Dear Owen,
I know that you love cheese. You go through a 16 oz container of cottage cheese every week. You eat two string cheese sticks every snack session. Two weeks ago, you ate 75% of my expensive, artisan goat cheese. Last week, you ate the rest of the bleu cheese crumbles... straight... like candy. You added half the package of shredded cheddar to the mashed potatoes we made together. You figured out how to open fridge door to get to the cheese drawer to feed yourself. The final straw was that earlier this week, I walked into the kitchen to find you on the floor, eating cream cheese straight from the container.
Please... You need help. You have a cheese problem.
We, your parents, would like to actually eat some of the cheese in the house. And when I give you hugs or kisses, I get semi-nauseous from the cheese aroma emanating from your pores, no matter how often I bathe you.
Love,
Mommy
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Baby Foodies (with Pictures!)
Niles and I love food. So it should be no surprise that our kids love food, even Anduin who's only five and a half months. Someone asked me whether this was early, but we always figured our kids would let us know when they were ready to move beyond the completely liquid diet. First, they watch you eat... It's how I imagine a limping zebra feels in front of a pack of hyenas. Second, they just took the food out of your hands. For Owen, it was a banana. For Anduin, it was a chocolate croissant. She especially enjoyed licking the chocolate off her fingers. And minutes later when I tried to kiss her chubby little cheeks, she licked my entire face, searching for chocolate croissant crumbs. Now Anduin, my super happy baby, will cry if I am not shoveling food fast enough into her mouth. Instead, she reaches for the bowl.
In fact, while most parents scold their children when food's tossed onto the floor because they're making a mess, we're more likely to say something like, "You're wasting really delicious, perfectly cooked bacon, Owen!" and then make him eat it off the floor. Not only do I want his immune system to get stronger, but it physically pains me sometimes to see him waste fresh baked cookies or the mochiko chicken Niles made for dinner the other night. Niles was personally repulsed the other night when I ate udon noodles out of Owen's cup -- they only had a little cranberry juice-water on them -- because they were the last udon noodles in the house. And I LOVE udon noodles...
We did, unfortunately, turn Owen into a blueberry snob. He'll only eat really sweet ones. All the other ones, he'll actually take out of his mouth, half squished, and give you a look of complete betrayal for trying to serve him that "slop."
First quick confession: With Owen, we weren't particularly diligent about following the rule where you introduce a single food to a baby and wait five days for an adverse reaction. With Anduin, we just threw the rule out the window. After all, despite our complete disregard for the rule, Owen's still alive.
Second quick confession: Despite telling myself that I would make my own baby food (it's so easy, just put table food into a blender!), it's even easier to just feed your baby table food. As long as it's not a choking hazard or honey. This is our new rule.
This explains why at five and a half months, Anduin's eaten poi, beef stew, curry, bananas, mangoes, rice porridge, toast, chocolate croissants, spicy pork, ahi poke, ramen, whipped cream, haupia, udon noodles, Chipotle... Maybe it's impressive that she's still pretty slim for a baby after all this.
Oh, and stink bugs? They're just extra protein.
In fact, while most parents scold their children when food's tossed onto the floor because they're making a mess, we're more likely to say something like, "You're wasting really delicious, perfectly cooked bacon, Owen!" and then make him eat it off the floor. Not only do I want his immune system to get stronger, but it physically pains me sometimes to see him waste fresh baked cookies or the mochiko chicken Niles made for dinner the other night. Niles was personally repulsed the other night when I ate udon noodles out of Owen's cup -- they only had a little cranberry juice-water on them -- because they were the last udon noodles in the house. And I LOVE udon noodles...
We did, unfortunately, turn Owen into a blueberry snob. He'll only eat really sweet ones. All the other ones, he'll actually take out of his mouth, half squished, and give you a look of complete betrayal for trying to serve him that "slop."
First quick confession: With Owen, we weren't particularly diligent about following the rule where you introduce a single food to a baby and wait five days for an adverse reaction. With Anduin, we just threw the rule out the window. After all, despite our complete disregard for the rule, Owen's still alive.
Second quick confession: Despite telling myself that I would make my own baby food (it's so easy, just put table food into a blender!), it's even easier to just feed your baby table food. As long as it's not a choking hazard or honey. This is our new rule.
This explains why at five and a half months, Anduin's eaten poi, beef stew, curry, bananas, mangoes, rice porridge, toast, chocolate croissants, spicy pork, ahi poke, ramen, whipped cream, haupia, udon noodles, Chipotle... Maybe it's impressive that she's still pretty slim for a baby after all this.
Oh, and stink bugs? They're just extra protein.
 |
| Anduin eating her first Chipotle chicken burrito bowl |
 | |||
| Owen enjoying an extra sharp, aged cheddar |
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
We're Moving on Down... (or Hawaiian Hotel Accommodations)
Tell people you are spending three weeks TDY in Hawaii and NO ONE feels sorry for you. I decided to take my family out with me so I spent a great deal of time searching for suitable accommodations. First off, to all those people who tell themselves you can stay in a single hotel room with your two young children, you're deluded. I don't care if you're only going to be there for a couple of days. At some point during your stay, you're going to want to watch television, talk to your spouse, or other activities that could potentially wake the sleeping children that are five feet away from you! (And that's being pretty generous in hotel room sizes.) Trust me, people reach for the phone to call child services if they discover you're at the hotel bar with your hubby while your babies are asleep by themselves in that 30th floor hotel room. So save yourself the time and energy and at least get a separate room for the kids to sleep in so you can do something/anything past 8:00 (or whatever your child's bedtime is).
But it's hard to find a place for three weeks in Hawaii during peak tourist season that had at least one bedroom, preferably two, and that would remain under the TDY government lodging costs. As it was, I was able to string together three different accommodations. And ironically, we started at the nicest place and worked our way down...
Place 1: Private cottage above someone's garage
Let's get something straight. Telling people I stayed above someone's garage does not do this place justice. It's like telling someone that our President happens to live in a historical house painted white, or that major defense decisions take place in an oddly shaped building. When we first walked into this cottage, I immediately noticed how tastefully decorated it was -- limited edition prints, glass sculptures, large seashells, coral, light colored patio furniture on the large lanai, marble double sink in the bathroom, glass table top in the full sized kitchen with granite bench... In short, it was gorgeous and ABSOLUTELY terrifying to me. It was full of fragile, breakable things. We spent the first half hour moving most everything to the top, top shelf and then having to move chairs around so that Owen wouldn't be able to use chairs to get to anything. We counted ourselves lucky that the only casualty was a wineglass after a ten day stay. And despite every fabric choice being made to show stains, they washed pretty cleanly, which was useful since Owen threw up the first night. The owners were fabulous, and despite how they had decorated the cottage, were parents of an energetic three year old. I also woke up every morning at 0430 to the sound of tropical birds and geckoes so loud you swore you were in the middle of a "soothing" rainforest ambient noise soundscape.
Place 2: Barbers Point Cottage, operated by MWR
After you've nearly turned around three times asking yourself, "Is this really the right way? We're in the middle of NOWHERE," you will finally arrive at the Barbers Point cottages. From the outside, they're not much to look at. Cinder block walls on the duplexes with the same type of chairs you find at most public pools parked outside. Inside, they had been renovated and redecorated quite nicely. They even had a granite backsplash behind the stove. Their bedding was also nice, though it was a lot more washable. We found out since Owen also threw up the first night we stayed there. About 50 yards away from the front door was a beach, so we fell asleep listening to the waves. I know, tough life, right? The first time I mentioned where we were staying to a local, his actual response was, "That's the beach with the shark and barracuda heads nailed to a post to warn you about what's in the water, right?" No kidding. I'm already sort of paranoid about swimming in the ocean, so this comment did not help at all. Good thing that Owen is also terrified about swimming in the ocean because every time I took him down to that beach, he held tighter to me than a baby koala and contorted his body in unnatural ways so he wouldn't have to touch the water. It's like he knew. Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, I am in the Navy and still don't like being in the water. Let me explain, I'm a surface warfare officer-- that's right, I'm there to remain on the water. When I'm in the water, it's a really bad day. In addition to the beach, there was an outdoor shower, large yard, and a Coast Guard air station another 100 yards from the house, which Owen loved. Every two minutes he was excitedly pointing at yet another plane in the sky. In general, this place was nice though not nearly as nice as the first.
Place 3: Long term stay hotel in Pearl City
We had originally planned to stay with my brother, but upon further introspection, we decided to move to another hotel. After all, I wanted to remain on speaking terms with him so invading his 3 bedroom house with me, my husband, my two kids, my mother, and my grandmother seemed a little cruel. At the last minute, I managed to find a long term stay hotel just fifteen minutes from his house marketed especially to military families looking to spend just the TLA amount. On paper, it met all of our needs: 2 bedrooms, full kitchen, air conditioning... In person, my husband kept looking for the hourly rates. The couches were upholstered with the same type of industrial vinyl you find on schoolbuses. The floor of the bathroom had the same type of decking you actually found on board ships in berthing compartments (I felt right at home!), just a different color. It certainly was not the marble like the first place or even the tile of the second place. The table came out of the same 80s restaurant that the yellow "glasses" had come from. The bed spreads were also from the same vintage. Also only one of the two bedrooms were air conditioned, and because we do most anything to keep our children sleeping soundly, we gave it to them. So Owen spent four nights sleeping blissfully by himself on a queen sized bed in an air conditioned room while Mom and Dad shared a full sized bed in an un-air conditioned room. There were only two pictures hanging up in the entire place, none of which were numbered and looked to be about the same age as me. In short... it was perfect! There was nothing that Owen could destroy, despite his best efforts. And of course, just when we finally have the industrial vinyl that could be wiped down instead of washed, he manages to not throw up on the first night.
So lessons learned:
When I used to travel with my husband, just the two of us, having the granite countertops and fancy kitchen with the beautiful accessories was a must. Now traveling with two kids, I'm impressed by industrial grade vinyl. That's right, you're moving on down...
But it's hard to find a place for three weeks in Hawaii during peak tourist season that had at least one bedroom, preferably two, and that would remain under the TDY government lodging costs. As it was, I was able to string together three different accommodations. And ironically, we started at the nicest place and worked our way down...
Place 1: Private cottage above someone's garage
Let's get something straight. Telling people I stayed above someone's garage does not do this place justice. It's like telling someone that our President happens to live in a historical house painted white, or that major defense decisions take place in an oddly shaped building. When we first walked into this cottage, I immediately noticed how tastefully decorated it was -- limited edition prints, glass sculptures, large seashells, coral, light colored patio furniture on the large lanai, marble double sink in the bathroom, glass table top in the full sized kitchen with granite bench... In short, it was gorgeous and ABSOLUTELY terrifying to me. It was full of fragile, breakable things. We spent the first half hour moving most everything to the top, top shelf and then having to move chairs around so that Owen wouldn't be able to use chairs to get to anything. We counted ourselves lucky that the only casualty was a wineglass after a ten day stay. And despite every fabric choice being made to show stains, they washed pretty cleanly, which was useful since Owen threw up the first night. The owners were fabulous, and despite how they had decorated the cottage, were parents of an energetic three year old. I also woke up every morning at 0430 to the sound of tropical birds and geckoes so loud you swore you were in the middle of a "soothing" rainforest ambient noise soundscape.
Place 2: Barbers Point Cottage, operated by MWR
After you've nearly turned around three times asking yourself, "Is this really the right way? We're in the middle of NOWHERE," you will finally arrive at the Barbers Point cottages. From the outside, they're not much to look at. Cinder block walls on the duplexes with the same type of chairs you find at most public pools parked outside. Inside, they had been renovated and redecorated quite nicely. They even had a granite backsplash behind the stove. Their bedding was also nice, though it was a lot more washable. We found out since Owen also threw up the first night we stayed there. About 50 yards away from the front door was a beach, so we fell asleep listening to the waves. I know, tough life, right? The first time I mentioned where we were staying to a local, his actual response was, "That's the beach with the shark and barracuda heads nailed to a post to warn you about what's in the water, right?" No kidding. I'm already sort of paranoid about swimming in the ocean, so this comment did not help at all. Good thing that Owen is also terrified about swimming in the ocean because every time I took him down to that beach, he held tighter to me than a baby koala and contorted his body in unnatural ways so he wouldn't have to touch the water. It's like he knew. Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, I am in the Navy and still don't like being in the water. Let me explain, I'm a surface warfare officer-- that's right, I'm there to remain on the water. When I'm in the water, it's a really bad day. In addition to the beach, there was an outdoor shower, large yard, and a Coast Guard air station another 100 yards from the house, which Owen loved. Every two minutes he was excitedly pointing at yet another plane in the sky. In general, this place was nice though not nearly as nice as the first.
Place 3: Long term stay hotel in Pearl City
We had originally planned to stay with my brother, but upon further introspection, we decided to move to another hotel. After all, I wanted to remain on speaking terms with him so invading his 3 bedroom house with me, my husband, my two kids, my mother, and my grandmother seemed a little cruel. At the last minute, I managed to find a long term stay hotel just fifteen minutes from his house marketed especially to military families looking to spend just the TLA amount. On paper, it met all of our needs: 2 bedrooms, full kitchen, air conditioning... In person, my husband kept looking for the hourly rates. The couches were upholstered with the same type of industrial vinyl you find on schoolbuses. The floor of the bathroom had the same type of decking you actually found on board ships in berthing compartments (I felt right at home!), just a different color. It certainly was not the marble like the first place or even the tile of the second place. The table came out of the same 80s restaurant that the yellow "glasses" had come from. The bed spreads were also from the same vintage. Also only one of the two bedrooms were air conditioned, and because we do most anything to keep our children sleeping soundly, we gave it to them. So Owen spent four nights sleeping blissfully by himself on a queen sized bed in an air conditioned room while Mom and Dad shared a full sized bed in an un-air conditioned room. There were only two pictures hanging up in the entire place, none of which were numbered and looked to be about the same age as me. In short... it was perfect! There was nothing that Owen could destroy, despite his best efforts. And of course, just when we finally have the industrial vinyl that could be wiped down instead of washed, he manages to not throw up on the first night.
So lessons learned:
When I used to travel with my husband, just the two of us, having the granite countertops and fancy kitchen with the beautiful accessories was a must. Now traveling with two kids, I'm impressed by industrial grade vinyl. That's right, you're moving on down...
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