Success all around...

So this week marked the beginning of our Sunnyside CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share which we pick up just a block away. We tried this out last summer with a couple of friends and this year we were eager to return to the organic way of life with our weekly veggies and fruit share. Part of what I love about this neighborhood is that things like this are possible and that we have the good fortune to have friends who share in the fun. I remember feeling a little overwhelmed with all the greens each week, but there is also something cool and unique about having to discover what these new veggies are and finding recipes for them. As much as I love farmer's markets (and ours returned this Saturday as well), I have to confess I window shop a lot more than I buy. So the CSA thing is kind of forcing me out of my comfort zone with a little encouragement--like being on Chopped with more time and the internet to guide me. My first inspiration for a dessert of the season came from the gorgeous rhubarb I found in the box. Mixed with a quart of strawberries I already had, I was able to make this divine Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble which did not disappoint.

Perhaps that bit of sweetness was my reward for finally picking out Elisa's big girl bed. It's taken me the better part of 3 trips to IKEA to weigh the pros and cons of different options: go with the toddler bed for another year or two, buy a full out twin bed now, or get the best of both with an extendable frame? If Elisa had her way, she'd be sleeping in the pink plastic bed that always seemed to beckon her from the showroom. It was the only bed she really liked climbing into, but of course, I had already settled on white for her room, thanks very much. So finally this week, with Nacho home a few days and ready to assemble whatever I picked out, I made a decision to go with the extendable Minnen bed. It's got the roomy width of a twin but can be shortened for a while longer until we really need that extra foot or so. And speaking of that, before I forget to document it, we measured Elisa again recently on the wall chart we started this winter. Amazingly, this girl has grown exactly two inches since February 15. Two inches in four months! I'm hoping that's a spurt and not a trend, but who knows with her. Maybe that's why she looks so grown up lately. And just as I'd expected, once it was in her room, Elisa fell in love with the bed. Mostly because she wanted to jump on it...

And while we're checking off the list of things accomplished in June so far, I can add bottle-free to the mix. Yes, finally. I don't think I fully appreciated the struggle that it would bring or the latent guilt I would feel about her being so dependent on her milk in a bottle to soothe and comfort her. For almost a year and a half, I'd been toying with how to get her to drink milk out of a sippy since she had no problem with taking other drinks that way. But this girl was stubborn and it always ended in me pouring the milk back in a bottle after hours and even days of a stand off. And bedtime routines have been heavily dependent on her drinking a little milk which always made me skittish to change them. But little by little, we've narrowed that down and she finally seemed like she might take the bait and drink out of something "bigger." As in a "big girl bottle" which is exactly what I called the pink princess and dragon sippy I found at the store the other day. I bought it, like I'd done so many times before, with the idea that this would be the catalyst for change. And this time it was. She protested mildly for her bottle, but once I really dug in and started telling her how this was a bottle only for big girls like her, she was hooked. It's been a week of nothing but smooth sailing and no bottles. How I love not washing those damn things.

Yesterday we spent the better part of the afternoon at SGP at our friends Kristin and Patrick's family birthday bash. The kids all had fun crafting away while we noshed on a smorgasbord of Greek-themed dishes. It was a beautiful day for it and so we tried our best to let Elisa run out her nap time. But eventually, all things must come to an end. And so it was with Elisa. By about 4:00pm, she just couldn't do it anymore and her tantrums were getting out of hand. After throwing a fistful of gravel at me, and landing a few pieces in the cakes, I made the executive decision that this family outing was over. Half way back home, she was asleep in the stroller, and stayed down for another 2 hours. It was just one more sign that the more she changes and grows up, the more we have to guard some of those routines of her babyhood. And napping, for now, is still firmly a part of that. Thank goodness today she dove right into her new bed and fell peacefully asleep. That means we're two for two sleeps in her new bed with no problems, and she wakes and comes out of her room with the biggest grin on her face. It's been a good start to the month so far.