So we made it through another week. Can you believe I’m now four weeks old? I’m looking forward to spending a quiet weekend with Mom and Dad (quiet, that is, until I decide to start crying), but before I do, let’s tackle some more Ask Julia questions.
The first question comes from a fellow tiny writer: Long Island, NY’s 15-month-old Audrey, the daughter of Kirsten, who was Mom’s first friend as a kid (they lived across the street in Rocky Hill, CT). She writes:
When do you think your parents will start feeding you mamaliga and pyrohy? My mom tells me that she is sure your Babcia can’t wait to start serving up the Ukrainian cuisine. Will you have to wait the full 4- 6 months before starting solids? If so, when will mamaliga and pyrohy be phased into your diet? I have an egg allergy, so I don’t get any ravioli or any other Italian dish my family selfishly consumes before my envious eyes. Hopefully you will not be deprived of any of your cultural delicacies any longer than necessary. As a much older girl, I thought I would bring all of this to your attention.
Excellent question, Audrey (and by the way, thanks for giving me all your old clothes to add to my wardrobe!). I think that pyrohy (better known to most of you as pierogies) won’t be in my diet for a long time still. In fact, I’m fairly certain that this Christmas, I’ll miss out on sampling all of the Ukrainian delicacies. Mom and Babcia say that mamaliga – a type of cornmeal – might very well be the first Ukie food they introduce to me whenever my doctor gives me the green light to sample solids (that was the first Ukrainian dish that they gave to Kirsten). After that, who knows: borscht, kutia, kielbasa (sorry Dad, but I’ll probably have to at least try it)...
Next up, my Aunt Rebecca from Houston sent along a couple followup questions to her queries in last week’s Ask Julia column:
Your daddy is looking very tired. Are you allowing him to get any sleep?
Why should I let him (or Mom) sleep? It’s all about me, haven’t you heard? Though he’s getting a few hours each night, Dad says that he is indeed very tired and is looking for any chance to catch some shut-eye. He’s dozing a bit on the train/bus, to and from work. But he says the toughest struggle to stay awake occurs when he goes to a movie screening (he attends 3-4 a week as part of his job) and the lights go down. Unless the film is completely engaging, he might not make it through. Look for more tales of sleep deprivation in next week’s Ask Julia.
How is the new formula working for you? Does it taste better? Does it agree with you more?
I’ve been on the new formula for a full week, and yes, it does seem to be working out. I’m not quite as fussy or gassy as I was with the old formula, which makes my parents happier (and takes some of the sting out of the fact that the new formula is a little more expensive). It took some time to get used to the taste and smell – for a few days I wasn’t guzzling as much as usual – but now I’m sucking down more than ever before.
Finally, we close with a couple questions from Grandma and Grandpa, down in Cherry Hill, NJ:
How did your parents decide on your adorable name?
First off, that question was worded very appropriately: how did my parents decide on my name? Why was I not consulted about the name that I would be saddled with my entire life? Sure doesn’t seem fair to me! While I have grown to love Julia, I will always wonder what life would have been like had my name been She-Ra Princess of Power...
As for Julia, my Dad thought it would be nice if I could have the same JML initials that he and Grandpa have – but only if they found a name that he and Mom both loved. Julia was decided on a long time ago, during a hypothetical conversation they had early last year where Mom mentioned the name and they both agreed they really liked it. When they found out I was a girl, they still liked the name, which means “youthful” in Latin. My middle name was much tougher to come up with: they poured through baby books, complied a list of possibilities, and began narrowing them down. Other contenders in the running included Madison and Maribel, but they kept going back to Madeline (which oddly means “high tower” in Greek). And once the name kept popping up everywhere (Madeline is the paint color in my nursery, the name of a Pottery Barn Kids furniture set my parents were considering getting and of course, the name of one of Mom’s favorite series of children’s books), they knew they had the right name.
What is your opinion on babies (girls) with pierced ears?
A bit of background: neither Grandma nor Babcia have pierced ears, and my Mom wasn’t allowed to get her ears pierced until she was 18. Crazy, right? I’m all for it, but my mom is still deciding. I hope it’s sooner rather than later, because I probably can’t start piercing the rest of my body until I get my ears out of the way….
Thanks for all the terrific questions! As always, if you want to ask me something about my life, or anything else, send it along, and I’ll try to answer it in an upcoming Ask Julia column.
Enjoy the weekend!
