My Geek Baby

My mom always liked to see a rainbow of colors on our plates and I feed Indie in the same way. The more colors, the more vitamins she’s getting. The more veggies and fruits she’s eating, the less packaged food she’s eating.

Rather than focus too narrowly on the food pyramid by day, some experts recommend thinking about what you and your chlid are eating throughout the week? Missed some veggies veggies Monday? Try again on Tuesday. Indie happens to really like orange things lately. Oranges, carrots, cheddar cheese and goldfish crackers. Ok that last one isn’t a healthfood but it’s not potato chips either, so I figure she might as well have fun with it. Some weeks she vetoes yogurt, what I consider nature’s wonder food, and this week she keeps asking for it.

There’s an interesting Q&A about “green” parenting in the NYT this week. I do find it hard to believe that people are hard-wired to love salty, over-the-top sugary foods but rather we’re more susceptible to the advertising that accompanies fast food. I still eat the occassional fast food meal on the road but my tastes and preferences for food were built on a foundation of eating at home most of the time. So are Indie’s. She eats her share of french fries but asks for pears, applesause, carrots, etc.

I also liked the point in the article that children don’t need to eat bland food all the time, to eat what the parents eat. So although I give Indie chicken nuggets and applesauce, she also gets a sampling of the bean dish or spicy noodles we might be having at the adult dinner hour. Also we’re trying the purees from the cookbook I mentioned in an earlier post. Success! They were very good and not noticable, except that my mac n cheese was more orange than usual. No worries, that’s Indie’s favorite color this month!

Borrowed from my sister-in-law’s blog, In the Middle.

This list is just for fun, seen on some other blogs… Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (no, but Disneyworld)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (only a caricature in Florida)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (”He Got Game” was filmed at Elon and I was an extra)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Anyone who watched the Yo Gabba Gabba episode with the refrain “Try it, You’ll like It” or read Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham knows that there are a lot of picky eaters out there. Indie, once the Wonder Eater, has become a bit more selective about what she’s willing to try. She’s not interested in mashed potatoes, for instance, and this seems like the one thing every kid eats. But she loves her strawberries, blueberries, carrots and corn, so I’m not too worried about her nutrition. She’s getting lots of good stuff. But I was intrigued by this cookbook written by Jessica Seinfeld.

This book has some great recipes! I’m thinking that it’s less about hiding veggies but consciously incorporating good stuff into the comfort foods I love so much. I love potato soup but am doubtful that there’s a lot of great nutrition in that meal. However, add some carrot and cauliflower puree to this soup and voila! Same goes for homemade macaroni and cheese, a house favorite with the adults but again Indie is lukewarm on it anyway so I might as well “health it up” while she’s still figuring out what food should taste like. She’s not a big meat eater so I give her fake chicken nuggets and soy hot dogs and she eats them up. So I kind of think that because there are so many varieties of packaged food and lots of recpes to make your own, she won’t necessarily think there’s only one way mac n cheese should taste. But then…on the flip side…

It’s possible I’ve contributed to her picky eating or food snobbery. I bought some cheese sticks from Target that were different from her usual brand. When we got home I gave her one and I also wanted a snack and opened up my Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar to have with crackers. The next thing I know she is throwing her cheese stick on the floor and asking for a piece of the cheese I was eating. So now she’s a cheese snob. Boy, elementary school lunchtime is going to be a lot of fun! I’ll just have to pack her Grey Poupon in her backpack and call it a day. Maybe it comes in fun size!?

I’ll circle back to Deceptively Delicious after I’ve tried a few recipes. We’re about to get socked with another snow storm so it’s likely that I’ll make both of these dishes this weekend. Stay tuned.

As a journalist in search of balance, I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the claim that Jessica borrowed (without crediting) her ideas from the author of The Sneaky Chef. The outcome of the court case was that neither copyright nor trademark law was broken. It’s very coincidental that the two books came out around the same time and have similar themes and recipes. I suspect neither author is the true “first” on this one; I”m pretty sure moms across the world have been sneaking carrot puree into batches of brownies since the invention of fire.

I didn’t think I’d write about the Pavlik harness Indie wore for several months, but now that her hips are in good shape I think it might be useful for other parents.

On day one in the hospital her pediatrician diagnosed her with hip dysplasia and wanted us to triple diaper her so her hip didn’t come loose from the socket. We were told to get to an orthopedic specialist immediately. I had never heard of this condition except in dogs. My friend’s beautiful white Great Pyranees had this condition and walked on three legs (and quite well, actually).

So I panicked. Does this mean my new daughter won’t crawl, won’t have two legs of the same length, WON”T WALK? Egads. She was barely in this new world and already I was preparing for the worst. (this is very much like me).

Also, I was recovering from a c-section, so going from one hospital in a wheel chair to walking through the halls of a children’s hospital, in jake’s slippers because I was still full of IV fluid and my shoes didn’t fit, foggy from all the pain meds, and terrified that someone might BREATHE near my newborn was enough to send me sailing clear off the edge. Because it’s a children’s hospital I saw clowns walk by the door of the room I was holed-up in away from the germy BREATHERS, but was afraid one might pop his head in and I would have FREAKED and possibly PUNCHED A CLOWN. I’m not a fan of clowns anyway but especially on that day…

But fast-forward to meeting the good doctor who prescribed the Pavlik harness and the orthopedic doc who we visited for many months to see how Indie was improving. Greatly! Yes, it was a hassle because this device had to be worn 23 hours per day and kept her in what I call a “cowboy stance”. Ok fine, she wasn’t crawling yet anyway. And by the time she WAS crawling, the harness was almost a faint memory.

Last week we had a final xray of her hips and they are growing beautifully. She had been walking since 11 months and now at 2 years is quite the runner. Without the harness, she could have grown up fine but may have had very early arthritis in the hips, possibly requiring surgery. Because we kept that thing on day and night and she grew normally, this is not something we need to worry about anymore.

Also, our usually energetic doctor was yawning through our visit. He’d just returned from Haiti and spent a week in surgery after surgery putting people back together. His story REALLY put this whole experience into perspective. Yes, we were freaked out for a few months and had lots of follow up visits, but nothing compares to what’s going on in Haiti. For this whole experience I’m again grateful for the reminder: keep it in perspective…

I’m not entirely sure Indie knows what her birthday is but we started celebrating at 6:48AM on the morning of her big day by having a dance party in the living room to the Beatles’ “Birthday” song. I said, “Happy Birthday, Indie,” to which she replied, “Happy Birthday, Mom” as if it were a pleasant holiday greeting like “Merry Christmas.”

I tried not to stress internally as I observed her twirling around in her new dress and sparkly shoes on the day of her party that she’s growing up so fast but it does seem like she’s growing up rather quickly.

I mostly observe this in the way she talks. We were sitting at the table and I told her to do something, I can’t even remember what, something innocuous, like “Please take your head off the table, you’re getting milk in your hair,” and she replied, “I don’t think so, Mom, I don’t think so.” It made me laugh inside and think she had fast-forwarded to turning 12, not 2; that was startling.

But then she does things that remind me she still is 2 like fighting to put her coat on to go outside and five seconds later diving into the same coat because she’s now excited about going outside or for a ride in the car.

For this birthday, I got a few Sesame Street decorations and tried my hand at crafty Elmo cupcakes.

I think they were a hit with the party-goers, especially this one.

After Pin the Nose on Elmo and a Sesame Street pinata rained down candy and tiny dinosaurs and flower-shaped erasers, Indie gave her dad some video direction.

Boy, she is growing up, so so fast.

Aah, the magical quality of snow…

It drapes the trees that have lost all their leaves, covers last season’s hibernating plants, and creates an ethereal atmosphere.

The rumor of snow that takes me back to elementary school days when I wished for a Snow Day! We didn’t have a ton of snow where I grew up so every time it snows, as an adult, I anticipate it and enjoy it as much as the neighborhood kids.

Indira was in awe of the snow. It started coming down after she went to sleep so she was amazed to see it when she awoke on Saturday. “That’s a lot of snow!” she said, and then, “Yucky!” which seemed odd. Later on, when I mentioned snow boots and snow pants she was so excited to try them on and go outside. Once outside however, she wasn’t a big fan of the cold snow but we tried the sled a few times before we started to feel like Frosty.

The next day, the snow seemed slightly less intimidating. Nearly two feet of snow created a wonderland I only imagine in December. We started to clean off our cars and put the little one right to work.

I didn’t think we’d start talking about the meaning of holidays with our toddler before she could well, hold a conversation, but the week of Thanksgiving, our little one came home with two hats, a pilgrim hat and an Native American hat. When I called her my indian princess she said, “No I not innian princess, I’m Indie Sue” and she thinks the other hat is her pirate hat. So that was really the end of the conversation about the Thanksgiving holiday. We’ll get into all the history of this holiday next year.

It’s important that we create a family tradition to let our friends and families know we’re thankful and why. I’m thankful for Jake. He gets up in the middle of the night with Indie, among many other thankless tasks. I’m thankful for my parents who remind me not to sweat the small stuff. I’m thankful for my sister who always has a funny story at the ready, or nowadays, a picture. I’m thankful for my brothers, who taught me to stand up for myself and to throw a proper punch. My friends, both old and new, who let me be who I am, and just roll their eyes while I go on a tangent about my rant of the day. And for my daughter, who has changed my perspective 100% and taught me to laugh and laugh and then try not to laugh (when she’s doing something bad and I should be serious). Many Thanks!

Indie started calling us “Guys” recently. We’re having dinner and I tell her that the carrots on her plate look deslish. “I know, guys!” she said. What? Guys? We were Mama and Papa for a few months, which morphed into MaPa and sometimes Pommy, now we’re just guys.

Not knowing how quickly she’d pick up language, we started with sign language but by the time we all got the hang of it, she was saying the word “More” when and signaling when she wants more, so there’s no mistaking it. Now we’re in translation phase, and even sometimes I’m not sure what she’s saying.

We were topping dinner with shredded cheese one day and she started calling it “burgers” and we couldn’t figure it out. But last week when she said “I have burgers I need a nakin” I realized that she needed a tissue. Nakin=napkin in our house. Oh! I can only guess that someone at daycare was calling cheese boogers and they probably fell on the floor laughing as kids are prone to do when they think they made a naughty joke.

A friend at work remembered her early elementary school bus days when the kids were daring each other to say bad words and she said, “I know what the F word is!” And they gathered around and she whispered, “Fart” with pride that she knew something they didn’t. But of course, the kids erupted into laughter…at her.

Happy Anniversary Sesame Street! I’m now enjoying the show (that I watched as a kiddo) with my little girl. The show has changed over the years, added new characters, but the educational messages remain the foundation. Even with all the competing shows–we do love Yo Gabba Gabba and Jack’s Big Music Show–Sesame Street still stands out as one of the best children’s programs. No surprise that Indie’s favorite character is Elmo but I have a special place in my heart for Kermit.

Today there’s a whole website, Sesame Workshop, dedicated to all things related to those lovable monsters. Check it out!

All the baby’s tiny socks are matched and put away neatly

You might have a toddler if…

Mismatched Elmo socks also double at mittens that she wears around the house

You might be a new parent if…
You made sure the baby ate a variety of fruits and veggies daily

You might have a toddler if…
Shredded cheese is considered a side dish

You might be a new parent if…

You make smoothies in the bathroom with the door closed so not to wake the napping baby

You might have a toddler if…

You hide in the same bathroom nearly two years later to drown out whining with the hair dryer on full blast and start thinking of repackaging and selling it on Amazon as the WhineBlaster 3000