Happy Birthday, Alyson

33 and still dancing.
In honor of Alyson's birthday today, I've compiled a list of my 10 favorite things about her:

10. She taught me how to wear makeup and shave my legs way too early
9. She used to let me borrow all her clothes in middle school
8. She doesn't try to teach me how to sew (hopeless cause), but just makes it for me herself
7. She can't stay awake in front of a tv after 9 pm, no matter what is on
6. She let me stay at her house for four months to have my first baby
5. She is like the surrogate mom for the family while our parents are on missions
4. She is still playing soccer
3. She is my one-stop-shop for family news
2. She used to eat See's chocolates with me in bed on Sunday mornings
1. She makes things fun just by being there

So happy birthday to my fun, loving, and fun-loving sister.

March 25

When I woke up on Wednesday, I saw a fresh layer of snow on the ground and grey skies above. I shook my head and thought, "What are we doing here?" I drove through the mud and slush to Prokrovsky Hills and back until I could barely see out my newly washed windows for all the grime that had collected on the car. Throughout the cooking class, the lunch afterwards and the chatting with friends, I had a nagging question in the back of my mind, wondering if our days in Moscow were numbered in weeks, months or years. My questions were answered later that evening when Andrew told me that his application to Skadden's Side Bar program had been accepted. In short, we are going home, and soon.

The Side Bar is Skadden's response to the slumping economy. It gives lawyers a year long sabbatical with full benefits and partial pay to allow them to do something else for a year. It was just introduced to European associates last week. So events have been moving quickly for us. Ella and I will be returning to the states as planned on April 25 (the baby is due May 26), but we will not be coming back. Andrew will stay in Moscow until May 22, and then joining us in the US. There is something so satisfying about buying three one-way tickets home. Our sights are set on the Bay Area where Andrew wants to pursue a project that has been simmering on the back burner for over a year now. I'm already fantasizing about leaving the house without a coat on.

Russian Household Maintenance

Our sink clogged two nights ago. It happened to be the night that our landlady comes over to collect the month's rent. At first I thought it a fortuitous coincidence until she asked for some plastic bags and scotch tape. This was the result of her labors. Fortunately, a real repairman came over yesterday to produce a (only slightly) more sophisticated solution.

Murg Kadhai

After attending four Indian cooking classes, I finally decided that one of the recipes we learned was actually within my narrow skill level, so last night I cooked my first Indian meal. I confess that part of my inspiration arose from my desire to use the cute cooking implements I've acquired over the course of the class: tiny pan for roasting spices, tiny rolling pin for making bread (not used yet) and tiny lemon/lime squeezer (also not used yet).
The meal consisted of Murg Kadhai (chicken flavored with fenugreek and coriander), pita bread, rice and pineapple. The pineapple was an afterthought, but turned out to be a good side dish, as it helped buffer the spiciness of the main course. I was really pleased with the results. It tasted about how it did in class last week. Ella was totally uninterested (she has a cold) and Andrew was kind of sort of impressed, but after a few bites he asked when we were going to learn to make chicken tikka masala, his all-time favorite Indian dish. I tried to invite our friend Anthony over for some guaranteed praise (though his presence cuts down considerably on our leftovers) but he was apparently not confident enough in my abilities to risk a new dish.

Here's the recipe in case any of you are feeling (like I am) like you're in a cooking rut and are interested in some easy (an admittedly relative term) Indian cooking:

Murg Kadhai (chicken flavored with fenugreek and coriander)-- Anita

1 ½ t whole coriander seeds—roasted, then lightly and coarsely crushed
6 T oil
½ t fenugreek seeds (methi)
3 whole dry red chilies
2 large onions cut into slices
2-8 garlic cloves-crushed and chopped
4 medium tomatoes chopped or ¼ can peeled tomatoes
1 T tomato paste (optional)
1 t red chili powder
1 t turmeric
2 t salt
½ lb boneless chicken cut into medium pieces.
1 T chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 green bell pepper cubed
2-3 T half and half
2” piece of ginger cut into matchsticks

Dry roast the whole coriander seeds in a pan lightly. Do not make them brown. Pound them on a flat base with the rolling pin to split the seeds. Set aside. Pour oil into a round base pot. Add the fenugreek seeds and whole red chilies. Stir for a few seconds until the seeds turn golden. Add onion and cook on medium high flame until light brown. Add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add the blended tomatoes. Cook and stir for 5-7 minutes. Add tomato paste if desired. Add the crushed coriander seeds, red chili powder, turmeric and salt. Stir for a minute and then add the chicken and mix and stir for 5 minutes on high flame, making sure that everything is mixing well (mush with spoon). Reduce heat, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally until chicken is tender. Add the chopped coriander and bell pepper. Cook covered for two minutes. Add the cream. Mix well and simmer for 3-5 minutes on low flame. Finally, pour into serving bowl and garnish with ginger matchsticks. Serve hot with any kind of Indian bread, pita or steamed rice. Serves 6.

Signs of Spring

Despite the snow and heavy coats, spring is starting to peak out in Moscow.

Ella's New Best Friends

It's no secret that Ella is a serioius thumb-sucker. We've started to notice some crookedness creeping in to her top front and bottom teeth, so we decided that drastic action was needed.

Drastic action in this case being the employment of the "Thumb Guard" (or "tum dard" as the wearer calls it) a little plastic brace that goes around her thumbs to make them less satisfying to suck. At first she seemed open to the new accessory.

She even tried a few sucks.

Then the desperate tandem suck was employed.

Then she became not-so-enthralled with the new equipment that she has to wear 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the next month.

We're on day five and I think she's adjusting to them. They don't bother her too much during the day (I think she likes the bracelet aspect of them) but at night whenever she wakes up it's harder for her to get back to sleep because she's denied her normal means of soothing, so she's been waking up a few times each night. It's getting better though, so I think she's adjusting. The downside is that she's starting to suck on her hair instead, another nervous little twitch to try and alleviate later, but at least hair sucking doesn't lead to orthodontia down the road.

Circus

We took Ella to the Circus last weekend. She had a great time observing the exotic animals in the lobby. The only one she would approach was this tame-looking "baby forshie." Even then, she didn't want to venture too near.

She especially liked the popcorn and getting to sit on our laps the whole time.

Whenever an act like this came one, she got very concerned and yelled earnestly "Let her down! Let her down!"

Afterwards she had some "fanshie moves" of her own to practice in the foyer.

She was obviously inspired by the performances.

Intermission gave her a chance to release some of the excitement generated by the show.

I thought the circus cats were better than the ones at the cat theater.

"Let her down!"

Looking for Spring

Ella likes sliding down on her back, feet first, but it takes a lot of gyrating to get herself into position.
Ella paused each time before going down the slide to check out the other kids on the playground.

She started on the baby slides, but soon ventured over to the larger slides (above). She's always looking for a chance to show what a "big girl" she is.

It doesn't really look very springish in the pictures, but I noticed the rooks are back in the park, one of the first signs of spring in Moscow. Even though I know logically that spring has to come (doesn't it?) it's hard to remember when winter holds on so tenaciously through until April. It's sort of like living in Narnia, always winter and never Christmas (New Years is the big winter holiday here, and Christmas is barely observed).

Creative Problem Solving

It takes Ella's eyes a few minutes to adjust to the light every morning. She always complains ("eyes sore") when I lie her down on the changing table. But Andrew came up with a novel solution-- sunglasses.
She also likes to use her morning diaper change to get her lips lubricated for the day. In fact, yesterday I walked by the room while Elena was changing her and saw that she was munching luxuriously on a piece of pizza. What a princess.

Spring in Moscow

It's hard to say when "spring" begins here. If you go by traditional definitions, like warmer weather, and appearance of sunshine and flowers, coupled with the disappearance of snow, it usually starts the end of March beginning of April. But this year I can tell that spring is already on its way. Not because it feels particularly warm, but I can tell by the standing mud and water everywhere that the temperature is staying above freezing most of the time. One downside of the shifting season is the endless mud and water everywhere. It can be particularly hazardous for drivers.

It is impossible to keep anything that goes outside clean, our clothes, the stroller, the car, are all constantly caked in mud, no matter how often we wash them.

But at least this has never happened to us, or at least not yet.

I've Been Wondering

The Russian man purse phenomenon has always baffled me. It's a very masculine culture, and yet, most of the men are toting around some kind of purse-looking bag. Most of the purses aren't as feminine looking as this one in St. Petersburg.
A lot of them are small satchels that men carry like this or with a long strap across their chests.But it makes me wonder, do little Russian toddler boys like to carry around man bags, in imitation of their dads just like Ella likes to carry purses around imitating me? I found at least part of the answer at the open house last week. In the few moments when Ella wasn't going buck wild, I managed to observe little Artyom, one of the quieter children at the party.

And I noticed that Artyom was sporting a little baby man bag that looked like shark (probably not designed for little girls). So I guess the answer to the question is yes, Russian boys start their relationship wtih man bags about the same time their female counterparts do.

Very Open House

Last week President and Sister Cranney had an open house for both of the new district presidencies and their families. There were about 45 people total, including quite a few children. About 3/4 through the evening I came to the realization that our child was by far the most rambunctious child in the group. She monopolized most of the open space to display her "fancy moves" to anyone who would watch, and then tried to get her new acquaintance, Masha, to join in. She must have done at least 25 somersaults.
Masha in the red sweater, being encouraged by Ella.

Ella giving the reluctant Masha an unwelcome congratulatory/fraternal hug.

This was her look after a particularly impressive somersault.

Now I think I have a better appreciation of how my parents felt after we behaved badly in front of company (which was often). When we took our leave, Ella capped off the evening with a grand mal tantrum-- her final 'fancy move'. Only when she was restrained in the straight-jacket confines of her carseat did she stop screaming. I guess that means she had a really fun time. As for me, I kept wondering why no one else's kid was quite so noisy and disruptive.

Hair Twirl

Ella is a big hair twirler. She almost always falls asleep with a thumb in one mouth and a finger in her hair. In this case, the finger got caught in the hair and remained suspended until I could reach back and disentangle it.
Doesn't looks that comfortable, but I guess it beats listening to her whine while we're stuck in traffic.

Water Art

With these new bathtub markers, Ella can combine two of her favorite activities, being in the water and coloring. She draws a lot of snakes.

Who needs toys?

Sometimes I wonder why we bother buying toys for the kid at all. She's perfectly happy playing with whatever household items we have laying around, in this case, drawer organizers from IKEA.

Honey Honey Honey

On Thursday my friend Kathryn and I went to the biannual Honey Market held each February in the Manezh, an exhibition hall by the Kremlin. There are literally hundreds of vendors there selling honey from all over Russia. There are about eight basic varieties, but they taste very different depending on the bees and the region and the flora and fauna they visit. The Russians are serious about their honey. Many believe that particular varieties have medicinal properties. I'm just looking for something good on toast and maybe in some honey artichoke dinners, but it's always an interesting excursion, and a great place to stock up on a very genuine Russian product.

It's actually sold in vast quantities. I don't think I'll ever see this amount of honey together outside of Russia. They also sell lots of bee biproducts like pollen, honeycomb bits and other things I couldn't identify, making the whole place smell a little bit like my Grandma Haslam's house used to.