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Making Baby’s First Christmas Presents

Posted on December 22, 2014 by annettelharvey

Tis the season to be jolly, to decorate, to cook, to bake, to shop and to find that perfect gift for the new grandparents as your baby’s first Christmas is just around the corner. So I’m sure all of you have seen the Pearhead brand baby hand/foot print ornaments in the store. I actually received one as a shower gift back in March so I’m pretty certain they are available year round and not just around Christmas. I decided since it is our little man’s first Christmas what better stocking stuffer for the grandparents than a hand or foot print ornament marking their one and only grandson’s first Christmas.

Overall the ornament making process isn’t too difficult, you take the material out of its wrapping, knead it for about 2-3minutes, wet baby’s hand or foot and press it in. Voila! Instant Christmas gift. Sounds pretty easy right? Well overall it was except I do have a couple suggestions if you plan to do this:

This is not a one-man job- you definitely need your hubby’s help on this one to hold your baby while you press his hand or foot flat into the material (or vice versa).
The ornament is pretty big, ideal if your baby is older like mine and has “big” hands or feet, however if you have a newborn you may want to use a cup instead to cut out the round ornament around the handprint.
This takes DAYS to dry and harden… even up to a week. I thought of this last minute and ordered it via Amazon Prime thinking we would get it done in plenty of time for Christmas. Here we are days later and its still not dry yet.. so grandma might be getting this an an unwrapped gift with a special note to let it dry before packing it away for next year.
Make sure to write the date on the back and wrap it up securely to adorn your tree for years to come! 🙂

Lemon Pound Cake

Posted on December 14, 2014 by annettelharvey

Tonight I’m making mini loaves of Lemon Pound Cake for our little man’s teachers (and some of my co-workers as well). This is one of my favorite desserts and is a pretty simple recipe to master. It’s best served warm with vanilla ice cream but is also great cold if you’re in a hurry and need breakfast on the run 🙂 Why not eat cake for breakfast?!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
6 Tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray or butter and flour 2 loaf pans or one large Bundt pan.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each one.
Add dry ingredients in three additions to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
Mix in lemon juice and zest.

Pour batter into prepared pans (1 large bundt pan or 6 mini loaf pans). Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes for 1 large pan and about 30 min for 4 mini loaves. Cool cakes in pans for 15-20 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.

Traveling with Baby

Posted on December 13, 2014 by annettelharvey

My husband and I recently decided to head back to Asheville after an interesting attempt to try and visit earlier this year for a “Babymoon” before our little man arrived. Our first experience was cut short after we rented a “cabin” that was actually right off a very busy road and was the home to several mice which kept us up through the night. After a sleepless night our friend and dog-sitter Emily called us up early in the morning to let us know that our sweet puppy was incredibly sick and as a result our home was in a less than ideal state… Needless to say our trip to Asheville the first time wasn’t so great and so it was time for a do-over. This time we decided to do it right- We decided to stay at the Grove Park Inn (picture above) which is absolutely amazing, especially at Christmas. I’ll probably end up writing an entire post just on the hotel because of how absolutely amazing it is. Before we venture out to see the Biltmore at Christmas time we are camping out in our hotel room while our little man gets in a good nap. I thought I’d take this opportunity to capture all of our tips and tricks for traveling with a baby which has made this a pretty great experience so far:

SOUND MACHINE is a must! When sharing a room with your little one it makes it easier for all involved to have that extra buffer to keep him sleeping soundly. It helps that our little boy is also used to sleeping with a sound machine at home.
SNAP IN GO STROLLER. The best light weight stroller around which folds up and is easy for carrying up and down stairs if needed with or without the carseat attached. This particular model is the only one we found that fits the Britax B-Safe Carseat.
FORMULA DISPENSER or formula in a bottle. Our little man is no longer on breastmilk which has its own positives and negatives. One positive we’ve found during this trip is that we can carry around an empty bottle in tow with the necessary formula power already measured out in the bottle and then just add room temperature water when we are ready to feed him. Makes life a whole lot easier. However if still using breastmilk then a small bottle cooler and warmer are of course great for on the go.
BABY CARRIER. Just for when you want to nix the stroller and take advantage of arms free mobility. Ideal for our trip to the Biltmore this afternoon!
BACKPACK DIAPER BAG. Leave the large diaper bag in the car or hotel room. When walking around on vacation you want to minimize the “load” you are carrying and travel a little more light weight. We actually lucked out and found an outdoor store in our hotel and picked up one of these Patagonia sling bags. It may look small but it was perfect to fit a changing pad, a couple diapers, wipes, one bottle with dry formula, boogie wipes and a change of clothes. Perfection!
HEADPHONES for mom and dad. For the evening or during nap time if you want to watch a movie or listen to something on your computer or phone.

Can you think of anything else you’ve found helpful that I’m missing? Happy traveling! 🙂

Sitting up!

Posted on December 12, 2014 by annettelharvey

Days away from our little man’s 7 month birthday he is finally sitting up straight on his own! He occasionally still teeters and falls but we are finally getting there – just in time to get a picture of him sitting in front of our Christmas tree. We did have to “practice” a little with him.. I was sure to spend time with him a couple times a week working on sitting and catching him over and over when he fell- our silly boy thought it was hilarious anytime he would start to fall and we would catch him- boys! 🙂 I have a feeling crawling will be just around the corner!

Coconut Bread

Posted on December 11, 2014 by annettelharvey

Tonight we opened up our mailbox to the most amazing surprise! Coconut bread from one of our dear sweet neighbors as a little Christmas treat. I’ve never really heard of coconut bread before or tried it but it was AMAZING. My husband (who hates coconut) even tried it and loved it. So tasty. Of course I missed the chance to take a pic before we finished it off so I guess that’s as good of an excuse as any to go ahead and make it myself. For now here is the recipe as written by my dear neighbor Kelly.. More pics coming soon!

6 Months and Growing Strong!

Posted on November 21, 2014 by annettelharvey

Our little man had his 6 month check up today. 17 lb even and growing strong. He is 26.5 inches long and in the 38th percentile for weight and 50th for height. He fits perfectly in 9 month clothes (Carters & Osh Kosh brand, 6-12 month in Gap & Old Navy) and has been wearing them for about a month now. We are also in size 3 diapers. He sits supported in a high chair or leaning forward on his hands and rolls around like crazy to travel from place to place. We are getting close to sitting up completely on our own. He still doesn’t like solids but we are getting there.. we’ve also introduced a sippy cup with water and he is doing great with that! So proud of our strong and growing boy!!!

Here we are before and after shots.. sweet boy!

Fall Family Photos

Posted on November 20, 2014 by annettelharvey

It’s officially fall! Which means hot Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks, tall boots, warm coats and fall family photos for our annual Christmas card! I had to take this opportunity to give a shout out to our long time friend and photographer Alea Moore. Kyle and I met Alea when we met each other – back on a mission trip to Haiti in 2010. Alea and her sweet husband A.P. were on that trip and that was the beginning of my friendship with Kyle and the eventual start to our relationship! So fun to think back on those sweet moments! Alea is incredibly talented! She captured our engagement pictures as well as our wedding back in 2011 and so it was about time we checked back in with her to get some updated photos for our growing family. Thanks Alea for continuing to capture the sweet moments and memories of our family through the years! We are so thankful for you! For a peek at our fall family photo shoot click here.

Wonder

Posted on November 15, 2014 by annettelharvey

I just finished the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio and loved it! Wonder is the story of a 5th grade boy with a facial deformity who after years of being homeschooled, starts at a regular school, Beecher Prep, for the first time. The book is told from the perspective of August, the main character, as well as several other people in his life. At first it was somewhat accidental that our book club decided to read this book, not realizing it was technically a 7th grade reading level book but WOW – I think the last few pages under the “Julian” chapter make this whole book well worth it. A tie in at the end that is completely unexpected. So if you want a quick read that is good for the soul I definitely recommend checking out Wonder.

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Bites

Posted on November 14, 2014 by annettelharvey

A chocoholic’s dream – dark chocolate with sea salt and a touch of whip cream in one (or two) amazing, little bites. Perfect for a party or just a light evening dessert. These things are amazing!

Ingredients:

15 mini phyllo shells (1 package), thawed if frozen
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 tsp salted butter
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla
a sprinkle of sea salt (per bite)
fat free whip cream

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Place phyllo shells on a sheet pan and bake until lightly crisp, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over high heat, heat milk and butter, stirring occasionally, until milk boils and butter melts. Reduce heat to low; stir in chocolate and vanilla extract until combined.
Let chocolate mixture cool slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes; evenly divide among cooked phyllo shells. Sprinkle tarts with sea salt; chill until filling sets, about 10 minutes. Top each tart with whipped cream before serving.

Original recipe available here.

The Order of Solids

Posted on November 14, 2014 by annettelharvey

There are so many different thoughts on which solids you should introduce to your baby first.. rice first because its non allergenic or oatmeal first because rice has no nutritional value. Fruits first so they like the taste, veggies first so they don’t get spoiled by the sweetness of fruit, both first and alternate between fruits and veggies.. but then you still have to decide which to start with. It’s a bit exhausting! Ultimately you just have to decide what you want to do and go with it. Give each food 5 days to make sure there are no allergies and then move on to the next, no matter what your little one will be just fine..

I eventually decided to start with oatmeal (our little one was a week away from his 6 month birthday when we gave him his first taste) and then alternate between fruits and veggies (orange and yellow veggies before green veggies.. last comes meat). For simplicity I also decided to try each for 1 week so I started the new food on the same day and wouldn’t lose track (I’ve got enough to keep up with these days). If you decide to make your own baby food I found the book Sage Spoonfuls to be a helpful guide to teach you how to buy, prepare and store baby food.

So here’s our baby food list so far:

Organic Oatmeal mixed with breastmilk served warm
Banana – yellow, ripe with some brown spots – mashed and warmed
Sweet Potato- firm – steamed & mixed with breast milk or formula served warm
Apple- fresh red – steamed and pureed
Avocado- even green color and give a little when squeezed – pureed
Carrot – organic, orange, without cracks- steamed and pureed (The Favorite so far!)