the changing leaves

This is my last week of maternity leave. I can't believe it's time to go back to work! I have mixed feelings about it. I like my job and am looking forward to interacting with my adult-sized buddies again, doing something productive on a professional level, and getting a paycheck. And I'm only going back 3 days per week, which I think will be okay.

But I also really enjoy my mellow days with Edie. We sleep in, we get dressed, she plays on her little playmat (aka jungle gym) or we have a dance party, we read books. I take her to the coffeeshop and we go on a long walk nearly everyday. Today was cool and sunny after three days of blustery, dark coldness, and I welcomed the chance to get back outside. We hunt for spiders, which are all over the place, and I explain to her why changing leaves and blue skies are things to be happy about. Someday she'll understand.

It'll be really hard to have to get up with an alarm. For the past three months, Edie has been my alarm. If I'm up multiple times a night with her, it may suck, but at least I don't have to be up and at 'em the next day. Now I'll have to juggle the nighttime feedings with getting out the door in the morning and being a productive employee.

But most importantly, it'll be hard to leave her with someone else all day. It'll probably be easy for her, just heart-wrenching on me. A whole day of Edie will pass while I'm at work. While I was pregnant, a colleague told me that each of your baby's first is monumental, and it's true. The littlest things make me proud. For example, last week I noticed Edie started to grab a ring on her octopus rattle. She used to just bat it, now she holds it and swings it around! That doesn't seem like much to someone else, I'm sure, but it's a window into Edie's development for me. And it's little things like that that I'll probably miss.

We'll see how it goes. I'm getting a little sad writing this, so wish me luck.

lookin right at ya

Here's Edie at PEPS. She's the one looking right at the camera.

Expanding our (produce) horizons

Two months ago Dave and I watched Food, Inc and the next day did something we'd been meaning to do for a while: we joined his cousin Kim's organic CSA. (Actually we went out for brunch, wolfed down a plate of not-free range bacon, then joined. But I digress.) Kim and her husband Dan own a farm outside of Seattle, and they operate Terra Organics, a delivery service that brings fresh fruits and veggies to our doorstep bi-weekly.

We never know what we're going to get in the box, except that it's mostly local and in season (the farthest stuff comes from California). What I like about our CSA is the inclusion of recipes that incorporate one, two, or three of the items in the box. Some of the items really are a mystery...especially for Dave who is basically an apple-man. He's like "Look we got a squash" (it's a melon) or "Check out this cucumber" (it's a rare breed of eggplant). Hey, we're all learning. I have no idea how to cook tomatillos or what to do with arugula, so the recipes help me out and get us eating new things. And we are eating healthier.

I will say that it's kind of odd timing to start delving into culinary adventures. If Edie is awake and it's around dinner time she wants to be held or played with or taken on a walk. Simple recipes are probably best for this time in our lives (i.e. dump a jar of sauce and a pound of meat in the crock pot and come back in four hours). And you know I'm not too proud to nuke some Trader Joe's chicken tikka masala for dinner. I do feel pressure to use these new ingredients, which all have a pretty short life span and I like cooking and eating new things, but some days I really don't have the time and Edie doesn't have the patience for me to toast spiced walnuts for our roasted beet and goat cheese salad! Those are the days we look at each other and decide it's gonna be a soup and sandwich night.