What's cookin' Wednesday

Yup, I am a day late! I even had this written up and all and did not sit down to post last night. We had a fussy, runny nosed lil' girl who needed a lot of extra snuggling. I am keeping the title because I am going to try to get into a routine of sharing a recipe every Wednesday. 

What is a working mommy's dream? Nothing other that a handy old crock pot. Since I have been back to work, that little kitchen appliance that used to collect dust has been working overtime for us. I use it at least once, if not twice a week. I am so much more relaxed when I know that dinner is taking care of itself while I teach my life away. With the hope that cooler weather is coming, I am sharing one of my latest heart warming faves. It passes hubby & baby girl's test with flying colors.

I find most of my recipes on Pinterest these days. It is such a one stop shop. This one was quite a find! The original can be found on the Favorite Family Recipes blog, a website packed full of great recipes, several of which are on my 'try it' list.

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 1 c. celery, chopped
• 2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 (16 oz.) can white kidney beans, drained
• 4 cups beef stock
• 3 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. pepper
• 5 tsp. parsley
• 1 tsp. tabasco sauce
• 1 (20 oz.) jar Prego traditional spaghetti sauce
• 8 oz. pasta (I like using ditali pasta)

Instructions

• Brown ground beef in large skillet. Drain fat. Add beef and all ingredients except the pasta into a large crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
• Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to soup.

The only change I made was that I added a can of corn....because we love corn.  I could not find the ditali pasta, so I used another type that was tiny.
I highly suggest using these crock put bags, they make cleaning that pot a breeze.
Serve it up with a french loaf! Gotta love those one pot meals on school nights. This makes enough to serve an army and it should freeze well, if you are in to freezing stuff.

Enjoy

Pumpkin Picking

Well, my master plan worked and the weather (and the husband) cooperated just beautifully this past weekend for a mid morning trip to the pumpkin patch. It might have been just a tad warm for a sweater, but Miss P did not notice. She sported her mustard yellow baby corduroy bubble skirt better than anyone I've ever seen.

It is such a treat to watch her explore something new. Spence and I just love sitting back and watching her figure something out. She was trying to pick up the largest pumpkin, but quickly found out that there was a section with pumpkins just her size. She, of course, carried one around the entire time.  She makes the smallest things so special!

Presley picks the perfect pumpkin.

Couldn't pass up these steps in front of the beautiful church. Perfect spot for a little mini photo shoot.
And Spence even got one of his girls...this rarely happens as I am usually the one pressing the shutter button. She is at such fun age and I have to capture these moments so I never forget!
We are anticipating the cooler weather coming our way and I have the most perfect crock pot soup post in the works. Come on Fall!!!!

Pyogenic Granuloma {say what?}

Do you know what that is? You should, every parent should because they are, according to out dermatologist, very common. We have had our fair share of pyogenic granuloma education this week.                                                    Let me share......

When P was about 11 months old we noticed a small red dot near her eyebrow. Thought it was a scratch, thought nothing of it. Instead of going away, it began to get bigger and look a little raised above her skin.  Being the doctor that I am, I researched and researched and diagnosed her with a hemangioma- a cluster of blood vessels that grow too quickly. They are very common-in fact 10% of Caucasian girls have one withing 3 weeks of birth. At her 1 year check up, her pediatrician confirmed my Dr. Mommy diagnosis, but gave us the name of a pediatric dermatologist anyway. We made an appointment and waited almost a month to get in. Mind you, I am researching, worrying, and pretty much freaking out this entire time-worried that it will continue to get larger, that she might have a scar, that it could be some type of skin cancer, that kids would make fun of her...yada yada yada. It was consuming me.

This is a good picture so that you can see what it looks like.

Well this week, the week of our appointment, she scratched it. I won't go into detail, but I will say that it happened on the way home from school and involved a lot of blood and a mommy with a racing heart beat. Scariest.day.Ever. Our pediatrician said to hold pressure for 10 minutes-IMPOSSIBLE. She is 1 and will not sit still. Let's just say that we ruined a few towels this week. We put a bandaid on it to prevent it from happening while she was at school.

We saw the most wonderful dermatologist this week and she informed us that it is NOT a hemangioma at all. (good one Dr. Mommy) It is a Pyogenic Granoloma. This is a a place on the skin where there was some sort of injury-could be a tiny scratch, a bug bite-the skin does not heal properly and there are too many blood vessels on one spot. You can get one at any age and it is not a reoccurring condition. It is a completely random occurrence and apparently that are quite common. Our doctor said she would be shocked if we ever saw her get one again.

We will visit another specialist in November to have it removed by laser-the only option that assures no scar and no chance of it coming back. We are praying that it only takes one visit.

In hindsight, we wish we would have gone to see the dermatologist when we first noticed it, when it was teeny tiny, so that it might be easier to laser off. Although it is still small, it could take 2 or more visits to completely remove. However, ourselves and our doctor had a misdiagnosis. Like I said, I think you should be aware of these little bumps because it's always better to catch things sooner rather than later.

                            Beyond thankful that it is 'just' a Pyogenic Granuloma. ;)

It's Fall Y'all....

No, I don't believe you! It can't be 85 and humid and be considered Fall. I refuse to believe it. I am a little irritated though because I have bought all these cute Fall clothes for little P and it is just too hot out.  So we headed out to go pick out a pumpkin this morning and it started to rain, so we went to brunch instead and postponed the pumpkin picking until next weekend. Thank goodness, because P's black leggings were dirty and I had to make a last minute outfit change. It obviously wasn't meant to be.  I am hoping it will be a bit cooler and my 'planned' pumpkin picking ensemble will be appropriate.

A Sunday in pictures........

 That little cup is her new snack cup. It isn't supposed to spill, however our child has already outsmarted it. Let's just say I was picking up cheerios off the floor at brunch.

 Oh Winston. This is your only blog worthy picture-ever. P has a new fascination with Winnie, she chases him around and was even caught feeding him cheerios, one by one. I think if she keeps that up Winston might become fond of her.

Waiting for the rain to stop, so we an go outside.

{REALLY} excited about being outside. She marches up and down the driveway like she owns it.

I [LOVE] them so much, they are [PERFECT]

Well Documented

{So, how did I document her first year?}

I think I have done a pretty decent job documenting P's first year of life. I have several different things that I keep up with to make sure that I do not forget one memory, one new word, one funny moment. There are just things that I never want to forget. My husband says, "take a mental picture"....I say take a real picture and then write it down in 3 different places. He will appreciate it one day.

We have a traditional baby book that has our family tree and all that fun info, but my favorite tracking tool is the First Year Calendar like this one. It is a month by month calendar that you can write down things that are happening every couple days. I jotted down little things like: went to Target for the first time, rode in your stroller, went in a swing at the park, first public diaper blowout, got in the pool for the first time, got our first Christmas tree, had to leave the restaurant b/c you were screaming. I also included all the big milestones too. I LOVE looking back, it's just neat to see a big picture of how much she has grown and changed. You can find them at several baby stores or order online at places like Amazon. Spencer's mom actually gave me the idea because she had one for him when he was a baby. 

Shutterfly!!! I am always working on a book. I make them in 6 month increments and they contain all the pictures and little blurbs about what we have been up to. In addition to those, during her first year, I would write a journal entry or more like a letter to her each month, I added pictures from that month on the page next to it. I also included my pregnancy journal and her birth story. One day, when she is older, I know she will love it.

Here is another idea for a book: 

{Quotes}

So kids say the greatest things right? I am going to start compiling a list of the phrases she says and then a picture of her on that day. 
For example, on Saturday morning we walked into the bedroom and Spence was still half asleep, Presley looks at him and plain as day says, "HI, daaa." I am adding that to her book b/c it seriously melts my heart.  I know she is going to say the funniest things and I want to remember those. Obviously, this book will be in production for quite some time....hope Shutterfly is still around in 10 years.

The one month late 'ONE year post'

  It seems that I have been a bit of a slacker as far as keeping up to date with the growing girl. We had her 1 year check up right after her birthday-it was awful, she got 5, count them, FIVE shots. One extra for the flu shot. This round made her very drowsy, to the point that we were worried. I had open house that evening and Spence was home with her and she slept on his chest the entire time I was gone. Doctor says that she is growing perfectly and she is meeting all her milestones. So blessed with our healthy girl.

Stats:

Weight/Height: 22 lbs 13 oz and 30 inches tall 

That means in 1 year she has grown 10 inches and gained 15 pounds 3 oz.

Eating Habits: Loves food! She loves her carbs & fruit (wonder where she gets that?) She will eat steamed carrots and green beans like a champ, but throws her peas to Winston. Wnjoys scrambled eggs and pancakes and goes crazy for YoBaby Strawberry/Bananna yogurt. We started her on whole milk and she is getting used to it. At first, she handed the cup back to me and looked at me like I was crazy. The tricky part is getting her to drink it out of a sippy instead of a bottle. We are down to just 1 bottle at night time and we will wean her from that in a week or two. I am all about gradual release! ;)

Sleeping Habits: I can honestly say that she is back in her crib and sleeps from 8:00-6:30 every night. It's glorious! Now we are dealing with leaky diapers because she sleeps so long. I think she wears herself out at school each day and just crashes at night. She takes just 1 nap now, usually 1 1/2 hours, 2 is we are lucky.

Personality: Sassy, but sweeter than sugar. Her personality melts our hearts. She is everything I have ever wanted in a daughter. She gives hugs and kisses like crazy, it amazes me how well she shows affection; whether it be to us or her dolls. All that said, the sass is starting to show! She will throw little 20 second tantrums, but is very easily redirected. She is very friendly and very vocal, I actually think she just likes to hear her own voice. 

New Tricks: Where do I start? She dances, claps, waves hi and bye, says "hi dad," points to things and says "Dis?" and we tell her what it is. She wants to pick everything up, including her larger toys. She puts babies in her stroller, picks up her purse, and waves bye as she walks away. She climbs! On her small bench and attempts to get in and out of the bathtub. She gets books and scoots back to it in our lap. Follows directions like: go get a book, go get your ball, love your doll. I am leaving out a bunch of new things that she does, but I am too lazy to go upstairs and look at her book. 

One year old Presley