Lord Stanley's Cup

Last night daddy and I sat on the couch and watched the Stanley Cup Finals on our big screen projection TV. It's like our living room was full of big men with sticks- both scary and exciting. Daddy tried to explain the rules of the game to me, but I wasn't listening. I'll figure the game out later.

Prior to the game, we all went to the farmer's market in downtown Iowa City. I like going to the farmer's market. Mommy and daddy push me around in my stroller while the other shoppers ooh and ahh over my adorable good looks. It is very complimentary to my increasingly effluent ego. My stroller makes a convenient shopping cart, and mommy filled it up with fresh arugula, french radishes, plump tomatoes, olive bread, asparagus, and a bag of lavender shortbread cookies (YUM!). As per the usual farmer's market protocol, we stopped into the Co-op grocery store before heading home. Mommy picked up some fruit and ice cream and daddy bought a couple of bottles of beer. He said it was essential for watching the hockey playoffs- I'm not sure why.

When we got home, mommy and daddy had a wonderful radish-tomato salad while I feasted on breast milk (YUM!) I think mommy slips narcotics in her milk, because I always feel kind of stoned right after a big meal. Daddy had a big mug of beer, so he was a little tipsy as well. Daddy shared the last of his mug with sister Denali, who loves dark beer (she's fairly discriminating when it comes to beer- she won't drink light or cheap beer, only the "good stuff"). So there we were: Daddy and Denali in their porter-induced nirvana and me in my breast milk coma, sitting in the rocking chair, soaking up the atmosphere of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Ducks won again! Go Ducks!

Dîner Provençal

Gran and Granmimi came over last night, just after Grandad and Boppy left, to make us a wonderful dinner. I am getting so spoiled by having a seemingly constant stream of grandparents surround me for the first 3 weeks of my life. Prior to Grandad and Boppy House (John and Barbara for those not in the know), Grandad and Grandma Chang were here. They were so wonderful: they took care of sisters Skye and Denali and cleaned the house while mommy and daddy stayed with me in the hospital. I miss them already, but I know they'll be back in August!

Gran's dinner was amazing! We feasted on roasted chicken and pork with a garlic plum sauce along with polenta with grlled mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Granmimi provided the wine, an Acacia 2005 Pinot Noir Reserve. This estate grown wine in limited release is only available through their wine club. Daddy says that it was one of the finest Pinot's he's ever tasted, rivaling even the great Foley Pinot from Solvang. He described it as an intense spicy fruit flavor, like blackberries and plums doused in nutmeg. It paired with the pork and plum sauce perfectly.

Dinner was so relaxing. I savored the warm evening on the porch with the glowing lateral light from the setting sun trickling through our forest. Sisters Skye and Denali patrolled the porch, scaring off any squirrels that dared come too close to our Provencal feast.

Now I can understand why mommy and daddy love Provence so much. Daddy helped mommy cope with my labor by reading poetry about Provence, watching "A Good Year" on the DVD, and rubbing her feet with lavender oil. I suppose the place is just entwined with my soul since birth!

Next time: Watching the Stanley Cup Finals with daddy!

First Time to A Restaurant!

On Thursday night I went to my first restaurant. Grandad and Boppy were visiting from LA, so we went to mommy and daddy's favorite place: Takanami in downtown Iowa City. I don't remember much from the evening, since I just stayed in my car seat and slept through the whole thing. Mommy was pretty desperate for sushi, since she avoided it the whole time I was growing in her tummy. Mommy and daddy both gorged themselves on tuna, eel, avacado, rice, seaweed, scallop, and crab until they could barely stand.

It turns out that a large dose of sushi all at once does funny things to the breast milk. YUCK! I had trouble sleeping the rest of the night, and now mommy and daddy are going to be more careful about sushi feasts . . .

Next time: A provencal dinner en plein aire with Gran and Granmimi!

Discovering Rain

Today I discovered rain. Daddy took me out to our porch where I sat mesmerized by the roaring torrent of a Midwestern thunderstorm drenching the forest behind the house. Within moments the trees only 50 feet away were cloaked in a grey veil of water and the sound of a thousand raindrops striking a thousand leaves rushed through the air every second. Daddy explained that this awesome force of nature is what gives our plants life: it makes the forest turn from the brown of winter to the green of summer. This blessed gift from the heavens makes mommy's flowers grow and turn beautiful. It helps the lawn grow thick and lush so Skye and Denali have a soft bed to lay upon. And it makes the herbs grow fat and full of flavor to make daddy's barbeque smell ever more enchanting. The spectacle of the downpour was so entracing that I even forgot about the growing hunger in my belly and I stopped fussing for a minute. Or two.

Next time: My first time to a restaurant: Takanami!

Greetings to the world!

Hello! It's been two weeks since I entered the world and it just gets better every day. Daddy's helping me set up this blog thanks to his boring night shift in the ER so that I can tell everyone about all the amazing things I am learning everyday. I look forward to telling you stories about mommy, daddy, my really cool sisters Skye and Denali, and the host of grandparents that have been visiting.

This first post is just a test- more interesting things are coming later

Sophie Maia