Matilda's First Pair of Jeans

Grabby Girl!

Recently, Matilda has discovered that my glasses can come off my face and she can't quit grabbing at them!
But, like a dog who chases a car, she didn't really know what to do with them once she got them!

MMMMMMonday!

Is that all for me?



We made a Chicago-style deep dish pizza this weekend and it tasted like the real thing! The crust is golden and crisp with just the right amount of weight and chewiness--it really is delicious, it is easy (and not too time consuming) and it will be showing up on our table again and again!Here's the recipe:

Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 c. pizza sauce
1 lb. shredded mozzarella
other topings of your choice

In a mixer bowl dissolve the sugar in the warm water.

Add the yeast and allow it to bloom for 5 minutes

Add 2 1/4 c. flour, cornmeal, salt and olive oil

Mix thoroughly with the hook attachment of the mixer

Add 1/4 c. flour and "knead" the dough with the hook attachment for 5 minutes (if you aren't using a stand mixer, turn out the dough and knead by hand)

Generously oil a deep bowl, put the ball of dough in, turn so it is greased, cover with saran wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees

pour 1/4 c. vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet (we used a 14 inch skillet). It will seem like a lot of oil but it is the secret to the perfect crust!
Place the dough in the pan and use your hands to press it into the pan. Don't be alarmed it it slips down the sides.

Let it rise for 15 minutes more.

Spread 1/2 your cheese, 1/2 your topings and 1/2 your sauce (in that order) on the crust, make sure the walls of dough are still up as they should be--the toppings will help hold them up. Then, layer in the next half. Make sure to spread the sauce out as evenly as you can on top of the pizza.

Place in the 500 degree oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, turn down the heat to 400 and cook for 10 minutes more.

Remove from the oven and use a spatula to lift up the pizza and check the bottom to make sure it is done.

Once it is done, remove it from the pan and onto a cutting board. Let rest at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

Getting Bigger!

Matilda had her 4 month well-baby visit today. She is 25 1/4 inches long and 12 pounds 3 ounces. She is still long and lean. She handled her shots well and the doctor said that she is extremely healthy and remarkably strong.

Dear Santa,

We've had several people ask what Matilda might like for Christmas, so if she could write a Christmas Wish List, here is what would be on it:

Books--particularly Baby Faces, books by Sandra Boynton (we already have the Birthday Monsters and the Belly Button Book), Little Golden Books, Flip-a-Face SAMi books, I'll Love You Forever, board books, and anything colorful that can be read in 10 minutes or less.

Battery-operated crib mobile (her room is green and pink)

Toys--anything with music, lights, and/or mirrors will get her attention! Here is a good article about what toys are developmentally appropriate for a 6-12 month old baby.

Stacking cups or rings

Gift certificates for a Gymboree Class

CD of kids songs featuring her name

Bare Naked Ladies kids' songs Snack Time

They Might Be Giants kids' songs (No!, Bed Bed Bed, Here Come the ABCs, Here Come the 123s)

Justin Roberts kids' songs (Great Big Sun, Pop Fly, Melt Down, Way Out, Not Naptime, Yellow Bus)

Car seat blanket

Footie pyjamas 6-9 month and 9-12 month

Short and long sleeved white Spa Silk onesies 6-9 months (available online only)

Pants 6-9 months

Gift Certificates for clothing at Children's Place, Gymboree, Carters, or Baby Gap

Long bibs for when she starts on baby food in January

Baby spoons

Baby bowls that are dishwasher and microwave safe and have lids

Silicone containers for freezing baby food

University of Wisconsin umbrella stroller

Naughty Baby!

Does this look like napping to you?

Chit Chat

Our pumpkins

VOTE

You know what day it is, don't forget to get out and vote! I won't get into who Ed is voting for, who I am voting for, or whether or not it's the same person, but I will come back with pictures of Matilda's first trip to the polls!

UPDATED 3:30--We voted! Matilda must have known it was important because she was really good. Doesn't she look cute in her patriotic election day outfit?

Mommy and Me

Matilda and I had a busy day together. We had our usual morning--eat, tummy time, roll over, eat some more, get dressed, then we went to our breast-feeding mother's group and had a great time. I was able to weigh Matilda while we were there and she's just about 12 pounds now! Seems to me that she's starting to grow faster.
We had lunch with Daddy at home, and took a long walk late this afternoon.
Tonight we're making home made pizzas for dinner and I'm going to try to clean up the house before bedtime (Matilda's bedtime routine starts at 7:30). Once Matilda is down Ed and I are going to watch a movie. Been a while since we've been able to do that!
All in all it's been pretty nice for a Monday!

Friday Feature

Matilda has been busy as usual this week!

She's really working on those teeth, we're still hoping they'll pop through soon so she can have some relief.

She's learning new sounds every couple days and having a good time exercising her voice.

She's finally noticed Laddie and shown an interest in the dogs--even petting them and letting them kiss her.

She got an exersaucer and loves playing in it and practicing standing.

Her attention span has grown enough to enjoy stories now--Daddy reads her a story from our Little Golden Book collection every morning, and she enjoys them all.

She has learned that if she throws her toys on the ground I will pick them up, and she thinks this is a really fun game.

And tonight she'll go out trick-or-treating for the first time!

Happy Birthday, Laddie!

Laddie is 4 years old today. He's our first "baby" and it's been so neat to watch him grow and change and learn. Here are some of my favorites of his "baby pictures."





This week, Matilda really took notice of him for the first time, and he was such a good sport. Here they are--watch the whole thing, the sweetest part is at the end!:

Happy Halloween

Chilli pepper

Play Time

Am I interrupting?



Matilda can grab her toys now. She likes to pick them up, chew on them, bang them together, drop them on the floor and scream at them. It keeps her very busy.

Rubber Ducky

Grandma Gustafson got Matilda a Halloween rubber duck and Matilda LOVED it!


Delicious!

MMMMMMMonday

This is a favorite at our house--particularly around the holidays, but we'll make it whenever we can. The recipe comes from the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation in Lake Oconee, GA. Ed and I went there on our honeymoon and they were serving these all the time and they were delicious! When it was time to leave they gave us a jar-full and the recipe. They are delicious and bring back great memories for us.
Also, the lodge is fantastic, so if you're looking for a nice place for a luxurious and relaxing vacation I couldn't recommend the Reynold's Plantation more.

Spiced Pecans
1 Pound Pecan Halves
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line sheet pan with parchment or silpat mat
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Arrange in a single layer on pan
Bake 15 minutes, then stir.
Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Allow pecans to cool 5 minutes, then stir to loosen individual pieces.
Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Edited to add--yes, I am so tired I really did think it was Monday until I saw the post with a big "Tuesday" above it.

Matilda's Baptism

Matilda was baptized on September 28th by Pastor Carl Gray in the Fox Valley Presbyterian Church. Her aunt and uncle, Eric and Kim Gustafson, stood up as her sponsors. I know you've already seen pictures, but for those of you who missed it, here's the ceremony (it's 10 minutes long).

Playing with Eric and Kim

Friday Feature

This was a big week for Matilda!

She is starting to recognize her name. She will turn towards you when you say it, and when I stick it into songs I'm singing to her she'll smile as soon as she hears "Matilda."

She's laughing and cooing a lot more. She's starting to really find her voice and can get pretty loud--especially in the morning!

She's still teething, and she just went through a monster of a growth spurt--she was waking up 3-5 times a night to eat--previously she never got up more than once a night to eat since she was 7 weeks old. It was exhausting. But, she gained 9 ounces in one week! An average growth rate for babies is 1/2 an ounce a day, and Matilda has previously been slower than that, so you can see she's really grown this week!

She is now 11 pounds 7.5 ounces and she's too long for most of her 0-3 month sleepers--we just moved her up to the 3-6 month footed pajamas yesterday.

She's still loving to "stand" with help, but now she can do it just holding my fingers as long as I stand her up. She doesn't know how to get up on her own yet.

She's working on her tummy muscles, getting ready to sit (as you can see in the first video). She does these little "V" crunches where she lifts her head and shoulders up and her legs up at the same time.

And the big one--she rolled over for the first time (on purpose anyway) on Wednesday. She was 15 weeks and 5 days old when she did it. And I'm so proud! She did it while Ed was home for lunch and we were lucky enough to catch it on film. I'm so happy Daddy was home for this milestone.

Here she is rolling over:

What does a baby do on vacation?

Matilda had her first trip up to Door County a couple weeks ago. Here's how she spent her vacation:

There was snuggling and sleeping and foot ball:




There was dining out--Matilda was so good in her sling that we went out to dinner at the English Inn, lunch at Wilson's, breakfast at Al Johnson's and here we are at her first fish boil at the White Gull Inn.



She got a little fussy at dinner so we had to take her out of her sling. I gave her a bottle during dinner and then Daddy took over.




There was also plenty to see. She enjoyed taking baths in the big tub, showering in the giant shower, playing games all over, watching the dogs play in the lake, taking long walks in the woods, sitting outside by the fire, and here are the swans who came by almost every morning.



Of course after all that, there was more sleeping!



We had a really nice trip and I'm looking forward to Christmas when she'll be able to participate more.