5 months, 2 teeth and a baby dedication

Look at my teeth!

Chloe turned 5 months today and although she was grumpy, due to problems napping, she is still a sweet baby!! She cut her second tooth this week and has been showing them off a little more. Last Sunday we finally had her dedicated and it was so great having my parents and B's family here! Our almost 2 year old niece kept saying, "Baby Chloe" the whole service it was really cute! Chloe smiled the whole time and it was meaningful to have the whole congregation affirm our desire to raise Chloe in a home that loves God. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past few weeks. She has been a great nighttime sleeper, sleeping 12 hours some nights, she still remains a VERY active one even in her sleep!Chloe with Grandpa!

Inch worm and bouncing

Well, my active child is at it again....inch worming and loving the 'johnny jump up'.Here she is trying to move she will pull her head down and legs in and move about an inch, she doesn't get very far but she is trying really hard.

A night out

I didn't get a picture of B and I's hot date on Saturday night. Some amazing women volunteered to babysit so we could go out. We splurged and went to Della Voce and had an great time together. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere charming and the conversation the best! I love talking to my husband. About halfway through our meal the large table of ladies next to us were getting their martini's delivered and one flew toward B and splattered the back of his nice sweater. It was something strawberry and I knew it was going to stain. So, the wait staff brought us some club soda and I begin blotting his sweater in a fancy restaurant. A few minutes later the manager/owner came and let us know that they would pay for dry cleaning and that desert was on the house. We had delicious deserts and coffee in individual french presses. It was a delightful evening and Chloe did great being put to bed for the first time by someone other than mom or dad. The funniest part of the martini incident was that one of the women at the other table also got splattered. She was wearing a strapless dress and a few minutes after I heard her telling her friends, "that drink went right down my dress, good thing I am wearing full body spanx so I don't feel a thing."

Marketing Scheme????

A few weeks ago I bought a small container of Oxi Clean to clean some spots left by our little one. I opened the container and couldn't find the scoop. Come to find out there is a MAJOR design flaw in this product. The scoop is almost as tall as the vessel and they must put the scoop in and pour the detergent over it. It took me first trying to fish for it with a chop stick and then finally losing a bunch on the counter and floor to retrieve that thing. You can't even put the scoop back in after pulling it out. It might be a marketing scheme because I do like the product, but the scoop situation is enough to make me buy the bigger bucket next time I need some. Here is some photo evidence of the whole situation....

Love Bug

Little Miss Chloe had her first Halloween and thanks to Grandma she had the cutest costume. We didn't go trick or treating but we did have fun with our Life group getting free burritos! In other Chloe news...she got her 1st tooth on Tuesday! It has been quite a week, a 4 month old teether is a challenge, she can't hold things steady to her mouth quite yet. I am hoping not every tooth is this disruptive. She has also found her thumb, which we think is great because we only have to go in about once a night now. She is babbling more and is still so smiley!

4 Months...

Chloe turned 4 months on Wednesday and had her doctor's appointment on Thursday morning. Doc said she is doing great, weighed in at 14.1 lbs and 26 1/2 in. long. She's long and lean like her daddy. In fact many of her 3-6 month clothes don't quite fit right (sleeves to short, torso too short, pant legs short and to big in the waist). She also got the other half of the shots she had at 2 months. She didn't have much of a reaction at that time, but whew boy! She has been a fussy baby for the last 2 1/2 days. She even got her first fever and just laid in my arms and moaned for awhile. Last night she didn't sleep well at all, waking every couple of hours for a few minutes-quite a difference from her normal 10+hours of sleep. I am one tired mama tonight. I did manage to get a picture of her yesterday, though a smile was a bit hard to come by. She has been a bit better today. Last week she also started rolling over back to tummy. She even did the tummy to back, back to tummy roll. She is changing every day. Here are some pictures of her playing with her friend Gabi, and trying out her bumbo seat.

Hair Product Sale

Yesterday I happened by the JCPenney salon and saw an amazing sale on hair products, buy one get one for .88 cents. I use Redken, color extend which is a little pricey. I was able to get 2 large bottles for the price of one, it will last me a year! I think the sale goes through this week sometime, definitely worth calling your local store to see if they are running the same deal.

A new recipe?!

After my last post I became inspired to cook something new. I found this recipe on Our Best Bites, and it is really easy and super tasty!!! Some guests ate some leftovers and really liked it too. I thought the cider was a strange ingredient, but it being fall having cider around is fun and I do think it gave the soup more depth of flavor. Check out the link for pictures.

Tortellini Sausage Soup

3 links Italian sausage ( I got 2 from the deli for $1.90 and it was plenty)
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
2 cans chicken broth
½ c. apple cider (don't leave this out! I did once and it wasn't the same...)
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated (great way to use your food processor if you have one)
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini.)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley (yes, that's two tablespoons)

If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.

Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic
and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. (until carrots are tender) Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Add the tortellini nd cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.