Kate is 1 Year Old!

Happy birthday, Katydid!

See how you've grown in just one year!

And what a wonderful year it's been! Just in the last month 

alone, you've learnt to walk backwards, climb down the stairs, 

rummage in the trash, drop objects into containers, use 

chairs to get at forbidden objects in out-of-reach places, 

point at noses and hold tissue paper to our faces when we 

say "blow your nose." You bring your shoes to us when it's 

time to go gallivanting, your canister of cheese puffs when 

it's time for a snack, and make a beeline for the bathroom 

when it's time for your bath. You don't like being rocked to 

sleep or held as much as you like to be laid in your crib 

and your back vigorously patted. Lullabies are wasted on you 

because you think all music is to be danced to. You do a mean 

spot-and-turn that can put practised dancers to shame. 

You love sippy cups and blueberries. You prefer eating off the 

floor than from your tray. You still like chewing doll heads. 

You've finally begun (again) to sleep through the night (thank 

you!). You love running outside in our backyard and stomping 

around on our deck. When you feel like it, you can say 

"mama", "dad", "there", "night-night", "done", "bye" and "ball". 

You think it is the funniest thing in the world to dance on 

beds and wake your sisters up by pulling their blankets off 

and sitting on their necks. Your giggle is the sweetest 

sound. Your cry is heart-breaking. Your smile is contagious. 

How thrilled we are that you are ours! We love you so much!

Dealing with Imperfections

Jenna is at the age when she is acutely sensitive to whatever

threatens the clean and perfect orderliness of familiar things.

Today she stared at her wrist and noticed,

for the first time, her vein.

"What that purple thing?" she asked.

"Your vein," I told her, and felt obliged to reassure

her that veins were good things.

Some seconds later, she returns, "I licked it off."

"Licked what off?"

"The purple thing."

Photo of the Day

Sometimes Kate deceives herself into believing she is full.

No-Knead Bread

This is an amazing bread that we've made many, many times 

over the past three years. It only recently occurred to me that 

we've been accidentally keeping it a secret - I can't believe 

I haven't introduced everyone to this wonderful delicacy earlier.

So it looks like a normal boule - so what?

Ah, but wait - this is a no-knead bread. It takes 5 minutes 

to put together and maybe another 5 minutes later on to 

relocate it to a floured surface. There is NO kneading. None. 

It gets ignored again, then dumped into a heated pot and 

baked. When it comes out of the oven, it looks like it was 

bought at an artisan bakery and tastes like it was made 

by a professional (when it wasn't - he he he!).

Essentially, it differs from the typical yeast breads in several 

ways that compensate for the need to knead. First, it uses 

very little yeast - about 1/4 tsp - and lukewarm, not hot, 

water. Then it rises very slowly at room temperature - 12 to 

18 hours. There is no shortening or oil, even to grease the 

bowl. It is baked at 500F in a pre-heated pot (we used a 

random Pyrex dish) with a cover, so that the dough crusts 

immediately upon being poured into it.

Here's the article we read and the recipe we used. 

There used to be a video of the process but for some 

reason I now can't get the link to work. 

We love this bread because it is effortless to make. 

And so tasty! The only (and quite trivial) thing it has against 

it is that it's not one of those spur-of-the-moment breads 

that one makes because one has a craving before dinner. 

It requires a little backward-counting (like a whole day) to 

know how far ahead to start making it to 

be ready for the meal we want. 

There are times when it doesn't rise as high as other times - 

like when I am being daft about using old, opened yeast 

packets - but even then it is quite wonderful, 

and there are seldom leftovers!

The Social Lives of Kids

Another beautiful day today, so we spent a lot of time 

outdoors. Emily played with a neighbor while Jenna and 

Kate reacquainted themselves with our backyard. It was so 

funny to watch Kate walking all over the uneven ground, 

arms outstretched for balance, her little body trying 

to keep up with her excited little legs.

After naps, we went to a park where the kids played at 

the playground. Dave took pictures but am too sleepy to 

sift through them to post, so maybe tomorrow. Still, 

here we got to observe our kids' very different social 

personalities at work.

Emily is at the stage at which all girls who wear pink and 

are about her size are potential friends. At the playground 

today, she decided she would pick one of the many stranger-

girls to befriend. Zeroing in on one, she ran up and said hello. 

Then she ran back to me to report, at the top of her voice, 

her success and delight, as well as a few other interesting 

facts she discovered about her new friend. Emily is the queen 

of small talk in our family and she kept a fascinating 

conversation going with not just the new friend, but also 

her older friend, while on the swings. 

I, who find it a challenge even to describe the symptoms of 

my malfunctioning vacuum cleaner to the repairman, 

was very impressed.

Jenna is more economical with her words, and often shares 

only what is close to her heart. This is usually out of context, 

to the bewilderment of her listeners. Case in point: some days 

ago, Dave witnessed her and Emily visiting with some neighbor 

girls. While Emily was chattering away, Jenna was silently 

listening, and the neighbors tried repeatedly to draw her into 

the conversation. Finally, when she felt ready to participate, 

Jenna spoke, "You know Suzie and Lana? Suzie is pink and 

Lana is purple." I wish I'd been there to behold the 

expressions on our neighbor's faces at this announcement. 

At the playground today, she climbed the steps to the top 

of the slide, then stood aside and let other kids go down 

ahead of her, saying brightly to each as they passed her, "Hi!"

Kate, interestingly, rejected all forms of physical entertainment 

at the playground today, preferring instead to stand on the 

mulch and watch the world go by. She will smile at strangers, 

run away from her own parents, and venture into structures 

and places even Jenna (now-ousted Family Acrobat) avoids. 

More pictures soon!

Dinosaur Egg

Emily brought this home from school today.

They were learning about dinosaurs this week, and this is 

a dinosaur egg. Actually, it is a bar of soap the kids made, 

embedded inside which is a small plastic dinosaur. Emily 

excitedly reported that they were allowed to choose the 

color of their dinosaur and when they had used the soap 

for a long enough time, the dinosaur (hers is orange) 

would peek out.We all tried her soap today and 

agreed that it smelt very good.

A completely unrelated point: Dave bought a new camera 

lens which arrived in the mail on Tuesday. I am quite 

poor at using it, as is obvious from this picture, but 

when used properly, it is supposed to produce superior 

indoor pictures without a flash. We are going to experiment 

with it more over the next few weeks.

Emerging from the Cold

We took our first walk for the year last Saturday 

when the temperature hit a balmy 55F (13C).

Emily went as a princess. The rest of us went as ourselves.

Behold the melting snow - all brown and hideous and 

fighting its losing battle against the sun.

The warm streak is continuing into the week so today after 

their naps, the girls and I went for another walk. It was 

65F (18C) so we ditched our coats and skipped in puddles. 

Other neighbors were in shorts and jogging. 

Emily went as a ballerina, complete with tulle tutu.  

It is March, the winter is (as far as I am concerned) over and 

there is all spring and summer ahead. We will be very busy 

with yardwork and other house projects, and walks, picnics, 

various berry-picking adventures and just 

staying outside as much as we can. 

As a tribute to the winter-that-is-now-behind us (tra la la!), 

I feel led to share my Why I Like And Unlike Winter lists. 

Because we all know how much I love lists.

"Why I Like Winter" list:

1. All the bugs (i.e. caterpillars) die.
   
2. Hot chocolate, cider and soups.
   
3. No perspiration/heat rash/headaches/grouchiness.
   
4. Fashion! Boots! Scarves! Mittens! Wool coats!
   
5. No lawnmowing.
   
6. Breathtakingly beautiful snow, Narnia-style.
   
7. Skiing! (in about 5 years' time).
   
8. Losing weight simply by underdressing and walking to the mailbox.
   
9. Christmas.
   
10. Sleeping.
    

"Why I Also Maybe Don't Like Winter So Much and Am Happy When Spring Comes" list:

1. Slippery Ice injuries.
   
2. Shoveling.
   
3. Taking pictures in the only corner of the house with sunlight and the Mac in the background.
   
4. The half hour it takes to get 3 children from the entryway to the garage 1 foot away, in their winter armor.
   
5. Pasty skin that is drier than a lizard's.
   
6. Flu shots - and flu.
   
7. Forgetting the names of the neighbors' children.
   
8. Three children under five, within four walls, for six months.
   
9. Yeast dough that doesn't rise.
10. Perpetual Hat Hair.

As Jenna would say, "hippit hurray!"

Pre-meal Distraction

A new way to keep a hungry Jenna occupied 

while I am preparing the main meal:

I gave her a slice of cheese and my mini cutters (they are about 

half an inch across) to cut shapes out of. She was happy 

to press out shapes and feed the cutouts to Kate, 

who was just as happy to receive them.

Look what I found in my freezer!

That's the good news. 

The bad news is that it is about three years old.

I remember making a batch of mee siam when I was 

pregnant with Jenna (yes, Jenna) and craving all things 

Malay/Nonya/spicy/sour. I ate myself silly and then packed 

away the leftovers in single servings deep in 

the back of the freezer, saved for a rainy day.

Its piquant flavor was only very slightly dulled by its long 

hibernation and it brought back memories of the days when 

I actually cooked from scratch, with rempahs and all things 

pungent and wonderful. 

Someday, again.

Incidentally, this is Bupbilla's 200th post. 

200! 

Clearly I have too much time on my hands.

Lego Structures

Lego (or Duplo) remains one of the most enjoyed toys in our 

house. It is also one of the toys all three girls can manipulate, 

each at her own skill level. Yesterday Emily surprised us by 

building this very complex structure all by herself:

Kate mostly enjoys grabbing the square pieces from Jenna 

and playing with the Lego people. (See her little hand 

at the bottom of the picture above)

Jenna built her own geometrically symmetrical piece, 

poetically called, "Flower Garden".

Orange Drop Cookies

Some weekday baking this morning- 

G. Grandma Marie's Orange Drop Cookies.

Ingredients for cookies:

• 1 1/4 -1-1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)
  
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 2 Tbsp grated orange rind/zest
  
• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
  
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 360F (approx).
   
2. Beat together sugar and butter, then add eggs and beat well.
   
3. Mix in vanilla extract and orange zest.
   
4. Mix together dry ingredients and gradually fold in.
   
5. Drop/scoop spoonfuls of batter on parchment-paper-lined baking sheets about 2" apart.
   
6. Bake 12-14 mins.
   

Frosting:

• 1 cup powdered (icing) sugar
  
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
  
• 1 tsp grated orange rind/zest
  
• sufficient orange juice to mix to desired consistency
  

Frost/ice cookies while still warm.

What We Acquired Today

The girls and I went to the local World Market store today - 

they were having a closing-down sale. I was a little sad 

that they were going out of business because they had 

wonderful things here that were not sold anywhere else, 

like Digestives, Marmite, Cadbury's Tim Tams (and several 

other varieties of chocolate biscuits) and all manner of 

familiar imports. I thought we'd go today 

and stock up one last time.

Sadly, most of their merchandise was already gone. 

But we did get some Dutch chocolate

which Jenna happily described as "ABC blocks".

And we found a little wooden tabletop puppet theater 

with Japanese finger puppets. Kate immediately bit the head 

of one of the dolls which was just as quickly taken away.

Perhaps it is just as well that my one supply of superior 

chocolates and biscuits is gone. America has lots of wonderful 

snacks but its chocolate isn't one of them. At this rate, I might 

just be able to squeeze into pre-baby clothes sooner now!

Kate on video

Kate playing dress-up and practising her smile, 

her wave, her pre-words and her strutting about-

acting Princesslike, in other words.

Pizza

Yesterday I woke up after a very poor night's sleep - I suspect 

Kate has a new tooth emerging although I haven't been able 

to see or feel it yet. I've found that when I feel particularly 

like a corpse at the start of the day, the worst thing to do is

to try and relax and take things easy with the kids. It sounds 

counter-intuitive but the sanest thing to do is deliberately 

plan activities to maintain control over the pace of the day. 

This prevents boredom which, even for a short time, will 

cause Emily to think up elaborate schemes to turn the 

living room upside down and every closet inside out. 

Case in point: earlier this week, I was foolish enough to 

let the pace flag just long enough for her to decide to 

recreate her entire 4th birthday party, down to the

decorations, snacks and re-wrapping of her original 

birthday presents. This was eventually terminated, with 

much crying ensuing but at least the rest of the day 

proceeded in a less bizarre fashion.

So yesterday morning, recognizing the bleary-eyed, 

woolly-headed symptoms of sleep-deprivation, I cut up 

a cardboard box (they're everywhere) and made a pizza.  

We got the idea here, from another person 

who likes cardboard a lot.

Emily very enthusiastically helped me cut up colored 

paper for cheese, olives, pepperoni and green peppers. 

We poured red poster paint (called tempera paint in these 

parts of the world) into a half-finished bottle 

of white glue for pizza sauce.

The girls went to work topping their pizza slices.

 Jenna was adamant about "doing it myself" and squeezed 

pizza sauce with a vengeance. Kate (not pictured) was smugly 

deemed "too little!" to join in and happily dug into our tub 

of playdoh toys on the floor.

Two of their slices. 

Despite Jenna declaring, "I like mushrooms 

on mine!" at the start of each new slice, 

these two don't seem to have any.  

Finally the pizza was ready to go into the oven. 

Surprisingly, it was Jenna who painstakingly continued 

to the last slice when Emily grew tired. Emily left the table 

and set up pizza parlour in the living room instead. 

The baked pizza, which looks identical 

to the unbaked version, incidentally.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Cardboard circle, cut into eight segments

Brown paper to wrap segments

Glue

Colored paper for toppings

Method:

1 Preheat cardboard oven to 1000000000F.

2 Squeeze and spread fake pizza sauce on slices.

3 Top with whatever you want.

4 Bake in cardboard oven for 1 second and make loud dinging sound when pizza is done. Shoo away baby sister because the oven is hot.

5 Call up random phone numbers on fake phone and ask potential customers if they'd like pizza delivered.

6 Deliver pizza to gullible customers.

Our new cousin!

Molly Christine Teigland was born today! 

Congratulations, Nathan and Joy 

(and Peter and Alex and Sara and Grace)!

More pictures here.

We celebrated this wonderful event 

by overeating at supper/dinner.

Welcome to our family, Molly - 

sorry if you find us all a bit odd.

When Kids Do Their Own Thing

The result of yesterday's experiment: what happens when 

three sour candies are allowed to sit in water overnight. 

A short discussion on dye followed. 

On Sunday morning, Emily hosted her own 

Let Us Be Martha Stewart craft get-together 

with Jenna and they made these foam flowers.

The outcome of any craft with girls: bling.

And finally, this is what Emily brought home from school 

on Dentist Day - ingenious use of mini-marshmallows, eh? 

Literally sugar in one's teeth.

Defending Bupbillas

This afternoon's post-nap scenario: Emily and Jenna leaning against me on the sofa, listening to me read the latest Enid Blyton. Kate walks over to us and lunges at Jenna's midsection.

Jenna hollers, pulling down her shirt which has ridden up, "No! Bad Katie! You cant have my bupbilla!"

Short period of urgent intervention as both Emily and I explain the non-transferability of bupbillas to Jenna while fending Kate off. Jenna is not reassured and remains grumpy.

I ask Jenna, "Well, what do you think will happen if Katie does get your bupbilla?"

Jenna mutters, "She'll poke a hole in it."

How Things Are Made

Our kids really enjoy discovering how things are made,

especially if these are things they can eat. Here are some

of our most-requested How It's Made you-tube videos.

a

Kate is 11 months old

Almost one, our little chilli padi!