52 week project / 04. 05. 06.

Currently catching up. On so much. I've let things settle...and in a bad way. Mail has piled up. Voicemails have gone unheard. Blog posts have gone unwritten! Eeks. Here I am though, ready to rumble.

"A portrait of my child, once a week, for a year."

SIlas: Oh my goodness. How much you have grown this past month. Well, kind of. You are having a bit of trouble putting on weight so I've resorted to giving you all sorts of treats. Ice cream? Sure. Mac and Cheese? Why not. Pretty much everything I said I wouldn't allow you to have until later on. You are soooo tall though. Also, 8 teeth my little guy. I'm hoping we are at the end of the teething journey for now. That is of course until we get some molars which I'm sure are super fun. You have learned how to give kisses which are my absolute favorite thing. You love to snuggle and hang out in bed when it's rainy out. Your walking has turned into running and we have had to deal with quite a few scraped knees so far. Comes with the territory though. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you. So proud of the sweet and handsome boy you are turning into :) 

space

Giving someone space. It's hard. I noticed in this last week, since we got to be outside so much, that Silas is cool with going it alone a bit. I mean, I'm not dropping him off and telling him I'll be back in a few hours. He's still a baby. But, now that he's walking he really enjoys just going off on his own. And so I let him. I lie on our blanket and let him wander a bit. Of course, as soon as I feel slightly nervous that people are wondering who the hell that kid belongs to, I yell his name and motion for him to come back. He always does. I sort of get the feeling that I'm preparing for the future. When a child really doesn't need their mama all that much. Maybe being ok with it now is hardening me up a bit so I don't lose it the day he tells me he can do it himself. 

I actually really like doing this. Watching him explore, maybe eat some grass, fall down a few times and always getting back up. I probably have a stupid grin on my face the whole time. Partly because it's just so cute to watch a baby make sweet little curious faces, but also because it is so exciting to see him learning. I'm so mushy! But, honestly I am finding it just super enjoyable watching my baby boy put this world together.

52 week project / 03

"A portrait of my child, once a week, for a year."

Silas: You are cutting what appears to be SIX teeth right now. We are both struggling through this; you with the pain and me with trying to console you. We are also aiming to get you comfortable to sleep in your crib. I have absolutely loved and cherished our co-sleeping journey, but we think you will be more comfortable since you are getting just way to big to share the bed with us. I love you so much baby boy. Hoping next week starts off a little better than today did.

What's for dinner?

This week I totally failed at my normal grocery list/meal planning. Honestly, I was just too tired. When things get crazy like this I tend to just head to the store and grab the basics and that way I don't have to think very hard about what I'm making, I have a bunch of possibilities. I try to stay away from doing this though because then it means I spend a lot of $$ and I tend to make multiple trips to the store to grab items. By planning out our dinners for the week it keeps the reigns a little tighter on my wallet. This week was a great week for leftovers though. I try to make dinners that are great (or even better!) the next day for lunch.

Poulet au citron et lavande. This is by far my most favorite chicken dish. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are so cheap so this is a great dish because it's easy on the wallet and absolutely delicious. It has honey, lavender, and lemon. The recipe is by the lovely Rachel Khoo, one of my favorite chefs. I really look up to her style in the kitchen.

Salade Nicoise. French theme this week? This was my take on the traditional Salade Nicoise. I cooked up a salmon filet and served it with a dill vinaigrette. All of these componets were made ahead of time and that makes dinner so much easier!

Hawaiian style pulled pork with coconut rice. We had leftovers from this for almost 3 days. The pork was made in the crockpot so all I had to do was make the rice and roast some veggies. So easy.

Falafel with a mint + dill yogurt sauce. I was not in the mood for cooking the other night so this came to mind. A healthy and light salad made easy with falafel mix that I get in the bulk bins at my grocery store.

Happy cooking! xo