9 weeks

sofia's 2 month dr's appointment was today. i can tell she's doing great, but it's always reassuring to talk with the doctor, just to be sure. before we went in, i guessed she was 12 lbs. i was just about right!

here are her stats:
weight: 12 lbs 3 oz / 80th percentile
length: 23 in / 75th percentile
head: 40 cm / 80th percentile

she is tracking just about where bez was tracking at 2 mos. apparently, we make big babies. i was reading back through old blogs and can't believe it was only 3 weeks ago where she was at her peak fussiness. it's hard to believe that this chubby-cheeked, smiling, laughing baby was a fussy newborn just a few weeks ago. she's changing so fast! it's so different having an almost-six year old - the changes happen so much slower, but are so much more significant (he can read! tie his shoes! do the monkey bars! swing by himself!). sofia changes are less significant (she can lift her head! she grabs my hair!), but come so much more frequently.

one of the things the dr and i discussed was sleeping. sofia has been sleeping with us (don't judge!), but i'm feeling like it's probably time to start transitioning into her crib. it's so hard because i LOVE sleeping with my babies - i find it so comforting to have them right there instead of across the room or in a different room. that being said, we transitioned bez to his crib when he was about 6 months (i think?) and it was pretty hard. when we had her we agreed to do it sooner. the dr. also advised that babies who are in their own bed tend to sleep for longer periods at night. so here we go! tonight i am going to attempt to put her in the crib next to our bed - wish me luck!

in addition to her stats, sofia also got four shots. bez was so nervous for her - "mom, i wish that shots were bad for you, like ice cream". he has decided to invent vaccines that can be taken by mouth and taste like "juice and candy and other stuff" so babies don't have to get them. he's a good big brother.

last weekend we went up to my mom's house on whidbey island. bez loves to be there and it was nice to get a little mom time. being on whidbey on a sunny day reminds me of why i live here. it's so beautiful. being with my mom reminds me how much we do every day between working and the kids and the house. when she's there, i feel like i'm able to take a deep breath and just really and deeply enjoy it all. thanks mom.

chocolate cupcake yummm...

bez's birthday is coming up soon. he wants chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting. so i'm practicing. because there have been birthdays where i haven't practiced and it's been gross.

i love making cakes and cupcakes for birthdays, but every time i try to make chocolate cupcakes, they turn out too dry, too moist, too flaky, or something else. they never turn out right. also, making chocolate cupcakes from scratch is a pain in the toosh. it takes forever and it's sooo messy.

well, i'm so happy to report, i've found the perfect recipe. it's fast, it's easy, and it's yummy. my foodie friends will find this lazy. i'm going to put it out there - it's from a box. well, a couple of boxes. but, it's too good to share. the other thing? you don't have to tell people it's from a box. unless you write a blog entry about it.

i adapted the recipe from this one. you'll see the similarity.

makes 24 chocolate cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 3-4 oz box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs

preheat the oven to 350 (ish). if your oven was made in 1962 (like mine), put the dial somewhere between the actual line for 350 and the line you drew on the stove where you thinkg 350 actually registers. then continuously monitor the thermometer inside your oven until it's 350.

throw all the ingredients into a big bowl. mix them until it's not too lumpy.

scoop about 1/4 cup (slightly less) of batter into cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.

bake for 20-25 mins, until you press on the top and it bounces back all spongy-like.

wait for them to cool completely, then spread buttercream frosting on them. try not to eat two. especially if you're breasfeeding and trying not to eat chocolate. just try it, i dare you.

yummmm.....

quick yum

section of toasted baguette
chaivre (spreadable goat cheese)
roasted tomatoes
peppered turkey
salad greens

strawberry and blueberry salad

yummm......

things i know...

today we watched cbs sunday morning and they were featuring a story about merle haggard. originally from ok, his family moved to ca during the great depression and he grew up in a converted train car right next to the tracks. on the show, he played a song he had been writing about what happy memories he has of that time and it got me thinking...

As parents, we spend so much time focused on things we think really matter (no tv until he's 5! her nursery isn't the right shade of retro-mod pink! my diaper bag doesn't match the car seat!)- i've been guilty of all of these. Here is what i've learned about what's really important:

don't worry about your child being some perfect expression of who you are. let them be themselves. let them dress in silly clothes. let them get their best clothes messy. they don't need a faux-hawk. by the way, they are going to ruin those shoes within a month.

teach then to respect others. don't let them stomp, or whine in restaurants, or chew with their mouth open, or forget to say please and thank you. when they are riding their bike, tell them to get out of the way of other. make them take turns on the swings.

kiss them more than they want, hug them more than they need. snuggle them when they sleep. Sleep in their room sometimes so you're there when they wake up.

do things for them you wouldn't do on principle before you had kids (buy that toy at walmart, go bowling, go to Disneyland). You will appreciate the look on their face more than your own stick-to-ittiveness.

make friends with people who have kids. you'll be lonely if you don't. you'll see less of your friends without kids and it'll be hard. put yourself out there. it's weird and you won't have anything to talk about besides poop, but you'll be glad.

talk about poop. it changes all the time and your pediatrician won't always be available to discuss.

read to them every night. let everyone who is in the house at bed time read to them if your child asks. let them make friends with your grown up friends.

feed them what you are eating. don't feed them dessert until they have eaten a good dinner. don't make special food for them. feed them veggies from the beginning like it's no big deal, make them eat veggies with every meal.

sometimes mcdonald's is the cheapest, easiest option for lunch. it'll make your kids happy. don't beat yourself up about it, just get the apples instead of fries and enjoy the fact that you don't have to stress about what to feed them.

make them play outside at least once a day - it'll force them to be creative. they will say they are bored. make them go back outside. don't tell them what to do.

don't worry about it being perfect. do the best you can. if you mess it up, it's not going to scar them for life. just don't do it again.

breastfeed your baby if you can for as long as you can (or until it starts to feel creepy). your big kid will be so much healthier as a result. and yeah, it hurts really bad for 2 weeks, but then it gets better.

love love love them. don't worry about spoiling them with attention, the more attention you give them without them having to ask, the less they will ask for it.

off to go enjoy this morning!

zuniparty

let me say first - the zunigas are not good at parties. our strengths do not lie in planning, cleaning, or entertaining. we always second guess ourselves (did we plan it on the right day? did we buy enough food? what do people like to drink?) so, going into hosting our "meet the baby" party, we were prepared for disaster.

july 2nd (party prep day) came along and there was cooking, beer-buying, sangria making, and cleaning taking place - all while holding a squirming, fussy 7 week old who seemed to be extra grumpy (or were we just extra busy?). our lovely friends invited bez to spend the night at their house, so we could prep, which made the prep so much easier.

the menu:

pasta salad (homemade)

fancy sausages (trader joes!)

chips (potato and tortilla)

guacamole and salsa (homemade)

berry salad (nature made)

yellow cake cupcakes with strawberry frosting (awesome easy recipe)

artichoke dip (homemade)

on july 3rd (a weird day for a party - i said we were bad planners) - the day was here. we told our friends to show up anytime between 1pm and 6pm. not sure what to expect (will people come all at once? will everyone come late? will everyone flake? will everything be ready on time?) what a surprise that none of that mattered. people came in shifts, so we could catch up with old friends (tony's roommate from 10 years ago!), new friends and enjoy the food and people at our house. there were lots of arms for baby-holding and lots of babies! there were breaks for nursing (a total of 4 breastfeeding babies), pregnant friends and slip and sliding in true seattle fashion. 60 degrees? no problem, just sit in the sun until you stop shivering. the older babies held hands and played on the floor, while the big kids played soccer in the backyard.

at the end of the day, we realized what a nice, interesting, and friendly group of people we know. we realized that there are people we are so glad to know well, people we want to reconnect with, and new people we want to get to know better. we realized that maybe we aren't so bad at this afterall.