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The Constant

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

You know what parenting two kids is? It’s constant…non-stop, sometimes wonderful, other times not so wonderful constancy. It’s a perpetual motion tending to both of them on my own and I have two easy (so far) kids. The hardest part is when they tag team me at 5:00 in the morning. Kaili has been waking up super early and it only seems to happen when Shane isn’t home.

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Averi is almost 6 weeks old and is different day to day. She eats about every 2-4 hours during the day, at night its anybody’s guess. I try to be consistent putting her down around 8:30-9:00. Some nights she wakes up 3 hours later on.the.dot, and others  she will go a nice long stretch waiting until 2:00 or 3:00am. The latter is happening more often and it’s dreamy.

When she’s awake, she wants to be snuggled. A little tummy time here, a little swing time there but then its into my arms. Put here in the stroller or the car and she passes out like a frat boy after a kegger and she will stay asleep.

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Since she is an easy traveler we have been getting out a lot on the weekends, car shows, festivals, wine tasting and lunches.

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San Diego Bay *photo courtesy of Brian Kerr

 

Considering Averi should have only been here 18 days ago, It’s been nice to be able to enjoy summer a little longer than I had expected. Soon it will fade away and Fall will be peeking around the corner.

 

Panzanella Salad

~ Girlmom ~ 5 Comments

Why a Panzanella salad? Because I had an heirloom tomato sitting in the fridge, a half a loaf of ciabatta bread racing towards getting stale and zero burrata cheese.

Gawd, Google can be a bitch when looking for a recipe. Every one I came across was different than the next. Some had peppers, few had capers, some even had Feta cheese. Feta isn’t Italian, it’s Greek so that is not OK to put in your Italian bread salad.

The Pioneer Woman had a good looking recipe but I have recently made two of her dishes and was disappointed both times, so I am sorry to say I will not be making her recipes anymore. However, Ina Garten has never let me down…I went with hers.

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It’s a very straightforward dish to make. Chop up all your veg and throw them in a bowl. Toast your bread chunks in some olive oil and salt and then whisk up a vinaigrette. Toss it all together and let it marinade for an hour at room temperature and then serve.

The only tip I can give you is don’t put this in the fridge BEFORE serving. It changes the texture of the tomatoes and the bread gets soggy. You will have to challenge yourself and your guests to eat the entire bowl, easy challenge!

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A Week in Photos

~ Girlmom ~ 2 Comments

Whoa, Monday slapped me in the face this morning. I knew it was coming, I was prepared as can be but of course both girls didn’t sleep as well as they normally do. It’s like they know...

If you can believe it, I was a tad hesitant to make a final decision on our embryos. Not that I want to have another child, I don’t even think my Dr. would go for it…but getting rid of them is just so FINAL. But for obvious reasons we did go ahead and donate them to training.

 

 

We took Kaili to a little carnival in town. She wanted to go on every ride even though she wasn’t tall enough for the majority of them. Some of the Carnies weren’t strict so she managed to get on more than she probably should have.

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And of course she rode a pony, always ride the pony.

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We have been walking home from her new school, it sure beats the car.

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She has the maternal instinct, she is a natural caregiver.

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Shane and Gordon fixed the gas leak in our fire pit, now it’s good as new and ready for Fall.

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We became wine members at Blue Door Winery. They just opened 6 weeks ago, they are close and kid friendly.

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This face is getting chubbier by the day.

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Kaili met a bunny at the car show in National City, she also met a baby chick and a duck. Then somehow she got ahold of an egg and dropped it on her coloring page so we high tailed it out of there.

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Sisters.

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It was so nice having Shane home but it’s back to reality. Soon I hope to pack the girls up and head up to Ventura to spend a few days at the beach. I guess for now it’s time to get back into our new routine of life.

3 Week Babydate

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

The babe likes to eat and is already over 7 lbs going on 20. She eats 3-4 and sometimes 5 oz. every 3 hours. Lately she struggles to get comfortable when she’s done due to gas. I usually  feed her at 10pm and then turn in myself but the other night I stayed up with her until close to midnight trying to get her settled. She woke for her next meal not an hour later. Yawn…thankfully Shane got up with Kaili the next morning. I woke up frantically at 8 am realizing Kaili had her first day of school starting at 8:30. I threw her lunch together in a fog and had to double check it when we got to school, just to make sure I actually packed her food.

I tried switching up her schedule the other night and it ended up backfiring on me with Averi awake and hungry at 5:am. That is the worst time since there is no going back to sleep with early bird Kaili rising at 6:30. I am going to have to get my shit together before Shane heads back to work Monday.

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On a positive note, I got both girls to sleep in their own rooms at the same time yesterday and it was a nice glimpse into the future. I also managed to leave the house with both of them on my own. It may not seem like a huge fete but to me it was. Kaili helped me pick out hummus, fruit and we did some dark chocolate tasting at the farmers market. The girl knows her chocolate, she chose the 77% from Madagascar.

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3 weeks old and no time isn’t flying by, it seems longer than 3 weeks since I had Averi. Maybe it’s because my recovery has been slow going but I imagine time will speed up when I am all on my own.

Slowing Down

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

Things are slowing down after a brimful week of San Diego fun.  We tried a handful of new restaurants, ran into more than one Michael Myers, hit up Belmont Park and took too many pictures of baby face.

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Comic Con happened last weekend so we hopped on the trolley {Kaili’s favorite} and headed downtown. First, let me take a selfie or an USsie.?

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Culinary superstars Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich opened another Pizzeria Mozza in Seaport Village. A “must-do” on my summer bucket list. What a perfect place to have lunch  before people watching the entertainers at Comic Con. My father in law has a flare for dramatics when it comes to trying new foods. After having the menu translated for him and convincing him that bufala wasn’t actually buffalo and was just a very good, fresh mozzarella cheese, he decided to have his own panini while the rest of us shared a few pizzas. He just couldn’t leave his comfort zone enough to give the delicious pizzas a try.  If you go, I recommend the fennel sausage, panna, scallions and red onion pizza.

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pizza alla benno
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After lunch we strolled down the street to take in all the sights and sounds. You don’t have to spend the big bucks on getting tickets into Comic Con, there is enough to see and do on the streets of downtown. We walked, stopping for some wine and people watching, then we ran into this guy times 5.

This was our second year hitting up Comic Con, I think it’s going to be a fun tradition to continue.

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Every now and then I have to stop and snap photos of this princess.

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One afternoon after Kaili’s nap I thought it would be fun to take her and the folks down to Belmont Park. Lunch by the beach followed by rides, what’s better than that? We ate lunch at Draft, the newest oceanfront restaurant and beer house. I had a french toast BLT topped with a tomato hollandaise sauce, it was something different and really good.  After, we let Kaili take turns dragging us on the rides, the carousal being her favorite. I really wanted to hit a few of the adult ones myself but I was urged to squash that idea due to my healing incision.

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Shane’s folks left us Tuesday and now we are getting back into the swing of things just the four of us. It was great having them here and it was more help than I could have wished for. Kaili now has Walla Walla on the brain and is eager to go up and see them again soon.

Baby break.

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Date Night

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

I am way behind on my writing. We have been busy the past few weeks and when I did have free time I couldn’t find the motivation to put pen to paper.

Shane and I were given the opportunity to have a date night last week. I have been waiting to try a new restaurant so it took me no time to decide what to do.

Richard Blais, Bravo’s Top Chef  All-Stars winner just opened a new restaurant in Little Italy and it just so happens to be across the street from a new winery. We have been to San Diego Cellars a couple of times but its been during my pregnancy so I have been eager to try their wines.

We spent an hour at SD cellars while waiting for our reservations. Conversations flow easily with Todd, the winemaker and he was filling us in on his future wine making endeavors.

Dinner time rolled around and I walked into Juniper and Ivy like a kid waking up on Christmas morning. I had been waiting for this day for almost a year, to say I was excited is an understatement. We started with a nice bottle of Italian wine to pair with the Kurobuta pork meatball and bone marrow with crispy oysters to start.

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I had never had bone marrow before and I was pleasantly surprised. The meatball, topped with a mole sauce was also good.

For our main dishes, Shane tried the pork porterhouse which the waitress claims to have made grown men cry. I wouldn’t go that far but it was pretty darn good. I went with the white bass in a Veracruz sauce served over mashed black eye peas. I wasn’t thrilled with my decision, turns out I don’t love mashed peas but the fish was perfect.

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We couldn’t leave without trying a dessert so we easily agreed on the Yodel. A devils cake rolled up in a white chocolate ganache, covered in dark chocolate along some hazelnut brittle and deliciously dressed in hot chocolate. We indulged and every bite was delicious.

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It was a great night and  I would recommend you try both San Diego cellars and Juniper and Ivy if you are in San Diego, they live up to the hype.
It was so nice to get out of the house with my husband and have time just the two of us, talking, dining, drinking. I didn’t worry about the kids, I didn’t feel guilty being out, I was just happy.

 

The First Week Home in Photos

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

It’s been almost 2 weeks since I had Averi and almost 1 week since she’s been home. I have to say things are going quite well. Shane has been home  the past month but set off yesterday to get some work done in the office. Having my in-laws here has been invaluable. Kaili is being happily entertained, it has allowed me to ease into everything and  Shane and I get some time away together.

Averi is as sweet as can be. She eats about every 3 hours and then sleeps with some awake time spread out during the day. I get up twice at night to feed her which isn’t too bad if I can get back to sleep in a reasonable amount of time. Having help here, I have the luxury to sleep an extra hour while someone gets up with Kaili, if needed. This will come to an end in a few weeks, so I am taking advantage of every second.

Kaili is so happy to have Averi home. She has taken this new chapter like a champ and is already a great helper.

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Our first outing as a family was to Bali Hai for lunch. This bowl of Gazpacho was so good and the Mai Tai a tad too strong.

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Girls just wanna have fun.

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While the grandparents took Kaili to SeaWorld, Shane and I and a couple of friends took Averi to Ramona for some wine tasting. We leisurely made our way to 3 wineries, munched on too much cheese and enjoyed the much needed break from home.

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Slowly getting back into the kitchen.

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Hot tubbin’ with Grandpa G.

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It sure is going to be fun watching these two grow up together.

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What Should I Title This?

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

Kaili was sitting on Shane’s lap playing nicely and then out of the blue she hit him. “Kaili, we don’t hit, do you need to go to your room?” “Yes,” replied Kaili. Then she stomped down the hallway and the slamming of her door followed. A minute later she came out smiling.

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Did you guys watch the USA game yesterday? The range of emotions I felt during that 95 minutes was unreal.

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As I mentioned all I want to eat are desserts. Delicious decadent heavenly desserts. I saw a commercial for Sonic’s milkshakes, I have only been to a Sonic once in my life and it was on a road trip. Never need to go back but when I saw the commercial I could have sent Shane to the nearest one at that moment, they looked so good. Then I saw a picture of a coconut cream pie, are you kidding me? But then this recipe happened on Pinterest. I guess it’s been awhile since I looked for instant pudding but I don’t remember seeing coconut pudding before. This recipe definitely needs to be tested.

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I have had some contractions again the past couple of days, they seem innocent enough for now. I found this picture I took on one of the days I was at Triage. It’s probably hard to imagine what a contraction looks like on paper, so I thought I would share.

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We are officially under 20 days until we get to meet the baby. I am trying to go over all of the things I need for baby A. I am reusing everything of Kaili’s for the most part.  Going over some lists, I see I am missing a few things. If you have any suggestions for items that I could use, please indulge.

A Week in Photos

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

Someone has been working on their tracing.

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This month was our dinner theme, cuisine Française.

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The kids are all growing up. Next month we will be adding 2 more munchkins to this group.

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Despite the cards in her hands, she has become quite the Memory queen.

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Well played Dentist, well played.

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Finally 1 year later, she is able to reach the peddles.

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Uncle Wags came home from a long run of tourneys and came bearing gifts.

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There was also a USA soccer jacket thrown in for me. Tomorrow the World Cup starts, are you excited?

Culinary Bucket List { Asparagus Risotto }

~ Girlmom ~ 2 Comments

I almost fell off the culinary bucket list wagon. Luckily I got my shit together 3 days before June, phew.

I have not been in any mood or have had the energy or the desire for that matter to do any cooking. It’s been all Lean Cuisine and take out dreams baby.

After a sleepless night I got the hankering, scratch that, that is a horrible word. I got a craving yearning a want for a roast chicken, the roast chicken made me think of risotto and I have no idea why.  I have only made risotto a handful of times and it’s been the easy way, you know throw ingredients into a dutch oven, stir and slide it into the oven.

The classical way wants you to stir, stir and wait and stir like you are an executive chef in a fancy restaurant, risotto rubbing it’s fanciness all in your face. But since this is a bucket list I thought I would suck it up and try the fancy risotto.

I remembered a recipe my mom sent me years ago, it’s just been sitting on my computer waiting to be used. I followed it exactly plus 2 more cups of chicken broth, and it turned out goooood. Gordon Ramsey would SO not yell at me for this risotto. It kept me on my feet longer than I should have been, contraction, stir, contraction, sit down, stir. But it was well worth it!

So if you feel up to making risotto the fancy way give this recipe a try, if you don’t have the patience, try Ina’s.

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1 pound fresh asparagus
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons whipping cream
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnish: chopped tomato

1. Remove tough ends of asparagus. Reserve tips for later use in recipe. Finely chop the stalks and leave the tips in one inch pieces.

2. Bring broth to boil in a medium saucepan, then reduce to a simmer.

3. In a larger saucepan, melt butter; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is transparent. But not brown. Add rice and stir rapidly to coat with butter, Add asparagus stalks and wine, allow wine to evaporate.

4. Add ½ to 1 cup broth, so that the rice is barely covered with liquid. Stir frequently to allow broth to be absorbed. Don’t let rice go completely dry. Repeat, adding broth in ½ cup measurements, until 1 cup remains to be added.

5. Add asparagus tips and finish adding broth ½ cup at a time. When all is absorbed, remove pan form heat. Immediately stir in cream and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. If desired, garnish with chopped tomato.

Serves 4 to 5