brown goat
the life of city dwellers with a healthy obsession with natureArchive for our life
happy birthday to my sweets!
sweets, this is for you on your special day. instead of writing it in a card or handing it to you in a note, i thought i would make it a post so everyone else could read and see how beautiful this poem is.
“Our Union” by Hafiz:
Our union is like this: You feel cold, so I reach for a blanket to cover our shivering feet.
A hunger comes into your body, so I run to my garden and start digging potatoes.
You asked for a few words of comfort and guidance, and I quickly kneel by your side offering you a whole book as a gift.
You ache with loneliness one night so much you weep, and I say here is a rope, tie it around me, I will be your companion for life.
i love you. happy birthday! xxoxo- s
eggplant baby
have you ever heard the legend that eggplant parmigiana induces labor? this method of self-inducing labor began circulating after a restaurant in the atlanta-area named scalini’s made the claim that mothers of over 300 babies have gone into labor in the past 23 years, within 48 hours of eating their eggplant parmigiana.
if i believed in the myth at all, i assumed that it was the eggplant that induced labor. however, oregano and basil have been singled out as having properties that may cause contractions, though it is unknown how or in what quantities.
since we may not live in atlanta for another pregnancy, we thought we’d indulge ourselves this weekend and go to scalini’s and give it a shot. it worked for some of our friends…who knows maybe it will work for us to! if not, at least it’s a good story and hopefully a yummy meal!
i can start counting down on ONE hand!
that’s right. ONE hand. i’m at 35 weeks today! FIVE more weeks until my due date. i have spent hours decorating his room, washing and folding his tiny little clothes and blankets, organizing his bottles and bibs, and writing in our belly book. when i forget for a moment that all i am working on is just periphery, jack moves around inside me turning and poking, and i remember again what this is all about… how everything i’ve done since that morning in march… when two pink lines popped up on a stick and my heart climbed up into my throat… has been for him, for us.
and yet, the truth is, i have no idea what i’m doing. and, while all the unknowns terrify me, i am so excited for it all. i can hardly wait to hold him in my arms and watch everyone meet him for the first time. and, baby jack, know that while we will surely be parenting with mistakes, i already love you more than i thought humanly possible and i promise to do my best taking care of and loving you.
adult recess
one of the MANY things (and, BOY, there are SO many things that await that i am uber-excited about!) that i am looking forward to this late fall and winter is establishing an adult recess.
wouldn’t it be sweet to have a designated hour, (nearly) every night, set aside to enjoy each other? a cocktail hour- where the conversation is kept leisurely, the air light–an hour to remember each other and to enjoy an adult beverage.
as parents of a newborn, i know it will be difficult to find time between working, changing diapers, nursing, bathing a baby, and cleaning and organizing our belongings, but this also makes it that much more necessary. i love the notion of having a set time and a go-to drink reserved for this certain time of day.
what would your drink of choice be for your adult recess? a frosty cold beer that coincides with the season? a nice glass of wine? or would it be a fancy cocktail? our drink of choice and time of day…to be determined and likely postponed for a bit until we get this baby raising thing under way.
shower me with baby love.
we have been so grateful to have two of the most amazing baby showers for our little jack-a-roo. it’s overwhelming to think of how much everyone did, and i don’t quite know how to explain what it means to me, which is why i think i was putting off writing this post. i wish every baby could come into this world as fortunate as baby jack.
here’s a peek at some of the fabulousness from our showers:
three months to go…
i cannot even believe it…my pregnancy has been such smooth sailing, that it is really flying by! i have three months until my due date of november fifth…three months until we meet our first born child, our precious little baby boy! did you hear me??!!…THREE MONTHS! i don’t know if i feel more disbelief or excitement, but i know it’s a good mix of both.
since i haven’t posted any bump pictures in a while, i thought i would use the three month mark as an opportunity to show off my new figure! over the past 6 weeks or so, i have truly popped out…just look for yourself-
belly picture week 19
belly picture week 21
belly picture week 24
belly picture week 25
thirteen or so weeks for our little one to grow…then, instead of belly pictures, we will have cuter pictures- baby pictures- to show off!
a day off
i hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. i had a great one, even though i was flying solo on friday and saturday while david was away at a conference.
i am still reminiscing over last week, when i had a lovely and rare day off in the middle of the week since i worked over the weekend. i spent the day wisely and got everything on my to-do list crossed off, but also still relaxed and enjoyed my time away from work.
the day started with the a reading of the new york times (wednesdays are my favorite because of the dining section and i especially enjoyed the julie and julia article: film food, ready for its “bon appetit”- wouldn’t it be so much fun to be a food stylist—i would love that job! and mark bittman’s recipe (i LOVE all his recipes…i really must get his cookbook) stone fruit patchwork bake. i plan to make this soon and will share my results…
next, i ordered lots of decor stuff for our baby boy’s room! i am so excited to get everything in its place and then just be able to sit in the room and enjoy it all. i will post pictures as each part of the room is complete. i think the crib area will be the first one finished, so i look forward to sharing it with you soon. i, then, finished the book i had been reading (for way too long)…a walk in the woods by bill bryson. it was very good, but i am happy to be moving on to my next book (which i started within minutes of finishing a walk in the woods)- consider the oyster by mfk fischer. already, this book makes me long to be near the sea.
i made deliciously tasty granola too. it’s so simple and so good, every time i make it i wonder why i ever buy granola! i combined 4 cups of toasted old fashioned oats with 1 cup of chopped pecans, 2 cups of whole almonds, 1/3 cup of light brown sugar, 3/4 cup of olive oil (this is the secret to extra tasty granola), 1/2 cup of honey, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. i baked it on 350F for 45 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes. yummy!!! and, it will keep in a tupperware for up to 2 weeks.
i even had time in my day to take a walk with sadie, nap for an hour, talk to dad, make a lovely dinner, and watch top chef masters. it’s all in a day’s non-work!
here comes the son
as many of you have already heard, david and i are thrilled to know that this fall we will be welcoming a perfect little baby BOY into the world! it is amazing how much changes when you learn what gender baby you are growing…he went from an “idea” to our son within seconds! and, we now both imagine him as a real person. we can’t hardly think about anything else!
of course, we hit the stores last weekend with my sister and parents to find our son his first outfits. i’ve heard it’s more challenging to find cute boy clothes and now i can attest to that! i am up for the challenge, however, and find it thrilling that we will have to hunt for adorable clothes to dress our little dude in. and, i am so ready for the fall and winter clothes to hit the stores…i am ready to look, get ideas, and BUY!!!
and a funny aside…what keeps running through my head is the line from sex and the city when miranda announces she is having a boy and carrie states, “You know you are growing a teeny, tiny penis in there? That’s so sci-fi.” when i said that to david the other night, he said “what’s even weirder is that you have a whole skeleton in your belly!”
thanks to everyone for all the well wishes and support! it is amazing how much love there is in the world for this little boy already. what a joy and a pleasure to share all this with you! xxo!
i can hardly wait…
we go friday for our 20 week ultrasound where they will measure all our baby’s body parts and, most importantly, tell us if we are going to welcome a baby boy or a baby girl in the fall.
(dear baby lamar,
EVERYONE thinks you are a boy! we will see if they are right…!
love, mommy)
i am so excited!!! my family is coming up for the weekend- it will be a double celebration of father’s day and the uncovering of the baby’s gender! we plan to go baby shopping and purchase our first gender-specific clothing.
stay tuned for the news!
i adore pom-poms (and cable knit booties)!
this hat and booties set is PERFECT for us- it’s cable knit and has pom-poms! isn’t it the cutest?! i have been coveting the booties since we spotted them at the pink olive in brooklyn and when i saw them as part of an online boutique sale, i didn’t hesitate for a moment to buy them for our little one! i am so looking forward to seeing our snuggled up baby in such cute winter wear!
