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“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014”

This is my first time participating in this community, and I’m glad to be joining them. Thanks to the ever lovely Jodi for inspiring us all…

I don’t know how it’s happened, but suddenly, we’re on the short end of the stick. Lucy will only be an infant for a little less than six months. Toddlerhood will soon be upon us! And so, I’m learning to slow down and savor the little moments of her infancy. Moments like this:

Lucy sat between my legs as we threw that squeaky green ball for Margot on Tuesday night. As the dog bounded across the living room, Lucy’s eyes grew wide. I clapped in praise when Margot brought the ball back….which Lucy found hilarious. She threw her head back and laughed. Again and again. I couldn’t stop clapping. She couldn’t stop laughing. And I thought, “this is the best part of life…watching your child experience such unchecked joy.”

And then there was Monday. We celebrated her grandmother’s birthday (which meant a houseful of aunts, uncles, cousins, and good food). Lucy didn’t mind being passed from person to person, each of them loving her typical “Lucy” interactions (wide smiles, bites on the nose, scratches on the face). We let her rest, stomach down, on the carpet, and she made valiant efforts to push off and crawl. We all went home happy and tired. I already know she’s going to be an extroverted child (just like her papa).

But perhaps my favorite moment this week? Watching Lucy’s delight when Papa brings her into our bedroom. Usually, Ryan lets me sleep an extra thirty to sixty minutes in the morning because I still wake up at night to feed our girl. So when it’s finally time for me to wake from my beauty sleep, Ryan brings Lucy into our room. The moment our eyes meet, her face lights up, and she flails her arms up and down in excitement. How perfect to be loved with such unabashed abandon.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Naturally Sweet Banana Bread

In a few weeks I’ll start teaching again. I’ve accepted a part-time position at Pikes Peak Community College, where I’ll teach three sections of Composition and Writing. I’m eager to get back into the classroom…but I’m also nervous to see how I’ll balance motherhood with lesson planning, grading, and writing. For the past several months, I’ve been working as a freelance food photographer (so in many ways, I’ve been balancing home/work since Lucy was only a few weeks old!), but I feel a little more daunted by this teaching position. Please send good, calming thoughts my way!

In the meantime, I’m baking food that makes me feel good. I find myself drawn to the recipes of my childhood (apple pie, banana bread, cinnamon bread) but with a desire to reduce the overly-processed ingredients. Ryan and I would eventually like to have another baby, which means I want to spend the next couple of years rebuilding my nutritional stores. Healthy fats, fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and organic meats will be the main-stay of my diet….with sweet treats like this banana bread thrown in.

I have made this naturally sweet banana bread TWICE in the past week. For a girl who loves trying new recipes, this says something. This banana bread is moist with the perfect amount of sweetness. And guess what? There’s no refined sugar in sight. Just 3 or 4 ripe bananas and a mere 1/3 cup of high-quality maple syrup. I promise…you won’t miss the white stuff. Because nothing irritates me more than biting into a muffin or quickbread and tasting SUGAR instead of the fruit or spice its supposedly featuring. Blueberry muffins should taste like blueberries. Cinnamon bread should taste like cinnamon. Apple pie should taste like apples. And banana bread? Banana bread should taste like bananas.

This is my favorite banana bread recipe (naturally sweetened or not). I hope you’ll try it because I know you’ll love it as much as we do. (And did I mention this is a one bowl recipe? You just can’t beat it). I hope everyone has a beautiful and warm Monday!

Naturally Sweet Banana Bread

3 or 4 large, ripe bananas (the browner, the better!)

6 TBSP organic butter, melted

1/3 cup pure maple syrup (steer clear of the imitation)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour here but expect a denser, slightly drier bread)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment or grease well with butter. Set aside. In a large bowl, mash together ripe bananas. Stir in melted butter and maple syrup. Mix until well-combined. Add in vanilla extract and lightly beaten egg. Stir. Sprinkle baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over banana mixture. Fold flour into bananas and stir until just combined. Scrape into prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

6 months of Lucille Amelia

And now she’s eating. She can walk with the support of our hands. She pulls herself up on her crib. She laughs and smiles when we walk into the room. How did my newborn become this babbling, beautiful baby? Six months of growth, of tears, of learning, and of laughter.

Lucille Amelia, I love you more each day. I remember the first few weeks we had you in our home. Everything felt new and foreign. So easily I could slip back into “time before you.” Now, six months later, it feels like living only truly began when you came into our world. Our past (without you) grows dimmer by the day. Our family has become this vibrant, growing truth, and years of pain are already being healed by your sweet presence.

Nearly 18 pounds and 27 inches long, Lucy rests in the top 1/4 of the growth chart. I’m convinced she’ll be tall like her mama (I’m 5’9″) but only time will tell. Her eyes are still this unique gray-blue. It’s a color I haven’t seen before but one I’ll always love.

And what does Lucy love? She loves her mama and her papa. She loves cups and blocks. She grabs and scratches and explores the world with her eyes and her hands. Her intensity surprises and delights us. She pulls herself up if we put our hands in front of her, and she took her first assisted steps a few weeks ago. She squeals and giggles when we tickle her toes. She started eating on her 6 month birthday (Christmas) and this first week of solid food has been all about exploration. Carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, chicken, yogurt. Her hands move quickly and adroitly from the plate to her mouth, but she still only explores…she’s not too keen into swallowing yet…and that’s just fine. I’m not eager to let go of our breastfeeding relationship anytime soon. We breastfeed A LOT, and I love it more and more.

These first six months have been exhausting and exhilarating. Thank you, dear friends, for reading and supporting me and our family. Your kind words mean more to us than I can express! Here’s to the months and months to come. And Happy New Year!

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Cappuccino Mousse Cups

Let’s end 2013 with chocolate and coffee. Fitting since I craved chocolate endlessly during pregnancy….and now rely on my daily cappuccino to grant me sanity as a new mom. These cappuccino mousse cups couldn’t be more perfect for my end-of-the-year post.

But when I first read through this recipe, I thought “this looks way too technically challenging” (Painting melted chocolate anyone??) but I gave it a try despite my doubts and found it to be delightfully easy to execute. And aren’t they lovely to look at? Rest assured, they’re delicious too. My niece and nephews loved that you could eat through the chocolate “wrapper” and we, adults, enjoyed the coffee flavored mousse.

So here’s to chocolate, to coffee, and to remembering the good. Ryan and I have had a truly monumental year.

-We bought our first house.

-I graduated with my MFA in Creative Writing.

-We had our first baby.

-And I made a lot of delicious food.

We feel immensely blessed.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe new year. Enjoy friends, family, and a well-made cocktail. These cappuccino mousse cups would be delicious too.

Cappuccino Mousse Cups

*From McCormick

4 ounces white baking chocolate

2 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee (King Arthur has an excellent option)

1 cup heavy cream, divided

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 ounces high-quality semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup sugar

Microwave white chocolate in medium bowl on HIGH for one minute. Stir and microwave additional 30 seconds until chocolate is smooth and melted. Dissolve instant coffee in 1 teaspoon of hot water. Add coffee, 1/4 cup cream, vanilla, and cinnamon to melted chocolate; stir until smooth and set aside.

Place semi-sweet chocolate and butter in small bowl. Microwave as described above. Line 8 muffin cups with foil baking cups (remove any paper liner). Spoon about one tablespoon melted semi-sweet chocolate into each cup. Using a small pastry brush, “paint” chocolate about half way up each cup. Freeze cups for 10 to 15 minutes or until chocolate is firm.

Meanwhile, beat remaining 3/4 cup cream with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold cooled white chocolate mixture into whipped cream.

Remove chocolate cups from freezer and carefully peel off foil cups. If chocolate becomes too soft, return to freezer for a few minutes. Fill each up with about 1/4 cup of mousse. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Lucy Eats

First things first: I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We couldn’t have felt more blessed this holiday season. Thoughtful giving, sweet times with family, warm gatherings with friends, and plenty of good food. Lucy also turned six months old on Christmas Day, which means that our world is getting ready to change (yet again!).

Lucy and I have been exclusively breastfeeding for the past six months, but for several weeks now, we’ve noticed she’s been eager to join us at the table. After much thought and reading, we’ve decided to try Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) which counters the myth that babies need to be spoon-fed and instead encourages self-feeding from the start. If you think about it, babies and children crawl, walk, and talk when they are ready. As long as parents provide children with the opportunity to meet these milestones…they will. Why should feeding be different? Healthy babies are able to feed from the breast from the minute they are born (and what a marvelous experience to witness!). We’ve trusted Lucy’s innate wisdom to guide our feedings over the last six months….and we’re going to trust that she will begin to eat solids when she’s ready.

BLW is all about exploration. For at least the first year, babies need to receive most (if not all) of their nutrition from breastmilk. So food is about texture, about taste, about learning the mechanics of chewing and swallowing. Instead of feeding Lucy with spoons and prepackaged baby food, we’re going to let her feed herself. We’ll provide her with the opportunity to eat, and she’ll dictate the rest.

Over the next several months, I’m going to let you follow us on our BLW journey. And today, I’ll share our first foray into the world of solid foods.

How did we know we were ready? It’s pretty simple: Lucy met all the signs of solid food readiness.

-she sits without support

-she reaches out to grab things and takes them to her mouth quickly

-she makes chewing and gnawing movements

-she tries to put our food into her mouth whenever she gets the opportunity

Because we waited to introduce food for six months, Lucy’s system is more mature and we don’t have to worry as much about weird food allergies. After talking to several friends, we decided to try carrots and avocados first. The carrots were roasted in avocado oil until soft. We cut them into pieces that Lucy could easily hold with her hands. She fell in love with her new high chair (thank you Mimi and Poppi) and was eager to take her carrots to her mouth.

BUT….she grimaced as soon as the carrot met her tongue. She attempted to chew and swallow a few times, but I think she mostly preferred the way the carrot felt on her sore gums (she’s getting her two top teeth). And because we’re doing BLW, that’s just fine. She didn’t seem excited about the avocado, and so we didn’t force it. We let her play with her food and then we were done. She happily nursed both before and after our first attempt at feeding…and she seemed perfectly content for the rest of the day.

I’ll share more next week! Thank you for joining me in this journey!