19 weeks

Here is what is going on with Noah this week according to http://www.babycenter.com/;

By now, your baby's physical developments are coming fast and furious. When lying on her back, she'll lift her head and shoulders as you reach to pull her up. If you place her on her stomach, she'll extend her arms and legs and arch her back. This is good exercise for strengthening her neck muscles, and it will help her develop the head control necessary for sitting up. When you pulled your baby into a sitting position a few weeks back, her head lagged behind her arms and shoulders. Now, she can anticipate the direction you're pulling her, and her head will follow right along with the rest of her body. What's more, her spine is straightening, allowing her to sit unsupported, which frees her hands for exploring, and she can pivot to reach a desired object. Once her back and neck muscles are strong enough to hold her upright and she's figured out where to put her legs so she won't topple over, it's just a matter of time until she moves on to proper crawling, standing, and walking. Until she can get into a sitting position without your help, you can prop her in the corner of your sofa or on your legs to steady her.

Your baby is adding new sounds to her language repertoire, and she may sound like a broken record. Babies this age often become so enthralled by a newfound ability that they get stuck on it for a while. This is normal — babies tend to master one skill before moving to the next. Hearing the same sound over and over can get annoying, but practicing patience now will prepare you for the endless string of "nos" and "whys" you'll be hearing from your child soon enough. Your baby may also watch your mouth intently when you speak and try to imitate inflections and utter consonant sounds such as "m" and "b."

Following a well-established nighttime routine, which might include a bath or a bedtime story, for example, may help settle your baby to sleep. It's a good idea to consistently "sequence" your baby toward slumber: Feed her, give her a bath, put her in her pajamas, play a game, read her a book, sing songs or play some music, then put her down. A beloved routine gives you and your baby plenty of time to connect and wind down. You may decide to alternate going-to-bed activities with your partner (you do the bath, he reads the story, and so on). Or, to give both of you a regular break, try taking turns, with one person responsible for putting your baby to bed each night.

Noah is doing great.  Now he loves to flap both arms up and down to the side at the same time... as if he is making an imaginery snow angel, or is about to take off and fly away.  About two weeks ago we quit swaddling him at night (because he's getting too big for his swaddling sacks) and he was able to quit cold turkey without a problem.  So now he's able to roll over and move around at night, and by morning (or the end of any nap) we usually find him crammed up in the upper left corner of his crib because he ran out of room to crawl and roll around. Initially, I was pumping and we were giving him a bottle a week so that we knew that he would take them (just in case I ever had to leave him for more than 3 hours at a time).  Twice within the past month we have tried to give him a bottle and he has refused both times now.  Within the last couple of days he has started grabbing his feet a lot and touching his toes.



Chicken Bog

Chicken Bog

This is sort of South Carolina's version of jambalaya.  Chopped scallions would also be great stirred in at the last moment, and they would add an extra bit of freshness.  Let's be honest, this dish doesn't look very pretty, but it sure is some soothing comfort food that warms you from the inside out.  To make this much easier, you could use store bought chicken broth and a shredded rotisserie chicken.  You could use white rice instead of brown, just measure the broth first and add the appropriate amount of rice for a 2 part water to 1 part rice ratio.

-3 lb chicken, rinsed
-2 Tbsp butter
-1 onion
-4 cloves garlic
-2 stalks celery
-4 carrots
-4 tsp seasoned salt
-1 tsp cayenne
-2 tsp thyme
-parsley stems
-1 tsp black pepper
-3 bay leaves
-8 cups water
-1 lb smoked turkey sausage, sliced
-3 cups brown rice
-chopped parsley

Day 1
Place chicken, parsley stems, bay leaves, seasoned salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, and water in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Let chicken cool in the broth for at least 30 minutes to absorb some of the juices.  Take chicken out of pot, shred meat and refrigerate for day 2.  Return the bones to the pot, return liquid to a boil, simmer for 1 hour.  Strain broth and refrigerate for day 2.

Day 2
Skim fat off of the broth.  Melt butter in large pot over medium high heat.  Saute onion, celery and carrots until beginning to soften (5-10 minutes).  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.  Add sausage, chicken and broth to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add rice, and simmer (uncovered) until liquid is absorbed (about 1 hour).  If rice is still tough once liquid is absorbed add an extra cup or two of water and simmer until rice is done.  Taste and adjust seasonings (adding garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme, or cayenne).  Stir in parsley and sprinkle with hot sauce.

yarn wreath

I have been wanting to make a yarn wreath for a very long time.  When I got two gift cards to Michael's for my birthday I knew that I'd be spending a few bucks to get a wreath form so that I could finally put this together.  The yarn I've had lying around for years, and the rosettes were made from scraps of old tshirts.  This was a fun, quick, and easy project.  The boys loved it also... Noah enjoyed watching me wrap the yarn and Luke loved it when I pulled out my yarn stash to pick a color.  He had a blast throwing skeins of yarn around the living room while I worked on this project, and I loved that we finally found something that he could throw around without damaging anything.

Stuffed Shells

Stuffed Shells

I haven't made these since we lived in Myrtle Beach (2 years ago).  I have no idea why, we both love them, and they happen to be one of our favorite vegetarian meals to eat.  You could easily use a jar of store bought pasta sauce to eliminate several steps.

-1 box jumbo shells, cooked to al dente
-16 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
-16 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
-1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded
-1 (32 oz) bag frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed of excess moisture
-2 eggs, beaten
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-1 onion, diced
-2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce would be fine also)
-1 tsp salt
-1 Tbsp sugar
-1/2 tsp pepper
-pinch red pepper flakes
-2 tsp Italian seasoning

Combine ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, eggs, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in bowl.  Stir to combine, breaking up clumps of spinach.  In a medium pan saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, pepper, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning.  Simmer at least 30 minutes, then cool.  Pour a little sauce on the bottom of a greased 13x9 pan.  Using a spoon, fill the shells with the spinach- cheese mixture and place them seam side up in the pan.  Top with remaining sauce (and extra shredded cheese if desired).  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Corn Chowder

I've been wanting to try this Corn Chowder recipe for months.  I've been on a soup kick this week, because my mother-in-law gave us a loaf of homemade bread and I don't think there's any better way to enjoy it than dipped into a hearty soup.  This chowder served as the perfect condiment/ side dish for the homemade bread.  I made a few changes to the recipe as listed below;

-added 4 cloves of minced garlic when sauteing the corn
-used frozen corn instead of fresh
-doubled the amount of cornmeal/ water mixture because I like my soups on the thicker side
-doubled the green chiles and omitted the chipotle because I didn't have any on hand
-added 1/4 tsp cayenne
-added a can of diced tomatoes
-omitted the bacon
-stirred in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese at the end
-used fat-free half and half instead of the heavy cream
-stirred in the half and half at the end and heated through, rather than boiling it

Potato Soup

Potato Soup

I posted a different recipe for potato soup a month or two ago, however I like this version much more than the one I posted then.

-4 carrots, peeled and diced
-2 stalks celery, diced
-1 onion, diced
-2 Tbsp butter
-2 cups chicken broth
-4 potatoes, peeled and diced
-1.5 tsp sugar
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp dried rosemary
-1/2 tsp dried thyme
-1/8 tsp pepper
-1/3 cup flour
-2.5 cups milk
-1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat.  Saute carrot, celery and onion until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add broth, potatoes, and sugar- pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.  Using a hand masher or immersion blender puree potatoes.  Combine flour with 1/2 cup of milk.  Stir into soup.  Stir in remaining milk and simmer 5 minutes for soup to thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.  Top with grated cheese, crumbled bacon, scallions or chives.

18 weeks

Here is what is going on with Noah this week according to babycenter.com;

Even though crying is still your baby's strongest form of communication, he's also developing his sense of humor during his fifth month. He may start to laugh at pleasant surprises such as your face appearing from underneath a blanket or a toy popping out of a box, provided it isn't too loud or startling. Encourage your baby's laughs, giggles, and smiles with funny faces and lots of general silliness. Babies enjoy hearing a variety of sounds and you don't need special toys or instruments to provide them. Simply click your tongue, whistle, or make animal noises — your baby will love it! Encourage your baby to experiment and play with a variety of objects. Something as simple as a clean cloth diaper might occupy him for several minutes. Watch him suck on it, hold it, and discover what happens when he scrunches it up. Give him a light rattle and see him delight in the sound it makes when he shakes it. An activity center or crib gym is a good choice for this stage, as your baby begins to explore the cause and effect of moving a lever and hearing a bell ring, for instance.

Babies see color from birth, but they have difficulty distinguishing similar tones, such as red and orange. (Babies can tell the difference between very different colors such as red, green, and yellow.) As a result, younger babies often prefer black and white or high-contrast patterns. At your baby's age, color differences become clearer, and your baby has started to distinguish between similar shades. Present him with a variety of colors in books, toys, and clothing.

Not a ton new with Noah this week.  He has been under the weather and had a stuffy nose and been sneezing a whole lot.  A few times a day every day we have been sitting in a hot steamy bathroom to try to clear him out.  He hates me suctioning the snot out of his nose, but he is super stuffy (especially in the morning) so I make him endure it anyway.  No fever or cough as of now, just praying this doesn't get worse as we had a friend whose baby ended up in the ER last week with RSV.

Noah went to his first Mardis Gras parade this weekend and HATED it.  Every time loud bands, floats blasting music, or police sirens went by he would scream and cry.  It was just a lot of noise, people and stimulation for a little baby.  We have another parade in our future with our community group this evening, plus one with our church this weekend, and then probably some family parading on actual Mardis Gras day, so hopefully Noah warms up to the idea a bit... he is a New Orleans baby after all.

Noah is becoming increasingly more aware of everyone and everything around him.  Now more often than not he will not nurse if there is another person in the room while I try to feed him, especially if it is someone that he isn't used to.  He's start eating, and then every time he hears a voice he will let go and turn his head around to see who it is and what is going on.