's a "cat-mouse", and thats what happens when you spend less than $10 on a group of clothes and accessories for Halloween. I promise to do better next year, but I will never buy a costume from the store....I just cannot bring myself to spend more than $20 on an outfit for one night. Just need to get better at my sewing skills! I'm working on it!

This week our old toilet started to leak and our plumber was so nice and offered to fix it for $400! Wow- what a great deal, right!!! Shockingly, we opted to install a new one ourselves. And when I say ourselves, I mean Dr. M and my step-father, Dr. S. It took the two good doctors about 4 hours to complete the project and now we have a super shiny toilet upstairs. Its a looker for sure.

We trick or treated last night with baby H (a puppy) and went to ONE house! We mainly stayed at home and ate chili con carne with our friends and munched on my mom's pumpkin pie. Did I mention how awesome it is to have my mom and Len here? It is. It very much is.

Oh, and baby H and Miles have become good good friends- like really sweet together --dancing, hugging, kissing. Often a baby is crying at the end of a good hang out session, but generally they are very good to each other and I am loving their friendship.

Enjoying Friends & Fall

2011-10-25T20:13:00.000-04:00

We've been having a great fall so far, although it was unseasonably warm for a week or so. This week we went to our usual Monday morning music class at the Philharmonic, but afterward we drove off to Boston (well, Arlington to be exact) to visit my dear friend Max and his newest son, Wylie. It was a joy to drive up the highway with the New England foliage and to spot a few of my favorite things on the way down route 2. We had a nice time with our friends and Miles was a very gentle boy with baby Wylie. Here's to 16 years of friendship, Max! I am super happy for you and your beautiful family!

Fake Salad

2011-10-14T14:46:00.000-04:00

Its so easy, it doesn't seem like a real salad where you have to prep and prep for at least 30 minutes.

Thai-Style Bean Sprout Salad

Any sort of thick bean sprout in any size
Semi-Peeled cucumbers
1 red pepper, cut in strips
minced cilantro
1 Tbs. Fish Sauce
1-2 Tbs. Rice Vinegar
Siracha-style hot sauce (to taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix it all up and you have salad for your meal! Yummers!

Apple Picking

2011-10-12T12:24:00.000-04:00

And here are the obligatory autumn apple picking shots from last weekend. Our friends Alice & Pete & their daughter Zoe came down from Boston to see us in the rural woods of Rhode Island. We ate BLTs, picked apples, drank cider + beer, and ate my sauteed apples with Alice's divine pumpkin bread! A good time was had by everyone...and we've already set a date for Zoe & Miles to get married, he he...

1995

2011-10-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

1995 was the last year that I lived in the same town as my mom & step-father. It was my senior year in high school and I was not having the best year. That was 16 whole years ago!!

In one week, my mom & step-dad will move to Providence, making all three of us feel so super special. We like to think its because they love us so much and so exclusively that they needed to be closer. But, my ego gets the better of me, and I think its also because of the proximity to this guy, Mike who happens to be my step-brother and father of one really cute two year old. They live in big NYC and have a summer space here in RI too, so hopefully we'll be seeing more of them!

It makes me so happy to know that my baby and his grandparents can connect on a daily basis now. I am counting the days until next Thursday, Mom & Len! Welcome back to the East Coast after twenty years of living so so far away!

Love, Mrs. M

Auntie Claire

2011-10-05T13:22:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we drove eight hours round trip to witness my sweet and favorite (he's my only one!) nephew Jude blow the candles out on his birthday cake. He turned one and I felt just a little sad as the youngest baby in our family is definitely on his way to becoming a wild little toddler. He's a very sweet little baby, who can hold his own when confronted with his bigger cousin! He's sweet to hold and cuddle, and is definitely the apple of his mom's eye. I love you, baby Jude....don't grow up too quickly & please come and spend summers in Rhode Island when you get older! We miss you too much already! Love, Auntie C

Triple Showers and High Fevers

2011-09-27T19:09:00.000-04:00

We started off last Thursday and Friday like this...sleeping on mama for 2 days while being quite feverish. Very sad. And yes, I am being vain and covering up my double chin and then went insane with the filled heart.

Then, Ethan whipped up a batch of fried green tomatoes for a Saturday morning breakfast. Lovely.

On Sunday, we hosted a triple baby shower. No, not for triplets, but for three of my mama friends. I made a nice batch of monkey bread and a hashbrown casserole from Kentucky origins.

The monkey!

Yogurt and fruit salad

So much fun!
And in two weeks my mom & step-dad move to Providence!! Seriously counting down the minutes- more on that later!

Quick Tip

2011-09-27T13:05:00.000-04:00

buy a 35 ouncer of Greek yogurt and add some vanilla extract and 1 scraped out vanilla bean. A-MAZING. Add bananas or agave and its a PERFECT dessert.

Crafts & Tantrums

2011-09-22T14:49:00.000-04:00

First we start with the bad & ugly.

Tantrums:
Went to run several errands this Tuesday & one of them was to stop at the bank. Simple cashing of a very small check from a consignment store. Was going to take about 5 minutes- TOPS. Miles was in the stroller with snacks in hand, seeming happy and delightful. 1.5 minutes into waiting in line, he starts with some light back arching.

Which turns into many many severe back arches and screaming.
Massive Screaming takes over
I pick him up ASAP
Man in front of us looks back and rolls his eyes.
Woman in back of us runs for a lollipop and plunks it into my child's mouth. Not kidding you. Miles has never had a lollipop, nor will have one again until he can buy it or get it himself.
Miles is now over my shoulder, with a red lollipop clamped between his teeth, drooling red sticky drool all over my shirt (which is very light grey, mind you)
Woman behind us tells me how I need to do everything in my power to stop tantrums like this, even if it means sugar. I just smile and say yes. I am sweating like crazy and its pretty cold at the bank.
Man in front of me just keeps looking back and staring and rolling his eyes. Clearly he lacks a heart.
Then. miraculously, we get to the teller who is an angel and sweet to both of us.
The lollipop lands on the floor during the transaction and I bend to pick it up and keep it out of Miles's now screaming mouth. So much for sugar as a cure all for tantrums- they just make more tantrums when taken away!
Transaction completed, a lovely man opens the bank doors for us to get out.

We leave and I congratulate myself for living through our first major public tantrum. I forgot to mention that I also had two heavy bags with me...carrying both over my shoulder while holding Miles was the kind of fun that I'd never like to experience again.

Thanks for letting me rant on and on.

On a crafty note (I am NOT crafty in any way, shape, or form) I grabbed two embroidery hoops for $.50 this weekend on a mission to complete this craft project I saw on Barefoot in the Kitchen and from a print Parents magazine. I am seriously a stay-at-home mom now. Here are some pictures of the final project---tell me what you think! It was so easy that I barely count it as craft.

I Scream!

2011-09-18T20:39:00.000-04:00

If I chose a last meal, my dessert course would include several scoops of a seasonal flavor from Jeni's Ice Cream. I think it might be my second favorite ice cream in the whole wide world, the first being my mom's homemade. They always have the most amazing flavors- like goat cheese with cherries and pistachio and honey. I had both of those flavors when I visited Jeni's Chagrin Falls, Ohio location while visiting Dr. M's family. Their ice cream is the creamiest, the grassiest (like right off the most fresh summer farm), and the brightest flavored I have ever tasted. Just delicious, and Miles agreed....

I WANT a Girl Kitchen

2011-09-14T13:27:00.001-04:00

This is a girl cake. I made it today with Miles on my hip, a Marimekko apron, and bright pink shorts on. When it came time to decide on what color to make the frosting, it was a no-brainer. Pink it was. Pink with sprinkles on top. I am a girl cake, hear me roar!

So this brings me to how I so desperately want a girl kitchen when we renovate (probably a LONG time from now), white tile back splash, soft solid tile floors, gleaming double ovens, and pretty linen curtains. And more, of course. I want to feel like a girl when I'm throwing together a dinner party or just a boring stir fry for a weeknight dinner. I want to feel like a 1950's sitcom with my frilly apron on baking a cake and tending to my wee one. Is that too much to ask?

This is our child enjoying a very un-childlike book "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas".... we are awesome parents, and luckily he doesn't read yet!

30 Minute Suppers

2011-09-09T11:23:00.000-04:00

Lately Miles has only been taking one nap per day and keeping it somewhat short. So, instead of having two 1.5 hour naps to do my chores and make/prep dinner, I only have one segment of time to clean and cook!

I can't say I'm enjoying the change, but in an effort to simplify my tasks, I bought the Fall 2011 30-Minute Suppers by America's Test Kitchen about two weeks ago....and have used about 5 recipes from the magazine already. They are all super and I love that there are more "ethnic" recipes and a few more vegetarian choices.

My own brushetta recipe with CSA tomatoes I had to use up! Served with the soup below...

Pureed White Bean Soup with Kale Pesto

Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches with veggies on the side

New & Old

2011-09-06T15:24:00.001-04:00

Just taking pictures of myself because I finally have a full-length mirror! Can you believe that I lived without a full-length mirror from 1999-2011?! Crazy, I know. I think many of my outfits looked pretty sad because of it too. Now I can actually see my tops and bottoms together, and make sure I don't look entirely insane before leaving the house.

Top: Hanro (sale at Saks in Naples, FL)
Skirt: Charles Nolan (hand me downs from Mom)
Baby: Kate Quinn Organics

I hope I can post more about style now that I have a good mirror at home. I also want to make sure I am held accountable for what I wear, since its too easy for me to slip into stay at home mommy sweats.

Enjoy the week!

Cleveland, Part One

2011-09-05T19:20:00.000-04:00

Miles meets his great grandparents again, visits with many cousins, his best friend Ezra and Auntie Emmy, and he gets to enjoy dressing up as his daddy in an awesome green outfit from the 80s!

More pictures to follow!

Scenes from 1 Year Ago

2011-08-26T14:36:00.000-04:00

The Dining Room

2011-08-23T19:18:00.000-04:00

it's almost done- just need to do some painting on the door frames and put our sunny curtains up!

Three

2011-08-23T10:57:00.002-04:00

So rarely do we take a picture that includes all three of us, I felt I must share it! Here we are at the Puerto Rican Festival in Roger Williams Park. We ate well that day- many plantains, tiny delicious fruits that I can't remember the name of, and chicharrones. We had a great time hanging out under the trees. We felt a little out of place without PR flags and shirts, but no one seemed to mind!

Three on Thursday

2011-08-18T17:21:00.000-04:00

Summer Vegetables

2011-08-17T09:41:00.001-04:00

By now you all are sick of me talking CSA, so I apologize in advance for this post. We have been getting a zillion tomatoes, summer squash, and cucumbers every week from our CSA. Although it is a very good problem to have, especially in light of the horrible drought and famine going on in Africa right now, we have to be on top of the very large load of veggies every week, so that nothing spoils.

Since we've received about 3-4 lbs. of tomatoes and cucumbers every week, I try to incorporate each into a salad I make twice a week and serve with all meals. Its been fun to make this salad and pair it with whatever we're eating.

Usually I partially peel and slice about 3-4 medium cucumbers, slice some yellow onion, and chop 1-2 tomatoes. Then I add a splash of rice vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar, salt, pepper, and sometimes a little fish sauce or toasted sesame oil. If I want to get super fancy, I toast up some sesame seeds and throw them in.

This week we had an Indian meal planned of dal, rice, and a recipe of summer squash & tomato gujarati style from old Craig Claiborne's NYT cookbook. So, I had to change up my cucumber salad recipe to fit in with the Indian meal.

What I did was prep the veggies as before, but added 2 tsp. toasted & ground cumin, 1 tsp. toasted and ground coriander, fresh cilantro chopped, a pinch of chili powder, and a diced hot green pepper. I squeezed half a lime over the whole thing. DELISH! Even better than the original recipe! I'd encourage anyone to try it, especially to serve with any Indian meal. Dr. M loved it!

Steak & Potatoes

2011-08-05T14:32:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you buy very very expensive pasture raised local rib-eyes and give them a dry rub and grill them to medium rare perfection. Then you serve them next to a heap of mashed potatoes from the CSA. Then you make a blackberry & peach cobbler and serve it with vanilla ice cream. Then your guests don't come as expected, and you have to eat it ALL for yourself. What a nice Friday night treat this meal was, even if we did miss our family being here!

The Year of the Baby

2011-08-01T10:27:00.001-04:00

The other week I was out to lunch with my family and watched a cute couple sit down with their newborn baby. At first, I wanted to snuggle that baby so badly that I could almost feel another egg pop out of my ovaries (especially because this baby was a girl- I could tell by all the pink). But then I hesitated to go chat them up as I usually would. I thought about how I felt at that point in Miles's life. I thought about all the crazy emotions of the first weeks and the extreme exhaustion. This made me not want to bother them. Instead, I walked quietly by with Miles in my arms and said hello and asked how old the baby was (one week) and how the mother was feeling (really great! so in love and sleeping fairly well!). And somehow I felt sad about her delightful answers to my questions. Actually sad is not the right emotion. I just felt that familiar jealousy and disappointment in myself that I felt during the first 3 months of Miles's existence.

Mind you, I really don't want to write about this topic....but I feel that I must, because I know that someone out there in the world felt similarly to me and might feel a little better if they knew another mother went through the same thing.

I had a blissful pregnancy. I could spend my life pregnant (not kidding) if it didn't mean giving birth and raising another child. We've both only wanted one child. I am sort of an only child (I have two half sisters, but we never lived together), and Dr. M is definitely an only child. Its just what we wanted- a baby that we could support fully on our meager academic and nonprofit salaries. A baby that would receive our undivided support and attention and that we could travel with to all the place we've wanted to see (Sweden, Greece, Vietnam, etc....). So, I relished in the ups and downs of being pregnant--because I knew it would be the last time. I enjoyed the surge of hormones, my shiny hair that didn't fall out in clumps, and my clear face. I loved being able to relax my belly and eat as much as I could.

Okay, on with the story, I know. Miles was born after four hours of pushing, not to mention the twelve hours of major contractions. He came out with the cord wrapped around his neck, not breathing, and about thirty hospital staff rushing into revive him. I was losing a lot of blood and Dr. M AND our doula were in tears. I had NO idea what was going on and kept asking for Miles to be placed on my chest. I was not being told what was going on. I wasn't panicking because I was in a sort of haze. When Miles breathed his first breath and cried his first cry, I knew immediately that I had full responsibility for this infant. I felt the weight of it on my shoulders at that very moment. I don't know why, but I then realized that I had NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING. I have no idea what I expected postpartum, but I'm not sure it had anything to do with raising a baby. for real.

We chose to have Miles sleep in the nursery instead of in the hospital room with us. I regret that. I woke up several times in the night earning for Miles and crying to Ethan. But, I was exhausted, and I needed to sleep before we started not sleeping at home.

Breastfeeding immediately became a struggle. I blamed myself. My mom, mother-in-law, and step-mother all breastfed for a pretty long time. My mom and mother in law's comments about formula made me feel even worse about my low supply and my ever hungry baby who'd cry after every nursing session. No offense L & N, I know it was different back when you had your babies!

I spent 4-6 hours at night nursing Miles during the first two weeks, in denial about my supply being low. I mean 4-6 hours on my side and sitting up at night with Miles clinging to me and trying to get enough milk. When that wasn't happening, I was pumping every few hours to get my supply up. It was exhausting. I finally gave in and gave him formula. I kept breastfeeding first, and then giving him the bottle and things got better.
That pressure was off.

The thing was that I while I took Miles to the doctor almost twice a month for check ups, I was basically on my own. Only a six week follow up was considered sufficient for the new mom. And then, after our moms came, here is what happened:

I was alone for hours with Miles screaming in a 3rd floor walk up apt. with loud neighbors, 100 degree weather, and no laundry.
I knew only a few new moms here at that point
I had lost all of my preg weight plus 10 lbs (usually that would be a good thing, but not then)
I had no idea who Miles was and I didn't love him.

Yes, you heard that right. I did not love my own child. I was openly confused about why I chose to have him in the first place. I literally counted down the days until he was out of this nasty little newborn phase. All he really did was cry, sleep for about 30 minutes at a time (this didn't change until he was 7 months), and not poop for days at a time, which in turn made him cry more.

I was a mess. Not outwardly to anyone else but my immediate family, but I was a total mess. I expected to be a perfect mom. I had high standards, really good role models, etc....

It became obvious that I was unable to even put dinner on the table, clean the house, or deal with screaming Miles in a good way. Sometimes I stayed in bed for days. I didn't fall in love with Miles until he was about 3 months old. After I visited my mom and step-father in Arkansas to be exact. I spent weeks in Arkansas being fed, loved, and taken care of. It felt so so good. It also felt very normal. I was supported by them, and in turn I was able to concentrate on my baby more. I was able to look into his milky eyes and see a glimmer of me and Dr. M and also, more importantly, he seemed as comfortable as I was becoming.

It was then that I realized why a lot of folks don't move too far from where they grow up. I had never been super interested in living near either sets of my parents....I felt that my success was linked with the physical movement to a large urban area. I never became such a success as when I visited home for those two weeks and started to love my son. This was transformational for me....I had no idea how important it was to have familial support during the first few weeks of motherhood. Maybe its just me, but I need my mommy to be a good mommy. Am I alone?

Its not to say that my motherhood inner battles were finalized then, but I sure was moving onto a happier space in my relationship with Miles.

Over the last few months we know so many babies that are newly born... and its my hope that their moms are supported and loved and not alone during the pivotal first few months of their babies lives. Here's my advice----reach out and call anyone, do things for yourself, find family to cling to.

Faultless Friday

2011-07-29T15:01:00.001-04:00

Sitting here on a Friday thinking of all the wonderful ideas I could write about. Actually, I have very little on the idea front today. Today was supposed to be filled with preparations for a family arrival that was canceled. So, I am sad, without a lot of purpose, and checking various blogs while Miles naps. And, all I can post about is that we've been busy. Really busy. Painting like there is no tomorrow and buying a whole lot from Home Depot.

Finally we are seeing a little bit of progress with our family room carpet recently installed as well as the completion of the painting and repairs in the living room. Some days I really wish I could just call the landlord when something goes wrong. Like today when an entire shingle fell out of the front of our house. That was awesome blossom.

The House

2011-07-22T15:01:00.000-04:00

It feels like 115, but my car said it was a mere 106. And this is the state of our home:

A mess.

Missing

2011-07-15T19:32:00.000-04:00

MIA

2011-07-13T15:03:00.000-04:00

We've been busy! See you soon & enjoy July!

Birthday Gifts...

2011-06-29T11:00:00.001-04:00

Thank you, Ethan! What a wonderful husband I have! Skirt found at the Anne M. Cramer site.

Before & After

2011-06-24T09:51:00.000-04:00

I have read enough eHows and Mormon mom blogs to know how to refinish a dresser. So, with some trusty sandpaper, leftover paint from the hallway, and some water-based polyurethane, I refinished this old dark wood dresser we originally found on the streets of Philadelphia (sorry I got that song into your head!). I like it- think it looks a lot cleaner and cuter for our family/play room. The "before" picture is the only one I had, but thought you might not mind a picture of our 3 month old Miles with his beloved Nonna.

Simple project that was fun to do over the course of 2 days.

Today is my birthday!! Yippee!

Happy Father's Day, Dads!

2011-06-19T13:37:00.002-04:00

I saw a billboard at a Baptist church yesterday and it said something like "The measure of a man is how well he treats his children". That may not have been EXACTLY the wording, but it was essentially the same meaning. I agree.

Thank you, Dr. M for being the patient parent. The one who is more careful and more intentional. Its a pretty great thing that Miles gets to have you. In fact, that was about one of the top reasons why I wanted to have a baby with you!

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies, step-dads, and grandfathers!

Moving Day!

2011-06-16T14:31:00.007-04:00

Thank goodness for this day!

Whats in a Name?

2011-06-15T09:28:00.006-04:00

I was born with a very different name than the one I have now. It started out one name, became another and then morphed into a more similar sounding name, and then changed again.

Needless to say, this is a personal post. Trying to keep it a bit more honest and a little less perfect cheerful on this blog these days.

I was born with the initials CAP, and I was perfectly happy with the names I had been given for many years. Then, I reached the dreaded Junior High (in New Jersey and in the 80s). Continually teased for my very big (both intentionally and unintentionally) hair and my Jewishness in a heavily Catholic school, I started to question if my name was the root of all my problems. You see, my mom gave me a name (Claire) that was not popular way back in the late 1980s. My friends all had names like Jennifer, Ashley, Sarah, Katie, Kelly, and Cindy. My name also rhymed with "hair". Not a good thing. Not at all. So I felt my outcast status might be linked with my odd name, my ethnicity, and my out of control hair. I couldn't do much about the hair or the ethnicity, but the name I would be able to change.

So at the end of a very tumultuous Junior High life, my family and I moved off to San Diego. I was elated. I got the idea that I'd re-invent myself...change my names (first and last) and start to climb the social ladder of my very large high school. My braces were off, I was able to control (sort of) my big hair, and I started to feel much less of an ugly duckling. And then my initials morphed into AS. I changed my first name by using a shortened version of my middle name and switched my last name to my step-father's name. I'd had enough of my father back then (since then we are much more happy with each other) and his very ethnic last name. His last name felt different than what I identified with --being raised by a Jewish mom and feeling much more Jewish than Italian (I still do).

Are you still following me? I apologize about the quality of this post, but I've never written it out and still feels pretty emotional.

In my 18 months in CA, I became class secretary, went to football games, and even met some 90210 stars at the beach. Seriously. Then we heard that we'd be moving to Arkansas in the middle of my sophomore year in high school. Oh my. I wasn't happy.

Then I became deeply dissatisfied with my father and in an act of both love and angst, I legally changed my last name to my step-father's. I loved my step-father and my father...but I wanted to make my father angry, as he had done to me. It was a bold move for a 16 year old. Very bold indeed. I was AS for the duration of high school and college. It never felt real to me. It didn't feel like my real name.

No one I know has had these problems (though I appreciated reading The Namesake). My college friends laugh and joke about my name changes. I can only hope that someday I will laugh about my teenage years and my relationship with my father. I love my father, but its always been hard, very hard.

When I graduated from my amazing alma mater I took my first "real" job on Beacon Hill in Boston. They started calling me 'Claire' since that was my first name on every legal document I had. I didn't correct them. I liked it. My friends still had different and more "normal" names, but I started to like 'Claire'. Especially when I started watching and appreciating the French New Wave films and becoming sentimental about my college-aged mother experiencing these films too. And how cool it was that she named me after this slow and complex Rohmer film.

So I was CAS instead of CAP for a while. Continuing through a very short first marriage (betcha didn't know about that :) and until 2009 when I decided that Dr. M's last name should become mine, even though we'd already been married two years. Changing my name to its current and final version was the easiest name decision I've made. Not only the easiest, but the most confident choice. Now I'm finally at home with my name. I love that I share it with Dr. M and Miles, and that my new name is very very old, originating in Calcutta, making me a Brahmin, and linking me to a history attached to my beloved.

I wish I had not altered my name. I think I wish this because I realize how uncomfortable I was with myself for so many years. My childhood and teenage years were hard for me....I never felt as if I belonged. We moved so much and I altered my being so frequently that I lost sense of who I could be and what I was.

After almost 35 years, I feel myself. No need for a name change or any sort of big movement. I am comfortable in my skin now. Thank you for allowing me to bore you, assuming you are still with me all the way down here!

Joyeux anniversaire, Grand Mere!

2011-06-13T09:25:00.000-04:00

GG Helen and Miles at 4 months

Its my grandmother's 87th birthday today and I'm missing her quite a bit these days. My grandma Helen taught me many things, some silly and some important. She made quite an impression on my when I was a little girl, and I hope that she has many years to impress Mr. Miles too.

Thank you Grandma for teaching me to be gracious to everyone and sweet to strangers, no matter who they are and what their "cover" looks like.

Thank you Grandma for sharing your love of linens, china, silverware, and bedding.

Thank you Grandma for your love of art and aesthetics.

Thank you Grandma for letting me watch you eat many many cold shrimp so happily!

Thank you Grandma for being a Zionist but tolerating your very un-Zionist granddaughter.

Thank you Grandma for your fried fish with tartar sauce on Friday nights.

Thank you Grandma for loving Mr. Miles with all of your heart and continually telling me how you pour over the pictures of him that I send to you.

Thank you Grandma for your awesome stewed fruit for dessert.

Thank you Grandma for instilling in me the value of dressing up, in a dress or skirt with heels or nice flats.

Thank you Grandma for being you, I love you so very much and every day! Happy Birthday!

The Three of Us

2011-06-10T09:49:00.002-04:00

We are thankful for good friends who have excellent photography skills. No, this was not a family portrait session- we don't totally believe in those, but our friend snaps us at just the right moments! Thank you again, Mr. Beers!

Birthday Wish List Part Deux

2011-06-08T09:40:00.003-04:00

You may remember this 2009 birthday wish list, but in 2010 I was much too busy with a newborn to have any material wishes. In fact, I think I didn't do much but have a massage (lovely) and eat for my birthday last year.
2011 is different! We have a house and I have many home related birthday wishes! Here they are in no particular order!

Avec Sofa from CB2 in Pewter


Garnet Hill's Cotton Herringbone Throw in Coral

Kayce Hughes Tunic

Rifle Paper Company Card and Stationary

Practically any canvas bag from Iomoi

This lovely Aros shag rug


This lovely, but very pricey cabinet

I mean, I do need some sort of comfort after turning the BIG 35!! I am so old!

P.S. blogger isn't letting me post captions and links to all these items....so email me if you have any interest in knowing where they are from!

Heavy Hearted Heat

2011-06-07T14:46:00.001-04:00

Is ready for air conditioned play rooms and units in our new bedroom. Its a sticky hot day today and is only supposed to get worse! My poor sweaty little baby!

dinner at our house

2011-06-05T20:14:00.002-04:00

Wedding Day!

2011-06-04T10:56:00.000-04:00

We love you & wish we could be there to celebrate!

12 Pound Goal

2011-06-03T10:41:00.000-04:00

I usually don't like to post about my weight anywhere ever, but I recently stepped on the scale and it told me that I was down 12 lbs. since I started portion control dieting in January! I've struggled with my weight for a long time- and have been back and forth between two numbers. One number makes me feel sluggish and my clothes tight and the other number makes me feel light, energetic, and comfortable. I am back to the more pleasant number and feel like this is where I NEED to stay for a long while. Anyway, that's all for today! Have a lovely weekend! Love, Mrs. M

why I love june

2011-06-01T20:35:00.004-04:00

It's my birthday month

I get to eat my annual birthday meal

Strawberries taste great

Salad greens also taste great

our Farmer's Market is finally outdoors

I get to wear skirts and dresses every day

we get to move into our new house!

Smile it's Tuesday!

2011-05-31T10:48:00.002-04:00

Home Sweet Home

2011-05-27T20:34:00.000-04:00

It's OURS!

2011-05-27T11:00:00.004-04:00

Obviously this is not our furniture, but they were the only pictures we had! Cannot wait to post pictures of the newly decorated home, which will sadly not happen until September probably. We want to take our time and be slow in changing this space!

We are thrilled!

Hooray for the Sun!

2011-05-25T13:59:00.000-04:00

Cheddar Herb Biscuits: Simple & Delicious

2011-05-23T13:29:00.000-04:00

Cream Biscuits

America's Test Kitchen's Family Cookbook

2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

minced sage and parsley

1 clove minced garlic

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the cream, cheese, herbs, and garlic with a wooden spoon until the dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.

2. Pat the dough into a ¾-inch thick circle. Cut the biscuits into rounds using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

I doubled the recipe and the rise was perfect, the cheese was crunchy on the outside and dissolved inside...they were rich and savory. We brought them to our new neighborhood brunch party this past Sunday. I was tempted to make a sausage gravy, but I didn't know if these northerners could handle it :)

Scallops & Thoughts

2011-05-20T14:44:00.006-04:00

I don't like scallops. Maybe I've had most of them overcooked, who knows. I also don't like crab cakes because maybe the ones I've tasted have had too much filler and not enough fresh crab. I have had scallops from Rhode Island that I've loved and crab cakes in Maryland that were divine. So I don't like them, but I do.

Sometimes I think I could learn something from my gastronomic life. Do you know what I mean?

And here is a picture for the family:

Living Room

2011-05-17T15:14:00.003-04:00

This is a little sneak peek at our new living room (sans our own furniture and artwork). It is long and lean, a tough shape for a living room to have!

This is the first home decorating project we'll be working on, and it makes me very very nervous. It is nice to look forward to a winter with that fireplace though & some cute stockings on the mantel at Christmastime.

Closing is in about 10 days! Wish us luck!

Inexpensive Meals

2011-05-16T11:18:00.005-04:00

o

These days are lean for us. Our new home purchase has left us with a tighter budget than ever before. We had to miss out on our lovely cousin's wedding & a much anticipated ladies weekend in order to save much needed money for renovations.

In light of our budget, I've tried to plan our meals keeping our weekly grocery & food budget to around $100. Seems simple, right? Maybe, but it took me about 6 months to get there. When we were poor graduate students in Philadelphia, our groceries were often only $25 a week and we NEVER ate out the first year. So, we used to be low maintenance, and have slowly become more high needs.

I also have to eat about 85% organically and mostly local. It's whats good for us, the farmers, and the planet (I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again :)

Here are a few ideas for inexpensive meals (generally $5 or less per serving):

Bean and Broccoli Rabe Soup (Mario's Molto Italiano)
Pasta with Broccoli Sauce (The Silver Spoon)
Pork Larb lettuce wraps(Cook's Illustrated--see above)
Indoor BBQ Chicken (America's Test Kitchen's Family Cookbook)
Bean & Vegetable Burritos (my own recipe and always different)
Homemade Pizza (make the dough yourself- super easy, and also make the pasta sauce from Molto Italiano & just buy cheese- super good)
Dal & Rice with a nice hot mango chutney (my recipe- I usually make a lemon dal)
Pasta Fagioli (see above)
Split Pea Soup (see above)

I understand I don't have all of the recipes here, and I wish I did, but go out and buy Molto Italiano, The Silver Spoon, & get a subscription to Cook's Illustrated online. The recipes never fail. I mean never. That alone with save you money.

Oh, and email me if you want me to scan and send you any of these recipes- I am happy to do so...

Love, Mrs. M

Baby Parties on the Bay

2011-05-12T10:13:00.000-04:00

Last Friday we celebrated the 1st birthdays of a special group of babies. The nine babies are dear to my heart and we've enjoyed spending Friday mornings with them since they were about 5 months old. The party was at our friend's home in Cranston, and her backyard opens out onto the water...amazing. It was sunny and perfect outside and the babies ate cupcakes, played, and watched their parents drink some lovely champagne!

Dreary Tuesday

2011-05-10T15:24:00.003-04:00

Nothing much to post about, but time to use up. Dreaming of chairs like the Adler one above with black and white chevron rugs under foot. Call me crazy, I am.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T10:19:00.003-04:00

Last year, I barely felt like a mom on Mother's Day, since my newborn was weeks old and I was a complete mess. This year, I can safely say that I am a mother, and please let me list the ways I feel I am a mom, since I love to list pretty much everything!

I instinctively gather my child into my arms when he gets hurt.
I have a daily desire to see him get adequate sleep, light, and eats.
I ohh and ahh over pictures of Miles as a bitty baby
I love getting really messy high chair kisses and tiny slimy hands all over my face
I clap my hands just to get Miles to clap his too (its just too cute to see your baby clapping!)
My heart swells with love and I just have to smother him with kisses about 5-10 times a day.

Oh, I am a mom. And by the way, thanks to my mom for doing all of this for me....now I know- I really know! You were a wonderful mom to me & I really appreciate everything you taught me. Oh, and really really sorry about those teenage years :)

Hi Friends!

2011-05-06T14:35:00.004-04:00

I am so curious- this last month about 800 of you visited this blog and I know you can't all be my mom, Dr. M's mom, or our immediate family! We definitely don't know anyone in Brazil and yet we had about 8 blog visits from that lovely country!

Introduce yourselves- I want to hear more from you! Don't be shy! I spend lots of time blog stalking too, so there is no reason to be quiet around here anymore!

As an incentive, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this wallpaper:

We're thinking of using it for Miles's room in the new house....very small room that just fits his crib and a tiny end table. Let me know, I worry it will be too overwhelming.

Love, Mrs. M

Injera & Friends

2011-05-03T15:35:00.004-04:00

Miles has an Ethiopian cousin that he's only met via Skype, but that he enjoys having screaming contests with. Miles & Ezra will one day become best friends, in just the same way that I did with Ezra's mother! I am rambling, so I'll continue....

Since Dr. M and I love Ethiopian food and always have, we were thrilled when Abyssinia opened a few months ago. It was the first taste of Ethiopian we'd had since a quick and delicious trip to Dukem (our fave Ethiopian) a few years ago. Just too sad.

While I wanted so badly to love Abyssinia, I didn't. I did eat a 350 lbs. man's portion of injera though, because I cannot help myself when it comes to injera. And it was just nice to see my sweetie Miles enjoy pretty much everything on the plate.

Baby Love

2011-05-02T09:03:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I look down at Miles and my heart swells with pride. Is that normal?

Friday Love Festival

2011-04-29T14:05:00.004-04:00

Home this weekend with no plans really. Except Korean food truck eating, farmer's market shopping, and friends having us over for supper. Oh, and it will be about 65-70 degrees each day. Amazing.

2011-04-28T14:13:00.002-04:00

On May 27th to be exact! After many years, a place to call our own (and paint, fix, decorate).

Wish us luck with moving in the heat of June with a 1 year old!

Exhausted

2011-04-26T19:33:00.006-04:00

I think we had too much fun, sugar, and fat this weekend. Back to basics now and loving our old simple routine. We miss grandparents, aunties, baby cousin, and friends, though. It was lots of fun to celebrate our sweetie's first year. He's becoming a wonderful child right in front of us!

A BIG Birthday Celebration!

2011-04-25T09:00:00.011-04:00

How exactly is it possible that my teenie tiny baby is now a very big ONE year old?! After 41 weeks of a blissful pregnancy (seriously, I could be pregnant forever, minus the swollen ankles), Miles began his arrival in the early morning hours and didn't enter this world until late evening on the same day.

I remember April 25th, 2010 very vividly still, with all of its anticipation and excitement. Not to mention the fear, pain, and 4 hours of pushing (okay, just 3.5 hours, but I like to round up for drama)! I loved his little face the instant I saw it. Born with a full head of black hair and very round cheeks, he was the most adorable newborn I'd ever seen. He was also a big newborn, confirming that my frequent southeast Asian food indulgences had been well worth it!

Thank you, dear Miles for being a wonderful son to us and teaching us the meaning of parental love and affection. We love to so very very much!

Since April 25th, 2010, Dr. M and I have:

reached a whole new level of sleep deprivation
allowed ourselves to get way messy (well, for our standards, at least)
been peed on
been puked on
experienced the "trilogy": pee, puke, poop all at once!
dealt with a 104.9 temperature & survived
nursed with partial success until 11 months
learned to recognize a new language
opened up to plastic toys, pacifiers, and sometimes even bottled baby food (but really, less than 10 times, I swear :)

Since April 25th, 2010, Miles M. has:

learned to stay up for more than 2 hours
overcome reflux without medication (oh, and did he ever have reflux)
learned to smile, giggle, roll over, sit up, crawl & cruise
Finally sprouted two teeth at the ripe old age of 10 months, and since then has gotten four more!
conquered many a bad diaper rash
fallen off the bed once
fallen into the bathtub head first once
enjoyed mommy's wheat bread
gone from eating everything to being pretty picky and fussy in the high chair
enjoyed reading --a lot! Favorites are Goodnight Moon, Daddy, Papa, and Me, Pete's Potty, Yummy Yucky, Eco Babies Wear Green, My Foodie ABC, Pat the Bunny, and Where's my Mommy
Learned the signs for "music", "sleepy", "more" and "milk"
slowly saying goodbye to the pacifier
hated and still hates being changed
learned to dance
and our personal favorite--learned to giggle!

2011-04-22T10:18:00.003-04:00

April showers bring May flowers...I hope its true, because this year & last it was so cold and rainy on Miles's birthday!

Happy Birthday to you....

2011-04-20T09:21:00.003-04:00

We love you more than the whole wide world!

Love, Mrs. M & Miles

Beginnings....

2011-04-19T06:03:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we inspected our new home & it's feeling more real. Here's the tiniest of peeks...
And here is Miles doing what he does best while attempting to take his 1 year photo! Let's just say it took a while to get a picture!

Birthday celebration happens this weekend!

My Boys

2011-04-15T14:00:00.001-04:00

I love these two men....they make my life so much brighter and easier. I just thought I'd share that. Its been a stressful week, and I am just so endlessly happy that its the weekend.

One Year Ago....

2011-04-14T19:53:00.002-04:00

I looked like this:

Rhode Island Rocks

2011-04-14T10:28:00.003-04:00

Here is my step-father, Len enjoying a Rhode Island special, the clam cake at the famous Lobster Pot in Bristol, Rhode Island way back in 2009. We hadn't been back to this beloved, very old-school restaurant since our sailing days when I was a pre-teen. Len used to have a home in Portsmouth, RI and he is a sailor, so returning to Rhode Island was a special treat for him.

Summer is coming and I can almost smell the ocean begging us to come and walk it's beaches. I love Rhode Island, and I especially love it in the summer time. I'm so happy that Miles gets to grow up in this great state!

Oh, and yes, that's port-wine cheese in the picture. Served classy-style with buttery crackers. Only a boater can love that stuff.

Lumps

2011-04-12T15:26:00.003-04:00

Miles, 3 months

Do you ever feel like you have an anxious belly for days on end? A lump in your throat? I feel like that right now---this home buying business is not for the weak hearted. Our agent always says "guard your heart" and I wish I could!

Sorry for the bummer of a post, but his is my journal, after all! I am so ready for a home, so entirely ready for a tiny plot of land that I can call our own. Mostly, I want Miles to only remember a beautiful space that's all his.

Weekend Adventures

2011-04-05T10:51:00.005-04:00

This weekend we did things like make baked ziti, eat amazing Feijoada made by our friends from Brazil, flirt with two very cute girl babies, and kiss baby H on the nose. So basically, we had a delectably cute weekend.

How was yours?

What is cuter than a clapping baby?

2011-03-31T14:23:00.002-04:00

yes, that's right, the answer is nothing.

Linens and Things

2011-03-30T10:03:00.002-04:00

Around September 2010, we decided that our old white felt placemats had seen better days. Lord knows why we bought white felt placemats, and only two of them, at that! My sense is that they were on clearance at the old AIA bookstore in Philly that we'd frequent about 100 times a week and that my very frugal Dr. M convinced me to get them. Anyway, fast-forward 4 years later and they were stained, all fuzzed out, and just a mess.

So, with our extra holiday cash we bought these lovelies! The perfect blend of modern and traditional. Plus, they are silicone, so they provide an easy clean up (no more scrubbing felt and having it dry for 2-3 days). Love the brand's many designs...it was hard to choose!

And, today was a bummer, made a batch of dhal for us and the baby and it turned out horribly. Used the same recipe I'd always been using, which usually turns out perfectly. Ugh. Now time to convince Dr. M for Indian take-out!

Here's a little sugar for your Wednesday (yes, that is Mr. Miles eating his first bite of sushi- he loved it):

Gift Wrapping Help

2011-03-26T19:21:00.004-04:00

So, I got this idea from one of the Mormon blogs I read, but I can't remember which one right now.

Basically, you take a small stack of cupcake liners (the cuter and cheaper, the better), punch a tiny craft hole in the center, insert a brass brad- again, tiny sized, and close the brad securely. Tie a ribbon to the bottom of the brad (I made a mess of it, the Mormon blog author didn't, as I remember) and voila! you have a cute little "bow" for your gift.

And that's about as crafty as I get. Seriously.

Miles at 11 Months

2011-03-25T14:22:00.002-04:00

My sweet baby boy is growing up! We gave up on the little paper signs I was using because he'd just grab for them and try to stand on the chair. He's a constantly moving boy now! He has his hands in everything, and for that he has a bit of a cold right now, so after these pictures were taken, I put him in a very warm snuggly outfit! He's currently sleeping away his 11 month birthday!

Expect next month to be a BIG real birthday party post!

Invites

2011-03-25T13:04:00.001-04:00

Invitations found here!

Paper Culture was great to work with! We loved the matte invites and especially the wonderful customer service. We ordered them on a Wednesday evening and received them on Saturday morning! They plant a tree for every order you place. We'll definitely be using them again. The awesome part is that they have rounded corners- nice touch!

Sweet Bathing Beauty

2011-03-23T15:00:00.002-04:00

Wrapped in a towel after his bath.
This picture makes me want to cry- he's so sweet and still very much a baby.

The BEST Way to Prepare a Whole Fish

2011-03-18T19:10:00.009-04:00

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/salt-crusted-trout-lemon-dill-beurre-blanc.aspx?nterms=50188

We used a whole branzino and it came out beautifully! We made the lemon beurre-blanc sauce to accompany it. I was tender, moist, and perfectly flavored. The easiest way to cook fish! Enjoy!

Sick Day

2011-03-16T09:59:00.006-04:00

It stinks to be sick and also have to take care of a baby. There is very little down time and your brain hurts because of all the high pitched squealing! Plus, little sleep because of a stuffy nose stinks in general.

Enough complaining, here are more pictures for your enjoyment....

Update on Resolutions

2011-03-14T18:02:00.004-04:00

Let's see how far I have come since way back in January:

LOSE 15 lbs. by June 2011 (8 lbs. lost so far)
Exercise 3-4 times a week (start yoga & swim classes with the babes) (swim class begun, but not too much extra exercising besides walking around)
Read one book every two months or so! (Reading Numero Uno for the year :()
Reduce computer/facebook time :) (Definitely better about this, only because Miles keeps me MUCH busier! So I can thank Miles, not take credit for this one!)
Join a music class with the baby and practice singing more nursery rhymes to him (even if my voice is awful) (Singing a lot more & playing a CD that Miles's Great Aunt Lyn gave us-- and plans for a class with the Philharmonic this coming Fall)
Be kinder, sweeter, and gentler to my dear husband, my son, and our extended families (need to be better always)
Be more GRATEFUL (I try, I try...my book is helping me in this realm)
Seek a fulfilling career outside of the home (find a position by the time Miles turns two, at least!) that makes me proud and happy. (Applied to about 4 positions- negative on two, jury is still out on the other two)
Be more patient with Miles. (I hope I am better at this & he is much more joyful now)
Be more patient with our search for a home-- search slowly, carefully. (Still looking for something ideal, but our neighbors make me want it to happen tomorrow)
Stay close with close friends, Skype regularly. (yes! easy!)
Be less judgmental of everything and everyone! (Trying trying)
Write more letters. (Not yet :))
Go to Unitarian Church at least twice a month. (Haven't gone ONCE since 1.1.11! BOOO)
Bake once every few weeks...even if its just sandwich bread. (Done. Mostly sandwich bread, Miles LOVES it)
Wean Miles by 9 months (yikes!) (NOT done! He's still very much nursing)

I wish I've done more, but I can always blame it on being busy with the baby, right?!