More Than Milk

Last week Adah had her first experience with the taste of real food.  We mashed up a bit of avocado, added some breastmilk to make it nice and pureed and enjoyed watching her try to figure out what to do with the green mush.  She seemed confused at first like, what is happening right now?? She made some pretty great faces and I think she may have actually swallowed a bit of it! It is crazy how messy it got.  Without careful watch and restraint Adah was able to get one and then two whole fists in her mouth and have them both covered in green in a matter of seconds!  We are having a lot of fun feeding her and I am excited about introducing new foods to her.  Pretty soon she will get to experience the joy and deliciousness of sweet potatoes, bananas, apple sauce and whatever else we can come up with!  It is an excited new world for sweet Adah Lynn.

Weekend at Topsail

We went to Topsail last weekend and we got to walk on the beach, visit with friends and family, enjoy farm food away from home, watch movies and Kyle got to surf, what more could we ask for?! This was Adah's second time to the beach and her first time to Topsail which we were quite excited about.  Traveling the 3 hours in the car has definitely gotten trickier as she has gotten older. It was rough.  Think traffic, stressed out dad, screaming baby, and sad momma acting a fool trying to make baby smile!  But I must say it was worth it.  

Adah's nightly baths were in the kitchen sink which was like a jacuzzi to her!

I am not sure if Adah or Grandma was more happy to hang out together! 

There weren't really any waves but Kyle enjoyed just getting in the water and riding whatever he could.  There were dolphins right nearby but they were a little camera shy!

Adah and Ginger had some good bonding time.  

Bathtime Sweetness

For a while we have had a great bathtime/bedtime routine that has really been working for Adah to sleep well at night and for Kyle and I to have a game plan for putting her to bed.  Adah gets pretty fussy in the evening hours but whenever we put her in the bathtub her whining stops and she gets calm and relaxed.  Sometimes she will start "talking" a ton or kicking her legs crazily and splashing.  One night she was being so sweet with Kyle, having some intense eye contact and just had lots to tell him, that I had to take some pictures!

We are getting pretty excited for spring with its warm weather and new crops.  I have been so thankful for sweet potatoes, kale, collards and carrots this winter but I am getting excited for some new stuff to spice up our meals!  Kyle planted some kiwi seeds a while back and one of them has sprouted! Did you know you could grow kiwis in these parts?! We are pumped about it and hope to have a beautiful kiwi vine in the future.  Happy March everyone!

Free Range Pork

Winter conditions are not ideal for raising meat chickens and we only just recently took a cow to be processed, so what have we been eating for meat this winter season?  Pork!  

Sunset Farms raised its first six pigs this past summer and it has been such a joy to have a variety of breakfast and italian sausages, pork chops, roasts, chorizo, bratwurst (pictured below) and ribs to enjoy.  We enjoyed the bratwurst over some sauerkraut and along with some kale chips.  Kyle made his first batch of sauerkraut using cabbage from the farm and salt.  I couldn't believe all you needed was cabbage, salt and a little time for them to ferment to make sauerkraut! Amazing! And delicious, not to mention oh so good for your tummy.  Sauerkraut is known for its good bacteria that helps make your digestive tract strong and healthy.  

Another great pork dish we have been enjoying is italian sausage soup which is so easy to make (one of the reasons I love it so much).  Brown 1 lb of sweet or hot italian sausage.  Use whatever combination of chicken broth and water you have, add the sausage, some cut (or torn) kale or collards or any green, some cooked brown rice and a jar of tomatoes (if it's summer use fresh tomatoes), salt and pepper and there's dinner (and lunch the next day AND maybe dinner the next night if leftovers don't bother you and who you're feeding).  I am normally a crazy stick-to-a-recipe type of gal but making this soup has been so freeing for me.  I just kind of eyeball the amount of water/broth and use whatever amount of greens and such I have.  It makes it so much more laid back and enjoyable to make.   I wish I had a picture of the soup, but I don't.  Instead here is a picture of the Sunset Farms pigs themselves (along with a rooster and a hen)- raised running free in the woods and without any growth hormones or antibiotics! 

If you are in the area and would like to buy some pork, let me know.  We still have plenty of chorizo, mild breakfast sausage in bulk, sweet or hot italian sausage in bulk or links and pork chops!

Family Photo

Adah had a great doctor's visit on Monday and weighed 17 pounds and 5 ounces and measured 25 3/4 inches long. I am curious to see how long she keeps this up and if she will level out with her peers.  Who knows, she may take after her daddy and end up being taller than me!

Here's a picture of all three of us which does not happen very often.  I am excited about it!

Breaking Out the Snowsuits

Saturday was warm and sunny (think T-shirt and jeans) and it was ridiculous to hear that it was going to snow the next day.  Kyle and I drove to Greensboro on Sunday in hopes of being snowed in with the Gerstmyer Family and to our delight it snowed for the first time this winter! We were able to use these amazing snowsuits that our Aunt Carol and Uncle George gave the girls that made them look like adorable marshmallows! We were fortunate to have Adah and Eva awake at the same time since they tend to be on opposite schedules.  Can you tell which baby crashed for a nap right after her first snow adventure??

As a side note: Adah did receive some assistance for making her snow angel (thanks dad).

4 Months and Loving Her Feet

Adah is four months old today! She has discovered her feet just within the last week and loves to bring her toes to her mouth! She is sleeping great at night leaving Kyle and I feeling more alive and more ourselves.  She is now squealing more than cooing, and loves to make this pterodactyl-like noise (who knew that was spelled with a p?!).  She loves to play with the wooden bears attached to her bouncy seat and this colorful ball she is able to grasp in her tiny fingers.  She is laughing more than ever which is the best! She will sit in our laps and "listen" to a story and enjoy looking at the pictures.  It is amazing to see how she has become so aware and interactive.  I took these pictures last night after bathtime before bed.

One thing I realized this morning is that I have been a mom for four months.  That's it.  So when the times come where I'm not sure if she is hungry or sleepy I am going to extend grace to myself and be gentle with myself and remember that I am new at this!  I am no expert and I am not perfect and I am not supposed to be! 

Why is it that we are the hardest on ourselves?  I have realized that there are many occasions when I need to think encouraging and uplifting thoughts to myself (instead of the opposite) and it has been life changing to do this!  God is a loving God who loves us amidst our imperfections and mistakes and who is gracious to all who call upon Him!  On Sunday Bill Goans (pastor at Grace Community Church) talked about how we live in such a way towards others and ourselves as we see God being toward us.  If we see God as a stingy God, not giving us much, then we too are stingy.  BUT if we see God as a generous God, the ultimate giver that He is, the one who has given us much grace and forgiven us much, then we too will live with generous hearts.  It has been good to analyze my own heart and see if there are ways in which I have a wrong view of God and if I am living in such a way that reflects this.  Does God expect me to be perfect? No, He doesn't. Does God speak harsh words when I fail?  No, He whispers loving, encouraging and gracious words to me and I am going to start doing the same thing and I hope you will too!