Dear Baby Max

Dear Max,

Your dad suggested I write a little letter to you while I'm off of work and I think it's an amazing idea. He's always thinking of nice things like that. My handwriting is terrible so I thought an electronic letter would be great. I will start by giving you a little background on your early life.

Your dad and I knew very early that we wanted to try to have a baby soon after we were married. We had our wedding on July 12, 2014. Our whole family flew here to CT and we had tons of activities planned the week before the ceremony. Your big brother, Gavin, walked me down the aisle. The next day, we took everyone to a baseball game and then came to our house to watch the World Cup final game! I was feeling especially tired and thought I might be pregnant. The soccer game was about to go into overtime when I took a pregnancy test and found out we were pregnant! I waited until the game was over (Germany won!) and then told your dad. He was as thrilled as I was! We decided that it was the perfect time to tell our families since everyone was together in person. It was a very special announcement.

After a few weeks, I was having some issues so we went to the doctor and had an ultrasound. We were told this pregnancy would most likely not work out for us. Doctor Hoffman could see a sac but no embryo. Your dad and I were just devastated. It was the longest week ever waiting to go back to the doctor. But then at the next ultrasound, the doctor said everything looked great! Your dad and I both burst into tears when she told us.

After finding out things were okay, we told Gavin that he was finally getting a baby brother or sister soon. To be honest, he was mildly excited at this point. Our picture of you just looked like a blob instead of a baby and my belly still looked normal.

At my next doctor appointment, everything was going fine until we tried to hear your heartbeat. The nurse could not hear anything. Panic ensued and I was in tears again! But then we had another ultrasound and things looked fine and your heartbeat was just fine.

In the beginning of October, we found out we were having a boy! We already had names picked out either way. If you were a girl, we would name you Hannah Joan. Hannah means "grace" which is Grandma Wendy's middle name and my great grandmother's first name. Joan was my grandmother who helped raise me and Uncle Kirk. Joan means "gift from God" and she certainly was just that. I will tell you all about her one day. I think it would have been nice to have a girl but having another boy is such a blessing. Gavin is such an amazing son and I know the two of you will love each other so much. Your name is pretty cool, Maximillian Josef. Maximillian means "the great" which is also the meaning of Papa Kirk and Uncle Kirk's middle name, LeGrand. Josef is your Grandpa Joe's name and was also my Grandpa Maurice's middle name. Josef means "God will add" as in God will add another child. He has certainly blessed us with you!



Gavin was beyond thrilled when we told him he was getting a brother instead of a little sister. He has prepared himself to teach you all the important big brother things like eating hamburgers and bacon, how to play soccer, do armpit farts and so much more. He even did an awesome job helping us paint your room.


Just when we thought the rest of the pregnancy would be smooth sailing, I got rear ended in my car. I was paranoid and wanted to make sure you were okay. An ambulance was called to check on me and I headed to Doctor Hoffman's office the next day just to make sure and you were doing just great.

This brings us to today. I am almost halfway through this pregnancy...19-1/2 weeks. Although the last few months have been packed with morning sickness, weight LOSS, dizziness and fatigue, Markus and I could not be more excited to meet you. We had quite a scare yesterday. I was feeling lightheaded so I decided to lay down in bed. Well, I fainted before I made it to the bed! Your dad came home to find me passed out on the floor of our bedroom! But all is still well. You are one tough kiddo!

Max, this won't be my last note to you. I just wanted to give you an idea of what was going on before you arrived. To say the three of us are anxious for you to arrive would be the understatement of the century. I can't believe how lucky you are. You will have the best big brother ever. Gavin is smart, funny, silly, athletic, happy, healthy, loving and helpful. He's almost 12-years old now and he still loves to snuggle but don't tell him I told you! And your dad...Markus. Well, he is nervous about being a good dad to you but I think he is the only person who is worried about that. I know he will be amazing. He had two wonderful parents who raised him to be a perfect gentleman. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know and is taking very good care of me. He is going to be the type of dad who falls asleep with you on the couch, teaches you how to build things, reminds you to open doors for women and older folks, builds Lego toys with you, and tosses you around in the pool.

And then there is your mom. I already love you so much but I will warn you now that I am tough. I have been nicknamed Lieutenant Mom and Gavin can explain the reasons why. I am the disciplinarian. You and I will probably butt heads once in a while and that's okay. My goal is for you to be healthy, happy, well-mannered, and hardworking. But Gavin can also tell you that all that discipline when you are younger means there are more happy times later on. You are coming into a happy and loving home. That's probably enough for now.

Your crazy mom,

Kelly Geyer


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Cod with Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce

Tonight, we had the most delicious meal. It was a perfect introduction to the warmer weather we enjoyed today.

Ingredients:
2 cod fillets
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tbsp English cucumber, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp green onion/scallion, finely chopped
1tsp garlic salt
Dried oregano, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Oil or cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine yogurt, cucumber, mint, green onion/scallion and garlic salt in a small bowl.
Sprinkle both sides of cod with salt, pepper and dried oregano.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray or rub with olive oil. Lay the cod on top and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
Serve with yogurt sauce on top and enjoy!

I made this tonight with some couscous and herbed carrots. The flavors were amazing!


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Location:East Hartford, CT

Quick Cabbage "Rolls"

Okay, I think we all know by now that I'm not really into "precise" cooking. This recipe was perfect! I made this on a weeknight after work. I took an old time favorite and made it a little healthier.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey
1 chopped onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 small head of cabbage
1 large can tomato soup
1 cup brown rice
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook rice.
Boil cabbage leaves until tender. Drain and set aside on paper towels to dry.
Preheat oven to 450.
Sauté onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil. Add ground turkey and brown. Drain. Return to pan.
Add Worcestershire sauce to beef mixture. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.
Mix rice into beef mixture.
In a 9x13 greased casserole dish, place one layer of cabbage leaves on the bottom.
Pour beef mixture on top and layer with remaining cabbage leaves.
Pour tomato soup on top and bake for about 30 minutes.
ENJOY!

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Location:East Hartford, CT

Country Chicken Cobbler

I found this recipe from Good Housekeeping at http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/country-chicken-cobbler-1627.  It's a tasty casserole to make in the fall or winter. 



Ingredients:

16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1 can of condensed cream of potato soup

3/4 cup milk

Meat from one rotisserie chicken

1 pkg of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, each biscuit cut into quarters

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

* Ground thyme

* Ground sage



* This recipe is great as it is.  But I made this on a particularly chilly evening after an extremely cold day where temps topped out at 5 degrees!  So I wanted something that tasted a bit more...hearty.  When I added the salt and pepper to taste, I also sprinkled in a little bit of thyme and some sage. 



I bought a rotisserie chicken at the store and pulled off all the meat into pieces.  This was plenty of chicken for this recipe.



1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large skillet, combine the frozen vegetables, potato soup, milk

and pepper.  Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are no longer frozen.  Add the chicken and stir.  At this point, I sprinkled in the thyme and sage.

2.  Pour entire mixture into a 9" x 13" glass casserole dish.  Top with the quartered biscuit pieces, evenly spaced.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.



The leftovers taste fantastic! This meal is Markus approved!

Location:East Hartford, CT

Sailboat Baby Blanket

I made this baby blanket or a coworker who is due in October.  She is having a boy and the nursery will have a nautical theme.  Gavin even helped me make the pattern!

Kale Salad with Olive Oil, Lemon and Parmesan

I was very apprehensive about trying raw kale.  I heard it really doesn't taste good at all.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I found a similar recipe to this one and I tried it.  Believe me, this kale salad is DELICIOUS!  I found the original recipe at http://www.themeaningofpie.com/2011/09/kale-salad-with-lemon-and-parmesan and then made some adjustments.

1 bunch curly kale
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1 lemon
1/2 olive oil
1 tbsp honey (optional)
Cherry tomatoes (optional)

1.  Wash the kale and dry either with a salad spinner or paper towels.  Remove the stems and chop into fine strips.
2.  In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and honey, if using.  Whisk together until combined.
3.  Add the pine nuts, cheese, tomatoes and toss.  Add the dressing and toss again.
4.  Season with salt and pepper.
I made this last weekend as well. I was out of Parmesan cheese so I substituted Feta cheese.  Markus also brought back some pumpkin seed oil from Austria from our last trip there and I used some of that.  It really kicked up the taste!  If you can ever get your hands on pumpkin seed oil, GET IT!  It's fantastic on salads.  For those of you wondering if kids will like this, my son couldn't get enough and he is 10 years old.  Last weekend, I also made cubed steak in the crockpot with brown gravy and pearlized couscous.  He was more interested in this salad and even asked for seconds.

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Football Night Taco Bar

 On Sunday night, we had a football party at Markus' house.  I made a yummy Buffalo Chicken Dip for an appetizer served with tortilla chips, carrots, celery and bell peppers.  Then I prepped the table for the tacos.  We had raw onions, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, tobasco sauce, cheese, lettuce, and roasted bell peppers with onions.  Then I cooked different meats.  We had seasoned ground beef, lime and cilantro shrimp, and chicken with BBQ powder.  We also gave everyone the option of hard shell or soft tacos. 

 

I stole the idea of using a muffin pan to hold some of the toppings.  I found it on Pinterest and it worked like a charm.  On think on that site, they had used it as a condiment holder for a hot dog party or something.

The party was a success even though I forgot to have sour cream on hand but nobody asked for it so I guess I was the only one who noticed.  I would love to try this idea again with some other foods...cupcake bar, sundae bar, hot dog bar, pasta bar...!