Wrestling Kitties

HDH - 20 Weeks Old!!

2012-01-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

This last month has been CRAZY and AMAZING all in one….CRAMAZING! Really, what a change your children take during this time and what is even more amazing is how quickly they change! I mean one day he couldn't roll over and then the very next day he could and was a pro at it! WHAT?! You just learned how to roll over my child and now you are rolling all over the living room! See, cramazing. Honestly, I love it.

Our little man is just awesome. I am certain he is going to be a really cool kid! His personality is just fantastic. Seriously, we say every day how lucky we are with him. He is such a happy baby. Yes, he gets grumpy when he needs/wants something but for the most part he is cool, calm and collected….just like his daddy! (Thank goodness he took after Terry and not me!) He has this awesome laugh and a coy smile that gets us every time. I guarantee when he smiles you will smile too.

Here is what is going on….

- As of 1/9/12 he weighed 16lbs 10oz and is 26” long! So I am certain, at the rate this child is growing, the boy is easily over 17lbs now! We also think he has gotten longer as his PJ’s have gotten “shorter”. He hates having his pjs on during the day...he prefers to be naked or at the least belly and legs free!

- He has been wearing 6 month clothes for over a month and is ready to move into 6-9 month PJ’s. Did you read that…6-9 month clothes. What the heck child!! It seems like he is barely staying in a size for longer than a few weeks. Cramazing.

- He is rolling over from back to tummy and tummy to back. His little blanket on the floor is easily becoming too small of a space for him. In part because he wants to move and also because he has so many damn toys! (He really did put those toys everywhere. He dumped out his toy basket and then grabs a toy, rolls to his back and leaves it on the other side of the blanket and goes back for another toy. Doubt he is doing it intentionally, just happens!) – VIDEOS HERE

- He sits up great assisted but folds in half like a taco when he sits unassisted. He is learning.

- We started him on cereal. He wasn’t so sure about it at first, but he now sticks his head out like a turtle while he is eating cereal to say “give me more”! We will be starting veggies (sweet potatoes) in a week or so.

first time with cereal...not sure what to expect.
"Hey guys, whatz iz I doings in this chair, besides chill'n."

"Uh, mummeez and daddeez whatz is dis?!"

I think this face says everything!
"Iz nots happiez"

Now, he is getting better at eating and wants to do it himself!

He loves cereal! And prefers to eat cereal naked.

- He is “talking” to us way more and being very vocal. He is also blowing bubbles (making raspberries) which is just the cutest thing. He tries to mimic the sounds we make to him. We also say “HI” to him all the time and he is trying to make that sound back. It sounds like HI but I know he is not saying his first word yet, just making a similar sound based on the tones we use when we say hi. But it is cool watching him imitate us.

Sticking his tongue out and making raspberries at Aunt K.!

- He also is starting to know what he wants. For instance if he no longer wants his suck (pacifier) instead of just taking it out of his mouth he will turn his head and forcibly spit it out of his mouth and the thing goes flying as if saying dramatically…I do not want you anymore. Nice. He also gets frustrated when he wants a particular toy and can’t reach it and will let you know he is frustrated.

- We are fairly certain he is teething, especially based on the puddles of drool that come out of his mouth and the fact that EVERYTHING must go in his mouth. And I mean EVERYTHING. Toys, our clothes, hair, his feet (ha & kinda gross), our arms/fingers and tags. The boy loves the tags on his toys/blankets more so then the actual toys themselves.

Drool monster!

Chill'n with daddy

This boy loves tags!

- He is very into playing with toys and grabbing for the particular one he wants. He will see something he wants and try to go after it. He is also getting stronger and therefore pulls over his toy basket and spills all the toys out and can now move some of his “heavier” toys around. It is fun seeing him play with his toys. He is also very exploratory. Loves really looking at his toys and people and those big blue eyes are always looking around.

He loves Sophie...she is french.

"May I haves the flashy thing dat hurtz my eyes, pleaze!"

- Without jinxing it too much, the boy is an amazing sleeper. Oh we are so lucky. Granted, he has his nights where he wakes up every couple hours or doesn’t want to fall asleep…but overall he loves his sleep at night. We have also started just putting him in his crib after his evening bottle to let him fall asleep on his own. Right now it is a 50% success rate. Some nights he coos and puts himself right to sleep in 10 minutes. Other nights, because he is either too tired or uncomfortable, he has a harder time putting himself to sleep and needs to be rocked. Either way, he is doing FANTASTIC! And the best part is when he wakes up, he will lay in his bed talking or playing for 45 minutes and when you go and get him out of bed he is ALL SMILES! Love it.

Seriously, what a sweet boy!

- He is also really good at being adorable. We just kiss his cheeks, what seems like ALL day long. This child has Terry and I (especially Terry) wrapped around those pudgy little fingers. How can we stay mad at a face like this?!

Henry is turning into such a sweet boy. He loves to be hugged and still wants you to cuddle with him during his daytime naps. When I rock him to sleep he reaches to my face and puts his hand gently on my mouth and I will kiss his hand. He just leaves his hand there so I can keep kissing his little fingers. He also reaches out for my face and wants to hold my face. *heart melting* He really is such a sweet sweet boy!

With Grandma & Grandpa!

Wordless Wednesday.....Fun With Words?!

2012-01-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

Found this on Facebook. While I don't put any value in these, they are still fun to do and to see what others pick! And be honest, don't go looking for different words to add your list! Mine have to be my honest answers....see below.

The first four I saw in the order I saw them are:

- Witty

- Peaceful

- Honest

- Sweet

Ok, maybe this is 100% true ;)

Please share yours

Getting Soup-y With It (Two Easy, Inexpensive and Delicious Soup Recipes!)

2012-01-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

I am ALL about soup in the winter especially when the soupis easy, inexpensive, and very tasty!

I have made the following recipes this month and I have tosay they both turned out amazingly. Soup-a-liciousif you will. I also like that they wereboth reasonably priced to make and took very little time.

I did make slight alterations, which I point out in red, butI am horrible at sticking to recipes so I don't know if my suggestions are better or worse!! I also like leftovers as T & I eat this during the week for lunches,so I tend to make more than what the recipe calls for.

The first soup is really healthy and satisfying! Oh yeah, and it tastes awesome. (Seriously folks, this is my new favorite soup. I LOVE it.)

Turkey, Kale and Brown Rice Soup

Giada DeLaurentiis

Recipe HERE

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 to 6 large shallots, chopped (I used two medium onions)

3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

8 ounces ground white turkey meat (Next time I may add alittle more, but I like turkey)

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence (Did not have so added pinchesof dried thyme, basil and rosemary)

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed (Ineeded a little more)

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained (I used a28oz can because that is what I had and I would use that much again. Plus I didn’t drain them and got more of atomato flavor which I loved)

1 cup cooked brown rice (1 ½ cups)

1 small bunch kale, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (Bought but forgotto add. Didn’t miss it)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add theshallots, carrots and bell pepper and saute, stirring frequently, until thevegetables begin to brown and soften slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the groundturkey and stir until the meat turns white and begins to color very slightlyaround the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. (I cooked the turkey thoroughly before addingthe broth) Add the herbes de Provenceand stir, 1 minute. Add 4 cups broth, tomatoes and rice. Bring to a boil. Stirin the kale and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and the freshly ground blackpepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the vegetablesare tender, about 15 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle each serving withparsley and Parmesan, if using, and serve.

Lamb (or Beef) Stew with Tomatoes and Bacon

Rachael Ray Magazine

Recipe HERE

*I have made this twice, once with beef and once withlamb. Both were really good. Both times I served over mashed potatoes andthat is why I added more liquid, so there would be a broth to go over the potatoes. I think the next time we make this instead ofeating with mashed potatoes (which is awesome) I am going to add less liquid and add some carrots, mushroomsand pieces of potato into the stew to make it even more hearty.

INGREDIENTS

3 slices bacon, cut 1/2 inch thick (I added 6 slices)

1 1/2 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces(Or Beef)

Salt and pepper

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (Minced garlic)

1 sprig fresh rosemary plus more for garnishing

1 cup chicken broth (1 ½ cups*)

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (1- 28 oz can*)

DIRECTIONS:

In a 6-qt. dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat,stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slottedspoon, transfer to a medium bowl. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Workingin 2 batches, add the lamb to the pot and brown on all sides, about 5 minutesper batch; transfer to the bowl with the bacon.

Add the onion, garlic and rosemary to the pot and seasonwith salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally,until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil over medium-highheat and cook until nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the lamb, bacon andtomatoes to the pot and press a piece of parchment on top. Cover and cook overlow heat until very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Garnish each serving with arosemary sprig.

I have made this once with the parchment andonce without it. Apparently theparchment paper reduces the amount of liquid that drips back down into the stewduring cooking and makes it thicker. Both times I needed to add a little cornstarchto thicken it up but when we did use the parchment there was liquid caughtontop of the paper….don’t know if I would use parchment again though.

Talk to Me – Video Monitors (And a Sorta Review)

2012-01-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

Terryand I bought the summer Infant Day and Night Video Monitor from Babies R Us(HERE) right around the time Henry was born. It had night vision, a large screen and was $99 (which was nearly halfthe price of other video monitors). Webought the warranty with it as it was only $15…and thank goodness we did!

Wedidn’t start using the monitor until he was about 6 weeks old, when we movedhim into his room. About 6 weeks afterwe started using it we started having issues with it and the final straw was whenin the middle of the night I woke up and the monitor had shut itself off (I mayhave peed the bed while also having a mild panic attack as I flew into Henry's room!). Terry went to Walmart and got a standardmonitor just so we could have something and over the next couple days the videomonitor would randomly turn itself off until one day the picture becamedistorted, it turned off, and never turned on again.

Thankgoodness for the warranty!

Ohwait…, what did you just say. You can’tjust take it to the store with the warranty and get a new one?! You have to talk to the warranty place, thenget a UPS sticker, package up the monitor, send the monitor back to thecompany, and THEN in 6-8 weeks they will send you a gift card to Babies R Us. Uh, ok. That is convenient.

Weused the standard monitor for awhile, but let’s be honest…I am too much of anut job to not be able to see if my son is ok after every little noise hemakes. I NEEDED a visual of him! So weheaded up to Babies R Us and got the same monitor again, hoping this monitorwould be better and we would have a different outcome. (What is the definitionof insanity again? Hint...look for mypicture.)

Ishit you not, less than ONE WEEK later the monitor started acting upagain. The screen started flashingwhenever we turned the video part off and then it started going to black andwhite “snow” and we would have to turn it off and turn it back on again.

Icalled the manufacture, Summer Infant, and they said that it isinterference. Yeah, I am not buyingthat, but apparently I am buying your crappy product – TWICE. They said they would replace the monitor but,like the warranty, they would have to mail me a UPS label and then we wouldsend it back and get a new one in 6-8 weeks. At that rate we should have a monitor right before Henry’s firstbirthday.

Luckilyit is within the 45 days so we can return it to Babies R Us (no questionsasked) and get a new one.

Sohere is the question. We can either doan even exchange and get the same one and try for a THIRD time or we upgrade toone of those fancy but expensive digital video monitors.

IFwe go digital we were possibly looking at this one. And yes, I know it is thesame company but I have heard good things about it.

Weare going this weekend but I wanted to see what video monitors you all had andif you liked yours and if it worked for longer than 2 months?! That last one isa HUGE selling point for us.

Asfor the product itself, I am not impressed. I wanted to like it. I meanreally like it. I liked the night vision, I liked the larger screen (a whopping5” – eh, oh!), I liked that you could turn the video off at night and just havethe sound, and I liked that you could hook up multiple monitors if you needtoo….but of course I would have liked even more if it WORKED! It had so much potential.

Thoughts?

Idid not get paid for this review....but by gosh I should have as we have spentso much money on stupid monitors!!

Talk to Me – I Need A New Hair Style

2012-01-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

So after I had Henry I noticed I was shedding a bit morethan normal. However, it keeps gettingworse and now it seems my hair is falling out by the handful. I take a shower and it looks like we have ananimal in the shower**. And there arehair balls/clumps (ew) all over me, the house, and Henry!

What sucks, besides the fact that my hair is noticeablythinner, is that Henry seems to get my really long hair stuck in his hands, andwe don’t want that. Every night before bed it is an appendage check. Any hairswrapped around his fingers, wrists, toes, penis….because he had a hair tightly wrappedaround his thumb once and it scared us so we check everything!

So I am seriously thinking of cutting my hair shorter. Not really short, just shorter than what itis now (which is probably still a good 6+ inches). I don’t know what I am hoping toaccomplish by this, maybe I think that a shorter cut will make my hair healthyagain or maybe it is just that I am sick of my long hair. I am always pulling my hair back and have yetto find a style I just love with my longer hair. Seriously, it just feels like if hangs there…ok,yes that is what it is suppose to do, but look how sad my hair looks:

I am leaning towards a medium length bob-ish cut or some variation of that. I like it because it isnot too far out of my comfort zone and not a drastic change. I think I do need some change and this may verywell be just the right amount of change. Plus I can still pull it back.

Examples:

(Except not with short bangs)

What are your thoughts: long or short? Any other suggestions for hair styles? Anyproducts/supplements I can use to stop/reduce all this damn shedding?!?!

**only a slight exaggeration

Could You Please Pass The Giant Gummy Bear?

2012-01-12T12:50:00.000-08:00

One of the things Terry got me for Christmas was a 1 poundpackage (two half pound) of Reese’s peanut butter cups. These things are HUGE, halfpound huge at that. A few years ago hegot me ½ lb Sugar Daddy candy bar that is still sitting in the kitchen.(Seriously, the thought of eating that makes my teeth hurt.)

Now, there is a part of me that would really like to dig into those peanut butter cups but I wonder (1) how will they taste being that theratio of peanut butter to chocolate in a standard cup is near perfection andhave they recreated that ratio in these cups? and (2) how do you even begin toeat one? Do I cut it like a pie? Just take a bite out of it? I seriously don’t know which way seems less ridiculous and which is the least glutton-ess way of eating these.

In general, I don’t know how I feel about this whole giantcandy craze that seems to be going on, and yes I realize that the person sayingthis is currently in possession of two ½ lb peanut butter cups.

At Christmas giant marshmallows, giant gummy bears, andother giant sugary products were really popular gifts (hence me receiving mypeanut butter cups). But what do you dowith a giant 5 lb gummy bear? (Buy ithere from Amazon for a mere $26.95 is what you do) Would I take that into workand sit it on my desk and whenever I am in the mood for some Cherry flavored, red dye, high fructose cornsyrup deliciousness just lean over and take a bite out of my bear, whose name wouldbe Sam by the way. It just doesn’t seemright.

Or how about serving up a 2lb gourmet marshmallow at yournext dinner party. (Buy one here for $28.) Nothing says you love your friends and family more than putting them ina sugar coma after eating a slice of gourmet marshmallow.

These giant treats just don’t seem right, and are the epitomeof the type of overindulgent society we currently live in. Or maybe it is justa representation of our desire to always be a kid at heart. Or maybe it is just people who figured theycan make a quick buck off gimmicky items such as these. Or maybe, just maybe, Willy Wonka is real andhe is letting us know.

Now pass me a knife and a large glass of milk, I have a1/2lb peanut butter cup to eat!

Guess Who is Mobile?!?!

2012-01-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

Look who is rolling over now!!!

The top video was a couple weeks ago when he rolled over from his belly to his back for the first time. Unfortunately Daddy wasn't there so we sent him a video right away. He has that down but has been working hard to figure out how to get from his back to belly. He did that today for the first time and Daddy was there to see it!! As you can tell in the second video, we are rather proud and excited about his new accomplishment :) And yes, our son hates wearing pants.

Way to go Henry!

Dear 2011....

2012-01-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

(This is sort of my year in review for 2011)

Exactly one year ago today we found out that our lives wouldchange forever. I was pregnant. (Post here) Seriously, what a way to kick off the new year!

It truly seems like it was just yesterday and yet SO muchhas happened this last year. Seriously,a whole year has gone by like that. (insert dramatic finger snap) I still remember holding that test, crying becauseI was both happy and scared. I anxiously waited for Terry, thinking of how totell him and as soon as he walked in the door all I could do was cry. He hugged me and said it would be all rightand that this was good news. He was andhas always been my strength, and it has never been as evident as it has beenthis last year.

From the very beginning, 2011 was all up in our grill saying: “guess what, this year is going to blow your mind…hope you are ready for it!”and we were all like “chill out 2011, I am still writing 2010 on my checks” andit was like “well you have no choice lady, you are pregnant” and we were alllike “HOLY SHIT!” silence “Ok, you win 2011. We are ready for this, so BRINGIT.”

And 2011 totally brought it. ALL of it.

It brought the excitement, fears, worries, tears, smiles,and overall feelings of love & uncertainty that come with having achild.

It brought the thrill of seeing a picture of your child forthe first time and the relief that comes with every ultrasound and heartbeatyou get to hear.

It brought the worries of being pregnant and making surethat you are taking care of this precious little life the best you can; whilealso bringing the happiness of seeing your baby bump grow and the amazement offeeling the first kicks (and all of the kicks) of your little one.

It brought tears as you wonder how you are going to do thisand if you are going to be good parents.

And it brought smiles thinking about your new life with thisnew little person.

It brought excitement finding out the gender of your child andpreparing for the birth of your SON!

It brought overwhelming feelings of love and support fromall the people who wanted to shower us and Henry with their kindness and generosity.

It brought uncertainties and constant questions as you tryto figure out exactly what you are “suppose” to do now and after the child isborn.

It brought up personal fears but also a comfort and love youhad never felt before.

It brought us the anticipation of waiting to finally see ourson as we count down those final days followed by pure joy & love as we heldour son for the very first time.

It brought us very late nights and a tiredness that made uswonder if we could really keep going like this.

It brought us the thrill of seeing our child change witheach passing week for the last 16 weeks, as well as the belief that – yes, it does get easier.

It brought us seeing our child smile for the first time and thefeeling of pure love every single time he laughs or smiles.

It brought us late nights of crying and the frustration ofhaving no idea what to do and how to comfort him. And it brought us relief when we finallysoothed our crying child.

It brought feelings of sadness and despair, as you questionthis new reality. And it brought afeeling of comfort knowing you are not alone in this and that you CAN do this.

It brought many many many hours of starring peacefully atour beautiful and extraordinary baby boy.

And it brought us a love we had never ever felt before.

Yes, 2011 brought it all....and then some. It gave us good times, some bad times, andabsolutely remarkable and life changing times.

And this journey all started for us exactly one year agotoday. Seriously, one year. It seems so long yet in a blink of an eye itis gone and it in its wake has left what feels like a lifetime of memories.

So Dear 2011;

Thank you.

Thank you for giving us one of the best (if not best) years of our liveswith the most precious and life changing gift we could ever imaginereceiving. We were ready, even though wemay not have known it a year ago. Hewas always meant to be OURS, at THIS time in our lives and I cannot imagine ourlife without Henry.

And to 2012; we embrace you with open arms (not to beconfused with arms wide open…blech, Creed) We are truly looking forward to what is tocome and this journey we are about to take with our son, as a family. Sitting up, eating food, crawling, walking,talking, first birthdays.....and soooo much more. I am excited and ready for 2012 and anxious to see where this next year takes us, together. One year ago today, I had no idea what to expect and I was scared. Now, I still have no idea what to expect but I am excited for what is to come!

One year from today.....????

HDH - 16 Weeks. Someone Has Been A Busy Little Man!

2011-12-28T20:21:00.000-08:00

Someone is now 16 weeks and is getting to be SO much fun! He has also been a busy little man the last month. Here is what has been going on....

He celebrated his first Thanksgiving. (Yeah, I am behind) He got himself so excited he threw up (major throw up) on his thanksgiving outfit not once, not twice, but three times. After the second washing of the shirt I decided that was his way of saying he didn't want to wear that outfit anymore. He was in his shirt long enough for me to get this picture....he threw up about 3 minutes later.

He was a big boy and sat in his highchair for the first time. He preferred to lean back and chill.

He refused to look at the camera. I don't blame him with all the good food to look at.

And after dinner....time to sleep. (Oh how I love these two)

We also went to Kristen's graduation! Henry is so proud of his Aunt K.!

He hung out at my alma mater with grandma & grandpa!

Go Kristen!

We are so proud!

We also had a Charlie Brown photo shoot.

"Oh Snoopy. I loves you."

Oh that Snoopy is hilarious!

Love.

yeah, we know he is cute.

OOPS!!! Someone had a little too much eggnog before the photo shoot.

He also loves doing other things...

like hanging out with his Aunt K.

Seriously, I don't know who is smitten with the other more!

He is teething (fun times) which means he now enjoys things in his mouth ALL THE TIME.

He is enjoying tummy time more and even rolled over from his belly to his back for the first time the other day!!! I have a video, but can't upload it. But it was awesome to see!

He likes to hangout with the cats....

Or just chill by himself. (nice stems baby)

He is also part monkey and is always doing stuff with his feet!

Our sweet monkey boy....yes he throws poop too.

And then there was getting ready for Christmas!! Guess who was good this year?

And who was sucking up to Santa.

And then the big day came....Christmas morning!!! YAY! (he is always big smiles in the morning!)

Christmas morning hugs with daddy.

Presents...for me!! Ok he had no idea, but loves to watch the tree.

I loves my jumperoo!

And Henry got mommy a beautiful necklace for Christmas.

See...GORGEOUS. It is a mother/child necklace. I cried like a baby.
What a sweet boy he is...he gets it from his daddy :)

So that's what has been going on...until next time!

Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas...And Some Cute Pictures Too!!

2011-12-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my parents and a great groupon, we got our first family pictures taken a couple weeks ago. While Henry didn't smile while the camera was pointing at him, he still gave us some great pictures. I had to scan these in so the quality is off, but please enjoy our gift to you which is the cuteness below!

If these don't bring you Christmas cheer then your heart needs to grow more than three sizes.

This picture is PRICELESS!

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

My Family and my happiness.

Let's Compare, Shall We?!

2011-12-07T06:01:00.001-08:00

So people always ask us “who do you think Henry resemblesmore?” and I always give the sameanswer, Terry. Now while I think Henrylooks like Henry, it is fun to look for pieces of each of us in our son….andthere are lots of pieces of Terry in this boy! (Which is fun for Terry because Terry was adopted, and I think it is excitingfor him to see such an obvious resemblance.)

I remember shortly after we met our little guy we first noticedhis chin and lips, and those are totally my husband’s chin and lips. He is also a ginger, which Terry was a gingwhen he was born! Infact, the onlythings we can make out that sorta look like they are from me are his nose and toes (poor guy, I haveugly feet!).

It is strange, but I feel helooks exactly like he is suppose to and as he is growing we see parts of us,but mostly we just see him! And I lovethat.

So here is the proof that he looks nothing like me. When I look at my pictures I do not see Henry at all, but when I look at Terry's baby pictures I totally see Henry!

Terry - 10 weeks

Henry 10.5 weeks

Terry - 11 weeks

Henry at 10.5 weeks

It is crazy how similar they look, right!! I think they are making the same face!

Dang! Who's a chunky monkey?! Jenn is!

Nope, except for maybe the double chin we don't look anything alike :)

Ok, Henry and I may have the same belly :)

HDH - 12 Weeks Old!

2011-12-01T08:42:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe it, but Henry is 12 weeks old today!! SAY WHAT?! Where has the time gone?! And moreimportantly, why don't you have a job yet young man?

Seriously, this goes fast. And what a differencejust a few weeks seems to make at this age. Every week he not only looks different but he is doing stuffthat is different and or acting different. I love it, well except for the factthat because he is changing so quickly we think we have his routine, likes,dislikes, ways to soothe him, etc….all figured out and then BAM, he changes andsaid things don’t work anymore. It can be frustrating until we think we havehim figured out again!

I must also say that each week is getting more fun and a loteasier! (knock on wood)

So here is what has been going on these past few weeks.

2 month check up

It went as well as can be expected. We had to wait 45 minutes andhe was actually really good (thankgoodness for the mobile in the room…note to self – BUY A MOBILE, THE KID LOVESTHEM). The Doctor then examined him and noticed the skin on his penisstarted reattaching back over the head. (Yeah, I get uncomfortable with this “boy”stuff too.) So he had to pull theskin back – OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!!!-so that it wouldn’t fully reattach. Now we have to pull it back and putVaseline on it every day. So needless to say, Henry was NOT happy about thisand in pain from that procedure. And then on top of that he had to get hisvaccines. He also upped his dose of reflux meds, which was a good thing. Overall, he is healthy and that is all thatmatters!

STATS?

So, as of three weeks ago, our little chubs weighed 13lbs 4 oz andwas 23.5 inches long....but that was a while ago and since then he has outgrownhis size 1 diapers, all 0-3 month clothes and is out growing his 3 month pj’s. We are now moving into 3-6 month clothes! Heis SO big!

Any milestones?

TONS!

Every week there seems to be something new he is doing. A coupleweeks ago I gave him this little dumbbell rattle and though I had to help himput it in his hands he held on to it and was shaking it and of course hittinghimself with it in the head! LOVE.

"I'm working out mommy...look at this awesome body!"

He is grabbing towards toys and is very interested in “playing”with toys. He is also “holding” blocksin his hands and trying to figure out what the heck to do with it and when allelse fails he tries to eat them! He also has a new BFF - piglet. Heloves this toy and is always trying to put it in his mouth or cuddle it.

"Get in my mouth pig!"

He is also hearing people and then looking for them and followingthem with his eyes and watching where they are going. It is fun walking fromone side of the room to another with these big eyes following you the entireway! He does an amazing job at holding his head up. We have been doing tummy time(not a big fan of that) and he started sitting in his bumbo chair.

"I don't know how I feel about this, mom."

"Get away from my pig daddy and charlie!"

Head up!

Head down.

Head up and to the side!

He is starting to imitate us as well. We will stick our tongue out and he will dothe same. At first we thought it was afluke, but he does it nearly every time and you can tell he isconcentrating. And of course, smiling ispart of our daily routine now….which starts every morning when he gets out ofbed! Nothing like seeing a smiling baby first thing in the morning. So yes, many many milestones. It is amazing watching him as he is starting to learn new things andfigure things out!

Sleeping?

I don’t like to talk about his sleeping because when I do he thensleeps horrible. But let’s just say we are lucky that he is such a good sleeperat night. He typically goes to bed between 9:30-10:30pm (closer to the 10:30) andsleeps till 8 or 9am. Like I said, I am well aware how lucky we are and I want this tocarry on but know it could change. Hestirs and even cries during the night but it is so brief that he just putshimself back to sleep. We only get upwhen it is a real cry and not a sleepy, need to get re-comfortable cry. Now ifmommy could just figure out how to sleep through the night and not wake upevery couple hours that would be great!

Favorite things?

Loves his Piglet (Pinky) and his blocks. LOVES LOVES LOVES peopletalking to him!

He also loves his nightlight. This turtle nightlight is in hisroom and projects stars on the ceiling. Henry has this on every night when werock him to sleep and he will just stare at the stars. (This is a MUST HAVE item!)

Finally, the boy loves his hands. I mean looooves them. He is always sucking on those bad boys. It soothes him and helps him fall asleep orgo back to sleep when he wakes up in the middle of the night. He also sucks his fingers when he is reallyhungry. It is hilarious listening to himslurp on his fingers! Typically, thosenoises bother me, but it is my kid so it is cute.

(We did not pose him like this...the boy just already knows he wants to ROCK!)

Least favorite things?

When you stop talking to him or ignore him. He likes the socialinteraction and wants to be talked to (he must get that from his dad). He alsois NOT a fan of putting the lotion on after his bath. Nope, I think wecould say he HATES it.

Pictures!

"Yeah, that's right ladies! Take all this awesomeness in."

"I like leaning in my bumbo!"

Big smiles!!

In his Iron Maiden onesie counting all his favorite Iron Maiden songs.

The shirt says: "I Listen to Iron Maiden with my Daddy." LOVE

In his old man hat making his old man face!

"Hey kids get off my lawn!!"

(What is funny about this picture is that on the TV it says "The Rise of Dick" and then Henry is making this face. Awesome.)

SMILES!

Someone loves Dr. Seuss :)

Sweet boy, just gave up fighting tummy time.

(I didn’t get out thanksgiving pictures uploaded yet…those willcome soon!)

Talk To Me - Pumping (I Need Advice!!!)

2011-11-29T12:50:00.001-08:00

At the moment I am exclusively pumping to feed Henry andevery couple days I will actually nurse him. And while I was producing justenough milk for him with no extra, it seems like after I am done pumping myboobs are never empty and that there is more milk that I could be pumping. The boy just started eating more and I just don’tthink I can keep up with what he needs, but I am frustrated because I know moremilk is in there.

Now I know that you will never be able to pump out milk aswell as what your baby can nurse, but because I am working and because we arestill having issues with nursing is just not an option unless he is cranky andwants it. So I need to figure out how toget all this milk out of my boobs without his help.

I have tried heat (which helps a little, but not completely andis not convenient at work), I have tried pumping twice as long and/or pumpingmore frequently (which is hard to do all the evenings I am home alone withHenry), I have tried compressions, I have tried speeding up and slowing downthe cycles and yet I still feel like there is milk in there!

I am not sure if it is my pump as I got the pump from afriend (get your panties out of a bind; I bought all new parts for it) and itis the Ameda Purely Yours pump. Not sureif the pump is just worn down and therefore not pumping efficiently…it isridiculously loud and makes strange noises but the suctions seems good.

Is it my settings? What settings do you keep yours on if you are double pumping? I have the suction fairly high because Idouble pump and the cycles just under halfway. (If that makes sense) I don’t mess with the cylces once I startpumping so that is why I keep it at a medium pace.

I will let the pump do its thang, would have squeezed myboobs while pumping and will not get a drop of milk for 5 minutes and then Itake the pump off and manually express milk, you know like you would do to OldBessy, and I get milk. Uh, ?????

I have been trying to increase my supply, but it doesn’tmatter much when I can’t get all the milk out anyways. I just ALWAYS feel full…but not hard full where I am leaking or like I do in the morning, just heavy.

And on top of that I may have a clogged milk duct. I am not sure if it is a cyst that is causingthe clog (I have had a cyst in the same boob before and it feels very similar)or if it is just a badly clogged duct that even if I massage and add heat towon’t come out. When I nurse my boobsfeel great and the clog/cyst does go down to a marble size, but typically it prettyhuge.

So, to all those moms who also pump….please give me somesuggestions!

Is there something I can do to help? Do I need a new pump? (which I would like toavoid is possible because I am only pumping a few more months) Should areadjust my settings? Is there a bettertechnique I just don’t know of?!?! Is my supply just really that low and that is why I am not get more milk out?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated by me, Henry and myboobies.

Talk To Me – The World Of Skinny Jeans and Jeggings

2011-11-28T09:19:00.001-08:00

I know, I Know. I want to talk about Jeggings….what happenedto our Jennifer?!

No, this is not like me to talk about anything fashionrelated. I am the person who doesn’twear anything too trendy, hates changes in fashion, and likes my regular jeans and sweatshirts and that isabout it.

However, I am curious.....What are your thoughts on jeggings and skinny jeans?! Do you like them, do you think they areridiculous, do you own a pair, what do you wear them with, are they foreveryone?

(That is totally my ass on the left)

Why do I ask, well because I have to admit….I am looking atbuying a pair of tighter jeans. *Insert GASP*

Now, I am by no means a small girl, so I am not surejeggings are good for me because of just how tight they are but I have theseAWESOME boots (below) that I want to wear over jeans but I can’t because all myjeans have wider bottoms/legs and therefore they look stupid stuffed intoboots. I was never interested in skinnyjeans or jeggings before, infact I thought they were stupid…mainly because I amtoo big to wear them. Also just the name is silly, jeggings…really?! Come on. They just sound stupid.

HOWEVER. Now that Ihave these boots that I cannot show off properly with my current wardrobe, Ihave started searching the world of skinny jeans. Yes, I will eat all that shit I talked about skinny jeans/jeggings later.

But before I go down what could be another one of my manyfashion mistakes, I thought I would get the opinion of others. Others who are a bit more fashion forward andhaven’t been living in their yoga pants and tank tops since January. People who would give HONEST advice aboutthis fashion trend. Or maybe who havesuggestions on how I can show off my new boots in a way that is better suitedfor me.

So please share your thoughts on skinny jeans/jeggings. Do you like either? Have a preference on one over the other? Whattops do you wear with them so you can even out your proportions….aka so some ofus hippy people don’t look like giant upside down pears?!!

Please share your thoughts.

And until them, I will just continue wearing them around in my housewith my maternity leggings. HOTT STUFF coming through!!

My boots....LOVE.

What exactly are jeggings you ask? See HERE.

My Original Piece of Art – Slightly Better Than a Five Year Old But Not as Good As Van Gogh

2011-11-23T06:13:00.001-08:00

Over a year ago I decided I wanted to paint something tohang in this big white space next to our dining room. I decided I wanted it to be a swirlingpattern that flowed between 6 different canvases.

This is what I ended up with!

(Ignore the clutter of stuff below the pictures...we are rearranging for the holidays!

Who am I kidding, we are just trying to fit 10lbs of shit in a 1lb house, or something like that!!)

I actually finished these in November of last year, butTerry just hung them up Monday night…we got sidetracked in January :)

The picture quality is horrible as they are camera phonepictures, but you get the idea. Thereare three continuous lines that flow between all 6 canvases and start and endin the bottom right canvas.

And to totally toot my own horn (dirty girl, not in public)I must say that even though these pictures do not do my amazing artworkjustice, it turned out REALLY good!

The colors are bronze, black and wine which go with ourdining room that is painted in a wine color and has bronze accents. The canvases stick out about 1 ½ inches and Iglued black ribbon around the outside of the canvas.

I was surprised how long these took me to do; it wasn’t assimple as just painting a line….no, no I am too ~~fussy~~ meticulous for that. I had 4 pencil drawings to figure out the perfectpatterns so the painting didn’t look too cluttered and had a smooth flow and I wantedeach line to be a certain width and to have a certain look. Each line has different textures, which youwould have to see in person. (Yes, youcan come visit me!)

Overall I am really excited by how these turned out and thatafter a year they are FINALLY up! Ireally can’t believe what a difference it makes in the house.

(Ok, I am done tooting myself.)

My Little Girl is Growing Up!

2011-11-16T12:49:00.001-08:00

No I did not have a love child that none of you knew about,I am talking about my younger sister (some of you may remember her as she useto blog before school got absolutely crazy and she decided school was much moreimportant).

Way back in 2008 my sister made the fateful and irrationaldecision to move in with Terry and I. Yeah, I don’t know what she was thinking either….but crazy does run inour family! It was originally just goingto be a year, then two years and now, after signing her FIRST official lease onher very own apartment today, she is officially moving out the beginning ofJanuary which will be exactly 3 ½ years of living together. To be honest I can’t believe how fast it hasgone! It doesn’t seem like it has beenthat long and then again sometimes it does seem that long.

As some of you may know, my sister is 8 years younger thanme and when I went away to college I missed out on a good chunk of time with mysister. Yes, I was around for theimportant things like holidays and birthdays but I wasn’t around for all the everydaythings that happen. So when the ideapresented itself for her to move into our spare bedroom, I think we were bothexcited to regain some of our “missed” time together and I think we did justthat.

We have had lots of fun and have laughed a TON together….Imean tears coming from our eyes laughter! We have also had disagreements and arguments that have silenced us fordays. We have cooked some deliciousmeals together while also ordering take out after some not so deliciousattempts at cooking. We have pigged outto the point of getting sick and have gotten sick of dieting. We have shared holidays, birthdays, and everyday in between. I have been with herthrough new relationships and breaking up bad relationships. I have been witnessed to long nights ofstudying and all her frustrations and successes with school. I have offeredTONS of advice; some sought after and more probably unwanted. And this last year she was with me during mypregnancy and the birth of her nephew and has been able to see him these last10 weeks everyday….the two of them are best friends already and he totally hasher wrapped around his tiny finger!

And with all that said, I think we both agree wholeheartedlythat it is time.

It is time for us BOTH to move on.

We are actually both excited that we are not living togetheranymore. Not because we are sick of eachother, but because it has been good and we want to leave it at that. However it is time for us to be apart forawhile and start our “new” lives. Her - graduatingfrom college, getting her own place and living on her own. Me – with my husband and son and our new lifeas a family. Seriously, the timing isperfect and that is why we are both ready and excited to go our “separate” ways. And by separate I don’t mean THAT separate…shewill still live in the same small town and, um, we work together! But now when I see her we can ask how eachother is doing instead of just knowing because we are always around eachother. We can talk on the phone or makeplans to go out and catch up over lunch or dinner. We can be sisters and not roommates.

I have to say I am looking forward to this a lot and I amsure Terry is as well so he can go back to walking around the house naked! I am ready to have our house “back” as threeadults, three cats and now a baby in a small two bedroom home is a bitmuch. And I am excited for Kristen tonow have her very own place, where she can walk around the house naked if shewants! I am excited to see her on herown because if I have seen just one thing these past 3 ½ years, it is that sheis an amazing young women and I know she is going to be amazing as she findsherself and starts her “new” life on her own!

So congrats to you my sisters! I am SO excited for you! And I expect you to invite us over for a homecooked meal within 48 hours after you move into your new place.

P.S. I wrote a ~~hilarious~~ very serious post HERE when she first moved in about allthe rules she had to obey. She didn’tfollow them, and that is why she ended up in the basement. Lesson learned, right K.?! :)

Texting with My Son

2011-11-11T06:00:00.001-08:00

There are so many reasons why it is great having Terry stay homewith Henry. They get to form a special relationship, we don’t have to payfor child care, I can text Terry as many times during the day as I want, I am100% certain Henry is in good hands with his daddy…and the list goes on and on!

And one of those otherreasons is when Terry sends me picture text messages throughout the day. Nearly every day I get a picture message of Henry and a little message. Ilook forward to these a lot! (Yes spelling mistakes are suppose to be there.)

Like this one:

Henry: “I'm sorry I pooped all over my sleepy time clothes... but Iloves you bunches, mommy:)”

Or this one:

Henry: “I mets a new friend at scool today. Cans he stays fer super?”

Me: "Awww, what a nice friend! Of course he can stay for dinner, I love pig :) Oh mommy is just kidding, we wouldn't eat your friend" (heehee)

Henry: "Your silly! Tanks mummy!"

But yesterday’s texts may bethe best so far!

Henry had a Dr. Apptyesterday and he got 3 shots. So I sent Terry a text telling him to justbring a small bottle of milk incase he needed it, but that I would boob Henry after his shots as it comforts him.

Terry sent me this pictureand text:

Henry: “Oh that’s would be nice,mommy :) Tank you mommy! …whats is a shots?”

Then I got this picture andtext right after that one:

Henry: “Daddy just told me….I don’tthinks I need them. Really I’m strongs likes the Hulks (whoever the Hulksis)"

Me: “Don’t cry baby. Yes you are big and strong but these will make you indestructible! *smooches*"

Henry: “Whats“dindistrctables”? Okay, I trustest you mummy!”

Come on, that is good stuff right there!! I don’t think a child careplace would humor me and carry on a conversation like this :)

And yes, Terry and I sendtext messages back and forth “talking” for Henry ALL THE TIME. We do thesame thing with our cats too. We are a special kind of crazy :)

Henry Donald - 8 Weeks Later….

2011-11-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

My little man is 8 Weeks Old Today!! He can't believe it either.

So it has been 8 weeks since we have been blessed to finallymeet our beautiful baby boy!

One more month and Terry and I will have made it to our firstmilestone…we both agreed that first week we were home with him that the hardesttime will be the first 3 months. We knowit will still be hard, but I think as new parents we needed to set this goaland we say it to ourselves every time we get stressed!

Seriously, there is NOTHING in this world that prepares you forwhat it is like to have a baby. There has been great joy followed byintense frustration and then every emotion in-between. But overall, weare so happy and those frustrations very quickly dissolve when I look into hiseyes and he looks back at me and I am just instantly filled with thatoverwhelming love that I have for this child. It is all trulyunbelievable.

So to update you on the last 8 weeks.

How is Henry?

He is doing GREAT! Hedoes have reflux which means he can be a cranky butt sometimes because he isnot feeling well, but when his reflux is being controlled he has such awonderful personality! The faces thischild makes are awesome, he totally cracks me up! He really is such a fantastic baby. Ifeel we are very lucky.

Both pictures he is thinking of something very important!

What are his stats?

Well he goes to the Dr. next week, but let’s just say this boyis GROWING! When we weigh him at home he is over 11lbs! He isgetting SO BIG, seriously…your arms cramp up if you hold him too long with nosupport under your arm! He doesn’t feel like a fragile newborn anymore,he has some meat on them bones and feels like we won’t break him! Also, he is strong! He has been doing a fantastic job holding hishead up since he was very young. And hislegs are ridiculously strong! This is goodas Terry wants him to play hockey :)

Any Nicknames?

Our child has so many nicknames I don’t know if he will everknow his real name. Currently we call him Hank, Chubs, McRooter (thinkMacGruber from SNL combined with his intense rooting), he is also McPooter, Mr.Wiggles or Senor Wiggles, and Pig. Andthese are not all of his nicknames…poor child.

Any Milestones?

Yes! He is starting to smile now! And no, it is not just gas. Heis starting to react to what you say and will do this crooked big mouth opensmile thing with this cute breathing that sounds like he wants to laugh but hasn’tfigured that out yet. IT IS ADORABLE! Wealso put him in his pack-n-play that has an activity mat in it and when hemoves his legs things would move above him and he would smile….he is startingto entertain himself!

I think he is smiling and saying aaaarrrggg!

I love this boy....the force is strong in this one!

The Smirk!

Henry’s Favorite thing?

T.V. – Yes, we let our kid “watch” TV. He loves to lay onthe floor or chill on the couch in his boppy and watch TV for a littlebit. And I love it too. Baths arealso becoming more fun for him.

Watching TV with Dad!

Least favorite thing?

Getting dressed or undressed. Not a fan.

My favorite thing he does?

My heart is completely happy when he lays his head on myshoulder and has his hands on my shoulder and falls asleep. It is AWESOME.

How is sleeping?

When I started back to work we transitioned him from the soft,warm and cozy bassinet that he had outgrown to the big, scary, open crib! At first he wasn’t a big fan of the crib, but now he seems to enjoy it! In fact, he now sleeps 8-9 hours at one timeand goes back to sleep for a couple more hours. AWESOME! (And believe me,we know how lucky we are) Depending onhis mood and when he gets his afternoon nap he either goes to bed around 11pmand sleep until 8-8:30 straight through or we will put him to bed around 9pmafter his dinner, dreamfeed him around 10:30 and then he will wake up around6:00 for another quick bottle and finally wake up around 9:30. No matter what he always seems to be up by9:30am. Naps on the other hand, he prefers you hold him and not put himin the crib and usually takes 20-40 minute cat naps during the day. (Hence thesleeping at night) As for Terry and I,it is hard to get to bed early. Terrydoesn’t even get home until 11pm 3 days a week and there are bottles to washand I pump right before bed and get ready for the next day while Terry alsogets the house ready for the next day. Someday we will go to bed earlier!

Anything surprise you?

LOTS! But I am sosurprised at how fast he is growing! Iwill see him and the next day he will look so much bigger. It is crazy how fast they grow up!

How’s his reflux?

He is taking Zantac twice a day and that helps, though we had toincrease his dosage this week. For a fewdays he wasn’t napping, crying all the time, and getting sick. We called the Dr. and asked if we could upthe dose and the other night we saw a huge difference. Also, if I breast feed him, he will throw upwhile he eats so bottles help him keep down the food/acid because he isupright. It can be frustrated, but it also seems to be manageable aswell.

How am I doing?

I am OK. TIRED. SOTIRED. I do feel sad at times and havehad to pass the baby off on Terry and walk away for a few minutes. But itcan be hard, especially when I was stuck in the house for 6 weeks. I wasa little (read a lot) stir crazy and it actually is nice to be at work for thesimple fact that I am OUT OF THE HOUSE. And honestly, I don’t mind beinggone all day and hanging out with Henry at night. Terry leaves for work 3 days a week as soonas I get home from work and comes back at 11pm. He also works every weekend, 8 hours a day. So basically most of the week we are “single”parents. Not fun and I don’t know how real single parents do it. So that can behard sometimes. But overall, things aregood. I am good. I have SO muchlove in my heart for my family right now that even with all the frustrationsthat come with having a baby, I still believe there is nothing more amazingthan having a child!

How is Terry doing?

Let me tell you, for someone who told me once he didn’t know ifhe wanted kids he is absolutely smitten by this child and honestly AMAZING atbeing a father. The second he saw hisson I saw a change in Terry. He holdsHenry and you can just see it warming his heart and that he is totally in lovewith his little man. And he is SO goodat being a daddy. The first week Terrypretty much changed every diaper without me asking him too….he just wanted todo it! And he always wants to hold him,dress him, give him a bath…basically do everything for him. He has a patience with Henry that I don’talways show and he loves just being there for him when he needs him. Terry really likes being at home withHenry. And I am 100% ok admitting thathe is better suited to be home with Henry than I am. He takes him on hour long walks every day, isvery organized and structured but fantastic at just rolling with whatever Henrythrows at him, and will rock him for as long as Henry needs without complainingonce. Yep, Terry is one happy andwonderful daddy!

On to some pictures!

With T. dressed as Link from Zelda!

My Boys :)

With mom...he just shit his pants and it was leaking out the diaper. NICE

With Aunt K.

With Sopie the Giraffe

The Sucker is as big as his face!

The cat is on my lap and so is Henry. Can you see Henry?

Stretch and yawn!

The pout....LOVE it!

With grandpa and Grandma at the pumpkin patch!

Family picture at the pumpkin patch

teehee - we HAD to! (My sister is holding him up!)

Picking out pumpkins is exhausting!

Sleeping Baby is Sweet Baby!

I love his legs and little piggies!

Breastfeeding – It Really Can SUCK (A Ridiculously Long Post on my Experience So Far)

2011-10-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

*Please note: These aremy personal thoughts/opinions. Your thoughts and opinions onbreastfeeding may be different based on your experiences. Please feelfree to share your thoughts on breastfeeding but be respectful of othersthoughts as this is not a debate, simply a new moms experience thus far.

Looooooooong post. I haven’t been around too many adults lately,so please forgive me for wanting to talk!

Picture this.

A new mom who just heldher baby for the first time.

She has been up since 7am the previous day with very little sleep during her hospital stay. Shehas been pumped with fluids and medicines and her hormones are all over theplace. She has been in labor since 6:30 am and that evening she was cutopen in front of a bunch of strangers and at 8:46pm she got to hear and quicklysee her son for the very first time. She was then “put back together” andfinally got to hold her son for the very first time 40 minutes later. Sheis filled with so many emotions and is trying to take it all in as this tinylittle miracle cuddles up against her skin and while nurses and doctor stillpoke and fuss around to make sure both mom and baby are ok. Family wantto see this precious life and everyone is just overjoyed during this time whilemom is trying to take in what has just happened.

Then, amongst all this,someone comes in to see if you can feed your baby. Your boobs are out andbeing manhandled but it is all to no avail as your son won’t latch. Tearsfill her eyes and at that moment this new mom has no idea what to do and how toprovide her son with the one thing he needs. She is being told bydifferent people what to do but all she feels is overwhelmed by something assimple as feeding her son.

This is how I gotintroduced to breastfeeding and honestly, it left me feeling so overwhelmed andcompletely discouraged about the entire thing.

Up until this point I hadalways thought, or assumed, breastfeeding was easy. Why did I think thisyou ask? Well because that is how it is made to look. I read alittle bit about breastfeeding and from what I read the baby will know what todo. I had heard from people (including my Doctors) that breastfeeding iswonderful and an easy way to feed your little one and such a great way to bondwith your child. I even watched a couple videos on breastfeeding and itlooked easy! (In retrospect I think the children in the videos were at least 4months, no way they were showing a newborn trying to eat….because it ishard!) Because of all this, it alwaysseemed like breastfeeding would be the “easy” part of all of this new babystuff.

Boy was I wrong andtotally unprepared.

I will say it. Breastfeeding is HARD. It is painful. It is frustrating. Andit is not something every child (or mother) easily gets.

I will also say this, andit may very well be an unpopular opinion, but 7 weeks in and I am not a fan ofbreastfeeding…at least not 100%.

First off, IN MY OPINION,I feel that breastfeeding advocates (such as nurses, doctors, baby websites)are so focused on encouraging breastfeeding and all the benefits ofbreastfeeding that they play down how frustrating it can be at first. Ican only assume that it is because maybe if they talk about the negative peoplemay not want to breastfeed….especially a new, tired and emotional mother. But in the research I did, I did not see a lot about how hard it can be. Sure, they mentioned issues but the way that they talked about how easily theseissues can be resolved made me think that I had nothing to worry about. Put baby to boob; let him/her eat untilfinished. If the baby isn’t latchingproperly, just keep trying and he will. UH…OK?!

So the frustration I feltbegged the emotionally charged questions from a new mom. “What am I doingwrong?! What is wrong with me?! Whycan’t I do this?!” Which are allquestions a new mother should not have to feel or ask…..though I am learningare very common questions in all aspects of child raising.

Now, had I known thatbreastfeeding could be hard would I have chosen to not breastfeed? AbsolutelyNOT. I would have still given it a try. But as an already stressedmom I would have been a little more mentally prepared and not so shocked by theprocess and confused by what I was doing wrong and why I couldn’t get it.

So like I was saying,Henry didn’t latch properly right away. We ended up having to use anipple shield to help him latch. I was actually not stressed about that atfirst and it made sense as the lactation consultant said it was like nippletraining wheels and in a week he should be fine. Of course a tiny little newperson may need a little help at first….that makes sense!

But to try to get him tolatch and suck properly was a constant struggle from day 1. We found outearly on he was tongue tied, which made it harder for him to latch properly ashe couldn’t reach his tongue out far enough to fully get around the breast.(And boy do I gots some breasts for him to get around!) He would getfrustrated because he couldn’t latch properly and couldn’t suck properly. I would get frustrated because, well I had NO idea what the hell I was doingand couldn’t feed my child in the most efficient way. I felt horriblebecause I couldn’t feed him correctly and I was in pain as he would just suckand suck my nipple to try to get food. After a few days he was drawingblood and not producing enough wet diapers in a day so that is when I decidedto pump milk for him so he could eat. Of course our little piggy lovedit. Honestly, I was willing to ignore the pain I was in when I fed him IFit meant he was eating well and taking to breastfeeding. But he wasn’t.

Shortly after that we gothis tongue clipped and we attempted breastfeeding again. He wouldn’tlatch properly so we used the nipple shield and went to a lactation consultant(who was great, and took so much time to work with us and giving us advice butit still didn’t work for Henry and I). He would take forever to eat andnever seemed satisfied or he would also fall asleep on the boob; I mean he hadto work so damn hard for food and it took so long to eat I could see why! And we both got frustrated with the nipple shield as it would fall off and Iwould have to put it back on with a hungry and frustrated rooting baby tryingto find the nipple. We would feed himbottles, but every day I would try to breastfeed. The lactationconsultant called him a lazy eater and said he was now use to a bottle and Ishould stop the bottle and just feed him for as much and as long as I could fora few days to get him use to breastfeeding. I, on the other hand, beingat home by myself after those first 2 weeks could not physically or mentallyjust feed him ALL DAY LONG and was not willing to give up the bottle. Wasthat selfish? On the contrary…..it was best for BOTH of us. He gotto eat and rest at regular times and I had my sanity.

However, feeding him on abottle meant I had to get up every few hours and feed him, put him to sleep,and then pump. It was daunting. A nighttime feeding that shouldlast 30 minutes would last an hour or sometimes more if he was fussy. And then an hour later it was time to do itagain. There were many nights I wouldcry as all I wanted to do was sleep and not have to get milk for Henry.

Then amongst thefrustration we find out he has reflux. For a week, nothing could soothehim except constant sucking. The nipple shield became an ubber pain inthe ass because he would just want to suck and suck and it hurt so much andwouldn’t calm him down. After week 3 we got him on reflux medicine andhis temperament changed drastically. Bottle feeding was great because wecould monitor how much he ate plus keep him upright to help with hisreflux.

At this point I still hadfrustration with breastfeeding but it was mainly coupled with my exhaustion,getting use to taking care of this new little life, and not being able toproperly feed him using the breast (I was seriously determined to nurse him,particularly at night). But I didn’tHATE breastfeeding at this point and though I didn’t like it I was still thoughtI should try it because that is what the nurses and my doctor said was best.

And then amongst thereflux, inability for him to latch, the lack of sleep…..my supply began todecrease. *sigh* I would go 5 – 7hours between pumping some times because I just didn’t have TIME to pump. I don’t think I was mentally at a good enough place to just let him cry for 20minutes while I pumped, so I didn’t. Or when he napped he didn’t alwayslike to be put down so I held him when he wouldn’t nap in bed just so he wouldinfact sleep and give me a chance to mentally unwind. But because of thatmy supply decreased while he increased how much he was eating at eachfeeding. I went from producing enough milk to freeze some of it to barelyproducing enough to feed him. One night we even had to defrost frozenmilk because I didn’t have enough.

It was at this point IHATED the idea of breastfeeding.

I was SO frustrated andnearly gave up right there. However, thanks to fenugreek, friends advice,and just forcing myself to pump, I started to get my supply up but it was twoweeks of constant pumping that did it. Which luckily he was sleeping longer periods of timeso I was getting a little more sleep which helped. But I thought; was this really what I had todo to feed our son? I mean I will doANYTHING for him, but I have never heard other moms talk about how SO MUCH ofyour day is wrapped up in feeding or keeping your body ready to feed. Thiscan’t be normal. Maybe I just had high expectations for a newborn.

Then when he turned 1month and was really fussy as he was waiting for his bottle I decided to justtry the boob….and he latched! No nipple shield, straight up boob. Iwas thrilled and so proud of our son!! I thought “great, I will be ableto nurse him now at night and get my supply back!” But as it turns out,just getting him to latch didn’t mean nursing would be easy. He wouldeither eat out of both my boobs and still be hungry, eat and keep throwing up (mostlydue to the reflux and laying flat while he ate for 30 minutes), or eat for 5minutes and fall asleep. It was short-lived excitement followed again byfrustration. Why is this so hard forus?!!!

So after another littlebreakdown I decided it is back to the bottle and pumping. I pump before I go to work (and get thelargest amount of milk at this time), pump at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm. Occasionally I nurse him before he goes tobed if we are both OK with it as it helps him to sleep and then I pump againbefore I go to bed. And that is what Iam doing now. It works for Henry and Iand I am not going to keep trying something that doesn’t work for us. Sometimes nursing works and sometimes itdoesn’t (seriously, it is like we both have to be in a good mood for this to work right), but I am not going to feel guilty anymore because I can’t always nurseproperly.

My initial goal is tomake it to three months doing the pumping thing….which if everything goes as itis now will not be a problem. After thatI will try for 6 months. If we make it to 6 monthsI will reevaluate our situation and see what is best….but not feel ONE ounce ofguilt if we switch to formula at any time. Infact I hate how parents are made to feel guilty if they formula feedtheir children….Terry and I were formula fed and we are just fine! Well you knowexcept for the unexplained twitches and spasms we get. :) heehee

Here is the thing, Ibelieve breastfeeding/nursing CAN be a wonderful thing but that is only if bothmom and child are into it. My son doeslike nursing but pretty much because he enjoys the comfort of being close to me. It sucks because Terry can feed him and he iscontent after his bottle. If I feed hima bottle he will have eaten plenty but still root and want to nurse for comfort…whichleads to him eating way too much and throwing up. But as I said above, if I try just nursing werun into other problems. Overall, hejust loves eating and has no problem with just taking a bottle….and when he ishungry prefers the bottle. But thenafter the bottle wants the comfort of being close to me. I really have no idea what to do. What do youdo?!?!

Besides the feedingissues with Henry, I also am just not a fan of breastfeeding in general. It is partly because I feel like I have myboobs out half of the day! Pumping ingeneral is just ridiculous. I mean I ammilking myself. Like a COW.

Yes, it is absolutelybeautiful and amazing what our bodies can do. But that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. Though it has only been a week at work, Iabsolutely HATE grabbing my bag and all my stuff and heading to a back officeto pump where I lock the door and sit in the corner of a dark room so none ofthe construction workers outside the window can see me. And I sit there, hoping I infact DID lock thedoor and no one walks in on me. I sitthere holding two bottle up to my boobs just ready to be done pumping.

I think from thebeginning I became frustrated with breastfeeding because I had a difficult timewith it amongst all the emotion and frustration and it put a bad taste in my mouth (teehee) and though it has gottenbetter and keep trying, I have yet to enjoy it because neither Henry nor I still have the hangof it. As amazing as it is, it reallydoesn’t seem natural to me. And at this point I don’t love it…..but Idon’t hate it either. I am totallyindifferent about it and want to do it for my son for as long as I can. But to me it is nothing more than something extraI am able to do for Henry. And for him Iwill do it and not regret doing it AT ALL. But that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy pumping 7 times a day. It doesn’t mean I like that my nipples alwaysfeel sore and are freak’n HUGE. It doesn’t mean I like to leak when I get toofull. It doesn’t mean I like sitting in the back seat of my car pumping with ahand pump because my husband and I are out all day and I need to pump. It doesn’t mean I enjoy 20-30 minutes of thesame sound the stupid pump makes. Itdoesn’t mean I like cleaning ALL the bottle and pieces to the pump and takingwith me a cooler to keep the milk in. Itdoesn’t mean I like that I feel it is ALL about pumping/breastfeeding in mylife right now. It doesn’t mean I likethat I feel I have NO control over my body and that it is no longer mine. And I don’t like that in the 5 hours I spendwith my son when I get home an hour and a half of that I have milk coming outof my boobs.

So to end thisridiculously long rant and post I guess I am just sharing what was never reallyshared fully with me…..that breastfeeding is frustrating and hard. And that it is 100% OK if you don’t enjoy itor don’t get it right away. Do what YOUwant to do and don’t feel an ounce of guilt if breastfeeding doesn’t go as youplanned. You may love it and do it foras long as you can and that is fantastic! You may not nurse but just pump and that is great too! You may decide that breastfeeding isn’t foryou or maybe you are unable to do and you feed your child formula and that is justfine too!

I think what all thesepeople forgot to tell me was that it had NOTHING to do with how I fed him butthe emotion and time I spend with him when I DO feed him. Feeding him when we are both annoyed andnearly in tears (or in many cases IN tears) is not a special experience foreither of us. But feeding your child(however that may be) when you are both happy and looking into each other’seyes or holding hands and just being content is what it is about. The way you feed him isn’t what matters. And if you do breastfeed, know that you arenot a failure if you can’t do it and that it is not always easy and chances areit is hard for most people at first instead of easy for most people. And finally, don’t be afraid totalk about it or ask people for advice. You may get comfort in the fact thatyou are not the only one who has gone through this.

Soooo….what are yourthoughts/experiences on breastfeeding/nursing?! How did it go for you at first?

Wordless Wednesday - Camera Phone Pics!

2011-10-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday, my ass. Really.....do you know me to be wordless!!

So I REALLY want to post pictures of Henry as he has grown SO MUCH! However, our motherboard on our computer died and we had to get a new computer and haven't transferred all our pictures to the new computer yet. I hope to do that this weekend and post some adorable new pictures of our little man. In the meantime, enjoy some camera phone pictures!!

"What the hell mom, I just woke up and you are already taking pictures!"

After being startled all Henry could say was "I think I shit my pants."

Who looks like a grumpy, 80 year old Russian man?! Uh, our son!!

Henry is in a quandary......doesn't know if he should buy or sell. It gives him a really headache.

"I know you like Halloween and think it is cute to dress a helpless little baby up. But really, vertical orange stripes on the top and on my feet. Tim Gunn would not approve."

The Day Our Life Changed Forever.

2011-09-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so maybe the title is a tinge dramatic, but it is the honest to God truth. The day our son was born was the day our life changed and we knew nothing would ever be the same. It was the day we felt a love we had never felt before and the day we experienced the purist form of happiness. It was the day we met the most amazing little guy EVER and we got to hold and see this little miracle that Terry and I created. It really doesn’t get any better.

Henry D. was born 9/8/11 at 8:46pm. He was 20 inches long and weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and was absolute PERFECTION.

The Birth: (I am writing a lot because I want to keep this for my reference. You don’t have to read it all, but I wanted to write it down!)

My due date was originally September 9^th. So on Wednesday the 7^th I went in for a Dr. appointment to see how things were going. At my appointment the week before the Doctor briefly talked about inducing and said that the absolute latest we would go was the 14^th. Terry and I actually discussed inducing before the 14^th since I was progressing slowly. So when I got to the Doctor on the 7^th and she asked if we wanted to have this baby the next day (8^th), Terry and I both agreed that we did. During the prior week we had talked about the pros and cons to inducing or letting it happen naturally. As it stood I was still barely one centimeter dilated and my cervix was not softening up. Basically, Henry was very happy inside my uterus! We decided that the timing was the best and we wanted OUR Doctor to deliver Henry and that this was the best option for us.

What we didn’t realize was that I had to go into the hospital just a few hours later to start the process. So I went home the 7^th after my appointment, called family and my work (to tell them I wouldn’t be back to work!), got my bag packed, bills paid, and got everything ready to go to the hospital to HAVE OUR BABY!!

That night they put a medicine inside me that helped to soften the cervix which would help with induction the following day. I had to have this string thing inside me for 12 hours. They had me hooked up to different monitors as well as an IV because I was dehydrated. That night I hardly slept. Partly because I was uncomfortable, partly because when I moved the monitors would move and mainly because I was SO incredibly anxious!

The next morning at 5:30am I had breakfast and took a shower. They then started me on the Pitocin around 6:30 am. During the morning hours I was fine with little or no pain. The contractions had started and even though I could feel the pressure of the contraction there was no pain. However, by the afternoon the pain increased while dilating did not. Terry said I was very much a trooper through this whole thing and also told me that my tolerance for pain is a lot greater than what I usually say it is. (Meaning I act like a baby most of the time I feel even a little bit of pain but during this I was very strong….I am just taking it as a compliment!)

The pain started getting worse so they eventually gave me a pain medicine in my IV which was AMAZING for a little bit of time. Seriously, I felt drunk and nearly pain free for maybe 45 minutes or an hour. However, as that started to wear off the pain increased. I was only about 2 centimeters dilated so they couldn’t do an epidural yet. I tried different positions for the pain but eventually opted for a little more pain medicine. This time, the medicine did NOT work at all. Infact it almost seemed to make everything worse. The pain increased and the contractions were actually about a 1 ½ to 2 minutes apart and I was still only 2-3 centimeters dilated. I dealt with that constant pain for a number of hours. To be honest, it was horrible and I think what made it worse was how close the contractions were and knowing I wasn’t as dilated as I should be for the contractions I was having. The Doctor also broke my water to help things along and I have to say this was NOT fun. My water wouldn’t break. She was all up in there trying to break my water and membrane was just so tough that it did not break easily. She would scrape it but it just wasn’t breaking. Eventually she got it, but I must say the whole thing was very uncomfortable and a bit painful. Breaking the water didn’t rush things along either but finally around 7:30 or so I got to 4 centimeters and they could bring on the epidural! YAY!

I knew from the beginning I would get the epidural if I could so when they said I could get it, I was all like….BRING IT! I have to say the epidural was EASY. I didn’t feel it at all….the guy did an AMAZING job, and I told him that about a dozen times. And within minutes the pain (and the feeling in my legs) was all gone. Strangely, after the epidural everything sped up and before I knew it was approaching 7 centimeters.

As I was getting the epidural my Doctor came in and said that she was looking at my charts and noticed Henry was not liking the Pitocin that much. His heart rate was fine, but his movements were not where she liked them to be. She also said that his head was slightly jammed into my pelvis and during a natural labor could be an issue. (When he was born his head was slightly bruised and coned shaped and he had a bruise between his eyes from being jammed in there.) Before she even said anything else I looked at Terry and looked at her and said do the c-section. She looked surprised and said “really, I know you said you were ok with it but I didn’t know you would agree to it so quickly as most people don’t want it”. I asked if that if I continue to do this naturally that could there be a possibility that Henry’s head may be stuck and they may have to do a c-section anyways or use other means (vacuum) to get him out and she said that there is always that possibility because of how he is located. I asked what she would recommend and she said a c-section. I asked if this was best for Henry and she said yes. I then told her “I would rather do a non-emergency c-section now and make sure Henry is ok rather than waiting and trying to do this naturally and there be an issue during the birth. I trust you and if this is the best option let’s not waste time and just do it.” She then came over to me and said this is what she would do if it was her kid and she thinks the smartest option. I was happy to hear that but it didn’t make me feel any better because I was 100% OK with the decision and not second guessing anything because I knew it was the right decision and what was best for Henry. I seemed to have this adrenaline when she said he was jammed in my pelvis and not taking well to the Pitocin that all I cared about was him and I actually did not get scared about the c-section until after he was delivered. I had also said upfront that IF a c-section was necessary so be it. I also chose to not read ANYTHING about the delivery process (c-section or naturally) because I didn’t want to get freaked out because I wanted to have an open and uninfluenced mind about either of the processes. I mean the kid has to come out and there is no reason to freak myself out or talk myself out of something that NEEDS to get done.

After they prepped me for the c-section they took me to the operating room. Between the hormones they pumped into me, the coldness of being basically naked in this cold room, being anxious I couldn’t stop shivering through the whole surgery. They said this was normal. But my hands were shaking and my teeth were literally chattering! It was the weirdest feeling. Nope, scratch that. Shivering while laying nearly naked in an operating room with about 10 people and with my arms strapped down and a curtain infront of my face that had splatters of blood on it was the weirdest feeling ever! Seriously, the whole thing was a bit sci-fi.

There was a slight moment right before they cut me that I got a little nervous that the epidural wouldn’t work and I would feel everything (like in some horror movie), but luckily the anesthesiologist was AMAZING and everything was perfect. I could feel the pressure of her cutting into me and before I knew it (like 5 minutes in) I hear them say I will feel a push and telling the person helping her to push the baby out and telling Terry to stand up and watch his son being born and then I heard it….the most wonderful sound in the world. I hear our son cry. It was the most amazing sound I have ever heard in my life. The INSTANT I heard him cry I lost it and started crying. They put him over the curtain so I could see him for just a second and then took him to the pediatrician to get checked out. I could hear him in the room crying as they looked him over and it was beautiful. I hope I never ever forget that sound, that first cry. I hope I never forget that feeling, that overwhelming joy I experienced. That uncontrollable crying I had because I was just so happy and so in love with this person I had only seen for but a second. It was amazing.

I tried to calm myself down because even though the Doctor didn’t say anything I was shaking because of the crying and because I was still shivering and I didn’t want the Dr. to mess up while she put me back together! I must say the 30 minutes or so it took to put me back were the hardest. As I hear them cauterizing parts of me back together and see blood on the curtain the reality of what was going on set in. I started getting anxious. Anxious for the procedure to be over and anxious to see my son. I couldn’t move my arms and it freaked me out. I hated being strapped down, especially as I was shaking. Terry stayed by my side the entire time even when they took Henry off to check him out. He later told me seeing his wife’s guts on the table was unnerving and he wanted to be there to make sure I was ok. I love him and honestly I couldn’t have made it through without him. Not just in the surgery (where I was starting to freak out inside my head) but through everything. He was the most supportive husband and was with me every night and holding my hand through the entire labor and delivery process.

After they FINALLY got me all back together they wheeled me into the room and gave Henry to me. I got to hold my son for the first time and he was absolute perfection. Of course the water works started again as I held my son up against my body for the first time. His fragile little body all cuddled up with me. He was our son. We created this life and now this life that has been growing inside me for 9 months was here and I was just in awe of him.

And of course seeing Terry with his son was such a special and amazing moment. It just all clicked. This is OUR family and I couldn’t be happier.

I was in the hospital all day Friday and they actually released me Saturday. Friday was tough, really tough. The reality of just having a baby and that we must take care of this little one kicked in. The realization that I just had pretty major surgery also kicked in when I attempted to get a shower and just try to walk around. It was incredibly painful even to just sit up. I needed help with everything from sitting up to putting on my amazing hospital underwear to going to the bathroom. By Saturday though I was walking around with a lot less pain and felt like a whole new person, albeit a person who just got cut open and who has a new baby, but a whole new person nevertheless!

Saturday evening we got to go home and then the fun really began…..

All I will say about the first night was that it was exhausting, frustrating, painful (I could barely get into our enormous bed), awesome, scary, and about every other emotion out there. There are no words to fully explain what it feels like knowing you are responsible for this child. It has been a series of emotions the past 3 weeks (both good and bad) but I wouldn’t change ANY of it for anything. He is our son and feels like he was always meant to be ours. I just can’t stop starring at him…he literally takes my breath away so many times throughout the day.

So here are some pictures. All he really does is sleep so we have a ton of sleep pictures!! For the record, he has Terry’s chin, lips, forehead, and ears. He has my nose and feet. Not sure yet about the eyes.

**Who won the guess?

It was between Trophy Life:

1). 9/8/2011

2). 11:55 am

3). 20.5 inches long

4). 7 pounds, 8 ounces.

And Mickey D.:

1) September 8

2) 5:36 p.m.

3) 22 inches long

4) 8 lbs, 1 oz

You can watch my son if you want :)

BEST ANNIVERSARY EVER.

2011-09-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

So today Terry and I are celebrating our 5^th wedding anniversary.

In past years I have written something about the wonderful man I married and what an amazing husband, friend, and partner he is.

But this year I am adding one very special title to this already amazing man….Daddy. It has only been a week and in that short period of time I have seen something truly special, being I have seen my husband effortlessly take on the role as a caring and compassionate father to our new son.

My heart has been overfilled with love this past week, a love I never knew I could feel and it has been amazing. And as T & I celebrate OUR love today we also celebrate this new love in our life and this beautiful and most precious miracle we have created together.

It fills me with such emotion every time I see the two of them together and know THEY are my family….my heart….my life.

Guess Who Still Sells Tastefully Simple? ME! NEW DELICIOUS PRODUCTS TODAY!

2011-09-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

So here are the facts:

I still sell Tastefully Simple.

I actually really like many of their products, especiallytheir Fall and Winter products. (To behonest, the Spring/Summer products are OK but not very practical in myopinion.)

I love the ease of use and convenience of most of theirproducts.

While I don’t enjoy selling Tastefully Simple I LOVEdoing the tasting parties for my friends!

I signed up for something to do when I thought Terry wasmoving for school.

I wouldn’t have signed up to sell had I known that a fewmonths later I was going to get knocked up.

I haven’t had the time or motivation to really put intohaving parties and getting myself out there.

I will be selling until September 30^th, butafter that it is up in the air…..and this makes me kinda sad.

I would love to keep selling, but at this point I amwondering if it is just too much….with a new baby.

The Fall/Winter products go on sale today and let me tellyou the food looks and sounds AMAZING!

I am actually excited about this catalog and already havea list of items I want to get for myself.

I wanted to share with everyone what is new….SOENJOY! And don’t drool on your keyboard.

NEW FALL-WINTER PRODUCTS

* AmazingAmaretto Chocolate Sauce

* Apple 'n PearSlush Drink Mix

* Bold BuffaloBlue Cheese Dip Mix

* BountifulBeer Cheese Soup Mix

* CaramelCinnamon Sprinkles

* ChickenTortilla Soup Mix

* ChipotleQueso Dip Starter

* CranberryOrange Scone Mix

* CreamyPortobello Warm Dip Mix

* EnglishToffee Cheese Ball Mix

* HomestyleBiscuits & Gravy Mix

* Malted CocoaMix

* Malted CocoaMix Mini

* Olive &Herb Cheese Ball Mix

* Peanut ButterPopcorn (available 10/1/11)

* Roasted OnionWarm Dip Mix

* Savory PeachBrandy Glaze

* SnickerdoodleCookies (available 10/1/11)

* Spicy HarvestSalsa

* Sweet DrizzleSnack Mix Pretzel & Caramel Corn BLend (available 10/1/11)

* Tender PotRoast Sauce

* TripleberryFruit Spread

* Tuscany BreadDipping Mix

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

* ButterscotchKisses Cocoa Mix

* ChocolateUgly Cake Mix

* Creamy WildRice Soup Mix

* Fudgy PopcornWith Nuts (available 10/1/11)

* Pumpkin PatchA Mix for Bread & Muffins

* RoastedGarlic Infused Oil

* Wahoo! ChiliSeasoning Blend

I know, right?! Sounds AMAZING! Plus, as always,your standard line of products are available.

The Fall/Winter products are available for purchasebeginning TODAY, September 1^st! You can continue to buy items in the Spring/Summer catalog if you wantas that has been extended until September 19^th.

Now I will be able to do ONLY catalog parties during themonth of September. Basically youreceive all the benefits of the hosting rewards but you do not have a tastingparty. These are great if people alreadyknow the products and/or you don’t have time to host a party. I will provide you with evites and/or regularinvites and you just sit back and relax! If I continue with TS after September I will be back to hosting tastingparties.

INCENTIVE!!!

Since I can’t really do much and haven’t been doing muchI have decided to have a give-a-way for everyone who purchases something duringthe month of September! Make a purchasethrough me or online through my website (on the side or below) and you will beentered into a drawing to receive a mountain of TS products!

If you have any questions just email me at my personalemail (for those of you who know me) or at the email below!

Consultant Website: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/jhoward4

Email address: jenn.kristenTS@gmail.com

My consultant ID No. is0110558.

A few teaser pictures.....

Bountiful Beer Cheese Soup!

English Toffee Cheese Ball!

Tender Pot Roast Sauce!

Malted Cocoa Mix!

Just for Fun! - I Can’t Wait to Use These Sayings On Our Kid Someday……

2011-08-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

We all heard these as a kid and hated when our parentssaid them to us. However, now that I am olderI can’t wait to use these on Henry some day!

* While you live under our roof you have to obey our rules.

* I brought you into this world I can take you out.

* Three more bites.

* If ALL your friends jumped off a bridge would you jumpoff a bridge too?

* I don’t care what little Tommy is allowed to do; LittleTommy is not my child.

* If you keep making that face your face is going to staylike that!

* Don’t make me turn this car around!

* Don’t make me come upstairs!

* Do we live in a barn?

* Well in my day….

Any other ones from when you were a kid?! Please share!

Sooooooo, I am 10-ish Days Away From Having a Baby…..Uh, Then What Do We Do?!?!

2011-08-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

So this weekend we put up Henry’s crib and seeing thecrib up was a HUGE reality check. Thereality being that at any time in the next couple weeks we will be bring home achild, OUR CHILD, and we have to take care of that child and try not to breakhim.

Riiiight.

Easy, I can do this as I am positive they come with aninstructions manual and wrapped in bubble wrap and basically take care ofthemselves!

WHAT?! THEY DON’T!!! Well then what the hell are we suppose to do?!?!?!

AAAAAHHHHHHH!

Ok, deep breathes….I am ok, just a minor freak out.

Yes, this weekend I had a moment where I just looked atTerry and had the following conversation:

Me: Sitting on the couch and surrounded by threedifferent baby books and a bit overwhelmed “Terry I don’t know how to take careof a baby.”

T: “Yes you do.”

Me: “No, I don’t. I have no idea WHAT to do. How do Ifeed him, how often do I feed him, how long do I feed him, what products do Iuse when I change his diaper, how do I swaddle him, how long should he sleep, Idon’t even know if I should or how to give him a bath! And did you know you can’t have blankets inthe crib….I didn’t know that! And whatif he gets sick? What else don’t I know?!?!?!?!”

T: Pausing the TV because obviously he knows I am havinga little freak out. “Jenn, he will eat when he is hungry, sleep when he istired, and we will change him when he needs it. The rest of it we will figure it out together…we are not the first newparents. It will be ok and will all workout, don’t worry about it”

Me: Pausing for a moment. “OK, you are right.” Back toreading my baby books and T. back to watching TV.

I have been fairly calm during this pregnancy. I have not been worried about many things andhave just been trying to enjoy the last 9 months. But this weekend, as I saw the crib up and hisroom coming together and realized we are just DAYS away from meeting our littleone I just had this moment of thinking to the hospital after delivery andwondering:

“Ok, the baby is here, now what the hell do we do?! Seriously, you are giving us this child totake home without someone to supervise us….is that safe?!”

Luckily I have a husband who is a perfect balance to meand I to him. In most situations when hegets upset I remain calm and in the more likely scenario when I freak out heremains calm. It works. And it isexactly what I need in these last days of the pregnancy and in the comingmonths. T. is not a very emotionalperson , however he knows exactly when to comfort me compared to when to notsugar coat anything or “baby” me and say it is all going to be all right….he isdirect and logical and that is exactly what I needed to hear.

Of course I am still and will still worry about things;honestly I imagine this will NEVER EVER EVER stop once we have this child. However, I just needed hearing from myhusband, my partner in this journey that it will be OK and we will figure this out together. When he is calm I am calmand I know we can do this. We are boundto make millions of mistakes (maybe in the first year alone) and we will needhelp or need to figure out what to do as we embark on this new journey, but I need to remember weare also not the first parents out there and most things are natural and wewill just learn as we go….and if we don’t know we will figure it out. And if we don’t figure it out, well that iswhat therapy is for when our child gets older.

I am not going tolie, while I am absolutely ecstatic about holding our son and taking him home –I am still scared shitless about the idea of being responsible for this new andfragile life that WE created. It justblows my mind and freaks me out all in one. But I am also SO happy that it is Terry by my side and I couldn’timagine going through any of this with anyone else other than him. I know, with him, everything WILL be OK evenif that means I have no idea what the hell I am doing!! I guess I need to just get use to the fact that I will most likely have no idea what the hell I am doing for the next 18 years. :)

Oh yeah – 10 FREAK’N DAYS!!!

Pinterest Question

2011-08-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

Does anyone have an answer for this Pinterest newbie?

So when I started Pinterest it showed that I wasfollowing a bunch of people. If I wentto the “PEOPLE” list then “people you follow” it showed at least a dozen ormore people. But now when I go to thatlist it only shows 4 or 5 people. However, when I go to someones boards who I was following before it showsthat I am following that person....or at least I would assume as it says under their profile and boards "unfollow".

What up with that?!

Do I need to “unfollow” then re-follow those people again?

Also, when people do stuff it doesn’t show up on my mainpage under my profile picture….is it suppose to? I was just curious because I haven’t beenable to tell when friends “pin” things even though I have it marked under my preferences.

Any Pinterest help would be appreciated!!

Talk to Me – Crockpot Meals

2011-08-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

So in preparation for the arrival of our little one Ihave been thinking about food. Ok, who am I kidding, I pretty much think aboutfood ALL. THE. TIME these days.

I am going to make a few things within the next week tofreeze so that the first couple weeks T & I, as crazy new parents, can atleast have something available to eat that is quick, semi healthy and gives usa bit of energy!

However, we are also going to start preparing more foodat home, especially when T. is home with our little man. And even though myhusband is actually a great cook, I think having some great go to crockpotrecipes are a MUST!

So what are your favorite crockpot recipes?

Any websites you like to go to for delicious recipes?

I always make the same thing…pot roast. And whileit is delicious, I really think we need to expand our crockpot reciperepertoire just a bit.

Pregnancy – 36 & 37 Weeks.

2011-08-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

(And in case you didn’t notice, I only have 17 days to go!)

Let’s just start with a picture, shall we….

BAM! Hello 36 weeks!

So look at that tiny little 36 week baby bump!! Heehee I think this summarizes everything! Henry and I are getting bigger and I didn’tknow a belly could stretch like this!

How about 37 weeks....

Between my belly and my boobs, I think the word you are looking for is DAAAAANG! I am stretching my shirts out about as far as they will go. See how the shirt is barely fitting me?! Awesome. I am getting the thing with shirts now where I have to wear somethingunderneath otherwise my shirt doesn’t cover my stomach and you can see thebottom of my bump. CLASSY!

And speaking of belly’s, let me say this. While I believe with clothes on my pregnancybelly is cute, if you proceed to look under those clothes my stomach is a hotmess! I laugh when I see those picturesof pregnant ladies with such a beautifully shaped and perfect baby bump becauseI know they are airbrushed! Let me tellyou something about my not so little baby bump. It is lopsided, it is stretched out, I have a few stretch marks, I seem to havehair ALL OVER my belly….seriously, when did I become a Sasquatch?! You can alsosee both the top and bottom stretched out holes where I use to have a bellybutton piercing….now that is attractive. It ain’t pretty.

Now I LOVE my belly because, well it is mine and I love that my body can even do this. Plus I love seeing it move and knowour little one is just under the surface growing big and strong! However, lets be real folks….the belly,especially when it is being stretched to the maximum, is not an attractivething. Well, at least mine is not! However, that doesn’t stop me from sittingaround the house exposing my belly so I can watch our son move…..or brushing thehair on my stomach. :)

How is Henry?

GREAT! Everything is similar to what it has been the pastcouple months….he is just getting bigger and bigger and bigger! We think he has dropped or is dropping (Ireally am not knowledgeable on this stuff to know for sure how all thatworks). I am also feeling a very mildand quick pulling feeling/pain down low the past few days. And this morning I was awaken to a veryintense pain in my pubic area that last about 20-30 seconds. Nothing else today, but man did thathurt! It seems the little one is slowlystarting to get ready to meet us! Hopehe likes us :)

How are your stats?

Good; my BP keeps going down….YAY! Infact at my appointment last Tuesday it was112 over 77 to which Terry asked the nurse if that meant I was dead becausethat was the lowest it has been so far and a big difference from 138/72. Luckily, I was not. The past couple months it seems as though Igain weight in spurts. Gain a few poundsin one week but nothing for a week or two after that. I think I am somewhere between 16-20 poundsbut honestly stopped paying attention to it because I don’t care. No really. A couple months ago I did, but now as long as I am healthy and mostimportantly Henry is healthy and growing, I don’t care how much I gain theselast few weeks.

Are you dilated yet?

Yep, 1 little centimeter last Tuesday! I know I can be here for some time, but theDoctor said it was good that my body is naturally starting the process andgetting ready. EXCITING! My next appointment is tomorrow so I will beinterested to find out if this has changed or is the same.

Two questions I have been getting a lot lately:

Are you ready to meet Henry?

Absolutely! I don’t think words can express just how excited,anxious, nervous I am to meet this little one.

Are you tired of being pregnant?

Absolutely not.

I have to say that I LOVE being pregnant. LOVE. IT. I had always wondered based on stories I hearfrom others or even from TV if pregnancy was hard and unbearable. It sure seems to be made out that waysometimes. And I am sure, since everysingle person is different, that for many women pregnancy is hard. And who knows how I will feel the lastweek/days of this pregnancy. But luckily, for me, I have really enjoyed thisentire experience.

Yes, I have pains and discomforts (especially at this pointin the pregnancy) however; none of those discomforts have made me enjoy thispregnancy any less. Infact I think everyache and pain, every groan, every upset stomach, every tender body part, everyfoot in the rib, every late night waddle to the bathroom, or every restlessnight of sleep makes me appreciate this time even more. I know this will be over soon and you justnever know if this will be the last time I will have this experience. And if itis I want to try and be thankful for the blessing we are about to have and theprocess that led to our son. Would Iwant to be pregnant all the time (think Duggars) – HELLS NO! But IF another child was in our future wouldI embrace pregnancy again – ABSOLUTELY!

How is the room/house coming along?

Thanks to the help of my awesome parents, sister and husband– we got a lot accomplished this weekend. The dining room and living room no longer look like a storage unit. And Henry’s room is all cleaned and ready tostart making into HIS room! We have thecrib ready to be put together, the changing table up, and all his stuffupstairs and ready to be put away. Thelast of his clothes are washed and folded and my mom and I picked up nearly allof the last items we needed for the little guy. As of Sunday night I literally let out a huge sigh knowing things werein place and just about done! I shouldhave pictures soon of his room.

17 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!