Author: Allie Zottola

Currently: April 2020

It’s crazy to think we’re in the fourth month of 2020 already! Here’s what’s currently going on in my life this month. 

Current cuteness My in-laws adopted a new puppy! His name is Buddy. He’s a goldendoodle and the sweetest little guy! I miss Mavis and Lola both so much, and meeting Buddy filled a dog-shaped little hole in my heart ❤

Goldendoodle puppy

Current laugh Jimmy painted one of our kitchen doors white last week and Malcolm brushed up against it. He suddenly looks very old with his new salt and pepper fur 😉

Current book(s) Still enjoying my guided prayer journal and since we can’t go to the library, I’ve been re-reading books I already own. I’ve been reading this book, which I last picked up in 2012. It feels so different reading it as a parent!

Current baked good Sourdough sandwich bread.

Sourdough sandwich bread

Current blessing God’s provision. Jimmy has been laid off of work, but God has opened a door for me to be able to bring in income through continuing to work for my family’s real estate brokerage and picking up extra work with Instacart whenever I can. These uncertain times can feel stressful, but the more I remember how God always provides, the more I learn to trust Him with my whole heart.

Current obsession Begging Jimmy to let us get a dog. It’s so lonely in the Zottola home without a pup!

Current food Opened-faced egg sandwiches with aforementioned sourdough sandwich bread. The eggs from my aunt and uncle’s chickens. Delicious! I like to top my bread with hummus, lettuce, and parmesan cheese (and of course eggs!).

Egg sandwich

Current prayer Healing for our world with the COVID-19 situation. This is tough, but God is bigger than this. 

Current beauty product Still loving this toothpaste!

Currently looking forward to The next time we can gather with our church family! We’ve been able to watch our services online, but man do I miss everyone! 

Church on TV

Current joy The kindness of others. Our neighbor who has some health issues mentioned that she didn’t have a mask for going out in stores, so I gave her one that we had. It was the last one in a pack that Jimmy used when he worked in our garage. I didn’t think anything of it because I figured she needed a mask more than I do.

Fast forward just a few hours later and I’m at our local grocery store checking out with an Instacart order and the woman bagging my groceries (who I talk to each time I’m at the store) said she was worried about me doing Instacart and not having a mask, so she sewed me one. Wow!! 

Current fun Taking family walks with Jimmy and Sadie. The weather in Pittsburgh has been beautiful lately!

Family walk

Current project Learning to make Paska, which is a Ukranian bread traditionally made for Easter. 

Current excitement The fact that it’s spring! I planted some seeds in a seed tray and some of them have sprouted! If all goes well, I’m on may way to having arugula, swiss chard, baby greens, and corn in our garden 🙂

What’s current in your life this month?

Sadie at 18 Months

Well, our little Sadie girl is now a year-and-a-half! 

Toddler with ponytail

Growth Sadie weighs 22 pounds and is 31 inches tall! AKA tall enough to pull things off of some of our counters and side tables 😉

Wearing 12 and 18 month clothing, size four diapers, and size 5 and 6 shoes

Personality Happy-go-lucky, silly, determined, and a little shy. 

Toddler eating sourdough bread

Eating So much better than she was a few months ago! She was having a lot of trouble with spitting food out, then not really wanting to eat much else than breastmilk, but now she’s like a different child! She still nurses, but she eats solids well now, too! 

She enjoys smoothies, sourdough bread, fruit snacks, scrambled eggs with cheese, Gogo Squeez pouches, yogurt, yogurt melts, cereal, lunch meat, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cheese, and peanut butter!

Nicknames Sader Tot, which turned into Tot, which turned into T and TT. 

Sleeping Sadie usually sleeps from 7:00/8:00 pm to 6:00/7:00 am unless she’s teething or has an ear infection. She’s down to one nap a day that’s about an hour and a half to two hours. 

Toddler with pigtails

Looks Like Mostly Jimmy, with a bit of me mixed in!

New Skills Sadie is rockin’ with sign language! She knows the sign for eat, more, please, all done, play, ball, bath, blanket, water, friend, drink, mom, dad, cat, dog, please, milk, sleep, mouse, horse, frog, book, cereal, hot, diaper, baby, and maybe a few more I’m forgetting lol.

The most amazing thing has been actually using the sign language to communicate. The other day she was walking around the house saying “baba” and I didn’t know if she meant a drink or baby since she pronounces them the same. So I was like, “Which do you want?” and did the sign for each and she signed drink back and I was able to give her what she wanted. So simple, but so cool! 

Likes Mom and dad’s full attention, dogs, Malcolm, baths, being chased, playing peekaboo, being outside, reading, baby dolls, Clifford (the TV show), going on walks, and picking out which clothes she wants to wear, her grandparents, play doh, and stickers. 

Toddler in overalls by bonfire

Dislikes Being in her carseat or booster seat too long, having her diaper changed, and not having mom and dad’s full attention. 

Favorite Products Reusable stickers, booster seat, poke-a-dot-book, Clifford board books, and OshKosh overalls (<– affiliate links!).

Notes Sadie is turning into her own little person and it’s such a joy to see the sweet little girl she is becoming ❤