Mama Blessings

Spent the weekend with Kyle and our darling little peanut! She and Big D are becoming best buds! She looks for him every morning when she wakes up. 

The best thing about my weekend...she started to babble "mamamamama" all weekend! So sweet! What a blessing to hear your little one call you "mama" when she sees you!

This week Alisa's Garden teamed up with Mary Banducci Photography to bring you some festive drink recipes! Up first is a Sparkling Pomegranate Persimmon Martini on Monday Morning!

Sophia is 6 months old today!

Our sweet little one is six months old today! Where does the time go?!

She is such a blessing and so precious! We love how her little personality is starting to shine! She is sitting  up all by her self now. She wants to crawl SO bad but hasn't quite figured it out yet. 

She had her six month check up today and is in the 90th percentile for height but only about 15 pounds. She's definitely taking after the Lewis side...tall and skinny! She LOVES to eat her solids now but only enjoys what mama cooks...none of that jarred stuff. Butternut squash, apples, cucumber, avocado, grapes, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes. 

Here's a little progression from birth through five months.

As of late...

Sophie is getting bigger each day! (kind of makes me sad..I love how little she is)

We are still in the process of moving into our new home in Hayden...hopefully we'll be in this weekend. We've been staying with Nana and Peepaw and have turned there house into Baby Land!

Last week I took Sophie to my first La Lune business meeting with me. She was a little angel! She has been so good at every meeting so far..hoping it lasts!

We are also enjoying the first real sunshine in Idaho this year..and trying to keep Sophie out of it. Isn't she stylish in her little hat and sunglasses?

She will be one month old on Tuesday! The month has flown by but I have enjoyed every minute of my sweet, snugly baby!

I promise new recipes are coming as soon as I get settled into my new kitchen!

Two Weeks Old

Sophia was two weeks old yesterday! Time is flying by but I am making a point to enjoy every minute of her! Her sweet baby smell, her few little smiles, her newborn noises...all the things they lose as they grow up!

We are still in the process of packing...YUCK! Yesterday I couldn't stand to be in my wreck of a house anymore so Daddy took us to the park for a picnic! Sophie was much happier in the outdoors and Big D loved "watering" every rock and tree and snarling at other dogs (still working on his aggression issues)!

Soon I will have a kitchen to cook in and all of my kitchen items put back in order! Looking forward to making some summer recipes for all of you.

Since we don't have a garden this year, I'm planning on visiting the farmer's market as much as possible. Thankfully one of the best markets in the area is just down the road from our new house!

Here is a recipe posted by Suwanee! It looks delicious!

Adventures of Diesel

Diesel has been adjusting well to the baby...however he does get a little sad at times. It's hard for him now that he's not the center of attention anymore!

We came home the other day and saw he had ordered himself a pizza while we were gone! Poor guy...he was hungry!

He has been very good with baby Sophia. He hardly noticed her the first few days we were at home. When she cries, he gets worried and looks around for her then gently licks her head.

Sophia Grace Lewis

Our baby girl is here! It's been a whirlwind of a ride since June 4th when I started to go into labor. I'm finally getting the chance to sit down and write a little piece for the blog while baby Sophia naps with her daddy!

Eventually I will be writing my birth story (or pieces of it) but for now I just want to share some photos with all of you!

Maryangelo

This speaks for itself...

Baby Sophie at one day old!

Baby Sophia Grace was born at 1:20 pm on June 7th. She weighed 8 pound 6 ounces and was 21 inches long.

After waiting 12 days after her due date, Mama was in labor for 3 days, active labor for 24 hours, and hit just about every road block there is in the labor and delivery world. I'm very thankful for my husband who never left my side, my mom who is the best mom any one could ask for, my midwife who got me through to the end, and my friend Mary who was there photographing but provided a quiet and calming energy to the room.

One day old...tired mama, proud papa!

Sophie loves her Peepaw

5 days old

Newborn Pics with our dear friend, Ifong Chen

6 days old

Sophia meets her Great-Papa Giles for the first time!

95 years old and 7 days old

More newborn photos by Maryangelo

9 days old

Baptism

11 days old

 Right now we are getting ready to move. I know, we're CRAZY! Thankfully Kyle has been doing all of the packing and moving of big things. I packed most of the little things while I was waiting those 12 long days for Sophia to arrive. We are very excited to move closer to our family in Idaho, closer to our business, our friends, farmer's markets, lakes, and beautiful Hayden & Coeur d'Alene!

Broccoli Pea Salad | Still Waiting...

via

This is a delicious summer salad...perfect for parties and barbecues!

Ingredients

2 heads Fresh Broccoli, chopped up

2 cups Frozen Peas

1 English Cucumber, chopped

½ cup finely diced red onion

1 bundle sliced scallions

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup crumbled bacon bits (optional)

1 can Water Chestnuts (chopped)

½ cup dried cranberries (optional)

Dressing

1 cup Veganaise or Mayonnaise

3 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbs Lemon Juice
1/3 cup honey

1-2 tsp curry powder (optional)

Directions

Chop all of veggies and mix-ins. Mix together in large serving bowl.

Whisk together dressing ingredients and toss into salad.

Chill and serve!

All photos courtesy of Maryangelo Photography

We are still waiting on baby girl to arrive. I'm trying my best to be patient and trying to enjoy every minute I have left to myself before she arrives. My house is spotless, my bags are packed, and we have everything ready for her to arrive!

We've done everything to try to start labor naturally...and she's just not ready to come. I've been eating spicey food, walking, swimming, reflexology, acupuncture, massage...everything!

She'll come when she's done cooking! My little bun just likes being in the oven!

Diesel is ready to meet her, too! He won't leave my side!



Blogging Hiatus | New Pizza Recipe

Hello Blogger Friends!

I took a little break from blogging! We're busy preparing for baby and I'm finishing up my last few weeks at work before I take maternity leave.

I've been knitting away on baby projects and getting her little room ready!

My dear friend Mary Banducci took some of my maternity photos last weekend! You can see more of her work here.

I have been experimenting with new bread recipes after my friend, Kristi, let me borrow this book:

(she also knitted those cute little booties above)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

My bread was turning into hard dense loaves until I tried this method! And it's the easiest way of making bread I've ever tried! I highly recommend you give it a try.

We made pizza the other day and I used the "Olive Oil Dough" recipe from this book! It was so delicious! The perfect crust...not too thick, not too thin!

Olive Oil Dough

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets, rapid-rise or regular)

1 1/2 tables spoons Kosher salt

1 tablespoon Sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a large bowl.

Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon or the dough hook on a mixer.

Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses, about 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise. It is easier to handle when cold and can be refrigerated for up to 12 days.

(recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day)

Margherita Pizza

Make the dough above as directed. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out dough to fit pizza stone. Sprinkle stone with cornmeal before placing dough on the stone.

Sometimes we add a little tomato sauce as a base....sometimes it's just great with olive oil on the dough before you add your toppings. It's up to you!

The main ingredients:

Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Layer the sliced mozzarella and tomatoes on the dough.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Before serving garnish with generous amounts of fresh basil and enjoy!!

My Little Bun | Pregnancy Update

Our little bun is growing bigger and bigger! She's about 29 weeks 5 days old today!

I have taken this week off of work (at Hospice) to design and style a La Lune Wedding this weekend. My bride & groom are fabulous and are making my job so much easier this week...they love doing all of the DIY projects themselves! Their wedding is going to be fabulous and I can't wait to show you all pics on the La Lune Blog.

I have had such a nice, relaxing week to spend with my husband and get caught up on projects. Our remodel is almost complete and ready to sell! I've been finishing up my knitting projects and starting on more. And I've finally mastered how to make a decent loaf of bread thanks to my friend, Kristi, at work. She lent me this book which made the mystery of bread making all make sense! It's all so simple now! I recommend you try this method of bread making! You're house will smell delicious and your tummy will be happy!

While taking it easy this week, I have noticed how active my "little bun" is inside of me. Maybe because I have slowed down, she's been able to speed up! We can now feel feet and hands kicking around in there and can see undulations under my belly as she somersaults around in there! It's very exciting!

We can't wait to have her on the outside! Baby growing is not easy work and carrying around this extra belly is not very convenient for being a nurse and event designer. I love being pregnant, though, and feeling this little life grow and expand inside of me!

A dear friend, Suwanee Lennon, took some photos for the business a few weeks ago. Lindsey Rose did hair and make up. We will be using these on our website soon and she took a few maternity for me!

Exciting News...

We are very excited to announce we're having a BABY GIRL!!!!

We are both perfectly healthy and growing bigger every day!

She's already very flexible as you can see from the ultrasound picture below...about to do a somersault or maybe suck on a little toe?

A little foot...

We'll get to see a better 3D view at the next ultrasound if she cooperates and changes her position a little!

Kyle and my mom went with me to the ultrasound appointment! We are all elated about the news! We've had a feeling all along it was a girl! Kyle has wanted a baby girl first which I think is precious! She'll definitely be a Daddy's Little Girl!

Now that we know it's a girl we're starting the decorating and fabric buying and booty knitting and on and on!

Babies are so fun!

Today's the Day! Stay Tuned...