busy week

I started off my baking week enthusiastic and ended it exhausted. I'm not sure that spreading out the baking made it any easier. Let me just say, baking with a toddler (even with a yaya) is tough. I finished all my goodies and even tried a new one. It's the French lace cookie. They turned out OK but I think next year I'll use real butter not the shortening it called for. Now I'm packaging up the goodies as gifts. This plate of cookies is going downstairs to the building administrators office for all the employees at our building that keep us guarded, safe, comfortable, and happy in our condo.

This week we also had Justin's office holiday party which was on the 33rd floor of the Tower Club here in Makati. The view was spectacular and the venue super posh. I almost forgot we were in a third world country. I had a lovely time chatting with the three other pregnant wives in Justin's office. We claimed the few chairs in the room and sat there chatting about all sorts of ailments and our other kids. It was loads of fun.

Justin is off on a business trip so Addie and I are keeping busy at home and with friends. Here she is pretty in yellow ready for her play date with a new friend we made at the park.

Dinner time has been a battle for the past week or two with Addie. She'll sit down and take a look at her plate, maybe take a bite or two and demand to get up and play, even if she's hungry. I just let her go for a while but then forced her to stay seated even if she wasn't going to eat out of principle. Screaming fits ensued and every meal was a disaster. I always had cold food and indigestion later. So for the past two days I haven't given her any snacks between lunch and dinner. Success! Last night she sat and ate almost her entire plate of brown rice and chicken and vegetable stir fry. She was quiet and concentrating on using her fork and drank her milk. It was so peaceful. I was so proud of her she got a cookie for dessert. I think I'm on to something with the no snack rule.