Bibio - Haikuesque (When she laughs)

Just thought to share a tune that has been on constant replay in the Yew-Koh household. I have to admit that I just love the title to this track and wished that I had thought of it myself :)

Some background info aboutBibio - its the nom de plume of Brit music producer Stephen Wilkinson, who, according to the Pitchfork review of his new album, is producing music unlike any other that he's released so far. I have to admit that Bibio's album, Ambivalence Avenue, has placed itself as my 2009 summer listening fave so far!

Eve of eve on Top Chef!

Ann Arbor represent! Via Jude, I found out today that Eve Aronoff of Ann Arbor's own eve will be one of the contestants on the new season of Top Chef starting in August! We fell in love with eve (and Eve's cooking) the year after we moved here and have been going to the restaurant almost religiously every year since for our special occasion celebrations (see here). We even brought my parents and sisters there when they came to visit in 2005.

Admittedly, our recent visits to eve have been a little uneven-- a plate of over-seasoned scallops comes to mind in particular-- but we do appreciate how interesting Eve's food always is. While its roots are French, there's often an innovative twist of that special something something, whether it's lavender in her sauces, lemongrass in her rice, or rose water in her quinoa. And her triple chocolate pots de crème will always be one of our favorite desserts anywhere :) Another plus, every Thursday between 9.00 and 11.00, appetizers are free!

Jude and I had a conversation about her chances on the show and we're not sure. It's not like she's some self-trained line cook or a sous chef like many Top Chef contestants often are- she already owns her own restaurant and has also presented a meal before the James Beard foundation which is no mean feat, so it's not like she has anything to prove. Whatever the case is though, it'll be exciting to watch someone whose food we're actually familiar with on the show- it's already one of our favorite things to catch on TV... :)

Meet Molly

With our doula, Molly
Originally uploaded by ghetto of our mind

This is me with Molly, our doula. She's going to be supporting Jude and I in the labor and delivery process come the big day. The word "doula" comes from ancient Greek meaning "woman of service" but has evolved to now refer to a woman trained and experienced in childbirth. Basically, her job is to "mother the mother". She provides physical, emotional, and informational support to both the mom and dad during labor, delivery and in the immediate postpartum period. Studies show that when doulas are present at birth, women have shorter labors, fewer medical interventions, fewer cesareans, and healthier babies.

Thankfully (depending on how you look at it), because of our measly grad student stipends, we qualify for free doula services through Doulas Care. But I actually know Molly from school- she's a fellow grad student and we even took a class together a couple of years ago. She's just wonderful- warm, funny, and so generous in helping to demystify some of the unknowns coming our way. Another reason why Jude and I are opting to have a doula present is also just as a source of comfort and support, especially since our parents will probably not be with us (my parents are arriving the week after Baby's EED). We think that having a non-medical personnel there who knows us personally and not just as a patient and her partner will really help to ease much of the anxiety, not just for me, but also for Jude. This is as much of a life-changing experience for him as it is for me and whatever we can do to reduce extraneous distress or pressure either one of us might feel will definitely be helpful. While the doctors and nurses are there to respond to the medical aspect of the process, childbirth is also a profoundly emotional and spiritual experience, and we believe that having Molly there will help us appreciate that dimension a little better.

We've heard from friends who've had a doula with them that it's just one of the best decisions they made, especially when it's their first time- information on the procedures to expect, clarification of medical terminology, massages when you need it, running out for ice-chips so that dad can be by mom's side, suggestions for different birthing positions, advice/advocacy when medical personnel suggest non-necessary procedures, that extra encouragement during labor, etc. We've only met with Molly "officially" as our doula twice and she's already been such a wonderful source of comfort and assurance; we're certain that her presence by our sides come some time late August will be more even more invaluable :)

A baby week

Two nights ago, I dreamt of Baby. I dreamt of her birth-- unsurprisingly, I didn't dream of the pain involved (I think my mind is subconsciously blocking out that part of the process)-- and how she looks- a full head of hair and huge eyes :) In my dream, she cried a lot and was *very* pink... It was an extremely vivid dream, which is why I still have a mental picture of it in my head today. I think my mind is responding to what is shaping up to be a baby-filled week for us: starting with our tour of the Birth Center last evening, we have our first infant care class scheduled for tonight, our final ultrasound tomorrow, and on Friday, we're meeting with our doula, Molly, to go through our birth plan.

The tour of the Birthing Center at the C. S. Mott Children's and Women's Hospital was both exhilarating but also a little unnerving. Walking around the hospital and being acquainted with the facilities made me a tad nervous as I envisioned ourselves in one of the birthing rooms sometime within the next two months. Having said that, it has always been comforting for us to know that Mott's is one of the best pediatric and women's hospital in the country and I'm sure we'll be well taken care of in every way. I love the fact that they only have a very small nursery and that as much as possible, they believe in rooming the baby with you; it's the university hospital and hence a teaching hospital, which means that they'll always be experts and professors doing rounds and checking in on you; a home care nurse will visit us at home within three days of discharge to make sure that Baby and I are doing well; and security-wise, they have what our friends like to call the Baby LoJack which basically tags the baby with a security chip such that if anyone but the parents tries to take the baby past different parts of the hospital, the whole hospital shuts down, including doors and elevators. It's a great security measure but we're also seeing the potential for a lot of comedy- I'm imagining grandparents or relatives carrying the newborn around and unwittingly setting the system off and inadvertently putting the entire hospital on lockdown ;)

For the little bit of anxiety it caused, I'm still glad we did the tour- it's reassures us once more that all three of us are in good hands; we now know exactly what to do to make sure we get to the hospital and checked in properly when the moment hits us; and little by little, a bit of the mystique and unknown of this whole childbirth/delivery business is slowly being stripped away... :)

6 years...

I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky.

It's been a long time that I'm waiting
Been a long time that I'm blown
been a long time that I've wandered
Through the people I have known
Oh, if you would and you could
Straighten my new mind's eye.

Would you love me for my money
Would you love me for my head
Would you love me through the winter
Would you love me 'til I'm dead
Oh, if you would and you could
Come blow your horn on high.

I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky.
-"Northern Sky", Nick Drake

Northern Sky - Nick Drake

It's getting SO hot in here...

HOT, HOT DAY!
Originally uploaded by ghetto of our mind

I finally understand why people have been giving me that look of abject pity when I tell them I'll be pregnant through the summer. It was 88F (30C) today and I was HOT. No ordinary hot, people- we're talking steaming, sauna-like, heaving, humid, oppressive, feel-all-of-our-baby's-3lbs-weight, I-need-a-shower-as-I'm-walking HOT :( I felt like I was literally lumbering down the street, pitiful, heavy, and melting... Apart from the fact that I'm pregnant, I think it's also because we've actually had fairly cool weather for June so far and the transition to this sweltering heat was just too sudden for me to adjust to. We finally turned the A/C in our room on, and many thanks to our friends Irving and Tarja, we now have a unit downstairs too just waiting to be installed. Oh, and we're (ok, I'm) going through tubs of ice-cream like my life depended on it.

Honestly, this is the first time I've felt genuinely uncomfortable during the pregnancy. It might be a little early to say this (although I *am* only 10 weeks away...), but so far, I've been spared many of the usual ailments I was told to expect- swollen fingers and feet, varicose veins, bulbous nose, putting on weight in all the wrong places, sciatica, bad nausea, stretch marks, etc. I'm mostly enjoying being pregnant actually (except for the whole not being able to eat raw sushi part...) and really grateful that our daughter has been a most pleasant and forgiving tenant :) The heat, though, is really getting to me- I walk slower, our baby feels heavier, and everything's just that degree more uncomfortable (could there be a fabric even lighter than cotton???) And I'm sure the worst is yet to come...

Tomorrow's going to hit 90F. I think I'm going to stay indoors.

Yogi mommies

One of the things I've really been enjoying (and hopefully, so has Baby) is my weekly prenatal yoga sessions. It was wonderful practising yesterday especially on summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Summer's finally here in Ann Arbor and the heat radiating through the studio mirrored the heat radiating through our bodies as we went through our modified downward dogs and warrior IIs. Warrior mommies, Heather my instructor called us, posing strong and rooted for the little cargoes we're holding within us. I love how refreshed and energized I always feel after, but also relaxed and calm, if that makes sense...

And a large part of it is also about being with other would-be moms in various stages of their pregnancy, sharing their stories, and allowing me to look both at how far I've come and also to look forward to the couple of months ahead. There was this one mom who's clearly where I was a couple of months ago in terms of shopping frantically for baby clothes- I was totally onboard with her mania :) She shared with us this website that's designed specifically for yogi mommies (and babies): yoli-poli started as a website selling yoga accessories but now also specializes in organic cotton clothing for children with a particular yoga theme. Check out these cutie tees for slightly older children: triangle pose and tree pose for girls, and warrior II and crow for boys. But my absolute favorites are actually the tees for infants, and all you yogis out there should know exactly why, for instance:


and

Can someone just say TOO PRECIOUS?!! :)

I can't wait...

Those of you who've read and love Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife will understand why at about 1:22 into the trailer, I-- sitting in the middle of my school's computer lab-- burst into spontaneous tears...

For all my literary pretensions, at the end of the day, nothing moves me like a love story. And The Time Traveler's Wife is an unabashed love story. I remember reading it over summer a couple of years ago and that I had to read at least the last 25 pages twice over because the first time round was through a blur of tears. I finished it at 5.30 in the morning, Jude was still up finishing an assignment, and I had to go give him a hug because the book was just that powerful.

And now, they've brought it to the screen. I've always had reservations about screen adaptations of my favorite novels (see Possession for the ultimate travesty...) but this actually does look promising. I really like Rachel McAdams and while I had a different vision of how Henry should look like (more a cross between Ryan Gosling and Edward Norton), I can live with Eric Bana.

Let's just hope come August 16 when the movie opens, this girl will be still able to waddle her way into the movie theatre... ;)

Eating well

Salmon miso soup
Originally uploaded by ghetto of our mind

As we waddle happily along into the third trimester, I’m trying even harder to make sure I eat well since Baby’s really needing that boost of nutrients and vitamins more than ever right now: Omega-3 for her brain, calcium for her bones and muscle development, iron for heart and nervous system, and a whole bunch of other stuff I’m getting from my prenatal vitamins. Finding time to cook has been a little tricky though, what with teaching through the whole month of June. It’s an intense class and by the time I’m home in the evening, coupled with an increasing level of exhaustion that’s apparently part-and-parcel of the third trimester, I’m too pooped to even walk upstairs to our room, lest of all bustle around the kitchen to put something together. On the other hand, to make things easier, we’ve been getting such fabulously fresh and tasty veggies from our farmshare that I’m constantly inspired to try new things with produce I’ve either never cooked with before like radishes or with more spinach than I’ve ever encountered in a 3 week period…

And so last night, in the midst of a slightly chilly June evening, I decided to try making a salmon miso soup. We’ve been getting really good salmon from Costco and since it’s a great source of Omega-3, I’m frequently trying to integrate it into our meals. Using a dashi stock base and some miso paste, I threw in carrots and potatoes, and the radishes and a bunch of spinach from the farmshare. Just before serving, I added the salmon and some rice vermicelli to make it heartier so that we wouldn’t need to have it with rice. It was warm, comforting, flavorful, and I’m hoping really nourishing for Baby too. More than shopping for onesies, clearing out our wardrobe, or reading to her, eating well is probably one of the best things I can do for our little girl right now. She’s been moving about (and kicking & punching) more vigorously these days and according to our OB, activity is a sign of good health. Yup, it would seem that our little girl’s a feisty one... :)

A child's reaction to the "Where the Wild Things Are' trailer

Trailer Reaction from We Love You So on Vimeo.

I thought that this video capture was an interesting study in a child's visceral reaction to the trailer for Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are". While I agree that there are obviously movies that are inappropriate for kids, this video shows us that toddlers can be a sophisticated audience of media. There is a lot going on in the trailer and some of it I would have assumed to be inappropriate for children. But as the video above shows, that really isn't the case. I think that there is a lot of scope for research that 1) better takes into account the cognitive capacities of young children and 2) studies that measure the emotional responses to media content.

And also, as you dear reader may notice, our attention is slowly shifting to all things parenthood and child-focused :)

Happy birthday Jude!

Thank god the weather held up. For most of Friday, Saturday, and early Sunday, I was convinced that it was going to literally rain on Jude’s parade, or in this case, his birthday/ baby shower. Yes, baby shower. I don’t think it’s fair that the moms always get fussed over pre-baby and the dad’s just relegated to a supporting role; I mean, we’re both having the baby and he deserves just as much attention. And so I thought it would be a good idea to throw Jude a birthday party/ baby shower to just celebrate him, his last baby-less birthday, and impending fatherhood :) And I think it was pretty successful, with people bring gifts like books on surviving fatherhood, a handbook for caring for babies, a survival kit for first-time dads, and even an REI gift card so that Jude can be the kind of dad that will buy baby Keens and/or teach our daughter to love camping! :) Of course, there were also many generous gifts from our baby registry- thank you everyone!

And let’s not forget the ton of food that was thrown on the grill and that are still chilling in our fridge AND freezer. On the menu last night:
- Spinach-artichoke dip
- Sesame radish salad (made with our farmshare radishes)
- Baguette with homemade olive tapenade (thanks to Eric, Amy and Finn for bringing it- soooo delicious!)
- Ginger-soy marinated chicken wings (marinated for two days so the flavor really came through)
- Havarti cheese stuffed burgers (it was the first time we tried making these and they actually turned out much better than we had expected…)
- Sauteed onions and fennel, and bacon as burger toppings
- Bratwursts (we brought these back from an amazing meat merchant when we were up north over Memorial weekend)
- Lime-lemongrass marinated shrimp and scallop skewers (we bought surprisingly good frozen shrimp and scallops from Costco and marinated these ourselves)
- Grilled asparagus
- Peppers-onions-cremini mushrooms skewers
- Romesco sauce for the grilled veggies (nutty and fruity at the same time, I made this on Saturday with roasted tomatoes and garlic.)

Plus a SPECTACULAR birthday cake that we just had to buy the moment we saw it in the display case at Whole Foods. Eric said it best when I brought it out, “Is that even possible??!!” Ladies and gentlemen, behold the awesomeness of the Burger Birthday Cake!

It has actual layers made of yellow and chocolate cakes, cheese made from fondant, and piped buttercream for mayo, lettuce (ice-berg clearly, from that pale green…), mustard, and ketchup. Pure stupendousness! Considering how much of a novelty cake it was, it was actually surprisingly moist and tasty. See cross-section for full impact. Instead of just taking a picture of the cake, I should have taken one of everyone whipping out their cameras to take photos of the cake... ;)

And to make things all the more special, our friend, Felicia is here to visit from Singapore. The last time she was here was 4 years ago, and it's so wonderful that she's here now with us to hold our hands through all the pre-baby jitters, questions, and to just bless us with her company :)

See rest of photos here.

Sitting pretty

Jude and I were at The Little Seedling last week getting our Moby Wrap and Ergo baby carrier when we chanced upon this wonderful creation: Stokke's TRIPP TRAPP® highchair. We know, our little girl isn't going to need this till she's about 6 months old, but it doesn't hurt to start thinking about these things now... It's a beautiful piece of furniture and Jude and I really do appreciate it when it's obvious that people have put a whole lot of thought into their designs, even for something as seemingly mundane as a highchair. Meant to grow with a child, it's fully adjustable (to the point when an adult can sit in it as well), ergonomically designed, and encourages family interaction because there isn't that extra tray table in front that gets in the way of the baby eating from the table with us. The lack of the tray table also means that she'll have to eat on the dinner table which is something we really want to encourage, instead of in front of the TV or just somewhere random. It also comes in a range of gorgeous colours which is a bonus :)

We're not quite ready to buy it right now but the good thing is that we do have 6 months to save for it, and also to accumulate enough Amazon.com gift vouchers (from our credit card points) to be able to offset some of the cost. Jude's also watching a couple of these high-chairs on eBay, although looking at how quickly the bids are going up, we're better off waiting and then getting a brand new one when the time's right.

Veggies galore!

1. Our first farm share of the season, 2. Finn helping us pick out fingerling potatoes, 3. Picking up the first farm share of the year, 4. Warm asparagus-mushroom salad

After talking about signing up for our first CSA for so long (see here and here), we finally got our first box of veggies from the farmer's market today :) It was a fairly small share but apparently, quite typical for the first of the season (plus we're splitting it with our friends, Tanya and Wil). It was a fun mix of spinach, mizuna, two kinds of radishes, green onions, asparagus, rhubarb, oregano, red lettuce, and fingerling potatoes. To complement our first haul, we also bought a quart of strawberries (for strawberry rhubarb pie/crumble/cobbler!), and some wild elm mushrooms that looked too gorgeous to resist (I really do love mushrooms of any kind...)

I was excited to taste some of the produce so for dinner, I made a warm salad by first slicing the asparagus finely and sauteing them with the mushrooms with butter and olive oil, some garlic, green onions, and white wine, and then tossing that with the red lettuce and vinaigrette (note: with farm share veggies, we were prepared to have to clean them very thoroughly because they're truly organic and unprocessed in any way, a.k.a. Bugs and Dirt Central). The salad was delicious- fresh, lovely lettuce with just that little bitter bite and the asparagus was crisp and crunchy even after having been sauteed for a while. And everything went perfectly with panko-breaded pork cutlets. We're really looking forward to experimenting with the rest of the stuff we got like the rhubarb and radishes which we've never cooked with before. I'll be sure to post about more farm share food adventures so stay tuned... :)

*Update: Strawberry-rhubarb cobbler success! See here :)

Our little girl's tunes III: Her own iTunes iMix playlist

Just based on the last few times we've put the headphones on my belly and the countless occasions during which she's kicked responsively when I was just listening to music in general (like *right now*...), we've come to the conclusion that the little chipmunk might just really enjoy music :) And since one of the things we registered for is a Fisher-Price DwellStudio bouncer with its own iPod connection, we thought it might a cool idea to make her her own iTunes iMix playlist (on top of the several albums we've already set aside for her- see here, here, and here.) Think of it as a mix-tape for the 21st century ;) We're also contemplating burning it into CDs as a thank-you gift for our showers.

Less music for her, but also music about her and about us already being in love with her, the collection is a mix of some of our favorite songs. I didn't want anything cheesy like "Butterfly Kisses" or predictable like "Isn't She Lovely" which is why many of the tracks probably aren't conventional in terms of baby songs. But they each carry our hopes and wishes for her, whether it's that she'll always remember the infinity of our love for her no matter how fallible we know we are and will always be, that she will blossom and grow up strong in spite of adversity and unhappiness, or that she will always see all that is beautiful and magical in the world she's about to come into.

Enough...

Ok, I really should stop shopping for the baby. Every time I buy something for her, I tell myself it'll be the last one, and then I'll stumble on something else and say the exact same thing. Like this kimono onesie that was on sale at Elephant Ears in Kerrytown. I lurve the awesome color and groovy print. Plus it'll be a cinch to wear because it literally wraps around her.

I'm beginning to think our little girl has too many clothes already- the little section of our closet that we set aside for her is practically bursting, what with the clothes her grandparents and aunts have bought her (and I *know* more baby shopping is in the works for her two excited aunts...), our Oliebollen score last month, and pieces here and there from my office shower and friends (like this adorable vintage linen smock from Dot). And that's the thing about having a girl- everything's so adorable that you want to buy them all. Ok, but I shall go on record here on the blog and vow to not buy anymore clothes for her... at least not till after the two more showers we have coming up and the state of our registries after... :)

Our little girl's tunes II: John Coltrane- A Love Supreme

Ok, so I probably should have either warned her ahead of time or started with the volume softer, but I didn't and I think I might have startled our little girl with that first trumpet blast (although I personally wouldn't quite use the word "blast"...) Jude recently got a pair of Sennheiser headphones (I call them his Princess Leia headphones) and he thought it would be a good idea to prop it on my belly to play something for the baby tonight. His first choice- John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. Something about the grace and transcendence of the suite seems particularly appropriate for the occasion :)

After an initial jab (and I mean a real*jab*) right behind my belly button with the opening of Part I, she seemed to settle down a little. Jude's imagining the amniotic fluid amplifying the music in there and that our little girl is virtually buoyed in her own personal concert hall surrounded by the strains of Coltrane and his quartet. I think her favorite part is between 1:56 and 4:16 of Part 3 when the piano solo kicks in- there was definitely heightened kicking... ;)

A Love Supreme, Part 1: Acknowledgement - John Coltrane

A Love Supreme, Part III: Pursuance - John Coltrane Quartet

The perfect salad

A couple of years ago, I posted something about what wonderfully scrumptious entrees salads can be, especially as the warmer weather approaches (not tonight though, what with the frost advisory and all...). For lunch today, I think I stumbled on what might be the perfect salad combination- fresh, bright, flavorful, hearty, healthy, and doesn't make me feel like a bunny who just chomped through a cabbage patch. It's actually inspired by the Cyprus Salad at Zingerman's and starts with our favorite salad cheese, halloumi, a pungent, salty Cypriot cheese that becomes all gooey and squeaky when you pan-fry it.

Salad ingredients:
- One package of halloumi (just under half a pound is usually enough for Jude and I- it's a hearty cheese...). We buy ours either from the Middle Eastern markets or Whole Foods.
- Salad leaves (we like a mixture of romaine and arugula)
- 2 fresh tomatoes (vine-ripen or heirloom if available)
- Handful of pitted Kalamata olives, 5 or 6 per person (ours is brined in water and olive oil)
- Slices of red onions or chopped green onions

Dressing:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
A squirt of honey (I know, I try to be exact in my recipes...)
Lemon zest (don't leave out!)

1. Slice halloumi into about 1/2 inch slices. Dry excess moisture. Heat non-stick pan to medium heat.
2. As pan is heating, assemble salad and dressing (except lemon zest) separately.
3. Pan-fry halloumi in oil-less pan. Don't worry about the moisture that will start bubbling; it'll evaporate and you'll get a lovely toasty exterior- about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side and just a couple of minutes on the other. Don't let it burn or the halloumi will get tough.
4. Just before the halloumi is ready, dress the salad. Plate the halloumi on the salad, and sprinkle lemon zest over.
5. Serve with a chunk of good bread and smidgen of butter (Plugrá preferably...)

I've made halloumi salads many times before (see picture here with mangoes and mesclun) but I think today's combination of the olives, lemon zest, and Greek dressing went especially well with the punchy saltiness of the cheese. And it really filled us up till the evening. Testimony to how yummy it was- I forgot to take a photo... :)

The Proust Questionnaire

Since the trend of memes hit blogs and Facebook a couple of years ago, I think I've done my fair share of soul-searching and public self-exposure. But I have to say that this one was tough. The Proust Questionnaire-- popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust in the late 19th century-- is supposed to reveal an individual's truest nature. James Lipton often gives an adapted version to his guests on Bravo's Inside the Actor's Studio and periodically, there's a section devoted to celebrities' responses to the questions on Vanity Fair. I always feel as if I should be clever or witty when answering these types of questions but for this one, I've really tried to be as honest as possible, which I think is also what made it so hard.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Shared love, genuine laughter, and good food.

2. What is your greatest fear?
That I won't be a good mom.

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My need to be liked.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Not so much deplore, but I get impatient with people who only like to talk about themselves.

5. Which living person do you most admire?
Aung San Suu Kyi

6. What is your greatest extravagance?
A good haircut.

7. What is your current state of mind?
Hopeful

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being nice.

9. On what occasion do you lie?
When someone asks me if they look fat in an outfit. So don't ask me.

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My feet.

11. Which living person do you most despise?
I don't think despising someone is a very healthy attitude to have.

12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
The absence of chauvinism or machismo. And the courage to cry.

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Self-assuredness, the kind of confidence that makes you so secure about yourself that you don't need to be mean, catty, or unkind to other women to make yourself feel better.

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"I'm sorry."

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Jude.

16. When and where were you happiest?
Sometime in 2001 when I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with #15.

17. Which talent would you most like to have?
Self-control. And to play jazz piano.

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To be braver.

19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I'd like to think that it hasn't happened yet. It gives me hope and makes me work harder.

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I kinda like being me, so I'd like to be me again, please.

21. Where would you most like to live?
Anywhere where I'd be surrounded by my family and loved ones.

22. What is your most treasured possession?
My health.

23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
To not be surrounded by people whom I love and who love me.

24. What is your favorite occupation?
Making lists. Grocery lists, Things-To-Do lists, baby names lists, etc...

25. What is your most marked characteristic?
That I smile a lot.

26. What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty and loyalty, which I realize can be mutually exclusive.

27. Who are your favorite writers?
Shakespeare and Shel Silverstein. And the people who write for The Today Show.

28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird.

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
I really wanted to have a good answer for this, but as of right now, I really don't have a clue.

30. Who are your heroes in real life?
Anyone who spends their lives bettering the plight of others.

31. What are your favorite names?
Chloe, Eliot, Emma, Liam, Noah, Sophie

32. What is it that you most dislike?
Cruelty and bigotry.

33. What is your greatest regret?
Every occasion when I did something I knew beforehand I shouldn't but did it anyway.

34. How would you like to die?
Content.

35. What is your motto?
"This too, shall pass."

Build-Baby's-First-Library Shower

1. 30 books!, 2. With a garland of pacifiers, 3. Reading "Olivia", 4. Cutting my shower cake, 5. With Christina, 6. With Lillian and Christine, 7. My shower cake, 8. Enjoying the company, 9. Non-book gifts

So this afternoon, my friend Tanya threw me a shower with the folks in my research project office. We do research into early literacy development and so she thought it would be a great idea to have a Build-Baby's-First-Library theme shower where everyone would bring one or two of their favorite books as gifts. Jude and I really love the idea and it was made all the more wonderful by the knowledge that they would be really good books because everyone on the project is in one way or another knowledgeable about the kinds of books that are both fun and good for little children. On top of that, many people also brought books that held a special meaning for them-- the first book they read to themselves, their favorite book from their childhood, a book whose main character reminded them of themselves, etc.-- and so when it was time for me to open the presents, everyone had something interesting to share about why they brought the books that they did.

Being gifted with these books means a lot to me. I love the fact that even before our little girl is born, she already has a library of 30 wonderful books, many of which are going to last her for years to come. Our daughter may not grow up with the fanciest, hottest, loudest, or flashiest toys that everybody wants, but she will have wonder, joy, awe, adventure, fantasy, and merriment all the same.

She will have books :)

You may have tangible wealth untold.
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
But richer than I you can never be –
I had a father/mother who read to me.
— Strickland Gillilan

Our little girl's tunes: Camera Obscura - The Sweetest Thing

Just because my daughter loves to move to this track while her mom is listening to it :)

The Sweetest Thing - Camera Obscura

New cravings...

...that have only started pretty much in the last two weeks or so. And some of which I'm trying not to give in to too often:

1) Indian food- specifically, the keema matar (ground lamb and peas curry) and naan at Madras Masala.
2) Fresca. Emilee was the one who got me started on this. It was her alternative to beer or Coke for me whenever we went over to their place. But we never actually started buying it for ourselves till recently and now I'm totally addicted. My only comfort is the fact that it's calorie-free. But because it's sweetened with aspartame, I think I'm going to cut down on it soon.
3) Ice-cream. Okay, more specifically, strawberry ice-cream. And even more specifically, either Häagen-Dazs or Archer Farms (from Target). And this is coming from someone who's never been that huge a fan of strawberry ice-cream to begin with. What is this baby girl doing to me???
4) Tomato, garlic, and olive tapenade pasta. It's a recipe I came up with a while ago, and in the past 2 weeks, I think I've made it at least 4 times. I don't really know what it is- maybe the combination of the comforting pasta with the salty-sweetness of the tomatoes and olives (which I've only acquired a taste for after we moved here...), but I'm loving it :)
5) Unagi (broiled eel) on rice. Okay, I totally know why I've been craving this. In place of any kind of raw sushi, every time we go to a Japanese joint, it's been either eel or shrimp tempura sushi rolls. And while shrimp and I are going through a bit of a rough patch right now, dear unagi- you continue to make my wasted sushi-loving heart go pitter-patter until I can have me some chu-toro or hamachi...

Happy thoughts

Finally, Ann Arbor is quiet again- Commencement is over, the undergrads are slowly moving out, and today, I drove into the parking structure with 219 spots open (unheard of at 9.30 in the Fall or Winter semesters). While I love October and November, I really do enjoy these few weeks of cool, breezy tranquility before it gets too hot or the Summer Festival or art fairs start to bring droves of people from the area into town. It's also a time to really appreciate the perks of being in a place that enjoys four very distinct seasons- everything's suddenly so green and trees and shrubs are blossoming like there's no tomorrow :) While just a month ago, we were experiencing snow storms.

Yoga this week was about renewal- it's the beginning of May and Spring is in full bloom (pun fully intended) and it was wonderfully calming to be practicing while feeling all that breezy, sunshiney energy spill into the studio as I focused on the tulip bulbs outside during Vrksasana (tree pose). I'm feeling really good these days-- hopeful and inspired-- and on a beautiful morning like today's, no matter how your day or week has been going, I hope you're blessed with some positive radiance as well :)

And we'll collect the moments one by one
I guess that's how the future's done...
-Feist, "Mushaboom"

Yay Jude!

As I'm typing this, Jude's probably wrapping up his dissertation proposal defense. He's worked so hard on this for so long and I'm so very very proud of him! He's got a great study going and I think it'll make a kick-ass contribution to the field :) Clearly, the baby thinks so too- she was kicking (or punching) me excitedly all through last night as I listened to him go through his slides for the defense. I think our little girl already loves the sound of her Daddy's voice :)

We'll be at Cafe Zola for dinner tonight- I think after so many sleepless nights and nervous days, Jude definitely deserves it!

Eating from the earth

On Monday, we attended our first CSA meeting at the public library. It was uplifting to say the least, where we got to see a slide show of the farm, all the various activities that you can participate in as members, and more importantly, the different processes that go into planting, caring for, harvesting, and ultimately preparing the produce for pick-up. It made us feel like we were part of something good, not just for ourselves, but also for the community writ large. Jude and I decided that this season, we'll definitely try to make it down to the farm a couple of times if for nothing else but to see where our veggies are coming from, which for someone who grew up in a big city, is an awesome prospect. And that's one of the reasons why we decided to join a farm share to begin with- apart from the assurance of fresh, organic produce every week, it's also that we know exactly where our food is grown, how, and by whom that really appeals to us. The fact that our friend, Eric, says that Tantré Farm has the best vegetables he's ever tasted (I think his exact phrase was "vegetable epiphany") definitely helps :)

And we got a preview of exactly how true that is when we took home with us a whole bag of fresh spinach, French fingerling potatoes, and chives from the meeting. Tonight, I made a spinach-mushroom quiche (recipe adapted from here) and boiled fingerling potatoes with a garlic mayo-sour cream dip (garnished with the chives). Everything was delicious and I don't think either one of us realized that it was completely vegetarian! We would probably have been able to appreciate the flavor of the spinach a little more had it not been baked in a quiche (I can't wait for all the crunchy raw salad leaves and herbs!), but the potatoes were definitely yummy- creamy and rich (even without the dip), with a slightly nutty flavor that I've not noticed in many other varieties of potatoes.

If tonight's meal is any indication of the simple delights of fresh produce coming our way in June, Jude and I really can't hardly wait! :)

Nesting- The Beginning

1. At our first Oliebollen warehouse sale, 2. Nesting (sort of...), 3. Peg Perego Pliko P3 stroller, 4. Jude's favorite outfit

This weekend was definitely Operation-It's-All-About-the-Baby. From the moment we woke up on Saturday morning till just before dinner tonight, it was virtually all systems go to prepare in some way or another for the little girl's arrival.

Saturday:
9:00- Wake up remembering that we were supposed to meet Amy at the Oliebollen warehouse sale. Apparently, they only have a few every year and with discounts at 50%-90%, we weren't about to miss it.

9:10- Amy calls to tell us that we should probably get there early because the good stuff disappears really soon. She also said she was holding on to some really cute girls stuff for us just in case. She's so awesome!

9:55- Arrive at warehouse sale after a little mistaken detour to an abandoned Best Western (don't ask...). Amy's gleefully waiting for us and we spend the next hour or so in a whirlwind of whimsical prints, darling designs, and so many outfits in hand that we needed a box to carry everything. In the end, we had to set ourselves a budget and whittle everything down to only what we thought were absolutely irresistible in terms of bargain and design. See our haul here. (Note to self: baby is going to actually need more practical clothes like onesies, bodysuits, and sleepers, especially in the first 3 months. Second note to self: Baby registry.)

11:30- Back home, pretty smug about the deal we scored. We notice that the neighborhood is having a yard sale just outside our house. High on the bargains we just got, we nosy our way around to see if we can find anything else. Lo and behold, we leave with a solid wood playpen and adorable bumper guard (brand new) for under $50. Score twice!

1:30- Meet our friend, Tanya at Babies R' Us and Target to take us on a "guided" tour to set up our registries. I remember the first time Jude and I went to BRU- it was maybe a couple of weeks after we found out we were pregnant. It was all so overwhelming and we walked out barely 10 minutes after walking in. It was sooooo helpful to have Tanya with us to translate product terms into simple English (I now know what a Pack-and-Pay is!) and to tell us which things we really need and which ones are completely worthless (really, a diaper stacker? Why would I want to take out diapers that are already neatly stacked in a package just to restack them in something else?)

Setting up a registry is very new to us and we approached it with a tad of discomfort, almost something akin to shyness. Maybe it's an Asian thing since it's not traditional practice back home where money gifts are more typical. The whole idea of a baby registry is so that your friends know exactly what you need/want and will get it for you. But it also felt odd, like saying to them, "Get us this. And this. And this too." So to make sure it was easy for everyone, we tried to register for things that ranged in terms of price. This way, friends who want to get something on their own won't feel like they need to spend a lot, but friends who want to get a gift together as a group will have some choices too.

Sunday-
1.00- Decide to make space for baby's clothes. After all that shopping yesterday and the gifts we've been receiving from home, our little girl might now officially have more clothes than I did when we first moved here :) Now to figure out where to put them all. We clear up a couple of drawers in our dressers and put away clothes that we'll either give away or store in the basement (off-season clothes and stuff I can't wear anymore like my many Threadless tees... *sniff*). I still don't think there's enough space but we'll probably get one of those large plastic storage drawer things for her daily wear when the time comes.

4:00- Stroller purchase. After much, much, MUCH research (as my friend Teresa says, we can now write books on shopping for strollers and car seats), Jude and I had narrowed our choices of strollers and car seats to a few contenders. A few things that are really important to us are design and safety. And the cost of course. And while we knew for sure we're getting our crib and infant car seat brand new, we didn't mind Craigslisting or eBaying our stroller as long as it's lightly used and manufactured recently. The problem is that the brands and models we want are either rarely listed or listed at prices that aren't that much cheaper compared to their first-hand counterparts. But finally, on Thursday, I saw a listing on Craigslist for a Peg Perego Pliko P3, an Italian-made stroller and one of our first stroller choices, and made an appointment immediately. After literally a 12-email back-and-forth and getting lost in Newport, MI, Jude and I finally got a look at it and put an end to literally weeks, if not months, of researching and online shopping by eventually buying it. It's an older model but at $399.99, the 2009 model is just way out of our budget. And we really do like the Peg Peregos for their high ratings in design and quality. Plus this one was barely used (why anyone would spend $400 on a stroller and hardly use it is beyond me...).

A couple of things that have been absolutely indispensable in this whole process has been 1) Jude's (and my own growing) tenacity in terms of scouring the Internet for the best deals without sacrificing quality. We refuse to pay full price for something if we can get it cheaper elsewhere. The money we save can go to buying something else for the baby. But we're not going to compromise on quality or safety either; which is why we've been relying on 2) Baby Bargains (a.k.a. the Baby Merchandise Bible, as Jude likes to think of it). It gives you the low-down on almost everything you're going to need for your baby and where you might be able to find them at a reasonable price. Based on their product ratings (and an extraordinary amount of time spent reading reviews on the Internet), Jude and I now know which stroller, car seat, and crib we want, and it's just a matter of finding them at a price that we like. Which brings us to 3) the amazing support from our family and friends. Without the invaluable advice and tips in terms of what we need to get, offers of various gifts, promises to adhere to our baby registry so we'll get what we want (and not some frivolous rattle-meets-mp3 player-meets-furry puzzle plaything), or letting us know that they're more than happy to help with some of our bigger purchases, we would not have been able to do all this prep so smoothly. Thank you, thank you, all of you! :)

Love letters

Journaling to Baby before bed
Originally uploaded by ghetto of our mind

So one of the things I've been doing before bed is journaling to the baby. I kept a diary until I was about 17 but this is a whole new experience because eventually, someone else is actually going to read it. I started about a month after we found out we were pregnant- I think of them romantically as love letters to our little one :) It's been a very calming thing to do before bed and I love the fact that after every entry, I fall asleep thinking of her...

I probably wasn't as consistent with it in the first trimester, just because there's only so much I could share with her about how tired she was making me or how little I felt like eating. But now that we're busying ourselves with getting ready for her arrival-- the rapid way my body's changing, music I've been listening to, books I'm reading, all the shopping we're doing, phone calls and emails of love and support we've been getting-- it's like I have something to share with her every other day. I'm hoping to keep this up as long as I can (that's if I'll still be able to write anything through colicky sleepless nights...) and one day, when she's old enough, we can start reading entries to her before she goes to bed :) When I started this little "project", I had visions of giving this to her as a gift at her graduation or her wedding-- I know, I think waaaaaay ahead-- but now, it's almost become a way for me to look back at our experiences and a part of me is doing this as much for us as it is for her.

Joe Wong on Letterman

This guy is funny. Period. Like laugh-out-loud-I-think-our-neighbors-can-hear-us-ouch-the-baby's-laughing-too funny! He looks nothing like a stand-up comedian (he looks more like an MIT professor about to give a Noble Prize winning talk on nuclear astrophysics) but the moment he opens his mouth, you're completely floored :) And so much of it is an almost self-effacing deadpan delivery. We're not talking slapstick comedy here, folks- this guy's got some sophisticated jokes up his sleeves... Some of our favorites:

I'm not good at sports but I love parallel parking. Because unlike in sports, in parallel parking, the worse you are, the more people root for you.

I have a bumper sticker that says, "If you don't speak English, go home." I didn't notice it for two years.

What is Roe vs. Wade? Two ways to come to the United States.

I have a sign on my car that says "Baby on Board." This sign is basically a threat. It just says that I have a screaming baby and a naggy wife and I'm not afraid of dying anymore.

Precious!

Orla Kiely

We first came across Orla Kiely at Target actually, where they had commissioned the British designer to create a new line of inexpensive household ware. I quickly fell in love with her quirky circa-'70s vintage aesthetic and wanted to buy up all the kitchen towels, mug hooks, tablecloths, place mats, and melamine plates they had on sale. But I didn't. Much self-control ;) Later, I found out that her designs span women’s-wear, accessories, wallpaper, stationery, plus a collection of note-paper for the Tate Modern.

Coincidentally (or maybe not...), I've also been on the look out for an oversized tote bag to carry my laptop and stuff. Jude got me this wonderful booq Mamba Pack for Christmas that I really love but I suspect that in a month or so, my lower back might start hurting from carry too heavy a load on my back and so I thought a tote might be the solution. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I found myself surfing through Orla Kiely's bag collection. Her Mainline stuff is way too expensive, primarily because they're made of leather, and even her laptop bags-- while designed specifically for laptops-- are neither affordable nor as fun as her other stuff. Then I saw her Etc line, the collection for everything else. The bags still weren't very cheap but at least they were within fantasizing range. And who would then come to the rescue but my bargain maven of a husband :) A quick search on eBay found an only-used-once second-hand bag in just the right dimensions, in the classic Orla Kiely lily stem print in chocolate, and at a fraction of the cost! Yay! With only one bid and 6 hours left, our chances of winning it were good. So we bid just a dollar more than the existing bid and 6 hours later, an Orla Kiely Etc Laminated Dark Multistem Classic Shoulder Bag was mine! And free shipping too! What's best, when I'm not using it to carry my laptop, we can double it up as a diaper bag when the baby arrives :)

Score!

32 more ways to kill time when you actually have work to do

Re-purposed from Tym:

1. Do you like blue cheese?
Not particularly. Maybe a little in a burger, but definitely not in salad dressing. And I can't have it now, anyway.

2. Have you ever smoked?
Nope.

3. Do you own a gun?
No, and I never will.

4. What flavor Kool-Aid was your favorite?
Actually, even after 6 years here and 2 years of teaching preschool, I don't think I've ever had Kool-Aid. Doesn't it turn your tongue blue?

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
Depends on what I'm going in for.

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
Yumm! And especially if it's a soft, steaming hot bun and a grilled all-beef frank that has that satisfying snap to it :)

7. Favourite Christmas movie?
Love Actually. Hands down. Like "I-know-the-lines-by-heart-stop-all-I'm-doing-and-watch-it-whenever-it's-on-TV" hands down.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Black coffee, when I still could. Preferably caffeinated and dark roasted. Like a kopi-O or Starbucks' Pike Place brew.

9. Can you do push-ups?
Not since I stopped power yoga.

10. What's your favorite piece of jewellery?
My wedding band. Because it fits into Jude's. They have our wedding date in Roman numerals engraved across when they're together such that when you take them apart, it looks like imperfections on the edges of our rings. It only makes sense when you put them together. I'll always love what that means :) Our wedding bands were the one thing we didn't mind spending a little more on when we got married.

11. Favourite hobby?
Do people above the age of 12 actually still use that word?

12. Do you have A.D.D.?
If I do, that would explain a lot.

13. What's one trait you dislike about yourself?
Procrastination.

14. Middle names?
Siew Wan. It's my Chinese name and my late grandma gave it to me. She said I was named after a Chinese empress. Apparently. Jude thinks I was just named after a bowl (phonetically, wan sounds like "bowl" in Mandarin).

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
I'm cold.
I need more water.
This is taking longer than I expected.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink.
For the past few months, water, sweetened soy bean milk, and decaf coffee (yes, I gave in. Actually, Costco's line of decaf coffee packs all the punch of regular dark-roasted coffee without the caffeine. Even Jude couldn't really tell the difference)

17. Current worry?
Not being able to wake up for tomorrow's 8.15 presentation.

18. Current hate right now?
That I can't eat raw sushi. Although like Tym says, hate is such a strong word...

19. Favourite place to be?
Anywhere with the people I love- it could be the couch watching TV with Jude or back in Singapore at Tiong Bahru Market shopping with the family.

20. How did you bring in the new year?
At our friend's place with champagne & sushi, and watching the CNN telecast of the celebration at Times Square. The next day, we found out we were pregnant :)

21. Where would you like to go?
Like specifically? The store, the Hatcher library, and my office to grab some notes that I forgot. Or in general? Montreal (for bagels, museums, and festivals- not necessarily in that order), Memphis (because Jude wants to check out the music there), Ireland, Italy, Spain...

22. Name three people who will complete this.
Terri, maybe? Jill? Not Jude for sure.

23. Do you own slippers?
Do my Birkenstock thong sandals count?

24 What shirt are you wearing?
A black Gap maternity tee.

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
I wouldn't know.

26. Can you whistle?
Terribly.

27. Favourite colour?
Green or lavender depending on my mood. Sometimes orange too.

28. Would you be a pirate?
No.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower?
None. It's really more of a functional experience.

30. Favourite girl's name?
Sophie.

31. Favorite boy's name?
Liam.

32. What's in your pocket right now?
A receipt for frozen yogurt at Pinkberry.

Bat for Lashes - Daniel

Again, lagging behind the curve on new music, I only just heard of Natasha Khan's music pseudonym - Bat For Lashes (BFL). According to her wikipedia entry, she's rather big across the pond winning a variety of awards in the breakthrough and new artist categories. She's released a new album this year called Two Suns and the georgeous track below, "Daniel", is the first single off it.



The first impression of the song is that she really reminds me of Kate Bush or Imogen Heep. But BFL does have her own sensibilities and aesthetic, as evidenced in an older track "What's a girl to do" below:



Does she also look like a much "edgier" Lily Allen? Love the coordinated Animals on BMXs :)

And we're having a...

...GIRL! :)

Jude and I decided to find out the gender of the baby at our second trimester ultrasound today. It has less to do with the blog poll (although we'd like to thank everyone who did vote- either way) and more to do with the fact that we know our parents really wanted to find out. And being so far away, this was our way of allowing them to feel closer to the baby :)

So now that we know the gender of the baby, it's like a whole new phase of the pregnancy has kicked in although essentially, nothing has changed from yesterday. Now I'm wondering more concretely who she'll (OMG, she!!) look like, whether we'll keep her hair long, how she'll look like in blue instead of pink, what part of her will be like me, and which parts will be like Jude. Or maybe she'll inherit something from her grandparents, aunts, or uncle :) With the knowledge of her gender, it's like she's gained a real identity now- there's a little girl growing in me, a person who will have traits of her dad, her mom, bits of their family, and a whole lot of her. Like this GORGEOUS song by Marc Cohn and Art Garfunkel says, our girl is going to be the sum of all the things handed down and then some. It's off one of my favorite soundtracks ever-- the TV series Mad About You-- and it truly captures everything we're feeling right now about this person who we feel like we've suddenly come to know. I'll let the song speak for itself. Listen to it and read the lyrics- I've heard it so many times but only today did I truly, truly *get* it. It moves me in such a tremendously profound way, I can't even quite articulate it. Just listen, and you'll know why I started crying buckets the moment he sings the first line...

The Things Weve Handed Down - Marc Cohn

Don't know much about you
Don't know who you are
We've been doing fine without you
But, we could only go so far
Don't know why you chose us
Were you watching from above
Is there someone there that knows us
Said we'd give you all our love

Will you laugh just like your mother
Will you sigh like your old man
Will some things skip a generation
Like I've heard they often can
Are you a poet or a dancer
A devil or a clown
Or a strange new combination of
The things we've handed down

I wonder who you'll look like
Will your hair fall down and curl
Will you be a mama's boy
Or daddy's little girl
Will you be a sad reminder
Of what's been lost along the way
Maybe you can help me find her
In the things you do and say

And these things that we have given you
They are not so easily found
But you can thank us later
For the things we've handed down

You may not always be so grateful
For the way that you were made
Maybe some feature of your father's
That you'd gladly sell or trade
And one day you may look at us
And say that you were cursed
But over time that line has been
Extremely well rehearsed
By our fathers, and their fathers
In some old and distant town
From places no one here remembers
Come the things we've handed down
- Marc Cohn & Art Garfunkel, "Things We've Handed Down"

Landon Pigg - Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop

Landon Pigg - Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop


Once in a while, you come across a song that wears its heart so plainly on its sleeve- no complex metaphors, no hidden meanings, just a direct and simple message: "I'm falling in love with you. Like hard." Landon Pigg's "Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop" is that kind of a song. We first heard it when we saw the new AT&T ad on TV and the lyrics jumped out at me with its unabashed sappiness, but not in a bad way. Apart from working really well with the ad's narrative-- some girl sending her boyfriend off at the airport and then pining for him as she receives photos of him on her AT&T phone, and then finally reuniting by some park bench-- there is an almost Nick Drakesque sweet longing in Pigg's voice that really draws you in. It's been playing on our stereo for the past hour. Give it a listen- you'll remember the moment you fell in love with that special someone in your life, and then fall in love with him/her all over again :)

I think that possibly
Maybe I'm falling for you
Yes
There's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you

I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down
I want to come too

I think that possibly
Maybe I'm falling for you

No one understands me quite like you do
Through all of the shadowy corners of me

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew

I think that possibly
Maybe I'm falling for you
Yes
There's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you

I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine
Now I'm shining too

Because
Oh
Because I've fallen quite hard over you

If I didn't know you I'd rather not know
If I couldn't have you I'd rather be alone

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew

All of the while
All of the while it was you
You
You
You
-Landon Pigg, "Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop"

Namaste

As I'm typing this, the Ann Arbor sky is turning an ash gray as we prepare for the winter storm that's coming out way- complete with rain, sleet, snow and all. Yes, it's April and we're expecting 5 inches of snow by tomorrow. That's a Michigan spring for you, folks... And as testimony to how schizophrenic the weather can be, when I woke up this morning, it was all beautiful sunshine and crisp breeze. Which was a wonderful way to start my prenatal yoga practice. I had been putting it off for a while because I couldn't find a studio I liked or a time that fit my schedule. The school gym I used to go to for my regular yoga practice doesn't have a designated class for would-be mommies and many other studios have their one prenatal yoga session at strange times like Friday mornings when I sometimes need to be in school. So I finally settled on A2 Yoga, which comes highly recommended from many friends (even my adviser!) and about which I've heard really good things for the past few years.

It's a beautiful place- calming and warm without the whole new age incense-burning, water-trickling, patchouli-smelling atmosphere you sometimes get at other studios. And truly, it was a lovely morning to be practicing yoga of any kind, prenatal or not- the sunlight was streaming in through the day curtains, one of the windows was open so there was fresh air breezing in, and we did a lot of shoulder openers that made me-- corny or not-- feel like we were embracing a kind of new-season energy on this Palm Sunday. Prenatal yoga is fairly different from the Power Yoga I'm used too. The props for one- two blankets, two blocks and a bolster- it was initially a little intimidating, but I can see how they'll become indispensable once I can no longer see or touch my toes... Prenatal yoga is also less about sustaining a pose than it is about loosening and stretching those muscles. And the breathing is a lot more calming which helped me focus more as well. One particular pose-- it's not even a pose at all, really-- touched me in a way that made me decide that I will be coming back to A2 Yoga weekly from now now: we were supposed to just sit simply and practice our pranayama (yoga breathing). To help us be aware of whether we were breathing right, the instructor told us to put our right palm on our heart, and our left palm on the core of our stomach (or where the baby is). To feel the intake of breath via the lungs/heart and then the slow pressure of its release around the core area was at once refreshing, calming, centering, and strangely moving. It felt like the baby was a real part of my yoga practice today and it was a beautiful moment... :)

Just food

Now that I've solidly gotten my appetite back and can think about food more objectively, I think I've also gained a little more perspective in terms of the things I crave(d) and am/was averse to during the first trimester and even now.

Things I couldn't eat then and still can't bring myself to now (not because I'm not allowed to but because I can't suffer the smell/flavor):
- anything that tastes too much of chicken (like plain grilled chicken or roast chicken. Fried chicken, chicken stock, chicken wings are all fine. Don't ask me what the difference is...)
- anything with dill
- pesto

Things I crave then and that still satisfy today:
- nuts
- cereal with milk
- peanut butter
- chocolate (in fact, anything sweet, creamy, fluffy, decadent, like that little tres leche cake we got from Whole Foods for dessert tonight... yum yum... )
- Annie's Honey Bunny Graham crackers
- Jimmy John's #6 vegetarian sandwich, no sprouts (I think I've had one every week since the beginning of this year)
- Cheese Delight at Oasis Grill outside my school, which is basically a simple salad, Mediterranean vinaigrette, Spanish cheese and pita chips wrapped in pita.
- fries
- Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes
- cold sweetened soy bean milk (tau huay zui) (not the soy milk you get at the supermarkets here as a milk substitute but the kind from the Asian market. It's so refreshing and so comforting because it reminds me of home. Having my second glass of the night as we speak...)

So I was trying to figure out why I couldn't bring myself to eat all that stuff that I couldn't/can't and realized that it was because they're all related to something that I had just around the time we found out we were pregnant which was on New Year's Day. I had made Bulgarian Spicy Dumpling Soup that had a lot of dill in the dumpling two days before the new year, our New Year's Day dinner was a roast chicken, and lunch the day after (just before I took the pregnancy test), was a cilantro pesto pasta. I'm not sure what it says when I'm averse to the things that remind me of the day I found out I was pregnant, but honestly, even just thinking of how dill smells/tastes right now makes me want to gag... (like that salmon patty I couldn't swallow at Whole Foods just now...)

As for the foods I love, I think it's a combination of things that easily kept the nausea and hunger away during the first trimester (all things dry and crunchy like nuts, peanut butter sandwiches, and crackers), foods that have always comforted (chocolate, sweets, and fries), and things that are cool and refreshing (vegetarian sandwiches and soy bean milk). While I still love a fried chicken dinner or a grease-laden burger now and then, too much of anything greasy actually makes me-- and the baby-- uncomfortable. Maybe we're having a health nut baby who's only going to eat healthy food as prescribed by the nutritional food pyramid ;) Now, that would be a complete hoot!