]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Announcing Madeline Louise
Madeline Louise Kern joined our familiy on April 27, 2009 at 4:39 a.m. She weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces and is cute as a button!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Asparagus, Snap Pea, and Avocado Pasta
I made this for dinner a couple of weeks ago. It makes an excellent, spring-y meal. The original recipe comes from Everyday Food. (Please ignore my bad food photography and my four-year-old camera and just trust me that it's really good).
Ingredients:
-coarse salt and ground pepper
-1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
-1 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed
-1 pound bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
-4 tablespoons butter
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
-1/2 cup chopped fresh mint, parsley, or basil
-1/2 cup shreeded Parmesan or pecorino cheese, plus more for serving, if desired
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook asparagus until bright green, about 2 minutes. Add snap peas; cook 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, scoop out vegetables and transfer to a bowl.
2. Return water to a boil; add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water; set pasta aside in colander.
3. In pasta pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add asparagus, snap peas, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cooked pasta, avocado, herbs, cheese, and reserved pasta water. Toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with additional cheese.
Ingredients:
-coarse salt and ground pepper
-1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
-1 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed
-1 pound bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
-4 tablespoons butter
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
-1/2 cup chopped fresh mint, parsley, or basil
-1/2 cup shreeded Parmesan or pecorino cheese, plus more for serving, if desired
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook asparagus until bright green, about 2 minutes. Add snap peas; cook 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, scoop out vegetables and transfer to a bowl.
2. Return water to a boil; add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water; set pasta aside in colander.
3. In pasta pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add asparagus, snap peas, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cooked pasta, avocado, herbs, cheese, and reserved pasta water. Toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with additional cheese.
Monday, April 20, 2009
A First
First of all, no baby news whatsoever. D-day is tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure this kid will have to be smoked out like the last one, which my doctor promised to do on the 28th. So I'm sorry if you were expecting baby news.
Secondly, don't hate me. Especially if you've been to the doctor a lot this winter.
Today was Emma's first sick doctor visit EVER. She is a couple weeks shy of being 2 1/2. I am amazed we've been able to go this long.
Now, that doesn't mean that she's never been sick. She's had colds like every kid, but far fewer than the 8-12 colds kids are supposed to get a year. And I did call and talk to the nurse a couple of months ago when she caught a stomach bug, but it cleared up before we had to go in.
She's had a runny nose for at least 10 days. At first I thought it was just teething, as her molars are coming in and her nose runs like a faucet when she teethes. But 4 or 5 days ago she developed a cough, so I figured it was a cold until this weekend, when she started hacking like an old lady on the subway. I kept her home from church yesterday (which started a few rumors and led to at least 3 phone calls from people wondering if I was in labor) and took her in this morning. The verdict? She probably caught a second type of cold a few days ago. The doctor cleaned some gunk out of her ears and said that they *might* be infected, but don't look too bad yet. He was kind enough to give us a prescription if she gets worse. I love my pediatrician. Though I hope we can stay away from sick visits for a while. Perhaps it will be a good thing if this baby's late--we don't need a newborn catching an illness from her sibling in her very first week of life, after all.
Secondly, don't hate me. Especially if you've been to the doctor a lot this winter.
Today was Emma's first sick doctor visit EVER. She is a couple weeks shy of being 2 1/2. I am amazed we've been able to go this long.
Now, that doesn't mean that she's never been sick. She's had colds like every kid, but far fewer than the 8-12 colds kids are supposed to get a year. And I did call and talk to the nurse a couple of months ago when she caught a stomach bug, but it cleared up before we had to go in.
She's had a runny nose for at least 10 days. At first I thought it was just teething, as her molars are coming in and her nose runs like a faucet when she teethes. But 4 or 5 days ago she developed a cough, so I figured it was a cold until this weekend, when she started hacking like an old lady on the subway. I kept her home from church yesterday (which started a few rumors and led to at least 3 phone calls from people wondering if I was in labor) and took her in this morning. The verdict? She probably caught a second type of cold a few days ago. The doctor cleaned some gunk out of her ears and said that they *might* be infected, but don't look too bad yet. He was kind enough to give us a prescription if she gets worse. I love my pediatrician. Though I hope we can stay away from sick visits for a while. Perhaps it will be a good thing if this baby's late--we don't need a newborn catching an illness from her sibling in her very first week of life, after all.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Happy Easter
So now that we finally have a house, you'd think we could commence the tradition of the annual Easter picture outside. However, that doesn't work so well when it's pouring rain, so excuse the bad lighting of the indoor pictures of our festivities. The day started out early as Emma discovered what the Easter bunny had left:
We had time for just a few pictures of Emma in her Easter dress before we had to rush to church:
After church we took afternoon naps, then made Easter dinner to share with our friends:
Emma, practicing to be a big sister.
The whole gang.
We had time for just a few pictures of Emma in her Easter dress before we had to rush to church:
After church we took afternoon naps, then made Easter dinner to share with our friends:
Emma, practicing to be a big sister.
The whole gang.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Shopping Finds
While at Kohl's this week, we found these*:
Incidentally, we also bought one of these:
*Emma is not potty-trained in any sense of the word. Though she knows when she is going and knows that she will get a treat if she uses the potty, she has no desire to do it. And I don't have the energy to make her, yet. Hopefully Elmo undies will help her along.
Incidentally, we also bought one of these:
*Emma is not potty-trained in any sense of the word. Though she knows when she is going and knows that she will get a treat if she uses the potty, she has no desire to do it. And I don't have the energy to make her, yet. Hopefully Elmo undies will help her along.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Nesting
When I was pregnant with Emma, my idea of nesting was going shopping. (Ah, the glory days of 2 salaries and no kids.) Emma had a fantastic wardrobe, and I prided myself on finding cute things on sale. (Again, another advantage of being a teacher and having the entire second half of your pregnancy off because of summer break.) I didn't really decorate her room, which was already painted yellow and went just fine with the bedding I had chosen.
This time around, I haven't done too much shopping because I already had a lot, even though the girls will be born in opposite seasons. However, I have been into decorating--just not the baby's room. I feel like the baby really won't care or notice or spend time in her bedroom, besides being confined to the crib for sleep.
But I have been excited to do Emma's room for some time now. And with the bar exam FINALLY over, we've been rushing around to try to finish projects. First on the agenda: painting Emma's room a lovely shade of light pink. Dave was against it at first, citing the perfectly good (if beige) paint job that has only been on the walls for six months. But I used my powers of pregnancy persuasion and my painter's tape skills and convinced him to do it, and I'm so glad that I did. A splash of color makes it a much happier room, if you ask me. And I talked it up to Emma so much that she is (pardon the pun) tickled pink about it. I got pink Roman shades and a pink coverlet for her new, big-girl, queen-sized bed. (Yes, I know it's huge. But it also will serve as the guest bed for now).
The result? Emma loves it and has not missed her old room (or crib) at all, and now refers to it as "tiny baby's room." She has taken more easily to the new bed than I could have hoped for. The first couple of days she stayed in it after she woke up, singing songs and waiting for us to come get her. I wasn't sure she knew she could climb out of it, and wasn't about to shatter the illusion. But by day three, a cloudy Saturday morning when Dave and I were happily sleeping in, we heard our door turn and you-know-who climbed up into our bed. That night she also escaped, running around upstairs in her padded, pajama-ed feet. But after one talking-to, she has stayed put. She has not run around at night again, and in the mornings she comes down by herself, but only after I yell upstairs that it's okay to come down. (I know, I'm lazy, but I am 38 weeks pregnant, after all.) I love that she loves her room, and it makes her seem so big yet so little (in the middle of a queen-size bed) at the same time.
Now on to get the baby's room ready.
PS. You may notice the lack of furniture in Emma's room. A white dresser is on its way and should be here by sometime next week. I will eventually get her a nightstand too, once I can be assured that it will be more than something for her to bonk her head on when she eventually falls out of and/or jumps on the bed. There's a lot more that I want to do (read: buy) for her room, but one must spread out one's economic stimuli.
This time around, I haven't done too much shopping because I already had a lot, even though the girls will be born in opposite seasons. However, I have been into decorating--just not the baby's room. I feel like the baby really won't care or notice or spend time in her bedroom, besides being confined to the crib for sleep.
But I have been excited to do Emma's room for some time now. And with the bar exam FINALLY over, we've been rushing around to try to finish projects. First on the agenda: painting Emma's room a lovely shade of light pink. Dave was against it at first, citing the perfectly good (if beige) paint job that has only been on the walls for six months. But I used my powers of pregnancy persuasion and my painter's tape skills and convinced him to do it, and I'm so glad that I did. A splash of color makes it a much happier room, if you ask me. And I talked it up to Emma so much that she is (pardon the pun) tickled pink about it. I got pink Roman shades and a pink coverlet for her new, big-girl, queen-sized bed. (Yes, I know it's huge. But it also will serve as the guest bed for now).
The result? Emma loves it and has not missed her old room (or crib) at all, and now refers to it as "tiny baby's room." She has taken more easily to the new bed than I could have hoped for. The first couple of days she stayed in it after she woke up, singing songs and waiting for us to come get her. I wasn't sure she knew she could climb out of it, and wasn't about to shatter the illusion. But by day three, a cloudy Saturday morning when Dave and I were happily sleeping in, we heard our door turn and you-know-who climbed up into our bed. That night she also escaped, running around upstairs in her padded, pajama-ed feet. But after one talking-to, she has stayed put. She has not run around at night again, and in the mornings she comes down by herself, but only after I yell upstairs that it's okay to come down. (I know, I'm lazy, but I am 38 weeks pregnant, after all.) I love that she loves her room, and it makes her seem so big yet so little (in the middle of a queen-size bed) at the same time.
Now on to get the baby's room ready.
PS. You may notice the lack of furniture in Emma's room. A white dresser is on its way and should be here by sometime next week. I will eventually get her a nightstand too, once I can be assured that it will be more than something for her to bonk her head on when she eventually falls out of and/or jumps on the bed. There's a lot more that I want to do (read: buy) for her room, but one must spread out one's economic stimuli.
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