Sweet Potatoes for My Sweet

Cati tried sweet potatoes today. I was really excited about this vegetable because I love sweet potato and figured it would be a good bridge between veggies and fruits. I was wrong in one respect. I only love sweet potato when cinnamon and brown sugar are involved. Otherwise, sweet potato just doesn't do it for me. I actually found carrot to be sweeter than the sweet potato. But what does my opinion matter? It's about Cati's reaction, right? Cati seemed to really enjoy the sweet potato. The girl can eat too! She had 2 Tbsp of sweet potato and ate it ALL. I feel like she could have eaten more if I would have tried to give her more.

Sweet Purée
Makes 1/2 cup

1 cup slice sweet potato (I didn't peel it)
1 1/2 cup water
Breast milk, formula, or cooking water

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the sweet potato and cook 5-10 minutes or until the sweet potato is easily forked. Drain sweet potato (reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water if you are going to use water to thin out the purée), place in food processor, and purée. Add fluid until sweet potato reaches the best consistency for eating.

Storage: Good for 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Note: I didn't plan on adding breast milk to the puree because I felt like Cati could handle a thicker consistency, but when I saw how thick the sweet potato was I added about 1.5 of breast milk to thin out the sweet potato.

The players

The purée (by far the thickest food I have given Cati)

Yum!

{Alex} Project Empowering Motherhood

Today we hear from my friend Alex. I met Alex right before I started undergrad and it's always fun to think of how she knew both Alex and me before we were even a couple. A lot has changed and happened in all the years that I've known her; we've both become domesticated with husbands and babies. Her son, Nicolas, is 2 months and every time I see him I am amazed at how small babies are in the beginning. I'm afraid to touch him for fear that I might hurt or break him. I guess one of the things you forget as your baby gets older, is how small that baby once was.

Here are Alex's answers:

1. One ugly truth about motherhood. Well, I'll give you two. (A) Your body will never feel like it did pre-pregnancy. True I haven't started trying to lose the remaining 15lbs of baby weight I have on me, but things feel off. My milk has pretty much dried up and my breasts are back to the normal size, but they feel so empty and saggy now! I have stretch marks on my breasts that will probably never go away. And I think so areas of my legs and stomach will always have a little extra jiggle. (B) Sleep will never be the same again once you become a mother. With a newborn, no matter how many naps you take and how long your baby sleeps at night, you will always feel tired. You will never have those deep sleeps you used to take, not having a care in the world, because you now always sleep in a semi-alert state.

2. What does motherhood mean to you? Being a mom was something I've always dreamed of. When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I didn't have any career in mind. I would just say I wanted to be a mother and to have a job where it would allow me the time to be the type of mother I wanted to be. I always thought there is no job more rewarding than being a mother. And now that I have a child of my own, I see that motherhood lives up to the hype. It's something I wouldn't trade for the world. "Mom" is a title that will stick with you to the grave and beyond, and it's a title to wear proudly. I will never be the same person I was before. Anyone I meet in life from here on out will associate me with being a mom. It really is the best feeling in the world, to know that Lenin and I were able to take the best of both of us and create another life. And the amount of love that you feel for that little person is immeasurable.

3. How has motherhood empowered you? No matter what happens in our lives, that one thing will always remain constant. That bond between you and your child will always be there and its something that can never be taken away. So no matter what negative things may happen in life, everything will be ok in the end because I still have our family. Being a mother gives me more confidence to meet anything life throws my way. Also, being a mother almost gives real meaning to your life. It's not some meaningless job you go to every day to pay the bills. It gives me a sense of real purpose.

 Thank you Alex for sharing your love of motherhood with us. I hope motherhood continues to live up to all your hopes and dreams!

Project Empowering Motherhood is an ongoing series in celebration and honor of Cati's 6 months. For my responses to the questions and more about the series, go HERE. To read Jenn, Melisa, Esther, Andrea, Jenny, Jen, Mollie, Jamie, Charlotte and Erika's answers, go HERE. If you are interested in participating and being featured on the blog send your answers to the three questions to steppystar@aol.com.  

{Erika} Project: Empowering Motherhood

Today we hear from Erika, the beautiful mommy behind Lovely Little Lola and the etsy shop Lola Beane Boutique. Not only does Erika make the most beautiful headbands, but she also works from home and takes care of her daughter Lola. How she manages to do it all amazes me, especially when her husband is deployed. Whenever I feel frustrated, I remind myself that at least I get to see and touch Alex and I can count on him coming home. I don't feel the worry or the missing she does.  But, like Erika says, "With John deployed, she keeps me going, she keeps me happy & she is my little piece of my husband that I have with me." Here's Lola modeling one of Erika's headbands:

The Maren Headband

Here are Erika's answers:

1. One ugly truth about motherhood. I find myself wondering how to interpret "ugly truth." The first things that pop in to my head.. poop, stretch marks, or those cute little dark circles under my eyes and the fact that I haven't slept for more that 3 consecutive hours in more than 5 months. But the real ugly truth about motherhood is none of those things, they all {hopefully} go away with time. One thing that completely caught me off guard was the worrying. I still check on her to make sure shes breathing multiple times a night. I am terrified I am going to lock her in the car on a hot summer Georgia day. And I still look back after minutes of driving to make sure I didnt forget her. But I'm Italian, worrying is in my blood.

2. What does motherhood mean to you? Oh this ones easy, I say it all the time.

I feel like I have been waiting my entire life to meet Lola. She absolutely gives me a reason to live. Many people go there whole lives wondering what their purpose on this planet is, and now I feel I know mine is to be a Mother.

3. How has motherhood empowered you? Being responsible for another life is sure an empowering thing in and of itself. Being a mother has given me the strength to stand up to people who may not have my best, or Lola's best interest at heart. Before being a Mom, I was a bit of a pushover. I sort of let people walk all over me. Now that I know that I have to be a voice for Lola, and stand up for her because she cant speak for herself. For instance:

Lady in supermarket: Oh your baby is so cute, how old is she?

Me: She's 5 months

Lady in supermarket: Oh can I hold her?

Me: Um no.

So, I guess you could say motherhood has taught me to be a b!tch!

Thank you Erika for sharing motherhood and you ridiculously beautiful headbands with us. Thank you also for being one of the supportive wives of our troops and for reminding us of the beauty of sharing parenthood with someone you love.

Project Empowering Motherhood is an ongoing series in celebration and honor of Cati's 6 months. For my responses to the questions and more about the series, go HERE. To read Jenn, Melisa, Esther, Andrea, Jenny, Jen, Mollie, Jamie and Charlotte's answers, go HERE. If you are interested in participating and being featured on the blog send your answers to the three questions to steppystar@aol.com.  

Easy Monkey Bread

I made Monkey Bread this weekend. I had always been intrigued by this bread because not only was it sweet but it also looked like a lot of fun to eat. Little nuggets of butter, sugar, and cinnamon that are easily pealed away. What's not to love? I'll admit this Monkey Bread was highly addictive and I couldn't stop myself from eating after the 10th nugget of sweet. I made half the recipe because I knew it would be too much for us otherwise. I was correct. Half the recipe was enough for us to have for breakfast and as a sweet snack later in the day.

 

 

Monkey Bread
Source: Ezra Pound Cake (here)

2 large cans (16.3 ounces) refrigerated biscuits
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan or tube pan with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cut the biscuits into quarters. Dip each piece in butter, roll it in cinnamon sugar, and place it in the pan. Sprinkle pecans onto the biscuit pieces at random. Pour any remaining butter evenly over the biscuit pieces in the pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top springs back when touched. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate, and serve immediately. (Note: I didn't invert. We just picked away as it was)

How to scare a man #4368

Upon the arrival of your first post partum period casually walk up to your man who happens to be holding a very squirmy, somewhat fussy baby (this is a must for full effect) and tell him the following: "Congratulations! We can officially get pregnant again! I just got my first post partum period. " Then smile real big (let the excitement of ovulation really show!) and wait for the priceless reaction that's sure to come. In my case, the reaction was one of surprised horror with a jaw drop followed by "Isn't this one"-lifting Cati for emphasis-"enough work?" Needless to say I fell into a hysterical fit of giggles seeing my man break so quickly and easily.

 

Styling C: Sunday, 08.29.10

This is going to be the last Styling C daily post. Instead, I'm going to do a round up of her outfits on Wednesdays and Sundays. I liked posting her outfits daily but the older and more mobile Cati gets, the less and less time I have to spend on the computer and I need to make those precious computer minutes count! And when she's finally down for the day, all I want to do is crash with a good book (what a better escape from daily life than diving into someone else's life?) and some hot chocolate.

The Look: Checkered Blue

The Outfit: Target hot pink bow and headband, Carter's checkered dress

What a pretty flower!

This Week in Mommyhood

Mommyhood is a pendulum that swings back and forth between good times and bad times. My pendulum was on the good times side for a while and it finally swung back over to the bad times side. It's not that anything particularly bad happened this past week it's that I wasn't having the best of times with Cati. I sometimes forget that she's her own, independent person with a will of her own. She's not going to do everything I want when I want and that causes frustration for me. This past week she hasn't been drinking as much milk, she's been fighting the bottle and her naps, and she's just been crankier than normal. I want to enjoy my time with her but that's hard to do when she's crying and I don't know what else to do to entertain her.

It also didn't help that Alex started a new rotation and this particular rotation is extremely busy. I miss Alex, but more than anything I miss the extra set of hands. I hate feeling that way because I don't get to enjoy whatever time I get with Alex either. I enjoy having him around because it means I get a little break, not because I get to reconnect with the husband I barely see. I used to feel like a girl waiting for her crush to call: sitting with the phone within centimeters, checking to make sure it works. I couldn't wait for Alex to get home so we could hang out and enjoy one another. This past week? I waited desperately for the phone to ring so that I'd know how long it would take before I could take the hottest shower possible so as to get rid of the pain and ache from the day. It amazes me how a little person can cause that much change.  Never has this quote by Mignon McLaughlin meant more: "A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." I look forward to the return of my girl crush-ness and to having energy to fall in love all over again.

On to happier news...Cati is doing amazing with veggies! She had carrots, avocado, and squash this week. I think she liked carrots the best but she is taking the squash like a champ. She's only getting a Tbsp of veggies for lunch but it has been enough to make her want to bypass her normal midday bottle. She used to drink 4-5 oz bottles at 9:30am, 12:30pm, and 3:30pm, now she drinks a 4-5 oz bottle at 9:30am and a 7-8oz bottle at 3pm. I try to give her a bottle before and after the veggies but she's just not interested. This past week her milk intake has varied and I'm worried about her getting enough milk. This is where the "she's an individual" part comes in because I need to realize and understand that I can't force her to eat if she isn't hungry or interested. She will let me know when she's hungry and how much she wants to eat. I knew the introduction of solids would change things, I just didn't know they would change things so quickly.

Cati still gets up and rocks on all fours, but this past week she learned how to army crawl. She looks so cute when she crawls and I love the look of determination on her face. She'll only crawl if there's something she really wants, otherwise she is ok with being stationary. Cati also learned how to go from a sitting position to a crawling position. I need to be very careful when she does this because sometimes her head falls faster than her body. (Note: I totally didn't mean for my phone to hit the wall the way it did)

We took Cati to the beach again this week and it's amazing how much she likes the water. The moment I put her in the water she smiled her big gummy smile and started kicking her legs around.

Lastly, apparently I'm in trouble because Cati finds my yelling hilarious. That, or she finds it funny when someone other than her is in trouble. Perla is on a steroid and it causes her to eat and drink more so she has to used the bathroom about every 2 minutes. Which means Perla's been having more accidents in the house. Well, one day I came home and Perla peed on her bed right in front on me. I was very upset and called Perla a "bad dog" repeatedly and Cati thought it was the funniest thing ever. My anger quickly subsided because I couldn't believe Cati was entertained by my anger; I thought she would have been startled by my yelling not amused. Hopefully she finds my yelling less funny as she gets older.

 

I love Cati with all my heart. I just wish I could have a break more often. I love my time with her but it's hard for me to really appreciate when I don't get the opportunity to step away and actually miss her. 

Oh, Squash

Cati tried squash today for the first time. I didn't get any cute pictures of her because she had her first round of squash before we went to Alex's work picnic (thus Cati eating in her car seat). She seemed to like squash. Her reaction to it reminded me a lot of her reaction to carrots. I guess it's because the squash was kind of sweet.

Squash Purée
Makes 1/2 cup

1 cup chopped squash (1-2 squash)
1 1/2 cup water
Breast milk, formula, or cooking water

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the squash and cook 5-6 minutes or until the squash is easily forked. Drain squash (reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water if you are going to use water to thin out the purée), place in food processor, and purée. Add fluid until squash reaches the best consistency for eating.

Storage: Good for 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Note: The squash had a great consistency and didn't really need any liquid to thin it out. I did, however, add a little bit of breast milk to sweeten the taste for Cati.

Since I have no cute messy baby face pictures to share, how about a cute bathing suit picture? (Note: I didn't get any pictures of Cati in the bathing suit by herself. I suck. And the only reason I'm in this one is because Alex said he would be the photographer today. Probably something to do with my there's-barely-any-pictures-of-us-together-she-won't-know-who-I-am-if-I-die-right-now rant)

Styling C: Saturday, 08.28.10

Today was a picnic for Alex's work and I dressed Cati in the most perfect outfit...

The Look: Ortho Baby

The Outfit: Bow made by me, Ivory crochet headband from Ebay, Peace Love Ortho Surgery onesie, Old Navy jeans, Gymboree pink ruffle shoes

Reunited and it feels so good

I got my camera back! The Pink Machine is back in my possession! I can't believe how much I missed my camera. I've barely taken any pictures of Cati since I sent the DSLR in for repair because the point-and-shoot is too slow and not sharp enough. Alex actually joked that I missed the camera more than I missed him. I swear I have two babies sometimes! Even Cati was excited to have the camera back:

Styling C: Friday, 08.27.10

The Look: Summer Casual

The Outfit: Green bow made by me, Navy crochet headband from 
Ebay, Carter's floral romper, Gap navy drawstring pants, 
Jazzy Toes Hamptons sandal socks

{Charlotte} Project Empowering Motherhood

Today we are hearing from Charlotte, one of the mommies behind Mommyhood Mayhem.  This is a new blog I was recently turned on to and I love it. Both Charlotte and Lenore (check back next week for Lenore's answers!) talk about motherhood in such an honest and relatable way. Charlotte has shared her pregnancy and mommyhood journey and her thoughts on having a second child in her "When is the right time?" post. This last post struck a nerve with me because, while I do look forward to being pregnant again and to bringing another life into this world, I do not look forward to starting all over again with a newborn. Motherhood at 6 months is so much more enjoyable for me than it was at 1 month.

Here are Charlotte's answers:

1. One ugly truth about motherhood. There are days where you will be covered in and smell like whatever bodily fluid your child happens to be secreting. Maybe the worst part of this is that you don't really even care!- You're more worried that they start feeling better soon.

2. What does motherhood mean to you? To me motherhood has meant losing the person I thought I was, only to discover that I'm a more capable woman than I ever thought I could be. ... It also means much less sleep!

3. How has motherhood empowered you? The process of pregnancy, growing another person inside your body, is amazing and empowering in its own right. But more than that, is raising this little person who will become a productive member of society. By raising my daughter with strong morals and values I'm helping the world to become a better place.

Thank you Charlotte for letting us in on all your Mommyhood Mayhem moments!

Project Empowering Motherhood is an ongoing series in celebration and honor of Cati's 6 months. For my responses to the questions and more about the series, go HERE. To read Jenn, Melisa, Esther, Andrea, Jenny, Jen, Mollie, and Jamie's answers, go HERE. If you are interested in participating and being featured on the blog send your answers to the three questions to steppystar@aol.com.

Quick Review: Smoke't

Fridays are reserved for lunch with my mother-in-law. I love that I have such a great relationship with her (all is balanced in the world: I don't get along with my mom but I get along fabulously with Alex's) and that I get to enjoy a meal uninterrupted because she can't keep her hands off Cati. Perfect example of this was when we had lunch with Alex's family recently at Smoke't and she had to promise Alex's dad and grandmother that she would keep her hands off the baby for the entire meal. The woman had to sit on her hands and muster every ounce of restraint to make it through the meal. She still carried the baby but not enough to satisfy the craving.

Luckily, our meal at Smoke't was particularly delicious and the food was almost a perfect distraction for someone needing a Cati fix. The calamari was crispy and fresh but what really made this appetizer was the roasted red pepper dipping sauce. The sauce was smooth and made your taste buds jump for joy once the spicy hit.

Their portions are large enough to share. Exhibit A is their fried chicken and mashed potatoes. You get a thigh, wing, drumstick, and breast plus a huge dollop of mashed potatoes and gravy. The chicken was so crispy and comforting; it was Southern food at it's best. And the potatoes? Well, you can't go wrong with them and they will literally make you muse over the greatness of a gravy that isn't brown.

Want your inner child to come out and play? Then you must order the s'mores dessert. Two delectable marshmallow chocolate sandwiches might just make you forget how to share.

If food isn't really your thing (!?!?) Smoke't has a great beer selection and they are proud to show it off in the form of samples.

Smoke't is located at 1450 South Dixie Highway in Coral Gables. Their lunch menu is reasonable priced with the most expensive food item capping at $14.

Styling C: Thursday, 08.26.10

Cati has been a terror lately. She doesn't want to eat. She doesn't want to sleep. She'll be perfectly ok one minute and then be crying the next. Normally, I relish the last hour with her before bedtime but lately I hungrily lust for 7pm. Is she teething? Going through a growth spurt? Reacting to the veggies? If only she could talk! She'd save me a lot of confusion and frustration. I guess that's why babies are so cute. Just when you think you can't take anymore, that sweet face looks at you, gives you a smile that says "You're the coolest thing around" and you almost forget what was bothering you.

The Look: Checkered Baby

The Outfit: Target purple bow, Carter's purple checkered romper

Nutella French Toast

This is a special breakfast in our house. I don't make it often, but when I do it's because we are celebrating something. This is the type of breakfast that is one big fat indulgence. It's so good but you  feel guilty that you are having something this rich and chocolaty for breakfast.

Nutella Banana French Toast
Serves 2

1-2 bananas
4 slices of bread
Nutella
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Butter

Heat a griddle over medium low heat.

Slice bananas 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Spread Nutella on all 4 slices of bread. Layer banana slices on 2 of the slices of bread and then create a sandwich by placing the other 2 slices of bread on top of the banana slices.

In a bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, and vanilla. Dip the sandwiches and fully coat them in the egg mixture. Place the sandwiches on the buttered griddle. Cook sides 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve covered with powdered sugar or with syrup. Enjoy!

Note: there will be enough egg mixture leftover for one plain slice of french toast. 

{Jamie} Project Empowering Motherhood

Today we hear from Jamie, the talented mommy behind Sew Sweet Peanut Boutique. I featured one of her aprons in one of my Obsession of the Week posts and we've since become friends. I love how this little blog of mine has helped me connect to so many great people. Jamie is such a sweet person and I can't believe she has time to sew when she's got two little girls to take care of.

Here are Jamie's answers:

1. One ugly truth about motherhood. I think that the ugliest truth about motherhood would have to be how hard it really is. Most people would say that they believe being a mother is hard (dads included) but no one really knows except a mother. It starts when you find out you’re pregnant, you start worrying about everything: what you eat and breath in, how you move and lift things and everyone has heard the horror stories of childbirth and lots of them are true but it gets harder from there. My first was shipped off to the NICU two hours away from our home just hours after her birth. She had surgery the night she was born, the night that I should have been with her, cuddling and bonding. She was there for ten weeks and I had a hard time not being resentful and missing the time that we should have had but also feeling so lucky that it wasn’t worse. And when she came home, there was more worrying about every little thing and that was about all there was time for. It was so hard to try to function on the amount of sleep I was getting when my girls were babies, it is hard being so tired all the time and still trying to take care of the people in your life. And now that my girls are 4 and 2 motherhood is harder in different ways. It is hard to take care of two very active children; it is hard trying to teach them to be a “big kid” while wishing that they would just stay little for a little longer, it is so hard watching them grow up and not need “mommy” like they used (like I used to complain about and now wish I had that time back). And I’m pretty sure it is going to keep getting harder.

2. What does motherhood mean to you? From the previous question, you would think I hate motherhood but nothing could be farther from the truth. I am home with my girls most of the time. They are my job and my life. So to me motherhood means being there all the time for them no matter what else is going on, what kind of mood I am in, how they are behaving. They will always be my babies and no matter what they do or say, I am their Mommy.

3. How has motherhood empowered you? I still tell people at almost 30 years old that I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. J I never found anything that I really wanted to do career wise but I am realizing that motherhood has empowered me to have a career that I love. I know that a lot of people don’t consider that a legitimate career and there is not pay, no benefits but there should be. What more important job could there be than taking care of your children. And like Stephanie, I feel that if I can make it through the things I do as a mother, I can handle anything.

Thank you Jamie for being so candid with your answers. Your girls are very lucky to have you. I bet they are going to be the best dressed girls because you can sew up cute outfits for them whenever they want!

Project Empowering Motherhood is an ongoing series in celebration and honor of Cati's 6 months. For my responses to the questions and more about the series, go HERE. To read Jenn, Melisa, Esther, Andrea, Jenny, Jen, and Mollie's answers, go HERE. If you are interested in participating and being featured on the blog send your answers to the three questions to steppystar@aol.com.