Three Christmases

One of the best parts of being a parents is getting to enjoy the holidays via your kid! Christmas was such a joy this year. Watching Gwyn play with wrapping paper and boxes (and the occasional toy) was more fun than I ever could have imagined!

Out little family celebrated Christmas in Naperville, Mesa, and Tucson this year. This 2 week extravaganza included so many fun events: a 1st birthday for our new nephew Cole, a trip to the Tucson Zoo, a reunion lunch at Rosa's with my favorite girlfriends, a new Polheber Family portrait, a spa day at the Camelback Inn, a picnic at the Farm at South Mountain, a surprise invite to be a bridesmaid in my oldest friend Colleen's wedding <3, and probably one too many burritos from Filibertos/Nicos/LosBetos...yes, we made all 3 stops...I know, but the Midwest has no idea how to make a burrito.

Gwyn thoroughly enjoyed playing with all her new cousins! She has lots of new playmates on both sides of the family (ages 8mo, 10mo, 10mo, 12 mo) and watching all the kiddos interact was pure entertainment. I literally took hundreds of pictures with my new fancy camera (thank you hubby) that now need sorting. So many precious moments captured!

We were thrilled to share Gwyn's first Christmas with all our family and friends. Gwyn received so many lovely gifts that we filled our extra suitcase and still ended up shipping 2 large boxes with FedEx! Holy cow!

We are so fortunate to have such generous and loving friends and family. Thank you all for making this first Christmas so special!

Another Saturday Breakfast

This was so easy and super delicious that I had to share. Of course, I found this recipe on Pinterest, the are called Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups. It is a Martha Stewart recipe that you can find here. Let me tell you these are ridiculously simple to make.

Originally, I thought I'd use this recipe for guests because you can make a large quantity (just prepare a few muffin tins) and serve a warm traditional breakfast to everyone at the same time. No worrying about cold eggs, toast, or bacon. It is all ready at once and comes in a nice little package. But Greg enjoyed these so much that I might just have to make them for the two of us every now and again.

Enjoy!

Oh my heavenly pancakes

I was never a big fan of breakfast...until I got pregnant. Weird right? Most women can't keep their breakfast down and I just couldn't get enough. During my pregnancy I developed a strange addiction to pancakes that decided to stick with me.

I. love. pancakes.

Since pinterest has taken over my life...and my kitchen. I knew this recipe would be number one priority for my Saturday morning. Lemon Poppy Seed pancakes with macerated strawberries, yes please. This recipe doesn't disappoint!

Lets have a close up, shall we...yum.

And my two favorite people to spend Saturday morning with.

I am a lucky lady!

The Nap Saga Continues

We are making progress. Gwyneth is much more inclined to go down for nap after a couple weeks of using the Ferber method. We have our little nap routine and aim for the same nap times (roughly) in the morning and afternoon.

Our pre-nap screaming is down to a minimum. Most days Gwyn makes some fussy noises as I put her into the crib but then she goes right to sleep! Genius!

Well almost...we have a new hurdle. Gwyn has become a cat napper. She sleeps for 5, 15, maybe 30 minutes and then her little eyes fly open and she is ready to get up!

Ferber says that you are supposed to leave the child in the crib for a full hour. Maybe I should follow the rules and let her hang out in the crib if she wakes up? This will undoubtedly lead to more crying...sigh...any thoughts for me??

Naps

Oh how we struggle with naps everyday. Sometimes I feel like getting Gwyn down for a nap is my one and only job. It is certainly first priority on our agenda each day because a tired baby is not a happy baby.

Gwyn's "tired signs" are perfectly clear. She is a yawner. If Mama happens to miss a yawn, she will not hesitate to remind me that she is losing steam fast by rubbing her eyes furiously. I try to pay close attention to her signals to get her down in a timely fashion but it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.

Gwyn wakes at approximately 7:30am each morning. If her wake time is off I still aim for the morning nap 1-1.5 hours after she gets up (because she is already exhausted by then). This usually puts our morning nap at 9am. I have tried to play with this time...a little earlier...a little later...nada. She does not want to go to sleep. She will cry and cry and cry. I usually continue my attempt for 1 hour. Then I bring her back down stairs where she jumps deliriously in her Jumperoo (smiling and yawning between bounces) or she fights with all her might to keep her head up while playing on her play mat (if her head rests on the floor for more than 5 seconds she promptly lifts it right back up with restored determination and vigor!) I am usually exhausted just watching her.

So I hold out hope for an afternoon nap. Usually I start attempting this one at noon. Basically, to avoid sounding redundant, this is a repeat of the morning.

Then, to my great dismay, she usually falls asleep in the middle of a meal (while nursing) around 1:30-2. When this happens I attempt to separate myself from her...not easy, and put her down to sleep. This is successful maybe 50% of the time. Today is one of those lucky days, but who am I kidding, this is not working!

Tomorrow we are going to try Ferber for naps. I used Ferber for bedtime and Gwyn goes straight to sleep every night within minutes after eating. I will report back in one week...cross your fingers, say a prayer, do a dance...we need all the help we can get!

Flying Solo

This week my traveling husband (Greg never travels) is spending a week in Dubai. Greg has been working on a large oil and gas project in the middle east for the last 3 years. Fortunately, he has been able to complete 99% of the project from the comfort of his office here in Illinois. His company has made several attempts at sending him to the job site however, things like pregnancy complications and the birth of our daughter have worked to keep him close to home. So finally the time came for him to make the 14 hour flight around the world to see (in person) all the hard work he has contributed.

I can not tell you how much perspective I have gained being a single parent for the last several days. Of course no one would doubt the job of raising a child alone would be an incredible challenge. And please let me add that Gwyn is an amazing baby. She is happy nearly all the time and a relatively easy going kid. But come six o'clock, when her daddy comes through the door, Gwyn is the happiest baby on the block (and mama gets a much needed breather or sometimes just a bathroom break).

On top of allowing me a break, Greg is always pitching in around the house. Whether it is feeding the pups, taking out the trash, or just checking all the locks on the doors before bed...he is always helping me, and listening, and talking, and making me laugh.

He is my partner in crime, the love of my life, and the best father to our daughter that I could ever ask for. Saying that I miss him is a complete understatement. Thank goodness he'll be home in a couple of days :)

Apples and Doughnuts

I have been counting down the days until apple picking season. I love this time of year in Chicago. The air is cool and crisp but the days are still sunny and warm. Last weekend we visited an apple orchard and were able to pick Courtland and Gala apples. I made baby food with the sweet Gala apples and I plan on making my first attempt at apple pie with the Courtlands this weekend. Gwyn brought her buddy Julianna and we all had a great time.

The apples were good but the highlight of the trip was actually the apple cider doughnuts that are made fresh at the orchard shop. These doughnuts are legendary and I have to admit they might have been my underlying motivation for the apple picking excursion.

The doughnuts are apple spice flavored and covered in cinnamon and sugar. They are warm, soft, and fall apart while you eat them. They remind me of an apple spice flavored churro only much softer and even more delicious. Needless to say, we will be ordering a dozen when we return for pumpkin picking next month.

YUM!