Introducing the Newest Little Cook in the Kitchen: Pink & White Birthday Cake

On Monday, January 31st, Ryan and I welcomed the newest addition to our family into the world and I am very excited to introduce you to Lucy:

Although she decided to join us one week earlier than expected, she took her own sweet time in arriving. After 30 grueling hours of labor, we were finally united with our beautiful little girl. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 20 inches long. We had a few bumps in the road throughout delivery and Lucy had to spend two days in the Special Care Nursery, but she’s a trooper and was ready to head home with Ryan and me when we left the hospital. We were so happy to bring her home and there were a lot of people who were very excited to meet her, especially her big fur brother, Murphy.

Although, his enthusiasm wore off pretty quickly when he realized that she would be keeping him up throughout the night. He tossed and turned and grunted his frustration through those first few late night feedings, but has since learned to sleep through it and has grown quite fond of his new little sister.

Lucy and I have been slowly recovering and adjusting to life apart from each other. It was a weird feeling to not be pregnant any longer. I used to spend so much time with my hand on my belly eagerly awaiting my baby’s next kick. Then, all of a sudden (well, after 30 hours), she wasn’t there anymore. It was an empty feeling, until I got to cradle her in my arms, stare into her wide blue eyes, run my fingers through her thick hair (can you believe all that hair?!) and hold those tiny little feet to see firsthand what was creating all those kicks I had grown so fond of.

Look at all that hair!

 I’ve never really been a person who sits still very well; I always have to be doing something. But since Lucy has come into my life, I have discovered that I could spend hour upon hour simply sitting and staring at my beautiful baby girl. I am in complete awe of her.

I have also discovered that it was a lot easier to get things done during the day when she was still that little bundle of joy kicking inside my belly. I haven’t had more than a couple of hours of sleep at a time in over a month, showering has become a luxury and laundry has turned into a daily chore. But thanks to a rare afternoon when Lucy took a nap for about four hours, I was able to sneak into the kitchen and make the cake I picked out for her as soon as we found out we were having a girl: Pink & White Birthday Cake. I made a few changes to the recipe to save some time. I only made two layers instead of three and I chose to make them marbled pink and white instead of solid color layers. And I also used store-bought pink vanilla frosting (with Funfetti of course!). The cake was delicious and was a huge hit with all of the visitors who came over to meet Lucy. It was the perfect recipe from the box to celebrate Lucy’s birth.

Once Lucy and I have a better routine, I’m hoping to be able to spend a little more time in the kitchen. But until then, my postings will be a little sporadic. I apologize for the huge delays, but promise that I will be back. We still have a lot of recipes to make and I’m committed to making every single one in The Found Recipe Box! Hopefully I can finish before Lucy starts school...or gets her driver's license.