Update, 37 weeks tomorrow

Little Miss has been keeping us on our toes!  When I was pregnant with C, I didn't have any contractions at all.  I may have had one or two Braxton Hicks, but pretty much nothing until I was induced, and then I got the epidural ASAP, so I really had no idea what they felt like at all.  This time around is a different story.  I've been having Braxton Hicks since about 20 weeks, and they've been getting stronger and more frequent as the pregnancy has progressed.

A week and a half ago, when I was 35 weeks and 2 days, I went to the hospital because I was having frequent contractions (6 or more in an hour and my midwife wanted me to go in).  They had me drink water and gave me a shot to stop them.  The shot was some steroid that starts with a "t" that I have no idea how to spell, but it made me all jittery and crazy for a couple hours.  I was still having contractions (Braxton Hicks contractions are real contractions, except they don't change the cervix and they don't progress the way "real" labor contractions do) all day, but they were spread out and erratic and totally manageable.  Annoying, but not painful.

Then this week, I went back in because they were frequent again.  If I was relaxing, I had a contraction every 10-20 minutes, if I was up and walking around (say, to go pee or something) I would have a few in a row that were 2-5 mins apart, and then they'd spread back out.  When they first hooked me up to the monitors Little Miss' heart rate was high; around 209, and that freaked me out a bit.  Why was she stressed??  After relaxing and laying on my side, she went back to the normal range, between 130-170.  They didn't give me another shot because I was 36 weeks and 3 days, and full term is 37 weeks.  So they weren't going to do a whole lot to stop labor, but they definitely didn't want to encourage it.

At this point, Little Miss is fully developed and her organs are working, but these last few weeks of pregnancy are when she practices sucking/swallowing and when her lungs finish maturing.  If she were born now she could be totally fine and healthy, or she could have trouble breathing on her own, we could have challenges breastfeeding, or she could have trouble maintaining her body temperature.  There's no way to know for sure.  So, I was put on bed rest until Saturday.  37 weeks = full term which means that she's welcome to come at her leisure.  The good news is, even though I had all those contractions, my cervix isn't changing, so I wasn't in active labor.  Also today they've slowed down a LOT.  Tomorrow I'm back to full activity and then it's just a waiting game.

Of course, none of this means that she's definitely going to come before her due date.  I could very well stay pregnant up until or even past my due date.  There's really no way to know what will happen which is so frustrating sometimes, lol!

So now we're on baby watch.  She could come in the next few days, but she may wait 4-5 more weeks.  I wish real life were like the movies, where you're just going about your business and BAM your water breaks and that's the first sign of labor.  That would be so exciting!  But, of course, that almost never happens and it's a complete guessing game.  Anyway, that's all I've got.  Hopefully my next post will be announcing a new addition and not that I'm overdue and going crazy!!


Pin It

Thanksgiving is in a week...

and I have no idea what we're doing.  We don't have plans, we'll just have to see what happens or what invites come our way.  I'm sure we'll have a wonderful day no matter what :)  I just wanted to take a minute to think about things I'm thankful for.

• First, for my wonderful husband.  He works so hard and I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with our child(ren).  Sometimes he drives me crazy, but my annoyances are truly minor and all in all he's just a really awesome guy.
• For my healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy.  As uncomfortable as I am and as much as I whine, I have had a relatively uneventful pregnancy this time around.  Yes, my ribs are on fire the majority of the time and some days I can barely walk (from time to time I'm trapped on the couch, even) because my pelvis is all out of whack and crazy, but I've had no bleeding, no bed rest, no cause for concern.  Little Miss is measuring perfectly on track at every prenatal appointment and has a good, strong heartbeat.  My "issues" are just my own discomfort, no health concerns or anything "wrong" with either of us, which is a huge blessing.  Here's a bump pic, 33 weeks and 3 days along: 

• For my sweet, amazing, crazy, exhausting, super awesome toddler.  C is seriously so great.  Sometimes I want to pull my hair out or just sit and cry (those are the days when he doesn't nap, lol), but most of the time he is so much fun.  He cracks me up on a daily basis and is such a ham!  This is what happens when he sees himself on the screen of my phone:

• Quiet time.  I don't get much quiet time, but I cherish it when it rolls around.  While I *should* use it to clean or be productive,  most of the time I'm either sleeping next to C or zoning out in front of the tv or computer to give my brain a break.  Sometimes I just sit and stare at my boy while he sleeps because I just can't get my head around the fact that I made something so amazing.  I mean, look at this sweetness:

• I'm thankful for chocolate.  Chocolate is sometimes the only thing holding me together at the end of a long, frustrating day.  Tonight I made these amazing cookies that I stumbled across on the blog Made.  Holy cow, these are soooo delicious!    I'll be whipping up a bigger batch for a cookie exchange party I'm going to on Saturday, tonight was just a test run.  I'm really glad I tested :D

What are you thankful for?

Pin It

A book review: Unwind

You may not know this about me, but I am a bibliophile and always have been.  My mom taught me to read very young because I was bugging everyone in my family to read to me multiple times a day.  When it was past my bedtime my mom would tell me to put my book down, turn on my tv, and go to sleep.  During the summer, my mom would have to make me stop reading and go outside and play with my friends.  I've always had a love for books and reading, and connect to characters and stories in a way that my moods, feelings, and perceptions change along with the book I'm reading.

In recent years, my pleasure reading has slowed.  Life has gotten in the way and there are just so many distractions, but I'm trying to change that.  I'm part of a book club with an awesome group of ladies, and we have different tastes in books, so I've been broadening my horizons and reading (and enjoying!) books that normally I wouldn't pick up.  This book, however, I was excited to read from the start.  It's right up my alley; young adult, future utilitarian society, suspense, rebellion, and something I can read quickly.

The book is Unwind by Neil Shusterman (title is a link to the Amazon page).  **No Spoilers below**

It's set in the future, where in order to resolve a civil war over abortion, lawmakers came up with the concept of "unwinding" as a compromise between the pro-life and pro-choice parties.  Under the new law, abortion was illegal, but you could send your teenager (starting at 13, ending at 18 when they were a legal adult) to be unwound.  Technically they aren't dying because every piece of their body is being used through donation.  All of them is alive, just split up among different people.

Medical science has advanced to the point where transplants for literally everything in your body are the most common way to heal.  Bad heart?  You get a new one.  Blind?  You get new eyes.  Brain injury?  They replace the injured part of your brain with bits and pieces of someone else's.  Instead of trying to fix or heal something that was broken, it was just replaced.  

While most of society saw this as a blessing and an easy fix, nobody really stops to consider that these parts have to come from somewhere.  From someone.  Unwinds, as they are called, are seen as troublemakers or criminals, people who had their chance and deserved their fate, so it was easy to dismiss the idea that they had to lose their life for another person to continue with theirs.  Further solace was found in the fact that technically, they weren't dead, they were just serving a greater purpose.

The book follows three teens who are destined to be unwound.  One is a troublemaker whose parents can't handle him anymore and sign the order, the second is a ward of the state who has fallen victim to budget cuts, and the third is a tithe; a sacrifice made to society by his parents, who are following the strict rules of their religion.  

It's a quick, easy read (I finished it in one day) but the characters are easy to relate to and easy to care about and the plot really makes you think.  It was an amazing story that kept me turning pages (well, clicking forward on my Kindle) and I was enthralled from the very beginning to the very end.  Read it.  Then come back and talk to me about it :)

Pin It

Ramblings on discipline and spanking.

I stumbled across this article today, and it got me thinking. Many people are firmly in the "never EVER spank" camp, many are in the "spanking is necessary for obedience" camp, but I think most of us are floating in between, not 100% sure how we feel about the subject. Here are my feelings on the subject as of right now, as a parent of a 1 1/2 year old boy.

Big News for my 100th Post!

First off, I'm very excited to announce that this is my 100th blog post!  Yay!! 
Secondly, I've opened an Etsy shop!  The contents of my shop will probably change as I take on new projects, experiment, and find different things I want to do.  I am very excited and hope that having a shop will encourage me to create more things.  Lately I've been using C's naptime to nap along with him, and I'd love to be more productive (some days... other days I really need a nap, lol).  Wanna see?? 
My Shop
Thirdly, I got the new iPhone 4S, and it is so. freaking. awesome.  Besides being WAY faster than my last phone, it's so pretty and I can talk to it (and it understands!) and the hands-free calling and texting features are super handy, especially now that NV law is changing to prohibit cell phone use while driving.  I'm totally in love with it.
Ok that's all I have (kindof a letdown for such a milestone post, huh?).  Hopefully I'll have more exciting things next time.  For now, I'll just leave you with an adorable picture:

Fun at the park

I haven't really posted any recent pictures of C, so I have a few for you from the park today :)

He's finally getting some hair, and it's quite blond.

When he's super excited, he screeches like an adorable pterodactyl.  Evidence:

 Of course, part of the reason I don't have many current pictures of C is because as soon as the camera comes out he's running up to see what it is.

That's it for now!

27 Weeks, Take 2

It's official, I'm in my third trimester!

25 Weeks, take 2

I'll be 25 weeks pregnant tomorrow.  For the most part, I'm feeling great.  I'm not nauseous anymore, I look pregnant and not just chunky anymore (yay!), and Little Miss is kicking around like crazy.  As I near the third trimester, my energy level is going down, and I'm taking more and more naps with C.
We had an ultrasound yesterday.  Little Miss looks awesome, her heart, organs, and bones are developing beautifully, she's definitely a girl, and she's already 1 lb 13 oz!!  She's measuring about a week ahead, which would give us a 12/25 due date.  I'm sticking with 12/31; I figure the later I'm "due", the less anxious I'll be during those last few weeks, lol.  I fully expect to be pregnant into 2012, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Here's a belly pic taken on my phone in the bathroom mirror, hence the crappy quality:

And here are some ultrasound pics!

Hand in front of her face 

Profile pic!!

So that's my update!  

Mint Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats

My husband isn't big on cakes, cookies, or brownies (a blessing and a curse because that means more for me!!).  His favorite desserts are Rice Krispie Treats and mint chocolate chip ice cream.  One day I thought, "hey, why don't I put those together?" and this dessert was born.  It's outrageously simple and has endless options, all you have to do is pick a flavor!!
This recipe is mostly off the Rice Krispie Treat box, with a couple of modifications.  The best part is, it's free from the top 8 allergens, and gluten!!  That makes it an awesome potluck dish because almost everyone can enjoy it :)

Trying to meet a midwife, feel like I'm interviewing for a job.

I called to try and set up an interview appointment with a hospital midwife, and was sent to my old OB practice.  There is only one midwife who delivers at the hospital near me and is accepting December due dates, and she is not only in the same practice, but the same office as my old OB.  Fun times.  He has lots and lots of patients and won't even remember me, right??
Before they'll even allow me to meet her, I need to fax over my prenatal records from this pregnancy so far.  Thankfully, since I'm already in their system and they have my insurance information, this is going to be a lot less of a headache than it could've been.  Why am I jumping through hoops just to talk to someone to see if I might want her to be my care provider?  Sigh.  My only hope is that the staff has to put me through all this crap so when I meet her she can be super nice and helpful without having to worry about paperwork or technicalities.  
Oh, one more thing, I'll fax my records tomorrow and then I'm supposed to get a phone call to set up an appointment.  Since I don't want to wait forever I should just call them, right?  Kindof a, "hey, just wanted to make sure the fax went through and you guys have everything you need" type of thing?

Possible birth compromise

So. The hospital near us (as in literally a minute's drive away) now offers midwives as an option for giving birth. I'm going to call tomorrow to try and set up some interviews with them and see if that's a good option for us. Hubby still isn't really on board with the whole home birth thing, and these services will be covered by insurance, which is an extra bonus!

I'm really hoping they offer the birthing options that are important to me, because this could be the middle ground that Bryan and I have been searching for. Wish me luck, that I'll like one of the midwives and won't get bullied into a hospital birth experience that I don't want!! Also that the rest of my pregnancy goes smoothly and safely, because if I join this practice I'm sure I'll be handed off to an OB at the slightest sign of a complication.

There are rumors floating around that they might allow me to bring a tub into the hospital, but I can see that being a pain in the ass. My main goal for labor this time is freedom of movement, minimal poking/prodding, and being able to push when and how I feel is most comfortable and most effective. If I can achieve that in a hospital, I'll be a happy camper with a happy husband :)  I would still much prefer a home birth, but I'm not the only parent in this family and hubby needs to be comfortable with the situation, especially since he's going to be my coach and it will be his job to support me and keep me calm during labor.

I wish things weren't so complicated.

Modified Tibetan high back carry

I'm a novice in the wrapping world, so I kindof took a few things from different carries that I liked and made them work for me.  I bought a wrap specifically to do high back carries so C could see better and be more comfortable, and I had to find a way to avoid tying around my waist, because my waist was quickly disappearing with baby #2 on the way :)
When I tie my wrap in the Tibetan style I find it squeezes my chest and restricts my breathing a bit.  I don't know if this is because my boobs are so big, or if I'm tying it wrong, but I came up with a different way that's more comfortable for me and is also cooler because I don't have fabric spread out over my chest.
Here's my little tutorial of my go-to back carry, I hope you like it! (please excuse the plethora of shots of my big butt).

I hope this is helpful to someone :)

All natural nighttime face moisturizer.

Just a little tidbit about me: I have difficult skin.  It's super dry and super sensitive along with having eczema, and has been my entire life.  I can only use certain soap, lotion, laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc.  I can't wear earrings because no matter the metal content, my ears get red, itchy, and irritated.  If we stay in a hotel I have to bring my own pillow because I'll get a rash on my face if I sleep on hotel linens.  I've learned what products I can and can't use, and have managed to keep it under control for the most part.  
Then, I got pregnant.  My body is drier than ever and flaky, and my face is oily with a nice case of acne thrown in that brings me back to middle school.  I've been at a complete loss as to what to do for my face.  I don't feel comfortable using the strong cleansers while I'm pregnant because of the chemical content, and at this point all they do is make my face even redder and more inflamed because they're just too harsh for my skin.  So I looked around at what I had on hand, and came up with something that works surprisingly well for how simple it is!

20 Weeks!

That's right folks, pregnancy #2 is already halfway gone!  It seems to have flown by.  One one hand I can't wait to meet my little girl, and on the other hand I don't feel anywhere near prepared for having 2 kids under 2!  I suppose it's a little late for me to be reconsidering now though, lol.  

I'm learning to crochet.

I have wanted to learn to crochet for a while now.  It's something crafty I can do, create things for my little ones, and it's quiet and something I can take along with me anywhere, unlike my sewing machine ;)
My very first project was a teeny tiny little hat for my friend Michelle's new little girl Sophia.  It's not very stretchy because I was winging it and used only the single crochet stitch, but it's not too shabby, if I say so myself :).  I put it on a Pepsi can so you could see how little it is: 

Giveaways are awesome

An awesome blog, Simply Atomic, is doing a giveaway featuring one of my favorite WAHMs, Jessica over at Playin' Footsie!  She's giving away two custom hats; one boy and one girl, how exciting!  Here is the giveaway if you're interested in entering.
You may remember C's amazingly adorable owl hat that I got from Jessica last year.  She took a break for a while, and I'm so happy to see her back at the crochet hook!!

My Changing Views on Birth

Just a warning, this is going to get long :)
When I got pregnant with C I had just celebrated my one year wedding anniversary and my husband had just completed the police academy.  We were young and trying to get the hang of things and still starting our life together.  I had been in the room for the birth of my sister's second baby, but beyond that I had almost no knowledge of childbirth, interventions, risks, etc.  I blame myself for not taking the initiative to research everything, but I wasn't worried because nowadays you go to the hospital, you get some drugs so nothing hurts, the baby comes out, and you're good to go!  Right?  Well, that was my thinking, anyways.  I didn't ask too many questions or challenge my doctor because he was the doctor and knew what was best.  Right?  And there was no reason not to get an epidural (I mean, that's what they're there for!), it didn't have any negative side effects because if it did they wouldn't be handing them out like candy to women in labor, Right? (oh wait, women in labor don't get candy.  only ice chips.)

Hemming Jeans

My older brother isn't a tall guy, but he also likes a deal.  He shops thrift stores and other places to get pants, and more often than not they're too long for him.  I've hemmed some jeans for him before, but I didn't like the home-stitched look that they had.  So I started brainstorming how I could keep the factory hem and shorten the pants.  My results look like this:

Hemmed on the left, unhemmed on the right.

I'm going to show you how I did it!

Big Announcement!!

The other day we went to get an ultrasound at this great place in town called Miracles in Progress.  They do 2D, 3D, and 4D ultrasounds, can tell you the sex of the baby, and give you pictures and video of your little one.  I was anxious to find out what we were having, so we went ahead and made an appointment, and let me tell you, I think we might end up going back later in the pregnancy.  It was such an amazing experience, they were so nice, the room was spacious and comfortable, the screen was huge, and it was so relaxing!  I didn't feel rushed like I do when I'm getting an ultrasound at a doctor's office.
Our news is, Firecracker is a GIRL!!!  I am absolutely over the moon excited and can't wait to meet her :)  I already have about 50 projects running through my mind of things that I want to sew for her, lol.  It was so amazing to see her moving, kicking, she even got hiccups and it was hilarious to watch her bounce around for a few minutes!  Want to see a picture?  Oh, ok:

Her body is on the left, head on the right (looking up), and she has her hand in front of her face <3

4th of July

We had a blast on 4th of July!  We went out to visit my grandma, had some lunch, spend some time hanging out at her house, and then we headed over with blankets and food to a golf course for a picnic and fireworks show!  C really liked the fireworks, but he LOVED the people, the activity, and the food.  Here are some fun pictures:

Watermelon is his favorite!!

There was a really bright flash, lol

A little alteration and refashioning :)

I'm tall (5' 10" or so) with a long torso, and it's really hard to find maternity clothes that fit.  If they fit on top, my belly is showing out the bottom halfway through my pregnancy.  If they're long enough, they're way too loose.  No matter what, long sleeves are never long enough for my monkey arms.  So, here's a shirt from last pregnancy so you can see what I mean:

 

As you can see, it's baggy, doesn't fit at the armpit, and the sleeves don't even hit my wrists.  Wanna see how I went from that to this?

You've just gotta read some more!

I love Pinterest.

Have you discovered Pinterest?  Because it's amazing.  It's like a bookmark menu for your internet, but using pictures and categories, and you can see what your friends are pinning and share your pins with them!  My pin board for sewing projects has so many links to patterns and tutorials I want to try, and there are a ton of great recipe ideas out there!
If you want to follow me, here's my profile page :)  Warning: you will get sucked in!!!

13 weeks, 2 days

I went to see my midwife today, and I got to hear my little firecracker's heartbeat!  It was nice and strong in the 160's.  That has to be one of the best sounds in the entire world.

A few weeks back I went to the hospital because I got a stomach bug and wasn't keeping anything down.   I was concerned about dehydration, so I went as a precaution and got some IV fluids, and some wonderful nausea medication called Zofran, who is now one of my best friends.  While there they did an ultrasound to check on Firecracker.  The ultrasound tech was most definitely an ER tech and not an OB tech; she was there to do her job, get her measurements, and be done.  I got to see Firecracker kick (thank goodness I have some idea of what I was looking at, lol), but there was no pointing out which end was which, and when she took the heartbeat measurement she didn't even turn on the sound so we could hear it!  Anyway, my point is, it was so amazing to hear that little heartbeat going strong today, and I called hubby (he was at work) so he could hear it over the phone.  He said, "it sounds like another boy!".

We have been having a rough week with C.  He is working on his molars, and they are evil, let me tell you.  This poor kid's gums are so swollen and hot and tender that he screams in pain when I touch them to put some Orajel on.  I can't wait until this is over.

You might be wondering why I don't have any pictures of C lately.  Well, someone has our good camera right now (they're borrowing it for a safari vacation, yay them!), and when I try and take pictures with my phone they come out all blurry because he won't sit still long enough!!  Any photos I get are him asleep, or me being sneaky.  Here are a couple of our most recent ones:

He is trying to make a copy of my shoe.

Sweet, sleepy boy <3

Fancifying my blog

I don't know if anyone checks in enough to notice, but I've recently overhauled my blog.  I'm adding a menu bar, trying to make it prettier, and trying to make it easier to navigate.  I'm working on picking up some tips from successful bloggers so that someone might want to actually read this thing :)

I found some very helpful tips at a couple places.  Interested in finding out?  I'll provide links, you just have to read more ;)

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and Lentils

This meal is so easy (like all the cooking I do), super hearty, full of protein, and C loves it!

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 lb dry lentils (rinsed)
• *1 bottle BBQ sauce (18 oz)
• Chicken stock (1/2 quart to 1 quart)

Directions:

1. Put everything in crock pot
2. Cook. (high for 3-4 hours, low 5-6 hours)

It's that easy!!  You might think that there's too much liquid, but those lentils soak up a LOT, so you'll need more than you think.  This makes outrageously fall-apart-tender chicken and juicy lentils.  My one year old eats at least twice his normal portions when this is for dinner.  Enjoy!

*KC Masterpiece makes a corn syrup free BBQ sauce, and I found giant bottles for cheap at Costco!

Grilled asparagus!

Asparagus is one of C's favorite veggies.  He lunges towards the plate and gets mad when we make him wait so his mouth doesn't get burned!  It's a bit messy for him to feed himself, but he's either in a bib or just a diaper when he eats because it cuts down on stains :)

There are a million ways to cook asparagus, but we love it on the grill.  Pair it with some steak and you have the perfect summer evening meal!  Here's how we prepare it:

Cut bottoms off asparagus, the thicker stalks can get woody.  Toss in olive oil and spices.  I love Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning and put it on EVERYTHING.  It's amazing and doesn't have soy or corn starch, which is commonly found in a lot of the pre-mixed seasonings.

Then you just put the asparagus on the grill until tender (sorry I don't know how long exactly, hubby does the grilling).  If there are some charred parts, don't worry about it, they're delicious!  When they cool off a bit, C just grabs pieces off the plate and goes to town!  It makes a mess because he has a hard time chewing the fibrous outside so he gets the mushy inside everywhere and is left with a gross stringy mess, but man, he can put some asparagus away!  Hubby, C, and I will go through 2 bundles of asparagus in one sitting.

A healthy, delicious, and allergy free vegetable side that my one year old will eat?  I'll take it!

1 Year!! (well, 3 weeks late...)

I can't believe my little baby is a year old!  It's gone by so quickly!  We've had a lot of stuff going on, so here we go:

The last week of April/first week of May, we were moving into our house.  I had about 3 weeks to get unpacked and the house in order before C's birthday party, and I juuust barely pulled it off.  The house is awesome; plenty of room for C to run around and explore (and make messes), and I even have a sewing room!  MUCH easier to do projects when I have space to do them, and then I can just close the door to keep all of the sharp, pointy things away from curious little hands.

Party update and pictures after the break!

Merging blogs!!

I have 3 blogs.  A mommy one, a sewing one, and a cooking one.  I've decided that since I'm lazy and can't keep up with one blog, much less 3, I'm going to consolidate them all!!  My other blogs will be moving here, so there will be an influx of new posts.

Once I get everything taken care of, I'll talk about baby C, how he's a year old now, and what's happening in our life.  It's only 3 weeks after his birthday, that's not too bad, right?

11 Months

Ok so C was 11 months a few days ago, but we've been busy :)

C is officially walking, and he's walking EVERYWHERE!  It's amazing what he can get into, he definitely keep me on my toes.  His first official word is "uh-oh," which he says when he throws something, when he falls on his butt from walking around, when he wants to throw something, or when he sees something fall.  He's also saying "that," "dada," "mama," and he's babbling like crazy, experimenting with new sounds.  It's fascinating to watch him and realize how much he understands and how much he's learning every day.  I'm sure he's a perfectly normal, average baby, but I feel like he's a genius!!

I can't believe that his first birthday is less than a month away, and we have so much to do before it gets here!  The people who were renting our house have moved out and now we're doing a deep clean to make it livable (3 dudes and 2 dogs in one house leave a certain... odor) so we can get moved in this week.  I'm SO excited to be out of our apartment and in our house finally, we've been homeowners but not home dwellers since last October.  C's first birthday party will also act as a housewarming party since it will be the first time we'll have all of our friends and family in one place since we've been in the new house.  On one hand I'm excited to have everyone here, on the other hand I'm stressing about getting the whole house unpacked and organized so I can give tours!!

Mommy brain

It's real, I swear.  In the 10 1/2 months that C has been alive, I don't think I've been on time to a single thing.  No matter how much extra time I give myself to get ready, there's always something.  C wants to nurse while I'm trying to straighten my hair, he falls and bonks his head while I'm putting on makeup, he needs a new diaper while I'm trying to pack the diaper bag, etc.

Half the time I'll be on my way, with my hand on the doorknob, totally on time, and realize I forgot to put wipes in the diaper bag, or we can't find a binky, or C finds something to spill on himself, warranting the need for an outfit change.

Then, inevitably, we get in the car or to our destination and SOMETHING was forgotten.  Or I have to turn around 3 times to run back in the house to grab something.  Sigh.

So yes, everyone, mommy brain does exist.  And if I ever make plans with you, expect me to be at least 30 minutes late.

Picture!!

Wow!

C is growing and learning so fast I can't handle it!  First, he took his first (very small) steps at Grandma's house yesterday, then he said "more" in sign language today!  Wow!  It is so amazing to see him understanding so much and being so awesome.  He makes me smile every day, and I just feel so blessed to be his mom.

Along with being more mobile, he's being more mischevious.  He gets into everything, and of course finds the things he's not supposed to have the most interesting.  He's been sick-ish for the past 3 weeks or so with a cough and snotty/runny nose.  When he developed a fever I took him to the doctor and we got antibiotics and a breathing treatment (he was wheezing, which worries me because my husband has asthma and I think C is going to end up having it as well).  C is doing much better and is left with just a gunky nose, but after 3 weeks of keeping it at bay, I've started to come down with whatever he has!  Nothing terrible except a very annoyingly scratchy throat.  I'm hoping that it won't develop into more.

We have a VERY big time coming up.  We will be moving into our very own house at the beginning of May (yayyyy!!!) and then, of course, I have a first birthday to plan for May 20th!  I can't wait to be in our own home, but I am a bit nervous about moving into a 2-story house with a one year old, especially because the entire downstairs is tile floors.  But it will be so much better; I'll have an actual space for sewing, we'll have a reading nook, and we'll (hopefully) be able to de-clutter better.  I'm really excited to be in the house, but not excited to move.   I hate moving.  It's not fun for anybody.  If we were rich I'd pack only the things that have strong sentimental value and leave the rest behind, buying new stuff that could be delivered to the new house, lol.   Alas, it's time to start getting stuff together, organizing, and packing so hopefully the move/unpacking with go smoothly.

Oh, and I'm turning 23 soon!  I'm wishing for a Kindle ;)

Hi :)

Turkey Taco Soup

A friend of mine gave me this recipe, and I had to make a couple changes to make it allergy-friendly.  It's delicious, makes a ton of food, is super easy, and customizable.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• taco seasoning
• you can use packets, but I haven't been able to find one that is soy and corn free.  I have a coffee grinder for spices, so I toss in some garlic powder, onion flakes, cumin (that gives you that taco flavor), paprika, and salt.  If you're not a wimp like me, you can throw in some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to add some spice.
• 2 cans of black beans, drained (if you can have corn, do one can beans, one can corn)
• Assorted veggies, chopped in bite-size chunks
• I like baby carrots, potatoes, and zucchini.  You can use whatever you like or have on hand.
• Chicken stock (you'll add just enough to get the soup-iness you want)
• 1 medium jar Pace picante sauce
• 2 small cans Rotel tomatoes and peppers  

Directions:

• You can either use a pot on the stove, or you can use a crock pot.  When I'm using my big soup pot, I just do step #1 right in the bottom of it.
• Brown turkey with half of taco seasoning
• Put into pot (or crock pot), and add in the rest of the ingredients along with the rest of the seasoning.  Just go ahead and dump them right in.
• On stove, bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender.  If you're using a crock pot, I'm guessing that 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low should work.  Don't take my word for it, I have only used the stove thus far.

I serve this over brown rice (of course, I serve everything over brown rice, lol) and eat with a fork.  It's so good when the rice soaks up the juices from the tomatoes with the spices and all that delicious flavor. If you can have corn you can eat it as a dip with some tortilla chips, you can scoop it into tortillas and make tacos, or you can just go at it with a spoon like a classic soup.

This dish is SO good, and makes a ton of food.  Seriously, I could feed a small army, especially because I'm basically doubling the amount of food just by adding rice.  I'm on day 3 of leftovers right now, and I'm not sick of it yet! 

It's very very filling, I've had to pace myself and take smaller portions than I normally would.  An extra bonus is that my 9 month old loves it! I was a little worried about the spices (even though it's not hot-spicy), but he loves it and I feel good giving him protein, veggies, and grains all in one dish.

I hope you enjoy it!!

Allergy Update... Kindof

Last month C had blood drawn (terrible, by the way) to test for antibodies to indicate allergies.  We went to the GI today for a follow up, and all of his blood work was negative, so he doesn't have allergies.  Except that he does.

I guess at his age, the blood tests aren't accurate yet (so why didn't the doctor wait to order the tests?  Good question), so it's very likely that he'll still have symptoms/reactions with a negative blood test.  The GI said I *could* start doing food challenges, but it makes me nervous.  It's so much easier to restrict my diet than to have my baby in pain.  The doctor said if I was ok with continuing my restricted diet, it would probably be better to wait for a couple of months and revisit the food challenges in 2 months.  So, as of now, that's our plan.  We see the GI again in 2 more months, we'll discuss challenges, see how everything is going, etc.

C is 19 lbs 10 oz, I can't believe how big he's getting!!  With my restricted diet (and his too, now that he's eating some solid foods), he hardly ever spits up, his tummy problems are almost nonexistent, and he's such a happy baby most of the time.  Not to mention how much he's growing!

C will be 9 months old in 4 more days.  He is crawling now, but only until he gets to a piece of furniture (or a mommy) he can use to pull himself up to stand.  He's cruising all over (walking around holding on to something) and getting into EVERYTHING!  Absolutely nothing is safe, and he has a knack for finding the ONE thing on the floor he's not supposed to have, even though I surround him with his toys. He zeroes in on a cord, remote, magazine, cell phone, or stray piece of paper and for some reason those are much more fascinating than all his fancy toys, lol.

C has figured out that his fingers move independently, and is constantly pointing at and poking everything, it's pretty hilarious.

He loves getting kisses and opens his mouth to receive them, hahaha.  After I give him a kiss, I get a big smile in return <3.  He has 4 teeth (2 top, 2 bottom), and he's been working on #5 and #6 for a LONG time now.  They come in quick, then sit right under the surface forever, refusing to break through.  It's very frustrating.

C is super friendly and gives almost everybody smiles, even when he's exhausted.  He's such a sweet, amazing boy and I feel so blessed to be his mommy.  It's so amazing to watch him and see what he learns, the new things he can do, and how much he understands.  We have so much fun together, and I can't even count the number of smiles he puts on my face every single day.

Here's C getting into some mischief, and you can see the pointing I'm talking about:

Pot Holders!!

I recently entered a contest at Prudent Baby to create pot holders.  I had so much fun designing and sewing these!  I hope you like them :)