Some May Happenings

1. Sitting Up: Marin wants to be able to sit up by herself so badly. She has gotten pretty good with sitting up with the help of the Boppy pillow. She looks so cute playing with her toys.

2. Eating Cereal: Marin has had her first taste of cereal and she is a fan. I still nurse as her main form of nutrition but she was just way too aware of us eating, so we started giving her just a little for fun. And she has fun! I have made her some carrots and squash but I think I will wait until after vacation to let her eat fruits and veggies. She loves to help navigate the spoon to her mouth. Fun for her. Not fun for mom.   (Video below)

3. Rolling Over: The girl is on the move. She can roll over from front to back and back to front. She can do it pretty well but after a while she wears herself out and she gets stuck on her belly and needs a bit of help. The scary part about all of this is that she will do it at night in her crib. But instead of turning her head to the side to breathe, she just smothers her face in the mattress. I watched one night and every few seconds she would lift her head to breathe. I rolled her back over on her back but she just went back to her belly with her head flat in the mattress. Uh, I can't do that. So I did the only rational thing to do and put her in the bed with me. By the way, I haven't mentioned this but I have a nighttime condition called "when my husband is away, I can go into crazy wackadoo mode and think of insane things that can happen to my baby in the middle of the night".  For example, one night I just knew the humidifier was going to catch on fire. Just so you know, our humidifier like most humidifiers is filled with water. Another night, there was a black widow spider in her room that was going to crawl into her crib, unwrap the blanket she was swaddled in,  and bite her. And if there is a storm, you can forget it. That kid is with her scared momma. Yes, we have started saving for the therapy she is definitely going to need because the 31 year old mother needs her 4 month old to sleep with her because she is scared. Oh dear. 

4. Spitting: This is her favorite new hobby. If you need a new facial cleanser, just hold our baby. 

5. Fighting Naps: Not that she has ever been a long napper, but recently she is just to busy to nap. She is very aware of everything that is going on and she DOES NOT WANT TO MISS ANYTHING!! Little miss priss....

About to spit....

Sitting up like a big girl!

Spitting....

Playing with her toys!

"Reading" The Foot Book

Burke's friend Kate and Mike came to visit! I claim them as my friends now too. And if we lived
close to one another we would do so many fun projects together and spend lots of
money. Burke is thankful she lives in Wichita. 

Marin Eating Cereal for the 1st Time from Stacey Brednich on Vimeo.

She kept her eyes on the bowl of cereal for most of the feeding. It was pretty funny. 

Marin Eating Cereal from Stacey Brednich on Vimeo.

Burke makes a comment on the video about Marin ready to drink beer. For those of you that are wondering, he was joking. Clearly, we will wait until she is 2...

I love this picture for two reasons.
1. The double chin and drool.
2. That sweet old lady gum smile!

Marin Rolling Over from Stacey Brednich on Vimeo.

This wasn't her first roll over but it is one we got on video.

Vacation Time Yet??

Marin is ready for the beach!

Of course, she wanted to eat the hula skirt!

We love our Moms!

Dear Mom, 

    You are the greatest. The absolute greatest. Cissy and I are the luckiest "kids" in the world to have you. You continue to show us every day what LOVE really looks like. Thank you. Thank you so very much. 

So...those tornadoes threw a little kink in our Mother's Day gift.  Once the Abercrombie family can get a  few minutes to get a family snapshot, you will get your requested updated family photos from each of us! (You even have a frame for them too!) But for now here is the Brednich family photo....just a little preview! We love you so much, Mom!

And our photographer for this photo just happened to be another GREAT mom! Mary Beth, I have married the best man in the whole entire world... and there's no doubt YOU are the reason he is so wonderful. I know what kind of mother you are because I see what kind of man Burke is! Thank you for your love, support, and example! We love you so very much! (Your gift will be hand delivered by two of the sweetest hands you've ever seen....)


Happy (early) Mother's Day! 

April's Favorite Recipes!

So we finished our vegetarian month and we loved it. I had to eat a little meat for breastfeeding but we loved all the recipes we tried. They all will become regular meals that we eat. I don't think I would say we have converted 100% to the vegetarian world but we are pretty close. We may eat meat when we eat out and occasionally cook it at home. But we really have enjoyed the vegetarian meals we've had at home.

Our favorites:


Tomato Basil Pizza
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Cilantro Hummus Quesadilla (hummus is really easy to make....)
Mexican Lasagna
Mediterranean Chili
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Cheese Tortellini and Vegetable Soup
Mediterranean-Style Frittata
Cheese and Veggie Quiche
Spaghetti with Chunky Tomato Sauce (the sauce had chickpeas in it...really good!)
White Pizza with Broccoli and Mushrooms
Mushroom Pie
Squash and Eggplant Bake

And there are still a few others I want to try...Southwestern Rice Cakes, Gazpacho, Overstuffed Grilled Veggie and Feta sandwiches....

For May, I am cooking from my Cooking Light cookbook and magazines. I (now) have all my cooking magazines organized my seasons. So I am pulling out the Spring ones (even though it doesn't feel like Spring here...)!

Nice and pretty.
Because when you turn then around....

You see all the messy tabs marking recipes we like. :o)
I use these recipes a lot. 

And for the pictures you really want to see...

Play Dates and Sunshine

This picture makes me laugh.
She is VERY comfortable in her Daddy's lap. 

One of her new favorite things to chew on...
the bar to her playmat.
We have lots of fun toys hanging from the hooks but nothing
tastes as good as the bar.

Aubrey came over to play at our house last week.
In this picture, I think Marin is saying, "Mooooommm, I wasn't ready yet."

"Ok, now I am ready."
Seriously, the child knows what to do for the camera.
It makes us laugh. 

I took the Easter eggs out and Aubrey helped put the rocks and candle back in.
Of course, little Miss Marin had to "help". 

WE LOVE THIS GIRL!!!

We had some sunshine today and we went on a family walk.
She is in mid-sentence. She's a talker.
But look at those cute jeans!!

Of course, she gets with her Dad and delivers perfect pictures. :o)