2010 May

perfect peace

05/31/2010 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

There’s something special about a child being so secure and comfortable in someone’s arms that they can just fall asleep, trusting that they will be taken care of and all will be well.

Of course we see that all the time with newborns and small babies, but if your child is at all like mine falling asleep ‘on the go’ just doesn’t happen. There’s too much to see and do and who wants to miss out on all the fun?!

Well, the comfort of daddy’s ~~arms~~ shoulders just got to be too much to fight the other night… Bjørn fell fast asleep, drooling all over daddy’s head, and stayed asleep even as I took him, changed his diaper and his clothes and put him to bed.

Doesn’t this just melt your heart?

Filed Under: bjørn, family pics ·

and we’re done.

05/24/2010 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Nursing that is. It’s over. I realized a few days ago that Bjørn hadn’t nursed in a while. Days actually. He just stopped, and… I didn’t even notice! On the one hand, I was relieved. This was something I wanted, you know, something I had initiated myself. But on the other hand, I was broken. I had missed the ending of this special bond with my son, and it broke my heart. One of my favorite parts of being a mom so far was over, and… I didn’t even realize it.

So, I decided I needed to create my own last time, so that I could enjoy each moment of my son’s sweet breath, his cuddles, and his need for only me. I offered, one last time, and he was happy to accept. We cuddled and he nursed, and I stared into his eyes and savored his perfect fit until he wouldn’t sit still one more minute. I really didn’t want this to end. Yet, I did. Such an odd feeling of relief and misery. Black and white at the same time. Happy and sad.

Ultimately I am so grateful for this journey that we have taken. I have loved every minute of it. Every pain, every inconvenience, every discomfort… every experience of joy and satisfaction and of what being truly needed feels like. I have loved it all. And as happy as I am to be done, for now… I am already so excited for this relationship to begin again with baby #2 this fall!!

Filed Under: bjørn, mama musings, nursing, ramblings, weaning ·

from-scratch chicken caesar salad

05/22/2010 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Caesar salad at a great restaurant with a glass of red wine is one of my favorite meals. So satisfying, rich, garlicky, salty and perfect!

I finally decided I needed to come up with my own recipe for homemade caesar dressing, because really… that’s what makes the salad, and why pay $15 at a restaurant when I can make it at home for a fraction of the price?

I’m so glad I finally got around to it, because I sure love this salad. I could eat it almost every night, especially during the hot summer months when I want nothing to do with an oven!

If you don’t buy whole rotisserie chickens from the store, please start. I buy one or two almost every time I go to the store. We snack on a bit of it when we get home, while it’s still warm, and then I pick off the rest of the meat and place it in the fridge for quick meals the rest of the week. Easy!

If you are even remotely as caesar-obsessed as I am (do you order it almost everywhere you go?) then you must try this recipe. You will be glad you did!

from-scratch chicken caesar salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
2 romaine hearts
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken breast, chopped
shredded or sliced parmesan cheese

Directions

Puree the first 7 ingredients in a blender until smooth. This can be done up to 1 day ahead.

Wash, dry and chop the romaine hearts into a large bowl. Toss in the chicken breast pieces and the parmesan cheese. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing to coat. Top with fresh ground black pepper and extra lemon slices for anyone who wants them!

http://sweetannas.com/2010/05/easy-homemade-chicken-caesar-salad.html

www.sweetannas.com

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - dinner, recipes - make ahead, recipes - salads ·

blog slacking…

05/20/2010 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Yes, yes… I know. I’ve been slacking on the blog lately. Why? Because I’m tired! :o) Really, it seems I have been focusing every spare moment I have on catching a few winks of sleep!

I am starting to feel better, more like myself… but I am still tired, and besides that I have been doing pretty much no cooking at all lately! (Just ask my husband… he’s pretty sad!) No cooking/baking = nothing fun to blog about!

Of course I could blog about pregnancy and babies and cravings and emotional breakdowns every 5 minutes, but is that really what you come here for?? Ok, maybe you come here for a little bit of that, but I’m betting that’s not what the majority of you come here to see. If I’m wrong, please correct me and I will gladly share with you all my random crazy pregnancy thoughts! :o)

I did make these yummy Almond Poppyseed Muffins the other day (yes, it was a craving)…

But, they are not exactly what I wanted them to be and so I am not ready to share the recipe. And since my taste buds/appetite/brain are not what they are usually, I don’t want to scrap the recipe until I can try it again at a more ‘normal’ time! Be watching for it one of these days (months?)!

Thanks for putting up with my pregnancy slacking! I promise that I will get back up to par… someday!

Filed Under: preggo musings ·

12 week baby bump!

05/17/2010 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Here it is! 12 weeks along with baby #2!!

I apologize for the quality of these pictures! The cut off head, the grainy low-light situation… everything! I was using the self-timer on my camera this evening, and I just got tired of finding more books to prop up the camera on. I will do better next time. :o)

Here is a picture of my belly at almost 12 weeks when I was pregnant with Bjørn! Is it just me, or does my bump look quite a bit bigger this time than it did with him??

Let’s look at them together and see…

So, what do you think?

Oh, and here’s a bump-baring pic! Please please excuse the expression on my face! What was I thinking?? (literally!!) :o)

Hope these satisfied your curiosity! I will do my best to update the bump pics regularly… :o)