Time to Eat

Here we are, nearly 5 months old. We started cereal today, for the second time. (Yes, the second time). B-man was 4 months old when he started cereal, so I tried it with her. It was successful for a couple of days and then it came to the point that she just cried and well, call me a softy, but I don't want to do that to her. Now, a month later we are trying it again. And my bff gave me a hint.

Mix the rice cereal with Nursery Water instead of expressed milk. (Why do they call it 'expressed' milk? It is by NO means a fast way of getting milk). The first time we tried this cereal thing I was staying up late and pumping, ugh NO FUN! As she was taking her first bite you can see how unsure she was, notice her hand, she is actually helping me. This is her new thing.

Yum, hmm, yum? Her eyes are looking at 'Marley and Me' on the TV. Ha! The first couple of bites went well, but after about the 6th or 7th, NO MORE. She was having no more! (or maybe it was the end of the movie, if you've seen it you know what I'm talking about:(

We'll try again tomorrow at dinner time. Isn't she cute? Love this little girl, no matter how much she screams.

Changes are Coming?

Meri Had a Little Lamb, Little Lamb, Little Lamb...

He's almost 4!

Notice the question mark....

Changes may be coming and at this time in my life I am so thankful that HE is in control. So each time I find myself thinking about all I have to do and what I want; I remember that I am His child and He has a plan for me and my family.

I find myself making better choices as I prayerfully seek my life. My human nature still takes me on a detour every once in a while. When I want something and I mean REALLY want something I go after it full force, I'll find myself with guts I never knew I had. Job, husband, kids, SAHM, and now my new endeavor. But this time I pulling the emergency brake and singing "Jesus take the wheel". I can't do this on my own or even with my wonderful husband. For now we ponder: Is this God's vision for us or is it our vision we want God to have?

Missing Pants

Missing:
Red Baseball Pants
Size:
XS
Last Seen:
Last Weekend after the T-ball game and before B-man's nap.

Now, I ask you...Where could one pair of red baseball pants hide? We have looked EVERYWHERE including under the couch and in the refridgerator. If you happen to find them please contact us before B-man's 11 o'clock game.

What a Fun Night

Meet the cook. This is J, he is a hardworking man, a wonderful husband, and a wonderful dad. He coaches our T-ball league, volunteers at the fire-department, goes to school full time, works full time and occasionally drives an ambulance. Now he has added grill master to his list of accomplishments. Thank you honey for picking up that chore for the summer.

B-man had his first ice cream truck experience today. I had to talk my husband into letting him have ice-cream before dinner. And it was all worth it when he started eating it. He chose a watermelon Jolly Rancher flavored ice-cream.

I can't get enough of my B-man. I get sappy when I think about how much I love my little tornado. He is our miracle baby, born 8 weeks early, 4lbs 5oz, 32days in the NICU. I just have to brag at all he has overcome and accomplished. Just look at how cute he is. I'll make sure I go back to this post when he is driving me CRAZY.

After our hamburgers and fresh corn we all packed up and went to the park. B-man and J played while I walked with Little M. Then we walked around the park together. It was so much fun to watch B-man run through the grass and around the trees. He's not as detrimental to the grass in the park as he is in our house. Ha. After all that fun the kids were tuckered out so we came home and put both of them to bed. Now, after this post, that's where I'm headed! Have a great Memorial Day!

Little Lady

Here is my Little Lady and one of her non-crying moments! Welcome to the world of girls! Do you see what I see? Each day she is dressed in a beautiful dress (that she will surely soak through with drool in a few hours). Did anyone tell her it's not polite to pull your dress over your head? I'm thinking that teething with a girl is going to be a fun experience. So, not only will the top of the dress be soaked with drool but now she is going to soak the bottom of her dress by chewing on it. But at least she is adorable doing it!

A Girl & Her Toys

When B-man was little we had two sitting toys for him. A swing that we passed along to Little M and a bouncer that was decked out with lights and rattles and the oh so important 'calming vibrations'. He LOVED that bouncer. He took all his naps in the bouncer and w lugged it everywhere we planned to spend extended time. Little M on the other hand....she is not happy for too long in anything.

Here is our pink Boppy Bouncer that I just had to have, because of course she was going to be just like her brother and love to take naps in it...NOT. But, she does sit in it occasionally, usually while I cook breakfast or fix my hair. But we do not lug it around like we did with B-man's.

Another 'had-to-have' for me! I fell in love with Baby Einstein and their Baby Neptune when B-man was a baby. And now they have a play mat. We love it! She will only take it for up to 10-15 minutes, but that is fine by me. She finally will take some tummy time in this. It has many toys, rattles, lights and other interesting things to look at. However, it's not worth $70.00! This we have been known to take to Great Grandma's house.

This is definitely a winner! She loves it...most of the time. We passed this swing down from B-man's baby days. He only used it twice. The swing sits in the middle of our living room where she takes her morning and afternoon quick naps. It folds up nicely and we can take it anywhere. Little M did go through a 2 week phase of 'I'm not sitting in that again!' So, then we got the Rocking Chair. Do you think she liked it?

This is probably the only happy picture we have of her in THE Rocking Chair. So, the answer is...she liked it for about 10 minutes. My little princess and her demanding ways! I can't wait to see how those demanding ways will evolve. I can picture it now "No, mom I don't like the pink mustang anymore, I want a black one with a leopard personalized license plate" Ha, just kidding, we'll never let her out of the house:) so she won't need a car.

Our most recent addition to the "I don't want to sit in that" family, is, the newly arrived Bumbo straight from a Bumbo dealer. So far,so good (okay, is there any wood to knock on?). She seems to really like it. But UPS just dropped it off yesterday, so, there is still time for her feel disdain towards it. (I love this picture of her playing with her Boots and Scooches)

My house looks like a daycare! Good news is that all the germs on these items are hers! And now, Little M has began sitting in her high chair during meals and while preparing meals. Bonus! New challenge, I can't leave Little M in her high chair while big brother is around, he could decide to give her a kiss and she would be thrown unwillingly to the floor.

Yum Yum

Yummo! After watching Rachel Ray to see Kate Goselin on TV yesterday, I started craving a quiche. She made a great Greek quiche so, I decided to make my own. This picture was taken about 9 o'clock at night, because that is when I finished. Ha! I am not a cook, not a good one anyway. I started this at about 6:30, I got home late from Great Grandma's house today. It turned out really well. In this quiche I put green onion, tomato, bacon, and 2 kinds of cheese (LOVE me some cheese). I baked it for 45 minutes. The hole you see in the middle is from the knife I used to see if it was done. (I got a little aggressive)


Since it was SO late (at least for our family) J and B-man ate while I put my precious baby girl to bed. Looks like he like it! When I returned though this is what I saw....



Hmmm.. An open can of Spaghettio's. Wonder who didn't like the quiche.
None other than B-man.



Poor kid. His dad took pity on him since it was past his bedtime and made him something else because he wasn't lovin' the quiche. (He got lucky! My motto is 'I'm not a short order cook:)
Over all it was super yummy! I'm proud of my cooking efforts. Ha!

An Angel Amongst Us

I hug my children a little tighter, a little longer, and give an extra kiss today. I opened my computer this morning to learn that Kayleigh Anne Freeman has lost her earthly battle and gone to be with Jesus. I am grieved for Aimee and Adam in the loss of their little girl.
My husband and I are brought back to a time when our own son's life was unsure. Bryston was brought into this world 8 weeks early. The doctor's words "He's a very sick baby" chime in my mind. The Freeman's NICU experience is unimaginable. Our 32 days just a spec compared to their battle.

I'm greatful for each cry, each smile, each precious moment. I hope you are too.

PS. Sorry about the pictures of my precious baby girl. Lately if she isn't being held by me, then this is what you get. Possibly teething?

Not Me Monday

Here is my FIRST entry for 'Not Me Monday' from www.mycharmingkids.net! I'm so excited, so, here it goes!

I did not put off going to the dentist for the past 4 of my child bearing years. I did not go to the dentist today foolishly hoping that I would maintain my no cavities streak. Only to find out that I have multiple cavities! I was not prescribed a special toothpaste (did you know they have prescription toothpaste?) and had to schedule a time to take care of my teeth. This did not happen to me.

I did not attempt to fill up my daughters bathtub without the stopper in place, which would of course result in a mess all over my kitchen floor! Nope, I didn't do that!

While strolling through my living room with my chunky baby girl whom over course tossed her most recent feeding down my nice clean shirt the first thing that did not come to my mind was 'I'm bringing sexy back'!

Look Who's 4 Months

Wow Little M! I can't believe you are 4 months old already. Here you are waiting on our turn at your pediatrician. It took several clicks of the camera and a lot of noises from Momma to get this smile. I love it! So, what have you been up to these 4 months?
- Well, you've started sleeping through the night, despite your daddy's snores.
- You still like, even insist, on being swaddled.
- At 16 weeks you went through a growth spurt, eating several times a day and waking 1 to 2 times a night, but now you are back to sleeping through the night again. I don't mind the night time feedings, it's one of the only times it's just you and me.
- You talk a lot, especially when Mommy's on the phone, and you have 'said' a very clear MaaMaa, even though it wasn't in response to me, just a sound.
- You love to watch your buggy mobile while kicking and playing in your crib.
- You are a very good car rider and love to go different places.
- You have recently began to enjoy sitting in your bouncer in the kitchen while Mommy cooks or cleans.
- You have not rolled over yet, because... you HATE being on your tummy.
- You do roll from side to side to reach out and grab your toys.
- Great Grandma loves to rock you AND you enjoy the being rocked by snuggling up right next to her and falling asleep, always waking in her arms with a smile.
I can't wait to see what this next month holds in store for us.

"Hmm, what is he going to do to me?"
This is our pediatrician, he is really nice and very helpful to an over anxiety ridden mother.

So, what did the doctor say?

- Heart, lungs, bowels... All good

- Ears, nose, throat, and eyes all good

- You weigh 13lbs 3oz and are 24 3/4 inches long.

- Your very strong with arms, head, and legs. You need to work on shoulders (but you hate your tummy!)

- Dr says the Swine Flu (H1N1) is no more worrisome than the flu that kills 40,000 people a year. Media Hype

Doctor orders: MORE TUMMY TIME:) We shall see....

The Good, the Bad, and the Down Right Ugly

My best friend (bff) and Little M in the hospital.

Here is my little girls first captured smile. Little M is almost 4 months old. I'll be adding four month memories soon.

Tonight I was sitting in my leather recliner that does not work and thinking. . . about the blessings and curses of pregnancy and it's after effects on one's body. Things that your mother and best friend forgot to tell you.

For instance, when your breastfeeding, your whole schedule revolves around your boobs. Yes, I said boobs! For the rest of this blog I'll refer to them as 'bottles'. My whole way of planning outings has changed. If I'm going out with just me and Little M then it's pretty easy. But when I take B-man with me, well, that's a whole other story. Dressing rooms are no longer for trying on clothes, this is where I sneak off to feed Little M. I've even been known to sit on a toilet (fully clothed) to feed her. If I'm desperate and can't get out of public I WILL feed her. She comes first and I'm willing to do whatever to provide her nourishment. So far I have not had to do this.

Next, which also goes back to breastfeeding. NO PERIODS! Nope, I haven't had one of those in 3 months. I've only had the after pregnancy FUN stuff (which no one warned me about either, after the birth of my first baby I called my best friend because I thought I was dying). I know, what your thinking, especially if your haven't nursed long term 'Is she pregnant'? NO, I'm not. Apparently I may not have a period for 18 months. But I do cramp once a month and my whole body aches right down to my joints. Which is what I'm going through now.

Also, your back will NEVER be the same again after back labor. I'm sure that is why I have 10 pinched nerves, slip disc, and curvature of the spine (the latter probably took place as I was growing)

HAIR: where it should and shouldn't be. It should NOT be in my bathtub drain! My hair is falling out! It's everywhere. Worse than a shedding dog. I can't keep it from going down the drain because even though I know it's there, I can't see it to stop it being that I'm blind without glasses. I pull it off my Little M all the time. So, if you see me with a pony tail, that is why, because it's falling out. (another thing I called my best friend about)

Eczema. Oh yeah, eczema! Numular Eczema to be exact. On my legs and arms. Common during and after pregnancy AND there is no cure, just controlling the best I can.

All that in addition to stretch marks, nausea, sleeplessness. So much fun. And Bonus! PPD. If you don't know what that is, then you didn't get it, and that is great. I did and it wasn't good.

BUT. Look at that picture of my Little M. I'm so blessed. As I read blogs about preemies and reflect on my own experiences I feel more and more like God used my pregnancies and my children to teach me. I've learned to honor Him, thank Him more, praise Him always, pray frequently, love more, be less judgemental, and think before I speak.

How thankful I am! For all of it:)