I have had such a blast getting to know Chef Mum, aka Sami Brown aka Gavin's Mum. She has an amazing sense of humor along with a perfect sense of self; she knows exactly who she is and readily admits the good, the bad, and the ugly (not that there's much bad or any ugly, but you get the idea). She has had me cracking up since first meeting her on facebook. In fact I was just over at 4th Trimester Cooking's facebook page, verifying one last bit of information, and read two of her wall posts that had me laughing so hard, I cried! (A lollipop in the back of her hair at the post office...! You'll have to read it for yourself.)
♥ Sami and Gavin ♥
Sami blogs for 4th Trimester Cooking, a chronicle of her experiences, being a first-time mom with a humorous and honest kick to it. And the bonus is there are some kick-a** recipes on there! So here we go...
Annie Lema: How long have you and your husband, Garrett been married?
Sami Brown: My husband Garrett and I have been married for roughly 4 years, 9 months, 1 week, 1 day, 12 hours, and 40 minutes...not that anyone is counting. We joke and say that it feels like we have been married for 80 years which may sound bad to some but to us it’s just because we can’t seem to picture our lives without the other. We are a normal married couple. We still fight about the same things that other normal married couples fight about. My husband’s best advice on marriage: “Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other person is you.”
Annie: Now that Gavin Rhys is almost 2, and some of the drama of pregnancy and birth are a bit of a blur, have you considered having more children? Or are you one and done?
Sami: Immediately following Gavin’s birth I would repeat to just about anyone that would listen, “NEVER…EVER…AGAIN!” But like most mom’s who lay eyes on their new perfect genetic creation by the time the drama of the pregnancy and actual birth had become a blur I wanted a herd of children. My son is by far the most perfect thing that I have ever accomplished in my entire life so I definitely wanted more.. Not only have we considered having more but before my doctor could officially give us the thumbs up to conceive again we became pregnant. Gavin was only 10 months old and our first official go at “it” landed us another baby on the way. Of course, this was against all of my husband’s desires who had hoped for a prolonged shag-a-thon.
Just as fast as the excitement surrounding our new addition hit we tragically lost the pregnancy at just shy of 4 months. This was one of the hardest experiences that I have personally endured. I asked all of the typical questions:
Why me?
Why this far along?
What did I do wrong?
At some point I started answering my own questions. It’s not just you Sami, this happens to a lot of other women. I never thought that I would have a miscarriage but I suppose no one ever does. It wasn't until it had happened to me that I began to realize just how common it actually is. Other friends and strangers started coming forward and sharing their experiences with me. I became thankful that I wasn't farther along and realized that I had done nothing wrong. I personally hadn't caused this to happen. I hope that by continuing to share my experience I can help someone in the future ease their suffering. A miscarriage is a painful experience. It may never happen to you but it may happen to someone that you know. Some people don’t know what to say in such a situation. Coming from a person who experienced it, the best thing that you can say is “I’m sorry.” After all, it was a little life that was wanted.
Annie: What is a typical dinner for you, Garrett, and Gavin?
Sami: A typical dinner served at our home is Chicken Soft Tacos. With random bowls circling the dinner table, everyone seems to find the perfect balance to satisfy their hunger. Gavin happily noshes on fresh slices of avocado, shredded cheese, black beans, chicken bits and shreds of tortilla while my husband’s vulture-like appetite causes me to spring into action preparing tacos as if I worked on an assembly line.
Annie: Since you obviously love to cook, I assume there were many dinners prior to having Gavin that were pretty fab, you know, adult-style fab. Since having the baby would you say that those fab dinners have dwindled? And since you began your blog, 4th Trimester Cooking, have you changed your cooking style at all?
Sami: Before Gavin there were some “adult-style fab” dinners most of which included much too much wine but those types of dinners have diminished…slightly. I suppose the amount of wine consumption has changed.
I enjoyed cooking elaborate dishes; Jalapeno Crab-Stuffed Poppers, Roasted Cornish Game Hens, Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms, and anything spicy enough to make me break a sweat. Now as I cater to the palate of our newest addition I take a more realistic approach to dinner. I seem to cook faster…a lot faster.
The one thing that I certainly miss is dining out. I love to dine. I love culture. I find that dining out now isn’t so enjoyable. I mean I don’t see how it could be when I am scrambling to shove bites of food in my mouth while simultaneously preventing spills, meltdowns, accidents, and additional unnecessary stares. “Yes, what are you looking at? I’m quite aware that he is shouting POOP and throwing food. Just turn around and enjoy YOUR dinner…please and thank you!”
So now that you've had some giggles, some tears welling up, and you are really really hungry, I'll leave you with this...Part 2 tomorrow!!!
In the meantime, please feel free to visit Chef Mum on her blog, 4th Trimester Cooking or on facebook.
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