Vintage

One of my frocks from when I was a baby... circa 1979.

Last week's snow

FOOD

A sneak peek at Lola's first bite of real food - brown rice cereal. Yum! After having a great check-up the previous week and thinking she was going to be a-okay on milk alone for a while longer, everything changed! Oh, what a difference a day makes. Suddenly last week she wasn't sleeping well, seemed unsatisfied and fussier than usual, so we started giving her a little rice. I didn't have any store-bought rice cereal, so I made it by grinding brown rice into a powder, cooking it on the stove with water, then using some of my milk to thin it down. She seems to like it. At least she likes eating from the spoon. She made some very funny faces (which we caught on camera and video) and probably got more on her bib than in her tummy. I'm not sure it's the miracle answer we were looking for, as she's still fighting sleep at night. But - fingers crossed - hopefully this is just a phase that will soon pass. :)

Two very un-true statements made by Matt to Lola:

"You need a nap. If you don't take one you're going to get spanked."
(The first part is true - she does need a nap. The second part is false - do you really think Matt will EVER spank Lola? No.)

"Just because you're 2 feet tall doesn't mean you rule this place."
(Um, yes, she does.)

Jimmy Buffett is coming to Kansas City April 30th...

...so, I guess you know where to find us on April 30th.

Ripping off those bandages was almost as bad as the shots...

Pool Time

Lola's first trip to Grandpa Dan's pool...

At the doctor's office

Lola before the evil nurse showed up with her shots...

Broccoli Soup

This morning I was trying to think of something quick and healthy I could whip up for lunch, when I stumbled across a bag of frozen steam-in-the-bag broccoli in the back of our freezer. Matt is working at the dock until noon, so I wanted to have something made when he gets home. I adapted this recipe from a South Beach cookbook - it is soooo easy, it took me less than 30 minutes... not sure if I can wait until noon to eat it. Enjoy!

Easy Broccoli Soup
Extra virgin olive oil
Half an onion, chopped
Minced garlic
1 12-oz package frozen steam-in-bag broccoli
Salt & pepper, to taste
Chicken broth
Lemon juice
Fat free half and half

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a medium sauce pan, 5 to 10 minutes or until tender. Microwave broccoli according to directions on the bag. Add steamed broccoli to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and add enough chicken broth to cover the veggies. Add some lemon juice, then bring to a simmer, partially cover pan and let cook for 10 minutes or so. Remove pan from stovetop and use a hand blender to puree the soup. Add a splash of fat-free half and half to make it creamy. This is a small batch - good for two or three people. Double it if you want to feed more. (Note: You can use fresh broccoli instead of frozen, it'll just take a little longer to cook.)

4-month stats

We took Lola for her 4-month well-check appointment yesterday. She now weighs 14 lbs, 14 1/2 oz and is 25 inches long. She's in the 75th percentile for weight and 90th for height. (At 2 months she weighed 11 lbs, 6 oz and was 23 inches - 50th for weight and 75th for height). Dr. Mai, our pediatrician, couldn't believe how quickly she has caught up after being 26 days early and slightly small at birth. Some pediatricians recommend starting babies on cereal at 4 months, but Dr. Mai said we don't need to do that because Lola is thriving on milk alone. I'm a little relieved. I think it'll be fun to start introducing new foods to her eventually, but for now mealtime is pretty simple. :)

She had two shots yesterday, and thankfully it wasn't nearly as bad as the last time. (Last time, she screamed an awful scream, and I cried.) She did cry, but it was short-lived. Last night she felt pretty warm, so I checked her temp, and sure enough, she had a fever of 101.2F, which is a normal side effect from the vaccinations. We gave her a dose of Tylenol for the first time. This morning she still had a low-grade fever, but it was better. She's been napping for a couple of hours in her swing, and I think I hear her stirring now. Duty calls. :)

Roasted Kale

My cousin Sue Ann shared this recipe with me. Matt and I tried it, and we absolutely love it. This certainly won't fill you up - it's kind of like eating air, actually - but, it's a great way to get some greens in your diet. The leaves crisp up into these super thin green chips. We can eat a whole bunch in one sitting. It's yummy AND very good for you.

Roasted Kale
1 bunch kale
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Wash first, of course. Tear kale from center stem in bite-size pieces. Place on cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss kale with your hands, rubbing oil on each piece. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until kale is light and crispy. (Edges may look black.) Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Water Baby

We took Lola swimming for the first time yesterday at Grandpa Dan's pool. She seemed to enjoy it! She was pretty calm the whole time, taking it all in. She kicked a little, but mostly she just sat back and looked around. We even dunked her underwater a couple times. Well, I did - Dad and Grandpa Dan wouldn't do it. So, mean ol' mommy had to do it. Her eyes got really big, and she looked a little surprised when she came up, but she didn't cry! We sat in the hot tub afterward (it wasn't actually "hot"), and she almost fell asleep. Here are a few pictures - the whole album is at the end. I also have some video I'll try to post soon. Enjoy!

Better Blogger

I'm always encouraged when people tell me they enjoy reading my blog (or blogs). And, then I feel bad for not updating them more often. (Heck, I haven't updated the Living Well blog I write to coincide with my column in the paper since July!) This wasn't a New Year's resolution, but maybe it should have been... I am going to *try* to be a better blogger in 2011. Meaning, I'm going to *try* to update all of my blogs more often. Even if it's just to tell you what we had for dinner (Jackie's pizza and a "Jabet" salad tonight), at least it'll be something. So, thank you to all who read this blog (and the others). For you I will *try* to do better!

Cousins

From December 2009 to December 2010, five babies were born into the Wade family. Pretty crazy and pretty cute. As you can see, Lola is the only girl out of this batch. What fun they will all have in the coming years.

December 2009, Emily and Hunter had Miles (13 months)


May 2010, Spencer and Sandra had Howard (8 months)


August 2010, Jonathan and Brandie had Wallace (5 months)


September 2010, Matt and I had Lola (4 months)


December 2010, Chris and Lindsey had Jackson (9 days)

Christmas 2010

Finally... the Christmas photos I promised. As you can see, most of them are of Lola. Imagine that! We had a very fun and relaxing Christmas with Lola this year. Our "holiday season" started with Matt's birthday on the 21st and ended sometime around the new year. In a nutshell: We had lunch at the Harlin House with Matt's mom, grandma and my mom for Matt's birthday. I baked him a homemade double-layer chocolate cake (the icing had 8 cups of powdered sugar in it). A couple days later, Matt, Lori and I continued the birthday celebration with our friends Dave, Leann and Kirk with tacos and margaritas. Over the course of the holidays I baked white chocolate oatmeal cookies, made four batches of fudge and white chocolate-covered pretzels, a pumpkin cheesecake and a gooey butter cake. On Christmas Eve, Matt's family (minus Chris, Lindsey and the kids, who were awaiting the arrival of new baby Jackson) came to our house for chili and sandwiches. Cal and Kate drove down from Kansas City on Christmas day. We had a late brunch, played dominoes and the Wii. New baby Jackson was born on Dec. 29, and Matt, Lola and I drove to Springfield the next day to meet him. Jess, Gabe and Aspen came over for New Year's Eve dinner. The Wades and the Blackburns were all in bed before midnight. (Next year we're going wild!) Then on New Year's Day we traveled to Ava for Matt's cousin Spencer and Sandra's wedding. Whew.

And now here we are four days into 2011 already. Hard to believe a year ago we were preparing to take an amazing vacation with Jess and Gabe, Megan and Patrick, and our new friends Jess and Chad... and about to find out we were expecting. Quite a lot has happened since we stepped foot off the Lionheart last January. 2010 will certainly be a year to remember, but we look forward to what 2011 has in store! (Did I mention we're counting the days 'til spring?)

These are a few of my favorite pictures...the whole album is at the end. Enjoy!

A Christmas sneak peek

So, as we were taking down our Christmas decorations yesterday, I realized we did not get a picture of the three of us in front of our Christmas tree. It's Lola's first Christmas, we HAVE to have a picture in front of the tree. This is how it went...

Dad and Lola pose as I attempt to figure out the timer feature on the camera...


Take 1...


Take 2...


Take 3... (we look good, but Lola's crying)


Take 4... (and this is as good as it gets!)