11.18.2008

it never changes to stop

Attempting a Bedtime, night 3.
This is Finn - he usually looks this alert (or more so) right around the newly implemented Bedtime.

Night 2 didn't go so well. That was last night. Around 7, I changed him, put on his pajamas, and went into our bedroom. I had the lights off and the fan going - normal sleeping environment. I tried to feed him, but he fussed and refused. I gave him a bottle instead, and he dozed off. I burped him and put him down. Not so fast, said he. He flailed about and spit out his pacifier a million times. I lied (to lay is to place, to lie is to recline) on the bed beside the bassinet and put my hand on his chest to calm him. I placed and replaced his pacifier in his mouth. Sometime around 9, he was fast asleep. I went to bed about an hour later.
So tonight - night 3. Better than night 2, so far. I decided to wait a little longer, so around 7.30 I did the routine - change diaper, put on pjs, go into dark bedroom, give bottle, burp, put baby in bassinet. By 8 I was pouring myself a glass of pinot noir and marveling at all the dirty dishes waiting for me. At 8.14 I heard some fussing, so I went in and replaced his pacifier in his mouth, and put my hand on his chest. It's now 8.30 and I'm drinking my wine.

Pretty soon we'll buy a baby monitor, so I can close the bedroom door all the way and sit in the living room and listen to music, instead of leaving the door ajar and straining to hear his tiny voice. After an hour or so, I'll know he's out, but the first hour is a bit tenuous. Is that even the correct usage of "tenuous"? I don't care.
In food news, I made way too much orzo today. It didn't look like so much in the box, so I thought, what the hey, I'll cook all of it and we'll have some leftovers. Whoa, nelly. Not only did it seem to multiply before my very eyes while boiling in the pot, it also happened to look to me like insects. Yikes. So I threw in some toasted pine nuts,diced tomatoes, sauteed chopped garlic, fresh oregano, red wine vinegar, and some spinach, and turned it into a giant meal. It could feed a family of six, and it was about $6, not including the price of the red wine vinegar and garlic (already had) and oregano (I have some growing). Hooray.
In other food news, I have a new favorite snack: yogurt with dried cranberries, pepitas, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey. Yum.

I'm about ready to bake something again, but I'm not sure what. Usually I have recipes lined up in my head, placing first the one I've been daydreaming about most. But I haven't been thinking of any baked goods recently. Completely inconsistent with my usual thought life. I suppose I just haven't been extremely inspired lately. Maybe I need to pick up an issue of Bon Appetit. Well, I could make those pumpkin applesauce muffins again. They were incredible. Or make an apple cranberry cake, but we're having apple cake at Thanksgiving, so scratch that.
Oh yes, I remember. Last night as I was trolling around on Molly's blog, I revisited February 2008, and came across this little gem. The recipe is for "Busy-Day Cake", and Molly adapted it from Edna Lewis's recipe. I love the pictures Molly took of it. The cake is so unassuming, and that's exactly what makes me so sure that it will be fabulous.
If I can tackle the dishes in the next 30 minutes, I'll set right to dirtying up my clean kitchen with the makings of Busy-Day Cake.

3 comments:

Danyell said...

"to lay is to place, to lie is to recline"! Hehe! That was cracking me up.

I'm glad you are having a bit of time for yourself :)

Lainey Seyler said...

that orzo sounds really good. i love improvised meals (usually).

Jess said...

Danyell - I got that grammar tip from you!
Lainey - thanks! it was a success.