Meet Me In St. Louis

"Meet Me in St. Louis" was the first show I did with the Morehead Theatre Guild. I was finishing my 6th grade year, circa 1994. Holy crap I am old.

Anyway, that tidbit aside, this post is about the actual St. Louis, not the musical set during the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Three weeks ago my sister, brother-in-law and niece came out for the last couple of days of their spring break to see us. Well, truthfully they came to see Will (and who could blame them) but they didn't mind seeing me and Eli too. Their visit gave me an excuse to do something I had neglected to do in the 8 months we have lived here- visit the Gateway Arch. I have driven relatively close to it several times, and seen it from a distance countless times, but before this trip had never actually seen it up close and personal.

Before I share my thoughts on this monument, let me say that my expectations of the Arch and adjacent park were not particularly high. Having had the opportunity to live in Washington D.C. or within a short drive, I have experienced some truly beautiful and meaningful monuments and memorials. D.C. is many things, including a den of political self-importance, but it takes its role of national capital very seriously, and as a result the monuments and memorials are incredible. They are surprisingly well-run, awe-inspiring and informative, and maintain a reverence that normally is lost whenever large crowds are involved. Sadly, my experiences with other monuments and national parks have never really matched up. So going in I was not hugely excited.

Our drive into the city was uneventful. I was sure I would get us lost, but the directions were clear and took us directly to the parking structure beside the park. Right off the bat this raised the experience in my opinion, because the design of the area was so smart, and the parking truly convenient. We got out of the car, got the baby situated into his stroller, and began the walk to the base of the Arch. This walk took us down a wide path through a park that was still a little dull from winter, but promised to be quite lovely in spring bloom. There was a large pond to the right where geese were lazily paddling around. To the left you could see the Mississippi River, wide and dark, flowing slowly but constantly. The walk was fairly short, and as we got closer the trees cleared to reveal a truly spectacular view of the Arch. The sun was shining and the Arch gleamed as if it had just been polished like my grandmother's silver. Any expectations I had were immediately surpassed. The view was incredible.



Between the legs of the Arch, underground, is the Museum of Westward Expansion. Centered primarily on the exploration of Lewis and Clark, the museum has an interesting design and flow, and a very good collection of period pieces and reproductions. For the kids, (and adults like me) they have several animatronic figures that tell stories from the point of view of various people from the period. Sadly, these figures were undergoing maintenance when we were there, so we didn't get to hear their stories. The museum also has two movie theaters that show films about the expedition of Lewis and Clark, and the construction of the Arch.

After we toured the museum, the Skaggs split off and took an hour-long riverboat ride up and down the riverfront while Will and I stayed back so he could have lunch and a nap. While they were gone I took a stroll with Will around the green under the Arch. It was a beautiful day, and people were scattered on the grass, lounging, eating their lunch, or reading a book. Looking toward the city from the Arch you could see the historic Old Courthouse, where the famed Dred Scott case was tried. After our walk, we settled on the grass and while Will napped I just sat and took everything in. It was a wonderful way to spend an hour.

The Skaggs returned from their riverboat ride and told me it was well worth the time and expense. I think its pretty neat that you can still take a riverboat ride on the Mississippi, and I know my niece had stories to tell, and plenty of information for the paper she had to write about her trip. I know I learned alot, but instead of cribbing the notes from the brochures, here are some tidbits of information from the website:


1. The Arch is the tallest national monument in the United States at 630 feet; it is the city's best known landmark and a popular tourist attraction.

2. Construction began February 12, 1963 and the last section of the Arch was put into place on October 28, 1965.

3. The Arch is a structure known as a catenary curve, the shape a free-hanging chain takes when held at both ends, and considered the most structurally-sound arch shape. The span of the Arch legs at ground level is 630 feet, the same as its height.

4. Each year, approximately a million visitors ride the trams to the top of the Arch. The trams have been in operation for over 30 years, traveling a total of 250,000 miles and carrying over 25 million passengers.

5. The Arch weighs 17,246 tons. Nine hundred tons of stainless steel was used to build the Arch, more than any other project in history.

6. The Arch was built at a cost of $13 million. The transportation system was built at a cost of $3,500,000.

7. In order to ensure that the constructed legs would meet, the margin of error for failure was 1/64th of an inch. All survey work was done at night to eliminate distortion caused by the sun's rays. Since the Arch was constructed before the advent of computer technology, relatively crude instruments were used for these measurements.

8. The Arch sways a maximum of 18" (9" each way) in a 150 mph wind. The usual sway is 1/2"

Green Thumb???

I promised no excuses for lags in this blog and I will stick to that promise. The Roberson household has had an exciting and crazy few weeks. I will chronicle the highlights in the next couple of posts, but today I think I will share with you a new side project that we have begun.

When Eli and I lived in Baltimore we shared a 3rd floor apartment in a nice area. However, as any past or present apartment dweller can attest, your yard more often than not is a concrete slab balcony. We missed having green at our doorstep, so we decided to create a balcony garden. I originally envisioned a few planters with mixed flowers just to pretty things up. Eli however, had ambitions to grow vegetables, particularly tomatoes, though some other veggies were attempted. This garden had varying degrees of success. We actually did get a few tomatoes out of Eli's hard work, but dealing with less than ideal conditions meant only a few plants ever thrived.

Fast forward to last summer when we bought our house. One of the features we were attracted to was the decent sized front yard and large back yard. We immediately saw endless potential for flower and vegetable gardening. Of course, I was 7 months pregnant when we moved in July, and between unpacking and preparing for Will's arrival we were lucky to get the lawn mowed. So our dreams of gardening were put on hold.

I should stop at this point acknowledge an important piece of information. Neither Eli nor I have any real experience gardening. My Gran maintained lovely gardens around the house, but any lessons she attempted to give were wasted on my youth and then disinterest. Eli's grandfather did some farming, but he passed away when Eli was fairly young. So we are charging into this project largely uneducated. I checked out 3 books on gardening from the local library just to try and figure out some basics.

Despite our lack of experience, we have some pretty grand plans for our gardens. We actually started with some flowering trees that Eli received through a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation. We planted half of those last Wednesday, and will finish planting in the next couple of days. I have decided to try azalea bushes in the beds that run across the front of our house, with some perennial flowers in the front of those beds to fill in until the bushes get some growth. I am also going to plant a mix of perennials in the beds around our front tree and mailbox. I really want to plant all kinds of bulbs- tulips, daffodils, crocus, etc- but have to wait until the fall to do that. This is all very ambitious for me, so if I can manage to keep most of it alive I will consider it a major victory.

The backyard is going to be the main event. Eli has a huge vegetable garden in mind, and I am excited to see it grow. I know for sure he is going to try several varieties of tomatoes, sweet peppers and banana peppers, onions, and green beans. He has several other possible additions that I am not sure if he has decided on yet, but I know he is also planning to make me a little herb garden. I have dreams of these vegetables and the yummy things I can make with them. I think for both of us we are excited to have a project to work on. I have been looking for ways to feel more productive and active, and Eli has a strong desire to work on a project that has a clear end result. Hopefully between the two of us we have at least one green thumb.

Banana Cream Pie

I have been craving pie for some time now. I know, pie isn't exactly at the top of my healthy foods list, but I learned a long time ago that if I try to totally ignore cravings I ultimately end up falling off the wagon in binge proportions, so its better to address the craving in moderation and get past it. I wasn't just craving eating pie, but making it as well. I pulled out my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and read through the section on pies and tarts. So many looked yummy, but I focused on the cream pies because I hadn't tackled those before. Better Homes' recipe calls for a vanilla base filling that is modified to make various flavors like Dark Chocolate Cream, Coconut Cream, Banana Cream Pie, and and unfamiliar one, Sour Cream and Raisin.

I was also determined to make the crust from scratch, and understood going in that producing a good crust would probably be the most difficult part of the recipe. Too much flour or water would mean a tough crust. Too much shortening would likely have it falling apart. Overworking the pastry would also cause problems. I decided to use the food processor directions, and ultimately was glad I did. I do not consider using the processor cheating, though I know some would. I have to say of the entire process, I am most proud of how my crust turned out. I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of the crust before the filling was added, but it looked pretty good. It tasted better.

The production of the filling was fairly simple and uneventful. Eli sliced the bananas for me and lined the bottom of the pastry shell. I poured the filling over and baked as instructed. Per Eli's request I exchanged the meringue for whipped cream as he isn't a huge fan of meringue (though I really want to tackle that soon as well).

The final product was, well, satisfactory. With the first bite I made a list of all the things I needed to adjust or do differently next time. This drives Eli nuts because he thinks I am too critical of my cooking, but I am really just trying to do something better every time I try. He thought it was delicious, and I was glad since I needed him to eat a considerable amount of it. For me, the first time you make a recipe and follow it exactly, it is a practice run. In the aftermath is when you actually grow as a cook, when you say, "I want to do this differently" and start making changes. They aren't always successful, but you have to make it your own. Most of my critiques of this pie were about execution rather than creativity, but I know the next pie will be better if I apply what I learned.




The List
1. Need to find a recipe for a 9.5 inch crust rather than a 9 in crust as the pastry shell came just to the edge of the pan and about 1 oz. of the filling couldn't go in because it was full.
2. Crust should have baked for 1-2 more minutes as the final product, while done, lacked the golden brown color it needed.
3. The base filling should have cooked on the stove top for a little longer, as the final product did not set as firmly as I wanted. Also, cornstarch rather than flour should have been used as a thickening agent.
4. Extra large eggs should have been used rather than Large, or another egg should have been added.
5. Bananas should have been riper. To my taste there was still a touch of green flavor to them.
6. Amount of vanilla should have been cut in half and replaced with and equal amount of banana flavoring.



Even with all of these notes, I feel like my first cream pie was a success. Next on the agenda (in a month to 6 weeks so I don't go completely nuts) will be coconut cream pie, this time with meringue.

Baby Teeth

Once again, apologies for my slacker ways. This past week has been off-kilter for reasons I can't put my finger on, and as a result my early morning Momma time was inconsistent at best. I seemed to lose my recently celebrated energy, and complained about it all week, which certainly didn't make anything better. Anyway, it is a beautiful mild day today, and Eli and I have managed to accomplish all our little chores early enough to enjoy some true down time for the rest of the day. Our windows are open, there is soup bubbling in the slow cooker, and Eli is enjoying a rare session of video game play. So now I write.

The topic of this blog actually was a hot topic last Saturday. As I mentioned in my 5 month update of Will's progress, we were experiencing teething. Well, after his morning nursing, I decided to check, and to my amazement there was not one, but two teeth coming through his bottom gum! The funny thing is that neither of the teeth were the one I thought was going to come in first. That lump remains just a lump for now, though it could come through at any moment. Aside from one day the previous week when he was clearly out of sorts, we had observed none of the behaviors I had been waiting for with dread. He didn't seem to be in any noticeable pain, he didn't run a fever, or reject his food, or drool any more than usual. As he has handled most unpleasant experiences in his life so far, he took this with ease. Bless his father's easy-going heart for contributing such a steady personality to our little guy.

I have to be honest though, this new development more than any other really emphasized how quickly our baby is becoming a little boy. Don't get me wrong, he still has many baby days in front of him, but as I have commented here before, it truly moves faster than I ever realized. I admit a shed a quick tear or two (mother hormones are way stronger even than my already sensitive pre-mommy hormones) about the situation, and realized that in a scant 6 months he is going to become an entirely different little guy. Walking and talking some and eating new foods and getting into all kinds of trouble. The first few weeks of his life I remember thinking in times of complete exhaustion and new parent worry that I couldn't wait until he was just a little bit older. Now I wish I had more time with him as a little baby.

Slacker

I am a complete slacker. The week went by and not a single post was written. I have no excuse. I will make it up to you dear readers. Tomorrow you will hear of baby teeth and made from scratch banana cream pie. For now I have a husband and a baby to play with!

Exercise!

I procrastinate, I make excuses, and I have sudden brief physical ailments- all to avoid exercising.  It makes no sense whatsoever, because I always feel SO GOOD when I have finished exercising.  I am proud of myself as well as feeling energized and satisfied.    When I have worked out, my general behavior is always more healthy- I eat better, I drink more water, I am generally more active.  I know I am not alone in this- but it still amazes me.  

Before my pregnancy, I had mental and physical breakthrough.  With my blood pressure and cholesterol way too high, and the number on the scale beyond embarrassing, I looked my doctor in the eye and said, "I am going to do this".  I have said that many times, and each time failed.  But in that moment a switch flipped.  I wanted to have a baby and I knew my health was reducing my chances of even becoming pregnant, let alone having a safe and healthy pregnancy.  

So I joined a well known program online, and began exercising.  As anyone who has lost weight in a healthy way knows, the numbers do not just melt off the scale.  It was a 2-4 lb a week slog.  But for the first time I wasn't discouraged when I got on the scale.  Also, I made myself accountable to other people.  For the first time ever I was completely honest with my husband, family and friends about my weight and health.  It was mortifying, but I knew that my motivation would need to come from multiple avenues, and they would be one of them.  They surprised me in their lack of judgment and their abundance of support.  I shouldn't have been surprised, but when you are ashamed of yourself you assume others will be ashamed too.

The results were wonderful.  In 3 months I lost 30 lbs.  I felt fantastic, and I wasn't even to my ultimate goal.  I was wearing clothes that had been regulated to the back of the closet and I no longer had to worry about that dreaded double chin in photos.  More importantly, I knocked more than 100 points off of my cholesterol and my blood pressure returned to that perfect 120/80.  My ultimate goal had been to lose 50 lb before getting pregnant, but circumstances intervened and we got pregnant a little sooner than expected.  

All through the pregnancy I worried about weight gain, though my doctors assured me that I was doing extremely well and gaining the appropriate amount of weight.  In the last two months I ballooned out but was assured it was water not actual weight gain.  I prayed my doctor was right.  I was absolutely squishy by the time I had Will.  In the two weeks after he was born I literally dropped 40 lbs- a confirmation I that was a walking water balloon for quite a while. 

Since Will's birth I have had exercise and weight loss on my mind.  At first I was determined I would begin a hardcore routine as soon as I got the clear at 6 weeks.  After all, for the first time I knew with absolute certainty that I am capable of reaching my goal.  I did not take into account that caring for an infant would take everything out of me.  So Christmas came and went and I said, "Great! New Year, time to get on schedule!", and that is when the excuses began.  I started eating fairly well, though there were plenty of cheats, but I never really put any effort into exercising.  Through the miraculous gift of nursing I have managed to slowly drop a few more pounds, but I haven't really begun the work I need to do.  I am still 8 lb from my pre-pregnancy weight, and ideally I would like to lose another 40 lbs before we try for another baby.

So yesterday morning once Will laid down for his early morning nap, I put my exercise clothes on and hoped on our stationary bike.  It was a hard 30 minutes, but I felt SO GOOD afterwards.  Today, I tried belly dancing aerobics recorded from the Fitness channel.  30 minutes a day is my goal.  Less cheating on my food intake as well.  I have the time now, and I have the knowledge that I can do it.  I am accountable to myself and my little family.  I am also making myself accountable to you dear readers.  It is time to stop procrastinating and start working!

Will at 5 Months

In two days, my son will be 5 months old.  I honestly have no idea where the time has gone.  I feel like the 40 weeks of my pregnancy took at least 3 times as long as they should have, but the time since Will was born has been on fast-forward.  My little newborn (well, as little as a 10 lb newborn can be) has transformed into such a big strong guy.  He has almost doubled in weight and grown almost 9 inches in length since he was born.  His eyes are beginning to change color, and much to my amazement I can feel his first tooth about to come in.  He was born with a fair amount of dark hair, of which he lost most in the first month, and has since grown back a full head of hair the same color mine was as a baby. 

He looks like both Eli and me. He has Eli's forehead, eyebrows, eyes, duck feet and strange bottom rib. From me he gets his hair color, cheeks (dimples included), mouth and chin.  And yet he also looks uniquely like himself.  I can dissect the various features easily, but when I look at him I see Will, no resemblance to anyone, just my beautiful son. 

He can do so many things already.  It was just a short time ago that we needed to carefully cradle his head because his neck wasn't strong enough to maintain stability.  Now he pushes himself up with his arms to look around while on his belly.  He can roll both from his back to his belly and vise versa.  He stands with help only to balance and he is desperately trying to sit up without help.  He reaches for and plays independently with his toys, and loves to stand in his activity center and intact with everything it offers.  He is occasionally mesmerized by his mobile, and board books are beginning to hold his interest from start to finish.

He is such a problem solver!  For example, he constantly wants to taste his bath water, which we of course try to keep him from for the most part.  He started by just licking his fist after dipping it into the water, or catching droplets that ran down his face.  When that wasn't enough he tried to get the washcloth in his mouth for a taste.  Next he tried to swiftly slink down into his tub trying to get his mouth at water level, and when that didn't work he moved on to slowly lowering himself into the water and then casually turning his head to the side to try and lap the water up like a cat.  The next thing we know he will be employing simple machines to achieve his goal.

Will's personality is also starting to take shape.  He is a happy baby.  He is very easy to please as long as he isn't left alone for too long or allowed to get too tired.  He loves to be played with and talked to.  He smiles at strangers almost as easily as he smiles at me and Eli. Even when he is upset, he just wants to be cuddled and soothed, very rarely crying for more than 5- 10 minutes.   He cranky occasionally and when he is he scratches his head over and over in big strokes and grabs the hand or hair of whoever is holding him and pulls it towards him irritably.  He is stubborn, and gets frustrated when he can't do something he desperately wants to do.  He wants to be where ever we are if he is awake, even if that means sitting in his high chair when I do dishes or playing on the bed when I fold laundry.   He thinks Daddy is the funniest guy on the planet, and Momma is the best at tickling him.

All of this makes me wonder how fast the rest is going to go.  I have caused myself plenty of restless nights thinking about how quickly he is going to grow up and start dealing with issues that I currently feel completely unprepared to guide him through.  The most loving, prepared and well-intentioned parents can manage to really screw something up with their kids, and I know we will not be an exception.  I think about how I grew up and what I DON'T want to do with my children, but also some of the things I do want to pass on.  I am writing some of these things down in the journal we are keeping for Will.  Hopefully doing so will be helpful for us as well as him.

In the meantime I am trying to focus on Will in the present, and look forward to his immediate future rather than too far down the road.  This past Saturday, Will tried his first rice cereal, and decided he likes it just fine.  He has had very little trouble figuring out the concept of the spoon, and has eaten his daily portion consistently so far.  It won't be long before he is trying his first vegetables, learning to crawl, and figuring out his first words.  Lord save me when he learns to talk because he is already a loud mouth like me without knowing any words.