tummy time... kind of

jonas currently hates tummy time. he cry's, he screams, it get's really ugly, but recently i've noticed that if i put him down on the boppy pillow he'll chill and enjoy himself for a few minutes.

i just snapped these this morning when i needed a break from the daily grind.

oh my yum

Ok, mini story then yummy easy recipe headed your way.

Three months ago my darling mother-in-law came to meet little Jonas. While she was here, she set a show called "Americas Test Kitchen" to record on our TiVo. I've watched maybe one or two episodes, it doesn't come on too often.

Today there was an episode on the TiVo and on a whim I decided to see what the main course was. After watching it I decided to give it a go, because I had almost all of the ingredients on hand! When does that ever happen. You see, a while back I'd purchased a little pruschetto (a cured Italian ham that is sliced really really thin) with the full intent to use it. Shocker, I never did.

So today I finally used it in this meal and it was fabulous. The lemon made the recipe nice and light while the pruschetto added a nice salty unique flavor. For the sauce I used some cooking sherry I had in the pantry. I made a side of rice as a filler. The pruschetto I had was the least expensive kind and it still tasted great.



Pruschetto Wrapped Chicken


Prepare and bread chicken -

• Chicken needs to be totally thawed, I butterflied mind to make four pieces from two chicken breasts.
• Make sure chicken is as dry as possible.
  Mix 1/2 flour and 1 tsp pepper ; bread chicken
  
• Sprinkle some rubbed sage on chicken
• Place a piece of pruschetto on top of chicken

Prepare Oil -

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Place several sage leaves in oil for 15 seconds ( I didn't have any so I skipped this step)
• remove sage leaves and set aside

Cook Chicken -

• Lay chicken pruschetto side down in oil - 2-3 minutes on each side (at most 4 minutes)
• Flip chicken and cook on other side for 2-3 minutes (cook at most 4 minutes)
  
• Put chicken in oven to keep warm

Sauce

• drain grease from pan, don't wash use pan, flavors from the chicken will enhance the sauce
  
• Remove pan from heat and add 1 1/4 cups cooking wine, return to heat and simmer 5 minutes - let liquid reduce
  
• Stir in 2 tbs lemon juice (the recipe didn't specify so I guessed and this amount worked)
  
• Wisk in 4 tbs butter
• Salt and pepper to taste (I gave it a few grinds of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper)
  
• Add some minced parsley

Serve

• Spoon sauce over chicken and rice.
• If you sizzled the bay leaves in the oil at the beginning place one bay leaf on each piece of chicken and enjoy!

Jon and I both loved this and figure it's a good one to make if you have friends coming over for dinner and want to eat something that 'feels' a little fancy. I also think Couscous would be delish in place of rice.

higher education

Image from Deviant Art


The other day the topic of youtube and Ivy League Lectures came up during a lazy evening. I'm still not sure who brought it up, but I found the idea totally amazing. I love learning and have been feeling the need lately to tone down my idle tv watching.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE tv. I love amazing writing, impeccable delivery and beautiful cinematography, but show's matching those criteria come along only once in a while. (Arrested Development, Flight of the Concords, and Amelie are a few of the shows I've seen meeting them.)

But in months past I've been finding myself watching way too many episodes of my beloved Law and Order as well as Extreme Home Makeover. I've been actively trying to spend my time more wisely, only watching tv when the program really warranted my attention. It's really been a good move, but I have a long way to go before really controlling my tv habit.

So back to my original point. I was lying in bed with my lappy enjoying the last vestiges of spring, before enduring yet another Arizona summer and I stumbled upon a site called Academic Earth, where you can watch lectures from some of the greatest minds at some of the best institutions of learning.

I wish I could say I've seen them all, but I haven't, not yet. I've watched just one, on anatomy and I'm loving it. I'm surprised at how much I'm remembering from the AP Anatomy course I took my senior year of high school.

So if you are feeling the need for some higher education, or you just want to be able to beat your husband once, just once at the crossword puzzle check it out.

13 weeks old - my three month old

Wow. I mean I'd heard from other mothers to enjoy every moment because before you are ready they'll be all grown up. Well, it's true. I feel like Jonas was born just last week and yet here he is three months old. He can belly laugh, fake laugh, and giggle. I love every minute with him and am more in love with him every day. I know I've only been posting photos of him lately, but in my defense, I've been really busy the last few months and the only time I've had has been on Sunday afternoon when I take a little time to make a few photos of Jonas.

the rattle

so jonas is a really good baby. we just hang out right now during the days. his schedule currently is to wake up at 5:30 and eat then he's up till about 7:30 then he crashes again till 11ish. He eats again and is up for maybe an hour then crashes again until 3. he stays up to play with jon till around 5 then he needs a nap till around 6 then he finally is out for the night around 7:30 when the sun goes down. then he has been sleeping until around 1 or 2.

during the day he likes to sleep in his swing (thanks to my sister ande for getting it on a whim one day). he really is a very chill, low key kid. this week we've started giving him toys and he seems to dig it. also on a side note, apparently he can roll over now, but i've yet to see it with my own eyes.

and yes that really is his real part in his hair. awesome.

daddy and his boy

just enjoying a lazy sunday afternoon.

jonas... 12 weeks old

jonas turns 12 weeks old today.

his current obsessions include but are not limited to:
going to bed at 8pm
eating 6 ounce bottles
wearing 12 month pajamas (he's that tall)
screaming in our faces when he wants a bottle, he's learning how to control us
tv, if it's on he's tuned in
sitting up, he thinks he can

no more pictures!

i was playing around with the camera and jonas had had enough.

a giant

i was out taking some photos yesterday of this cute little boy and his mom and i wanted to compare them. he was born two days before jonas. ps jonas is wearing oversized pj's due to a back up in the laundry room. but seriously, he looks gigantic. they weighed him in the picu and he's up to 13lbs 12oz.

the other photo of him is during the shoot, he was being exceptionally nice and just laid on the floor totally content.

boys can fly

my brother parker is in a play this week. this means that all of the grandkids are being passed around on different nights so all of the adults can attend. last night was our turn to help watch two of the martineau six. we had a great time watching 'rocket man' with cooper and hyrum. after that the boys decided to see if they could fly.

our trip to intensive care

Monday: 2:30pm

Jonas had been having a stuffy head all weekend, no biggie, he's 2.5 months old. Over the last two hours or so it had gotten worse, to the point where he was retracting a lot when he was trying to breathe. We'd tried everything to clear his nose, but he was still super stuffed up. I was a little worried and had wandered over to my mom's house where she noticed it as well. She suggested I call the DR and get him in, just to make sure he was ok and not getting pneumonia or anything.

So I called, told them his symptoms and they said they could squeeze me in at 3:45. So I told Jonathan to head home, if he could, cause we were taking Jonas in and I needed the car, plus it would be nice to have him with me.

Monday: 4pm
The DR get's us in, checks Jonas out. Jonas has a ear infection, no surprise there. His lungs sound clean, but the dr wants to make so so he sends us over to get an xray. We husstle over get it done and get back to the dr office.

Monday: 4:50pm
Dr looks at the xray and listens to Jonas fast breathing and is getting a little concerned. Over the next 15 minutes or so 2 other DR's come in and look at him and at the xray and tell us that his heart looks a little enlarged. At this point we are getting a little freaked out. The all of a sudden the DR starts talking about him needing to see a cardiologist and admitting him to the hospital.

Monday: 5:45pm
Dr let's us know that they are working on getting him a bed at the hospital. We are getting mega worried and the pacing begings.

Monday: 6:30pm
Dr tells us to head on over to the hospital.

Monday: 7:00pm
We arrive at the hospital and wander around forever trying to figure out where we need to be.

Monday: 7:30pm
We arrive at the ER and wait in line in shock (the ER is a bit scary)

Monday: 7:40pm
We tell ER our name and they know who we are (I guess when the issue is a heart issue, there's no messing around). A gal comes out and takes us to the PICU.

Monday: 8pm
We are admitted

Monday 8:30pm
Nurses come in and start prepping Jonas with tubes, air, and IV. They suck out his nose so he can breathe better. EKG tech arrives and takes a reading on Jonas. Words like Congestive Heart Failure is thrown around a few times. This is especially scary as we have a nephew with heart issues and I have 3 first cousins with heart issues.

Monday 9pm
My parents arrive and my dad and Jonathan administer a blessing of healing upon Jonas.

Monday 9:30pm
Cardiologist arrives and they start an ultrasound of his heart. About two minutes into it the Cardiologist says the magical words, his heart looks totally normal. Big sigh of relief!

Monday 10pm
Nurses finish taking all of Jonas' vitals and blood samples

Monday 10:30-Tuesday 8pm
Lots of waiting for the cultures to come back negative so we can go home.


It was a really scary experience and helped put many things in focus. I don't know if we'll ever know if the xray was just really misleading, or if we witnessed a miracle, but regardless my faith has been strengthened in God and I'm grateful the heavens were looking out for us on Monday.