Since Mama 3 1/2 months ago, I sometimes get in something I call "baby lockdown." I'm in the chair with a sleeping baby sprawled on me after what can be a long section of napless-ness. I am desperate for him to stay asleep, but I am hungry or thirsty or needing to pee. is it worth the risk of displacement / wake him to take care of all I have at this time?
No. it's really not.
So- I just accept that I am on the "baby lockdown," and we hope to have the remote handy! I became good at check shows that are the perfect combination of entertainment and blind my general state of exhaustion. my new favorite is Martha Bakes on PBS did you see? There is a new theme every week and Martha demos few different designs every time. Last week was "classic French Pastries," and I am very inspired me to try my hand at one of them: Paris Brest.
Are you familiar? It is Pate Choux, which is the paste used to Cream Puffs, etc Eclairs, served as a crown filled with pastry cream and whipped cream. I liked the idea, but did not have the energy for the custard, so filled with lots of whipped cream and strawberries. It is a light and crispy shell filled with light and fluffy cream and berries. I devoured about a third of that, it's so light and not too sweet.
The hardest part of this was the plumbing in a Ring- and as you can see mine looks a bit like 7 cream puffs in a circle . Hindsight- and I may as well just have channeled the dough into rounds and made cream puffs, but I think the "crown" was pretty :)
I'm so lucky to have to go my first mother's day with my own mom who arrives later today! I'm never more sensitive to sound or all mothers after my first 3 months with a baby. How she had the patience to raise 5 children, I will never know! My mom would love dessert- I would not have eaten everything already ...;)