Cheeky Monkeys

Sean Sings for Baby Jack

Snoozy Jack

He may not look that comfortable, but we don't dare wake him.

For about a week, Jack was cluster feeding in the evenings and sleeping from about 9p to 2:30a. Not anymore. Now he's back to nursing every three hours. Was nice while it lasted.

A Visit from Uncle John

Uncle John showed Sean his juggling skills and Sean just thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. Sean "juggles" too, but he doesn't catch the blocks after he tosses them into the air.

Jack is Four Weeks Old

Thanks to Auntie Deven for Jack's cool onesie that came all the way from Hawaii. It says "Humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua-a," which is the state fish of Hawaii. Hoomoo-hoomoo-nookoo-nookoo-ah-poo-ah-ah. Say that five times fast!

Someday we'll get to see those fish in person...

Sleepin' Like a Baby

Wish I could sleep like that. Well, for more than a couple of hours at a time. In a few more months...

First Bath

Jack finally had his first bath tonight. Unfortunately he also has baby acne, but hopefully that will go away now.

From the Mouth of Babes...

Today Matthew picked up Sean from school and on the way home, some (crazy) driver was trying to pass Matthew on a two-lane street (one lane heading east, and the other lane heading west). Long story short, the word "crazy" is now part of Sean's vocabulary. As in, "Momma, that man was crazy." Yeah, we've been spelling out words for several months now. After we said grace for dinner, Sean said that we had to pray for the crazy man too. I don't know where he got it from, but it was incredibly humbling for both Matthew and me. I just hope that I will be good enough for this little man that God has entrusted to us.

Lunch with the Torre Clan

The Torre family was in town to catch a cruise in Galveston (isn't that neat? all three generations take a vacation together), so we got to catch up with everybody. They were all excited to see Sean and Jack. Sean was really overwhelmed at first. He's never met so many people at once, and everybody was trying to hold him or hug him or kiss him. Jack didn't mind everybody carrying him; he slept most of the time. Sean finally warmed up to everybody after a little catnap.

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

I finally baked a cake again! It was our usual chocolate pound cake with ganache, but since Sean would be eating some I left out the soak in Chambord. I have to warn you, it is very chocolatey.

HORTENSIA'S BEST-EVER CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

Recipe courtesy LATIN FLAVORS ON THE GRILL by Douglas Rodriguez (Ten Speed Press, 2000)

Unsalted butter, at room temperature (but still firm), to brush pan
¼ cup sugar, to line pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Van Leer Dutch process medium cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ¾ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons espresso extract (or substitute 2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon buttermilk)
5 eggs
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
Cocoa powder or confectioners' sugar, to finish

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Brush a 10-inch Bundt pan with the room-temperature (but still firm) unsalted butter. Pour ¼ cup sugar into the pan, swirling the sugar in the pan so that the chimney and sides are covered well. Turn the pan upside down to remove any excess sugar and set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter on medium speed. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beating at medium speed, add the eggs, one by one, beating only until they are well blended.

Beating on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and a third of the buttermilk. Do this twice more with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula in between. Finally, beat the batter on medium speed for 30 seconds, until it is smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top feels springy and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Then turn it out onto the wire rack to finish cooling.

To finish, dust the cake with cocoa or confectioners' sugar.

Yield: Serves 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Chocolate Ganache Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003

2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Heat the cream until it just comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Allow to sit for about 10 to 15 seconds. Then, whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Mixture should be a little thick, but still pourable.

Place the cake on a metal rack set over a sheet pan. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and smooth the top and sides with a palette knife. Let set for 1 hour.

Jack's First Checkup

Today Jack had his first checkup and the stats confirm that he's a big baby. Length is 21 inches (75th percentile) and weight is 9 pounds 0.5 ounces (60th percentile). Doing great and doc says to start some tummy time.

Here is Sean holding Baby Jack (my arms are hidden by the blanket). He often wants to hold him and give kisses. I'm sure that Jack is thinking, "Don't drop me, bro!"