ingredients:

directions:

So my friend Catherine is incredibly inspirational. She’s always thinking and doing the coolest stuff. I love her mind. She wrote a letter to one of her children and it was so beautiful that i felt instantly inspired to write one of my own. so here we go……

Dear Max,

Right now, you’re 2 and 4 months and you are quite possible the greatest little human that’s ever existed. I know how that sounds, I do. Some may think it’s just typical blathering from a new parent, or those who know me might think that it’s simply classic Leah over exaggeration, but the truth of the matter is that you really are a spectacular kid.

You defy every stereotype that one would have about a two-year-old boy (except for your love of trains and trucks…ok fine, and tools and toots). You’re calm and focused, pensive and careful, patient and cautious and so freaking hilarious. You love looking at photographs and reading books is your absolute favourite activity. You can find things in the world and relate it to any number of your stories, which blows my mind because you’re still so wee! You would much rather sit down, chillax and carefully look through a little catalogue of trains than run around.

Your memory is astounding. Truly. You remember the people you’ve encountered and places you’ve been from a long time ago. You know the names of every freaking Thomas the Tank Engine train (and for those you who don’t know, there are approximately 4700 of them). You remember all of the parts of your face in French and the entire Hanukkah prayer in Hebrew! You have memorized every book you have….. and we have a lot.

You’ve been slow and steady since the start. You hardly moved in my womb and you continue to approach life with a nice and easy pace. You were late to walk and running only really came to you in the past few months. We’re still working on jumping and climbing stairs, but you’re getting there. You prefer to stroll down the street at a leisurely pace, noting everything you observe along the way. You love stopping to listen to wind chimes or pointing out different kinds of flowers (impatiens vs. tiger lilies? THAT’S MY BOY!).

You are gentle. You wake up everything morning and run over to find our cat Sammy so you can say good morning and give him a little hug. You never need reminding to treat people and animals with care because it’s just how you are.

One of my fears about having a toddler was that they’re so unreasonable! But you’re very reasonable. You understand a lot and with just a little bit of explanation, you seem to comprehend and accept the logic behind what your dad and I ask you to do. Although you approach new situations with hesitancy, you eventually warm up and put on the charm (especially with the ladies!). I hope for you that slowly, over time, you feel more comfortable taking risks and recognizing that sometimes we fall down, but we can just get back up again and keep going.

A few more things:

I’m proud of you because:

* you can EASILY and quickly distinguish between Pearl Jam and the Beastie Boys AND YOU’RE NOT EVEN TWO AND A HALF! Come on now….

*  you’re always happy to share your toys when friends come over to play and you get a lot of joy from watching others play with your things

* your number one meal of choice is always sushi (THAT’S MY BOY!!)

*  you’re obsessed with letters and words and you have a penchant for language (I’m a teacher…I gotta be proud of that one!)

* you radiate sweetness and kindness and people all over the neighbourhood adore you for it.

You are going to be the BEST big brother the world has ever seen (again, not exaggerating).

I love you more than you will ever know (until you have kids of your own…)

Love,

Mama

the delicious salad dressing you get at japanese restaurants has always intrigued me. now i’m gonna make it!! i’m pumped that i even have all the ingredients at home already!

for the dressing you need:

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sweet white miso

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil

1/4 cup grapeseed or another neutral oil

2 tablespoons water

and the salad:

1 small/medium head of lettuce (I used Bibb) or mixed greens of your choice

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 avocado, quartered

source: smittenkitchen.com

i regret not picking these up when i came across them on etsy.

cobb salad rules and it’s totally worth all the prep that goes into it. check out the recipe from smitten kitchen here.

i love this.

i need this for my basement.

i CANNOT get enough citrus. it’s getting out of control and it’s borderline weird. everyday, i drink a glass of OJ, eat 1-2 grapefruits, eat or squeeze some blood oranges and if i still need more, i’ll take on a lemon. WTF?

and if it’s not citrus i’m craving, then it’s breakfast sandwiches.

pregnancy is weird.