Did you know that when you have an infant, you do NOT necessarily have to act as that person’s personal Oprah?
I didn’t realize that. I keep reading everywhere that you must talk to your infant all the time in order to help her develop her language skills, even though she won’t say her first word for quite a while.
Not wanting my kid to be the dunce of preschool in a few years, I took it upon myself to narrate every moment of every day to her, as though I were a talk show host with an audience of one. I talked to her as I changed her diaper, I discussed my next moves in Words With Friends with her, and I acted as her tour guide while we were driving.
“Eleanora, coming up on the right — er, your left — is the golf course. On your right are some children playing. And now we’re coming up on Lincoln Boulevard. The light is red. Are you having fun? Hey look! A dog! How does the doggie go? Oh that’s right, you don’t even know what dog is.”
Have you ever had a one-sided conversation for 10 hours straight? If you have, you know it’s exhausting. This went on for a few days, and every night when Hubba Bubba came home from work, I was WORN OUT. Finally he assured me that I did not have to talk to Eleanora every moment of the day. Nor did I have to entertain her each second, or watch her like a hawk in case she yawned, indicating that we were entering a window of tiredness that provided an optimal opportunity for putting her down for a nap. If she got tired, she was perfectly capable of falling asleep.
Freshly freed from the Perfect Parenting Prison, I plopped Eleanora into her bouncy seat and actually made dinner. I made the whole thing this time. Lately I’d been doing things like making broccoli salad (pdf) and serving it with fried chicken from the Albertson’s deli. But this time I did the full spread… turkey meatloaf (pdf), smashed potatoes with sour cream & chives, and brussels sprouts (pdf).
And while I made it, Eleanora and I chatted a little… and then we enjoyed some quiet time.
SMASHED POTATOES WITH SOUR CREAM & CHIVES (pdf)
Mini Yukon Gold potatoes (or other small potatoes, like redskin)
Chicken broth
Butter
Milk
Sour cream
Chives (dried or fresh)
Salt & pepper to taste
Place potatoes (skins and all) in a heavy pot, cover with chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until soft when pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes. Drain and discard chicken broth. Add butter, milk, sour cream, chives, and salt & pepper, in the amounts that suit your taste. Smash with a potato masher until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
And while I didn’t take photos of the potatoes, I do hope you enjoyed some tummy time pictures instead. 🙂
xoxo,
