Moving... AGAIN!

As many of you know, Steve was offered a Supreme Court Clerkship this year with Justice Kennedy. With an offer as amazing as that (really, like no one gets that), we both knew we had to uproot and move to the Washington, DC area. Needless to say, the transition was difficult for me, especially as a new mommy who had just bonded with so many other women who had recently become mommies themselves.

All through this year we thought about where we might move to next. With the average townhouse in our area costing over $500,000, and the general "culture" of the city being pretty, well, not present, it was clear pretty fast that we didn't really belong in the DC area. There is the other places we have lived (Boston and Philadelphia) and of course, one of our favorite places, Chicago. Boston was hardly a competitor--for more reasons than I can count--and Philadelphia firms aren't as ready to fork over a signing bonus. And this isn't the easy way out. We have both spent our lives studying, researching, and working our way through this year by year--each step leading to the next step, everything and every job for a reason... everything in our lives leads up to this point, and it isn't luck, it is hard work and serious planning.

It hasn't taken too much time for us to realize that Chicago is the best choice for so many reasons. And with Steve's academic career really taking off these days (did I mention is newest article is going to be published in University of Chicago's Law Review? As in, one of the top five academic placements in legal academia?) we can't imagine a better place to be. So we are thrilled with our decision.

Now is the time where we search for homes. And there are two lovely, lovely beauties that we have our eyes on. Both are in Evanston, IL, an amazing town (home to Northwestern University) and part of Chicago's "north shore". Both are walking distance to the lake, walking distance to whole foods and yummy eateries, and of course, lots of coffee shops. The decision is difficult as one is on a tree-lined street with gas street lamps and unique homes all well-kept and maintained. The other is more "city-like", though with a beautiful fenced in back yard. It is .1 miles to the metra and within walking distance to everything, including streets of beautiful homes, with much less charm than our other choice (a 100 year old dutch colonial revival).

Either way, stay tuned as we reveal which place we select for the next two to three year stretch of our lives. We aren't settling yet and planting roots--that will come when Steve takes on his academic job, which I know he can't WAIT to do :) Congrats, honey, I am so proud of you!

So that is that. That is what is up with us :) And update on the pregnancy may be next...

And You Just Can't Hide This

So what do you do when you aren't telling people you are pregnant (hmmm did we wait until like 23 weeks to announce on facebook the first time LOL) but your belly begs the question:

"oh my, when are you due?!"

You realize that your belly does the announcing for you!

Walking Videos!

With apologies for not having the videos uploaded directly to the blog, click HERE to see the very first steps of a little girl named Dalia! It only took 16.5 months! But, our Dalia is not a risk taker. She waits until she has it mastered!

My favorite part is the point at which she starts screaming, "walk walk walk walk," and a close second is the part where she says, "dada dada."

Enjoy!!

Stay Tuned...

Blogging will resume shortly.

Annnnnnnnd, you will get to see a little video of Dalia walking for the first time!

Reliving a Beautiful Photo

Thanks again to DC area children's photographer, Lily B photography, for taking such beautiful photos of Dalia. This photo is on our entertainment console and I just looked up today and remembered how much I love her in this little hat!

This isn't the famed photo of our little girl that helped her win the photo contest,

but it is surely one of my favorites! If you are in the area, hire her!

Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you, sweet husband.

I can't believe I am celebrating 9 birthdays as your one and only. Here is a list of things that I love/think about you:

brilliant

handsome

giving

caring

compassionate

easily persuaded at times

fabulous daddy

wonderful labor coach

hilarious

super successful

kind

honest

Honestly, the list could go on for a life time, just like our love. Have a wonderful, beautiful, and momentous year. I can't wait to see what this next year holds for us.

Love,

Me

p.s. i will forever hear Brobee's birthday song in my head now that we have a little one :)

Short and Very Sweet

and this, my friends, is a short and very sweet post

ciao!

Spinach, leek, and jicama quinoa porridge

Healthy eating habits are something you can instill in your child from an early age. As parents, we have the ability to shape our child's palate. We have the power to help them make good eating choices by offering healthy and flavorful food from an early age. We try to keep the sweet and salty items to a minimum in our house anyways, but it is especially good to go easy on them when you have an impressionable little one around (side note, not all sodium is created equal).

Have I told you all the story of Papa (grandpa) giving Dalia Lays potato chips at a mere 12 months? It didn't go over well (for me, not her, she obviously liked the chip she was able to swallow before I freaked), but I had to give a little laugh thinking about how "crazy" I must have seemed. Even so, I don't regret seeming like a crazy mommy because I think all of this food stuff is a pretty serious deal. Eventually she will probably have a lot of sweet/salty things, just not yet. And to this date, she hasn't had any meat, either.

Anyhoo-This is a video of Dalia eating a delicious, off the cuff meal created by yours truly: spinach, leek, and jicama quinoa porridge. (Check out her sweet spoon skills!)

Quinoa is a super, protein-packed grain with a nutty flavor--delicious hot or cold! You can mix anything with quinoa for a delicious side dish or entrée. Try cooking it in low sodium vegetable broth and then add some diced dried apricots, cilantro, and a yummy orange vinaigrette.

I didn't use a recipe, but I can give you a general idea of how to make this.

1. cut leeks, place leeks in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes to remove debris, remove and set aside

2. peel jicama, dice, and set aside

3. saute leeks, jicama, and spinach in some garlic-infused olive oil (fats help with baby's brain development, which is why pedis never say go easy easy on fats early on)

4. let cool and puree, set aside

Helpful Tip: We fill ice cube trays with "green veggie cubes", freeze them, and add them to everything we make. We always have some form of these on hand. For more info, Ruth Yaron's "Super Food" is a fabulous book. I blogged about it here.

5. cook quinoa in low sodium vegetable stock, fluff, and transfer to serving dish

6. mix in your puree (you can do a lighter puree if you want more texture), add as much of the green mixture as you like. Less=drier texture/More=more porridgey texture

7. add whatever salt/pepper you desire!

And it is clearly good. You saw how Dalia ate it up!