Happy Heart Day: Revisited

So, now that I'm sure the card has safely arrived in it's final European destination, I can show everyone else what Freyja and I made for Valentine's Day, without spoiling the suprise: handprints of mommy and baby, at 28 years and 8 months. I think they're the cutest thing ever.

~

This little girl seemed to enjoy the box my Valentine's Day candy came in much more than I actually enjoyed the candy! She loves to gnaw on everything with those new little teeth!

Friends?

For a long time, Freyja didn't even notice my cat, Peanut. It appeared that she had no idea when Peanut was around, and if she did, she wasn't interested. But, one day, probably around 5 months, all of that changed. Every time Peanut was in the room, Freyja was completely curious about her every move, and would immediately begin cooing and squealing in delight when the cat came near. Now, when Peanut walks by Freyja, she reaches out her little hand to pet her fur and grab her ears (which I'm sure the cat just loves).

Poor Peanut's world was suddenly different, because this new little human finally noticed her. So, ever since that moment...when she was finally discovered...my cat has been spending a lot of time trying to figure out how she feels about it...deciding whether she wants to be "buddies" with Freyja or not, or if she'd rather keep a safe, happy distance. Sometimes she'll let Freyja pet her, and other times she won't. Sometimes, while Freyja is having her diaper changed, or while she's eating or playing, Peanut will come over and visit. Freyja loves this, and giggles with happiness when she makes an appearance, holding her hand out for a little touch. Every once in a while, she'll curl up next to Freyja while she's napping.

I hope that as these two get comfortable with the other in their new shared world, they really will become buddies. One of the great things about cats is that they live for many, many years...so she could potentially be Freyja's little friend for a long, long time.

~

A Rockin' Recipe: Slow-Cooked Maple Pork

I made dinner tonight, which is something I don't do much anymore. For a long time, I cooked every night for four people, but now it's not such a regular thing. Mom generally makes dinner, or I just make something simple for myself, and a little something for Freyja.

But, I do love to cook, and I can cook well...and tonight I decided to make dinner for everyone. So, I made my legendary slow-cooked pork, which has gotten a thumbs up from every meat-eating friend or family member who has ever tried it. Mom and Tom had never tried it, and by the time their plate was clean, they were raving about it too. I must have a winner!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. boneless country style pork ribs

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp. dried minced onion

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

dash black pepper

Directions:

Place pork in a crock pot or slow cooker.

Add all ingredients and mix well.

Cook covered for 5-7 hours on LOW, making sure to stir the pork halfway through, as well as break it up into smaller segments with the sharp edge of your spoon for more thorough cooking.

When pork is done, enjoy!

I normally serve this with homemade cornbread and honey butter, mashed or baked rosemary potatoes, and green beans with herbs and almonds.

If anyone tries my recipe, I'd love to know what you think...

Hmmmm...

A friend of mine sent this to me the other day:

Doesn't it evoke emotions which are totally opposite from Valentine's Day?

Ha!

And below it, it said: "You only die once."

Simply hilarious...

Happy Heart Day

Sweet Valentine's wishes to all my friends and family! Although the explanations of the origins of Valentine's Day are many, the most important aspect to me is that it's just one more opportunity we all have to show the people who mean a lot to us just how much we love them!

But, for those who are interested, here is a little Valentine's Day history from American Greetings, via The History Channel website:

The History of Valentine's Day

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)
Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

So, however you choose to think of Valentine's Day, and no matter what you do to celebrate it, I hope it's a good one for you and those you love!

Songs We Sing I: Oh, My Darling Clementine

Singing has become a major part of my sleep routine with Freyja since she was just days old. Each time she looks ready for a nap, or it's time for bed, we sit together and rock, and I sing (or sometimes hum) her a couple of songs until she nods off.

The little ritual has reminded me of so many different songs that I haven't sung for years. There have even been a couple that required a little Internet search to recapture some missing verses. I thought I might share a few of the songs on my Blog that have made the old standby list in our house. Maybe you'll even decide to add some of them to the list of songs you sing to your own little people.


Oh, My Darling Clementine is a song my grandfather used to sing to me when I was a little girl. He seemed to know so many old tunes that I thought of as songs of the farm or prairie, which makes sense, since he was one of 12 children who lived in a rural home in Ohio. I can only imagine that many of the songs he sung for me as a child were ones that his own parents had taught him.

My grandfather and I went on many quiet walks, and although we rarely talked during these times, he always held my hand, and he would sing to me. His method was always the same: he would sing a song, and then bridge into humming or whistling it a second time, and then, after awhile, he would switch to another one...and this would continue for the whole duration of our walk together.

From what I understand, Oh My Darling Clementine is made up of the words of a sad man who is singing about his darling, the daughter of a 49er, or a miner in the 1849 California Gold Rush. He ends up losing her in a drowning accident, although he consoles himself towards the end of the song with Clementine's little sister.

In a cavern, in a canyon,
Excavating for a mine
Dwelt a miner forty-niner,
And his daughter Clementine

Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine!
Thou art lost and gone forever
Dreadful sorry, Clementine

Light she was and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine,
Herring boxes, without topses,
Sandals were for Clementine.

Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine!
Thou art lost and gone forever
Dreadful sorry, Clementine

Drove she ducklings to the water
Ev'ry morning just at nine,
Hit her foot against a splinter,
Fell into the foaming brine.

Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine!
Thou art lost and gone forever
Dreadful sorry, Clementine

Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles, soft and fine,
But, alas, I was no swimmer
So I lost my Clementine.

Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine!
Thou art lost and gone forever
Dreadful sorry, Clementine

How I missed her! How I missed her,
How I missed my Clementine,
But I kissed her little sister,
I forgot my Clementine.

Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine!
Thou art lost and gone forever
Dreadful sorry, Clementine

Hamming It Up

My daughter is the biggest ham whenever the camera comes out, I swear. It's like she understands what's going on and the second the little beeping noise of the power button goes off, she's busting out the smiles and laughing like a little corn-ball (when she's not trying to grab the camera strap and rip it straight out of my hand)! I can just see it now...when she gets older I'm going to get all sorts of cheesy poses from this one...

The sweater dress and tights she's wearing are one of my favorite winter outfits. Definitely not for people who have issues with color. Ha! It's from the French children's clothing company Clayeux and those little orange leather mary jane shoes are from the Chinese company Baby Maleng, which doesn't seem to have a website anymore. The hat came from the clearance rack at The Children's Place. I bought everything (well, grandma did!) except the hat on Ebay. I absolutely love Ebay. It allows me to buy cute clothes for Freyja that would otherwise be just too expensive. Yay!

Chez Freyja II

I have a food update, for anyone who's interested...

We have now experienced the full spectrum of available jarred stage 1 fruits and vegetables for babies, and all of them have gotten the thumbs up from Freyja, including Butternut Squash, which we hadn't tried yet when I discussed food the last time. After I exhausted the pre-made options, I whipped out the food processor and tried a Pineapple Orange combo, a Tomato and Rice Soup, and Brussel Sprouts. She seemed pleased with all of those!

Now we have plunged fully into the yogurt experience, and have tried Strawberry Orange, Lemon, Cherry, Strawberry Banana, Vanilla, Raspberry, and Blueberry...all of which she seemed to enjoy.

I'm sure some of you are gasping because I gave her strawberries, knowing that she might have an allergic reaction...and oranges and pineapple, knowing that it could cause some serious diaper rash. Well, I knew it was a possibility, and I took my chances, watching her carefully...and so far...not one problem. We'll see what happens...

Since Freyja is still on the "I hate meat" train, I decided to try some different beans, and so far we've tried Navy Beans, which she tolerated, but wasn't necessarily excited about either.

And, last but not least, Freyja is now drinking a 4 oz. serving of juice each day. We've tried Apple, Apple Cherry, Pear, White Grape and Apple Banana, and it seems by the squealing and squirming that the Apple Banana is her favorite. I'm not quite sure how good it is for her yet, so I try to keep it at a minimum, but she seems to have an affection for my iced herbal tea too...

I'm trying really hard to give her a wide variety of foods. I want to do my best to introduce her to many different things, in hopes that I can make her comfortable to try new things, have a broad pallette, and hopefully prevent her from being a picky eater!

Ooh. I almost forgot! NO MORE BOTTLES! Freyja's been using a sippy cup exclusively for the last two weeks. We like the Nuk cup best. In my opinion, it seems to be a good choice for a either a breastfed OR a bottle fed baby. Now, it's time to move on to a regular cup...

Feather Head

Freyja's hair is so blonde that it's almost impossible to tell she has any hair at all in a photo...but tonight, while she was looking at some silk flowers on the dresser in her nursery...the light was just right, so I snapped this photo.

She really has gotten quite a bit of hair! It's so soft and silky...like a baby duckling. We laugh a lot about it and jokingly call her "Feather Head"....

It's a Video Clip!

I thought people might enjoy seeing Freyja playing in a video, since no one actually gets to see her in person. There isn't any sound...but she's screaming and babbling the whole time she's messing with these stacking rings and tossing her legs about. It was pretty funny....

What does she keep looking up at on the left? That would be the cat. She is immensely interested in everything cat-related, and where she is at all times. Peanut doesn't quite know what to make of it. It's like she's thinking, "Hey! You weren't even interested in me for the longest time, and now you won't leave me alone!" Freyja just loves to pet her and check out everything she does...

Oh, I also want to add that I feel pretty cool, since I figured out how to load a video onto my blog.

EDIT: Okay, so there IS sound. Enjoy!

Bathtime with Mommy

Last weekend, my mom was out of town, and so I took the opportunity to use her bathtub while she was away. I only have a shower upstairs, which I use, and Freyja takes a bath in a baby tub that sits on the counter next to the sink. It's really a clever little thing...it has a nifty little plug that I can pull when she's all done, and then the water drains straight into the sink.

It's not really convenient to use the bathtub on the first floor, since it's the only bathroom down there, and I get concerned that inevitably, someone will just HAVE to go when I'm down there, which doesn't make for a nice, leisurely bath...so Freyja and I have never taken a bath together. I've always thought that was a serious bummer...

So, when the house was all mine, I got all of Freyja's bath stuff together, and we had some mommy and baby tub time. It was awesome. She seemed totally excited that she got to take a bath in a giant tub where she could do some major splashing and where she had more room for toys and such, and even more stoked that I was in there with her. It was so fabulous, in fact, that we snapped some shots of the whole event.

Don't worry...there's no offensive nudity. Ha!

As I was watched her play, I was reminded of our first night in the hospital together. She was restless and tired and probably hungry, but couldn't seem to sleep. Without any experience of motherhood of my own to draw on, I just did what I thought would work, relying completely on instinct. I laid her down on the bed and took off her little clothes, I gathered her in my arms and put her directly against the bare skin on my chest, and wrapped my robe around her and myself to keep us both warm. We walked around the birthing floor like that for about half and hour, until she fell asleep, and I sang to her very quietly, as I did when she was in the womb. Something told me that the familiar sound of my heartbeat, the warmth of my skin, and the sound of my voice would set things right in her world...that it might remind her of what things used to be like before everything was suddenly different and new...and probably just a little bit scary. I always remember this situation, because it proves that so much of motherhood is about following your instincts, and that you need to learn to trust them if you're ever going to be any good at it...

Little Chompers

I know a little girl with two lower teeth sticking through. Can you see them?

It's Only Natural

Freyja received the most fabulous little package the other day...a beautiful amber necklace from Grandpa Theo and Grandma Szilvi...but I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to blog about it until now!

Over the centuries, people familiar with Baltic Amber came to believe that it had medicinal qualities. One of the things they believed was that it assisted in relieving tooth pain. Specifically, amber hung around a child's neck was said to help reduce the natural irritation and pain that accompanies the growing of new teeth.

But amber is special to Freyja in another way...

I named my daughter after the Scandinavian goddess by the same name, and she has a significant relationship to amber...

Freyja's greatest treasure was the Brisingamen necklace, which was hand-crafted with amber and gold by four dwarves with such artistry that it glittered like a constellation of stars in the night sky. Around Freyja's lovely neck it became an emblem of the fruits of the heavens and earth. She in her turn, produced treasures for the earth whenever she cried and Freyja wept profusely, especially during her search for her husband, Odur. When her tears fell on rock, they turned to gold. When shed at sea, they turned to amber.

It is my hope that, in addition to the medicinal benefits of amber, she also has, flowing through this necklace, the protection of the goddess for whom she was named.

I'm sure if she could, she would say thanks for such a pretty little gift!

My Baby

Oh, little sweet-pea...I remember when you were so tiny...and I always will. Just promise me that you won't grow up too fast, okay?

Yule Baking

I planned on posting this awhile ago, but completely forgot! But, at least now I know I won't be spoiling any surprises!

About a week before Christmas, mom and I baked several different cookies, and then put together some holiday gift bags for friends...made up of all the goodies we made...

We had a lot of cute cookie cutters, but not a very good collection of recipes to use them with, so we had to do quite a bit of research. We found several recipes for rolled cookies, and chose the ones we thought would be the most yummy. Then, we threw in my famous peppermint bark, I made up an impromtu bark to use up some chocolate, and we made a regular cookie that we couldn't resist...even though it couldn't be made with a cookie-cutter.

Here are the highlights:

Julbock-shaped Rolled Honey Carrot Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Walnuts:

Dala Horse-shaped Rolled Dutch Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Frosting and Chocolate Sprinkles:

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark:

White Chocolate Bark with Dark Chocolate Chips:

Snowflake-shaped Sugar Cookies, Dipped in White Chocolate with Almonds:

Leaf-shaped Peanut Butter Gingerbread Cookies:

Pineapple Cookies with Lemon Glaze and Walnuts: (My Favorite!)

Tree-shaped Traditional Shortbread:

And here are the cookie piles each person was given, ready to be packed up:


The results? Well, I have to admit...while the cookies were pretty good, they weren't as fantastic as I thought they would be. Maybe my expectations were too high! Ha! Even so, I'll be doing some more research for the next Yule bake-a-thon...so we can make some even more spectacular rolled cookies. Yummy!

P.S. I'm sure some people are wondering...what is a Julbock and what does it, and a Dala Horse, for that matter, have to do with Yule? Well, according to the Swedish tradition, a Julbock (or Yule Goat) brings the holiday gifts, and a Dala Horse has been used as a Christmas symbol since the time of the Vikings. Images of both are below...

Chez Freyja

We've been experimenting with eating solids foods for a couple of months now.

When I say "solid", what I really mean is "finely blended", and when I say "experimenting", what I really mean is that it's only been over the last three weeks that Freyja has actually been eating them with any enthusiasm.

Before that, attempting solid foods went hand-in-hand with looks that just screamed, "You're kidding, right?" and "Ha! I don't think so!", lips slammed together so no spoon could dream of entering, and on the off chance it actually got into her mouth...a look on her face like she just tasted a sour lemon.

Then, one day I went to spoon feed her a little solid food...and there she was...mouth open like a little bird...and so she's been, a happy little eater, ever since. If she could eat the food right off my plate, I think she would. It's weird how these things happen...

Of course, milk is still her first love, but it has now been decided that the following foods also absolutely rock:

Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Bananas, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Rice Cereal, and Oatmeal

Now, mealtime with Freyja has become fun! She squeals in sheer delight when she sees the spoon coming. Yay!

It's 2008!

Happy New Year to all my friends and family! When the ball dropped tonight in Times Square, I was watching it on TV, wrapped up in a blanket on the couch with my baby girl...and so I gave her a little smooch when the New Year rang in, as is the custom. That's when I realized...it's going to be a great year for the two of us! A time for new beginnings. I hope it's a good one for all of you too!

Yule Happenings

Christmas this year was a new and exciting experience, because it was my first one as a mom! There are all sorts of things for little children to do around here during the holidays, but since Freyja is still so little, we had to hold off on those. So, it was a low-key Christmas...but great all the same...

Really, the best part for me was watching her look at everything with such an innocent sense of wonder and excitement. She loved looking at all the twinkling lights and the Christmas decorations. She wanted to touch the cottony snow, small wooden nutcrackers, and the ornaments on the tree. I really enjoyed seeing her take it all in, and thought that it must be so amazing to be her...trying to figure out what it was all about...

One of the things I really had fun doing was having Freyja's pictures taken a few weeks before Christmas...

~~~

I was so sure that I would get her all dressed up and looking adorable...and then she would totally freak out and cry when the photographer tried to get her to smile and then the whole situation would be a complete disaster. She's been going through a little "stranger anxiety" phase lately, which usually results in her crying or doing some lip quivering at people who try to smile at her or talk to her who aren't in her usual cast of characters. But, it turned out that Freyja absolutely loved the photographer. It suddenly struck me that this lady was an old pro at this kind of thing. She had probably seen her fair share of children with all sorts of personalities...and she knew just what to do to keep Freyja smiling and happy throughout the whole shoot. It was great! We even had a chance to take a couple of pictures together...

A few days later I took her to the mall, where they have an absolutely beautiful old-fashioned children's carousel, and put her on one of the smaller horses. Well, it was really a rabbit! Since she's still so little and can't support herself yet, I had to kneel down next to her and help her hold on! I felt like an idiot, but I didn't care! I guess it's just proof that you'll do anything for your kids. She laughed and giggled the whole time...she was just so cute...and I'm so glad I took her. It's one of those things that I'm sure she'll grow to love more and more as she gets older...

On Christmas Eve, we had a nice family dinner. Freyja sat at the table with us in her festive "Santa Loves Me!" bib and enjoyed her own yummy dinner of peas, apples, and rice cereal. She seemed to love the fact that she was sitting with everyone...

We opened gifts after dinner on Christmas Eve, which is our usual tradition. I didn't think Freyja was really going to be into the whole unwrapping part of things, but she figured it out pretty quickly and was yanking and tugging at paper like mad! She absolutely loves tearing up paper. I think that amused her more than the actual gifts...



Freyja actually received quite a few things...two wooden rattles, a soft doll, a set of wooden stacking rings, a soft ABC's book, and a knitted horse.

On Christmas morning we had a nice breakfast, and then opened up small presents and candy from our stockings. Freyja enjoyed playing on her rocking giraffe (a cute variation of the rocking horse), which was from Santa, even though her little feet don't quite touch the foot-rests yet!

Overall, I think it was a great first Yule for Freyja, and next year will be even better, I'm sure. For her second Christmas, I'd like to take her to see the reindeer at the zoo, to holiday story-hour at the children's museum, and to see the Christmas parade...but we'll see what happens!