Sadie at 6 Months

Ahh, I have a 6 month old! And she is silly, loves to “dance” in her high chair, giggle, and eat all kinds of food. We’ve been having so much fun in the Koo household lately! Sadie has definitely been making me feel loved lately: she gets so excited to see me and is just so sweet and fun to be around. She is getting bigger and bigger (90th percentile for height and 50th for weight!) and is obsessed with her feet – loves putting them in her mouth.

Nicknames: Sadie Baby, Bear, Sadie Bear, Stinker, Silly Sadie
Temperament: Happy, happy, happy! You regularly smile at people when we are out and people always comment on how happy you are.
Things I Could Do Without: The recent night wakings. Nights have been tough and I go to bed holding my breath, wondering how many times you will be up. You're finally just getting back to your regular sleep-through-the-night routine!
Item/Toy We Love The Most:  Your high chair. You love sitting in it and it's great to be able to put you in it while we do things in the kitchen!
Item/Toy You Love The Most: The swings at the park. We just started taking you and you can't get enough. You giggle and giggle and giggle as soon as we start pushing you.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Interacting with you more. I feel like you pay more attention to me, look at me more closely, and really engage with me. It is the best!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: It's probably a tie between grabbing your feet and eating! You are such a good eater!
Sounds/Words: You having been saying "mama"! It's so fun to hear you say it even though you don't really know what you're saying yet. The downside is that you often say "mama" when you are upset...over and over again it's "mama...mama...mammmmaaaa." So sweet but breaks my heart!
Foods You Like: So far you've had banana, avocado, sweet potato, butternut squash, prunes, peas, carrots and applesauce.Prunes and banana are probably your favorite!

Sadie has lots of adorable dresses courtesy of my sister. She’s still growing into them!



I was so sad when her size 6 month jeggings became capris! We finally had to upgrade to the 12 month size. I have one long baby!




Comfy outfit!



This shirt (dress??) was from one of our Wittlebee boxes. We’re not regular subscribers – I just don’t think I’ve gotten the combinations right to get things I really love. This piece, however, is one of my favorites I’ve gotten!



Casual pants! We love super casual, relaxed Sundays.

Easy Pumpkin Dinner & Dessert!

It’s finally FALL! I absolutely love the chill in the air, the rustle of leaves, tall boots and warm sweaters. It’s also great to get to snuggle up at home and enjoy some fantastic fall flavors. Although, in the spirit of things I do have a secret to share.

I’ve never been a fan of pumpkin. Gasp! Pumpkin pie? Nope. A certain pumpkin spice latte from a very popular coffee shop? Not for me. I even grew up near the town where 85% of the world’s canned pumpkin is produced. They have a pumpkin festival complete with many of your pumpkin favorites, like pumpkin pancakes. Yep, you guessed it – I always hated it.

So when Steve and I came across a recipe for pumpkin macaroni and cheese, I agreed to give it a try because I knew how much Steve would love it. And… it’s amazing! Sweet and savory. Warm and comforting. This is the perfect fall comfort food. And to top it off, it’s super simple to make and tastes just as good as leftover as it does fresh out of the oven. Great for busy parents who, like us, cook on Sunday so that we’ll have easy dinners for the week.



Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese 
{source}
(Note: my adjustments are in bold)

Ingredients:
8 ounces of uncooked noodles (I used whole wheat rotini)
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 cup of light cream (I mixed heavy cream and skim milk)
4 tablespoons of Neufchatel cream cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (divided) (I used cinnamon and nutmeg)
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I didn’t have any handy so I omitted)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs) (I used whole wheat bread crumbs)
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Cook pasta until al dente, about eight minutes in boiling water. Rinse and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Meanwhile, heat cream and pumpkin in a sauce pan on medium heat, until thickened. Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in cheese until completely melted. The sauce will be quite thick.

Add in 1/2 pumpkin pie spice, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Add pasta and stir it into the pumpkin-cheese sauce and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into the greased dish. Sprinkle panko, parmesan cheese and rest of the pumpkin pie spice to completely cover the top of the macaroni. Add in more cayenne if you want a spicy crust.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until bread crumbs have browned.

Now, because pasta typically comes in 13 ounce boxes and you will have leftover pumpkin and cream cheese,  you can modify the recipe to make a larger quantity of mac and cheese. Or you can take the extra pumpkin and cream cheese and make pumpkin bars! Are you with me?



Swirled Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars 
{source}

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature (if you made the mac and cheese, you’ll have a little less than 8 oz which is fine)

Instructions:
In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, and 1/3 cup water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg; stir or beat into butter mixture until well blended. Spread batter evenly in a buttered and floured 10- by 15-inch baking pan.

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, remaining egg, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth. Drop cream cheese mixture in 24 evenly spaced 1-tablespoon portions over batter. Pull a knife tip through filling to swirl slightly into batter.

Bake in a 350° oven until center of pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) springs back when touched, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars.

Note: You can chill them airtight for up to 3 days.

Both of these recipes have made a pumpkin believer out of me! Enjoy!

Sadie at 5 Months

Oh the exciting things that 5 months brings! This huge milestone is marked with two new teeth, a little girl who can sit up on her own (when feet and hands are perfectly propped), smiles at everyone and tries to bite her mommy’s nose! And, most importantly, 5 months has brought us a little girl who gets harder and harder to leave each day because of her silly and sweet personality.

It’s so fun to watch Sadie's personality change with each of these week-by-week photos as well as the change in the season here in Chicago! I still can't believe how quickly she is growing! 

Nicknames: Button, Sadie Boo, Baby Girl, Boo Boo Girl, Stinky, Stinker
Temperament: Happy as ever! You're such a smiley girl and everyone comments on it when we're out and about. But, at the same time if we're out and you're not happy about it, you let us know. Very, very loudly!
Things I Could Do Without: Those pesky teeth you're getting! You're still a pretty good night sleeper but those teeth tend to wake you up from time to time and it's not fun for any of us.
Item/Toy We Love The Most:  Chew beads. I love being able to throw this necklace around my neck when we're out. You can chomp on it when I'm holding you but it still looks like I'm wearing a fun necklace.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: Your play mat. It's been a favorite in the past and has become even more fun for you as you pull on all of the toys.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: All of your giggles and the way you study my face so closely, especially if you haven't seen me for awhile. I also love how in the mornings instead of nursing you smile at everything in your room (your dresser, the tree decal on the wall, your crib, etc). You are so happy it's a brand new day! You also have been enjoying "biting" my nose!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: Riding in your stroller. We transitioned you out of your car seat and into the main part of your stroller. You love sitting like a big girl and watching the world around you.
Sounds/Words: The race is on - will you say "mama" or "dada" first? I think you've been starting to babble "mama" but someone else in our house disagrees. We shall see!
Foods You Like: Breast milk but we're excited to give you your first "real" food soon!

I actually made this little peasant top for Sadie! I promise she liked it.



One of the last warm days of summer!



It’s fall and time for snuggly sweatshirts!



We got a little “fancy” this day. A lady must always have her purse.

Charlie's Scary Escape

This morning we had a terrifying few minutes where we almost lost our sweet Charlie forever. He slipped out the front door while we were doing an early morning weather check (note to all: it's chilly here in Chicago!), and raced across the street chasing a cat.

As Steve ran after him (and I yelled "Charlie" like a maniac from the front porch while holding the baby), Charlie abandoned the cat and started running north toward a busy intersection. Fortunately for us, Charlie's nose got the better of him and he stopped to smell something and Steve was able to corner him. Steve carried home a very wiggly Charlie who was obviously proud of his little adventure. I was still shaking at the thought of losing our most loyal companion.

I've seen so many people give up their animals after they have children due to lack of time and inability to give their pet the attention they need. I now understand how this happens, as we definitely have been guilty of neglecting Charlie lately. We pour so much love and attention into Sadie that at the end of the day there doesn't seem to be any left for our first baby. I know that I need to get better at cuddling with Charlie the way I did pre-baby and giving him a lot more of my time.

But I do know that Charlie will be a part of our family for a very long time (assuming there are no more escapades around the neighborhood). We're definitely not letting him go anywhere! I'm excited that a big part of Sadie's early childhood will be shaped by having her four-legged friend at her side...she already stares at his big nose and wagging tail with such delight! And from the very beginning Charlie has shown his love for Sadie, bringing his prized possessions to her when she cries and giving her an endless amount of kisses.

So this post is dedicated to our favorite buddy Charlie - we love you!

Comparing Milestones

My parents recently found my baby book – it had disappeared for quite a few years, but as it turns out was conveniently located in a hutch in their dining room! I always had “second child syndrome” and felt like my baby book recorded next to nothing compared to that of my older sister’s. But in looking at it, my mom did a pretty good job of tracking the important milestones in my first year of life. Which makes me realize I need to get it together and start filling out Sadie's baby book!

It’s been fun looking through things and really noticing how young I was when I hit certain milestones. I was a very, very active baby! And while I think that Sadie more closely resembles Steve, I have a sneaking suspicion that she may take after me in the “overly active baby” department and in the “long and lean” body type (although those days have passed…I’m far from long and lean as an adult!).

I thought it would be fun to do a side by side comparison between some of my baby stats and Sadie's stats!

Birth Stats
Me: 8 pounds, 4 ounces, 19.5 inches long
Sadie: 8 pounds, 9 ounces, 21 inches long

2 Month Stats
Me: 10 pounds, 1 ounce, 22 inches long
Sadie: 11 pounds, 11 ounces, 24.25 inches long 

4 Month Stats
Me: 12 pounds, 13 ounces, 24.75 inches long
Sadie: 14 pounds, 3 ounces, 25.4 inches long

First Tooth
Me: 4 1/2 months – lower right front tooth
Sadie: 4 1/2 months – she has her first tooth teeth poking right through! – the bottom two teeth

Rolling from Tummy to Back
Me: 3 1/2 months
Sadie: 9 weeks

Rolling from Back to Tummy
Me: 4 1/2 months
Sadie: Not yet! But she’s 4 1/2 months right now and looks like this could happen any day now!

First Slept Through the Night
Me: 3-4 weeks (although my mom says she was so exhausted, she may have stopped hearing me cry!)
Sadie: 12 weeks

Sat Up Alone
Me: 6 months
Sadie: Not yet, but she’s sitting great in her Bumbo at 4 1/2 months!

First Crawled
Me: 5 months
Sadie: Not yet!

First Pulled Up/Walked
Me: Pulled up at 6 months and walked around the furniture, walked between parents at 8 months, walked well at 8 1/2-9 months, climbed up on furniture and could walk backwards and almost run at 11 months.
Sadie: Nothing yet!

As you can see, Sadie is beating my stats on height and weight and is right on par with many of my milestones. Which is really exciting but also terrifying if she keeps on following in my (literal) footsteps. I cannot even imagine having Sadie walking around holding onto the furniture in a little over a month! We are so, so not ready for our little girl to be quite that active. I’d be more than happy with her sitting and playing with toys for quite awhile. No need to walk and run too early!

And to that, Sadie says, "Watch out!"

Baby Sewing Style: Peasant Top

I've become slightly obsessed with trying to make clothes for Sadie. The obsession is despite the fact that I'm fairly mediocre at the sewing machine. I can do basic projects that involve sewing in a straight line, and with these "skills" was was able to tackle nursery projects like curtains, crib skirt, sheets, mobile, etc. Easy peasy.

So why exactly am I trying to make clothing for my child? I have no clue. Nor do I understand how or when I expect to complete these projects while working 40 hours a week (not including commuting time) and taking care of baby when not at work. Regardless, I've been scanning the internet for simple projects that I feel like I can handle that also come with free patterns that are sized for my baby. Not exactly easy to find.

I stumbled across this pattern for making a baby peasant blouse. It seemed simple enough, included the pattern for 3-6 months and had instructions that I could actually understand.

I'm proud to say I was actually able to finish the shirt in one sewing session (probably 1-2 hours), only had to make minor adjustments to the elastic in the sleeves so that it fit Sadie's arms, and only had to rip out some of my work and start over once (when I sewed a sleeve on inside out - typical).

And, at the end of it all, it actually looks like a shirt! It may actually look someone store bought (ok, I might be getting a little too confident, especially as you can see a thread hanging from the bottom of it). But if you're fairly new to sewing/have basic skills (like me!) you can probably tackle this project.

Regardless, Sadie was happy to model the shirt. Her whole outfit comes in at $15:

Shirt: $5.00 for fabric and elastic
Jeggings: $6.00 from Target
Socks: $4.00 from Trumpette ($24/6 pairs of socks)
Drool on chin: Free!

And, for the record, the jeggings are actually long enough for her chunky legs!

Just two models, hanging around...

 

Here's hoping I'll have many more "baby style" posts to share with homemade duds for my little girl.

Sadie at 4 Months

And...we have a 4-month old in the house! She's such a big girl and every day is more and more exciting. When she was a newborn it was really hard to see how much better things would get because every day was just so exhausting! And don't get me wrong, things are still incredibly exhausting, but it's a relaxed exhaustion. She's sleeping great at night, she's getting better at napping, we have awesome walks with her in the stroller...and she's just so much fun! We love our Sadie girl.

Nicknames: Button, Sadie Boo, Sadie Baby, Baby Girl
Temperament: You're still such a happy, happy baby. You smile at everyone and just seem to enjoy the world around you. Even when you start to fuss we can often do something funny to get a smile out of you.
Things I Could Do Without: Crying it out. We've just started this process (with the help of our nanny) for daytime naps. It kills my heart listening to you cry and want to be picked up, but we hope that it will make you a better napper. You're already improving!
Item/Toy We Love The Most:  Sophie the Giraffe. It's so fun watching you learn to grab her and chomp on her! We're also loving our Ergo Carrier - it's like walking around while you hug us!
Item/Toy You Love The Most: Someone gave us a bunch of their old baby toys, including this flower that plays classical music. You love it! If you're doing tummy time as soon as you hear the music your head pops up.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Giving you kisses. When you know I'm going to give you a kiss you look up at me, open your mouth and flutter your eyes. It's the cutest thing ever!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: Riding in your stroller. We transitioned you out of your car seat and into the main part of your stroller. You love sitting like a big girl and watching the world around you.
Sounds/Words: You are LOUD. You've definitely been testing out just how loud you can get and it's fun to hear you babble.
Foods You Like: Breast milk!