A Good Quote To Live By

"A lot of disappointed people have been left standing on the street corner waiting for the bus marked 'Perfection.' " Donald Kennedy

Our Favorite Bottle

Caiden doesn't get bottles all that often and we went through a great period of trial and error to find a bottle and nipple that he agreed with. We ended up trying and sticking with Gerber NUK bottles using the medium flow nipple. I believe that Caiden likes this nipple because it's shaped in the same way a real nipple forms when a baby is sucking on it (what a great idea someone had when creating this!). So if you are in the market for baby bottles I'd recommend you start with these. Caiden really did not like the shape of typical nipples, he'd cry and refuse to eat. So I'm glad we came across these and of course they were the last brand we tried after buying lots of others!

A Favorite Toy

Mallory The Monkey, made by Infantino, quickly became one of my son's favorite toys. I discovered the toy by accident- during a shopping trip to Meijer, I forgot to bring in a toy for Caiden to play with while I shopping and it wasn't long until Caiden's patience wore out and I needed to find something quick to entertain him. We rushed over to the toy aisle and this toy caught my eye because it was colorful and could be hooked to his car seat. Caiden immediately fell in love with it, he was grabbing at it and loved running his fingers through the hula skirt. It was the first time I really noticed Caiden taking interest in a toy and trying to grab it so of course I had to buy it. We've since renamed the toy simply "Monkey" and he has become a part of our family in a sense. Monkey goes everywhere with us, on our trip to Lake Tahoe Monkey was with us and he was quickly known by other passengers on the plane sitting near us. When Caiden would start to fuss, we'd bring out Monkey and Caiden would instantly start to smile and baby talk to Monkey. I'm not sure what Caiden is thinking when he sees Monkey, but I'm pretty sure it is something about the pleasure of seeing a reliable friend who is always there when you need him. Definitely a must have toy that I highly recommend!

Easy Way To Count Your Baby's Age in Weeks...

Since I'm always getting confused about what number of weeks Caiden's age is I did some searching to find an automatic counter online. So here's the link, it's so easy- just type in your baby's birth date and today's date and presto- it figures it out for you! On the website there are several other calculators- you'll find the age one on the right hand side.

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/weight-gain-calculator.html

A Baby's Smile

Seriously, is there anything more wonderful than the smile your baby gives you? I am addicted to my son's smile, every day I relish in every single smile he bestows upon me. I love seeing him smile and knowing all his needs are met and that he's happy. It's funny when we are out in public and he smiles at people- especially the grumpy, unfriendly ones cause even they cannot resist smiling back. I'm positive there's a message to be learned in the power of a baby's smile- as adults we all too often get caught up in our stresses and forget to be happy, but a baby can remind us to let some of the stress pass by and smile because it feels so good!

Wine and Cheese Pairings

While preparing a shopping list this evening I needed to decide on what type of cheese to pair with a bottle of Chardonnay that I'm sharing with family and friends this weekend. I had difficulty finding a website that made it easy to see what cheeses compliment specific types of wine, most sites only explained what cheese to pair with their own vineyard's wine types. I just wanted a list of common wines and cheeses that are not impossible to find in a local supermarket. Here's the best info I found on about.com...

http://wine.about.com/od/servingwines/a/wineandcheese.htm

And for quick reference:

Beaujolais - Cheese to Consider: Brie, Camembert, goat cheese

Cabernet Franc - Cheese to Consider: Blue, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Fontina, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, Port Salut, Swiss

Cabernet Sauvignon - Cheeses to Consider: Camembert, Cheddar, Colby, Danish Blue, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Parmesan, Roquefort

Chardonnay- Cheese to Consider: Brie, Camembert, goat cheese, Gouda, Gruyere, Parmesan, Provolone

Champagne- Cheese to Consider: Beaufort, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Chevre, Colby, Edam, Gouda, Gruyere, Parmesan

Chenin Blanc- Cheese to Consider: Camembert, goat cheese, Graddost

Chianti- Cheese to Consider: Look for regional cheeses to complement an Italian Chianti, perhaps Fontina, Mozarella, Parmesan or Provolone

Dessert Wine- Cheese to Consider: Crème Fraiche, Marscopone, or shake it up with a salty/sweet combo. and consider a crumble or two of blue cheese.

Gewurztraminer- Cheese to Consider: Boursin, Camembert, Chevre, Muenster, Swiss, Wensleydale

Merlot- Cheese to Consider: Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Gruyere, Jarlsberg, Parmesan

Pinot Blanc- Cheese to Consider: Brie, Camembert, Feta

Pinot Gris- Cheese to Consider: aged Cheddar, Asiago, Edam, goat cheese, Gouda, Mozarella, Muenster, and even Ricotta for a unique combo.

Pinot Noir- Cheese to Consider: Brie, Camembert, Feta, Gruyere, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Port Salut, Swiss

Port- Cheese to Consider: Blue, Gorgonzola

Riesling- Cheese to Consider: Brie, Blue, Colby, Edam, Gouda, Monterey Jack

Rioja- Cheese to Consider: Asiago, Cheddar, Havarti

Sangiovese- Cheese to Consider: Blue, Fontina, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone, Ricotta

Sauvignon Blanc- Cheese to Consider: Asiago, Brie, Cheddar, Feta, goat cheese, Gruyere, Neufchatel, Parmesan

Shiraz/Syrah- Cheese to Consider: Cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Parmesan

Zinfandel- Cheese to Consider: Asiago, Blue, Feta, goat cheese, Gouda, Gruyere, Muenster