Oh, sweet Jesus...

Sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder if I'm clinically insane.
I wonder what it would be like for a group of psychologists (A herd? A gaggle? A cult?) to study my brain and the crazy way it processes things.

I'm referring, of course, to my decision to tryout for the Rat City Roller Girls derby teams next month. It's not crazy that I want to get into roller derby; I think this sport was created for me, and I couldn't have found it at a better time in my life. Trying out, though? Maybe not the wisest idea. It isn't just that the thought of skating in front of a bunch of tough, experienced chicks is terrifying (which, by the way, it kind of is), but it's also the fact that I've only skated twice now in the last decade. A decade. DECADE.

*breathe*

It's like Steve said, though; I can't expect to be perfect at everything on the first go-round.
Yes, my skating is stiff... but I haven't fallen down yet.
Yes, I need to work on my crossovers... but I haven't broken a femur. Yet.

I was at Skate King last night for an Adult Skate, and was the only one there in full gear. I felt a little out of place, especially since I couldn't skate nearly as well as most people on the rink, but it felt good to get a little more practice just being on my skates.

Oh, yeah! I got skates!
A nice, easy pair of R3s. Just basic black, nothing fancy. It's just cool to have my first pair, knowing that they're going to be with me for a while.

I guess that's it for now. Tryouts are on August 11th and 12th, so under a month away. I'm still trying to work in time to practice after I get off work or on the weekends when Steve can watch Bruce. I think that's going to be the hardest part of derby; making the time for practices and bouts. I feel so guilty even taking 20 minutes for a shower, let alone driving out to Bellevue or Lynnwood multiple times a week.

We'll figure this out. Derby is already too much fun...

Good things come in pairs, apparently!

I spoke about a week too soon; Bruce has TWO teeth! *Squeeeeee!*

Both his bottom right and bottom left middle teeth are coming in and, while it renders him completely miserable and fussy, I couldn't be more proud. How silly does that sound, by the way... being proud of my child's emerging teeth? It's not like he or I have any say over it, or the rate that they come in. I guess I'm just so amazed by how quickly he's growing. He's my little giant.

Next topic up for discussion?





Yep... I'm going to look into Roller Derby!!!!!

Things that go CHOMP!

We have been fairly certain that Bruce has been teething for a while now (try since he was 3 months old and started drooling like a freaking faucet), but - drumroll, please...

His first tooth is coming in!

Steve called to inform me that he felt something a little sharp in Bruce's mouth (sounds terrifying, right?) and, after obtaining visual confirmation, we have tooth! The coolest part about this is that Bruce turns 6 months old tomorrow. Talk about milestones! What an awesome story this is going to make for him when he's older and wants to know about his milestones with growth and all that fun stuff.

Our little man - on top of producing his first tooth - has also been going through his 6-month growth spurt. We noticed very quickly that, when it comes to the 'typical' growth spurts, Bruce is about a week or two... or four... ahead of the actual date they should be occuring on. It just goes to show that, once again, BABIES GROW AT THEIR OWN PACE. While he normally takes roughly 32 oz of formula every day (on top of whatever pureed food we offer), these last two weeks have seen him consuming anywhere between 28 and 50 oz in a 24-hour period. *GULP* Big guy!

On a slightly sour note, we go in on Monday for Bruce's 6-month Well Child check-up mean - you guessed it - more shots. They put off giving him one round of shots at his 4-month visit, so he will be getting stuck THREE times. I can't stand seeing the look in his eyes while they hold him down and he's screaming... *shudder* I just want to snuggle him and slap the nurses!

Anyway, that's the newest on our not-so-little guy. I'll definitely post more after Monday when we have the latest growth/weight stats!

Just... adorable!

Last weekend saw the arrival of Bruce's 23rd week. Not a significant number, admittedly, but still an amazing thing!

To start the weekend off, we took Bruce to his first Mariner's game on Friday. The M's were playing the Twins (and ultimately lost after going into extra innings... boo...), the weather was great, and I wanted to cash-in my Mother's Day gift of a baseball game! At first Bruce was a little spooked by the train - and the resulting whistle - as well as the cheering, but being able to hold my hand while in our new baby backpack seemed to do the trick. By the time we got to our seats (Section 347 is AWESOME, by the way), he was golden! He interacted with everyone nearby, snuggled with Daddy, and gave me tons of kisses.

Steve, Bruce, and I headed up north to Bellingham to visit with Jason, Merrilee, and their 10-month old son, Baxter on Sunday... and man, is that kid adorable! It was very cool to see the differences and similarities between our sons, and to just chat with "new" parents our own age.

Granted, I also had a mission while visiting our friends. A couple of weeks ago, I went to an open call for a local talent agency, hoping to get started in the voiceover (and maybe acting) field in the greater-Seattle area. I had my acting resume, but... headshots. Yep. Kind of need those, too. SO, since Merrilee is a whiz with her spiffy new camera, she agreed to take some headshots for me! She and I headed to a local park and got the job done - which is no small feat, considering as how I had NO idea what I was doing! She's a pro, I'm telling you. Merrilee also took some great shots of Bruce, which she edited and sent our way as well.

So, just because I'm so impressed (and freaking proud of how handsome my little man is!), here you go:

And yes, being the sentimental mommy that I am... I cried when I saw this picture! My sweet baby!

This picture, aside from being insanely adorable, is great; this is the face he makes before deciding to do something 'new' - a new way to roll, a new way to smile, a new "something".

Some of my headshot options:

Now, these are just THREE options! She sent me way more to choose from - these are just the ones I pulled off her Flickr account (I hope that was okay, Merrilee!).

All-in-all, I'd say it was a great weekend!

Adventures of Any/All Kinds

Adventure #1:
Bruce has mastered rice cereal and pureed carrots, and is now onto peas and butternut squash. I wasn't intending him to start the squash until next week, but Granny was watching him for the day and didn't know that... so he got an extra treat! We're trying to space the new foods out by 3 days at least, to see if he develops any kind of allergic reaction to the food... but, so far so good!

Adventure #2:
Bruce + cup + 1/2 ounce of water at a time x 4 = hilarity

Adventure #3:
I went to an Open Call for the Colleen Bell Agency, a Bellevue-based talent agency specializing in modeling, acting, and voice acting. I decided that there are some one-time dreams in life that are definitely fine to give up - my ambition to live in a house made entirely of pudding and Doritoes, for example - but then, even with all the pressures and responsibilities that I may have, there are some things that just shouldn't get pushed aside. I have a real knack for doing different voices, and it has always been a passion of mine. I'm hoping to hear back from the Bell Agency some time next week, but I'll also look into another Seattle-area agency that specializes solely in voice-over artists.

Adventure #4:
This one is kind of 'forced', since it's not an adventure I was hoping to have any time soon. My boss' boss, C.P., is a pretty horrible boss. Seriously, she just should not be in the position to manage anything other than her own checkbook. Anyway, she has been making work-life progressively harder over the last couple of months to the point that I am seriously rushing through my Medical Coding & Billing studies so I can get out of here. That, I guess, is what this 'adventure' involves; a whole lot of studying, praying, job-applying, and wishing that the economy didn't suck so very, very much.

Adventure #5:
I am way, way in love with Baby Legs. They're a-maz-ing; little leg and arm warmers for children (and adults), that come in adorable little patterns. They do, however, cost roughly $14.95 retail, or $12.00 online FOR ONE PAIR. GAH!!! That being said, I'm thinking about making some for Bruce on my own. There has to be a leg warmer pattern out there... and what better way to learn how to knit than start on this? *gulp* You can check-out Baby Legs here: www.babylegs.com

Adventures in "real food"

Ladies and gentlemen... my son, the (unwitting) spokesman!

As you can tell by the picture above, we've also started letting B.Max try his hand (literally) at drinking from a cup. He LOVES it! Sure... most of the water cascades down his chin after every enthusiastic gulp, but that's half the fun!

<-- Saturday marked the day Steve and I started trying Bruce out on rice cereal. Lauded for its gentle-on-the-stomach properties for "first foods", we figured it was a safe place to start. As the packaging recommends, we started with just a tablespoon of cereal (and added formula), which he seriously couldn't get enough of. I had found a great, low-cost, convertible booster seat at Babies-R-Us, and he seems to do really well with it.

We would be mid-scoop, getting more cereal on the spoon, and be met with a mixture of joy (see right), or ferocious yelling for what we assumed was more mush. Sweet boy... it's like we don't feed him or something!

This afternoon, I tried making the goop a bit thicker - instead of the runny, soupy mess we had started out with, I thought it would be fun to try him on something a little more substantial. Again - he loved it! It was all I could do to keep up with him... and pray that he didn't choke! My son can seriously wolf-down his chow!

The only down side to starting solids is that my father-in-law now thinks that Bruce is ready for sucking on watermelon and other "harmless" fruits. When I was at Bruce's 4-month checkup, our doctor recommended starting him on rice cereal, then moving on to oatmeal, then veggies and/or meat, and THEN fruits. I guess - and this makes sense, actually - that babies will start to just prefer the sweet taste of fruit and will reject or lose interest in things that don't taste as sweet!

My little man is growing up! Just 10 more days until he's 5 months old. I'm still amazed he's mine.

Recipe Madness Monday!

The joy...

Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese Croquettas
(*What are these? Basically, you turn your leftover mashed potatoes into wonderfully cheesy, fried balls of heaven. Eat them. You will see.*)

Ingredients:
3 cups mashed potatoes, leftover or freshly made
1/4 pound manchego cheese, frozen 1 hour then finely chopped with a food processor (1 cup), plus shaved manchego cheese, for serving
6 ounces serrano ham, frozen 1 hour then finely chopped in a food processor (1 cup)
2 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Romesco sauce for serving
Chopped chives, for serving

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl or in the food processor combine mashed potatoes, cheese, ham and eggs. Season with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The mixture should still be wet enough so the bread crumbs stick to the croquettas. Form into croquettas (makes about 2 dozen, medium-sized) and dip into panko bread crumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper. Pat lightly so the crumbs stick. Lay out on a tray, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before frying.
To fry, heat 1-inch of vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or heavy bottomed pot, over medium heat to about 360 degrees F. Fry in small batches, turning once until evenly browned. Each batch should take approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with kosher salt. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with chives and shaved manchego. Serve with Romesco Sauce.

Romesco Sauce:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 poumd roasted red peppers, drained
*1 egg yolk
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon orange zest and 1/4 cup juice, from 1 orange
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Toast almonds in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer almonds to a blender. Add roasted red peppers, egg yolk, garlic, zest, and season with salt and pepper. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. With the blender on low speed drizzle in the olive oil. Once it begins to emulsify, stop the blender and add the orange juice, and sherry vinegar. Buzz once more to fully emulsify.