BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

As promised, here is what we had for dinner last night.  We ended up with some left over pork from a friend's pig roast and I thought it would be great to have pig pizza. As it turns out, Emeril has a recipe where he outlines how to prepare the pizza dough, BBQ sauce and pork, so I gave it a shot. His original recipe calls for red onion topping, but no one in my family likes red onion so I used pineapple instead.

This is a variation on a recipe from Emeril, based on what I had in my kitchen at the time.

You will need:
Basic Pizza Dough (recipe)
2 1/2 cups of pulled pork (unseasoned)
corn meal
canned chopped pineapple
1 1/2 cupsof a cheese blend you like, such as the traditional mozzarella and monterey jack. We had enchiladas the night before so I used the mexican blend we had left over.

For the BBQ Sauce:
1 cup of Apple cider vinegar (I didn't have any at the time and substituted with red wine vinegar.. total fail!)
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of honey (the original recipe calls for mollasses..again, not available at the time)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

You will do:
1. Prepare pizza dough as described in the recipe posted above, or use pre-made dough.
2. Combine all of the ingredients for the BBQ sauce in a sauce pan.
3. Bring to boil and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until it is thick. Allow to cool.
*note: I found my sauce to be a little too tangy for my tastes, so I added another 1/4 cup of ketchup and 4 T of brown sugar, and in the end added some honey-bbq sauce that was in the fridge. :( I'm positive it was the red wine vinegar.

4. Spread some cornmeal out on a pizza stone or whatever baking sheet you plan to use. Unfortunately, ours is all packed up! I am so dissapointed, the first time I make home made pizza and I can't even use my stone! :(
5. Roll out (toss if you dare!) your pizza rough to whatever size / thickness you desire. I used this video as a guide.

6. Spread 2-5 tablespoons of the sauce (again, amount and thickness is to your taste
7. Evenly disperse the pork and cheese blend on top of the sauce. Top again with pineapple.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at: if using a pizza stone: 500 degrees, if using a cookie sheet 425 degrees --Timing will vary, but for my pizza which took up almost an entire standard zized cookie sheet it was close to 20 minutes.--
9. Let it cool for a minutes, slice and enjoy! We served some of the left over BBQ sauce on the side for extra dipping.

Thirsty and Hungry.. What gives?

When a mama's body knows, a mama's body knows, right? For the last week, I've been extra thirsty, hungry for protein and fiber, and on a whim started taking fenugreek again. I didn't feel like I was getting low in supply, but just felt like I should take some.

Then, towards the end of last week, Penny started acting not quite like her usual joyous self. A little more whiny, needy, pushy, grabby, chompy. Bored easily. Nap and sleep schedules were a little off, too. I figured that we had been traveling a lot, been out and about during the day and it was just taking its toll. Heck, it was taking it's toll on all three of us. Adam did the math and he's commuted (via car or bus) over 30,000 miles in the last 10 months. He is tired. So I decided that that this past weekend would be a break for our little family and hopefully everyone would feel rejuvenated afterwards.

It helped, but not as much as I had hoped it would. Penny is still "off." I've come to the realization that teething isn't as much to blame for it as I've been thinking.. The little sugar is on a growth spurt. I don't know why I ignored the signs, but cluster feeding sessions from this morning is what finally turned the light bulb on for me.

What truly amazes me is that my body knew before my mind would accept it. It's so convenient that my body and hers are still so in tune with each other, even after the separation of birth. I've read a few posts in the last week or so that exemplified this connection, Lautaret Bohemiet's being my favorite. In Western culture we try to disconnect the mind and body so much, to the point where we just don't trust or listen to our body's cues. Some might think it's a bunch of psychic mumbo jumbo, but I'm a believer.  There's stuff going on beneath the surface that we aren't acutely aware of, but our body is working away 24/7.

the remains

One of the things I've been craving this past week were avocados (but, lets face it, I'll eat avocados any day, I don't need craving to be an excuse). So in a hurry, I pulled this recipe out of my Nyam Pinterest board and whipped it up for lunch today. It was whipped so quickly and efficiently, there was no time for pictures to justify one of my Pinterest Summer Recipe Challenge posts.

On that note, tonight's dinner is BBQ Pork Pizzas, with dough made from scratch and the pork roasted at a friends' party over the weekend. Again, not a Pinterest Summer Recipe Challenge post, but I hope that it will be worthy of some bragging about later ;)

The Wonderous Mama Body

I remember seeing a pregnant woman at the airport when I was about 8 or 9. At first I saw her sitting at a table, so I didn't see her belly. But by her face alone, I knew she was pregnant. She had this look of discomfort, of water retention, of just being miserable. While she stuffed her face with a Mcsomething..but hey, most people tend to look that way when they eat something like that, even not being pregnant ;)

This very vivid experience with seeing a pregnant stranger stuck with me for a long time. I grew up (like most girls) thinking about how being pregnant is the time to let go, eat whatever you want and be expected to gain a bunch of weight but no could dare say anything to you. I spent way more time worrying about what my figure would turn into during the early part of my pregnancy than I should have. I made my closest friends promise to be honest with me and tell me if I ever got fat in the face..

But I very, very quickly got over that. As soon as the first trimester was over and I actually had a choice in what I wanted to eat, I educated myself on organic and natural options. I gave up my beloved ramen, canned foods, sugary options (well, most - I just couldn't break up with chocolate) and switched to organic milk, eggs, veggies and fruits, cooked as much as I could from scratch, learned how to bake bread. I tried to cut as many preservatives out of my diet as possible. This paved the way for my health, our baby's, and ultimately my entire family's.

After living this lifestyle for a year, I feel great. I am not "that girl" who obsesses or congratulates herself over and over again about weight loss bc it doesn't matter anymore to me. A number doesn't matter. Not the lbs, not the pants size. I'm eating healthy and staying active. What I'm happy and proud of is exlusively bf'ing my daughter for over 5 months and going strong. Beating the statistics. And yes, that choice has paid off in weight loss for me as well.

{Soapbox warning} So yea, I'm thinner than what I was before getting pregnant, by about 5-7 lbs. But I'm also squishy in new places (I like to think of it as perfect landing spots for my little one's head to rest). My body will never be the same. And that's something to be proud of. I don't want it to ever be the same - my body represents the sacrifice and miracle of creating life. I've nourished another person, my body is a source of comfort. I've earned my mama body, and I wouldn't trade it for the sexiest bikini in the world. But it would be nice to find one that works! ;)

ps- Are we friends on facebook? We should be.

Experimenting with flavor

Penny's 6 month mark is upon us.. and I've been looking forward to it and also pulling back a little.

It's the start of my baby's journey to solid foods. I'm excited for her but also begining to mourn the end of our breastfeeding relationship. It feels really selfish to want to hold on to these precious moments we have left. I definitely am planning on nursing her past a year, but part of me worries that she will "outgrow" me and wean sooner than expected and take off after solids... It wouldn't be a bad thing, we'd find other ways to give her the milk she still needs.

Nonetheless, I've decided that in preparation for getting her started on solids, we'll be introducing some of the juicy summer fruits in season for her to suck on and get accustomed to having a different flavor in her mouth.

As a side note, breastmilk doesn't always taste the same. Just like how pastured, organic, grass-fed cows make different milk than those who are not. Your diet will change the flavor of the milk you produce. I've never actually stayed away from any certain food while breastfeeding, with the exception of alcohol. I'm hoping that my diverse diet (which includes delicious shrimp jambalaya from last night!) will pave the way for Penny to be excited to explore different foods, flavors and consistencies.

So far, we've tried letting her suck on a pear, a piece of watermelon and a slice of cucumber. The pear doesn't jive with Penny. She no likey. She's been really interested in putting her mouth on whatever I have in my hands (cold glasses, mainly), so I let her check a pear out that I was eating. She liked it until she got to a part where I had bitten off a piece and after a second of tasting it, she pulls away in total shock and horror... Looks at me as if to say "Why???"

Another night I tried with a slice of cucumber, which she seemed to enjoy. Then when we switched back to the pear or watermelon, the same look of confusion came back.

What this tells me is that she's interested, but isn't quite sure what she signed up for.  We'll continue to offer her things to taste, but maye will wait a while on solids until she's able to show more interest. She has the rest of her life to experiment and enjoy solids, so even at six months old, I don't feel the rush to push her into it if she's not ready.

I'd really like to feed her according to the "Baby Led Weaning" style, meaning starting your children (after 6 months of age) on table foods that are pretty close to what we eat as adults. Of course, that doesn't mean jambalaya, or other complex flavors to begin with - but eventually - yes. The plan would be if we are having spaghetti for dinner, then Penny would get a few pieces of penne pasta, some steamed veggies, and maybe a taste of the sauce.


BLW means not having to spoon feed your child, because they are in charge of what goes into their mouth. They graze at will, and experiment on their own what they want to try. Many parents worry about whether their child will choke or not, but with proper supervision and portions, your baby will be able to figure it out. A large part of the world uses this method, as 'pureed' options are not always available. It also allows the baby to decide when they are full, rather than having the parent depend on portions set out by baby food companies. BLW is an ideal choice for us because I want Penelope to primarily depend on breastmilk through her first year, and solids will be more of a fun and sensory experience. If she ends up getting any calories out of it, great, but she still should be dependant on milk more.

This doesn't go to say that Penny won't be getting any food via spoon - afterall, fall is upon us and this family loves applesauce.

Pinterest Summer Recipe Challenge: Red Velvet Brownies

If you are a Pinterest addict like I am, you'll know that sometimes you pin ideas that you, for all intents and purposes, plan to try at some point. My recipe board, Nyam, is full of those. I decided that this summer, I'm actually going to make use of this board and try these recipes out. My goal is 1-2 recipes per week, and I'm calling it my Pinterest Summer Recipe Challenge. You can find more of my challengers here.

I've never had "from scratch" brownies before. It's one of those foods (sort of like mac n cheese) that I always assumed began it's life in a box. To no one's surprise but my own, a lot of our quick and easy, "junk", out-of-the-box, traditional American foods really did come from home cookin'. Yes, I was impressed.

So then I find a combination for my love of brownies and red velvet. I love red velvet cupcakes, cake, you name it. I know that for the most part many red velvet recipes are just chocolate cake with red food coloring added.. but maybe it's all about presentation for me. I bet if someone were to give me a "blue velvet" cake I'd be just as in love. The greatest common denominator = chocolate. Hence, I just love chocolate. (ps- that wasn't a secret by any means!)

I present to you the love child from two of my favorite desserts:

You will need:

1 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

red food coloring*

4 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups of flour

6 teaspooons of unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

*The original recipe calls for 2 oz of red food coloring. As I was making the batter, I did a double take and realized.. HOLY CRAP that is a lot of food coloring and I don't have that much! So, I used up my one bottle of 1 oz of red food coloring. See below for results.

You will do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

2. My little trick for bringing butter or eggs up to room temperature without having to wait a very long time is to put them in a bowl that is filled with slightly hotter than luke warm water. You don't want to put them into hot water because then your butter will melt and your eggs will cook.

3. Cream the butter and sugars.

4. Add one egg at a time, mix well between eggs.

5. Add vanilla and red food coloring. Be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl as you go to make sure that you're mixing the color in completely into the batter (unless you want swirly brownies!).

6. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix together.

7. Slowly incorporate flour mixture into red mixture. Scrape down the sides often.

8. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

Verdict: If you're looking for the all American brownie flavor that we've all grown to know and love, get the boxed version. But if you're looking for something a little classier, not necessarily middle school dessert style, go for these. They were oh-so-moist!



This recipe is brought to you by:



ps: weird Penny fact:

she *loves* sleeping with something partially covering her face. ??

Revamp!

You may have noticed some changes around here :)

A few weeks ago I won a fabulous giveaway at one of my favorite blogs, Delirious Rhapsody. I've been working with Emily of The Crafty Bees for a while and we came up with this amazing design. I love it!
The hues of purples, grays and ivory represent the theme I'll have for Penelope's room once we a) get back to "real life" and into our own place again (soon!!!) and b) when we no longer bedshare. Which, who knows when that is. It works so well for us, and I love waking up to her smiling face and our morning chats. But, her room will be prepared and decorated for daytime use, nonetheless.

So.. Look around. On the right hand side you'll see that you can now follow me via facebook (which is still in the process of being up and running..), add me to your blog feed, or email me questions or post topics you'd like me to write about :) If you keep a blog, you can also grab my button. If you do, let me know and I'll grab yours too!

I'll be continually adding new features to the blog and facebook page, so keep an eye out.

FAQs: About me

Perhaps a little narcissistic.. but each week I keep seeing my page hits go higher and higher, and I'm guessing I've got a lot of readers out there who are new and don't really know me personally. So here goes. Some stuff about me.

Who am I?
Of course there's more to me than my little blurb on the "A mama and her family" tab. Let's see. I'm Bianca. I live in the PNW with my family of 5 - Adam {husband}, Penelope {Pierogie}, and two hounds - Romeo and Squirt. I have a degree in Sociology, focusing on family/marriage, with some demography and race/ethnicity sprinkled in. I'm 26 years old, I was born in Canada but would really more consider myself Polish-American than Canadian-American. More about that later. I love to travel, spend time outdoors (be it hiking, skiing, ATVing, boating, or something as simple as taking a stroll with my daughter and dogs), bake and cook, and have recently become semi-crafty.

Tell me more about your family.
My blog features little snippets about each of my family members, mostly Penelope because she's the cutest one. Adam and I met towards the end of college and it was completely random. If either of us had been 15 seconds early or late, we would have never met. And you wouldn't be here reading this wonderful blog. Penelope is our first child, and pretty much the best thing that ever happened to us. Her middle name is Helena, after my Polish maternal grandmother (there's that darn teaser about being Polish again.. hmm you still have to wait!). The furry members of our family, Romeo and Squirt, are also pretty awesome.  Romeo is our 12 year old samoyed-retriever, whom I've had all of his life. He is the best old dog ever. Squirt is a 3 year old miniature Australian shepherd with a heart that aims to please.

What is your strangest fear?
I wouldn't say that I am fearless, but I would say that I am willing to try almost everything, within reason, at least once. One of the things that I absolutely will never, ever, do is underwater spelunking. It scares the living crap out of me. I don't know why, and I'm not sure what ever brought this fear around. I've been in several caves before, including the Ape Caves at Mount St. Helens, the Cave of the Winds in Colorado Springs, and a cave system in Palma de Majorca that I can't remember what the name of it is now. I'm not claustrophobic or scared of the dark. I would love to learn how to dive. But I just have no desire to be in a position where I can't come up for air if I need to. It's not that irrational, really.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
That's sort of a silly question because I have every intention of going to pretty much all the places that I dream of going. A short list of future travels include (not in order): a cruise to Alaska, Banff, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Egypt, Prague, Venice, return to southern Italy, Greek Isles, Australia/New Zealand. Being that I plan on living for hopefully another 60 years, I think that's manageable. Two places that I'd like to visit but am not sure if it will happen are Morocco and India. Mainly because those two cultures are so foreign to me and I am afraid that I'd get lost in all of the people. Plus, Adam is not quite as adventurous in his traveling as I am so it would take a lot of prep work to convince him to go to either of those places.

What is your favorite beauty product?
I'm not really one for getting super glammed up, I don't really do my hair (I'd love to, but don't have the patience and my hair pretty much returns back to it's normal wave within a few hours) and my clothing style is.. comfortable.. with a camp counselor kind of feel. Lol. That's the best way I can explain it. My typical ensemble is a button up shirts, jeans, flip flips, fitted tees. I don't wear a lot of makeup..because I don't have to. I've been blessed with pretty good skin, so any make up that I wear is just as an accent. So, that is limited to some eye shadow, eye liner and mascara. Yep, that's it. But, back to the question - my favorite beauty product of all time is hot oil for your hair. I normally use V05's hot oil, but I've been experimenting with some home recipes and am still tweaking it. I swam all 4 years in high school and hot oil was my only saving grace for my hair.

Ok, so that question about being Polish. What gives?
Both of my parents were born and raised in different parts of Poland, and immigrated to Calgary in the 80's, and met there. They had me, my dad took a job as an environmental engineer in the States and we moved south when I was 3. My little brother was born when I was 5. I'd say that we spoke exclusively Polish at home until I was about 10 or so. After that, I started sneaking some into sentances and my parents really couldn't stop me from there. But my mom would cook traditional Polish meals almost each night. I've been to Poland a handful of times, the most recent being about 11 years ago. It's about time to go back. So because being Polish and having that Polish culture in my childhood was much more a part of my life than being Canadian on my passport, that's why I say I consider myself to be more Polish-American and Canadian-American.

What are your priorities in life?1. Take care of my family, starting with Penny and my husband. I do this physically, emotionally, mentally.
2. Delight in the Lord. I became a thoughtful/intentional Christian shortly after Adam and I started dating, and this faith has brought me through a lot of troubled and happy times. I don't talk too much about it openly because it's something very personal and close to my heart..many times I don't really have the words to describe how I feel. But it's there.
3.  Always be learning something new. My husband's favorite thing to say about college (and I whole heartedly agree) is that going to college fundamentally teaches us how to learn; not just teaches us the facts/theories about what we are majoring in. For as long as I can remember I've always been researching something new, and in the end I feel like I know a little bit about a wide range of things. This blog has been a great platform in doing so.
4.  Live presently in each day. Especially after Penelope was born, I knew that it would be so easy to just "get through" each day because of exhaustion or busyness. But this is what life is about! So I try to be sure not to zone out or get into a rut in my life, marriage or relationship with my daughter. It's not that hard because I am so thankful for the life that I have!

Pet Peeves -Go:
1. People who don't know the difference between "your" and "you're," "there" "their" "they're". Another thing is when you see this on a grocery store sign: $.02. It's not wrong, but why not just write 2¢?
2. People who complain about their kids. You're lucky to have them, so be the best parent you can be and quit your whining.
3. Talking to other cars while you're driving (my husband does this all the time). "Thanks subaru for cutting in front of me."
4. Not taking the trash out before visitors come over. Not sure why, but it just bothers me.
5. Booger tracks under kids' noses. I know it's not their fault, and often times there's just nothing to be done about it.. but will someone just clean their face for them??
6. Facebook status posts that are like "Ok facebook I'm going to take a shower.. see you later". This is a guaranteed way to have you be removed from my feed, if not my friends.
7. Texting like "R U OK?" or ebonics like "boi"
*this by no means is an exhaustive list.. just what I was feeling at the moment :)

Ok.. So .. I think that's pretty much all I can think of for now.  If you have any questions about me, email me and maybe I'll include it on a follow up post in the future!

Pinterest Summer Recipe Challenge: Sweet Honey Cinnamon Butter

If you are a Pinterest addict like I am, you'll know that sometimes you pin ideas that you, for all intents and purposes, plan to try at some point. My recipe board, Nyam, is full of those. I decided that this summer, I'm actually going to make use of this board and try these recipes out. My goal is 1-2 recipes per week, and I'm calling it my Pinterest Summer Recipe Challenge. You can find more of my challengers here.

I saw this on pinterest, which was originally a Texas Roadhouse Recipe. Uhm...yes please and thankyouverymuch, may I have some more??

I made it a habit to use organic and/or local, natural ingredients when possible. I'm glad to say this recipe is almost completely so!

You will need:
2 sticks of organic, unsalted butter, room temperature (I used the kind you can now buy at Costco)
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c local honey (I am a honey snob, local is the only way to go. Perhaps this warrants a post for the near future)
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon







You will do:
1) bring your butter to room temperature, it must be soft but not melted.
2) whip it up with a mixer
3) slowly incorporate each ingredient, one at a time until well blended.
4) spoon into small canning jars
5) love on your little (see below)









Storage is based on your preference.
**Thanks Jenna for clarifying about storing unsalted butter, because I wasn't aware.. Unsalted butter does not keep as well at room temp as salted butter does.  At our house, we use a French butter crock, and we go through at least a stick of butter a week (I know.. ugh). The science behind the french butter crock is that the water supposedly acts as a seal and helps keep the butter longer. Because we go through butter so fast, I've never really tested this theory, but it definitely keeps the butter at a nice consistency and it just sits in a cupboard.  I wasn't planning on putting this butter into our crock, so I suppose I'll be refrigerating it after I get my fill.

This butter is great on bread, muffins or..that sour cream banana bread you made after my post last week ;)
So... Miss-chevious was up to no good this afternoon while I whipped away this confection. She's rolled outside of her playmat before, and like in the picture below, it's just been one or two rolls away. But this time, this little girl got herself like 5 feet away from the mat within a matter of a couple minutes. This protective mama did not stop to take a picture, instead scooped up her little one and plopped her right back into the mat.. I had been prepared for this for a couple weeks, but I knew there was something up when suddenly it got really quiet behind me.. hmm.. Oh well, no harm no foul. She was pretty pleased with herself though!

Guest post at That Mama Gretchen: My birth story

Check it out, my dear friend Gretchen graciously allowed me to share Penelope's birth story over on her blog, while she prepares for the birth of her second- a little man! I posted the synopsis of Penelope's birth earlier - but you'll find the nitty gritty deets with her.

I think sharing birth stories is extremely important to help normalize childbirth and show more women that labor (and birth) is not the excruciating act that the media depicts. Back in the day, mothers, sisters and friends all attended each others births so it wasn't such a strange event, and most likely by the time it was your turn you've already seen it a few times so you sort of know what to expect. Although horror stories do happen, fear is a huge factor in pain tolerance and how situations play out. Personally, reading and hearing birth stories was the best way I could prepare for labor. I read good and scary stories - and each one taught me something new with coping mechanisms, what I'd like to see happen or what I didn't care for.

Mine is a story where I got everything I hoped and dreamed for in a birth - and I hope that by sharing it with to-be, new and veteran mamas alike we can gain confidence in trusting our bodies to do what we were built for.

5th month collage

Here is the monthly installment of my favorite cell phone pictures from July. 

Her development this month has been astounding; so many new sounds,

positions and interest in the world! 

5 months

Penelope,

Here we are, at the 20 week mark..you are 5 months old!

We've fallen into a very comfortable rhythm for our family. You are the best little buddy I could ask for. Most days are quiet and spent at home, but we've also done our fair share of travel as well. We've divided our time between the lake house and house sitting, and also spent a week in Canada at family camp. You have become quite the little traveller.. flying at 2 months, your first international trip at 4 months.. maybe a visit to Uncle Nick in Germany before the end of the year is in order?? ;)

It seems like we don't really stay in the same place for too long but you do well in new environments. I'm so proud of you! I promise that we'll be settled into our permanent home soon.

Love,
Mama and Daddy

Some new updates for you:

You totally flirt now! When you see someone smile or something that you like, you totally give it the biggest smile and then tuck yourself into my neck, and peek shyly back.. You'll do this 4-5 times with each new person. It's so adorable!

For about a week you were doing raspberries. I had started teaching you how to and encouraging it more, and you did it for about a week and now it's very sporadic..Perhaps a new trick is in order?


We've started playing peekaboo, you sort of get it but not quite yet.. Soon though!

Last month's update said you were almost proficient at rolling over both ways, now you're a total champ! In fact, if you think that I'm not watching, you'll roll around all over the place and end up in a completely different orientation.

With rolling over from back to tummy, you've become excellent at grabbing your toes.. Which is totally my favorite baby pose ever! Especially when you are naked :) Seeing all of your chubby little rolls, and you curled up into a little ball is the cutest thing ever. You've even managed to get a foot in your mouth a couple times.

Bath time is now very messy! You like to send waves around the sink (yes, you are still small enough for the sink.. but not for long!) and sometimes it feels like I'm in the splash zone at SeaWorld. We also have inaugurated a special bath time song for you, Raffi's Baby Beluga. I grew up absolutely loving that song and I am glad I get to share it with you :)

You love all babies, but you especially love your cousin Pamela. I think it's a girl thing ;)

Your favorite toy is the bounceroo, which is on loan from your cousin Frankie. You also love rattles and your Sophie the Giraffe teething ring.

Although I'm not sure what your length is, you are now roughly 14 lbs. Way to go for being over twice your birth weight!

Your current schedule is waking up between 7:15-8 (although I try my hardest to keep you asleep til 8!), nap time is every 2 - 2 1/2 hours from there. Bath time starts at 7:30 and you are out like a light by 9p.

You are by no means a quiet baby, you love to chat and squawk.


Chatting and squawking is cute and all, but if you are not in mama's arms for too long, you begin to yell.  I'll spare you all the video!  You have definitely learned the art of projection.. Perhaps one day you'll take some opera lessons from your Auntie Annie?

You reach for anything that is in my hands. You absolutely love touching cold glasses, especially when they have condensation from a cool beverage inside.

Current nicknames: Penny (duh), Pennybaby, PenPen, Lil' P, Baby, and my personal new favorite.. Little Sugar.
Next month, you'll be 6 months old.. I can't believe it!