make zach happy

Calling on all you creative decorators!

I'm sure Z won't even notice, but now that I find myself spending a lot of time in his room, I am thinking of a few changes to make it a bit cozier. Seems like everyone in my family has caught the decorating bug this month. So, here are my ideas. First, find some way to cover the Ikea Pax wardrobe. Probably heavy, dressing-room like curtains. Then, take down these shelves which scream safety hazard to me and since they hold toys and books, these things ought to be within the boy's reach, right? Then, I will paint some shade of cool green (cool, as opposed to warm) which Omi Willet will supply. I'll get a feel-good-under-bare feet rug big enough to cover most of the floor and finally, I guess I will part with my single days bed. As comfy as it is, I suppose we won't have any guests sharing the room with Zach so if you haven't made it to visit yet, sorry! We still have the pull-out couch. Not very comfy though. Air mattress? For this room, maybe I'll get a small couch or chaise. Any other ideas? Em, now is your chance!

Presenting Jacques and Harley!

Babies, babies, everywhere! 2008 was a very exciting year in our family! First, after much effort and a lot of patience Cesc and I got pregnant and delivered, in my opinion, the best baby in the whole world. (I can say that today, because he had his bath, ate dinner and went right to sleep! Crossing my fingers, crossing my fingers!) HOWEVER, not only did we get to welcome Baby Zach to the world, we also learned that my baby sister Emily was pregnant AND my sister, "My Mary" was pregnant with number two. (Actually, she was being all slick and sly about it, but my keen detective skills guessed early. Not that hard really. She turned down beer. Dead giveaway!) ANYHOO, so we have two pregnant sisters here, Mary is having a boy (so much for all those cute hand-me-downs, but I'm ok with it) and of course, Emily is having a girl. She HAD to! That said, neither is divulging their names although I believe they have both been picked out. So, for now, unless I can put my detective skills to work again, allow me to introduce Jacques and Harley. This summer, Cesc, Baby Z and I wil travel to Natick and Wilmington to meet the new cousins and we are TRES excited!! Whoohoo! Of course, Christmas will be CRAZY, but one thing at a time.

Food for thought

I know what you're thinking. That the only thing I can think about is food. Well, that is partly true. I like to eat. I like to cook. And, lately I am hungry! Breastfeeding is a wonderful experience and I feel sorry for moms who don't at least try it or who have tried it without success. That said, it burns a zillion calories, or so they say. I only know that I am never full. All I can think about is what I am going to eat next. I just finshed dinner and am already salivating over tomorrow's breakfast (pancake Sunday, in honor of Kevin). Well, in an effort to reel things in and not just grab that pint of Ben and Jerry's, I decided to search NY Times for inspiration and I enjoyed this article:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/index.html

Especially about what to do with leftover celery. It's true. You buy celery for that tuna salad and only use like one stalk and the rest withers and turns yellow. Lo! Other uses for celery. The salad with mushroom and parmesan sounds interesting. I did make the lentil minestrone and can tell you it yields 8 very generous servings. I have so much leftover I had to finish off the ice cream to make room in the freezer!

Make me happy to be a renter

She's baaaack! Well, let's see. I am challenged by Emily who has started her own blog and has written something two days in a row. I am overwhelmed by her list of home projects. Makes me happy that I rent! But I am impressed, Em. Keep it up!

The problem with this blogging thing is that I am at a loss for what to write.... Mary is so good at this sort of thing! Today, I guess I am going to talk about Zman. He is now saying "Mamamama," but I don't flatter myself, yet. It seems to be associated with him being needy and the last two days he has been rather needy. I think he's just overtired and his dad and I need to adjust his bedtime or read him better, poor dude. Then he seems to be going through another growth spurt so I try reading to him in silly Aunt Emily's voice, I try burping him, I walk him around, I sing, I dance, I do everything except offer him the boob because HOW CAN HE POSSIBLY BE HUNGRY AGAIN SO SOON? Aaaah! The power of the boob. If only all of life's problems were that easy to solve. Anyway, with all this feeding, I am STARVING, all the time. I just can't seem to get enough to eat or at least can't figure out what my body is asking for. The other day I pulled a Mary, Mom or Emily and ate half a pint of Ben and Jerries, but that wasn't it, either. I think I'm about to go finish off the rest.

What are your cravings?