Baby girls

I can't get over how different my kids are. In reading some of my old blogs about Hayden's newborn stage and the first few months, they don't seem all that different. They have the same sweet disposition, the same snuggle-into-your-neck when you pick them up, the same baby smile. But Lila is much more calm and laid back than Hayden ever was. She bears a strong resemblance to him at this age, but she's less of a mini-Jay and more like a half-Hayden. The response isn't overwhelmingly "oh she looks just like her dad" like it was with Hayden, mainly because we can see much of her other family members in her. But man is she a doll!

She loves to stick out that little tongue, and she LOVES to be held. She's starting to respond to our voices more, and definitely knows when mom, dad or Hayden is talking. She recently discovered those little things at the end of her legs the other night, and was absolutely fascinated watching her feet and toes move.

She started daycare last Monday and is doing really well! They just adore her at daycare and she's in a room with about four other babies under six months. They have a variety of swings and bouncy seats and boppies, so it's not much different from home. She eats like a champ of course, and is getting better at sleeping there. At night she's doing a pretty consistent 6+ hours and I cannot complain a bit, as Hayden was six months old before he ever entertained the idea of 6 hours.

Everything about her seems much more petite and delicate. Hayden had these huge man hands and Flintstone feet from the start, but she has these long skinny fingers and tiny little feet and loooooong legs. Her legs are slim, but she does have the baby-girl-rolls in her upper thighs which are just so cute. Her umbilical hernia has started going down (!) and her cradle cap has migrated up to her scalp where it belongs. Not a day goes by that I don't realize how lucky we are to have two perfectly healthy, completely different children. I know many people that would give anything to be able to say that, and these little miracles are not lost on me.

Spicy Thai Noodles

I had been DYING for thai food, so I was super excited to try out this recipe. The recipe itself is simple enough, and I made some modifications including additions. Done in 15 minutes and a hit at the table!

Box of linguine, boiled and drained
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 T crushed red pepper
6 T honey
6 T soy sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup peanuts
2 T sesame seeds
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In a small saucepan, add oils and crushed red pepper. Cook over low heat (otherwise the peppers will scorch), stirring for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, strain peppers and reserve oil. To the oil, whisk in the honey and soy sauce. Pour over the noodles and mix thoroughly (there will still be some sauce at the bottom of the noodles). Refrigerate overnight, serve cold with carrots, peanuts and green onion on top.

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I made several changes. Right off the bat, I had no desire to eat this cold. I also read reviews that the peppers were too hot, and since I cut the whole recipe in half anyway, I further cut the peppers. So I did about 1/4 cup peanut oil, half the vegetable oil, and only a teaspoon of peppers. This was DYING to be turned into pad thai, so I added one chopped chicken breast, sauteed in peanut oil with ginger, sesame seeds and zucchini, and I tossed in two handfuls of shrimp to the last minute of the boiling noodles. It was AWESOME.

DIY Coasters

I was trying to figure out what to get my little sister (from Salem) as a wedding gift. I had purchased wine glasses off her registry but wanted something else. I stumbled upon an idea on Pinterest and decided to try it out. Seemed simple enough, and just what I was looking for.

I loved a few things about this project. First, the tiles were SUPER cheap ($0.33 cents each from Lowes), as was the felt backing ($0.99 from Michael's). Also, the gloss and ink were a little pricey, but now that I have them, it makes the next one even more cost-effective. The stamp I chose was a 4x4, which can be a little expensive as well but it was in the clearance bin. Win-win.

I started by cleaning off the tiles with a Clorox wipe, just to erase dust and grainy texture. My first attempt at the stamp went horribly wrong, as only half of it transferred. I anticipated this and had bought a few extra tiles, but I decided to try a Clorox wipe. LIFESAVER! It cleaned the ink right off! So nearly each tile had more than one attempt.

This is what they looked like when I was done. I liked that they were all a little different, and imperfect. I like the character it gives them, instead of being uniform. Once they were inked I let them dry a LONG time to make extra sure they didn't run. After they were dry, I took them outside and sprayed a coat of the gloss to seal the ink. I did three thin coats all together, letting them dry completely between coats.

You can see here that they have a little bit of shine to them. Perfect!

After they were good and dry, I cut the felt squares to add to the back (to make them more table friendly). Later I found the round felt "feet" (circles) and would love some of those for next time, but this stuff worked just fine.

Couldn't be simpler, just cut to fit, peel backing, slap on the bottom of the coaster. Voila!

I was really happy with the finished product, and they were a big hit at the shower on Saturday. Seems like a great housewarming or hostess gift as well when paired with a bottle of wine!

2 months old

How can that be? My Lila bean is two months old already. She is such a sweet baby. We went for her two-month check up, which of course meant shots but she was really good. She turned a disturbing shade of purple, let out a howl and was not happy. But she calmed quickly and once I picked her up she just sort of melted into momma and snuggled. Bless her heart. Babies are just so sweet.

We also got a few questions answered at the doctor's appointment. She had what looked to be a rash on her face and neck; turns out it was cradle cap! I had no idea it could exist other than on the scalp! We used a little hydrocortisone and it cleared right up! We had correctly diagnosed her umbilical hernia, and the doc isn't concerned as it's small. We aren't concerned because we found out it doesn't cause her discomfort; merely cosmetic. He said it should go away on its own and if it doesn't, they won't consider surgery until age 2. We also found out that the little red spot on her right shoulder is a hemangioma, which is just a fancy word for a cluster of blood vessels. Again, no pain, merely cosmetic, will go away on its own and if it doesn't, we won't look into options until 2. It's in a place that doesn't hinder any development (like it would if it were over her eye, mouth, etc.) so for now it's just a little spot that Hayden worries is a boo-boo and is convinced needs a bandaid.

She is very alert and has a pretty firm grasp of recognition of Jay's, Hayden's and my voice. She loves to be held and can see a little bit further so she can recognize more light and other visual cues. She's working really hard to hold that head up, which means we are starting to use the high chair. Not for meals per se, but so she can be up away from the dogs and out from under feet in the kitchen by not being in her bouncy seat. She can watch me cook, and I can steal twice as many kisses. Win-win. Then I just wheel her into the dining room and she can hang out like a real member of the family instead of at ankle-biting height.

There's a reason you can't have a favorite child

My kids are awesome. After 9 weeks of being a mom of two, that still sounds weird. KidS. Plural. More than one. Two to make me proud, drive me crazy and take care of me in old age. Lately, I've had some really fun interactions with Hayden.

Yesterday in the car, he was telling me a story. I was trying to follow but got hung up on one part so I tried to whisper to Jay, "What does he mean, the bad guy bit his shirt?". Well. Nothing gets by Hayden. So he piped up from the back, "HEY. I talking to you." I apologized and he told me, "Don't do 'at again." Little dictator.

Sunday he was enjoying a little time-out in his room for not listening, when Jay suggested that he could be bribed with ice cream (he as in Jay) and we heard the ice cream man. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough, and we missed him. We took a walk around the neighborhood trying to flag him down but it was to no avail. Hayden kept saying, "He left us. Ice cream man left us," and then the killer, "I SO sad." You can believe there was a field trip for ice cream later that day for my disappointed little boy.

Key Lime Pound Cake

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sgar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup Key Lime juice

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons key lime juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
*when cake comes out, whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth*

1. . Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.


2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan.

3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

4. Prepare Key Lime Glaze, and immediately brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely (about 1 hour).

This didn't last two hours at work!

The kids' rooms...the "during"

So both of the kids' rooms are a work in progress. Hayden upgraded to a full size bed shortly after Lila was born, but we hadn't decided on paint colors until just last weekend. His old room was a Toy Story room which he loved, but we wanted a little more grown up bedding for his big bed so we went with a sports theme. It's coming together slowly, but he doesn't seem to mind!

Lila's room has been a bit more work since I had a very specific vision for her room (and since she's too small to contribute an opinion!). Jay finished up the paint, wainscot and chair rail awhile back, and we had the crib in just before she was born. I picked the black and white bedding because I loved it against the green, and the contrast is good for babies (who by default have terrible vision).

We also need one more curtain for the window, and are still getting her dresser. Eventually. But I have a place to sit, she has a place to sleep, and all is well!

I love the green and white photo that we picked to go with her hand and footprints, the wall really brings it out! There's something about little girls that just makes it so much fun to decorate.

Their bathroom was easy to do, because we just transferred everything we had from the apartment. Maybe when Lila is a little older we'll change it up a bit but for now it works just fine!

I took a few ideas from Pinterest and added them along the walls on the way up to their rooms. I shadowboxed both of the hats they wore home from the hospital, and will do the same "L" project I did with Hayden's pictures and "H" when she has a few more months (and pictures) under her belt.

The water gun is there just in case bad guys make it to the third floor. The mind of a three year old...