Four Months- Time Flies!

 

How is it that our little baby girl is four months already?!?  It's amazing how much she has changed in such a short time.  She has gone from teeny tiny newborn to a baby who is rolling over, sitting up with help, and scooting (not crawling, but scooting) her way around on the floor.  Time just flies by-- and she just keeps getting cuter! 

I Made a Baby Carrier!

I had been looking for a Mei Tai-like baby carrier for a while now, but they can be so expensive.  Because our initial use of the Moby was a bit of a rocky road, I didn't want to spend $100 on something I was taking a chance on.  So, I made my own!

I couldn't find any patterns that met my needs exactly, so I ended up drafting my own pattern as well.  Yes, I'm pretty impressed with myself.  ;) 

The good news is that Hailey loves it!  And I love hands-free shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.  It's a win-win. 

(Please ignore the crazy-lady-crafting-all-day hair)

Hailey’s First Trip to San Diego

Hailey’s first trip to San Diego happened to coincide with Easter weekend.  I was really nervous about the trip, but Hailey was AMAZING on the drive.  She did so great, she is such a good little road-tripper. 

Taking breaks helped break up the car seat time for Hailey. 

We got in late Saturday (but not so late that we couldn’t go enjoy dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant!)

Sunday it was Easter and time for Miss Hailey to open her very first Easter Basket!  (With a little help from mom and dad of course). 

I had no idea what to put in an Easter basket for a baby,but I think I did a pretty good job.  :)

Her basket is bigger than she is this year!

After opening her Easter basket, we posed for a familypicture.

Later that day, Hailey got to meet her Great-Grandma!

We were fortunate that we got to see the majority of our relatives Easter weekend.  Our lucky little baby even got to take her first trip to the beach and pose with her mom,dad, and Grandpa!

Blog Revival- An Update

So, I haven’t blogged in about 2 months.  Sorry about that.  I have good excuses though!  First of all, I was deathly ill and quite pregnant the entire month of January, which pretty well hindered my motivation to do anything.  Second, I had a baby!

Isn’t she beautiful?

Hailey Mae was born at home on February 3rd (more on that to follow).  She is the light of our lives and we have loved every minute with our beautiful baby girl.  It’s hard to even remember what our life was like without her.  

Here are some adorable pictures for your viewing pleasure:  

I am planning on getting back in the habit of blogging now that we have found our footing and things have settled down--or perhaps just reached a new normal* for us.  After all, now I have a baby to update you on!  

*something tells me that things won’t actually “settle down” for a few years!  :) 

Look! I Made a Lampshade!

Ok, so I didn't make a lampshade...but I did give it a facelift.  We've had this floorlamp since we got married, but it didn't have a place in our home here, so we decided to use it in the baby's room.  The only problem is that the shade had seen better days (lets just say that moving is not kind to white lampshades).

So, I tracked down some cute pink fabric, made a template with newspaper, and went to town.  About 1/2 yard of fabric later, combined with some spray glue and trim, and I had a much cuter version for our little girl's room!

You Should Make This For Superbowl

First let me say that it feels so nice to be back in action.  I was recently stricken with the plague sick with the world's worst cough/cold combo.  Man, I did not leave my house (or my couch for that matter) for over a week.  Let me just say that I don't wish that illness on anyone, and I particularly don't wish being full term and sick on even my worst enemy.  Fortunately, the baby has decided to wait for me to be better before making her entrance into the world.  I was VERY worried for a while about going into labor without being 100%.

Anyway, on to more exciting things like yummy recipes.  You should totally make this delicious cheesy bean dip for the Superbowl. 

In the interest of full disclosure, this is not my recipe.  I shamelessly stole it from another website, but that doesn't make it any less delicious.  Here it is:
-2 cans Hormel chili with beans (I used vegetarian, but you can use any kind)
-1 block of cream cheese
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-1 small can diced tomatoes with green chiles
-1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
-pinch of cilantro
-pinch of cumin
-salt and pepper to taste

Drain Chili and diced tomatoes. Mix Chili and cream cheese. Mix in all other ingredients, except the shredded cheese. Add shredded cheese to top. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Souper Delicious- Corn & Vegetable Chowder

Please forgive my terrible puns, but this soup really was delicious!  I know it's freakishly warm here in the Southwest, but I'd make this soup anyway, and it would be the perfect warm-up for those of you in colder climates.

Corn & Vegetable Chowder:
-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
-1 med. red onion, diced
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
-3 garlic cloves, crushed
-2 medium diced potatos
-3 tbsp. all purpose flour
-2 cups vegetable stock
-2 1/2 cups milk
-1 cup broccoli florets (more if desired)
-2 cans corn kernels, drained
-2 cups grated cheddar
-salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot.  Add in onion, bell pepper, garlic, and potato and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes

Add in flour and stir until completely mixed, then add milk and stock

Add the broccoli and corn.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender

Stir in 2 cups cheese until completely melted

Season to taste and enjoy!