Riding Bikes

A week after he turned four, E started riding his bike. We then lowered the balance bike for Belalu, and while I thought that it was too tall for her, we actually could lower it a little more. However, she still needs help because her tippie toes just reach the ground, so when she really wants to move, she goes back to the Tiny Trike. All of our bikes have been getting a lot of use this summer.

Speed Demon

This girl has no fear.

We were at another family's house this evening for dinner, and Belalu found a tricycle in the garage. Her feet could almost reach the pedals, but she had to strain her whole body forward to get there, which would cause the bike to tip over. She didn't care. She kept climbing back on, falling over, getting up, and doing it all over again. No tears, no frustration, just determination and tenacity.

She has also discovered the joy of riding her brother's balance bike. She makes "brrrrmmm, brrrmmm" noises the whole time. He'll be getting a pedal bike for his birthday, which means we'll be able to lower the seat on this one once he figures out the other. I'm not sure it will be low enough for her to reach, but it'll be close.

Look at that face. No fear, I tell you.

Ready for Spring!

I came home from work one day a couple of weeks ago  to find E had dressed himself to play outside.  The ubiquitous ties have since been replaced with a Superman cape.

Although all this snow is now gone, it's been below 40 degrees F most of the month. This weekend is promising to be gorgeous, and everyone at this point just really needs that to happen.

We're finishing out the semester, so I've not had a lot of free time or energy, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Though J is gearing up for a trip to Spain soon, and I'll be teaching a May-term course, so the excitement will continue for a little while longer, I suppose, albeit in a different way.

My house plans have not been neglected, however. I have been doing the best I can to keep up the daily maintenance and have been relentlessly decluttering. Last week I gave E's room a thorough cleaning, and it just feels so good to have nothing extraneous in there. In addition, there are three garbage bags of clothes by the front door to donate tomorrow and several boxes more ready to go to the consignment shop on Friday.

This was my hat when I was a baby. I love that Belalu wants to wear it.

I've been feeling stressed and overwhelmed with work stuff, and clutter just adds to my stress, but so does the idea of having to organize it and get rid of it. My personality doesn't really know what it wants: on the one hand, I hate clutter and stuff just laying around, but on the other, I am very sentimental and don't want to get rid of anything anyone ever gave me. All my work this week has made me I feel freer, and I really want to keep it up. When I have time to start on some bigger house projects this summer, I'll be more inspired and motivated to do them with a house purged of unnecessary stuff.

When I step outside and see all the work my yard needs, though, panic starts to creep back in. And that's when I am grateful for the winter-like spring we're having. I'm just not ready to go there yet, though I will be after next week. We were going to start seeds inside this year, but never got around to it for various reasons, and I'm not letting myself worry about it. All my house projects and plans are to improve my quality of life, not bring more stress and worry to it, so I tell myself this when I start to feel bad about not getting something like that done. There's always next year. Thankfully, we have a several great sources for garden plants in the area, and we'll just go that route this year. I am very excited for our Farmer's Market Saturdays to resume.
Dwarf arrived in the mail last week, though I've been finishing up next month's book club book first. I couldn't resist starting it, however. And I couldn't stop crying while I read it. I think I've read two or three chapters so far, and I couldn't.stop.crying. So, guess I won't be reading this book anywhere but home.

I have some updates on Belalu's latest Dr. appts, but I'll save that for another post very soon. (Hard to believe my baby's 20 months old!)

Hope your spring where you are is bringing you lots of sunshine and warmth.

Happy Easter and Spring

Both Easter and Spring were welcomed warmly in our house. Something reminded me that I had received a bundt cake pan for Christmas two years ago, and had never used it! So, I took it out and found that it came with a recipe for Lady Bird Johnon's Lemon cake. The lemons seemed spring-y to me, perhaps it was the yellow, and I was soooo glad I made it. Correction, E and I made it. He is my baking partner; he was the one who cracked all ten (!) eggs, dividing the whites and the yolks- the recipe only called for yolks. The cake is so moist and delicious on it's own, it really doesn't need a topping, but I had a ton of blueberries in the freezer, so I made a blueberry sauce to top it with, which wasn't a bad idea at all. I immediately decided that I had found a new spring tradition. This combo will help us welcome in the new season, though I have a feeling we'll be seeing it again sooner rather than later.

I had intended to get a picture of the cake more complete, but it was almost gone before I knew it!

Easter was really low-key this year. We've continued the tradition I grew up with- J hid a bunch of chocolate eggs around the house for E to find, and the kids got Easter baskets, mostly filled with gifts and candy my mom, a-hem, the Easter Bunny, had sent them. I did see these glasses at the $1 section of Target, and couldn't resist. They are for Belalu, but E liked them, too.

We went out to a really delicious brunch, free mimosas included, and that was our Easter this year. I have lots of visions of decorations and crafts we could do, perhaps dye some eggs, search for plastic eggs outside on the lawn... but it was just too cold and spring still seemed too remote, and the kids are still so young. We were all happy with the day as it was, and we'll see what next year brings.

Are you still here, March?

I have disappeared into March. It's been a brutal month, weather-wise. We've just been keeping our heads down trying to work through it. After being sick for three weeks, I finally emerged healthy but stir-crazy. So, lots of playing catch-up with housework, with work-work, etc, but always with the promise of spring break fast approaching. And then...the hotel was booked, everyone's health was good, our conversations filled with talk about where we'd eat and which car/bikes/strollers to take... and then... our destination, which had been 70 degrees the week before ... then... suddenly turned cold and snowy and there was no need to travel 7 hours in the car for cold and snowy, since we already had that right here. And still continue to have it. There is still no green to be seen in these parts.

Even our walking days have been kept to a minimum, because the wind has been frigid. I think I've managed to get out for a walk maybe once a week this month.

 We've had lots of playing inside. Lots of reading and drawing and making and watching, too.

 We've been taking advantage of the indoor gym opportunities to get some exercise and socialize.

The good thing about staying in town for break was that I got a good portion of my spring cleaning done. Walls and baseboards and doors suddenly have new life after a good scrub. Cobwebs are gone. (yes, I really had actual cobwebs lurking in the corners). It's still too chilly to throw open the windows, but the birds have been singing loudly in the trees and in the past couple of days I've noticed the snow making a slow and quiet retreat from the walkways and sidewalks around town. March is almost over, and I'm counting on April to herald in a true and proper spring. I think we deserve it after this winter.

The Force to be Reckoned with

This girl is a force to be reckoned with. She is always on the move, exploring, experimenting, getting into trouble, learning. She knows what she wants and she doesn't let you tell her otherwise. I hope with all my heart that this self-assurance, determination, and curiosity never leave her. 

This is a series of photos I took where you just push the button and it snaps photo after photo. So, this is what it's like to be in her presence in oh... about a minute. And it's like this all day. One emotion after the next.

Whew! It's enough to wear a poor mama out :)

This Face

On the 18th she'll be a year and a half old.

Half her life ago she was diagnosed with hypo.

Lately she's into everything she shouldn't be, so she's working on running away from mama. (Current favorite: stuffing her mouth with dog food- how can you even do that more than once?!?!)

Her vocab is expanding daily right now. She's saying yes and no, dog, up, down, door, hot, that, mine- I think it's about a word a day.

She's finally showing an interest in books. She'll grab one, (she loves this one right now)

back her behind up into my lap, plop down and present it to me with a clear "book!"

She hugs and kisses her "babies" and has conversations with her brother that only he can understand.

Generally, she's only waking up once a night now. I'd like it to be less, but since she goes down for 13 hours, a feeding in the middle seems reasonable.

She recently outgrew most of her 6 month clothes. She wears between 12-24 months, depending. It's becoming more and more obvious that she is smaller than her peers, but few people say anything to me directly about it.

She has not wanted me out of her sight. It can be frustrating, but it's also nice because she has rarely slowed down enough for snuggles, and I can at least sneak in a few kisses before the complaints get too loud.

She loves watching herself in the mirror- she'll strut around in front of it. I don't blame her- I can't get enough of her either.

Jam Session

Snow-day fun

Pantry Re-Visted

Every few days Miss Belalu decides she is not pleased with my pantry arrangement and steps in to help.

Score 1 for Miss B; 0 for the pantry

Sick

The weekend was good. I didn't make any bread and kept forgetting to get the Earl Grey tea for the chai, but E, Belalu, and I made the blueberry cornmeal cake from The Smitten Kitchen and last night J and I had a delicious meal of chicken curry and mushrooms that tasted as yummy as anything we could get for takeout, if our town actually offered Indian takeout.

Unfortunately, I also saw it necessary to make a batch of the Influenza Rx sorbet from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, because the kids and I are sick. I'm hoping it's just a nasty cold and not the flu, but we just got the shot last week, so it could be either.

We had lovely weather Fri and Saturday, so even got out for a couple of walks. Now it's insanely frigid and I just want to hibernate until April. I'm really glad I got ahead on the meal planning this weekend. I hope weather where you are is warmer than here, and your week is going well. Stay healthy!

A Full Pantry

With all the traveling we did this past month, my pantry was starting to get a bit too bare for my liking. I prefer to have lots of things on hand to be able to whip up a batch of cookies or a yummy soup when the mood strikes and I'm blessed by the baby nap gods. So, this week I got to work re-stocking my pantry. Nigella Lawson, whose classic, How to Eat, has been my breakfast companion this past week or so, talks about her "domestic goddess" moments. You know, when you've spent the evening or weekend puttering around the kitchen filling the fridge with delicious, nutritious meals for your family.

Yesterday was my "domestic goddess" moment. Belalu took an hour and a half nap, and I took advantage of the freedom to cook up a few days' worth of oatmeal (I like the steel cut oats, but they have a long cooking time for a busy week day morning); roasted beets and made a shallot maple dressing for dinner's salad (from Tyler Florence's Family Meal); and made a cuban black bean soup (from Nigella's book). The house was full of warm, delicious smells, and even though I didn't get home for dinner until 6:30, I had a yummy home-cooked meal ready for me. Juan cooked up the pork for him and the kids earlier in the evening.

I have lots more domestic goddess moments planned for my kitchen over the weekend. Breads, an Indian meal from a new Christmas cookbook, a supply of chai tea, and breakfast/snack cake. We'll see if time and the kiddos cooperate. That last one is likely to involve their help, like we did last week.

And as a "Year of the House" update, I've posted my cookbook cabinet. I got a few new books for Christmas and my cabinet was already bursting at the seams. I moved a bunch of books I didn't use at all in the past year or so down to the basement and if I don't miss them this winter, I'll donate them during spring cleaning. I've already found myself "rediscovering" some books, like Nigella's, which I'm reading like a book- she has lots of great text in there beyond the recipes.

A Good Reminder

A good reminder for those tough times

The ancients are right: the dear old human experience is a singular, difficult, shadowed, brilliant experience that does not resolve into being comfortable in the world. The valley of the shadow is part of that, and you are depriving yourself if you do not experience what humankind has experienced, including doubt and sorrow. We experience pain and difficulty as failure instead of saying, I will pass through this, everyone I have ever admired has passed through this, music has come out of this, literature has come out of it. We should think of our humanity as a privilege.

—Marilynne Robinson, The Art of Fiction No. 198

From the Paris Review Daily

Update on Belalu

I don't have anything big to share, but since this blog started because of her, I wanted to bring it around back to Belalu for a minute. She is now 16 1/2 months old. In the past week she has started nodding her head "yes" and shaking her head "no," and generally they appear to coincide with her actual feelings, so I am able to have these very clear, simple conversations with her. "Are you hungry, Belalu?" ...(nods her head)... "Do you want some cereal?"... (shakes her head and points to the fruit bowl: "dat") "Oh, you want a banana?" (nods her head "nana").

Just this little thing is so huge to me. It makes her seem even more like a person than before, when she was a baby. We are having conversations. Actual conversations where meaning is being exchanged, as opposed to those conversations where she will babble something and I mimic her babble back and people give me strange looks because I sound ridiculous. She makes it very easy to understand what she wants; her communication skills amaze me. We have another hearing test on Thursday, and I will be shocked if they tell us that she cannot hear well; she doesn't seem to miss a thing.

My sister asked me today if Belalu gets comments from people about her size. She had taken the kids to the library the other day and there were two girls around her age- one was also 16 months and the other was a bit older. The moms had asked my sis how old Belalu was, but she said it was in the context of how much she was doing and how strong she was. Neither of the other girls could pull out a chair from a kiddie table and climb into it on their own. She said neither mother seemed interested in a competitive way, they just seemed curious. There was a comment about her being a "little peanut," but it was again in reference to her strength and dexterity.

So, I thought about my sis's question and told her that yes, people often comment about her size, but almost always they just seemed amazed by her. And that's a feeling I share. Maybe I am being naive, but when people marvel at her, it seems to me that it's not just because Belalu is small or "looks like a little doll." They are also responding to that amazing ability to communicate- the eye contact, the "hi"s and "bye-bye"s and little waves she gives as she continues on with her explorations, that amazingly winning smile; her dogged determination to go where she wants to, whether it's into somewhere she shouldn't or up on top of a chair or table to reach something mama thought she put out of reach; her habit of patting her belly and squealing with joy; her pointing at something interesting and exclaiming "uh-oh!"... this girl gets attention everywhere she goes, and why shouldn't she? She is amazing.

Happy New Year!

I'm currently at my sis's place in Boston with the kids. I've been attending the MLA conference during the day while they visit. It's great they all get to see each other while I get to hear some interesting talks, and I know J is enjoying the quiet time at home.

What resolutions have you made for the new year? E started his year off well- he just up and threw out his pacifier the other day. Whew- we're really hoping that's the end of that. As for me, I've designated 2013 The Year of the House. This is the year I'm going to tackle a big chunk of all those projects that have been driving me crazy since we moved in three and a half years ago. I know I'll never really be done with it, and that's fine, because it should evolve as our family does, but there are a lot of things that I've been wanting to do and just haven't had the time/energy to do them. This will be the year.

I won't subject you to too many more trip photos. Here are my some of my favorite moments/scenes from our trip to Puerto Rico last month.

Christmas

As I downloaded my Christmas photos, I realized that all I took pictures of was what we ate. We had Skype on most of the day with various family members out east, so I just didn't take many pictures of the kids, and most of the ones I did take came out blurry.

 

We got home the afternoon of Christmas Eve, so I wasn't sure I would have the energy to undertake our now-traditional "Paella Navideña", or Christmas Paella, as we call it. But after putting Belalu to bed at 6, I rallied and did throw one together. I still have some tweaking to do (mastering the paella is a tricky skill to acquire, especially for a gringa who didn't grow up eating them), but it was my best one yet.

Christmas morning E and J slept in until almost 10 (!) due to travel fatigue, so I had time to make some blueberry muffins, a tradition my mom started when my sis and I were kids.

The rest of the day we just snacked on veggies and dip, muffins, and nuts. Then went to our neighbor's house for dinner- I brought cranberry sauce, cardamom bread, and a bottle of coquito, Puerto Rico's version of egg nog.

The recipe I made filled the three bottles. We've kept the other two in the fridge and have a bit in the evenings- it's coconut-y, creamy, and cinnamon-y with a wallop of rum that can put me right to sleep. It's definitely a new tradition I'll keep up. To have it in the fridge just feels festive. We had some friends stop by unexpectedly last night, and it was great to be able to offer them a glass as we chatted.

Santa brought Belalu a Radio Flyer Tiny Trike. Her PT had suggested we get her a riding toy, and E never had one, so we hoped this would be small enough for her legs, and she can indeed push herself along on her tip toes. I already thought she was mobile enough- now on wheels, there's no stopping this girl (well, until she gets to a wall and needs help backing up ;)