I contributed three dishes to Thanksgiving dinner this year: curry persimmon and squash soup, sticky rice pork stuffing, and persimmon pie. My parents gave me so much persimmon from their tree, I needed to use up the supply before they spoiled! Everything I made turned out very tasty I must say. The soup was so naturally sweet and creamy...it did look a lot like baby food though. Hmmm... And Sergio couldn't stop eating the stuffing! It was a ton of prep work but I might keep that recipe in regular rotation. I used half the sugar called for in the recipe for the pie but it turned out just the right amount of sweetness anyway. (I'm patting myself on the back as you read this.)
Regretfully, I didn't take any photos during dinner at my parents' house. Too busy putting food in my face! :)
The parentals ended up watching Chinese soap operas after dinner. :)
I have so much to be thankful for always. This year, with baby growing in my belly, even more so. Life is kind of grand right now.
Halfway there! I know, I know, only pregnant people count time in weeks. 20 weeks means I just started my 5th month and it's a milestone.
We took these right before Friendsgiving at the Crook-Lee household - a completely delicious affair I might add. I was speaking with a mom of two during dinner and she described her first pregnancy as magical. And it struck me that it described what I've been feeling perfectly. Those special moments like hearing the heartbeat, seeing the ultrasounds, finding out the sex, feeling him move... it leaves me a little breathless with how much magic has been in our lives lately.
Popped some Trader Joes frozen croissants into the oven this morning. They were incredibly flaky and crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Perfect for dipping into a mug of warm soy milk. They were so good I had two. Sergio had three.
Also, my parents' persimmon tree went into bonkers production this season. I have too many to eat! I'm thinking of making a persimmon pie and a curry persimmon soup for Thanksgiving. Sounds pretty good right?
I'm actually at 19 weeks now. But this was only 5 days ago so still fairly accurate. Not that I haven't grown already - I totally have. I swear, there was an evening last week I felt double the size I did that morning.
The little boy had an idea. He stole a spool of thread from his mother's sewing supplies and raced to the second story window. He tied the end of the thread to a plastic bag, and let it float into the blustery blue sky. He watched with glee as the bag soared and the entire spool unraveled. His makeshift kite flew so high, so far -- all the way to town.
As Sergio was telling me this story, I could see he was reliving the joy of that day. "It was so high!" he kept saying. His voice was so excited, his eyes shone and in a flash I could see him as he must have been in childhood. So curious, so clever, and brimming with big ideas. I laughed and said, "I wish I could have known you at that age. You must've been a fun little boy." (Via some magical time travel solution, of course.) And I thought, it would be so amazing to have a little Sergio of our own someday.
He told me that story months ago.
Yesterday we hosted a small cake-cutting party to reveal the sex of our baby. The big reveal would be made to both our friends & family and ourselves! We asked our ultrasound technician to not reveal the sex to us but seal the results in an envelope, which we then dropped off with the amazingly talented Sara Tso of Matchbox Kitchen who we hired to bake our custom cake. The entirely frosted caked would be either blue or pink on the inside depending on what was in the envelope. Cutting into the cake would reveal the results!
It was an amazing moment. And we couldn't be happier. I can't wait to meet him, our little boy.
P.S. Thank you Sara! The cake was delicious and perfect. I can't wait to order another one of your creations.
So when I was looking for that Andy Lau song for a recent post, I of course fell into the YouTube rabbit hole yet again. This time I rifled through adolescent memories of 1990's cantopop. Anita Mui was my favorite. I loved her like no other female singer previous and since. Watching video from her final concert still moves me to tears. This was one of my favorite songs:
It's extremely dramatic and I love it still.
*The video still paused on Michele Yeoh, not Anita. This song was in a movie they were both in.
There are entirely too many baby products out in the world. It's all very overwhelming. And a little bit petrifying. What if we choose the wrong, well, anything? So much information, so many options, so much money! I thought I would be super excited to shop for our baby but honestly, I've been silently pushing the entire thought to the blind spot in my brain. Maybe you don't have one of those but conveniently, I do.
Luckily, my awesome friend Betsy put together a comprehensive list of all her favorites since welcoming Elora into the world, complete with wonderful commentary. Also, I'll be looking at lists that mommy bloggers like Joy and Maggie have so helpfully and meticulously posted.
In the end though, I need to remember the most important "thing" to provide our baby is a safe, healthy place to thrive and grow. Just like our parents did -- who had much, much less. In fact, they would be horrified by the sheer number of items marketed as baby essentials these days. Then again, we would probably be horrified at what was considered as baby safe back then.
We just need to buckle down and sift through the noise to get at what is essential, pure and good for baby.
P.S.
Hey, I know, you are probably not interested in baby items (and I'm not sure if we really need this). But gosh, I literally gasped aloud when I saw this promo video. Wow at 0:13.
