Finally got to wear my chambray dress.  Marco and I decided to visit Tim while he was at work, so of course, we had to look cute!

Dress: Jolt
Navy belt: Shiraleah
Sunglasses and wedges: Target

One of my favorite things about summer??

Strawberries! 

Last night, we had them with Angel Food cake and fresh whipped cream for a delicious dessert:

Yes, that is a pig-shaped dessert bowl.  I only have two – I wish I had a full set!

I finished The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver last week. I thought it was an exceptionally well-crafted story.  Definitely a ‘political’ novel, with a clear voice  and stance on patriotism; a bit cynical, but ultimately, on target.

Yesterday, I finished The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman (a good read, but not as great as Here on Earth) and now have to find my next book! I was thinking of grabbing The Third Angel (another Hoffman novel), but would love a recommendation.

Also, any tips on getting my husband to finish my library?? My books are STILL in boxes, and, since I’m always buying books, the stacks just keep getting bigger! The only thing that’s been done in there is the primer. What should I resort to, bribery? Trickery? Torture?

What do we think of this denim-like fabric? I just bought this Jolt dress from Nordstrom:

I love the exposed zipper in back.

Currently…

 Reading: The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman

Listening: ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ by The Beatles on my Pandora station.

Tasting: Root Beer lollipop from See’s Candy! They are sooo good!

Adoring: Marco, pondering life…

1.If you had 5000.00 to spend on plastic surgery what would you have done?
I wouldn’t have any plastic surgery, my body is the way it is. But I wouldn’t mind fixing my crooked bottom tooth. The rest of the money I’d use to go shopping, ha ha.

2. Do you watch Soap operas and if so what is your favorite and why?
No.

3. Favorite clothing brand?
Forever21, Joe’s Jeans, Rich & Skinny, H&M and Target.

4. An afternoon shopping spree at your favorite store or maid service for a year?
Hmm. I would love an afternoon to shop at Nordstrom, but I don’t really like cleaning;  it might be more to my advantage to take the maid service.

5. Would you ever vajazzle?
I had to google this to figure out what it was – I keep hearing the term and assumed it had something to do with the below-the-belt area. The answer is HELL NO.

6. Favorite Disney Princess?
Belle, of course!  Dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, raised by a single parent, loves to read… see the pattern here?

7. Last movie that made you bawl your eyes out?
‘Up’, I think.  ‘A Single Man’ did make me cry, but I was definitely bawling during ‘Up’. Those Pixar folks know how to wring out the waterworks.

8. Have you ever broken any bones and if so what?
I have not broken any bones; lots of sprains, though.

Thanks to Lauren at The Little Things We Do for this post…

1.  If I could choose my last meal it would be  Mixed greens with strawberries, feta and a light vinaigrette, then a wood-fired pizza with caramelized onions, arugula, gorgonzola, and figs. A glass of Schramsberg Blanc de Noir (maybe two glasses, ha ha). Banana gratin with vanilla ice cream.

2.  My favorite person to share a meal with is Timothy Dickson

3.  The best meal I’ve ever had was the 15-course Vegetable Tasting menu from The French Laundry. It was meant to be 9 courses, but they sent out extra because it was our wedding anniversary (and I worked for the company).

4.  The one food that makes me feel instantly better when I’m having a bad day is desserts in general will always help! Fruit flavor cupcakes!

5.  My absolute specialty in the kitchen is chicken enchiladas and desserts. I make wicked lemon dark-chocolate truffles.

6.  The city that has the best food is a toss-up between the Napa Valley and Rome. I loved everything we ate in Rome.       

7.  My favorite healthy snack is fruit! I loooove fruit.

8.  In my opinion the nationality which has the best food is ITALIAN! I love French food, but I could eat Italian food every day.

9.  If I could learn to cook anything in the world (and be really good at it!) I’d choose bread. It’s a very difficult skill to learn; even professionals can screw it up.

10.  The most outrageous dessert I’ve ever had was  I don’t think I’ve had anything too crazy; the best dessert was definitely from The French Laundry – drageed macadamia nuts, donuts and a coffee mousse.

I know, I know…it’s been awhile since I posted. My only excuse is that I’m a mother now. I hate that I have to pull that one out…but it’s all I’ve got!

Anywhoo, there really hasn’t been a whole lot to report. We started Marco on soy formula on Sunday afternoon to see if that helps his colic fits. Sunday night was still pretty awful, but last night he only cried for about an hour total, and slept most of the time in his vibrating seat. So…we’ll see? I’m using Similac Isomil Advanced Soy, but after a week I might try the colic-specific formula (either Similac’s Alimentum or Enfamil’s Nutramigen – anyone have a recommendation?).  Initially, I was attempting to breastfeed for at least 3 months, but this colic has kind of thrown all of our plans to the wind.

Most of the day I’m either napping, reading or doing some sort of household chore (laundry, taking out the garbage, sorting bills, etc.) I’m awake a good chunk of the night – feeding Marco, burping Marco, holding Marco, listening to Marco cry inconsolably…

I worry that this strain is going to put pressure on my relationship with Tim. It’s always been my main concern with having a child; I didn’t want anything to disturb the wonderful balance that Tim and I have found, and it’s something we’ve put a lot of work into.  I am working on getting my moods to a more even keel, with the help of some medication my doctor prescribed for the postpartum depression; Tim is everlastingly patient with me and I know it can’t be easy. He’s tired too, and having to work on top of everything else. Working out the sleep scheduling has been our main topic of conversation lately. I miss the days of talking for hours about things unrelated to baby. I miss going to Gillwood’s together every Sunday for brunch! I am anxious for Marco’s sleep and colic to get under control so we can do these things again.

Ugh! I have a dentist appointment tomorrow…not looking forward to it. My last visit, I was pregnant, so they couldn’t do any x-rays or fix the cavity that I had – but now I have not that excuse. I hope it’s not a painful day.  Though, I do always like the way my teeth feel after the deep cleaning.

Played around with the Hipstamatic iPhone app last night during Marco’s quiet period last night:

He’s so darn beautiful.

So our pediatrician confirmed a suspicion that Tim and I had formed last week…that our baby Marco has colic. UGH!!  He wakes up between 11pm and midnight every night, screaming and crying – and it continues for several hours. He’s not hungry, doesn’t need his diaper changed, is swaddled, etc… Finally, after his 3:30am feeding, he will calm down and eventually drift to sleep.  The vibrating infant seat sometimes calms him down, but it won’t comfort him enough to fall asleep. Even holding him doesn’t help him to fall asleep; he stops screaming, but he fusses every couple of minutes.

Further bad news, he might be allergic to dairy. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, except that I am vegetarian; I get a lot of my proteins from yogurts, milk and cheeses. If I cut out dairy, I’d be losing a huge chunk of my diet, and it would probably leave me sick.  I can either stop eating dairy for a week and see if it helps his tummy, or I can put him on soy formula for a week. I don’t know what to do.

Also, I am very tired. Tim went back to work on a limited basis (half-days) but it’s definitely cut into our rest/nap time. We look like zombies most of the time.

Good news: all baby weight is gone, and today I am wearing my size 26 Rich & Skinny boyfriend jeans. Oh, how I missed you…