pumpkin patch & 5 months

i love fall here in Pittsburgh - perfect weather! most of the time anyways...

we took advantage of it this past weekend and made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch -

Cole's first of course

we took the hayride up to the pumpkins

it surprisingly wasn't too crowded and they still had a decent amount of pumpkins left. 

enough for a cute posed picture -

and a family picture

can't wait until we carve pumpkins this weekend. mine is usually just a boring face, but still fun!

love traditions!

and i read on wholesomebabyfood.com that a lot of babies like pumpkin - so we're going to save it, cook it, puree it, and freeze for next month! can't wait!!

we really want to try to make all of his baby food! healthier and cheaper!

so far we've done bananas, but we just mash those as he eats them. he loves those!

and tonight I baked a butternut squash and pureed it and tried to give him some - he ate a lot at his evening feeding though, so I don't think he was hungry enough for it - he gagged! but he didn't spit it at me like he did the rice cereal, so I dont think he hated it! 

(that doesn't look like bananas mom!)

(I don't know about this)

(if i don't look at her, maybe she'll stop trying...)

 we'll try again tomorrow!

he also turned 5 months over the weekend! time is just flying!

he's still just a little guy. 11 lbs 10oz at his appointment last week. he's getting there!

 so full of smiles and laughs though! we just love him!!

that's all for tonight! feeding time...

have a great day!

a couple firsts

we have had a lot of firsts the past couple weeks...so much excitement!

Cole is VERY slowly gaining weight so we started solids a little early.

we tried just rice cereal mixed with breastmilk, by spoon....

he was soo not a fan...

so after having a lot of that spit in my face...

i added smashed up banana...

 and he loved it...he shakes in between bites...

a week later at the doctor, he was up 7oz in 2 weeks and we are done with weight checks for now!!

then, the same day he tried cereal...

he rolled over for the first time!! and i got it on video!!

bad angle makes him look like he has a huge head but still cute:

he was so proud of himself after! now he's rollin back to front too!

next up: butternut squash! can't wait! pictures soon!

have a great day!

 

life lately!

so i haven't blogged in about 3 weeks...oops! life has been crazy....a few big orders in my etsy shop, lots of fun new things with Bubbles, and just fun family time!

we worked on our 101 in 1001 list a little bit!



1.  Get a new job....had an interview for a corporate job...waiting to hear back :/

35.   Go to 3 museums in Pittsburgh....went to the Heinz History Center - lots of local history:

Cole was very intrigued...

85.   10 DIY projects...I made a yarn wreath...they're all over Pinterest and I loved them! I'll have to add a picture later!

we also had our high school's homecoming...parade and football game...busy day!

my little sister marched and performed:

and my brother got to play for pre-game:

i added some new things to my etsy shop:

and Bubbles had lots of first...more to come on those :)

but of course I have to throw in some recent pictures of him:

have a great week everyone!

4 months old!

it's so hard to believe Bubbles is 4 months old already!

time is going soo fast already!

he's so fun right now - always talking and giggling!

the doctor says he's a little too small though...24" and only 10lbs 13oz.  hubby was tiny too but Bubbles didnt gain anything in 3 weeks.  so I'm supposed to pump exclusively for 2 weeks to monitor what he gets...before we do that i'm trying to make him eat longer at every feeding and we're using our Wii Fit to watch his growth...i'm not using it to exercise so might as well get some use out of it, right?!

anyways...of course we did our 4month photo shoot with his PurplePossom tie...

and of course he has to try and eat it....

i LOVE that smile!

have a great weekend!! :)

~Christina~



super easy fondant tutorial

so since there isn't much I won't attempt to make at least once - I decided for my sister's sweet 16 last year to make her a fondant cake -

hubby and I were up until like 1 in the morning I think....but we learned lots and now it's a breeze. so don't be intimidated - it's really fun! (keep reading for instructions)

2 weeks after that party i went at it again and made one for my parents 25th Anniversary party.  I thought I would make it nice and simple - turns out the less decorations you add, the harder because you can use the decorations to hide flaws! but here is their cake:


so it's actually quite simple - you can just google, "marshmallow fondant" and a ton of recipes come up.

the one i use is:

4 cups of marshmallows (lesson #1 - do NOT use generic marshmallows - trust me, it wont work...spend the extra $1 a bag for the good ones!)



add 2 tablespoons of water:



then microwave for a minute at first, then 30 seconds at a time until there are no more lumps of marshmallows




if you're going to add food coloring, do it now (lesson #2 - make it a little darker than you want it because the powdered sugar will lighten it up. lesson #3 - don't listen to any recipe that tells you to knead in the food coloring at the end....its awful and a lot of work and sweat!)




once you have desired color, add 4 cups of powdered sugar - generic is fine now.



then stir it in until it won't mix anymore - it'll look crumby, kind of like old play-doh



dump it out onto a VERY well non-stick sprayed counter and knead it all together until its all mixed in and even texture



if you make it ahead of time this is where you stop, wrap it up really well, and refrigerate.

lesson #4 - if you refrigerate - microwave for 10 seconds before rolling out or will you get a crazy workout and break a sweat big time!
when you're ready - add some more spray and roll it out evenly





this time I made cupcake toppers friend's baby's Christening.  I made them for Cole's back in July and she asked if I could make them for her too. So i cut circles and crosses with cookie cutters:



I did white and baby blue. then you just brush a little bit of water on the back of the cross and stick it to the circle



then you just push down the cupcake icing with them and you're done!




have a great weekend!

~Christina~

he has a voice!

...and a very cute one!

Bubbles has recently discovered that he can do more with his vocal cords then cry occasionaly.  he's been "talking" like crazy! mostly in the morning when I go in to feed him...makes getting up so early not as awful!

but they are the cuteset little noises...i had to record a little bit last night...of course he's camera shy so he kind of stopped once I got it out!

I could listen to that all day! :)

so i have recently become addicted to Pinterest! (follow me!) there is just soo much to look at I have trouble closing it! I found so many new things I want to make - hubby is less than thrilled! oh well... ;)

would love to follow some new cute boards....let me know if you have any!

have a great rest of the week!

~Christina~

 



almost fall...costume ideas??

the temperature has dropped. it was completely dark by 8 pm tonight. and football started. fall is officially almost here...

in an effort to not be AS bored watching sports with the hubby EVERY night (i can't wait for the new shows to start!) i actually asked him to start betting on the games again! he did it awhile ago and didnt do too bad! so now i have a reason to watch and know who to cheer for when it's not a Steelers game....so tonight...Go Greenbay!!

fall also means its almost Halloween....first one for Bubbles! we can't decide on a costume...hubby had a "brilliant" idea..."i'll be a football player, you be a cheerleader, and the baby can be a football!"

not happening....

so what are some good ideas for a 5 month old Halloween costume?? and good places to shop for them??

of course I must post pictures of him...

i would LOVE to know what he's thinking...

loving the cell phone ALREADY...oh no....we're in trouble...lol....he loves anything that lights up...phone, tv, ceiling fan...

all snuggly with daddy!

have a great Friday! LOVE the 4 day week!

~Christina~

p.s. has anyone tried the lactation cookies....did it work for you?!?  the fenugreek was helping for awhile I think, then I came back from vacation and I'm back to not pumping much - so I'm thinking about trying the cookies this weekend....