Tasty Thursday - Spicy Cheyene Shrimp

This week's recipe is a spinoff of Bubba Gump's Spicy Shrimp. In hindsight, I would definitely recommend using less cheyene, maybe substituting half for paprika instead. The heat will knock your socks off if you follow the recipe exactly. But man... this is some good shrimp. :)

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
1 tbsp. oregano
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. cheyene pepper (Or 1/2 tbsp. cheyene, 1/2 tbsp. paprika)
24 large, peeled shrimp

In a large skillet, melt butter with oregano, garlic, and pepper over medium heat. Add the shrimp, stirring occassionally. Cook until the shrimp are nice and pink (around 5-8 minutes) and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

She's taken a likin' to the remote. :)

One tough cookie

I've been procrastinating with getting Lily's ears pierced for almost two months now. We had a seriously bad experience with her old doctor, so I was nervous it wouldn't go over so well with my sweet girl.

With Nanny (my mom) in tow, we headed to the mall yesterday. As instructed, I gave her some infant tylenol (don't worry... it was generic) beforehand to help with possible throbing afterwards. She did amazing! The entire process took less than 5 minutes, from the tech explaining everything in detail to the actual piercing. Lily cried for all of 30 seconds max, then it was back to smiling and blowing raspberries. She's such a tough little girl. :)

Playing with Daddy in the store

Jack and I were so nervous, Nanny had to hold her.

She's looking at the tech like, "WTH are you planning on doing with that?"

My tough babe, about 20 seconds after it was over.

Yes, It's that hot.

This was after my car cooled down. When I cranked it up it was reading 110. Ridiculous. I'm melting. :)

Tasty Thursday - Pizza Calzones

Jack and I have been experimenting with new recipes, weeding out the hard to swallow in an attempt to broaden our weekly "menu" choices.

I've decided to share the "winners" with you each week. :) Since having Lily, I think it's needless to say that our time allotted for cooking dinner is almost non-existent. That, paired with our very immature taste buds, means these will be the absolute easiest, most kid friendly recipes you've probably ever seen. Just warning you.

This week's recipe is Pizza Calzones. These are completely modifiable, so feel free to add whatever you like! And as promised, it's super easy.
Ingredients:
(2 Calzones)

1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1 bag shredded mozzarella (or pizza cheese)
1 jar Ragu Pizza Sauce (we use Homestyle)
All the toppings you love on your pizza!
4 tbsp. parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a cookie sheet, spread out the pizza dough and slice in half. Spread pizza sauce on half of one half. Sprinkle tons of cheese, any toppings you can dream of, and a little more cheese.

Fold the other half over, covering toppings, and press the edges together to seal. Slit the top of the calzone  and sprinkle with 2 tbsp parmesan.

Repeat with the other half of the pizza dough Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown, and voila! Easy Peasy!

Things I've heard/been asked recently

"Wow, Lily's a big 4 month old!"
Why, thank you! :) She likes to eat, what can I say? She's over 95% in weight, height, and head circumference, so yes, I'd categorize her as "big".

"How long do you plan on breastfeeding?"
My original goal was 6-8 months. The more I research, the more I understand the importance of breastfeeding until at least 1 year. My goal is for her to never have an ounce of formula. (Let me clarify: I'm not suggesting formula is bad. I realize I'm extremely lucky to not have problems with my supply.)**

"You haven't started her on solids yet?"
Nope. And we're not planning to start until at least 6 months. Until around one year, solids are more for practice than for nutritional value. Delaying solids can decrease the risk of food allergies, helps protect against anemia and obesity, and helps the baby to develop a better immune system. We'll follow her lead, her cues, but I'm not rushing into anything.**

"She's not in her crib yet?"
No, and I have no plans of moving her any time soon. She sleeps in her Pack-n-Play right next to our bed. It works perfect for us and Jack doesn't mind (he sleeps through her middle-of-the-night feeding anyways). To be quite honest, I'm petrified of having her on the other side of the house. Call it separation anxiety if you must, because that's exactly what it is!

"Have you lost all of your pregnancy weight? If so, how?"
I'm in shock, but yes. I was back down to my pre pregnancy weight by 13 weeks postpartum. My pants didn't fit until somewhere around 16 weeks PP though. I'm now 5 lbs. lighter than I was before I got pregnant, but I promise, it's distributed so differently than it was pre-baby.
How did I lose it? Breastfeeding. Seriously. Again, I realize I'm lucky but that's really all it took. 

"How has your life changed since having LO?"
Dramatically. No one could ever accurately describe the way your entire world flips completely upside down once you have a child. Your emotions become raw. Your relationship with your husband (or significant other) will be tested beyond belief. You become completely different people. Your priorities are astoundingly different (obviously). You'll make sacrafices you never thought you'd make, and you're happy to do so. Really, I could write an entire book on every little detail of the "new" life after baby, but I think I'll just say yes, it changes, but for a reason worth changing anything and everything for. You learn how to live with your heart outside your chest.

**For more information on the benefits of breastfeeding and delaying solids (and TONS of other useful information on these subjects), go to www.kellymom.com

Cuteness Overload (Puppy Style!)

Just a quick update and some new pictures of our newest furbaby. At 5 1/2 weeks, she's now weighing in at almost 2 lbs., and has recently learned how to run, jump, bark, growl, and whine. (No, not cry, she's learned how to whine to get what she wants. Oh, we're so good at spoiling babes and pups, aren't we?) How can you not totally fall in love with this face?

Trying to attack Jack's feet.

I've been brainwashed.

I'm officially a "Twihard". How in the world did that happen? One minute, I was making fun of all the kids drooling over Edwards jawline and Jacob's banging body, the next? I'm sitting in the theater, sweating with anticipation and excitement, hoping Bella will choose her true love in the end.

Oh, boy.

Seriously, I think the whole Twilight series is laced with some sort of mental crack. It's got to be! How do you become so hooked on something so silly as vampires and werewolves? It sucks you in and in an instant, you're addicted. It's ridiculous.

Jack and I went to see "Eclipse" in the Imax theater's this past weekend. For those who have never seen a movie in Imax, you have to experience it at least once. It's the biggest screen I've ever seen. The sound? It's so loud your seat vibratea. I wouldn't recommend seeing a scary movie this way though, unless you absolutely love being scared to death, because it WILL scare you.

Anyways, I'm not going to give away the ending, but I'll just say you'll be pleasantly surprised. Well, at least I was. :)

We have a roller!

Ahh! :) She's rolling! (Please excuse my ridiculous baby voice...)

Pastimes

An activity that occupies one's spare time pleasantly.

We all have them. Those certain things you enjoy that make life seem just a little more fun.

When Jack and I first met, we used to ride everywhere. No reason, no specific destination, we'd just ride. We've driven all over this area... just soaking up the rich history of our city, enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Along came parenthood, and with that our "hobbies" were pushed aside for something much more important. But whose to say they had to disappear forever? When your little one becomes as fond of napping in the car as you are having a well rested baby (whose recently developed an apparent allergic reaction to napping), you'll jump at the chance for a car ride. Enter, our favorite pastime. Two birds wih one stone. She sleeps beautifully while we ride, and we enjoy some quality "us" time, all without picking up the phone to call a babysitter.

Fun in the sun (well, the shade actually)

We bought a blow up kiddy pool back on Memorial Day weekend. Well, between scorching hot  (I'm talking 102!) and rainy days, we hadn't had the chance to try it out. Until this past weekend. I knew she'd love it; the way she splashes and plays so hard in the tub, there was no doubt in my mind she'd have a blast. What I didn't know was that she'd cry when we took her out!

She started out so cute in her 6 month halter top bathing suit...

yeah, that lasted long enough to snap a few pictures. It was too small! So she skinny dipped. :)

and I just love the look on her face in this one. (Note the drool... haha)

4 Months!

And what an amazing month it's been! Every day she learns a new skill, she's growing leaps and bounds. I can't take my eyes off of her! It's amazing to see her little personality developing... and what a sweet heart she's becoming. (As if she wasn't just the sweetest thing EVER before.. hehe) It's been another emotional month for me (seems like a developing trend, eh?) with the bittersweetness of it all. She's growing up, she's no longer my tiny little baby. She recognizes familiar faces, and she's becoming more independent. Every day I say to myself, "This is my absolute favorite day so far", and then the next day comes and presents a whole new series of beautiful developments and "firsts". How my heart has managed not to explode ... I'm beyond amazed. I can only imagine the moments to come, and try my very best to absorb and hold on to these precious moments that are passing by so fast.

Here are her "stats":

• She is 16.8 lbs (97%) and 25.5" long (95%). She's just huge all around. :)
• She's grabbing and passing objects between her hands like a pro.
• Her 3-6 month clothes still fit, but she's wearing a lot of 6-9 month ones now as well. Her chubby arms and legs have a hard time fitting through the holes in the 3-6 month ones! haha!
• She is still in size 2 diapers, but we're on our last pack of 24. They are getting a little snug!
• Tummy time is getting easier. She's doing baby push ups perfectly now, so she can lay on her tummy and still look at us in front of her.
• She's becoming a little more reluctant of strangers holding her. She went through a "mommy phase" this past weekend where she would cry if anyone else was holding her, daddy included. Don't get me wrong though, she's still daddy's girl. She doesn't want to interact with me, only him, but prefers me to hold her.
• She had her first experience in the baby pool on the 4th! We officially have a water baby. She loved it! She cried when I took her out.
• Rolling over is just not one of her objectives right now. She's been rolling to her side for months now, but she refuses to roll completely over.
• She loves sitting up. Unless she's super tired, you better have her in a seated position or she'll throw a fit. She's a big girl, don't cha know? :)
• Her eyes follow every movement when we eat. She sits quietly and just concentrates so hard on following our movements. We got the go ahead from her pedi to start solids, but Jack and I have decided to wait at least another month. 6 months is the normal starting period, so we might wait until then.

I'm sure there's tons more I'm forgetting to mention, but I'll leave it at that! Oh, and I can't forget the pictures!

One year ago today...

Our lives began. The rush of adrenaline, the warm feeling deep in my core, my entire body shaking with excitement and nervousness. I saw those two pink lines. And I knew that every moment of the rest of our lives would be worth living. How much our lives would change, we could have never predicted. 

Within one year, we've learned what it means to truly worry. We've learned what it feels like to actually feel your heart explode every time you look at your child. We've learned that you really can survive on 2 hours of sleep a night (who knew?), that being pooped on and sucking snot out of your child's nose becomes your normal daily activities, and you actually enjoy it. :)  We've felt the love only a child can give when they look at you, so vulnerable and pure, and smile because they love you. They know who you are, what your purpose is, and seeing that look in their eyes... everything suddenly makes sense. I know what it feels like to learn your purpose in life, and to begin the journey of fulfilling that purpose. To love something so much your soul aches. We've witnessed the miracle of birth...

We've seen God.  

I cherish today. I thank God from the bottom of my heart for taking us down this beautiful road, for guiding us through this spectacular journey, for allowing us to experience life in it''s purest form, to allow us to love, for blessing us with this perfect child. The absolute best parts of Jack and I, all bundled up in this breathtaking beauty of a child. 

I love you with every ounce of my heart, my sweet, sweet Liliana. You've made me whole... you've made me a mommy. :)

 I hope everyone has a fun, safe 4th of July! (And Happy Birthday, Mom!)