Now that Elizabeth is nine months old, the list of what she can't have food-wise is pretty short. We're letting her try all sorts of "grown-up" food, and she seems to find almost everything to her liking. LB and I made this soup the other night, and we figured that we'd at least give her a taste. She gobbled down two big spoonfuls before I took my bowl back from her, and when we reheated the leftovers, she ate a big bowlful (minus the scallions and sour cream).
Black Bean Soup (adapted from Cooking Light)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
3 tablespoons chopped carrot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Sliced green onions (optional)
Light sour cream (optional)
Preparation
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, minced onion, bell pepper, and carrot. Cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and the next 4 ingredients (through black pepper); sauté 3 minutes. Add broth, water, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
Process till smooth with a stick blender. Garnish with sliced green onions and light sour cream, if desired.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Ready for college life
Dear darling daughter, as much as we love hearing your chortles and babbles and coos and giggles, we aren't as amused at 3:30 a.m. to hear them as you are. Really. Mama and Daddy don't care how entertaining you find Bear and Lambie in the wee small hours of the morning; it's all right for you to keep that to yourself.
Crawling!
In most baby books, when there's advice about beginning crawlers, it usually says something like "Put a toy just out of baby's reach and s/he will crawl after it." Elizabeth doesn't seem to care if a toy is out of her reach. If I take something from her and put it out of her reach, or she throws something out of her reach, her reaction is to ignore it and move on to something else.
But she just cannot resist Bowden's toys. When we move them so she can't get them, that's when she takes off crawling, desperate to get her hands on his things. He's quite nonplussed by this turn of events and gives us these hurt looks that seem to say "Do you SEE what she's DOING?!" He knows he isn't allowed to touch her things and he doesn't, so he's having trouble understanding why she won't leave his things alone.
Maybe I just haven't found the right toys for her yet. I should try Petsmart.
But she just cannot resist Bowden's toys. When we move them so she can't get them, that's when she takes off crawling, desperate to get her hands on his things. He's quite nonplussed by this turn of events and gives us these hurt looks that seem to say "Do you SEE what she's DOING?!" He knows he isn't allowed to touch her things and he doesn't, so he's having trouble understanding why she won't leave his things alone.
Maybe I just haven't found the right toys for her yet. I should try Petsmart.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Chomp!
We've started sitting Elizabeth down with us at dinnertime to get her used to eating at table with the family. The other night, she was in her high chair between the two of us and we were both holding her hands as LB said grace.
In the middle of the prayer, Elizabeth yanked LB's hand to her mouth and chomped down full force on his finger. He was hard-pressed to continue praying at that point!
She's learned how to blow raspberries as well. She decided to give LB an object demonstration of her new talent at dinner last night with a mouthful of carrots.
And then when he was giving her a bath, she managed to splash so hard that she soaked him, the counter, and the floor. Time to retire the infant tub.
I'd like to say I didn't laugh, but I'd be lying.
In the middle of the prayer, Elizabeth yanked LB's hand to her mouth and chomped down full force on his finger. He was hard-pressed to continue praying at that point!
She's learned how to blow raspberries as well. She decided to give LB an object demonstration of her new talent at dinner last night with a mouthful of carrots.
And then when he was giving her a bath, she managed to splash so hard that she soaked him, the counter, and the floor. Time to retire the infant tub.
I'd like to say I didn't laugh, but I'd be lying.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Tooth or consequences!
Elizabeth got her first tooth this weekend. It's the one on the bottom left in front, and it looks like the bottom right one is going to follow it quickly. We may not know for a while, though, since she doesn't like to let us look at it. She'll open her mouth, then stick her tongue out over her lower lip.
She didn't give us much in the way of teething drama (runny nose, drool, fever, diarrhea) other than a fit of hysterical crying on Friday evening that was solved with a dose of Tylenol and some snuggling from Mama and Daddy.
She didn't give us much in the way of teething drama (runny nose, drool, fever, diarrhea) other than a fit of hysterical crying on Friday evening that was solved with a dose of Tylenol and some snuggling from Mama and Daddy.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Learning Curve
It never ceases to amaze me how much Elizabeth learns and absorbs. She recently started to clamor to be put down on the floor so she can play independently instead of being perfectly content to snuggle in somebody's arms for hours on end. She is absolutely fascinated by our dog and watches him constantly when she can see him. Getting to him is one of the reasons she's desperate to start crawling. (What she doesn't yet realize is that even when she's more mobile, he's still going to be faster and more agile than she is and will be able to get away quickly.)
On the crawling front, Elizabeth is able to roll herself around pretty ably and get up on her arms, but the only direction she's been able to scoot herself is backwards. This fact irritates her very much when she realizes that she's expended a great deal of energy in going away from her objective instead of toward it.
Yesterday, she was on the floor playing and I was sitting next to her. She saw a toy just out of her grasp and strained hard to reach it, brushing it with her fingertips and trying hard to grasp it. My first instinct was to move the toy into her hands, but I stopped myself. Let her be independent, let her do it herself, a little voice in my head whispered. Instead of putting the toy closer, I put my hand behind her feet and let her push off. She scooted forward and in a matter of seconds was happily chewing on her toy.
I think most parents' first instinct, when they see children straining hard for something that would be so easy for us, is to do it for them. It's hard to watch a child struggle when you know you could make it easier. My lesson yesterday was not to step in and make it easier by moving the objective, but rather to ease the path by giving a little support from the rear. I hope that as she and her struggles get bigger that I can remember that wisdom!
On the crawling front, Elizabeth is able to roll herself around pretty ably and get up on her arms, but the only direction she's been able to scoot herself is backwards. This fact irritates her very much when she realizes that she's expended a great deal of energy in going away from her objective instead of toward it.
Yesterday, she was on the floor playing and I was sitting next to her. She saw a toy just out of her grasp and strained hard to reach it, brushing it with her fingertips and trying hard to grasp it. My first instinct was to move the toy into her hands, but I stopped myself. Let her be independent, let her do it herself, a little voice in my head whispered. Instead of putting the toy closer, I put my hand behind her feet and let her push off. She scooted forward and in a matter of seconds was happily chewing on her toy.
I think most parents' first instinct, when they see children straining hard for something that would be so easy for us, is to do it for them. It's hard to watch a child struggle when you know you could make it easier. My lesson yesterday was not to step in and make it easier by moving the objective, but rather to ease the path by giving a little support from the rear. I hope that as she and her struggles get bigger that I can remember that wisdom!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
News of our world
Lunch with Godmomma at E. 48th Street Italian Market:
"I distinctly saw four cannoli on that plate. Where are they?"
"What do you MEAN, you ate them all?! And that I'm not old enough for cannoli?"
"Nooooooo!"
Sorry for the recent lack of updates -- things got a little crazy with the holidays!
Most of our readership (all two of you!) already knows this, but just to make it public: Elizabeth is going to be a big sister in early July! Numero Due is due on July 9th, which is one week to the day before Elizabeth's first birthday. I sincerely hope that Due follows his/her sister's lead and arrives early. We are going to find out and make public this baby's gender in a few weeks, so stay tuned!
As for the holidays, Elizabeth got to share her first Christmas with all her in-town relatives plus her aunt and uncle and cousin-on-the-way from California and her grandparents from Indiana. It was one big party, even though she didn't really get what was going on. She likes red wrapping paper and tried to help tear it off her presents. After Christmas, we went over to Augusta and then on to Hilton Head to spend time with more family and friends.
I hope your 2009 began as well as ours did!
"I distinctly saw four cannoli on that plate. Where are they?"
"What do you MEAN, you ate them all?! And that I'm not old enough for cannoli?"
"Nooooooo!"
Sorry for the recent lack of updates -- things got a little crazy with the holidays!
Most of our readership (all two of you!) already knows this, but just to make it public: Elizabeth is going to be a big sister in early July! Numero Due is due on July 9th, which is one week to the day before Elizabeth's first birthday. I sincerely hope that Due follows his/her sister's lead and arrives early. We are going to find out and make public this baby's gender in a few weeks, so stay tuned!
As for the holidays, Elizabeth got to share her first Christmas with all her in-town relatives plus her aunt and uncle and cousin-on-the-way from California and her grandparents from Indiana. It was one big party, even though she didn't really get what was going on. She likes red wrapping paper and tried to help tear it off her presents. After Christmas, we went over to Augusta and then on to Hilton Head to spend time with more family and friends.
I hope your 2009 began as well as ours did!
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