new blog

I've been feeling a little outdated for a while now since the title of this blog in no way reflects the content I post. which is why...I decided it was time to start a new blog.

Maybe in a couple years, and after my persuasive skills finally pay off and Zac has agreed to culinary school I will attempt to be more serious about doing a blog where I really share "things the kitchen taught me." Hopefully that url isn't taken by then too!

Anyways, follow us on our new blog here!

Four Months

I can hardly believe that Z is four months old! I think what excites me most is that we can start incorporating rice cereal into her diet. I had our pantry stocked with different cereals and stage one baby food and all of her bowls and spoons sterilized a week before the go-ahead from our doctor, although I am guilty of letting her try some pureed honey crisp apples six days early. Zac and I were also super excited about getting her a high chair so we spent the week before Easter studying and researching high chairs so we could have it ready for her to try out on Easter Sunday.

I heard about all this talk on how introducing cereal would improve our Z's sleeping and keep her fuller throughout the night. Unfortunately, I don't think these two correlate for Z. She has been a pretty terrible sleeper for the past few weeks now, but despite that she is a pretty happy baby during the day and never really cries when she wakes up at night. This is what makes it difficult to be upset. She still sleeps in a bassinet next to my side of the bed so I hear her moving about very easily. Shortly after I hear those movements, I hear her spit her pacifier out and shortly after that she starts to "sing" or make very quiet cooing sounds. After several nights of trial and error, Zac and I discovered the key  was to just let her be because the moment you make eye contact with Z, she will undoubtedly suck you in with an ear to ear grin. The first few nights I thought this meant I could pick her up and she would quietly fall back asleep if I rocked her. NO. Never pick up a smiling baby Z if it is past midnight!!! Once she is out of her bassinet and in my arms she immediately starts to fuss and wants to  be nursed...even if she was just nursed less than an hour ago. Thank goodness she usually just goes back to sleep after being nursed and rocked for a few minutes. Sometimes she doesn't need to be rocked and I feel like I just hit a major jackpot. Despite the nightly sleeping struggle we have been going through the past few weeks, we love this girl to bits and pieces and forget about how little sleep we got the night before when she greets us with such a happy face in the mornings. She "talks" so much in the mornings when she first wakes up and Zac and I have so much fun chatting along with her and pretending to have serious conversations.

Anyways some fun things about our four month old:

25 inches long
14 lbs. 8 oz.

-Loves to play "peek-a-boo" and will laugh her head off if you can hide your whole body before surprising her.
-Gets frustrated when you take too long to get her rice cereal on the spoon and in her mouth. Like her mom, she is very serious about her food and smiles once she has a mouthful of cereal.
-Still considers her blanket as her BFF in the car and will talk, sing, and laugh at it while we drive.
-Has mastered being able to turn 360 degrees while being on her tummy (but she still only roles occasionally). It's pretty adorable to watch her waddle on her belly and talk to her toys as she passes them.
-Uses her hands and arms to hold her self in a sitting position for up to three minutes.
-Drools like crazy. We are always amazed at how much she drools and we go through at least 5 shirts a day because she gets them so wet.
-Adores her caterpillar Claire. She hugs and squeezes and plays with Claire forever and is always happy to see her first thing in the morning.

 This would be Z showcasing her never-ending drool. It is just beginning in this picture.

 All smiles

Rice cereal trial 2 and I could hardly keep up with how fast she wanted to eat. 

 We're working on that bald spot...But it seems as though it is growing by the day.

 This rarely happens now since Z usually can't sleep for more than 15 minutes if she's not in her crib or bassinet so we like to document it when she does stay asleep in our arms. 

This (Prime Rib) roast happened for Easter and it was delicious

 Z loves bath time.

We can't get enough of that smile! 

Zac and I had the idea of taking pictures of Z with the stuffed animals her grandparents brought her when they came to visit from Utah last month...I don't think Z was as convinced this was such a good idea, but she is still the cutest.

Three Months...and a Half

Where has the time gone? It feels like it was January just a week ago and our baby Z is already three and a half months old! We were pretty busy getting ready for our families that came to visit last week, but now we are back to our usual routine that usually goes something like this:

7-8AM: Wake up for the day/Breakfast
8-9AM: Play/Story time
9-10: Morning nap
10-12PM: Errands
12-1PM: Lunch
1-3PM: Afternoon Nap (AKA get all house chores done before Z wakes up)
3-4PM: Go for a walk then tummy time
4-5PM: Dinner prep while I talk to Z as she sits in her chair/swing/bouncer
5-6PM: Dinner and play
6-7PM: Bath time and bed

Then I usually spend an hour with Zac and an hour baking/reading/catching up with a show before I head to bed and pray Z doesn't wake up again before midnight.


Recent Pictures:

Playing in the morning with Zac

 One of the only pictures I have with all three of us and I cant believe she is smiling! We have to work on getting her to actually look at the camera though

Also, how am I ALWAYS in this outfit when taking a picture with Z?!

 

We were on a search for Blue Bonnets with Zac's parents and found this (small) patch along side the road

 

I tried taking pictures on the actual three month mark...and I learned the hard way that timing means everything...this face right here is due to hunger and sleepiness.

Three Things About this Three Month Old:

-Will grab on to anything you dangle in front of her (and will find a way to pull on your hair)

-Will smile/laugh if you dramatically say "ooo" or sneeze

- Enjoys talking to herself and her blanket during car rides

Those little hands

This last week Z started reaching for objects and grasping onto them. Funnest development thus far!

An Update

Time is just flying by and I cannot believe Z is going to be three months old in less then two weeks. Taking care of her is by far the most challenging, exciting, and rewarding thing I have ever taken part in and I am surprised every day by how fast she is growing!

This was about three weeks ago after Zac had just taken a test. It took a while for Z to warm up to him (hence the pouting) but the two were inseparable for the rest of the weekend shortly after her dramatic episode.

When she was about 7 weeks old she totally surprised us when she rolled over during tummy time.  We figured it was a fluke and she didn't do it again until three weeks later (on my birthday). 

I am dying to get this on video but she is so clever...she only does it consecutively when I walk away and so when I come back this is what I find. I will just have to plant the camera and have it recording while I keep my distance so we can have some footage of her rolling. It's pretty funny when I leave her be and watch quietly from the kitchen and see her flip. 

This is how I find these two about 75% of the time. Sleeping! Z loves her miracle blanket (we love it even more) and it is the only way she sleeps for long naps and through the night. I absolutely dread the day when she will be too strong to be swaddled in it...which I fear is coming close since I have found her in her crib unraveled and wide-eyed to be picked up a few times this week.

It's not too hard to get this girl to smile, but somehow she always make you work extra hard for a smile if its for a camera. This one took forever! 

Z loves tummy time...as long as it lasts about ten minutes and as long as I am singing, dancing,  and waving a rattle. Sometimes she looks like she is just itching to crawl and really likes it when you hold her up so she can "stand."  

Z got her first round of shots last week and she screamed like I had never heard her scream before! When we got home she fell asleep...and stayed asleep for what seemed like two straight days. She only ever woke up to nurse and then back to sleep she went. Definitely got a lot of cleaning done those two days.

This was on the night of my birthday. We tried to go out but only made it through about 20 minutes at Babies R US before Z was ready to head home. If you can see in the background there is a nightlight on in Z's room. She is already freaked out of the dark! I was hoping that wouldn't happen since I hear how hard it was to put me down when I was young because I was crazy scared of the dark. 

When she was just born and up until 4 weeks she HATED bath time. Zac and I would take turns giving her a bath because it was so stress inducing to be the one always bathing her. She would scream once we started taking her clothes off and while getting the water ready. Now, she LOVES it and cries when bath time has to end. Zac usually gives her a bath if he is home from school and then I put her down for the night. For the past three weeks she is usually past out by 7. It is the best thing ever!

We love this girl so much!

Cooking has pretty much been on the back burner for a while now, but once in awhile I get the chance to cook what I really want instead of what I can quickly put together.  Z's most needy time just happens to be right around the time I need to prep for dinner so (confession) I have been calling Zac to bring home dinner a lot more often then I would like. That, or we go through cereal really quickly. While unpacking some of my kitchen stuff that was in storage I came across my favorite pan. I love cooking in this pan. Even if it's just frying an egg. I don't know what it is. This whole week it was pretty much the only pan I used and it works great for one pot meals like this peruvian style marinated chicken we had the other night. 

Happy Friday!

Getting Back to Everyday Life

When I made my first attempt at going to the grocery store by myself with Zoe it was a very windy day, and my cart rolled away towards a moving vehicle without me noticing as I was taking Zoe out of her car seat. Thank goodness the man driving saw the cart and was able to get out of his car and stop the cart for me. To top things off Zoe was a bit hysterical and crying her head off and her blanket blew away in the wind. I was a bit traumatized and didn't leave the house with her on my own for a few days. Adjusting to taking care of Zoe has also been much harder than anticipated so it has taken me a while to learn her schedule and plan my day around it. Thankfully, she somehow transformed into another baby this past week and everything has become SO much more manageable. She is actually putting her self to sleep in her bouncer as I type and it is magical.

I decided last night I was going to take advantage of this turn of events and try to get our schedule back to normal and be brave about running errands and getting out of the house with Zoe on my own. I  especially want to get back to making real meals again and actually having them ready by the time Zac gets home from school so the dinner schedule for this week is up again. I also want to post the new recipes I try or come up with regularly so I can actually make them again.

As for updates...

Zac turned 26 this past tuesday woohoo! Somehow Zoe went down really fast the night before his birthday so I was able to get the entire meal and the chocolate cupcakes prepped and most of the cooking done.

Chocolate Cupcakes that turned out so well...It had a hot fudge enter and chocolate buttercream frosting. I attempted the gold decoration beads, but my patience for sticking them on was very short lived.

I feel like we both aged dramatically in the past two months and that's probably in large part due to all the stress of adjusting to having a baby and moving in a very short period of time. I grieved for a few minutes the other day when I saw a silver strand of hair on my head.

Zoe is such a chubby baby and we love it! Now it feels like you can really cuddle with her and it's so much fun to see her smile and make random sounds here and there.

Such chubby cheeks!

She was pretty tired of me trying headbands on her thus the frustration in her face. So cute.

The year thus far has been hectic, but things are finally winding down and I am excited to focus on taking care of Zoe and keeping our home in order.

Zoe Jane

Two weeks ago, at 9:33am in the morning, we welcomed our sweet Zoe Jane in to the world. She weighed 6lbs. 7oz., and measured a surprising 21 and 3/4 inches long (I am keeping my fingers crossed her birth height is an indicator she will be at least taller than mommy). She is quite the feeder and is already nearly 8lbs and getting very plump and chubby. Sometimes I look at her now, just two weeks later, and think she looks so different from when we first met her. We are so in love with her already!

We were supposed to stay at the hospital a few more days since the delivery turned into a c-section, but the doctors and nurses graciously sent us home early on Christmas Eve which was such a treat. Zac, Zoe, and I had our first Christmas Eve together in our cozy apartment. I had planned to have something a little more special for our night before Christmas meal, but we quickly opted for a McDonalds run which was a lot more than I could have ever put together after our first day home with Zoe. There are some seriously delicious new options on their value menu that  guiltlessly enjoy on a far too regular basis.

It's tradition in my family to have Ham and Queso de Bola (Edam Cheese) sandwiches with hot cocoa during Christmas. I didn't quite have the same ingredients on hand but my mom sent us home with some ham and we had some town house crackers, and aged cheddar cheese that were equally delicious. Zac pretty much took care of our meals the week preceding labor, and I learned that I liked anything he made even if it was canned/boxed/frozen/processed, etc. Somehow anything my husband made was delightful and a treat since he rarely ever has the chance to cook with his busy school schedule. I also discovered during my pregnancy that there is a special place in my heart for pre-cooked food be-it the fancy specialty market or the low end, less-than-a-dollar freezer meal kind. Anyways, we also had Martinelli's, (which is by far the hardest thing to find in a grocery store during the holidays when your not in Utah), spiced apples, and cinnamon rolls--the kind that come in the twist and press cans. Zac and I were so busy all day that we thought it was the best meal ever. Perhaps a tradition has been born.

Anyways, we are still busy packing and getting ready for the move. Zac's mom was so sweet to be with us for a week to help out and it has been the best thing ever! Taking care of a newborn + Recovering from a c-section + packing your apartment for a move while trying to stay sane is virtually impossible without extra hands so we are happy to get the help we are receiving.

Happy New Year! 

Gingerbread! I lost my gusto about halfway through my decorating spree and ended up freezing a couple dozen undecorated cookies.

Caramel and Chocolate Covered Pretzels....Addicting and oh so the perfect balance of salty-sweet-chewy-crunchy

I frantically made all my edible Christmas gifts after being told by my doctor I would most likely go into labor naturally before my due date.




These truffles were so yummy. I finally got the soft ganache center I have been trying to acheive for years! Even Zac liked them. The soft caramel center-filled ones also turned out great. Labor kicked in when I was halfway through my second batch so I still have trays of truffles to be dipped in chocolate in the freezer.

40 weeks 1 day. Just two days before Zoe was born.

Bouncing on my exercise ball before heading to the hospital (clearly in between a contraction) and enjoying my pomegranate popsicle.

Zac feeding her for the first time right after surgery...she looks a lot smaller here than she does now

Sleeping, sleeping, sleeping 

LOVE my Moby Wrap. Baby loves it too.

So peaceful during her daytime naps...

I think she looks so much like Zac, especially her eyes...Hoping her hair does not take as long to grow out as mine did. I went a couple years looking like a boy and having an odd resemblance to Jim Carey from Dumb and Dumber with my very short hair.  

Final Countdown to... Everything

-39 Days until we move into our new apartment

-15 Days until Christmas

-9 days until my due date 

-3 Days until Zac's winter break starts

38 Weeks and 3 Days 

Lately I have not been able to get enough of 

French Fries with LOTS of black pepper,

Gingerbread cookies with Royal Icing,

Steamed Eggs with Buttered Toast,

and

ICE. I could chew on ice-chips all day!

Turkey Sandwiches

For the first time in four years, I spent Thanksgiving with my family since being away at college made it difficult to travel home for the festivities. The food was great and we had all the classics-- turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, pie, etc. I wish baby Z had dropped already so I would have had more room for the food, but she is still taking up all my precious stomach room and making it very difficult for me to eat full meals! Anyways, after stuffing our faces we braved some of the Black Friday sales and watched some cheesy movies on the Hallmark channel. Good times.

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is all of the leftovers! Last year we had so much I froze it in batches in fed us until Christmas.

Today Zac and I had Turkey sandwiches. SO GOOD. I even went through all the boxes in our storage unit to get the panini press for these babies. It was so worth the hassle and rearranging of all the storage boxes just to get to my precious box of stowed kitchen supplies. 

Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwiches

Makes 2 sandwiches

Bread, Butter

1/2 thinly sliced onion

1 T Gravy

Shredded Turkey

2 T Mayo + 2 T Cranberry Sauce mixed together

Fontina Cheese (Or any cheese you prefer with a milder taste and creamier texture)

4 thick slices of country or sourdough bread, one side slathered in butter.

Saute the onion with a touch of olive oil and a pinch of salt to keep from burning until softened and browned. Add about two handfuls worth of leftover shredded turkey (I like a mix of light and dark meat) with 1 Tablespoon of leftover gravy. Saute until turkey and gravy are heated through

Place bread slices, butter side down on your work surface. Spread Cran-mayo on one side. Top with a layer of turkey-onion mixture. Top with a layer of fontina cheese. Cover with other slice of bread, butter side up. Press in panini until well browned and crisp or you can easily do this in a well heated griddle/frying pan.

Eat immediately.

Foodie Pen Pal Reveal and the Growing Belly

Last month I signed up for a Foodie Pen Pal program and received my first package this past Saturday from my October foodie pal all the way from Florida. I've always wanted to do a food exchange with someone and once I found the Foodie Pen Pal program I was sold!

The Conditions:

Sign up by the 5th of the Month

Contact pen pal matched with

Put together a box ($15.00) and include a note explaining all treats

Mail it by the 15th

Waited excitedly for a box in return

Yummy treats from my pen pal

Udi's Gluten Free Salted Caramel Cashew Soft Bake cookies

-These are INSANELY good for a gluten free cookie. The salted caramel flavor really came through nicely and I've already eaten half the box :)

Barbara;s Jalapeno and Blue Cheese Puffs

-Okay, these are brilliant. While I am a tad guilty of having had blue cheese even though I know I am supposed to avoid it these are a revelation. I get the blue cheese flavor without having to eat the actually cheese and plus it's spicy, which I love. I am already starting to freak out because I am almost through this bag and haven't come across this line of products before. I think I will go on a searching spree pretty soon.

These three I have yet to try: 

-Fall Spice Blend

-Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate

-Local Floridean Pumpkin Spice candy

I am skipping the next few months of the Foodie Pen Pal exchange with the craziness of preparing for baby Z, but pretty excited to get back into it starting the beginning of next year.

Anyways, I've been taking it pretty easy these past few weeks and trying really hard to stick to the "couch rest" prescription my doctor gave me and I am finally growing like crazy! One week the fundal height jumped from 30 to 35 inches. Scary. I was measuring pretty small for a while, but I don't think that is much of a worry now.

Five+ more weeks!

After two nights of sleeping on the shower curtain (see previous post) that I thought I was going to be okay with I had a breakdown with how hot it was making me and am now sleeping on a much more comfortable pad. It's one of those pads little kids sleep on and thats exactly how I feel, like a big little kid. At least I am not sweating like crazy though.

34 weeks- I got ready just for this picture and it just about took every ounce of energy out of me!

Wednesday is Snack Day

On Wednesdays Zac comes home earlier than most days so it's the perfect opportunity for me try out small recipes and snack type dishes for him to taste test when he gets home. If it were up to him, he would would probably have a tall glass of chocolate milk, a bowl of chocolate peanut butter ice cream, or half a box of cheeze-its and fruit snacks. Sounds like what my little brother would eat (if he wasn't so particular about his diet during wrestling season). Anyways, this past Wednesday, I decided to make some tea sandwiches and although we don't really drink tea unless it's herbal the weather was just calling out for a warm cup of orange spice.

A few months ago, I had a curry chicken and egg salad sandwich that I've kinda been thinking about for a couple days so I made my own version of it and it was so yummy!

Ingredients (For 2 Tea Sandwiches)

1 hardboiled egg roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon chopped celery
1 Tablespoon chopped red onion
1/2 Tablespoon minced cilantro (fresh basil would be a great alternative)
1/4 cup cubed chicken breast (I used deli rotisserie carved, but any type will work)
1 Tablespoon Light Mayonaise (HELMANS please)
1/2 teaspoon Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
Dash of Curry powder (my measuring spoon says "dash" which is probably equal to a 1/8 of a teaspoon, but feel free to add more just know that Curry can be very over powering)
1 fresh crack of black pepper
Slightest crack of sea salt (totally optional)
Spritz of lime juice, about 1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon white sugar

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour before spreading onto your favorite sliced bread (pumpernickel, rye, white, and sourdough or even pita work great). My husband would not even give this sandwich a second glance if I did this, but if I were alone I would top my filling with some thinly sliced english cucumbers.

We also had my standby turkey and swiss pinwheels. Costco sells a wrap like this that I love and this is just the way I like to make them. It's the cranberry cream cheese sauce that really makes the wrap.

1 Large tortilla wrap
Thinly sliced smoked turkey breast
Green leaf lettuce
Thinly sliced  ripe vine or steak tomatoes
Swiss cheese

Cranberry Cream Cheese Sauce (makes about 1/2  CUP)
2 Tablespoons whole cranberry sauce (any brand will do)
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 Tablespoon Light Mayonaise

Spread a layer, as thick as you desire, of the cranberry cream cheese sauce on tortilla but leave about a 2 inch border. Layer turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, and swiss. Roll a quarter of the ways (going upwards), tuck in sides and continue rolling. Slice and enjoy.