Fun gifts from talented friends!

Well, last week at school, my sweet 2nd grade teacher friend, Nanci came in my room to deliver this....


And lo and behold, look what was inside:


Such a beautiful, handmade pillow case dress from our sweet friend, Jill! I couldn't wait to get it on the Queen B so I could post about it, but I wanted deperately to have her wear it with her long-sleeved brown onesie and brown leggings. I couldn't find the onesie anywhere! Thank goodness we found it in time to go see Daddy at work. It looks just adorable on her! Also, I look forward to having it in the coming months to wear as the weather gets more favorable.




With Mommy before Mommy's Day Out :)

Just here to share my love for Bridgey Bear :)

As the Queen B is in slumber land (not for long - its about time to meet up with our doggie friends for a dog park date), I find myself thinking fondly of MY mommy and daddy. Here they are with their favorite baby doll. Grammy and Pop: the coolest grandparents EVER!

Where so many others have tread, my journey begins

I'm proud to announce my registered participation in this year's DFW Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk! My fabulous friend, Mandy, and I are walking together and we are so excited to be a part of an amazing organization. Here's our "before" picture that we took last night when she came over for dinner and helped me register online.



Very soon I will have a link to my fund raising page and my financial responsibility to the cause can start. I'm looking forward to raising my $2300 and seeing how much more I can raise. Mandy has only been registered for a couple of weeks and she already has raised $810!!! I'm so proud of her!!! Though she's one convincing lady...:)

Here's us at her bridesmaids night out party at Times Ten Cellars:



The bride and me before her lovely wedding in September of 2008:



We are both ready to make more memories together as walkers of the 3-Day!

Baby food time! Better re-up on burp cloths...

The hilarity of parenting never ends!!!! She is such a hoot :)





Now that we've both gotten really comfortable with cereal and our confidence is high, why wouldn't we try to shake things up? Bridget got her first taste of carrots on Monday and it went pretty well! She made some icky faces after about 4-5 spoonfuls (I think it took her that long to realize it wasn't cereal anymore!), but she finished the bowl. Yay!

I'm fulling planning to make my own baby food, so bring on the suggestions. I've got the carrots ready to steam and process, but I'm waiting for this weekend. This week has just been a killer on my energy :). More to come!

The end of an era.....

Well, the time has come for me to stop breastfeeding. Yes, its a little sad but I just can't really help it. Sometimes, for some people, the supply just starts to run out and the costs become way heavier than the benefits. Unfortunately, that's what happened to me.

Bridget has always been a breastmilk/formula girl since the beginning due to nursing issues and she's been happy with that. She's stayed very healthy, had a great sleeping schedule, a wonderful disposition, and everything I could ask for. I stuck out the pumping even after she weaned herself off the "real thing" around Christmas time. She just never totally took to nursing and though I tried and tried, it just wasn't our thing.

We've done our bonding in other ways and I feel 100% fulfilled with our special mommy/daughter relationship. Now that this chapter of mommyhood is closed (well, until Baby #2), I will happily offer my opinion and experience to other new mommies (those who ask, of course!) should this situation arise for them. So many people out there will try to make you feel guilty for not breastfeeding but really, a healthy and happy baby AND a healthy and happy Mommy (who can be at her best for baby) are the most important.

And can I even describe the freedom I feel now that I don't have to lug the pump bag around? Don't think so. To and from school, on the airplane, when I'm out all day...blah! Loved that thing, though. Really is worth every penny.

A veggie hubby favorite!

Mexican Tortilla Bake
(from Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp EVOO
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tbsp chili powder
4 oz soft or silken tofu
1 1/2 c salsa
12 fajita size flour tortillas (I always use wheat)
juice of 1 small lime
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Drain all cans. Preheat oven to 350 and spray 9x13 baking dish. In skillet, heat EVOO on medium high and toss in minced garlic. Heat about 30 seconds, just til fragrant. Add pinto beans, chili powder, salt/pepper and tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes.

In food processor or blender (I usually use blender...less cleaning), mix salsa, tofu and 1/2 c of bean mixture til pureed. Pour small amount of tofu mixture onto bottom of baking dish (about 1/8 c). Spread 6 tortillas over bottom of dish (overlapping is necessary and okay). Pour remaining bean mixture over top and then add remaining 6 tortillas over bean mixture. Pour remaining tofu mix over top and spread evenly. Sprinkle shredded cheese over all and put in oven, uncovered. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Cool about 10 minutes. Enjoy! Its muy delicioso!

I usually serve with Southwestern Salad (another of hubby's favs), but this week we did corn instead.

To belly or not to belly?....that is the question...

As you can see, my little girl's favorite thing to do when left to her own devices is roll over. Nothing can stop her except an obstruction in her path and even one small enough can (and will) be tackled. This, of course, is no big deal and has been a nice, long introduction into the world of mobile babies. However, once she started rolling onto her belly in her crib I got a little worried. Every book and specialist talks about how important it is for babies to sleep on their backs FOREVER but then there are lots of moms out there that swear their babies sleep on they bellies by preference and would never sleep though the night without doing it. Regardless, I don't like the thought of her doing anything that is looked down upon by doctors and experts worldwide. Recently, I've given in to her sleeping on her side while I'm still awake and sometimes I'll run in a roll her onto her back before I hit the hay. Sometimes, though, she wakes up in the middle of the night on her belly and freaks out. She always goes back to bed, but its annoying nevertheless. Any suggestions? Should I just let her do her thing and try my best to keep her on her back...but not stress over it? I'm open to all thoughts...

Happy Bridget's 1st Valentine's Day!

Thanks for my new toy, Grammy! Oh wait, its a box of chocolates...but I want to eat it!



This is what we saw when we reached Grammy and Pop's place, and I promise...she did not act upset at all on the drive over!



Loving our adorable cowboy boots! Straight from Mexico, and they finally fit just right. I've got to put them on as often as I can before the feet are too big!

Friends....FOREVER!

Oh, how I love seeing long lost friends. One of the many special treats of our TMEA trip was the chance to see my lovely friend, Adrianne, and her wonderful mom, Donna. Adri just moved to Austin from Atlanta and is making many big life changes. Let's all have the best wishes out for her and pray for peace in her precious heart.




And, though he's not a "long lost friend", its always important to include "Uncle Cory" when appropriate. Though we didn't get to share a room with him this year (as we had the last two years), we still got to spend some great time with our special C.

TMEA!

What a trip! Jonathan, Bridget and I made it down to good old San Antonio for the Texas Music Educators Association annual convention. J and I have gone to TMEA together for the last 5 years, and I went two more years before that so the possibility of not going to time around was really sad. However, J decided that he couldn't be away from Miss B for 3 whole days, so I got to attend! Thank goodness for supportive school districts that offer us generous reimbursements, otherwise our thin wallets wouldn't be able to take the cost. We had an amazing time!

B and me discovering her new favorite chew toy: my TMEA badge! Seriously, she loved it.


Here's us at our restaurants for the weekend:

1. Daddy's all-time favorite restaurant, Green, was a must-do for us. We went for breakfast on our first morning and B was a huge hit. Little did we know, but the head chef/owner of the place is expecting his first child with his lovely opera singer wife and their favorite name is Bridget! We love the restaurant because everything on the menu is either veggie or vegan and there's no "real meat" in the whole place...but don't be misled...there's tons of "meat" there. Its all homemade fake meat and its amazing! What a blast.



2. A Riverwalk staple, Casa Rio!




3. Every year, we always make it to The Original Mexican Restaurant. Can you believe its open 24 hours a day?? Yummy margaritas...B slept through this whole stop :).



We saw so many special friends that we rarely see all year. It was a lovely time, and Miss B was a real trooper. Here are a few more fun pics of the weekend (and, yes, we are sad we missed the crazy snow in Dallas):

Yummy Vegetarian Chicken Enchiladas

Well, I forgot to take a good picture before my hungry self dove into these yummy guys. Oh well! They were delicious and tasted just like the real chicken ones I order at the mexican restaurants all the time. However, these were animal-friendly AND I knew exactly what was going into them...a real plus. Here's the low-down:

Ingredients:

corn tortillas
1/2 bag Quorn frozen diced chiken (the veggie stuff)
sour cream
1/3 c cream cheese
1/2 can red enchilada sauce
1/3 c salsa
shredded cheese to sprinkle on top
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 375. Spread 1/4 can enchilada sauce on bottom of greased cake pan. In mixing bowl, mix chicken, 1/2 of cream cheese, a little enchilada sauce, and 1/2 salsa. Fill corn tortillas with chicken mixture and lay, fold-side down, into cake pan. Mix sour cream (I used about 1/2 of a large container of low-fat sour cream), rest of cream cheese, a little shredded cheese, rest of salsa, and little enchilada sauce to create sauce. Spread evenly over tortillas. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, salt, and pepper and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. Enjoy!

Man...my stomach is growling just typing this. Why have I still not eaten dinner?! That's what happens on nights that the hubs has to work late :(

Adamo Super Bowl IV!

Who needs a baby in their King Cake when they have this adorable one already? Thanks to the lovely Brittany (and her grandmother) for providing the party with a traditional, homemade Mardi Gras King Cake!


Did I win big money in the grid I took the time to make for everyone, you ask?? No, I did not. But a good hostess would be happy that her guests are the ones who left victorious...though extra money would have been nice :).


What a wonderful time we had seeing specials friends who we hadn't spent time with since right after Bridget was born. Sure, the game was fun and we're glad the Saints won, but the real fun came from our time together and all the catching up that was done. Bridget wanted to be heard by everyone so she continuously squaked the whole time she was up...but hey...she's cute! A she had a smile on her face (almost) the whole time. Plus, she went down in her crib like a real pro right at half time. Man, did she want Mommy to have some fun, adult time! Love her so much...

Here are some highlights:


Jeff won the beverage helmet in our Sports Jeopardy game...notice the Frescas!


Bridgey showing off Mommy's Sports Jeopardy board. Yes, there were six catagories with 3 questions each. There were prizes awarded for each question (level 1 questions = level one prizes...so on, so on...) and everyone left with a prize. A good elementary school teacher couldn't let anyone leave empty handed! Everyones a winner at an Adamo party :).

5 months old!

My, my, my...how time flies by! My precious baby angel is already 5 months old. I just can't believe it. She grows more and more by the second and her special, unique little personality is coming out so strongly. Let me attempt to sum her up:

She loves attention (she is a baby, right?!), loves music (duh), grabs everything and sends it right into the ol' pie whole, smiles at EVERYONE, has scheduled naps, sleeps at least 10 hours each night, rolls over both ways (and continues to do so until she runs into something), pets our furry friends, enjoys the outdoors, and absolutely adores her daddy.

I just love watching her discover new things. Her beautiful little eyes open so wide and she gets this ravenous look like nothing will come between her and her new "precious". Most recently? Some Mardi Gras beads our friend, Brittany, wore to our Super Bowl party. Adorable!



She's ready for a haircut (I can't believe it) and she's my new best friend. I can tell her anything and she doesn't judge. My mother and I were never "best buds", but we have a wonderful understanding of each other because I believe I'm the most like her of the Williams girls. I hope Bridget and I can have that same unspoken connection...but we can also be snuggle buddies! Oh wait...we already are!