Wee Bunz

Today Eileigh and I took a trip down to Corvallis to check out Wee Bunz, the natural parenting and cloth diaper store located there. I had originally hoped to cloth diaper with Eileigh but I was unprepared for her to be born so early and sorta had my feet kicked out from under me. I mainly focused on my struggle to survive for those first few (okay, at least 3 or 4) months. By the time I felt more on top of things Eileigh had completely outgrown the sizes I had bought and so it was back to square one- and sticking with the convenience of disposables. Having recently come to the realization that Eileigh is actually going to be in diapers for quite a while longer, Mike and I discussed the pros and cons of going to cloth and decided it's definitely worth a shot! Disposables are a big expense over the long run and since we're trying to trim various areas of our finances we thought this might be a great option for us. The owner was WONDERFUL and let me exchange the covers for the size that she wears now, even though it had been almost a year since my purchase! I had a lot of fun picking out some of the covers- they're so cute! I just got a basic package so we'll try these out and see what we think and probably buy a few more if we decide we like what we've got. Eileigh did great while I shopped- although she did try to eat her barrette- I caught her right as it disappeared into her mouth!! Scared me to death but at least she let me get it out without too much fuss or fight. Speaking of Eileigh's mouth, I just noticed her SIXTH tooth glistening right below the surface- on the left upper side!! Should be making an official appearance soon!! :) Here's Eileigh modeling some of our new purchases- she is really starting to get the hang of picture taking!! :)

Eileigh's Fifth Tooth!!

Eileigh's fifth tooth made its appearance this morning and explained why Eileigh has been even more clingy than usual (I know, I know, hard to believe). :) We had been wondering when the next one would show up since she had gotten the first four all at once over her 7th month and here it is! I'm glad this one came in a bit easier- although it might be hard to tell since she's had an ear infection at the same time and I've just been attributing all the crankiness to that. This one is on the top right side, just next to her front right tooth!! It's so cute- you can kinda see it in the picture. And then I just had to share this pic of my sweeties!! :)

Splish Splash!!

Eileigh loves her baths and always has, even as a preemie. Must take after her mom... and grandma... although I suppose few people are truly averse to bath-taking. But still. It's been really fun to watch her enjoy various aspects of bathtime. First with splashing and playing with toys, then being fascinated with the drain. As of late she has been admiring herself in the little tub reflector. I'm sure she knows it's her own reflection and she laughs and talks and then sees me in the reflection too and grins. It's so fun to watch as she'll stare at me in the reflector and then turn to me and smile, like, "There you are!!" I love her enjoyment of simple things!! Now if I can only get her to enjoy the drying off and getting dressed part....

Our favorite color: Camo

Uncle Jeff got a cute little camo outfit for Eileigh that Mike has been dying for her to wear. Today Mike had hunting on the brain (since he has been cooped up in the house with his buddy, ol' C. diff.). Proud, infatuated parents that we are, a simple picture turned into a photography session complete with props: stuffed black bear, spotting scope, GPS, and two types of cow calls. Eileigh preferred to chew on the mouth call. And the GPS. The hat pretty much drove her nuts, and I think we enjoyed that the most!! :)

The Quick and the De...licious....

Since Mike has been struggling to rid himself of his new affliction (picture the Mucinex bugs, proliferating like fruit flies, sliding through his colon like the fastest roller coaster at Thrillville), I am under strict Doctor's orders to feed him food of the bland variety. I generally try to liven up my dishes with whatever spices I think might blend together so this is a big step for me in the opposite direction. He has assured me he does not want to exist on plain organic yogurt and applesauce for the next ten days, so I am stuck trying to figure out some exciting new dishes devoid of flavor. This being said, I prepared this meal last night and it was absolutely fabulous! I decreased the amount of red pepper and took it easy on some of the other spices so it wouldn't be *too* flavorful per Doctor's orders but it still tasted great!! It also took about 10-15 minutes total from start to serve so I wanted to share such a great find!! I served these with a fresh baked sweet potato on the side (scrub, poke with fork, bake at 375 for 1 1/4 hrs). Mike told me this is in his top six for favorites (he is still unsure what the other five are).

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Dressing
Pork:
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. each salt, onion powder, ground cumin and chili powder
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 large egg white
1/3 c. panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 (4 oz) boneless center-cut loin pork chops
1 tsp. canola oil
Dressing:
1 Tblsp. chopped green onions
1 Tblsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I omitted)
2 Tblsp. fat-free sour cream
1 Tblsp. fat-free milk
1 Tblsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1) Preheat oven to 450. Comnine first 6 ingredients in shallow dish. Combine soy sauce and eggwhite in a medium bowl, stirring with whisk. Place panko in shallow dish.
2) Dredge pork in flour mixture; dip in egg mixture. Dredge in panko. Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Place pork on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees for 6minutes or until done.
3) To prepare dressing, combine onions and the remaining ingredients. Serve dressing with pork. Serves:2
*You can make this meal gluten-free by substituting cornflakes for the panko.*

"Bare" with me!!!

I'm taking the plunge- and although I still don't quite feel eloquent or creative enough to do justice to the art of blogging, I have decided I can at least share snippets, juicy tidbits, big events and other occurrences of our life, in our happy little home in the city.