30/366 Monday morning.

31/366 Four month stats: 13lbs 3oz, 24.8in. Long and lean. Happy and healthy, too!

*Following the #febphotoaday prompts for the rest of this month. View the tag on Instagram.

I bookmarked this recipe long before Pinterest became popular. In fact, it’s been on my must bake list for at least three years.

I figured it was finally time that I try these famous cookies. And they did not disappoint.

The recipe — an adaptation of Jacques Torres, Mr. Chocolate himself — includes cake flour and bread flour, sea salt, and a dangerous amount of bittersweet chocolate chips.

It is recommended that the dough chill for at least 24 hours before baking. Although, admittedly, Nick and I couldn’t resist sampling two cookies each on the first night. They were tasty, but they were also noticeably better after resting in the refrigerator overnight.

Yes, I do believe that these are my new go-to chocolate chip cookies. They certainly lived up to the hype.

*All photos taken with my iPhone because the DSLR was upstairs and I couldn’t wait to devour these cookies.

1. Our sweet Samuel is still a little Peanut! At his four-month doctor’s visit this week, he weighed 13 pounds 3 ounces and measured 24.8 inches. That puts him in the 20th percentile for weight and the 40th percentile for height. Also, his head measured in the 10th percentile. But its size certainly does not relate to the developmental milestones he’s achieving. He’s rolling over in both directions, reaching for and holding onto toys, and regularly participating in family conversations.

2. About that rolling over milestone? Well, we couldn’t keep our roly poly little man on his back last week. This made naps challenging. And diaper changes. But the novelty of it must have worn off because he’s back to being content on his back.

3. Naptime is still challenging, though. Sam still can’t seem to sleep past the 30-minute mark — especially while in his crib. So I let him fuss for about 10 minutes and then pick him up so he can finish sleeping in my arms. This is not at all ideal, but I’m hoping it’s just a phase. Anyone have any experience with sleep training during naps?

4. Speaking of sleep training, we’re going to give it a go next week. Sam is consistently sleeping from 8pm until 7am, but he wakes between three and five times each night. He usually settles down pretty quickly after I re-insert the pacifier, but I know we need to break him of this habit.

5. One more Sam “thing” before I move on. The doctor gave us the go-ahead to start solids, and we are so excited. Our doctor is pretty progressive, and I plan to dedicate a full post to our plans. Let’s just say that almost anything is worth trying, and I will continue to nurse him at least five times each day. More to come.

6. I am ridiculously excited about the Hobby Lobby that recently opened in Altoona. Sam and I spent almost an hour there yesterday. But, surprisingly, I only left with one item: a blue wicker Easter basket for baby boy. Oh, if only I could find time to craft …

7. Perhaps now that I finally finished the Blurb book of our pregnancy posts, I will actually have time to craft. But I’m also only about 25% finished with our Canada scrapbook, and I haven’t even started our Germany scrapbook. And I should soon think about starting a photo book for Sam’s first year. So many projects, and so little time.

8. I bought Dove chocolate hearts to make these Valentine’s Day treats. But I may have to buy another bag because I can’t stop eating them.

9. Also, I figured it was finally time to try the famous chocolate chip cookies recipe from the New York Times. The dough is supposed to chill for at least 24 hours, but Nick and I couldn’t help but sample two cookies each last night. They were so good, and I bet they’ll be even better tonight. *Note to self: It is not wise to eat two large chocolate chip cookies at 9:30pm. You will be awake until 1:30am, and you will still have to get out of bed to check on your son four times before 6:30am.

10. We’re off to Pittsburgh tomorrow! We’re staying here and eating here. We’re visiting family and the university that Nick hopes to attend this fall. Looking forward to a fun weekend away!

Nick’s brother was kind enough to send three boxes of Omaha Steaks for his 29th birthday. And then Sam was born and the weather turned cold and we lost our desire to grill outdoors. Enter the broiled steak salad! I’ve had this bookmarked since Kate and Rachel blogged about it last year.

This dish couldn’t be simpler to prepare, and it makes use of vegetables that you may already have in your refrigerator. We combined cherry tomatoes, white potatoes, asparagus, and shallots. You could also try brussels sprouts, parsnips, turnips, or onions.

Toss the steak and veggies together with a bit of olive oil and spread everything onto a foil-lined sheet pan. Broil for about 5 minutes on each side, then slide into a serving bowl and top with Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts.

The steak is perfectly tender, and the flavors are fresh and natural. This is definitely a repeat dish. Fortunately, we still have quite a bit of steak in the freezer!

What’s your favorite steak dish?

23/366 A week’s worth of meals.

24/366 Meatless Monday has commenced.

25/366 Gift giving with help from USPS.

26/366 New napping position for our four-month-old?

27/366 Jailbreak!

28/366 Nick’s best pizza yet.

29/366 First of many cups.

Dear Sam,

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray.” And there have been quite a few gray days this month. Welcome to January in Pennsylvania, buddy. But regardless of the snow and the freezing temperatures, and no matter if we don’t leave the house, your gummy grin always lights up my days.

You started out the month with your very first cold. Poor guy. I’m sure we can blame it on almost two weeks of holiday travel — from Pennsylvania to Alabama and back again — and passing you from one set of arms to another. Daddy and I caught it, too, and between the three of us, we were sick for just over a week. You had a sniffly nose and a pathetic little cough, but, fortunately, you never got a fever. So we sucked the snot from your nose several times each day and ran the humidifier every night. Through it all, though, you never stopped smiling. You’re such a happy guy!

You also developed a mild case of cradle cap this month — at least we believe that’s what it is. The skin on your scalp is dry, which causes you to scratch it with nails that I find impossibly difficult to keep properly trimmed. We stopped washing your hair every day, and that seems to help.

You’re becoming more alert and more talkative with each day. I look forward to our daily chats and love that you’re developing intonation in your voice. Daddy thinks you might become a storyteller like your Mommy. You’re also now rolling over from belly to back and from back to belly, too. In fact, you are quite the squirmy worm. We finally had to move your bath time from our bathroom to yours for fear that you would finally roll right off the vanity and into the sink! Now you have your own tub with Thomas the Train toys and a stack of colorful cups, and you can sprawl out on a towel on the floor. You still love to splash and kick your feet in the water, especially when Daddy adds “double bubbles.”

Speaking of feet, you love yours. You are constantly kicking off your socks, so sometimes we let you go barefoot, and you are just memorized by those piggly wigglies.

You’re starting to develop eye-hand coordination and can now reach for toys — and then you proceed to put them right into your mouth. The Oball fits perfectly into those little hands of yours, and you’ve become quite intrigued by your ABC train and Leap Frog music table. But your current favorite thing is the Jumperoo. Your feet still don’t quite reach the floor, so we slid a thick board game underneath to allow you to jump. And, jump, you do! Every day we rotate between these toys — as well as the Bumbo — and you last about 10 minutes with each before you’re ready to move onto the next.

Another new activity we introduced this month: music. We set Pandora to the Family Folk station and sing and dance around the living room, typically just before nap time.

This month we’ve been working really hard to transition you into the crib for nap time (as opposed to our arms or your swing). You like to wake up 30-40 minutes into your nap and scream, which is not fun for you or for Mommy. Yes, gone are the days of deep infant sleep. Apparently your sleep patterns are maturing, and it can be difficult for you to stay settled during the “active sleep” stage. Can you tell that Mommy has been researching this topic? Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do until your baby body adjusts. And so I typically let you cry for a few minutes, but if you’re not able to drift back into sweet slumber, then I scoop you up and let you finish your nap in my arms. It’s not ideal, but it’s what works right now.

I’m happy to report, though, that you’ve had a much easier time adjusting to nighttime sleep. We had a few rough nights that required me to re-swaddle you or re-insert your pacifier as many as five times, but we survived. And you dropped your middle-of-the-night feeding (which happened anytime between 3am and 5am). We even had a few nights this month that you slept from 8pm until 7am. Way to go, little man! Our next step is to wean you off the swaddle — especially now that you’re consistently rolling over in both directions. But we’ll save that progress update for next month.

Your 4-month doctor’s appointment isn’t until next week, but we estimate that you’re about 13 pounds. Still our little Peanut! You’re still wearing size 2 diapers and are just barely fitting into your size 3-month clothes — the shirt sleeves and pants legs are becoming too short! We’re not looking forward to your shots next week, but we are looking forward to talking to the doctor about introducing solids into your diet. We think (we hope!) you will love food. Most nights you help me to prepare dinner while nestled in the Baby Bjorn. I describe each ingredient to you — crunchy orange carrots and shredded purple cabbage, onions that become sweet after you cook them, whole wheat rigatoni boiled in salted water. And sometimes I sit you in my lap while I eat, and you follow each bite from my plate to my mouth. Daddy is especially excited to watch you taste your first food. And he hopes you’ll love pistachios, pickles, and peanut butter as much as he does.

Another sign that you’re ready to eat? The drool! Yes, you are a drooling machine. In fact, we purchased new bibs with plastic lining between two layers of cotton, and you still average about four per day. But until we get the official go ahead from the doc, I’ll continue to nurse you six times per day: roughly at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm. And you’ll continue to grow big and strong and more act