Toothbrushes and Apple Pies

My sweet baby turned 8 weeks old yesterday! I think he was disappointed there wasn't a party because he cried off and on most of the day. Sometimes you just gotta get it out of your system, ya know? It's amazing to me that he's been out of the womb less than two months and has already learned so many new things. He is smiling more and more every day. It is absolutely the most adorable thing you've ever seen. A genuine, toothless, ear-to-ear grin that will melt your heart. We like to have "conversations," especially right after he eats and is most happy (takes after his dad). He moves his little lips so earnestly, trying to make a sound, and seems so pleased with himself when he succeeds.

Jon and I weighed him the other day (using the good ol' hold-the-baby-and-subtract-your-own-weight method) and he was 8 lbs 13 oz. Just thought you'd want to know, Dad. ;)

We've been fairly busy around here lately: long residency hours for Jon, eating dinners with several of our new Albany friends, and I've just been swamped with all of the TV-watching and chocolate-eating lately. ;) Ha, ha. I do enjoy taking advantage of nap time when I have a few minutes to chill and get things done. It's slightly overwhelming to think about having to get the same amount of house-related work accomplished once I go back to rotations in two weeks. But I'm certainly not the first person to tackle such a feat, and I won't be the last. So I'll just drink an extra glass of Power Mom Juice and make it work. And we might eat Chick-fil-A more often.

Speaking of rotations, I found out recently that I will be able to work four ten-hour days at my next assignment, which means a whole extra day a week with my favorite boy in the world! I'm doing a compounding pharmacy rotation at Walgreens. And we have finally made official arrangements for his daycare until he gets into Family Tree. My friend from church, Sandi, is going to keep him at her house during the day. Jon and I are so excited about this. They homeschool four wonderful kids, and even though Jonathan is only a couple months old, I'm really happy he'll get to be around their family. Maybe he'll pick up a few things. :)

Yesterday, I noticed that my beloved razor had a little mold growing in its crevices, so I decided it would be admirably frugal of me to boil it in some water to clean it instead of buying a new one. While I was boiling a whole pot of water, I figured I might as well throw our toothbrushes in too. (I'm finally coming around to the fact that germs do exist even though you can't see them.) I write this to educate the rest of the population who is also unaware that plastic warps when exposed to high heat, because Jon's poor toothbrush emerged mangled and unusable. I really wish I'd taken a picture. My brush and my razor were both fine, but Jonathan and I picked Daddy out a new one on our grocery store outing later.

I have to recommend this recipe because I have made it several times now, and it has been yummy every time! (Not every recipe of mine can make this claim.) We enjoyed it again after a scrumptious dinner at David & Maryanna's house last night. I found it in an edition of Southern Living last year, and it's one of Jon's favorites now. Just make sure you use a non-deformed toothbrush after eating it. ;)

Skillet Apple Pie 

• 2 pounds Granny Smith apples
• 2 pounds Braeburn apples
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts
• 1 egg white
• Ice cream

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Peel apples, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Toss apples with cinnamon and 3/4 cup granulated sugar.
2. 2. Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat; add brown sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and place 1 piecrust in skillet over brown sugar mixture. Spoon apple mixture over piecrust, and top with remaining piecrust. Whisk egg white until foamy. Brush top of piecrust with egg white. Cut 4 or 5 slits in top for steam to escape.
3. 3. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly, shielding with aluminum foil during last 10 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.