Corndog Craziness

Corndogs in the kitchen with Ben & Wanda

As always, Harvey family and friends gathered at our house during March Madness for the happiest of holidays -- National Corndog Day!  Approximately 8 boxes of corndogs and 10 bags of tater tots were consumed, and countless beers and sodas met their match.  The kids had a blast on the sports-themed bouncy house while the grown-ups got to watch some good basketball matchups.

The Corndog Day "Cool Girls" kept us entertained all day long.

This year, we got to try an extra special treat, courtesy of our friends Ellie & Matt Guidi... the cherpumple!  A cherpumple is the dessert-variety of a turducken and is an impressive three layer cake with a pie baked into each layer of cake.  It seemed to fit in nicely with the gluttonous theme of National Corndog Day.  Thanks Ellie & Matt!

Matt displaying the cherpumple in all its glory.

The cherpumple and all its many layers of sugary goodness.

Domo Arigato

We took Virginia on her first visit to a Japanese restaurant last night. She chowed down on white rice and edamame (along with unauthentic Cherrios). We think we may have overdone it with the new food - when we came in to wake her up the following morning, her crib was covered in vomit - yuck. Virginia apparently slept right through being sick. No noise or crying. Just puke. The joys of parenting. But she sure did look cute at the restaurant, so it was worth it.

National Corndog Day!

Today is that most special of holidays, National Corndog Day. This year was the best ever. New house, more space, more people, more fun. We had over 50 participants at our house. We set a record for number of baby participants (15) and boxes of corndogs consumed (10).


Usually we like to post a few action shots, but this year it was so busy we did not have a chance to take any. You'll just have to imagine the beautiful scene.


After a feast like the one we had today, I always take a moment to think of those who are less fortunate and did not have a chance to consume corndogs, tater tots, and beer all day long while watching the NCAA basketball tournament. To all such people, I would simply remind them that they too can sign up for a party next year at the official Corndog Day website, www.corndogday.com.

Virginia Eats Green Beans

Here's Virginia's reaction to green beans:

Formula for Success

After 8 full months of only getting breastmilk, Virginia got her first formula! My efforts at pumping while at work were frustrating and increasingly futile, so we decided that it was time to start slowly making the switch. It was a hard decision to come to - San Francisco culture is militantly anti-formula and there is a certain sense of guilt that comes with making the switch prior to one year. But most of my working friends didn't make it breastfeeding as long as I did, so I decided to be proud of what we accomplished and move on!

I was a bit worried how Virginia would react - would we have to mix pumped milk and formula over a period of several days to get her used to the taste? Well, my worries were completely unfounded. Virginia took her first bottle without flinching a bit. She has had no problem with the switch - the girl just likes to eat!

Here's a photo of her chowing down in her high chair using her mesh feeder.

Pears Are An Acquired Taste

Yes, this is actually the face that Virginia made when she tried pears. Her first fruit.

But after further thought and reflection, Virginia ultimately concluded that pears actually are pretty sweet and yummy. After a few more mealtimes, she is now eagerly powering through them. And she's moving on to apples too.

Wormy Tries Food

Also in celebration of her six month birthday, Wormy was introduced to her first taste of big girl food. For the last several months she had shown serious interest in what mommy and daddy were eating. She grabbed for and gnawed on just about everything, including Coke bottles, Wheat Thins boxes, and daddy's beer bottles. So after dining only on breast milk for six months, Virginia got her chance to sample rice cereal.

Rice cereal is the "gateway drug" of big girl food: once you prove you like it and are capable of handling it, you move on to bigger things. Virginia's immediate reaction was skepticism, but after some coaxing (and allowing her to control the spoon), she found the rice cereal to be worthy of her attention. Frankly, I'm surprised it went as easily as it did, because this food is absolutely unappealing. All of the charm of oatmeal with none of the flavor or nutritional benefits.

The scene was a little like Cookie Monster eating a cookie: a lot of frantic activity without any actual swallowing of food. In the end, though, Virginia did pretty well. At least a few mouthfuls actually went down her throat. A few more days of this and she graduates to the next level. Next up: fruits and vegetables!

Hard Knock Life

Today, Virginia accompanied us to our favorite restaurant in San Francisco - Hard Knox Cafe.  The restaurant serves authentic Southern cooking - fantastic fried chicken, mac and cheese, and corn muffins!  Wormy got her first taste (indirectly) of many Southern delicacies.  She can't wait until we visit Alabama in July when she can get to taste even more Southern treats.  

It was a great lunch... Thomas and I were celebrating our 5 year anniversary today and we were glad to have Virginia along for the ride.