Tag: motherhood

Happy birthday Kaya!

On By Garden CorrespondentIn Uncategorized4 Comments

Kaya turned one today, and we had a little party. His friend Manolya came over, and the two babies played together while Baki and Manolya’s elder sister ran riot.

I’m still not giving Kaya sugar, so I made him some carob brownies, from Cynthia Lair’s cookbook, Feeding the Whole Family. I actually really like carob, but I think that they main thing about it is that you can’t think of it in relation to chocolate. It’s just a different thing.
Since the adults were not going to be as happy to eat the carob brownies, (I mean, let’s face it — children’s birthday parties, even with a limited guest list, require something more decadent to make them worth it) I made some other treats. Chocolate was in order, so I tried Smitten Kitchen’s world peace cookies . Intrigued by Yummy Chunklet’s recent postabout a new way to make shortbread, I decided to give it a try. It is a lot of fun — you freeze the dough and grate it into the pan so that the shortbread is all pillowy. And Jell-O (except it’s vegetarian, because when I think about gelatine, I get grossed out) because you need colorful desserts for a birthday party. Kaya and Manolya were pretty colorful, come to think of it, once they got their hands on the strawberries.

Can you spot the carob?

I must be getting old because birthdays have started to make me morose. It’s just too much time passing too quickly. I guess I should just take the hint and enjoy it all while I can, before the boys move out and forget to call or write. Maybe they’ll have blogs…

Note to Self

On By Garden CorrespondentIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Lately, probably because of their shared obsession with playing games on my iPod, Ali and Baki have been trooping down the hill to the red house early, leaving me alone for a little while. It is so nice to have a bit of time on my own, especially at night time when I do not feel guilty not working in the garden. We went to the doctor yesterday, and she said that I have at least two weeks to go before the baby comes (the due date is not until May 6), so I guess I should enjoy this down time while I can.
I swore that I would not get impatient to have this baby, since babies are, after all, so much easier inside than they are when they come out (although not half as interesting). I mean, knowing as I do about the marathon sleeplessness, the endless diaper changes and feedings, breast engorgement, the postpartum train wreck, and all those other things that you swear never to do to yourself again, why would I be in any rush? Well, I have finally gotten big and heavy enough (not to mention that insane pressure on my cervix) to feel impatient.
Plus, this being the second time around, I know for certain what everyone tells you but you just can’t believe is true — whatever it is that is driving you crazy, it will pass. What’s more, when you look back on it, if you are anything like me (I erase bad experiences almost immediately), they will seem like no big deal. And even weirder, I miss that newborn madness. Well, not for long. So this is my note to myself in a month or so — it really does fly by, and you’re going to miss these days, so just try to enjoy them. Find something every sleepless day to savor.