5 Months Old (Young)

It's been 5 months since I met my beautiful daughter and my how the time has flown by. I absolutely love being your mother, Mariela. I tear up with pride at each of your new accomplishments (yes dear, your mom is a total sap!) and look forward to watching you absorb the world around you. I fear you're going to grow up too fast, so I am cherishing every moment with you. I've waited so long to be your mom and I know in the blink of an eye you will be a young woman ready to go out into the world and have a family of your own.

You said "Mama" this past Monday for the first time ever and while I know you are just practicing your sounds and don't quite realize that I AM your "Mama", it melted my heart. I still gloat to your Papa that you said my name first. Of course I do say it to you all.the.time, but we won't get into such details. When you wake up in the mornings and whisper "Mamamama" into your video monitor I smile. You are the best alarm clock a gal could hope for.

I'm a little jealous at your flexibility...you suck on your big toes now. Both of them. At the same time. You also fall asleep happy and wake up happy and go with the flow wherever your Dad or I take you. Your smile is infectious and stops random strangers in public. We can't go anywhere without you at least charming one stranger. You have such a bubbly personality.

You laugh. Hard. It's a deep belly laugh with squeals and coos and I tear up every time I hear it (nobody ever told me I'd be so full of pride that I'd still cry so easily 5 months postpartum- it's gotta still be extra hormones, right?!). You laugh the most for your Papa when he plays peek-a-boo with you. You adore him and light up with a smile whenever he walks in the room. You get frustrated now with your toys. You want to learn and explore so much that you feel trapped in your body sometimes and grunt and whine at your displeasure when your toys don't cooperate with what your mind wants. I love to watch you think and figure things out. You've started rolling a little more now, but you prefer just to play on your back or side or have Mama or Papa hold you in a sitting or standing position.

You love your sleep. Thank. God. You go down for the night now between 7 and 8pm and sleep straight through with a brief fussy spot once in the middle of the night to have your paci put back in your mouth (which by the way, you can do yourself now- just a thought). On the weekends after your morning nursing you play in bed with Mom & Dad until you fall back asleep and then we all take a nap. I cherish these moments. We are a family now. Happy 5 months birthday M. You'll always be my baby girl.

I'm going Bananas

I've been on a banana kick lately. I love them for breakfast sliced length wise on my English Muffins with some peanut butter or sliced in circles on some Cheerios. The last bunch of bananas I bought ripened a bit quicker than I could eat them, so I decided to experiment and bake some banana bread. Since I'm addicted to Food Network, I looked up some recipes on their website and chose to try one contributed by Emeril Lagasse back in 2003. It was delish (as Rachel Ray would say!).

Here is the recipe:

Banana Bread (courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, 2003)

10 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups cake flour (I used whole wheat flour)

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (optional- I didn't add them as I'm not a fan of nuts)

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter. (I used stonewear by Pampered Chef)

2. Puree the bananas, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in a food processor.

3. Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fixed with a whisk attachment. Add the remaining 10 tablespoons butter and mix on medium-low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the banana mixture in 3 batches, scarping the sides of the bowl and mixing on medium speed between each addition. Fold in the nuts.

4. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned and bread bounces back to the touch, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Nails in the wall!

Finally, we put some nail holes in our Family Room wall. I think both A.R. and I have been procrastinating in putting the first nail holes in the sheetrock in our Family Room. We weren't quite sure what we wanted to do as far as wall decor (besides the flat panel TV we intend to put above our fireplace) and never really found a print that we had to have. FINALLY, after a year and a half in our new home we bit the bullet and actually put 11 nail holes in our Family Room wall. ::Gasp!:: I had wanted to put a photo collage up one of our stair wells with family photos, but after picturing it in my mind I changed my mind and decided to put the collage in our Family Room instead. The focal point?! Our 1st family photo with Mariela in our arms.

Our photo collage (with 2 pics missing still)

Under the photo collage, I plan on putting a bench with storage that can double as extra seating when we have guests over and storage for baby toys. Something like this or this is what I have in mind. A.R. wants new couches for our Family Room, so I want to wait a bit longer to see what he has in mind before we invest in a bench. The walls in our Family Room will be painted Plateau by Behr Premium Plus Ultra except for the wall with the fireplace which we plan on painting a darker shade of brown as a focal point in Macchiato by Behr Premium Ultra Plus.

Spreading A Little Cheer

Now if this doesn't make you smile...you must be having a really, really bad day.

I'm spoiled

Okay, so I have to admit despite my occasional nagging and complaints I really am blessed with an awesome husband. His speciality is cooking desserts and my specialty is eating desserts. A match made in heaven for sure, but not so good for my waistline. A few weeks ago he surprised me on a day when he was playing Mr. Mom and made us a fabulous dinner (grilled chicken, his other specialty) and peach cobbler for dessert with some peaches we bought at Sam's Club. Now, I want a peach tree in our yard.


Here is the recipe he found online all by himself, It is certainly NOT prediabetic friendly, but we've only made it twice and I assure you the picture doesn't do it justice:

Southern Peach Cobbler from allrecipes.com By: aeposey


8 fresh peaches (peeled, pitted, & sliced into thin wedges)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch


1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water


Mix together:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
4. Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

4 months old

My how the time is flying by! M is now 4 months old and growing like a weed. It's amazing to see how much she's changed when I compare her recent pictures and videos with her newborn photos. I can't believe how teeny tiny she used to be. She no longer has the newborn look. She looks like an honest to God baby now. Really. A.R. and I can't believe how happy she is...there is always a smile on her face even when she's pissed off at us, she'll take a break to crack a smile. :) We feel so blessed to have such a happy, "easy"-going baby. Here's hoping our future children are as laid back. Ha!

M has officially outgrown her bassinet and A.R. took it out of our room last week. ::tear:: She weighed in at her 4 month appointment at 15 lbs 4 oz (85%) and was a whopping 26 1/4 inches long (off the charts!). Her pediatrician said her length now, may or may not have any bearing on her height in the future. I'm only 5'4", but A.R. is just shy of 6' so I'm sure she'll fall somewhere inbetween. She has rolled both ways at least two times, but doesn't do it regularly. She hates to be on her stomach, so you'll see her lie on her side a lot when she plays. M has found her toes and loves to hold her feet and coo when I change her diaper, which makes it interesting. She's started arching her back when you hold her to try to scoot away and she prefers to be held upright or sitting up so she can see the world around her.

After her naps and nighttime sleep she is always so happy and smiles and coos until you come to her crib to get her. We get greeted by a huge gummy smile and a great big stretch. :) M already knows how to whine and is not shy about letting you know when she isn't 100% content. She doesn't like the heat (we've spoiled her with central A/C) and will whine until you stand by a fan at my mother-in-law's house. M takes great delight in watching her cousins (all 4 boys) play at her Abuela's house almost as if she's supervising them. I think she's plotting just how she'll boss them around and make them have tea parties with her when she's older. :) It's debatable who she looks more like: A.R. or me. I really think it changes daily. In my eyes, she is beautiful and 100% perfect.