Little Cousins

Last weekend we had tons of guests over -my brother, my cousin Pavel, and his daughter Alisa. So Pavel and Alisa saw Mark for the first time. I think we all had good time here. Too bad it was only for two days - Sunday and Monday - and I worked on Monday.

On Sunday Alisa played with Mark and generally ran around the house looking at things. She is tons of fun - talks a lot, asks A LOT of questions, bounces around like a little Energizer bunny, and it seems like she never ever gets tired. Well, maybe if you take her on a long-long walk. We did just that when we all went to Lake Lynn in the afternoon. And on Monday Chris made a big pizza! And we also had cake!! And that's why I still can't loose weight!!! (Plus I have like no will-power).

I think we all had a lot of fun. The only casualty of the visit was our cat, Xander. For some reason he really hates guests, especially children. He doesn't mind Mark and seems to like my parents. But he took a deep dislike of my brother almost from the moment they met and tried to sneakily attack him a couple of times. As for Alisa (and other small children), Xan gets scared, mews, growls like a dog, makes all sorts of threatening noises, and eventually tries to attack their feet. Alisa is a very generous girl and she seemed to like Xan even after all his rudeness. But for her safety and for Xan's sanity and life protection, we locked him up in a spare room for most of the time.

In other news, I feed Mark some sweet peas now. Gotta make sure that he likes the veggies, right? He is puzzled by the texture since it's a lot more "solid" than milk or liquid-y rice cereal. I don't know if he likes the tast that much or if he just likes chewing on the spoon, but he eats 2-3 baby spoons of this stuff and then licks his fingers and bib. I eat the rest so it doesn't spoil - very fresh and yummy! Xan got a hold of one of Mark's spoons and chewed the heck out of it. Maybe he's hinting that he wants some peas?

Mark

This has been a pretty exciting week. Mark has learned a great deal. He communicates now mostly through grunts and squeals. Crying is reserved only for extreme situations - when he's hungry, frustrated, or scared. He makes two different kinds of grunts. One is a good ol' "pooping" grunt - haha. The other one sounds like a low humming sound and he uses it sometimes when he's trying to fall asleep. His squeals are very loud now and serve not just to express delight and joy, but also to attract attention. If not properly attended to, these squeals degenerate into a loud protesting cry.

Yesterday we fed him new food - sweet peas. He was mostly surprised and didn't seem to like it too much. But at the same time he kept opening his mouth for another spoonful. We'll see if he likes it more today.

Also, he started expressing mild interest in his legs and toes. Sometimes he straightens his leg and grabs his knee. Other times he just watches his toes wiggle.

Most exciting of all, for half the night he sleeps in his basinet. Yes, we brought the basinet back into our room since I feel very uneasy about letting him sleep in a separate room yet. So after he goes to sleep, Chris moves him to the basinet. Mark is really big now so he touches the sides of the basinet with his feet and hands. But he seems to like the snuggness. Anyway, he sleeps there until about 2:30am when he wakes up to eat. After he eats, I just let him sleep in our bed for the rest of the night since both Chris and I are totally exhausted.

Father's Day Weekend

It felt like a long and very fun weekend. My parents visited. They got here on Friday afternoon, just as we finished all the preparation work - baking healthy organic muffins and very unhealthy cookies, cleaning up, etc. As usual, when parents arrived, they brought so much stuff with them, that it looked like they were moving in. And of course, they brought tons of food stuff, enough to award their Toyota Corolla an "official hunger-relief car" status. After unpacking and settling down, they got busy spoiling Mark. And Chris and I were just too happy to have 4 more hands to cary Mark around all the time; so we didn't mind. On Friday evening we made a big pizza from scratch. Chris made dough and I - toppings. It turned out so great that we decided to make pizza every week now.

On Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market. When I say "we" I really mean Mom, myself, Chris, and Mark. Dad stayed in the house, smoked, browsed Internet, and tried to get over his back-pain. Mom was really impressed by our Farmer's Market. Now it really boasts a huge variety of fresh fruits, veggies, herbs, flowers, cheeses and all that stuff. Originally we didn't plan on buying anything. But how could we resist all the sights and the smells and the sounds. And so we bought some goat cheese, tomatoes, cukes, and freshly picked bluberries. Mom even bought some flowers, included a small rose plant, to plant in NY.

Back at the house we set to cooking - yummy cold beet soup, leftover pizza, and a very-berry layered dessert. And we had so much sweet stuff - Chris's oatmeal-raising cookies, muffins, chocolate-dipped apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and of course all the apricots, cherries, grapes, and peaches that Mom could haul from NY. Then we waited until it cooled off a bit outside and drove to Pullen Park for a little stroll. We chose Pullen Park mostly because we wanted plenty of benches for Dad to sit on since his leg was bothering him. But the evening was so nice and the park - so lovely! There were plenty of children there, as usual, but most of the BBQ shelters were empty. Carousel and other rides were open and paddleboats were gliding all around the little lake. We simply walked around snapping pictures of each other.

After eating dinner, we decided that it would be a good idea to feed Mark his first solid food in front of his grandparents. And so I quickly made some water-based Gerber Organic Rice cereal; we put Mark in his swing (haven't gotten him a high-chair yet); put a huge bib on him; and I approached him with a little spoon bought just for the occassion. Chris was at the ready with the camera and Dad - aiming at us with a camcoder. I was almost sure with all this commotion, Mark would simply ignore the food. But he was such a good boy - opened his mouth wide for the spoon, made cute surprised cooing noises, and covered his face and his bib with cereal in the most darling way. And after eating ONE WHOLE TEASPOON of cereal, I took him upstairs for some regular food. Then later on he even drew a picture for his grandparents under Chris's and Grandma's supervision.

So after the grandparents left early on Sunday, Chris and I went to the stores to get Chris his Father's Day gift. Since Chris didn't know what he wanted and I didn't want to get him a pair of socks, we went to a couple of stores and got him several bars of gourmet dark chocolate. And later in the evening we drove to yet another park - Lake Lynn - for a nice leisurely 2.2-mile stroll. Going back to work on Mondays is getting ever more difficult!!!

4 Months

Can you believe it - Mark is 4 months old already?! On Friday we went for a regular check-up and a second round of shots. The boy is growing - he's 13lbs 15oz and 24.5in long. His head grew bigger as well - 41.5cm. And he was such a happy and curious boy all through the visit. But then he had to get the shots. He liked the first shot, which was administered orally, because he could chew on the dispencer. But the other three he really hated and made it known to all around him. Finally, after the nurse withdrew, our Band-Aided little bug quieted down. But for the next could of days he didn't feel all that great and even had a bit of a fever going. Happy freaking birthday, Mom and Dad! (Note to ourselves - do not schedule shots before important dates)

Last week Mark learned a lot of new and useful things. He learned to put everything he can grab right into his mouth. Some, like a teether or Dad's hand, turn out to be pretty good; others, like giraffe's foot or a soft red cube, are not at all tasty or chewable. When Mark sees himself in the mirror, he now smiles wide and tries to get close. If we hold him, then he just stretches his hands towards the mirror and squirms and makes little needy sounds. If he happens to be laying on his tummy, he lifts his butt up, pulls his knees under, grabs a blanket with his little hands, and tries to crawl towards the mirror. Of course, he can't yet. But what he can do is to leapfrog. At first he could only do it when laying on his back. He would dig his heels into the floor, lift his butt and lower back, and push through heels and shoulders. It was amazing to see how quickly he could move and turn this way. And then it all got a bit funnier when he learned to leapfrog on his tummy. With his knees bent under the tummy and hands grabbing the blanket, Mark presses his little nogging to the floor, huffs and puffs and wiggles and leaps forward a couple of inches at a time. It must be really frustrating for him, since he always ends up crying. Then we pick him up and carry him around for a little bit and try to calm him down a bit which is a lot more difficult than it sounds.

It is extremely hot outside during the day. The temps reach lower 90ies by noon. So unless we walk with him early in the morning, we have to wait until late in the evening. This throws Mark's schedule out of the window. A couple of times we tried to go to different malls so we can walk around at regular time. There are a lot of big malls here, but oddly, all of them are exactly the same. I mean, the layouts are a bit different and most malls are the newer ones and very attractively built. But the stores are all the same. So it gets annoying and boring. Plus it's so crowded there since everyone has the same idea about escaping the heat. I'm telling you, stroller traffic is very heavy.

Yesterday we got fed up with the mall crowd and instead waited until it cooled down some and went to Pullen Park. Pullen is a nice park and, as so many other cool places, is just minutes away from our house. It's a great park for kids - has a carousel, a lake with paddle boats, a big playground, and a toy train. There are also a dozen or so picnic shelters and gazebos. Can it get any better than that? And today we all went to the Farmers' Market (also only minutes away from us) and got some great stuff for a little picnic. We had to do the indoors picnic (read - lunch), but next year, when the deck is done and there's some landscaping and all, we'll do it outside.

Two New Games

Mark learned two new games this week. One is a good old peekaboo or, rather, its localized Russian version, a "koo-koo" game. He was getting restless and bored on Monday as I was foldign the laundry. So to distract him, I waved some of the towels, shirts, and receiving blankets in front of him. He didn't care too much. But when I added the magic "koo-koo" words, he was hooked and began smiling wide.

Another game that we discovered, quite by chance, is the "wind blows" game. That's when I blow wind gently on Mark's face. He always acts surprised and sort of catches his breath. And then he giggles very happily.

Other interesting things that he does include lots of drooling, attempting to put everything into his mouth (if it doesn't fit, he just licks it), munching on a teether, babbling (mostly "neee", "hooo", "heee", and "auuu" sounds), grabbing practically anything that is put in his hands, and smiling at his reflection in the toy mirror.

The Memorial Day Weekend

Two days off a week is definitely not enough! I want to have a 3-day weekend EVERY WEEK! Saturday would be an "ease into it" day; Monday - "get ready for work" day; and Sunday - a perfect "not a care in the world" day.

Since we don't have a grill and/or a bunch of friends and relatives that we could invite over for the official opening of a BBQ season and since Mark is too small for long car trips, we decided to spend the weekend exploring the neighborhood. On Saturday, armed with a camera and a guide-book, we drove to Chapel Hill for a walk around the UNC campus. The place is very beautiful and historic - the first public university in the country. And since the classes are over for the summer break, there's plenty of parking and traffic is very light. The down-town area looked very promising as well with its little cafes, boutiques, and independent bookstores. But it was getting very hot and Mark was getting very cranky. So we retreated to the arboretum that is almost right in the middle of the campus. We walked around a bit until we found a perfect little lawn. We rolled out a blanket for Mark in the shade of some very fragrant bush and spent half an hour simply laying on the grass , playing with Mark, watching the birds, and taking pictures. Then we walked some more around the historic neighborhood before heading back home.

On Sunday we stayed home and moved the furniture. We now have a furnished living room! Of course, our office became quite empty in complete accordance with the Principle of Furniture Conservation, itself an extension of the Principle of Mass Conservation. And we also got groceries. Completely exhausted, we spent the rest of the day watching movies.

On Monday I started my new work-put plan. It is based on the plan in the book "Bikini Bootcamp" except I alter some of their recepies (to save time and money) and spread all the work-outs throughout the day. The program calls for 15 minutes of yoga every morning followed by a 1-hour long walk and about half-hour long circuit training session. And then there's a core training session every other day that takes another 15 minutes or so. With a full-time job and a full-time baby, I can't do all this back-to-back. Anyway, for my walk on Monday we all went to Lake Shelley. It is a very nice lake with a paved road around it and connections to several of Raleigh's greenways. Just as other such parks in the area, this one has a boat house with rental boats, benches and grills for picnics, a nice big lawn, a playground and other cool things. And there are always plenty of kids of all ages there enjoying all these facilities.

Mark was very busy this weekend. He was very talkative, making all sorts of funny sounds. He also made some new discoveries on his playmat - he grabbed two of the toys (a giraffe and a monkey) at the same time and tried to introduce them to each other. He also spent a lot of time on his belly, holding his head up high and looking at his own reflection in the mirror. I don't think he realizes that it's just a reflection. But he smiles and cooes and tries his best to crawl towards it. Also, he spends a lot of time in his swing now. It is not a 0-3months swing, but the one for older kids. He doesn't fall asleep in it, but instead looks around and pays special attention to the plastic casing that hides the swing's motor.

Block Party

Home Owners Association here, at Avent West neighborhood, is very different from what we had in Florida. First of all, it's 100% voluntery. The membership fee is $30.00 - a year! And noone tells you what to do and what not to do. Sure, there's no community pool or golf course or gym or some such thing. But there is a book club, a baby-sitting co-op, other special-interests groups. The side-walks are everywhere, yards are clean and houses - well-kept, playgrounds - safe; it seems that people live here for generations and all know each other. In short, it is a very pleasant older neighborhood that we live in. And they have an annual neighborhood party!

This year's party was a short walk from our house, at Valerie Drive cul-de-sac. The entire cul-de-sac was blocked off from traffic. There was a small band playing, some entertainment for kids, and a tent with all different foods. Most everyone brought either a dessert or a side dish and there were also hot-dogs and BBQ. More experienced neighbors brought chairs and coolers with wine and beer. As for Chris and I, we sat on a grass in one of the front-yards. But mostly we walked around since Mark didn't like standing still. We met my playdate pal Melanie and her husband, Will and their relatives and friends. They were wise in the ways of block parties and brought beer and wine that they shared with us (well, with Chris). And there were so many children there! Kids of all ages, from a few months to teenagers, vastly outnumbered adults. It seems that each family here has at least 2-3 kids!

And speaking of children... Mark is learning new things every day, it seems. He's a very talkative fellow now - says all his "hoooo, heeee, haaaa, neee, gaaa" and such very loudly and one after another. These are his happy sounds; he usually smiles right before or after saying them. His unhappy sound is still a loud cry, but now it is even higher-pitched and insistant than ever. He spends a lot of time in a semi-sitted position, proped on the pillows or on our knees. And he looks at pages of different books that we show him. Another thing that he's quite proficient now is rolling from his back to his side when properly motivated. It is funny to watch because he swings his legs to give him the momentum. Finally, Mark started waking up with a big stretch and an even bigger smile and he smiles before going to bed too. But it is very hard to catch him smiling for the camera. He usually pretends to be very serious when photographed.

Hooray-Hooray! It's my first Mother's Day!!!

How exciting - my very first Mother's Day when, instead of giving, I'm finally doing some getting! Chris is an absolute darling about it. He thought of two great gifts for me; but I'll talk about it a bit later.

This has actually been the most fun weekend in a very long time. Finally, we didn't have pressing engagements, finals, Army, etc, etc. We even skipped some of the housework; it can wait until later this week. Instead, last morning we braved a thunderstorm and went to the Farmers' Market. Finally, I had strawberries that not only looked good and were fully ripe, but actually tasted like a fresh-picked berry should - sweet and tart and very juicy and warm! We bought tons of strawberries, some spring onions and chard; Chris also bought goat chevre (it's a kind of soft cheese - yummy).

Then we came home to refuel. Some of us also needed to change (hint: neither myself nor Chris). The rain stopped and it got very hot. So we decided to get out of our immediate neighborhood, explore a bit of Raleigh, and do our shopping - at the Briar Creek Plaza. We drove and drove and drove and then we shopped a bit. And then, just as I thought nothing exciting would happen, we stumbled upon the HomeGoods store! What a find! Tons of goodies and cheap, too! So I shopped to my heart's content, something I practically never do. I bought a couple of good cutting boards, a ceramic baking dish, and a very pretty utensils holder for my kitchen, all for just over $30.00 We had to hurry back to the car because a huge and scary thunder storm was moving in; so I didn't have time to look at home decor and bed and bath section... will have to go back soon

And in the evening I got my first gift - a beautiful painting that Mark painted for me with my and Chris's help. You see, Chris got this smashing idea of getting some finger-paint and some crafts paper so Mark could make his own little gift for me. His favorite giraffe agreed to be the model. The technique chosen by my son was abstract expressionism, somewhat along the lines of Pollock and Kandinsky. My other gift, this one from Chris, was of a hot-pink iPod Nano. I named it "Mama-Bear", if you want to know.

Today we did some shopping and went on a little stroll on the grounds of the Meredith College. And then we grabbed some Ben&Jerry ice-cream. And now we're back home. I'm going to cook a dinner of veggies and eggs and a rubarb and strawberry crisp - dishes that lifted from Barbara Kingslover's book - and then we'll watch a movie. Happy Mother's Day to y'all!

Parents' Visit - May

Another month brings another visit from my parents. Idiosyncratic as they are, they are always welcome here, invitation or not. As a matter of fact, I would prefer for them to move down here altogether and not because they'd make a babysitting search unnecessary.

How cool would it be to live close enough to them to have a weekly family gathering like the one we had last weekend? Ok-ok, so maybe a whole weekend would be too much, but 2-3 hours on a nice spring Sunday afternoon would be perfect. Plus they'd provide a much-needed Russian-speaking environment to develop Mark's bilingualism. Of course, Chris and I won't be without benefits - a child-free date once a week would be almost guaranteed.

So I spend better part of each visit enticing them to move. I casually flip through the Real Estate and Job Classifieds sections of our local News&Observer. I take Mom on long walks in the neighborhood carefully planned to showcase our most picturesque front yards and the houses with vegetable gardens in the back. I talk to Dad about beautiful weather in the mountains. And of course, I even had a perfect location picked out for their future move - a small house in one of the newer developments. It'd be small and new enough for the two of them to maintain. It would have a small yard for Mom's tomatoes. And it would be in a community with all the wonderful amenities such as a golf course and a swimming pool.

But for now, they are still residents of Rockland County, NY. And they try their hardest to make it here for a day or two about once a month. This time they arrived on Saturday afternoon. I had my digital camera fully charged - Mom is a total shutterbug when it comes to taking pictures of Mark or neighborhood flowers. As usual, Dad felt very nervous at first about holding Mark. He would freak out every time Mark would even attempt to cry. But quickly enough things settled down - Mark got used to his grandparents, they got used to his kvetching, Xander got his share of attention (finally), Mom started taking over the kitchen, and Dad - taking over Chris' laptop.

On Sunday, Mom and I went to the JC Raulston Arboretum. I'd never been there before even though it's just minutes away from the house. It's a wonderful place - small enough to not feel rushed or overwhelmed and loaded with various plants and theme gardens. After a short stay there Mark got hungry and cranky and we went back home. In the evening, I cooked my gourmet meal (see one of the posts) and we all spent the rest of the day taking turns holding Mark and taking his pictures (he must've felt like a big celebrity).

Making Children Books

One day I read something on the news about this guy that climbed a 30-foot tall tree to retrieve his very expensive parrot. I didn't say he retrieved it, just tried. Instead, he fell down and had to be treated for bumps and bruises. Almost immediately, I came up with a little story that I told Mark. Since he's too little to understand or remember it, I wanted to write it down. Then I decided that if I make it into a scrapbook-style storyboard and somehow introduce my parents and Mark as main (and really the only) characters, it'd make a fine gift for Dad. That was back in late March. I just finished the project this weekend and only because Mom and Dad were visiting and spending enough time with their grandson to allow some spare time for me. The book is entirely in Russian. But here are the snap-shots of each page along with the translation.

Once upon a time there lived Grandpa and Grandma. They were having a good life and getting on each other's nerves just a little bit, but not too much. Grandpa had a parrot, named Kesha; this parrot was Grandpa's best friend. Kesha lived in a birdcage and spent time munching on nuts. And Grandma had a little kitty-cat, Tyoma. Tyoma was red and very furry.

One day Grandpa and Grandma forgot to close one of the windows in their house and Kesha flew away. He perched on top of the highest branch of the tallest pine tree that grew near the house. Cat Tyoma started chasing Kesha and climbed up the pine tree. He sat on a branch just under the parrot, but couldn't climb down because he was so afraid of heights. "Mew-mew", - cries Tyoma...

Grandma heard Tyoma and ran outside to check on him. She climbed up the pine tree to rescue Tyoma. She climbed so high, almost up to the branch where Tyoma was sitting. But she couldn't climb down because she also got scared. "Help! Help! Save us!", cries Grandma. Grandpa heard the noise and ran outside: "What's going on?! What's all the rukus?". Grandpa set up to save Grandma and started climbing up the pine tree. He almost reached her, but got scared of heights and couldn't even climb down. It was a good thing that Grandpa had a cell phone with him. He called "911" and cried for help.

The rescue squad arrived very quickly. And with them the youngest, most handsome, most bravest of all the rescuers - firefighter Mark. "Don't be scared, Grandpa! Don't be scared Grandma! I'll rescue you!", said Mark. He took the tallest ladder, leaned it against the pine tree and started climbing. He climbed higher than the roof and saved Grandpa. Climbed again, higher than the chimney, and saved Grandma. Then he climbed again, high above all the other trees, and saved cat Tyoma. Finally, he climbed so high, straight through the clouds, and saved parrot Kesha.

He saved them all! Kesha was very happy. He sat on Mark's shoulder and kept saying: "Good Marrrk! Brrrave Marrrk!". Tyoma walked circles around Mark, purring: "Purrrfect rrescuerr!". Grandma baked an apple pie just for Mark. And Grandpa invited Mark to sit in the most comfortable chair and brought him a bottle of ice-cold...lemonade.

THE END

What's new with Mark

This has been a busy week for Mark as well. Tons of important little thing happened. For example, he finally and irrevocably outgrew his newborn clothes. Yes, I retired his first outfit a couple of months ago. But it was an exception rather than a rule. Most other clothes fit him just fine. That is, until last week. All of a sudden, onesies became difficult to button or zip up and Mark's arms and legs were poking out of too-short sleeves and pant-legs. It was clearly time to move him into size 3-6 months outfits which we got plenty of.

Mark already knows how to suck his fist. For some reason he really doesn't take to a pacifier and frankly, we don't insist. But sometime last week Mark made a very important discovery - he learned that he can grab a toy and pull it to his mouth as well. He is not eager to grab things yet, but rather does it on and off. So far, he purposefully grabbed his toy giraffe, a hand-held rattle and a stroller rattle. He is strong enough now to hold these things a while and in case of a rattle, even shake it (he doesn't pay any attention to the resulting sound though). Thanks to his mobile, he follows objects really well with his eyes and can follow even smaller things, such as a little bell, in a 180-degree arc.

His old mobile broke yesterday. It was so unfair! It still hangs above the changing table and Mark loves looking at it. But now the mobile doesn't move and doesn't make any sounds. So Mark tries his hardest to entice the mobile to action - flashes it his cutest smiles, cooes and nees, waves arms and legs, stretches his hands to the giraffe - all to no avail. I feel terrible! Maybe the mobile is still salvageable?! It's a simple mechanical one so it just might be. The new TinyLove mobile that I bought at half-price on eBay (gotta brag, right?!) has arrived and is great. But maybe because of its newness or because so much is going on in this new mobile, Mark gets overwhelmed too quickly and starts crying.

What else... Well, the rest is kind of an old news, just more of it - more of staying awake and VERY alert throughout the day, more of strange bird-like noises, more sqeals of delight, more smiles, more of all the fun baby stuff.

Overwhelmed...

And absolutely no time to even catch my breath...pant-pant... Last week was a blur of little happenings that while not adding up to anything significant, fill the achievements void.

I registered on Facebook.com and will upload more pictures as time goes by. For now, I'm acquiring a network of friends, relatives, and such, virtually bridging a "social contact" gap. Work is overwhelming with several tantalising promises - large important projects, new software, new work flow, etc. One is tied to another, so if and when things start happening, it's going to be a snowball of improvements and professional development which in turn will lead to a raise and possibly even a much-needed bonus for me.

I'm also kicking around some business ideas and continuing education possibilities that don't include hand-crafting gift-baskets or receiving an MBA degree. For now I'm going to try not to spill the beans thus jinxing the entire enterprise.

Among my more tangible accomplishments is almost reaching a much-coveted status of a domestic diva. A couple of weeks ago I set to achieve it with my Big Spring Cleaning event. It got downsized (the reality of having a very small and very demanding baby) to just 2 rooms and a kitchen. This week, I approached diva-hood from a different angle by trying to cook a gourmet meal.

Last week I accidentally bought Barbara Kingslover's new book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". I bought it because a) I wanted a non-fiction easy-reading that would not be about children or saving money and b) had a Barnes&Noble coupon for this book (a total 40% in savings!). I am very happy that I did buy it. The book is a fun read and is hard to put down. Yes, it is a bit heavy on preaching about locally and sustainably grown foods. But such are the times we live in - we're urged to pick a side by the most unexpected advocates.

This book is very inspirational and both Chris and I are looking forward to next year when we start our little vegetable garden (we are not up to raising chickens yet though). It's only early May now. So to satisfy my urge for action, I decided to cook some dishes from recipes in Barbara's book. On Saturday, I started off by cautiously making an "Eggs in the Nest" dish (poached eggs over sauteed onion, carrots, canned tomatoes and chard over rice). Yummy! Then on Sunday, I kicked it up a notch and made an asparagus and mushroom pudding (I used white 'shrooms instead of recommended morels on the account of the latter price - $49.99/lb; Barbara gets free morels in her backyard) and a strawberry-apple crisp (couldn't find ruhbarb). To finish it of, I even made my first ever muffins the recipe for which I took straight from the back of the cornmeal package. Voila! Last night I modestly assumed a crown of The Kitchen Goddess. Even my Mom was suprised at such display of my cooking skills. Dad remained unmoved however since none of the dishes had any meat in them.

By the way, all the recipes can be found on the book's official website. But don't be cheap, buy a book as well - it's a good read.

Southern Women's Show

As I probably mentioned previously, we live only a couple of miles away from the NC State Fairgrounds. It is actually a great thing because there's so much happening there every weekend. There's always a large flea market, both indoors and outdoors. And of course there are plenty of special events as well. The most exciting is probably the NC State Fair itself, but that's not until October. But they have smaller events too - all sorts of boat shows, car shows, medival times shows, etc. Just a couple of weekends ago we went to one such fair. This weekend I went to the Southern Women's Show while Chris and Mark strolled around the flea market.

Of course, I tried to look my most Southern by wearing a sun dress and pretty sandals and not looking too thin. And of course, I failed miserably, except in the looking not too thin part. Noone mistook me for a native. Oh well... I guess I better work on my accent. The show actually wasn't all that. Apparently, Southern women are predominantly interested in beauty treatments, make-up, bags, and cooking with highly processed mixes. Most of the freebies were in the categories of food samples, useless promo items, and registering for give-aways. Of course I registered for some of these. Now I'm waiting to be informed that I won one or all of these - $1,500 gift certificate towards a plastic surgery of my choice, a free LASIK surgery, or a free iPod. Oh, and I scored a free pair of Haines panties by filling out some silly survey!

In the mean time, Chris and Mark made rounds of the surrounding area (a flea market). Mark was busy attracting "oohings" and "aahings" from old ladies. And Chris was busy munching on roasted pecans. And then we all went home.

News? What News?

Things are as usual here, in Raleigh. We stay busy with work and the house and the baby. And Mark stays busy just growing up, which takes a lot of energy and determination on his part. I'm trying to create some sort of a daily schedule, which takes a lot of determination on my part. Mark still sleeps with us. Occasionally, we try to put him in his crib for the night, but the most he stays there is an hour or so. It's probably better that he sleeps with us for now anyway. This way, we all get enough sleep and Mark gets his night-time feeding.

What does he do so far (other than eat, sleep, and poop)? Actually, quite a lot. He loves any kind of bright moving things (a mobile, a ceiling fan) and follows them really well. He also likes laying on his TinyLove playmat and watching the toys. Occassionally he swats them with his hands, mostly by accident. Sometimes he also grabs them and pulls. He doesn't like pacifiers. Instead, Mark has figured out how to put bring his fist to his mouth and suck on it. It's a big deal for such a little baby. And of course he makes lot of different faces, interesting noises (aghh and coo and such), etc. He holds his head very well and recently learned to dig his heels down and raise and arch his lower back and butt. This comes in handy at bath time - we don't need to flip him over any more.

The big news around is that Mark had a first date. And yes, it was with a little girl, named Olivia. Actually, the playdate was arranged by myself and Olivia's mom, Melanie. We met on-line through TriangleMommies.com. Melanie lives only minutes away. Turns out, Olivia is only 3 days younger than Mark. It's great because they have the same interests during the walks - sleeping. That allows Melanie and myself a much-needed chatting time. The first playdate was a huge success and we decided to make it a weekly thing.

This weekend is my BIG SPRING CLEANING. So far Chris and I only managed to finish our bedroom and Mark's room. But we pretty much cleaned everything from ceiling to floor, including cleaning the windows and washing the curtains. Tomorrow we'll be working on finishing the kitchen (I'm keeping my fingers crossed). If it happens, I'll finally post kitchen pictures.