Big News and Madeover Noodles with Sesame Dressing

A few things have happened in my life that I haven’t shared (because I’ve been trying to keep my mouth shut about one thing in particular): my aunt contacted me to say that she and uncle Mark will be visiting July (yay), my grandpa’s surgery went well (prostate issues) and I finally get to announce that I’m going to be a first time aunt! I am so excited!

Relatives have been bugging us about when we’re having children, so this should tide them over-thanks, sis! Reality won’t set in until I’m back home, I see my sister’s belly and I’m wrapped up in a blanket of babydom in August. I want to be there for a while to absorb this but I don’t know how realistic that is… since a visit in August will be financially difficult for our return over the holidays and our friend’s wedding (Greg was asked to be the best man) some time October. That’s returning 3 times in 4 months and driving is still cheaper than flying in our case, but that involves a 12 hour drive and mucho time off for Greg (that would require days without pay since he would be over his vacation amount). There’s a lot of thinking to be done.

I was home for my sister’s “morning sickness/not being able to eat time” (not just in the morning) around the holidays, but she was the same physically so it didn’t quite sink in…that and we couldn’t be too sure it wasn’t just a poo caught sideways (sorry, family joke and we don’t say poo).

Greg and I are both excited-I’ve said it twice now so you know it’s so. I’ve been keeping hush with this for months. When my sister told me in November, I was in shock for a few weeks and one night, it hit me and felt like the world changed or the idea came that life would be changed. She wanted to get to 3 months before announcing it to the whole family…Christmas was difficult. I could sense myself going down the path of spilling the beans to family members in conversation. Not only utter joy, but I got a little more depressed when I realized how far away we are and that I will be an aunt that sees her nephew (it looks like a boy in the ultrasound) only once or twice a year, a “webcam aunt.” Part of me thinks that’s cool but more of me is rather upset.

The baby is due in August (around the 9th). Greg is excited because that’s his birth month and there’s a chance they could share that special day…don’t cha wish?! For anyone that knows me, I have said or lead people to think that I don’t want children (but that’s not the case…I don’t want to get into the case right now), but I can’t help myself from venturing into the baby section of stores these days. I find myself picking up wee wittle clothes and ogling over children in shopping carts and kids holding the hand of a parent while doing something so magnificently and innocently adorable. I just don’t want people to get confused and think I have the “baby longing” sickness. Please stop saying that I “want me one.”

What I want right now is to be a cool aunt! Kids amaze me. They just do their own thing-they want to sing at the top of their lungs in a pharmacy, they get right on that, they want to wear a mismatched outfit (and their parent’s are cool with it), they do it. Greg and I think kids rock. We also love what they say…they really do say the darndest things. I think some of my favorite conversations have been with children. You want to capture that essence before they reach the age where they just don’t sing out loud any more, their clothes are duplicates of their classmates (no matter what individuality they claim) and the things they say are not cute whatsoever.

Children and animals fall into the same category for me. No, I don’t think children are pets or “slave children (as Greg calls it)” to perform something for you, but innocent, pure creatures that have no awareness/care about what others think and they are friend to most. You are good to them and they are good to you. Don’t even get me started about their unbridled energy- amazing. Love it. Congratulations, youngest sis! I wish I could be in the whole process but I’ll do what I can from a distance.

For lunch ,on Saturday, I made a recipe from Martha Stewart. The beef that I have with this is that servings and ingredient portions were all wrong, resulting in something unpalatable. It’s not difficult to fix, but the damage was already done for Greg and I and a new lunch was required. This particular dish is called Chinese noodles with sesame dressing and I agree with the noodle part but the sesame dressing conjures a different result than what we had and I followed it exactamundo. I would’ve called this super-lime-tasting-dressing-on-a-small-portion-of –noodles-that-was-supposed-to-feed-6-but-could-barely-feed-3-if-it-had-been-in-a-better-dressing. A bit much?

Anyway, even with a side of steamed veggies, this dish wouldn’t have been filling for 6 as it stated. On top of that, the dressing called for ¼ cup of fresh lime juice and only 1 tsp of sesame oil…that flavor was nowhere to be found but every bite I could stand ended in puckering, thanks to the lime juice. With a bit of change, this can be saved. I just wonder if anyone else has made it and had the same results, anyone?

Chinese Noodles with Sesame Dressing
Serves 2 or 3

Ingredients:
8 oz. Chinese/Asian noodles (I used Melissa’s yakisoba noodles in the produce section of my local store and left out the spice packet-these are great)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp light brown sugar
1/8 to ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt/pepper
scallions –optional

Cook noodles according to package instructions and drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, add noodles and toss to coat and serve. Serve with a side of steamed vegetables.