11 Months Brought Us...

• faster crawling. By faster I mean scary speed crawling. Our girl has the eyes of a tiger when she's crawling. Girl friend keeps her eye on the prize.
• Cruising any and all furniture...FAST.
• Eating tons of new foods: pizza, tortillas, grapes, pasta (spaghetti, penne, pesto fettucine Alfredo), goldfish, graham crackers, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, turkey slices, pea salad, stuffing, and the list goes on I'm sure.
• great napping
• 2 new teeth! Top front and top right next to front
• waking up once a night-sleep regression at it's finest.
• an appreciation for all things new! This girl LOVES to look around at new places.
• vocabulary: says banana as "ba-na-na or na-na," da da ALL THE TIME, ba, and shrieking and bubble sound blowing
• so much fun!

In 11 Months I've Learned...

(this post is late, but better late than never!)

• that being a parent forces you to make choices that are best for your little one. These can be painful and very decisive.
• the fastest route to Dell Children's Hospital.
• sucking on a straw is a huge feat that deserves praise!
• babies take a while to get used to new textures and foods.
• we will do anything for the sake of an educational moment with our child. This includes crawling on all fours, making random animal sounds, stopping to point out the name of whatever random object she points to in the middle of a store, and any other ridiculous appearing act you see us do.
• that she is the most gorgeous example of the miracle of love.

In 10 Months I've Learned...

how fragile life is

how to play chase like a champ!

when crawling like a 10 month old, you realize all the places you missed while dusting

that my daughter has the BEST laugh

that the holidays with a little one are extraordinary

that when you spend your entire life stationary and dependent on others, you just want to move around when you finally learn to

that T and I make the absolute best team

that family is all you need

that God is molding T and I into the parents we've prayed to be

10 Months Brought Us...

• One trip to the ER, 3 doctor visits, 1 x-ray
• the flu...which brought the above and below
• Tamiflu and the horror of night terrors and hallucinations
• a week long fever that wouldn't break
• the realization that my daughter inherited febrile seizures from me
• real, official, speed crawling
• pulling up on EVERYTHING and cruising furniture
• eating spaghetti! messy, messy eating!
• the ability to eat bananas like a monkey!
• the discovery that we're not so fond of raspberries
• sitting up and pulling up on our crib which led to daddy lowering it
• the desire to walk EVERYWHERE
• the first taste of a hamburger
• a love for mommy and daddy's cinnamon toast crunch cereal
• sweet potato puffs
• extra clinginess
• longer hair with the tiniest hint of a wave
• bath times in the big kid tub!
• crawling to the bathroom for bath time
• our first trip to a pumpkin patch!
• our first Halloween!

I'm sure I'm missing so much, but it was a HUGE month development wise!

Our 9th Month Brought Us...

faster army crawling

clapping

waving

ability to eat Cheerios

our first stomach bug-wow, what a weekend that was for all of us

introduction to Yo Baby yogurt-HUGE hit!

purchase of our first Halloween costume

trip to daddy's new office on sixth street and a sampling of lunch at Whole Foods and dessert at Yogurt Planet

LOTS of talking-lots of da da, ga ga

huge desire to walk

curiosity of things-looking under couches, behind toys, grabbing things, finding intended purpose for toys that had previously just been teethers

dinner at Jason's Deli-and a slurp of momma's ice cream! :)

lots of last minute #2's in the car RIGHT before getting to our destination. Sweet thing got shopping nerves!

Just a lot of plain old fun!

In 9 Month's I've Learned...

(9 Month Stats: 19lbs, 11 ounces [50-75%]; Length: 28 1/4 [75%]; 46cm [90-95%])

That army crawling gets faster and cuter everyday!

That the ability to grasp for and get a Cheerio in your mouth is a huge skill that is tougher than it looks!

That Gymboree at this age is so much fun!

That mommy was not comfortable giving you the flu shot this year. We'll wait until you're bigger and stronger for that one.

That stomach bugs are no fun at all.

A lot of big changes can happen in a short amount of time.

That in a pinch at a restaurant with a dirty table-hand sanitizer and a baby wipe will work to disinfect your eating space.

That you'll look back at that infant car seat that your child has outgrown and marvel at how you thought your little one was once so tiny in it.

A well packed diaper bag can keep a little one entertained and prepared for any situation.

That our life is so deeply blessed and rich. As each day passes I wonder what I did right to deserve all of this love and blessings.

That her one year birthday is coming faster than I can believe.

In 8 Months I've Learned...

That our stationary days are numbered.

How to entertain a little one in a car seat with any ordinary object.

That life in fast-ish restaurants with a little one is possible...yay!

That babies grow out of clothes way too fast. Inexpensive is the way to go.

That a child who is able to sit upright in a shopping cart opens doors to so many fun outings!

How to play peek-a-boo all around our house!

To always, always, ALWAYS pack an extra outfit, diaper, and wipes.

That holidays with a baby make the season so much more exciting!

That our hearts will forever be hers.

A Few New Recipes...

So I've been MIA enjoying my free time with our family and getting back into the swing of things in Kindergarten. I do have two great recipes to share that are both crock pot goodies!

This was a great bbq chicken recipe. It is SO tender and I used 4 frozen as a rock chicken breasts.

This is a GREAT lasagna recipe. It does have a bit of prep to cook the meat and combine with the sauce, but it was great!

7 Months

(these shots are blurry and you can blame early morning light in our kitchen for that!)

7 months is almost over and with this new month new changes have come up with our sweet Emerson. Here's the lowdown on all the things Emmy's up to:

• She got her first two teeth within a week apart! She has her bottom two teeth in and man are they so cute! They were heck on wheels coming in and we almost all lost our lives in the process, but we made it and boy is she a doll! We think a few more are coming in, but we can't tell if they are the top teeth or bottom canines. Time will tell.
• Her hair is growing so fast and it's CRAZY! It's so spikey and won't stay down at all! Water only works until it dries and then...Poof! back up again!
• She no longer wants to wear headbands or hats. As soon as she discovered she could reach up there and yank them, we were done. The only hat that stays is the one with the chin strap.
• She now puts her arms out like we do for a hug when she wants to be picked up or carried. She did it for me the first time last week at Target and I about lost it getting all emotional at the checkout line. My sweet baby can now show us she needs us!
• She's a rolly polly! I can't change her diaper, get her ready for bath, or set her down and walk away without her rolling from back to front and front to back and so on. No crawling yet, but I'm ok with that!
• She's eating like crazy! She's now down to six ounces every 4 hours, except the bed time bottle is 8 ounces. She eats three meals a day and at dinner she downs about 4 ounces of some veggie (usually carrots or a form of potatoes), a chicken/rice meal or a turkey/rice meal, and a fruit (usually bananas or pears).
• She's sitting up completely on her own...unless she reaches too far to her left or right for a toy and then boom!
• She's fighting naps and now stays awake anywhere from 3-4(yikes) hours at a time. I guess she's more aware of her environment now and doesn't want to nap. To be continued...
• Night time sleep-well I won't jinx it by saying it's great. I'll just say that she's resting and so are we!
• She's super vocal and loves clicking her tongue on her new teeth. Smacking is also a big one. It's super cute.
• She's done it for a while, but she crinkles her nose when she makes eye contact with you and smiles and will do it if you do it first. It cracks us up! She also does it when she's being ornery and she seems to know it works for her!
• Her laugh is the most contagious thing! It's so loud and she can laugh forever! Sometimes she laughs so hard she has to close her eyes and almost chokes on her laughter. Adorable!
• We had a setback on her reflux and had to up her Nexium for her weight. We seem to be back on track and hopefully she'll be more comfortable at night.

She's a fierce and tough cookie, but she brings so much joy to our lives. This girl will not be a wallflower by any means. I can't imagine what she has in store for us in the future. We've enjoyed our time so far and look forward to every day to come! :)

In 7 Months I've Learned...

That our love for her will continue to grow as each minute passes.

That the sounds in our home beat out any other event or social happening any day.

How to change a diaper out of the back of a car. I've learned this skill before our seventh month, but this month in particular has increased my skills in this area.

That my child already has a sense of humor for things I didn't realize she could comprehend were comical.

That having a dog is the best comic relief for a teething baby.

That teething can be a long painful process, but once they pop, man they come quickly together!

That I now see every student, past and future, through the eyes of a mom and that makes me so much more compassionate than I ever was.

That this child was picked by God to touch our family's life and teach us how to live.

Creamy Bow-Tie Chicken Alfredo Pasta

This I cannot take credit for. My dear friend and co-worker Dale came up with this one. She may even be reading this (Hi Dale!). It has quickly become one of our favorite recipes, so thanks Dale!

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 box of bow-tie pasta (I only had a bag so I used about 3/4ths of it)
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic (see my previous post a few down about the type to buy at the store)
• 1 pkg of fajita chicken (I get ours at HEB, you can find it anywhere in the freezer section of your grocery store) or you can grill 2-3 chicken breasts.
• 1 jar of Bertolli Alfredo sauce
• sprinkle of crushed Red Pepper flakes (this will add heat, so if you like heat, add a generous sprinkle, if not, just a bit)
• a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
• olive oil for sauteing

Directions:

In a large pot, bring water to boil and cook pasta according to directions. Also, in a large saucepan bring olive oil to medium heat and add in onion and garlic to saute for a few minutes until onion is tender. While this is happening, chop up chicken into smaller pieces. Toss in chicken to garlic and onion mix and let warm up. Mine was only partially defrosted so I gave the chicken a few extra minutes to defrost and warm up.

When pasta is finished cooking, drain and transfer into chicken mixture. Add in one jar of Bertolli Alfredo sauce and a little Italian crushed red pepper. Toss in a generous handful of shredded Parmesan cheese. Mix together and let heat through. Serve with your favorite sides.

It makes a lasagna tray full-so it's great for company or leftovers! :)

If you make it, let me know how you liked it!

In 6 months I've learned...

That you need to pad the car seat or stroller with a towel when transporting a baby in a swim diaper.

That bubbles are cheap entertainment and half of the program people pay too much for at Gymboree.

That if you feed a baby pureed peas you will still find a pea shell in the oddest places…similar to corn.

That frustration is evident even in infants as they attempt to do new things.

That babies need a change of scenery during the day, just like their parents.

That in an effort to be everything, something will always suffer-I’m learning to let it be my clean house rather than family time.

That teething is still no fun.

Making baby food is so easy and cheap!

That babies cry in their sleep and it’s heartbreaking.

At the gym 20 pounds doesn’t seem like much, but holding a baby all day will lead to sore arms (Tony added that one).

Good morning smiles make you forget about all the sleep you lost that night.

More about reflux than I ever wanted to know. I can tell you which medicines interact with which and how far to space them apart. Carafate? Zantac? Nexium? Maalox? If any of those sound foreign to you and you have a child, consider yourself lucky.

That Einstein is much funnier than either of us to her.

That I relate so much to this post.

That love is all-encompassing.

Prunella De Vil

My baby girl sat in her big girl high chair today for the first time today. She was sans clothes or her bib at her afternoon feeding. Daddy was responsible for that. She had some prunes to follow up her introduction to bananas (which tend to make babies constipated, eek!) this morning and outdid herself! It must have been the freedom of being naked!

My favorite thing to do on the internet....

Nope not Facebook. Not looking for hot men in Speedos. But Tony and I kid and call it food porn. It's called Food Gawker and it ROCKS! Here's where I get all my inspiration for new stuff we try. It's a compilation of every food blogger out there in the WORLD that tries new things and wants to share them. It's updated as often as people update their blogs and contribute their recipes to the site. So the homepage will always look different. Here's a screenshot of it.

If you scroll to the bottom it's divided up into categories. Those will always change too as new recipes are added. It's addicting if you love to cook. Enjoy!

Delicious Chicken Pot Pie

I came up with this recipe after trying a few and picking and choosing what I liked best from each. The biscuits are so good, that we don't miss the traditional crust. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups chicken broth

2 bags cheesy garlic biscuits

2-3 cooked chicken breasts or large can of pre-cooked chicken

1 bag frozen veggies

1 onion

1/4 cup of flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees
2. Melt butter in a skillet or dutch oven.
3. Add onion and frozen veggies and cook until translucent for a couple of minutes.
4. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Pour in chicken broth stirring constantly and then pour in heavy cream.
6. Bring to a slow boil and allow mixture to cook and thicken for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and fresh or dried thyme to taste (optional-sometimes I add celery salt)
7. Pour mixture into a casserole dish
8. Mix both bags of biscuits in separate bowl according to directions.
9. Cover mixture with biscuit mix and bake for 30 minutes or until very golden and bubbly. Allow to cool for a little bit before serving.

Enjoy!

This is why...

date nights only happen after she's asleep

date days usually only take place if she's napping

I struggle to leave her for anything other than work

I know I picked the right man to be with for the rest of my life

I'd rather be with family than anywhere else

Meal Planning for 2 Weeks

Let me preface this by saying if two weeks is too much for you, start with a week. We give ourselves Friday and Saturday night off to eat out. That's our treat. Do what works for you.

Before I go to the store I talk with T and ask him if he has any preferences for the upcoming weeks. I nix or agree to his preferences (hey it's what you get to do if you do the shopping). I then check out foodgawker for new recipes and the pioneer woman because she's legit. Seriously, she has my dream life. The woman cooks, lives on a GORGEOUS ranch with two homes sitting on it, has a cookbook, successful website, beautiful children....I could go on, but I won't.

Anyway after this I write out my list. I go through our pantry/fridge to see what I already have and this trip's list looks something like this:

spaghetti:

meat, onion, bread, lettuce (I already had sauce, and pasta)

hamburgers:

meat, cheese, onion, buns, season all (I was out of this seasoning and already had Worcestershire sauce which we also use to mix them up)

tacos:

meat, seasoning, tomatoes, lettuce, shells, and rotel (for mexican rice that we eat as a side with this meal.)

fish night:

at our HEB in the seafood section they sell pre sliced portions of various fish flavored with yummy crusts. These are delicious, easy, and healthy so we do this at least one a two week period, sometimes more. So here I got honey-chipotle glazed salmon, corn, and zatarain's wild rice

chalupas:

corn tortillas, tomatoes, cheese (I already had a can of beans in the pantry)

stir fry:

ground beef, broccoli (already had white rice and soy sauce)

stuffed red bell peppers: This was a new recipe for us so I didn't have a lot of things for it

onion, 1 16 oz jar of salsa, 3 bell peppers, sour cream

skillet tortilla dish: (again, new one for us)

onion, 1 can minced chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, chicken broth, 2 chicken breasts, 1 can of pinto beans, 2 limes, tortillas

honey sriracha beef skewers: (new again)

1 pd top sirloin beef, honey, sriracha sauce (in Asian section), lime

spinach artichoke pasta (new again)

1 box of shell pasta, 1 box of reduced fat cream cheese, sour cream, lemon, 1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, 10oz frozen spinach, 1 chicken breast

*My list also includes the regulars. This time it was milk, oj, cinnamon rolls, face wash, paper towels, etc.*

Let me say that I always sandwich in the new recipes between two tried and true recipes. That way if it sucks (for lack of a better word, because sometimes it does) we have a night before it that was good and one to follow. In the beginning it was night after night of new ones and that wasn't so fun to sit through. I learned my lesson and now T and I are both usually happy (I say this while he's in the kitchen making homemade chocolate chip cookies-I love that guy!)

Anyway after I come home from the store I unpack all my groceries. I buy my hamburger meat in bulk in the big 2 pound containers because that's way cheaper. It also means I have to section out the meat into freezer bags for each meal. If any of the meats need to be marinated I will do that and throw it in the bag with them then. I label them with a sharpie and then decide what meals I want to have first-those meats go in the fridge and next week's meals go in the freezer. Yes you can freeze meat with marinade in it. It does thaw just fine.

Also, if a recipe ever calls for "minced garlic" use this:

Some foodies say that's not authentic, but I say that's life.

I also pre-dice all of my onions into a Pyrex container so it's an easy go to as I'm cooking. I'll do the same for any strawberries, pineapple, broccoli, etc. I don't like to wash, cut, and clean as I go...that's WAY too much work throughout the week. Also, it makes it more likely that you'll reach for a healthy snack as opposed to chips or cookies. I read about this here back in the day.

I usually go to the store on a Friday or Saturday so I get all the planning/prepping/putting away done then. Then on Sunday T grills any meat that needs to be made and I make all the meals during Emmy's nap time or when T's watching her. I'll post on that later.

I hope this helps give you an idea of how to do it. I've found that shopping for 2 weeks at a time saves a ton of money. I used to spend $70-80 a week when I did it weekly and now I bring it down to $50-60/week. That's pretty significant to me.

New stuff going on in our kitchen...

I'm about to go to the grocery store, but in the next week or two (since that's how I shop, for two weeks at a time) I'll be making these for the first time.

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Skillet Tortilla Bake

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Honey Sriracha Beef Skewers

I'll let you know how they turn out!

She's a Happy Girl!

Emmy LIGHTS UP when daddy comes in the door! Here are a few clips of her hanging out with him. Thank you Lord for such a happy, healthy child! :)

These are the days...

Yes, we have a few swimsuits that actually make her look like a girl. But I know that looking back at my baby pictures, there were many of me in just a diaper. So today, we slathered on the sunscreen at my mom's and put this girl in her water Speedo! She didn't know the difference and was just as happy! She was in a trance from the water!

These are the days!

Tummy Time Friends

This is the life! They are so happy near each other!

Summer Time=Chicken Salad!

Whether you like it in a sandwich or on a bed of lettuce, to me chicken salad is a summertime staple! A great friend of mine passed this recipe on to me and I love it! You can tweak it by adding pecans or grapes if you'd like.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breasts either boiled or grilled (tastes great either way. I grilled mine with just some garlic salt)
• 3 stalks of celery chopped very fine
• 3 green onions chopped very fine
• 3/4 cup of dried cranberries (Target sells them in a bag for pretty cheap)
• 1 cup of Miracle Whip (I used light, I know some people can't stand MW so you could always use your favorite mayo)
• 2 tbsps coleslaw dressing (Kraft sells one in a salad dressing bottle in the salad dressing aisle)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt and pepper

Directions:

Grill or boil your chicken breasts and then chop finely. Add all ingredients together in bowl and mix to your liking. You can always add more mayo but you can't take any back so go easy at first until you get the consistency to your liking. This makes a good amount for a summer picnic or enough for a few sandwich leftovers.

If you make it, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

The Pioneer Woman's Lemon Basil Pasta

If you're looking for a good pasta recipe to try, here ya go! We've made this one a few times and it's a hit. We go easy on the basil though! :)

Coming Soon...

I've had a few people ask me to share how I do meal planning. I saved my last grocery list and I plan on putting it on here for those that are interested in trying to cook your meals for the week ahead of time like I do. It's coming, I promise! In between naps, baby time, family time, errands, summer things and pool dates I promise it's coming! :)

Also, I just ordered these and I'm so excited to use them! :) They're from Mumi and Bubi and I've heard great things about these freezer trays for making your own baby food. Check them out here! This gal blogged about them here. She's also my inspiration for my last post since she did them every month with her little one on her blog. Wish I would have come across those sooner! I also have some new recipes to share that have been a major hit at our house. :)

In 5 Months I've Learned...

that sleeping until 5 am is sleeping through the night!

that teething is no fun

that wearing your baby makes everyone happy and is a heck of a workout

that solids make morning feedings much longer, but much more entertaining

that having a baby changes your priorities and outlook on every aspect of life and I like it

that everything becomes global when you have a little one

that you should nap during at least one of your baby's naps during the day in order to keep your super powers

that deswaddling is possible

that the transition to the crib and deswaddling isn't so bad (for us)

that I'm not the cry it out parent I thought I would be (yet at least) and I'm ok with it

that my husband is the best father and cheerleader

that baby squeals are the BEST

that we will do ANYTHING over and over again for those baby squeals

that two dogs playing is the best entertainment for a baby

that I am so grateful for family nearby

that stroller rides are entertainment for everyone-dog included

that I am completely ok with running errands with spit up on my shirt

that life when she gets moving will never be the same

that reflux really does get better the closer you get to six months

that bed time routines are ingrained in a baby and you do not deviate from them

that a sleeping baby in your arms will lead to a thousand thank you's to God and kisses on the forehead

that I miss the newborn days (minus the reflux)

that date night is necessary-even if it's date day or date afternoon or date hour

that I understand why people have more than one child

that this stage is so cool

A picture to change it up

So you don't have to look at my beauty's poop when you stop by.

The up the back poop...

One day she'll hate me for this, but I have now officially earned the rite of passage that this poop brought on. That is my poor mother holding her up while I get a picture. She was gagging and laughing as was I. I cleaned it though!