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| Pausing in the middle of play time // *personal photo* |
The Geeks
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Wordless Wednesday: Grey-Blue Eyes
The Geeks
Monday, May 19, 2014
Currently, Chief is... {6 months}
First, let me apologize for taking over a week off from blogging! Life got really busy around here, mainly because I had to work late 3 days in a row. I've done some re-evaluating, and I think, for now anyway, a 5-day-a-week schedule was a bit too ambitious. So, for a while, anyway, keep your eye out for new posts Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, just like the good ol' days, and if I manage to squeeze a couple more in, then you'll be all the more pleased!
Secondly- remember a few months ago when I did the first Currently, Chief is... post? Here's the second installment of this series!
Growing every day, though her growth rate has slowed a bit. I could tell by the way she was fitting into clothes for longer that our growth curve had slowed, and I was getting really, really nervous. Was I not feeding her enough? I thought for sure that the doctor would see her weight and say the 'f' word- formula. I was so afraid that exclusively breastfeeding was not going to work for us anymore. I knew she was healthy, because, well, poop- there's lots of it, and it's always the right color and consistency! As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. At her 6 month check-up last week, she weighed in at 15 lb 6 oz- yes, her weight gain has slowed, but she's getting taller every second and she's as healthy as can be. The doctor was happy, and so, finally, I breathed a sigh of relief and I could be happy, too. She has officially outgrown most of her 3-6 month clothes, and she's moved into the rest of the 6 month clothes from the brands that run a little bigger, as well as the 6-9 month clothes from The Children's Place, which run a bit small.
Eating exclusively breastmilk up until her 6 month birthday, when we introduced bananas. We did bananas for a week, and then yesterday we started avocados. We're trying baby-led weaning, which is an interesting experience, but basically it means that Chief is not so much eating food as tasting it and learning how to pick up tiny things and put them in her mouth. We had to see a different doctor at her 4 month check-up, and that doctor said we could go ahead and launch into "solids" (which really means purees), but everything I've read has said that you should wait until 6 months, so we did. I don't think she'll really be getting any significant amount of nutrition from solid food until she's about 9 months old or so, so we're going to keep on trucking with the breastmilk which has served us well this far.
Talking more each day! She has completely mastered her vowel sounds and has moved on to her consonants- "da da da" and "ba ba ba" and "ta ta ta" (no "ma ma"s yet, unfortunately). She will wake up on Saturday mornings and just babble to herself, singing and cooing until somebody comes in and picks her up. She'll talk to her toys and she'll talk to us, and lately, she's started singing in church. She loves being surrounded by people singing, so she'll join in...only she doesn't stop when the hymn is over. And that's fine by me- so long as she's not screaming or crying, she can make whatever noises she wants right there in the pew. If she gets upset, Mr. Geek or I will either slip off to the side and walk her back and forth, or carry her to the cry room, depending on how easily she calms down. I like to think that her giggling and babbling is just her way of praising the Lord, so I don't mind if she's not perfectly quiet.
Making facial expressions that crack me up! When I do something that I hope will make her laugh, but doesn't quite hit the mark, she'll stare at me and sort of raise one side of her upper lip- I can't quite describe it, so I'm going to have to get a picture of it one day, but it's the exact same expression Mr. Geek makes when he's not impressed. She still smiles pretty much all the time, and now she has two tiny, pointy teeth to show off! And those eyebrows...oh my goodness.
Listening to Mommy sing Disney songs! Once Upon a Dream is still her favorite lullaby- it will calm her down immediately almost every time she gets upset. She loves listening to all kinds of music- especially when we have little dance parties! Aside from music, she loves listening to people read stories to her- and she loves to grab at the pages and crinkle the paper. (The soft books and the board books are great right now because she can't tear them and it's okay if she puts them in her mouth.)
Sleeping through the night, still- although she's pretty much stopped napping during the day. On weekends, she'll sleep for 20 or 30 minutes at a time after nursing, but that's about it. She sleeps more at daycare, probably because I wake her up early, but I'm not sure how they get her to sleep. (Unless they just let her be upset until she falls asleep...which is probably what they do. I don't want to know.) I chalk up the lack of naps to the teeth that are rapidly coming in and making her generally cranky.
Loving sitting up to play with her toys; watching Daddy build towers with her new wooden blocks; knocking down the towers of blocks; having her feet tickled; helping Mommy pick out an outfit; dancing with Daddy; bath time; blowing spit bubbles; rolling over onto her belly; grabbing her feet; drooling all over the place; putting everything in her mouth.
Hating putting on bibs; taking off bibs; sitting still; putting on sleeves; taking off sleeves; having a toy taken away from her; putting on pants; (she actually doesn't mind taking off pants); being bored. Not much upsets her, really, but if she gets bored or otherwise tired and cranky, she'll let you know.
So that was month 4-6! How has life been for your little one lately?
Much love,
The Geeks
*all photos personal*
Secondly- remember a few months ago when I did the first Currently, Chief is... post? Here's the second installment of this series!
Growing every day, though her growth rate has slowed a bit. I could tell by the way she was fitting into clothes for longer that our growth curve had slowed, and I was getting really, really nervous. Was I not feeding her enough? I thought for sure that the doctor would see her weight and say the 'f' word- formula. I was so afraid that exclusively breastfeeding was not going to work for us anymore. I knew she was healthy, because, well, poop- there's lots of it, and it's always the right color and consistency! As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. At her 6 month check-up last week, she weighed in at 15 lb 6 oz- yes, her weight gain has slowed, but she's getting taller every second and she's as healthy as can be. The doctor was happy, and so, finally, I breathed a sigh of relief and I could be happy, too. She has officially outgrown most of her 3-6 month clothes, and she's moved into the rest of the 6 month clothes from the brands that run a little bigger, as well as the 6-9 month clothes from The Children's Place, which run a bit small.
Eating exclusively breastmilk up until her 6 month birthday, when we introduced bananas. We did bananas for a week, and then yesterday we started avocados. We're trying baby-led weaning, which is an interesting experience, but basically it means that Chief is not so much eating food as tasting it and learning how to pick up tiny things and put them in her mouth. We had to see a different doctor at her 4 month check-up, and that doctor said we could go ahead and launch into "solids" (which really means purees), but everything I've read has said that you should wait until 6 months, so we did. I don't think she'll really be getting any significant amount of nutrition from solid food until she's about 9 months old or so, so we're going to keep on trucking with the breastmilk which has served us well this far.
Talking more each day! She has completely mastered her vowel sounds and has moved on to her consonants- "da da da" and "ba ba ba" and "ta ta ta" (no "ma ma"s yet, unfortunately). She will wake up on Saturday mornings and just babble to herself, singing and cooing until somebody comes in and picks her up. She'll talk to her toys and she'll talk to us, and lately, she's started singing in church. She loves being surrounded by people singing, so she'll join in...only she doesn't stop when the hymn is over. And that's fine by me- so long as she's not screaming or crying, she can make whatever noises she wants right there in the pew. If she gets upset, Mr. Geek or I will either slip off to the side and walk her back and forth, or carry her to the cry room, depending on how easily she calms down. I like to think that her giggling and babbling is just her way of praising the Lord, so I don't mind if she's not perfectly quiet.
Making facial expressions that crack me up! When I do something that I hope will make her laugh, but doesn't quite hit the mark, she'll stare at me and sort of raise one side of her upper lip- I can't quite describe it, so I'm going to have to get a picture of it one day, but it's the exact same expression Mr. Geek makes when he's not impressed. She still smiles pretty much all the time, and now she has two tiny, pointy teeth to show off! And those eyebrows...oh my goodness.
Listening to Mommy sing Disney songs! Once Upon a Dream is still her favorite lullaby- it will calm her down immediately almost every time she gets upset. She loves listening to all kinds of music- especially when we have little dance parties! Aside from music, she loves listening to people read stories to her- and she loves to grab at the pages and crinkle the paper. (The soft books and the board books are great right now because she can't tear them and it's okay if she puts them in her mouth.)
Sleeping through the night, still- although she's pretty much stopped napping during the day. On weekends, she'll sleep for 20 or 30 minutes at a time after nursing, but that's about it. She sleeps more at daycare, probably because I wake her up early, but I'm not sure how they get her to sleep. (Unless they just let her be upset until she falls asleep...which is probably what they do. I don't want to know.) I chalk up the lack of naps to the teeth that are rapidly coming in and making her generally cranky.
Loving sitting up to play with her toys; watching Daddy build towers with her new wooden blocks; knocking down the towers of blocks; having her feet tickled; helping Mommy pick out an outfit; dancing with Daddy; bath time; blowing spit bubbles; rolling over onto her belly; grabbing her feet; drooling all over the place; putting everything in her mouth.
Hating putting on bibs; taking off bibs; sitting still; putting on sleeves; taking off sleeves; having a toy taken away from her; putting on pants; (she actually doesn't mind taking off pants); being bored. Not much upsets her, really, but if she gets bored or otherwise tired and cranky, she'll let you know.
So that was month 4-6! How has life been for your little one lately?
Much love,
The Geeks
*all photos personal*
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Culinary Adventures: Shrimp in a Tomato Cream Sauce
Every good Catholic knows you're supposed to abstain from meat on Friday's during Lent- but did you know you're supposed to go meatless every Friday? When it's not Lent, you can choose another 1-day sacrifice instead of abstaining from meat, but during Lent there's definitely no meat on Fridays. I guess over the years people preferred "you can eat meat now" and forgot "if you give something else up."
Here's what we ate this past Friday. Chief and I went grocery shopping when I picked her up from daycare and I grabbed a nice big bag of shrimp, though I didn't have a specific recipe in mind. I knew I wanted pasta and some sort of creamy sauce, so I grabbed a few things that I figured I might need and headed home. I found the below recipe on a quick perusal of Food Network's website, but I didn't have any clam juice (which is what the original recipe calls for). I did, however, have a lemon. Now, I realize the white wine is providing the acid here, so lemon juice could be overkill, but I added it anyway and you know what? It was delicious. Give it a try!
Shrimp in a tomato cream sauce
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
-1lb penne pasta
-olive oil
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
-1 Tbsp dried parsley
-1 Tbsp dried basil
-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-1 C white wine
-juice of 1 lemon
-3/4 C heavy whipping cream
-1/2 C freshly grated Romano cheese
-Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
-In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the shrimp (seasoned with salt and pepper) and garlic in the olive oil. Stir frequently until the shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. (They're ready when they're pink all over.) Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon.
-Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, continuously stirring. Add the wine, lemon juice, and heavy cream, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in about half the grated cheese.
-Toss the pasta and shrimp in the sauce. Garnish with the rest of the cheese.
Do you prefer seafood on your meatless Fridays or do you go vegetarian?
Much love,
The Geeks
Here's what we ate this past Friday. Chief and I went grocery shopping when I picked her up from daycare and I grabbed a nice big bag of shrimp, though I didn't have a specific recipe in mind. I knew I wanted pasta and some sort of creamy sauce, so I grabbed a few things that I figured I might need and headed home. I found the below recipe on a quick perusal of Food Network's website, but I didn't have any clam juice (which is what the original recipe calls for). I did, however, have a lemon. Now, I realize the white wine is providing the acid here, so lemon juice could be overkill, but I added it anyway and you know what? It was delicious. Give it a try!
 |
| *personal photo* |
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
-1lb penne pasta
-olive oil
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
-1 Tbsp dried parsley
-1 Tbsp dried basil
-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-1 C white wine
-juice of 1 lemon
-3/4 C heavy whipping cream
-1/2 C freshly grated Romano cheese
-Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
-In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the shrimp (seasoned with salt and pepper) and garlic in the olive oil. Stir frequently until the shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. (They're ready when they're pink all over.) Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon.
-Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, continuously stirring. Add the wine, lemon juice, and heavy cream, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in about half the grated cheese.
-Toss the pasta and shrimp in the sauce. Garnish with the rest of the cheese.
Do you prefer seafood on your meatless Fridays or do you go vegetarian?
Much love,
The Geeks
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Answer Me This: Crybabies
Time to link up over at Catholic All Year again!
1. Are you becoming your mother?
Let's be honest- I became my mother a very long time ago. I carry a huge purse filled with everything anyone could possibly need, and I routinely lose my keys in its depths. When I say goodbye to people, I tag on, "Be safe!" I drive slow, and I talk to the drivers of other cars, as if they could hear me. Also, I'm losing my mind. So yeah, I've become my mother.
2. Coffee or tea?
Coffee, definitely. My go-to is a sugary espresso drink at Starbucks, but I've had to stick to decaf since I got pregnant. (I'm interested to see what happens to me the first time I suck down some espresso again once Chief is done with breast milk...) Mr Geek found a tutorial on the internet for how to make your own foamed milk without one of those fancy milk-foaming machines, so he likes to whip up fancy schmancy lattes on Sunday mornings. While I was pregnant, I would sip on some Sleepy Time tea to help me de-stress, but I was never that impressed with it. I also turned to English breakfast tea when I needed a pick-me-up during pregnancy, since it has much less caffeine than coffee, but I don't even drink that anymore. And then, of course, there's Mother's Milk tea, which, let's face it, is NASTY, but I drink it anyway- generally only 1 cup a day, even though you need like 6 for it to be truly effective- though I have to stir in a ton of honey to make it palatable. I definitely prefer my tea iced and super sweet, with a wedge of lemon.
3. What foreign country would you like to visit?
I'd love to spend some time in England, and I really, really want to visit the Holy Land. Mostly, I want to go back to Italy, this time with my husband and daughter instead of a handful of coworkers that I don't particularly like.
4. Do you cry easily?
Did I have to put this book down and walk away for a few hours before I finished it so I could regain control of my emotions?
Yes, yes I did. And yes, the trailer makes me all teary-eyed every time I watch it, so I will probably be an embarrassing mess when we see this in theaters.
5. How often do you wear heels?
Um, I wore flats on my wedding day, so...rarely. I wear heels extremely rarely. This is mainly due to the fact that sometime around 2012 my arches decided to fall and wearing heels / standing on my toes for any significant period of time became not just uncomfortable but down right painful. I have a pair of sensible, low nude heels and a pair of sensible, low black heels for when they are absolutely necessary (that is, when I want to feel fancy) but I can't really manage the properly high heels in my closet anymore (I'm just too nostalgic to get rid of them).
6. Do you play an instrument?
Ha, nope. My sisters took all the musical talents in our family (both in marching band, a drummer and a trumpet-er) but I think it's fair to say that I'm the better dancer of the three of us, so at least I have good rhythm. My Grandma would often remark about my long, thin fingers when I was younger and suggest I take piano lessons, but after learning "Heart and Soul" on her piano, I lost interest in the instrument. I'm decent at the drums on Rock Band (though I suck at the guitar).
Go answer these questions on your blog and add yourself to the link-up!
Much love,
The Geeks
1. Are you becoming your mother?
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| my favorite picture of my mom and me, taken when my parents were dropping me off at a summer camp in middle school // *photo by my dad* |
2. Coffee or tea?
 |
| getting some caffeine before the Easter Vigil when Mr Geek came into full communion with the Church / April 2012 // *personal photo* |
3. What foreign country would you like to visit?
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| Rome, from the rooftop of my hotel at breakfast / 15 September 2012 // *personal photo* |
4. Do you cry easily?
Did I have to put this book down and walk away for a few hours before I finished it so I could regain control of my emotions?
Yes, yes I did. And yes, the trailer makes me all teary-eyed every time I watch it, so I will probably be an embarrassing mess when we see this in theaters.
5. How often do you wear heels?
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| my sister/MOH helping me with my shoes on the wedding day / 10 November 2012 // *photo by One Photo Gallery* |
6. Do you play an instrument?
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| playing the bongos in Epcot on our honeymoon // *personal photo* |
Go answer these questions on your blog and add yourself to the link-up!
Much love,
The Geeks
Friday, May 2, 2014
Oh, Internet... {51}
Yikes, I didn't post yesterday. Did anyone notice?
Didn't think so.
Anyway, here's a roundup of the awesomeness of the internet this week:
Shayla at Northern Exposure shared her list of awesome and not-so-awesome baby products. Wish I had known about Target's nursing tanks because I spent WAY too much money on the ones from Motherhood Maternity.
The Clueless Girl's Guide featured a college Quidditch captain on her Rad Gal, Rad Gig segment!
Catholic All Year talked about taking her kids- even the youngest- to a funeral, and why it's important to talk to children about death and grief.
I swear there were more awesome things...these are just the only links I saved >.<
Yeah, I suck at blogging this week, my bad.
Much love,
The Geeks
Didn't think so.
Anyway, here's a roundup of the awesomeness of the internet this week:
Shayla at Northern Exposure shared her list of awesome and not-so-awesome baby products. Wish I had known about Target's nursing tanks because I spent WAY too much money on the ones from Motherhood Maternity.
The Clueless Girl's Guide featured a college Quidditch captain on her Rad Gal, Rad Gig segment!
Catholic All Year talked about taking her kids- even the youngest- to a funeral, and why it's important to talk to children about death and grief.
I swear there were more awesome things...these are just the only links I saved >.<
Yeah, I suck at blogging this week, my bad.
Much love,
The Geeks
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