Good fat

Everyone knows a healthy baby is a chubby baby. I never realized the pressure I would have, to make sure I had a healthy baby. It started a few days after Sophia was born. She dropped from 8.3 pounds to 7.9 pounds, and I was freaking out that I would have to supplement the breast milk with formula. After a few doctors visits to make sure she was turning the corner, she really started putting on the weight. I stopped being so frantic about how much milk she was getting, but was still concerned about my baby having enough rolls.
In the beginning, everyone said she looked a lot like Rick. Even Rick said she she took after him, meaning she was skinny. Haha. Well in the past few weeks, people are now saying Sophia is starting to look like me. I can't help but laugh and say it's because she is finally filling out and now she has chubby cheeks and fat rolls, just like her mommy.
Sophia, when you read this in your teenage years, while you are inevitably worrying about your weight--no matter how skinny you are--just know that there was a time when we worried about putting fat on your little body.

3 months old

13 pounds, 23 and 3/4 inches at Sophia's 3 month check-up.

About making dinner...

I've been trying to get back to making decent dinners. I'd say the lack of any interest in food--let alone time to eat food-- has put the "making dinner" part of this blog on the back burner (pun intended).
So the week before last, I actually planned a menu and bought groceries to support that menu. I started out simple, taco salad. That went well, hard to screw up ground beef and prepackaged taco seasoning. Throw in some lettuce, black beans, avocado, tomatoes, green onions, celery, carrots, and ranch dressing and it was a pretty good meal.
I felt like I was getting my cooking mojo back, so next was rotisserie chicken with Pappy's seasoning, and roasted root vegetables. Well, the chicken didn't cook all the way so I had to pop it back into the oven to finish and then it ended up overcooked. Minor setback, slight wound to my new found confidence.
But I trek on to the grand finale of the week: rack of lamb with creamed spinach. Now this would have actually turned out beautiful. The crust was amazing, the temperature perfectly medium rare. However, the lamb was so incredibly marbled with fat, that it made it impossible to enjoy. I was so upset! If you've bought rack of lamb pre-frenched at your local grocery store, you would know that a rack of lamb is pretty darn expensive.
Well, 2 out of 3 meals not ending up the best was enough to give me this past week off. Not to mention the heat wave we had did not promote running any household appliance, let alone an oven or stove. So we had smoothies for dinner. Now it's cooling down and I'm starting to get nervous about this week's menu. Do I even dare try again, or just stick with the basics for awhile?

Oh Swing, how I miss you

Yesterday, in the middle of the heat wave, in our non air conditioned house, Sophia's cradle swing stopped working. This swing is my saving grace during the big nap time. The big nap is usually from 10AM-12. She will not sleep very soundly elsewhere. The swing needs to rock for at least 30 min. and then she can just sleep from there on out. Well, before the 30 min. time period, the swing swang (swung?) it's last swing. I tried everything to revive it: batteries, reset, shake it, kick it, etc. Dead. So of course I jetted to Target to find a replacement. And that's when the frugal me set in and I thought maybe I could get a portable swing anyway, and it's way cheaper. Well, that swing just ain't cutting it. Sure, it swings. But this doesn't swing like our poor little cradle swing, sitting in a dismantled heap in the corner. So this afternoon I called the manufacturer and we are getting the replacement swing sent to us within a week!! So until then, forgive me if I don't leave the house much. I'll be either struggling to get Sophia to nap in her crib, or sitting in the rocking chair with her. Either method will result in 30 min. naps spread out through the day. This swing can't come soon enough!!


Dear beloved Swing, circa May 2008

My Little Yankee Doodle Sweetheart

Like mother like daughter, Sophia was life of the 4th of July party this weekend. She's taken over the reins though. I'm no longer that much fun! She was being such a little ham and such a little charmer to everyone that held her.

She has so many cute outfits and dresses right now. I'm trying to make sure she wears them all before she grows out of them! So I get her really dressed up to go to the grocery store these days. Well, at least one of us looks like they should be out in public.

Sophia is growing up before my eyes. She loves to smile and giggle. She is also learning to self-soothe by sucking on her two middle fingers. And she's sleeping 6 hour stretches at night!