Baby food!

We were going to wait until 6 months to start Lila on solids, just like we did with Hayden. But if the last five months have taught me anything, it's that babies are all different from one another. Lila sits in her high chair while we eat dinner, and she's absolutely obsessed with everything we put in our mouths. She watches every bite, every sip, and reaches to grab anything in her path. So we decided to try a little baby oatmeal and see how she felt about it.

She was a little suspicious at first, having spent her whole life so far on a liquid diet. But she got the hang of it pretty quickly, and seemed to like eating a little something at the table like us. Babies have a tendency to push stuff out of their mouths, so it's a fully focused affair to try to get about a tablespoon of oatmeal in her mouth at one sitting. But what a fun adventure!

Not bad for our first try! With the help of some friends and a few good websites, I've started making her baby food. I've only tried squash so far, but it was so quick and easy that I hope to make all of her food. We spend time at the local farmer's market every weekend, so I'm excited to pick some local produce to steam and puree, feed and freeze. I'm also excited to try some "out of the box" foods that Gerber doesn't make...like avocado, melons, beans and mango. The sky's the limit, right?

A perfect wedding

This weekend we attended the wedding of my Salem little sister, Dr. Leighton Kennedy to her sweet fiance Nate. We left the kids at home and headed to Mooresville for probably the best wedding I've ever been to. Not the biggest, or fanciest, or most expensive, but I have never had so much fun, or seen a bride have so much fun at her own wedding. Exactly as it should be!

As soon as we got there, I was instantly glad we left the kids at home. I debated back and forth, back and forth. The thing is, I have no problem with other people's kids at weddings. I just don't personally believe in taking them. Hayden is 3, which means all he wants to do is run and be loud, especially if he's outside. And we've taught him that outside is the appopriate place to do just that. He can't appreciate the fact that my sweet little sister is pledging her life and love to one man, and how amazing she looks in that white dress. Nor could he have resisted the temptation to play in the sand, or attempt to jump in the water. And Lila? Lila decided at 2 months old that 7 pm was her bedtime, thankyouverymuch, and she wasn't interested in missing it. Hayden as a baby could go and do and sleep or not sleep, easy going. Lila prefers structure, and I have to respect that. So anything after 7 requires her crib and an adult to supervise.

The ceremony was cute and quirky, and I loved the vows. Dr. Adrian, a Salem professor, did the officiating and he was as charming as always. As soon as they walked back down the aisle as husband and wife, the catering staff fired up grill after grill to cook steaks, salmon and kabobs, while we enjoyed cocktails and snacks and the company of so many of our friends that made the trip from places like OBX and Alaska. Dinner, drinks, dancing, cake...all the ingredients for a perfect evening created the most delicious evening I've had in a really long time.

So thanks to Leighton and Nate for getting married, and letting us share their special evening. Thanks to all of Those Girls for a fun night we'll never forget, and for reminding me once again how truly special Salem is. Thanks to the chardonnay for the hangover, I haven't had one of those in a long, long time. And thanks to Hayden and Lila, who wake up at 6am even on the weekends, even when mommy has only been in bed a few hours...thanks for reminding me that wild nights with old friends are worth being tired and spending our first waking hours as a family in bed watching cartoons.

Roll baby roll

Check her out! And luckily, we left the tv on an action flick while I was recording, so you really get the sense that this roll-over is life or death!

Bubbles

Well, she's still not sold on bath time yet, but she's having a little more fun!

Our ped suggested dandruff shampoo to help with her cradle cap and holy cow, what a difference! Not only does it clear up the cradle cap, but it makes her hair a lot more manageable as well.

Life as we know it

Things are always changing! Monday marked Hayden's first day back in daycare, and it went smoothly. Sunday is always a day of errands and cleaning and preparing for the week. We decided to grill for dinner, and Jay was cooking up burgers and corn on the cob when we heard the ice cream man.

Earlier that day, we heard the ice cream man but he was too far away. I explained to Hayden that sometimes we can hear him, but that doesn't always mean he's coming to our neighborhood. He accepted it, but said, "He go back home to get more? Cause he not getting this money to-day!" So when we heard him in our neighborhood, we had no choice but to flag him down. Hayden was so excited about his Batman ice cream that he ate all his dinner, including some unprompted zucchini. He went to bed without incident, and even woke up happy to go to school.

Today required a little more effort, but what doesn't at 6am?

Chicken and mushrooms in a balsamic cream sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 Large Onion - Thinly sliced

1 Package of Whole Mushrooms - Halved (I used Cremini)

1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth

1 Cup Heavy Cream (I used light cream)

5 Tbs. Butter - Divided

1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Saute onions over medium heat in 2 Tbs of butter until they are nice and caramelized - About 15 Minutes. When they are a nice golden brown, remove from the heat and set aside

In a separate pan, heat the remaining 3 Tbs. of butter over medium-high heat. Place the chicken breasts in the pan. Brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside (Note - they will not be all the way cooked at this stage)

De-glaze the pan with the chicken stock. Use a rubber spatula to make sure you get all the chicken bits and butter off the pan. This helps to flavor your sauce

Add the heavy cream and the balsalmic vinegar and stir

Add mushrooms and a little S&P, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes

Add the chicken back to the pan, turn heat back up to medium and saute until the chicken is cooked all the way through. About 10-15 minutes

Remove chicken breasts from the pan and plate. Add the Parmesan and caramelized onions to the sauce and keep stirring until the cheese is completely melted in.

Cover the chicken breasts with the sauce, SERVE AND ENJOY!!!

...............

Jay doesn't love a cream sauce, so I think next time I'll add more broth and some flour and omit the cream. But I LOVED it and can't wait to eat the leftovers this week for lunch.

Family

My cousin Robyn was in town with her sweet baby boy Liam, so we headed to Aunt Carrie's to meet him! Liam is a big boy! He's five weeks younger than Lila, and a Leap Day baby. But he is so cuddly and squishy.

They had a great time playing and baby babbling, and us big people had a little time to catch up as well!

These are gonna be some long babies!