Second, we’ve moved to Seattle. What a change from Philadelphia! For me, being on the other side of the country feels like I’m upside down. Living in a West Coast city is much, much different than an East Coast city. I haven’t been here long enough for me to make true sense of my impressions of it so far: the people are nice; the climate is different – yes, it does rain here all of the time in the rainy season, which is when we moved here; and we had to buy a car(!).

Claire seems to have adjusted pretty well. We’ve been having some sleeping troubles (i.e. separation anxiety troubles) but other than that she’s been having a great time. Here she is at our new neighborhood park.

For some reason I love this expression. You can see the wheels moving behind those eyes. It’s at times like these that she looks most like Aaron.

This summer has been great fun. Check out Claire in the sprinklers at our awesome neighborhood park:

Claire is loving her the new freedom of feeding herself, which makes her feel very independent. I love it, too. Although, we are making gradual changes in what we eat since she wants to eat everything we do – let’s just say I like to make my chili HOT.

So things may take a new turn around here with what I post; I’m still working out a plan, which is why I haven’t really posted too much. But Claire and I (and Daddy, too!) shall return to the baby-blogosphere – mostly likely with some minor changes.

She’s only recently started using a spoon by herself and she loves that control. She really concentrates and gets into it. The picture above caught her in a rare moment of looking up from her food.

This was actually my first try at polenta. I’ve always been a little afraid of it the way I used to be afraid of risotto – I fear neither no more! Polenta is so easy as long as you’ve got a moment (actually many, many moments) to stir. It was a good thing Claire was already in her high chair because Aaron was manning the grill (another fear of mine). I used a recipe (from Bon Appetit) that was nice and creamy, which was perfect for Claire to eat. Easy to spoon or grab – and either way she was shoving it in her mouth.

Creamy Polenta
serves 6
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (Gasp! I used this before I gave it to Claire for taste. It’s not that much so I didn’t feel too badly about it.)
1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)*

Bring milk, water, and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to low; simmer until smooth and thick, stirring almost constantly, about 18 minutes.

*I used regular cornmeal and it worked out just fine – just only cook it for about half the time.

But I guess I’m supposed to be. She went to her 9 month check up a little late (at exactly 10 months). They check her stats (see above) and the first thing the dr says to me when I first see her – to be fair, this was a different dr; my usual dr is on maternity leave so this would be Claire’s third dr – is about getting an MRI for my big-headed baby. WHOA! I say. Slow down. Fortunately, I brought Aaron along to prove his big-headedness. Take a look at her father, I said. She didn’t care about his head and proceeded to discuss the MRI just to ‘dot the i’s and cross the t’s’. But who’s i’s and t’s is she talking about. If there were delays, developmental short-comings, or if she looked like an orange on a toothpick, then I would be open. But an MRI?!? She would have to be sedated – a 10 month old baby sedated to dot i’s and cross t’s. I’m just not so sure. She proceeded further to tell me that CHOP is one of the best hospitals in the country, that she would be in good hands, etc., etc….I’m aware of how great CHOP is but it’s my daughter that you’d be drugging. I was told I could wait to have her checked again at 12 months but if it still was growing at the same rate they would ‘make’ me get the MRI. ‘Make’ is a strong word and I wasn’t pleased with her forcefulness without any cause for concern other than the measurements.

So I’ve decided to wait. I don’t think the stress is necessary. I’m working on getting a second opinion and – to my great fortune – my MIL has Aaron’s medical records from when he was a baby: the head circumferences are just about equal at each stage – like father like daughter; Claire really is a mini-Aaron in so many respects. I’m taking the wait and see approach. I can’t help but trust my instincts on this.

I’ve never minded. She’s proportionately big and just so darn cute. Ok, sometimes I’ve minded when I’m trying to carry her and something else or if I’ve been holding her for a long time. I minded when we had to go back for a second check-up to measure her head to make sure there wasn’t extra fluid in her brain. Once I explained the size of my husband’s head (we even measured before the appointment), they chalked it up to genetics for now – we still have to be mindful of its size for next check-up. But for the most part I’m used to her size and my biceps are thankful because they are now huge (my triceps, on the other hand, look like change purses – I guess I’ll have to work on that someday).

Her age often makes her a show stopper. Hooray for babies! My neighborhood is very friendly (the city is friendly in general, which is why I will always want to live in a city surrounded by other people) and people always stop and wave when I’m on the street. (She’s just now learning to wave back – sometimes.) I love when people stop to talk to Claire. She needs to learn that she’s part of a world much bigger than herself; feeding Claire doesn’t have to be just about food – but now I’m on a tangent…

A few weeks ago I was at the Italian market, a crowded street market that is always full of friendly people. Walking around with a stroller is often tight and it becomes quite an intimate experience. When I’m with Claire, I don’t have to move very far before I get stopped and stopped and stopped and stopped.

As I was making my way between stands, a woman stopped me and instead of saying ‘Hello!’ or waving to Claire, she says, “That is one BIG baby! How old is she?”

“Almost 9 months,” I say.

“What?!” (I’m pretty sure – if this it’s possible – I could hear both the question and exclamation point.) “Hey!” She’s now calling to her friend who is a few steps ahead, “come take a look at this big baby!”

I say nothing. These two strangers were just staring; but, I felt ready to defend my baby.

“Oh my!” says woman #2. “What are you feeding her?”

“Well, food,” I say. There was nothing else to say. It was a slightly unnerving – I was surprised at how defensive I felt, if only for a fleeting moment. Then we all laughed and continued down the market. If there’s one thing about Philadelphia, especially South Philly, it’s that you’ll never know who you’re going to meet and what they’re going to say and usually it’s exactly what’s on their minds.

I may be used to her size but most people aren’t. Now, at almost ten months, people often mistake her for being 12 or 15 months. There is always a look of surprise when I say her age. It’s usually followed by a look of relief considering she would be developmentally behind any 15 month old. I don’t mind this either. Someday she will be as old as the other kids at the playground and even now she has a ton of fun watching them.

For Mother’s Day celebrations, I decided that I wanted to have the mothers here at my house. I’ve never hosted a holiday gathering. Before we moved to South Philly our apartments were either too far or way, way, way too small to have more than four total people in them. Now that we’re in a house, we can have a small crowd. And a small crowd it was: my mom, her husband, his mom, and Aaron’s mom. Of course there’s the three of us. Not too many; but, still, it was Mother’s Day and I didn’t want to get overwhelmed – at least, not completely.

We opted for a classic American Mother’s Day meal, that included, yes, a crock pot. This crock pot was a hand-me-down to my husband that is probably older than we are (I think it used to be avocado green but it’s since faded into a dreary pea soup). But it works. And since we were going classic American, by which I mean a throwback to old seventies-style meal, I turned to the queen of classic American: Martha Stewart. Now, I’m not a big Martha fan (I will admit I have watched her show in the afternoon but she’s just so awkward and I’m not that crafty or motivated or clean to be a big fan) but we are never disappointed in her recipes. On the menu for Ma’s Day:

• Pulled pork sandwiches with tangy red cabbage (courtesy of Martha)
• Potato salad
• Spinach salad (courtesy of MIL)
• and for dessert (a household favorite, also courtesy of Martha): Carrot Cake, which we made that morning (ok, maybe we were a little overwhelmed but once you’ve tasted this cake it’s so worth it.

The pulled pork sandwiches were quite tasty although I thought they could probably use some spice doctoring. I like my meats a little bolder but if you want standard (and super easy) pulled pork sandwiches, I’d certainly recommend these:

Ingredients
serves 6
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
coarse salt and ground pepper
3-pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
Tangy Red Cabbage (see below)
6 crusty white rolls, split in half horizontally

1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together 1/2 cup ketchup, sugar, garlic, sage, oregano, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cut pork in half lengthwise; add to slow cooker, turning to coat. Cover, and cook on low until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 8 hours (or on high for 6 hours). Meanwhile, prepare Tangy Red Cabbage, if desired.

2. Transfer pork to a large bowl. Using a large spoon, skim off and discard any fat from surface of cooking liquid. With two forks, pull meat apart until shredded. Pour any juices from slow cooker over pork, add remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper. Spoon meat onto bottom half of rolls; add red cabbage, if desired, and top of roll.

Tangy Red Cabbage In a medium bowl, toss 1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage with 2 tablespoons cider vinegar and a little coarse salt. Let stand until soft and bright in color, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

The meal went over well with the moms. For a large group it was great to have a crock-pot, buffet style, help yourself because I’m done with cooking for the day meal. What was even better was that we had leftovers, which lasted until last night. We put some of the pork in the food mill for Claire and she enjoyed it – though probably not as much as we did. I’m finding Claire to like just a little meat but not too much. I’m not sure if I can handle a vegetarian in the house!

So yesterday I was getting her dressed and I asked her, ‘Who am I?’ And she promptly replied, ‘Mama, mamamamama’. Close enough! I took the bait! So I asked again, ‘Who am I?’ Claire replied, ‘Mamamamama, mama!’ Whoo hoo! Claire is the smartest!! So, because this was becoming all about me, I asked a third time, ‘Who am I?’ And, of course, Claire replied, ‘Dada. Dada!’

Broccoli food cubes are super simple to make. I usually use the broccoli crowns that are readily available in my supermarket. I trim off some of the stem and leaves (but not too much, broccoli is full of flavor). Then I steam it as I would if I were going to eat it. It’s almost as simple as 1-2-3:

1. Trim (and I cut into smaller bits for easier steaming).

2. Steam until tender.

3. Puree.

Okay, there are a few more things involved; but not too much. Just add some water as the broccoli is pureeing to your desired texture and you’re done.

The cauliflower I make the exact same way. I use cauliflower often as what I call a ‘filler’ veg. Cauliflower is good on it’s own but not always. Sometimes I use it to add a little extra something to veg, like broccoli or carrots. It gives it a nice depth. (Yeah, I just used ‘depth’ when talking about baby food.)