Good Morning!

Shhhh... the boys are all sleeping. Henry has slept all night long and I am fighting the urge to go check on him as well as the need to nurse him. Things are well in the Stek house. Henry had his big dermatology appointment on Thursday and we got answers and solutions, which is such a relief. The official word is that he has x-linked ichthyosis, eczema, and dermatitis. The eczema is treatable and this seems to be what has given him all his problems - the itchy, gooey and bleeding skin. He got a topical ointment and his life improved from the first application. We thought we had a happy baby before but now he laughs, talks and smiles all the time. (And sleeps through the night!!). (I didn't want to say that last sentence out loud in case I jinx it).

With the warmer weather, Ian and Noa are experiencing a whole new level of independence and with it comes trouble making. Which means Mom and Dad are learning a new level of letting go. Sigh. Either Noa or Ian will collect the other one, they will put on their shoes (or not) and walk outside to play. Sometimes we don't even know they have left the house. They know how to turn on the hose and always show back up at the door a muddy mess. Baths will become daily this summer.

We can't wait until the weather decides to stay warm. It's going to be a good summer. Oh and if you are coming to Noa's birthday party, might I suggest a change of clothes for all children or children at heart. There may or may not be water balloons involved. Hint hint.

Gift Ideas

As we often ask ourselves what to get our children for gifts for those special days of the year, E and I did a little brainstorm and came up with some ideas...

Soccer ball, lunch boxes, clothes, Leap Frog/Tag read-along, books, preK National Geographic, Duplo, bean bag chairs, bean bag toss, broom ball, handled bouncy balls they can ride, music, museum membership/GC's, fishing pole, playdough, airplanes, musical instruments ie. slide whistles, hand drums or whathaveyou...

We have tons of matchbox and animals (although Ian would love a large humpback whale) and playsets and trains.

So yeah, just some thoughts and by no means definitive.

Two Month Stats

Henry is keeping up to expectations. He weighed in at 13lbs 5ozs at his two month check up and he has now regained the inches he lost at birth so he is 23in in length. Overall this puts him firmly in the 90th percentile and dispelling all doubts about him being one of our boys.

GO HENRY!!

My 3 Sons

Henry Alan was born 4:55am Feb 13, 2011 on my Mom's birthday. He weighed 9 lbs 2 oz and at the hospital he measured 23 inches in length. By his first doctors appt he had shrunk to just 21.5 in. Life is good. Ian and Noa are great big brothers and enjoy giving Henry lots of kisses. Noa and Ian have become great playmates. Some video evidence is attached.



Henry is growing like a weed and measured in at 22 1/4 inches and 11 lbs 3 oz at his one month check up. He is now almost 7 weeks old and smiles and tries to laugh. My attempt to capture his first smile is shown below.

the name of our blog

the life of elizabeth, aaron, ian, noa, and henry too! seems a bit long? TLOEAINH? HINEA? The Stekster's? .... The Ramblings of 2 with 3 under 5?(only good for a few more months but catchy).. Our Three Sons.. Coming to Grips with the reality of 3 kids?

I dunno... any suggestions?

Slackin'

Henry is a month old today and he doesn't get a blog post until now.

Today's adventure

Snowmaggedon? Naw, Snow Paradise!

This weather has been awesome! We have been playing hard here at the Stek household building forts and climbing mountains and exploring vast frozen wastelands. Life couldn't be better. here are some pics from our adventures...

Here is a Chili recipe that we whipped up recently that turned out delish. Enjoy.


Dave's Mom's Chili (w/ my alterations)
ground beef - 1 pound
pork sausage (italian) - 1 pound (2# sweet Italian)
jimmy dean spicy sausage - 1 pound (didn’t use)
chorizo - 1 pound (1/2#)
vegetable oil - 1/4 cup
red beans - one 16 oz. can (I used black)
onions (.5 inch diced) - 1 medium
garlic (fresh chopped) - 6 cloves (I blanched the garlic)
tomato sauce - one 16 oz. can (sub 2 cans o' toms for tomatoes in recipe)
diced tomatoes - one 16 oz. can
beef stock - 4 cups (homemade – no added salts/sugars/colors yadayada)
chili powder - 1.5 tbsp
banana peppers - 2 each (I didn’t use these – red bells instead)
green bell peppers - 2 each
cumin - 1 tbsp.
oregano - 1 tbsp.
basil - 1 tbsp. (used bay leaves instead – fresh – 4 or 5)
allspice - 1 tsp. (heavy tsp – I ground my own with cumin seed so I eyeballed it)
honey - 1/2 cup
salt - to taste
black pepper - to taste
lots of shredded cheddar cheese
oyster crackers or ritz

Hmm...

Chritmas Dinner

Braciole
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Asiago
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1 1/2-pound)flank steak
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought

Directions
Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface and pound out. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides. Deglaze with the wine and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Braise until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue roasting until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

Homemade Tomato Sauce
3 can o' tomatoes, whole, crush them by hand as you add them to the pot
2 cloves of garlic, blanched and sliced
1 T or so of dried marjoram (herb of choice here and double if fresh)
a splash of wine if ya like

put it all in a sauce pan and cook at a low simmer for a few hours occasionally stirring
sometimes I mince an onion and sweat it in olive oil with the garlic first then hit it with the wine and top with the tomatoes

We used a local variation on Fusilli for the pasta that had an "s" shaped cross section and was cut to about 4 inches

Christmas in Chicago

Here are some tidbits from our recent excursions... First is a bit from the Santa Train and second is from downtown as well as a few Santa sitings...

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Recipes

For all that extra zuchini...

Farmer's Market Fun

We trolled farmer's markets yesterday. First we thought we'd check out a smaller market west of us, we were hunting pumpkins, and it turned out to truly be the smallest farm market we've ever been to. There were three vendors. On a Saturday. We kept lookin' around for the others but that was it. A total surprise, and no pumpkins. We did get some tasty Mutsu apples for the road though. After that we went straight to the biggest market in town, Green City Market. It was a beautiful 80 degrees and the market was packed. We found our pumpkins and some Spy's (for pies), a bunch of big, crunchy carrots, a 1/2 gal. of Golden Delicious cider (light and sweet with a touch of acidity) and yummy baked goods from a friend of mine. The carrots went into chicken and dumpling stew and the Spy's E made into a crisp. Yummy dinner.

We also visited the Lincoln Park Farm/Zoo which is right across the street and the boys got to see a couple o' big John Deere's and some ponies, cows, steers, and chickens and Ian got to pet the goats. After that, while I went to get the car the boys got a botany lesson in the park from E as they went seed hunting in the arbor.

A very good day.

la la la di da

We're just a movin' and a shakin' down here. Noa's learning to dance. Muddy Waters gets his groove on. Ian in in preschool and loves it. His counting is getting good and he is getting a hang of spelling simple words. He is also developing a creative imagination, making up his own songs and "talking silly stuff" as he puts it. #3 is getting bigger everyday. They say he is as big as a spaghetti squash! Gonna have another big one.

Our garden is winding down and up. The tomatoes are on their way out but I just finished the cold frame so we'll be harvesting some beets and greens and radishes and carrots and maybe even a turnip or two well into December. The radishes will be ready next week and I'll put in some spinach or lettuce in its place and cross my fingers. There will be a bake sale on the sixth of November at the garden and I'll be making bread or pies to sell for the garden.

See some you soon.

The Flu and Other Horror Stories

Noa had his 15 month check up last Friday the 17th where he passed with flying colors. He weighed in at 27lbs 5.5oz and 32in. Which puts him about 90 percentile for both. He is hale and hardy. At least on Friday... on Saturday both boys came down with a nasty flu bug. Noa is still fighting it in the intestines. Messy... very messy.

I had my big ultrasound on Thursday where we found out that we are having another BOY!! We are so going to need a gymnasium on site. Everything looks to be okay - all the parts are there (plus one). I am so outnumbered... but I love my boys.

What a ham!

Parallel Parking from Yum Yum London on Vimeo.

The Holy Grail

I've found it! Both boys are napping! Aaron seems to get them to do this all the time but for whatever reason they don't do it on the weekends for me. Maybe just less structure on the weekends...

Things have been a little hectic for us the past few weeks. We had some problems with our mortgage company changing servicing agents and not telling us until the new company starts sending foreclosure threats. Can they even do this?? Yes they can. Even if you have been making all mortgage payments on time. Unfortunately since no body told us we were to be paying someone else and our old agent had our incorrect address (through no fault of our own) so was refunding checks to a non-existent address... we didn't know we were supposed to be paying to a new company. ARGH!!! I think things are finally getting cleared up - although I have yet to get our credit report cleared or the new company to cancel all late fees... at least we aren't in default anymore :-) and won't be losing our house. Bankers should be sent to their rooms without a paycheck until they learn how to treat people with some decency.

Everyone is healthy - new baby included. We find out late September if Ian will be getting his baby sister. We are all excited to know - and to know that she has got all her parts and they are in the right place. Noa walks exclusively now and is so excited by his new trick that it is hard to get him to sit still long enough to eat or bathe. He just recently got in 6 (!!) teeth at once and is now sleeping without pain meds for the first time in weeks. He only has one canine and a molar on the lower left side to get in and these are already bumps and will appear soon. I'm looking forward to having all the teeth and major first year milestones behind us. I think this might mean we will all be sleeping better. Ok - except the pregnant lady. But even that discomfort would be easier if not disturbed throughout the night.

I went out for a walk Tuesday night. All by myself. I wandered about in the Logan Square neighborhood. It was a beautiful night. I happened upon a small community garden tucked into a vacant lot katty-corner to a head start school called Christopher House. There was no fence to speak of, just some string on a rope. There were raised beds in groups of three or four with an assortment of veggies in them. Cabbages, lettuces that had bolted, greens, peppers and an unruly mob of tomatoes with melons hiding under them. The tomato boxes were a great mess of steel wire, vegetation and webs of various types of string all endeavoring to hold up the fruit that was bursting forth. As I wandered out I stumbled upon a row of stunted corn followed by spare supplies and compost bins. It was a nice little garden.

Mine on the other hand has seen better days. My super abundant looking squash is dead. I had some beetles first and then a mold swept in and finished it off. I harvested four good sized white patty pan squash and that was it. My amazing corn met with the reaper too. Most of the stalks have been eaten from within and beetles are devouring the silks. It has been a bust on that end of the garden. That doesn't mean that I have been without rewards! The tomatoes are thriving as are the cucs that I planted in early July. I also saw some turnip greens popping up too. All of my potatoes have been harvested for about 36 taters in all and the beets were delicious. So was the melon. Minnesota Midget Melon(that's them in the hammocks up there). Think super sweet cantaloupe only four inches in diameter. Yummy! More next year please.