Wordless Wednesday: Ode To A Christmas Story

A Very Merry!

I think she likes her gift!

Ya know, I kind of suck at this blogging thing. I don't know why I can't seem to keep it up! And I'm not too sure how much my wordless Wednesday's count as blogging, since they are the majority of my posts. December was a whirlwind of activity, Christmas shopping, making Christmas presents, frantically writing cards at the last hour, ah, you all know how it goes. I'm a little bummed it was so busy I never had time to do my annual "big ass batch of cookies" I usually do and give out to friends. Sorry friends! I did however make sure to make one batch of the Rolo Cookies (Thanks, Ginny!) because they rock so much, and I had already bought the rolo's for it, but they ended up in our tummies, instead of other people's.... But the others I always do? Nada, nothing. I'll turn this into a positive though, and through the blah's of January, I'll make all those cookies I should have made in December!

Sadie and Luke making a work of art together.

Sadie opening her stocking.

Christmas was great this year. We spent it with John's family in NJ and we had such a great time seeing everyone. Sadie had a FABULOUS time with her cousin, Luke! She requests the video's we took of them together everyday now and giggles when she sees them. So cute! It was funny, she wanted to go and play with him every chance she got, but when it comes to toy sharing, oh boy, I wish I got paid every time I heard a stern "No!", cuz it was often! Sadie has recently starting hitting things (not hard, but still!) when she gets mad or frustrated, and well, Luke once was on the hitting end of that, and I hear from him "Sadie hit me!" Sorry, Lukie!! Sharing is hard, right?? We're working on it. :) The Irish/Italian blood is working against me though.

Sadie telling Luke, no, he can't play with his own toy.

Sadie received many wonderful things from Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles. One of the big things they both got were cars for Christmas (Thanks Uncle Paul!), one girl-themed, one boy-themed, and you'd think since each got their own, there would be no cause for toy jealousy, right? Wrong! It was hysterical, each time one got in their car, the other had to have that same car too! I am glad we took a lot of video's, this stuff is priceless. How much stuff did we miss when we were kids because taking home video's wasn't that common? So much. Glad we are keeping record of so many memories. Here is a great video of the two of them very nicely sharing the same car! I love this one!

The day after Christmas, we loaded up the car and drove to the Berkshires to see my family for a couple days and celebrate a second Christmas with them. We had a great time! Our lucky girl got more fun toys to play with and she also got a homemade bathrobe from her Nana! I had been looking for one for her, so she could be just like her parents in the morning and she always gets chilly when she first wakes up, but I couldn't find any in her tiny size. So Nana surprised us by sewing her one, personalized even, and she loves it! She totally gets that its just like her Mommy's! This goes perfectly with her little plastic coffee cups that she takes sips out of then lets us know there is "coppee" in it. Thanks, Nana!

So, we did a lot of driving this Christmas (about 700 miles, with a toddler and two cats!) but it was completely worth spending time with both families, having Sadie have so much fun with her cousin, and us getting to spend some time with our nephew. He's such an amazing kid! Thanks for sharing all your toys with Sadie, Luke! :)

I hear talking coming from the baby monitor, which means mommy time is over, but hey, I got a blog in!

Wordless Wednesday: YO!!

(yes, she is actually saying "yo!" here, with the arm fold and all, and its seriously the funniest thing ever! need to get it on video! the addition of dad's hat adds a lot to her "yo!")

Thankful

We had such a great Thanksgiving at my mom's! It was so nice to spend a chunk of time there and not rush in and rush out. And so nice to have family spend some time with Sadie, they never get to spend this much one on one time with her. I probably drove my mom a little crazy by deciding to bake a bunch of things while she was trying to prepare Thanksgiving dinner, thank god Sadie was cute enough to distract her from her annoyance! I'm so thankful for my wonderful family and am so glad we got to spend it together.

So, what did I bake??? A few things! But one of the most addicting, and seriously easy, things were the Oreo Truffles! Oh boy, they were so yum! The white chocolate dipped ones were the best, they tasted just like the white chocolate covered Oreos, except in truffle form. Here is the recipe, pretty easy and fun to make too. Looking forward to some Christmas baking, the Food Network's 12 days of cookies is here!!

I've been really Christmasy lately, maybe its because Sadie is older now and I'm excited to see her open gifts and enjoy the Christmas tree, that kind of thing. I've been wanting to get nice stockings for us for a couple years now, but either haven't found what I'm looking for, or just didn't get around to it. But this year, now that we have a little one, I really wanted to start a tradition and get some stockings we'll use every year. So I turned to Etsy, that wonderful site that features all handmade items, and instantly found our stockings! They're cool, unique, fun, and best of all- she had kitty stockings that looked kind of like our little fur babies! I love them!

This and That

Well, here is something that doesn't happen often.... Sadie was sleeping by 8 tonight, as in, in her crib, sleeping like a little cozy fuzzy bunny. (That's one thing I like about cold weather, babies in soft fleece footies, I just want to hug her all the time in those things.) So, I'm a happy mommy. Going to try to get her to bed early like this all the time, this is nice. Good news on her weight, by the way, she didn't lose any this week! She's holding her own, YAY! It was so good to see and her doctors were pleased too. Another weigh-in on Monday again, hoping for a gain. She's doing great, she really has come such a long way the last month or so.

I never did blog about halloween, so here goes. It was a great halloween, stuff like this is so much fun now that she is old enough to enjoy it. She was a bumble bee, a random find on Amazon that happened to fit her perfect, and amazingly, she loved to wear! She kept everything on for 2 parties- the tights, the bee hat, and the tutu- the whole time! Halloween miracle, no? Anyways, she was adorable in her outfit and she had a blast. First party was a mommy and me group party (local mom's group) and the usual timid Sadie seemed to be in her element because she had a lot of fun playing with toys, other kids, and just running around the place. It was nice to chat with some other moms and dads, it had been awhile since I'd been to one of the group get togethers. Then, John's office was having a trick or treat candy-passing-out-party, so after dinner, we went there for a couple of hours. That was even better because mommy got to have some wine and relax a bit! Made a mental note to have more wine! It was fun to hang out with everyone, eat some yummy food, and watch Sadie having fun interacting with everyone.

What else? John is thrilled the Yankee's won. Sadie wore her Yankee's dress this weekend and carried around her Yankee's balloon. Made Daddy proud! The girl at the store didn't want to sell him the balloon, ha ha, definitely Sox territory here!

I did pretty badly this week with making new recipes, or really, any decent recipes. It happens, I guess. Just got busy. Can you say thank god for keeping some frozen stir fry's in the freezer?!? This weekend though, I've got plans! I have been craving a homemade mac and cheese for awhile and also for this awesome Bobby Flay meatloaf that we love around here. I'll try to make up for my lack of culinary creativity this weekend.

I think I will take advantage of this early hour and read in bed. Almost done with Olive Kitteridge (so good) and after that, I was thinking of trying out that Sookie Stackhouse vampire series I keep hearing about. I'm a sucker for anything vampire..... I seriously can't wait for Nov. 20th when I have a girls movie night out to see New Moon!

The Cooking Bug

Mummies and pumpkins brownie pops!

I've been on a cooking/baking kick lately. I've always loved cooking/food/new recipes, but I had gotten out of the habit recently. But I feel the cooking bug coming back now, I'm drooling through recipes again, planning meals I want to try. It used to be my obsession to find new recipes and print them for my "big book of recipes"! Alas, many were not made, only salivated after.... But, I've decided to try and make some new stuff every week, and actually try some of these recipes I just HAD to print out or HAD to buy the magazine for. I'm not buying anymore cookbooks, I have way too many recipes stocked up! And..... its the holidays around the corner, and that means I'm going to have the food network on a lot soon, and then I'll have oodles more recipes to try...

The latest thing I made are these Brownie Pops. These things are addicting!! I've had three already today. Good thing I gave John a bunch to take to work with him. I had gotten a Williams Sonoma email that advertised these things- $30 for 6! So I used trusty Google (has it ever failed me? I don't think so.) to find a recipe for Brownie Pops, and the first link was a girl who had seen the exact same thing at Williams Sonoma and wanted to make them for herself... so I stole her recipe! They are SO yum!! Brownie bites dipped in chocolate??? How could you go wrong? Sure, they don't look as pretty as WS, but they taste awesome! Fun to make too. I can't wait until Sadie is old enough to do stuff like this with me. And of course, EAT them with me too!

Next on the food list? Baked chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese, rosemary, and lemon zest.... a Rachel Ray recipe I have had torn out of her mag for awhile.

Sadie is still napping. Perhaps another brownie pop???

Thank you, Paula Deen!

When you make something of Paula Deen's, its probably going to make you gain 5 lbs, but damn, it'll be worth it. Like the cake I made for John's birthday this weekend- Chocolate Sybil Cake. Oh. My. God. It was soooo rich, decadent, and totally sinfully delish...... but what wouldn't be with a pound of butter in it?!?! Its a perfect "me" type of cake, meaning, its quick, easy and ready to eat in no time. No waiting to cool or frost! Its a "John" type of cake because you'll OD on chocolate. Its a warm chocolate cake served with a warm chocolate sauce..... YUMMMMM. Because its served warm, I decided to make it when Sadie went to bed, and of course, that night she decided she wouldn't sleep until 10:30. So, by the time it was made, it was close to midnight. And then we ate huge portions of this thing, and conked out. Can you say heartburn that night?!? HA! I feel so old saying that, but its true. Anyways, totally worth it. Here's the recipe- Chocolate Sybil Cake.

We also took Sadie to the pumpkin patch they have set up downtown, she had a blast. "Puntin! Puntin!" she kept saying. She also firmly told a little boy "NO!" who was trying to take a pumpkin from her. The girl's got some spunk, let me tell you! It has been absolute heaven having the tube out. No worries of it coming out, no night feeds, no reflux/throwing up, no maintenance, etc. And I'm sure she is much more comfortable too. She had her first weigh-in yesterday, and as expected, she did drop in weight. Even though I knew this would probably happen, its still stressful to see, and also to know, that next week's weigh-in she can't lose anymore weight. She can stay the same, but the doctor doesn't want anymore weight loss. It's just a lot of pressure during meals, which is the opposite you want during a meal with a kid who has issues with eating. But I still think she can pull this off, here's hoping for a good week for her and that Monday brings us good news. Until then, I'm soaking up all this tube-free time!

Wordless Wednesday: What a Treat

Special Day

Today was special for two reasons. The first was it is our 3rd wedding anniversary! John is such an amazing husband, father, and friend. I am well aware of how lucky I am. I can't believe how fast time is flying. And although we didn't get to formally celebrate our day by going out, we did get the best gift possible. Which brings me to special thing #2. Today (actually, about 30 minutes ago) I pulled out Sadie's feeding tube. We are going to see how well she does without the tube and hope it makes her hungrier. We are praying for little to no weight loss, although some loss is expected at first. I just hope and pray that she is able to do this, to be self sufficient in this way, so she doesn't have to have the tube reinserted, or worse, have the tube surgery done. We'll just take it one day at a time and keep up a positive attitude. I believe she can do this!

Tomorrow, I believe a wordless Wednesday "tube free" picture of Sadie may be in order! I haven't seen her without a tube for more than a couple hours since April. Looking forward to seeing her beautiful face, without all that tape.

Short post, but its time for bed....

Wordless Wednesday: Creative Napping

Ode To Fall

I actually made what I said I was going to make! The mother of all fall desserts- a super yummy apple crisp! Usually I save a recipe to make and never get around to making it, but ha ha! I did it! It was mmmmmm mmmmm and a great comfort dessert. Even John liked it, and he's really only a chocolate kind of guy. I have to give a shout out to my food processor...... wow, I really should use this thing more. Usually I would do the crumb topping by hand, and it takes a bit to do and semi-annoying to do as well, but with the processor- VOILA! I had my topping in about 15 seconds. Nice.....

So I have to start watching what I say around Sadie, she listens to whatever we say, when I don't think she is, and then is like a little parrot. Today was funny- I'm not sure what I was annoyed about, but in an annoyed voice I said "John....." and from the other room I hear my exact annunciation and tone come right back to me... "John...." and John and I were practically rolling on the floor with laughter. Which made her repeat it over and over again with glee. "John!" "John!" So funny. Well, it could have been a LOT worse!

Off to have dinner. Did I mention that we ate the apple crisp before our actual dinner? Yup, it was dessert first tonight, meal second :) The way it should be.

It's been awhile...

Sadie in pigtails

Well, I guess its been nearly a year since writing on this blog. I really enjoy keeping up on other people's blogs and its made me want to start mine up again, if only to be an online journal of sorts and to keep in touch and update family and friends on the comings and goings of our little family. Most recently, my friend Karen (if you know me, you have undoubtedly heard many stories with that name in them.) got me reading this amazing blog (matt + maddie) that has captured my interest and has won my respect, with this father's account of life after the death of his wife and raising a baby by himself. Stuff like this really put things into perspective and make you thankful for what you have. I can't help but admire his strength, humor, and candidness of his writings. Check it out if you get a chance (see my links).

Noticing Elmo was at the Festival...

My little Sadie girl is 18 months old now, which is completely mind boggling. How did that happen? She is sweet, silly, smart, funny, spirited, spicy, loving and despite her parents two left feet, has some pretty sweet dance moves. She's going to be a strong, confident woman, who knows what she wants in life, that I know, since she already shows some of those traits already! She's pretty amazing, and not just because I'm biased! She's got an unlimited supply of hugs and kisses, especially for her kitties, which makes mommy and daddy nervous. To see her bending down, hugging Owen, bury her face in his fur, and you hear a big smack of a kiss, its adorable, but well, I am sure you have all heard Owen stories before and so I try to keep her at least at a slight distance! Owen and Bean however have been nothing but wonderful to her, and are soaking up the extra affection.

Petting the Fuzzy Shark

You've probably noticed the tape on her cheek. That's a feeding tube, and is what has kept us pretty busy since early spring. Long story short, Sadie had to get the tube because she refused to eat. She would nurse, but would not take solid foods. So she has had this since April and we have been in a hospital program specifically designed to get babies that refuse to eat, eating. She has come a long way and actually, right now, we are doing a test of cutting back on her tube feedings to see how much she will take orally. They will then pull the tube to see how she does on her own. Fingers crossed and many prayers said that she will be able to do this. We will still have a long way to go to get her to eat like a normal toddler, but this will be a start. I feel like I have dropped off the planet, in social terms anyways, since this has taken all of our time and energy. It was hard for me to talk about, so I didn't. It still is, but I am in a different place now. Now I feel like I'm ready to get back on the planet. We feel very grateful though that otherwise, Sadie is a healthy, happy toddler. But man, that kid likes to keep us on our toes. :)

Happy Fall!

Today we went "punkin" (yes, how Sadie says it) and apple picking. What an absolutely gorgeous day for it. Sunny and crisp outside. I think it just might be perfect apple crisp baking weather. With vanilla ice cream, of course. I always love going to this farm that is down the road from us. You can pick your own strawberries, raspberries, peaches, blackberries, apples..... you name it, they have it. Its so relaxing and fun to do, and the taste is out of this world. I got a mix of cortland, macintosh, macoun, and jona gold. Hopefully will make a good crisp. And we also got a couple pumpkins too, Sadie picked her own out. She even managed to carry it a little ways, but the weight of it made her off balance and she had a few falls! It was pretty comical actually, this little girl trying her best to carry this big, heavy pumpkin, for her size anyways!

Off to peel the apples.... the crappy part of making apple crisp.