didionville

to boyfriend numero uno! (nomar is now “boyfriend emeritus.” jose reyes is boyfriend numero dos. the third spot is currently open.)

check out this catch … varitek, the wall, a somersault, and keeping his hat on …

(he did this a few days ago … i’m just now getting around to yappin’ about it …)

FINALLY!

didion’s bottom, right tooth has cut. (i guess it’s “right” to us; it’s really his bottom, left tooth.) we can feel the little point when we run our fingers on his gum, and when we look at his gum, we can see that it is translucent. we can see the tooth just under the surface. we can also see the other bottom front tooth. apparently, it’s on its way.

yikes! growing up happens so damn fast!

naomi turned five-years-old a couple of days ago, and today was her birthday party. mommy and daddy took me.

appropriately, “princess” was the party theme, and all of the little girls seemed very happy to play, discuss, and ponder all things pink … and frilly … and, well, princess-y. naomi, though, didn’t want me to feel left out, so she made me my own crown.

the girls played “pin the crown on the princess”. mommy helped miss megan by making the crowns and the princess at our house a couple of days ago. i must admit, i was very good while mommy worked on the princess. in fact, i am quite adept at supervising.

mommy also made a new dish. she calls it “bar-b-que-chicken-pizza-pasta-salad.” she says it’s essentially bbq-chicken pizza, just without the crust and with pasta. the mommies seemed to like it. she will post the recipe soon.

so i decided to make didion’s baby food because he kept getting constipated, and beyond what i think is miserably low fiber content, i don’t feel there is enough variety or adventure in what jarred baby food provides. i decided to make quantity because i know i am not the type of person to lovingly prepare steamed-and-then-pureed foods for my child at every meal … i, however, will lovingly pull it out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave …

i used this site for inspiration and reference. it’s a good resource.

i steamed batches of fruit and veggies, using filtered water, and used the steaming water to puree the food. (i figured this way i am further minimizing nutrient loss.) so far i have prepared pears, broccoli, peas, plums, and carrots. coming up: garbanzo beans, red lentils, cauliflower, and yams.

a couple of thoughts regarding freezing:

first, ice cube trays were not particularly successful. it was difficult to crack the trays and loosen the food cubes. NONSTICK MUFFIN TRAYS, however, are totally the way to go. i only need briefly to run cool water on the back of the tray and warm the tins with my hands. the frozen food pops right out.

second, i deliberately did not use a lot of water to puree the fruits and veggies. the natural water content of the food helped in blending, and i didn’t want a lot of extra water diluting the veggie goodness. i think the relatively low water content of the purees lowered the freezing point and dramatically increased the amount of time it took for the food cubes to freeze. after six hours in the freezer, we still weren’t frozen solid. to be safe, i’ve been waiting 18 hours before trying to move the cubes to gallon-size storage bags.

regarding the success of the project:

first, d-man is pooping like a champ.

second, i like the fact that i know exactly what is going into my kid’s belly.

third, i like the brightness and taste of the foods. our carrot puree is bright orange; jarred carrots are dark red-orange. our peas are bright, spring green; jarred peas are grey-green. all of the homemade food tastes fresh and sweet.

fourth, i ain’t gonna lie: it takes a long time to do all of this. part of the time commitment is due to the large quantities and the number of foods i am preparing. part of the time spent was due to trial and error, but this is a time-consuming project under the best of circumstances. i suppose it comes down to whether this is an area one wants to spend his or her time. to me, it’s a pain, but it’s worth it … kinda like marriage and pregnancy and parenthood … sigh.

been really busy … have embarked on a new project: making d-man’s baby food … cooked plums, pears, and peas yesterday … working on storage of same today … later will tackle broccoli, lentils, carrots, garbanzo beans, and yams …

i just wasn’t happy with the amount of fiber he was getting from jarred food.

more details later. we gotta go to target for storage supplies.

didionville doesn’t give the cat much play, largely because neptune prefers a greta-garbo approach to living. nonetheless, steven took a neat photo of her a couple of days ago …

seriously, she is very chill around didion. she lets him paw at her, and she is very patient. the best part is when she turns around and bites steven after being so cool with the kid. it’s nice to know the cat can appreciate didion without giving up what makes her, well, H-E-R …

since he first came onto the nba scene a million years ago, i have never hesitated to state my undying appreciation for charles barkley. yesterday, the los angeles times echoed my good taste with a cool article about cb.

grandma linda sent me a quilt she made just for me! it is soooooo cool. here’s the front …

and the back (mommy LOVES the funky fabric!) …

here is a special note from grandma just for me …

and some more details from the quilt …

so in the last week or so, i have been doin’ some really grown up things. you already know i take baths in the real bathtub …

but i am also holding my bottle all by myself when i drink milk. (i also use a sippy cup for water throughout the day.)

and i am also riding in my stroller without my car seat. i really dig facing forward and checking out all the action …

here are some photos from mother’s day. my staff has been a little slow getting media updates on track.

photos of the flowers grandma maryann and grandpa jer got for mommy:

a gerber daisy and splash of color from the arrangement …

and the mystery blue flowers mommy loves but can’t identify …

izzie laid on mommy for awhile; after all, she’s his mommy, too …

while i poked daddy in his eye …

finally, mommy took one of her artsy-fartsy pics of me …