a mini minnie mouse.

Happy Halloween yo.

Bean has been a little sick for the past couple of weeks so we're keeping it low key, but of course she still had to dress up.

And then I told her she's too little to eat any candy.

the fifth.

Life feels like it's perpetually on "fast forward".

How is it late October already?

"The fifth" has come and gone and our girl is already 4&1/2 months.

Just chillaxin' and enjoying a good read.

Okay we're done.

And because there must always be outtakes:

t.g.i.f.

It's one of those days.

Another silent but deadly diaper explosion.

Serious knee/corner of the bed frame collision while rushing to diaper change.

Silent screaming/crying (by me) while hobbling around, trying to clean up poop.

Poop on the bed (just a little - sorry SP).

Bathing the Bean to wash whatever remnants of poop off of her back, and discovering that she does NOT like the shower.  Very loud screaming/crying (by Bean).

Accidentally turning on the water with the shower head facing OUT of the shower.

Finding a significant poop stain on Bean's white chair AFTER I've already done laundry to wash her pooped up onsie.

Bean's towel landing in the toilet.

My hairbrush also landing in the toilet (see, I told you it's one of those days).

Thank goodness for little brothers who come to visit with treats.

Even if said brother is the one who dropped the towel in the toilet.

Happy weekend everyone!

mochi brownies.

A few days ago while Bean took her beauty nap, I tried out this recipe.

Well actually, it was my second time trying it.

I made them the first time in muffin tins with liners, because I have "a thing" about greasing pans.
(ie. I hate getting butter on my hands, especially in my nails... don't ask). 

Anyways, it didn't bake properly.

So take two:

I found this recipe online and was intrigued because it uses mochiko instead of flour.
"Mochi" is a traditional Japanese food - rice cake made from sticky rice.  (You can look it up on Wikipedia if you're curious to learn more.)
The "ko" in mochi-ko means powder.
So there you have it, mochiko - sticky rice flour (or powder).
Mochi is very dense, chewy and sticky.  And true to its form, these brownies came out very dense and chewy as well.  I wasn't sure how I felt about them initially, but they've grown on me now and I'll definitely make them again.

A few things to remember for next time:
It's a really loose batter.  So loose that I double checked the recipe because
I thought that I made a mistake.
This is not one of those brownies that taste good slightly under baked.  If they're undercooked, the consistency is way too gooey, and not in a good way.
They actually taste better the next day, once they've completely cooled and had time to firm up a bit.  In fact, I really like them cold from the fridge.
I added some chocolate chips to the batter, knowing that they'll probably all sink to the bottom, given how loose the batter was.  And they did.  And they pretty much melted.  It was still good though.

Woke up just as I was finishing up.
Such a good girl.

What's cookin mama?

year two.

Two years ago on a gloriously warm thanksgiving Sunday, we got married.

We didn't do anything fancy to celebrate this year, just a quick family dinner after Bean's 4 month doctor's visit. (Where we were told she is in the 90th percentile for weight.  So yes, my suspicion that I am producing milkshake has been confirmed)
Anniversary burrito date... sexy.

Poor girl was tired out from her shots.

I surprised Shaun with plane tickets so that he could come and join us when Bean and I fly out to see jiji and baba (my parents) next month.  I secretly got permission from his boss and everything.
I did the whole "aww, I only got you a card" bit, and snuck the flight info into the envelope.

I found the perfect card.

Lastly,
a few great things about SP that I will not publicly talk about the other 364 days of the year.
He will always apologize, and will never let us go to bed mad at each other.
He is always calm, even when I am freakin out like a headless chicken.
He always shares his food, and offers me his last bite.
He always strives to be better, as a professional, as a father, and as a husband.
He always treats me with respect, even when I am being a bi-atch and may not deserve it.
Thank you for choosing me, and thank you for being you.
Happy 2 years.



*All wedding photos by the fabulous Camilla Pucholt. 

winner winner chicken dinner.

... well it's more like a lunch, but it's so good that we eat it for dinner too.

This chicken salad is where it's at yo.

I very loosely follow that recipe, but mine is more like a guacamole with roasted chicken.
I don't use any mayo, sour cream, or worcestershire sauce, but add lime juice/zest, hot sauce, onion & garlic powder.  I'd add some chopped tomatoes and peppers in there too if it weren't for Shaun's passionate hatred for them.
We use leftover Costco roasted chicken, but frankly, I love this salad way more
than eating the chicken alone.

With some greens and soup, it's a perfect lunch or dinner.  

Or breakfast... snack... whenever really. 

embrace the camera.

It's Thursday again.

So I'm embracing.

I usually just resort to taking pictures with the iPhone, but I finally got around to uploading some of the pictures from my camera. So here are Bean's 3 month pictures. Even though she's 4 months tomorrow. Yay punctuality.

I'm so over this... are we done yet?

No more mum.

If you don't get that camera out of my face I'm going to start making faces like this.

and THIS.

That's some stank face yo.

a few things.

...that people forgot to inform me about motherhood.

1. My bellybutton will never look the same.

Yes, my preggo outie has returned to an innie, but it does not look the way it originally did.

No, I will not post pictures of what it looks like now.

2. I got stretch marks from losing the preggo weight too fast.

I would probably get hundreds of hate mail for this complaint, so thank goodness there's only about 10 people who read this thing (and like 8 of them are my family).
Really though, I got no marks gaining 45lbs during the pregnancy.  However, 2 weeks in the hospital post-labour with lots of medication and no food may help you shed some serious pounds, but will also give you angry purple streaks.

Dammit.

3. Yes, I may be back to pre-preggo weight, but I am most definitely not back to pre-preggo body.

Trust me.

I am trying to use Bean as a free weight to exercise but she's getting too heavy.

4. My sweet little girl will toots louder than a grown man.

She then looks away as if to say "what? who did that?"

Um, it was you.

5. Pretty much every poopy diaper will be explosive or on the verge of exploding.

I will have to make a mad dash to change her if I want to avoid doing yet another load of laundry.
"Leak Lock" diapers don't lock sh*t - literally.

6. I am a milk machine.
Although looking at her rolls, one can only assume that I am producing cream.  Or maybe milkshake.
Although my milkshake definitely does not bring all the boys to the yard.

7. Baby finger nails are like tiny daggers. 

With her insane nail growth, mama has to cut Bean's nails every other day. 

Or she will try to claw her face off and end up so:

Also, mama's chest will be covered in tiny claw marks.  She's like a tiny Wolverine. 

The lady likes to get her nails done while she eats.

Talk about service. 

Needless to say, the cuteness makes it all worthwhile.

That face will let her get away with anything.

(for now)

Such a multitasker.  Just like her mama.
The multitasking part, not the finger in nose part.
That part she got from papa.