February Already?

January flew by. A move. Regent orientation. Learning a new city. Starting classes. Cora’s cold. My cold. Making new friends. Trying new churches. A visit from Dave’s parents. The whirlwind was enough to make anyone breathless. Usually January is a bit of a calm after the storm (splendid storm that it is) of the Christmas season. Not so this year.

An update on Cora’s new tricks of the month (she's only one week away from 6-months old!!!), for we all know she is the main draw to this page anyway:

• The favorite is peek-a-boo. A blanket can keep her occupied for ages. Up over the face…yanked down to her chest. Over and over and over. It doesn’t matter if we’re there to say, “Where’s Cora?”…. “There she is!!!” It’s still exciting even if only the ceiling is the boo. Occasionally of course, the blanket gets worked up too high and she can’t manage to pull it down. The hands fly out in a bit of a panic, and little muffled grunts can be heard, followed by a slight whine. Then Mama appears to pull down the blanket: “Peek-a-boo!” A smile is such a nice reward.


• Rolling has finally been fully mastered. She has been tummy-to-back rolling since 3 months, and for the past month has been making (a bit half-hearted) attempts at back-to-tummy rolls. She tends to give up quickly, at which point the thumb goes promptly in the mouth to comfort her helpless disappointment. This past weekend, however, she persevered and got it down—and boy is she pleased. She loves to show off to us (particularly to Daddy.)


• Sitting up is progressively becoming less of a challenge. She has long been able to hold herself up very well for long periods of time with a light back support. Now she does the Neanderthal hunch, both fists on the ground between her legs holding her up. This lasts until she starts to reach for a toy, at which point she slowly tumbles to one side. Or she does the yoga baby stance where her chest is completely lying down between her legs. Then she catches sight of her Sweet Pea Robeez and begins munching away while she's down there. Yum.


• She is becoming quite a bit more vocal, if it can be called vocal when it’s mainly her tongue making the noise, not her vocal chords. She can certainly blow some spit. And some avocado.


• Best of all are all the smiles: big, gummy, open-mouthed smiles. Occasionally we even get adorable chuckles, though we have to work pretty hard for them. Most of the time as we dance around attempting to be funny, we merely get “you are really weird” looks. She seems to be quite serious and laid-back. Certainly not very excitable. Seems to take after David.

So, in closing, here's a little anecdote from our Friday night dinner party. We had 10 people representing 4 countries over for chili, rice, and homemade Irish soda bread (btw, who new yummy homemade bread could be so easy? Everyone wanted the recipe which unfortunately meant I had to give up the secret that it was basically flour and buttermilk, and that it only took me a few minutes to throw together.) The first pots of after-dinner coffee and tea went quickly, so I set about making another pot. Distracted with feeding Cora a bit later, I asked David to fill everyone’s cup and refill the creamer. A few minutes later, I overheard an exchange between a couple of the guys that something seemed to be wrong. Asking if everything was okay, Kevin, in typical British politeness, said “The cream seems to be a bit off.” Oh, it can’t be, I replied. It’s fresh, organic half-and-half. Kevin replied, handing me his cup, “It seems to have curdled.” Dave went over to check the date on the carton, and as he held it up, the other Dave asked “Is that what you used? The buttermilk?” Yes, I’d agree that would taste a bit “off” in your coffee.

Fannie Farmer's Irish Soda Bread

This is an authentic Irish soda bread, which contains no baking powder and is leavened solely by the acid and alkaline combination of the buttermilk and baking soda. The loaf is tender, compact, slightly moist, and has a rough crust with the characteristic X slashed on top.

4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or an 8-inch-round cake pan. In a large mixing bowl, stir and toss together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the buttermilk and stir briskly with a fork until the dough holds together in a rough mass. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 30 seconds, then pat into an 8-inch round about 1 1/2 inches thick. With a sharp knife, slash a large 1/4-inch-deep X across the top. Place the formed dough on the prepared baking sheet or cake pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until it is nicely browned and the X has spread open. I served mine warm, but traditionally, you are supposed to let it cool, then wrap in a slightly damp towel and let rest on the rack for at least 8 hours and then serve completely cooled. Great with chili!!!