Emma 20 Months

-has a never-ending supply of kisses and love pats to share

-if she catches you laying on the floor, she'll be on top of you and bouncing on your belly in seconds 

-new words: up, ball, Josh, Ben

-greets you with the sweetest "Hi!!" when you come to retrieve her from her crib

-sings the "up above the world so high" phrase on Twinkle Twinkle IN tune!

-had her first popsicle!

-is perfecting her animal sounds (knows dog, cow, kitty, bee, lion, bear, bird, duck)

-does not care for the big animals at the zoo (gorillas, lions, elephants). Shakes her head and says "uh-ah" anytime you bring her up close to the glass to have a closer look but the penguins were ok! 

-calls her sister clearly by name (pronounced Eye-yuh) which she says excitedly anytime she is in the room 

-rides in the stroller, leaning forward and hanging onto the carseat bar like its the biggest thrill ride ever

-loves walking hand-in-hand 

-discovered hair-pulling really urks her sister as does hitting

-also found her voice (in the form of high-pitched screaming)

-has been introduced to timeouts as a result of above 2 items (and boy do they devastate her!)

-learned to say "toot toot!" (sometimes interchangeable with "choo choo") which she says both when she or others pass gas or when pretending to be a train

-likes to walk on her tippie toes

-can't brush her teeth enough

-takes one, too short nap a day (~1 - 1 1/2 hours)

-adores tickle time with Daddy

Wednesday

Ooh la la the weather this week has just been glorious! I officially have my first (and maybe 2nd and 3rd?) sunburn of 2013 and I am not ashamed! We decided on Wednesday that we needed a day OFF. From everything. I think the 70 degree weather was somewhat influential in this decision. 

 First stop was the zoo! Everyone and their mother had the same idea but we still had fun. 

 

  The flamingos were the must-see in Isla's book this visit. She stood at the glass telling Emma all about them.

 After a few hours of zooing, we hit up Paseo for some of our very favorite Cuban sandwiches. Again, we weren't the only one with this idea but it was worth the wait! The girls dozed in the car while I waited in line for our portable picnic which we took down by the canal in Fremont - gorgeous!

  

 

 

 

We spent a couple hours lounging in the grass, laughing and talking and dreaming up baby names. Oh my how we needed this family day together! And a bonus perk of having Graham around: we finally got some pictures of me with my girls!

 

Isla 44 Months

Our sweet Isla Pie this month....

-is so very, very busy

-likes to direct and coordinate others

-loves having me and others make things out of paper for her (car seats for her babies, snowmen, binkies, dogs, a standing mixer....), in 3-D I might add 

 -has started making up stories as she "reads" her books (I love this)

-sometimes even reads to Emma
-calls her sister "M&Ms"

-continues to prepare for Hawaii:

 -are you sensing the theme here? She lives in swimsuits and helmets.
-is very literal and believes anything & everything she it told
-new favorite game: "Emma! Say....gorilla! Good job. Say...grandma. Good job." etc etc, always follow with "good job" no matter how closely Emma's rendition resembles the actual word

-she's an early riser (6:30 AM at the latest!) 

 -would eat raisins until the cows come home

-loves to stop and smell the roses (or pick all the dandelions) 

-has really started playing (and fighting) with her sister

-realized having me rub her back at night prolongs bedtime

-ONLY sleeps when strapped in place (illustration below)

 -pretends she's in a parade when riding on the front of the stroller

-has been a helping me plant my vegetable garden

-thinks her uncles are all pretty cool

-thinks our baby is a boy and often wants "to talk about boy names"

-wants to name him "John Tash" 

-is more obsessed with shoes than her mother

-hates wearing jeans

-loves her friend Scout (the grandparents keep asking how many Scouts we know because they hear Isla say her name so much!)

Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad

If the last couple days have not screamed "SUMMER!!!" to you, I'm not sure what will. We have been absolutely basking in the sunshine and spending every possible minute outdoors at the park or in the yard. After an afternoon of working in the garden, it seemed fitting to pull out the grill for the very first time this season and break it in. 

Yet again, the current issue of Cooking Light scored for the win. This marinade for the flank steak was to die for! My only qualm was that I felt it needed more liquid (I increased the soy sauce) and I would have left the meat in there marinating for a couple of hours had I planned farther in advance. Isla helped me make the dressing for the mango salad and, drum roll please, our very first batch of home-grown kale chips (three cheers for Fall planting!) I don't know if I was just extra hungry but that garden-fresh kale made the best chips yet! The magazine suggested serving the meat with homemade sesame wonton chips but I didn't have any wontons handy so threw together some coconut cilantro rice instead (substitute ~1/2 can of coconut milk for part of the cooking water and then once cooked, toss with fresh chopped cilantro). Delicious!

Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

5 teaspoons sugar, divided

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon reduced-fat peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cups shredded romaine lettuce

2 cups shredded green cabbage

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 mango, peeled and diced

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Combine chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add beef; let stand 15 minutes. Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade.

Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill; cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes; cut across grain into thin slices.

Combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, peanut butter, remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, and pepper in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add lettuce and next 4 ingredients; toss to coat. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with mango. Serve with beef.

Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 cup salad and 3 1/2 ounces beef)

Nutritional Information

Calories: 285,  Fat: 8.4g,  Saturated fat: 2.8g, Protein: 28g,  Carbohydrate: 26.4g,  Fiber: 3.8g, Sodium: 489mg 

Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad

If the last couple days have not screamed "SUMMER!!!" to you, I'm not sure what will. We have been absolutely basking in the sunshine and spending every possible minute outdoors at the park or in the yard. After an afternoon of working in the garden, it seemed fitting to pull out the grill for the very first time this season and break it in. 

Yet again, the current issue of Cooking Light scored for the win. This marinade for the flank steak was to die for! My only qualm was that I felt it needed more liquid (I increased the soy sauce) and I would have left the meat in there marinating for a couple of hours had I planned farther in advance. Isla helped me make the dressing for the mango salad and, drum roll please, our very first batch of home-grown kale chips (three cheers for Fall planting!) I don't know if I was just extra hungry but that garden-fresh kale made the best chips yet! The magazine suggested serving the meat with homemade sesame wonton chips but I didn't have any wontons handy so threw together some coconut cilantro rice instead (substitute ~1/2 can of coconut milk for part of the cooking water and then once cooked, toss with fresh chopped cilantro). Delicious!

GRILLED ASIAN FLANK STEAK WITH MANGO SALAD

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 cup salad and 3 1/2 ounces beef)

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

5 teaspoons sugar, divided

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon reduced-fat peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cups shredded romaine lettuce

2 cups shredded green cabbage

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 mango, peeled and diced

PREPARATION

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Combine chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add beef; let stand 15 minutes. Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade.

3. Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill; cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes; cut across grain into thin slices.

4. Combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, peanut butter, remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, and pepper in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add lettuce and next 4 ingredients; toss to coat. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with mango. Serve with beef.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 285,  Fat: 8.4g,  Saturated fat: 2.8g, Protein: 28g,  Carbohydrate: 26.4g,  Fiber: 3.8g, Sodium: 489mg 

Fried Chickpea and Arugula Pitas with Lime Tzatziki

Thursday nights are often vegetarian nights in our house. I try to prepare a meatless meal about once a week for money saving purposes and also to try to expand my cooking repertoire. Usually my creations are just ok but I've been bound and determined to find some really winners to add to my work night rotation. Tonight I did just that. For all you meat lovers out there, give this one a chance! The pan-fried chickpeas have a nice crunch and the spices they are tossed in provide incredible flavor. Don't even think about making a substitution for the Spanish smoked paprika - it's the highlight of the dish and you can find it your baking aisle (I buy mine from Trader Joe's). And did I mention the meal comes together in a flash? Twenty-three minutes later (according to the recipe and I concur), you'll be sitting down to a delicious dinner. Enjoy!

Fried Chickpea and Arugula Pitas with Lime Tzatziki

(From Cooking Light Magazine)

1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cucumber (about 8 ounces), peeled and shredded

6 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, halved

2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 cups loosely packed arugula

12 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
2. Combine yogurt, mint, lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, garlic, and cucumber in a small bowl.
3. Wrap pitas in foil; bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until warm.
4. Place chickpeas in a single layer on paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels; pat dry. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chickpeas to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy, stirring frequently. Remove chickpeas from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, chickpeas, cumin, paprika, and red pepper in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.
   Combine remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Add chickpea mixture; toss to coat.
   Fill each pita half with about 2/3 cup chickpea mixture, 1 tomato slice, and 2 tablespoons sauce. Serve immediately.
5. Serves 6 - serving size: 2 pita halves 
6. Nutritional Information: Calories: 370, Fat: 10.4g, Saturated fat: 1.8g, Protein: 15.8g, Carbohydrate: 57g, Fiber: 9.9g,Sodium: 586mg

Fried Chickpea & Arugula Pitas with Lime Tzatziki

Thursday nights are often vegetarian nights in our house. I try to prepare a meatless meal about once a week for money saving purposes and also to try to expand my cooking repertoire. Usually my creations are just ok but I've been bound and determined to find some really winners to add to my work night rotation. Tonight I did just that. For all you meat lovers out there, give this one a chance! The pan-fried chickpeas have a nice crunch and the spices they are tossed in provide incredible flavor. Don't even think about making a substitution for the Spanish smoked paprika - it's the highlight of the dish and you can find it your baking aisle (I buy mine from Trader Joe's). And did I mention the meal comes together in a flash? Twenty-three minutes later (according to the recipe and I concur), you'll be sitting down to a delicious dinner. Enjoy!

Fried Chickpea & Arugula Pitas with Lime Tzatziki

Serves 6 - serving size: 2 pita halves (recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cucumber (about 8 ounces), peeled and shredded

6 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, halved

2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 cups loosely packed arugula

12 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

1. PREPARATION
2. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
   2. Combine yogurt, mint, lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, garlic, and cucumber in a small bowl.
   3. Wrap pitas in foil; bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until warm.
   4. Place chickpeas in a single layer on paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels; pat dry. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chickpeas to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy, stirring frequently. Remove chickpeas from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, chickpeas, cumin, paprika, and red pepper in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.
   5. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Add chickpea mixture; toss to coat.
   6. Fill each pita half with about 2/3 cup chickpea mixture, 1 tomato slice, and 2 tablespoons sauce. Serve immediately.

   Nutritional Information

   Calories: 370, Fat: 10.4g, Saturated fat: 1.8g, Protein: 15.8g, Carbohydrate: 57g, Fiber: 9.9g,Sodium: 586mg

Paper chain

It is officially on! And we have a paper chain on our banister to prove it. I am SO DONE with this masters program and I think the one enrolled in it is too. It hasn't been the greatest of weeks. I would liken it to the feeling of trudging through deep snow wearing boots that are at least two sizes too big. It's slow going and the boots fall off every other step (one step forward, two steps back!) We're both beginning to feel the pressures of looming deadlines. So much so that even date night felt too stressful and so was cancelled. And going 4 straight months without but a weekend for a "spring break" is starting to get to us. Please pray for us! All I can say is praise God for grandparents who are providing respite in the form of much-needed childcare!!

As hard as all this is (and, if you haven't got the message yet, it's REALLY HARD), I continue to be kicked in the butt by the readings in my devotional "Jesus Calling." The content always seems to hit exactly what I was facing that day right on the nose. Today, I've been tempted to do nothing but complain. Then I go and read something like this (gulp!):

"I am calling you to a life of thankfulness.  I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving.  The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty.  I am the Creator and Controller of the universe.  Heaven and earth are filled with My glorious Presence. When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you thing you could run the world better than I do.  From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I’m mismanaging things.  But you don’t know what I know or see what I see.  If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view heavenly realms, you would understand much more.  However, I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight.  I lovingly shield you from knowing the future or seeing into the spirit world.  Acknowledge My sovereignty by giving thanks in all circumstances."

So, thank you Jesus for what you are doing in our lives right now. (And Lord, may I truly mean the words I just typed)!

Minor career "crisis"

I've been doing a lot of thinking this week....

This post is going to be my first attempt at exploring these thoughts, a means to ponder and process all that is running through my head and heart. It might end up looking more like verbal vomit (an awful mental picture I know, but a term I coined to describe the spew of words that sometimes flies from my mouth as I think and process aloud or in this case, in writing). Please bear with me. 

First and foremost, my primary job is being a parent. I've always believed that and don't ever want to lose sight of it. As a middle schooler, I dreamed of being a stay at home mom or a pastor's wife, occasionally a hairdresser  or a receptionist. I wanted to grow up, get married to the man of my dreams (done and done!), have kids (done and done and in progress!), and then stay at home with my kids 100% of the time. Or so I thought. This last one has been a point of conflict for me at times - the usual guilt that comes with leaving your kids and going to work I think. As it turns out, going back to work the very part time amount that I have has been a total gift for me though I haven't always thought so. This season of our lives has been insane (to put it lightly) and going to work has provided a needed "break" and change of pace and mental stimulation. I know people debate endlessly about this topic to stay or home or not to stay at home and ultimately, everyone needs to make their own decision and do what works for them. We are all wired very differently and I think it's important that we remember that. This is what works for our family right now and I'm grateful.

Secondly, I am really glad that I majored in nutrition. It is a topic that I am passionate about, a field of study that matters (or at least should matter) to everyone. It is so applicable and useful on a daily basis and I love how I can impart little tidbits of knowledge to my family. I have always thought I would work in a job that combined my love of food and cooking with my passion for health and I may someday do just that. Maybe this will be an area that I find energy to explore in the years to come or maybe not.

Over the course of the last 7 years (going on 8!) as a dietitian in a neonatal intensive care unit, I've had these little twinges. My role there matters and I don't think anyone would ever argue that fact. Without nutrition, these tiny premature babies or septic term infants would not grow and heal and ultimately get well and go home. But my job is indirect, more advisory in nature and I often find myself longing to get my hands in there and get messy, to have more one-on-one interaction with the patients, to be a part of the intense, think-fast-on-your-feet situations (here's where the twinges come in). When selecting colleges to apply to, I chose only those options that had both a nursing and nutrition program because, at the time, I was still undecided on my major. A couple negative experiences with blood later and -BOOM- decision made: nutrition it would be! 

But then there are these twinges, these moments where quite honestly, part of me wishes I were one of the doctors or neonatal nurse practitioners or maybe even a nurse. I have learned an incredible amount about the anatomy and physiology of newborn babies, about the birth process, about the numerous risk and complications that come along with it just by working in the environment that I'm in. Most of the time, these twinges are passing and I remind myself how nice it is to be able to truly "leave work at work," to have set hours and lunch breaks and not a lot of stress. But the twinges always return and there are direct triggers that cause them to resurface. Having our sweet Emma hospitalized as a sick 5 day old (pictured above) was one such trigger. Being on the "other side" of the hospital experience was humbling and I felt the urge to play a bigger role in direct patient care at that time.

The grand majority of the cases we work with in our unit have what most would consider "happy endings" but there are the occasional sad cases that make you stop in your tracks and question what you are doing with your life. These latter cases are the ones I've been pondering lately and they are the primarily reason for all of this thinking. When these tough cases come and the end is near, I have found myself wanting to be in the room with the family as their baby takes it's last breath, to be there to comfort and to cry. I don't know if a lot of people wake up in the morning wishing they could walk alongside parents as they lose a child. But I do. And I have to believe that desire is God-given so I'm trying to remain open and giving myself space to explore it. 

So this is where I'm at. I'm realistic in recognizing that the chance of burn out from the emotional burden of a career like this is incredibly high. In fact, it may just be too much for a feeling person like me. The thought of going back to school at this moment is absolutely the LAST thing I want to do right now. We need to spend a season as a "normal" family and experience what it feels like to function together without a the pursuit of a higher degree in the picture (64 more days people!) But as Graham told me last night, he doesn't want me looking back on my life when I'm 50 and regretting where I am at. He's always told me I should be the one in school anyways. So who knows? This may just be another one of those passing twinges. It might be a grass-is-always-greener sort of situation. Or it may be the work of God, tugging at my heart strings and urging me to make a move. If it's the latter, I don't want to ignore it. And so that's why I'm pondering. I don't plan to make any drastic changes in the near future but this is something I will be praying about. So there you have it - do with it what you will!