i came, i saw, i corn-quered.

I'm not sure how to translate that into Latin...

It took five days for me to do this post. Seriously. It's in direct correlation with my ever-expanding waistline. Thank you, pending baby, for making me the laziest mama-blogger on the planet. Poor Lil. She's constantly showing off her adorable new skills and Mama just sits there and says, "good job, Lil." No cameras, no uploads, no new posts. The guilt is overwhelming, I can assure you. 

Getting on with it– Lil can now eat corn on the cob! This is a huge milestone for us. I didn't expect Lil to chomp any c.o.t.c until next summer at the earliest. I am pretty sure this is NYS corn (not that bastard sweetcorn from PA) which may explain her sudden lust for our favorite summer side dish.

It's safe to say she found it quite nummy. I think the only thing that would've made her happier is a chocolate cupcake. In my opinion, it's a toss-up.

the aftermath

state of emergency!

this photo has nothing to do with our current crisis, but who cares?

URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Lil to Corn on the Cob: "NO!"

While getting Lil ready for our upcoming trip Upstate, something terrible happened. Mama lovingly prepared a half-ear of organic Lancaster County (PA) sweetcorn, and Lil turned it down– for mashed potatoes with Bolognese (ick)!

To the casual Lil watcher, this may seem like typical toddler behavior. They say new foods may be introduced sometimes as many five times before kids start to enjoy them. But this is no ordinary food, and this is not just some run-of-the-mill toddler. She is the product of my womb– the womb of a born-and-raised Upstate country girl– who is also the product of an Upstate country girl, and so on. Mama grew up on a-dollar-a-dozen-from-right-down-the-road sweetcorn, and I-dare-you-to-eat-an-ear-of-corn-that's-meant-for-feed corn. How can I accept that my offspring will not eat corn on the cob?? Worse, I feel terrible wasting awesome corn on someone that won't eat it!

Mama only hopes that once we're actually Upstate and surrounded by corn-loving relatives eating locally grown, just-picked Madison County (NY) corn, Lil will have a change of heart. In my experience sweetcorn just isn't the same unless you're enjoying it with my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Also troubling, Lil still insists that cows say "baaaah." Lil!! Get thee to the country!!

green monster

Why yes, that is a broccoli floret sticking out of Lil's mouth...

Yeah–and then after dinner, she wiped down her high chair tray. This makes up for a good deal of difficult behavior.

networking skills

making friends on the Highline lawn

Lately Lil's taken every opportunity to flex her social muscles. Results have been mixed. She is learning that her charms work best on little girls ages 3 - 5, and that kitty cats respond well to food, but not so well to spontaneous hugs. At the playground, she will occasionally encounter a belligerent child who will not share and doesn't like smiling. The "Mommy, why are some kids such douchebags?" conversation is not one I'm looking forward to. I am afraid I'll only come up with those empty one-line responses like, "they're just jealous," or "probably because their parents don't love them very much," which will do little to inspire compassion and understanding.

bribing The Cat

On other fronts, it appears that Mama is doing a little networking of her own on the blogosphere. It is CSA season once again here in Brooklyn, and our friend Jenny's blog snackreligious is a source for inspiration. I was glad to lend her some ideas, but to be sure all my culinary acumen derives from one source, and one source only: Jon Wallace, co-owner and executive chef of the eagerly anticipated restaurant The Wallace, coming soon to Clinton Hill. So read Jenny's blog, and check out The Wallace's menus, and keep an eye out for their grand opening! Lil has her VIP bib ready for the occasion.

fresh

Lil to berries with fresh whipped cream: "NOM."

video: lil piggy

Lil is learning animal sounds. When it comes to pig sounds, "oink" is a little complicated for a not-yet-16-month-old. She finds the whole thing really entertaining. She's amazed by snorts, but hasn't quite figured out a pig snort. It sounds more like she's clearing her throat, but it's cute nonetheless.

signs, signs

I've been practicing sign language for Lil for about six months. Just a few small ones, like "more," and "all done." But she would rather incoherently vocalize her needs and opinions rather than actually communicate in a way I can understand. Today I thought we had a breakthrough. At the end of lunch, a happy Lil waves her hands (the sign for "all done") instead of simply throwing her dishes and food on the floor (her way of communicating "all done"). It can be confusing, and sometimes I think it's easier just to clean up the mess. 

Just watch the video and judge for yourself....

video tuesday: lil and the spoon

I know you were hoping for a Christmas morning video of Lil attacking some wrapping paper, or playing with a box instead of her new shiny toys. Well... we have some breaking news: Lil can feed herself with a spoon!!! That's right– the spoon goes straight from the dish to the mouth, delivering a bite-size portion of food into Lil's mouth. She still needs some help getting the payload onto the spoon, but other than that, feeding time is now a mostly solo operation– with utensils. Pretty impressive.

Gratuitous Christmas footage still to come...

a new thrill

Lil has been an adventurous eater for a while now. She is always eager to explore new foods, both with her tastebuds and her hands. This week we are witnessing a rejuvenation in her excitement for food, possibly due to the fact she can actually taste what she's eating again. That, or because Mama finally got some energy and cooked for a change (jar food is so freaking bland. No wonder most babies just spit out what you feed them). Just check out that expression of utter joy and anticipation! Those must be some good eats Lil's about to get. Yum, yum.

For lunch, Lil was dressed so nicely in her puff-sleeve tunic dress and a pair of lavender cable-knit tights. Who doesn't just love baby tights? The only problem with them is that Lil slipped twice on the hardwood floor. These just didn't have enough grippy stuff on the soles. That just means she needs more shoes!

However, dinner is a more serious matter. Attire is as informal as possible, because on bath nights, we let Lil go hog wild (literally). If she wants to feed herself, she's may. If she wants to sit there and mush broccolini into her bellybutton, she can do that too. Just as long as she doesn't throw her food at Mama, or on the floor. The baby gets cleaned regularly. Mama and the floor- not so much.

fingerling potatoes smashed with multi-color baby carrots steamed in orange juice, and baby yams.

last of the strange green things

pretty as a princess, but no poison in that apple

Just like cold weather kills all green things, our CSA shares also came to an end this week. I can't say I'm sad about it. The wet summer was reportedly very bad for a lot of veg, especially tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, spinach, carrots, and pretty much everything else beside eggplants and sweet potato leaves. We didn't even get a single pumpkin! But enough complaining. We gathered up our few measly potatoes, a sad winter squash, and a dying bunch of parsley for a bookend to this photo shoot from back in June. At least something pictured has grown and flourished and thrived, and it's obvious I'm not talking about veggies.

russet, or yukon gold?

Lil's definitely the biggest and most beautiful piece of organic, locally grown deliciousness I lugged home all season. There's no way I'm complaining about that!

I think Lil will have enough organic sweet potatoes to get her thru college, but beside that, we need some new ways to get organic fruits and veggies this winter. Otherwise, I'm afraid it's gonna be nothing but oatmeal and bananas for Lil...

video explosion

Since we are a little late with today's video, here are a few shorts of Lil that were found on Mama's phone (this phone has a habit of hiding photos and videos). Maybe it's a good thing these little snippets were lost, because now it's like a Lil treasure trove. Yay!

Here's Lil on October 20th on the way home from her doctor's appointment...

... and here Lil feeds herself with a spoon, and I chat with our neighbor Erin and then we cheer for Lil...

... and this is Lil making a mess of her food (I know, a lot of videos of her eating, right?)...

... and finally here is a very jittery video of Lil and Papa chasing Mama before bedtime. This is one of Lil's all-time favorite activities. I will warn that the quality is shoddy, so if you are easily nauseated or prone to seizures, you may want to skip this one.

video tuesday: Lil's big apple

No, we are not out and about in the big city, seeing the sights or craning our necks upward in search of skyscraper rooftops.  Today's blog title is a bit more literal.  Lil actually took a bite of a big apple, and she very much enjoyed it.  So much in fact, that she wouldn't give it back, forcing Mama to go hungry.  Lil shares her excitement for- and her dismay over losing- her first big apple.

video tuesday!

We do have pictures for you today, but we also have two never-before-seen, all new video clips for you, too! How exciting!!

First, we have a short clip of a tickle attack. This was captured during our "save the giraffes" photo session.  Be careful, her laughter is often contagious.

We also have captured Lil's reaction to her new favorite fare, coconut yogurt. Lil may not be talking, but she can still voice her appreciation for the yummy stuff.

Mama was hoping to get Lil's reaction to her first taste of lemon on film (something like this), but Lil loved the lip-smacking tangy treat and didn't even blink.  She's probably going to grow up loving Sour Patch Kids.  Eew.

mum mum yum yum

Mama and Lil went for a stroll on what was the most gorgeous August day EVER.  But where to go, and what to do plagued Mama to no end.  The park is far, and Lil's not quite big enough for playground fun.  So Tuffet ended up as the destination, but first Lil grabbed a few Baby Mum Mums to snack on.  Mama had never seen such a thing- they're like a little surf boards made of puffed rice.  Lil loved her first hand-held, DIY snack food.  Mama loved her chorizo and cheddar sandwich, and pint of Six-Point lager.

Now that Lil's wardrobe has been sorted into "play" and "outing" categories, we usually reserve the little dresses and coordinates for going out.  But today, Lil went out in her casual playwear.  No biggie, these items she inherited from her fashion icons Lia and Cousin Josie were perfectly matched for a quick and easy walk around the neighborhood.  Really, don't we all venture out in yoga pants  every now and then?

weekend update #4- home and away

mushy and messy

Lil had another big weekend, but found some time to spend some quality time at home with Mama, Papa, Kitty and the Cat.  Saturday was mostly a lounge-around-in-a-diaper kind of day, especially after trying her first bites of cereal!  There was no Cap'n Crunch and Saturday morning cartoons for Lil, though.  She stuck to organic brown rice with breast milk.  This cloth diaper is a Blueberry's Basix.  Even though it's the easiest cloth diaper ever, what really made this one a must-have is the giraffe print.

bib from Dwell Studios

"Pride (In the Name of Love)"

Sunday was a day for family, family, and more family!  Lil has aunts and uncles (truly great ones) coming out of the woodwork, and each new meeting requires a special look.  Sunday also happened to be Gay Pride here in New York, so we couldn't have found a better reason to go with rainbows and a pink flamingo.  Since New York State legalized gay marriage this weekend, she donned her colors to in a celebration of love, and liberty, and a tribute to every family- past, present, and future.

fabulous flamingo

farm fresh

Lil and Mama volunteered at their CSA today, handing out fresh fruits and veggies to customers.  Lil was the produce princess, and managed to stay sweeter than the strawberries the entire time.  I think she and veggies will have a beautiful friendship.

arugu-what?

simply delicious

a tasty treat

There's something about a baby in some food-inspired gear that makes my sweet tooth start to ache!  Whether it's wholesome fruits and veggies, or indulgent cakes and candies, babies make good eats look great.  Lil put this idea to work today in her newly inherited cupcake onesie and "brownie" Babylegs.  Even though the saying "she looks good enough to eat" didn't originate with my Lil, it definitely applies.  I had to count those fingers and toes at bedtime just to make sure I didn't nibble them all up.

better than a Hostess any day

lil sprout

Today was the first day of our CSA, so Lil and Mama headed over to Bushwick to pick up our first load of fruits, veg, eggs and flowers.  While this time of year doesn't produce a bounty of produce, we did walk away with some gorgeous greens, fresh fraise, and a dozen brown eggs.  The farm share inspired me, not to cook a delicious meal, but to dress Lil in something bright and lively.

Hopefully the food inspiration will come after a good night's sleep.  Any suggestions are welcome!  Here's what we got this week:

• asparagus
• 2 types of lettuce
• sugar snaps
• raddishes
• LOTS of strawberries
• bok choi
• farm fresh eggs
• fresh lavender

I was thinking of pureeing and freezing some of the asparagus for baby food, but it is so lovely and tender, I'm pretty sure it's all going to Mama.  I'll have to find out about strawberries and bok choi for babies.