I Heart Everyday Food

I love to cook. I love to eat. I love cooking shows. And I really love "Everyday Food" on PBS. Why is it so great you may ask...

It's not because the cooks are that charismatic.

It's not because the recipes are that amazing, though they usually seem awesome.

It's not for any remotely normal reason.

Then why, Kels, why?

It's like porn for foodies! Yes, I said it. It's like porn! The way it's shot is beautiful. It makes everything seem so succulent and delicious. They just make the food look amazing. The way their ultra sharp knives glide through meat and mince onions gives me goosebumps. And it just makes me really, really,... hungry.

Thank you, "Everyday Food". I love you.

Significance in Photos

The picture to the left was taken January 30th, 2008 while she was sleeping in my arms. My little Beans was a whopping two weeks old. She weighed close to 8 pounds and was around 20 inches long. 

I was thrilled with and terrified by her. 

The picture to the right was taken January 30th, 2009 while she was wiggling on the couch. Exactly one year later. She's nearing 25 pounds and is over 30 inches tall. I'm still thrilled with her but she terrifies me much less.

Birthday Weekend: Dinner at Ahma and Papa's

For day two of the birthday weekend explosion, we traveled to the grandparents house for another birthday dinner!

Some one got to spend the whole day in her Nick and Nora pajamas.

This is not bed time, it's a nap.

Checking out the Sesame Street tunes.

Beans is a big fan of Papa.

And the glowing, flashing ball that they're playing with.

Home-made chocolate cake goodness!

Singing to the baby in Dada's lap.

In the birthday suit, ready for the cake!

Birthday Weekend: Cake Demolition

A little continuation from dinner... Beans had angel food cake with pink cream cheese icing.

She started out with a little taste.

Then things escalated.

"Oh my goodness."

You know it's serious when there's cake in the nose.

We think she's decided that cake is good.

"I do declare that this..."

"... finger is tasty."

Birthday Weekend: Bean's Dinner

We began the birthday weekend with a dinner for Beans. It was better than styrofoam. And cuter.

Beans' birthday dinner spread: corn dogs, shells and cheese, and sparkling apple juice.

And she wearing he birthday suit, accessorized with pink bunny ears.

Jason was ecstatic. 

Beans just wanted me to put the camera down and feed her.

Corn dogs required all seriousness and total concentration.

Beans thinks her dada is the best comedian on the face of the planet.

What a birthday without entertainment?

And of course, cake!

Baby Update: Happy Birthday from your Friends at Poison Control

Happy birthday to my Beany girl! That's right she's made it through one year of life! With some help from Muma and Dada, but why nit-pick?

For her first birthday treat, she found and partook (I suspect) of some styrofoam packaging! I turn my head for maybe 30 seconds and she's found some elusive foamy goodness. It's crumpled all around and I have no idea how much if any is in her mouth. Thus we fish for foam.

Not finding any in her mouth, I have a moment of peace. Then the "what ifs" set in. What is she did swallow some? Is it poisonous? Should I go to the hospital? Will they pump her stomach? But I remember the commercial "call 1-800-222-1222"! Yes, victory!

So I dial and follow the prompt and am connect with a very friendly fellow mommy (whose son will also be 1 on the 27th - happy birthday kiddo)! I tell her half laughing, half panicked  what has happened. She told me to hold for a moment while she checked, but was fairly certain that she'd be okay.

And of course after a moment she informed that she would be just fine. She said just give her a little something to drink and not to worry. Turns out that swallowing styrofoam is considered a "non-toxic" exposure! Hooray!

Child's first birthday, styrofoam, Poison Control,... all priceless!

Baby Update: What a Bean-utiful World

Haven't been blogging much. Too much going on to write. Beans has been developing at lightning speed.

She can walk. Not that she likes to do it much, but she can. She can walk across the living room with ease, but crawling is just so much faster. She has another tooth. A molar. This one makes a total of eight pearly whites in that baby's head. She learning to "talk". It's not really words, but she'll mimic sounds. She will say "ta too" for "thank you " on occasion and she has mastered "up". She has learned to drink from a straw. This doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but it's going to make bottle weaning so much easier! And today she climbed up onto the couch all on her own. A shoe box that we use to keep her blocks in was next to the couch and she, much to my chagrin, used it just like a stool. I'm proud of and terrified by this development.

She's going to be one year old this weekend. That means this time last year I was about to pop. Luckily I didn't. I just gave birth instead. Just popping would have been so much messier.

Having all that said, I have the greatest (albeit sometimes very very hard) job in the world. It doesn't pay a dime but it's priceless.