Benjamin goes to the Library

Dave had an appointment in downtown Seattle this morning, but was dreading the drive as today was the first day of school for the University of Washington (which equates to heinous traffic and a very, very long commute).  Because of that little issue, I suggested that Benjamin and I could accompany him so that we could use the HOV lanes and make the ride down there a bit easier.

And thus began the grand adventure of Benjamin in the Big City.

Because it was a bit chilly this morning, we pulled out the carseat cover that created a cozy cave for the baby. After dropping Dave off at his appointment, we headed out onto the busy streets of Seattle and straight for one of my favorite places - SPL's Central Library.  

I love this library.  It was completed during my stint in library school so it holds a particular fascination for me.  I took a class from Seattle's city librarian (Deborah Jacobs) where I learned all about the eccentric architectural designs that Rem Koolhaas created; it is a wacky, yet whimsical building filled with bright red elevators, garish fluorescent-yellow bathrooms, a continuous Book Spiral and an exterior shape that mimics a stack of books.  

I couldn't think of a better place to burn some time!  Plus, the walk from Pioneer Square would be a big calorie burner, especially while pushing Benjamin and his bag of goodies up all of those lovely hills.

When we got to the library's 4th Avenue entrance, I headed straight for the magical children's section.  I absolutely love strolling through any library, but I especially adore the children's section and all of the cool stuff they have there.

  

The Central Library didn't disappoint - I was enchanted by the fantastic monster book display that is feeding off the popularity and hype of the upcoming movie, "Where the Wild Things Are".  And, as luck would have it, we arrived just in time for the morning Toddler Program in their lime green Storytime Room.  Even though Benjamin is not a toddler, Betsy the Librarian invited me to participate and it was awesome until Benjamin decided he was starving and could. not. wait. one. more. second!

I changed his diaper and then ran into an old grad student friend, who let me feed Benjamin in the staff lounge, far away from the hordes of homeless folks loitering in the main lobby.  It was fun to chat with her while Benjamin chowed down his second breakfast.  And shortly thereafter, Dave called to meet up with me so I had to cut the library visit short.  

So, although our time was short at the library, it was such a fun morning!

Glimpses of Joy

JOY
[joi]
–noun
1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.
3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
4. a state of happiness or felicity.

Last week, as stated in my last entry, was a bit of a challenge. Generally, I try to be an optimistic person and I make every effort not to embrace negative thoughts - and especially not blog about them. But sometimes life gives you a swift kick in the backside and you temporarily forget those most valiant efforts. And the result? You sound whiny, downtrodden, and just plain bummed.

However, through any difficulties, I know that good moments can always be found. In hindsight, there were many moments that brought little glimpses of joy and made me so very happy to be alive.

1. Exercise - I've been eagerly waiting for my doctor to release me to work out again. After nearly 6 weeks, and with the awesome support and urging of a great husband, I walked into the gym and greeted my old friend, the treadmill. After ramping up the speed and maxing out the incline, I grabbed my I-Pod, a magazine and got to work. Sweating never felt so darn good.


2. The Boy - Benjamin started to smile last week. And, oh how it melts my heart.


3. Church - I can't say that there was one particular moment, but attending the block this week encouraged, enlightened and inspired me to be better and savor the sweetness of the Gospel. Plus, I got to savor some sweet chocolate in Young Women's. Church basically rocked.


4. Fruit - It's been the summer of fruit lovin'. I can't remember a year previously that I consumed and relished so much delicious fruit. Aromatic nectarines, tart (slightly-green) bananas, crisp apples, plump grapes and juicy plums have made their way into my breakfast cereal, salads, snacks and desserts. Last week's greatest new fruit treat? Kiwi berries. And the fact that they are so good for you, fuzz-free & bite-size all adds to the joy of these tasty morsels.


5. Autumn - Dear, sweet season of Fall: I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival all year. And it could not come quickly enough this year, especially after enduring wretched stretches of 90 degree (and triple-digit) heat while 8 months pregnant. The changing leaves, crisp air and foggy mornings have been a welcome change from the dog days of summer.

A Case of the Mondays

Peter Gibbons: Let me ask you something. When you come in on Monday and you're not feeling real well, does anyone ever say to you, "Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays"? 

Lawrence: No. No, man.

My great excuse for not posting sooner is that I returned to work this week.

And, yeah, I think it's a great excuse.  After 5 weeks of leave, 5am on Monday morning came swiftly and painfully.

In some ways, it was fun to be back in the swing of things, as I caught up on email, attended meetings, sorted medical journals, chatted with the my regular doctors/library patrons, returned voicemail messages, and filled research requests.

It was weird, yet kind of nice to take off my "mommy" hat and replace it with the "librarian" one.  No spit-up on my shoulder or smelly diapers in the garbage.  Although, on Tuesday, I took Benjamin to work with me so I got to wear both at once and let me tell you that was fun and completely insane all at once.

In one BIG way, going back to work was excruciatingly hard - and that was when I handed the little guy off to my mother-in-law in the wee hours of that dark Monday morning.  However, I must say that handing him off to her was so much easier than entrusting his care to a complete stranger at a daycare.  I feel extremely fortunate that Dave's mom is willing to sacrifice so much of her time to take care of Benjamin.  I know she enjoys her time with all of the grandkids, but she is also a very busy person.  In my book, she's an amazing woman... and we will be indebted to her forever for taking such good care of our baby.

Anyway, wish me luck as I begin Week 2.  It's sure to get easier, right?

Birthday Wishes to Nana

Yesterday was Wandering Nana's birthday.  She always does nice things for people and goes the extra mile for everyone, including me, so I wanted to do something to let her know how much she was loved on her big day.

As any occasion is a fine occasion for making cupcakes, I decided my birthday gift to her would be a batch of one of my favorite, new cupcake creations: Lemon Raspberry Dream Cupcakes.

These were first made during the summer and served at a family picnic... needless to say, they were inhaled in just minutes!

These dreamy cupcakes are composed of a moist lemon cake, topped with a whipped vanilla & lemon peel frosting and filled with a rich raspberry filling.  To make them extra fancy & special for her, I piped the (entirely too soft) frosting with a pastry bag and topped each cupcake with a fresh raspberry, lemon triangle and a mint leaf.

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite ladies - hope you enjoyed this special treat!

Shallot, Anyone?

As many of my readers know, we get a home delivery of organic fruits and vegetables every other week.  It's nice to come home to a box filled with a wide array of local, fresh produce.  The best part is experimenting with food items that I normally don't buy - and learning how to add them to our diet.

However, I've found that if I don't start using the food right away, it will go bad and then I am just tossing money down the drain.  So, when today's box arrived, I decided to put off making enchiladas and whip up some things from our box of goodies. 

Here was dinner tonight:

* Leafy Green Salad with Poppyseed dressing and sliced almonds

* Fresh Corn on the Cob

* Roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and Shallots

* Grape, Strawberry and Peach salad

And yes, besides being a healthy & light summer dinner, it was absolutely delectable!

For those interested, here is the recipe for the potatoes and shallots:

Roasted Potatoes and Shallots

Ingredients:

0.2 lbs shallots, peeled and quartered

3 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1.5 lbs potatoes, quartered

1 t salt

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in lowest position.  Toss shallots with 1 1/2 T oil, 1/2 t salt, & 1/4 t pepper in a 9x13" baking pan, spreading evenly.  Roast, stirring occasionally, until shallots are golden (about 30 minutes).  Toss potatoes with remaining 1 1/2 T oil, 1/2 t salt & 1/4 t pepper, in a bowl, then add to shallots.  Roast, turning occasionally, for approximately 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

1 Month

Happy One-Month Birthday, Benjamin!

It's hard to believe that we have already hit the one-month mark; holy cow, the times flies when we are not getting any sleep!

We have our one-month appointment this week, so I will post the updates on statistics then.  But, I do know that at the last lactation appointment, he was tipping the scales at 7 pounds, 3 ounces.  That means that he has gained nearly two pounds from his lowest weight.

Fortunately, our little Benjamin has finally caught on to this whole feeding thing. Unfortunately, he has decided that he is hungry all the time and has been known to eat large quantities at 1-2 hour intervals.  In fact, yesterday he ate nearly 5 ounces in one feeding!

No Rest for the Weary

Colic has been a frequent house quest this past week... and an unwelcome one, at that.

On Friday night, my sweet in-laws took pity on two very sleep-deprived parents.  They kindly offered to watch little Benjamin so that we could go out for a much-needed date night.  Perhaps we could catch a movie?  Or take a walk on Olympic Beach?  It wouldn't take much for us - just a little time away would be great!  

So, we quickly drove down to Edmonds, devoured some fabulous pizza with them, fed the Boy and then promptly passed out for over two hours in one of the guest bedrooms.  And yes, it was the best date night ever.

However, Friday night would prove to be a challenge after we left the blissful, magical place called Grandparent Land.  We came home with a few hours of sleep under our belts, with grand illusions of more on the way.  After a cycle of feeding, burping, changing the diaper and doing a variety of baby, gas-relieving calisthenics (and repeating the cycle a few times), we coaxed our fussy angel to sleep and put him down for the night.  As we drowsily crawled into bed, Dave turned to me and said, "If that kid wakes up in the next five minutes, I'm jumping out the window."  I chuckled, shook my head and then buried it in the soft pillow.  And, as if on cue, the gas-pained shrieking commenced less than a minute later.  I quickly whisked the Boy downstairs in hopes that Dave would not make good on his promise. 

The two hours of sleep I got earlier was great, but as the hours and minutes ticked by, I realized that battling with a fussy baby was driving me to the brink.  I'm ashamed to admit it, but there was one point (around 4:49am) when I had a fleeting thought involving duct tape and a pacifier. Fortunately, around 6am (and 7 hours of battling with a 3-week old, colicky baby), the Boy finally gave up to fatigue and I crashed right next to him on our living room floor.  It was Benjamin's first slumber party!   

Here is how Dave found us in the morning: