Playing Hookie

Friday was such a pretty day that Phil decided to take a half day from work and we made a quick trip to the Arboretum with Lily. They already have the pumpkin patch out, and we're planning to go back with her all decked out in her fall apparel and get some cute pictures with her friends. But we still took some pumpkin patch pictures that day. You can never have too many, right?

I hate pumpkins!

Off the charts

I thought my doctor was joking, but no, the little not so little baby is now the size of an average 2 month old. My doctor asked if I was feeding her cream cheese and ice cream. Not so much on the cream cheese, but she probably gets her fair share of ice cream from me. The stats are 11lbs 14oz, 23 1/4 inches long and I can't remember the head measurement but my doctor did say her head was big too (she can blame Phil for that one...well probably for her size in general.) So, while I am very happy that she is growing big and strong, I want her to slow down a little bit because it is going so fast. I can't believe she's already a little over a month old. Where does the time go?

Oh and at first I thought that Phil's nickname for her "The Lily Mammoth" was a little mean, but now I think it is well deserved. Sorry Lil!

International Babywearing Week

Babywearing might sound like a strange term, but it is a great way to keep your baby close, keep virus carrying strangers from touching them (only half kidding here!) get around much easier, and bond with your baby. Lily loves to be worn and she'll usually pass out immediately in a sling or mei tai. If you are my friend and you have a baby and want to check out one of our carriers, feel free! I have a few extra that I don't mind lending out. Oh and I had to include a few cute pictures of the babe below. I know the grandparents like seeing them!So cute, how can you not want to hold this little bit all the time?

Breakfast

Frozen berries

Frozen banana (extra ripe is best.) Fat free yogurt.

Ice, Juice

KitchenAid Immersion Blender - our most often used kitchen gadget.

Mmm, delicious.

3 Weeks Old

I never seem to get around to posting on the actual day of, but Wednesday marked three weeks of Lily's life. We are starting to get the hang of things and most nights she will sleep four hours, then wake up to be fed, then sleep another three hours. I can't complain too much about that. She is starting to be alert and awake for much longer stretches. She loves to nap in her bouncy seat and at night she likes to sleep in her pack n play, but you have to have the vibrate function and sound turned on. She loves being held upright on your shoulder or laid across your lap on her tummy while you pat her back (which is what I'm doing right now!) We have started getting out more. Some mornings we walk with Emily and Campbell and the three dogs, and this week Lily got to meet Daniel, my good friend Sherry's new baby who is two weeks younger than her, and we ran some errands together and managed to survive. We also met up with two of my friends who had baby girls in June and July. Somehow we spent 5 hours at Willowbend and only went into two stores. We sat around talking and holding the babies and all three of them were happy as clams. I think we were lucky as I was expecting a lot more meltdowns.

Showing off her skillz.

Check out those chunk thighs on my baby!

Hi Daniel!

They decided to hold hands or arm wrestle.

Lindsey's Chicken & Mac and Cheese

My friend Lindsey brought us dinner a couple of weeks ago and I emailed her the next day asking for her recipes. We were lazy and threw the chicken in the oven and baked it with the mac and cheese. It was so good! I'm sure it would be even better grilled. And now that I think about it, it would be great paired with some beer bread. Really, these were too good not to share, and the mac n cheese is a lighter recipe than a lot of them out there, especially if you use reduced fat ingredients!

Unbelievable Chicken Marinade
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar
* 3 tablespoons prepared coarse-ground mustard
* 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1/2 lemon, juiced
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* ground black pepper to taste
* 6 tablespoons olive oil
* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix the cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate 8 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the prepared grill, and cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Discard marinade.

Fave Mac ‘n Cheese
* 1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
* 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 1 (12 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
* 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
* 1/8 cup butter, melted
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.
2. In 9x13 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle topping over macaroni mixture.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

Arboretum Outing

Last Sunday we decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and our Arboretum membership and spend some time together before Phil went back to work. We picked up Subway on our way there, which I don't think I've eaten in a year at least! It was so pretty out and I can't wait for fall and to take Lily back when the pumpkin patch is there. Last year Sherry, Emily and Campbell and I went to the Arboretum to take advantage of a junior league meeting credit and we definitely had our picture made in the pumpkin patch (yes, the four of us.) It was pretty funny, I'm wondering if either of them has it scanned. It is crazy that this year Campbell will have his two friends Lily and Daniel with him. Oh how things change!

So big, So strong

We are growing a little chunk muffin. We had Lily's two week visit today and she's 10lbs 1/2 ounce, and almost 22 inches long. She's in the 95% percentile for height and weight. It makes me feel better to know that she is growing and gaining weight. She's also staying awake for longer stretches, opens her eyes more often and is generally more alert. Her little umbilical cord stump finally fell off too, so we can give her a real bath. We'll see if she likes it!