Cooking for Baby by Lisa Barnes

Thank god for this book! I had started to discard it when Singer stopped eating purees, but when I recently dusted it off and revisited the toddler recipes, I found help! Food my kid will actually eat!!

The recipes are a bit more involved than a typical quick-and-easy meal, but it's worth it. They are delicious for the whole family. Tonight, we had bacon, green bell pepper, onion, rosemary, and swiss fritattas, yesterday we made the weekend waffles with banana sauce, last week I made the chicken and mango quesodillas, and this week I'm attempting to tackle salmon and corn chowder.

Oh!!! I was SO FED UP with pasta!! What a lifesaver this book is.
Enjoying mealtime again,
Jess

Searching for Spring

This past Friday, Singer and I had a special mommy-son date. We ventured out to West Chester, PA (about 45 minutes from Philadelphia) to pay homage to the beautiful Longwood Gardens. We know that Spring is just around the corner, but at Longwood it's already here!

I didn't really know what to expect. I had heard that these grounds and indoor gardens were incredible, but I had no idea how truly amazing they are. Longwood is a maze of greenhouses to get lost in, and that's exactly what we did. Hours passed by like minutes as we took in every bloom. It was heavenly.

I also have to mention how accommodating Longwood Gardens is for families. The paths are very stroller-friendly, there is a fun Children's Garden with musical activities, fountains and a flower maze, and there are convenient baby-changing stations in the restrooms (what a treat! In Philly, sometimes you never know where you'll end up changing your baby!).

The best part: we were there for the International Orchid show. Wow. It was incredible. These tiny delicate flowers mesmerized us, and the artistry of orchid breeding was so apparent. Of all the beauty I've tried to expose my kid to, I think this day may take the cake. Singer couldn't get enough.


Thank you, Longwood Gardens, for the beautiful gift!
Stopping to smell the roses,
Jess

Blowing kisses (kind of)

Please don't mind the splattered dinner all over the highchair and baby :)

Finally!

It's that time of year again! Yay! My box of lillies says it's SPRING!!
Of course, as I'm typing this, the forecast says that tonight's low is 26 degrees. Pay no mind! The flowers say spring is here!

Can't wait to love on Philadelphia again,
Jess

Ch-ch-changes!

Geeze!! I don't usually apologize for blog breaks. I figure everyone understands that you sometimes gotta do what you gotta do. But, I'M SORRY for this one. My excuse isn't even a good one: my kid has stopped napping!!! HELP!!!

It happened after we got back from Florida. Something changed while we were there. My mom thinks maybe the sunshine instilled a new sense of confidence in him. Who knows? All I can say is this kid has gained an opinion...about everything. Singer doesn't want to sit in his highchair, he doesn't want to eat, he doesn't want to put on his shoes, and he doesn't want to have a diaper change. He doesn't want to nap, he doesn't want to nurse, and he doesn't want to get dressed. The list goes on...

What he DOES want to do: eat dirt off the floor, bang on the laptop, play in the dog's water bowl, pull all the leaves off the plants, climb the stairs, open the cabinets and climb on the dishwasher, and rearrange the furniture. I'm serious. He MOVES furniture.

So, I've been getting really creative about hiding vegetables in Pesto Ravioli or Grilled Cheese (the only two things he'll eat), and I've also been putting the teeny tornado to bed at 7pm. Who can blame me?!

One thing I can say--with each passing day, my baby is turning more into a toddler. And while it breaks my heart to see him grow up, I cannot express in words how proud of him I am. He is such a funny, kind little soul. He's curious about everything, and he reminds me of his daddy. And he reminds me of me sometimes, too.

And he's actually taking a nap right now...so I shouldn't complain :)
sigh,
Jess

The Daddy

Singer was without John for seven days while we vacationed in Florida, and then John met us on day seven for some family time. I have NEVER seen a kid light up the way Singer did when we met John at the airport. It was a very special moment for all of us.

I am so blessed by the love between this father and son. And I'm also blessed that Daddy took his son for a sunrise stroll and let mommy sleep-in while we were in St. Pete Beach (see above pic).

Feeling the love,
Jess