Comfort food

August 14, 2012

It's hard to remember now that Sam wasn't always the happy kid he is now.  And even harder to remember that Nick and I weren't always as content as we are today.  Pretty much from week 28 of my pregnancy (when Sam was mis-diagnosed with brain abnormalities-boo to overreacting doctors) to the day he was born (a month early) until he was almost 10 weeks old, there were lots of tears in this household.  From all of us.

After he was born, there were breastfeeding issues, his acid reflux, sleep deprivation, and post-partum depression. I was a mess.  I remember looking at Nick one night after Sam had finally drifted off to sleep on my chest and saying I felt like a shell of my former self.

April 9, 2012

I was so sad.  The overwhelming joy I felt when I held Sam for the first time had faded into a fog. 

April 16, 2012

I'm grateful that I had Nick to rely on to feed me and comfort me during those days.  There were many nights that he came home from work to find me in the rocking chair trying desperately to soothe our fussy baby while the white noise machine blared crashing waves and seagulls crying.  Dark days, my friends, dark days.  Knowing that a hot meal was waiting for me made the endless shushing bearable.

Though I learned a lot during the first three months of my life as a mom, I'll focus on the most edible.  My husband can really cook.

Pasta with peas, eggs, and cheese.

Grilled steak and onions with olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

 

Portuguese fish stew with mussels, clams, shrimp, and King crab legs.  Fun fact- I'm allergic to crab.  Found this out after devouring more than half of this bowl.  Itchy palms=run to CVS for benadryl  

Farewell, my spiny friend.

Nick also made some stellar stuffed mussels with spinach that are unpictured because we ate them too quickly.  I *heart* muscles. 

I'm lucky that my issues weren't anything that Lexapro and good food couldn't cure.  To all new moms and dads out there- be kind to yourselves.

Beach day

A few weeks ago we headed up to Gloucester for the day.  It's such a quaint beach town, perfect for a hot summer day.  

Sam's not a huge fan of his carseat these days, probably because it gets so dang hot.  What is it about carseats that makes them baby ovens??   We have a Chicco KeyFit30 and Sam comes out of it sweaty every time.  Maybe it'll keep him warm in the winter?  Anyway, due to Sam's transportation preferences, I wore him in the Ergo all day.  He stayed comfy and happy and I ended the day with a baby-shaped sweat stain on the front of my dress.  And no, there are no pictures of that.  It was gross.

 We got there around 11 and decided to have an early lunch at the Cape Ann Brewery. 

 A honey pilsner & a lobster roll for Nick and a pale ale & a giant bowl of clams for me.  No pictures of the food because it was housed.  Seafood=summer.

After lunch we wandered around the town center.  Stopped in a few antique shops and toy stores.  Cannot wait to buy so many toys for me Sam to play with!

A pit stop at Cape Ann Olive Oil Co. netted us a bottle of Chipotle olive oil.  So flavorful and a nice finishing touch on any Mexican dish.  I sampled entirely too much oil and vinegar and left SO thirsty- the espresso balsamic vinegar was surprisingly drinkable.  Would've bought a bottle, but how exactly does one use espresso vinegar?  I can only eat so many salads.  

 Last stop was Hammond Castle.  This modern medieval castle is a gem.  "The Father of the Remote Control" John Hays Hammond Jr. built this for his wife as a wedding present.  Pretty sure I just got a pair of earrings from my husband to be...nice ones, but still...

Don't be jealous of my awesome floppy hat. 

 The castle sits right on the water's edge with pristine views of the Atlantic.

Time to burp.

Sam got a great view of all the interesting ceilings at the castle, as he required a bottle while we were there.  Nick and I traded off carrying Sam and feeding him at the same time.  I'm getting some amazing triceps caring for this kid.


Our first full day out with the wee one went quite well- no true meltdowns from any of us.  High five, family!