10 Month Update

Dear Jacob,

You are 10 months old already.  I find it hard to believe that last year at this time i was so anxious to meet you and we still had 2 months to go!  For as quickly as these past 10 months have gone by, I know the next 2 months are not going to magically slow down.

Teddy Bear Park

Especially since I think you will be walking before you are a year old.  You stand up for a few seconds at a time, and get more confident each time.  If I clap or praise you, you pitch forward or promptly sit down. 

The new thing in the past month is your love of books.  There are 3 books that are your favorites.  A Truck book that you will pull off the shelf (along with every other book until you find that one), sit down, and look through it.  Occasionally you make truck noises when you look at.  The other one is the Taggie book, you like the animal noises we make reading to you, and that you can see yourself in the mirror.  THe newest favorite is Sesame Street At The Zoo.  You will crawl across the room with the book, climb up on us and wave the book in our face until we read it to you, multiple times.

First Haircut!

This month, I saw what a handsome little boy you will be.  Daddy said you were looking like a "Hippy baby" and that you needed your haircut.  Actually, he's been saying that for a few months, but I kept fighting him.  I can't believe how much hair she cut off, and how cute you are, but you look like a little boy, not a baby!  I'm not ready for that yet!
You've had a few illnesses in the past month, between ear infections, a new tooth, a "tumble" out the car, and a stomach bug.  But, overall, you've been a happy baby boy.  You make new faces where you hold your fists up, squeeze them, and grunt.  THe other is scrunching up your nose and eyes and having the biggest grin on your face.

The daily dance party is starting to pay off.  When you hear music, you will kick your lil legs, or bounce up and down.  I can't wait until you know how to do the sprinkler, lawn mower, or the grocery cart.  I will know then that my job as a parent is complete... :)

You can sign "All Done" with the best of them.  You are very adamant about it, and it's more like you are waving down a vehicle, but it gets the point across.  Usually, it's when I'm trying to make you eat more food, you sign all done, but if i put down fruit, you gobble it right up.  There's always room for fruit with you. 

Random Facts:
Weight:  22 lbs
Clothing:  6-12 months, some 12-18
Fav Veggie:  Peas
Fav Fruits:  Watermelon or peaches
Toys you can't live without:  ball, giraffe, activity table
Teeth:  4, but you just cut another this week

You would try to make a mad dash to the water when you got bored

Today is a bittersweet day.  This is the last week I will be home part time with you.  I already miss it, and the time i have to spend with you.  I know I will really miss those times when I bring you up for a nap and you just snuggle right in.  I will miss taking morning walks with you and Selby.  But, I am so lucky

Love you so much more than you know!!
Momma

LOOOONG Week...

*** i thought i had posted this last week...whoops****
It's been a long week.  Last Tuesday, Mike had surgery.  Again. 

Jacob had a stomach bug, was sick all weekend and threw up on me.  After the bug went away, he started getting a cold on Sunday.

I missed work on Friday from Jacob being sick.  I'm already behind with only working 3 days a week, and right now i am so behind I'm barely staying afloat.  I'm overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to complete in the next 5 days, and then in the next month. 

After being shut up in the house since Thursday with a sick baby, I wanted to escape.  So, on Tuesday, I thought it would be fun for Jacob and I to go to Hudson for the afternoon.  He loves going on walks, so the thought of strolling thru downtown Hudson to window shop while Jacob chattered and flung his arms around was appealing.  The day did not go quite as I had envisioned.

I almost broke my baby's head.  Seriously.  As in still today when i think of it, my eyes burn. 

I had parked in Hudson, on a hill.  Got out, grabbed the stoller, set up the stroller on the sidewalk, and unbuckled Jacob from his carseat.  I then was wondering, did i lock the stroller?  I didn't want to put him in the stroller and have it start rolling down the hill.  So, I turned to check the stroller again.  Seriously, it was a few seconds max.  As I turned back to the SUV, I am watching in slow motion as my baby is falling face first out of the vehicle.  I'm not close enough to catch him, so I watched my baby hit his head on the concrete curb and start wailing.

I scooped him up and squeezed him to me, thinking how in the world did that just happen.  He's sobbing, I'm sobbing, checking him, making sure he has all his teeth, no blood, etc.  In mere seconds, he propelled himself out of his carseat, onto the seat of the SUV, and across the seat to the open door.  He then tumbled out onto the concrete.  I felt HORRIBLE.  as in worst mother of the year.  I'm supposed to make the world safe for him, not leave car doors open for him to fall out of.  I didnt realize he could crawl THAT quickly. 

After calming both of us down, I called the clinic.  Due to the height of the fall, the fact that he hit concrete, and not something softer, that he had a bump on the head, and since he has a cold, so I can't tell difference in symptoms of a head injury vs. a cold, they wanted us to come in.  The appt was still 2 hours out (since he wasn't having the major signs, seizure, passed out, etc) we walked along in Hudson.  I was still crying intermettenly, having cried while talking to the appt desk, the triage nurse, and Mike.  (as you will see in the video, Jacob was having a fun time in Hudson, head injury or not).

At the doc, we discovered (surprise, surprise) that Jacob has yet another ear infection, lucky number 5.  I hated being there, as the poor guy had already gone thru a traumatic day, and he knows what's happening when the doc comes at him with the ear scope and starts screaming.  The doc called Children's Hospital, and based on the recommendations of both docs, we were sent to the ER at Childrens.  THey wanted to do a CT scan on him to make sure there were no fractures.

We get there, and i have to tell the story to 3 different people.  I felt like CPS was going to come in and snatch my baby away.  I thought i was doing a good thing to check the stroller, not realizing that he would catapult out of the carseat. 

We go back to have the CT scan done.  At Childrens, the room is COVERED in Sesame street stuff, and has colored lights on the ceiling.  They have toys to divert the attention, and the staff is very good at dealing with babies.  It was horrible watching them lay him onto the table, swaddling him, then strapping down his body adn then his head to the table.  He screamed.  They gave me a light up toy to help distract him.  He screamed.  Then, she gave him a nuk dipped in sugar water.  And he was fine.  They ran the scan.

NO FRACTURES! i didn't break my baby's head.  We were told he would likely have a headache for a few days, but he could go home and looked fine.  Thank you God. 

Last night I rocked my baby to sleep (i know, i paid for it tonight at bedtime) and cuddled him, smelling his sweet baby smell and was so thankful nothing worse had happened. 

Tonight, was a rough night for bedtime.  He fought me for over an hour, before I gave up and rocked him again to sleep.  I figure with a cold and ear infection, whatever.  I know it's not helping, but we have an appt with an ENT next week, so why start a new thing before then?  I had planned on getting some work done tonight from home, but a dear friend had sent me a link to a blog on sleeping.  And then i was sucked into the vortex of reading a new blogger. 

The blogger's advice on poor sleeping? Acceptance.  Knowing that it may suck now, but will eventually turn around.  Please Lord, turn it around soon...

Sorry for the long post, but I really needed to just get that out.  The feeling of being majorly overwhelmed has been persistent and strong this past week.  I feel like everything is more out of whack as each day progresses, and that I am falling behind in everything.  I feel like everything is holding on by a thread, and I'm scrambling to keep it all together. 

It's so hard to not judge how you feel as a parent, and this week feels like a total fail.  I'm so behind at work, it's not funny.  I think it would be easier if my bosses were jerks and hounded me about stuff, but they are not.  I could not ask to work for a better group of people.  It's my own drive, and knowing how much stuff i have to catch up on that is daunting. 

I wonder how mother's who work full time do it.  I feel like I am failing at both parenting and my career with working part time.  I know too that part of it is my Type A personality.  And I tell myself that I am doing fine with both my career and parenting.  But, the war that goes on between the two sides is still raging.  I know which one I hope will win does. 

Expectations

There are a lot of things that have not met my expectations about being a parent, and other things I did not expect at all.  I'm a planner, I like knowing what's going to happen and when.  I like to be able to rely that something is going to happen at a set time.

These past 2 years have challenged my expectations more than I could have thought possible.  While overall, the hopes and goals have been met, it was not on the timeline I thought it should/would be.  God definetly had a few laughs over my plans....

Last weekend was my brother's grad party from college.  He has a degree in criminal justice, and plans on becoming a cop.  We went up to celebrate with him, and had fun.  Then the witching hour started rolling in, aka 7:00 pm.  Jacob NEEDS to be in bed by 7 we have found.  If not, there is complete hell to pay by him waking up about every 30-60 minutes all night. 

I NEVER wanted to be one of "those" parents that had to leave a function, or plan their day around the baby's sleep schedule.  I wanted to be the kind where the kid could roll with the punches, and sleep wherever; whenever.  That we could lay him down when he got sleepy, and if it was past "normal" bedtime, no biggie, he will just sleep in the next day.  That playing outside or with family would have wore him out, and blissful sleep would have taken over and he would be a snuggly cute sleeping until the next morning.

Yea, God has had a LOT of laughs over my plans.

So far, it's only been one night that he has only woken up once.  A "good" night is waking up twice, an average night is 3 times, the past few nights, has been about every 30-60 minutes ALL NIGHT (granted, he has a stomach bug, so that's why).

But, it sucks having to leave when everyone else is there, and trying to explain to people why you are leaving.  It seems like most people i know were blessed with the expected sleep babies.  People think we should keep him later, cuz he will "sleep in".  Umm, nope, he won't.  Want to come stay the night at our house?  Camping is a nightmare at bedtime.  It takes a good hour of fighting to get him down.  But when we just let him crash on his own, we fight him the entire night, and he's up at the crack of dawn. 

This was not the kind of parent I expected to be.  I hope it's a "phase", that in the future he will be easier at sleep, but I don't expect it.  As a breastfed baby, I didn't expect him to have that many ear infections.  He had 4 (two double) in a 2 month time.  I am realistic, I know not everything will go as I plan or want, but the expectations that have been challenged, are some that I just didn't think could be any different.

I expect to have challenges with a baby.  I know that there would be sleepless nights, and sick nights, and jsut plan off nights.  But I didn't think it would be every night.  I expect to raise my son a certain way.  He will have discipline, structure, manners, limited tv/comp time, rules, and a big one to me, not say the word "hate".  I really dislike when I hear little kids say "I hate ______". 

He will also have unconditional love, his needs met, a stable environment to thrive in, a faithfilled journey, and lots of laughs and hugs.  I know this post sounds really negative at the beginning, but it's just frustration with circumstances that will pass, and expectations that need to be reevaluated.  I guess if I'm one of "those" parents, so be it.  At least I can look forward to a somewhat restful night of sleep.



This face says it all...



9 Month UPdate

When looking through the pics of the past month, I've realized how much my baby boy has changed and all the new things he now does.  We had a busy month, and since I haven't posted much about him, I figured I would do a photo dump of the past month!

First trip to Gooseberry Falls!  Same weekend as the Duluth floods

In between pics, I will give 9 facts about being 9 months old.

1.  Jacob has 2 teeth now!  EVERYTHING is a frantic attempt to get whatever he has into his mouth as quickly as possibly, especially if it shouldn't be there.  One favorithe thing to try to bite are my toes.  Those little teeth are SHARP.  Obviously, he doesn't know that most babies cut their bottom teeth first, Jacob is a rebel who went for the top two instead.

First parade!  Afton's 4th of July parade, it was hot, so the bff's decided to go shirtless (and pantless) for the parade.

 2.  Bye! Bye!  If he is in the mood, he will wave at you.  He first waved at my dad the other weekend, and occasionally will wave on command.  He also slapped grandpa when grandpa said he should stay there and mom and dad can leave. 


Tire fixer.  Jacob LOVES to play with tires

3.  He is really interested in how things work.  He is constantly fixated on tires.  He flips over his John Deere tractor and his dune buggy to spin the tires. He will crawl as fast as his chubby little legs will go and spin away.  Stacking and putting blocks into their containers is also a fun game.  He sat on my lap putting his nuk in the cupholder, and then snatching it back out.

Guess who moved up to his big boy car seat!

 4.  He's up to 21 pounds now, and has graduated to the convertible car seat.  He likes that he can see more, but I miss being able to move a sleeping baby from car to house.  Today, I drove around or sat outside for 2 hours while he napped.  Must be comfy!

Find the puppy!

 5.  Jacob has 2 words, momma and dada.  Dada was his first word, but that's just cuz it's easier. :)  It is funny though, he will say DA DA DA DA DA in this deep little voice.  It's the only time he talks like that, and Mike loves to encourage it.  I don't know if he is actually signing "All Done" to me (shaking hands) when he's full when eating, or just being normal wiggle worm Jacob who can't sit still.  Will wait on this one yet...

Swing, swing, swing!

 6.  He is up to 3 meals a day now, and working on the sippy cup.  Loves to feed himself, especially fruit.  Peas and corn are another favorite, and he had little pieces of pasta the other day.  Puffs are still number 1 finger food though. 

Mike thinks Jacob needs a haircut....

 7.  While sleep is still a process, Mike and I were treated to an amazing sleep night this month.  He went to bed at 7:30 and slept til 3:30 am, and then back out until 5:45.  We woke up at 2:30, and went to check on him.  This is the first (and sadly, only) time this has happened.  I'm hoping it means it is a soon to be normal.  Naps are now at 10 and 2, and he's taking longer naps (about 45-60 min, 90 on a good day).  While daycare can get him down without being rocked, he won't let us off without rocking him pretty much to sleep.  I'm hoping we can get him back to how he was before Hand Foot Mouth, where we could lie him down awake, but for now I will take what i can get!


Lounging around the campsite



8.  Selby is VERY protective of her lil buddy, even though she won't let him by her too close.  If he cries and we aren't in the room, she will go over to him and sit.  She has napped in front of his crib when he's napping and will come up and give him kisses.  He loves to watch her play, and will laugh at her antics. 

"I love you - just don't get too close to me" - Selby to Jacob

9.  If crawling or kicking legs while swinging arms were an Olympic event, Jacob would be a top contender.  He is excellent at both, and if he could float, he might be able to give Michael Phelps a run for his money, but he would definitely get WAY more endorsements, because, HELLO, Jacob is adorable!  :)  One thing he started on this month, that would not be an Olympic win, is standing.  He briefly can stand on his own, for just a few seconds before plopping down. 

Random thoughts:
Weight: 21 lbs
Wears: Size 3 diapers. 6-12 month clothing.
Loves: rolling the ball, being in the pool, banging the floor with lids, playing with the activity table, his V-tech book, saying DA DA DA DA, eating
Hates: getting his diaper changed, naptime, being left alone in a room

Yummy!

Sunday was one of those days where nothing "special" happened, but where the day just seemed like a huge success.  It was a relaxing day, and actually pretty productive.

We made it to church on Sunday morning, FINALLY.  I'm ashamed to admit how long it's been since we've made it.  I can make excuses, and granted, most of them would revolve around Jacob's nap and eating schedule, but still, they are excuses.  The 9 am service is what works best for us on Sunday's.  The 11 cuts way too much into rearranging Jacob's schedule, and on Saturday's there are no services during summer at the WOodbury campus.  You would think that with the campus being in Wdbry, and not driving 30 minutes to White Bear that it would be easier.  But that's not always the case. 

We need to make this a priority, not a secondary thing.  One of my friends is a pastor with EBC, and we got to see her up on stage Sunday morning leading announcements as our regular campus pastor was speaking that weekend.  I can't think of a better person to be in a leader position at EBC.  Kar has motivated and inspired me to be a better Christian and really look at my life and choices.  She is dedicated and passionate about her beliefs, and you can see love when you are with her. 

I also ran into another bible study girl who is getting married in August and joined us for the service.  Her and her fiance were being baptized together yesterday afternoon in honor of their faith, and wanted to be baptized together before their wedding.

It was so great to be back at EBC.  The music, the sermon, the sense of something greater and the feeling of community and love.  Besides, we also get a free hour break of Jacob.... :)  He must have had fun also, little guy was SNOOZING when we picked him up, and was out for the car ride, and still sleeping after I moved him out of the car seat. 

I planted some flowers I had bought while Mike & Jacob mowed lawn.  In between, I had made 2 new fantastic recipes,

DEEP DARK CHOCOLATE COOKIES


AND

BASIL LIME CHICKEN



I honestly don't know which I enjoyed more!!  Both are a bit more time consuming than what i have attempted lately, but well worth it!!

Cookies:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided (I used 2 cups)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme.

Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. 

Add lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.

 

Chicken:

Ingredients

• 3 Limes (juice and zest) Divided
• 3 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 T Dijon Mustard
• 3 T Worcestershire Sauce
• 3 T Soy Sauce
• 6 Green Onions Chopped Divided
• 4 Cloves Garlic Minced Divided
• 2 T Chopped Basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 lbs Chicken Breasts

Instructions

1. Combine the zest and juice of 2 limes, Olive Oil, Mustard, Worcestershire, Soy, 3 onions, 2 garlic cloves salt and pepper and mix well.
2. Cut chicken into even cutlets and place in a gallon sized baggie.
3. Pour marinade over the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.
4. Preheat grill.
5. Place chicken on grill and grill for 7 minutes.
6. Then flip and cook until internal temp reaches 170.
7. Remove from grill and let meat rest.
8. Meanwhile combine juice and zest of one lime with extra virgin olive oil, 3 chopped onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, basil.
9. Add sauce over top.

It was perfect for the hot summer day!!

Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

These are best right out of the oven!! Just ooey gooey-ness!!

Pinterest Posts

I've started to realize, or at least acknowledge, that Pinterest has just become a (somewhat) more organized version of my cookbook cupboard.  When I open the cupboard that has my cookbooks in it, I always have a hand half way up to catch whatever is falling out. Stuff frequently falls out.   When i have finished demolishing finding what I want (or likely what I have available to cook with) I just shove it back up there.  It's a mess.  Of epic proportions.  My version of knowing what recipes i want to make or have made and liked, is just a sticky tag.  No rhyme or reason, just tagged... 

My Pinterest board is becoming similar.  The only difference is that nothing falls on me and there are pretty pictures to look at.  Goal:  start tagging stuff better.  Instead of just having a "Yum" board, I plan to break it out into categories, ie dessert, crockpot, freezer meals, etc.  Which seems immensely easier than tackling the cupboard.  Which makes me cringe almost as bad as thinking of the junk drawer. 

So, I did some more Pinterest Projects this week, which were all fairly successful!!

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

This is one I plan on making again this week, if temps stay low enough to handle having the oven run. I baked it up one afternoon, and had breakfast for the next few days, which was great.  More of a thicker texture than regular oatmeal, which I liked.  I opted out of the bananas (big surprise) and also didn't have nuts on hand, so no nuts either.

Project 1:  Blueberry Baked Oatmeal 

adapted from here

Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided 
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
1 cup blueberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen, divided

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, half of the walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.
3. Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the berries. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats.
4. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Project 2 :  Cherry Lambic Sorbet
This was not originally a Pinterest idea, but I pinned to my page for any of you following on pinterest.  Jen came over on the 4th, and brought homemade Cherry Lambic Sorbet. 
OH. MY. WORD.

I felt like i was eating a bowl full of frozen cherry heaven (turns out i was).  Mike also surprisingly liked he (getting him to eat fruit could be an Olympic event...).  The boys were willing to try it once they found out there was beer in it. Come on, who wouldn't try a frozen beer dessert??


                          

You can buy your own ice cream maker on clearance right now at Target for $15, well worth it!  Or you can invite me over for dinner, and I will bring this!

Cherry Lambic Sorbet

1. 3 cups pitted sour cherries (18 ounces)
2. 3/4 cup Sugar Syrup (this is also where i got the recipe)
3. 1 cup cherry lambic beer (I used peach lambic, liquor store was out of cherry, worked well)

1. In a blender, puree the cherries until smooth. Stir in the Sugar Syrup and the cherry lambic beer. Pour the sorbet base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
2. Pack the sour-cherry lambic sorbet into a plastic container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sorbet and close the container with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, 4 hours.

Project 3:  Jacob's new toy bin

I am a fan of rotating toys out for Jacob's bin.  It means less mess downstairs, new toys in rotation, and when an item comes back, he's excited to see it again (or will be once he remembers a toy).  Or if he needs a change of scenery, we can go up to his room and there are "new" toys up there for him to be occupied with.  I had just a small box downstairs, but it was a wee bit too small. 

Another connundrum at our house is we suddenly have a lot of extra empty boxes.  From toys, packages, and mainly, diaper cases.  Which surprisingly is about the size I wanted.  Jacob "helped" me make this, as you can see.  He really enjoyed playing with the contact paper and climbing in the box.



Jacob being Mommy's Little Helper




Not as cute, without a baby in it, but shows you more of the picture!

 This super easy and cheap project took me all of about 15 minutes (that is not including the baby helper time, that would make time closer to an hour...) and $4.97 for the roll of contact paper, and I figure the diaper box is a sunk cost.  But, you could do with any extra boxes you have around the house!

Nutella White Chip Cookies

Thanks to a friend for posting on FB how Nutella is her new go to comfort food, I immediately started craving it.  Forget putting it on toast, eating it by the spoonful is just so much better!  So, while Jacob and I were out and about for the afternoon, I swung into the little grocer/deli shop in town and picked up some Nutella.

After eating some from the spoon, I wanted to bake something with Nutella in it.  I haven't baked in forever, and luckily I had the neighbor girl over entertaining Jacob, which gave me time to experiment with out someone trying to pull himself up on my pant legs.   By the way, best $8 I have ever spent for 2 hours of time!!

First, I went to Pinterest, knowing I had pinned some Nutella recipes for that day I would bake again.  And I didnt find quite what I was looking for.  I had brownies and mug cake, but I wanted cookies.  So then I tried the internet, and I could find cookies, but a lot had the description of "crunchy" in their info.  I don't like crunchy cookies, I love soft, chewy cookies.  Finally, I found a recipe that sounded chewy, but still wasn't quite what I had in mind. 

So, I took part of that recipe, and modified it to fit what I wanted.

OMG, these cookies are decadently rich!!  And sinfully good.  They are amazing.   I even took a fancy picture like the other food bloggers do.  see....

Anyways, here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!  (adapted from here)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Nutella
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. In a bowl, cream the butter, the sugar and the brown sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla until combined.
3. Gradually add the flour, salt, soda, and cocoa until the mixture is combined.
4. Mix in the nutella until it is combined with the dough.  Then add in the chocolate chips.
5. Make small balls, and flatten slightly on the pan.  (I made mine too big, these cookies are rich and small are the way to go!)

Bake for approximately 8 - 10 minutes.