5.23.2013
Whole Wheat Pancakes That Aren't Gross
I recently saw my nutritionist (whom I highly recommend) and we talked a lot about Henry's love for all things bread. I lamented giving him pancakes and waffles because I know the white flour is bad for him but he eats the stuff like it's his job (which in a way...it is. It is his job to eat and get big and strong, as far as I see it). Anyway, she suggested making whole wheat pancakes and waffles. I tried yesterday morning, and they were a huge hit! Here's a link to the recipe. I've tried other whole wheat recipes before, and this one takes the cake. Or, the pancake, I guess.
5.18.2013
Dirty Thirty
I'm 30 today. And I'm pretty happy about it.
Maybe not about the age objectively, but certainly about all the cool things I've done and the blessings I have. I'm lucky - I have super supportive parents and a wonderful sister. I went to a great school, met great friends. Went to graduate school in the best city in the world, met more great friends, in addition to my husband. Currently live in the most vibrant city on the planet, and yeah, have great friends here too, and am relatively far along in a doctoral program that I love. Most importantly, I truly have the most wonderful, beautiful, loving, sweet son I could imagine. Seriously, he's a dream. I love my family.
Privileged? Lucky? Yes. Grateful? Absolutely. Old? Maybe, but not really. Getting older means being able to spend more time with this little face. So honestly...no complaints.
5.12.2013
Home, Homie.
I love New Orleans. I also love Durham. My family moved when I was 4 and my parents have been here ever since. I'm visiting for the week and thoroughly enjoyed my first day back. Anyone who returns home after a good while understands, but here are my top ten favorite things about visiting:
10. The little creature comforts of your parents house that you just can't afford/ don't invest in. Multiple types of creamer. Crazy soft towels. Fancy chocolate. Comfort food. In my house, this comes in the form of turon and pancit, mmmmm.
9. The playground across the street from my house -- that's ours above! My parents claim this is a large reason why they bought the house in the first place back in 1989. I owned that place through elementary school. Henry's claiming it now.
8. Breugger's Bagels. Overall the food itself doesn't compare to actual city bagels, but but I've never been able to find a comparable cinnamon sugar bagel anywhere. I'm devoted to the one on 9th Street, because there's history there. I missed/ was tardy to many 1st periods because of this place.
7. Space. Sure our house is 2400 square feet. We also rent out half of it. My parent's house is not huge, but it's plenty big for me to stretch out, and certainly for Henry to explore.
6. No dogs live here. I love my Gussy but damn if there aren't some mornings where I don't wanna walk him. Or listen to him.
5. New Orleans is good for boutiques, and I live close to some of the best of them. But for some good old mall shopping, the triangle area don't play. Yeah yeah yeah, malls suck, blah blah blah. But I dare you to hate on Nordstrom in front of me. Go ahead.
4. The Museum of Life and Science aka the place every public school kid took a field trip to until they were in the 9th grade. Taking Henry there tomorrow!
3. The American Tobacco Campus aka the place we got married. And really, downtown in general has a ton of eating and drinking options - Pinhook, Dame's Chicken and Waffles, Rue Cler, and Toast. Lots of others too, I'm sure. Don't rely on me though, I'm no longer a local.
2. Bo's. Bojo's. Bojangles (with the soft j). Whatever your pet name for it, you know it's the shit.
1. The ability to miss New Orleans. Okay, okay, this one's a cop-out because this is supposed to be about Durham. But seriously. Whenever I'm here in NC, I feel like I'm able to breathe deeper, relax, and feel connected to my family. Since I do some pretty intense work in New Orleans, the city can feel a little stifling sometimes. But when I leave, I reminded of how my city is so vibrant, unique, connected, cultured. And beautiful.
Enjoying my time here thoroughly. But I won't be sad to go back to New Orleans, either.
10. The little creature comforts of your parents house that you just can't afford/ don't invest in. Multiple types of creamer. Crazy soft towels. Fancy chocolate. Comfort food. In my house, this comes in the form of turon and pancit, mmmmm.
9. The playground across the street from my house -- that's ours above! My parents claim this is a large reason why they bought the house in the first place back in 1989. I owned that place through elementary school. Henry's claiming it now.
8. Breugger's Bagels. Overall the food itself doesn't compare to actual city bagels, but but I've never been able to find a comparable cinnamon sugar bagel anywhere. I'm devoted to the one on 9th Street, because there's history there. I missed/ was tardy to many 1st periods because of this place.
7. Space. Sure our house is 2400 square feet. We also rent out half of it. My parent's house is not huge, but it's plenty big for me to stretch out, and certainly for Henry to explore.
6. No dogs live here. I love my Gussy but damn if there aren't some mornings where I don't wanna walk him. Or listen to him.
5. New Orleans is good for boutiques, and I live close to some of the best of them. But for some good old mall shopping, the triangle area don't play. Yeah yeah yeah, malls suck, blah blah blah. But I dare you to hate on Nordstrom in front of me. Go ahead.
4. The Museum of Life and Science aka the place every public school kid took a field trip to until they were in the 9th grade. Taking Henry there tomorrow!
3. The American Tobacco Campus aka the place we got married. And really, downtown in general has a ton of eating and drinking options - Pinhook, Dame's Chicken and Waffles, Rue Cler, and Toast. Lots of others too, I'm sure. Don't rely on me though, I'm no longer a local.
2. Bo's. Bojo's. Bojangles (with the soft j). Whatever your pet name for it, you know it's the shit.
1. The ability to miss New Orleans. Okay, okay, this one's a cop-out because this is supposed to be about Durham. But seriously. Whenever I'm here in NC, I feel like I'm able to breathe deeper, relax, and feel connected to my family. Since I do some pretty intense work in New Orleans, the city can feel a little stifling sometimes. But when I leave, I reminded of how my city is so vibrant, unique, connected, cultured. And beautiful.
Enjoying my time here thoroughly. But I won't be sad to go back to New Orleans, either.
5.08.2013
The Many Uses of Nipple Cream
I recently saw Dr. Lipp Nipple Balm for Lips on Birchbox. Essentially, it's repurposed nipple cream that moms use when they're nursing. In theory, a great idea. It makes sense that lanolin, the main ingredient in these creams, would be uber moisturizing. But I don't appreciate the blatant packaging. "Nipple balm for lips". What's wrong with saying it's just lanolin for lips. Also...Dr. Lipp? Really?
In retail defiance, I set out on a search for lanolin in my leftover new mommy stash (which contains a delightful assortment of Depends, Tucks, and all sorts of fun items that took me back to postpartum fun) In my first few months of breastfeeding, I all but bought stock in the stuff. Actually, thats's a complete exaggeration -- I only bought about three tubes because a little goes a long way. I found an unopened tube, and yeah, it's pretty awesome for lips. So imagine my delight seeing this on The Cut.
Props to Rachel McAdam's (love her) make-up artist sister using actual nipple cream without the kitchy reference. Also note the cheaper price.
5.05.2013
(No) Thanks for the Advice
We had a wonderful two weekends of Jazz Fest. Henry had came the two full days with us and rocked out to B.B. King, Trombone Shorty, and the Black Keys, among several others. But a really frustrating things happened this afternoon by the Acura stage. We had just gotten back to our chairs and tarp after roaming the grounds, with Henry in the Ergo baby on Barry's back.. It has been an unseasonably cold Jazz fest, but today, the weather was beautiful. I'd estimate high sixties, low seventies, but was quite windy. Henry was dressed in a tank and shorts, and Barry and I also donned bare arms and legs. I was 3/4 done with a frozen cafe au lait and was feeling pretty chilly, plus the sun occasionally was covered up by a few clouds. I put on my sweatshirt and commented to my friend how it seemed colder all of a sudden. She agreed, saying it seemed like the temp dropped a bit in the last ten minutes.
Very shortly after, a woman came up to me and said something along the lines of, "it's a good thing you have that sweatshirt. Where's your baby's?" Thinking she was being congenial, I laughed, saying, "oh, he's got one in our bag..."I trailed off because she walked away, pointing at me accusingly. My eyes narrowed. "Are you serious??" The woman was totally worked up about my baby being cold. My baby.
I felt a lot of things at that moment, none of them good. I felt judged. I felt guilty. I also felt very insulted. I protectively put my hand on Henry's back and legs. He was warm to the touch. He was fine snuggled against his dad's back. Those that know can attest that the Ergo is quite cozy and warm. Most of the time, I worry that Henry might be too hot in it -- I certainly feel too hot with him strapped to me sometimes. Henry often likes to keep his arms tucked in, snuggled close, and he was that way at the time. His bare legs were out, but his feet (the most important part, besides his head), were covered with socks and shoes. Beyond all the physical signs, I know that my Henry is very expressive. When he is unhappy or uncomfortable, he tells me. He cries, whines, or flails around. He was doing none of this. He was tired. He had skipped his nap and when we tried to put him down in his stroller before, he kicked and flailed and worked himself up. As his mommy, I know that the best way to put my boy down is to wait until he's basically already sleeping. That way there's no fight, no tantrum, just giving in and curling up.
Anyway, Henry appeared fine, and though sleepy, he wasn't quite ready to acquiesce. So in the Ergo he stayed. And the woman wasn't done. She sat directly behind us and bitched to her friend. Scolded me for not putting him down, not keeping him warm, not watching my child. She informed me that she was watching him. She would keep an eye on him since I wasn't. I looked at my husband, and he told me to ignore her (in much more colorful language, because he is awesome). Less than five minutes later, I looked at my Henry, and he was sleeping. I told B, and we took him down and placed him in the stroller and covered him with a blanket. He slept for almost two hours after that, and is sleeping soundly now in his crib.
This little episode bothered me in a lot of ways. Most of all, I don't like how I allowed that woman to make me question my own judgment. Barry and I have a very laid back parenting style, and of course, like any parent, I often wonder if I'm doing this, that, or the other thing right. Are we too laid back? What exactly does that mean? I don't make all the right judgments all the time, but I firmly believe that our little guy is benefitting from our laid back ways. For example, I don't hover. I let Henry climb, explore, and topple everything, including himself, over. I think that's why he's such a hardy little guy. Sometimes he bites it - really bites it. We're talking faceplants. But B and I never rush to his side unless he's truly hurt himself, and I really think that's why he's such a tough little dude. We also pride ourselves on taking Henry everywhere and not limiting our lifestyle because we have the kiddo. We take the same vacations and go to the same festivals. I'm proud of these things, and don't like feeling that I've done something wrong. But did I have Henry out in too-cold weather improperly dressed? Was I depriving him of sleep? Was I not remediating these things because a snooty lady confronted me and I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being right?
I'm 98% sure the answers are no, no, no. I'm 98% confident in my choices and convictions. But there's that pesky 2% of insecurity and self-doubt. I don't think that will ever go away. The only thing I am 100% sure of is that I don't need other people shaming me into taking care of my kid in a way that they see proper. To that woman, and to those like her, sit the eff down. Most of us moms are doing the best we can, and most certainly in our own ways, and for our own reasons. Let us. And mind your own damn business.
Very shortly after, a woman came up to me and said something along the lines of, "it's a good thing you have that sweatshirt. Where's your baby's?" Thinking she was being congenial, I laughed, saying, "oh, he's got one in our bag..."I trailed off because she walked away, pointing at me accusingly. My eyes narrowed. "Are you serious??" The woman was totally worked up about my baby being cold. My baby.
I felt a lot of things at that moment, none of them good. I felt judged. I felt guilty. I also felt very insulted. I protectively put my hand on Henry's back and legs. He was warm to the touch. He was fine snuggled against his dad's back. Those that know can attest that the Ergo is quite cozy and warm. Most of the time, I worry that Henry might be too hot in it -- I certainly feel too hot with him strapped to me sometimes. Henry often likes to keep his arms tucked in, snuggled close, and he was that way at the time. His bare legs were out, but his feet (the most important part, besides his head), were covered with socks and shoes. Beyond all the physical signs, I know that my Henry is very expressive. When he is unhappy or uncomfortable, he tells me. He cries, whines, or flails around. He was doing none of this. He was tired. He had skipped his nap and when we tried to put him down in his stroller before, he kicked and flailed and worked himself up. As his mommy, I know that the best way to put my boy down is to wait until he's basically already sleeping. That way there's no fight, no tantrum, just giving in and curling up.
Anyway, Henry appeared fine, and though sleepy, he wasn't quite ready to acquiesce. So in the Ergo he stayed. And the woman wasn't done. She sat directly behind us and bitched to her friend. Scolded me for not putting him down, not keeping him warm, not watching my child. She informed me that she was watching him. She would keep an eye on him since I wasn't. I looked at my husband, and he told me to ignore her (in much more colorful language, because he is awesome). Less than five minutes later, I looked at my Henry, and he was sleeping. I told B, and we took him down and placed him in the stroller and covered him with a blanket. He slept for almost two hours after that, and is sleeping soundly now in his crib.
This little episode bothered me in a lot of ways. Most of all, I don't like how I allowed that woman to make me question my own judgment. Barry and I have a very laid back parenting style, and of course, like any parent, I often wonder if I'm doing this, that, or the other thing right. Are we too laid back? What exactly does that mean? I don't make all the right judgments all the time, but I firmly believe that our little guy is benefitting from our laid back ways. For example, I don't hover. I let Henry climb, explore, and topple everything, including himself, over. I think that's why he's such a hardy little guy. Sometimes he bites it - really bites it. We're talking faceplants. But B and I never rush to his side unless he's truly hurt himself, and I really think that's why he's such a tough little dude. We also pride ourselves on taking Henry everywhere and not limiting our lifestyle because we have the kiddo. We take the same vacations and go to the same festivals. I'm proud of these things, and don't like feeling that I've done something wrong. But did I have Henry out in too-cold weather improperly dressed? Was I depriving him of sleep? Was I not remediating these things because a snooty lady confronted me and I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being right?
I'm 98% sure the answers are no, no, no. I'm 98% confident in my choices and convictions. But there's that pesky 2% of insecurity and self-doubt. I don't think that will ever go away. The only thing I am 100% sure of is that I don't need other people shaming me into taking care of my kid in a way that they see proper. To that woman, and to those like her, sit the eff down. Most of us moms are doing the best we can, and most certainly in our own ways, and for our own reasons. Let us. And mind your own damn business.
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