30/366 Monday morning.

31/366 Four month stats: 13lbs 3oz, 24.8in. Long and lean. Happy and healthy, too!

*Following the #febphotoaday prompts for the rest of this month. View the tag on Instagram.

I figured it was finally time that I try these famous cookies. And they did not disappoint.

The recipe — an adaptation of Jacques Torres, Mr. Chocolate himself — includes cake flour and bread flour, sea salt, and a dangerous amount of bittersweet chocolate chips.

It is recommended that the dough chill for at least 24 hours before baking. Although, admittedly, Nick and I couldn’t resist sampling two cookies each on the first night. They were tasty, but they were also noticeably better after resting in the refrigerator overnight.

Yes, I do believe that these are my new go-to chocolate chip cookies. They certainly lived up to the hype.

*All photos taken with my iPhone because the DSLR was upstairs and I couldn’t wait to devour these cookies.

2. About that rolling over milestone? Well, we couldn’t keep our roly poly little man on his back last week. This made naps challenging. And diaper changes. But the novelty of it must have worn off because he’s back to being content on his back.

3. Naptime is still challenging, though. Sam still can’t seem to sleep past the 30-minute mark — especially while in his crib. So I let him fuss for about 10 minutes and then pick him up so he can finish sleeping in my arms. This is not at all ideal, but I’m hoping it’s just a phase. Anyone have any experience with sleep training during naps?

4. Speaking of sleep training, we’re going to give it a go next week. Sam is consistently sleeping from 8pm until 7am, but he wakes between three and five times each night. He usually settles down pretty quickly after I re-insert the pacifier, but I know we need to break him of this habit.

5. One more Sam “thing” before I move on. The doctor gave us the go-ahead to start solids, and we are so excited. Our doctor is pretty progressive, and I plan to dedicate a full post to our plans. Let’s just say that almost anything is worth trying, and I will continue to nurse him at least five times each day. More to come.

6. I am ridiculously excited about the Hobby Lobby that recently opened in Altoona. Sam and I spent almost an hour there yesterday. But, surprisingly, I only left with one item: a blue wicker Easter basket for baby boy. Oh, if only I could find time to craft …

7. Perhaps now that I finally finished the Blurb book of our pregnancy posts, I will actually have time to craft. But I’m also only about 25% finished with our Canada scrapbook, and I haven’t even started our Germany scrapbook. And I should soon think about starting a photo book for Sam’s first year. So many projects, and so little time.

8. I bought Dove chocolate hearts to make these Valentine’s Day treats. But I may have to buy another bag because I can’t stop eating them.

9. Also, I figured it was finally time to try the famous chocolate chip cookies recipe from the New York Times. The dough is supposed to chill for at least 24 hours, but Nick and I couldn’t help but sample two cookies each last night. They were so good, and I bet they’ll be even better tonight. *Note to self: It is not wise to eat two large chocolate chip cookies at 9:30pm. You will be awake until 1:30am, and you will still have to get out of bed to check on your son four times before 6:30am.

10. We’re off to Pittsburgh tomorrow! We’re staying here and eating here. We’re visiting family and the university that Nick hopes to attend this fall. Looking forward to a fun weekend away!

This dish couldn’t be simpler to prepare, and it makes use of vegetables that you may already have in your refrigerator. We combined cherry tomatoes, white potatoes, asparagus, and shallots. You could also try brussels sprouts, parsnips, turnips, or onions.

Toss the steak and veggies together with a bit of olive oil and spread everything onto a foil-lined sheet pan. Broil for about 5 minutes on each side, then slide into a serving bowl and top with Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts.

The steak is perfectly tender, and the flavors are fresh and natural. This is definitely a repeat dish. Fortunately, we still have quite a bit of steak in the freezer!

What’s your favorite steak dish?

23/366 A week’s worth of meals.

24/366 Meatless Monday has commenced.

25/366 Gift giving with help from USPS.

26/366 New napping position for our four-month-old?

27/366 Jailbreak!

28/366 Nick’s best pizza yet.

29/366 First of many cups.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray.” And there have been quite a few gray days this month. Welcome to January in Pennsylvania, buddy. But regardless of the snow and the freezing temperatures, and no matter if we don’t leave the house, your gummy grin always lights up my days.

You started out the month with your very first cold. Poor guy. I’m sure we can blame it on almost two weeks of holiday travel — from Pennsylvania to Alabama and back again — and passing you from one set of arms to another. Daddy and I caught it, too, and between the three of us, we were sick for just over a week. You had a sniffly nose and a pathetic little cough, but, fortunately, you never got a fever. So we sucked the snot from your nose several times each day and ran the humidifier every night. Through it all, though, you never stopped smiling. You’re such a happy guy!

You also developed a mild case of cradle cap this month — at least we believe that’s what it is. The skin on your scalp is dry, which causes you to scratch it with nails that I find impossibly difficult to keep properly trimmed. We stopped washing your hair every day, and that seems to help.

You’re becoming more alert and more talkative with each day. I look forward to our daily chats and love that you’re developing intonation in your voice. Daddy thinks you might become a storyteller like your Mommy. You’re also now rolling over from belly to back and from back to belly, too. In fact, you are quite the squirmy worm. We finally had to move your bath time from our bathroom to yours for fear that you would finally roll right off the vanity and into the sink! Now you have your own tub with Thomas the Train toys and a stack of colorful cups, and you can sprawl out on a towel on the floor. You still love to splash and kick your feet in the water, especially when Daddy adds “double bubbles.”

Speaking of feet, you love yours. You are constantly kicking off your socks, so sometimes we let you go barefoot, and you are just memorized by those piggly wigglies.

You’re starting to develop eye-hand coordination and can now reach for toys — and then you proceed to put them right into your mouth. The Oball fits perfectly into those little hands of yours, and you’ve become quite intrigued by your ABC train and Leap Frog music table. But your current favorite thing is the Jumperoo. Your feet still don’t quite reach the floor, so we slid a thick board game underneath to allow you to jump. And, jump, you do! Every day we rotate between these toys — as well as the Bumbo — and you last about 10 minutes with each before you’re ready to move onto the next.

Another new activity we introduced this month: music. We set Pandora to the Family Folk station and sing and dance around the living room, typically just before nap time.

This month we’ve been working really hard to transition you into the crib for nap time (as opposed to our arms or your swing). You like to wake up 30-40 minutes into your nap and scream, which is not fun for you or for Mommy. Yes, gone are the days of deep infant sleep. Apparently your sleep patterns are maturing, and it can be difficult for you to stay settled during the “active sleep” stage. Can you tell that Mommy has been researching this topic? Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do until your baby body adjusts. And so I typically let you cry for a few minutes, but if you’re not able to drift back into sweet slumber, then I scoop you up and let you finish your nap in my arms. It’s not ideal, but it’s what works right now.

I’m happy to report, though, that you’ve had a much easier time adjusting to nighttime sleep. We had a few rough nights that required me to re-swaddle you or re-insert your pacifier as many as five times, but we survived. And you dropped your middle-of-the-night feeding (which happened anytime between 3am and 5am). We even had a few nights this month that you slept from 8pm until 7am. Way to go, little man! Our next step is to wean you off the swaddle — especially now that you’re consistently rolling over in both directions. But we’ll save that progress update for next month.

Your 4-month doctor’s appointment isn’t until next week, but we estimate that you’re about 13 pounds. Still our little Peanut! You’re still wearing size 2 diapers and are just barely fitting into your size 3-month clothes — the shirt sleeves and pants legs are becoming too short! We’re not looking forward to your shots next week, but we are looking forward to talking to the doctor about introducing solids into your diet. We think (we hope!) you will love food. Most nights you help me to prepare dinner while nestled in the Baby Bjorn. I describe each ingredient to you — crunchy orange carrots and shredded purple cabbage, onions that become sweet after you cook them, whole wheat rigatoni boiled in salted water. And sometimes I sit you in my lap while I eat, and you follow each bite from my plate to my mouth. Daddy is especially excited to watch you taste your first food. And he hopes you’ll love pistachios, pickles, and peanut butter as much as he does.

Another sign that you’re ready to eat? The drool! Yes, you are a drooling machine. In fact, we purchased new bibs with plastic lining between two layers of cotton, and you still average about four per day. But until we get the official go ahead from the doc, I’ll continue to nurse you six times per day: roughly at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm. And you’ll continue to grow big and strong and more active by the day.

Sammy, I love how you suck in your bottom lip when you’re in a deep sleep. I love your toes that look just like Daddy’s and the little creases at your wrists. I love to kiss the spot just below your ears and listen to you giggle. And, of course, I love those big blue eyes that are so expressive and so observant. Thank you for bringing so much sunshine into our lives.

Love,
Mommy

We turned to Mama Pea for assistance because, well, she’s a superstar when it comes to tasty vegan dishes.

Quinoa (a recent obsession of ours) replaces the traditional rice and is cooked with equal parts vegetable broth and coconut milk. It’s then combined with garlic, ginger, green onions, peas, and pineapple. Finish with a handful of cilantro, a couple shakes of soy sauce, and a wedge of lime, and devour!

Seriously, this is so flavorful. And it makes a complete meal when served alongside a pair of egg rolls. (To make the egg rolls: Saute shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and bean sprouts with Schezwan sauce. Place in egg roll wrappers, roll, seal, and fry in peanut oil until golden brown.)

What’s your favorite quinoa dish? As I said, we’re hooked.

16/366 Winding down after a busy Monday.

17/366 Everything goes right into the mouth.

18/366 New bibs that claim to be waterproof. We’ll see how they stack up to the drooling machine.

19/366 We always have balls of cookie dough in the freezer. This is both brilliant and dangerous.

20/366 Good Friday morning from the nursery.

21/366 What does delicious smell like? Chicken with honey, cinnamon, cumin, and apricots.

22/366 “He died as he lived. He fought hard and stayed positive.” May you rest in peace, Coach. (Photo taken in 2007.)

Let’s start with sleep. We started swaddling Sam when he turned two weeks old. We probably should have started sooner, though, because he loved it! We used the Summer Infant SwaddleMe until he grew out of it at about two months. Then we switched to the Halo SleepSack. Both products are great and kept Sam snuggly warm while also preventing him from waking up during his inevitable startles.

We moved Sam from our bedside to his crib at seven weeks. This transition was made much easier for Mommy and Daddy thanks to our digital video monitor. We chose the Baby Touch Digital Color model from Summer Infant. It allows you to scan the room and zoom in on your sweet sleeping (hopefully) babe. It also includes a talk back feature, which Nick loves to use. He often checks on me from downstairs while I’m nursing Sam, or he’ll just freak me out with his best Darth Vader voice. But, in all seriousness, I don’t know how our parents survived without the digital video monitor.

Onto eating. Sam was exclusively breastfed for the first three weeks. At that point, we attempted to introduce the bottle (with breastmilk), but he wanted nothing to do with it. We tried several varieties from Medela to Dr. Brown’s, and finally fell in love with Tommee Tippee. They advertise the bottles as being “closer to nature,” and I do believe that’s true. They really do resemble the size and shape of the breast. Also worth noting: We use the Medela micro-steam bags to sanitize the bottles and the grass countertop drying rack to dry them.

Despite Sam taking to the bottle, I still often nurse him outside the privacy of our home. I’ve fed him in outlet mall parking lots, at rest stops off the turnpike, in the airport, and in the living rooms of many friends and family members. All of these scenarios were made more comfortable because of my “hooter hider.” I have the Nest Ruffle Style from Bebe au Lait.

Now that we have the essentials covered — sleeping and eating — let’s move on to a few other favorites.

Munchkin Arm and Hammer Diaper Pail and Refill Bags: Originally, we wanted to avoid a diaper pail that required custom bags. But I’ll tell you what, Sam’s nursery has never once smelled like a dirty diaper, thanks to this genius contraption. The Arm and Hammer baking soda cartridge absorbs odors and dispenses baking soda each time the lid is closed, and the self-sealing system locks away odors. Each disposable bag holds about 25 diapers, which lasts us about five days.

Munchkin Arm and Hammer Diaper Bag Dispenser and Refill Bags: Another genius product from Munchkin and Arm and Hammer. It’s compact and convenient and can always be found in our diaper bag, our car, and the bottom drawer of our media console unit in our living room.

The First Years Newborn to Toddler Tub with Sling: This tub has grown with us since the day we brought Sam home from the hospital. (He’s just four days old in the photo on the left.) The detachable sling was convenient for those first few weeks when baby boy was teeny tiny and still so intimidating. And now that he’s bigger and stronger, the deep ergonomic design cradles him while still allowing him to kick and splash. (Two months old in the photo on the right.)

Stretchies PJs from The Children’s Place: We discovered these jammies just before Sam turned two months old, and we haven’t looked back since. The material is soft and stretchy and comes in so many fun designs. Monsters, dinosaurs, cars and trucks, oh my.

Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton and Little Goose by David Mraz: Two of our favorite books. Really, anything by Sandra Boynton is a favorite in our house. And Little Goose is a necessity for all of you mommas out there.

Skip Hop Treetop Friends Activity Gym: We don’t just have forest friends in the nursery, you can find them in our living room, too! When we first laid Sam on this mat, he could barely focus on the owl, the squirrel, and the apple. But now he bats at the animals, grabs the wooden ring, and stares at himself in the mirror. It’s fun for him — and us, too! (How has our baby grown SO much in just four months?!)

Lamaze Firefly: This is the first toy that Sam was really attracted to. It’s colorful and soft and squeaky and crinkly and has a teething ring that always ends up in his mouth. Actually, who am I kidding, Sam has put anything and everything into his mouth since he turned two months old.

I know every baby is different, but these are the things that worked for us. Do you have anything to add?