In sickness and in health

We’ve passed a milestone this week.  Ryan’s had his first illness – a mild case of the Coxsackie Virus – which as bad as it has been could have been far, far worse.

   
The contagious nature of the illness had us scrambling a bit for child care – because of course – as someone who works from home quite often I actually needed to be in NYC three days this week.    I brought Ryan out to Long Island on Monday so Jen could watch him.

 

She’s the best aunt ever. :)

I know that daycare is a place where Ryan will likely pick up a number of colds and viruses but ironically he got sick after our vacation.   I blame his new ability to sit in a high chair and his penchant for grabbing things like laminated menus for this illness.

Or it might have been the band of tiny Red Sox fans also vacationing at the resort we were at hugging on him at every opportunity.

Ryan’s mood has been happy – he’s such a happy baby in general that this is no surprise but honestly he’s cranky only when he’s hungry or tired.   He doesn’t really have any ‘moods’ yet.   I’m crossing my fingers tightly that he stays this way.


He never stopped eating and has now tried a new food…strawberry and banana yogurt.

 

My big boy is now almost 21 lbs and nearly 6 months old.   Sick or well, cranky or happy, he’s still one of the very best things that’s ever happened to me.

From Scratch

I am not one of those people who dislikes baking vs cooking or vice versa.  I just like being in the kitchen period.

Typically when I go to someone’s place I bring…something.   A bottle of wine in a pinch (or when I know we’re going to need it), tomato bruschetta to a barbecue,  flowers when the host/hostess declares “Don’t you dare bring anything but yourself”.     Nine times out of ten though – I bring dessert.

My father wasn’t much of a baker but he could take a box of Ghirardelli brownie mix from Costco and make it the best brownie you ever ate.    Sometimes he added extra chips or a squeeze of chocolate syrup but he could really make them sing.

Other than cookies – I rarely make anything completely from scratch.   My cakes might be a bit doctored up and I give brownies the same treatment as my dad once did but I’m very new to the world of scratch cake baking.

I decided on mini cupcakes this time because a) they were for my nieces and they like to eat MULTIPLE cupcakes b) I only have 1 large cupcake tin and I have two mini cupcake tins.    I didn’t feel like babysitting 2 batches of cupcakes.

Note to self – go get some more large cupcake tins.

Don’t tell Dave but I almost married him solely so that I could have a kitchen big enough to own this mixer. :)

 

I decided on vanilla cupcakes.  It was a recipe from allrecipies.com.   I’d link but they were really pretty dry.   Does it count as making something from scratch if next time I add a box of vanilla pudding?   How else can you make moister cupcakes.

Ugh.  Moist.  Jen hates that word.

  Here’s the after.   I made homemade vanilla buttercream and topped with rainbow sprinkles and mini chocolate chips.   The frosting was the best part.

Baking is about as much Science as I want in my life to be honest. 

All and all it was a good experiment.   It didn’t take that much longer than ripping open a box and I won’t deny I like being able to reply yes to the question “You made these from scratch?”

In another life – like a few years down the road – I’d like to open a tiny catering business.     Mini cupcakes would fit right in with what I’m planning.

This is just the first attempt.  I plan to try and improve the recipe in the next few months so stay tuned.

Long time no see

Hi there!   I’m back and posting to my long neglected blog.   Long neglected because I decided to complete every major life change in the span of a year.   I moved, I married, I had a baby.

Speaking of babies….

 

Eventually I want to get back to more regular blogging.  I have recapped NOTHING that has happened to me in the last year and I would really like to.   Eventually I’m going to cook something with multiple ingredients and not just try to use the fewest amount of pots and pans.  

Eventually life will get back to a new type of normal. 

Until then I hope cute baby pics will suffice.

Ryan Joseph

8 lbs.  10 oz.  - 21.5 inches – born 5:00 PM  Tuesday February 21, 2012

 

Babywatch – Day 13

So titled because it’s 13 days since I started leave. :)

(not my baby.   This is my niece Cooper – circa Nov 2010)

 
I am doing laundry and stocking up on groceries but still no baby.    

I know walking is good for me so I find a few errands to do every day that make me get up and around a bit.    The issue lately is that my left knee (I don’t know why it’s always something with my left leg) hurts.   It’s not overly swollen so I’m not sure the cause but it does make walking uncomfortable.

The manager at Stop & Shop (I only know this as she is usually the one people call over to fix stuff at the register) was bagging in the lane I was in today and when I walked through to hand her my reusable bags she was like “Oh.  You’re pregnant?”

I’m not sure what gave her the clue.  Perhaps that I almost had to walk sideways to get there. :)

I’ve got to say – since I started obviously showing people have been really nice to me.  It’s going to be sort of a downer when the kid gets here.  Although I guess you still get some attention then with all the “Oohhhh!  How old is s/he?”  from people when you take the baby out.

I guess this is why I am drowning in a sea of blue clothing.  People are all paranoid about strangers calling their baby by the wrong pronoun.

Everything I have bought for myself is in a more neutral color.   Don’t get me wrong.  I like all the clothes we’ve been lucky enough to receive.   He’ll be going home in a baby blue number (unless he turns out to be a giant and the outfit doesn’t fit).  But he’s a BABY.  He doesn’t need to look like a miniature grown up right from the start.

We’re as ready as we’ll ever be I am guessing.    We did one of the smartest things ever – which was buy a small freezer to keep in the basement.  Not only do I think it’ll come in handy later for Costco runs – but it enabled Jen, my mom and me to make some trays of food so that there will be no worry about the rest of the household going hungry those first days home with the little one.

I’ve been reading a lot of ‘mommy blogs’ lately  - specifically some posts about what people find helpful those first few days home.  I’m in a strange position here.   I’ve been taking care of 4 other people for the better part of a year and a half – so it’s not like I don’t know what it takes to run a house.  But I’m also having my first baby.   So on one hand I am absolutely a first time mom.   On the other – not so much.

The nurse who ran our childbirth class mentioned things like putting a note on the door telling visitors to come back at a better time – or keeping a bathrobe in the downstairs closet to throw on when answering the door to keep visits short.   I don’t know where most people live where they have a ton of unexpected guests just stopping by to see a new baby.    Is this odd to anyone else?  There is no one I know who wouldn’t call first.   There is no one I can think of who would come over uninvited.    I don’t have any friends who would park themselves in my kitchen and expect me to serve them when I have a newborn.    And anyone who asked to stop by would be most welcome.   Maternity leave turns into a bit of a lonely existence.     Factor in that my immediate family lives a state away on either side and my friends all live in NY for the most part – it means I’m mostly here hanging with my friends on Bravo.

I’m looking forward for the social life the baby might afford me.   There’s a stroller fitness class at the PAL, there’s a Mom’s group I joined on Meetup.com.     I’ll be walking around the neighborhood a lot – all ways I think to find some new friends.

And yet – I miss my old friends.  The ones who live on Long Island and get to see each other often.    The ones who live and work in Manhattan and – though all of our lives have gotten increasingly complicated – can still meet for drinks after work.

I miss drinks after work.  

At the same time I am excited and nervous and a whole slew of things about this baby.   Having a child of my own was a dream I almost gave up on.   Right when I started to lose weight I also started to come to terms with the fact that my life might just be being an aunt to my three gorgeous nieces, living in New York and hanging out with my friends.    It’s amazing that not so long after I did that my life turned completely upside down.

I mean seriously.  COMPLETELY.   There is nothing about my life then that is the same now.

But I wouldn’t change a single thing.

PS:  Happy Valentine’s Day – whether you have someone to share it with or are hosting a “Cupid Can Kiss My Ass” party as I once did if nothing else a holiday founded almost exclusively on chocolate deserves to be celebrated.

I’ve come to a conclusion

I’m just not going to post much this summer.  Please know the intent and the desire are there. 

Time is what I’m lacking.

I cleared out my DSLR camera yesterday.  I had 125 pictures.   Some are pictures like this:

which are taken by landscaping obsessed Dave in our backyard.

Some are from the absolutely DELICIOUS five star dinner my good friend Kelly hosted for us.

 

Butternut squash soup Lobster salad with avocado. Filet, mashed potatoes and asparagus. Chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert.  Incredible.

Some are of Father’s Day weekend.  When Ellie and Matt came out for a barbecue.

 

Dave found a frog in the backyard and showed it off to Miss Ellie.   She wasn’t quite sure about it – but she and Maddie are sure about Dave.  He has them both eating out of the palm of his hand. Not frogs of course - but you know...  The next morning my mom made breakfast before we headed back to New Jersey.   Egg, bacon and cheese biscuits anyone?    That night for dinner I made shish kebobs.   Dave got a few gifts.

I also found some pictures of this girl on my camera.

This is Dave’s dog Genevieve, who came out to Shelter Island last weekend but never came home. :(  He wrote a post about it here.  (Which is Dave’s blog btw).   It was a no good very bad day full of vet visits and she is sorely missed.  She helped me keep the floor clean and from eating all the leftover bacon.  She was my only source of company when I worked from home alone.  She filled I void I’ve felt ever since this lady of all ladies said goodbye.

I also found a picture of this girl.   I’m not sure what she’s even doing.

Things my nieces say….

A six and four year old can be the best form of comic relief.

Well….Ellie actually may turn out to be a comedienne.  It’s highly possible.

Here are a few examples:

“What are you even doing?”  (uttered whenever you are doing….anything)

“Dave, I’m not sure about your shoes” (Ellie trust me.  I’m not either!!)

“These are my American armpits”  (A song by Maddie – sung wearing a bathing suit in the driveway)

“Krissy, don’t you have a nice skirt or shoes you can wear?”

“Krissy, why are you wearing jeans?  Didn’t you know it was Poppy’s birthday?”

The above is proof Maddie is a bit of a fashionista.

“I’m going to get my own dress and my own shoes”  (Ellie in regards to her flower girl dress.   She’s a fashionista too)

“We only had two cookies for breakfast”“ (Way to sell me out on the phone to your parents, kid)

“How can you marry Dave if he’s already married and has kids?”   Maddie, luckily, has no concept of divorce.

I am sure I am missing out on some of the best ones.  Now that I have finally posted (slacker!) Jenny – help a sister out!

Things: An update.

My niece Madeleine can read whole books on her own.  She’s five.  She’s brilliant.  She didn’t need that creepy Your Baby Can Read program that they sell via infomercials late night.

She takes after her aunt.  I read in Kindergarten too. :)

My niece Ellie is so funny I think she might grow up to be a stand up comedian.

And Cooper?  She’s just cute.

It’s virtually impossible to participate on conference calls when working from “home”.  You have to basically stay on mute lest barking dogs and people getting ready to go to work having conversations interrupt.

Not their fault – and it’s better than when my dad used to yell from the other room or pick up the phone in the middle of my calls.

I’d give anything to have my dad yell from the other room or pick up in the middle of my call. :(

Speaking of dads – think good thoughts for Dave’s dad.  He’s in the hospital and seems to be doing better but good thoughts never hurt.

Dave thinks he needs his own column.  I think he might be pushing it – but I also think this is a pretty cute picture (from a wedding we went to in October) even if I kind of hate my profile my hair looks kind of flat.

My dog ate the leftover turkey from my sandwich and promptly took a nap.

My mom was mad at Cablevision so she got Verizon FiOS and there are 3000 million channels. I put A Walk to Remember on in the background as I ate lunch and realized that I basically own the soundtrack (yes it’s 99.9% Mandy Moore – SHUT.UP.), and that I always had a bit of a crush on Shane West aka Eli Sammler from Once and Again.

I have pictures of Vermont, our Thanksgiving dinner, Giada’s Balsamic Wings that I made and Jen and I ate while watching the Giants yesterday (what the hell – I watch football now???).   I’ll post them soon but I’m going to drive to NJ tonight to help Dave clean science projects out of his fridge.  

And I’m going to use a GPS to guide me.

SO THERE.

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving.   Let’s all agree that 2011 will be a much better year shall we?

Spooktacular

I am here to report I went on the Haunted Hay Ride.  I did not want to.  I whined like a baby.  I dragged my feet. 

But in the end Mora got too scared so I had to act like a grown up.

This however did mean I had company while waiting for everyone else to go through the Haunted House and Haunted Corn Maze.

So there’s that. :)

Friday night we (me, Dave, Maddie and Mora) went out for Chinese food.

  Noodles and duck sauce…. Yummy steamed veggie dumplings.  These were really good.   Kung Pao Chicken Shrimp Fried Rice

And a cookie for dessert.

Saturday morning Dave made me baked eggs for breakfast.  I have let him down by not taking a picture.  Saturday afternoon I had a Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  I haven’t had one of those in like 5 years.  It tasted as yummy as I remember. Saturday night I had pizza and some salad and some wine.  I was too scared to take pictures.

Sunday I had a bagel thin with peanut butter for breakfast.  Lunch was baked chicken nuggets and rice with the kids.  Dinner was Boboli pizza.   We also carved pumpkins.

 

Mora was Princess Peach from Mario Brothers.  Her friend and his brother were Mario and Luigi.  They were adorable.

Dave’s Maddie was Thing 1.  Or Thing 2.  I can’t remember.  She was not in full costume before she went out though so I didn’t get to snap a picture.

My munchkin nieces (Maddie and Ellie) were a kitten and a ladybug respectively.  I don’t have a picture of them either. :(

Both Maddie and Mora hauled in quite a stash.  Mora is the most organized kid I know.  Look at this…

I got some Reese’s out of the deal so I’m a happy camper.

A lovely post re: lunch and dinner coming your way tonight.

GO VOTE!!