The 365 Project: Day 329 (Nov 26)

Lana and I set out on our first solo road trip today to visit family. Eek! I was so nervous about the (typically) 6 hour drive to my Aunt's house that I'm not sure I took a breath for the first 4 hours. 

You see, Lana is not such a fan of car rides. Sometimes she's totally fine, and sometimes you'd think she was in a torture chamber. It's the usual--once she decides she's upset, the only thing that calms (distracts) her is vigorous movement--and car rides are just a little too mellow for that. But she surprised me and was a sleepy little angel until we were 10 minutes from my aunt's house! Crazy! 

I love visiting family--I get so much rest! I get to sleep in, take naps, take breaks, eat a full meal...it's amazing! And I'm pretty sure they like all that baby holding time too. :)

The 365 Project: Day 328 (Nov 25)

Today I'm thankful for my incredible, adorable, wonderful, growing family.

The 365 Project: Day 327 (Nov 24)

Look who finally fills out her FuzziBunz cloth diapers! Her little legs were too skinny to fill out the holes before, but she's just starting to put on some pudge, so we can start playing with her colorful drawers. 

The 365 Project: Day 326 (Nov 23)

More awesome faces for your viewing pleasure.

Looks like she's ready for a boxing match...

...or not.

The 365 Project: Day 325 (Nov 22)

Lana finally met her Grandpa today! Yay! And guess who was immediately smitten? Both of them. So cute.

The 365 Project: Day 324 (Nov 21)

Just in case you weren't already convinced that we have the cutest babe ever...

The 365 Project: Day 323 (Nov 20)

Big smiles!

The 365 Project: Day 322 (Nov 19)

We tested out some toys on our fancy quilt today. She was all about her crinkle keys.

Is she cute, or what??

The 365 Project: Day 321 (Nov 18)

Today was my 30th birthday. Yep, the big 3-0. It's amazing how once you have a kid, your life is no longer your own. Typically, I'm looking forward to my birthday for weeks--consistently reminding Raf that it's my "birthday month". But for this one--the BIG one--it didn't even sink in on the day of. I was telling my mom about this. Her response? "Yep, welcome to motherhood!" Of course, I expect I'll be thinking about and preparing for Lana's birthdays for a month in advance. Motherhood indeed. 

Even though it didn't feel much like a birthday, we still got out to celebrate...sans baby!! Danny's mom, Shirley, came over to babysit (cause she's awesome and knows she has a while before she gets grandkids of her own!) and Raf took me out for dinner. We went to the Ale House in downtown Livermore. It was really nice to get out somewhere loud, filled with adults and beer! It only took us an hour and a half to eat dinner, but we felt like it would be pretty pathetic to go home so soon when we had a fully capable sitter and all! So, because it was too cold to walk and we couldn't think of anything else to do, we drove around town for a half an hour, til we got bored and decided to head home. Woo hoo, a whole 2 hours out on our own! Still pathetic, I know!

Then, back at home, I discover that my adorable hubby has both Nothing Bundt Cakes and Denica's Double Chocolate Orgasm cookies waiting for me...my FAVES! He's so sweet. Except he seemed to forget that I CAN'T EAT DAIRY!!! Freaking guy. It was like torture. But I was good. At least for a couple days, til I caved and had a chunk of cookie. Did I ever mention that I'm off dairy? I think Lana might have a milk allergy. Within a few days of me cutting it out of my diet, her poop stopped being green and watery, her horrid diaper rash cleared completely, and her chronic stuffy nose went away. So, I'm avoiding cow's milk as much as possible. Do you have any idea how much less satisfying an In & Out burger is without cheese??? Oh well, it's worth it if it helps my Itty Bitty feels better.

The 365 Project: Day 320 (Nov 17)

Signing up for a Meal Baby Registry was one of the smartest baby preparation moves we made. Not only because we didn't have to cook a single meal for our first (incredibly overwhelming) month with Lana, but also because we got to taste lots of fabulous food made by friends. I realized the first week, after my mom made a huge batch of macaroni salad, that non-green salads would be our favorites. Not only do they fall into the yummy comfort food category, but they're filling and easy to eat--which is the key. You don't have to heat them up--heck, you don't even have to take the bowl out of the refrigerator, just grab a fork for a quick power boost on the go!

This is why I was so excited when Kristen and Todd brought over a big ole batch of curried chicken salad. It falls into my favorite category and it's SOOOO yummy! Seriously, I could eat this everyday. I'll definitely be making it regularly. It's easy to throw together and makes a great lunch, snack, or dinner. The secret: top quality crusty bread makes all the difference--don't skimp!


Curried Chicken Salad

(A riff on one by Paula Deen.)

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (or use the meat from a cooked rotissserie chicken)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 2 ounces slivered almonds

Dressing:

• 1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (Kristen says: I used regular curry powder, but in the future I might use Madras curry powder for more heat)
• 1 tablespoon mango and ginger chutney (from Trader Joe's)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Gently combine the chicken, celery, grapes, and almonds in a large bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients and mix well. Add to the chicken mixture and stir gently to combine. Season with salt, to taste.

Enjoy!