Cranky Creatures

Brian's favorite food is crab. You know when it's a special occasion or his birthday because its stinky odor permeates the whole house. We have only been to Oregon three times, but eating crab has always been Brian's main objective while there.
Last week at the Oregon Coast Aquarium he saw some small 3 ft Japanese Spider Crabs in a tank next to a mural of a full-grown 13 ft adult. It made him more hungry than scared.
Brian was deeply disappointed that the season for fishing this delectable crustacean doesn't start until December 1. He was further disappointed that his dreams of fishing on the ocean were dashed again because of the rough, unpredictable Oregon sea. Even though his parents' friend with a boat couldn't take him on the harsh ocean, we dropped some crab pots (legally) in the bay.
It was practically a scene off of Deadliest Catch. Brian was the greenhorn, trying to keep from getting his ankles caught in the line that would drag him into the 4 feet deep water. It was sunny,warm, calm water, and most of the crabs were too small to keep. But it was still exciting. Eli went out with us on his birthday to collect the catch. He was calm, but interested (maybe he recognized Sebastian).
Back at the dock, I made sure he backed (cleaned) at least one of them himself, for the full experience. Brian made off with 5 of the critters to eat at home.
He shared... a couple morsels.

Officially A Boy

Today my little baby turns 2. When he was first born and put on my tummy, the first thing I said was pretty loving and profound... "He's so scrawny" Then I kissed his sweet little nose. Here he is, a few hours old. He was already beautiful, despite the trauma. This was his first time to really meet dad. Brian misses the endless cuddles and gummies (toothlessness). Brian always asks how long I'm going to call Eli a baby. At first I said it would be when he turns one, then when he started walking. Now, with his interests in boy things, like playing with trains, making messes, and climbing everywhere, I think I'm ready. His shorter haircut makes him look the part. I guess he can always be my baby without being a baby.

2 Years Ago, Today

Pitiful, huh? Pregnancy is not glamorous (unless you're Angelina), that's what I said from the beginning. Here I was at the end. This is what 9 months, 6 days looks like, in case you ever wondered.
One day before contractions started, two days before little Eli came.

We're in Oregon now, but I came prepared with some posts already done, don't worry. Today we'll be driving down the coast to Brian's parents. Can't wait to see the ocean.

Baby Mania

Is it just me, or is everybody pregnant? Sincere Congratulations Ciril, Shannon, Sarah, and Annette.
I took my last pill today, so we'll see what happens. I hate the word "trying," so we're just going to leave things to chance. Wonder what Brian will say about my public declaration.
To my my main topic. Picking a child's name is serious business. It's tied to their identity, pretty much for eternity, unless you do such a bad job they have to change it. I'm pretty indecisive and couldn't make up my mind until a couple days before Eli was born (which is good, then I didn't have to tell people his future name after they asked and hear all their opinions about it.)

Anna showed me a couple of helpful baby name websites. First go here to find what names you like without reading through a book like "100,000 Baby Names." Put in up to six you already like as inspiration and it judges the style and gives suggestion of more you may admire. You can add them to the inspiration section and a list on the right that you can email to yourself later. Click the names to find our their meanings and such.

Once you have your list go here. (This next step is for those that don't want their child to be one of the 4 Cadens [or Jaden, Braden, Aiden] in their 3rd grade class) Enter the name and it tells you, in a lovely graph, how popular the name has been from the 1880's to now.

Just in case you need more temptation to be on the internet even longer.

Who Needs A Playground

Just in time for winter Eli has discovered that I am a regular old jungle gym. We won't have to worry about snow-covered playgrounds and germ-infested indoor playlands. He just needs me sitting to have just as much fun.

He climbs up my back and falls over my shoulders onto my lap. He bends my legs for a tunnel to climb through and a slide to go down (the only slide he'll use, the ones at the playground much are too scary). If there's a blanket around he demands that it be draped over me to make a fort. He's pretty bossy, but I don't mind. It's super fun and how long will he want to play with me like this? (okay, probably a long time).

Here he is, taking a TV break on a fort, converted into a chair. He too likes multi-functional devices.

What About Korean?

Lets be honest. When it's time to make dinner or go out, you think tacos, pasta, burgers or maybe even Thai or Indian. But nobody ever thinks Korean. Except for us, of course. If you like garlic and spice, which anyone with taste buds on their tongue should, it's perfect.
So, the next time you're at the grocery store, pick up a couple of ingredients ubiquitous to all Korean dishes:

Garlic
Green Onion
Ginger (powder or fresh (which keeps perfectly in the freezer)
Sesame Oil
Sesame Seeds
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Rice Wine (if you dare)
And you already own rice (and it better not be Uncle Ben's), preferably short grain Asian, or we like Jasmin.

If you end up liking Korean, go on and buy: Korean chili powder, firm tofu, and kochujang.

One of my best presents to Brian was a Korean cookbook (wow, it's cheap on amazon) which we literally whip out every week. We have many favorites which I will share, the first being a seasonally appropriate.

Soy-Glazed Pumpkin (Yachaejorim)

8 oz. Pumpkin, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 C. Sugar (we find 1/4 C. to be enough)
2-inch piece of fresh Ginger, grated
6 TBSP Soy Sauce
Freshly ground Black Pepper
Toasted Sesame Seeds and Chives for garnish

Boil pumpkin for 2 minutes (we steam for a bit longer, should still be firm). Drain well, then put into a skillet. Add sauce and pepper. Heat slowly, stirring carefully, until the sugar dissolves. Then partially cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is tender and glazed with soy syrup.
Garnish with sesame seeds and garlic chives.

Easy, huh? We often do this with acorn squash instead, but peeling it is the devil. Hopefully some of you will try these Korean recipes and love them as much as we do. If not, you'll just think we're crazy.

Togetherness

Who knew, a marriage question should be: What kind of TV shows and movies do you like? Not just How many kids? and Ham or turkey at Thanksgiving?
He likes violent martial arts movies and ridiculous sci-fi shows. He has tried to convert me, but every show I sit through only heightens my distaste for them. I prefer more informational, home-building shows on channels like TLC, HGTV, and FoodTV. For a while, to be together, he would watch something on his laptop while I watched the flat screen television he drooled over in the store.
Some time ago we realized documentaries could keep us both in the same room. While we both agree on PBS, History, and Discovery channels, it is The Office that has truly brought us together. We love it, and now that all the seasons are available for instant download on Netflix, we can be together all the time, not just Thursdays.