The past three months - they've really flown by so quickly. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Baby, and, especially with the establishment of her sleep schedule (we loosely followed the Twelve Hours in Twelve Weeks guidelines), it's given me a lot more energy to be able to take care of her and play with her during the day. The biggest excitement of her development so far - she is now able to see across the room, and she recognizes Hubby and me as her parents, and she smiles with glee when she sees us approaching. Other exciting experiences - she's lifting her head, trying her hardest to sit up, and she has legs with the strength that I bore when I bike-commuted to work during the earlier part of my pregnancy. We recently took a trip to Miami, and she had her first encounter with the ocean and the beach - she loved the experience immensely. I hope next time that we return to the ocean, that she'll remember her first trip.
Evening cooking ha, for the most part, returned to normal... however, our recent trip to Miami had set us back, in that she was out of her routine just long enough to not be able to get back to our home routine when we returned. Today seems to be a little better, but still not back to normal - evening dinner-prep time was spotted with temper tantrums from Baby, as much of our trip to Miami involved either her sleeping in her stroller or one of us holding her. Perhaps, then, she had enjoyed her trip to Miami too much - however, we did find that our trip went quite smoothly, so there is something to be said for spending the time to really nurture that connection between Parent and Child, and to not follow prescripted methods without conscious judgment and understanding of what we give our children.
In the same breath, hearing parents drop names of manufacturers, products, and parenting methods with other parents, like Starbucks for coffee, sends a chill up my spine each time. No amount of product can substitute for the intangibles of time and connection - and just the same, no one product, or method, is the correct one for all. It surprises me that some parents get so brainwashed into thinking that their method is the only method for all childrearing, and that their method is the correct one simply because it worked for them. I have to think that each parent learns the most about their own child, and at some point, they will learn that their method will not work for their children's children.
Like my cooking, I don't think that my method of parenting works for everyone. And like my parenting, my cooking evolves over time, as I learn little by little, bit by bit, with each dish I make and with each meal I prepare. And with parenthood, it seems that I learn even more about cooking, in faster lessons. When Baby naps during the day, I do food prep for the evening's meal. Readily-prepped single-serving proteins and pre-chopped vegetables make the final meal prep much easier, and celebrating the best of each season keeps the flavors of each meal new and fresh.
This evening, I prepared ceviche - I picked up sashimi from our local supermarket in the morning, some lime juice, and some cucumber. I mixed chopped sashimi with chopped cucumbers, apricot, jalapeno, and shrimp, and let the mixture marinate 5 hours. The sweetness of the fresh apricot cut through the tartness of the lime juice; the cucumber, the spice of the jalapeno.
Last night, we had a salad of greens, with fresh figs, alongside sliced beef that I sauteed. The beef was seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder - and the beef, I had mixed with these seasonings a month ago. It was so easy, to take the pre-portioned bag of beef, and saute it for the dinner. Most meats, when I cook them, I cook them to just under completely done, and then allow the residual heat to finish the cooking, so that the meats retain their juices and don't over dry. Most vegetables during the spring and summer season, I blanch in boiling water for no more than 3 minutes. The vegetables get cooked, but they still retain their crispness and flavor - and the cooking method is so fast, easily done just prior to serving.
This upcoming week, Nanny starts working with us, and my friend Melissa and I are going to do a dry run of our weekday schedules before we really start everything up the following week. Her Baby and our Baby will spend their days growing up together this first year - I, for one, am very happy about our Nanny, as she seems like she will be able to take good care of our little bears while we make the donuts. We know this is really going to be a huge adjustment - having a little one has changed our lives, and I don't think we will go back to work with the same perspectives as when we left for maternity leave. We will keep our fingers crossed that we will make the adjustment well, and that our little bears will have the love and support they deserve from their growing family.
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