Holiday Weekend!

Thank goodness for the long holiday weekend!

It pains me to say it but I'm glad it's just the three of us this weekend. As much as I love our families, it's so nice to not be traveling or hosting guests. I'm putting together our to-do list for the weekend, and it involves the usual: clean the apartment, do the laundry, take the recycling out, etc. Then there's the special cleaning that a long weekend could lend itself to: a drop off at Goodwill and dealing with Caleb's sock drawer, which is chock FULL of teensy baby socks that our enormous footed child never got to wear anyway.

Least it sound like we're not doing anything fun at all, there's pool time and a playdate with our cousins on the list. College football gets going this weekend too, so I imagine there will be plenty of lounging time in front of the tv. Also on the football front, we're going to the HS football game at Caleb's school tonight!

My boss brought me a sourdough starter a couple weeks ago, so sourdough waffles and pancakes are on the menu for breakfasts. I just read Orangette's recipe for fudgesicles, so I think that might be happening as well. And finally, a coworker just stopped by with basil and tomatoes, so I'm thinking about making a tomato tart ala The Pioneer Woman to go with our chile-lime skirt steak tomorrow night.

The idea is to get us so worn out, we sleep like this all weekend:

He's didn't even stir when the flash went off.

Caleb, 7 Months

I know it’s been quiet here recently. There was a bout of illness that felled Caleb and I for a few days, while Brian soldiered on, dinnerless. I was going to write about my continued desire for community here in Nashville. There was a long story about snakes, and somehow that translated to our house hunt.We put an offer on a beautiful house over the weekend and were outbid. 

Prefers to sit up during playtime

But that seems like an awful lot of boring catchup. Instead, we now have a seven month old. Seven months! How did seven months go by so fast?? Baby Caleb has so many moments of looking like a little boy, instead of baby, and it doesn’t help when we put him in regular jammies instead of his sleep sacks. He’s growing like a weed. At his belated 6 month check up, he was 20 lbs, 12 ounces and 27 inches long. That puts him in the 90% for weight. Hence, none of his clothes fit. I’m putting away all his 6 month stuff, and even some of the 12 month stuff is getting tight in places (those little chubby thighs, for one!).

Big boy jammies!

He can sit up on his own like a champ now. This means he can sit in a high chair, which makes eating out a treat. He sits in his chair, plays with his toys, chews his shirt and stares at everyone who walks by. Those who stop and say hi are usually treated to a big grin and lots of hand waving.

He popped a third tooth over the weekend, on the bottom. I’m sure more are coming, if the drool factor is any indication.

Reading with Daddy is always fun.

Sleep progress has stagnated a bit. He wants his pacifier two to three times a night now. Part of me wants to lock down on letting him cry it out and part of me knows he’s probably teething and that pacifier is his only relief. In meantime, we can’t remember the last time we slept through the night.

Bath time continues to be a source of entertainment. He loves it and I’m itching for a yard with a kiddie pool. I have a feeling that would go over really well. 

He's not crawling yet- he lays on his tummy and waves his arms and legs like he's swimming. He can turn in circles like a maniac. Time is going way too fast, but it's too fun to complain! 

Breaking Through the Block

They say when writers have writer’s block, they just need to push through it. Just write, even if every last word is awful and you’re going to have to change it anyway. Cooking is very much like that, with an every bigger push: if I don’t cook, we’re not going to have dinner! 

I wrote previously about pushing through the annoyances of my current kitchen to enjoy cooking again. I’m really trying to do that. Two things are really helping me: 

I’m making a point to get to a farmers’ market every weekend – there’s such inspiration in the stands this time of year! Peppers, melons, tomatoes, blueberries, sweet corn, eggplant, squash! 

                I’ve found a daily schedule that works for us. I drop Caleb off in the morning and Brian picks him up in the evening. It means leaving Caleb at school almost 45 minutes longer than necessary, because I leave work earlier than Brian does, but it gives me a blessed 45 minutes alone to start dinner.  I put the tv or music, or call my parents, and start chopping. Often I’ve got dinner mostly done or at least well underway by the time Brian and Caleb get home and I can get some cuddles before Caleb demands his dinner. (And boy does he ever! His teacher finally told me yesterday that Caleb was getting really hungry an hour before his bottle time. !!! I sent real food in addition to his bottles today to help fill him up. No wonder he was eating like starving person at dinner.) 

Those 45 minutes  – they aren’t the best part of my day, that’s time with Brian and Caleb – but they’re integral. I feel like myself during that time and it's paid off big time at dinner this week. I've indulged myself in making food with great ingredients that inspire me. To that end, we had homemade pizza two nights in a row and on Wednesday I made Brown Rice Burrito Bowls. They were so delicious, I'm recommending the recipe to all my friends. Yes, the brown rice takes awhile to cook, but if you put it on first you need the next 45 minutes to chop and roast all your veggies.

Tonight I'm making Tortilla soup and I've got a list for next week that includes fresh spring rolls and corn and squash fritters. Normally I wouldn't tackle these but it's time to break out of my rut and make some good cooking memories in this kitchen. Hopefully we won't be here for long but I'll make the most of it while we hunt for our next home.