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1.16.2012

Around Here




Iris turns three months old tomorrow.  We joke that she didn't get the fourth kid memo.  You know, the one that says she's supposed to be easy going, happy, love being passed around, a great sleeper.  That one.  Yeah, she definitely didn't get it!   In fact, around here we may have even (lovingly) nicknamed her Grumpelstiltskin.   I've tried eliminating dairy from my diet.  We've taken her to see a chiropractor.  Both seemed to help initially, only for her to return to her previously fussy state.  Now I’m going for the big guns and am trying both simultaneously.




God knew that now was exactly the time in our lives for Miss Iris.  Jude teases that Dan and I are the boss, but Iris is the boss of us.   My sling might just be my most priceless possession.  Wherever I go, Iris goes and ‘alone time’  is mostly an oxymoron… for now.  Yet the kids delight in her, even Evie who was slow to come around. She looks so much like Jude as a baby.  When she flashes her gummy grin I am taken back to those early days with Jude.  (I blinked and he’s turning 7 this month.)  I am reminded how quickly these baby days fly by and the very best gift you can give yourself when parenting a high need baby is that of surrender

Well, surrender and really good food.  All of this carrying and nursing has made me hungrier than ever!  Chocolate has become its own food group.  Here are some recipes we’ve been enjoying lately.

- this (30 minute) lemon and brown sugar chicken

- these mustard greens.

- these barbequed beans with kale

- this elvis (peanut butter chocolate) granola.  It lasted all of 12 hours here.




- these brownies may very well be the best I've ever tasted.

- this chocolate syrup is easy and delish

Our dinner hour has been made easier by having a few things stashed away in the freezer for those evenings that are particularly hairy.  We've liked

- these meatballs.  They're fabulous in a simple marinara.  I think the bacon is the secret ingredient.

- this taco filling.  We like to add black beans to this recipe.

- this roasted eggplant/tomato soup.

- this Moroccan Lamb stew.

Dan and I choose a weekend to make food in bulk for the freezer.  We double, triple, sometimes even quadruple the recipes.  It's working well for our family.

And speaking of Dan, he's marching in the MLK parade today.  I only wish we could've been there...

3 comments:

  1. She may be fussy, but she's BEAUTIFUL! Wish we could have hit up our MLK parade, but sadly, this morning, M communicated (A LOT) that he's had too much stimulation in the last couple days and would not tolerate more. ;-)

    Thanks for the chocolate syrup and brownie recipes! I think we'll try both soon. I've been looking for syrup with no Red 40 (so why not just make our own?!), and I heart ethical chocolate...

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  2. Ha! My sister-in-law says the same thing about her third not getting the memo! Iris is truly a beautiful baby.
    -Jaime

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  3. I was in serious need of some good recipes! Thanks for sharing!!!

    I had my own Grumplestiltskin once, and when she turned a year old, a switch flipped and her nickname could have been Joy! :) Time does fly, you're doing a great job of keeping perspective. I was never very good at that. Maybe it's a #4 thing?!?!?!

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